From garden to plate.
Bengali’s love their Lai Pata. Go to any Bengali household and ask them what they would ideally love to grow in their gardens and one of the definitive answers will be Lai Pata.
There is something about these mustardy peppery leaves that impart a delicious flavour and fragrance to a curry that once you have tasted it you will truly understand where that passion and love of Lai comes from for these simple garden greens.
I am lucky to have have some Lai Pata in my garden every year, it has endless pairings from veg, fish to dried fish.
I’ve used it here with salmon fillets.
The sauce is mustard based.
Fenugreek seeds are tempered in hot mustard oil till they become darkbrown and to this a water based paste of salt, chilli and tumeric powder is added and gently cooked out.
A mixture of blended brown mustard seeds, fresh ginger and green chillies in water is added to the spices allowing the sauce to meld and intensify in flavour.
Salt, sugar fresh slit green chillies are added and then the chopped Lai patha and salmon.
It simmers covered for as long it takes the fish to cook. The fragrance of the Lai permeates into the sauce and envelopes the fish whilst imparting the pepperyness its sought for.
Simply served with plain rice.
It does not take long to finish!
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