Description

Red amaranth is one of the best growing vegetables in hot, humid climates. Growing this in my kitchen garden, I have noticed that when the weather is very hot, this plant tends to rot (i.e. produce flowers and seeds), which makes the leaves overripe and bitter.
Amaranth usually takes longer to cook than spinach because of its strong leaves and stems. In many bowls, I cook the amaranth leaves in boiling water for 3-4 minutes and then soak them in cold water. During this process, red amaranth loses its reddish color and becomes green. I often pick small soft leaves to toss in salads to show red color.

Last summer, I posted a photo on Instagram of a vegetable shopping bag full of summer vegetables and asked my readers if they used red amaranth in their cooking. The amazing response includes more than 30 ways to cook this raw.

How to cook
In the summer, when fresh salad vegetables are hard to find, use these green leafy vegetables to prepare nutritious salads.

Ingredients

3 cups red aranth leaves

1/2 cup sweet-corn kernel

1 small green mango, peeled and sliced

1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced

2 tsp groundnut oil

4-5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 green peppers, finely chopped

3/4 tsp salt, separated

2 tbsp roasted, crushed nuts

How

Blanche in boiling water for 4 minutes and reheat in an iced water bowl. Drain well, cut slightly and set aside.

Place the corn in a glass jar securely in the microwave. Cover with water, mix with K tsp salt and cover lightly with a lid. Microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.