Roselle Hibiscus Curry - Ambadi chi bhaaji

Ambadichi chi bhaaji is one of my favorite greens. The English name of the plant is called Roselle Hibiscus and in Marathi it is called Ambadi and in Telugu it is known as Gongura. It is found in Asian/Indian stores as gongura leaves usually. The leaves are very sour and are great in curries, stir fries and chutneys or dips. As a child this was a rarity as it is not an easily available vegetable. And we usually only cooked it when we grew it ourselves. It goes great with jowar bhakri/jwarichi bhakri (sorghum unleavened flat bread). 

Now that I am growing this in our yard, I am excited to cook this again and love that I can cook it whenever I want to.  The fruit of roselle hibiscus can also be used for making jams and jellies. I will share the recipe of the jelly when we get fruit in a couple more months.

Here is the video link to the Roselle Hibiscus curry recipe

Ingredients 

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

30-40 roselle hibiscus leaves (4 cup of cooked leaves) 

1/2 cup yellow or orange lentils or split pigeon peas (split masoor or tur dal)

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

dry red chilli, to taste (optional)

salt to taste 

2 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)

1/2 tbsp molasses

Seasoned oil

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

chilli powder, to taste (optional)

Method

In a large pot bring water to boil. There should enough water to submerge all the leaves. Then add the leaves to the water and boil them till they are wilted and soft. This will take about 5 mins. Drain the leaves, remove the stems and chop into bite sized pieces.  Boil water and add the lentils to it. Boil the lentils till they start getting transparent. Drain and keep aside. 

In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the chilli and then add the onions and garlic. Stir these and cook for a few mins. Then add the cooked lentils and stir and cook for a minute or so. Then add the turmeric. Then add the cooked, chopped leaves and stir them with the rest of the ingredients. Next add the spices and the seasonings. Add the sugar, salt, molasses, cumin powder and coriander powder. Cook these together for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. 

Seasoned oil

Heat the oil and once hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds. Once they crackle turn the heat off. This is your seasoned oil. If you like you can add chilli powder and salt to it as well or dried chillies too. 

To serve, pour a couple of tsps of oil over the curry and serve hot with bread or rice. 

Tips

You can replace the sugar and molasses with brown sugar or jaggery.

Arugula with Pear, Cranberry and Celery - A Delicious Salad

The first time I had arugula salad was in a restaurant. Till then I hadn't really eaten this green on it's own. I had always encountered it in a mix of different leaves. I found that the leaves had a very interesting and spicy flavor. I had always heard various chefs on the television shows describe it as peppery and that description always flummoxed me. How could a leaf taste like pepper? Well, I finally ate an arugula leaf unadulterated by dressings or other veggies and found that it did have a spiciness to it and  "peppery" was a pretty good description.

I made this salad with a very simple vinaigrette, a drizzle of olive olive and vinegar. As a result, the spiciness of the arugula and red onion, the sweetness of the pear and tartness of the dried cranberries is highlighted.  These ingredients play very well with each. You can also dress the salad with some Parmesan cheese shavings.

Ingredients
1 pack arugula leaves (about 3-4 handfuls are enough to serve 2-3 people)
1 pear, sliced
1/4 cup dry and sweetened cranberries
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/4 red onion, sliced into thin and long slices, with the layers separated
1 tsp vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Method
Whisk the oil and vinegar together and add a little salt and pepper to this dressing. Toss arugula, pears, celery, onion slices and cranberries together. Pour a little dressing and toss together to coat the salad. Add just enough dressing so that the salad is well coated. Serve as a first course or you can even have it as a light meal with a side of bread.

Tips
Though the arugula comes pre-washed, I always rinse out my greens before using in a salad. Then I put them through a spinner to drain the water out. If you don't have salad spinner, then take a thin cotton cloth, place the greens in the cloth, and gather all the edges so that you get a nice package and then holding these ends together, move your arm in a circular manner and shake the water out of the greens. This will get absorbed in the cotton cloth.