Spinach with Mutton

When my friend asked me about different ways she can cook spinach I was tempted to tell her to ask Popeye.  I am reminded of Popeye effect that I used to read in the comic books where the pipe-smoking sailor man would burst open a a tin of spinach each time he sensed trouble. Once consumed his biceps would bulge and he could overcome all his enemies.

 But jokes aside, Spinach is the most versatile green vegetable one can cook. It blends with almost all vegetables and meat.  It is rich in iron and it is well known for its nutritional qualities. It has ability to restore energy, increase vitality and improve the quality of the blood.

I love spinach and often cook in different ways to suit my moods. there is Palak paneer (spinach with cottage cheese), there is  SaiBhaji (Spinach cooked with vegetables and lentils and makes its regular appearance on sindhi Cuisine) there is AisiBhaji (Spinach cooked with onion and tomatoes), I even use Spinach in stir fried Chinese vegetables and in soups. Have you tried the cream of Spinach soup? try it, you will love it

This week I decided to cook with mutton.

Ingredients

1tbsp ginger

1tsp black pepper

2 pods of cardamom

half kg mutton

2 tomatoes

1tsp turmeric

2tsp coriander powder

1tsp cumin powder

1 bunch clean spinach (wash in three clean water bowls)

2 green chillies

coriander leaves for garnish

Method

In a pan add 1tbsp of oil.

Add 1tbsp crushed ginger and 1 tsp black pepper and 2 pods of cardamom

Add half kg mutton

Stir and mix till it is properly coated with oil and begins to change color

Add 2 chopped tomatoes

Add salt, 1tsp turmeric, 2tsp coriander powder and 1tsp cumin powder

Mix and cook till it oil floats on the top.

Add spinach

Mix and let it cook for a minute

Add half cup water and pressure cook it upto three whistles

Garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies.

Serve with hot parathas.

A lovely Morning of Champagne Breakfast of Bonne Maman with Atout France

I love french bread, hard crust outside, and soft bread within..reminds of broon..our Indian bread, that our pav walla gets..its similar and very satisfying…but this breakfast was special, with egg omelet, ham, quiches and Bonne Maman preserves – a special invite by Atout France to enjoy the french breakfast with champagne at Sofitel BKC.

Bonne Mamam preserves are made with only finest ingredients: high fruit content, sugar and lemon juice. They are sweet and have 100 percent natural taste of fruit. I had earlier experienced the flavors of Bonne Maman at studio fifteen, where we had churned out some tasty french pastries.. You can read my post here But this breakfast was different, the preserves were used to create innovative dishes using Indian cuisine like dhokla and Maska Pav.

Normally, the fruit preserves are used over toast or cakes but here we had chef actually demonstrating a new combo of integrating our indian snack, Dhokla, with strawberry preserve.

A sandwich was made of dhokla and Bonne Maman preserve. What was more interesting was to crumble the dhoklas in nitrogen and get that frosty  and crunchy flavor. We could freeze it in the freezer too but the effect is not same as in molecular gastronomy where the flavor stays intact and yet the freshness

One more demo was on dipping the Maska Pav in egg batter, toasting on hot plate and then topping it with cream, fruits, honey and fruit preserves.

The room was filled with delicacies and we didn’t know where to start. Great morning spent with other food bloggers while we feasted on delicious breakfast.

Thank you for the the take-away gift. Now to drool over the food pictures in seasonal cookbook