Ramps & fingerling potatoes curry.- an Indian Ramp Tramp contagion
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Author Notes: I'm convinced that Mrslarkin's (ought to be trademarked) term 'ramp tramp' is severely contagious. My 2 yr old just got admitted into this society!
Ramps have always fascinated me ever since I saw them being sauteed on Emeril Lagasses show on Food Network. This was a vegetable I'd never heard of in my native India, simply because they do not grow there. Also, since its such a seasonal produce, gourmet to boot and not available in the local grocery, makes it all the more inaccessible, leave alone trying to make an Indian dish out of it.
Ramps seem to be tailor made for Indian cuisine. I'd probably spend the rest of the ramp season incorporating it into every recipe that came to mind if they weren't so scarce & expensive.
I've adapted Ramps into a classic 'lunch box' curry that many kids in India carry to school. Dry, (you don't want food dripping onto the books) yet moist enough to complement a buttery paratha. Or simply as a side to Plain Basmati Rice & Yellow Dal. - Panfusine
Makes 2 servings
- 10-12 stalks of whole Ramp,
- 1 1/2 cup baby fingerling potatoes
- 1 tablespoon salt for adding to water used for boiling the potato
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon finely minced Fresh ginger root
- 1 small green chili, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Mango powder (aamchur)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted coriander powder
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon toasted dessicated fenugreek leaves
- lime wedges
- finely chopped cilantro for garnish
- to obtain the toasted cumin & coriander powder, simply toast 1 teaspoon of each spice in a small skillet. Powder and use the required amount. Toss the dried fenugreek leaves onto the same skillet after its been removed from the heat. the warmth is enough to perfectly toast the delicate leaves. Crush the leaves with the fingertips prior to adding to the dish.
- In a pinch bowl combine the dried mango powder, toasted cumin & coriander seed powders, sugar and the crushed fenugreek leaves. Set aside till needed.
- Wash the baby fingerling potatoes & boil them in water to which salt & turmeric have been added. This yields a bright yellow color to the potato without coloring the ramps. Cook till fork tender. Drain off the water, peel & set aside. (you may cut them up so that they are of uniform size)
- Cut and discard the roots of the ramp. Chop the entire plant as you would chop a scallion. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet. when it begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds. When they sputter, lower the heat &add the ginger & green chili. Stir and add salt.
- Add the ramps & saute till the greens are limp and the white parts begin to soften. At this point, add the potatoes & stir to combine well. Cover and allow for the flavors to blend.
- Add the spice blend & toss to coat evenly. (you may drizzle some extra oil at this point to ensure that the spice sticks to the potatoes). Retain on heat for about 2 minutes before transferring to a serving dish.
- Squeeze a wedge of lime & garnish with finely chopped cilantro prior to serving.
- Serve with Indian Roti/ Naan or with plain rice & Dal
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Spring Alliums
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Spring Vegetable Recipe
Tags: Easy, savory, travels well, Vegan
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about 1 year ago creamtea
I just made it again with scallions & garlic 'stead of ramps. I am, like, scraping the herbs & spices off the bottom of the pan & licking the spoon like a lollipop. Please don't tell.
about 1 year ago Panfusine
LOLZ!! Nyaah, I won't.. I do that all the time.. I literally wipe the dish clean with a piece of bread!
about 1 year ago creamtea
Made this! It has been calling my name. I had to take some liberties: no turmeric in the house, ditto for black mustard seeds (used yellow); red Fresno chiles instead of green, no fenugreek leaves and no amchoor, so used lemon juice. I'm so excited, I finally got mustard seeds to sizzle! Never managed it before. Anyway, these are delicious. Will make them again and again. Out of ramp season, I'll use garlic & scallions.
about 1 year ago Panfusine
Fenugreek is perfectly optional! So glad you liked it Creamtea!
about 1 year ago creamtea
This looks seriously good.
about 1 year ago Panfusine
Thanks Creamtea!
about 1 year ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
This sounds wonderful would love to try it, if i cannot find mango powder is there something I can substitute?
about 1 year ago Panfusine
Oh absolutely, Sumac, or simply a drizzle of good ol lemon juice!
about 1 year ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Now I'm excited, I have a ton of sumac I can't wait to make this.
over 1 year ago Jenb42
Yum! This was delicious even though I had to make a lot of changes. I have never heard of ramps. I looked them up and was able to discover what they are but not where to get them around here. They may not grow in the Northwest, or they may be what we call "garlic scapes" in the spring. Either way, no ramps.
But everyone said they were kinda leek-garlicky so I substituted leek greens & garlic for the ramps. It was absolutely delicious (although I had to add a bit of water and cook the leek greens a bit after I added them to make them tender.) I also don't have a spice grinder, so I toasted ground coriander & cumin until they were dark & fragrant, which seemed to work fine. I was also out of cooking oil so used butter, which of course was tasty.
SO DELICIOUS. This is truly lovely. I'm going to add some chickpeas next time, and make a double or triple recipe so I can eat it throughout the week.
over 1 year ago Panfusine
Thanks Jenb42... Ramps, (unfortunately) fall into those 'available for 2 weeks in spring' category of vegetables, but its definitely well worth it to make full use of when in season!
about 2 years ago Midge
This is what I want to make with my next ramp score! What about mango powder; is it easily available?
about 2 years ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Awesome! Especially that your two year old is using the term ramp tramp, haha!
about 2 years ago Panfusine
She wouldn't let me click pictures without scarfing the potatoes down! had as much fun taking pix of her 'pigging out'!
about 2 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
Yum, this sounds like a perfect lunch box dish!
about 2 years ago Panfusine
Thanks, I'm still reeling from the flavor of the ramps.. Definitely love at first bite!, thoughts practically bordering on sneaking some to India on my next visit & having them planted there to flourish!
about 2 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
I can see the headlines now "Ramp Invasion, Panfusion to Blame."
about 2 years ago Panfusine
LOL, thanks to the ultimate tracking device that the net is.. They'll zero in on me in no time & slap me with littering accusations.. & then go on to gorge on Ramps.. Ramps Chutney, Ramps Dal, Tandoori Ramps, Ramps Raita, Ramps Naan, Ramps Pulav, Ramps Kofta....
about 2 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
Ooooooh, you need to make some ramp naan! Just thinking about it is making me salivate.
about 2 years ago Panfusine
Ramps Naan would work out fabulous in fact...Conceptually & Taste wise, its a sure fire item.. (no promises, but I'll see if I can whip up some by tomorrow's deadline..)
about 2 years ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Do it!!! Then share! Yum.