Spinach Soup - Soups and Stews

Another addition to my Soups and Stews list! The vibrant green colour will surely tempt you to try it. Its a simple dish - there are so many variations you can try - it's like making a new dish every time.
I have found that using baby spinach for the soup does make a tiny bit of difference to the taste. But don't panic if don't have baby spinach, regular spinach works just as well. Make sure you just use the leaves, no stalks allowed.
This soup does use butter and cream...but you can change the amount of butter and cream as per your requirements.

3 TBS butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots (or sliced onion)
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
500 gms baby spinach leaves- washed and trimmed
500 ml milk (more if required)
500 ml vegetable stock.
1 cup peeled and diced potato.
salt to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper
few grates of nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon zest
4 TBS half and half

In a stock pot add the butter, shallots and garlic and saute till transparent. Add the potato cubes and saute. Add the stock and cover and cook the potatoes till soft. Add half the spinach leaves and the lemon zest and saute till well mixed. Cover and cook for about 7-8 minutes till the spinach is completely wilted. Let this cool for a bit. Add the milk and the remaining raw spinach leaves. Then blend it using a hand blender or in batches in a regular blender.
Return to low heat and stir in salt, pepper and few grates of nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Use more milk to thin out the soup to your required consistency if desired.
Just before serving fold in the heavy cream.
Chiffonade a few baby spinach leaves to garnish the soup.


Notes:
You can add a few sprigs of mint to give it a slightly different taste. Just add them with the raw spinach and blend them in. Make sure to only use the leaves.
Using half the spinach raw will give a very vibrant green colour to your soup.
If you do not want to use potatoes to thicken the soup, you can always make a roux.

Cauliflower rassa...curried cauliflower

This takes a bit of TLC...so made when I have some time on my hands. It's creamy and has just a bit of bite from the garam masala. If you use Kashmiri chili powder you get the perfect colour. A treat for all the senses.

2 cups cauliflower florets. (keep them all the same size)
1 cup green peas
1 tbs of poppy seeds (khus khus) - soaked for at least 30 minutes
1 TBS grated ginger
2 cloves
2 pepper corns
2 green cardamom
1/4th inch piece of cinnamon
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
8-10 fenugreek seeds
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or  sweet Hungarian paprika
4 TBS oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp hing
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 TBS chopped coriander

Grind together the soaked poppy seeds, ginger, cloves, peppers, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat the oil, temper with mustard seeds, hing and turmeric. Add the cauliflower, peas and the poppy seed paste. Saute till the cauliflower is completely coated with the paste and the tempering oil. Usually about 3-4 minutes. Add salt, chili powder and sugar and cover and cook. Do not add water at this point. The cauliflower will leach out water as it cooks. Once the cauliflower and peas are cooked, add the coconut milk and tomatoes. Add water to get it to the consistency you want. Check for seasoning. Bring to a rolling boil. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.



Notes:
You can use canned coconut milk here, actually works very well. You can soak fresh grated coconut in warm water...just enough water to barely cover the coconut shreds. Keep for 15 minutes. then squeeze out the coconut milk. This first extract is really thick and creamy. Keep aside to use in the curry.
Make sure you soak the khus khus or poppy seeds for at least 30 minutes so they can be blended into a smooth paste or your curry with be very rough.
To make it even creamier or richer throw in a handful of cashews in the paste. You can also fry some cashews and add them to the curry at the last minute.

Palak chi bhaji- Spinach

Very simple preparation - quick, easy and nutritious. Eaten with the ubiquitous varan bhat or best with bhakri!


2 bunches fresh spinach leaves. Cleaned, trimmed and chopped. Should be about 5-6 cups of chopped spinach in all.
1/2 cup chopped onion
4-5 large garlic cloves crushed and chopped into medium pieces... do not chop too fine.
2-3 green chillies slit lengthwise
salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
2 TBS oil (for tempering)
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing
1/4 tsp turmeric.
1 tsp lemon juice

Best made in a wok or a kadhai or a wide saucepan...gives you room to saute.
Heat oil and temper with mustard seeds, hing and turmeric. Add the garlic and fry till golden...please do not burn the garlic. Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes till it is translucent. Do not hurry this step or later on you will taste raw onion in the finished vegetable... remember spinach cooks very fast.
Once the onion is cooked and translucent, add the spinach and chilies. Saute well till the spinach and onions are well mixed. Lower the heat to minimum and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the salt and sugar. Make sure the spinach is cooked. Steam for a couple of minutes more if required.
Just before you take it off the heat, add the lemon juice.

Bhuna Kaleji - Liver fry

Something to much on with your drinks!

250 gms chicken livers (cleaned and trimmed)
1 TBS ginger paste
1 TBS garlic paste
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
4 TBS oil
2 TBS finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp finely chopped mint leaves


Marinate the livers in the spices and ginger-garlic paste for at least 30 minutes. Heat oil in a frying pan or wok and add the marinated livers. Saute - gently - so you don't break the pices- for about 5-7 minutes till the livers change colour. Cover and let cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes. When you take off the cover- there will be some water- let the livers cook on medium heat till the water evaporates. Stir occasionally. Stir in the coriander and mint leaves.
You can serve this hot- with roti or parathas. Or you can serve it by itself as finger food - it goes very well with a glass of beer.

Ambat Varan...CKP style Dal

You will find dal in every Indian household- each area- nay each house has it's own way of preparing dal. Ambat Varan- literally translated means Sour dal. This is due to the tamarind pulp we add to flavour the dal. This is a true panch ras (5 rasas or tastes) dish. Of course- me being a CKP- I make mine the CKP way...though dal any way is awesome
Ambat varan and rice - it's the ultimate comfort food in any CKP household.
Again - rule of thumb- 1 cup of dal will give you about 3 and half cups of the finished product..so check how much you need.
Tamarind pulp is extracted by soaking the tamarind in a bowl of warm water and squeezing out the fibrous part.
You can cook the dal in the pressure cooker- that's the easiest method. COuple of whistles and steam for 10 minutes and it's done. You can also cook it in a saucepan...just takes time.

For the dal:

1 cup tuvar dal
1/4 tsp hing
1/2 tsp turmeric

Cook the dal in a pressure cooker till done. Remove and blend till smooth - not with a blender- just a wooden spoon will work.

For the Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS jaggery
1 1/2  TBS tamarind pulp
3/4 tsp red chili powder

Add these seasonings to the cooked dal.

For the Tempering

10-12 curry leaves
5-6 cloves of garlic crushed
2-3 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp hing
2 TBS oil

For the finishing

1 cup of water (or more if required)
2 TBS chopped coriander leaves

Heat oil in a saucepan, add the mustard seeds and hing. Add the garlic and fry till light brown...do not burn the garlic. Add the fenugreek seeds, red chillies and curry leaves and add the dal. Stir till the dal is completely mixed with the tempering.
Add 1 cup water- check the dal is at desired consistency- usually soupy - not watery. Recheck for seasoning...Garnish with the coriander leaves. Bring to a rolling boil and done.

Variations

You can use Kokum or raw mango for the sour ingredient instead of tamarind. It's a different flavour profile but equally delicious.
Serve hot over steamed rice - with anything else your heart desires!