Greasy but Green

We feel so guilty when we eat deep fat fried food: aloo pies, fry bake, empanadas, puhloowris and fried chicken! Oils and fats are indeed the top of the food chain and should be consumed sparingly, because a little goes a long way. But some oils are good for us: and I would guess these should be "single fruit" and relatively unprocessed. The Mediterranean has olives. We have coconuts. 

Whatever the science, human beings love oil. I think it's in our genes. Here's one way to be greasy but green! Saheena uses fresh dasheen leaves (yes, the same that you use for callaloo) in a chick pea batter. While you may not consider this in the same category as salad, it helps to assuage our guilt about deep fat frying!

Dasheen leaves: perhaps you'll use spinach, or another edible leaf

Dasheen leaves, about six large
Chick pea powder, one and a half cups
Flour, half cup
Garlic, two cloves finely chopped
Hot pepper, piece, finely chopped
Baking powder, heaping teaspoon
Shadon beni, five or six leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste (half teaspoon)
Water, one and a half cups (approximately)
Coconut oil, one cup (approximately)

Basic saheenas: you may want to add more green, other seasonings, make them smaller

Wash dasheen leaves, roll up and cut in small pieces, or shred.

Mix the chick pea powder, flour, baking powder, salt, hot pepper, garlic and shadon beni with a cup of water to form a thick paste. Add little more water as needed. Mix in dasheen leaves. Add water if the paste is too thick.

Heat oil in frying pan or small pot. Drop the mixture by tablespoons into hot oil. Flatten to cook. If you want smaller (bite size) saheenas, use smaller spoons. Turn once. Make sure that the oil is not so hot that the saheenas burn. Let them cook through before turning. Drain on absorbent paper.

Serve with tamarind sauce.

Saheenas are rich food; you won't need that many to feel full!