Here is my gift to my dad for father's day.
A relatively simple and fun preparation.

Palak and Corn Sabji
This is one of my dad's favorites. Not only is it easy to prepare but it's also delicious, and healthy.
Ingredients
Palak/spinach- leaves cleaned
Corn- frozen, 1 cup, Can add carrot, lima beans etc
Onion- 1 cubed
Tomato- Half in size cubed
Garlic- 1 piece
Ginger- 1 inch
Chillies- Red dried Kashmiri 3 in no. - can adjust as per spiciness desired
Spices- Garam Masala, Coriander Powder

Start by blanching the spinach, for about 7 minutes. Do not overcook it. Preferably blanch in covered vessel

In a kadhai, fry cumin seeds, onions, garlic, ginger, red chillies and tomatoes, till the raw smell of garlic/onions disappear. This will take about 8 minutes on medium flame.

After the onion mixture cools down, grind the same in the mixture. Also grind the palak in a mixture to get a smooth texture.

In the Kadhai, heat the onion mixture and add the corn and other vegetables. If frozen no time will be needed for this to cook. Add coriander powder to this, and salt to taste.

When cooked, add the grinded palak, and garnish with garam masala. Let this stay on heat for 5 minutes on low to medium flame.

Palak with corn is ready

Pithale

This is a typical Maharasthrian dish, which I learned from my friend Rama's mom, in Bombay. I used to love eating it with Pulao, although that is not the preferred way of eating it.
Ingredients
Besan- 1/2 a cup
Onions 1 no. chopped fine;y
2 garlic cloves crushed
3 Kashmiri red chillies
Salt, turmeric, and Redchilli powder
Cumin and mustard seeds

Mix the besan with 1 cup of water, mix well enough to dissolve all lumps. Let this stand for 15 minutes.

Fry the cumin and mustard seeds in a kadhai with 1.5 tablespoons of oil, add asafoeteida powder if desired. Fry the chillies and onion/garlic mixture. When the raw smell of the onions goes away add turmeric powder and red chilli powder (approx half a teaspoon each). Add salt as needed.


Add the besan mixture to the kadai, stir continuously to ensure no lumps are formed, and until the besan is completely cooked. This usually takes about 12 minutes on medium flame. Once off the heat, add juice of a lemon and coriander leaves to garnish.


Kachumber Raita

This raita is amazing, in weather like today. FYI New York is about 94 degrees right now. It has good cooling properties and tastes YUMMY!
Ingredients
1 small cucumber, can use Seedless cucumber if desired but the taste is not that good acc. to me
yogurt
Sugar/salt to taste
Haldiram chat masala if available
fresh coriander leaves

Peel and grate the cucumber, using a grater. Mince fresh coriander leaves. Mix both the cucumber and the coriander. Add sugar and salt to this mixture.


Add very thick yogurt to this. Note that the cucumber will give out water, so adding watery/thin yogurt will not be that good.

Garnish with the chat masala, that adds the extra BAM!!!


Bajra Rotlis

Bajra rotlis are extremely tasty and nutritious. Adds some variety to the regular chappatis we eat. You can get bajra ka atta (flour) at any Indian grocery store. This flour is a little bitter, and hence to make my dough I add whole wheat flour and bajra ka flour in a 1:1 ratio. Add some salt, 2 teaspoons of milk and oil. Add water as needed to make a soft dough.
Let this stand aside for 15 minutes.
Make small balls out of the dough, and roll out the balls to make a flat rotli.


Fire up a griddle for 5 minutes, you want to make sure its pretty hot before you add the rolti to it. Heat for 2 minutes on each side, then roast directly on the flame for 5-10 seconds. Return to the tawa, and add a little oil to the rotli, and let it cook for a further 2 minutes.


Delicious rotlis are ready

Serve with some cut up onions, hope you enjoy this!