Aam shorshe bori diye Pui shaaker data

When I asked on my facebook page yesterday as to what recipe would my readers like to see on the blog next, most answered "Niramish".
Or vegetarian.
I was a little surprised ... but happy.
Especially when Jhimly said "... your niramish are lip smacking."
Bengali cuisine has lots of vegetarian dishes, but making a vegetarian dish tasty is a little challenging.
And especially since I use very little masalas, I am very glad that people like my vegetarian recipes too.

The last week was a little nerve wracking for me.
B was away on work and I had much plans on how I will be using this free time ... making a long list of pending works, some stitching to catch up on, some non vegetarian recipes to be cooked and photographed, catch a few movies, have long baths, read, sleep,
load the dish washer exactly as I wanted to ... with nobody to correct me or rearrange it  .....  and so on.
Basically, to relax, do nothing and watch the days go by in slo mo.

But easier said than done. Given it is the worrier me.
Staying with a person, who works from home and is around you 24 / 7 has its own implications.
In ways one cannot even start to imagine.
One day into being alone and I got into the lazy mode. While that was my intention all along, not cooking at all or not making the bed or not doing the laundry and definitely not eating was never a part of my plans.
One more day and I got into the anxiety mode.
Double locked the doors and the balcony and stayed up like an owl the whole night.
On any other night, I would have happily settled down with a book.
Or let Jagjit Singh take over.
But not this time.

Even the littlest of sounds made me anxious.
I kept the lights as well as the tv running all through the nights.
And never slept a wink.
I even tried to calm myself down with some Phuchka for dinner a couple of nights.
Did not work much, I must say.
As for the rest of the days and nights ... I might as well not say anything at all.

But I did cook some dishes that I had in mind for long, to make posts.
Since I did not have to take care of a vegetarian meal too, I rustled them up,
clicked and then ate them as my lunch or brunch ... when I had thoughtful friends who had
come over to give me company.

But since my readers wanted niramish or vegetarian,  I am posting this vegetarian Bengali recipe first.

I have used the leaves and the stems of the Pui that I had planted last year.
With summer making its approach, this dish has a touch of raw mangoes too.
A few boris thrown in and it makes for a perfect accompaniment to your vegetarian summer lunch.

Need :

Pui / Malabar spinach leaves and stems - washed and chopped , around 250 gms
Raw mango pieces - depending on the level of tartness you like 
Bori / dried lentil dumplings - 6 to 7 pieces
Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp, soaked for around 3 hours ( I use a mix of black and yellow seeds )
Green chillies - 3
Nigella seeds / Kalo jeere / Kalaunji - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Potato - 1 medium, sliced
Onion - 1 medium, sliced
Salt - to taste

How to :

In a mixer, make a paste of the raw mango + mustard seeds + 2 green chillies.
Odiyas would add garlic, which I sometimes do too. But not this time.
You can try if you want to, though.

 Heat a heavy kadahi / wok.

Add the mustard oil and heat it well.

Add the boris and fry on low heat till golden brown.
Remove and keep aside.

In the same oil, add the kalo jeere + broken green chilli.

Next, add the onions and fry on low heat for a minute.

Then add the potatoes and the turmeric powder and cover and cook till the potatoes are almost done.

Remove cover and add the chopped  pui leaves + stems.

Give a good mix cover and cook for around 5 minutes.

When the leaves are cooked, add the mustard paste + salt + the fried bori.

Cover and cook till everything comes together  and is done.

Remove cover and raise heat till all water dries up.
Remember to keep stirring.

Remove from heat and keep it covered for a minute.

 Serve hot with rice.
This pairs very well with Tauker dal, bhaat and Ucche bhaja on the side to make that perfectly light, summer lunch.
On non vegetarian days, you can add the Maacher bhorta or makha on the side too.

Enjoy!!

Shakarkand aur Mung wadi ki sabzi

I was standing at the chemist's, waiting for the man to hand me my medicines and the bill. The store was empty and I was the only one on this side of the counter. The salesman was busy on the computer, punching in my long list, when I saw a man walk in.
Lanky, unkempt hair and maybe in his early thirties.
He was wearing an uniform belonging to a security guard agency .... must still be on duty. Or just leaving.
He gave me a look that plainly disapproved of my presence. I looked away.
He waited, restlessness speaking out. Shifted from one leg to another, drummed his fingers on the counter top, looked all over the store, looked back outside.
I wondered at his nervousness.
Just then the salesman came up and handed me my paper pouch of medicines and the bill too.

