September 15th, 2009
Spinach and Potatoes in creamy Yogurt gravy
My extended family is still visiting to see the latest addition to our clan, our son Harivansh. This way I get to meet everybody. The latest person who came visiting was my cousin Raksha.
To say that she was ecstatic to meet her nephew would be an understatement. Both nephew and aunt had a wonderful time bonding with each other.
Raksha is one of the most wonderful people I know and I’m not saying this because she is family. Anyone who meets her will be touched by her warmth and affection. Raksha also happens to be one of the most difficult people in the world to cook for. She has an entire list of things that she wont eat and those who know her are not surprised if everything that they want to use is on her forbidden list of ingredients.
I had to make something for her. Since everything else on the menu for dinner was Indian, it had to be a dish from our native cuisine. Raksha loves yogurt. And she loves spinach. So I thought let me make Spinach and Potatoes in Yogurt gravy for her. It was a delight for me to watch Raksha eat a fair share of this curry with chapatis.
I love yogurt gravies and they are a constant feature at home. I almost always have excess yogurt that needs to be used up and I love to cook it up with seasonal vegetables. I chose to highlight Spinach and Potatoes here. You can add Peas, Carrots, Beans or Cauliflower either individually or in combination and you have a winner out there!
Spinach and Potatoes in creamy Yogurt gravy Recipe
You can use Peas, Carrots, Beans or Cauliflower either individually or in combination.
Ingredients:
1 cup spinach, blanched, chopped and drained
3 medium Potatoes, boiled and cubed
1 ½ cup thick yogurt
½ cup water
1 tbsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
For the seasoning:
2 tbsp oil
4 cloves
1 “ piece cinnamon
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
½ tsp asafetida powder
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp gram flour (besan ka atta)
1 ½ tsp salt
Method:
In a bowl, mix the yogurt with the water, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander leaves into a smooth paste. You can use a whisk or a spoon to obtain a smooth consistency.
In a wok, heat the oil over a medium flame and drop in the cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaf. After the cumin seeds turn golden brown and crackle, stir in the asafetida and grated ginger. Lower the flame and put in the gram flour (besan). Stir into a smooth paste and cook until the flour turns golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the Yogurt paste, raise the heat to medium and put in the boiled and cubed potatoes and the blanched, chopped and well drained spinach. Bring to a boil while stirring continuously and mix in the salt.
Serve hot with rice, roti or your favourite breads.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Ah sounds like comfort food and looks so inviting! how do you make your recipes appear in a seperate box?
September 16th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
sounds great! M glad you had fun with your cousin around!The gravy is new to me…looks yum though! should give it a try!
September 18th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I’m glad you had a wonderful visit from your cousin
I have never had a yoghurt gravy before, it looks so wonderful I’ll have to try it!
September 19th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Beautiful pictures!! I like the curry, never used yogurt with spinach before.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Yogurt gravy..now that sounds awfully interesting. Love all the pictures..
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Hi Anu! A few weeks back, I met ur mom at ‘Swarna”. And she proudly told me about ‘divine taste’.( Well, we have met before. U all (family) used to visit our boutique “Shades” at deshpande-nagar and i rememember u 2 cute bubly sisters being excited about buying new outfits. That was ages back.) My daughter Gauri is also very interested in cooking and after knowing about ur website, she has been trying a number of recipes given by you. The cakes have turned out superb. The pictures make them very tempting and hard to resist. Great Work! Congratulations ! And hey! Again Congratulations on being a young mother !
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 pm
I love your blog! You have great recipes and beautiful pictures here!
September 24th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
This is a brilliant idea, in the past inspired by Tarla Dalal I use soya nuggets and peas but never thought to add seasonal vegetables to the mix. Will surely be trying this soon
September 24th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Anushruthi,
I just stumbled upon your blog and loved it! Love your pictures - they really bring out the natural colors of the food. I’m hooked!
September 29th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Thank you everybody.
Sadhana Rao: Thank you for visiting and for your sweet words. I’m so happy your daughter likes divinetaste. Your boutique used to be so thrilling for me and my sister.