bong
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This restaurant gets the fish from India? Unlikely, probably restaurant hype.
Don't know about the restaurant, but when we are in the mood for an "Indian" fish, we get ours from the local Bangaldeshi grocery store. Most of the fish there is flash frozen and shipped direct from Bangladesh or India.
I am in California.
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Marlena, welcome to the India Forum. As a subscriber to the San Francisco Chronicle, I immensely enjoy your articles.
Mongo and you are both right, sort of. And this confusion is very understandable as well, like all things Indian.
In much of the western world, the term "chutney" is usually used to mean some kind of sweet/tart relish, made from cooked down from fruits. Its usually had as an accompaniment with other food, like bread.
In much of north and northwest India, the term "chutney" also means a relish of some kind. It is usually made from aromatic herbs, like mint ("Pudina Chutney"). Sometimes it is also made from other things, and sometimes from fruits. This is also to be had as an accompaniment with other food, like bread..
As others have pointed out, other parts of India have there own version of "chutney".
I am from Bengal (much of Bangladesh and parts of eastern India), so is Mongo. So let me talk about what chutney means to us Bengalis. We pronounce it "chaat--nee". For us, this is usually made from cooked down fruits, along with spices -- examples of fruits are green mangoes, tomatoes, papayas, "kool" (similar to a cherrry). Also, for us, the chutney is served as a separate course altogether, towards the end of the meal but before the dessert.
The word "pickle" (called "achar" in most north indian languages) is a different beast altogether. It is usually made from fruits or chiles soaked in oil for a long long time. Usually no cooking is involved. Again, this is to be had as an accompaniment to other food, like bread.
Hope this helps in reducing the confusion a bit.
Note my liberal use of the word "usually" -- like all things Indian, there is always quite a few exceptions to every darned rule.
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We have been wanting to dine at this 2-year old restaurant for a while now, and with a newborn at home, we finally made it last Thursday night for dinner.
The restaurant is in Los Gatos, and the executive chef is David Kinch, formerly of Sent Sovi in Saratoga.
From the outside, the restaurant looks like a an ordinary house, not like a commercial establishment at all. The "look" is continued inside, and the inside of the dining room looks almost like a living room in someone's house.
The restaurant gives you a choice of ordering 3-, 4-, or 5- items from the menu. Or you can choose to have the "Chef's tasting menu", with or without wine pairing. The Chef's tasting menu is $94, and the wine pairing is another $65. My wife at first did not want to have the tasting menu, thinking she will be too full and won't be able to finish it. But our waiter told us that the individual courses in the tasting menu are pretty small, and we will do just fine. He also mentioned that they prefer everyone on the table order the tasting menu if anyone wants a tasting menu.
Anyway, now that my wife was game, we both ordered the tasting menu. My wife did not choose the wine pairing -- instead, she ordered a glass of champagne ($16) at the begining and then a glass of Reisling ($12) around midway through her dinner. And I, always the glutton, of course ordered the wine pairing.
First, here are some pictures and descriptions of the various courses. As you can see, we were served quite a few courses throughout the evening. However, at the end of the meal, I did not feel overly stuffed. I was just perfectly full. The seven or so glasses of wine did have an effect on me though, and I was a bit tipsy towards the end.
I may not have the names of all the dishes correct, and I certainly do not have the names of all the wines.
Click on the following small pictures to see a bigger version.
