Carrot and cabbage stir fry

Makar Sankaranti came and went by.
For some days, before it came, I was on a fast forward mode .... planning, prepping and writing ... in my mind ....  a good post as well as recipe of a good Pithe or Puli that are traditionally made on Sankaranti in Bengali homes.
It has been ages since I made a Pithe last; so was really looking forward to making something good.
Had soaked some rice and dal too.
Had stocked up with some good Patali gur ( date palm jaggery, available only in the winters ).
Had boiled the milk well and kept it ready in case I wanted to make some Pulis too.
Was waiting for a coconut to arrive ... had delegated that work to the man of the house.
When  .... bam! ... fell the lightning.

What else? I fall ill. Yes. Again.
A bout of fainting; hit the back of my head hard; resultant ... a temporary vertigo.
The funny part is I have no recollection of any of the events except the last one ... which is making me see daylights both during the days and the nights.
And in the noons and the evenings.
Everytime I try to lie down, or get up, the world and everything in it goes into a dizzy circle, spinning round and round and round ; till I have to shut my eyes to stop the dizzy picture.
Which of course makes matters worse.
It takes my eye shutting as an insult and starts spinning with double the speed.

The spell goes on for a few seconds but for me it might as well have been a whole lifetime.
And the back of my head throbs all the while.
Which is why I refuse to watch any inane Hindi movies these days. Those fights .... ugh.
The idiots have no idea what it feels like when the back of the head is hit. Else they wouldn't show people getting beaten up all over, so easily.

So that is where I am these days ... on a merry-go-round that refuses to stop.
Only ... it does not seem merry to me at all.

And instead of an exotic Pithe or Puli, I am serving you a simple stir fry, making the most of winter vegetables.
Quick, simple, tasty,easy. The mantra of my blog. 

 This recipe actually belongs to a blogger friend who had posted it on fb. I immediately tried it and shared it there too. And met her approval.
Since the winter sun is at its best on my table these days, I clicked a few photos, hoping to add to my quickly depleting drafts folder.
And yes, thanks to your encouragement in my earlier post, I have clicked these on my phone too. :-)

Also. there have been too many of posts on fish here, these days.
So while some good pieces of the Katla, some prawns, two pomfrets and half a kilo of Parshe fish sit in my freezer, I am posting this vegetable stir fry today.
 
I have used just carrots and cabbage in this fry.
Since it is abundant now, you can use some fresh green peas too. 

Need :

Cabbage, 1 cup - cut very thinly
Carrots - cut into juliennes
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Hing / Asafoetida  - 1 pinch
Fresh green chillies - 2 chopped
Lemon - half
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste ... a pinch maybe
Roasted and crushed peanuts - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp 

How to :

Heat oil in a kadahi.
Add the mustard seeds.
When they start to splutter, add the hing + green chillies.
Immediately add the carrots and the cabbage.

Stir fry on high heat for a minute. Mix everything well.
Lower heat and fry for another two minutes.

Add salt and fry some more on medium heat.
The vegetables should get cooked but not soggy ... there should be a slight crunch in them.

Add the crushed peanuts and squirt the lemon all over it.
Add the sugar, stir well on high heat.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

This is great as a warm salad and goes great with some toasted garlic bread.

Otherwise, this can be enjoyed with both rotis as well as plain parathas ( recipe for the parathas here. )
Or on the side with some dal and rice.


Hope all of you had a beautiful Makar Sankaranti / Lohri / Pongal!
Have fun all ....  while I go back to that ice pack.


Enjoy!!