Cauliflower Leaves Stir-fry

Ever wondered that Cauliflower leaves are also edible! Yes, Cauliflower leaves can be eaten and are very rich in nutrition, and good for the digestion. They have high fibrous content and are generally helpful for digestion and removal of any other waste products from our humble tummy. Cauliflower leaves are good enough to be eaten either raw or cooked, as it has got quite a lot of health benefits. However, one should make a mark to limit eating these leaves. As eating too much of cauliflower leaves can cause stomach discomfort and other gastro problems. Just a handful of the cauliflower leaves is good enough for 2 people, that is how much we should prefer to eat these leaves in a day. It is recommendable to eat these leaves during the day, because at night its digestion is quite slow.

Anyways that does not stop us from experimenting and cooking the varieties in the vegetables. As growing these vegetables takes a lot of hard work by the farmers, and it is always a good idea to reduce the wastage of any food. So instead of throwing away these beneficial leaves, it is always better to cook some and eat in limitation.

We have always looked for varieties in our cooking and also in eating habits. There are numerous recipes prepared with the cauliflower florets, but since I was a child, I observed my mother never threw the cauliflower leaves and the stalks, she either boiled and gave us its stock, or made a stir fry of these leaves. I had not known about its nutritious value until I came to know about it in my Botany class. Since then I preferred to use the fresh and tender leaves and stalks of the cauliflower for a quick recipe preparation for the side dish.

Cauliflower leaves and the stalks are boiled to use them in soups, salads, stocks, curries etc. These leaves are usually stir-fried along with coconut or even some boiled pulses, and it is often known as Thoran in the South Indian states. We Bengalis also have a quite similar procedure of cooking these leaves, however, we don't add coconut or curry leaves to any sort of these dishes. We call this recipe as 'Saag Bhaja' in Bengali.

Cauliflower Leaves Stir-fry

Here I am sharing the Cauliflower Leaves Stir-fry recipe that is handed down to me by my mother. As most of my recipes are the excerpts from my mother’s cooking, but she has always made those recipes in her own unique or in the traditional method, whereas I have tried to keep those recipes quick and simple. Use the fresh and tender leaves and stalks, i.e, how many leaves one single cauliflower could hold is enough to serve 4 people. You can skip using the stalks for the recipe if you wish and use only the leaves, however, even the stalks have its own health benefits. We usually eat by spicing up with pickle or kasundi (mustard seeds chutney) and it is tasted best when warm.

[Veg]

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Course: Side

Cuisine: Indian/ Bengali

Serves: 4

Measuring Items: 1 cup = 150 ml ; Teaspoon

Ingredients:

Cauliflower leaves- 6 to 7 leaves
Onion- 1
Green chili- 2
Dry red mirchi- 1
Garlic- 5 cloves

Spices:

Mustard oil- 2 Tsp
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Salt (as per the taste)

Method:

How to prepare ‘Cauliflower Leaves Stir-fry’ with step by step pictures and instructions:

Take the leaves of the cauliflower. Wash them properly with water.
Chop the leaves very finely.
Chop the stalks of the leaves as well by slitting the middle of the stalk, then finely chop them into small pieces.
Take a pressure cooker, put the chopped leaves and the stalks in it along with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.
Add half a cup of water in the cooker and cover with the lid.
After two whistles switch off the flame, then remove the pressure and open the lid.
Take a cooking wok or kadhai. Heat oil in it.
Once the oil is hot enough, start adding sliced onions, slitted green chili, dry mirchi, crushed garlic.
In medium flame to high flame, put the steamed cauliflower leaves and stir for 5 minutes.
Cauliflower leaves Stir-fry is ready to be served hot along with steamed rice and any other main course dishes.