Bengali Chilli Greens with Coconut Cream and Mustard Seeds
In this dish, the mustardy flavour and robust texture of winter greens is softened with coconut cream and warmed with Indian spicing. This is great as part of a vegetarian meal, served with a full supporting cast of chapatis, rice, raita and dhal.
Serves: 4-6 as part of a meal
Ingredients
2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1-2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
600g shredded spring greens, savoy cabbage or curly kale
200ml coconut cream
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp of the ghee or oil in a pan over a medium-low heat and gently fry the onion until lightly caramelised. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and the mustard seeds and fry a little longer to release the fragrant mustard oils. Set aside and keep warm.
- Heat the remaining ghee or oil in a large, heavy pan over a medium-low heat. Gently fry the chilli for a few moments, then add the greens. Salt lightly, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the leaves wilt. Add the coconut cream and simmer for a few minutes until the greens absorb most of the cream and the whole mixture is piping hot.
- Heap the coconut-flavoured greens in a dish and serve them topped with the caramelised onions.
- This is also excellent accompanied by a fresh apple-and-mint chutney, which you can make by simply putting 2 peeled and quartered apples, a generous handful of mint, half a roughly chopped onion, and a squeeze of lemon juice in a processor and blitzing to a rough purée.