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Carrot Leaf Health Benefits: The paler vegetable obtained from carrot leaves is considered a treasure of both taste and health in rural areas. People often throw it away, whereas it is a superfood rich in vitamins, iron and minerals. According to health experts, spinach is an excellent source of iron, folic acid and fiber, which is very beneficial for anemia, digestion and immunity. Now this traditional food has started reaching urban kitchens also.
When carrots grow in the fields, green, fine-leafed grass grows on top of them. It is called paler grass. Most of the people consider it useless and throw it away, but farmers and lovers of local food eat it with great fondness. Actually, this green leafy vegetable is rich in vitamins, minerals and iron. Its consumption not only enhances the taste but also gives strength to the body from within.
Paler is the carrot leaf, which is soft, fine and fragrant. It looks like green thin petals and gives a light earthy fragrance. In the beginning of winter, when carrots are cultivated, this paler is seen waving a lot in the fields. In villages, women pluck fresh palar from the fields and bring it home and make palar vegetable, palar parantha or palar chutney from it.
Villager Seema Devi told that a vegetable is made from the paler that grows on carrots, which is very tasty. He told the easy method of making vegetables from it. First of all let’s talk about the ingredients. In which take 2 bowls of fresh carrot (finely chopped), one onion (finely chopped), one tomato, two green chillies, 5 cloves of garlic (crushed), half a teaspoon of cumin, one fourth of turmeric powder, one teaspoon of coriander powder, half a teaspoon of red chilli powder, salt as per taste, 2 teaspoons of mustard oil.
First of all, wash the paler thoroughly to remove the soil. Then boil it, squeeze out the water and chop it coarsely. Now heat mustard oil in the pan. Add cumin seeds and when it starts crackling, add garlic and green chillies. Now add onion and fry until golden, then add tomatoes and all the dry spices and fry. After this, add boiled paler in it and cook on low flame. After this, keep stirring for 8 to 10 minutes so that everything gets mixed well. Finally, when the oil starts rising and the paler becomes soft, turn off the gas. If you wish, add some desi ghee on top.
Health expert Dr. Anju Chaudhary said that it is rich in iron and folic acid. It removes anemia and is helpful in increasing hemoglobin. It is beneficial for liver and digestion. The fiber and chlorophyll present in paler keep the liver clean and improve digestion. Along with this, it works as an immunity booster. Rich in Vitamin A, C and K, Palar increases the body’s immunity, which protects against cold, cough and infection and works as a detox. Consuming its juice or vegetable helps in removing toxins from the body.
In earlier times, when carrots were harvested from the fields, women used to keep the peeler separately and make hot vegetables from it in winters. Now this tradition is returning again, because people are returning towards organic and natural foods. Carrots are mostly grown in the village so that it can be used to make palar vegetable. Today, carrot leaves are being sold as a superfood in many urban markets. They are also used in soups, juices and salads. Carrot peel is not just the greenery of the field but is also a treasure of health. If you use it instead of throwing it away considering it useless, it strengthens the body from within.
