SUPERFOOD RECIPE: DAAR CHI BHAJI

Consuming superfoods on your mind, then red amaranth leaves or daar chi bhaji (as the leaves are called in the Kokani dialect spoken by the community) is the go to vegetable in the Kokani Muslim households. The amaranth plant is a common occurrence in the village houses growing in the backyard or courtyard of the house in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra. Its leaves being a rich source of iron, antoxidants, vitamins, phytonutrients and even dietary fibers. Back in the days, around a meal time the leaves were plucked, washed, chopped and quickly spun into a nutritious broth.

For this traditional oil-free recipe, the leaves are cooked in a very minimal way to keep their nutritional value intact and flavoured with simple ingredients like onion, green chilli and salt. Optionally as a modern twist a sprinkling of crushed black peppercorns and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice can be added for further flavouring.
Below is the recipe for the broth .

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:

• 3 cups Red amaranth leaves, washed & coarsely chopped
• 1 Onion, small-sized sized, peeled & finely sliced
• 1 Green chilli, slit
• 1½ cup Water
• ¼ tsp Crushed black peppercorns (optional)
• ½ tsp Fresh lemon juice (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix onion, green chilli, salt and crushed black peppercorns in a mixing bowl. Keep aside.
2. Bring water to a boil in a medium sized cooking pot on medium heat.
3. Add the onion mixture once the water comes to a boil and turn the heat to low.
4. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chopped red amaranth leaves and cook for another 5 minutes till they soften lightly.
6. Serve hot with a drizzle of lemon juice.

So, do try out this recipe and let me know how it turned out.

Till then, HAPPY COOKING !