Menu Page 1
Menu Page 2
Amuse #1: Mango Smoothie, with Olive Madelines and Beet Gelee
Amuse #2: Citrus Salad with Taro Chips on the side
Amuse #3: Strawberry Gazpacho
Amuse #4: Layered egg
Course #1: Dungeness Crab with Mango and a bit of Avocado, Paired with Cremant D'alsace Sparkling Wine
Course #2: Big Eye Tuna Tartare with Cucumber Gelee, served with Toast on the Side, Paired with some white wine from Argentina
Course #3: Scallop Risotto, paired with Domaine Something Sancerre
Course #4: Black Sea Bass on the Plancha, with Butter Foam, Grilled Onions and Chick Pea Slab, paired with a white wine, I forgot what wine it was
Course #5: Pork Belly, Boudin Noir with a puree of Rutabaga, paired with a Cote Rotie (Rhone Style) Viognier and Syrah blend
Course #6: Veal Cheek w Garlic Emulsion and Green Peas, paired with a Cabernet Franc from Loirre Valley
Dessert #1: Coconut Sorbet topped with Strawberries -- My wife was instead served a "Strawberry Sorbet Topped with Apricots"
Dessert #2: Papaya and Custard Chile Soup
Dessert #3: Pineapple Beignets With Kaffir Lime Foam
Dessert #4: Miniature Chocolate Souffle With Banana Icecream, paired with some kind of a 5 year reserve Madeira
Dessert #5: Chocolate Madelines and Grape Petit Fours
Total bill for two, including tax but not tips: $304
My comments:
- The "Mango Smoothie" (Amuse #1) served in the begining was very thick and creamy. It was served in a tiny glass, and it was difficult to drink the whole thing from the glass. The darn thing was so good I did not want to waste any of it.
- The "Layered Egg" (Amuse #4) was outstanding. The runny, slightly warm egg yolk was at the bottom, and it was then topped with a layer of maple syrup, which was then topped with a layer of whipped cream.
- The "Dungeness Crab" (Course #1) was served on a bed of mango with a thin slice of Avocado. I have no idea how they managed to slice an Avocado so thin!
- "Big Eye Tuna Tartare" (Course #2) -- this was pretty good.
- The "Scallop Risotto" (Course #3) was exceptionally good as well. The Scallop was perfectly done, soft in the middle and seared on the outside. There were, however, a couple or so pieces of undercooked rice in the bed of risotto.
- "Black Sea bass" (Course #4) -- the exceptional thing in this dish was the chick pea "slab". I don't really know if it is called a "slab" or not. It was basically shaped like a french fry, but it was made out of chick-pea flour. It was very tasty. The fish itself was great, but not outstanding.
- "Pork Belly and Boudin Noir" (Course #5) -- This was also outstanding. The Pork was fork tender, and oh, the Boudin Noir! Glad the wife did not know (now she knows) what Boudin Noir is made out of, because she liked it then.
- "Veal Cheek" (Course #6) -- This was also very good.
- "Coconut Sorbet" (Dessert #1) -- Very good.
- "Papaya and Custard Chile Soup" (Dessert #2), -- This was probably the only let-down course in the dinner. This was not bad, but both of us found it a bit tasteless and watery.
- "Pineapple Beignets With Kaffir Lime Foam" (Dessert #3) -- Very, very good.
- "Miniature Chocolate Souffle With Banana Icecream" (Dessert #4) -- The chocolate souffle was served warm and moist. The Banana Ice cream was superb.
- "Chocolate Madelines and Grape Petit Fours" -- quite good.
Other notes:
- This was a Thursday evening, and all throughout the evening, the restaurant was never more than about 70% full.
- The wine pairing was excellent. I am sorry I did not take notes on the different wines I had. I now wish I had.
- At the end of this 3-hour long meal, we were not overly stuffed, but were perfectly full.
- The presentation of each of the entrees was like a work of art.
- Service was very good, as it should be.
Would we go back? Most certainly yes. Although, at this price level, we probably won't be able to go back as often as we like to.
Manresa Restaurant
http://www.manresarestaurant.com/
320 Village Lane
Los Gatos CA 95030
408-354-4330
- The "Mango Smoothie" (Amuse #1) served in the begining was very thick and creamy. It was served in a tiny glass, and it was difficult to drink the whole thing from the glass. The darn thing was so good I did not want to waste any of it.
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Red for raw. Usually, I use the white for cooking. Sometimes I use shallots for cooking. But shallots need too much work.
My wife however likes to cook with the red, not the white.
And yes, the onions in India are significantly (in size as well as in taste) from the ones here in the USA.
