In this recipe I have used the stems of the red saag which is known as Lal Shaak in Bengal and Red Amaranth in Maharashtra. The leaves are usually used to make a dry subzi and the stems are discarded here in Pune.  In Bengal however the thick stems of this Red saag is used for making dals and data chorchori. Thick stems have more flesh in them which makes it enjoyable to chew them. In today's recipe I have used the tender stems of the saag which my maid discarded after cleaning the saag. My maid at times questions my sanity when she sees me cooking with all these waste items. But when the final dish tastes and looks stellar she has to eventually agree that all these wastes pack a punch and can be actually made into nutritious and delicious recipes. 

Since tender stems are used, I made sure to take off any hard skin from the stems. Its very easy to remove them. Just cut the stems halfway through, you will see threadlike skins coming out, then pull the cut stems down which will also pull out teh threadlike skin with it. Keep repeating until you have all the hard skin peeled off. This is also needed as Lal saag stems tend to be a little hard and they don't soak up the seasoning from the dal. Removing the skin helps them absorb all the seasoning. 

Now you might be wondering, the title says Red Saag Stems so why are the stems in the picture looking green? There is a scientific justification to this. Red vegetables lose their color when cooked because the pigments that cause the color, called anthocyanins, dissolve in water and leach into the cooking water causing color fading. Same is the case here, the color leached into the water in which it was boiled and the stems became green! Another surprising thing was, I did add the red color water into the dal when I boiled it but that did not make the dal red. Which means unlike Beetroot whose color is more pigmented and makes everything red, the Amamranth doesn't impart such a pigmented after effect. You can also make the same recipe with green Amaranth stems as well. The recipe is very earthy and pairs well with steamed rice and any vegetable on the side - perfect for hot summer afternoons.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes 

Ingredients :

• Masoor Dal - 250 gm
• Amaranth Leaves Stem - 50 to 100 gm 
• Radhuni / Celery Seeds - 1 tsp
• Green Chili - 2 (Slitted)
• Red Dry Chili - 2 ( broken)
• Bay Leaf - 2
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp
• Water - As needed ( 2 cups or more as per consistency)
• Salt - To Taste

Procedure :

1. Wash and rinse the masoor dal until all impurities are gone. Let it soak for about 30-40 minutes in some water. This will help in easily cooking the dal.

2. Meanwhile prep the stems. Cut the stems halfway through, you will see threadlike skins coming out, then pull the cut stems down which will also pull out the threadlike skin with it. Keep repeating until you have all the hard skin peeled off. This is also needed as Lal saag stems tend to be a little hard and they don't soak up the seasoning from the dal. Removing the skin helps them absorb all the seasoning. Cut all the stems into 2 inch pieces. Now wash the stems and keep it aside.

3. Now take a pressure cooker and put the washed stems inside. Add about 2-3 cups of water and 1/4th tsp of salt. Close the lid and cook it for a couple of whistles. Then immediately open the lid by placing the closed pressure cooker under running water and helping in the pressure inside to subside. Take out the boiled stems and keep the water ( red color) aside.

Tip: The key to making dals with vegetables is to have the vegetable stock cook with the dal. But if you boil the dal and the soft veggies together, the vegetables might disintegrate. So the tip is to cook them separately one by one. First the veggies, then use the veggie stock to cook the dal so that all the nutrients and taste remains in the dal as well.

4. Now take the soaked dal and add the red water from the steams boiled in Step 3. Top up with more water if needed, we only need to keep the water level as much in the pressure cooker to just submerge the dal. This ensures when the whistles start coming excess water is not flowing out.  Cook for a couple of whistles, and then let the pressure cooker stand till the pressure inside dies down naturally. 

5. Now open the pressure cooker lid and while the dal is still hot, using a ladle give everything a nice whisk for a couple of minutes so as to break down the dal into a uniform thick texture. Note that this makes the dal more tasty.

