Palak Papeto – Spinach Potato & Palak Papeta Par Edu – Egg on Spinach Potato

Two recipes in one post - Phunsukh Wangdu style.. Ek par ek.. free, free, free! 😄

At the very onset let me say, leafy vegetables, made Indian style, though absolutely delicious, make for terrible photographs. Also, this is simple home-cooked khana (food) hence no fancy plating; just a perfect recipe with a delicious outcome when remade in your kitchen. A recipe from my 'Back to the Basics' series. 

There was a time, approximately 32 years ago, when I got hitched *rolls eyes and tries to shut out the terrifying memory 😄* and moved to Pune. I’d already begun cooking long before I got married but at that time, green leafy vegetables were so not my thing. My in-laws, though, loved all vegetables. One day there was Palak to be cooked and for the life of me, I did not know how. That’s when mum-in-law came to my rescue. She taught me how to clean the palak leaves, wash and cut them and of course, how it was to be cooked. As I began cooking palak that day, the aroma of the vegetable hit me so hard, it had me drooling. I told my mum-in-law I’d give it a try that night, for dinner. Bas, woh din tha aur aj ka din hai, it’s my all-time favourite leafy vegetable. I keep giving twists to the base recipe taught by my mum-in-law; this one has potatoes in it. The credit for the base recipe goes to my mum-in-law, Perin!

Ingredients:

2 bunches palak (spinach), discard stem, wash and chop

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

12 cloves of garlic (increase the quantity if the cloves are tiny), chopped fine

4 green chilies, or adjust as desired – chopped fine

2 large onions, chopped fine

¾ - 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

¾ + ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt taste

Oil as required (I’m never stingy with it - evil grin)

Method:

1.    Heat oil in a wok. Add ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder and a wee bit of salt, sauté for a few seconds.

2.    Add the diced potatoes and toss well. Lower the heat, cover the wok and cook until potatoes are 75% cooked. Toss the potatoes intermittently, once or twice, while they are cooking.

3.    When the potatoes are cooked to 75% done-ness, remove them onto a plate and keep aside.

4.    Add more oil to the wok, if needed; heat it. Add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.

5.    Add onions, green chilies, garlic and sauté until the onions turn soft, pink and translucent.

6.    Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and a wee bit of salt. Sauté for a few seconds.

7.    Add the washed-chopped palak and toss it well in the onion masala.

8.    Lower heat, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

9.    Open the lid and give the wilted palak a good mix to ensure it’s well blended with the onion masala.

10. Add the potatoes, mix, cover and continue cooking on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

11. Uncover the wok, check for seasoning (add if needed) and allow the excess water from the palak to dry up. Do not dry it completely, though. Allow the vegetable to retain a wee bit of its juices.

12. Serve with dal and roti.





Palak Papeta Par Edu

Take this recipe a wee bit further if you have any leftovers or if you feel like turning this into an ‘eggetarian’ recipe. I had leftovers. I’d cooked 4 bunches of palak for this very reason (smart-alec grin).

1.    Put the cooked palak-papeto in a pan. Heat it well.

2.    Once it’s piping hot, flatten it out in the pan. 

3.    Break eggs into a bowl, season them with salt and pepper. 

4.    Beat the eggs and pour them evenly onto the piping hot palak-papeto.

 

5.    Cover and cook until eggs are cooked. The done-ness of the eggs is entirely up to you. I prefer them cooked but a tad soft from within.

 Chef Notes:

1.    The photographs you see have double the quantity of onions, etc., coz I cooked 4 bunches of palak.

2.    If you decide to cook plain palak sans the potatoes, please decrease the amount of garlic, chilies and turmeric powder.

3.    Please increase or decrease the quantity of green chilies depending on your palate.

4.    As mentioned, you may fry the potatoes, remove them to a plate and continue cooking the palak in the same wok. I was cooking the palak and potatoes simultaneously hence used two woks/pan.

5.    Please use large wok coz the raw-cut palak will seem a lot when added to the vessel. It will, of course, wilt completely once you cover and cook it.

6.    I don’t like my palak very dry but if you prefer it dry, simmer the vegetable a while longer to dry out the moisture.

7.    Important: When you reheat the leftover palak-papeto, please make sure it is piping hot. If the palak-papeto is not piping hot the eggs you pour over it will sink to the bottom. This goes for anything and everything you pour eggs over. The base has to be piping hot. 

8.     Beaten eggs work best for this recipe. Breaking whole eggs directly over the vegetable somehow does not work with regard to taste and texture. 

9.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs:

See the slightly runny egg. That's how i like them. 

Creamy Coconut Milk Prawn Curry

The mushroom version of this recipe was shared by my friend, Ravneet Arora, at a food forum, at Facebook. That was my first attempt at making a coconut milk curry. One day, the carnivore in me decided to omit mushrooms and add prawns instead. The result was stunning! For sharing the base recipe, Ravneet, thank you ever so much! <3

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon oil 

1 -1½ cups spring onions, chopped thick

1-1/2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste 

1 teaspoon turmeric powder 

Salt to taste

400 grams prawns, cleaned and quartered

400 mils thick coconut milk 

1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder, roasted

1 level teaspoon jeera/cumin powder, roasted

½ -1 teaspoon amchur/dry mango powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder



Method:

1.    Heat oil in a kadai, add onions and sauté along with ginger-garlic paste until soft and ginger-garlic is cooked.

2.    Add prawns, salt, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, coriander powder and cumin powder, sauté on high heat till prawns are semi-cooked.