Looking up at the man, he asked "Haan, kya chahiye?"
Counting out the money, I saw from the corner of my eye that he was still fidgeting.
The hesitation in replying struck me.
The salesman nodded his head in askance again. This time the guy said ... "Do na. Wahi."
Oh god! I thought ... waiting for that cringe moment.
And prayed that the salesman at least has the sense to wait for me to leave.
But no.
He promptly reaches out and brings down something and plonks it on the counter.

I slammed down the notes and the change and was about to rush out when my eyes caught the small box on the counter top.
It was a Fair and Handsome cream for men!!

Now to today's recipe ... one that has won my heart and makes me wonder every now and then as to why have I not used sweet potatoes more in my dishes , other than in the occasional Chorchori or the Ranga Alur Pantua. 

I had brought along a big bagful of wadis from our trip to Amritsar. Huge in size, spicy, they are a delight to add to any dish .... especially light flavoured ones.
They are so packed with punch  ... the flavours of whole dhania, saunf, red chilli,etc. are so evident that the Bengali me often just fries them lightly and enjoys them on the side of some plain rice and dal.
I have made Aloo mungaudi ki sabzi with them. And have also added them crushed and fried to my very favourite Aloo bhate.

But last night, I wanted to make a quick sabzi to go with some light moong ki dal and rotis.
Was thinking in the lines of the Aloo mung wadi ki sabzi when some sweet potatoes or Shakarkand caught my eye.
Fresh, red and of good size ... I had bought them with the hope of roasting them for a snack; which obviously I did not.
Picked up two medium sized ones and knew what I would be making for dinner.

The sweetness of the Shakarkand was the perfect complement to the robust spiciness of the Punjabi wadis.
And thus came out a beautifully, spicy side dish that went great with thick, hot rotis ... a perfect winter dinner.
I added some onions after much deliberation ... and was glad I did.
The wadis are very hard and tend to soak up a lot of water. I wanted my sabzi to be soft and slightly mushy kind.
Hence the onions helped to retain moisture.

You can call this a Aloo Borir tarkari too. :-)

Need :

Wadis / Dry Lentil dumplings -
( if you do not have Punjabi vadis, you can use the regular ones, home  made or oven made or store bought )
Sweet potatoes / Shakarkand - cut into cubes
Onion - chopped
Jeera / Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
 Hing / Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Red chilli powder - ½ tsp
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Dhania / Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Water

How to :

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadahi.
Fry the vadis / wadis / boris lightly.
If they are big sized, then crush them a little.
Remove and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp more oil to the kadahi.
Add the jeera + hing.
Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Now add the cubed sweet potatoes + salt.
Fry well on high heat.

Lower heat, add haldi powder + red chilli powder.
Stir well.
Raise heat and add water to cook the potatoes.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover, add the wadis + dhania powder + amchur powder.
Add a little more water.
Cover and cook till the wadis are soft and the whole thing turns dryish.

Serve hot.
Goes great with hot rotis or parathas.

It was a dear friend and a wonderful person Aparna who had suggested that I do buy these vadis when in Amritsar. And I am so happy I listened to her. Got three big sized packs of different kinds of vadis, ignoring B's skeptical looks.
Thanks Aparna! I owe you one for this.

Enjoy all!!

Saantlano Aloo Bhate / Tempered mashed potatoes

Another day has gone by.
And I hardly notice.
It is only late in the evening, when I am finally free, that I realise how fast the day has passed.
And this has been going on for the last close to one month.

After the hectic days of Durga puja, preparations for Diwali have started.
Whatever little I can do, I am doing.
I can't do heavy duty cleaning and cooking like I used to do in the past.
Neither can I whip up huge amounts and varieties of snacks and sweets for Diwali.
Still, I'm trying.

The weather gods aren't helping either.
Most days are cloudy, sometimes it rains too.
Still, I am almost done with most of the cleaning.
Quilts and covers and sheets and linens washed and stored away.
My huge stack of books and curios cleaned and are shining bright.
The kitchen is cleaned and all the bottles labeled. Just the curtain on the kitchen window needs to be changed.
The fridge and the MW shining like new.
Ok, the fridge is new. But still, I did clean it all over again. So ...
Phew!!

I am now planning to make some sweets and savoury stuff from tomorrow.
I know it won't be much but B says it is good that I am,at least, being able to  think of making some ...  as compared to my condition last year; so I should be happy.
I however, in my heart, am praying.
And keeping all my fingers and toes crossed.

