Thursday, June 3, 2010

Pui Shaag - er Chorchori


Pui Shaag - er Chochori is a typical Bengali dish. Chorchori in Bengali - a medley of vegetables, cooked over low heat and not very spicy.

The Botanical name of Pui Shaag is Basella alba. It is also known as Malabar spinach, Red vine spinach, Creeping spinach, etc. This creeping or climbing spinach grows very fast, can also be grown in a flowering pot at home.

                                   Picture of Pui Shaag

My pui shag chorchori is a very simple recipe...can be cooked easily.



Pui shaag – 1 kg. The leaves need to be broken from the soft stem and chopped into small pieces. Cut the stem into 1 ½ length.

Kumro (pumpkin) cubed – 2 cups

Potatoes – 2, peeled and cubed

Eggplant (optional) – 1, cut into cubes

Green chillies – 2-3 slit in the middle

Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp and Poppy seeds – 1 tsp, made into a paste (This dish can also be cooked without adding mustard and poppy seed paste).

Panch phoron – 1 ½ tsp

Haldi and red chilli powder

Sugar (optional) – as per taste. The red fresh pumpkin adds sweetness.

Salt

Mustard oil – 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a pot or wok and as soon as smoke comes up add the panch phoron and as the crackling sound comes up add the green chillies. One minute and then all the vegetables along with the pui shaag goes in. Stir and cover. Cook for a couple of minutes. Next goes in the haldi and chilli powder soon followed by salt and sugar. Cover the pot and cook over low flame. The shaag and the vegetables releases water and the whole medley begins to cook in the pot...slowly.

Don’t let the pot go unattended. Open the lid and stir it from time to time. Before all the water dries up add the mustard and poppy seed paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes over high flame till the whole thing looks mushy.



Transfer into a serving bowl...serve, eat and get the taste of it.

The dish I’ve cooked is totally vegetarian. You can also add chingri (small size prawns) and fish head to this Chorchori to serve as a non-veg dish.

To add the prawns, first clean and devein the chingri, fry and keep it. For the fish head, the hilsa fish head adds a distinct Ilish (hilsa) flavour. But you can also add the Rohu fish head and even others. Clean the fish head, fry till it looks dark and crispy. The prawns can be added 2-3 minutes before the gas is switched off. For the fried fish head, break into small pieces before adding to the chorchori.

30 comments:

  1. pui shaag looks so tempting...just the other day have seen this saag in indian store...will definitely get this next time and try out your recipe..yum!

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  2. Thr Chorchori looks delicious... would go really well with hot roti's :-)

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  3. Looks delicious..have seen pui shaag but never tried..now I have a recipe..like the idea of adding prawns :)Thanks dear.

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  4. Love the combo. Must be delicious. Never tried this kind of curry before. Must be delicious.

    Do check our Sizzling Summer Contest in ST and we would love to see your entry. you could win one of two $50 prizes.

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  5. looks yum... i love pui shaag with fish... yum...
    this with posto must be awesome too...

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  6. Remember as a kid i absolutely hated tis green...but as time passed i developed a tastebud for it...love it wit shrimps....
    ur recipe is new to me...wud luv to try.

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  7. What a delightful recipe. I love eating pui saag kintu bangalore e pawa jayena...Atleast ami toh onek stores e khujechi kintu pai ni. Shudu Kolkata gelai kehtey pari.Looks delicious ...bhaat diye khete darun lagbe
    Tumi ki bari te pot e lagiyecho?

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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    Replies
    1. Deepa you will pui saag , thod, mocha and most other bengali vegetables in the sabzi mandis of Thippasandra or the HAL market . Where do you stay?

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    2. Pui shaak Jayanagar 4th block market eo paoa jaye, atleast on weekends.

