If you have been following my blog, you would have realised that my favourite flavour is garlic. I have grown up in a family that cooked without onion and garlic, for religious purposes. Garlic is said to have “tamsik” qualities. Tamsik food is considered unhealthy, and it brings out the negative in you, gives rise to anger and other repugnant emotions. During the Vedic times, everything that was considered not good, was given a religious decree of non consumption.
I have realised over the years that a lot of do’s and dont’s of the Vedic ages are now being proven scientifically true. Take for example the benefits of turmeric. The world over, turmeric is prescribed for it’s qualities. But there is also the other side of science, which has proven some foods that were earlier considered bad, are now proven to have health benefits. Garlic is very good for the heart.
As for me – I like to live dangerously and garlic is very good for my soul!
I can have garlic in every single meal, and not get tired of the taste. I think I am still making up for my lost childhood!
Nishi enjoying the taste!
Lasooni Palak, or Saag as its called in some places, is my favourite version of consuming spinach. I like the smooth texture, but I also like the chopped version. So I came up with a recipe that was a mix of both. I like my food on the little spicier side (more Tamsik me!!) and somehow the taste of garlic, rough and smooth spinach with a hint of fire sets me in the absolutely perfect mood!
I experimented with this recipe in the green environs of Mahabaleshwar. The spinach was not fresh off the farm, but it was still from the hills of Panchgani, and as fresh as one could possibly get. But the spinach I grow in our farm, is far superior, completely organic and I pluck it when still in baby stages. The result is a sweeter taste, with a hint of bitterness and then of course we add the ever loved garlic and fiery spices. In the near future, when the garlic grows green and fragrant in my farm, I will try this same recipe with new green garlic stalks. The taste will be a little different – more herby!
The recipe goes best with chappati, made with whole wheat or jowar.
- 3 Bunch Spinach (each bunch has appx 25-30 leaves)
- 30 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 3 Green Chilly roughly chopped
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 1 Tspn Jeera (cumin)
- 1 Red Kashmiri Chilly whole
- 1 Tbspn oil
- 1 tspn salt
- Blanch all three bunches of spinach in hot water. After 2/3 minutes, drain the hot water and dunk the spinach into ice cold water. This helps it to retain its colour.
- Finely chop appx one bunch of spinach and leave aside.
- Roughly chop the remaining two bunches of spinach and leave aside.
- In a pan, add and heat the oil. Add the jeera till it splutters. Now add the green chillies, red chilly and let these splutter.
- Now add the onion and garlic and cook till a bit brown.
- Add the roughly chopped spinach.
- Add salt and mix well.
- Leave aside to cool.
- Once its cool, run it in a mixer grinder till it becomes a fine paste. All the ingredients should be made into a paste, red chillies and all.
- Heat oil in a pan. When hot add the jeera.
- When it splutters add the bay leaf and red chilly.
- Add the finely chopped spinach.
- Now add the salt and the water.
- Mix well and leave aside.
- Add the spinach which has been ground to a paste, to the finely chopped spinach in the pan. The heat should be on.
- Add the yoghurt and mix well. Voila your dish is ready!
- Serve hot with any form of Indian Bread.