Dill & Spinach Curry

After having our fill of  yummy puddings, cakes and chocolates, I thought it would be a good idea to start the new year with some healthy and tasty recipes.

Leafy vegetables are now available in plenty. Dill is an aromatic leafy vegetable and when combined with spinach, it gives a very pleasant aroma to the dish. The more dill you add in combination of spinach, the more pronounced will be its aromatic flovour.  It depends on your "Dil" (heart) too! If "Dil Maange" more you can add more!. So the choice is yours. Do it with "Dill Se" !

In Hindi. Dill is known as Suwa and in Marathi "Shepu".

 Ingredients:

Moong Dal (Split Green gram)	1 cup
Spinach	2 bunches
Dill	1 small bunch
Onion	1 medium
Ginger	1” piece
Tomatoes	2
Salt	To taste
Seasoning ingredients
Oil	2-3 tsps
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Chillies (green or red)	1-2

 

 Method:

1. Soak Split Green Gram (Moong Dal) for about an hour and then cook it with very little water.
2. Clean and wash Dill and Spinach separately. Chop them and cook them with little water for a few minutes or just blanch them to retain its green colour.
3. Chop tomatoes and onions and slit green or red (fresh) chilles.
4. Heat a pan. Add the seasoning ingredients. Fry till the mustard seeds pop.
5. Add chopped onion and tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are soft and forms a paste. Add chopped ginger.
6. Next add the cooked moong dal and mix well. 
7. Finally add the cooked dill, spinach and salt. Give it a good stir and remove from flame.

 Note:

• This dish can be served with rice or chappatis.
• It is advisable to use slit red chillies instead of green chillies as these can be seen and removed easily or else you may end up with a burning tongue!

See here for more info on Dill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill

To know the indian names of Dill see here:

http://www.indianspices.com/html/s0626dil.htm