Ghanta Tarkari

GHANTA TARKARI

Ghanta Tarkari is a typical odia mix veg curry with lots of sprouts. Preparing this dish is a festival in almost every odia household. Ghanta tarkari is a almost similar to aviyal of Kerala or undhiyo of Gujurat. Its a complete meal in itself. Its very healthy also. Very less oil is used to prepare this dish.

Ghanta tarkari falls day after dutiya osha. Dutiya osha is a full day fasting done by the mothers. This fasting is done for the long life, prosperity of the children especially sons. In this puja whole veggies and fruits are offered as prasad to Lord Dutibahana. Next day ladies prepare this delicious curry with that veggies offered as prasad or bhog.

Preparation of this curry varies from household to household. In my maternal family this curry is made without onion and garlic and with ghee and panch phoran tempering. On the other hand my mother in law prepared this curry is made like a mutton curry. Onion, garlic and giner paste sauted properly and then cubed veggies to it and cooked. From my childhood I saw that whenever mom prepares this dish, she distributes it among our neighbours. Accordingly neighbours alsosend their curry to our home. This is the beauty of this dish.

This recipe is my mother in law's recipe.  She prepared it with lots of love. And this becomes a very tasty dish.

Here is the recipe...

Brinjal- 4medium

Pumpkin-1cup cubed

White Pumpkin- 1/2cup cubed

Long Beans- 10 to 12 cut into 1inch piece

Yam- 1/2cup cubed

Parval- 3 to 4 cut in cubes

(pointed gaurd)

Kankada- 3 cubes

(Teasle Gaurd)

plantain- 2 cut in cubes

colaccaasia- 3 to 4 cut in cubes

Ridge Gaurd- 1medium cut in cubes

Elephant apple- 3 to 4 pieces

(substitute of elephant apple is tomato- 3 medium)

Moong sprouts- 1/2cup

Black Chana sprouts- 1/2cup

Dried White Peas- 1/2 cup (soaked)

Salt to taste

Sugar- 1/2tsp

Haldi- 1tbsp

Red chili powder- 1tbsp

Coriander powder- 1.5tbsp

Cumin powder- 1.5tbsp

Whole cumin- 1tsp

Bay leaves- 2

Coconut cubes- 1/2cup

Scraped coconut- 1/4cup

Ginger Garlic paste-  3tbsp

Onion- 4medium

Mustard oil- 3tbsp

Sugar- 1tbsp

Roasted Masala

Cinnamon- 1inch piece

Clove- 3

Green Cardamom- 3

Clean and cut all the veggies in cubes. Put cubed potato, brinjal and pantain in water to protect them turning black. keep elephant apple aside.

Heat oil in a big kadai or handi, add sugar and let it caramel. Then add bay leaves and cumin to it and let it crackle.

Add ginger and garlic paste and saute up to raw smell goes. In the mean time peel and cut onions in cubes. Then make coarse pieces with the  help of grinder. Then add onion to ginger an garlic masala and saute.

If you have oou or elephant apple skip this step. But i don't have elephant apple so I have added tomatoes to the masala. Also add dry masala powder and cook up to tomatoes mushy and oil separates. At this stage add all the sprouts and mix.

Add all the cubes veggies to it and cook. Mix the veggies in regular basis so that the curry won't stick to the buttom. Cover the through out the cooking process. So that it will be easy for cooking veggies.

When veggies are half done add chopped coconut pieces and mix. Cover and cook up to the veggies are totally cooked.

Mean while dry roast the whole garam masala and make a powder.

When veggies are done add scraped coconut and roasted masala powder and mix.

Generally this curry is eaten with plain rice and dall. But this curry goes well with chakuli pitha 

(plain dosa) or tikona paratha.

Methi Chicken

METHI CHICKEN 

(chicken cooked in fenugreek leaves flavoured gravy)

Some years back we went to Banglore and Mysure. When we were returning from Mysure we had methi chicken and some other dishes. I don't remember all those dishes but methi chicken was too tasty and i remembered that flavour. It was creamy, soft and literally finger likcing. I tried to replicate that dish in my kitchen. I got an lovely recipe after some failed attempts. After that this dish became our one of favourite party dish. whenever I prepare this recipe I got appreciated by every one. 

Here is my version of Methi Chicken.

Chicken- 1/2kg

Onion- 3medium

Ginger and garlic paste- 1.5tbsp

Kasuri methi- 5tbsp

Haldi- 1tsp

Red chili powder- 1tsp

(i used kashmiri red chili powder)

Kaju- 3tbsp

Tomato- 1medium

Hung curd- 1/4cup

Salt to taste

Sugar- 1/4tsp

Whole garam masala- 1tbsp

(Cinnamon- 1/2inch

Clove- 3

Green cardamom- 2

Cumin- 1/2tsp)

Garam masal- 1/2tsp

Coriander powder- 1tsp

Butter- 1tbsp + 1tbsp

oil- 1/2tbsp

Green chili- 2

Warm half cup of water and add 4tbsp of kasuri methi in it. Keep Aside 1tbsp kasuri methi.

Wash and clean chicken. In a mixing bowl add chicken, curd, half 1/2tsp, 1/2tbsp of ginger and garlic paste and mix. Keep aside for 45mins to 1hour.

Slice onion thinly. In a kadai add 1tbsp of butter, add sliced onion and kaju. fry it up to brown. Let it cool down and make a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil and butter and add whole garam masala and let it infuse. Then add ginger and garlic paste and cook up to raw smell goes. When done add soaked kasuri methi and cook prperly. Keep the water left from soaked kasuri methi.  If required use this water to cook.

Now add marinated chicken to it. Also add salt, haldi, red chili powder, coriander powder and also chopped tomato and green chili. Cook it in high flame. When the water reduces, simmer the flame and cover and cook. 

When chicken is 3/4th cooked add onion and kaju paste. Cover and cook up to chicken is cooked properly.

Finally add sugar, garam masala and rest of kasuri methi. Mix properly. Serve hot with roti, naan or pulao or any flavoured rice.