Pratibha Kumari Singh offers a recipe for Ghanta Tarkari, a favourite sabzi cooked in her home in Rayagada, southeastern Odisha.
She says, "Ghanta Tarkari is a classic Odia preparation using a mix of seasonal vegetables, often cooked in large batches and shared with family and neighbours. It is commonly associated with festive occasions, but can be easily be enjoyed any time.
"The recipe relies on simple seasoning, allowing the natural flavours of the vegetables to stand out."
In this version of the rather tasty dish, she uses 14 vegetables, along with channa and sprouts, making it health and yumminess on a plate! It is eaten with freshly-made, hot chapattis or steamed rice.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Atudu/Wikimedia Commons
Odia-Style Ghanta Tarkari
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 cup cubed kadu or pumpkin
- 1 alu or potato, peeled, cut into cubes
- 50 gm seem or papri or flat beans
- 10–12 French beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 raw banana, peeled, cubed
- 1 mooli or radish, peeled, chopped
- 2 arbi or colocasia, peeled, cubed
- ½ cup suran or elephant yam, peeled, cubed
- 1 baingan or brinjal or eggplant, cubed
- 100 gm lauki or doodhi or bottle gourd, peeled, chopped
- 1 shalgam or turnip, peeled, cubed
- 4–5 kundru or tindli or ivy gourd
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- 2 parval or pointed gourd, each cut into 4 pieces
- ½ cup kala chana or small brown chickpeas, soaked
- ½ cup green mung sprouts, optional
- 2 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tej patta or bay leaf
- 1 tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- Water
- Salt to taste, about 2 tbsp
- 2–3 dry red chillies
- ½ tbsp roasted jeera or cumin powder
- ½ tbsp roasted red chilly powder
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp panch phoran or the traditional Bengali five-spice mix
- Handful fresh green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan or a kadhai over medium heat.
Add in all the vegetables, except the brinjal, tomatoes.
Add the turmeric powder, salt and about ½ cup water.
Mix, cover and cook over medium heat.
- When the vegetables are half cooked, add in the brinjal, tomatoes.
Stir gently, cover again and cook until all the vegetables are tender.
- In another large saucepan or a kadhai, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium heat.
Add the panch phoran, dried red chillies, bay leaf and allow the spices to splutter for a few seconds.
Next add the ginger paste and sauté with the spices until the raw smell disappears.
Add the cooked vegetables to this tempering.
Sprinkle in the roasted cumin powder, red chilly powder and mix well.
Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes more over low heat.
Take off heat and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with rotis or white rice.