Palak Khichdi

Palak Khichdi

Folks, I am back again with another recipe. This week as told earlier I will be publishing a few of the khichdi recipes. After keema khichdi , today I will be sharing with you a very healthy vegetarian khichdi recipe. The recipe is “Palak Khichdi“. Palak or Spinach is one of the top 10 healthy vegetables.

This leafy vegetable can be eaten different ways – raw, steamed, fried, boiled & pureed. Spinach has extreme value when freshly steame or boiled.Before discussing on the recipe, let’s look at the benefits of spinach.

Benefits of Spinach
1) Spinach helps in preventing cancer.
2) It is good for healthy bones.
3) Spinach also has a high calcium content.
4) Spinach is a useful source of folate.
5) Consume spinach for a heart healthy diet.
6) Has anti-Inflammatory properties.
7) It may slow loss of mental function due to aging.
8 ) Spinach is known as a rich source of iron and calcium.
9) Reduces blood pressure.
10) May correct your eye power.

Ingredients of Palak Khichdi

Ingredients:
1 cup washed rice,
10-15 spinach leaves,
1/4 cup moong dal (green gram without skin), soaked for over 2 hours,
1 onion, cut into 2 halves and then sliced,
1 long carrot, chopped,
1 cup peas,
1 cup sweetcorn (optional)
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves,
8-10 cloves garlic, finely chopped,
1″ ginger, finely chopped,
1-2 green chillies, chopped,
1 tsp lemon juice,
Salt to taste,
Oil and Water.

Ingredients for Tadka

For tadka-
2 tbsp ghee,
1 tsp cumin seeds,
3-4 red chillies,
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed.
2 bay leaves,
1 tea spoon whole garam masala

Method:
1)Blanch spinach* and grind along with green chillies to form a paste that exactly measures 1 cup. Add enough water while grinding to get that quantity.
2)Heat oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic, when they are fragrant add onion and saute till they turn transparent.
3) Add carrots and again saute for 2 minutes.
4) Add the dal and mix well, fry for 5 minutes.
5) Then add in the rice, cook for 5 more minutes.
6) Now add spinach puree and 2 cups of water.
7) Mix properly and then cover with a lid. Uncover and stir at regular intervals and add water if needed to get the khichdi consistency, i.e. watery, soft and liquid than our normal rice. When rice is cooked add lemon juice and salt.
8 ) Just before serving prepare the tadka by heating ghee in a small saucepan, add the whole bay leaf and the garam masala followed by the cumin, red chillies and crushed garlic. Fry till garlic turns brown and fragrant (not burnt). Pour it on the khichdi, cover it for a minute, so that the flavors of tadka mix with rice. And serve immediately with papad or popadum and pickle.

* Blanching is a process where vegetables are put in boiling hot water for some time and then removing them. This helps to retain their flavor, color, texture and more importantly the nutrients. Since spinach cooks quickly, this method helps to retain its green color.

Dal & Palak

Tip of the Day:
1. If dals are not pre-soaked then pressure cook them with less water and then add to the khichdi when rice is almost cooked.
2. If you are using palak in any dish then while adding salt, please add a little less salt than desired as Palak has some salt in it.