Stir-fry Watercress(Halim Shak) & Radish Green (mulo shak)

Wonderful Watercress…Mother Nature’s idea
for the perfect natural multi-vitamin, body cleansing detoxicant, and curative powerhouse...an ancient green traced back to Persians, Greeks, and Romans....a powerful antioxidant....this green weed/aquatic plant carries a peppery and mild tangy flavour.
Watercress is a better source of vitamins C, B1, B6, K, E, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, and Potassium than Apples, Broccoli, and Tomatoes…It is a true SUPER-VEGGIE!
By weight, Watercress has more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than an orange and more absorbable Iron than Spinach (spinach is loaded with Oxlactic/Oxalic acid, which blocks the natural absorption of iron)
For more information on Watercress visit this and this link.
watercress is claimed to be of assistence with :
cancer relief and cure, blood purifier, skin clarifier, kidney problems, kidney stones, infections, infertility and many more...

Pic. Source : www.watercress.com

Nomenclature
Botanical: Lepidum sativum
English: Cress, Watercress
Sanskrit: Chandrasura
Hindi: Chansaur, Jal-Kumbhi
Bengali: Halim; (Jal) Halim-saak
Gujarati: Asaliya
Marathi : Ali
Tamil: Ativerai
Telegu : Adiyaalu
(sorry, friends....before I've reffered watercress in bengali as Kolmi saak, which is wrong, after lots of research, I've found out from some right source, that It is known as halim shak, I've updated all the names)

Now to the recipe.....I like to cook watercress this simple way without much spices..............


Ingredients :
Watercress : 1 or 2 bunch
Eggplant/bringal : 1/2 cup (cubed)
Dry red chilli : 1(break in half)
Black cumin seed/kalonji : 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Green chilli : 1 (chopped)
Oil : 2 tblsp.
Salt to taste

Method :

• Wash watercress bunch under running tap. Drain and then chop in small pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot almost smoking, add dry red chilli and kalonji seeds. When chilli turns brown, add green chillies and chopped up watercress and eggplant. Stir, at this time, watercress will release little amount of water. Let the water evaporate, then add salt and turmeric, mix well.
  
• Stir for -3 minutes , then add 1/3 cup water to cook. Cover the pan and in medium flame let it cook. When water dries up, add salt to taste. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes. You are done.

Serve hot with plain rice...once you taste it, you'll fall in love with this green vege.

Stir-fry radish green(mulo shak bhaja)

Radish green is also a good source of Iron and taste great. I make radish green in the same manner as watercress. Use the green part of radish(chopped), some chopped radish, bringal/eggplant and spices are same as above recipe. Also cook in the same manner. Taste great with white rice.

Amaranth, another superfood, loaded with minerals and vitamins..for recipe and to know the health benefits of amaranth, click here.
All these green, totally nutritious recipes are going to a great event SWC : Cooking with Green started by Lakshmi of Taste of mysore and this time hosted by Sowmya of Creative saga

Palong Shak-er Charchari (Spinach with Mix-veg)

Spinach, the leading ingredients in this recipe is known in the nutrition world as a “Power packed” food or "Super Food", is packed to the brim with essential nutrients. Unfortunately, it’s also known as a slimy, smelly vegetable in the "Kid's World". They will refuse to eat, even when you threaten to ground them. Luckily, my daughter loves all green leafy vegetables. Thank God for that.
This green leafy vegetable doesn't need any introduction. It has a long list of nutritional benefits. This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Each of these nutrients plays a crucial role in our bodies health, from maintaining bone structure, preventing neural tube defects, assisting in red blood cell production, regulating our heartbeat, fighting free radicals. Eating spinach feeds a healthy body. Spinach is also a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoid phytonutrients that are important for healthy eyes.
V.Important fact about Spinach :
Iron and calcium in plant foods are not highly absorbed by the body. Spinach contains a chemical called oxalic acid, which binds with iron and calcium and reduces the absorption of these minerals. To improve iron absorption, spinach should be eaten with vitamin C-rich foods such as orange juice, tomatoes, or citrus fruit or combine with vitamin C rich vegetables.
If you want to know which foods contain Vitamin C, click here

So this is one of the way I make my spinach with other vitamin C rich veges, in bengali cuisine we call it
Palong shak(spinach)-er Charchari............
Charchari is a bengali cooking style where one or more vegetables, sometimes stalks of leafy greens are also added, are cooked with very few spices and with a phoron(tempering). The bone of large fish like bhetki or chitol cab ne made into a charchari called Kanta-charchari, kanta means fish-bone.


Ingredients :
Spinach : a bunch
Potatoes : 1 (cut into cubes)
Sweet potato : 1 (cut into cubes)
cauliflower : 1/2 cup (cut in small pieces)
Pumpkin : 1/2 cup (cut into cubes)
Augergine/bringal : 1 (cut into cubes)
Radish : 1/2 cup (cut into cubes)
Green peas : 1/ 3 cup
Onion : 1 (sliced)
Tomato : 1(chopped)
Green chilli : 1 or 2 (as per tolerance level)
Dry red chilli : 1 (break into 2)
Panch phoron: 1 tblsp. (a mixture of fennel, cumin, black cumin, Mustard & fenugreek seeds-mix each of same amount)
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp.
Sugar : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Mustard or any other Oil : 2 tblsp.
Vadi : 1/2 cup (crisp when fried, are made of different lentils, available in Indian grocery stores-check here how to make at home)

Method :

• Spinach grows in sandy soil, so wash it thoroughly to get rid of the grainy, sandy particles. Tear off the stem. Cut the leaves in 1 inch or longer pieces and place them in a large bowl of water. Gently wash leaves, and let the sand drift to the bottom of the bowl. Remove leaves from the water, and repeat the process 1 or 2 times with fresh water until the leaves are clean.
• Cut the other veegtables into cube like pieces and also wash them.
  
