Wonders of winter vegetables
POTOL BHORTA (POINTED-GOURD BHARTA)
Potol bhorta, a traditional Bengali recipe, is very quick and easy to prepare with few ingredients. It goes well with steamed rice or roti.
Ingredients
500g potol (pointed gourd)
2 onions, chopped
½ tsp garlic, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
½ tsp nigella seeds
2 green chillies
4 slit green chillies
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp mustard oil
Method
Take a potol, cut into halves and discard the seeds. Wash them and chop roughly. Using ½ cup of water, grind potol, tomato and 2 green chillies into a paste. Heat oil in a frying pan, add nigella seeds. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add onion and garlic and fry till light brown. Add the potol paste, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Keep stirring till all the water evaporates. Add slit green chilli and stir till oil separates from the mixture. Remove pan from the heat. Cover the pan, and leave it to rest for a few minutes. Serve with hot rice.
BEGUN BASANTI
Ingredients
2 big eggplants
3-4 tbsp yellow mustard seeds paste
1 tsp nigella seeds
¼ cup curd, beaten
4 green chillies
1 tsp ginger paste
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ cup warm water
2 tbsp mustard oil
Salt and sugar to taste
Method
Wash and cut the eggplants into long strips. Rub salt and turmeric powder on the eggplants and leave for 15 minutes. Heat some mustard oil in a pan, and shallow fry the eggplants till it gets a nice brown hue. Take it out from the oil and drain it. In a mixing bowl, add mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder, beaten curd, and ginger paste. Mix it well. In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil and temper it with nigella seeds. Add the spice mixture, fry on low heat for some time, and add the slotted green chillies. Let it fry for a few more minutes. Add cumin and red chilli powder. Add salt and sugar, mix well. Add the warm water to get a saucy consistence, cover and cook for 5 minutes. When it is done, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice, polao or paratha.
PEYAJ POSTO
Ingredients
3 onions, thinly sliced
3-4 green chillies
2 tbsp poppy seeds paste
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
Method
Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onion and fry till it turns light brown. Add turmeric powder, green chillies, and salt, and mix well and cook for couple of minutes. Then add poppy seeds paste and give it a good stir. Cook with occasional stirring until raw smell of poppy seeds disappears and oil ooze from the mixture, add little amount of water if needed. Remove from heat and serve.
Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed
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