1 PALAK KOFTA PALAV

Palak/Spinach kofta palav/rice is one of my mom's special.She often used to make this at home...since we all 3 kids of hers were very picky eaters, she used to grind palak leaves and add to make this palav( but the original recipe of hers was to add chopped palak)

To make koftas:
Potato - 1 medium ( boiled and mashed)
Spinach - 1 cup chopped fine
Onion - 2 tbsp chopped
Green chillies - 2 chopped fine
Ginger - 1 inch chopped fine
Bread - 2 slices crumbled
Salt
Maida/all purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying

For the dipping batter:
Maida/all purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Water


For the rice/palav:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium chopped length wise
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Spinach/palak - 2 cups or 1 bunch
chilli powder - 3/4 tbsp or Garam masala powder
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Cardamom - 3
Cinnamon - 2 small piece
Clove - 3
Bay leaf - 1
Salt as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp
vegetables - 1 cup mixed ( Optional use of vegetables)

Take a mixing bowl and add mashed potatoes, chopped spinach, chopped onions, chopped green chillies, maida,chopped ginger, salt and crumbled bread slices and mix well....make small sized balls...in a different bowl add maida and mix with little water to make a batter like dipping consitency....drop the balls one by one in this batter...so all sides are covered with it and then roll them over bread crumbs..press well so it sticks together....repeat this for all the remaining balls.
Heat oil in a kadai and drop the balls/koftas in small batches in fry them till golden brown in medium flame...when done remove and keep aside.
Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes...
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pressure pan/cooker and add jeera, clove, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf...when they start to splutter up add onions and fry till light brown...next add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute....you can add any desired vegetables at this point( but they are optional..you can make plain palak palav also)...and saute the vegetables for 3 - 4 minutes and now add the chilli powder and chopped spinach leaves or ground paste of spinach leaves( I made a paste of spinach leaves..just like my mom )...reduce flame and cook for 3 - 4 minutes...finally add rice, salt with 3 1/2 cups of water....cover and cook till done....( I transferred the cooking part to the rice cooker.)That is transferred rice and the palak masala with salt and water in the rice cooker ...
Serve palav with koftas placed on top and enjoy your palak kofta palav.