Preparation Time: 20 minutes.
Cooking Time: 23 minutes.
Serves 4.
Soaking time: 30 minutes.
2 cups rough chopped spinach (palak)
½ cup long grained rice (basmati)
¼ cup yellow moong dal (split yellow gram)
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
Salt to taste
3 tbsp ghee
2 tsp garlic (lehsun) paste
½ tsp ginger (adrak) paste
¼ cup finely chopped onions
½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 small stick cinnamon (dalchini)
2 cloves (laung / lavang)
1 cardamom (elaichi)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
6 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 whole dry Kashmiri red chilli, broken into pieces
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
1 tbsp finely chopped green chillies
For serving
Fresh curds (dahi)
Papad
1. Combine the rice and dal in a deep bowl and soak it in enough water for 30 minutes. Drain well. Keep aside.
2. Drain well, combine the rice, dal, turmeric powder, salt and 1½ cups of water in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
3. Combine the spinach and 2 tbsp of water in a mixer and blend till smooth. Keep aside.
4. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep aside.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a deep non-stick pan, add the garlic and ginger paste and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
6. Add the onions and tomatoes and sauté on a medium flame for 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
7. Add the spinach purée, chilli powder and garam masala, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
8. Add the cooked dal-rice mixture, 1½ cups of water and salt and, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Keep aside.
9. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee in a small non-stick pan, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds , curry leaves, Kashmiri dry red chillies and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute.
10. Add the garlic and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
11. Pour the tempering over the palak khichdi and mix well. Serve hot with fresh curds and papad.