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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Bengali Chachodi -- A Pan Fried Vegetable Medley

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I am not a picky eater, I love trying all new cuisines and willing to sample everything that's out there except beef, organ meats and definitely not exotic meats(= the ones that Andrew Zimmern is fond of - fried critters, jiggly innards, rodents and pests etc etc. By saying this I didn't mean to offend anyone who are into it. Just that I am not that much of an exotic food taster, is all). Having grown-up with plenty of curries, lassi(s), halwa and rice-dishes, I have to say I am indeed partial to the foods of my homeland. So its no secret when I say that I am hooked on curry. Even my blog has "Kadai Curry" in the title to attest to that fact. If there is one thing that I am more fond of than curry (in the curry department ofcourse), it will have to be a "medley curry". We call it "Kootu Curry" in my tongue. I am extremely fond of these curries that have an assortment of vegetables or vegetables +  legumes combo. The diversity of texture, flavor and colors all coming together in a single curry can never go wrong, according to me anyways. One such curry that has Bengali Origins(an Eastern region in India) is this one.A couple of similar curry medleys I have posted ages ago -- Gujarathi Undhiyo, Sweet Potato and Lentils.Enjoy!

Is anyone stewed over blogger's refusal to spit back blog posts and comments? I am still miffed(to say in the least) at the fact that my "Chettinad Eggplant" post and nearly 40 comments have gone missing. Should I re-post it or wait? 
Ingredients:
  • 4 Medium Yukon Gold or Thin-skinned Round White Potatoes, cleaned and cubed with skin
  • 2 Medium Carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 Small Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
  • 4-5 Small Purple Eggplants, crowns removed and quartered
  • 4-5 Small Thai Eggplants, crowns removed and quartered
  • 2 Cups Cauliflower Florets, about half a head
  • 1-1/2 Cups 'Baby Boo', 'Lumina' or any White Pumpkin, Skin removed and cubed 
  • 1/2 Tsp Each Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds and Mustard Seeds
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp Coriander Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper or less/more
  • 3-4 Dry Red Chili
  • 3-4 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt as needed
Procedure:
  • Add about 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil to a pan and fry the sliced carrots, cubed potatoes and sweet potato.
  • Add the purple and green eggplants once the above veggies start to brown. Saute until the eggplants also start to brown. Move them to a plate.
  • Add another tbsp of oil and fry the baby boo/white pumpkin and the cut cauliflower florets. Continue to fry until the tips of the cauliflower start to brown. Move this to the plate with other fried veggies.
  • Tempering: Add the remaining oil to the same pan and to it add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start sputtering add the dry red chili, turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
  • Transfer the sauteed veggies to the pan along with the peas, coriander powder and cracked black pepper.
  • Mix the medley to evenly combine. Pour about 1/2 Cup to 3/4 Cup of water and cook it for 12-15 minutes turning midway and adding more "sprinkles" of water as needed. Now would be the time to add salt and check for taste. If more heat is desired just add a tad more cracked pepper.
  • Switch off the stove when all the vegetables are firm but fork tender.
  • Enjoy this with rice or roti.
Note:
  • 1/4 tsp Each of Fenugreek Seeds and Black Onion seeds "Kalonji" can be added to the other "Tempering" ingredients for a touch of authenticity. Tx to BNV for the update.
Also check out the Blogging Marathoners doing BM#5:
Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Cool Lassi(e), Harini, Kalyani, Priya Mahadevan, Suma
Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: Priya Suresh, Veena,
Seven Days of Indian Sweets: Shylaja, Srivalli
Seven Days of Regional Specials: Priya Yallapantula
Under 15 mins Quick Breakfast:Aarthi, Vaishali
Enjoy!
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30 comments:

  1. Wow! looks very appetizing! I love to combine as many veggies as possible but my husband opines that when there is Potato then the rest of the veggies lose their power to exist!!

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  2. Such a yummy looking curry with chokeful of veggies.. Looks delicious.

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  3. u made my day!!! i love this dish...i remember eating it as a young girl with khichdi at the ramkrishna ashram....so many days...and now i just crave for it...it is soooooooooooooooooo good !!

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  4. Hi Cool

    Chochodi looks super yummy. Being a Bengali myself, I can vouch that your preparation looks exactly like my mom prepares.
    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  5. so yumm. what a mix of flavors and looks so colorful

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  6. Yeah blogger outage was upsetting.
    Nice clicks and step by step pictures.

    Vardhini
    VardhinisKitchen

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  7. looks very good...and i like the way that you added all vegetables...Will try this soon..

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  8. This curry looks really delicious n nice way to use all veggies in one dish...n regarding d blogger everyone experienced the same problem...whatever changes we did in d post n comments received r disappeared..its really frustating!! I dont think that the pbm would b resolved,it already quite a long time...

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  9. im thinking i can def do this without the egg plants..yummm. n pls do post pics of ur KA whn u get it..id love to see it all purply n all :)

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  10. New recipe,looks so wonderful..loved the combo and the blend of flavors...will give this a try.

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  11. Yum, love this curry, a favorite from childhood, please do send it to my "flavors of bengal" event.

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  12. lot of veggies totally healthy and very inviting

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  13. Wat a catchy and delicious vegetable curry, simply inviting..

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  14. new to me. Love the combo!!!will try this:-)

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  15. I'm hooked on curry also, and I didn't even grow up with it! This looks so delicious, definitely a kind of meal I would love!

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  16. Looks super delicious and marvelous, can have it with anything..

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  17. That looks pretty ! I love dishes that has all the veggies in it..Maybe the best way to make my kidoos eat more veggies ;-)

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  18. Yum, Looks mouthwateringly delicious~ its dinner time here and I feel like having some with luchis right now :)
    US Masala

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  19. Wonderful combination of veggies,Nice recipe,wonderfully cooked :)

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  20. Dear Lassie
    How are you? So you tried out chacaddi! well done I must say. I shall try out your seasoning...next time when I cook chachadi.
    You must have seen the notification by blog spot that large number of data / posting had gone missing. In fact blog spot was not accessible for quite some time. Wait for some time , may be the missing portions will appear.
    I am off blog these days and slowly becoming a stranger in the blog world. Let me see if I can get out of present situation.
    Let me see what all have I missed....
    Have a nice day

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  21. Awesome, will try it soon. Love your step by step explanation with fabulous pictures! You are a gifted writer, no doubt.

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  22. Ushnish-da: I will keep my fingers crossed for my post and comments to come back.
    I will be looking forward to seeing your lovely posts!

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  23. What a lovely combo of vegs CL..pictures bring them live

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Thanks a bunch for your valuable comments and continued support.They are very much appreciated. Yes,like "Rain on Dry Land" and like "Oasis in Desert Sand".
XoXo, Cool Lassi(e)