Spinach channa masala

    My daughter enjoys chickpeas and I always try to be creative with them. The curry I made today goes really well with roti.

Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of chickpeas (channa)
1 bunch of spinach
1 large tomato
6 cloves of garlic
1 stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of turmeric
2 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of dhal makhani powder
2 tbsp of heavy cream
pinch of dried fenugreek leaves
1 tbsp of butter
salt as required


Preparation:

1.Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook chickpeas with 2 1/2 cups of water. 
2.Heat butter in the skillet and add cinnamon  stick. Saute till nice aroma comes, then add garlic. Saute for 2 minutes.
3.Chop the tomatoes and add them. Saute till they wilt and then add turmeric, red chilly powder and salt. 
4.Then add the chopped spinach and allow to cook. Close the lid for 10 minutes and then add chickpeas.
5.Add dhal makhani powder and allow it to cook in a medium flame for about 20 minutes. 
6.When the gravy starts to thicken add heavy cream and dried fenugreek leaves. Bring it to boil. Serve with rice/ roti.

Spinach coconut dhal

  Spinach coconut dhal is really simple dish for kids. It is easy way to make them eat greens. 

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves up to 3-4 people

Ingredients:

150 grams of baby spinach
1/2 cup of yellow moong dhal
1/4 tsp of turmeric
2 green chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsp of grated coconut
1/2 tbsp of ghee
salt as required

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp of mustard
1 red chilly
pinch of asafoetida


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook moong dhal, finely chopped spinach,green chillies,turmeric along with 3 cups of water.
2.Grind coconut and cumin seeds together in to a coarse paste.  Add the paste and salt to cooked dhal. Mix well and bring it to boil.
3.In a separate pan, heat ghee and add the seasoning. As the mustard sputters, add the seasoning to the dhal. Spinach coconut dhal is ready and serve with rice.

Palak paratha/ Spinach flatbread

  This is my daughter's favorite. I gave her with a little sugar, she really enjoyed the paratha and asked for more.Spinach is a good source of folic acid and is considered to be a rich source of iron as well.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of spinach

2 cups of wheat flour

1 cup of water

1 tbsp of milk(room temperature)

2 tbsp of all purpose flour(maida)

1 tsp of ajwain

1 tsp of red chilly powder

1 tsp of cumin powder

oil as required*

salt as required

Preparation:

1.Chop the spinach leaves  and cook them in the non-stick pan. Add red chilly powder and cumin powder and saute them for 5 minutes.

2.In a bowl, add the wheat flour, maida, cooked spinach, ajwain,   milk and salt. Add water to the flour and knead them in to a dough.

3.Set it aside for 30 minutes. Take a lemon-sized dough and roll it in to a small circle. Add 1/4 tsp of oil and fold in to half and fold again to make a triangle. (This makes the paratha fluffy). 
4.Roll the dough again to make it a thin layer.
5.In a preheated pan add the thin layer of dough and add oil to the edges. Turn to the other side add oil again. Roast till the paratha turns golden brown. 

6.Spinach paratha is ready. Serve with yogurt/pickle.

*Use melted butter for additional flavor