Palakachi Patal Bhaji a.k.a Takatli Palak Bhaji since the spinach/Palak cooked in a mixture of buttermilk with a little amount of Besan, is a Maharastrian style curry usually eaten with steamed rice or rotis. It is made with a variety of green colocasia ( aloochi bhaji ), sorrel leaves ( gongura / ambat chuka ), red amaranth ( laal math ) and so on. Along with it, the curry also also has peanuts and chana daal for some nice texture. Patalbhajis are typically kept thin and hence I used about 1 tbsp of besan in 1 cup of curd + 1 cup of water mixture. Patalbhaji had been on my mind since I first tasted it in Vadodara on one of our visits. Vadodara has a sizeable Marathi population and therefore the food at Maharashtra Restaurant ( previously called Maharashtra Lodge ) is pretty close if not exactly the same as that cooked in Marathi homes. It was a part of the regular meal that they serve there on one of the days of the week ( they rotate the curries on the menu ). The place has an absolute old world vibe. Formica tables arranged to absolute optimisation in a small enclosed place, basic decor that is nothing more than a Kalnirnay Almanac hanging from the wall along with garlanded portraits of fondly remembered ancestors and gods & goddesses, a staff that moves deftly without any incidents even when the premises are jam-packed, and a crowd that is doing one of the following three things – eating while trying to keep up with the rapid pace of the servers, coming out with a satisfied expression and a laziness brought on only by good food or waiting for their tiffin carriers to be filled with takeaway (environment-friendly and efficiently!) Their Patalbaji has more besan than mine but it was still really delicious. Kamalbai Ogole’s Ruchira and Kaumudi Marathé’s Essential Marathi Cookbook both have excellent recipes you should try. I will type down my recipe below and edit the caption when it is done ! 🙂
The image is from my own instagram account and can be found here
Recipe:Ingredients:
- A medium sized bunch of spinach ( 250 gms in weight before cleaning and trimming ), cleaned, trimmed, washed and chopped,
- 1/4th cup of peanuts (I used more because I like it , you can cut down on it),
- 2 tbsp of chana daal (split and husked Bengal gram),
- 1 tbsp of Bengal gram flour,
- 1/4th tsp of turmeric powder,
- 1 cup of curd,
- 1 cup of water (or more, I keep a pan of hot water on the side to add more while cooking ),
- 2 tbsp of peanut oil / ghee, whichever cooking fat you free,
- 1 large onion, finely chopped,
- Salt, to taste, ( I added a 1/2 a tsp at two stages and then adjusted after tasting ),
- 1 tbsp of jaggery / sugar (optional but highly recommended to balance sourness),
- 2 tbsp of ghee ( the following ingredients are for the tempering, I recommend ghee for the final tempering),
- 1 tsp of mustard seeds,
- 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds,
- 5-6 fat cloves of garlic ( use more or less as per your preference ),
- A sprig of curry leaves,
- A pinch of red chilli powder ( optional , I use it for colour ),
- 1 green chilli, slit or finally chopped,
- 1″ piece of ginger, grated or minced,
Method:
- Soak peanuts and Bengal gram in enough hot water to submerge them for 30 minutes.
- In a thick bottomed pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and once hot, add the finely chopped onion. Once it is golden brown / no longer smelling raw, add the peanuts and Bengal gram ( after draining ) and mix well. Cook for a couple of minute. Add the spinach and 1/2 tsp of salt. Mix and cook until the spinach is completely wilted and not raw. This might take several minutes. Mash the spinach lightly with the back of the ladle in between. Do not cover the pan while cooking preferably, this helps preserve the green colour. OR Instead of open pot cooking, you can cook the onion spinach + peanuts + chana daal for a whistle or two in a pressure cooker. However, I find that this compromises the green colour. The method is up to you.
- Once the spinach is nearly cooked, mix the Bengal gram flour + curd + turmeric powder + salt in a bowl and whisk until smooth and lumpfree. Add the water and thin it down. Add it to the spinach and mix. Once you add this mix, keep stirring frequently to ensure that the flour doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Add the jaggery and mix well. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or more, until the flour in the mix is satisfactorily cooked. Turn the heat off.
- Heat another 2 tbsp of ghee in a small tempering pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add remaining ingredients mentioned under tempering and cook for a minute. Pour over the curry, and cover with a lid. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid, mix well and reheat gently if needed before serving with hot steamed rice or fulkas! 🙂
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