6. Now take a kadai and heat mustard oil. Once the pungent smell of mustard oil is gone and the oil is smoking temper it with bay leaves, radhuni and dry red chilies. Sauté it for a few seconds till you get the aroma of the spices. Now add the boiled stems from step 3. Sauté it for a few more minutes. Now add the whisked dal and fold in. Add salt, turmeric and slitted green chilies. mix everything well and cover the kadai. 

Tip : In case you dont have radhuni handy, you can replace it with Kalo Jire or kalonji or even the regular cumin.

7. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the dal comes to a rolling boil. Now drizzle some mustard oil on top and switch off the flame. Let is sit covered for the aroma of the mustard oil to incorporate with the dal.

Serve it with steamed rice and a choice of vegetables in the side. 

Other 'Best of Waste Recipes':

• Lau er Khosha Bhaja
• Beetroot Greens
• Kach Kolar Khosha Bata

 

Happy 76th Independence Day to all my readers! Today we are celebrating 75 years of independence and that is such a remarkable thing. the first jubilee day I had witnessed in my lifetime was the 50th year of Independence - the golden jubilee year. Back then we didn't have all the hoopla around the celebrations on social media. The only faithful media that we had was the Doordarshan and newspapers delivered to us the various news and images of the celebration. I tried to recollect what I was doing on this day back then, mostly like every year I think we had gone to school for the flag hoisting. No clear memory of the day that I can recollect. But this year the multi faceted celebrations started much ahead of 15th August. There were so many events and activities organized across the country. Hopefully if I get to see the next jubilee year, I would be recollecting more memories from this day than the 50th year celebration. 

While this day is meant to remember the sacrifices of the freedom fighters and looking forward to the new India in coming years, still a holiday on Monday gives us one more reason to celebrate and appreciate this day. Beautiful weather coupled with a much needed long weekend was just the thing I was looking forward to. And after a longtime I thought let me also pen down a recipe that I recently tried out. 

You can understand from some of my recent blogs that I am still into the Kahsmir mode, capturing all my tour diaries day wise. It gives such an adrenaline rush to be able to edit the travel pictures while revisiting the memories captured in each frame. I also realized that editing nature photographs are much more challenging than food photographs at times. The subject and light conditions outdoor are so dynamic that to bring the right amount of drama to any travel picture means a lot of hardwork on the editing table, because they were captured spontaneously. While when it comes to food photography, all the activities starting from what to make, cooking, plating, setting up the scene and then post editing, everything is calculated, measured and at times a little monotonous. I think that is the reason of late my food blogs have taken a back seat. It doesn't mean I am not cooking new stuffs these days, it just means that I am trying to enjoy the cooking and eating experience more than trying to capture every second of it. 

So after coming back from Kahsmir I started trying out different Pahadi recipes - from Kahsmir, Himachal or eastern states. I found that people in the mountains cook much more healthy meals than we city dwellers. Their food most of the times had less oil, less frying and a whole lot of more flavors. It is so interesting to be able to cook some unique dishes from the hills. While the taste may not always be 100% authentic but it is giving me a refreshing change in the regular menu. One such thing that I had learnt from Harish Bali's (Visa to explore) vlogs is Bhatt daal or bhat dal. I think he was travelling to uttarakhand in one of the videos where he spoke highly about how delicious this dal was. These beans dominate kitchens in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of the state. Kala bhat or black soybean belongs to the leguminosae family. Soybean has seeds of many colours; the black one is rich in iron and protein. They are cholesterol-free, but contain linolenic acid, which has been found to prevent heart disease. I had tried looking for this daal locally but I got a different variant of black daal. So the next best option was to look up in Amazon and I got what I needed. Most of the variants I found on Amazon were the organic variant as this daal is still not mass produced for the cities. 

