Assorted Green Leafy Vegetables Cooked in Simple Spices (Kafli)

North Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special

Garhwali Cuisine
Uttaranchali Cuisine

Assorted Green Leafy Vegetables Cooked in Simple Spices (Kafli)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Spinach Leaves- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Lamb's Quarter Leaves (Bathua/Mathua/Cheel Bhaji)- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Bengal Gram Leaves (Chane Ka Saag)- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)- 1 Big Bunch, Roughly Chopped

Water- 1/2 Cup

Salt- 2 Tsp.

Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil- 1.5 to 2 Tbsp.

Roasted Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- 1.5 Tsp.

Ginger- 1 Inch Crushed & Finely Chopped

Garlic- 5-6 Cloves, Roughly Chopped Optional

Green Chillies- 3, Finely Chopped

Turmeric Powder (Haldi)- 1.5 Tsp.

Coriander Powder (Dhaniya)- 1.5 Tsp.

Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch)- 1 Tsp.

Asafoetida (Hing)- a Pinch

Rice Flour- 2 Tbsp., Roasted & Ground in Mortar

Curd/Yoghurt- 5 Tsp.

Butter- 2 Tsp.

Method:

Wash & Roughly all the Green Leafy Vegetables (Spinach Leaves, Bathua Leaves, Bengal Gram Leaves & Fenugreek Leaves)

Add Greens in a Deep Braising Pot with Salt &Water to Boil

Cover & Let it Cook till they are Done

Drain & Keep Aside to Cool

To Prepare the Gravy Base:

Heat Oil, Add Cumin Seeds, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies & Sauté

Add Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Asafoetida & Sauté

Chop the Greens Roughly Once Again, Add in the Pan & Mix Well

Add the Rice Flour & Mix Well

Let the Greens Cook for 3-4 Minutes; Check to see if the Greens turn into a Thick Gravy Consistency and are Well Coated

Add the Water from the Boiled Greens (if required) and Mix Well till the Water dries out again

Whisk the Curd, Add to the Gravy & Mix Well

Garnished with Butter

Serve Hot with Traditional Indian CornMeal FlatBread (Makke Ki Roti) or Steamed Rice on a Cold Winter Day!

Tips:

Kafli is traditionally prepared in the State of Uttaranchal in the Northern Hilly Region of Garhwal

Kafli is one of the Healthy Dishes for winters; Thick gravy prepared mainly with Spinach & Fenugreek Leaves   

Add just enough Water to cover the Greens so that they are Tender but aren’t overcooked

Traditionally Greens are Roughly Crushed with hands but Knife or Blender can be used as per Convenience

Roast the Rice & Roughly Ground into Powder in a Mortar Vessel and add as a Thickening Agent for an Authentic Taste

Can add Roasted Rice Paste as well

Also can use Bengal Gram Flour (Besan) Paste 

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

Fresh Spinach and Fenugreek with Potatoes (Aloo Palak Methi)

Winter Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special
Punjabi Cuisine
Potatoes cooked in Spinach Gravy with Fresh Spinach and Fenugreek Leaves (Aloo Palak Methi)

Serves

Ingredients:

Potatoes (Aloo)- 2 Medium, Boiled

Spinach Leaves (Palak)- 1 Medium Bunch, about half a Bunch Chopped and Rest made into Spinach Puree- 1/4 cup

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)-1 Medium Bunch, Chopped

Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil-1 Tbsp.

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)-  1 Tsp.

Onion- 1 Chopped

Fresh Ginger- 1 Inch, Chopped

Fresh Garlic-  4-5 Small Cloves, Chopped

Salt- To Taste

Green Chillies- 1 Tsp., Chopped

Turmeric Powder (Haldi)- ½ Tsp.

Red Chilli Powder- 1 Tbsp.

Whipped Yoghurt- 3 Tbsp

Method:

-          - Peel and cut the boiled Potatoes in small cubes 

-          - Clean, wash and chop Spinach

-          - With the rest of the bunch, clean, wash, blanch, and make Spinach puree

-          - In a Non-Stick pan, Heat Oil and Cumin seeds

-          - As Cumin start to crackle, put onions and cook till they become soft

-          - Put Ginger- Garlic and Sauté

-          - Put Potato, Spinach, Fenugreek and Mix well

-          - Put Salt, Turmeric and Green chillies

-          - Put Spinach puree, cover and cook on low flame for about 4-5 minutes

-          - Put Yoghurt just before taking off the flame

-          - Serve hot with Indian Bread (Phulka, Parantha) or Rice

Tip:

-          - Stack few Spinach leaves together so they become easy to chop

-          - The onions shouldn't be overcooked but just soft in this recipe

-          - For this recipe try to use fresh ginger and garlic or their paste can be used if chopped pieces aren’t preferred

-          - The classic combination of Garlic and Spinach go together beautifully and give a nice flavor to this dish as well

-          - Green leafy vegetable like Spinach and Fenugreek tend to have salt of their own so for the dish use extra salt carefully’

-          - Blanching or ‘Refreshing of Green Vegetables’ is a precooking process by which greens (Spinach, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Broccoli) are dipped in hot water for few minutes and immediately transferred in ice cold water so that they are semi cooked and retain their bright colors. This method is great for cutting and preparing vegetables in advance by freezing and used for further cooking like sauteing or stir frying

          - Turmeric gives a nice color to any green vegetables dish

          - Low Fat Yoghurt is an excellent substitute for Full Fat Fresh cream in most of the dishes especially for our own Indian dishes as a healthy meal option; so in this dish it gives the required sour taste as well as blends well in a creamy texture with the Greens 

    Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)