On the day before Kali Puja, known as Bhoot Chaturdashi, Bengali families observe a special tradition of cooking Choddo Shak. This involves preparing a unique vegetarian and vegan no onion, no garlic dish made with 14 different kinds of leafy greens cooked together. Served as part of lunch, this dish gets its name, Choddo Shak, from the 14 greens that go into it. Each of these greens symbolizes different aspects of life and the world around us.
Jump to:
- Watch how to make Bengali Choddo Shak at home
- Choddo Shaak on Bhoot Choturdoshi and its significance today
- Choddo Shak Ingredients List - the traditional one
- Choddo Shak List - the doable one (Variation)
- 14 Greens for Choddo Shak and how to identify those
- Top Tip
- Frequently Asked Questions about Choddo Shak
- Recipe Card
- Related Shaag Recipes
- Bengali Vegan Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Here's the Bengali Choddo Shak Recipe pin for you
- Have you tried the Choddo Shaak recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Watch how to make Bengali Choddo Shak at home
Choddo Shaak on Bhoot Choturdoshi and its significance today
Cooking "choddo shak" with 14 different greens on the 14th day of Kartik Month, just before the renowned Kali Puja festival in Bengal, is a tradition in Bengali households. We refer to the Kalipuja as Dipanwita Kalipuja as well. Alongside cooking this dish for lunch, we also light 14 earthen lamps - Choddo Prodip to honor and bring light to our ancestors. These two practices are very close to my heart, encouraging me to share the recipe I follow for this traditional Bengali delicacy - Choddo Shak. Before going further, let me tell you that choddo shak is not only a vegetarian dish but also a vegan Bengali delicacy.
The Choddo Shak area contains numerous traditional stories and legends. I have primarily discussed these in the video that I previously shared.
Choddo Shak Ingredients List - the traditional one
- Beto Shak
- Guloncha Pata
- Ghetu Pata
- Helencha Shak
- Jayanti Pata
- Kalkashunde Pata
- Ketoki Pata
- Neem Pata
- Ol kopi shak
- Polta Pata
- Shalinche Pata
- Shoulak Pata / Sheluka Shak
- Shorshe Shak
- Shushni Shak
The list I shared above is the traditional list of the 14 greens that make up the traditional choddo shak list. However, let us get practical from this point forward. It can be challenging to gather all those greens these days. For instance, I have never seen Ketoki Pata, Jayanti Pata, or Shalinche available in the local market, so I omit those. I prefer to use the greens that I am familiar with and greens that I am familiar with and that I have seen used in my family's traditional recipe. For instance, in my home, Nim Pata or Neem Leaves are not used as my family does not cook with Neem every day. So my list consists of the greens that I know, that we consume, and that we are not allergic to.
In addition, in the market in West Bengal, these days, pre-cut choddo shak mix is available. That mix is quite hilarious, as there is a chance to see every known and unknown leaf and green part of that packet. I generally skip that pre-mix as well. For me, the easiest thing is to pick 14 bunches of known greens and leaves (a fixed list) to make Choddo Shaak.
Choddo Shak List - the doable one (Variation)
- Brahmi Shak
- Helencha Shak
- Kulekhara Pata
- Laal Shak
- Lau Shak
- Methi Shak
- Mulo Shak
- Pui Shak
- Potol Shak or Polta Pata
- Palong Shak
- Punarnava Shak
- Shorshe Shak
- Shaluk Pata
- Shushni Pata
14 Greens for Choddo Shak and how to identify those
The list is not set in stone. Create your own personalized green list based on the greens you have access to, are not allergic to, and can safely consume. There are numerous green options available in the market. Formulate your own list. The recipe can be used with various types of greens.
Here I am sharing the pictures of the 14 greens I use to cook Choddo Shaak for your ready reference.
Brahmi Shak
Helencha Shaak
Kulekhara Pata
Laal Shaak
Lau Shaak
Methi Shak
Mulo Shaak
Poi Shaak
Polta Pata
Palang Shaak
Punarnava Shaak
Shorshe Shaak
Shaluk Pata
Sushni Shaak
Top Tip
Purchase only those greens that you know and can identify. In addition, wash and clean the greens before cooking choddo shak at least 3-4 times.
Frequently Asked Questions about Choddo Shak
Choddo Shak stands for 14 types of greens - Shaag and leaves that the Bengalis cook on the day of Bhoot Choturdhosi as part of the typical Bengali Lunch.
Yes, there is a traditional list available for choddo shak that consists of Beto Shak, Guloncha Pata, Ghetu Pata, Helencha Shak, Jayanti Pata, Kalkashunde Pata, Ketoki Pata, Neem Pata, Ol kopi shak, Polta Pata, Shalinche Pata, Shoulak Pata, Shorshe Shak, and Shushni Shak.
