Marlagwa and Rice is a typical tribal food combination of Ranchi, Jharkhan, where most of the staple diet includes rice and leafy
vegetables.
As the plateau of Chhota Nagpur is full of dense jungles and the tribal population believe in protecting the jungles, their diet includes wild-grown vegetables rather than cultivated ones, with rice being the only major cultivated produce. They eat more than 150 types of ‘saag’, that is the leafy vegetables like spinach.
Rice is an everyday diet, and an essential part of lunch. Rice is cooked using a traditional method and not in modern cookers even today. So, when rice is cooked in a vessel with lots of water, the remaining starchy water is separated by draining the rice after cooking.
This starchy rice water is called ‘Marr’. ‘Marr’, is very nutritious, full of minerals and vitamins like vitamin E, antioxidants or phytochemicals etc. It is very good for gut health except for people who need to avoid starch due to blood sugar levels or any other medical conditions because of which they are advised to avoid rice or rice starch. The hand pounded rice or unpolished rice is most recommended.
Ingredients:
Unpolished, Red or Brown Rice – 1 cup
Water – 5 cup
Spinach – a handful
Red Tomatoes – 2 medium size
Green chili or dry red chili – 2-3
Garlic cloves (finely chopped) – 2-3
Chopped onion – half
Cumin seeds and oil for tadka (tempering)
Crushed black pepper and lemon juice are optional ingredients.
Method:
Cooking the Rice –
Wash the rice and keep aside.
Boil water in a vessel: 5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice to ensure the residue.
When water starts boiling, add a pinch of salt to the rice and keep stirring so that rice doesn’t stick in the bottom.
Let it boil for 10-15 minutes. Depending on the quality of rice the time for cooking differs. Red rice, for example, may need more time and water. Keep checking the rice.
When you see the cracks in rice, strain it and keep the rice aside with closed lid so that the rice turns tender.
The strained rice water is your ‘Marr’, the thick starchy white water. Now we will make Marlagwa from this water.
Marlagwa –
Wash and chop spinach leaves and tomatoes. Now this dish is cooked in 3 different procedures. You can cook according to your choice as flavours and colour change.
Oil-free option:
Put the chopped spinach and tomatoes in a vessel, add a pinch of salt and cook for some time. Keep thawing it with a spatula. Spinach and tomatoes will release their water and get mixed well, then add chopped green chilies to the mixture and make sure it is mixed well.
Add the Marr into the mixture.
OPTIONAL
Take some mustard oil in a ladle, put a pinch of hing, cumin seeds, red or green chili and chopped garlic. Heat the mixture and then pour over the marlagwa to temper it.
