This creamy and vibrant Amaranth greens’ raita (hara saag raita) is a delicious accompaniment to every meal. Serve with roti/parantha or any rice recipe.
It has been almost 3 years since I took an indefinite break from food blogging here at My Weekend Kitchen. A lot happened over the 3 years of which 2 are almost a blur due to covid. An infant, a house with 3 generations living together, no help and a full-time job. All made blogging for pleasure take a back seat. Now, life has come to a place where I sense a desire to pick it up again. So here I am ever so grateful for this space that allows me to share at my pace.
We are farmers.
How we ventured from farming for our family to farming for a living is a story to be told at another time. But doing natural organic farming, led us to enjoy food in a very primal way – the touch of the soil, the hope in a seed, the joy of a shoot, the anticipation of fruit and the pleasure of harvesting. It is all priceless.
I try to keep our meals as much as possible with fruits and vegetables from our farm. With that constraint, most often, we tend to eat seasonal food with is freshly harvested. My hope is that as I learn more about growing my own food and eating with seasons, I will be able to share the same over here with everyone. Hope you all will be with me on this journey.
Amaranth Greens
Right now is the season for fresh amaranth greens. The two most common varieties of amaranth plants are red amaranth and green amaranth.
Both types of Amaranthus leaves and stems are excellent sources of:
- dietary fibre,
- protein with essential amino acids,
- vitamin C, and
- minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese.
The key is incorporating both varieties in different ways ensuring you benefit from the range of nutrients they offer. Today, I am sharing a simple raita (yoghurt dip) recipe made with amaranth greens. The same recipe can be made with other greens as well like spinach and bathua.
Green Amaranth (Hara Saag) Raita
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 150 g amaranth greens hara saag
- 2 cups plain yoghurt
- ½ tsp black salt
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 pinch hing
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp oil/ghee
Instructions
- Pick the leaves from the amaranth bunch and discard the thicker stems. Wash well under running water and drain.
- Heat 1 cup of water in a pan and when the water has come to a boil, add the washed amaranth leaves.
- Cook for 2-3 mins. Drain the water from the leaves.
- Grind the leaves to make a smooth paste and keep aside.
- Separately, whisk yoghurt till smooth.
- Mix in the green amaranth puree and all the spices (except hing and cumin seeds)
- Heat oil in a small tadka pan. When hot, add hing and cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add the tempering to the raita.
- Refrigerate for 15-20 mins before serving.
Notes
- For a no-oil recipe, skip the tempering.
- For a spicier version, add some green chillies to the leaves when grinding
P.S.
With a lot happening on the farm and Sarah being a toddler with a sharp personality of her own, time for blogging will still be limited. I have discontinued the Instagram handle of the blog. You can now find me sharing all the updates from our farm at Urban Farms Udaipur and life at home at @ashima_goyal.
Our farm is open for people to come, and visit. We also organise regular farm days to experience harvesting and other farm activities. If you are in Udaipur, do get in touch if you want to order farm fresh produce or come for a farm visit.
Happy Cooking!
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