This year, India is celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of India .15th August is a special day for us where , the nation is celebrating  75 years of the country’s independence from British rule.

On this auspicious occasion, I made a special Tri colour dish that represents India’s National Flag 🇮🇳.

My main course dish is a veg platter consists of Spinach-Pistachio Paneer with Tomato-Carrot Rice, Coconut Sauce and curry flavoured curly crisp .

Recipe Details

• Preparation time: 20 min
• Cooking time: 30 min
• Serves: 2

Ingredients for Palak-Pista Paneer

• 350 g of fresh Palak (Spinach)
• 2 tablespoon of Pistachio (soaked in water for an hour)
• 200 gram of Paneer cubes
• 1 big Onion minced
• 1 teaspoon of Ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4th cup Coconut Milk
• 1/4th teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1/4th teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 fresh Green Chilli
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil+ 1tablespoon more to fry paneer cubes
• Salt to taste

Ingredients of Tomato -Carrot Rice

• 2 cup cooked Basmati Rice
• 1 big red Tomato roughly chopped
• 1/4th cup grated Carrot
• 1 small chopped Onion
• 1/4th teaspoon Whole Cumin seeds
• 1/4th teaspoon Ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper powder
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Ingredients of Coconut Sauce

• 1+1/4th cup Coconut Milk
• 1 small chopped Onion
• 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 1/4th teaspoon Black pepper powder
• 1 dry Red Chilli
• Salt to taste

Ingredients of curly shape crisp

• 1/2 cup of All purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Ghee
• As needed prepared green gravy to make the dough

Method to make the Palak-Pista Paneer

Clean and wash palak/spinach properly and then blanch them in boiling water for a minute.

Remove the blanched spinach leaves to cold water to retain the green colour.

Soak pistachios in water for an hour.

Grind both blanched spinach ,pistachios and 1 green chilli together to make a paste. Use little water to make smooth puree.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a pan. Temper 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds.

When mustard seeds starts crackling, saute 1 minced onion until soft and transparent.

Add in Ginger-garlic paste and saute for few seconds.

Add in 1/4th cup Coconut milk and cook in low heat for a couple of minutes. Also add in dry spices like coriander powder and garam masala powder.

Mix well and cook in low heat for a minute.

Now add in the spinach pistachio paste and mix well. Also add in salt to taste.

In another pan fry the paneer cubes to light golden brown with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add in fried paneer cubes to the gravy and mix lightly. Adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your choice. Add in little hot water if necessary.

Cook in low heat for about 5 minutes more.

Taste the seasoning and add in more salt if necessary in this stage.

The consistency of the gravy should be thick.

Delicious green colour palak pista paneer is ready now.

Method to make Tomato Carrot Rice

Grind one roughly chopped big Tomato to make puree. You can use tomato paste either.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a pan and add in chopped onion. Cook until o ions become translucent.

Also add in ginger-garlic paste and cook for few seconds.
Next add in tomato puree/paste and grated carrot.
Stir well and add in salt,  black pepper powder and 1/4 cup water.

Cook in medium heat until the mixture becomes soft and homogeneous.

Next add in cooked rice and mix lightly with the tomato carrot mixture.

Saffron colour delicious tomato-carrot rice is ready.

Method to make coconut sauce

Heat 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil and temper mustard seeds and dry red chilli.

Add in 1 small chopped onion and saute until translucent.

Next add in 1 and  1/4th cup coconut milk.
Cook in medium heat,  add in salt to taste.

When the mixture becomes  thick like  sauce , remove from heat.

Method to make Curly Crisp

Mix together all purpose flour and ghee. Add in prepared green gravy from from paneer 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix together and make a dough.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough to make a sheet like we roll paratha. Cut in long strips of 1/2 inch width.

Roll each strip to a steel round rod like mould . This way we can get curly crisps.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degree Centigrade for about 10-12 minutes or until the strip gets little brown colour.

Remove from heat and take out from oven to cool down. They will be crisp after cooling. Carefully demould from the rods. Crisp garnish is ready now to serve.

Plating

Take a black or any dark colour serving dish. Place Saffron colour rice in crescent shape.

Place green colour paneer gravy at the centre of the plate with the help of a mould.

Next spoon the white coconut sauce around green gravy.

Carefully remove the mould, place a curly crisp on it and serve immediately.