Side dish

Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak| Chana Dal Kofta Curry

Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak is a lesser-known curry from the state of Gujarat. Deep-fried lentil balls are cooked in a tangy, spicy tomato gravy to create this very flavourful curry that makes for a great pair to rotis, parathas and pooris.

In today’s blog post, I am going to share with you all how to make delectable Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak at home. The proceedure is slightly elaborate, but not overly difficult either, and the end result is most definitely worth it!

Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak| Chana Dal Kofta Curry

A Closer Look At Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak

Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak is a sort of gravy-based kofta curry from Surat, the diamond city of Gujarat. Koftas – or deep-fried dumplings – made from chana dal are cooked in a spiced tomato-and-onion gravy. The end result is a very delicious curry, the koftas having absorbed the beautiful flavours of the gravy, becoming softer and succulent.

I got in touch with the immensely knowledgeable Urvi Zanzmera, blogger from Surat, for some insights on the Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak, and she was sweet enough to write back immediately. I gather that this dish is a specialty of the Khatri community of Surat, a class of merchants who are mostly meat-eaters. The vegetarian Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak was apparently created specifically for the non-meat-eaters – called ‘bhagats‘ – present at community gatherings like weddings, baby showers and other religious occasions.

While the basic feature of this dish remains the chana dal koftas cooked in gravy, variations to the recipe are often found. Some include potatoes, to thicken the gravy. Some include other vegetables like green peas, sweet corn kernels and purple yam – this latter version is called Veg Tapelu, a vegetarian substitute for the meat-based tapelu that is popularly made during Khatri get-togethers. Some others use soya chunks to make the koftas, to give them a texture similar to meatballs.

The recipe I am going to share today is adapted on the basis of Urvi’s insights on the Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak, as well as what I have read about the curry so far. It is a simple version, without the addition of vegetables like potatoes or yam, but every bit delicious and satisfying. I have made little tweaks here and there, to make the curry more appealing to my family, and they did love it to bits.

What Goes Into Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak – The Ingredients

Like I was saying earlier, this curry contains koftas or dumplings made from chana dal. Chana dal is first soaked, then ground in a mixer, flavoured with finely chopped onions, ginger and green chillies, spices like carom seeds (ajwain), and sesame seeds. I also like adding in a handful of fenugreek (methi) leaves, which elevate the taste of the koftas greatly. Some gram flour (besan) is used for binding purposes. This mixture is shaped into dumplings, which are deep-fried and then cooked in a tomato-based gravy that also contains onions, ginger and garlic.

I use a bit of garam masala and jaggery in the gravy and a tempering of cumin and carom seeds, to make it tastier, along with the more commonly used roasted coriander powder and roasted cumin powder (together called ‘dhana-jeeru‘ in Gujarati cuisine).

The Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak is served with a generous garnish of finely chopped coriander, alongside rotis, parathas or pooris.

How To Make Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak

Here is how I make the curry.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

For the koftas:

1. 3/4 cup chana dal

2. 1-1/2 green chillies

3. A 1-inch piece of ginger

4. Salt to taste

5. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

6. Red chilli powder to taste (optional)

7. About 1-1/2 tablespoons of gram flour or besan (optional)

8. 1/4 teaspoon carom (ajwain) seeds

9. 3/4 tablespoon sesame seeds

10. 1/2 tablespoon jaggery powder

11. A handful of fenugreek (methi) leaves

12. 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves

13. 1 large onion

14. Oil for deep frying the pakodas

Other ingredients:

1. 1 medium-sized onion

2. 4 medium-sized tomatoes

3. A 1-inch piece of ginger

4. 4-5 cloves of garlic

5. 3/4 tablespoon oil

6. 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

7. 1/4 teaspoon carom (ajwain) seeds

8. 2 pinches of asafoetida

9. 1 medium-sized onion

10. Salt to taste

11. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

11. Red chilli powder to taste

12. 3/4 teaspoon roasted coriander powder

13. 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder

14. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

15. 1/2 tablespoon jaggery powder (optional)

16. 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Top left and right: Steps 1 and 2, Right column, centre and bottom: Steps 3 and 4, Left column, bottom: Step 5

We will start by preparing the batter for the koftas.

