With the onset of winter, vegetable markets get exciting with offerings of colourful seasonal vegetables and fruits. Fresh and lively spinach adds to the variety which I prepare often. It is a healthy piece of green and can be turned into some interesting preparations without much effort. Here I prepare a spinach dish with possibly all the winter vegetables like carrot, broad beans with sprinkled green peas and truly can be tagged as ideal mix veg. The USP of the dish is lentil dumplings alias ‘bori’ which is a must ingredient. Indeed winter is splendid with spinach.

Ingredients to serve 5-6 :

1. Fresh Spinach – 750 gm.
2. Potato – 1 (medium size)
3. Eggplant – ½ (medium size)
4. Carrot – ½ (large)
5. Broad beans – 5-6 pieces
6. Pumpkin – 200 gm.
7. Green peas – 15 – 20 pieces
8. Green chilli – 1 (slitted)
9. Sun-dried lentil dumplings (Bori or vadi ) – 20-25 pieces.
10. Five spices mix (panch foron) – 1 teaspoon
11. Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
12. Salt to taste
13. Sugar to taste
14. Mustard oil / Cooking oil – 6 tbspoon
15. Ghee or Clarified butter – 1 teaspoon

Procedure :

Discard lower portion of spinach stems (around ½ inch) while it is tied in a bunch. Then untie the bunch and remove yellow and rotten leaves (if any). After that roughly chop the spinach and transfer them in a large bowl full of water. Soak the leaves for 20-30 minutes in water so that dirt can settle down at the bottom of the bowl. Then take out the leaves from the water and put in a perforated bowl. Again wash the leaves for 2-3 times.

Wash and peel potato, carrot and pumpkin. Cut all the vegetables into medium size squares.

Wash eggplant and bread beans. Cut them into medium size pieces.

Remove the cover and collect the green peas.

Now heat oil in a kadai over medium flame.

Fry the lentil dumplings till golden brown. Remove them from oil and keep aside.

Add ‘five spices mix’ or ‘panch foron’ in the remaining oil. Let it splutter for few seconds.

Then add cubed potato, carrot, pumpkin and broad beans. Fry them for 2-3 minutes. Then add eggplant, green peas, green chilli, salt and turmeric powder. Cook the vegetables till they are half done.

Now add chopped spinach and mix well with the vegetables.

Add sugar while spinach starts leaving water.

Cover the kadai with a lid and let all the vegetables get cooked over medium flame.

When little water remains in the kadai, add the fried lentil dumplings. Mix them well with the vegetables.

Now put the gas off as all the water dries up. Add ghee, mix well and again cover the kadai for couple of minutes.

Transfer the spinach in a serving bowl and serve with plain rice.

Note :

1. If such a variety of vegetables are always not available at your kitchen, use only potato and eggplant to prepare the dish.