Try Fatt Pundit Chef-Founder Huzefa Sajawal’s Lip-Smacking Crackling Spinach At Home

Originating in Kolkata, Soho restaurant Fatt Pundit’s menu takes inspiration from the unique cuisine that was invented when the Hakka people migrated to India from the Chinese province of Canton, bringing with them their culinary riches. Incorporating traditional Chinese cooking techniques with the spices of India to create something both new yet familiar, Indo Chinese cooking was born, and is now a prevalent part of urban Indian cuisine. Through Fatt Pundit, chef and restaurateur Huzefa Sajawal champions this culinary amalgam, bringing momos and manchurian to London. To celebrate the launch of Fatt Pundit’s second site soon opening its doors in Covent Garden, Sajawal shares with Something Curated a favourite Kolkata inspired recipe of his, perfect to try at home. The below are his words.  

CRACKLING SPINACH

Ingredients:

250 gms baby spinach leaves
150 gms coarse gram flour
Salt to taste
200 gms whole fat Greek yogurt
50 gms granulated sugar (or more if you like the yoghurt sweeter)
Oil to deep fry
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 medium sized tomato chopped
1 cup pomegranate pearls
4 table spoon sweet date and tamarind chutney (available from Fudco or SamosaCo)
1 table spoon plum sauce or hoisin sauce
1 tsp chaat masala
Black salt (kala namak) to taste

Method:

1. Take coarse gram flour in a bowl. Add salt and sufficient water to make a thin batter. Rest the batter for a while.

2. Wash the spinach leaves; break the stems from the leaves and drain the water

3. Place the yogurt into a bowl, add sugar and black salt, then whisk it and set it aside.

4. Place the date and tamarind chutney and hoisin sauce in a bowl and mix together, set aside.

5. Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Coat each spinach leaf with batter on both sides and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper for at least 1 hr until most of the oil is absorbed and you are left with light airy spinach leaves.

6. On a flat plate, place the crispy spinach and cover with two to three tablespoons of whisked yogurt and date and tamarind chutney. Repeat the same forming with two to three layers of spinach, yoghurt and chutney.

7. Top up the spinach with tomatoes, onions and sprinkle chaat masala.

8. Garnish with fresh pomegranate.



Feature image courtesy Fatt Pundit