Give your recipes a summer update with homegrown dill

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tulsi (holy basil) on the window sill. Naturally, I sought the help of a horticulture expert who planned the garden space and got the plants started. I definitely wanted a patch for fresh herbs in my cooking.

Among the usual favourites like basil and mint, the experts suggested we plant dill too, for the visual interest that its delicate fronds and yellow flowers would add to the garden. In a few months the garden was flourishing. One morning, I discovered a swarm of butterflies hovering around the fronds.

Intrigued, I researched and found that dill is a favourite of several species of butterflies. I had some familiarity with dill from my exposure to Maharashtrian food and cooking. Called shepu in Marathi, it is used not as a herb but as a leafy vegetable to make a dry sabzi.

My parents were visiting when our kitchen garden had its first harvest. I was excited to cook for them with the bounty from the garden. This meant cooking with brinjal, tomatoes, spinach, and dill repeatedly, trying new combinations each time.

While my mom didn’t mind, Appa was getting tired of my “culinary adventures". He jokingly said, “Any more brinjal and shepu chi bhaji, and I’m packing my bags and going back to Mumbai." If you arrange all the herbs by flavour profile from mild to bold, dill falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum—not too delicate and not too overpowering. However, when you cook with a whole bunch of dill to make a sabzi, it can become quite strong.

It’s best to combine it with potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, or carrots, which can balance the flavour with their mildness. Dill is called sabsige soppu in Karnataka and I have seen it being routinely sold by vegetable vendors alongside other greens. It adds a unique