Today is the last day of the challenge and I am posting a recipe from West Bengal. Every day this month I have posted a recipe from a different state in India.
The goal was to blog a dish from a different state in India every day of the month of April, starting with the state of Andhra Pradesh and ending with West Bengal. It was especially interesting for me as I have not lived in India for a very long time.
All the dishes had to be prepared in advance to ensure a timely printable blog post with pictures. Recipes gathered over the years from friends, colleagues and neighbors were sought out and (re)tried. For a few states the recipes had to be gathered from the web. For at least two states cloudy weather dictated a do over while for three other states a do over was needed as the recipe turned out to be too simple. For two states the recipe was a disaster and had to be scrapped completely. Through this whole process my family was very supportive. They loved trying out the new dishes and enjoyed the tried and tested ones.
Sweets from Bengal are very popular and well known. But after making so many sweet dishes for other states I was craving something savory. Something that did not go overboard with oil and spices. I found Palang Shaak er Ghonto is a popular mixed vegetable side. What I really like about this dish is the sparingly used spices. Paanch phoron (fenugreek, fennel, nigella, mustard and cumin seeds) and a little cumin powder is all that is used. I adapted this recipe from here.
You will need
1 large potato
1 cup cubed yellow pumpkin
2 cups chopped spinach
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. paanch phoron (a mixture of fenugreek, fennel, nigella, mustard and cumin seeds)
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 dried red chili pepper
Wash, peel and chop the potato into cubes. Heat oil in a pan and add the paanch phoron. When the mustard seeds crackle add the red chili pepper and the potatoes. Sprinkle a little if needed, cover and let the potatoes cook for about 4-5 minutes.
Add the pumpkin cubes to the pan and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle a little more water if needed. Cook until the potatoes and pumpkin are tender but not mushy.
Add the spinach and cumin powder. Season with salt. Add a little water and let it all cook until the spinach is done.
Enjoy!
The goal was to blog a dish from a different state in India every day of the month of April, starting with the state of Andhra Pradesh and ending with West Bengal. It was especially interesting for me as I have not lived in India for a very long time.
All the dishes had to be prepared in advance to ensure a timely printable blog post with pictures. Recipes gathered over the years from friends, colleagues and neighbors were sought out and (re)tried. For a few states the recipes had to be gathered from the web. For at least two states cloudy weather dictated a do over while for three other states a do over was needed as the recipe turned out to be too simple. For two states the recipe was a disaster and had to be scrapped completely. Through this whole process my family was very supportive. They loved trying out the new dishes and enjoyed the tried and tested ones.
Sweets from Bengal are very popular and well known. But after making so many sweet dishes for other states I was craving something savory. Something that did not go overboard with oil and spices. I found Palang Shaak er Ghonto is a popular mixed vegetable side. What I really like about this dish is the sparingly used spices. Paanch phoron (fenugreek, fennel, nigella, mustard and cumin seeds) and a little cumin powder is all that is used. I adapted this recipe from here.
You will need
1 large potato
1 cup cubed yellow pumpkin
2 cups chopped spinach
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. paanch phoron (a mixture of fenugreek, fennel, nigella, mustard and cumin seeds)
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 dried red chili pepper
Wash, peel and chop the potato into cubes. Heat oil in a pan and add the paanch phoron. When the mustard seeds crackle add the red chili pepper and the potatoes. Sprinkle a little if needed, cover and let the potatoes cook for about 4-5 minutes.
Add the pumpkin cubes to the pan and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle a little more water if needed. Cook until the potatoes and pumpkin are tender but not mushy.
Add the spinach and cumin powder. Season with salt. Add a little water and let it all cook until the spinach is done.
Enjoy!
such a simple and elegant one!! perfect color combo!!
ReplyDeletenice choice to end on a simple and delectable dish Varada....It was fun doing this marathon with you for 30 days and got such wonderful glimpses of the many states that you had either visited or were associated back from your childhood, i loved to read about them and enjoy the beautiful dishes you made. You and me probably share a lot in common in terms of profression and hobbies and also personal backgrounds so it is good to see there are likeminded heads even if in different part of the world...will hope to catch up again soon...
ReplyDeleteWat a healthy side dish to enjoy with some rotis, yes this mega marathon is something special and pulled us to go through many different cuisines and helped us to learn different dishes surely. Enjoyed all ur posts Varada especially ur intros are just tremendous.
ReplyDeleteWow Varada this is delicious. I have already said that it was a great marathon. I loved it with you in there. We started as casual acquaintances with a love for food. Now I will like to think of you as a very good friend.
ReplyDeletenice and healthy!..its been a great marathon with some wonderful posts from you...i have loved the way you have included some arts and crafts, pics in your post , they make it so very interesting.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and healthy recipe there! Glad to travel with you Varada.
ReplyDeleteSuch a simple, healthy and delicious Bengali dish. Loved reading all your posts in this series Varada. Thank you for showcasing the local artworks and crafts.. It was fun doing the marathon along with you :-)
ReplyDeleteVarada, thank you for the wonderful treat through the month. I know how hard it must have been, not having lived in India for such a long time, yet you pulled in your friends, relatives. I enjoyed all the dishes you did, some were so new and some with different take.. Great job and this bengali dish sounds so simple..
ReplyDeleteSuch a simple and delicious dish,glad to be a part of this marathon with you...
ReplyDeletesimple and fresh flavours.. great combination..
ReplyDeleteThis medley sounds so delicious and healthy !! Nice marathon with you Varda !
ReplyDeleteThis dish is so simple and delicious! Love the vibrant color of the dish :) It was an awesome journey with you for the past month and looking forward to many more :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed running this marathon with you Varada. I really enjoyed your write ups of your memories associated with the dishes and those lovely drawings and paintings that you shared with us.
ReplyDeleteAnd this curry is a really a nice one and a healthy way to end this mega BM :)
wow thats an fabulous shaak to end up the marathon loved the write ups .. the shaak looks super colorful and very tempting !!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all your posts during the marathon; the art work, pictures and memories of your childhood. Spinach potato pumpkin curry looks good. Like the simplicity of it. I have a pack of unused paanch phoron. Now I have some recipes to try with it.
ReplyDeleteSimple and yummy dish. It was a great pleasure running the marathon with you and leanrning new recipes.
ReplyDeleteSimple & humble subzi!! Makes s good combo with rice/roti!!
ReplyDelete