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My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).
Join us as we showcase the recipes shared with us by the participants of a recently concluded recipe contest.
My fondest childhood memory of Kulpha (Portulaca oleracea) comes from my grandmother’s garden. In the rainy season, the fleshy green leaves would spring up from the moist soil and she never saw them as weeds, but as something special.
She would harvest the leaves, mix them with besan (chickpea flour) and spices, and make Kachru chillas. As they sizzled on the hot griddle, the kitchen filled with their earthy aroma.
We ate them with hot chai and chutney, as we listened to my grandmother’s stories. For me, Kachru is more than food. It’s a monsoon ritual and a piece of my grandmother’s love.
Kachru (Chilla) of Kulpha (Portulaca oleracea)
Ingredients
Portulaca oleracea (Kulpha) Fresh Leaves -1/2kg
250 gm besan (Black gram powder) or corn flour
1/2 cup amount fresh coriander leaves
1/2 tsp ajwain (Carom seeds)
3-5 green chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 chopped onion
Salt (to taste)
Method
Start by making a paste using fresh leaves, besan or corn flour, and your choice of spices. Heat a little oil on a flat pan, then spread the paste evenly over it, just like making a chilla. Cook on low flame for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping to cook both sides until golden and crisp. Once ready, serve the hot kachru with tea, chutney, or tomato ketchup.
Tarsem Kumari is a teacher from Himachal Pradesh