1. Soak the chana dal in enough water for 2-3 hours. Then, drain out all the water from it.

2. Take the soaked and drained chana dal in a mixer jar. Peel the ginger, chop roughly, and add to the mixer jar. Chop the green chillies roughly and add them in too. Grind everything together coarsely, without adding any water. Transfer this ground mixture to a large mixing bowl.

3. Add salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder (if using), gram flour, sesame seeds, carom seeds and jaggery powder.

4. Chop the methi greens and coriander finely. Add to the mixing bowl.

5. Chop the onion finely. Add to the mixing bowl. Mix everything well together. We will use this batter to prepare the koftas.

Top left: Step 7, Right column, top and centre: Step 8, Bottom left and right: Step 9

Next, we will prepare the koftas and also do some basic prep required for the sabzi.

6. Heat oil for deep-frying in a heavy-bottomed pan. Let it get nice and hot.

7. In the meantime, peel the onion required for the sabzi. Chop finely.

8. Chop the tomatoes into large pieces and add them to a mixer jar. Peel the garlic cloves and add them in too. Peel the ginger, chop roughly, and add in as well. Grind everything together to a smooth puree.

9. When the oil is nicely hot, reduce flame to medium. Drop in small blobs of the batter we prepared earlier into it, a few at a time. Deep fry them evenly on all sides, till they are brown on the outside and well done on the inside. Take care to ensure that the blobs do not burn while frying. When done, drain out the oil and transfer them to a plate. Use all the batter to fry koftas in a similar manner. Keep aside.

Top left and right: Steps 10 and 11, Centre left and right: Step 12, Bottom left and right: Step 13

Now, we will prepare the Chana Dal Kofta Curry.

10. Heat 3/4 tablespoon oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add in the cumin and carom seeds, as well as the asafoetida. Let them stay in for a few seconds, without burning them. Turn the flame down to medium now.

11. Add the finely chopped onions to the pan. Saute on medium flame for 4-5 minutes or till they start turning brown.

12. Add the tomato puree to the pan, along with a little salt, red chilli powder to taste and turmeric powder. Mix well. Cook on medium flame for 6-7 minutes or till the raw smell of the tomatoes goes away completely. You may add a splash of water if you think the puree is getting too thick.

13. Once the puree has thickened and cooked well, add in the jaggery powder, along with 3/4th to 1 cup of water or as needed to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Mix well.

Top left: The gravy for the curry is ready, Bottom left: Step 14, Right column, top and centre: Step 15, Bottom right: Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak, ready to serve

14. Add the roasted coriander and cumin powder to the pan, as well as the garam masala. Also add in the deep-fried koftas we prepared earlier. Mix gently. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

15. Cook on medium flame for 6-7 minutes or till the gravy has thickened and the kofta have absorbed the flavours from it. You will need to stir intermittently, gently. Switch off gas when the gravy has thickened up, but is still on the runnier side – it will thicken up quite a bit upon cooling.

16. Garnish with finely chopped coriander. Your Bhagat Muthiya Nu Shaak is ready. Leave it undisturbed for 15-20 minutes for the flavours of the gravy to seep into the kofta even better. The shaak is now ready to serve along with rotis or plain parathas.

