While potatoes are a universally loved root vegetable, little in known about what to do with the leaves from the plant. Traditional home cooking in Assam and Uttarakhand, due to the limited availability of resources and a food culture built largely around eating what is grown locally, features potato greens in simple preparations that are eaten with rice or rotis. Usually eaten boiled or stir-fried, the tender greens have a slight sweetness to them and pretty much taste like spinach, which perfectly complements strong flavours like garlic and chillies.
Although uncommon in most Indian preparations, potato greens can be seen as part of many cultures around the world. Not only are they delicious when cooked, the leaves also possess vitamins and essential minerals like zinc, iron and calcium. That said, one must be careful about the variety of potato from which the leaves are consumed as some varities might contain toxins that aren’t suitable for human consumption. This potato green and pearl potato curry, courtesy of the commonly found variety in the hilly regions of India, is best eaten when the baby potatoes are freshly harvested and the greens are still tender.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
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- 1 bunch potato greens
- 7-8 baby potatoes, halved
- 8-10 whole garlic cloves
- 2 red chillies
- 1 teaspoon jahkiya/cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil
- Salt to taste
Method:
- In a pot of boiling water, add the halved baby potatoes and cook them until tender or easily pierced with a fork. Drain the water and set aside.
- Heat the mustard oil in a pan and once it reaches smoking point, add in the jakhiya and red chillies. Allow them to splutter before throwing in the garlic. Once the cloves start to get some colour on the outside, tear the potato greens and add them to the pan.
- Stir them and on a medium high flame until they begin to wilt and add in the par-boiled potatoes. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of water and cover them. Cook for 4-5 minutes and season with salt. Serve hot with rice and a dollop of ghee.