Gima Saag / Dime Saag e Bora / India Chickweed/ Bitter Cumin fritter

 Gima Saag / Dime Saag (Indian Chickweed / Bitter Cumin grows wild mostly near small water bodies like lakes, ponds, streams etc.. and also grows wild on land.. it grows round the year, but grows more during monsoon. Many of us must have seen this weed growing in our pots and garden, but generally we pluck them out. Next time grow them and enjoy as a side dish. It belongs to carpet weed family. It has medical properties and is bitter in taste. It has healing properties to cure constipation, indigestion, skin problems etc. It’s used as vegetable in rural Bengal. The leaves are used for cooking. Mostly it’s not very popular in urban cities.. sometimes sold by villagers in the market but commonly consumed in the rural areas where there are open lands and water bodies.

 I was fortunate to source this weed from a nearby field that’s situated near the banks of river Ulhas that is few minutes away from my place.. my Didi (house helper) was very sweet enough to get it for me. God bless her. 

We make stir fry, flitters, mashed or sabji out of this weeds. 

Today I made Flitters / Bora with Gima Saag 

Ingredients 

1/2 bowl of Gima saag leaves 

3 Garlic cloves chopped 

2 Green Chillies chopped 

4 tbsp Besan / Chickpeas flour 

2 to 3 tbsp Rice flour 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Oil to fry 

Method 

Take only the leaves of the Gima Saag, wash it well, add salt, turmeric powder, chopped green chillies and garlic, rice flour and chickpea flour into the bowl, add very little water if required, mix all the ingredients together until all the ingredients binds together into a very soft sticky dough.. Heat oil in a pan, take small portions of the dough, flatten it and place the portions in the hot oil, fry the flitters until golden brown in colour from both the sides. Enjoy it hot with steamed rice.

Bel er Panna

 

Bel er Panna / Stone Apple drink from Bengal.. 

There are many Stone Apple and Wood Apple Trees in Tadoba.. the fruits from the tree had fallen and we managed to get some of the wood apples and got one stone apple during the Jungle Safari.. given to us by one of the forest authority… 

Many people get confused between both the fruits… but both are totally different in texture and taste.. the wood apple is sour and the shell of the wood apple is rough, whereas the stone apple is sweet and the shell is smooth. The wood apple is used to make Chutney and Achhar.. the stone apple is use to make sweet Sharbot and Panna - summer drinks and murabba. 

The stone apple is very good for stomach and is very cooling for summers… 

Here is a recipe for the summer drink… 

Ingredients 

1 Stone Apple 

1 cup Curd

2 to 3 tbsp or more Sugar as per the sweetness 

1/2 tsp Black Salt

1 cup Water

Ingredients 

Break the stone apple into half, scoop out the pulp, take a bowl, add the pulp and a cup of water… mash the pulp well with water, remove the seeds and fibre from the pulp…. Take a blender, add the pulp, curd, sugar and black salt… blend until the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients have blended well together… the summer drink is ready.. add ice to serve or keep it in the fridge, cool the drink to enjoy… 

Kodbel Makha / Wood Apple Mashed

 

Kodbel / Kotbel Makha.. / Wood Apple Mashed 

Some dishes are purely emotions.. specially when you eat them after ages… it’s nostalgic….. “shitkaler dupure… baranda ai boshe mridu rod khete khete kodbel makaha khao ar moja tai alada” (licking the Kodbel Makha with a book in other hand or enjoying the Adda in an winter afternoon in the balcony where soft sun kisses your skin is purely an emotion). I am sure many will relate with me.. 

Wood apple has a strong and a sharp aroma and it’s sour in taste.. it’s fleshy and sticky from inside.. 

It’s a cooling fruit hence helps in digestion and also has other health benefits. 

Some times we tend to get confused between Bael and Kodbel.. but both are different from each other in taste. Bael is sweet and mostly made into juice, where are Kodbel is made into makha / mash, chutney or Pickle because of its sour taste.. 

Ingredients 

1 Wood Apple cracked into half

1 Green Chilli chopped 

Few leaves of Coriander 

Salt to taste 

2 tbsp Sugar / Jaggery as per taste 

1/4 to 1/2 tsp Black salt 

1/2 tsp Roasted Red Chilli and Roasted Cumin powder 

3/4 tsp Kasundi (optional)

1 tsp Mustard Oil

Method 

Mash the green chilli and coriander together using the mortar and pestle.. then scoop out the pulp of the wood apple and continue to mash, now eventually add sugar, salt, black salt and roasted cumin and chilli powder and continue to mash.. then add kasundi and mustard oil and continue to mash until your mouth start to water and you can’t wait to lick the makha 😃

Kali Gajar ka Barfi / Black Carrot Barfi

Last year I had made Kanji of Beetroot and Orange Carrot and I had loved the taste of the Kanji, I was very curious to taste Black carrot Kanji.. which is only available in the North.. so I recently had got a chance to drink Black Carrot Kanji..  that was from a restaurant, but haven’t see the whole black carrot as it’s not available in most parts of  India.. it’s apparently cultivated in Punjab and is found only in some states of North India. .. 