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* I have heard good things about Manresa (upscale Spanish inspired) in Los Gatos, but don't yet have first hand experience.
Finally, we just ate at Manresa last night, We had the chef's tasting menu (many, many courses) and it was FABULOUS!
Detailed report will be coming, soon.
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DAKSHIN, by Chandra Padmanabhan is the book which impressed me most with the photographs of the food.
I have this book, and I have to say that I am impressed by the photos as well. Not to mention the quality of the recipes presented. I had never cooked south-indian food before in my life, and it was still easy for me to follow along with the recipes presented in this book and come up with fairly decent renderings. I especially love her menu suggestions.
You can peek at some photos here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/9625935274/ref=sib_rdr_ex
[Edit: correct minor typo]
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Okay I just tasted my Mishti Dhoi which I put to set last night using palm jaggery and it's turned out fine.
Please send some via Fedex. DHL will also do. Specify rush shipment.
To make my home-made mishti doi, I have been experimenting with adding Caramel. But half the time, when I do this, the yogurt does not set. I think this failure to set is somehow related to the caramel, but am not sure. I have no trouble making plain yogurt though.
Anyway, I had found this link a while back with great tips on making yogurt, some of you may find it useful: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/dairy/g449.htm
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Is there an interesting way to package Karela.
If you do not like Karelas or Ucchhes (bengali name for the small bittter melon), I guess one way to make them more palatable is to have sliced up and deep fried. Bengalis have these when eating rice and dal.
But deep-frying sort of defeats the purpose here, doesn't it?
Another way we cook it is make a chorchori out of it with sliced potatoes and sliced bitter melon (basically, just a stir fry with turmeric powder, coriander and cumin, and green chiles).
But adding potatoes will also defeat the purpose here.
Hmmm...
My mom eats mashed boiled bitter melon (with just salt added) with rice. I can't eat it. Even though I actually like bitter melon.
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I like raw mango with the peels
Indeed, you can eat the peels of the "green mango" varieties -- the ones you eat when they are very sour, and the ones the bengalis will make a chatni out of.
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The Oberoi group has at least two hotels in Egypt (perhaps three).
On our visit to Egypt, when we we where waiting for the Pyramids to open for visitors, we had to spend a couple of hours. We went down to the nearby Mena House Oberoi, sat in the bar, and had a few of the most amazing cocktails.
No idea about the restaurant, although I am certain it would be excellent.
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One day when i was about 17 or 18, i ate one of these mangoes in the usual way, and my lips swoll up and were very itchy. Since then i haven't bene able to eat mangoes unless i score all the flesh off the skin, and take good care to wash my mouth with soap as soon as i am finished.
Kidding aside, I have seen other people having the same allergic reaction you are talking about.
Some mangoes have this sticky secretion which oozes out from the stem end. I am not sure, but I think that secretion is actually what causes the allergic reaction.
What would I not give for a ripe Langra.
I hear the mango bounty in Bengal this year as well as the last has been especially good.
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clearly a woman who has never cooked shutki (bombay duck)
Yes yes yes!
Odors from shutki being cooked has to be the worst smell I have ever smelled.
Ever.
In Kolkata were I grew up, my neighbors (these are separate houses) used to cook shutki once in a while. I cannot forget the smell. Never.
Strangely, once cooked, and if you have survived the cooking phase, shutki actually tastes quite good.
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So what is your yogurt making secret???
Really, there is no secret. Making regular yogurt is pretty easy, as you have pointed out. I make yogurt at home, and its really easy to make.
Make sure that the yogurt you use as culure has "active" or "live" culture written on the packaging. Or use from the batch you made earlier.
Oh, another trick I use is to add non-fat instant milk powder to the milk. This seems to make the resulting yogurt creamier.
For instance, if I use 1 quart (approx 1 litre) non-fat milk, I add 1 cup instant nonfat powdered milk. If I use 1 quart of full-fat regular milk, I add only 1/2 up instant nonfat powdered milk.