Tips & Tricks

  1. Adjust the quantity of green chillies, red chilli powder, jaggery powder, garam masala, roasted coriander and cumin powder, and salt as per personal taste preferences.
  2. Adjust the quantity of water you use, depending upon the consistency of the gravy you require. Remember that the gravy will thicken up quite a bit upon cooling.
  3. It is optional to use gram flour (besan). You can add some if your lentil mixture has turned out a tad watery and you are not able to shape koftas out of it. You can totally skip it if not required.
  4. The onion and garlic in this recipe can be easily skipped, if you do not prefer using them.
  5. A little bit of jaggery is added to the gravy, to balance out the other flavours. It does not make the gravy too sweet, but in fact, accentuates the other flavours. I would definitely not suggest skipping it.
  6. Make sure the lentil balls do not break while mixing the gravy. Stir gently while cooking.
  7. Traditionally, some potatoes are also added to the gravy, along with the chana dal koftas. I have not used potatoes, here – I prefer making this sabzi without potatoes.
  8. I have pureed the tomatoes, ginger and garlic for the gravy, and have used finely chopped onion. You could puree the onion too, along with the rest of the ingredients for the gravy. Alternatively, you could use finely chopped tomatoes, ginger and garlic in the gravy, along with the onions.
  9. You can add a few cashewnuts while pureeing the tomatoes, ginger and garlic. This will make the gravy richer, thicker and more flavourful. I have not used any here – the kotfas cooking in the gravy is enough to thicken it.
  10. It is not customary to add onions and fenugreek (methi) greens to the koftas. I have used them to make the koftas more flavourful.
  11. I have used home-made roasted coriander and cumin powder here. I make these blends in small batches and keep a ready stock of them in dry air-tight bottles to use as needed. To make the roasted coriander powder – dry roast a handful of coriander (dhania) seeds in a pan on medium heat, for 4-5 minutes or till fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Transfer to a plate, let the seeds cool down completely, then grind to a slightly coarse powder. The technique for making the roasted cumin (jeera) powder is the same – just substitute the coriander seeds for cumin.
  12. If you have the Gujarati spice blend called dhana-jeeru, you could use it instead of the roasted coriander and cumin powder. Dhana-jiru is a mix of cumin and coriander seed powder, commonly prepared in Gujarati households, easily available in stores in Gujarat too.
  13. Make sure the chana dal koftas are completely cooked before adding them to the gravy. Fry them in appropriately hot oil, at medium heat, to ensure that they cook evenly.
  14. This is a completely vegetarian and vegan dish, suited to people following a plant-based diet. If you want to make it gluten-free, skip the asafoetida used in the tempering. Most commercially available brands of asafoetida in India do contain wheat flour, so are best avoided when one is following a gluten-free diet. However, if you can find 100% gluten-free asafoetida, you can definitely use it.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

Vegetable Stew For Appam| Kerala Veg Stew Recipe

Vegetable Stew is a flavourful curry from the state of Kerala, an assortment of vegetables cooked in a coconut milk gravy. Stew, ‘Ishtoo‘ as it is popularly called in Kerala, is typically eaten with appam or idiyappam, but I think it also makes for a great accompaniment for dosa, ghee rice and roti.

I love how subtle and delicate well-made Kerala Veg Stew is, creamy but not overwhelmingly so, spiced just right so as to keep you intrigued but not make you sweat with the heat. It is a very simple dish at heart, though.

Let me take you through the Kerala Veg Stew recipe in today’s post, the way we make it at home.

Delicious Vegetable Stew for appam

What Do You Need To Make Vegetable Stew?

Kerala Veg Stew is wholesome in that it contains a lot of vegetables. I have seen stew being made only vegetables like carrot, beans, onion, potatoes, cauliflower and green peas. I prefer only these vegetables in stew, too. You can work with the vegetables you have in hand in your refrigerator, fresh or frozen. Do not use vegetables like brinjal or pumpkin, which get mushy when cooked. Green chillies, curry leaves and ginger are used for flavour.

The next important constituent in Vegetable Stew is coconut milk. You need thick coconut milk, diluted with some water. For the sake of convenience, I use store-bought coconut milk, but you can make your own at home as well. In fact, you can prepare the coconut milk a day in advance and keep it refrigerated, so the making of vegetable stew is a breeze the next day.

The use of coconut oil is a must in the making of Vegetable Stew. It gives the dish the authentic Kerala flavour and fragrance. Make sure you use good-quality food-grade coconut oil, virgin and organic would be best.

We temper the stew using just a few whole spices – cinnamon, green cardamom and cloves. Go easy on these spices, as using too much can overpower the dish. A hint of black pepper powder – or fresh coarsely crushed black pepper – is also used.

