Kafuli with Sago

Ingredients

• Spinach – 3 cups, chopped
• Fenugreek leaves – 1 cup, chopped
• Sago – ¼ cup
• Green chillies – 2
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Garlic – 4 cloves, optional
• Mustard oil or ghee – 1 tbsp
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Turmeric – ¼ tsp
• Coriander powder – ½ tsp
• Curd – ¼ cup, whisked, optional
• Salt – as needed

Method

1. Cook the rinsed sago separately until soft and set aside.
2. Blanch or gently cook spinach, fenugreek and green chilli with a small amount of water until the greens are tender.
3. Cool slightly and blend to a coarse puree; kafuli should retain body rather than becoming a thin soup.
4. Heat mustard oil or ghee, add cumin, then ginger and optional garlic and cook until aromatic.
5. Add turmeric and coriander powder, then the green puree and salt. Simmer over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Fold in the cooked sago and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. If using curd, reduce the heat and stir it in gradually without boiling hard.
7. Adjust with hot water to a thick, spoonable gravy. Sago continues to thicken the curry as it stands.
8. Serve with rice or roti. Traditional Uttarakhand kafuli is a leafy-green curry commonly thickened with rice flour; sago here is an explicit adaptation.