Green Leafy Vegetables - साग-पात हरु - (Part 3)

Facts about Nepal Earthquake

A strong (7.8) earthquake hit Nepal in the area near Barpak, a mountain village between capital Kathmandu and tourist town Pokhara. The earthquake was followed by many powerful aftershocks and a very powerful one (6.7) hit Nepal on Sunday April 26.

The earthquakes caused extensive damage to buildings and thousands of deaths and injuries and was even felt in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Many (historic) buildings collapsed, temples have been ruined, roads destroyed. Nearly 8000 deaths in Nepal and tens of deaths in India & Tibet. The quake was followed by more than 430 aftershocks and another huge earthquake (6.8) on May 12.

Green Leafy Vegetables - Hariyo Saag-Paat Haru (साग-पात हरु) - (Part 3 of 4)

A Visual Guide to Green Leafy Vegetables of Nepal

This is the continuation of photo guide of leafy vegetables of Nepal. Here I have added the following green vegetables:

Moolaa ko Saag - (मूला को साग) - Radish Greens
Bethe ko Saag - (बेथे को साग) - Lamb's Quarter
Latte to Saag - (लट्टे को साग) - Amaranth
Moolaa ko Duku re Saag - (मूला को दुकु र साग) - Radish Shoots and Leaves
Rayo ko Duku re Saag - (रायो को दुकु र साग) - Leaf Mustard Shoots
Gante Moola ko Saag or Dalle Moola ko Saag - (गानते मुलाको साग, डल्ले मुलाको साग) - Turnips Greens
Salad ko Saag or Paat - (लेट्तुस - सलाद को साग) - Curly Leaf Lettuce
Bok Choy or Paak Choy - (बक चोय अथवा पाक चोय)
Lataree ko Saag - (लटरी को साग)
Lunde ko Saag - (लुन्ड़े को साग) - Redroot Pigwood - (different variety Pahadi Lunde, Kande Lunde)

Moolaa ko Saag - मूला को साग - (Radish Greens) - Com name: Radish Green or Radish leaves Bot. name Raphnus Sativus L. Family Cruciferae
The young and tender leaves of radish is cooked like any greens, stir-fried, sauteed or mixed with other green vegetables. They are very flavorful with a peppery taste. The greens are harvested when the leaves are tender and before the radish is formed. The radish greens are believed to posses digestive properties. The matured leaves are also made into Gundruk ( गुन्द्रुक) is a fermented and dried leafy green.

Close up image of Moolaa ko Saag-paat - मूला को साग - (Radish Greens) sold neatly tied up in bundles

I am trying to recognize some of the exotic greens that are eaten in Nepal and for the two pictures here, top and bottom, I do not have any captions. I wish I had a good plant identification guide for Nepali greens. When I captured the picture in the market, I forgot to ask the vendor the name of the greens and went back the next day and found them absent from their spot. Most of the time, the greens are always sold in bundles, but occasionally you will see the vegetable displayed as such. Any help? May be it is Dundu ko Saag?

Bethe ko Saag - बेथे को साग - Com name: Lamb's Quarter, Bot: name Chenopodium album L., Family Chenopodiaceae - The young leaves and tender shoots are cooked and eaten as a leaf vegetable.

Latte to Saag - लट्टे को साग - Com. name: Amaranth, Bot. name: Amaranthus leucocarpus, S.W.S, Family Family: Amaranthaceae - Very popular leafy vegetable in Tarai, where it is cultivated mostly for grains and to some extent it is grown for green vegetables also. In Kathmandu and other central hilly areas they are found commonly growing as weed in the corn fields and finger millet.

Friendly chat with a smiling vegetable vendor in the narrow alley towards Bange Mudaa Galli, old part of Kathmandu - I greeted him by thanking him for posing for a picture with Bethe and Latte ko Saag. He told me, "these vegetables are not very common and not frequently available around here in Kathmandu, but its earthy and delicious flavor is finding its way into the Nepali diet. Many people who like these greens are my long time customers and come here from all parts of the town to buy these".

Another close up picture of Bethe and Latte leaves.

Moolaa ko Duku - मूला को दुकु - (Radish shoots) Raphnus sativus L. - The flowering shoots above were sold in the vegetable market in Kathmandu as moola ko duku. The tender shoots are cooked to make flavorful vegetable.

Rayo ko Duku re Saag - (Leaf Mustard Shoots) - रायो को दुकु र साग - These tender, young shoots from mustard plants are cooked to make one of most delicious tarkaari and much loved by Nepali. When the mustard plant is allowed to mature, they will start making flowering shoots and it is called "duku" in local term. The shoots are picked when they are young and tender as the older shoots are too stringy and inedible and we call it "chippeko"(छिप्पेको) in Nepali. Before cooking, the outer covering and fibers should be peeled from all sides of the shoots. The dukus can be eaten cooked alone, but usually the shoots and young mustard are cooked together.

Gante Moolaa ko Saag or Dalle Moolaa ko Saag - ( गानते मुलाको साग - डल्ले मुलाको साग) - Turnips Greens - Usually turnips are grown for their roots, but in Nepal the young and tender greens are cooked like a common greens.

A little better close-up picture that shows detail of Gante Moolaa ko Saag or Dalle Moolaa ko Saag ( गानते मुलाको साग - डल्ले मुलाको साग)

Curly Leaf Lettuce (लेट्तुस) - it is mainly grown for salad and Nepalese also call it salad ko paat.

The daily greens in different shades - Nepali newspapers reports that the price of seasonal vegetables have dropped in the wholesale market and thanks to rise in supply from the farms in the neighboring district.

Bok Choy or Paak Choy - ( बक चोय) - most popular vegetable of China. They are light, slightly sweet flavored with crisp texture. I was surprised to see this vegetable in the Nepali Vegetable market.

Lataree ko Saag - लटरी को साग - Has anyone tried these greens? The exotic looking greens resembled similar to pea shoots was bought at the Kathmandu vegetable market. I do not have any scientific plant name, but they locally call it lataree ko saag. I have not been able to identify this variety of greens and just wished that I had a good plant identification guide to Nepali greens. Radha convinced me to try out these greens, but when cooked, personally I found it peppery, bitter with a lots of fibrous texture.

Freshly picked Lunde ko Saag, (Redroot Pigwood), fresh coriander and Bantarul from the farm house.

Lunde ko Saag - (Redroot Pigwood) a different variety Lunde with large leaves and beautiful red color in the center.

Discovering Lunde ko Saag - लुन्ड़े को साग - (Pigweed) - Pahadi Lunde, Kande Lunde - The vegetable grows commonly in the fields in Tarai and hilly areas of Nepal. The tender leaves are used as a cooked as any green leafy greens and much loved by the local people at the farm, villages and rural areas.