I had completely forgotten about this bhaaji. Mom used to make it whenever Vasaiwala used to bring "pumpkin flowers". Vasai is located on the outskirts of Mumbai and vegetable vendor from Vasai is called Vasaiwala. He used to carry two baskets balanced on a wooden bar over his shoulders. He used to bring some organic, delicacies like pumpkin flowers, fresh rajma, fresh double beans, fresh chickpeas, drumstick leaves, turmeric leaves etc. His vegetables used to be fresh and were not available in our local vegetable market which boasted broccoli, celery and lettuce but unfortunately not the fresh Indian vegetables from the countryside.The pumpkin flowers are considered a delicacy in Malvani cuisine. If it's bud, fritters are made and if it's a flower, stir fry is made.
This year, I planted some squashes. When the plant bloomed, I remembered mom's recipe. I called her and was surprised to know how simple this recipe was. So I gave it a try. Here it is.
Bhoplyachya Foolanchi Bhaji
Pumpkin Flowers Stir Fry
Ingredients
Few bunches of pumpkin or squash flowers, washed & chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp tamarind
Tempering
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 small onion, chopped
Garnish
2 tbsp fresh coconut
Method
1. Heat oil. Add turmeric powder and onion. Saute till onion is soft but not burnt or brown.
2. Now add chopped flowers and saute quickly.
3. It will be cooked in less than 5 minutes.
4. Add salt, chili powder, tamarind.
5. Garnish with coconut
Note -
1. Even if you have a big bunch of flowers, generally the yield is very small after cooking. So, add salt, tamarind and chili powder after the bhaji is cooked to get the right proportion.
Jihva event is started by Indira of Mahanandi.
22 comments:
hi great blog you have here~! love the fact that you're growing kaddu! the bhaji must taste great! my mom used to make a chutney out of kaddu flowers and I've even had pakodas out of these!
Hi Meera,
You are one talented foodie and gardener. I love your blog very much. Very earthy and rustic and very very Indian. I have some pumpkin saplings which grew out of my daughter's project at the library. I am now inspired to plant them in pots for the atleast the flowers. I wanted to know if the pumpkin flowers are edible. Do you have any idea?
Thanks a lot.
Rajani:
Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Kadddu flower chutney sounds great.
Sapna:
Thanks for your sweet words. To the best of my knowledge, pumpkin flowers are eaten in Konkani & Malvani homes. however, make sure that the saplings are ok to be eaten i.e. if they are sprayed with any chemicals/ bugs repellers then it may not be a good idea. If possible ask someone if there is any difference between the plants grown for the scientific projects & for eating....I do not know. I grew mine from the seeds meant for growing edible vegetables. As long as you are absolutely sure about the hazardous chemicals free flowers, you may want to venture into eating them. As I mentioned in the post, if it's a bud, it is used for making fritters/pakodas using chili powder, rice flour, turmeric powder etc. If it's a flower then a stir fry is made.
It's considered a delicacy but it could also be an acquired taste. Best wishes and hopefully I have answered your question to your satisfaction.
Hey Meera..bhaji looks very delicious. I never tried this recipe before so thanks for sharing this recipe.
Lovely post, Meera. Brought back memories of the Vasaivala- I grew up in Bombay too and I remember those vendors. Nice recipe too.
Meera, i wish i had ur rcp when i had plenty of zuchini blossoms last year!!
ohhhhhhhhh u really dont know how much i envy u for this post...i love love love love love this pumpkin flower...we call it dudhni phool...one woman used to get for us in my hometown..here i cant find it anywhr..this is one thing i really miss..love the flavor of these flowers..they r so good fried too..we also use the leaves of the pumpkin to make pathravada and other curries..reaaly yummmm..excellent post meera :)
Dint knw abt this bhaji Meera, but looking at those flowers surely reminded me of the pakodas mom made out of them..Nice post..
This is very new to me, only edible flower i know is banana flower ..:D.Thanks for sharing..
Trupti:
Glad you liked it.
Vaishali:
That's what blogging does to us, isn't it? We suddenly feel nostalgic.
Richa:
Oh, I wish we knew each other that time. I was not a blogger then!:-)
Ranji:
Actually I need to thank you for letting me know that even patravada/patroda can be made using pumpkin leaves. I didn't know that. We used only colcasia leaves for making patroda. Thanks for sharing this. Next time, I will make patroda using these leaves. Thanks a lot!!
Maya:
You are right. These flowers are considered a delicacy in Malvani/Konkani cuisine. Thanks.
Maheshwari:
I love banana flowers too. But haven't planted any bananas yet. I did see a cute banana plant at a nursery and my husband said - don't even think about it!!:-D
hi meera..i just realised i was wrong..its not the leaves of these flower plant that we use to make pathroda .Apart from colocasia we use the taro root leaves or mandya paan as we konknai's call it to make pathrode..gr8 flavor..looks very similar to colocasia leaves but darker and thicker....for a min i was confused ..really sorry for the wrng info :D..i dont know abt these flower plant leaves if they r edible or not!!!
this is new to me....didnt know that there are bhoplyachi phoola and tyanchi bhaaji also....thanks for introducing me to this.
Hi Lovely entry! I have never heard of pumpkin flowers being cooked. My mother makes only drumstick flowers and seeds into a sabji. Very nice...
This bhaji is new to me. Never knew we cam make a curry out of those. I alway grow these in my garden every year. So next time, I know what to make out of those flowers. Thanks Meera for the recipe.
Never knew these flowers are also used in cooking....getting to learn a lot from u
Ranji:
That's ok, dear!! I don't think I have ever used Taro leaves or mandya leaves for patrode. I am curious now. Need to grill mom or aunt with questions!
Bhags:
Thanks for dropping by.
Shreya:
Yes. I have eaten drumsticks flowers as well. One thing I am curious about trying and haven't eaten so far - I think - is tamarind leaves.
Jayasree:
You may like the taste. I hope so. As I said, it could be an acquired taste. But give it a shot.
EC:
Ever since I have started blogging, I am learning so many new things. Glad that you found this post informational. Thanks.
Hi Meera,
Kaddu bajji, this is something completely new for me. Lokks 'yummy'.
this is something new to me...
Oh,I didnt know you could make a dish of the flowers! Looks great. I remember getting our vegetables from the vasaiwala too. For some reason my parents thought the vegetables grown in Vasai were much better than the ones in Bombay :)
Homecooked
This bhaji is new to me and it really looks like a delicacy..
Hey Meera! I hope your summer is going well? This bhaji looks really beautiful! I have eaten the blossoms deep-fried, but this is new to me. I have a few vines growing this year, so I will be turning to this delicious-sounding recipe quite soon.
wondering how does it taste of flowers.
Love from international flower delivery :)
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