Panchmishali Torkari
A medley of winter vegetables, slow-cooked in their own juices
- Cooking time90 minutes
- Calorieskcal
Panchmishali torkari is any Bengali mixed-vegetable preparation in which the vegetables are first stir-fried and then steamed in their own juices till they are tender. There are several versions of panchmishali torkari, and the choice of phoron (or tempering) will depend on the vegetables used. In this particular recipe, we are using potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower, borboti (yardlong beans), cabbage, and brinjal, with a tempering of panch phoron.
Ingredients
- 200 g potatoes
- 100 g sweet potatoes
- 200 g pumpkins
- 200 g cauliflower
- 100 g borboti (yardlong beans)
- 100 g cabbage
- 100 g brinjal
- 40 g mustard oil
- 2 pcs dried red chillies
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 2 pcs bay leaves
- 2 pcs green chillies
- 12 g salt
- 25 g sugar
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp bhaja moshla
- 5 g ghee
- 10 g coriander leaves
Method
- Cut pumpkins and potatoes into 4-cm cubes, sweet potatoes into 3-cm cubes, cauliflower into 5-cm florets, borboti and cabbage into 5-cm segments, and brinjal into 5-cm cubes.
- Heat mustard oil in a kadai. When the oil turns pale yellow in colour, add the brinjal. Fry until golden, remove from the oil, and set aside.
- Temper the same oil with dried red chillies, bay leaves, one green chilli, and panch phoron.
- Add potatoes and sweet potatoes. Fry for 3 minutes.
- Next, add pumpkin. Fry for 3 minutes.
- Add cauliflower and fry for 3 minutes.
- Then, add borboti, and fry for 3 minutes.
- Add cabbage. Keep stirring and frying.
- Add salt and turmeric. Cover the pan and keep cooking the vegetables on low heat, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes or so).
- Add sugar, and continue cooking, covered, for another 10 minutes. The salt and sugar will draw water from the vegetables, and allow them to cook in their own juices.
- Add fried brinjal. Mix everything, and cook until all the vegetables have softened (but don't wait for them to turn to mush!).
- Finally, garnish with green chillies, chopped coriander leaves, bhaja moshla, and ghee. Cover and rest for a few minutes before serving.