Here is another successful experiment in my snacks for my toddler journey, and again this one also is a snack which is good for both the baby and adults. In fact this turned out so yummy that I am on cloud nine. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be done as a gluten free version, a deep fried version or a shallow fried one, and all of these turn out great. I have tried them all. It is full of good heath and nutrition and it also passed baby’s approval. He likes these cutlets. They turn out quite soft so he doesn’t have any problem in eating these.
As mentioned, I used Chickpeas and Spinach in this one, both very tasty and packed with nutrition. Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense legume which has protein, dietary fibre, folate, and iron and phosphorus.And Spinach, well Popeye eats it, doesn’t he? Spinach is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, iron, folate, B vitamins riboflavin and vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber.The idea of mixing these two just came into my head and I can’t believe these turned out so good too.
So, Here goes the recipe of my very successful experiment. Give it a try you will not regret it.
Soaking time : Overnight
Prep time : 15 mins
Cooking time : 5 mins
Ingredients :
1/2 cup Chick peas
1 cup Baby Spinach leaves
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 pinch Asafoetida
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
2 tsp Olive Oil , more for frying
Salt as per taste
1 Fresh Soft Brown Bread ( optional)
2 tbsp peanuts ( optional )
Method :
Wash and soak the Chickpeas overnight or a minimum of 6 hrs
Pressure cook the chick peas with a pinch of salt
Drain and blend in a grinder, if the paste is too hard you can add a few tsps of olive oil for grinding it smoothly
Wash and chop the baby Spinach leaves
Now blanch them for a few minutes in an open pan with very little water, do not over boil. Stop when the leaves start wilting and take off heat
Drain the excess water and grind the leaves to a smooth paste in a blender, do not add any water
Now in a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients, apart from the peanuts
I added the peanuts after making enough cutlets for the baby as I am not comfortable giving him whole peanuts in his food yet
Also I add asfoetida powder because it is good for digestion, it helps with it but has a pungent taste, so use a little bit if you do not like the smell so much.
Alternately you can also add Carrom seeds as these also are very good for digestion
My spinach paste had beome a bit more watery this time, so I crumbled and added a whole wheat bread to bind the mixture
Now I do not follow a gluten free diet as I do not have any gluten insensitivity, but if you want to avoid using bread you can add a mashed boiled potato as the binding agent
Shape the mixture into small round cutlets with the palm of your hands, roughly the size of a cookie
In a flat pan add a little oil and shallow fry the cutlets
Turn over once one side is golden brown and brown the other side
You don’t need to fry these too much as the chickpeas and spinach are already cooked
The above measurements will give around 15 cutlets.
Serve them hot
There are few variations you can try with this recipe. You can deep fry the cutlets as they are or you can also dip it in eggwash and coat them with breadcrumbs
That will give a more crispier cutlet
I do not do that as I want to keep it soft and not very crispy for the baby’s liking
Enjoy these with hot cups of tea as I do.
I am glad that my toddler loved these, I was wondering if any more such combinations can be tried out, do suggest if you think or know any more such recipes. Would surely love to try them out
