Palak(Spinach) Paneer

Ingredients:
Palak (Spinach) - 1 bunch
Onion - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Green chillies - 2/3 slit lengthwise
Salt
Milk
Cream (optional)
Paneer (Cottage cheese) - 100 gms - cut into small cubes
Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1 tsp
Butter/Ghee - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder (haldi) - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi (dry methi) - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash and pressure cook Palak with 1 whistle by adding very little milk. Blend it in a blender. Take little butter in a pan, add cumin seeds, when it splutters add turmeric powder and green chillies. Add chopped onion. When the onion are translucent add chopped tomatoes. When the tomatoes are cooked and start leaving butter add the blended palak and salt. Add cubed paneer. Mix well till it boils slightly. Roast the kasoori methi in a pan till it is light brown. Crush it between your palms and add and cook for 5 minutes. Add cream if desired.

Palak (Spinach) Parontha

Before we got married, my husband used to stay as a PG with a family in Pune, India. That Aunty used to make lovely palak parontha's. My husband used to love them, so I had to learn how to make it. Aunty is no more with us, but we do remember her whenever we make the parontha's. It is very rear that people make Palak paronthas.

Ingredients:
Spinach (palak) - 1 bunch
Onion - 1 small
Green chillies - 3/4 chopped finely
Salt
Ajwain (Carom seeds)
Fresh Cream/Milk
Wheat Flour
Butter

Method:
Wash and finely chop palak, add onion, salt, ajwain, fresh cream/milk. Mix all together, now add required amount of wheat flour, little by little so that you can bind all together. Add water if required. Make the dough little hard as palak leaves water so the dough becomes lose. Divide into small portions and roll out into round parontha's using rolling pin, but little thick. Roast the parontha's on a preheated pan by applying butter on both sides. Serve hot with yogurt (Curd) and pickle.

Palak Pakora and Pudina Chutney

It was a rainy day and wanted to eat garam garam (hot) pakoras and drink hot chai (tea). I was planning to make onion pakoras, but my husband suggested to try palak pakora. So I tried it out and it turned out to be mouth watering.

Palak Pakora

Ingredients
Palak (Spinach) - 2 cups
Gram flour
Onion - 1 small chopped into small pieces
Ajwain seeds (Carom seed)










Salt
Green Chillies - 4 chopped
Chat powder - (optional)
Coriander (Cilantro)- chopped
Oil for frying

Method:
Wash and chop spinach small. Mix all the ingredients except for Gram flour and oil. Add gram flour little by little till you are able to mix it like a paste. You can add water if required. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the pakoras till light brown. Enjoy!

Pudina Chutney (Mint)
Ingredients:
Pudina - 1 bunch
Onion - 1/2 small
Green Chillies - 3
Ground Nut - 12 pieces
Tamarind - small piece or Pomogranate seeds (anardana) 1 spoon
Salt - as per taste
Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:
Mix all the above ingredient and grind it roughly by adding water as per the required consistency.

Tips:
1. Ajwain has lot of medicinal values. More
2. Pudina(Mint) is good for digestion and also serves as a mouth freshner