← The Bhogali Kitchen

Lai Xaak Bhaja

লাই শাক ভাজা

15 min · lunch

Winter greens, garlic, and mustard oil — three ingredients that make one of Assam's most-loved everyday dishes. Fast, frugal, fragrant.

Mustard greens (lai xaak) come into season in Assam’s winter. A quick stir-fry with garlic and a generous pour of kachi ghani gives the leaves their punch.

Ingredients

  • Fresh mustard greens (lai xaak) — 1 large bunch, roughly chopped
  • Bhogali Premium Kachi Ghani — 2 tablespoons
  • Garlic cloves — 5, sliced
  • Dried red chillies — 2
  • Salt — to taste

Method

  1. Wash the greens well. Drain and roughly chop.
  2. Heat the Bhogali mustard oil in a kadai until it just starts to smoke.
  3. Add the dried chillies and sliced garlic. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds — careful not to burn.
  4. Throw in the greens. Toss with the oil. Cover and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring once.
  5. Uncover, season with salt, and stir-fry for another 2 minutes until any water has evaporated.
  6. Serve hot with rice and dal.

Why it works

Mustard oil’s bitter-pepper notes love mustard greens. It’s the most natural pairing in the Assamese kitchen — the oil and the leaf are botanically related.


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