Bhatt ki dal is an iconic dish and a traditional Kumaoni recipe from Uttarakhand. I tried to make this Bhatt ki daal in a very simple way with very less masala and it turned out to be super yummy. I feel it is much tastier than the normal Rajma you et in the cities. It pairs superbly with steamed rice, jeera rice, rotis and even bread or pavs. Check out this yummy recipe below:

Ingredients :

• Bhatt/Bhat/ black Soyabean Dal - 200 gm
• Onion - 1 medium sized chopped
• Garlic Cloves - 10 fat crushed/chopped
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Tomato - 1 medium chopped
• Black Pepper  - 1 tsp crushed
• Garam Masala powder - 1 pinch (optional)
• Green Chili - 2-3 chopped
• Butter - 1 1/2 tsp
• Refined Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - as per taste
• Sugar - as per taste
• Warm water - as needed

Garnish (optional):

• Chopped Onion 
• Chopped Coriander leaf Onion 
• Chopped green chili
• Lime wedge

Procedure:

1. Soak the Bhat dal overnight. Wash and drain the water. 

2. Switch on the heat. Place a pressure cooker on the stove and add butter. 

3. When the butter melts add the bay leaf, pepper powder, garlic, onion, tomato, green chili one by one. Fry for a minute till fragrant. 

4. Add soaked bhat daal and required amount of warm water. Add garam masala, salt and sugar. Note here sugar is just to balance the taste, the cooked beans should not taste sweet. Also note that this recipe does not need turmeric as it will clash with the natural flavors of Bhat daal.

5. Put the lid on and cook it for 10-15 whistles or enough time needed for the beans to get soft. Once done let it rest till the pressure dies and then open the lid. With a spatula give a nice stir or two and slightly mash a handful of the beans. This would help in increasing the consistency of the beans gravy.

Note: It took me quite a number of whistles to get this daal soft. If in a hurry there are two quick fixes for making the daal soft, either you can add a pinch of baking soda to the daal when you are cooking it, or place a steel spoon inside the daal. Both helps the daal getting cooked in fewer whistles. 

6. Once the daal has reached its desired thick consistency, add a knob of butter and give it a good stir. 

Garnish and serve it with rice or rotis and enjoy. 

15 September

Raw papayas are considered very good for the stomach. When ever you need a happy bowel, a Bengali mother would always recommend you to have boiled raw papaya or what we call as seddho pepe. Full raw or partially ripened, seddho pepe always tastes awesome to me. There are many yummy vegetarian preparations in the Begali cuisine with Raw papaya and most of the times its cooked a little sweet apart from the time it is added to the daal. Cooking daal with vegetables is a common culture in Bengal. Usually Moong Daal pairs well with all sorts of vegetables and most of the time sobji diye moong er daal  (Daal with vegetables) is prepared on special occasions with seasonal produce. But pepe diye Moong daal ( Moong daal with raw papaya) is prepared like a everyday daal in a Bengali household. 

It is a simple hearty daal recipe, especially preferred during the summer months at my home. My mom used to find innovative ways to feed me vegetables when I was small, putting all the unattractive vegetables in daal was an easy way out for her.  As a result right from childhood I grew up loving this  preparation. This daal preparation doesn't have any bells and whistles but this makes up for a hearty meal when you pair it with any vegetable and steamed rice. 

• Moong Daal - 200 gm
• Whole Jeera - 1 tsp
• Raw Papaya - 1 cup, cubed
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Dry Red Chilli - 2
• Turmeric Powder - as needed
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Salt as per taste 
• Ghee - 1/2 tsp
• Refined Oil/ Cooking Oil

Equipment:

• Pressure Cooker
• Kadai

2. Now wash the daal under running water to clean off any impurities and dirt. Transfer the roasted daal to a bowl and add about two cups of warm water. Cover and let the Daal soak for about 30 minutes to 1 hours, the more the better

Tip: Soaking the daal, reduces the cooking time.

3. Cut the Papaya into cubes. 

4. There are two ways to cook the papaya - either you boil it with the daal or you can shallow fry the papaya cubes in a kadai for about 1 minute and then add 1 cup of water and boil them separately in a pressure cooker. 

Note: The papaya I used had started to ripen, so I followed 2nd option. If you have a completely raw papaya, you can follow the 1st option as well.

5. Pressure cook the daal for 2 whistles or as required. Note that the daal should be cooked but not a mush. With a ladle give a couple of stir to mix the daal in the cooker after opening the lid.

