Kopi Chechki (Stir-fried Cauliflower and vegetables)

This stir-fry is my mother-in law’s specialty. Although it may seem like just another stir-fry, it isn’t. You have to make sure that the cauliflower is cooked through and yet it should hold its shape. If it is overcooked, it will become too soft and break. You should be able to see all the vegetables in their proper texture and shapes. I think Debarshi’s whole love of cauliflower is because of this amazing stir-fry. I may not cook like his mom but re-creating this recipe is sure fun. Now always use mustard oil to cook Bengali dishes because only it can create that authentic flavor. Cauliflower anyway tastes great in any dish (if cooked properly). This dish is best served with Luchi. However, it also goes very well with plain Paratha or even roti. The trick while cooking this dish is to maintain high heat so that all the vegetables get a nice sear and cook at the same time.

Ingredients: 

• Cauliflower - 2 cups, cut into 1 inch florets 
• Potato - 1 cup, cut into medium cubes
• Eggplant - 1 ½ cups, cut into medium cubes
• Green chilies - 2, split in halves
• Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
• Mustard Oil -  2 tablespoons
• Salt - ½ teaspoon
• Sugar - ½ teaspoon
• Tomato - 1 medium, diced
• Peas - ½ cup

Directions: 

• Heat a wok on high heat.
• Add the Oil in it and wait for a few seconds.
• When the oil begins to smoke, turn down the heat to medium and temper the Oil with Green Chilis.
• After a few seconds, add the Cauliflower, Potato and Eggplant in it. Tip: If the oil jumps, add a little turmeric in it and mix well.
• Fry till the vegetables are golden in color then add the Turmeric Powder, Sugar and Salt and mix well.
• Add the Tomato and Peas and mix well.
• Cook uncovered on high heat till the potatoes are cooked through. Check by mashing a piece of potato with your spatula. Check the Cauliflower by breaking a floret in half, if they are cooked then turn off the heat. 
• Serve hot with Luchi or Paratha.

 

Love Cauliflower? Try these dishes as well:

• Panch Bhaja (Crispy Deep Fried Vegetables)
• Alu Kopir Torkari (Potatoes with Cauliflower Stir Fry/ Curry)
• Kopi Alur Chochchori (Bengali recipe: Stir fried Cauliflower with Potatoes)

Saag Bhaja (Bengali style Stir-fried Spinach)

Recipe Courtesy: Mamma (Sumita Moitra)

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Yesterday I was cooking Saag Bhaja (fried Spinach) and I thought how come I started liking this leafy vegetable? As far as I can remember, I have always liked it. I started recollecting my childhood memories and do you know what came to my mind? Popeye the Sailor Man! I am sure you have seen his cartoons. He would get into a fight with a heavy weight – Bluto. It is impossible for him to win, but Voila! he eats a can of Spinach and immediately gets muscles. Then he beats Bluto black and blue and impresses his thin and tall girl friend- Olive Oyl.

This cartoon was not only a good entertainment to the kids, somehow it made us feel that eating vegetables is good for us. You will agree, this must have made things easier for the parents. It was an easy way to convince the children to eat their vegetables and it sure made an impression on me. 

Although I no longer watch Popeye, I still love eating this Bhaja. I try to prepare it whenever we are having rice, although it tastes great with roti as well and that is why this is a great side dish for the days when I am on dieting. This is a nutritious dish prepared without any hassle and with very less oil.

In India, Saag Bhaja is prepared not only in the Bengali homes but in other North Indian homes as well. Sometimes, people cook it with Alu (Potato) to make it a main course Sabji. In my parent’s home, whether we are eating a four course lunch or two, you can always expect Saag Bhaja on your plate. Growing up this was my favorite, I used to eat Saag Bhaja with a dollop of ghee. Well, calories were anyway not a problem in the growing years. Painting, cartoons and games were all that mattered.

I think this is a very good and different recipe for kids who don’t eat vegetables. Give them some variety and they may like it. It is easy to prepare so less work for the mom’s as well.

So give it a try. Serve it with some Alu Kopir torkari (Potatoes with Cauliflower stir fry), Dal (lentils), Mach er Jhal (Fish curry) ar Bhat (Rice) and enjoy an authentic Bengali lunch.

“Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It’s not about nutrients and calories. It’s about sharing. It’s about honesty. It’s about identity”. – Louise Fresco

Ingredients:

• Spinach - a big bag of Baby Spinach or 1 bunch, washed and stems chopped off
• Panch Fhoron - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Green Chilies – 1-2, slit lengthwise
• Salt – ¼ teaspoon
• Oil - 2 teaspoons

Directions:

• Spinach takes a lot of space before wilting so use a big wok. Heat it on medium heat.
• Add oil to the wok. 
• Add Panch Fhoron and the Green Chilies, when they start to sputter, add the Spinach.
• Keep stirring after every 2-3 minutes, when the Spinach starts wilting, add the turmeric powder and reduce the heat to low.
• After 3-4 minutes add the Salt and mix well. Do not mix the Salt before the spinach wilts as it is easy to misjudge the amount.
• Once all the Spinach wilts, its cooked, increase the heat to evaporate the extra water.
• Serve with Steamed Rice and a dollop of Ghee on it.

Photo taken at Debarshi’s birthday lunch. Features: Steamed Rice, Dal, Panch Bhaja (Kopi, Begun, Alu, Korola ar Saag), Kabab, Naan, Pecan Cake, Chaler Payesh.

