Pui saag, bengali style
Pui saag or Malabar spinach stir fried with bitter gourd, eggplant and tomatoes in smoky mustard oil with steamed parboiled rice makes a comforting meal.
This deliciously, hearty stir fry was taught to me by our Bengali helper who has been with my parents since 25 years. He is such an integral part of the family that I had to write this dish dedicated to him.
I was unaware of Bengali cuisine until he introduced me to several of them which his father cooked for him in his village. This particular one stands out for me as I had never eaten pui saag before and loved it when he cooked in generous amounts of mustard oil and served with parboiled rice.
Growing up in a Gujarati household, mustard oil was unheard of and for the uninitiated, the mustard oil can be very strong. But I was hooked to its taste when he taught me the trick of using the oil was to heat it to the smoky point. And now, years after, mustard oil has become one of my favorite oils to cook with. My vegetarian thukpa recipe as well as Nepalese vegetable momos require mustard oil to bring that unique flavour profile to the dish.
My version is a heavy adaptation of his recipe with few changes. I have used much lesser oil than him and also didn’t do ‘tadka’ (tempering) twice. In his recipe, he stir fried all veggies with the oil first with turmeric and salt and then did the tempering again with the whole spices. He also discarded the stems, using only leaves for the stir fry as stems can be fibrous.
My own two bits – don’t discard the stems, just choose wisely. The trick is to bend the stems while you are cleaning the pui saag, if it doesn’t snap, discard. If it snaps, it is tender to use and won’t be fibrous when stir fried with all the veggies.
I hope you will like this unique preparation. If you make it, I would love to know your feedback. Please comment below or tag me on social media with your creation.
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Recipe Card
Pui saag, bengali style
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Indian
PREP TIME
30 mins
COOK TIME
20 minutes
SERVINGS
serves 4
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Indian | Category: Mains
Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: serves 4
Pui saag or Malabar spinach stir fried with bitter gourd, eggplant and tomatoes in smoky mustard oil with steamed parboiled rice makes a comforting meal.
Ingredients
- For tempering:
- 2 dry red chilies
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 2 cardamoms
- 1 medium sized onion sliced
- 1 bitter gourd
- 10 baby potatoes
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 3 eggplants cut in cubes
- 1 tbsp ginger-chili-garlic paste
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- Pui saag with leaves and stems
- 1 tsp turmeric
- salt to taste
Method
- Prep:
- Clean the pui saag and separate the leaves and tender stems.
- Cut bitter gourd in rounds and mix with generous amount of salt. Leave it aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Rinse the bitter gourd and pat it dry.
- Scrub the baby potatoes well and drain to dry.
- Stir fry:
- In a large pan, heat mustard oil to the smoking point.
- Carefully add the whole spices and stir for 30 seconds (pictorial reference is below)
- Add the sliced onions and fry till pink.
- Place the pui saag stems and bitter gourd and saute for few minutes.
- Combine the ginger chili garlic paste and mix well.
- Cover the pan with lid and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the baby potatoes, salt and mix well.
- Cook until potatoes are almost done and then place the eggplants and tomato.
- Cover with the lid and let it cook for another 5 minutes or until the tomato is mushy and eggplant has cooked.
- Place the pui saag leaves and combine it well.
- Cook the stir fry for another 2 minutes and check the seasoning.
- Serve warm with par boiled rice.
Notes
- Mustard oil is what traditionally used and imparts a unique flavour to this recipe. However, you can substitute it with peanut or any other oil of your choice.
- Pui saag is slimy like okra. Therefore, do dry the leaves well before adding to the veggie mix.
- I rinsed the baby potato well and used in the stir fry with the skin to enhance the texture.
- I like to add generous amounts of salt to bitter gourd and leave it to marinate over a sieve for at least 30 minutes. That way, you won’t have to squeeze the bitter gourd and also the rounds will remain intact.
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