Bengali Potato and Greens | Sybaritica

Today’s dish is a simple little production using the Bengali five-spice blend known as Panch Phoron that I posted about not long ago. The blend works very nicely with both greens and potatoes and since I had some kale on hand I thought I would combine the two as a side dish for pork curry leftovers I had planned for supper…

The Ingredients

• 2 cups potato cut into smallish chunks;
• 1 tbsp. Besan (or plain flour);
• 1 tsp. Turmeric;
• ½ tsp. each Salt and Pepper;
• 1 cup Kale (pre-blanched and coarsely chopped);
• 1 ½ tsp. Panch Phoron;
• 3 tbsp. Cooking Oil or Ghee;

Note: If you like, you can substitute spinach or other greens in place of the kale. In the case of spinach, you will probably want to skip the blanching.

The Method

First, mix together the besan, turmeric, salt and pepper. Rinse the potato chunks in cold water and then lightly pat dry. Toss them in a bowl with the besan mixture making sure they are all well-coated.

Heat oil for deep-frying and then shake the potato chunks to remove any excess coating mix. Deep-fry the chunks, in batches if necessary, and when they are nicely cooked through drain on paper towels and set aside for the time being.

Heat the oil or ghee in a deep pan over a high flame and when the oil begins to shimmer, add the Panch Phoron. When the seed begin to pop, add the greens and toss rapidly until they are wilted and softened but still retain their color. Remove to a separate bowl for the moment.

Add the potatoes to the pan and toss until cooked through and then add back the greens for a final few seconds. Sprinkle with a little salt, if desired and then serve.

The Verdict

The potato turned out to be a nice complement to the curry, although just a bit more of the five-spice blend would have been alright. I rather though that the dish might be a bit better with spinach rather than the kale but my wife disagreed. Just as well, possibly as there is enough of everything left for her to take to work for lunch tomorrow…

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