If you are thinking about healthy eating, Karkidakam is the month to try it. A few recipes here make use of leaves used in daily cooking, which are high in nutritive value.
Methi Potato Curry
Ingredients
Potatoes – 12
Methi leaves – 4 bunches
Turmeric powder – Quarter tsp
Red chilli powder – Half tsp
Salt – To taste
Sunflower oil – 4 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
White sesame seeds – 4 tbsp
Coriander leaves – 3 sprigs
Method
Boil potatoes and peel the skin. Heat two teaspoons of oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add potatoes and saute for a few minutes. Add washed and chopped methi leaves, salt, red chilli powder and mix well and cover with a lid for two minutes. Cook over moderate flame. When the water gets absorbed completely, turn off the fire.
Heat three tablespoons of oil and fry sesame seeds until they turn brown. Stir in the methi potato currry and saute for a few more seconds. Transfer to a bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chappathi or naan.
Palak Paneer
Ingredients
Crumbled paneer – Half cup
Fried paneer pieces – Half cup
Grated cheese – Three-fourth cup
Spinach – Two bunches
Ginger – Half-inch piece
Green chillies – 4, chopped
Coriander powder, cumin powder and sugar – 1 tsp each
Red chilli powder – Half tsp
Onions – 3, chopped
Tomatoes – 5 cut into pieces
Garlic – 3 pods
Salt — To taste
A few slices of tomato
Oil – 2 tsp
Method
In a pan, put the washed and chopped spinach, a quarter of the tomato pieces, ginger, green chillies, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Cook for five minutes until the spinach becomes soft. Remove from heat. Mash to a paste with the crumbled paneer.
To make tomato gravy
Heat oil and fry onion and garlic until soft. Add the remaining three-fourths of the tomato pieces, red chilli powder, little salt, and fry for a few more minutes. When cooled, blend in a mixer adding 1 teaspoon of sugar.
To assemble: Spread the spinach mixture evenly in a greased oven dish. Spread paneer pieces evenly on top of the spinach mixture. Pour tomato gravy evenly on top. Arrange the tomato slices. Sprinkle grated cheese and bake at 180 degree C for 30 minutes. Serve hot with puris or parathas.
Amaranth Curry
Ingredients
Amaranth (cheera) – 1 small bunch
Drumstick leaves – A handful
Tur dal – 1 cup
Tamarind (pulp extracted) – A lemon sized ball
Turmeric powder – Quarter tsp
Rice powder – 1 tsp
Salt – To taste
Green chillies – 3 split
Cooking soda – A pinch
Fry and powder:
Oil – 1 tsp
Channa dal – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – One and a half tsp
Red chillies – 5
Grated coconut – Quarter cup
For seasoning:
Oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Red chilli – 1, broken
Method
Wash and pressure cook tur dal adding just enough water and turmeric powder. Wash the greens in salt water and cut the amaranth leaves into fine bits (discarding the roots). Put the slit green chillies in a vessel, add greens, a pinch of cooking soda and boil for five minutes. Mash well and add the tamarind pulp. Add salt, turmeric powder and boil. Add the cooked tur dal and mix well. In one teaspoon oil fry the ingredients until the dal turns golden. Powder coarsely and add to the boiling mixture. Add rice flour (mixed with water) and salt and simmer and boil for a few minutes more. Remove from heat. Season with one teaspoon mustard seeds and one red chilli broken into pieces (in 1 tsp oil) and add to the gravy.
Coriander Leaves Powder
Ingredients
Coriander – 2 bunches
Channa dal – Quarter cup
Urad dal – Quarter cup
Red chillies – Half cup
Grated copra – Half cup
Salt – To taste
Asafoetida – Quarter tsp
Tamarind – Gooseberry-sized
Jaggery – 2 tsp
Method
Wash, clean and remove the roots and thick stem from the coriander leaves. Spread over a cloth and keep in the shade to dry. In 1 tsp oil, fry asafoetida, add urad dal, channa dal and red chillies. Fry till dal is golden in colour, add the grated copra and fry well. Remove from the fire, add tamarind, salt, jaggery, coriander leaves and mix well. Powder all the above ingedients together in a mixer. Store in a dry air-tight container. Serve with dosa and idli.
