When I first dug up my radishes, I was pleasantly surprised by the bright red, healthily-sized vegetables themselves. In fact, the refreshingly green leaves appealed to me just as much. For those of you who didn’t know, the leaves of radish are just as edible as the radish itself. You can cook a variety of delicious (as well as healthy) dishes.
My radish greens with Punjabi wadi is one of those dishes. Punjabi wadi is a sun-dried lentil dumpling in northern India. It gives a crunch and the spices add flavour to dishes.
Jump to RecipeNature is wonderful, she is so forgiving and keeps on giving and giving. It is as if she adapts to any situation thrown at her. Right from weeds growing through the tiniest cracks in the pavement to my little balcony garden – two floors up from the nurturing Earth and soil below. Even when faced with such adversity, nature tends to find a way to deliver.
My radishes, bless them, matured happily in my balcony pots without me fussing over them. Hence this is an excellent vegetable to grow for new gardeners. They grow quickly and with staggered planting, you will be harvesting many times, well into winter. Radish is a complete vegetable, you get the benefits from its roots and as well the greens thus no food wastage!
If you’ve been chucking away those radish greens into the bin, you’ve got to stop right now! Many of us are a bit falsely put off by the feel of the leaves, they appear to have a spiky coat. However, they have they are crunchy and have a fresh peppery flavour. They are a good source of dietary fibre and may improve gastrointestinal functions.
Just as kale, radish leaves do not lose their crunchiness if cooked properly. And that’s why I am so in love with this green. If you are wondering what and how to cook with them other than sauteing, or if you are looking for a taste bud tickle, this recipe is what you should try!
Ingredients for radish greens with Punjabi wadi
- Radish Greens: Radish greens are the leafy part of radishes. Check that they are fresh, crisp and without any pests. was them in many changes of water and drain well. Chop them finely. Remember to cook the greens uncovered or partially covered to maintain the green colour!
- Potato: Quater a medium sized potato lengthwise and dice.
- Punjabi Wadi: I used wadis made of black lentil(urad dal) with wheat flour, spiced with red chilli, fenugreek, black peppercorn, cumin, coriander, black cardamom, ginger, nutmeg & cloves. It is quite hot so please do not add a whole wadi! I use only half of a dumpling and break it into smaller pieces. If you love hot and spicy feel free to add more. Some brands make really big wadis ( as seen in my photo)
- Spices: The only spice you would need is cumin seeds, pinch of asafoetida and 1/4 tsp of turmeric
So, darlings this is how I do it…
How to make radish greens with Punjabi wadi
- Rinse well, drain and finely chop the radish leaves. Do not chop it too fine or big chunks!
- Heat oil in pan, crush the wadis into smaller chunks and fry them for a couple minutes and remove. The wadis tend to break down into smaller pieces during cooking so do not break them into very small pieces. Some wadis tend to absorb oil, to avoid this dry roast them for a minute and then fry in oil.
- In the same oil, add a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida and quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the potatoes and saute for couple of minutes.
- Next add the chopped greens, mix well. Let it cook uncovered on medium low heat for a couple of minutes till the leaves get slightly wilted.
- Tip in the fried wadis, add salt to taste, stir. Cook uncovered on lowest possible heat until potato is soft and the greens have wilted and there’s no water left in the pan. Whilst cooking you may add a couple of tablespoons of water if it dries up too quickly.
- Remove from heat and serve with rice or roti.
Radish greens with Punjabi wadi
Equipment
- Saute pan
Ingredients
- 2 bunch radish greens chopped
- 1 medium potato diced
- 1/2 Punjabi wadi broken into smaller pieces
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- pinch asafoetida
- salt to taste
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Rinse well, drain and finely chop the radish leaves. Do not chop it too fine or big chunks!
- Heat oil in pan, crush the wadis into smaller chunks and fry them for a couple minutes and remove. The wadis tend to break down into smaller pieces during cooking so do not break them into very small pieces.
- In the same oil, add a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida and quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the potatoes and saute for couple of minutes.
- Next add the chopped greens, mix well. Let it cook uncovered on medium low heat for a couple of minutes till the leaves get slightly wilted.
- Tip in the fried wadis, add salt to taste, stir. Cook uncovered on lowest possible heat until potato is soft and the greens have wilted and there’s no water left in the pan. Whilst cooking you may add a couple of tablespoons of water if it dries up too quickly.
- Remove from heat and serve with rice or roti.
Notes
- Radish greens taste good when cooked in mustard oil but I’ve used vegetable oil and came out equally delicious.
- Some wadis tend to absorb oil, to avoid this dry roast them for a minute and then fry in oil.
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