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Kandalee ka saag
Stinging nettle greens
कंडाली का साग: young stinging nettles cooked down with garlic and chilli, a Garhwali spring saag
Every spring in Uttarakhand people pick the soft tips of kandalee (bichhu ghas, stinging nettle) from field edges and cook them into a deep green saag with garlic, chilli and a spoon of rice paste, eaten with mandua roti or rice. Nettles taste like a rich, mineral spinach and the sting disappears completely once they are blanched. Always wear gloves or use tongs when picking and washing them. The common mistake is skipping the blanch and going straight to the pan, which leaves stringy stems and some sting. Chef's tip: squeeze the blanched nettles well and chop fine before cooking; this is what gives the smooth, creamy texture hill cooks are proud of.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the saag
- 10 ½ oz young stinging-nettle topshandled with gloves
- 1 tbsp rice flourmixed with 4 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp jakhya or cumin seeds
- 5 garlic cloveschopped
- 2 green chillieschopped
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ tsp salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wearing gloves, pick 10 ½ oz young stinging-nettle tops off the stalks and rinse in a colander.
5 minStep 2: Drop into a pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes; the sting is gone once they turn dark and limp. Drain, cool and squeeze out the water.
4 minStep 3: Chop the nettles finely on a board.
3 minStep 4: Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil until it smokes lightly, then add 1 tsp jakhya or cumin seeds, 1 dried red chilli, 5 garlic cloves and 2 green chillies and fry until the garlic is pale gold.
2 minStep 5: Add the nettles, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and ¾ tsp salt and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring.
5 minStep 6: Stir in 1 tbsp rice flour and cook for 3–4 minutes more until the saag thickens and looks glossy. Serve hot.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kandalee ka saag take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of jakhya or cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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