and young shoots of this plant are used in dishes such as soups, curries, and paratha-stuffed breads, common in North India. The seeds or grains are used in phambra or laafi, gruel-type dishes in Himachal Pradesh, and in mildly alcoholic fermented beverages such as soora and ghanti. In Haryana state, the "bathue ka raita" i.e. the raita (yogurt dip) made with bathua, is very popular in winters. Bathua seeds also double up for rice and dal. Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have once relied on bathua seeds to feed his troops during lean times. In Nepal, it is known as bethe or bethu. It is used to make dish known as saag. The leaves are stir fried with spices, chilly and diced garlic. A fermented dish known as masaura is also made by dipping the leaves in a lentil batter with spices and then dried in sun for some days. The fermented masaura can be made into a curry and served with rice. It is also used to make an instant salad-style-achaar and chutneys. Animal feed As some of the common names suggest, it is also used as feed (both the leaves and the seeds) for chickens and other poultry. Construction The juice of this plant is a potent ingredient for a mixture of wall plaster, according to the Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra, which is a Sanskrit treatise dealing with Śilpaśāstra (Hindu science of art and construction). Ayurveda In Ayurveda traditional medicine, bathua is thought to be useful for treating various diseases, although there is no clinical evidence such uses are safe or effective. Gallery References Footnotes Citations External links album Flora of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Flora of tropical Asia Flora of North Africa Edible nuts and seeds Leaf vegetables Plants described in 1753 Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional African medicine Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus