Shevla Stir-Fry: A Maharashtrian Delicacy
This recipe is part of the Bombay Canteen's Taste of the Wild festival, showcasing the wild edibles of Maharashtra. Maharashtra's Sahyadri tribals are veteran forest farmers but the wild produce they consume, and their extensive indigenous knowledge, remain largely unrecognised. To them, wild foods are more than ingredients, instead a whole ecosystem enmeshed within their culture and way of life.
Pop by the Bombay Canteen between July 1st and August 31st to sample these nutritious and delicious wild foods, or cook them at home with these easy-to-follow recipes.
To cook shevla, remember to carefully follow the instructions below to detoxify the ingredient before cooking.
The shevla and kakad fruit are always cooked together, as the fruit detoxifies the shevla. Both fruit and shevla are usually available in the market together during early monsoon. After this crucial step, feel free to improvise. Shevla can be cooked down into a thick mash and made into tikkis, or even cooked with small prawns or mutton kheema.
Recipe: Shevla Stir-Fry
Ingredients
100 g shevla
Garuga or kakad fruit (twice the quantity of fruit for every cup of sliced shevla)
2 onions, chopped
3 green chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala/ malvani masala
1 heaped tbsp fresh coconut, grated
Fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish
2 tbps oil
Salt, to taste
Method
Discard the tough outer leaves and lower section of the sheila stalk, from where the ribbed fluorescent yellow section begins.
Slice thin horizontally, then boil in water for 20-30 minutes along with kakad.
Discard the water and taste. If your throat itches, boil it again with more fruit or a bit of tamarind. Discard the water.
In a hot pan, add oil and stir fry the green chillies and onion until the onion is slightly browned.
Now add in the cooked shevla, salt and turmeric powder.
Finish with malvani masala or garam masala, freshly grated coconut and coriander.
The Bombay Canteen is a restaurant and bar in Mumbai that celebrates all things Indian. You can follow them here.
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