leafy greens

Poi Saag Toor Dal: Basale Leaves and Yellow Lentils

12 Dec

Basale Leaves with Yellow Lentils

I love cooking greens with toor dal – my go-to combination is spinach toor dal, mostly because spinach is easier to procure than other greens. When I do get my hands on poi saag (basale leaves/Malabar spinach), I alternate between cooking them in Bengali style or Andhra style – this poi saag toor dal recipe closely follows the Andhra style as in Sailu’s excellent blog.

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Baingan Mooli Patta Sabzi: Eggplant Radish Leaves Curry

12 Nov

Baingan Mooli Patta ki Sabzi

The onset of winter brings with it fresh white radish (mooli) topped with lush green leaves. Here’s a curry that puts those radish greens to excellent use: baingan mooli patta sabzi.

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Kaddu Poi: Pumpkin Basale Leaves Curry

13 Oct

Kaddu Poi

Kaddu poi (pumpkin basale leaves curry) is a Bengali/Oriya signature style of cooking these two nutrient-packed, vividly colored vegetables together: pumpkin (kaddu) and basale leaves (poi).

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Moringa Leaves Stir Fry

16 Jul

Moringa Drumstick Leaves Stir Fry

Funny thing about moringa leaves : where available, they grow like weeds – falling off their trees onto the pavements, attractively stacked in enormous bundles on vegetable vendors’ carts. Otherwise, they are an exotic rarity, mostly to be found as capsuled supplements. I am lucky to find fresh moringa leaves (also called drumstick leaves or sahjan ki patti in Hindi) off and on in my neighborhood – this is a simple stir fry I usually make with them.

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Bathua Ka Raita

15 Dec

Green Raita - Bathua Raita

Roadside vendors around me are selling mounds of lush green bathua leaves…yes, winter has truly arrived. Bathua is in season for only a short while each year, and when it is, it is abundant and inexpensive. Make the most of it while it lasts – and if this wonder vegetable is new to you, kick off your acquaintance by making this popular north Indian side dish: bathua ka raita.

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Aloo Methi: Potato Fenugreek Stir-Fry

13 Nov

Aloo Methi

One of the joys of winter is getting to cook with in-season fresh fenugreek leaves. Lush green and fragrant, fenugreek leaves lend their distinct character to any dish they are part of (case in point: methi chhole). In aloo methi (potato fenugreek stir-fry), fenugreek leaves find a happy companion: the creamy earthiness of aloo makes a welcoming base for bitter green methi.

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