Recommended Reading:

• Alu Kopir Torkari (Potatoes with Cauliflower Stir Fry/ Curry)
• Panch Bhaja (Crispy Deep Fried Vegetables)
• Korola Peyaj (Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Onion)
• Chaler Payesh (Bengali style Rice Pudding)
• Palak ke Pakore (Gram flour and Spinach Fritters)
• Panch Fhoron
• Arhar Dal (Toor Dal or Split Yellow Pigeon Peas Soup)
• Kacha Aamer Ombol (Bengali chutney with Unripe Mango)
• Shorshe Diye Bata Mach (Bengali recipe: Fish in Mustard Gravy)
• Bhapa Ilish
• Pui Saag er Chochchori (Bengali recipe: Mixed vegetables with Shrimp and Malabar Spinach)
• Alu Palak Sabji (North Indian Dish: Stir-fried Potatoes with Spinach)
• My Non-Traditional Sukhto (Bengali recipe: Mixed Vegetables)
• Bengali Tomato Chatni (chutney) With Dried Fruits

Alu Kopir Torkari/ Alu Gobhi/ Kopir Dalna (Potatoes with Cauliflower Stir Fry/ Curry)

For this week’s quick recipe, I present to you Alu Kopir Torkari (Potatoes with Cauliflower Stir Fry/ Curry).

This is a simple Bengali torkari cooked almost every week during winters. In India Cauliflower is (or at least was when I was a kid) a winter vegetable available from September to March. When my mom will start cooking Cauliflower we'll know it's time to stop wearing the fashionable summer dresses and put on something warm. Winter is coming!

Jokes apart, Cauliflower is widely used in Indian cuisine for curries, sabjis (Torkaris) and pickles. Any dish prepared with Cauliflower tastes great with Luchi, Paratha, Roti or even Dal Bhat (Rice and Lentils). We can use different spices to prepare different yummy Cauliflower dishes the only thing we need to remember is the correct cooking technique.

Cauliflower tends to lose its texture and taste when over cooked and that’s why I always use a wok to prepare it. Do not use the Pressure Cooker as all that extra steam will easily over cook it. Cauliflower tastes great both as dry stir fry or curry and this recipe can be used to prepare either of them. To change it to a curry we just need to add half a cup more water and this step is done right after we add the vegetables in the spices. If you feel the spices are a little hot for your pallet, you can add a little sugar to mellow down the hot spices. 

Hmm... do you know its very common in the Bengali households to add sugar while preparing any lentils or Torkaris? My Didubhai (maternal grandmother) always used to add sugar in all the vegetables and meat and the food was just delicious. Although I loved the dishes prepared by her, personally I don’t like adding sugar in my food so I tend to exclude it from my recipes. Every calorie counts!

I will soon be uploading some more curry recipes. Till then, eat good and stay healthy.

(Photo shows: Alu Kopir Dalna with Matar Pulao)

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower - 1 medium size, cut into 1 inch florets
• Potato - 2 medium, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Tomato - 1, cut into small pieces
• Green Chilli – 1-2, slit in half
• Turmeric powder -  ¼ teaspoon
• Chilli powder -  ¼ teaspoon
• Ginger paste -  1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder -  1 teaspoon
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Coriander power – ½ teaspoon
• Sabji Masala – ½ teaspoon 
• Oil for frying – about half a cup
• Cilantro – a handful, chopped
• Salt – ½ teaspoon

Tip: Use Mustard Oil to cook the dish and temper with Black Cardamom as well for more flavor.

Directions: 

• Rub the Cauliflowers and Potatoes with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.
• Heat the wok on medium- high heat.
• Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of oil in the wok. 
• Fry the Cauliflower and the Potatoes separately. Keep them aside.
• Tamper 1 tablespoon oil with Green Chili, Cumin seeds and Bay leaf.
• Now add the Ginger paste and Tomato.
• Let’s make the spice paste. Take 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Add the Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Sabji Masala, Salt and Turmeric powder and make a smooth paste. Add this to the wok. Cook for 1 minute.
• When the gravy starts boiling add the fried Cauliflower and Potatoes.
• Fry well for a couple of minutes to let the spices blend with the vegetables.
• Cover and cook over low heat for about 5-10 minutes so that the Potatoes are well cooked.
• Garnish with Cilantro.
• Serve with Luchi or Paratha.

Tips: 

• Once the Potatoes are well-cooked remove the lid from the wok, this will prevent the Cauliflowers from being over cooked.
• If you want to prepare this as a curry, add half a cup of water after you add the vegetables in the spice paste.
• If you do not have Sabji masala you can use ¼ teaspoon of Garam Masala. 
• For more taste, make Cumin powder at home. 

Recommended Reading:

• Plain Paratha (Fried Flat Bread)
• Luchi – Deep Fried Puffed Bread
• Indian Salad
• Matar Pulao (Yellow Rice with Peas)
• Kopi Alur Chochchori (Bengali recipe: Stir fried Cauliflower with Potatoes)
• Jeera Rice (Rice flavored with Cumin Seeds)
• Top 10 Spices to keep in your kitchen
• Alu Potol Kumror Dalna (Potato, Pointed Gourd and Pumpkin curry)
• Kopi Chechki (Stir-fried Cauliflower and vegetables)
• Korola Alu (Stir fried Bitter Gourd with Potatoes)
• Borboti Alur Torkari (Beans sautéed with spices and Potatoes)
• Bandakopi Alur Torkari (Mamma’s Cabbage in curried Potatoes)
• Kathal ki Sabji (Enchor/Jackfruit in a Tomato Curry)
• Egg Curry (Bengali recipe: Fried Eggs curry)