Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

Sabzi of the Day - Flavours of India in Every Bite: Regional Veggie Specials

Let us take you to four different parts of India and introduce you to their regional veggie delicacies

India is one of the biggest countries in the world and also the most populated. Therefore, it is a land of rich diversity, be it in terms of communities and people or in terms of food. In fact, all the 28 states and eight union territories have their own cuisine, local language, art, tradition, and more. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the country and have a taste of the different foods people consume in all these states.

However, when it comes to draughting recipes in an article, 28 is a bit too much. Therefore, we have selected four regional recipes from four parts of India that you must begin with if you wish to explore Indian cuisine.

Shukto from West Bengal

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

  • Shojne data
  • Mishti alu (sweet potato)
  • Sheem (flat beans)
  • Brinjal
  • Korola (bitter gourd)
  • Potato
  • Kachkola (unripe bananas)
  • Kacha pepe (unripe papaya)
  • Dal'er bori (sundried lentil dumplings)
  • Water
  • Vegetable oil
  • Bay leaves
  • Panch phoron
  • Ginger paste
  • Sorshe bata (fresh ground mustard paste)
  • Coconut (grated)
  • Milk
  • Maida‍
  • Salt‍
  • Sugar‍
  • Ghee

Recipe

  • Start by cutting all the vegetables lengthwise.
  • Parboil the shojne data, pepe, sheem, sweet potato, and potato, whereas fry the brinjal, kachkola, and korola.
  • Next, in a pan, heat oil and fry the daal'er bori until golden and keep them aside.
  • In the same pan, heat oil again and temper paanch phoron and bay leaves.
  • Add ginger paste, mustard paste, and potatoes. Let them cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add all the vegetables along with the fried bori and let them rest.
  • In a bowl, create a thin mix of water and maida and add it to the pan.
  • Add salt and sugar to balance the flavour. Close the lid and let the vegetables get cooked.
  • End by adding a dollop of ghee and grated coconut on top before serving.

 

(Credit- Instagram/@ hyangla_bibi)

Sarson ka Saag from Punjab

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

  • Mustard Greens (sarson)
  • Chenopodium/Goosefoot leaves (bathua)
  • Spinach (palak)
  • White Radish Root and Greens (mooli)
  • Fenugreek leaves (methi)
  • Chopped onion
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Chopped garlic
  • Chopped ginger
  • Slit green chillies
  • Asafoetida
  • Salt
  • Maida
  • Ghee

Recipe

  • Start by rinsing all the types of leaves.
  • In a pressure cooker, add every ingredient except maida.
  • Let them all get boiled and cooked together in the pressure cooker.
  • Once done, let them cool down.
  • In a blender, pour everything from the pressure cooker.
  • Add maida in the blender and blend to create a smooth puree of sarson ka saag.
  • Now, in a pan, pour the purée and let it simmer.
  • In another pan, heat ghee and fry chopped onion, grated garlic, and ginger.
  • Pour the fried onion, garlic, and ginger into the pan of pureed sarson ka saag.
  • The dish is ready to be served with makke di roti or parathas.

 

(Credit- Instagram/@ sanjeevkapoor)

Phodshi Bhaji from Maharashtra

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • Chopped phodshi—a leafy vegetable found during monsoon
  • Soaked yellow moong daal
  • Chopped onion
  • Grated garlic
  • Cumin seeds
  • Turmeric powder
  • Red chilli powder
  • Salt
  • Goda masala (Maharashtrian spice mix)
  • Grated coconut
  • Oil

Recipe

  • In a pan, temper cumin seeds.
  • Add chopped onion and garlic.
  • Add phodshi and sauté.
  • Next, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and goda masala.
  • Add salt and the soaked moong daal and keep sautéing everything.
  • Close the lid if the dal is not cooked till then.
  • Finish by garnishing with grated coconut on the top.

(Credit- Youtube/@Vanita’s Corner)

Kela Upkari from the Bangalore-Mysore area

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • Banana
  • Small onions/shallots
  • Grated fresh coconut
  • Green chillies
  • Jeera/cumin seeds
  • Mustard seeds
  • Urad dal/split black lentils
  • Dry red chilli
  • Asafoetida
  • Curry leaves
  • Turmeric powder
  • Coconut
  • Coconut oil
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

  • Peel and cut the bananas into cubes.
  • In a blender, blend coconut, green chillies, and cumin seeds and make a paste.
  • In a pan, heat coconut oil and temper urad dal, mustard seeds, and dry red chillies with a ping of asafoetida.
  • Now add chopped onion, curry leaves, and turmeric.
  • Next, add coconut, green chillies, and cumin seeds paste.
  • Once everything is cooked, add the cubed bananas.
  • Add salt as per taste and close the lid. You can water if you feel water is required to get the bananas mushy.
  • Once done, add grated coconut, and the dish is ready to be consumed.

(Credit- Youtube/@ Kamaths Kitchen)

We hope these recipes will introduce you to the unique kitchens and cuisines of India, which are as diverse as India's 3.287 million km² geographical area.