Bathua is a green leaf vegetable, grown in Northern India as a winter crop. In many parts of the world it is considered a weed and goes by funny name such as, fat hen, goose foot, lamb quarters, pigweed etc. I am sure most of you are familiar with it even if you don’t recognise by name, you might have seen one or two bathua plant popping up in your backyard with dandelions. It is a delicious edible green loaded with vitamins and minerals. Depending on where you live it can be found in Indian stores, local farmer’s market and your backyard.
Here’s how it looks like:-
The leaves have a waxy coating on the underside which needs to be washed thoroughly before using. You just can’t rinse them off under water but have to submerge them in a sink or basin of water and really swish them around. In Punjab it is used in dishes like Saag (cooked greens), raita (yogurt with fresh herbs and spices), red lentil soup, stuffed paratha and stir-fry.
Its also a great substitute for spinach and adds a soft crunch to salads and can be blended into smoothies for a great source of vitamins. I am actually fond of eating bathua greens cooked with a bit of olive oil and garlic and then serve with kadhi.
Ingredients
- 500 g bathua leaves (unsprayed)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cumin seeds
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp crushed tomatoes (optional)
- salt to taste
- 2-3 green chillies
Instructions
- Wash the greens thoroughly and chop.
- Heat oil in a pan, sizzle cumin seeds and saute garlic.
- Stir in bathua. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-4 minutes until soft.
- Uncover, add tomato paste, green chilli and salt. Mix.
- Now cook on high till water dries up.
- Serve.
Malti sharma
Its been ages I have eaten bathua. Neetu, Where did you find this? Your backyard 🙂
Balvinder
I know its not that common here but I bought it from the store.
CCU
I haven’t tried bathua before but now I definitely want to 😀
Cheers
CCU
yummychunklet
Sounds delicious!
Monica
You learn something everyday! I love greens cooked in garlic & oil and I’m sure this is very good.
Balvinder
I do, too, Isn’t this the best way to eat your greens?
shobhnaa
Simple yet tasty! At our home same preparation is done for saags of spinach, dill & fenugreek leaves except that optional ingredient.
Balvinder
What optional ingredient? You mean you never added bathua leaves to saag.
Blackswan
I’ve never seen this veg in the market. Does it have a bitter taste? Looks real good!
Balvinder
Yes, slightly!
Helene D'souza
I am not sure if I know this vegetable… I ll definitely research a bit more later on! Same question here… does it have a bitter taste Balvinder? I am wondering if it can be used in savory strudels =D already fantasizing here. 😉
Balvinder
Helene, you can definitely find this green in your market with other saag greens….and yes, it does have a slight bitter taste just like kale and other collard greens but can be minimised by adding tomato paste and lemon juice. Go ahead and use it in strudel, you won’t even recognize any bitter taste in it.
Coffee and Crumpets
I don’t think I’ve ever tried this but I will keep a look out in my local desi store and maybe my backyard! I love spinach so I am sure I would like this.
Nazneen
Balvinder
You might not find it in your backyard in this season, but in local stores, Yes.. as some farmers grow it just like other vegetables.
Vicki Bensinger
I’m sure I would love this. It looks like spinach an all time favorite of mine. My family use to call my Popeye as a child because I could eat bowls of the stuff. I’ll have to see if I can find it around here, I’d love to try it. Anything green has to be good for you. Thanks for sharing this.
Balvinder
Its not very commonly available but you should check only local farmers market, who keep all greens. Of course will love this if you had eaten bowls of spinach as a child.
Liz
I love sauteed greens and this would be a new one to try! I’ll keep my eyes peeled for it at the market…I know I’ve heard of a couple of those alternative names 🙂
Kitchen Belleicious
i bet it has a flavor similar to spinach when cooked like that! It looks delicious
Liz
So that explains saag paneer. I’ve always loved the combination, now I understand the nutritional benefits of the combination.
Balvinder
Liz, without doubt, saag is delicious and nutritious when you combine different greens. However, I want to mention it is never made with paneer. Restaurants are misguiding people by selling palak (which is spinach) paneer for saag paneer.
Nava Krishnan
Bal, I have never heard neither I have paid attention to the bathua. Maybe its sold over but like I said, I may have overlooked it. Since its the nearest family of spinach, I would love to try. I also like the simplicity about the few ingredients added and prepared out. Definitely I would give it a go with rice.
Balvinder
I agree we can overlook some greens. When I go to my local farmer’s market, there are so many Chinese greens that I haven’t even heard of.
Jennifer Eloff
I’ve never ever heard of that before, but then, you know, I cannot say I even eaten Kale. Isn’t that terrible! I have to change that! It just wasn’t very popular in Canada, I guess, or widely available. It is here….so I should buy some! But this one…it’s new to me. 😉
Balvinder
Kale is also a new green for but I am eating bathua leaves since childhood. Jennifer, Its always good to try new vegetables.
Bam's Kitchen
Thanks for introducing us to this new Indian winter veggie. Looks delicious as does your whole meal. Take Care, BAM
Sridevi Ravi
It is so good to know about different edible greens. I am not familiar with these leaves but back home there are other varieties of greens which I have not found here so far. It was a big surprise to find dandelions in the stores when I was villainously slaughtering them in our yard. I like greens as they are ‘superfood’ and I have learned to ignore the gentle bitterness in some. Great recipe!
Balvinder
Dandelion leaves are sold mixed with other salad greens, I haven’t yet seen them alone. and, if you want to stop dandelions from growing in your garden, don’t let the yellow flowers to mature into seeds. My dog loves dandelions flowers, he does the work for us and eats the super food Thank you Sri, if you check the stores in this season you will find bathua somewhere.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I don’t think I have ever had bathua before….I am sure I will love them as I love green leafy veggies!
Balvinder
I am sure you will.
anne
It looks familiar , well , it’s green veggie lol That simple dish paired with steamed brown rice and curry ( ? ) looks very tempting !
Amelia
HI Balvinder, first time I see this vege. Thanks for sharing the info, recipe look great.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Sonal
I love bathua. My dadi used to make bathua paranthas with freshly churned butter. Oh I miss it so much. Can’t find bathua anywhere here in USA.
Balvinder
You have to check local farm markets for bathua and yes I love its paratha, too.
Manju
i got in Indian store in bay area . if you live in bay area some farmers market should have them. This is the first year I saw in Indian grocery store.