Radish And Spinach Sabji

I think I’ve fallen into a food rut lately. I find myself buying the same few vegetables week after week, and cooking them the same way, over and over again. Meals have become very boring and predictable.
I picked up a bag of radishes (again) this week and then proceeded to make this dish just like I had, last week too. I keep meaning to try out new dishes but always end up using it in a kootu or in a thoran or raita, or a simple stir-fry like this one.

This preparation is a simple and easy one and serves as a good accompaniment to rice and some plain yogurt. Also goes well with dal and rotis. I had the leftovers in a sandwich the next day.

Ingredients:
15-20 baby radishes, cubed
¼ cup frozen spinach
Salt to taste

To grind to a coarse paste:
4-5 red chillies
3 garlic cloves
½ medium onion, chopped into chunks (or 4-5 shallots)

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafetida

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Temper it with mustard seeds, urad dal and asafoetida.

Add the ground paste (chillies-garlic-onion). Cook till the raw onion-garlic smell disappears.

Add the radish cubes and cover and cook till they start to soften. (Don’t overcook or else they will lose their crunch and that lovely pink color.)

Add the frozen spinach. Mix well and allow the water (from the frozen spinach) to evaporate. Mix well. Serve hot.

Radish- a thoran and a raita

Radish thoran
Ingredients:
20-25 radishes, chopped into small pieces
½ medium onion, finely chopped

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
½ tsp red chilli powder
2 Tbsp grated coconut
Salt to taste

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning (except chilli powder & coconut) in the order listed above.

Add the chopped radishes along with the chilli powder, mix, and cover and cook till tender, 5-7 minutes. The radishes would have turned a lighter shade of pink by now. Reserve about 4 Tbsp of this to make the *raita.

To the rest, add the grated coconut and mix well. Cook for another minute or so. Thoran’s ready!


For the raita -
Mix the cooked radish mixture (reserved from above) with 2 cups of yogurt that has been whisked well. Add 2-3 chopped green chillies and some salt. Mix nicely.

Chill well and serve.