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.