Apart from seasoning with salt, we also use a bit of sugar in Vegetable Stew. This gives a mild sweetness to the stew, rounding off the other flavours very nicely. I would highly recommend not giving the sugar a miss – it’s used in a very small quantity anyway.

Kerala Veg Stew Recipe

Here is how to make the stew.

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

Vegetables:

  1. 1 small onion
  2. 1 small carrot
  3. 7-8 beans
  4. 1 medium-sized potato
  5. 1/2 cup shelled green peas
  6. 2-3 large florets of cauliflower
  7. A 1-inch piece of ginger
  8. 2 green chillies
  9. A sprig of curry leaves

Other ingredients:

  1. 3/4 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil
  2. A small piece of cinnamon
  3. 2 green cardamom
  4. 2 cloves
  5. Salt to taste
  6. 250 ml thick coconut milk
  7. 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  8. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

Method:

Top left: Step 1, Top centre and right: Step 2, Below top right, bottom right, centre and left: Step 3

1. Firstly, prep all the vegetables. Peel the carrot, potato, ginger and onion, and chop finely. Keep the potatoes submerged in water till you start cooking the stew, to stop them from blackening. Remove the strings from the beans, chop off the tops and ends, and chop finely. Chop the cauliflower florets into smaller pieces. Cut the green chillies into halves. Keep the curry leaves and shelled green peas ready.

2. Now, we will start preparing the Vegetable Stew. Heat 3/4 tablespoon of coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add in the cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom. Let them stay in the hot oil for a couple of seconds. Then, add in the curry leaves, chopped onion and ginger. Reduce the flame to medium. Saute on medium flame for 2-3 minutes, or till the onion starts browning.

3. Add the chopped carrot, potato (drained), cauliflower, beans and green peas, along with the cut green chillies. Add a little salt and about 1/2 cup of water. Mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes or till the vegetables are cooked through. Uncover the pan intermittently to stir, and top up the water if you feel the vegetables are drying out. Remember not to overcook the vegetables – you need to ensure that they are just done.

Top left and centre: Step 4, Top right and below: Step 5, Bottom right and centre: Steps 6 and 7, Bottom left: Step 8

4. At this stage, add in the thick coconut milk to the pan, along with about 1 cup of water.

5. Add salt and sugar to taste. Mix well.

6. Cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or till the mixture starts bubbling.

7. Add in the black pepper powder at this stage. Mix well. Reduce the flame further down to low. Simmer the mixture for about 2 minutes, then switch off gas.

8. Mix in 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Your Vegetable Stew is ready. Serve it warm, with appam, idli, dosa or idiyappam.

Vegan & Gluten-Free

This recipe is completely vegetarian and vegan. It is suitable for people following a plant-based diet.

It is gluten-free as well.

Other Recipes From The Kerala Cuisine

I have quite a few other recipes from the Kerala cuisine on my blog already. Do check out my posts on:

Tips & Tricks

1. I have used readymade coconut milk from a brand called Real Thai (not sponsored). You can make your own at home too.

2. Adjust the quantity of water you use, depending upon the consistency of the stew you require. Ideally, the stew should be runny, neither overly watery nor too thick.

3. Adjust the quantity of green chillies and black pepper, depending upon how spicy you want the stew to be. You can skip the black pepper powder completely, too, if you do not prefer using it. I have dry roasted the black pepper lightly, then powdered it slightly coarsely. We prefer the stew subtle and mildly spiced, so I use a small amount of both.

4. Chop all the vegetables in the same size, so that they cook evenly. The vegetables should be cooked through, but not overly mushy.

5. Use virgin coconut oil that is entirely natural and does not contain any additives. I usually prefer the virgin coconut oil from Akshayakalpa or Svasthya Organics.

6. You add salt twice in this dish. Be careful, to ensure that you do not over-salt the stew.

7. You may add a garnish of finely chopped coriander to the Vegetable Stew. We usually don’t.

8. Some people add cashewnuts to the stew too. We don’t. If you want to use them, soak about 10 whole nuts in enough hot water for 15-20 minutes, then drain them and add them to the pan along with the vegetables.

