Kolmi Shak Bhaja Bengali style is a simple and delicious leafy greens recipe. Stir-fried water spinach is a popular vegetable side dish in Asian cuisine.
Kalmi Shak (Ipomoea aquatic) also called water spinach, Chinese Watercress, swamp cabbage, Kangkung or Ong Choy is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines.
Kalmi shak is a powerhouse of nutrients – it’s rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron and dietary fibre. Water spinach helps reduce cholesterol levels, treats jaundice, anaemia, diabetes and indigestion, protects against heart problems and prevents cancer.
Kolmi Shak sautéed with dry red chillies, freshly chopped garlic and sliced onions is super delicious. This simple stir fry greens recipe goes well with plain rice.
Kolmi Shak Bengali Recipe:
Kolmi Shak Bhaja is a healthy and delicious Bengali stir fry recipe. Water spinach is a common ingredient in Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines and is used in stir-fries, soups and curries.
The leaves and tender shoots of Kolmi Shak are usually stir-fried with garlic, red chillies and onions. Yum! I just love sautéed greens!
- For this kalmi shak recipe, firstly wash the kolmi shaak thoroughly to get rid of mud or dirt.
- Then pick the leaves and tender stems, discarding the thick stems.
- Next roughly chop the water spinach. Wash the chopped leaves once more till the water runs clear.
- Heat some oil in a wok. Add kala jeera, broken dry red chillies and chopped garlic. Stir-fry the chopped garlic over medium heat until lightly brown and fragrant.
- Next toss in the sliced onions and give a quick stir till they start to brown.
- Add the chopped Ung Choi leaves and toss well. Sprinkle salt to taste. Stir-fry until all the leaves are uniformly wilted.
- The kolmi shak releases a lot of water. Let the Ung Choi cook till all the water evaporates and the dish is dry. Stir occasionally.
- Remove and serve Kolmi Shak Bhaja with white Rice or Rotis.
If you are looking for more green leafy recipes, then do try out Green Sorrel dal.
Stir Fried Water Spinach Recipe details below:
Kolmi Shak Bhaja Recipe
Ingredients
- Kalmi shak/water spinach – 1 bunch
- Garlic – 3 cloves, chopped finely
- Onion – 1 small, sliced
- Dry red chillies – 2
- Kala jeera/onion seeds – ½ tsp
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Oil – ¾ tsp
Instructions
- To make stir-fried Ong Choy with garlic, wash the kalmi shak thoroughly of any dirt. Select the fresh leaves and tender stems and chop them up.
- Chop the garlic finely and sliced the onion.
- Heat oil in kadai over medium heat. Sizzle kala jeera. Add chopped garlic and broken dry red chillies. Sauté till the garlic turns golden brown.
- Add the sliced onions and fry till they turn slightly brown.
- Add the chopped water spinach and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add salt and mix everything together. Cook the kalmi saag till all the water evaporates and the dish is dry, while stirring in-between.
- Remove and serve Stir-fried Kalmi Saag with rice and dal.
Pity, we don’t get these in Bangalore. 🙁
I think water spinach is called N?ru p?laka or Anne Soppu in Kannada – check out the local markets, you may be lucky. 🙂