• Heat oil in a pan, fry the vadis till brown and keep them aside.
• In the same oil when the oil is hot but not smoking, add dry red chill first, followed by panch phoron, immidiately add all the other vegetables except spinach. Add little salt and turmeric and give it a good stir.
  
• Then add tomatoes, green chilli, red chilli powder, sugar and mix well. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Then pour about 2/3 cup of water to cook the veges. Cover the lid and let it cook, when the veges are almost done and water has almost dried, add the spinach and green peas.
• Cover the lid again. After a minute or two, open the cover and mix well altogether. Dry all the water and add salt if needed. Remove from heat.
• Crush the vadis with back of a spoon and sprinkle them all over the spinach curry.
  

Serve hot with hot, hot plain rice....enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sending this awesome easy-to-make nutritious dish to Mahimma who is hosting 15 minutes cooking event @ Indian Vegetarian Kitchen
Also sending to another great event @ Sowmya's Creative saga, who is hosting SWC :Cooking With Greens, event created by Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore. If you havn't sent her your favorite green recipe, do it now...event deadline is June 6

WHB#182 - Stir-fry Amaranth w/eggplant

For this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging(WHB#182), I want to feature a green plant, AMARANTHUS TRICOLOR or Red Leaf Vegetable Amaranth, commonly known as Chinese Spinach, Red Calaloo(caribbean), Joseph's Coat, Hon-toi-moi(chinese), tampala etc. It comes under Amaranthaceae (pigweed) family. In India, Amaranth is known as "rajeera" (the king's grain).
Amaranth has been recognised as a miracle grain, a supergrain as it has the essential elements which are missing from wheat, oats and rice. But here I'm featuring the leaves of Amaranth, which is equally nutritious .
Another variety of Amaranth :

source : http://www.koanga.org.nz

Appearance:
This plant is showy enough for blower beds with its colorful appearance. The medium green oval leaves are overlaid with burgundy red stars that make this plant look a bit like coleus.
Varieties :
Of the 60 or so species of this plant, not all varieties of amaranth are cultivated to be eaten. Certain varieties appear as weeds, while others are used for ornamental purposes and have vibrant red, purple, orange, pink, green or white leaves.
Nutritional Notes :
Amaranth (plant and seeds) has very nutritious properties, especially in its high content of protein, calcium, folic acid and Vitamin C. Popped amaranth seeds provide a good source of protein, which can satisfy a large portion of the recommended protein requirements for children and can also provide approximately 70% of necessary calories. Amaranth also has
abundant lysine, an essential amino acid that is low in other grains. It contains double the lysine of wheat, triple that of corn and equal to the amount found in milk. The leaves can be used as vegetables. These leaves form part of the edible greens and vegetables group and contain a vitamin called folic acid, which is an essential vitamin for the whole family and most importantly for women in their reproductive years. Amaranth leaves contain more iron than spinach. In addition, it protects against ovarian cancer, as well as depression and heart disease. Overall, Amaranth greens are rich in mineral (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese) and vitamins (vitamin A, vitaminB6, vitamin C, riboflavin and foliate). It is low in saturated fat and has no cholesterol and sugar.
Please read this article to know more about Amaranth.

The Amaranth Edible Red Leaf, 'Amaranthus tricolor', is a heat loving summer green that is even more nutritious than spinach or beet greens. The flavorful foliage has a hearty spinach flavor that is sweet and slightly tangy. Amaranth can be steamed, stir fried, or sauteed.
Now this is a very simple and quick to make recipe, we cook in Bengal (Kolkata), a state east of India for most of the green leaves without lots of spices and ingredients. It is served as a side dish with hot rice. In Bengal, our meal must start with a green leafy vegetable or with something bitter(bittergourd curry-Shukto), then followed with some lentil, fish or meat dish.

Stir-fry Amaranth with Eggplant

Ingredients :
A bunch of Amaranth leaves
Eggplant : 1 (small)
Dry red chilli : 1
Black cumin seeds : 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Green/red chilli : 1
Oil : 2 tblsp.(tablespoon)
Salt to taste









Method :

• Trim the whole bunch of amaranth leaves 2 inches from the root. Wash the bunch 2-3 times in a big bowl, as leaves often contain loads of mud and dust particles.
• Take the whole bunch together or half at a time and chop in 1/2 " pieces. Cut eggplants in small cube like pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan, temper with dry red chilli and black cumin seeds, wait for 2 minutes, When red chilli turns dark and you smell the pungent smell of black cumin seeds, throw chopped amaranth leaves and eggplant.
  
• At this point, it will leave some amount of water. Wait till water evaporates, them add turmeric, green chilli and salt. Stir for a 2-3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of water and cover the pan, lower the heat to medium.
• When water dries up, check the seasoning. If needed, add and stir for a minute. You are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  

Enjoy with hot plain rice...............

Did You Know?

• In ancient Greece, amaranth was considered a sacred plant that was thought to have special healing powers. The plant, a symbol of immortality, was used to decorate images of gods and tombs.
• The flowers of the Hopi Red Dye amaranth plant were once used by Hopi Indians as the source of a deep red dye. This dye has since been replaced with the dye known as Red No. 2 in North America.

Information Source : from here and here
This edition of Weekend Herb Blogging which is hosted by
Chris of Mele Cotte, WHB is original brainchild
of Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen