Tarkari-Vegetable Curries

Tarkari/Vegetable Curries

Fulkopir Tarkari/Cauliflower Curry
- Cauliflower- medium sized, cut into medium size pieces
- Peas- ½ cup
- Potatoes- 2 cut into medium size pieces
- Ripe Tomato- 2, chopped
- Garam Masala (Cardamom pods- 2, Clove- 2 and Cinnamon sticks 2. All should be grinded together)
- Bay Leaves- 2
- Chilli Powder- 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Turmeric Powder- 1 teaspoon
- Ginger Paste- 1 teaspoon
- Cumin paste- 1 teaspoon
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon
- Cooking oil- 5 tablespoon

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a round bottomed frying pan. Lower the heat slightly and fry the potato and Cauliflower pieces Remove the Cauliflower and potatoes from the oil once they are brown in colour and tender.
Add the Bay leaves and wait until it sizzles. Now add the cumin paste, ginger paste, tomatoes , chilli powder, sugar and salt. Stir fry it for about 5 minutes. Finally add the fried cauliflower, potato pices and the peas and thoroughly stir it again. Add ½ cup of water and cover the lid of the pan. Allow it to cook until the potatoes and the cauliflower pieces are well cooked.

Now in a different pan heat up rest of the cooking oil and add the Garam Masala in it and allow it to splutter. Now pour all the vegetables in this pan and allow it to boil. Once it starts boiling remove it from heat and serve it with hot rice and Dal.

Enchorer Dalna/ Jackfruit curry

- Jackfruit- cut into medium size pieces and steamed until tender, 250 gms
- Potatoes- 2 cut into medium size pieces
- Ripe Tomato- 2, chopped or
- Peas- ½ cup Natural Yogurt- 1 tablespoon
- Garam Masala (Cardamom pods- 2, Clove- 2 and Cinnamon sticks 2. All should be grinded together)
- Whole Cumin seeds ¼ teaspoon
- Bay Leaves- 2
- Chilli Powder- 2 teaspoon
- Turmeric Powder- 1 teaspoon
- Coriander Powder- 1 teaspoon
- Ginger Paste- 2 teaspoon
- Cumin paste- 1 teaspoon
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil- 5 tablespoon
- Water- 2 cups

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a round bottomed frying pan. Lower the heat slightly and fry the potato pieces . Remove the potatoes from the oil once they are brown in colour and tender. Now add the whole Cumin seeds and Bay leaves in the hot oil and wait until they splutter. Once they splutter add the ginger paste, coriander paste, cumin paste, chilli powder, tomato/natural yogurt, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Stir this whole mixture for say 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and pour 2 cups of water. Cover the lid of the pan and reduce the heat. once the potaoes are cooked add the cooked Jackfruit pieces and the peas. Remove it when the gravy thickens. Sprinkle the Garam Masala and give the whole thing a good stir.

Serne Enchorer Tarkari wth plain white rice or with rice and Dal.

Fulkopi Patar Chenchki/ A preparation with Cauliflower leaves

- Cauliflower leaves roughly chopped steamed, 2 cups
- Potatoes- 2 cut into medium size pieces
- Brinjal cut into 1 cm cubes- 1 cup
- Dried Red chilli- 1
- Methi/Fenugreek seeds- ½ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Sugar- ½ teaspoon
- Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
- Cooking oil ½ cup
- Water- ¼ cup

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a round bottomed frying pan. Once the oil is hot add the Methi/ Fenugreek seeds and dried chilly and wait until they splutter. Add the Brinals, Cauliflower and salt leaves and stirfry them for approximately for 5 minutes. Pour the water over the Brinjal and the Cauliflower leaves and cover the lid of the pan. Recduce the heat and allow them to cook. Once it is cooked sprinkle the sugar and give it a good stir. Thats it ......its done.

Serve this with hot white rice.

Doi Potol/ Parwal cooked with natural Yogurt

- Potol/Parwal-300 gm
- Ginger paste- 3 teaspoon
- Cumin paste- 2 teaspoon
- Dried Red Chilli- 5 grinded
- Natural yogurt- 150 gms
- Cooking oil- ½ cup
- Salt to taste
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon

Peel the Parwals/Potols and slit the top and bottom of them. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the Potols in the hot oil until they are ender and brown in colour. Remove the Potol from the oil and add the Cumin seeds and Bay leaves. Once they sart sizzling add Ginger paste, Cumin paste, Chilli powder and Natural yogurt. Stir all of the thoroughly. Add the Potols to the mixture and pour ½ cup of water over the Parwals/Potols. Add salt and sugar and cover the lid of the pan. Remove the pan when the Potols are cooked.

Serve this with hot white rice and Dal.

