Palak Kofta Khadi

'Amma, they are back',complained Lil Angel.
'Never mind',just don't look at them', I replied
'But ma, why do they see us everyday?'
'Don't worry, just ignore them'...
'What is 'ignore' amma?
'Just keep quiet for sometime'...
'But they are looking at us amma'
'Let them look, it's all right...'
'But why are they looking at us everyday?'
'Please keep quiet for 2 minutes, I will answer all your questions when we get inside the house.'
'Amma look, they are laughing at us..'

This conversation in the similar lines went on for another 5 minutes, till I picked up all my stuff and went back inside.

If you are still at lose as to what this conversation is about, I will explain.

I click all my pictures outdoors. Outdoors ,to be put in simple terms,is my backyard. Despite the various trees and shrubs, it is very bright and it is the only place where I can click pics that are fit enough for the blog. There is a grinding stone laid out at the waist level and it is my base.Yes, a very small one, but I have to manage with that till I can get some nice boards. I don't have the patience to make, use or store a light box...

Anyways, I arrange all my stuffs over that grinding stone ad click pictures. The whole process of arranging and clicking does not go over 10 minutes.

The backyard compound wall is also waist high so it is an easy way to chat with the neighbors . And for them, its a free entertainment watching me click pics.This thing really bothers Lil Angel who is around most of the time when I click,especially now that she has summer vacations.My neighbors daughter too has vacation and spends most of the time in their backyard.She stands on the platform near their backdoor to see what we are doing...

My neighbor's daughter finds it amusing to see us arrange food and click and she is just 4 years old who must be thinking why on earth would anybody arrange food and take a photo instead of eating / drinking it!!

So now you might have understood what that conversation was all about, right....

Now on to today's recipe...

I am sure that you are aware that I am hosting Jagruthi's event- Know your Dairy with the theme - Yogurt. Well, yogurt is one of my favorite ingredient and my meal is not complete without yogurt rice.

I had so many recipes in mind when I wrote the announcement but in this month long blogging marathon I was not able to accommodate those recipes.Finally, here I am with a dish that was a huge hit at home - Palak Kofta Khadi.This is from Tarla Dalal's site that I modified to suit our taste.

I made a small quantity of this khadi as I was not sure how well it will be accepted, amd as it happens to food bloggers most of the time, I hardly got a spoon full left for me!

I used:

For the koftas:

Palak - 1 bunch,leaves alone, chopped
Besan - 1/2 cup
Rice flour- 2 tablespoons
Red chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Ajwain seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Mix all the ingredients [excluding the oil, of course] in a large bowl.Sprinkle a water little by little and prepare a semi thick batter like the one below.

Deep fry spoon full soft batter till they are light golden brown in color. And be sure to keep them away.You will be tempted to munch on the whole batch before the khadi gets done :)

For the Khadi:

Yogurt, thick-2 cups
Turmeric- a large pinch
Asafoetida powder- a small pinch
Ginger - green chilli paste- 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Besan- 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Whisk together curd, besan, salt, turmeric powder along with 1 cup water and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
When it splutters, add the curry leaves, ginger- green chilli paste, asafoetida and saute on low flame for a minute.
Add the curd mixture and cook on medium flame.
Add the chilli powder and mix well.If the khadi is too thick add some more water.[ Making it a little towards the watery side as it will thicken lightly after adding the koftas.]
When it comes to a rolling boil, remove from heat.

When ready to serve, gently heat the khadi and drop in the palak koftas. Goes well with steamed rice.