PALAK PURI

Palak Puri

Palak Puri is a simple deep fried Indian bread made of wheat flour, spinach puree and little salt to taste. This is a fantastic breakfast snack and can be eaten anytime during breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Children who hate eating green leafy vegetables, Palak puri is an amazing and ideal dish by incorporating the spinach puree in the dough. Palak puri is a health and nutritious dish packed with numerous vitamins and minerals. Palak is nothing but the spinach and this dish is used to fortify the simple bread that can be enjoyed with just a pickle on the side or be included in an elaborate Thali depending on the occasion.

Palak puri is popular North Indian dish and served with either any paneer dish like the saag paneer or paneer butter masala or can also be eaten on its own. Puri or Poori is a well known unleavened Indian bread commonly consumed in India and other countries of South Asia. It is consumed for breakfast as a snack or light meal.

Puri is generally served at special or ceremonial functions as part of ceremonial rituals along with other vegetarian food offered in prayer as prasadam. The name puri is derived from the Sanskrit word purika. Puri is traditionally served with halwa, korma, channa masala, dal (lentil stew), potato based curry like Potato saagu or Potato bhaji, Shrikand and Basundi etc.

There are different ways of making Puri that includes masala puri, sweet puri etc. One of the most popular variant of puri is the bhatura which is almost three times the size of a puri and is served with chole (spicy chickpeas). This dish is commonly called as Chole Bhatura and is traditionally served in most of the food stalls in states of Punjab, Delhi and most parts of North India. The only difference between puri and bhatura is that puri is made with wheat flour (atta) whereas bhatura is made with leavened all purpose flour (maida). Another variant of the Puri popular in the eastern states of West Bengal and Orissa is the Luchi.

There are various ways of making healthy and nutritious puris which can be delicious and exotic in taste. Some of the popular pooris are the spicy potato puri, cheese puri, dal puri, beetroot puri or chicken puri etc. Kids would enjoy eating these different pooris which easy to carry and simple to prepare.

For preparing the Palak Puri, firstly wash and chop the spinach finely. Boil it in microwave and blend it into smooth paste in a blender with a little salt. Take a mixing bowl and add wheat flour, spinach puree and salt to taste. Make this to soft dough adding sufficient water.

Divide the dough into 10 equal lime sized balls and roll them with a rolling pin flat and round. Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai and when the oil gets hot, deep fry each puri till its gets puffy and crispy. They taste extremely delicious with any vegetable curry or korma. Do try this exceptionally nutritious recipe and enjoy the delicious taste of the palak puri. Click on the link for detailed recipe:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/Palak+Puri+:2854

Spinach is high is nutrition and the calcium content in spinach is good for strengthening bones. Spinach or any other green leafy vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins. Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in existence. One cup of the leafy green vegetable contains far more than your daily requirements of vitamin K and vitamin A. It is a good, or excellent source of more than 20 different measurable nutrients, including dietary fiber, calcium and protein. And yet, 1 cup has only 40 calories! Spinach is an excellent choice for nutrition without high calories.

Spinach’s secret weapon, lutein, makes it one of the best foods in the world to prevent cataracts, as well as age related macular degeneration, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the elderly. Foods rich in lutein are also thought to help prevent cancer.