Mayalu bhaji ( Malabar Spinach vegetable )

 

Known as Mayalu in marathi or Malabar spinach in english this is a very tasty leafy vegetable .... 

In konkani we call it vaali bhaji and we make it using coconut oil and fresh coconut .

It tastes amazing with rice as well as rotis . 

It can also be made using dry prawns . 

But today I have made a veg version which is equally yummy and relished by all .... 

Ingredients:

1 bunch - Mayalu bhaji 
1/2 cup - cooked tuvar daal 

1 cup - fresh grated coconut 

1 tsp - karwari sambar masala ( or 1 tbsp coriander seeds + 1/4 tsp pepper ) 

5/6 - dry chillies ( preferrably use the byedgi variety ) 

3-4 dry kokum (amsula)

1 tsp - grated jaggery 

1/2 tsp - turmeric powder 

1 - onion chopped 

5/6 - garlic flakes (chopped or crushed )

2/3 tbsp - coconut oil 

salt as per taste 

Method

Clean the mayalu vegetable and separate the leaves and tender stems . ( tender stems are also used in another equally yummy preparation called vaali sasav ) .

Now chop the leaves and stems . 

Wash the tuvar daal and cook it in about 1 cup water in a pressure cooker till soft.  

Grind the grated coconut , haldi pd , chillies , sambar masala or coriander seeds and pepper .

The paste should be slightly coarse and not very fine . 

Now in a kadhai add chopped vaali bhaji , cooked tuvar daal , kokam and chopped onions and little water . 

Cook till the onions becomes soft and transparent . 

Add to it the ground masala , jaggery salt and cook for 5 minutes . 

Now heat some coconut oil in a separate tempering pan aand when the il becomes hot add to it crushed garlic and saute till the garlic turns golden brown . 

Pour this tadka to the prepared bhaji . 

Mix everything well and serve the bhaji hot with chapati or rice . 

Sarson kaa saag

These mustard greens are usually seen in market during winter season . 

Mustard is known as sarson in hindi and this sarson ka saag is a must have dish during winters . 

The rustic taste never fails to warm you up . 

Sarson ka saag along with makke ki roti and a big glass of chaas (buttermilk) is a divine combination which just has to be experienced . 

Ingredients - 

1 bunch - sarson leafy vegetable ( mustard leaves )

1 small bunch - bathuva leafy vegetable ( can use spinach instead ) 

2 onions - finely chopped 

1 tbsp - ginger garlic chilly paste 

1/4 tsp - garam masala (optional) 

ghee to cook 

Method - 

Wash the sarsan and bathua leafy vegetables . 

Take only the leafy part for making this dish . 

In a vessel take some water and warm it up . 

Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes in this water . 

Drain the water and when vegetables cool down coarsely grind them in mixture . 

In a kadai add ghee and saute chopped onions in it till they are golden in colour . 

Add ginger chilly garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes .

Now add the ground vegetables , salt and garam masala and saute for 15 to 20 minutes .

When the raw smell goes away and ghee starts separating add very little water . 

The saag should be quite thick . 

Serve it hot topped with home made butter ( makhan ) and with makke ki roti . 

Navalkol palyacha paratha - ( Kholrabi leaves paratha )

Known as Navalkol in hindi and marathi and as Kholrabi in english is a type of turnip . It can be cooked in various ways .

Navalkol sabji tastes very delicious . 

Navalkol slices smeared with selected spices and shallow fried also taste very yummy . 

The leaves of this turnip can also be cooked as sabji . 

But most of the people who don't like leafy vegetables much tend to throw these leaves which are actually very rich in vitamins and minerals . 

So today I tried making parathas of these leaves instead of sabji which turned out very tasty . 

Even kids will enjoy these parathas in their tiffins .

Ingredients - 

2 cups - navalkol leaves ( washed and chopped fine ) 

2 /3 cups - wheat flour 

1 tbsp - ginger chilly paste 

1 tsp - cumin coriander powder 

1tsp - amchur ( dry mango powder ) 

1/2 tsp - turmeric powder 

1 tbsp oil 

salt as per taste . 

Method - 

In a vessel take the chopped leaves . 

Add to it all the masalas , salt and mix well . 

Now add the wheat flour and knead a soft yet firm dough . 

Add water while kneading only if needed as the water in leaves is usually enough for kneading . 

Keep aside for 10 minutes . 

Roll medium sized parathas thick or thin as per your liking . 

Serve hot smeared with ghee and with pickle and curd . 

These parathas can even be gived to kids and adults in tifiin .