Peyanjkolir Tarkar and Kumro Chenchki, two simple winter vegetable curry

This is going to be a very short post. With so much going on in my life and a bursting at the seam kinda draft folder. Till a few weeks back i was cooking, Clicking and eating on regular basis. and am still doing the cooking and eating part but just cannot manage more time to write, edit and post. So here i am now, trying to post two quick cooking recipes with Winter vegetables. Kinds trying to push them out before they completely disappear from the market.

Peyanjkoli or Onion flower stalk is considered to be a delicacy for Bengalis in winter. More often than not a meal would  include a simple stir fry of potato and these slightly chewy stalks flavoured with nigella seeds and green chilies. The recipe I am sharing here is slightly different and uses tomato, onion and new potatoes to make it more wholesome. The recipe is by the renowned cookbook authour Minakshie Dasgupta. One fine winter afternoon I tried this recipe and now it will stay with me the rest of my life.

The Kumro Alu chenchki is a more traditional one. Most winter weekends will start with a breakfast of hate gara ruti or handmade skillet flatbread (unleavened) and this simple stir fry of Mishti kumro (sweet pumpkin) and new potatoes. The beauty of this dish is the juice of the vegetables that slowly caramelises to a eautiful sweet consistency.

Both dishes are simple to cook and comforting with a very clean flavour and taste. Try these today before the winter bounties disappear for another year.

Notun Alu peyanjkoli Torkari (New potato, onion flower stalk curry)

Ingredients:

New potato: 1 cup (sliced in half moon shape)

Onion flower stalk: 11/2 cup (cut in 1" pieces)

Tomato: 2 medium

Onion: 1 large

Panchforon: 1/2 tsp

Gree chillies: 2

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt

Turmeric.

Method:

Peel and slice the onion in half moon shape.

Heat oil and add the panchforon and slited green chilies. Once it starts to splutter add the onion. Saute for a minute and then add the peyanjkoli and potato. Sprinkle salt and turmeric and mix. Cook covered on medium for 4-5 minutes and then add the tomatoes.Mix ans sprinkle more salt if needed. Cover.

Once the tomato is soft stir it carefully to mix everything together so that the tomato gravy coats the veggies. cook for a minute and then serve hot with roti or rice.

Kumro alur Chenchki (pumpkin and new potato stir fry)

Ingredients:

Sweet pumpkin: 250 gms

Potato preferebly new potatoes: 2 medium

Ginger: 1" piece

Panchforon: 1/2 tsp

Dry red chilly: 2

salt

Turmeric

Oil: 1 tbsp (preferably mustard oil)

pinch of sugar

Method:

Peel and cut the potato and pumpkin in matchstick shape. See the picture for reference.

Peel and pound the ginger and keep aside.

Heat oil and add the panchforon and red chillies. When they start to splutter add the veggies. Sprinkle salt, little turmeric and the pounded ginger. Mix and cover. Let it cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Mix again and cook till they are soft and cooked through. Add the sugar and adjust the seasoning. At the end of your cooking time, the pumpkin should almost start to fall apart.

The dish will be little sweet but as ripe pumpkins are quite sweet in themselves, do not add the sugar at the very beginning. Once the juice of the veggies caramelises the sweetness intensity gets increased. Add sugar at the very end and make sure to cook it for another minute or so to melt the sugar and get an uniform taste.

Serve hot with Roti or Luchi.