A SPRING DELIGHT

Mustard flowers are not meant only for the eyes. Invite them to your plate once in a while

- VIBHA VARSHNEY

SAKAL BAN phool rahi sarson, ban ban phool rahi sarson (Mustard is blooming in every field). Even this much-quoted line by Amir Khusrau about spring season seems pale when set against the lived experience of standing amidst rolling fields of mustard that take on a stunning yellow hue with the advent of spring. The flowers are as tender as they are inviting, with a mild, peppery flavour. Crushed between the fingers, they release the unmistakable sharp fragrance of mustard. Rich in pollen and nectar, the blooms are a favourite of bees and other pollinators, and beekeepers wait patiently for their arrival, much like the farmers of this most widely cultivated oilseed crop in India.

The flowers are also a delight to eat. Mousumi Das, a homemaker from Kolkata, shares a recipe for mustard flower chutney with Down To Earth, which is among the winners of the “My Food Story” recipe contest organised by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment in January to celebrate winter delicacies. For Das, the chutney evokes the warmth and simplicity of rural Bengal, where the cuisine is heavily seasonal and is a product of local biodiversity. What she enjoys most is the balance of flavours—the slight bitterness of the flowers, the bite of green chillies, the gentle sweetness of jaggery and the unmistakable aroma of raw mustard oil. The chutney pairs best with hot steamed rice, she says (