The carrot tasted earthy and sweetish in taste .. yesterday I had got some black gajar. 

It’s said it has - Vitamin B, C, E, it has high anthocyanin content, it fight diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, inflammation and oxidative stress, it boost immunity, improves vision and digestion. 

I had shared a picture of the black beauties.. I was thrilled to get good responses from my foodie friends.. I thank them for sharing some information about the black carrot. 

Apart from the healthy probiotic drink Kanji which is the most popular recipe, dishes like Halwa is made, it’s sold in few shops in Lucknow. Other than that it’s also use for making juice, salad, pickle and murabba. And then of course you can create your own recipes from black carrot like cake, bread, cookies etc.. the idea and innovation is endless.. 

Here I tried out 3 dishes with black carrot.. 

I have used jaggery powder and sugar to make the Barfi sweet since I had very little jaggery left in my pantry.. jaggery is a healthy version or otherwise can be made using sugar. 

I made a small batch of Kanji, used in making salad and made Barfi out of the rest of the carrots.. 

Here is the recipe of the Black Carrot Barfi -

Ingredients 

2 Cups of Grated Black Carrot 

3 tbsps + 1/2 tsp Unsweetened Khoya 

3/4 tsp Desiccated Coconut 

3/4 cup Milk 

3  to 4 tbsps  as per sweetness required Jaggery powder 

1 tbsp Organic Sugar ( I had no jaggery left at home )

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder 

A big pinch of Salt

Some Almond flakes 

2 tbsps Ghee

Method 

Take a pan, add ghee, once the ghee melts, add the grated carrots, stir fry for at least 5 minutes on low flame. 

The whole cooking will be done on low flame.. 

Now gradually add half cup milk, stir occasionally and cook the carrots until the milk has almost evaporated, add the remaining milk and 3 tbsp of Khoya, mix and stir the ingredients so that no lumps remains in the pan. Continue to cook until the milk has evaporated, now add the jaggery powder, cardamom powder, pinch of salt and little almond flakes, stir occasionally and cook until the mixer starts to separate from the pan and starts to form a lump… to check take a small portion and roll the portion, it will form into a ball. Switch off the flame. Pour the mixture into a tray, flatten and spread the mixture evenly. Add the remaining Khoya into the desiccated coconut and mix the khoya with the coconut. Sprinkle the Khoya - coconut mixture and remaining Almond flakes over the Barfi. Let the Barfi set for few hours before cutting. Enjoy the Barfi any time of the day. 

Radhuni - Jeere Bata R Shobji Diye Rui / Catla Maach er Jhol

Rahu Fish with Wild Celery -  Cumin and Vegetables 

This is a healthy dish made with Rohu fish or Catla fish , loads of Vegetables and with flavour of Wild Celery seeds.. enjoyed with hot steamed rice and lemon. Winter vegetable like radish, carrot, brinjal, onion stalk and flat beans with potato are preferably been used..  other vegetables like raw papaya, raw banana, beans, pointed gourd etc can also be used. 

This is my home style recipe where I add onions and garlic too.. we can avoid garlic and onion if we want.. tomato and ginger is used. 

Here I have made this dish for 2 people.. 

For the Wet Paste 

Ingredients 

1 medium size Tomato cut into pieces 

1 small size Onion cut into pieces 

1 small piece of Ginger 

5 to 6 medium Garlic cloves 

1 or more Green Chilli

1/2 tsp Wild Celery seeds / Radhuni 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds or powder 

1/2 Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder or 3 to 4 Pepper corn

Salt to taste 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into paste .

For the fish Curry 

Ingredients 

2 Rohu or Catla Fish pieces 

1 medium bowl of vegetables 

1/2 Radish cut into thick strips

1 small Carrot cut into thick strips 

1 medium size Potato cut into wedges 

1 long small size Brinjal cut into thick strips 

1 Onion Stalk cut into an inch length 

4 to 5 Falt beans cut into 2 halves 

1 or 2 Green chillies silt

1/2 tsp Panch Phoron 

Salt and little Turmeric powder for the fish

Wet paste 

4 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method 

Take 2 tbsp oil in a wok, heat the oil up, fry the fish with little turmeric and salt until brown in colour, remove and keep it aside. 

Add the remaining oil, once the oil heats up add the Panch phoran, let it crackle, add the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes, add the paste.. stir and cook the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, cover and cook the vegetables until soft. Add the fish and let it cook for another 1 minute. Serve the dish hot with hot steamed rice and preferably Gandharaj lemon….