Recipes, Vegetable Forward

Panchrav Shaak

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During month of August or September (on the eight day of Shravan Vad in Hindu calender) people in India celebrate Lord Krishna’s birth. The festival is known as Janmashtami. This year it was on August 24, 2019. People observed fast on that day. The next day which is called Parna, feast is prepared as an offering to god as well as to break a fast. The Panchrav (mixed) shaak (vegetables) is prepared as an offering which includes variety of vegetables available in the market. Only on that day vegetable mongers in Gujarat sell prepared mixed vegetables known as Patrali. All you need to add are root vegetables to make panchrav shaak. In the recipe, quantity of vegetables might seem too much, but as you cook them it will reduce almost in half. If some vegetables are not available, it should be fine. Try not to add onion and garlic. That way you will taste each vegetable separately in the mixed vegetables. Remaining shaak can be frozen for further use.

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Panchrav Shaak

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Serves: 10

Ingredients
  • About 4 to 5 cups of mixed vegetables (like butternut squash, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, zucchini, etc.), finely cut
  • About 5 to 6 cups combined, green peas, green beans, corn kernels, papadi lilva, toover lilva (fresh pigeon peas), choli (Indian long green beans), suran (Indian yam), tindola (green ivy squash), etc. available in frozen section of Indian grocery stores
  • About 3 to 4 cups of mixed vegetables (like eggplant, potato, sweet potato, taro root, etc.) finely cut
  • About 2 cups methi (fenugreek leaves), frozen, available in frozen section of Indian grocery stores.
  • About 1 cup palak (spinach), frozen
  • 2 to 3 jalapeno or serrano chilies, finely chopped
  • ½ cup or more olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon asafetida
  • 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons red chili powder
  • 3 teaspoons dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • Salt to taste
  • Juice of one lime
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions
  1. Heat ¼ cup oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida, turmeric and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Immediately add first mixed vegetables and green chilies. Season with salt and stir to combine with spices. Cover the pot and let vegetables cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Occasionally stir vegetables so they do not stick to bottom.
  2. Uncover pot and add second mixed vegetables. Season with salt and stir to combine with other vegetables. Let vegetables cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Occasionally stir vegetables so they do not stick to bottom. If vegetables start to stick to bottom add more oil 1 tablespoon at a time.
  3. Uncover pot and add third mixed vegetables. Season with salt and stir to combine with other vegetables. Let vegetables cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Occasionally stir vegetables so they do not stick to bottom. If vegetables start to stick to bottom add more oil 1 tablespoon at a time.
  4. Uncover pot and add methi and palak. Stir to combine with other vegetables and cover pot. Let vegetables cook for 10 to 12 minutes until you start to see oil on side of pot. Occasionally stir vegetables so they do not stick to bottom. If vegetables start to stick to bottom add more oil 1 tablespoon at a time.
  5. Uncover pot and add remaining chili powder and dhana-jeeru. Stir shaak to combine with spices. Taste shaak and add salt if needed. Add lime juice. Let shaak cook on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. If shaak looks dry, add more oil 1 tablespoon at a time. By the time shaak is fully cooked, it should be glistening with oil. Before serving garnish with cilantro. Serve with warm puri.

 

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Recipes, Vegetable Forward

Everyday Cabbage (shaak)

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Everyday Cabbage (shaak)

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Serves: 6

This is a basic recipe to cook any vegetable in Gujarati style and it is referred as shaak. Usually there is some kind of a shaak with a meal (Gujarati thali). In vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, okra etc. mustard seeds are used whereas for potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and eggplant etc.; cumin seeds are used. You can cut down amount of oil and adjust seasoning according to your taste. The spices and its amount from recipe works for 3 medium size potatoes, one medium size eggplant, and 30 to 35 green beans (or 1 16 oz. bag of cut green beans or French cut green beans). You can also mix and match vegetables.
Ingredients
  • 1 medium size cabbage (cobish), shredded
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons dhana-jeeru (spice blend of coriander and cumin powder)
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro for garnish
Directions
  1. In a wok or a frying pan heat the oil until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida, turmeric and chili powder. Add cabbage and season with salt. Stir cabbage until coated with oil and spices.
  2. Cover the pan with a lid and let cabbage cook until fork tender, stirring from time to time, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Once cabbage is cooked, uncover, add dhana-jeeru. Stir and let cabbage cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Just before serving garnish the shaak (cabbage) with cilantro. Serve warm with any type of Indian flat bread.

