Carrot greens with lentils – Gajar ka Saag

I bought a bunch of baby carrots with greens. I had no idea what to do with the greens and voiced my thoughts out loud to the vegetable vendor. Now I have been a regular customer to this vendor for the last 8 years, and he knows I am a blogger and has no idea what is blogging 😉 just that I click pics and post it on some computer 😀 I quite like that innocence 🙂 So he suggested that I should not discard the greens but cook it.

He was surprised when I asked him, ‘Do you have a recipe?’ Pat came his reply, ‘ I am no chef, but you use onion, garlic and ginger with any lentil of your choice’ and he explained it in detail. I asked,’ How come you know such a detailed recipe?’ and I was amused by his retort 😉 ‘My wife is new and young. She is my second wife. What she cooks is not edible, so I do the cooking and she takes care of the rest of the household chores.’ 😀

So here is a wonderful, lip -smacking recipe of a vegetable vendor 🙂 I was myself surprised by this aromatic and flavorful outcome.

 

Here’s what I did…………

INGREDIENTS

75 gms – carrot greens

100 gms – fresh coriander

3 nos – finely cubed baby carrots (optional)

1/2 cup – split and polished green gram lentil / moong dhuli

1 tsp – finely chopped green chillies

1 nos – medium sized onion

6-7 pods – garlic

1″ piece – ginger

1/4 tsp – black mustard seeds

1/4 tsp – garam masala (Indian spice mix)

2 tsp – oil

pinch of asafoetida (optional)

salt to taste

METHOD

Soak the lentil in water for an hour.

Break the leaves from the stalks of the carrot greens. Discard the stalks.

Wash them well for a few times. Wash the fresh coriander. Finely chop the coriander and the carrot greens.

Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger.

Heat oil in a pan and temper with asafoetida and mustard seeds. Add the chopped garlic and fry a few seconds till fragrant and golden in color. Add the chopped onion and ginger and fry till translucent.

Add the soaked lentil, green chilli and cubed carrots. Season with salt. Lower the heat, cover and cook for about 8 -10 mins or till carrots and lentil have softened yet crunchy.

Add the chopped carrot green and coriander and sprinkle the garam masala. Cover and cook for another 3-4 mins.

Serve hot with chapati or paranthas.

 

Happy cooking !! 🙂

Cheers !! 😀

 

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