SHORSHE NARKOL LOTI

Loti / Taro Stolon is a much loved vegetable in my side of family. There are couple of family recipes with it; not really this one using green chilli+black mustard+coconut paste. This particular dish is done on a hearsay, I really liked it. My men had it too, they eat anything that appeals to their taste bud, not knowing what are they having. You may call it kind of cheating on my part. I feel if this little amount of cheating is beneficiary towards health of my family, I do not mind duping them. I am absolutely against giving in to their demands of having only non-vegetarian food. At this stage in life, I think having only non-vegetarian food isn't right kind of diet we should have. I cannot have meat early morning, neither can go vegetarian totally, that is impossible. Your food preferences are your personal choice; it is however wise to accept the fact that non-vegetarian eaters need vegetables & pulses to complete their diet cycle whilst vegetarians do not need non-vegetarian food to remain healthy. This home cannot turn vegetarian, we love fish, exceptions prove the law. The best way out for people like us is to have one or two portions of vegetables, a pulse variety, a fish or meat or egg. Our home goes by this rule. The vegetables Bengalis prepare mostly uses less spices or less of them, the taste comes from slow cooking, tempering, of course from freshness of vegetables. This one with Loti / Taro Stolon SHORSHE NARKOL LOTI still uses green chilli+black mustard paste. This grows from yam, a vegetarian Bengali dish. They say any part of yam cleans blood.

My family usually cooks Loti with either shutki or with a tempering of crushed garlic, nigella seeds. I love both. Loti is seasonal in Kolkata, not always do I get to eat it there after leaving the city. I do not regret really, here we get freshest of taro stolon / loti stalks on a regular basis; we just need to have patience to dress them which should always be done wearing gloves. Thereafter, we must cook it well for longer period. Our home never cook it with prawns, I did it once on my stay here and liked; never that much as I enjoy it with dried fish or without anything. It is all about what you are used to eating since childhood, rest of them are all developed, acquired taste. 

I personally feel nothing can go wrong with a chilli+mustard paste, some say black mustard may cause acidity; in that case add 1tsp of garlic paste to it or use yellow mustard which I am not fond of. So, get  stalks of taro stolon from Asian Stores if you are willing to stay put with your roots, love eating it, put on your gloves, get on to cook with me this rustic, vegetarian Bengali dish SHORSHE NARKOL LOTI with minimal ingredients.

INGREDIENTS : 

LOTI / TARO STOLON : 1 STALK SOLD USUALLY CONTAIN 15-16 STICKS
SHREDDED COCONUT : 1/2SMALL TEA CUP
BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 2TBSP [YOU CAN USE YELLOW MUSTARD TOO]
GREEN CHILLI : 6-7
TAMARIND PASTE : 1TSP [TO AVOID ANY ITCHINESS]
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI / KALOJEEREY : 1/4TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 2HALVED
BAY LEAF : 1
ICE CUBE : 2-3 [TO AVOID BITTERNESS]
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 2-3TBSP [I USUALLY USE MUSTARD OIL FOR BENGALI DISHES]

PROCEDURE :

This is loti / taro stolon, my side of the family enjoys every part of all varieties of yam.

It is crime not to share stepwise pictures for this recipe. Later should add, I do not prepare it every week.

We must wear our kitchen gloves before starting to dress loti. Cut off two ends. We will use thick, fleshy section in between.

Cut into finger length pieces. Carefully peel off fibre like thread along skin. Actually its peeling off thinly. We will drop them into a water filled wide mouthed bowl, add some salt to it.

Let the pieces remain soaked in salted water for 1/2 an hour.

Soak tamarind pulp in 4-5tbsp water. Soak mustard seeds 1/2 an hour before blending them to a paste.

Drain, wash mustard seeds taking in a sieve. Add to blender with green chillies, shredded coconut, ice cubes, salt.

Drain water, wash again. Rub 1/2tsp turmeric powder, little salt in them. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in wok, temper with a bayleaf, nigella seeds, halved dry red chillies.

Add taro stolon pieces discarding marinade. Fold in well, cover. Cook at minimal heat for 5-6 minutes.

Remove cover, stir, again cover cook at lowest heat for another 5-6 minutes.

Remove cover, check if water released has dried or not. It takes time. We continue to cover cook, remove, stir gently without breaking pieces for sometime until they are soft.

At this stage, add chilli+mustard+coconut paste, fold in gently. Cover cook at lowest heat for 5-6 minutes.

Remove cover, add tamarind water discarding seeds. Fold in well, cook further for 3-4 minutes. Once done, the pieces would be soft.