Palak Paneer Parathas with Tomato Chilli Relish

Two weeks of Blogging Marathon ends today, and am very excited to have been part of this event !! Today's post came about as I was thinking how to make something new and special for kiddo's lunchbox : When I opened my refrigerator this morning, both palak (spinach) and paneer (Cottage cheese) caught my eye. And then I remembered kiddo prefers not to have gravy in her lunchbox (for no matter how careful you put in the gravy, its bound to spill out and ruin the bag right?) This healthy breakfast is totally mess free and is loaded with the goodness from both Palak and Paneer. 

Can't get easier and healthier right ? 

Update : Sending this to Vardhini’s Cooking with Whole Foods – Spinach, event by Kiran

In case you have skipped any of my previous posts from this Blogging Marathon, here's a snapshot:

Under "Zero fire Cooking" theme , you enjoyed...

• Fruit chaat with honey and nuts
• Sugarfree Ginger Mocktail
• Funnyface Sandwich (Wholewheat Butterfree Sandwiches)
• Cheesy Snacklets
• Jaggery Poha
• Beetroot Peanut Relish
• Lemon n Bittergourd pickle

Roundup of Week 2 - Theme: cooking with 5 ingredients or less"

• Ragi Besan Ladoo
• Payiru Sundal / Green gram Stir fry Salad
• Instant healthy Dhokla
• Ginger Peanut Chutney
• Paruppu Podi ~ Mixed Lentils Spice Powder
• Katrikkai Pachadi ~ Eggplant Raitha

So, let's move to today's post - a combo meal actually - Palak Paneer Parathas with Tomato Chilli Relish . It works best with baby spinach, but since I had run out of the same, used the normal Palak (spinach) leaves - just ensure you use ONLY the leaves for this dish, and not the stalks : else it would be difficult to roll out the parathas. I shall list out the ingredients and procedure for the parathas and the tomato-chilli relish in tandem:-)

Prep time : 15 mins. Cooking time : 20 mins (the combo meal can be made simultaneously).

Makes:  6 parathas and 3/4 cup of relish

Ingredients:

(A) For Palak Paneer Paratha:

• Palak (fresh Spinach) - 15 leaves
• Wholewheat flour / atta - 2 cups
• Panner - 5 TBSP grated
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste + oil - to fry the paratha

Method:

1) Blanch the leaves in boiling water for 2 mins. Drain. Puree with half the grated paneer to a thick consistency without adding ANY water (spinach itself is watery). Retain the drained water from the blanched spinach.

2) In a large bowl, add the atta (wholewheat flour), rest of the grated paneer, spinach-panner mixture, salt and red chilli powder. Incorpoate the panner and spinach well into the atta till it resembles crumbs. Now. add the preserved blanched water (from the spinach) little by litte and form into a chapati like dough.

3) Pinch out a large lemon sized ball and roll out slightly thick parathas. Cook on a hot tava. Drizzle 1/4 tsp oil on one side. When cooked, flip on the other side till the paratha is fully cooked ( although this is a paratha, it didnt require more than 1/2 - 3/4 tsp of oil / paratha).

4) Work with the remaining dough and make the rest of the parathas similarly.

5) Serve hot with the Tomato - Chilli relish (recipe below)

(B) Tomato - Chilli Relish: This can be prepared in a larger quantity and stores well for 4 - 6 days under refrigeration. Increase the quantities if you want to prepare in bulk, and reduce the water quantity indicated below..You can enjoy this relish with chapati/ poori / curd rice or even dosas. 

Ingredients:

• Ripe tomatoes - 3 large
• Capsicum / bell pepper - 1 medium
• Green chilli - 1 no (i used the less spicy ones) - deseeded
• Onion - 1 no - chopped fine
• Oil for tempering
• Tempering : Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves
• Turmeric powder - a dash
• Tamarind paste - 1/3 TBSP
• Rasam Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Jaggery / Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Method :

1) Blanch tomatoes for 3 -4 minutes. Peel and chop them

2) In a pan, heat 1 TBSP oil and add the tempering. Once mustard stops spluterring, add onions, turmeric and fry till translucent. Add finely chopped capsicum and green chilly. Fry again. Add salt and 1/2 cup of water and cook covered for 4 mins.

3) Now add the blanched and chopped tomatoes and cook again for 4 - 6 mins till the tomatoes turn fully mushy. Now add Rasam powder, tamarind paste, sugar, coriander leaves and mix well. Add a little more water to get the right consistency.

4) Serve with Palak Paneer Paratha (recipe above) or even curd rice / chapatis / phulkas :)

What do u say?