Food talk
 Try out these turnips

Pushpesh Pant presents saalim shalgam, which is easy to master and high on nutrition

NOT everybody likes shalgam. There are classic recipes that treat it with due respect like the shabdeg, or a Kashmiri recipe that pairs the turnip with rajmah to great effect but, by and large, it is used as a filler in Punjabi pickles prepared with gobhi-gajar-muli`A0et al with a very short shelf life.

Some combine it with meat dishes like shalgam gosht but seldom does one encounter it unencumbered with more valued companions. In West, it is used often`A0in soups and its delicate flavour is appreciated. It has been grown in India for centuries`A0and its neglect seems to have been a result of familiarity.

To be honest, we were pleasantly surprised when a friend’s wife let us taste her saalim shalgam. We were talking about musallams when the good lady ticked us off for being obsessed with Awadhi or Hyderabdi names for recipes. She understood very well the games heritage chefs play with their gullible patrons and argued forcefully that less grand sounding ‘sabut’ means exactly the same.

At a loss for words, we contented ourselves with one more of her shalgam mini musallams. The recipe is easy to master and produces very satisfying results but somehow the plebian sabut continued to jar. In deference to the wishes of this recipes, creator we present to you not a musallam but saalim shalgam. We strongly urge our dear readers to try the turnips out in this avatar. The vegetable is not only low in calories and high in water content but is also rich in sulphur and potassium. True, there’s a bit of sugar that has to be guarded against but on balance the shalgam scores high.

Saalim  shalgam

Ingredients

Shalgam 500 gm

Tomatoes (medium-sized) two

Onions (medium-sized) two

Ginger-garlic paste 1tbsp

Zeera powder 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder 1 tsp

Kashmiri lal mirch powder 1 tsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Haldi powder ˝ tsp

amchur powder ˝ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil to deep-fry

A green chilli (for garnish) optional

Method
Wash and peel the shalgam. Prick with a fork. Wash and chop tomatoes. Peel and slice the onions finely. Heat oil in a karahahi and fry the shalgam till rich brown on medium heat then remove with slotted spoon and drain excess oil on absorbent paper. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden then add the ginger –garlic paste and stir-fry for a minute more.

Add tomatoes and keep stir-frying for a minute, add the powdered spices dissolved in a quarter cup of water and cook till the fat separates. Add shalgam and salt and mix well. Pour in half a cup of hot water, cover with a tight lid and cook on low medium heat for about 15 minutes or till done to taste. Garnish with whole green chillies and serve with hot phulka or rice and dal.





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