Iron Rich and Healthy - Spinach Almond Curry

Spinach-Almond, a delicious & iron rich curry for all age groups and especially good for people with iron deficiency. Serve with rotis or rice.

Ingredients:

• Spinach -1 bunch
• Onion -1 (chop into small pieces)
• Green chillies -2
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tomato -half(1/2)(chop into slices)
• Roasted badam powder - 5 spoons
• Turmeric - pinch
• Salt to taste
• Ginger and garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - finely diced
• Oil - 3 spoons

Preparation & cooking time: Approximately 20 minutes.

Procedure:

Cut the fresh and washed spinach and keep aside. Take a pan/kadai and put oil as mentioned on a stove with medium heat. Then add onions, chilli and fry until they turn light brown or translucent.
Add turmeric, ginger & garlic paste, fry till the raw smell goes away then add spinach and tomato pieces and cook for few minutes closing pan with lid. Next add chilli powder, salt and cook for few more minutes. After that add little water and cook for a while. At the end turn off the heat add badam powder, coriander leaves.

Share this recipe and let me know what you think of it.

History And Significance Of Diwali

Diwali or Deepavali, also known as “Festival of Lights”, is the major hindu festival celebrated across India with different historical significance on the day of “Karthika Amavasya”. It also symbolises the victory of “Good Over Evil”. Here are few beliefs, mythical stories or historical reasons which are possibly behind the festival.

• ‘Ramayana’: Rama went on exile with his devoted wife Sita and faithful brother, Lakshmana for word of his father. During the period Rama killed Ravana and returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years. On return, people of Ayodhya felt very happy and lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), and decorated the entire city. The festival gets its name Deepawali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) that the people of Ayodhya lit to welcome their king. Although many believe it wrongly related to festival.

• Hindu epic, 'Mahabharata', where Pandavas lost to Kauravas in a game of dice for which they are required to be on exile for 13 years. When the period was over, they returned to their birthplace Hastinapura on 'Kartika Amavasya' (the new moon day of the Kartik month), hence celebrated diwali.

• According to the hindu scriptures, its believed that during “Samudra Manthan" or “Samudra Madhanam” or ocean churning the goddess Lakshmi arose from the ocean on the new moon day (amavasya) of the Kartika month. That very night, lord Vishnu married her. On the occasion lamps were illuminated as called diwali.

• Another epic related to the 'Bhagavata Purana', was that lord Vishnu took Vaman-avtaara form and defeated Bali Chakrawarthy by asking three feet land on the kartik day. Also lord Krishna killed Narakasura on the day before Diwali. So the people celebrated Diwali on occasion of victory.

All You Need to Know About Five Days of Diwali

Irrespective of religious significance varying regionally within India, Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days at the end of month of Ashwiyuj and usually occurs in October or November.  During these five days different hindhu communities from different part of India worship different gods. Diwali comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra or Dasara.

The festival starts with Dhanteras, followed by Naraka Chaturdasi on second day, Diwali on the third day, Diwali Padwa dedicated to wife–husband relationship on the fourth day, and end with Bhau-beej dedicated to sister–brother bond on the fifth day. Significance of each day:

• Dhanteras or Dhanatrayodasi, the first day, means wealth which comes on 13th day of Karthika month as per hindu calendar. Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. This day is significant to business community due to purchase of gold metal.

• Naraka Chaturdashi, the second day, narrates that the asura (demon) Narakasura was killed by Krishna and is celebrated on 14th day of Karthik month.On this day people of Bengal and eastern part of India perform Kali puja with a prasad made from sesame seed, jaggery and rice flakes (poha) with added ghee and sugar.

• Diwali, the third day and main festival, where goddess Lakshmi is worshipped for wealth, and prosperity.  After the puja, people go outside and celebrate by lighting up fireworks. The fireworks signify celebration of Diwali as well a way to chase away evil spirits. After fireworks, people head back to a family feast, and eat sweets.

• Padwa, the fourth day and the day following the amavasya, the first day of Karthik Masa, This day newly married daughters with their husbands are invited over to their parents. This day is treated as most auspicious day to start any new work. This days is also auspicious for the love and devotion between the wife and husband.

• Bhai Beej or Bhai Tika, the fifth day of festival is celebrated mostly in northern parts of India. On this day sisters pray for the long and happy life for their brothers, by performing Tika ceremony, tilak of seven colors is applied on their forehead. The celebrations on the day are similar to that of Raksha Bandhan festival.