Tinda Palak & RCI Reminder

Tinda Palak

Hello friends, how are you all? I know it’s been quite some time since I last updated my blog. But series of heavy work load and not that great health has kept me away from blogging and cooking for all these days.

Now that I am slowly recovering from one bad case of hay fever and cold, I decided to do something that always cheered me. Yup, you guessed it right; cooking and blogging. But for some strange reason today I feel that I am literally dragging myself here to post recipe! And trust me, I am not feeling good about it. I am seriously considering taking one long break from blogging (well, can’t retire from kitchen so easily!) if the same feelings persists. May be it’s time I took some time away from blogging and recharged my creative cells on other hobbies that I loved before I started blogging… So don't get surprise if I to got MIA for next few days or weeks!!!

Till I decide my next step let me share this simple recipe of Tinda Palak. This little green cuties came back home after our last trip to Asian grocery. Since I had already paired them with Chickpeas for Tinda Chole, I decided to pair them with fresh bunch of protein rich Indian Spinach. This lightly spiced dry curry of Tinda Palak took new tasty twist when sprinkled with Amchur powder or dry mango powder and we both ended up having one satisfied tummy and big smile on our face. If you want to serve something mild, simple and packed with nutrition, then this is the recipe for you. Give it a try if you can get hold of these little beauties called Punjabi Tinda or Indian Baby Pumpkins and see your taste buds dancing to its tune!

Ingredients for Tinda Palak

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Tinda Palak (Spicy Punjabi Tinda and Spinach Curry)
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat bread or flavoured/steam cooked rice

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Ingredients:
3-4 medium Punjabi Tinda, peeled and cut into ¾ inch pieces
1 bunch Palak/Spinach Leaves, leaves plucked, washed and cut into thin stripes
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 large Tomatoes, finely chopped
½ tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste


Spices Used:
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
¼-½ tbsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
¾-1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 2 tbsp Lime Juice


For Tadka:
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1 Dry Red Chilli, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp Oil


Special Utensils:
Heavy bottomed pan or Kadai/Wok with lid

Tinda Palak

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add dry red chilli pieces and hing. Sauté them for few seconds.
Next, add chopped onions and cook till they turn light golden brown, about 3 minutes, on medium flame.
Mix in tomatoes and cook till they turn pulpy and release their juice, about 2-3 minutes.
Add all the spices listed above (garam masala, kitchen king masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder and dry mango powder) along with sugar and salt to taste and mix well. Let it cook for a minute or two.
Mix in Punjabi Tinda pieces and add about ½ cup of water. Cover the lid and let it cook for another 6-8 minutes on medium flame till they turn fork tender.
Add spinach and give it a good stir. Sprinkle little water if needed and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes till the vegetables are cooked thoroughly.
If adding lemon/lime juice, add it just before turning off the flame and mix well.
Serve this delicious Tinda Palak with any Indian flat bread or rice of your choice and enjoy!

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Reminder for RCI: Udupi & Managlorean Cuisine
Last 3 days left!!!

After exploring many states and regions around our beloved motherland, this month I am honoured to take you all to my native land to sample and devour one of the finest cuisines. The RCI for the month of July’09 is RCI-Udupi & Mangalorean Cuisine! Let's explore the hidden gems of beautiful temple town of Udupi and gorgeous coastal city of Mangalore all this month.

Deadline: 31st July, 2009

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and also in your e-mail while sending your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish, Type of Dish and Perm Link of the entry along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

PS: If you have not received any reply to your emails within 3 days of mailing it, please email me again your entries with all the required details. For some strange reasons many RCI entries have been landing in my spam folder and although I have rescued almost all the entries from my spam folder there may be the chance of it getting deleted by mistake. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by this.