The milk needs to be lukewarm (110 degree fahrenheit) when you add the culture.
Making "Mishti Doi" (bengali style sweetened yogurt), however, is another matter. I am still trying to perfect the recipe. Right now, I only get a 40% success rate.
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Neither Pakistinis nor Bengalis are eating anywhere near 90 coconuts a year.
Don't know about Pakistani's.
But it would not surprise me if Bengalis do indeed eat close to 90 coconuts a year.
90 cocunuts translates into less than 2 coconuts per week. That seems like a number we used to consume when I was living in Kolkata. And folks living in the rural areas of Bengal probably consume more.
Green coconut -- you drink the water, you eat the flesh.
Hard cocunut -- you eat the flesh raw, you can cook with it, make coconut milk out of it, make sweets out of it. And oh, you can also drink the water.
Coconut husk -- makes for good fuel. Its also used in Bengali hindu religious ceremonies. Coconut husks are also used to make a very sturdy rope, used for all kinds of things.
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Why wouldnt the dungeness crabs work? Sorry for being too curious.
I have no idea why they don't work. They are quite big in size, about 10-12 inches, that may be one reason. I just cooked them Bengali style once or twice, and was never happy. However, crab meat from them tastes delicious! You can make great crabcakes (western style) from them too.
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We sometimes make "asparagus-poshto". Basically, just replace the potato in "aloo-poshto" with diced asparagus!
"aloo-poshto" = potato with poppy seeds
"asparagus-poshto" = asparagus with poppy seeds.
Also I disagree somewhat with Vikram about his observation about crabs. It is certainly possible to destroy the taste of crab in many different ways, however the Bengali style of cooking crabs (very spicy, and with small mud crabs) I think is quite sublime. I do agree though that its more suited for the smaller crabs.
In the USA west coast, the dungeness crabs I find are not suited to the traditional Bengali way of cooking. However, the east coast blue crabs work fine.
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Sorry about the late reply.
The day-to-day home style preparation of Chicken is very similar to the way you cook goat meat as well. One of the ways the Bengalis prepare meat differently from folks in other parts of the country is they hardly use any spices at all ... except for turmeric powder, and perhaps a pinch of Bengali Garam Masala at the very end.
Here is a "recipe" for "Murgi-r Jhol" (Chicken Stew). This is one of the most basic preparations of all meat dishes, and one we regularly eat at our house.
As usual, I am typing this recipe from memory, so the quantities mentioned below are only to be used a rough guide.
"Murgi-r Jhol" (Chicken Stew), Bengali Style
Ingeredients:
- 2 lbs Chicken (bone-in for traditional), skin removed, but with bones (see note below)
- 1tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt, to taste
- 1-2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Red Chile powder (aka "Cayenne" powder)
- 2-3 Dried Red Chiles
- 2 lbs potatoes (optional), peeled
- 3-4 small tomatoes (optional and if not using yogurt), chopped up
- 0.5-1 cup yogurt (only if not using tomatoes)
- Cooking oil. Traditionally mustard oil is used, but you can use any vegetable oil.
- 1-2 medium sized onion. Half pureed and half cut into thin strips.
- A "pinch" (1/2 teaspoon) of Bengali Garam Masala (optional). Bengali Garam Masala is equal parts Cinnamon, Cardamom and Cloves, all ground up.
Steps:
- Cut chicken up into small (2-inch) pieces. With bone and all. If you are doing a western style meal where folks are eating with forks, you may want to remove the bones. Also, remove the skins. Traditional bengali cooking does not use the skin.
- Mix the chicken with some salt, some turmeric powder and some red chile powder. Go easy on the turmeric -- no more than 1 tsp.
Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes. - [optional] Cut up some peeled potatoes into 2-3 inch size pieces, bigger in size than the chicken pieces. Shallow fry the potatoes in oil so they are browned on the outside. Remove potatoes from pan and set aside
- In a big pan, add some oil (3-4 table spoons per 2lbs of chicken), heat it to fairly high. I using mustard oil, let it come to smoking point.
