When we planted tatsoi last October, I didn’t realize that it wouldn’t sprout until spring. I had heard it would even grow in the snow, so I impatiently drummed my fingers while checking the garden daily, waiting for signs of life. I had planted the seeds under a cold frame and thought for sure we would have greens in December. When the seeds finally sprouted in March, they grew slowly at first, then as spring went on the leaves suddenly jumped from just four or five centimeters long to as much as 15 centimeters. We will continue to plant tatsoi as a cool weather green because we like the flavor and it grew very well in our garden, much better than the spinach which never grew any taller than a few centimeters.
Tatsoi is a cool weather green and will bolt in hot weather. You can eat the young tender leaves raw, but as they get larger they need to be sliced and cooked, and they work great as stir-fried greens. Ours went from being about 20 centimeters tall to almost 1 meter tall with the flower stalks when it bolted. It was rather dramatic and I should have taken photos but forgot to take my camera out to the garden that trip.
We used the last of our spring tatsoi in this dish and adapted the recipe from a spinach dish by Madhur Jaffrey, one of my favorite cookbook authors. It makes a delicious side, and you can add sliced mushrooms if you like for another layer of texture and flavor.
Garam masala is one of my favorite spice mixes, and you can usually find it in Asian grocery stores or you can make your own. Many variations on the spice mix exist in Indian cuisine depending on the region of origin and the dish in which it will be used. I’ve included Jaffrey’s recipe below.
This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we've grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. The deadline is June 30 and Graziana of Erbe in Cucina is our host for this round, so be sure to visit her blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.
Tatsoi with Garam Masala
Equipment
- large frying pan with lid
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons canola oil (or ghee)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 2 pounds tatsoi (washed and trimmed, cut crosswise into 1 cm strips.)
- 1 fresh hot chile (finely chopped (or less to taste))
- 1 teaspoon peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
GARAM MASALA
- 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
- 2 inch stick of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds (or regular cumin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ¼ nutmeg nut
Preparation
- GARAM MASALA: Grind the cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black cumin seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, and nutmeg. Makes about 3 tablespoons.
- Warm the oil in the large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir for 3 minutes.
- Add the sliced tatsoi, chile, ginger, salt, and sugar, stirring and cooking for 5 minutes.
- Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover tightly and and turn heat down to low, cooking for 10 more minutes. Remove the lid and boil away some of the extra liquid. Sprinkle garam masala over the top and stir.
Kalyn says
I had no idea it took that long to sprout either. I guess I better plant some in the fall for next spring. I discovered this at my farmers market last year and really liked it too. This way of cooking it sounds especially interesting.
Andrea says
I had all but given up on my tatsoi when I saw the little sprouts in March. I found the seeds through Seeds of Change, but this variety has triangular shaped leaves and other varieties I've seen had rounded leaves. Can't seem to find any information on that. The garam masala flavor was good, very peppery.
Christina@DeglazeMe says
I didn't even know what tatsoi was until I read this posting! I love your creativity and flavor choices. Yum!
Graziana says
I've heard of tatsoi before... but now I know that I HAVE to grow it next year. Thank you for your entry and for the hosting opportunity!
Judy says
Mmmm. I love the flavor of tatsoi and always get it from my CSA. I have used it in everything from simple ssutees to egg dishes but never with garam masala!
Claudia says
This sounds good and I'm going to try it, if and when my tatsoi ever gets big enough to do something with. The garden bed has been improved so I may not have to wait much longer.
Chez US says
Andrea, this sounds amazing! I have been out of the loop the past couple of months but looking forward to some downtime & catching up (taking part in GYO). By the way your new site looks fantastic, love it!!!
kathy says
Hi -
I just got tatsoi for the first time and I am going to try your recipe for Tatsoi with Garam Masala. When you say the use a green chili, is there a particular kind you intend? Jalapeno? Something else? I am so happy to have found your blog!
Thanks!
Andrea says
Hi Kathy. Yes, you can use jalapeno or any kind of green chile you prefer. Hope you enjoy it!