6. Now put the pressure cooker with the boiled daal on medium flame and add salt and turmeric. Let it come to a boil and switch off the flame.

Note: If you have boiled the papaya with the daal, before this step take out the papaya cubes and keep aside, else they might get over cooked and mushy.

7. In a kadai, heat refined oil and ghee. When hot temper it with bay leaves, dry red chili and whole Jeera. 

Note: This recipe is made with white oil (refined oil) an ghee and not mustard oil which is commonly used in Bengali recipes.

8.When the spices are fragrant, add the ginger paste and sauté it keeping the flame on medium till the raw smell is gone. 

9. Now add the boiled papaya and the boiled daal. Let it simmer for about 4-5 minutes with lid on. Top it off with a dollop of ghee.

Serve it with steamed rice and vegetable of your choice.

March 11

It is getting hot! Last year this day we were already under lockdown. It still makes me shiver at the thought of how overnight our world had changed. I remember on Holi last year which was on the 9th March, very few people had gone down to celebrate. We already heard the news of Covid spreading rapidly and some folks were already detected in Pune. I had skipped going down to play and just enjoyed from my balcony watching people play down. No one knew right form next day, it would be a different story.

A year has passed and not much has changed. In fact history is kind of repeating again. Maharashtra is again showing a spike and Holi is just round the corner.  Fingers crossed this time. Hopefully we will tide through with minimum impact.

Meanwhile due to the hot weather, now all my recipes are turning towards simple , easy to digest and soulful dishes. No heavy tadkas or oily food especially. The dish I am talking about today is a daal prepared with tender stems of bottle gourd. While adding bottle gourds to daal is a common practice, in Bengal we also like to add the stems and greens of Bottle gourd with the daal. The health benefits of bottle gourd is also present in its greens. It keeps your body cool and easy on the tummy. The taste and aroma is an added incentive. Bottle gourd pairs up fabulously with Motor daal. Yellow split pea lentil or motor is is a very common household daal in Bengal, but I have never seen it outside Bengal. It has a very typical aromatics which might not be pleasant to all, hence we usually pair it up with some vegetables to balance out the aroma. The daal that I used in here is sourced from Bengal. You can however check in your areas, at times there are some vendors who keep sourcing Bengali food items. During lockdown, many such vendors made there presence in Pune, which was one of the best things that could have happened in this phase. If you cant get your hands on motor daal, you can as well use masoor daal (red lentils) for this recipe. 

This daal goes best with steamed rice and some basic stir fried subzis, like potato fry or bitter gourd fry. But you can also enjoy it with any other vegetarian subzis.

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.

For 2nd Tempering :

• Dried Whole Red Chilli - 1
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Procedure

1. Wash the daal and soak it in water for about half an hour.

Pro Tip: If you are in a hurry and don't have much time to soak daal before cooking, just soak the daal in hot water. It brings down the soaking time to half or less.

2. Meanwhile cut the tender bottle gourd stems into 2 inch pieces. 

Tip: Select the stems which are tender but fleshy, especially the nodes

3. Now in a pressure cooker, add the stems and some water to submerge the stems. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Then immediately release the pressure by putting the cooker under running tap water. Separate the stems and preserve the water.

4. Now take the soaked daal in the cooker and add the preserved water from Step 3 and additional water to pressure cook the daal. Once the daal is cooked, give it a good stir with the spatula to break it down and make the consistency thick.

5. Add the boiled stems back into this daal.

6. Now in a pan add mustard oil. When the oil is hot, temper it with bay leaf, radhuni, dried red chillies till fragrant.

7. Add the boiled daal and stems into the pan. Add turmeric and salt and fold in. Cover and cook on medium till it gets a rolling boil.

8. For a second tempering, take some ghee in a pan. Once hot add one dried red chilli and 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder. Let it sizzle for about 40 seconds. Now pour it over the finished daal.

Serve it with rice and subzi of your choice.

Check Out the DIY Background I made for this shoot.