Cucumber Spinach Pancake

Cucumber and Spinach Pancake

In the good old days we used to have Sanjeev Kapoor on TV, Khana Khazana was the program which we could watch to see live cooking recipes...used to like to watch that....but many times would miss it ....whereas now we have two channels now showing us a lot of recipes full time - Food Food channel and the erstwhile Khana K....so when we are free we can browse those channels and watch some new, old, desi(local) or international recipe....

On one of those shows I came upon this one....it reminded me of one of my own rice chilla which I have already blogged...this was a simpler version and I thought let me give it a try...

It turned out pretty good and amazingly simple & quick...so guess it is something which will be part of my repertoire in future....works good for breakfast or a snack...or even if guests drop in and you would like to have something more substantial than biscuits & chai to serve them...

So without further ado...let me get on with the actual recipe..here goes...

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber grated
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder ( can add more if you like it spicier)
1/2 cup rice flour
2 Tblspns rava
2 Tblspns yogurt(curd)
water to make a batter
oil for frying


Method:

1) Grate a cucumber - squeeze out the water and keep aside. Chop spinach leaves and add to the cucumber along with salt and red chili powder.

2)Add the rice flour, rava, yogurt and mix - then add water to make a batter - first add the cucumber water - and if required add additional water. Do not make it too thin. Keep aside for about 10 minutes. 
The flours absorb the water and the batter becomes a little thicker.
Then add some more water if required so as to have a batter which is as thick as a dosa batter.

3) Put a few drops of oil onto a non-stick pan, then take a ladle full of batter and spread onto the pan. Cover with lid and let it cook till some brown spots appear. Flip the pancake and cook the other side too. Cook on medium heat so as to cook evenly and thoroughly.

4) Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

Enjoy !!!

For such a simple recipe the taste was pretty awesome...and the prep. time is so little...so ahead and try it out yourself...would love to hear from you, what you think about it...

Spinach Raita

I am always looking to use spinach in dishes...mainly hidden ...as in dhokla, handwo, soup ( blended ) or palak paneer etc...cause leaves in any dish by itself is not eaten at our place...even methi is used with flour to make methi thepla or parathas...though aloo methi is one of personal favourites...love the bitter taste of methi leaves..( though that brings me to  another whole story )....

Spinach Raita

I had been longing to make this dish (spinach raita) ever since I had eaten in at a cousin's place...but as I said was wary of the reaction to it....but I needn't have worried, this turned out so amazing..so creamy and smooth ...with sour, sweet and spicy flavours blending so well to turn into a dish which could be had as a side, as a raita, with the whole meal or actually just by itself with rotis, or parathas....


Ingredients:

1 cup spinach
1 cup curds
1 green chilli
2 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 dry red chilli
salt to taste
1/4 roasted cumin powder
pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp of sugar - or to taste

Method :

1) Whisk the curds till smooth in a bowl and keep aside.

2) Wash the spinach leaves and chop it fine...take a pan, put about a teaspoon of oil and add ginger, green chilli chopped, fry for a bit and then add the chopped spinach, stir till it wilts about 5 mins...once done take out the spinach mixture and cool it totally before adding it to the curds...

3) In another pan for seasoning the raita -  take some oil, add cumin seeds, once it splutters, add chopped garlic  and the dry red chilli and pinch of asafoetida, stir for a minute and then add to the curds and spinach mixture along with salt to taste and roasted cumin powder and sugar and mix...you can adjust the seasonings according  to your personal tastes.

Serve this raita cold...the above proportions serve 2-3

This dish is both tasty and nutritous...and can be had with both rotis and rice.