Tenderstem, carrots and paneer are tossed in mustard seeds, turmeric and lemon juice and served with soft, fluffy poodla (spicy chickpea flour pancakes). Pink Lady® apple Raita and a green salad make great accompaniments.  Sambhal is a traditional Gujarati dish and the light spicing means children can enjoy new flavours and help out with some of the preparation.

Serves: 4 (generously)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

You will need:

For the Sambhal:

250g Tenderstem

2 large carrots

225g paneer cheese

1 large lemon – zest and juice

2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

1½ tsp small black mustard seeds

5-6 curry leaves

1½ tsp table salt

2 tsp cumin and coriander powder  

2 tsp red chilli powder or chilli flakes

For the Raita:

1 Pink Lady® apple

100g plain yoghurt

2 tsp crushed cumin seeds or ground cumin 

1 tsp salt

For the Poodla:

150g chickpea flour – also known as gram flour

2 tbsp fine semolina

150g plain yoghurt

2 tsp crushed ginger

1 finely chopped green chilli (optional)

1½ tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

3-4 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped

80ml-100ml warm water

Vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

What to do:

Steam the Tenderstem for 5 minutes and then transfer to a bowl of iced water.  Grate the carrots, cut the paneer into 1cm cubes and set both aside.  Zest and juice the lemon and set aside.

To make the poodla - mix all the ingredients together to make a batter – use a balloon whisk to get rid of any lumps of flour. 

Heat a tsp of oil in a flat, preferably non-stick, frying pan. Ladle in a few tablespoons of the batter and then smooth over into a round with the back of the spoon.

Leave to cook for a few minutes until the edges start crisping up and the top looks dry in places and then flip over and cook the other side for a few minutes.  They should be golden brown colour and have a few little holes in surface.  Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter.  This should make 4 dinner plate-sized poodla.

When your poodla are ready, put the oil in the wok and add the mustard seeds.  Place over a medium heat.  When the seeds start to fizzle and pop add the curry leaves, quickly followed by the paneer.   Sauté the paneer for a minute or so until some of the edges start to brown.  Pour over the lemon juice and then add the grated carrots and spices.  Give it a good mix through to distribute the spices and then finally add the Tenderstem and lemon zest.  Gently stir to warm the Tenderstem through. You can garnish with some chopped coriander.

To make the raita; cut, core and grate the apples.  Pour over the yoghurt, cumin and salt and mix together well.  Serve a good spoonful on the side of your sambhal and poodla.

Tip: If you’re short on time you can replace the poodla with ready made chappatis/tortillas or naan bread.  Alternatively you can serve the sambhal with rice.

If you want to get ahead you can make a batch of poodla and freeze them. They defrost in seconds in microwave. 

Submitted by www.tenderstem.co.uk