Broccoli in Indian cooking

[Suvir Saran]

Are there recipes you have made up using Broccoli?

How are the accepted by your Indian friends and family?

What do you think of broccoli as an addition into the world of Indian cooking?

Any broccoli stories??

[anil]

I may not be the right person -- Broccoli that I knew of, in my youth, was the family that did "bond films" -- They still do now.

Broccoli I tasted once I came to BOS...........; Same was true of raw oysters

[BBhasin]

Ok Suvir here's to your Brocolli question.

Never heard of or came accross brocolli until I came to America in 1986.

Loved the vegetable raw. Tried to cook it but was never very happy with the results as it does not cook like cauliflower which it resembles. By the time the stem/stalk is done the rest gets overcooked.

The most successful was brocolli pakoras or tempuras, they taste really good.

I was about to give up on brocolli when my sister-in-law visited from Africa and shared this wonderful reciepe.

Everything is approximation and ' to taste'

cut brocolli into small florets

chop brocolli stems

heat oil in a kadai

add crushed red chillies

a little washed ( without skin) urad dal

a little channa dal

a little mustard seeds

Fry till the mustard seeds pop and lentils are brown

add a pinch or two of hing

add curry leaves

saute a minute and

add some chopped onion

saute till blanched

add chopped brocolli stems

cook a minute

add the brocolli florets

toss well to let everthing get flavored with the infused oil

DO NOT overcook. Best left a little crunchy.

What did you think of the Gulabjamun reciepe??

[Suzanne F]

Our Bangladeshi research assistant told us that she has never seen broccoli at home, but she's learning to like it here, now.

The recipe booklet that came with the Cooking of India volume of Time-Life's Foods of the world has a recipe for Sag (Fried Spinach and Broccoli Puree). Half and half spinach and broccoli (by weight) pureed with water, then fried in ghee with ginger, onions, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, and garam masala. Very good; also good made with mustard greens or collards instead. The volume is by Santha Rama Rau, and the recipes by Devika Taja, from Goa.

[BBhasin]

you are so right suzanne. Actually a lot of indian restaurants are adding it to their saag as it gives it body and nobody can tell when they puree it. But can you then truely call it saag is a subject for debate.

[Suzanne F]

Well no, BBhasin, I always thought saag = spinach. So that doesn't seem right. On the other hand, broccoli is always available here in the U.S., and if treated well it is delicious.

I just looked on some information sites for Indian food, and none of them even mentions broccoli. Since other cruciferous vegetables are used (cauliflower, for example), I wonder why NOT broccoli?

[Schielke]

If you are worried about your florets cooking before the stems, you should peel them. This will even out the times and get rid of the woodiness.

I have never tried broccoli in Indian cuisine...hrmmm...

Ben

[Suvir Saran]

Saag would mean green in Hindi, mostly referring to leaves.

In Bengali it could mean just vegetable. Shaak is what some call it in Bengali. Simonda can help us with that.

I add Brocsoli to my soups and also make the kind of stir fry BBhasin mentions.