9. Finely chopped garlic can be added to the stew too. If using it, add it in along with the onions. I do not like adding garlic to stew.

10. Do not hesitate to add the sugar. It gives a mild sweetish taste to the stew which, as per me, is the trademark of the dish. It also rounds off the other flavours really well.

11. You can add other spices to the stew too – like star anise and bay leaves. Add them in along with the green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. We usually prefer using just these 3 spices.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

Beetroot Thogayal| South Indian Beetroot Chutney

Are you on the look-out for a unique side for your tiffin dishes? Well, your search ends here! Here’s presenting the very beautiful and extremely delicious Beetroot Thogayal, a South Indian-style chutney made using beetroot.

This chutney is a great way to consume beets, which are well-known for the various health benefits they offer. The beetroot gives it an irresistible, pretty pink colour that will appeal to kids and adults alike. My little daughter fell in love with the colour the first time I made this chutney, and gradually started loving the taste as well. It is, now, a regular feature on our dining table – it goes well with rice and roti, idli and dosa alike .

Let me share with you all how I prepare Beetroot Thogayal. Do try out the recipe, and share your feedback! It’s a super-easy thing to make.

Beautiful Beetroot Thogayal is ready!

Ingredients Used To Make Beetroot Thogayal

Beetroot is the major ingredient in this recipe, which is steamed before grinding. Freshly grated coconut as well as roasted chana dal, urad dal and dry red chillies are used to add bulk to the chutney and to add flavour.

Tamarind is used to add a beautiful sour taste to the chutney, while jaggery adds a light sweet tinge to it.

A simple tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida is used in this chutney.

Beetroot Thogayal Recipe

The detailed proceedure follows:

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

To roast together:

1. 1/2 teaspoon of oil

4. 1 tablespoon chana dal

5. 3/4 tablespoon urad dal

6. 4-5 dry red chillies, or to taste

Other ingredients:

1. 1 medium-sized beetroot, about 1/2 cup when peeled and chopped

2. A small ball of tamarind, or to taste

3. 3/4 tablespoon of oil

7. Salt to taste

8. 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut

9. 1/2 tablespoon jaggery powder

For the tempering:

1. 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

2. 2 pinches of asafoetida

3. A sprig of fresh curry leaves

Method:

Left column, top and bottom: Steps 1 and 2, Right column, top: Step 3, Right column, centre and bottom: Steps 4 and 5

1. We will start by peeling the beetroot and chopping it into small cubes.

2. Steam the cubes for 8-10 minutes or till they are cooked through.

3. In the meantime, soak the tamarind in some hot water, for it to soften. Allow it to cool down enough to handle.

4. Now, we will roast together the ingredients needed for the thogayal. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a pan, and add in the chana dal, urad dal and dry red chillies (broken up roughly). Turn the flame down to medium. Roast these ingredients on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or till the lentils start browning, taking care to ensure they do not burn. Switch off gas when done.

5. Transfer the roasted ingredients to a plate. Allow them to cool down completely.

Left column, top: Step 6, Right column, top, centre and bottom: Step 7, Left column, bottom: Step 8

6. When the beetroot has steamed, transfer it to a plate too. Allow it to cool down fully.

7. When the roasted ingredients, the tamarind and the steamed beetroot have cooled down completely, transfer all of these into a mixer jar. Add in the water you used to soak the tamarind, along with some more water as needed for grinding. Add in the fresh grated coconut, salt to taste and the jaggery powder. Grind everything together to a mostly smooth, slightly coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a serving bowl.

8. Lastly, we will prepare the tempering. Heat 3/4 tablespoon of oil in a small tempering pan. Add in the mustard seeds, and allow them to sputter. Add in the asafoetida and curry leaves, and let them stay in for a few seconds, without burning. Switch off gas and add this tempering on top of the chutney in the serving bowl. Your Beetroot Thogayal is now ready to eat, alongside rice, roti, idli, dosa, upma etc.

Vegan, But Not Gluten-Free

This is a completely vegetarian and vegan recipe, suited to those following a plant-based diet.

