A Recipe for Kaafli with Garhwali Greens

Sydney Robinson visits rural Uttarakhand to study how globalisation has affected local diets. Story here. Below, she shares a recipe for taro greens, a favourite with the local village community.

Yam is one of the crops still grown in the villages of Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region. Although yam leaves are prepared throughout the country, this saag dish is a local favourite, especially during the monsoon. We were in for a special treat with a truly farm-to-table preparation of this dish. Here’s how you can bring it to your own kitchen

Read more about Sydney’s other remarkable finds in Uttarakhand.

Recipe: Kaafli with Garhwali Greens

Ingredients
10 large yam leaves
¼ cup oil
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
Half an onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1-2 medium tomatoes, diced
Salt, to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Red and green chilli masala, to taste

Method
Pressure cook yam leaves in water for 20 minutes or until soft. Release pressure, then strain the leaves.
Grind the leaves using a mortar and pestle or blender, depending on personal preference for consistency. Set aside.
In a hot kadai, sauté the cumin seeds, onion, and garlic in oil, until the onions soften.
Add tomatoes and salt. Cover for 2 minutes and simmer.
Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander powder, and red and green chilli masala.
Add the yam leaves and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with roti.

Sydney Robinson is an undergraduate student at Harvard University. She plans to scope out all of the Indian restaurants in the Boston area upon her return to the United States.

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