Saga Bhaja
amaranth greens stir-fried hard in mustard oil with garlic and dried chilli, done in ten minutes
Allergens in Saga Bhaja: mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 2 large bunches (about 400g), leaves and tender stems, chopped Amaranth Greensleutia saga; spinach works if you cannot get it
- 6 cloves, sliced thin Garlic
- 3, broken Dried Red Chilli
- 2, slit Green Chillioptional
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tbsp Mustard Oil
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Wash the greens in three changes of water (amaranth holds grit in the leaf folds) then drain them properly and spread on a cloth for 10 minutes. Wet greens steam instead of frying.
- Chop the stems separately from the leaves; the stems go in first.
- Salt only at the very end. Salted greens release water immediately and you lose the fry.
Method
- Heat the mustard oil in a wide kadhai until it smokes, then lower the flame for 30 seconds.
- Add the mustard seeds and let them pop, about 15 seconds.
- Add the sliced garlic and broken red chillies and fry until the garlic is pale gold at the edges, about 1 minute.Gold, not brown. Brown garlic will taste burnt against the greens.
- Throw in the chopped stems and the slit green chillies and fry 2 minutes on high.
- Add the leaves in two handfuls, letting the first wilt before the second goes in. Keep the flame high.
- Add the turmeric and stir-fry 4-5 minutes uncovered, tossing often, until the water the leaves throw off has cooked away.Do not cover the pan at any point. Trapped steam turns this into a soggy mash.
- Salt to taste, toss once more and take off the heat immediately.
Storage
Eat within a few hours; greens dull and darken quickly. It keeps a day refrigerated but reheating makes it watery, so serve leftovers at room temperature.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Saga Bhaja (114 g) is about 94 calories, or 83 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 3 g a serving, 12% of the calories
| Per serving114 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 94 kcal | 83 kcal |
| Protein | 2.9 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.9 g | 5 g |
| of which sugars | 0.2 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.2 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 7.5 g | 6 g |
| of which saturated | 0.9 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 6.0 g | 5 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
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Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.