3.    Add coconut milk and cook until prawns are nearly done. Keep stirring continuously. 

4.    Add dry mango powder, cook for another minute. The prawns should be perfectly done at this point. Serve with soft, steamed rice.

Chef’s Notes:

1.    You can use a 400 mils tin of coconut milk. You can also use coconut milk powder to make coconut milk. I used 80 grams Maggi Coconut Milk powder to 400 mils water. 

2.    I had the curry with plain white rice, but I urge you all to try a small bowl of the curry just by itself. I promise you will love the flavor. 

3.    From experience, let me add; this curry is beyond excellent when had fresh. I had a wee bit leftover and I did not enjoy it when I reheated it the next day. Somehow the flavour and coconut milk texture was just not the same.

4.    Please try not to overcook the prawns. Keep all the prep ready (coconut milk - mango powder) and rest assured the prawns will turn out perfect.  

5.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Bhindi Batata Fry - (Bhida Papeto Fry)

I usually make plain masala Bhindi but Mum had been requesting me to make Bhindi Batata; the dry sauté-fry style. She loves the combination. Her wish (for most things 😝) is my command coz I do not want to be disinherited from her Will *evil grin* This is yet another yum, ‘Back To The Basics’ recipe. Enjoy!

WAshed

Dried

Ends snipped

Cut into square-ish pieces

To show you the proportion of the cuts

Ingredients:

500 grams bhindi (okra / ladyfingers), washed, dried, snipped at both ends and cut into pieces

3 large potatoes, peeled and diced

2 medium onions, chopped fine

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1½ teaspoons + 1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon + ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1½ teaspoons ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon Parsi Sambhar masala (optional)

1½ teaspoon coriander-cumin powder

Salt to taste

5 + 2 tablespoons oil

Method:

1.    Toss the cut bhindi in 1 teaspoon chili powder and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder.

2.    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan. Add half the quantity of bhindi and shallow fry on gentle heat until cooked. DO NOT COVER the pan during the frying process.

3.    Remove the fried bhindi into a plate. Add the remaining bhindi to the oil and repeat the frying process. (Feel free to add some extra oil, if you feel the bhindi is too dry.) When the second batch of bhindi is done, add it to the first batch. Keep aside.

4.    Heat 5 tablespoons oil in a wok or a non-stick wok/pan. Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.

5.    Add onions and sauté until onions turn golden brown.

6.    Add ginger-garlic paste, 1½ teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, Parsi sambhar masala (optional), coriander-cumin powder and salt. Sauté until masala (spices) is cooked.

7.    Add the diced potatoes and toss them well in the masala, lower heat, cover and cook. Gently toss them, intermittently, until cooked.

8.    Once the potatoes are fully cooked, UNCOVER and continue cooking them on low heat until they begin to turn slightly crisp at the edges.

9.    Add the fried bhindi to the crisp-edged potatoes and mix gently but well.

10. Continue cooking, WITHOUT COVER, on very low heat for 2 minutes.

11. Check seasoning and add salt, if needed. Mix and cook for a minute more if you add salt.

12. Serve with any dal and hot chaptis.

Chef Notes:

1.    Please note, caps used are merely for emphasis; I do not mean to offend.

2.    Try and cut the bhindi and potatoes to nearly the same size; the bhindi a tad bigger than the diced potatoes as they will shrink when cooked. Symmetry bhi koi cheez hoti hai - aur vaise bhi aj wale ‘full country in lockdown’ ke samay mein ghar baithe-baithe kuch toh karna hai toh yahi karo *evil grin*. Jokes apart, no specific reason for this except that it looks nice when you empty it onto a platter.

3.    Please keep a few paper towels handy when you cut the bhindi. Whenever the stickiness oozes on to the knife, in excess, wipe the knife with the paper towel and then proceed to cut the remaining bhindis. Keep wiping the knife as and when required. This will help keep the stickiness in check when cooking the vegetable.

4.    I prefer using non-stick pans/woks when I have stuff to crisp up coz it ensures I don’t burn it. *sheepish grin* You may, of course, use whatever you are comfortable using.

5.    I cannot stress this enough – Do NOT cover the vessel when you are frying/cooking bhindi coz the steam / water droplets from the lid will turn the bhindi into a sticky mess. You don’t want that now, do you? Always cook the bhindi gently, on low heat, and it will cook beautifully. I promise!

6.    I have mentioned the exact quantity of oil and spices as used by me. If you feel the need to increase or decrease the quantity with regard to your diet regime and your palate, please do so.

7.    You may fry the bhindis, remove them to a plate and continue cooking the potatoes in the same pan. I was cooking the bhindi and potatoes simultaneously hence used two pans.

8.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs: