How green is our Indian food menu

All of us know that greens should be in our menu and form a part of our regular diet because these are unadulterated forms of useful vitamins and minerals that the body requires. We have learnt from our schooldays the importance of spinach – thanks to Popeye. Indians call it palak and there are any number of tasty dishes made out of this green leafy vegetable. Palak paneer is on the top of the list.
However, a similar honor is not given to other greens.
In Bengal, the vegetable vendors lay out their greens but the takers are not very many. Bengalis have assigned a generic name to greens – they call it shaak. The most popular ones are the lau (bottle gourd) shaak, kumro (pumpkin) shaak, and pui shaak. These shaak are the slender and tender stems and leaves of the main vegetables and are invariably converted into tasty dishes, usually with some types of fish.

One more favorite green in the Bengali kitchen are the tender stalks of the onion plant – with the flowering tip of the stalks. They taste wonderful when fried, minus the flowering tip, in oil. They are called piaj-kali and taste divine beside dal. These stalks are simply fried, no need to add spices – except a pinch of salt.
Another favorite green in the Indian kitchen is the coriander leaves – these are used as garnishing in dishes or in raita. In some places, these are converted into delicious fried snacks with the base of besan. Mint leaves or pudina are also a popular green – it is used in preparations and, also, made into a paste to take alongside other dishes or as a sauce for fries.
In Western countries, greens have a special place in their food chain – like lettuce and spinach. They take it in the raw in salads made up of raw vegetables like carrots, beetroots, tomatoes, and even cabbage. They also use coriander leaves and mint leaves. This is because the greens there are not affected by anything harmful like pesticides or with chemicals to increase their yield or with paint to enhance their looks. To them it is quality that matters. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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