Laal shaaker daatar tauk / Amaranth stems in a tangy gravy

"Aww Suro, dey na baba koyeta laal daata tuley ... naatni ta amar aasche aaj." 

 So started the days in my Dadu's house, every time I went there.

Thamma would call out to the helps to pick some good, soft daata or the stems of the Amaranth shrub.

To make the tauk.

Spicy, tangy, sometimes so sour that we would make smacking noises after every mouthful.

And get disapproving glances from her ... of course.

She made the best daatar tauk. 

And she knew I loved it.

The huge uthon or the open area in the centre of Dadu's house had a few of Thamma's favourite plants.

The laal shaak was one of them.

Those who have not seen this plant will have no idea how 

big and sturdy a plant this turns out to be ...

if it gets enough space to grow.

The leaves are used to make this bhaja or the stir fry.

And the stems or small branches are used to make a chorchori, jhaal or the tauk. 

Thamma made a wonderful jhaal out of these too ... 

hope to post that too one day.

Once Suro had picked the proper daatas, he would keep them with the rest of the vegetables

kept selected to be cooked for the day's lunch.

The maid would get instructions to remember to soak some mustard seeds too ...

along with the rest of the masalas like jeera, dry red chillies, turmeric, etc.

to be ground to pastes for the day's menu.

I don't know why I loved this tauk made by Thamma.

Ma had tried making it for me too at home ... nah ...

did not like it.

Even when it was cooked by the Kakimas, I would reject it.

Only Thamma knew how to make the perfect daatar tauk.

And she loved cooking it for me.

 After I left home, I hardly ever got to taste that tauk on my visits or vacations.

Thamma was aging.

On one of my visits I noticed the uthon lying barren.

Except the old Tulsi plant, not a single green to be seen.

The corner where stood a bright, big laal shaak plant was dark; lonely.

I had stood there for a long time ... memories haunting me.

That bright sunlit corner, a proud, red plant standing tall. And wide.

It's red leaves shining with health,

swaying in a light breeze.

And the whole kitchen area around it abuzz with the day's activities ...

Thamma's voice spreading all over like a loving blanket.

Supervising, instructing,getting things done. 

The last time I visited Thamma, she was very ill.

We knew she was going.

She couldn't recognise people. Had given up eating too.

But she recognised me.

With eyes closed, she had called my name.

And complained ... 

"Koto korey tor Maa ke bollam, ektu laal shaaker chara eney ditey ... dilo ni!

Tor jonne daatar tauk ta o korte parlam ni re. "

(She had asked my mom, in futile,  to get some laal shaak saplings ... and was unhappy
she could not make the tauk for me).

Miss you Thamma. 

After Thamma left us, I had given up eating the daatar tauk.

Ma had tried, but I just could not.

She knew each of her grandchildren's favourite dish and cooked them.

For me, it was her daatar tauk.

 I could never forget it ... along with her. 

So kept talking about it to my friends, on FB, often.

And they encouraged me to make it for myself.

Said that Thamma would be happy to see that I'm making it after her.

So I cooked it.

It definitely was not like Thamma's ... but worked like a balm on my soul.

I'm sure Thamma is proud.

Need :

Small stems of the Amaranth - peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

Mustard paste ( not too much ... around 1 tbsp for a cupful of stems )

Whole mustard seeds

Fresh green chillies

A little mustard oil

Turmeric powder

Salt

Sugar

Water

Tamarind pulp
( Thamma used to make this with dried mango pieces that we Bengalis call as Amchur.
Since I do not get it easily, I used the tamarind. )

How to :

Heat a little mustard oil in a wok / kadahi.

Add the mustard seeds. 

When they start to splutter, add the green chillies and the stems.

Stir fry for a while.

Add a little turmeric powder, salt and enough water to cover the stems.
Add the mustard paste.

Cover and cook till the stems are done.

Remove cover and add tamarind pulp and a little sugar.

Stir and let it simmer for a while.

Remove from heat. 

Serve cool.

Tauks ... or sour dishes ... are eaten had at the end of a Bengali meal ... usually lunch. 

So enjoy this after a filling lunch of rice,dal, some bhajas and fish.

I love to eat this at the end with a little plain rice,

with a lot of fresh green chilli mashed in.

Enjoy!!

Check out my simple Laal shaak bhaja too.

Lal Shaak diye Moong Dal / Red Spinach cooked with lentils

This is a very simple dish that I tossed up with some Red spinach leaves or Amaranth leaves lying about in my kitchen for a while now. I often make these leaves or Lal shaak, as it is known as in Bengali, the usual way ... cook it in a little mustard oil with crushed garlic and whole dry red chillies. And love it with rice.

But just after soaking the leaves in water this time, I realised I haven't cooked rice. It was not even on the menu for the day. I can't eat certain things with rotis ... and leafy veggies are one of them.

Then I saw the moong dal I had soaked earlier ... for a different thing altogether. Used that with the leaves and came up with this wonderful dryish dish . :-)

Without too many ingredients , it was quick to cook and was great as a side dish.




Need : Red spinach leaves ... cleaned and chopped, yellow moong dal / dehusked moong or mung lentils , sliced onions, sliced garlic, jeera / cumin seeds, haldi / turmeric powder, a little red chilli powder, lemon juice, salt to taste, cooking oil.


How to : Soak the moong dal ... the longer, the better. Ok ... say for around 2 - 3 hours.

Heat a little oil in a pan / kadahi / wok. Add the jeera and then the sliced onion and garlic together. Fry for a while ... do not brown.

Add the chopped leaves. Add a little salt .... very little ... just so the leaves leave water and cook well. Fry well till the leaves are well cooked and there's no raw smell.

Drain the dal from the water and add it to the cooked leaves. Add haldi, chilli powder, salt and stir well.
( Remember you have already added a little salt earlier ) .



Add a little water .... just so it skims the surface of the dal, cover and cook for a while.

Remember to remove cover and check that it does not burn. If needed add a little water from time to time.

Cook till dal is well done. It should not be mushy ... yet will break easily when held between the fingers.

Turn off heat and add some lemon juice.

Serve hot ... goes great with both rice and rotis or parathas. Do give this try folks !



Am signing off on a wistful note ... I so wish the lurkers would delurk. How much does it take to leave a line after all?

Take care all !! :-)


More recipes with the Moong Dal

Moong Dal Kachori

Moong Dal Halwa