- Add 1-2 tsp of sugar. Immediately add a couple of dried red chiles. Be careful here as the sugar might burn if the oil is too hot. You want the sugar to turn brown, but not to burn.
- Add some chopped up onion. Again, the amount here is to your taste. By varying the amount of onion, you can vary the final consistency of the dish. The more onions you add, the more "rich" the final stew will be. Also, when I add the onions, I use the food processor to puree some of it. I usually use half pureed onions, and half cut up into thin slices. Quantity of onions would be perhaps 1-2 medium sized per 2lbs of chicken.
- After about 2-3 minutes, add some garlic, either minced or as paste.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking the onions and garlic until the onions turn golden brown. About 1-2 tablespoon of garlic.
- [optional] Add this point, you can add chopped up tomatoes., about 3-4 small tomatoes worth.
- If using tomatoes, stir the tomatoes around until it becomes almost like a paste.
- Add some grated ginger, about 1-2 table spoon.
- Stir around for 2-3 minutes.
- Raise heat to high add the chicken.
- After 2-3 minutes, lower heat back to medium
- Keep stirring the chicken once in a while so it doesnt stick or burn.
Depending on what you do at this stage, you will produce different variations:
* If you keep stirring and the water level stays low, this will result in a spicier and "thicker" stew.
* If you cover than pan and set the heat to low, this will result in a watery stew.
Both are good variations.
Depending on how watery you want your stew, you may need to add water. - If you are not using tomatoes, you can use yogurt as your souring agent.
Using about 1/2cup-1cup full fat yogurt. Stir the yougurt into a paste. Add some water to it so its easier to make it into a paste.
Now reduce the heat of the chicken in the pan, and then slowly add the yogurt in, while stirring continuosly.
Be careful here as it is easy to curdle the yogurt otherwise. - Continue with stirring as described before. Or if you prefer the hands-off approach,
cover it and reduce heat to low. - The chicken should take about 30 minutes to get cooked. About 10-15 minutes into the cooking, add in the potatoes. (if you are using them)
- Taste the chicken for done-ness. It should be done to the point where it is tender and moist but not quite falling off the bone. Make sure you have enough salt.
- Just before removing the chicken from the heat, add a pinch of Bengali Garam Masala. (optional).
Go easy on this, as a little of the Garam Masala goes a long way.
Variations:
- If I want a fast chicken, I dont bother with all the steps above. I just heat
some oil, and just dump all the ingredients together into the pan and let it cook, covered, for 30-45 minutes. - While doing the above variation, you normally wouldn't need to add too much water as lots of water comes out of the chicken itself. However, if you want to make a "watery" variation, almost like a soup, you can add some more water.
- Sometimes, I might add some deep fried onion slices towards the end. They impart a nice taste to the dish. This usually goes well with the "drier" version of the stew, and can be had with rotis or chapatis or bread.
- You can brown the chicken first in oil and then use it in the recipe.
To be served over rice.
- 2 lbs Chicken (bone-in for traditional), skin removed, but with bones (see note below)
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What do you make with it?
You dice the thor into small pieces, and can make a dish with grated coconut and rice.
Or you can make thor with mustard paste.
Sorry, I dont have a recipe as I have never made it myself (but eat it every time I am back in Kolkata!).
If you search Google, you will find some recipes.
I found one here:
http://www.kolkatainformation.com/archive/thorer-ghanto.html
Have no idea how authentic this is, though.
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My first guess was that you probably ate the pith of the banana tree - but then again that needs to be cooked and is definitely not sweetish. It is a long off-white cylinder which is very fibrous. We add it to our bean ghashis - I simply love the stuff! Wish I could eat it more often. I've seen it being sold in Malayali foodstores in Dubai, so we Konkanis can't be the only ones eating it. Or are we?
Bengalis eat it (the "trunk" of the Banana tree) as well. Its called "Thor" in Bengali.
It needs to be cooked. It tastes delicious.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find "Thor" here in the USA.
