Onion-Spinach Pakodas

This season winter hit us a little too late. We practically did not have any snow and honestly it felt good to have warmer weather... no shoveling the snow or clearing the windshield. But somewhere deep inside, I was looking forward to at least a little bit of snow. So yesterday when I read about a winter storm with a few inches of snow accumulation, I got all excited. I absolutely love watching the snow and was thrilled with the weather we had today.

It had been snowing since this morning, and by afternoon it was just beautiful. The backyard and the leafless trees were all covered in a white blanket. A and I spent a lazy afternoon watching a movie followed by a hot cup of tea and some crispy pakodas.

Onion-Spinach Pakoda

I forgot to freeze leftover spinach puree from last week and it needed to be used at the earliest. So I just thought of using it along with onions to make pakodas. You need the following to make these pakodas -

1/2 medium onion (thinly sliced)

1/4 cup spinach puree

1/2 cup chickpea flour (more or less as needed in order to make a thick batter)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (more or less as per your heat preference)

1/4 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp carom seeds

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1/8 tsp baking soda (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

1. In a bowl, take thinly sliced onion and add all the spices along with salt. Rub the spices on onion and let rest for at least 15-20 minutes. This will release the juices and onions will soften.

2. Add spinach puree and chickpea flour, and make a thick batter.

3. Add baking soda to the batter and mix well.

4. Drop a spoonful of batter in oil and deep/shallow fry on a medium heat until golden brown.

Serve hot with the condiment of your choice(tomato ketchup/date-tamarind chutney/green chutney).

Dadpe Pohe

Pohe is pressed rice. It is probably the most popular Maharashtrian dish often served for breakfast or as an evening snack. There are different methods Pohe can be made. Dadpe-pohe are made using thin pohe. As a kid I remember eating them numerous times since my brother and I both loved these rather than regular Pohe which were often eaten for breakfast. It was the most demanded evening snack in my house.

From what I gathered from my mom, this dish is from Konkan region of Maharashtra. It was made using thick pohe. Coconut water was added to raw pohe to make them soft and they were firmly pressed. Then, some weight was put on to them. The act of pressing and putting weight is called 'dadapne' in Marathi and so the name 'Dadpe-pohe'. Today most of the people use thin pohe to make this dish. The dish tastes delicious and is really simple to make without any cooking involved.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
2 cups thin pohe
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut (can use frozen)
1 tsp grated ginger root
1 tbsp sugar
Handful of roasted unsalted peanuts
Handful of cilantro (finely chopped)
Juice of 1 lemon/lime
salt to taste
For tempering:
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp asafoetida
4-5 green chillies (more or less as per taste)

Before you start, make tempering and keep it aside to cool. To make pohe start by taking pohe in a large bowl. This makes mixing easier. To pohe add onion, coconut, peanuts, cilantro, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Mix very well, occasionally squishing the pohe. Add tempering and mix well again. Dadpe-pohe are ready. You can top it off with some more coconut and cilantro. Tomatoes can also be used in this recipe along with the onions.