MyMusingsSangSpeak - Pet Puja - Laal Bhoplyachya Paananchi Bhaji (Red Pumpkin Leaves Subji)

 Laal Bhoplyachya Paananchi Bhaji (Red Pumpkin Leaves Subji)

This leafy vegetable of red pumpkin leaves is most tasty. During my childhood, nearly all households grew their vegetables in their backyard and red pumpkin was a commonly grown houseplant. It is a no fuss, no maintenance plant which grows very easily. The famous childhood story of "Chal Re Bhoplya Tunuk Tunuk" stays with us forever. Its spiny leaves can be cooked into a very nice dish. The leaves are accompanied with daal(pulse) of your choice, either masoor, moong, chana, arhar and it is an easy recipe to prepare. I loved this dish a lot in my childhood and would always look out for the leaves to make it.

As the leaves are readily not available much nowadays, I grew my own pumpkin plant and sourced the leaves. Do try out this easy recipe if you have access to these leaves.

Ingredients

Red Pumpkin Leaves – 30- 40 approx

Masoor Daal(Red Lentil) – ½ cup

Green Chillies – 2 nos

Garlic – 10-12 cloves

Oil – 1½ tablespoon

Salt - As per taste

Water – As per requirement

 

Method

Wash the leaves well and chop finely. Soak daal for about an hour or so. Heat oil in a pan and add crushed green chillies and garlic, fry for a minute and add the chopped leaves and soaked daal. Stir well and add salt. Add little water for the daal to cook and cover for about 4-5 minutes. Check if the daal is cooked and remove from fire. Serve with chapati or jowar roti.