Palak Vadi is a maharashtrian dish served as tea time snack or even as a side dish or starter too.Spinach is highly rich in iron content,palak vadi is a variation to kothimbir vadi.

RECIPE:
Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh tender spinach leaves washed and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4th cups besan/ gram flour ( to be added as required)
• 2 heaped tbsp rice flour
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp to 3 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder (as per spice required)
• 1 1/4th tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
• 1/4th” piece of ginger, 6cloves of garlic and 1 green chilli crushed in a mortar and pestle ( saute the crushed ginger garlic, green chilly paste in 1 tsp oil till its raw flavour is gone.)
• Salt to taste
• 1/8 tsp asafoetida
• 1 tbsp hot oil
• Water as required
• Oil for deep frying

Method:
Combine chopped spinach leaves, asafoetida,turmeric,red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, sesame seeds, ginger garlic green chilly paste,salt and mix well.
Add besan,rice flour and water as required and mix well to get a smooth and THICK batter. Then add 1 tbsp hot oil and mix well. Pour this batter into a tray greased with oil. The thickness of the poured batter should be say around 1/2″ not more.
Pour the excess batter in another greased tray. Steam the batter in a pressure cooker without whistle or steamer on high flame for about 15 to 18 miinutes. Check by inserting a knife into the steamed vadi and if it comes out clean, its cooked.
Remove from cooker/ steamer and let it cool.
Cut into squares or diamond shape and when you are ready to serve , shallow fry OR deep fry on medium flame till golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot with mint chutney or tomato sauce.

Variation to the recipe :
On no onion no garlic days skip adding garlic. Add ginger green chilly paste instead of ginger garlic green chilly paste.

NOTE:
Adding rice flour and hot oil to the gram flour makes the vadis crispier.
Use fresh spinach leaves to get the perfect flavour.
Deep fried vadis turn out to be more delicious.
If you want it tangy, you can add 1 tsp of tamarind pulp to the gram flour mix.