Fiddlehead Ferns with a Bengali Seasoning

Earlier this year, at the peak of spring when the fiddleheads are in season I had actually picked them up at the Briarcliff Manor Farmer’s Market.

Fiddleheads to me are a this very local specialty and one that is a harbinger of spring. They grow in the forests spontaneously, in fact, like most things found in the wild they need a little care while cooking. They are said to contain a mildly toxic substance which if not cooked properly can cause a bad stomach for some people. Fear not, they withstand a relatively long cooking period with grace and so all that is needed is a little bit of boiling prior to cooking.

I had made a couple of pasta dishes, my favorite being this one. When I had posted this on my facebook page, I was surprised to learn from one of the comments that said,

This surprised me, but then again as said here, Bengali cuisine is indeed an organic cuisine in that it seems to have uses for almost all of natures edibles. So I essentially listened to her directive and came up with a very interesting dish. As with some of my evening creations, I did not like the darker shades of the photographs, so I had hesitated about posting. Last evening, I was cleaning out my pictures, it has been a process to organize my pictures as it always tends to be after any trip and just when in my son’s words I feel “all caught up” it is time for the next.

So onto what I did,

Dheki Shaag – Fiddleheads cooked with a Bengali Seasoning

 For the best use of time, you can begin simmering the fiddleheads and proceed to chopping the potatoes.

 Prep Time: 5-7 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup fiddlehead ferns (about ½ a pound), trimmed

3 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

1 and 1/2 tablespoon mustard oil

½ teaspoon nigella seeds

2 medium russet or Idaho potatoes (peeled and diced)

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon red chili powder

1-2 green chilies

1 dried red chili

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon ghee

Method of Preparation

1. Place the fiddlehead ferns and the water with about 1 teaspoon salt on the fire. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Place in a colander to drain.

2. Heat the mustard oil on medium high heat for about 1 minute and add in the nigella seeds and wait for them to sizzle. The oil should be hot enough to begin this right away.

3.Add in the potatoes with the turmeric and chili powder and continue cooking the potatoes for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crisp. They need to be stirred frequently through this process.

4. Once the potatoes are crisp and a nice golden brown color add in the remaining salt, green chilies and red chili with the ginger paste and sauté for another minute.

5. Add in the drained fiddleheads with the ghee and cook for another 2 minutes.

6.Serve with a nice serving of steamed white rice and a simple dish of lentils like this.

 I realize that this post is early for next spring but I did want to share it. If you are looking for some lentil inspirations, you might want to check out some of the rounds ups for my legume love affair on Susan’s Blog  , and for summer inspirations try some of the seasonal blogs like Fabulicious Food.