To make this recipe gluten-free, simply skip the asafoetida used herein. Most commercially available Indian brands of asafoetida contain wheat flour, and should be avoided while following a gluten-free diet. However, if you can find 100% gluten-free asafoetida, do go ahead and use it.

Tips & Tricks

1. Adjust the quantity of salt, tamarind and dry red chillies as per personal taste preferences.

2. You may skip the jaggery if you do not prefer using it. However, personally, I think it adds a lovely touch to the Beetroot Thogayal. I have used store-bought jaggery powder here.

3. I have used a mix of the not-too-spicy Bydagi dry red chillies and the hot Salem Gundu dry red chillies, here.

4. Make sure the roasted ingredients do not get burnt. This might alter the taste of the thogayal.

5. You can add in about 2 tablespoons of peanuts or about 10 cashewnuts in place of the lentils. Just dry roast them gently, let them cool down fully, and add them in while grinding.

6. Make sure the beetroot cubes are completely cooked, before using them to make the thogayal.

7. Adjust the amount of water you use, depending upon how thick you want the thogayal to be. Make use of the water you soaked the tamarind in, too. Ideally, the thogayal should be thick and not too runny or watery.

8. Any leftover Beetroot Thogayal can be kept refrigerated in a dry, air-tight box and used within 2-3 days, for best results.

9. Here, I have used a vegetable steamer to cook the beetroot. You can do the same in a pressure cooker or pan as well.

10. Sesame oil or coconut oil works best in the making of this Beetroot Thogayal.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

Pineapple & Chickpea Salad

This Pineapple & Chickpea Salad is a delightful treat to the tastebuds. It is fresh and juicy, fruity and filled with flavours – sweet and tangy and spicy and salty. With the chickpeas going in, it is a protein-packed salad that can double up as a light lunch as well.

It is quite an easy task to put together this Pineapple & Chickpea Salad, too. My family loves it, and I make it whenever I can get my hands on some ripe, sweet pineapple. There are just a few, fresh ingredients that go into it, and absolutely nothing processed. Let’s see how to go about preparing this salad, in today’s post.

Delicious Pineapple & Chickpea Salad is ready!

Pineapple & Chickpea Salad – Ingredients Used

Pineapple and chickpeas are the major ingredients here. You need to use a pineapple that is fresh and juicy, ripe but not overly so, the right blend of sweet and tangy. Peel and cut it up into slices, remove the core and thorns, and chop into bite-sized pieces, for the salad. Chickpeas here are kabuli chana, also called ‘garbanzo beans’, quite commonly available in India, and used in dishes like Chana Masala and Sundal.

I have also used a few veggies here, to make the salad more substantial and nutritious – cucumber, onion and carrot. For best results, use a fresh ‘seedless’ cucumber – popularly known as ‘English cucumber’ – chopped up finely. I have used the orange Ooty carrot here, grated, but the juicy, red and sweet carrots that are popularly called ‘Delhi carrots’ would taste much better. As for the onion, I used a red one, finely chopped up.

Some green chilli and fresh coriander go into this salad, finely chopped. Apart from salt, lemon juice and honey have been used for flavouring (scroll further down this post for vegan substitutes). If you are using honey, make sure you get a good-quality, unadulterated one.

How To Make Pineapple & Chickpea Salad

Here’s how to put together the salad.

Ingredients (serves 2):

  1. 1/3 cup chickpeas (kabuli chana)
  2. 1/2 of a small pineapple
  3. 1 small onion
  4. 1 small carrot
  5. 1/2 of a medium-sized cucumber
  6. 1 green chilli or as per taste
  7. 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
  8. Salt to taste
  9. Juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste
  10. About 1 tablespoon honey or to taste

Method:

Top left: Step 2, Top right: Step 3, Bottom right: Step 4, Bottom left: Step 5

1. Rinse the chickpeas well. Then, soak them for 8-10 hours or overnight in enough water to cover them completely.

2. When the chickpeas are done soaking, drain out the water from them. Transfer the chickpeas to a wide vessel, and add in enough fresh water to cover them. Place the vessel in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 5 whistles or till the chickpeas are cooked. Let the pressure release naturally.

