Superfood - Laal Shaak ( Amaranthus )

How many times have you heard Ma pester you about eating greens ? Well , when i was in school or college , i used to loath eating them as much as any other kid . It was a task to gulp it down during meal times and i obliged , only because i had mom's cranny eyes staring down my neck , lest i pass it onto my older siblings plate . As i write this , i realize how our childhood had so many pleasant memories and how we , as human beings , evolve from where we once started . Over the years , on one such summer break back home , i actually surprised the whole table , by asking for an additional serving of this ' not so appealing ' greenish -red dish . It was nice - It was garlicky and bitter and cleansed my entire palette . That was my first likable moment with laal shaak .

Laal Shaak or Amaranthus tricolor, known in the vernacular as Joseph’s coat or edible amaranth is native to Southeast Asia . It is consumed in both cooked and raw form and also used in traditional medicine. Laal shak is also one of the major sources of anthocyanins, which are directly involved in protecting humans against cancer, diabetes, aging and oxidative damage. So yes , despite our busy city lives and schedules, i feel this must be a ' must incorporate ' dish in all our weekend meals . To prepare this , you need only 03 things , which is the leaf itself - a sharp knife and garlic . Take a look at how to make this must eat green .

Things you will need

• 02 bunches of laal shaak or Amaranthus

• 03 cloves of Garlic , grated

• Salt to taste

• 01 dried red chilli

• 02 tbsp Mustard oil

Steps

• Separate the amaranthus leaf from the stalk and water wash the leaves well

• Finely chop the amaranthus

• Heat mustard oil in a pan and temper the oil with grated garlic and dried red chilli

• Add the chopped amaranthus leaves - Add salt to taste and cook covered on low heat for good 30 mins . Add little water every 10 mins to avoid burning .

• Enjoy the goodness !

Pro-Tip : Another popular dish is dal saag, where the amaranthus leaves are cooked with the lentils and served with rice or rotis. In Andhra pradesh , a similar lentil dish called thotakura pappu is prepared mostly with toor dal .