Eating leaves
Shimu Dutta
Kulekhara
The plant is grows throughout the year but grows long thorns around spring preventing humans/ animals from approaching it. Post Baisakh (mid April), the plant is easily accessible again.
It is known to have medicinal properties conducive to improving haemoglobin levels in blood.
An extract is made simply by stewing Kulekhara leves in water and straining the water.
Harsingar, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Night Flowering Jasmine, Parijat
Anamika Nandy
Harsingar
Moong dhuli (green gram, dehusked)
Sarson dana (mustard seeds)
Lal mirch (dried red chilly)
Served in moong dal. The leaves get cooked in hot dal or can alternately be blanched and added to the dal. The leaves of the harsingar are bitter, hence the name Teeta Dal (in Bangladesh, previously East Bengal) and Tainto Dal (in West Bengal, India). The dal is served with a tempering of sarson and lal mirch. The plant is known to have medicinal properties (unspecified).
Poru leaves
Rai (black mustard seeds)
Methi (fenugreek seeds)
Hing (asafoetida)
Khadi lal mirch (dried red chillies, whole)
Cooked with salt in a tempering of rai, methi, hing and, whole dried chillies.
Khadiya
Rai (black mustard seeds)
Lehsun (garlic), grated or minced
Adrak (ginger), grated or minced
Cooked witha tempering of rai and methi in ginger and garlic , usually with potatoes or yam, known as ole in the Bihar region.
Mooli
Palak
Hari Pyaz
Methi
Kulfa
Zeera (cumin seeds)
Lal Mirch (dried red chillies)
Nariyal (coconut) grated
Haldi (turmeric) powder
Dhaniya (coriander) powder
A winter fare in Bombay. The leaves are cooked with a tempering of cumin and dried red chillies with termeric and coriander. When nearly done it grated coconut is added to the preparation.
The Saag Saga 