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| Presenting the very nutritious.... Chocchori |
How many Bengali
Vegetarian dishes can you name? May be an
aloo posto or some jhurjhure
aloo - bhaja? Ohh..
Behold everyone
!!! You will be amazed at the elaborate platter of various vegetarian delights which Bengalis had discovered since long. Let me name a few..
Dhokar dalna ( lentil cutlet curry ),
Chanar rosha ( a curry made of home made cheese ),
Potoler dolma (coconut stuffed pointed gourd),
Echorer dalna ( jackfruit curry) and the list can go on and on..
and on. Sometimes we do not even dispose the
skins of some vegetables like lau / lauki ( bottle gourd ), instead
stir - fry them to get another side - dish with our multi - course meal. We have a
chechra or a
chechki, a
shukto or a
chorchori / chocchori with some variations of spices ( all having their own
characteristic taste) to create a typical Bengali mix - veg dish which remains included in our daily diet to fulfil us of the roughage and necessary nutrients which fresh vegetables have to offer. Some of those assorted vegetarian dishes although requires
meticulous practice, are made with very few ingredients and characteristically do not include any onion or garlic since they are
niramish ( meaning vegetarian..
something which can even be offered to god!!)
Bengali kids like me, would have at least one faint childhood memory of a widowed grandmother in her
plain - white sari having a
separate stove all by herself, preparing her
own vegetarian meals all of which would be extremely tasty. In spite of being a shameful symbol of
gender biased power play where widows were forbidden to have fish, meat, egg or any other non vegetarian dishes including
onion, garlic or even
masoor dal and
garam masala because they generate heat in your body (which in turn might aggravate
sexual desires, obviously a strict
no - no for widows), we will remain eternally grateful to all such grandmoms of ours, who
patiently created such vegetarian gems with the humble ingredients like a pinch of
panch phoron ( a mix of onion seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds ), some ginger and a hint of cumin paste or sometimes with just salt and turmeric powder.
North India, my work - land, the land of
Dal makhani,
Butter chicken and
Aloo paranthas can seldom think vegetarian preparations devoid of onion or garlic. So their daily chore of cooking a mix - veg dish would essentially require a few drops of tears, culprit being those onions. Here comes a Bengali into the scene with an usual
Chorchori ( a mixture..literally meaning ) where you can use any vegetable you have in your fridge ( and does not even require the pungency of onion / garlic ). I did make a few female friends in office, with this fast hastle - free recipe, most of whom have to juggle their home, job and sometimes a kid. Also, my
Rajputani Bhabi being a fitness freak became a fan of this dish a few days after being introduced into the Bengali household. Hence, presenting
Chorchori - a go - to
sabji to be accompanied with some roti or some daal - bhaat.
Ingredients
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| Mix - Vegetables |
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| Chop Chop Chop!!! |
( All 5 ingredients chopped into medium sized pieces. You can add any left over veggy from your fridge including some ridge gourd )
Coriander leaves - chopped
Turmeric powder - 1.5 teaspoon
Chilly powder (optional) - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Mustard oil - 2-3 teaspoon (add more if you want )
Procedure
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| Steaming hot mustard oil |
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| In goes the potatoes.. |
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| ..the radishes.. |
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| ..the brinjal and chillies.. |
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| Stir through to coat everything with the oil underneath.. |
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| ..and finally the broad beans.. |
Cover the kadhai and leave it undisturbed for around 5 minutes on low flame.
When you open the lid of the kadhai, notice the veggies all sweat up. Its time to add the spices. Salt, turmeric and chilly powder. Add in a splash of water ( very little, since the veggies will give off more water on addition of salt ) to prevent the spices from burning.
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| All sweat - up |
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| The very basic spices |
Stir everything well, cover the kadhai and allow the veggies to cook over low flame for around 10 minutes.
Open the lid, check if the veggies are cooked through, add in the fresh coriander leaves, stir and done.
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| Fragrant coriander leaves |
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| Mix and done...Fresh and healthy |
A
lighter preparation of fresh vegetables with minimal oil and spices without giving you the gas or acidity problems due to excessive use of oil and spices..a true
Sattvik aahar ( no sexual desires intended for anyone..but may be a little pun !! )
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| Chocchori - a NO - jhanjhat mix - veg preparation |
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