3. Once the pressure has gone down completely, remove the cooked chickpeas from it. Drain out the water – reserve it for use in soups, rasam, etc. Let the drained cooked chickpeas cool down fully.

4. Transfer the cooled cooked chickpeas to a large mixing bowl. Chop up the pineapple, remove the thorns, and add to the mixing bowl. Peel and grate the carrot, and add to the bowl too. Chop up the cucumber and onion finely, and add these to the mixing bowl as well.

5. Chop the green chilli very finely, and add it to the mixing bowl. Add the finely chopped coriander to the mixing bowl too.

Top left: Step 6, Top right: Step 7, Bottom right: Step 8, Bottom left: Step 9

6. Add in salt to taste.

7. Add in the lemon juice.

8. Add in the honey.

9. Mix everything well together. Your Pineapple & Chickpea Salad is ready. Serve immediately.

Other Salad Recipes On My Blog

There are quite a few salad recipes already on the blog. Do check out these:

Can This Salad Be Made Vegan?

This Pineapple & Chickpea Salad recipe is completely vegetarian and gluten-free. However, it is not vegan (plant-based) due to the use of honey.

You can use maple syrup instead of honey, to make the salad vegan. Jaggery powder or coconut sugar would be great substitutes too.

Tips & Tricks

  1. For best results, use a ripe pineapple that is a good mix of sweet and sour. However, it should not be overly ripe.
  2. Adjust the quantity of salt, lemon juice, honey and green chillies as per personal taste preferences.
  3. This salad is best consumed immediately after preparation.
  4. Make sure the chickpeas are cooked well. They need to be cooked through, but not overly mushy.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

Mishti Kumro Bhorta| Bengali Pumpkin Mash

Mishti Kumro Bhorta refers to mashed pumpkin curry, made the Bengali way. This is an utterly flavourful dish, full of robust tastes, and makes for an excellent side to rotis. It can also be had mixed with plain rice which, I understand, is the way Bengalis typically like eating it. My family and I love having this bhorta with rice and a simple dal tadka.

Mishti Kumro Bhorta, or Bengali Pumpkin Mash

I used to have a cook from Odisha earlier, a guy who was well-versed with Bengali cooking. He would cook us a bit of Bengali food every now and then, and this Mishti Kumro Bhorta was one of the things he introduced us to. As an aside, I love how the Bengalis make bhorta (mash) using every conceivable vegetable, much as we South Indians make chutneys!

I loved the Mishti Kumro Bhorta to bits the first time I had it, and our cook was sweet enough to roughly outline the recipe for me. Let me share with you all today how to put together this beautiful, flavoursome dish – it is quite an easy thing to make.

What Goes Into Mishti Kumro Bharta

‘Mishti Kumro Bharta‘ (Bengali) literally translates to ‘sweet pumpkin mash’. It is traditionally made using the sweetish red pumpkin, in place of which I have used butternut squash. I find butternut squash to be much more sweeter, flavourful and easier to cook than the regular Indian red pumpkin, and use it in several Indian dishes. Do check out this post where I have made South Indian style Parangikkai Poriyal with butternut squash – I have also described in this post, in detail, how to cut and use a butternut squash. I have also used butternut squash with great success in Avial, Mathan Erissery, Pumpkin Halwa and Parangikkai Rasavangi.

Apart from the squash, onion and a generous amount of garlic goes into the bhorta too. The usual suspects like salt and turmeric powder go in too, along with a little bit of sugar and red chilli powder. A dash of lemon juice is also used to flavour the dish.

A few spoons of mustard oil go into this Mishti Kumro Bhorta too, which is what gives the dish an authentic Bengali flavour.

Once done, the bhorta is garnished with a generous amount of finely chopped coriander.

