Lal math or red amaranth is a leafy vegetable which contains several nutritional benefits and exudes a bright red hue. It is packed with numerous minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C and K. Due to its nutty taste, it is versatile and can be incorporated into several dishes including salads and curry.
You should try to add amaranth to your diet because it will provide the body with many nutrients without compromising the taste of the dishes. It can steal the show whether you prepare a delicious batch of dal or stir-fry veggies and meat. Discover five dishes with lal math that are not only simple to make but also nutrient-dense and flavourful.
Lal Math Bhaji
Lal math bhaji, a sauteed dish, is the easiest recipe to enjoy the leafy vegetable. As few ingredients are incorporated into this dish, it brings out the taste of the leaves. Clean, chopped fresh amaranth leaves are sauteed with green chillies, garlic and cumin seeds. Incorporating a pinch of salt enhances the flavours, and a touch of turmeric for colour and nutrition. This fast cooking method yields a delicious creation which is perfect as a side dish to rice and dal, and it also retains the nutrients of the leaves.
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Lal Math Dal
This lentil dish cooked with red amaranth is nutritious and can be eaten for daily meals. Chopped lal math leaves add a pleasing combination of flavours and textures to the lentils, which are usually cooked with masoor or toor lentils. In order to preserve their original taste and give the dal its unique flavour, the leaves are put towards the end of cooking. This dal, tempered with ghee, cumin seeds, garlic, and dried red chillies, provides the ideal ratio of greens to protein.
Lal Math Aloo Sabzi
This traditional pairing of potatoes and red amaranth makes a nourishing main course. After the potatoes have been sauteed until golden, chopped lal math leaves and a mixture of spices, such as cumin, coriander and garam masala, are added. As the potatoes absorb the flavours of the spices and the mild bitterness of the leaves, they give the meal a delicious quality.
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Lal Bhaji Ghonto
Lal Math is raised to new heights in this traditional Bengali dish by adding fish heads and other veggies for flavour. Authentic flavour is achieved by cooking the leaves with chopped sweet potatoes or pumpkin, adding panch phoron (a five-spice tempering), and finishing with a little mustard oil. As a result, a sophisticated dish that highlights lal math's adaptability in regional cooking is produced.
Lal Math Vadi
Lal math leaves transform into crispy fritters, thanks to this special preparation method. To make a thick batter, the finely chopped leaves are combined with besan (gram flour), herbs, and spices. This is then formed into little vadis or dumplings, and promptly deep-fried or sun-dried. These vadis can be dried and kept for use in curries later, or they can be used right away as fritters. This preparation shows a new method of preserving.