Recipe for Native Flowers
Explore the intertwining relation between human and nature through the use of flower buds in these delectable dishes.
Semal ki Sabzi
Semal ki sabzi is a spicy north Indian dish, cooked with the Semal buds. Its a seasonal vegetable only available in the months of January – March before the flowering.
Ingredients:
- Semal Buds ½ kg
- Onion 1
- Tomatoes 2
- Spring onion 100 g
- Potatoes 2
- Mustard oil 5
- Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder ½ tsp
- Coriender powder 2 tsp
- Red Chilli powder 1 tsp
- Salt
- Curd 1 cup
- Coriender leave (2 cups of chopped leaves)
Procedure
Take half a kilogram of Semal Buds cut them into halves/small bite size pieces, remove the flower from inside, wash it thoroughly and set it aside. Slice one medium size onion. Chop 2 medium size tomatoes. Finely chop the spring onions. Take a pan, add 5 tbsp of oil of your choice (mustard oil for better taste), add onions to it and cook it till it turns transparent. Add cumin seeds to it and let it pop. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder to it, add 2 tbsp of water so that the spices don’t burn and let it cook. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan, add salt to it and cook it till the tomatoes are soften and the oil gets separated. Beat 1 cup of curd and add it to the pan and mix it well. Add the semal buds, spring onions and potatoes to the pan mix it well. Add 2 cups of water, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook on low flames. After sometime stir the vegetables well and let it cook until the water gets dried and the oil gets separated. Add 2 cups of finely chopped coriander leaves to it and switch off the flames, cover the pan with the lid and set it aside for 5 minutes.
Your Semal ki sabzi is ready. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it hot.
Kachnar ki Sabzi
Kachnar ki sabzi is a north Indian delicacy made out of the Kachnar buds available during November-January.
Ingredients
- Kachnar buds ½ kg
- Onion 2 (one sliced and one for paste)
- Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
- Tomatoes 2 medium sized
- Green Chillies 4
- Ginger ½ inch
- Garlic 6 cloves
- Potatoes 2
- Oil 4 tbsp
- Turmeric powder ½ tsp
- Red Chilli Powder 1tsp
- Coriender Powder 2 tsp
Procedure
Take halk a kilogram of kachnar buds, make sure they not blooming otherwise your sabzi will taste bitter. Wash them thoroughly and set it aside in a sieve to let all the water dry. Take a medium size onion, two tomatoes, 4 green chillies, half inch of ginger and 6 cloves of garlic and make a fine paste of it. In a pan, add 4 tbsp of oil, let it get heated then add one sliced onion, cook till translucent. Add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and lei it pop. Add the onion and tomatoes paste to it then add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder to it and mix it well. Let it cook till the oil gets separated from the paste. Now add you kachnar buds and potatoes to the gravy, add one cup water mix it well and leave it on low flame until its completely cooked and all the water is dried.
Your kachnar ki sabzi is ready, Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot.
