KEEMA PALAK (MINCE WITH SPINACH)
When it comes to veggies, I go into splits of laughter looking at the cute faces that kids can make! They will do just about ANYTHING if they don’t like vegetables (which they most certainly never do!)… You’ll see them making that “disgusted” face….they’ll play around with food, drop a few veggies off the plate (obviously innocently!)…they’ll even go to the extent of chewing and spitting out the veggie to show you how bad it tastes!!!
As mothers, we go throw this phase ever too often and find ourselves struggling to feed our babies what’s considered as “healthy” for them. But that doesn’t always mean making or in fact forcing your little one to eat what he/she doesn’t relish.
I feel it becomes a lot easier to have kids eat veggies if you pair it up with something that they “like” to eat…. My mother always made Keema palak for me when I was little….and I remember that even though I dint quite relish the taste of spinach, I did land up enjoying the mince that was cooked with it.
So my piece of advice is, try out this little experiment….I’m quite sure it will give you positive results and no food (mistakenly dropped) on the floor to clean!
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Main Dish
Servings: 4-5
Calories/serving: 170
Ingredients:
- Half (1/2) kg of chicken or mutton Keema (mince)- whichever you prefer
- One and a half (1 ½) cups of shredded palak (spinach)
- Four (4) tablespoons of butter
- Two (2) medium sized onions- chopped up
- A pinch of haldi (turmeric)
- One (1) tablespoon of jeera (cumin) powder
- Half (1/2) a tablespoon of kalongi (nigella) seeds
- Half (1/2) a tablespoon of methi (fenugreek) seeds
- Half (1/2) a tablespoon of crushed saunf (fennel) seeds
- Paste of: Two (2) tomatoes, one (1) tablespoon of chopped up ginger, one (1) tablespoon of chopped up garlic. Two (2) red chilies (dried) and one (1) tablespoon of salt or to taste
Method:
- Take the minced meat and wash nicely in a soup strainer.
- Leave aside to dry.
- Take a micro safe bowl/dish and put some butter in it. Microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
- Add all the dry spices to it- kalongi (nigella), jeera (cumin), haldi (turmeric), saunf (fennel), methi (fenugreek) along with the chopped up onions.
- Mix all ingredients well and microwave for about 5 minutes.
- To this mixture now add the meat mince (Keema).
- Throw in the finely shredded spinach (palak) along with the tomato paste that you prepared.
- Mix well and microwave for 8-10 minutes (stir once).
- Add the salt, mix well and taste.
- Microwave for another 5 minutes until the ingredients are dry.
- Allow standing time for 3-4 minutes.
Serve hot with any bread, chapatti or parantha’s.
