Green chickpeas are a reminder that what we call winter is really spring. The fresh green produce — jowar (ponk), wheat, tuvar — that we get at this time always seems surprising when compared to their dried versions we use at other times.
Green chickpeas are often sold still attached to the branches they grew on. Part of enjoying them is the meditative picking from their fuzzy pods, to eat them on the spot, for a taste that combines the freshness of peas and the solidity of peanuts. Or to cook them in recipes like nimona, a dish of spicy mashed green peas or chickpeas made in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
But winter also has another chickpea product. The green leaves from the growing plant are also edible and harvested in this season. This must happen a bit before the pods are ready – the leaves on those branches sold in the market are too withered to be worth much. But farmers regularly prune the stalks with their tiny green leaves and cook them, or sometimes bring them to nearby cities to sell.
You won’t find them with the regular vegetable sellers, even those selling other leafy greens. Its usually an old man or woman on the roadside near a market with small spiraled heaps of chickpea stalks and perhaps bunches of bathua, the plant known as goose foot for the splayed shape of its leaves. Spinach is for the well-off, while these minor greens are left for the poor.
But there’s nothing minor about their nutritional benefits. A 2013 study from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (USA and UK) showed that “chickpea leaves contain much higher concentrations of a number of important minerals, relative to either spinach or cabbage.” The study recommends it for use with malnourished populations.
The leaves don’t taste bad either, with an appealing slight bitterness like fenugreek (methi). The farmers who sell at the Organic Farmer’s Market in Mumbai dry the leaves, which works better with their small size than with larger leaves like spinach. A packet of dried chickpea leaves is a useful nutritional and taste booster to have around.
Chickpea leaves also remind us how multipurpose legume plants are. Their roots stabilise nitrogen in the soil, restoring its fertility. Their pods give the beans we eat fresh or dried, as pulses and vegetables. And many have edible leaves too, lacking the cellulose and plant chemicals that make most plant leaves too tough and bitter to eat.
In Asia, legumes have always been used this way. Pea-shoots are used in Southeast Asia for stir-fries and salads. In India, we have methi, but also legume leaves like tamarind or agathi, which is apparently cooked with chicken blood as part of rituals to worship the fierce goddess Angalamman.
As Purdue University’s excellent crops site notes, Europeans neglected legumes in general, and their unfortunate influence has spread. Cooking channe ke saag this winter could be one way to provide some culinary counterbalance.
Winter Skin Care: Five Fruits To Get The Natural Glow Back
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Super Fruits For Super Skin
18 Jan, 2018
Consuming fruits regularly can work wonders for your skin as well as health.
However, consuming them is not the only option to get gorgeous skin. Applying some fruits (as a thin mask) on your skin can give you a smooth and glow texture.
Dolly Kumar, founder & director of Skinella, shared five vitamin-rich fruits that will get you the super-skin you've always wanted.
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Grapefruit
18 Jan, 2018
Often revered as the ‘fruit of paradise’, grapefruits are rich in Vitamin A, C, minerals and anti-oxidants. It promotes overall skin health and makes it firm and soft. Furthermore, the potassium present in the grapefruit provides a protective shield against UV rays.
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Blueberry
18 Jan, 2018
Blueberries contain anti-oxidants that protect you from premature ageing. Applying blueberry on your skin can help cleanse your skin, and give a fresh appearance.
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Pink Guava
18 Jan, 2018
Pink guava is rich in vitamin A, C, and antioxidants like carotene and lycopene which protects the skin from wrinkles.
Soft crushed beads of pink guava can be a great exfoliating scrub.
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Cranberry
18 Jan, 2018
Cranberries contain a high percentage of Vitamin B3, B5, and antioxidants. These nutrients shield skin against harmful environmental factors.
Cranberries not only detoxify your skin, but also help in treating acne and stopping premature ageing.
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