How To Make Mishti Kumro Bhorta

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

  1. A medium-sized butternut squash, 3 cups when peeled and chopped
  2. About 4 tablespoons of mustard oil
  3. 1 medium-sized onion
  4. 6-7 cloves of garlic
  5. Salt to taste
  6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  7. Red chilli powder to taste
  8. 1/2 tablespoon sugar or to taste
  9. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
  10. A generous dash of lemon juice

Method:

Top left and centre: Steps 1 and 2, Top right and bottom left: Step 3, Bottom centre and right: Steps 4 and 5

1. Remove the top of the butternut squash and cut it in half. Remove the peel, the strings and seeds. Do not discard the strings and seeds – they can be used in a chutney later (will share the recipe for the same some other time).

2. Chop up the peeled and de-seeded butternut squash into cubes. Keep ready.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of mustard oil in a pan. Add in the butternut squash, along with the turmeric powder and a little salt. Add a splash of water, and turn the flame down to medium. Cook covered on medium flame till the squash is cooked through. This should take 7-8 minutes. You will need to uncover the pan intermittently, and splash some more water if the pan has got very dry. It is okay if the squash gets some charred, brown bits while cooking – this greatly adds to the flavour of the bhorta.

4. While the squash is cooking, peel the garlic cloves. Smash them roughly, using a mortar and pestle. Keep ready.

5. Peel the onion and chop finely. Keep ready.

Top left: Step 6, Top right and centre left: Step 7, Centre right: Step 8, Bottom left and right: Step 9

6. When the squash is cooked, transfer it to a plate.

7. Heat about 3/4 tablespoon mustard oil in the same pan. Add in the smashed garlic cloves. Saute on medium heat for about a minute, then add in the chopped onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or till the onions start browning.

8. At this stage, turn the flame down to low, and add the cooked squash cubes back into the pan.

9. Add salt to taste, red chilli powder and sugar.

Top left: Step 9, Top right: Step 10, Centre left and right: Step 11, Bottom left: Step 12, Bottom right: Mishti Kumro Bhorta, ready to serve

10. Cook on low flame for about 2 minutes, mixing the ingredients together and mashing them up with the back of the ladle. Switch off gas when done.

11. Add in the finely chopped coriander and lemon juice. Mix well.

12. Add about a tablespoon of mustard oil, raw. Mix well. Your Mishti Kumro Bharta is ready. Serve it warm with rotis or rice. We like having it with rice and simple dal tadka.

Vegan And Gluten-Free

This recipe for Mishti Kumro Bhorta is entirely vegetarian and vegan. It is suitable for people following a plant-based diet.

This is a completely gluten-free recipe as well.

Tips & Tricks

  1. Make sure the butternut squash is well cooked. You should be easily able to mash a cube of the cooked vegetable between your fingers.
  2. Mustard oil is a must in this recipe. It is what gives this bhorta an authentic Bengali touch. For best results, use kacchi ghani mustard oil. However, if you don’t like the pungency of mustard oil or do not have it, you can use any other oil instead.
  3. A tempering of panch phoron (a mix of the five spices – cumin, mustard, fennel, nigella seeds and fenugreek – that is quite common in Bengali dishes) can be used in the bhorta too. I usually don’t, and neither do I use asafoetida to temper this bhorta.
  4. The onions do not have to be completely cooked. You can cook them till slightly done and crunchy and add them to the bhorta. Alternatively, you can add in the onions raw as well.
  5. Jaggery powder can be used in place of the sugar that I have used here. However, that might alter the colour of the final dish. Adjust the quantity as per personal taste preferences. You may also skip the sugar/jaggery if you feel the natural sweetness of the butternut squash is enough.
  6. You may use dry red chillies or green chillies in place of the red chilli powder I have used here. Adjust the quantity as per personal taste preferences.
  7. The lemon juice is optional. You can avoid it if you don’t prefer it. However, personally, I would highly recommend adding a dash of lemon juice. It adds a beautiful flavour to the bhorta.
  8. I have used a butternut squash here, which I bought at Namdhari’s Fresh (not sponsored). In case you cannot find butternut squash, you can use the regular Indian red pumpkin (which is what is traditionally used in this bhorta) . Butternut squash tastes sweeter and much more flavourful than red pumpkin, though.
  9. As mentioned above, do not discard the fibre and seeds from the butternut squash. They can be used to make a chutney.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!