Food Talk
Star performer
The sweet-and-sour kamrakh ki sabzi is easy to cook and can fit the bill for the diet conscious

You have most likely seen the star fruit, as it is called in English, on the khomcha (stool-kiosk) of a chat-seller. But, tell us honestly, have you ever seen anyone eating it ever? We haven’t. This is what prompted us to ask our sabziwala when we spotted it on his shelf, "Who buys this stuff." He surprised us by informing that there are quite a few who relish it as a vegetable.

A friendly soul buying the stuff was kind enough to share a Rajasthani recipe with us. Denizens of the desert, as all of us know, have traditionally had to cope with a severe scarcity of fresh green vegetables, and this has made them experts at experimenting with unusual ingredients. They also have a penchant for extra sour.

A little research told us that star fruit is widely used in South East Asia. Its strong acid taste is much too sharp to enjoy uncooked but believe us, the sweet and sour curry has unimaginable delights. They saw what is there in a name; in this case, the Hindi name has seductions of its own. The word derives from evocative Sanskrit Kamranga (Hues of Eros). Does this indicate that the great-looking stuff has some hidden aphrodisiac properties?

Or, in our old age, we are clutching at straws! We recommend the recipe to our dear readers full of innocence and only for the reason that it is easy to cook and can fit the bill for the diet conscious. The unusual eye candy is a bonus.

Kamarakh ki sabzi

Ingredients
Kamrakh 300 gm
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Mustard oil 1 tbsp
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste

Method
Wash the kamrakh and slice it about half and inch thick, or cut along the ridges lengthwise. Heat oil till it reaches smoking point in a thick-bottomed non-stick pan. Reduce heat and put in the cumin seeds. When these begin to crackle, add the vegetables. Stir-fry for a minute. Add sugar and salt. Reduce flame to low. Cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or till done to taste, stirring occasionally. Serve with a phulka or rice.

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