Category: Winter

Shiuli patar bora

Avijit Sengupta 

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Night Flowering Jasmine, Parijat (Hindi), Harsingar (Hindi), Shiuli (Bengali/Assamese),
Simple leaves with soft hairs
Season: Prerinneal but blossoms around winter and also has a fresh flush of leaves at the time which are ideal for cooking
Source: Wild and cultivated

Young shiuli/night jasmine leaves
Besan/ chaal atta (Bengal gram flour or rice flour)
Salt
Turmeric
Water
Oil

Wash and chop the leaves corasely. Drain the excess water well. You can use a dish towel to dry it. Make a batter of dropping consistency with the remining ingredients. Mix the leaves into the batter.
Heat enough oil in a wok for deep frying. Drop abount about a tablepoon (or eyeball the amount) of batter for each fritter. Make as many in one batch as fit comfortably without overcrowding the wok. Rice fritters will make crisper fritters or boras. Since the leaves are bitter the fritters are eaten as a first course of the Bengali meal.

Sla Kubi

Pritam. Shillong, Meghalaya

Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, Phool gobi(Hindi), Sla Kubi(Khasi) Phool Kupi(Bengali)
Large ribbed leaves
Season: Winter
Source: Cultivated

Sla kubi/cauliflower leaves
Potato
Turmeric
Onion
Salt
Dried red Chilli
Oil

This recipe is pretty standard for a quick dry vegetable for most leaves. It is also a simple way to taste the flavours of the leaf without layering it with several overwhelming notes. Wash the cauliflower leaves well and chop them well. Peel and chop the potatoes if using large ones. If using baby potatoes or new potatoes with thin skin simply scrub the skin well while washing to remove any dirt and cut to even sized pieces. Heat oil in a pan. Finely chop some onions. Toss in a red chilli and the onions. Sautés until onions are pink. Dunk the potatoes in, add a little turmeric and toss them until they are evenly yellow. Turn down the heat and wait for the potatoes to soften. When nearly done let the greens in. Take off when the greens have acquired a glisten from the oil and have wilter down. the water should have evaporated.