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One thing that I have never been totally clear on though is the differences between chatni and ambal in respect to their preparation and order of serving. Can you elaborate? Would love it.
One difference is chatni is almost always made with fruits. Whereas ambal can be made with other stuff, usually fish or sometimes "bora" (deep fried lentil paste balls). Ambal is also not as tart or as sweet as a chatni.
As far as the serving order goes, as far as I know, ambal is served more towards the begining of the meal. I guess the purpose would be to cleanse your palate.
Speaking of ambal, I have never actually made it myself. I should probably try it one of these days...
Anyway, to get back to Radhuni -- I should mention that here in the USA, I have actually never seen radhuni available in an Indian Store -- the paanch-phoron like thing you get here usually has fenugreek instead of Radhuni.
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A lot of times I make maccher jhol wthout the peas or any other veggies. Sometimes, I add a lot of vegetables like peas, cauliflower florets (lightly browned in oil before adding to the stew), sometimes even cabbage (cut into big squares).
Mongo, I noticed you mentioned "shark" earlier --- would you mind sharing how you prepare your Bengali shark dish?
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I have used:
* Trout
* Striped bass
* Grass carp (cousin of the "Rui" aka Rohu and Catla)
* Sea bass
* Tilapia (Tilapia is available in Bengal, although the Tilapia you commonly get in the USA are a lot bigger in size for some reason)
* Catfish (catfish fillets can also be made into bengali style "fish fry" which is marinated fillets dipped in egg wash and bread crumbs and then shallow fried)
* Smelt (this is not suitable for machher jhol, but you can make a spicy preparation of this fish with minced garlic, onion slices , ground turmeric and potatoes)
* Pompano (this is a cousin of the Indian pomfret)
Over here in the San Francisco Bay area, I am lucky to have access to a lot of frozen imported (from Bangladesh usually) Bengali traditional fishes, so I use those as well.
Also, in addition to Macher Jhol (which traditionally does not use any garlic) and shorshe baata, I sometimes make a fish preparation which is spicier and uses garlic + ginger + onions + ground turmeric + chopped tomatoes + and no other spices. Its preparation is similar to the way you would make a bengali style mangshor jhol. Striped bass in particular tastes very good when prepared this way.
Here is one of my recipes (there are multiple variations, this is just one) for "machher jhol" +++:
* Use fish cut into 1-1.5 inch wide steaks -- about 6 of them.
* Dry rub fish with 1 tbsp salt and 2 tsp ground turmeric and leave it for upto 30mins
* Shallow fry fish in oil, until outside of fish is golden brown. The fish needs to be half cooked at this point. Traditionally, mustard oil is used for frying fish. But if you dont have access to good quality mustard oil, use vegetable oil instead,
* [optional] If using potatoes in your jhol, shallow fry potato (peeled) wedges in the same oil.
(amount of potatoes should be preferably less than half the amont of fish)
* In a heavy pan, heat some oil - about 2 tbsp. Traditionally, mustard oil is used. But if you dont have access to good quality mustard oil, use vegetable oil instead,
* Add "Kalo-jeere", (called "Kalonji" in Hindi and "Nigella" seeds in English) - about 0.5 tsp. You can alternatively use Jeera (cumin seeds) or Paanch Phoron (mixture of spices) instead, and wait a few seconds.
* [optional] Add about 1tsp each of ground cumin and ground coriander and stir the paste around for a few seconds.
* Add chopped up tomatoes, about 0.75 cup.
* [optional] Add some grated ginger, about 1 tablespoon.
* Stir tomatoes around for a while, until it becomes like a paste and the oil separates.
* Add the previously browned potato wedges. Cover and cook under medium heat for a couple of minutes.
* Add the fish steaks to this mixture.
* Add slit green chile peppers, as many as you would like.
* [optional] Add green peas, about 0.75 cups.
* Add salt to taste.
* Add hot water. Let mixture come to boil. Cover pan. The consistency of the broth should be quite watery.