Earlier, on Diwali, I would make Gulab jamuns, Roshogollas, Moong dal halwa, Mathri, Nimki, Kachoris, Methi ki sabzi, Rassewali Aloo ki sabzi, Dahiwali murmure ki sabzi, Tomato chutney, .... and sometimes some more.
This year I am planning to make do with only a few things ... God willing.

And amidst all this, there is everyday cooking.
After all that gorging during Durga puja, I have turned back to simple comfort food.
Dal, rice, some vegetable fry on the side, a light fish curry ... if I have fish at hand ... on some days.
On other days it is dal, roti and some vegetable dish.

Except for tonight, when I went out of the way and made some Mishti bhaat / Polau for myself.
Also made a spicy Mangshor jhol or Mutton curry ...slightly dryish ... to go with it.

From tomorrow, it will be comfort food in my kitchen ... again.

The very favourite and familiar Aloo bhate / Bengali way of mashed potatoes is sometimes given a slight change in look and flavour by tempering and frying it a little.
Add some crispy fried and lightly crushed Boris / Vadis to it and it is the perfect accompaniment to a simple meal of dal and rice.

The difference between the two is while the Aloo  bhate is mashed with raw onions, raw mustard oil, salt and fresh green chilles, the tempered version has all of these but lightly fried in mustard oil.
Also, the potato mash is fried too.
And has dry red chillies instead of the fresh green ones.

Need :

Boiled potatoes - 3 big sized ones , peeled and mashed with salt
Onions - 1, medium, sliced lengthwise
Whole dry red chillies - 2 pieces
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Salt - to taste
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Boris / Vadis ( optional ) - 5 to 6 pieces, lightly fried till brown and crushed 

 How to :

Heat the oil in a kadahi.
Add the mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, break the chillies and add.
Then add the sliced onions and fry till well done.
Add the mashed potato and turmeric powder.
Mix well. Adjust salt.
Fey well, mixing everything well.
Lastly, add the crushed badis/boris and mix well.
Remove from heat.

Here is a picture of a light lunch of Mushurir dal, rice, pumpking fry and tempered and fried aloo mash.
Comfort food at its best.
Enjoy!!

We made a sudden, impromptu and very quick trip to Shirdi a few days back.
I am giving a small detail here as I realised I had never made a post on any of our Shirdi trips on my Travel blog. 

We left Pune early in the morning at around 7 am, reached Shirdi at around 11 am and went straight to the temple.
Had darshan ... there was no rush as it was a weekday ... and I could spend a quiet 5 to 7 minutes in front of Sai Baba.This time we got some prasad from the temple too, that was being handed out just before the main hall.
Came out of the temple and went for lunch at Shraddha Sarovar Portico, our favourite place of stay whenever we are in Shirdi. Only this time we did not stay.
After lunch and a little rest, we left Shirdi around 3 pm and reached Pune at around 7 pm.
Our marathon trip done!!

In case you are interested, the best route from Pune to Shirdi is - Pune - Ahmednagar - Ghodegaon - Shani Shingnapur - Shirdi. 
The highway is excellent all along. But the stretch from Shani Shingnapur to Shirdi is good only for around 6 to 8 kms. After that it is extermely bad, all the way till Shirdi. That is the only dark spot on the otherwise perfect road condition.
The road is filled with crater sized pot holes and loose gravel.
You need to be extra careful on this stretch, especially when there is heavy traffic ... usually on weekends and holidays.


If I am not able to make another post before Diwali, here is wishing you a very happy Diwali!!
Kichu Khonn and I hope that the festival of lights brings much joy to you and your families!!

Cheerio all!!

Laal Shaak Bhaja / Stir fried Amaranth Leaves

I am posting this humble stir fried shaak or leafy vegetable for two reasons.

One ... I have been getting a lot of visits from people searching for recipes with the Laal shaak / Red Spinach. So decided to post it after all.
Two ... I don't have any other recipe or snap ready in my drafts. :-p

Traditionally, a Bengali full meal ... usually a lunch ... has to have a shaak or leafy vegetable on the side, that is eaten with the rice served. It can be a plain stir fry or can be made into a Chorchori / Charchari by cooking a mix of other vegetables with it.

I have not tried this shaak as a Chorchori yet ... but I do often fry some Bori / Vadi / Mungaudi in a little oil, crush them and add them to this fry.
Tastes great!



This stir fry of the Lal Shaak / Red Spinach / Amaranth leaves is a favourite at home. Made very simply, it is just the garlic that gives a flavour that goes so well with the distinct flavour of these leaves.

If you don't like garlic, you can try this with a tempering of kalaunji / nigella seeds and dry red chillies or fresh green chillies.