Simple! Go for a list of greens that are available and that you can identify and are not allergic to. Here is my list. Brahmi Shak, Helencha Shak, Kulekhara Pata, Laal Shak, Lau Shak, Methi Shak, Mulo Shak, Pui Shak, Potol Shak or Polta Pata, Palong Shak, Punarnava Shak. Shorshe Shak, Soluk Pata, Shushni Pata.
Putting aside the traditional beliefs, leafy greens are beneficial for health. They are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, iron, and other essential nutrients. Greens also have antifungal properties and help in producing important enzymes in the body. Furthermore, greens are a good source of fiber. Considering all these factors, it is recommended to consume leafy greens soon after Durga Puja to cleanse and detoxify the body.
Recipe Card
Choddo Shak Recipe | Bhoot Choturdhoshi Special Bengali 14 Greens - Choddo Shaak
Equipment
- 1 Chopping Board or Bonti
- 1 Knife
- 1 Seissor
- 1 Big Bowl
- 1 basket
- 1 Kadhai
- 1 Spatula
- 1 tempering pan
Ingredients
14 Greens
- 1 bunch Brahmi Shaag water hyssop
- 1 bunch Helencha Shaag Buffalo spinach
- 1 bunch Kulekhara leaves swampweed
- 1 bunch Laal Shaag Red Amaranth
- 1 bunch Lau Shaag bottle gourd leaves
- 1 bunch Methi Shaag fenugreek leaves
- 1 bunch Mulo Shaag radish leaves
- 1 bunch Poi Shaag Malabar Spinach
- 1 bunch Polta Pata Potol pata or Pointed gourd leaves
- 1 bunch Palong Shaag Palak or Spinach
- 1 bunch Punarnava leaves red hogweed
- 1 bunch Shorshe Shaag Sarson ka saag or mustard leaves
- 1 bunch Shaluk Pata
- 1 bunch Sushni Pata Sushni Saag
Spices
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
Whole Spices for tempering
- 1 teaspoon Panch Phoron Bengali 5 spcies
- 6 Dry Red Chili
Other
- 7.5 tablespoon mustard oil
Instructions
- Wash and clean 14 types of greens one by one.
- In terms of measurement go for same measurement for all greens.
- Once clean, roughly chop the greens one by one. You may refer to the video to check how to chop the greens.
- Once done wash greens 3-4 times under running water.
- Heat 5 tablespoons of mustard oil in a heavy-duty pan or kadhai.
- Temper the oil with 4 dry red Chilies and ½ teaspoon panch phoron or Bengali 5 spices.
- Cook for a minute.
- Now add the spice powders - ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Mix and cook for a minute.
- Add fleshy stems of the greens and cook for a minute. This helps to cook the greens uniformly since fleshy stems need extra time to cook.
- Keep the flame low.
- Now add all the chopped greens in two batches and mix with the spices.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3 minutes on low flame.
- The greens will start releasing moisture by this time.
- Open the lid give the greens a mix and cook for a minute.
- Adjust salt if needed. I have added 1 teaspoon salt at this point.
- Cover again and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame.
- Open the lid and cook till the moisture evaporates.
- Take a tempering pan and heat 1.5 tablespoons mustard oil.
- Temper this oil with 2 dry red chilies and ½ teaspoon panch phoron or Bengali 5 spices.
- Add this tempering to the choddo shaak and give a thorough mix.
- Choddo Shaak is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- The list of greens while cooking choddo shak varies from family to family and it is based on preference as well. If you are to go by the traditional list, only purchase if you are sure about all the greens.
- Mustard oil gives the needed pungency to this bengali delicacy, however you can replace it with other types of oil.
- Instead of Panch Phoron you can use cumin seed.
Nutrition
Related Shaag Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Bengali Vegan Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Bengali Pat Patar Bora (also known as Pat Pata Bhaja Recipe | Bengali Jute Leaves Fritter)
- Shojne Phuler Chorchori
- Masoor Dal Bhorta
- Panta Bhat
- Neem Begun (also known as Stir-fried Neem leaves and Eggplant)
- Bori Aloor Jhal (also known as Bengali Bori'r Jhal)
- Sheemer Jhal (also known as Bengali Shorshe Sheem | Broad Bean Curry with Mustard Paste)
Here's the Bengali Choddo Shak Recipe pin for you
Have you tried the Choddo Shaak recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please let me know your experience, and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes. If you have any questions or recipe requests, do contact me!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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