* Let mixture simmer for a few minutes until the fish and potatoes are done.
Before serving, sprinkle a bit of chopped up cilantro leaves. Serve hot. To be had with rice. Need to eat with your fingers, as you will have to remove the bones from the fish while eating.
+++ Disclaimer: Use above recipe as a guide only. All of the measurements given above are from my memory, so they could be wrong. I myself hardly measure anything when preparing Bengali food.
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#1 mistakenly substituting 1 tspn kalo-jeere (black cumin) for 1 tspn kalonji (nigella).
Hmmm....
I always thought that in Bengali when you say "Kalo Jeere", it actually means Nigella (aka "Kalonji" in Hindi). As far as I know, there is no word in Bengali for "Black Cumin" (called "Kala Jeera" in Hindi). The Black Cumin is generally not used at all in traditional Bengali cooking.
Nigella is used quite extensively in Bengali cooking, both on its own as well as part of the "Paanch Phoron" spice mixture. (Traditionally, "Paanch Phoron" consists, of Nigella, Cumin (called "Jeere" in Bengali), black mustard seeds, fennel seeds, and Radhuni. )
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I have never heard or seen it being used in ground form. I have only seen it used as part of some variants of paanch-phoron and then used for cooking as you've mentioned.
Saag
in India: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Indeed.
Here is a brief bengali primer on Shaaks.
In Bengali -- "Shaak" is a generic term for greens. By default, it means spinach. If referring to spinach specifically, you say "Palong Shaak".
Picture of "Pui Shaak", picture lifted from www.foodsubs.com
"Pui Shaak" (pronounced with a nasal p), my favorite, is commonly available in our local Chinese Grocery stores here in California. This shaak has a slimy texture (like okra) to it when cooked. They are called "Vietnamese Spinach". Synonyms: "Malabar Spinach", "Ceylon Spinach", "Saan Choy", "Slippery Vegetable", "Alogbati", "Mong Tou".
When I lived in Kolkata, we used to grow this on our rooftop. Very easy to grow as long as it has plenty of water.
Picture of "Notey Shaak"
"Notey Shaak" is another of my favorites. When cooked, it will turn a dark red. It is rumored to be available here in California, but I am yet to find it. Synonyms are "Amaranth", "Chinese Spinach", "Hiyu", "hon-toi-noi", "yin choy", "een choy", "hsien tsai".
I found this list of synonyms at http://www.foodsubs.com/Greenckg.html
There is also "Kumro Shaak" (literally means Pumpkin Greens), this is a favorite of mine. Luckily, this is also available while in season, from the farmers' markets here in San Francisco Bay Area.
Then there is "Methi Shaak", I presume this is the leaves from a methi plant. Not a particular favorite of mine.
There are many other saaks, too many to list here.
The simplest way of cooking a shaak Bengali style is to do a "Shaak Bhaja" (literally, "Fried Greens"). Heat some oil, add some whole spices (i.e. "Kalonji", or sometimes, "Paanch Phoron") and a couple of dried red chiles. Add chopped up greens and salt. In a few minutes, you are done. Have this Shaak Bhaja as an accompaniment to Dal and Rice, or simply with Rice and Kashundi (bengali style mustard paste).
A popular way of cooking "Kumro Shaak" is to sirfry it with poppy seeds added to it.
You can add various other different things to a Shaak stir fry, like tiny shrimp, tiny fish ( you can probably improvise with small sardines) , or small diced potatoes or diced pumpkin. Or Bori (the dried lentil paste balls).
One of the weirdest "Shaaks" of all is "Kochu Shaak". Kochu is called "Taro" over here, and "Kochu Shaak" literally means "Taro Greens". However, the Kochu Shaak is actually made from the stalk of Taro, not actually from the leaves. The stalks have to be first boiled for a long time until they are totally soft and mushy. Then it is mashed up, then stirfried, and then some boiled chick-peas added to it towards the end.
Did I mention "Kochu shaak" is also a favorite of mine?