Spinach Rice

HOME | INDIMOM RECIPE | PRINTER FRIENDLY

When I saw the 2.5 lb sack of fresh , tender spinach which my health-freek hubby bought home , I started to think about a recipe where I can push as much of it as possible . I had never tasted spinach rice , but I often make a very good andhra style , spicy Bellpepper Rice.I thought i will borrow the ingredients from that recipe and the result was fantastic. I got my kiddies excited with the green rice with orange carrot sprinkles all over. With the amount of nutrients loaded , hubby couldnt be happier either.With a simple and mild raita ; Spinach rice is definetly a very healthy meal to serve.

2 cups basmati rice
3 cups chopped spinach
2 carrots diced small
1 onion sliced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp urd dal
1/2 tsp mustard
a few curry leaves
juice of half lime
cashewnuts to garnish
oil or ghee /salt as required
DRY ROAST: 1/2 cup coconut ,2-3 red chillies ,5 pepper corns ,4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon and 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds



DIRECTIONS

1. Cook basmati rice with salt and turmeric powder.Chop up the spinach.I use a food processer , so that i can chop it real fine and the green will distribute well throughout the rice.


2. Dry roast coconut , red chillies , pepper corns , cloves , cinnamon and coriander seeds till coconut is slightly browned and the spices gets aromatic.Grind them using a blender or coffee mill.


3. Take a pan , heat some oil/ghee then add splutter the mustard seeds . Then add the urd dal , channa dal , cumin seeds , minced garlic , curry leaves and stir well till dals are browned.


4. Add the onions and saute till they are soft . After that add the carrot and spinach.Cook till the vegetables are done and then add the powdered masala.


5. Finally add the rice and lime juice. Mix gently .Garnish with nuts roasted in ghee and serve hot with raita.

Lessons Learned

[1]The rice is bit spicy. So if you cant take it , reduce the chillies and peppercorns in the masala.
[2]You can avoid frying the nuts and just toast them in oven as a healthy alternative
[3]Dont be overwhelmed by the list of ingredients . Its all everyday ingredients and a simple method