 

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Recipes, Street Food

Pav Bhaji

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Pav Bhaji

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Serves: 6

Pav (bread) Bhaji (mixed vegetables) is a street food available all over India. The bhaji should be soft and mashed which you can scoop up with a pav. This recipe uses small quantity of variety of vegetables which is great use of left over vegetables. You can also use left over mashed potatoes for this recipe.
Ingredients
  • Quarter of cabbage, shredded
  • 3 to 4 florets cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, shredded
  • 1 Japanese eggplant or ½ of large eggplant, peeled and ½ inch diced
  • ½ dhoodhi (Indian squash), peeled, deseeded and ½ inch diced (optional)
  • 2 medium russet potatoes, boiled and mashed
  • 2 large red onions, finely diced (reserve ½ cup for serving)
  • 3 large Roma tomatoes, ¼ inch diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil or butter
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
  • ¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 2 teaspoons pav bhaji masala
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, for serving
  • 1 lime, cut into quarters for serving
  • 6 soft buns (pav), any kind
  • Butter for brushing on buns
Directions
  1. Combine cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, eggplant and doodhi in a large microwave safe bowl or large soup pot or Dutch oven. Cook vegetables in microwave (7 to 8 minutes) or stove top (10 to 12 minutes) until soft. Vegetables will release some liquid, keep that liquid. Mashed vegetables with potato masher and set aside. (You can use same soup pot or Dutch oven to make bhaji. You can transfer cooked and mashed vegetables to a mixing bowl).
  2. Heat oil or butter on a medium high heat in a large soup pot or a Dutch oven until oil is shimmering and butter is melted, 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add garlic and sauté it until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onions and sauté them until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Next add all dry spices except pav bhaji masala and sauté with onions and garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and sauté them until softened, 2 minutes.
  3. Add mashed potatoes and combine with sautéed vegetables. Let potatoes warm through before adding rest of mashed vegetables, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add rest of mashed vegetables, season with salt, stir and cover with a lid. Let bhaji cook for 7 to 10 minutes on low heat until flavors meld, stirring frequently. If bhaji is sticking to bottom, add some water. Uncover, add peas, pav bhaji masala and let bhaji cook for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat.
  4. Spread butter on buns and toast them on a griddle or frying pan until light golden brown but still soft.
  5. Serve hot bhaji with pav (buns). Garnish individual serving of bhaji with 1 tablespoons of cilantro. Serve reserved onion and lime on side.

 

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Condiments, Recipes

Cachumber

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Raw vegetables eaten with meal as a side dish is known as cachumber (salad).  It varies depending on season and availability of vegetables.

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Everyday Cachumber

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Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 2 Roma or plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 serrano or jalapeno chilies, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces (optional)
  • ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 3 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • Juice of ½ a lime
Directions
  1. Arrange slices of vegetables on a serving platter. Just before serving, sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze lime juice on vegetables evenly.

 

 

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Kakdi Cachumber

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Serves: 4

Stir fired cucumber
Ingredients
  • 1 English cucumber, shredded
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, cut lengthwise in 4 pieces
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon dalia (roasted and hulled split chickpeas) or roughly chopped peanuts
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Directions
  1. Put shredded cucumber in a colander on top of bowl to catch drippings. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt on cucumber and let it stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze out water from cucumber and transfer to a plate.
  2. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan on medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add sesame seeds, asafetida and turmeric. Add chili, curry leaves and sauté for 30 to 40 seconds. Add dalia or peanuts and sauté for a minute.
  3. Add cucumber and sauté it for one minute. Season with salt, sugar and stir. Let cucumber cook for two more minutes. Off heat add lemon juice, cilantro and stir. Serve immediately as a side dish.

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Tameta Dungli nu Cachumber

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Serves: 4

Tomato-Onion Salad
Ingredients
  • 2 Roma or plum tomatoes, ¼ inch diced
  • 1 red onion, ¼ inch diced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl and serve immediately as a side dish.

 

 

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Kachu Paku Cobis

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Serves: 4

Kachu (raw) Paku (cooked) Cobis (cabbage) - Stir fired cabbage
Ingredients
  • Quarter of cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, halved
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan on medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida and turmeric. Add chili, curry leaves and sauté for 30 to 40 seconds.
  2. Add cabbage and sauté it for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir. Let cabbage cook for two more minutes. Add dhana-jeeru and let cabbage cook for a minute. Off heat add cilantro and stir. Serve immediately as a side dish.

 
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Kacchi Keri Nu Cachumber

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At beginning of spring season (vasant rutu), raw mangoes (kacchi keri) are available. When raw mangoes are available for few months, it is used in various ways, in making pickles, drinks and salad.
Ingredients
  • 1 small raw mango, seed removed, ¼ inch diced
  • 1 red onion, ¼ inch diced
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or jaggery or to taste
Directions
  1. Combine ingredients in a serving bowl and serve immediately as side dish.
Notes
With young raw mango, you should be able to cut through seed. With a late season raw mango, you can cut around mango to remove seed.

 
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Kacha Papaya nu Chhin

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Serves: 4

Where I grew up our house was surrounded by a garden. We had a couple of papaya trees and my mother used to make kacha (unripe) papaya nu chhin (shredded) frequently from papaya grown in our garden. This cachumber is also served with methi ni bhaji na gota (fenugreek green fritters), fafda (chickpea flour crisps), etc. When you buy gota or fafda from a street vendor or farsan (savory food) shop, you will also get this cachumber, especially in Gujarat.
Ingredients
  • Quarter of papaya, peeled, seeded and shredded
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chili, halved
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan on medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida and turmeric. Add chili, curry leaves and sauté for 30 to 40 seconds.
  2. Add shredded papaya and sauté it for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir. Let papaya cook for two more minutes. Add dhana-jeeru and let papaya cook for a minute. Off heat add cilantro, lime juice and stir. Serve immediately as a side dish or with methi na gota (fritters).

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