Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 4 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon yogurt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red chilli
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan
2. Add the whole dried chili and fry for about 2 minutes
3. Add the cumin and mustard sees until they start to sputter (about 2 minutes)
4. Add the potatoes, salt, chili powder, turmeric, yogurt,  and salt
5. Stir and cook over low heat until potatoes are done (about 15 minutes)

You can use mustard oil for added flavor. You can also add chopped green chilies for the extra bite and fragrance.

Fried Bottle Gourd Peel

Ingredients

1 cup peels from bottlegourd1/4 tsp nigella1 tbsp mustard paste1-2 dry red chilli peppers1/2  tsp turmeric powder/paste1 tbsp mustard pastesalt to taste

Steps

• Add the peels, salt and 1/4 of the turmeric into a pot of boling water
• Boil for 10-15 minutes
• Drain and set aside
• Heat the oil over high heat in a pan
• Add the nigella and dr chilis and let splutter for a few minutes
• Add in the boiled peels and fry for 3-4 minutes
• Add the remaining turmeric and cook additional 10 minutes, stirring occassionally
• Add mustard paste and salt to taste
• Stir and cook until the peels are tender

Tomato Begun - Eggplant with tomato

Ingredients

• 1 medium to large eggplant (cut to 1/2 inch cubes)
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp nigella (kalojira) seeds
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 1-2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 – 1 tsp chili powder
• Salt to taste
• Small bunch of cilantro, julienned

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium to high heat
2. Add in the cumin, fennel, nigella and fennel seeds, stir fry until the seeds starts to splutter
3. Add in egg plant and tomato and stir fry8-10 minutes until the eggplant starts to soften
4. Add in the rest of spices and salt and stiry fry an additional 10 minutes or until the eggplant is completely cooked
5. Mix in the cilantro just before serving

Lau Bhaji - Gourd Bhaji

Ingredients

• 1 medium lau or bottle gourd
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies, slit into halves lengthwise
• 1 inch finely chopped  fresh ginger
• 1 clove of finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 tspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 tspoon coriander powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/4 cilantro finely choppes
• salt to taste

Steps

1. Peel and then slice the gourd into very thin slices
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan
3. When hot, add the cumin seeds and the green chillies, until the seeds start to splutter
4. Add the  in the ginger and stir fry for a minute or two
5. Add the gourd, give it  a stir and then cook covered over medium head for about 5 minutes
6. Add turmeric  powder, coriander  powder, salt and 1/4 cup of water and mix everything up
7. Cook another 5 minutes or until the gourd is tender
8. Add he chopped cilantro and serve

Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• I medium sized acorn squash
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon panch phoron
• 1 dried red chili
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic (or 1-2 cloves fresh chopped garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Steps

Ready to get going

• Peel the squash, and chop into 1 to 1/2 inch cubes (discard the seeds and innards!)
• Heat the ghee in a pan over medium heat
• When hot, add in the panch phoron, dried red chili and the bay leaf.
• Stir fry until the seeds start to pop
• Add in the squash and stir fry until every piece is coated with the ghee and spices
• Turn of the heat to high
• Add in the remainder of the spices and stir fry an additional 5 minutes
• Turn the heat to medium
• Add a 1/2 cup water and cook covered for another 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Chichinga Bhaji

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 tsp kalojira (nigella)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 or 2 dried red chili
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 medium Zucchini, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1 medium bay leaf
• 1/4 cup yogurt

Steps

1. Heat the oil ina  pan over medium high heat
2. Add the nigella and cumin seeds and fry for 1 minute
3. Add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.
4. Increase heat to high and add in the Zucchini and the remaining ingredients except for the yogurt
5. Stir fry for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to medium
6. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until Zucchini is cooked (15-20 minutes)
7. Add in the yogurt and stir fry for 5 minutes

As usual for a Bengalil dish, panch phoron plays a major role in this very simple recipe.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp panch phoron
• 1 small cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup yogurt

Steps

• In a large pan, heat the oil until nearly smoking.
• Add the panch phoron and stir while it splutters
• Add in the chopped onion and garlic and stir fry until golden
• Add cauliflower. Stir for a few minutes.
• Add in the salt, sugar, turmeric, and yogurt and stir until the spices coat the cauliflower
• Cover and cook over medium heat until tender (7-8 minutes)

If there is rice to be had, there will have to be an accompaniment of vegetables in Bangladeshi meals – often leafy greens that grow so plentifully in the verdant country side. Spinach is fairly common and this recipe I present is a simple yet delicious way to prepare spinach.

You can use the same recipe with chard, Indian spinach (pui shaak) and other leafy vegetables that cook and soften quickly.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chopped spinach
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paanch phoron
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1-2 dried red chilis
• 1/4 cup, very thinly sliced onions
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Steps

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat
• Drop in the dried red chilis and fry for a minute
• Add the onions and fry until translucent
• Add in the garlic and paanh phoron, stir frying until the spices start to splutter
• Add in the spinach, salt, pepper and stir thoroughly so that the spices coat all the leaves
• As soon as all the spinach has wilted, cover and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until done