Green Malabar Spinach

This post is about Green Malabar Spinach recipe authentic style (Mustard Flavor) or vine Spinach recipe. Writing down the steps needed to prepare this dish. This is a leafy vegetable and can be prepared in many different ways. Botanical name is for this leaf is Basella Alba. Variously grown and found in Asia and many other tropical parts of country.

Ingredients:

• Malabar leaves around 1 and a 1/2 pound approx. ( One bunch )
• Poppy seeds 1/4th cup
• Mustard seeds 1/8th cup
• One medium sized potato chopped into small pieces.
• Salt to taste.
• Mustard oil 2tbs
• Water as required

Note: You May increase the amount of oil if you feel uncomfortable with less oil cooking.

Washing direction:

The main ingredient of Green Malabar Spinach is Malabar spinach. This green leafy vegetable should be bought fresh and washed properly before cooking.

The Poppy seeds and mustard seeds should be first washed, putting them in a thin pore strainer or you may use cheese cloth. Many use them without washing too. This completely depends on personal choice. But I wanted to mention this as I am preparing washing the seeds. Hope this helps.

After washing the leaves, we will be chopping them into small pieces. Along with the young stems. Harder stems we can remove. These glossy, thick, savored leaves resemble spinach. Its mild swiss chard taste makes it different from other leafy vegetables. Use leaves and young stems for this recipe. Below is the picture shown how the leaves and thin young stems has been chopped and can be used for cooking.

Preparation:

Before we start cooking the leaves lets prepare the things needed immediately once you start preparing it.

First of all we are going to make a paste of the poppy seeds and the mustard seeds together into a grinder adding a little bit of water. The water amount should be around 1 to 2tbs. And stirring it occasionally. Grind them two to three times so that it changed into a smooth soft paste.

Oil choices:

Into a thick bottomed pan add 2tbs of mustard oil.

Note: Using mustard oil adds up more flavor for sure or else you may use any other oil as per your choices/ preferences.

Heating:

Start heating the oil. Once heated a little, add whole cumin seeds around 1/2tbs. When it starts to splatter add prewashed pieces of potatoes and stir until it turns little brownish (it looks little fried).

Make sure you do this in low flame since we are using less oil we need to put the flame low or medium throughout the process. Just don’t let it burn.

Then add 1tsp of turmeric powder and stir it for a while so that the turmeric powder mixes well with the potatoes. Then add the paste that we prepared previously.  After you add the paste stir it nicely and mix well.

Note: While making this preparation make sure to put the flame low to medium throughout the process.

Since we are using less oil it might stick to the bottom of the pan and burn so what you need to do is add a little water into it and mix whenever you need to. After you add little water let it simmer for sometime until the potatoes get softer.

Then add green chilies and salt ( as per taste) .

Add Malabar spinach washed and chopped previously and mix along with some water.

Cooking:

Cook for sometime around 12 – 15 mins until the leaves are cooked and potatoes are soft enough to break with the spoon / spatula. The gravy must be thick by now and you are all set to serve it with hot steamed white/ brown rice.

If you find this recipe helpful please comment, like and share. Thank you.

To watch the video click here https://youtu.be/nRluFx1BrDM