Need :

Laal Shaak / Red Spinach / Amaranth leaves - 1 bunch, cleaned and chopped
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp ( I use Mustard oil )
Whole dry red chillies - 2
Garlic cloves - 5, crushed
Salt - to taste

How to :

Heat oil in a wok / kadahi.

Add the whole red chillies ( break them first or they might burst ) and the crushed garlic.

Fry a little and then add the chopped leaves.

Stir well.

Add salt, cover and cook. Remember to stir once in a while so that it does not burn.

When it is done and all water had dried up, remove cover and give a final stir.



Serve hot. Goes best on the side with hot rice and dal.

TC all !! :-)

Shukto / Traditional Bengali dish of mixed vegetables

The days are pure mayhem. After the fast flying days of Durga Puja ... the hangover still exists ... come the preparations for Diwali. The rain gods have played spoilsports successfully ... it has been just one day that they have finally ... hopefully ... abated.

The air is crisp and the sky very blue. And finally got the "pujo pujo" smell ... that fragrance in the air that we usually feel just before Durga Puja ( there I go again).

Got to come back down to mother earth. Since cooking is minimal these days .... always a stew with lots of veggies and lentils ... with different temperings or herbs .... and I whip up an egg for myself .... so almost nothing to post.

But I have been getting so many recipe requests that it would be unfair if I did not post them. My readers have been waiting patiently ... and I had promised them that once Puja is over I'll start posting.

So here I am with one such request from Vaishnavi for the Shukto.



This Bengali dish is made of vegetables cooked in a light milk & mustard based gravy. There are different versions of Shukto when I looked up the web. But the one my Jethima makes is my favourite .... for obvious reasons.

As is the story with almost anybody, when growing up nobody is too fond of this dish. For one ... it is full of vegetables. Secondly ... it has Karela or the Bitter Gourd. So even after being served, it is steered clear of and remains in the plate even after the meal is over ... the vegetables lying all lonely and forlon and rejected.

But you grow up ... you move away from home .... you miss home made food .... and then you start to miss Shukto. You call home ... you call long forgotten aunts and relatives ... just to get hold of that recipe that will make your shukto just like your Ma / Mashi / Jethima / Kakima made.

My Jethima says that a Shukto is not one until it has Radhuni in it. I do not know what Radhuni is called in English (can anybody help me out here please ?) ... but it does look like the jeera / cumin seeds.

So here is my recipe for the Shukto.

Remember ...
* The karela / bitter gourd is compulsory. You can add almost any vegetable you want to. I used whatever I had at hand.

* No tomatoes in this dish.

* You can add bori / vadi / bodi too ... if you have them. Check out my two posts on how to make bodi / vadi / bori ... in an oven ... and the traditional way.

* Traditionally, all the vegetables are deep fried seperately ... the karela being the last to be fried.
If you don't want to go into that step ... then just fry the karelas seperately .... that way they lose a little of their bitterness and the whole dish does not get too bitter.

* Always dilute and strain the mustard paste ... that way it won't taste bitter ... especially if you are using the bigger seeds.
If you still unsure, add a little posto / poppy seeds to it when soaking and grind them together. That will take out the sharpness of the mustard.


Need : Vegetables - Raw banana (raw plaintain),
Potato, Drumsticks, Paanch phoron,
Karela / bitter gourd, Lauki / Lau/ bottle gourd,
Turai / Jhinge / Ridge gourd, Brinjal / eggplant, etc. etc. ,
Mustard paste ( soak mustard seeds overnight, grind into a paste, add some water and strain it ),

a little milk, a few pieces of bori / bodi / vadi ( I have used my oven made boris here ),
ginger paste,
jeera / cumin paste ( if you have powdered jeera then soak in in some water ... do not use the roasted jeera),
salt and sugar to taste, a little cooking oil and a little ghee.
If you have Radhuni - make a paste and use it instead of the jeera paste
And some Radhuni seeds in the phoron/ tempering


How to : Cut the vegetables into medium sized pieces lengthwise.



Heat a little oil and fry the boris / bodi / vadis (if using) till brown. Remove , half crush them and keep aside.

Add a little more oil to it and fry the karela with a little salt till well done. Remove and keep aside.



In a different kadahi or wok, heat a little oil. Add a little paanch phoron. Add all the cut vegetables and toss well.
Add a little salt ... just enough for the vegetables.




Add the ginger and jeera pastes and fry well for a while. Add a little water if necessary and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.

Remove cover and add the diluted mustard paste with enough water to make a gravy. Adjust salt and add sugar .... this dish is not supposed to be too salty.



