Panchrav Shaak

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.

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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Bataka ni Sukhi Bhaji

Bataka ni Sukhi Bhaji

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Serves: 4

Bataka (potatoes) ni Sukhi (dry) Bhaji (vegetable), is my niece Purvi's recipe.
Ingredients
  • 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, boiled and cut into ½ inch dice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 serrano chili, finely chopped
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro, for garnish
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan on a medium high heat. Add cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Add chili and curry leaves, and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro. Stir potatoes until coated with spices. Let potatoes heat for 5 minutes to take flavor of spices, stirring few times. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with Puri.

 

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Shakkaria Bataka Nu Shaak

Shakkaria Bataka nu Shaak

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Serves: 4

Spicy Sweet Potato and Potato Chips
Ingredients
  • 2 medium size bataka (potatoes)
  • 2 medium size shakkaria (sweet potatoes)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Directions
  1. Peel and cut potatoes into ⅛ inch slices (like fries).
  2. Heat oil in non-stick or cast iron pan on a medium high heat. Add cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Add curry leaves, asafetida, turmeric and chili powder. Next add potatoes and stir everything until potatoes are coated with spices. Season with salt and stir again. Cover the pan with lid and let potatoes cook until fork tender, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring the contents occasionally. If potatoes stick to pan, add little water.
  3. Once potatoes are cooked, uncover and add sugar and dhana-jeeru. Stir and cook for one more minute. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with any type of Indian bread.

 

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Flower Bataka Vatana nu Shaak

Flower Bataka Vatana nu Shaak

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Serves: 6

Cauliflower Potato Peas
Ingredients
  • 1 medium size flower (cauliflower), cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 medium size batako (potato), cut into ½ inch cubes
  • ½ cup vatana (green peas), frozen or fresh
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ⅛ teaspoon asafetida
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons dhana-jeeru (spice blend of coriander and cumin powder)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro for garnish
Directions
  1. In a wok or a frying pan heat the oil until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add asafetida, turmeric and chili powder. Add cauliflower, potatoes and season with salt. Stir vegetables until they are coated with oil and spices.
  2. Cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables cook until fork tender, stirring occasionslly, about 10 to 12 minutes. During half way of cooking, add green peas.
  3. Once vegetables are cooked, uncover, add dhana-jeeru. Stir and let vegetables cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Just before serving garnish with cilantro. Serve warm with any type of Indian flat bread.

 

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Bataka nu Rasavalu Shaak

Bowl of Bataka nu Rasavalu Shak

Bataka nu Rasavalu Shaak

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Serves: 4

Sweet and Sour Potatoes
Ingredients
  • 2 medium size bataka (potatoes), raw or boiled, cut into ½ inch dice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • 1 dry red chili
  • 5 to 6 curry leaves, optional
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder or 1 minced jalapeno or serrano chili or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dhana jeeru (spice blend of coriander and cumin powder)
  • 1 small piece (golf ball size) jaggery (Indian raw sugar) or 2 teaspoons sugar or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp or 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • ½ cup water or as needed
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, for garnish
Directions
  1. In a medium heavy bottomed pot heat oil on medium high heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Lower the heat and add asafetida, red chili, curry leaves, turmeric, chili powder or green chili. Add potatoes, ½ cup of water for boiled potatoes and 1 cup of water for raw potatoes. Season with salt, mix everything and let the mixture come to boil on medium high heat. Let raw potatoes cook covered with lid for 10-12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add dhana jeeru, jaggery or sugar and lemon juice or tamarind pulp or tomato paste. Let the potatoes heat for 7 to 10 minutes until the mixture thickens with all the spices. If the potato mixture looks dry add more water. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with any Indian flat bread.
Notes
To make this recipe tastier, use 1 tablespoon more oil and make it spicier by adding more chili powder or more green chilies. You can also add eggplant or tomatoes in this recipe. You can cut down potato to one and add 2 tomatoes or half eggplant. With tomatoes, add it for the last 2 to 3 minutes. If you are making eggplant and potatoes, do not boil potatoes. Instead, follow the above recipe up to the adding water part and then cover the pot and let the vegetables cook until they are fork tender. You can also cook butternut squash same way, with cumin seeds only.

 

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