Palak / Spinach Thambuli

Ingredients:

Palak / spinach - 1 big handful
Yogurt - 1/2 Cup
Fresh coconut - 1/2 Cup
Salt - As Required
Green chilly - 2
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper - 10 to 15
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly - 1
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Ghee / oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1) Thoroughly wash spinach and roughly chop them.
2) In a pan, add 1/2 tsp ghee , add jeera, pepper and when its fried golden brown add Green chilies and fry well.
3) Now add Washed Spinach and fry until soft and done. 
4) Turn off the heat and let it cool
5) Once cooled down, add this mixture to blender along with coconut and salt with very little water and grind into fine paste.
6) Now add Yogurt  and pulse it.
7) Transfer the content to a bowl. Adjust the consistency if required.
8) In another small pan, add remaining ghee and once its hot add mustard,, jeera, red chilly with hing and prepare seasoning.
9) Add this seasoning to the Tambuli in bowl.

Palak Thambuli is ready to be served with Rice or as side dish for Pulav.

Note: 

1) Keep the thambuli thick if using with rice and keep it thin by adding more yogurt if using as a drink

2) spinach can be replaced with any other green leafy vegetable.

3) Oil can be used as an alternative.

4) Dry coconut can be used as an alternative but thambuli tastes good only with Fresh grated coconut.

Ghee rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Onion (sliced) - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Cloves - 3
Peppercorns - 1/4 tsp.
Bay leaves - 2
Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 inch.
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 tsp.

Water  - 2 Cups

Method:

1) Wash and soak the rice in water for about 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

2) Heat oil in a deep-bottomed vessel (in which you cook rice) and temper the cumin seeds. Now add onions and sauté till they are golden brown and transparent.

3) Now add the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and bay leaves, Let them fry for about 2 minutes till they start releasing wonderful aroma.

4) Drained the water from rice and add to the pan. Mix well. Now let it cook for about a minute.

5) Add 2 cups of water to the pan and let cook on medium flame till all the water is absorbed and rice is cooked. 

6) Remove from flame and serve hot.

Note:

1) Water for soaking is mandatory. Add water until all the rice sinks.

2) Ghee can be replaced with oil. but Ghee rice tastes good with Ghee.
3) Basmati rice can be replaced with Sona masoori rice too.

Edible Gum / Gond Burfi

Ingredients:

Ghee / Clarified butter - 6 tbsp
Gond / dinka / edible gum / anutu - 1/2 cup (100 gm)
Cashew / kaju - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Almonds / badam - 2 tbsp (Chopped)

Raisins - 2 tbsp
Dry coconut - 1 1/2 cup (100 gm)

Poppy seeds / khus khus- 2 tbsp
Dry khajur / dry dates, seedless - 3/4 cup (100 gm) 
Cardamom powder / elachi powder - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder / jaiphal powder - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - 1 cup (200 gm)
Water - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan , add around 1 tbsp ghee and roast gond in batches until they all are fluffed up like puffed rice. Add Ghee if necessary for each batch.

2) Crush the gond using your hand or with a help of rolling pin to get a fine powder. 

3) Roast all dry fruits, dry dates, dry coconut and poppy seeds separately in a pan and keep it aside.

4) Now add these to the powdered gond. Also, add  cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Mix well.

5) In a pan, Add Jaggery and 2tbsp water and get 1 string jaggery syrup.

6) Add the syrup over dry fruit mixture and mix well.

7) Quickly Grease your hand with ghee and make ladoo's while the mixture is still warm if you can or you can mix the mixture and spread it evenly in a greased pan.

8) Once partially cooled cut them into squares to get the burfi.

Gond Burfi is ready to be savored. 

Note:

1) Do not use mixer to make powder of roasted gond.

2) Grease the pan before pouring the final mixture to get burfi easily out of the pan.

3) Burfi can be stored for over a month in a Airtight container.