Nabaratna Paturi/ Mixed vegetable wraped in Banana leaf and cooked

- Pumpkin- 250 gms
- Potol/Parwals- 6
- Jhinge/Drumsticks- 6
- Brinjal- 2
- Sweet Potatoes- medium sized, 2
- Fresh Coconut- ½ grated
- Green Chllies- 100 gms
- Mustard Paste- 100 gms
- Turmeric powder- 1½ teaspoon
- Dry chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
- Standard flour- 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
- Sugar - 1 teaspoon
- Banana Leaves- 4
- Mustard Oil- 1 cup
- Water

Cut all the vegetables into 2inch/2inch cubes. Wash and keep them aside to drain the water. In a bowl mix salt, sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, mustard paste, grated coconut and standard flour. Mix all these spices with the vegetables. Slit the green chillies. Take a Tawa/heavy bottomed skillet and cut the banana leaf in the same shape and size of the Tawa. Oil the banana leaf and place the vegetables over the leaf. Reduce the heat. Wait until the leaf starts to burn and the vegetablles get tender. Now take a plate which is of the same size of the skillet. Cut a banana leaf which is of the same size of the plate. Oil it and and place it on the plate. Hold the plate on the top of the skillet and invert the skillet over the plate. Slowly pull the banana leaf with the vegetables on it and palce it on the Tawa. Wait until this side gets cooked.
Now remove all the vegetables and place them on a clean and fresh banana leaf.

Serve this with white and hot rice.

Soshar Dalna/ Cucumber curry

- Cucumber- big, 1
- Shrimps- 200 gms
- Panch Foran- 1 teaspoon(Special Bengali spice- equal proportion of
mustard, aniseed ,fenugreek seed, cumin seed and onion seeds mixed together)
- Bayleaf- 1
- Ginger- 1 inch, grated
- Salt to taste
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon

First peel the cucumber and cut it into round slices. Clean the shrimps and rub a bit of turmeric powder on them. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the Shrimps until golden yrllow. Now add the Bayleaf and the Panch Foran to the oil and wait until it sizzles. Add the Ginger paste, Cumin paste, Turmeric powder, salt and sugar to the sizzling oil. Now add the Cucumber pieces and cover the lid of the pan.Once the cucumbers are cooked it is done.

Serve it with hot rice and Dal.

Aloor Dom/ Potao Curry

- Cooking Oil- 3 tablespoon
- Mustard seeds- 1 tablespoon
- New season potatpes, small- 450 gms
- Dried red chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
- Coriander paste- ½ teaspoon
- Turmeric powder- ¼ teaspoon
- Salt- ½ teaspoon
- Coriander leaves- 3 bunches, finely chopped
- Lemon Juice- 1 teaspoon

Peel the potatoes. Boil water in a pan. Add the potatoes and cook them until they are tender. Heat the oil in a pan and add the Mustard seeds. Wait till it starts sizzling. Once it starts sizzling add the cooked potatoes and cook until they are brown. Now add the dried chilli powder, coriander paste, turmeric powder, salt and finely chopped coriander leaves. Reduce the heat and stirfry all the ingredients in the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan and pour the Aloor Dom in a serving plate and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the top of it. Its ready to serve.

Serve Aloor Dom with hot rice and dal or with Luchi and Parathas.

Chanar Dalna/ Paneer or Cottage Cheese curry

- Paneer or Cottage cheese- 300 gms
- Potatoes 150 gms
- Ginger paste- 25 gms
- Gheee- 2 tablespoon
- Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder- 2 teaspoons
- Bayleaves- 2
- Chilli powder- 2 teaspoons
- Peas- 1 cup
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Cooking Oil- 1 cup

Cut the Paneer/cottage cheese pieces into small cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into same cubic size as to those of the Paneer.
Heat ½ cup of oil in a pan and once the oil is ready slowly fry the paneer pieces unti they are brown on both the sides. Remove the Paneer pieces from the oil and add the potatoes. Stir the potatoes in the pan for about 5 minutes and then add the ginger paste, chilli powder, sugar and salt. Stir all the ingredients for another 5 minutes. Now pour some water (the water leve shoild be just over the potatoes) in the pan and reduce the heat. Cover the lid of the pan and wait until the potatoes are cooked. Once the potatoes are cooked add the peas and the Paneer pieces. Leave the pan for 5 more minutes and then remove it. It is done.

Serve Chanar Dalna with hot white rice or with rice and Dal.

Jhinge-Aloo Posto/ Drumsticks and potatoes cooked with Poppy seed paste

- Potatoes- 1 cup
- Jhinge/Drumsticks- 1 cup
- Onion- thinly sliced ½ cup
- Posto/Poppy seeds- paste, 4 tablespoons
- Green chilli- slited, 2
- Mustard oil/Cooking oil- 4 tablespoon
- Salt to taste

First peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Wash the potatoes and keep them aside. Peel and slice the Jhinge into long strips.
Heat the oil in a pan and add in the onion slices. Stir the onion until they are brown and tender. Now add the potatoes, Jhinge pieces salt and green chillies. Stir them thoroughly for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and cover the lid of the pan. Check to see if the potaoes are cooked. Once the potatoes are cooked add the Posto /Poppy seed paste and give a good stir. Leave it for 5 minutes and then remove it from the heat.

Seve posto with hot, white rice and Dal.

We, the bengalis love to use Mustard oil but you can actually use any cooking oil of your own choice.