Recipes - Spinach Rice Cakes in Gravy (Basaledadde)
- Josphine Pinto
- Belthangady
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
¼ kg. chicken
20-25 large spinach leaves ( basale/ vallche baji)
½ cup spinach stems ( 2 ½ “ length)
¼ tsp. cloves powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 onion
Small lime sized tamarind
2 tbsp. ghee
Salt as per taste
For Masala:
½ tbsp. coriander
1 ½ cups grated coconut
½ tsp. cumin/ jeera
½ tsp. mustard
1 onion
3-4 long red chillies
Method:
Soak rice for about 8 hours and grind into thick paste. Wash the spinach leaves and pat dry them. Dry roast all the masala ingredients and then grind into a smooth paste adding tamarind.
Take about ½ size of a lime of rice batter and place over a spinach leaf and fold and press gently to spread the batter evenly . Repeat this with all the leaves.
Heat ghee in a vessel. Add one sliced onion and sauté until pink. Add chicken, turmeric powder and cloves powder. Saute until chicken leaves water. Add Salt and masala paste. Add warm water and adjust the consistency of the gravy. Gently place the stuffed spinach leaves over the gravy and cover tightly so that steam does not escape. Cook on slow flame for about 30 -45 mts. In between shake the pot gently to cover the stuffed leaves in the gray.
Serve hot.