Kashmiri curried dried dandelion greens with mutton (Dagith Handh)

I was very pleasantly surprised to see dandelion greens on the hotel menu. I immediately ordered it, only to be told that it was no longer in season and they had run out. Imagine my disappointment.

I have been a huge fan of dandelion greens since my days in the Bay Area. I would seek them out in health food stores, I am in no way an ultra-healthy eater, usually Whole Foods or other healthy stores, and add them to salads or other recipes. I make a wonderful burrata salad with sautéed dandelion greens and raisins, the bitter leaves contrasting so beautifully with the sweet raisins and the creamy cheese.

So seeing a dish in India was quite unexpected and pleasant. I have researched this ingredient and found a paucity of literature on its use in Kashmiri cuisine. If you do know of any other culture or region in India that uses them, please leave a comment on this post.

 was at the market with Azmat and, lo and behold, a huge pile of dried dandelion greens. It was the motherlode. Of course, a hug bag was purchased, and I went back to the hotel in triumph. The chef smiled, almost exasperated at my determination, and we scheduled a time to cook these.

The chef brought me this dish at dinner, and we sat together and ate heartily. The dish was superb, the dried greens earthy, the chlorophylls strong. Though drying the leaves had softened the bitterness considerably. The meat was tender, the greens complementing it beautifully.

To me, eating locally means using ingredients grown seasonally in a region and used by the community. Dandelion greens have gone from. Weed to a cash crop in Kashmir. A weed that dominates the orchards is not wasted; it is consumed and prized for its nutrition. Today, these greens are cropped, imagine that, a weed cropped, for commercial use.

This is an adish that highlights a community's resilience, its unwillingness to waste, and its creative use of the bounty of the land.

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Ingredients:

200 grams dried dandelion greens

6 + 1 cup of water

1/4 cup mustard oil

1 black cardamom pod

6 green cardamom pods

1-inch cinnamon stick

6 cloves

4 dried red chilies

2 onions, finely diced

2 tablespoons garlic paste

1 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon ground anise seed (saunf)

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon red chili powder

250 grams boneless mutton

Salt, to taste

3 cups of water or chicken stock

Method:

Soak the dried dandelion greens in 6 cups of water for at least 4 hours; longer is better. Drain out the water and squeeze the greens dry.

Add to a blender with the second batch of water and pulse to create a coarse mix. You do not want to make a smooth puree; you want the greens to maintain a good texture for the curry. Set aside.

Heat the mustard oil in a large pot until it smokes. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes; his step softens the mustard oil.

Temper the black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, and red chilies in the oil until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until they are a light golden color.

Add the garlic paste and cook for 10 seconds, followed by the turmeric, anise, ginger, coriander, and chili powder. Give the mix a good stir, taking care not to burn the spices.

Add the meat and toss well to coat the pieces in the spice. Fry for 5 minutes until the meat is sealed. Add the salt and water and/or stock, then bring to a simmer. Seal and cook for 90 minutes. Test the meat; it should be very soft. Stir the pot occasionally and ensure the liquids do not dry out.

Add the dandelion puree and cook sealed for another 30 minutes. At this point, the meat should be very tender, and the greens should form a thick curry that clings heavily to the meat. The oils should have separated and be frying the curry.

Serve hot with rice.

Note: This dish can also be made with chicken (reduce cooking time to 45 minutes) or paneer (cooking time is 20 minutes), or as a plain curry.