The poi (English name Malabar Spinach) is a humble, glossy green, fleshy-leafed creeper that grows profusely in India’s eastern states like Bengal and Odisha. Little wonder it’s often on the menu in a traditional Odia or Bengali kitchen. Actually, one finds the Malabar Spinach, known locally as basalle, equally profusely in Mangalorean cuisine too, out there on India’s western coast. There are two varieties of the Malabar Spinach: the green one with thick semi-succulent green leaves and another variety which has a reddish purple stem. The former is the one most seen, creeping wantonly in the sun-lit backyards of Odia households. Typically, Odias (and Bengalis) cook the poi saago with fish or prawns, making this one of that unique category of main dishes in our cuisine, which I would call semi-vegetarian (as if that was a thing!). That’s not to say the poi saago* is not cooked with vegetables alone, but my personal preference is for this recipe with prawns. As usual, when it comes to Odia cuisine, I prefer the recipes, which my mother has personalised. She, inevitably, has added her own little flourish to the traditional or accentuated some flavour to suit our palates.
*In Odisha, the term ‘saago’ is used to refer, comprehensively, to a whole variety of leafy greens. Dry and wet preparations of greens form a regular part of the cuisine.
Prepare the masala by grinding the ingredients mentioned for sorisha masala together. Keep aside. Optional: one can opt for a bhuna masala taste by lightly frying the sorisha masala in 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai (wok). Two minutes on a medium flame should be enough.
Prepare the prawns by cleaning them thoroughly and de-veining them. Marinate for 10 minutes with a pinch each of turmeric and salt. In a frying pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and lightly fry the prawns. Don’t cook completely yet. Keep aside.
Prepare the poi saago by plucking out the leaves, washing them thoroughly, and chopping them coarsely. Next, de-skin the poi stems by peeling off the thicker outer skin with your fingers. No need to use a knife or peeler – that will slice away too much of the succulent stems. Cut the stems into 2-3 inch pieces. Keep aside.
Dice the vegetables. In a large kadhai (wok), heat 2 tsp oil. Add the poi stems, colocasia, and potato cubes. Fry lightly on medium heat. Add the prepared prawns and sorisha masala. Add 1 cup of water, stir everything well, cover and cook on low flame for about 5 minutes.
Uncover the lid when the potato and colocasia seem to have partially cooked. Then add in the sliced pumpkin and the chopped poi saago. (As a vegetable, pumpkin cooks faster, so we add it into the curry last so that it retains its shape and doesn’t dissolve into a slushy gravy. We also add the saago late in the process to retain its bright green color.)
Cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Check for the done-ness of the prawns and the vegetables. Remove from flame. Serve with hot rice during the midday meal.
Refrigerate leftovers
Soaking the mustard, cumin, and poppy seeds in a bowl of water for about 20 minutes before cooking plumps up the seeds and releases the flavours upon grinding.
You can adjust the consistency of the jholo or gravy as per your preference. If you do not have dal as an accompaniment in the main meal, add ½ cup extra water to the jholo while it is cooking and stir well. That should give it a runny constituency that goes well with plain rice.
