The name goose foot sounds a little funny but in Bangladesh this leaves are very common and simply known as Bothua or Boittha shak (Chenopodium album). It is one of the common leaves found in Bangladesh during winter (Dec – Feb) seasons and many of us likes them best as for their taste and their compatibility in different recipes. However, in Scandinavia, this plant grows from April to September. I heard about the availability of this plant in Scandinavia many times but never had the chance to forage them. Thanks to my friend Shanta, who thought I might be interested in them and picked a lot from our combined garden this year.

I heard that this Bothua or goosefoot plant used to be a common ingredient in Scandinavian countries. In Denmark the plant is known as  Hvidmelet Gåsefod. They were cooked as soup or steamed as spinach in the old days. In Bangladesh, we cook it like any other leafy greens, stir fried in oil with onion, garlic, chili and salt.

We need to pluck the best part of the plant- the top and some green leaves. We won’t eat the stems as they are wood like textured and very difficult to digest. Before chopping the leaves into small pieces, make sure the wash the plucked leaves in cold water several times.

In a pan, I heated vegetable oil and added dried red chili and garlic slices. In any kind of stir fry leaves, garlic adds an extra flavor and nutrition. So if you love garlic, just add as much as you like (well, not too much though).

When chili and garlic starts to release flavor and begin to be golden in colour, then I added onion slices. I cooked the onions until they are slightly caramelized. Then I added chopped leaves.

I tried not to stir the leaves first but let them release moisture and shrink in volume. It is important to keep the stove temperature in low heat.

I added salt when the leaves were bit shrunk. If I added earlier, there were risks of adding too much salt,as the volume looks way big.

The leaves are shrunk and cooked already. Now it is more about stirring til they look more fried.

The leaves started to release oil on the pan, so they are completely cooked now.

You can eat this fantastic Bothua shak with any kinds of rice. I took whole grained rice with it and the combination of Bothua shak with whole grained rice tasted like a rural Bangladeshi tale.

Recipe: Goosefoot leaves Stir Fry- serves four

Goosefoot leaves- 400g Onion – 1 medium Garlic – few cloves (as per taste) Dry red chili – as per taste Green chili – as per taste Salt – as required Oil – as required

1. Discard the hard stem and keep the top and green leaves only. Wash all leaves, thoroughly with cold water, discard old parts. 2. Roughly chop leaves and set aside. 3. In a pan, heat oil and add dried red chili, sliced onion and garlic. Fry them until onion garlic are golden brown. 4. Add chopped leaves and continue to stir them until shrunk. 5. When all leaves gets smaller volume, add salt. 6. Add green chilis when leaves releases water. Continue stirring until water get evaporated and oils get released in the pan. When done, put in a serving bowl. Serve with rice. Enjoy a true Bangladeshi tale.