Sorshe fuler bawra (Mustard flower fritters)

I had no idea that mustard flowers were edible. Saw this first while strolling at the newly opened Patuli floating market in Kolkata. This was just when it all started in end of January. The seller told me you can make fritters out of them or just make a stir fry with potatoes and mustard greens. I could not buy it at that time mainly because fritters and deep fries never allure me but then even my organic vegetable home delivery person told me about it and I decided to give it a go.

The taste definitely is different from other fritters and the flowers still hold some shape and give the fritters a pillowy texture. Everyone loved it at home and I just thought of sharing this recipe. Eating flowers seems so exotic that anytime life throws some mustard flowers at you, you should have a recipe to use them up. Because for a Bengali it was a revealation that apart from seeing 'chokhe sorsheful' or Kajol running through the vast yellow field there aparently is another use which involves cooking...I mean once when you are tired of romancing your man in the field you can at least pick some flowers and make fritters...Right?

Sorry for being so late in posting. Lately I have been really struggling with my personal commitments and health. Hopefully I can pop up here and there to say a Hello till all these are settled.

Mustard flower fritters

Ingredients:

Bunch of mustard flowers: cleaned 1 cup tightly packed

Onion: 2 medium

Nigella seeds: 1/2 tsp

Poppyseeds: 2 tsps

green chillies: 2-3
Ginger: 1/2" piece

Rice flour: 1 tbsp

Besan: 1/3 cup more or less

Salt: as per taste

Bi-carb of soda: a fat pinch

Mustard oil for frying

Method:

Pick the flowers and tender shoots from the mustard flower bunch.

Finely chop the onions in half moon shape.

Finely chop the green chillies.
Peel and chop the ginger finely.

In a big bowl take the onion and little saly and using your hand mash them. Do this for a minute. now add the chopped flowers, nigella seeds, chillies, poppyseeds, rice flour and besan. Add besan little at a time and mix. Add little water to get that thick cake batter like consistency. add more or less besan . I used 1 tbsp more than 1/3 cup to get a scooping consistency.

Heat enough oil to shallow fry in a flat botton frying pan. once you are ready to fry add the soda to the batter and mix. also add 1 tsp of hot oil from the pan. This will keep your fritters crisp for long.

Now take out a tablespoon amount of batter and gently place them in the hot oil. Fry for 30 seconds on one side then using a spatula turn them gently and press on the top to make them flatter.  fry on medium till crisp on both sides.

Drain on absorbing paper and serve hot.