Spinach/Palak and Moong gravy

This one is another of my mom’s recipe that she used to make as an accompaniment to pooris and sometimes chapathis. Recently when I was there, I asked her to make it again for pooris. She had also made her version of Ghee rice and loved the combination. She even packed it for me to take back home, so that I didn’t have to cook again in the night!

Very simple to make, filled with healthy ingredients like Whole green gram. Spinach and very little oil, this makes a good gravy as side dish. It is easy breezy to make too...

Spinach/Palak and Moong gravy

Preparation time : 10 min
Cooking time : 30 min, including cooking Moong
Serves : 4-5

Ingredients:

Fresh spinach - 2-3 medium sized bunches
Moong (Green gram) - 1 ½ cups
Onion - 2 medium sized, chopped
Tomatoes - 2 -3 medium sized
Coconut - 2 Tbsp, grated
Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste
Green chilies - 4-5, vary depending on taste
Ginger - ½” cube, grated

Method:
• Pick and wash palak, thoroughly, chop it
• In a pressure cooker, cook green gram and palak and tomatoes, for about 2-3 whistles. Make sure the gram is neither too hard nor overcooked
• Meanwhile, chop onions, slit green chilies
• After the cooker cools, remove the cooked tomatoes, grind it to a paste, along with half of the onions, coconut, coriander leaves and green chilies
• In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
• Add the remaining chopped onion and grated ginger, and sauté till the onions turn translucent
• Add the ground paste, and bring to a gentle boil
• Now add the cooked green gram and palak, add salt and let it boil well, for a few minutes, till the raw smell of onion disappears
• Serve with a chapathis / pooris / rice

Notes:
• Ensure the raw small of onion is gone.
• Be sure not to over cook or under cook the green gram
• One cooked potato can be chopped and added too