Spinach GramFlour Cake / Palak Dhokla

Ingredients:

For Dhokla:
Gram Flour                                                   - 1 cup
Spinach                                                         - 1 cup finely chopped and blanched
Yogurt                                                           - 1/4 cup
Ginger                                                           - 1 tspoon grated
Green Chilies                                                - 2 finely chopped
Lemon Juice                                                 - 1 tblspoon
Eno Fruit Salt                                               - 1 tspoon
Salt                                                               - to taste
Oil                                                                - 1 tblspoon

For Tempering:
Oil                                                                - 1 tblspoon
Mustard Seeds                                             - 1 tspoon
Green Chili                                                  - 4-5 slit into 4
Curry Leaves                                               - 5-6 chopped
Asafetida                                                     - 1 pinch
water                                                           - 3 tblspoon

Method:

Blanch or steam the spinach leaves along with stalk. Allow it to cool.
Once cooled finely chop them .
In a wide bowl add in the gram flour, chopped spinach, yogurt and oil. Mix well.
Add a little water at a time to make the thick dropping batter. The batter should be of dropping consistency, not very runny.
Now add in salt, sugar (if using) and lemon juice and mix well avoiding any lumps in the batter.
Now leave the batter rest for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile grease a steamer plates and keep ready. Prepare the steamer with water and keep aside.
Once the batter has rested, mix in the fruit salt and mix well with the whisk. Do not beat it very much.
Just mix until the fruit salt is combined well into the batter, and its starts to get fluffy.
Immediately pour the batter in the greased plates and place it into the steamer for steaming.
Steam on high in the steamer for around 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted inside comes out clean.
Remove the steamed spinach/palak Dhokla's from the steamer and allow it cool for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a Tadka/Small pan; add asafetida, mustard seeds,  curry leaves and allow them to crackle.
Add in the slit green chilies as well. Let them get brown.
Turn off the heat and gradually add the 3 tablespoons of water to the tempering.
Take care as the  oil will start spluttering. Adding water is necessary as it helps in keeping the Dhokla soft and moist.
Drizzle this seasoning on top of the Palak Dhokla.  Cut the Dhokla into desired pieces.
Serve Dhokla warm with choice of dips. I serve them with green mint and coriander chutney.

Palak Wali Daal

Ingredients:

Tuar Daal / Arhar Daal   - 1 cup
Spinach/Palak  - 1 cup finely chopped
Tomato                            - 2 large finely chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1 tspoon
Amchoor - 1 tspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1 tspoon
Asafetida - 1 pinch
Ginger Paste - 1 tspoon
Garlic                              - 2 cloves finely chopped
Green Chilies - 2 slit/chopped
Salt                               - to taste
Fresh Coriander - 2 tblspoon chopped
Water                              - 3 cups
Oil/ghee                          - 1 tblspoon

Method :

Wash spinach leaves completely in cold running water. Then roughly shred/chop them.
Wash and pressure cook Arhar dal and Spinach with salt, turmeric, and amchoor with 3 cups of water. Pressure Cook it for 4 whistle.
Wash green chilies, deseed and cut them finely.
Heat oil/ghee in a deep pan.
Add in asafetida and cumin seeds.
When cumin seeds start to get golden, mix in the green chilies, chopped garlic and ginger paste.
After 2 minutes of cooking ginger garlic, add in the chopped tomatoes, mix well. Cook until tomatoes are soft, mushy and mixed completely.
Mix in the boiled daal and spinach.
Simmer for 2 minutes and serve hot with Rice and Chapati.
This Daal can be a part of your Thali for lunch and dinner menu.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

Paneer                                                        -250 gms  cut into cubes
Fresh spinach/palak                                   -1 bunch
Green chilies                                              -1 or 2 chopped
Garlic                                                         -1 Finely chopped (optional)
Ginger                                                        -1/2 inch Finely chopped
Onion                                                         -1 medium sized finely chopped
Tomato                                                      -1 medium sized finely chopped
Garlic/lahsun                                             -4-5 finely chopped
cumin seeds/jeera                                      -1/2 tspoon
Turmeric powder/haldi                              -1/2 tspoon
Coriander powder/dhaniya                        -1/2 tspoon
Red chili powder                                       -1/2 tspoon  (optional)
Asafoetida/hing                                         -a pinch
Garam masala powder                               -1/2 tspoon
Bay leaf/tej patta                                        -1
Cream                                                         -1 or 2 tbsp low fat
oil                                                               -2 tbspoon
salt                                                              -to taste
water                                                           -as required
Kasuri methi leaves/dry fenugreek leaves -1 tbspoon (optional)
Fresh Coriander  leaves                              -1 tbspon to garnish



Method:
Rinse the spinach very well under running tap water. boil water in a pan with some salt.
switch off the fire and add the spinach leaves in the hot water.
cover the pan with a lid and let the spinach leaves sit in the water for 2-3 mins.
After 3 minutes drain the water. Now puree the spinach in a blender or with the hand held blender. Take out the puree and wash the jar. Make a very smooth puree.
Now Add the ginger, garlic, green chilies, onion and tomatoes in the blender and  blend again. Blend it till it becomes very smooth.
Now heat oil in a heavy pan or kadai. Put the cumin seeds and asafetida when oil is hot. Then add the bay leaf. Now add the Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Tomato  puree to it. Cook it covered with lid for 5 minutes, once it starts to leave the oil.
add the turmeric powder, coriander  powder and red chili powder, stir and saute for some seconds.
Now add the spinach puree, add some water if required. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or more till the spinach is cooked.
After 10 minutes add salt and garam masala. Stir well to mix everything again.
At this point you can also add some crushed kasuri methi leaves, If it's of your taste.
Now add the paneer cubes. Cook the gravy for another 5 minutes. Paneer cubes will become tender and juicy.
Switch off the flame. Add cream and stir well but avoid breaking the paneer cubes.
Palak Paneer is ready to serve with hot chapatis and rice. Sprinkle Palak paneer with fresh coriander leaves.

Palak Puri

Ingredients:

Spinach (Palak)           -1 cup washed and finely chopped
Wheat flour (Atta)       -2 cups
Salt                              - To taste
Chilli powder              - 1 tsp
Water                           - ( to knead the dough)
Oil                               - 1 tsp + for deep frying


Method:

Then heat a spoonful of oil in a pan and fry the palak until it is somewhat cooked. Do not drain off the water of palak that it leaves while frying.
Mix atta, chilli powder and salt. When the palak cools down add it to the atta mixture and mix start to knead it into a dough. Mix some water if you need thought Palak leaves a lot of water. Keep the dough for 5 minutes and then roll them out into 2? diameter puris and deep fry them in oil.
Palak puris are ready. I serve them in breakfast or sometimes with Paneer Sabzi but you can serve them with Sabzi aur condiments of you choice.