Side dish with pumpkin leaves and shrimp

This flavourful side dish is prepared with fresh pumpkin leaves, whole spices, shrimp, plantain, and eggplant. It makes a wholesome healthy meal that goes well with rice. 

2 to 3 green chillie

2 to 3 garlic cloves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp black seeds known as nigella or kalonji

1/2 tsp turmeric 

1 tsp salt to taste

1 tbsp lemon juice

6 to 10 pumpkin leaves 

1 to 2 eggplant cut into cubes

1 cooking banana or plantain cut into cubes
few drumsticks or moringa pods optional

15 or more shrimp

1/4 cup water if needed

2 tbsp oil

Remove the shell of the shrimp and clean it, then marinate using salt, lemon juice, and turmeric and leave it aside until the other ingredients are prepared. 

Prepare the fresh pumpkin leaves by washing it well then peel off the prickly outer fibres coming down from the stem to the back of the leaves. When the tip of the stem is broken a little you will see that it is easy to peel the fibres. This will make the leaves less prickly. The soft hollow stems can be chopped into one to two inches. The leaves will cook down so use as many as you have. Chop or tear the leaves and leave it aside.   

Mix the whole spices mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and nigella seeds together. Crush the spices lightly with a mortar and pestle and leave a teaspoon of the spices aside. Crush the rest of the whole spices more to a coarse powder and leave it a side. 

Using the mortar and pestle crush the green chillie and garlic and leave it aside. Chop the eggplant and plantain into cubes and leave it aside. 

Heat the oil and then add the teaspoon of lightly crushed whole spices, when it starts to splatter add the green chillie and garlic. Then add the shrimp, when it starting to turn pink add the cubed vegetables and the coarse spice powder. Once the vegetables look sautéd cover the pan and let the vegetables and shrimp cook on low heat covered with a lid for 12 to 15 minutes. It will cook in the liquid coming from the vegetables and the steam and will not require water, but if you think the vegetables are not producing liquid add 1/4 cup of water.

Add the pumpkin leaves to the pan and let it cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the leaves are tender and soft. Add another 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice if needed and adjust the salt to taste. Serve warm with rice.

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