Warm Valley’s dry delight

Pushpesh Pant

Lotus eaters don’t confine themselves to the multi-hued blossoms rich in mystic and spiritual symbolism. They love lotus puffs and can’t resist the stems either. Kashmiri repertoire has many signature delicacies prepared with nadru, which is bhain to Punjabis and kamal kakdi elsewhere. Now, there are two schools of thought about how to cook lotus stems. Some feel there should be minimal spicing (they call it interference) with this gentle ingredient. Nothing should come between its texture and succulence and the diner. On the other hand, there is no dearth of people who insist you shouldn’t let the pretentious purists spoil the fun. You can boil or fry the stuff and spike it any which way you like.

This time, we share with our readers a recipe we greatly enjoyed recently. Just right for the monsoons — chatpati chaat like — it was young chef Sanjay Chauhan’s variation of the Punjabi theme.

Amchoori Bhain

Ingredients

Lotus stems (tender) 300g

Amchoor powder 1 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Black rock salt 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Tomato purée   1 tbsp

Dried ginger powder 1 tsp

Dried mint powder 1 tsp 

Powdered sugar 1/2 tsp

Oil 1 tsp

Method

Wash and clean well the bhain. Slice diagonally into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Boil in salted water till done to taste. Heat oil in a pan and put in the bhain along with powdered spices and tomato purée. Stir fry on high heat for two minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve hot. It is excellent with roti/parantha and could also be a refreshing accompaniment with steamed rice and daal.