After having 'Kochu shaag' [Colocasia Esculenta] for one whole week (& still craving for more), I feel compelled to write this post. For the uninitiated, 'kochu shaag' comprises the succulent green stems/ petioles of the Colocasia Esculenta; for the initiated, I don't need to talk at all!

When someone from Bengal (or someone well-versed in the Bengali language) promises to give you 'kochu', beware! It may mean precisely what it promises or nothing!! Giving one 'kochu' is an idiomatic way of saying "Dearie, here's what you get: NOTHING!" But if that seaweed-green glorious mess on your platter seems to make you nervous, take heart for you're about to experience something unique and fascinating. Yet, the supremely delectable kochu shaag is hardly photogenic and unlikely to kill you with its plebeian looks. But how does it matter anyway? Sometimes, foods with killer looks fall just as short of the great expectations they come to generate.

So, here's a tip: take your kochu shaag seriously. You'd thank me for it later!

Cooking the Colocasia Esculenta is an elaborate process and may feel a bit intimidating – given,  both the rigor (long, hard labor) and the risk (of throat irritation and itching owing to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the petioles). While the rigor can be borne cheerfully considering the brilliant payoff, the risk needs to be tackled shrewdly. I usually toss in a few slices of lime (or alternatively, a tbsp of white vinegar) into the boiling colocasia to minimise the risk of itchiness. The plants, when grown in a sunny spot, are usually benign and suitable for cooking.

So, here's the 'how-to':

Ingredients:

1. 750 gms stems/ petioles of the Colocasia Esculenta

2. 12-14 fat garlic cloves; crushed

3. 1 tsp 'panch phoron' or five spices

4. 3-4 dry cayenne peppers

5. 4-5 green chilies; slit lengthwise

6. Salt and Sugar to taste

7. Mustard oil to cook

8. A few slices of lime/ 1 tbsp white vinegar

Peel and cut the colocasia petioles into 1" pieces. Boil the pieces in a large vessel (along with the lime/ vinegar) until they are soft and gooey. Discard the water (and the lime slices) and cool the boiled petioles completely. Squeeze out the remaining water and set aside. With the help of a wooden spatula, mash the colocasia smooth so that no solid strand remains. At this stage, the colocasia should resemble a soft, gooey, purplish-green mass.

Heat oil in a heavy-duty wok (I strongly recommend cast iron) and toss in the crushed garlic cloves, panch phoron and the dry cayenne peppers. Stir occasionally until the garlic cloves change their color to golden brown. Add the boiled colocasia. Cook over medium to high heat stirring at regular intervals. You'll need to stir continuously with time as the colocasia dries up. Add salt and sugar to taste (the kochu shaag tastes best with a discernable note of sweetness but that's really a matter of personal choice). Toss in the slit green chilies. Fold well and keep cooking continuously (over high heat) for a few more minutes. By this time, all the water should have evaporated and the kochu shaag should have changed its color from a matte purplish-green to a glistening seaweed green.

Turn off the stove and serve the kochu shaag with steaming white rice.

Traditionally, in Bengal, kochu shaag is cooked with Hilsa heads. Prawns, chickpeas and grated coconut are also popular add-ons. But, the unique flavor of the kochu shaag is best savored without any add-on as the overpowering fragrance of the hilsa (or the prawns, for that matter) is likely to smother the delicate flavor of the kochu shaag.

"Simplicity," as da Vinci had so fittingly remarked, "is the ultimate sophistication."