So Thursdays are veg days at home. Since it is the day of Goddess Lakshmi, no non-vegetarian  food is cooked. So, to make the menu a little more interesting, plain white rice usually gets replaced by mishti pulao or veg fried rice which is usually accompanied by an assortment of deep fried stuff. Sometimes it is Cilantro Fritters and sometimes it is potato fritters. Today, it was Jute Leaf Fritters – Paat Saag er Bora. 

Ingredients:

• Gram Flour (Besan)3/4 Cup 
• Rice Flour 1/4 Cup
• Salt to Taste
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder or more if you like more heat
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala (optional)
• 1tsp Nigella
• Water – enough to make a sticky batter
• Jute Leaf (Paat Saag) – 10-12
• Enough oil to fry the fritters

Process:

Heat the oil in a pan. Make a batter using the gram flour, rice flour, salt, baking soda, red chili powder, chaat masala(optional), nigella and water. Use just enough water to make the batter sticky. Wash and air dry (or pat dry with towel) the jute leaves. Dunk the leaves in the batter just so that is fully coated. Give it a gentle shake so that the excess drips of batter. Fry the battered jute leaves one by one. Do not overcrowd the pan as it will make the fritters soggy. Soak off the extra oil on some paper towels and serve with rice & daal or khichdi or with a hot cuppa tea.

“Jute leaves, like spinach, are rich sources of iron, carotenoids,calcium and potassium.They are good sources of vitamin C as well though this particular recipe would considerably lower the Vitamin C content because of the heat of frying. On the other hand ,the oil used for frying enhances the tocotriol(an antioxident subtype of vitamin E)content of Jute leave,a property which makes it an ideal nutraceutical for wound healing and an excellent immunobooster. Jute leaves are recommended for ascites ,diabetes and hypertension . Legend also says the the fabled Egyptian queen Cleopatra’s beauty secrets lies in consuming soup made of jute leaves” – Dr. Ranjini Data, HOD Dietetics, KPC Medical Collge.