“Say that you stay a little, don't say bye bye tonight. Say you'll be mine just a little, a bit of love is worth a moment of your time”

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Save room for my love
Save room for a moment to be with me
Save room for my love, save a little
Save a little for me
Won't you save a little?

It’s the end of March already? I am glad that I was able to take the weekend off and do something a bit different then my usual routine. I had a wonderful time in Chicago celebrating Mala Masala’s bachelorette party. The weather was a high of 65-70 degrees! That’s right folks. It was warmer than DC. I spent some quality time with some good friends of mine, Rakesh and Sheetal and they were kind enough to host me at their apt for the weekend. They live downtown Chicago and the view from their window of the lake and downtown was incredible! I will post pics later. Mala wanted a very girly weekend so we (total of 8 of her gfs) got pedicures, went shopping on Michigan Avenue, indulged on wine and Italian meal, followed by dancing the night away! It was soo much fun. On Sunday I spent time with my sister in law and her family. My 2 and ½ year old nephew was my main entertainment. I had delays on Monday morning and getting back to DC on Monday felt like eternity...but the trip was sooo worth it. I can't wait to attend Mala's wedding in May. Congratulations Chica! You too will be an old married lady like myself ;o)
Before my trip I made an authentic Marathi dish for Bhatji called Palak Pathal bhaji. My mother in law shared this recipe because it’s yummy and very very healthy since it’s made with Spinach. Bhatji loves this dish!

Ingredients:
Fresh Spinach bunch or one frozen packet
A handful of unsalted peanuts
2 table spoons of besan or wheat flour
2 cups of water
3 table spoons of yogurt
1 Tsp of sugar

Ingredients for tempering (phanna):
2 table spoons of oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin (jeera)
Pinch of hing
½ tsp of haldi
1 tsp of chili powder
3-4 cloves of chopped garlic

To make:
Wash, chop and boil the spinach in a pressure cooker with the 2 cups of water for 2 whistles. You can even boil it in a big pot for 30 mins…but the pressure pan or cooker works faster. After the 2 whistles, take it off heat and let it cool for 10-15 mins before opening it up since the pressure in the cooker can be hazardous. Once it has cooled for the allotted time, open the cooker/pan and drain the water only into a bowl. We will be using this water later, so do not throw. Mash the spinach leaves with your hands to a slight pulp (not too watery). Add the 2 table spoons of bean and mix well with the mashed spinach. Now add the 3 table spoons of yogurt and mix well. Add the water that was set aside back to the spinach mixture in the pressure pan. Bring the pan back to the stove and cook on Med-high heat. Add salt to taste and the tsp of sugar. Keep stirring every few mins to ensure that the bean does not become lumpy. Bring this spinach mixture to a boil and continue to cook for 5 additional mins. Once this mixture starts to boil, start the tempering (phanna) process. Take a really small pan and heat 2 table spoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, haldi, hing, chili powder and garlic and cook till it’s fragrant (about 3-5 mins). Take off heat and add to the Spinach mixture. Take the Spinach mixture off the heat and make sure the phanna is mixed well into the spinach and you are done. This goes great with rice! It’s almost like a daal.




The weather is finally warm and I plan on making some easy to carry dishes so Bhatji and I can sit out on our balcony and have dinner one of these days. Stay tuned for the next yummy blog, until then enjoy the warm sun and spring flowers.