Different kinds of leafy vegetables are part of our healthy diet. They are good source of various nutrients and taste delicious as well. One among those leaves is Amaranth Leaves. We buy it often from the vegetable market. Amaranth leaves are a good source of calcium, iron and vitamins. They are good for preparing stir fry, sambar, hashi, saasive and other side dishes.

Below is the recipe of Amaranth Leaves Stir Fry / Harive Soppina Palya..

Preparation Time: 20 - 25 minutes

Serves: 2

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

• Amaranth leaves / Harive soppu - 1 bunch
• Dry red chillies - 2 or 3 (adjust according to taste)
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
• Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Amchur powder - for taste
• Jaggery / sugar - 1/4 tsp or according to taste (see Tips)
• Onion (optional) - 1

Method:

• Wash the amaranth leaves in clean water thoroughly. Chop them finely. Include the tender stems also while chopping.
• Heat the oil a heavy bottom pan. Add broken red chillies, urid dal and roast them for a minute. When the urid dal turns into light brown color, add mustard seeds and asafoetida. 
• When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the turmeric powder and saute it once. Now add the chopped amaranth leaves and mix it well. Quickly find the broken red chillies in them which are crunchy after frying, powder them coarsely using your fingers or with the help of laddle. Add the powdered chillied back to the seasoned mixture.
• Cover the lid and allow the mixture to cook on medium flame. No need to add any water, since the water content in the leaves will be enough for cooking them.
• Stir the mixture regularly. Once the leaves are almost cooked, add salt, amchur powder and jaggery / sugar for taste.
• Add grated coconut after 2 - 3 minutes. Also add the chopped onion, if using. I have added onion here.
• Cook it for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame.
• This stir fry tastes delicious with rice, chapathi or poori.

Tips:

• Add only 1/4 tsp of jaggery / sugar for this stir fry if you don't want to make it sweet. If you like sweet taste, add more jaggery / sugar according to taste. And if making it sweet in taste, don't add onion.

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Makara Sankranti is one of the famous festivals which is celebrated by Hindus. January is the month when different agricultural crops are ready for harvest. Makara Sankranti is known as the festival of harvests. In different parts of India, this festival is celebrated with different names like Pongal, Bogi Pallu, etc.

At my native, we prepare 'Sankranti Kalu', tiny balls of sugar syrup which will have sesame seeds inside. Being kids, we were enjoying eating them during those days. All the people in the household along with friends and relatives enjoy eating them with other festive specials. This festival will end up with a sweet note - 'Eat sweet and talk sweetly'!

Most of the people prefer buying Sankranti Kalu from the shops since preparing them at home is a hectic job. At my moms place, they usually prepare Sankranti Kalu at least in small quantity for offering to the God. Me too prepared it at home this time for my Kiddo :)

Preparation time: 4 hours approx

Difficulty level: difficult

Yield - 1 small bowl full

Ingredients:

• White sesame seeds / Till seeds - 4 tsp
• Sugar - 3 cups (1 cup = 110 gm)
• Water - 1 1/4 cup
• Milk - 4 tbsp
• Lime juice - 1 tsp
• Muslin cloth
• Food colors - optional

Method:

• Combine sugar and water in a vessel and bring it to boil. Once it starts boiling, add 2 tbsp of milk and 1/2 tsp lime juice to it. This is to remove any impurities in it.
• After boiling it for 3 - 4 minutes, it curdles and you can see a white layer on the top of syrup. Filter the syrup using a muslin cloth. Repeat this step one more time.
• When the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency, turn off the flame and allow it to cool. Now, purified sugar syrup is ready to use.
• While making Sankranti Kalu, if the sugar syrup gets thick at any stage, add a little water and heat it to attain one string consistency again.
• Take a wide pan and allow to heat it on low flame. Add 4 tsp sesame seeds and 3 drops of sugar syrup. Keep mixing it nicely with your fingertips and take care not to burn the hands. Try to keep the seeds separately; Make sure that sesame seeds not sticking to one another by the time the sugar syrup coating is dried.
• Whenever you feel like the pan is hot, take the pan out of the stove top and keep mixing the sesame seeds continuously till its warm enough. Put it back on the stove top again and continue the process. 
• Once the sugar syrup on the sesame seeds is completely dried, add 3 - 4 drops of again and keep mixing them continuously. Repeat this process till they reach the size of coriander seeds. 
• If adding colors, add a pinch / drop of food color to 1/2 tsp of sugar syrup and mix it. Add 3- 4 drops of this colored syrup to a small quantity of Sankranti Kaalu and mix it on the stove top till its dried. Do it one more time so that the color will be coated nicely. You can add different colors like this.

Tips:

• Fennel seeds / Saunf or groundnuts will also taste good when they are coated with sugar syrup in the above way. I have 2 batches here, one with sesame seeds and another with fennel seeds and have mixed both of them.
• Preparing Sankranti Kalu at one stretch is very hard. If the sugar syrup is ready, you can invest 1hour daily and finish doing it within 4 - 5 days.
• Natural colors like turmeric, beetroot juice, saffron, etc.are good to use instead of artificial food colors. 

  

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