Cauliflower Greens Leaves And Stalk Bhaji/Sabji 1
Gobhi Patte & Danthal ki Sabji
Mamta Gupta
This is a dish that you don't see in restaurants. It uses the leaves and stalks of cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli that are normally discarded. It is especially useful for people who grow their own vegetables and have access to fresh leaves and stalks. In North India and Punjab, it is considered quite a delicacy and stalks are sold as a vegetable in their own right. You can add a few chopped potatoes, no more than 30-40%, if you do not have enough stalks and greens. Experiment with other additions like peas, small pieces of meat or even fish.
Serves 2-4 as a side dish
Edited June 2020
Ingredients
250 gm. cauliflower leaves and stalks
1 tsp.grated/chopped ginger root
3 tbsp. mustard oil
1 1/2 tsp. Panch Pooran (5 spice mix)
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. chilli powder or 1 chopped green chilli (more if you like food hot)
1 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
Note: You can add 1-2 tsp. of lime/lemon, chilli or mango pickle to this dish towards the end and stir fry it in. This gives it a pickle like taste. I often add a bit of pickle to dry vegetable bhajies.
You can also add a medium sized chopped tomato, as shown in pictures here.
Instructions
Wash the leaves and stalks well. Discard the very hard outer skin off the stalk. Some people like to leave it and eat the stalks like a bone marrow.
Gather the leaves together and slice the leaves like cabbage. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok or karahi.
Add panch-pooran mix and asafoetida, allow seeds to splutter. It is better to keep the lid on. This stops the black mustard seeds from jumping into the corners of your kitchen you didn't know existed.
Add vegetables and all the spices. Mix well.
Turn the heat to low and cook covered, stirring gently from time to time, until stalks are tender. This does not take more than 10 minutes usually, unless you are using very tough stalks. Do not overcook, some 'bite' should be left.
Add lemon juice and garam masala and stir gently on high heat, until all liquid is absorbed and vegetables look shiny/oily.You can garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.
Notes
If you keep the heat low, no additional water is required during cooking. However, if the stalks are not fresh, you may need to sprinkle some water from time to time.
Kalonji can be spelled as Kalowunji on some packets.
