Showing posts with label Spinach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spinach. Show all posts

Friday, February 3, 2012

Spinach and Egg Stir Fry (Cheera-mutta thoran )

How are you all? Those who are in US might be getting ready for super bowl Sunday. What are you planning to cook for watching the exciting game? For us, it will be mostly Indian.

Spinach-Egg Stir Fry

After reading my Facebook status last week,about the chance of an early Spring, mother nature decided that Colorado needs more snow. Today we are having a big big snow day.While I sit here,there is an accumulation of 18 inches of snow and it is still snowing. This might be one of those days which will be in the history forever, if the predictions are right.We will have more than 2 feet of snow by tomorrow, which is not usual for a day of February in Colorado.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Spinach Souffle

     Finally, our new living space feel like home.  In spite of the depressing weather, and having got over a bout of cold/flu, I still feel good sitting at my desk, and knocking away on the key board.  Blissful! Back in my groove, so to speak!  It's more like relief, to finally stop worrying about packing, moving and putting up with a cartons strewn all over the living room.  I am glad it's behind me now.

  It's back to cooking, photographing, writing and sharing.  Without further ado about the recipe of the day, souffle.  I made souffle after listening to my friend rant and rave about the souffle from Panera Bread.  Now, hold your horses this recipe is nothing like the one from 'Panera Bread but it's good in it's own right.  Another day I shall crack the Panera Bread recipe, I told you I am feeling good!

  Making a souffle always seemed daunting, and I never tried.  It could be because when my brother was taking classes in catering, a zillion years ago, I distinctly remember him trying it at home.  It was a disaster in short.  In fact, the darn thing would not set when baked, and the ensuing cursing, from my brother, still rings in my ears.  I never knew I remembered that incident so well until I just wrote it now, and that must be the reason I trod with trepidation when it came to souffles.  However, may not any of these anecdotes deter you.  They are not as hard to make as it's cracked up to be, this one worked just fine.  Have it as a side dish with meat and it's great!
 Spinach Souffle,

Spinach Souffle

Spinach Souffle


Ingredients:

Butter                            -  5 Tbspn
Parmesan Cheese        -  3 Tbspn grated
Spinach                         - 1 lb baby spinach chopped
All-purpose flour            - 2 Tbspn
Salt                                - ½ tspn
Whole milk                     - 1 cup
Ground Black Pepper    - 1/8 tspn
Garlic Powder                - 1/8 tspn
Eggs                              -  3 separated
Method:
1. Butter 6 ramekins with butter and sprinkle cheese and set aside.
2.  Heat ½ tspn of butter and sauté the spinach until the juices run clear and set aside. 
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining butter at low heat and stir in the flour and salt. Cook the flour, whisking constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the milk gradually, stir constantly to avoid clumps and cook this mixture until it thickens about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the spinach and continue cooking for 1 minute. Season with black pepper and nutmeg.
5. Set aside to cool the mixture and once cool add beaten egg yolk and stir well to incorporate
6. Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into the above mixture. 
7. Pour into ramekins and bake in 375 D preheated oven for 18 minutes .

Contributor: Sunitha
Adapted from about.com





Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Potato 'n' Spinach

      The weekend was absolutely delightful with sunshine and the chance to be out in it.  Cuyahoga National Park is about an hours drive for us so we made it there and had a jolly good time.  Sandwiches on the park bench and lots of walking.  I wonder why in spite of all the walking my weight persists.  I suppose it is the growing figure I encounter in my mirror daily that prodded me to make something a little healthier today.    Potato is starch,  I agree,  but when I see the green spinach on my plate it make me feel like I am eating healthy food. 

Potato 'n' Spinach

 Hoping you will enjoy a good dose of greens yourself here is how to make Aaloo Palak (Potato and Spinach)  
Potato 'n' Spinach

Ingredients:

Idaho Potato   - 1 big (I know they are always big but either ways 'big')
Spinach          - 1 Bunch
Oil                 - 1 Tbspn
Cumin Seed   - 1/2 Tspn
Mustard Seed - 1/2 Tspn
Onion             - 1 small (chopped fine)
Green Chilis   - 2
Garlic             - 2 pods
Chili Powder  - 1 Tspn
Turmeric         - 1/2 Tspn
Aamchur         - 1/2 Tspn
Garam Masala - 1/2 Tspn
Lime Juice       - 1 Tspn (optional)

Method:
1. Cut potatoes into big pieces, cook, drain and set aside
2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard and cumin
3. Add onions, green chilies and garlic and saute till onions are translucent
4. Add turmeric, chili powder, aamchur and garam masala and saute
5. When oil express add the spinach mix well and cook on low fire until the leaves have wilted and softened.  It will cook down to almost half it's volume
6. Add the cooked potato stir well sqeeze the lime juice if you like and serve

Notes: Serve with rotis or rice

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Spinach/ paalak thoran

Two years back, when I reached Uncle Sam's country, I was really nervous just like anybody who lands in a new place.I knew there won't be many Indians in the place we were going to live. For the same reason, I thought there won't be any Indian groceries either. It was a great relief when I saw spinach on our first trip to the grocery store. Like a flash of lightning this idea struck, "Why not make spinach thoran instead of cheera thoran".

I love my Amma's cheera thoran and I learned from her how to make them without any lumps. If this dish tastes good the credit is my mom's, but the idea to substitute spinach for cheera, I can proudly say is my own. I shared this idea with a couple of my Mallu friends and they are to date extremely happy about it. I hope you will have the same experience and be happy with this authentic amma's recipe with a twist.


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Ingredients:

Spinach- 1bundle
Green chillies-2
shallots/chuvannulli/sambar onion -2-3(finely sliced)
Coconut-3-4 Tbsp(grated)
Turmeric-a pinch
salt-according to your taste
Rice(raw)-1 Tsp
Mustard-1/2Tsp
Red chillies-3(broken into halves)
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Oil-2Tbsp


Wisdom of the ages:

Always when you make a thoran with leaves , wash and dry the leaves completely before cutting.


Method:

1. Wash the spinach and spread it on a paper, at least 1hour before you cut them.This is very important, since if you have water on spinach you will end up having lumps in your thoran.
2.Cut the leaves into smaller pieces.
3. Grind(not much-maybe for a couple of seconds) coconut and green chillies together. If you do not have a grinder/small bowl for your mixer grinder, leave this step and just add more green chillies slit into halves.
4.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds followed by rice.
5.Add sliced shallots and saute it till golden brown.
6.To this add red chillies and curry leaves and saute .
7.Mix spinach with turmeric, salt and coconut mix from step 3 and add into the pan.
8.Mix everything together and cover the pan.
9.Cook on medium flame for about a minute or till the steam comes.Don't keep the lid for long, since the steam will accumulate ,which in turn end up in lumps.
10.Open the pan and cook till the thoran is done by stirring in between.

This is a very simple yet nutritious dish. This goes well with pulissery/ moru(buttermilk) curry and rice.

You could use the normal "cheera" instead of spinach and also scramble eggs while giving tadka(spluttring mustard) and mix it, if you like eggs.


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Contributor: Namitha