What do you understand by spinach leafy vegetable (saag)? King of all winter leafy greens? Spinach is very nutritious & popular too. It is also available in various types. I mean like hybrid spinach, desi spinach, green spinach, red spinach, wild bigger leaves spinach etc. But that everybody knows. But do you know that there are also some other types of spinach? Ohhh, don’t you have any idea? But there are also some types of spinach which is not exactly spinach but spinach too. HaHa. Are you interested to know that? Then ..
Each of those 5 types of spinach is also edible and very popular across the country. I think you have also tried many dishes prepared with these types of spinach.
Spinach
Spinach is a super nutritious leafy vegetable. It is known as palak (in Hindi) and palong (in Bengali). It is used to make various traditional dishes (dal palak curry, delicious aloo palak, mouthwatering palak paneer, Bengali style palong shak ghonto). It contains various vitamins & minerals. Throughout the winter, it is often prepared at every Indian kitchen. Not just in India but also it is very popular across the world. China is the major producer of spinach and it produced 90% of the world’s total production in 2018.
Malabar spinach – pui
It is another type of spinach. Though its appearance, taste & plant family are different. But it is called malabar spinach. It is also another nutritious leafy vegetable. It is alsko known as poi (Hindi) & pui (Bengali). Its leaves & stems, ripe fruits are the edible part. This leafy vegetable is very popular in Bengal. It is used to make malabar spinach fritter (pui shaker pakoda/bora), pui shaker ghonto etc. It has two types one is red, and another one is green.
Water spinach – Kalmi
As its name suggest that it grows in wetland or pond or riverside. It is also considered a weed because it grows so rapidly. Within a small duration, it can cover a large area. This plant is very popular in South East Asia, India, Bangladesh. I am also growing this leafy vegetable in my rooftop garden. It is super easy to grow in the container too. You just need to water a lot. Kalmi shak bhaja is a popular dish in Bengal. Like any other leafy vegetable, it is also very nutritious.
Buffalo spinach – Helencha
It is an absolutely different type of leafy vegetable. But it is named as buffolo spinach. It is not a common vegetable across the country. But in West Bengal, it is popular & common vegetable. It is often used to make pakoda, stir fry saag, mixed curry etc. I used to buy large size helencha pakoda from a local shop. It used to be prepared with a whole helencha plant dipped in batter and then fried in oil. I loved to have it with puffed rice (muri). Did you ever eat this leafy vegetable?
Wild spinach – Bathua
Bathua is a common winter leafy vegetable in India. It is also known as wild spinach. Its leaves & young shoots are considered are edible and used to make various healthy dishes. It contains a significant amount of protein. Experts also said that it has a lot of vitamins & minerals. Like any other leafy vegetable is also used to make various traditional dishes like mixed saag curry, bathua stir fry, Punjabi style sarso da saag
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