Palakura --Spinach Curry

Spinach simmered with sautéed onion, ginger, garlic and spices.

Ingredients:

1 lb chopped spinach (preferably frozen)

2 medium or 1 large onion chopped

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

¾ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

½ cup milk

Tempering:

¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp urad dal

1 red chili broken

1 spring of curry leaves

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add tempering, when it starts to crackle add onions.

Saute for few minutes until the onions are semi transparent.

Add turmeric, chili powder, salt and sauté till the onions are transparent.

Add spinach and sauté for few minutes on medium to high till the spinach is totally defrosted and is well sautéed.

Add milk, when it starts to cook reduce flame and let it simmer.

Half way through simmering add garam masala.

Simmer to desired consistency.

Variation 1

 Bangaladumpa Palakura --Potato Spinach Curry

1 Large or 2 medium potatoes cut into chunks.

Add potatoes after adding turmeric, chili powder and salt.

Sauté till potatoes are semi cooked before adding spinach.

Increase chili powder to 1 – 1 ¼ tsp.

Increase garam masala to ½ tsp.

Increase milk to 1 cup.

Variation 2

Kodi guddu Palakura --Spinach Egg Curry

Add 2 boiled eggs after the spinach is sautéed, stir it for a minute and then add milk. 

Tomato Pappu --Tomato with lentils (Tomato Dal)

Tomato dal is easy to make, highly nutritious and a super comfort food.

Toor dal cooked with onions and tomatoes and topped with aromatic tampering.

Ingredients:

1 cup Toor Dal (Pigeon peas)

2.5 cups water

3 medium tomatoes (cut into large pieces)

½ cup large onion chunks

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Tempering:

2 tsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 broken red chili

1 spring curry leaves

¼ tsp asafetida (hing)

Wash toor dal. Add 2.5 cups of water to dal in a pressure cooker.

Add tomatoes and onions. Cook on high for two whistles and set the heat to low and let it cook for 10 – 12 mins. 

Once the pressure is off, remove lid. If there is excessive water, cook for few minutes without cover to get it to the desired consistency.

Add chili powder, turmeric and salt.

In a separate pan heat oil, add mustard, cumin, red chili and curry leaves followed by hing. Once the mustard starts spluttering, add the tempering to dal and mix will.

Enjoy it with hot rice and ghee. 

Egg Pulusu --Eggs in tamarind sauce

My boys and many nephews and nieces are entering into their new phase of life at schools and new jobs. I have decided to post recipes that are very basic and easy to make for novice chefs. Most of the recipes will be of simple Andhra dishes for the days when these newbie cooks miss their home food.

The recipe today is Egg pulusu.

Boiled eggs cooked in sautéed onion and tamarind sauce. 

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion chopped into tiny pieces

1 heaped tsp of tamarind paste (adjust to taste)

1 inch cube of jaggery or 2 tsp sugar (reduce if you do not like sweet)

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

2 cups water

Tempering:

¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

1 dry red chili broken

1 spring curry leaves

1 mashed garlic (optional)

Boil and shell eggs. Set them aside.

Heat the oil either in pressure pan or sauce pan.

When the oil is hot add the ingredients under tempering. When mustard starts spluttering add chopped onions and sauté till transparent. Add chilli powder, turmeric, salt followed by eggs and sauté for a minute. Add jaggery and tamarind paste and 2 cups water (add 1 cup of water and based on your desired consistency add more). If using pressure cooker, cook it until one whistle. If sauce pan cover and cook on medium for 10 mins.

This is a great side dish for white or brown rice. I recommend eating it with rice and plain or tomato dal. I will post the tomato dal recipe soon.