Potato and Red Chard Subzi

Red Chard and Potato Subzi

This is a very simple dish of potato and greens. The flavour of green chillies comes through along with the mild heat. For additional heat, garnish with red-chilli flakes, which adds to visual appeal too! This recipe goes to Veggie/Fruit a Month Event, hosted at Dil Se, started by Priya Mitharwal. It also goes to Food Palette -Green and Anyone Can Cook series.

Ingredients

1 cup: Red Chard, chopped and tightly packed

1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks/wedges

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 hot green chillies, slit

1/2 tsp of cummin seeds

1/4 tsp of fennel seeds [ optional]

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

Salt

1 dried red chilli, flaked

2 tbsps vegetable oil

Method

Heat 1 tbsp of oil

Temper the cummin and fennel seeds,

Add the crushed cloves of garlic,

Add the finely chopped red chard leaves

Saute for 5 minutes / until cooked on medium high

Season with salt and keep aside.

Cut one Potato [2  1/2 cups of chunks]  into chunks/wedges [baking potato used here]

Heat the other tablespoon of oil,

Add the potato chunks and toss it in the oil

Cook for 4- 5 minutes

Add the slit green chillies

Add the turmeric powder and salt

Cook for a couple of minutes,

Add 2 tbsps of water and put the lid on,

Turn the flame to a little lower than medium high

Cook until done

Mix the cooked red chard and mix well with the potatoes.

Serve.

Red Chard Stems...

These are from the stems of the  organic Red Chard leaves used in the Red Chard Upperi.

Ingredients

3 Cups: Finely chopped Red Chard stems [ from 6 leaves]

2 red pearl onions/shallots cut in half

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp of vegetable oil/coconut oil

2 small cloves of garlic

Method

Heat the oil and saute the shallots and garlic until soft,

Add the turmeric and chilli powders and saute for a couple of minutes

Add the finely chopped red chard stems and  season with salt,
Cook until done.

Optional: A tempering with mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves alongwith 1/4 Cup of grated coconut or just a  garnish of 2 tbsps of fresh grated coconut at the end.

Red Chard....

The Red Chard lent well to the recipe of a very common leafy dish  from Kerala, the Cheera Upperi or Amaranth Greens/Chinese Spinach Upperi. The basic method was to saute the green with a initial tempering of mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves with a final garnish of fresh grated coconut. However several greens like drumstick leaves and amaranth greens were also made into a quick vazhyattiya/sauted 'upperi' alongwith a saute of red pearl onions/shallots, and garlic.

Red Chard Upperi

Ingredients

 4 Cups: Chopped Red Chard leaves with the stem removed, loosely packed

1/2 Cup of finely chopped onions

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp oil

Method

Heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic until soft,

Add the turmeric and chilli powders and saute for a couple of minutes,

Add the washed and drained chopped chard,

cook for 5 minutes stirring every now and then.

Optional: garnish with 2 tbsps of fresh grated coconut. A tempering of 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 dried chilli and 2-3 curry leaves in 1 tsp of coconut oil. The stems can also be added to the leaves, finely chopped. Since this was a first, I tried the stems in a separate dish and it also worked with the same technique.