Mulor saag bhaja (muli ka saag)

I am not a veggie lover....I mean I do eat veggies but not in love with them . Bengali people have lots of options when it comes to vegetables, because you know Bengali people can prepare good food out of any edible thing....whether it is "Lau er khosha" (Lauki ka chilka) or "Alur khosha"(alu ka chilka) , "Mocha" or "Kochu", similarly we have a lot of options in leafy greens too..

As in North India "Palak" (spinach) and "Sarso ka saag"(mustard greens) are the two most common saag, in Kolkata we have some more options like, "Pui saag", "Note saag", "Kolmi saag", "Mulor saag".

My favourite is Mulor saag, not because of it's taste, but because of the way it is prepared.

Now my Husband and I both love mulor saag but there is a difference in the way it is prepared in our respective places.....Ghoti Bangal difference you see .

I went to an asian food store that day and saw the radish greens or mulor saag and without thinking much I grabbed a bunch, coming back home I called up my mom asked her about the recepie for mulor saag bhaja. 

But as I told my husband to bring some shredded coconut from the nearby store for the mulor saag ...he got a little confused and said "I am not sure whether It will be a good decision to add coconut in mulor saag, I don't know how it will taste"....He never had mulor saag with coconut, I was so surprised ..but I ultimately convinced him that this is the "Bangal" way of preparation. :)
And here is the recipe for you...

Ingredients:

Mulor saag (radish greens)- 1 bunch

Shredded coconut- 1/2 cup
Kalo jeera or Kalounji or Nigella seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chilies- 2
Turmeric -1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Sugar

Procedure:
Wash the saag properly and chop it finely
Now in a pressure cooker add the saag and about 1 cup water ,enough to cover the saag.
Pressure cook it and after the first whistle turn off the gas....and strain the saag in a strainer ( this step is important as it makes the saag soft and reduce the cooking time).
In a pan or kadhai add oil (about 2 table spoon), as the oil heats up add Kalo jeera, dry red chilies.
As the red chilies start to splutter add the saag add stir it well.
Now add turmeric and the shredded coconut and mix them well...stir for a minute or two.
Add salt and a little sugar according to taste...mix well.
As everything is mixed properly and the saag is cooked turn off the heat.
(Do not over cook or over fry the saag as you have already pressure cooked it)
Ready to serve with hot rice!!!
And....if you are reading this blog , please do comment below,
your comments are valuable...

Badhakopir Ghonto....

I was confused from where to start..so I decided to start with my all time favourite dish. Bandhakopi has been my favourite since my childhood. In my childhood days my mom literally struggled making me eat veggies, at that time I couldn't stand any greens on my plate. But there was an exception...despite of my hatred for veggies i love Bandhakopi.
Infact when i was in college, a plate of rice, "musurir daal" and "bandhakopir ghonto" would do wonders. Its still the same, but i love to prepare this dish not just because it's tasty but because it's super easy to make (laziness on the go) .

So here is the recipe for you-

Ingredients- Bandhakopi or Cabbage - 1bowl, finely chopped
                   - Tomato- 1/2 , finely chopped
                   - peas- 1 cup
                   - Potato- 1 large , cut into cubes
                   - Green chillies - 2-3, chopped
                   - Bay leaves - 1-2
                   - cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
                   - ginger paste- 1 teaspoon
                   - turmeric- 1/2 tablespoon
                   - cumin powder - 1/2 tablespoon
                   - coriander powder- 1/2 teaspoon or 1/4th tablespoon
                   - red chilly powder - acc. to taste (optional)
                   - garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
                   - ghee - optional
                   - salt - acc. to taste

Preparation- Finely chop the cabbage, steam it up in hot boiling water for about 10 minute and  strain it in a strainer..keep it aside.
In a kadhai or a pan , heat up the oil and fry potatoes until slight golden brown..keep them aside.
Now in the same oil add bay leaves and cumin seeds, as they splutter add ginger paste and fry for few seconds, and then add finely chopped tomatoes, cook the tomatoes for few minutes till the raw smell is gone, then add peas and cook them for a minute.
Now add turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilly powder, chopped green chillies and cook the masala well.
Add fried potatoes and the chopped cabbage, add some more turmeric if you need to, give it a good mix, add some salt..
Stir the cabbage for 1 or 2 minutes so that the masala is properly mixed , cover it and cook for 5 - 6 minutes...if your cabbage is fresh then it will leave lots of water ...if not add some water and cook covered for another 10 minutes.Adjust the salt if you need to.
 Keep giving it a stir occasionally.
Once your cabbage is cooked and there is no water left , turn off the heat , sprinkle some garam masala and ghee on the top, give it a mix and you are done . :)

Serve with rice and daal or garma garam chapati :)

               
               
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