Arbi or Colocasia is a very well known root vegetable in our kitchens. While their leaves are also edible and various kinds of dishes can be prepared with them.
Best time to have Arbi leaves is during the monsoons.
Delicious in various curries, dhals, stews and stirfries.
- Stir fried with ginger, garlic, chillies and curry leaves makes for a quick meal.
- Works really well when cooked in coconut milk. You could even add a handful of prawns or chopped pork to the dish if you wish.
- They make for great pakodas too.
- Guajratis make a popular traditional snack called Patrode/patrade - paste of delicious besan or rice and spices is slathered over colocasia leaves, which are then rolled, steamed and then fried.
- Maharastrian patal bhaji is made of colocasia leaves, chana dal, along with a coconut based gravy giving lovely flavours.
- Konkanis use the leaf and the stem of the colocasia leaf (which is often tossed aside for being too fibrous) together with coconut, to make a tasty curry.
- The Bengalis mash the colocasia leaf and cook it with prawns or fish head to make Kochu Saager Ghonto.
- You could also try a arbi leaf raitha
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