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Tag: frozen chopped spinach

Indian Style Spinach Polenta

South Indian Fish Curry1 I have to give full credit to my husband for coming up with this idea. While we were discussing what to make for dinner and came up with the fish curry- we were wondering what to serve it with.

My husband loves polenta and he suggested I make it with the fish- but I wasn’t sure since when I think of polenta- Italian cuisine comes to mind… but then I thought, I could make the polenta Indian style. Hmm- as I sat on the train, I began envisioning the polenta. I thought I would start with curry leaves and mustard seeds. Lemon rice came to mind and so I decided to add some nuts for texture. Instead of cooking the polenta with milk and broth, I decided to cook it with just broth and eliminate the cheese. I also wanted to add a vegetable to balance the dish- frozen spinach- perfect!!!

The result was amazing- why didn’t I think of this before??? Sky is the limit when it comes to what all I can add to the polenta. It was delicious with the fish curry- great combination. The spinach was delicious and so were the pistachios- and it was so quick to make.

Next time you are looking for a side dish- think polenta and let your imagination run wild….

  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ cup pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 5 to 6 curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
  • 2½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 cup fine one minute polenta
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of half a lemon

Heat a medium pan with the olive oil. Add the mustard seeds, nuts and curry leaves. Saute for a minute on medium heat. Add the chicken broth and spinach. Bring to a boil and add salt and polenta. Whisk till thick and smooth. Taste for seasonings and add lemon juice. Serve with fish curry.

Moong Dal with Spinach (Lentils with Spinach)

Moong Dal with Spinach This is a great dish to make through the week. It is simple and quick. Especially since I used these particular lentils- moong. They take all of 15 minutes to cook up. I have quite a few lentils in my pantry which is great when I don’t have anything else to cook.

I made these simply with some turmeric, salt and garlic. I let the lentils cook for a while and then added the frozen spinach- another thing I have on hand- it is extremely versatile and easy to use.

While the lentils were finishing up, I heated up some ghee (butter can be used instead) and added cumin. I added the mixture to the lentils and that was it. I served the lentils with some rice and it was a delicious weeknight meal. Everyone loved it.

Make these lentils through the week- they don’t take long at all.
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Sauteed Spinach with Yellow Lentils

Sauteed Spinach with Lentils This is a delicious lentil dish. I tried something similar at a South Indian restaurant we were eating at the other day. Since my husband grew up in the South of India- he loves the cuisine and we end up going out for it once in a while. Actually, he would like to go out for it more often than we do- but my daughter refuses to go every time we suggest a restaurant. She does not care of South Indian food as much- which really disappoints my husband.

Anyway, I really enjoy the food and do try to replicate it at home as much as possible.

This particular dish is different than the regular lentil dishes I normally make. The lentils are dry instead of in a soupy consistency. I cooked them till they were just soft and not mushy. I then mixed the lentils with a cooked mixture of spinach, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, onions and ginger. Once all the ingredients were mixed together- I added coriander powder and dried fenugreek leaves.

The dish was full of flavor and was perfect with some homemade rotis. We all enjoyed this well-balanced meal. It was simple, healthy and delicious.
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