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  8. Ami pui shaag paina bole ebare saplings lagiyechi ... jani na koto gulo baanchbe. Delhi te khub bhalo pui pawa jaye ... ami gelei amar nonod kine ane ar ami chorchori banai. :-)
    Shorse bata diye toh kokhono banaini ... darun hobe nischoi. :-)

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  9. jano age ami pui khetam na slimy bole. akhon khub bhalobasi. amar bagane gach o lagai. tomar charchari durdhorsho dekhache. garom bhate jome jabe dupur belay balo.

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  10. Hey as soon as i saw the name im a bit confused...but later got ur point that its a bengali dish....its really nice yummy dish i feell.....with these blogging i feel that v get wide range of yummy recipes and can taste many dear....thanks for sahring...

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  11. Dear Didivai
    How are you?
    I am pretty irregular these days ...I have never tried Posto and sorshe bata together in Pui. Must try next time.
    Ushnishda

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  12. Lovely recipe.....i love the name...
    Do drop in sometime

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  13. Looks delicious Gouri. What is panch phoran?

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  14. Looks great Gouri..nice name..

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  15. Wow, looks terrific...never heard abt this dish...sounds interesting:)

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  16. @Suman Singh, hope you try it out and spread the word of the taste.

    @Rachana Kothari...chorchori is a common dish in a Bangali kitchen...tastes better with rice:)

    @Suja Sugathan, the non-veg preparation no doubt tastes better and you need not add the mustard and poppy seed paste.

    @Spicy Tasty, this is simple and easy to cook and tasty too. Will try to send a recipe for your contest.

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  17. @Home Cooked Oriya food, the posto gives its own distinctive flavour.

    @Chetana Suvarna Ganatra, the greens were always a part of the 'lunch-time' in my childhood. With shrimps this dish tastes yummy...try:):)

    @Hamaree Rasoi, Delhi te-o onek rokom saag pawa jayena kintu pui saag pawa jai. E bachor pui saag lagai-ni kintu aage pot-e-te ligiyechilam.

    Deepa, feel good reading your comment.

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  18. Sharmila, asha kori tomar pui gach gulo beche uthuk. kintu chingri ki macher matha diye korle, ki tasty hoi na?

    Sayantani, tomar badite ki onek jaiga ache gach labar jonne? ki bhalo boloto, badir saag-er ee alada taste. Once the summer ends the pui saag will also disappear from the market.

    @GayathriRaj, this is very typical Bengali dish. Blogging does give a wide space and range to the bloggers...to learn and know more...

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  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  20. Ushnishda, I'm not feeling so good and spend very little time on the net...miss reading many blogs of my friends.
    Once I tried this with sorshe and posto bata and it tasted good. You try and then your taste buds will speak:)

    @Chaitra, your blog space is very nice...following it, so no chance of missing your recipes as and when they come up.

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  21. Madhu, Panch Phoron is a colourful blend of five spices in equal measures. It is a combination of five seeds:

    Fenugreek (methi)
    Fennel seeds (saunf)
    Nigella seed (kalonji)
    Mustard seed (rai)
    Cumin seed (jeera)

    In Bengali Panch means Five and Phoron means Spice. Measure the different spices in equal proportions, combine all of them and store in a jar.
    The Ponch Phoron releases its own aroma and is very common not only in Bengal but also in Orissa.

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  22. @Srivalli, thanks for stopping by with your comment.

    @Malar Gandhi, nice to see you here. This dish typical of the eastern part of India, so not very commonly known.

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  23. Onekdin por puishager chochori dekhe jibhe jol eshe gelo. Amar bhishon bhalo lage. Khub sundor bhabe baniyechho r presentation ta durdanto hoyechhe.

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  24. Gouri, first time here. Many recipes you have blogged are very new to me. Happy to be here :)

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  25. Hey thats a perfect dish for chapati i feel...nice one...

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  26. Babli, thanks for stopping by with your sweet comment.

    @Life is Beautiful, warm welcome and hope to read more comments from you. Will be there on your blogspot time and again.

    GayathriRaj, thanks dear.

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  27. In Ayurveda Pui saag is stated as having anti cancer medicine values.

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