Panchmisheli Tarkari (Bengali Style Mixed Veg)

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The last couple of weeks have been very hectic yet fun. As told earlier had to arrange everything in the house and there were big big cleaning works. Then we went for a weekend trip to Yercaud that we stretched for additional two days, came back with another big bag of laundry finally today I can sit back and make this post. But am writing this with a heavy heart as my kid brother went home today. After almost three months with family today we feel very lonely. The baby is opening doors and looking for his Chhoto Mamu (younger maternal uncle) and in the evening he brought his shoes to his father and pointed to the main door to take him out as his Mamu used to do this past couple of months.  My Brother could literally be called a big guy with a heart of a little boy. He came here after almost 2 years and this time enjoyed it to the fullest so that way am very happy. As like everyone in my family he is a total foodie and I cooked some special items some of which he liked a lot. I am going to post those one by one in the coming weeks. But today I present to you a very simple yet very tasty and flavourful dish.  This weekend we dint got for our weekly vegetable shopping so the fridge had nothing but some odd vegetables like half of a carrot, half of ridge gourd, a little piece of pumpkin etc. Hubby went to the Airport with brother so thought of making a quick dish with these.

Paanch in Bengali means five and misheli means medley or mixture so Panchmisheli tarkari means a dish cooked with five vegetables. Though no one actually will stop you if you want to make it with more vegetable, even I always cook it with 7-8 veggies. Like my last post this one is also a peasant dish and they add whatever little bit of vegetables they have, a little bit of this and that to prepare something delectable to eat with rice. Another variation of this dish without onions are cooked during Puja to offer to God as Neivedya. Before I start with the recipe let me warn you that it’s nowhere close to that cream laden spicy omnipresent restaurant staple North Indian Mixed Veg. This is very light dish but without any compromise with the taste. This is a dish where the vegetables beautifully mingle with each other and provides a creamy texture.  This is one of my most favorite veggie dish and could be eaten with both roti and rice. We had a satisfying meal with rice, lentil, this veggie and some leftover fish curry.  Hubby renamed this dish as Fridge raided Curry.

Here is how I made it

Panchmisheli Tarkari

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Take 2 cups of cubed potato, pumpkin, ridge gourd, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, beans or whatever veggies you like.

Tomato: 1 medium

Ginger: ½ piece; grated

Onion: 1 medium; chopped

Panchforon: 1 tsp

Red chillies: 2 pieces

Peanuts: handful

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt

Sugar: ½ tsp

turmeric

Method:

Dry roast the pea nuts and coarsely ground in a mortar n pestle. keep aside.

Heat the oil in a kadai or heavy bottomed pan. Add the panchforon and red chillies. Once the aroma hits you add in the chopped onions.

Fry till the onions change colour then add all the veggies, salt, turmeric, whole tomato and the grated ginger. Mix well and cover.

Let it cook on medium flame and stir in between.

Once the veggies are soft (almost 10 minutes) mash the tomato with the back of spatula. Mix everything together and add 1 cup water.

Again cover and cook on medium till the veggies are cooked and the gravy coats the veggies.

Add the sugar, ground pea nuts, mix well and check the seasoning.

Serve hot with rice, roti or paratha.


This curry tastes best when eaten fresh and hot. if you want to keep it in fridge then next day while heating add fresh tempering.

Tips: you can try any combination of veggies in this dish but potato, pumpkin and ridge gourd is what gives it the creamy texture.

You can also add peanuts or soaked chickpeas.

For non vegetarian version add a handful of prawns or small fishes. In that case add the non veg items after frying the onion. Cook for some time and then add veggies.

Sometime I make coarse paste of prawn heads and mix it in the curry.

Also to Vegetable Marathon: Carrot at Seduce your tastebuds.

Some veggies that mingle in the dish well are potato, pumpkin, ridge gourd, drumsticks, cauliflower, cabbage, cluster beans, French beans, carrot, egg plant, parwal etc.


Am sending this to an event which is very close to my heart, Green Gourmet at Preeti's Write Food.


Also to Priya's Healing Food Onion an event started by Siri of Siri's Corner.