Cover and cook till the vegetables are well done.

Remove cover and add the fried karela and the boris. The bori / bodi / vadi tends to soak up water ... so add more if necessary. Bring to a boil till gravy reaches desired consistency.

Add a little milk ( for the above amount of veggies I used around a quarter of a medium sized cup ) and remove from flame.
If you keep on boiling after this the milk might curdle.

Add a spoonful of ghee, stir a little and keep it covered for some time before serving.




Serve hot with steamed rice.
Enjoy !!

( The first photograph has been recently added ... when I finally made the Shukto with Radhuni.
   Absolutely loved the authentic, traditional taste. )

There are a few more request recipes lined up. I promise them soon ... very soon. Till then ... take care all. :-)

Yes ... Bori / Badi / Vadi / Lentil Dumplings can be made ... without the sun .... in an Oven !!

When I posted how to make Sun Dried Bori / Badi / Bodi / Vadi / Mungaudi / Lentil Dumplings at home, I got an overwhelming response. What I had done on a whim was appreciated by so many people! Those sun dried boris / bodi / badi last me a good part of the year ... at least till I make them again.

But a lot of people mentioned that they do not get enough sun in the parts of the world they stay ... and dear Yasmeen of Health Nut asked if we can bake them.

The idea stayed at the back of my mind ... but I was waiting for the rains ... a perfect excuse to try making them in an oven. After all, whoever thought of making bori during the monsoons? The elders of the family would just laugh the idea away.

But I decided to give it a try. Thanks to blogging we get to share such wonderful ideas!



Recently the only two dals being used in my home are the toor dal and the masoor dal. So everytime I reached beyond the urad dal bottle to get either of the two, the urad would give me a forlon ... and sometimes a withering ... look.

I was wondering how to use it up without making vadas or idlis or dosas when one day I noticed my Boris are over ... except for a few crumbs lying at the bottom of the bottle.

That's when I decided I'll make them ..... in the oven this time. :-)

And it worked! I actually made these in the oven! I found absolutely no difference between these and the sun dried ones. They were equally crisp and very, very good. :-)

You can make boris / bodi / vadi without the sun! Yay!!



Need : Urad dal , grated ginger, a pinch of salt, a little cooking oil, oven / baking tray.

A variety of spices like jeera/cumin, crushed black pepper, fresh coriander leaves, red chilli powder, etc. can also be added to the basic dal mixture to get spicy bori / vadi / badi / bodi.

How to : Wash the dal and soak it overnight.

Grind it into a paste with very little water.

Add the grated ginger and salt to it and mix very well. 

Beat it well with your fingers till the batter is light and fluffy. 

Apply cooking oil on a baking tray evenly.

Scoop out very small ball of the dal mixture with your hand and place it on the plate.

Repeat till the plate is full ... do remember to leave a little gap between two boris / badis / bodi.



Place the tray in the oven and bake at the lowest temperature ... between 25 - 40 degrees ... will depend on your kind of oven ... for around 4 to 5 hours. The time will vary for different ovens and also the consistency of the paste. 

Do keep checking on them at times.
They should not turn brown. 

When done they'll come out loose when you shake the tray. 
Cool well before storing ... or frying. 

These boris will be slightly robust and very good for adding to curries as they retain their shape in the gravy. 

If your batter is really fluffy, then they can be enjoyed fried too ... as bhaja bori. 



Done! 

My camera and I went bonkers trying to adjust with the sun playing hide and seek.
I'll post better snaps when I make another batch.



So all you folks ... who have been missing out on boris / badis / bodi and its recipes ... go ahead and give this a try.

Enjoy!!


Here are a few recipes where you can enjoy your Bori in : -

Lau Bori

Shukto

Aloo Bori

Aloo Borir jhaal

Laal shaak bhaja

Chorchori / Mixed vegetables cooked the Bengali way

Ok ... this is a hurried post. And am posting this very common traditional Bengali dish in the absence of anything better ... haven't really got the time to click my dishes these days. They go straight from the kitchen to the waiting plates and get devoured.

Chorchori or charchari is a great way to use up leftover vegetables from the fridge ( at least I do so). But it tastes great with fresh vegetables though .... no two ways about it. Once upon a time I would not touch a chorchori if it did not have fish. But now I have come to love the flavours of different vegetables fused together.

I sometimes use Boris / bodi / vadi in it ... and even though I love chorchori made of the Pui / Pohi saag ... have to use the Palak / Spinach as I do not get Pui here. Many people use a little ginger paste in it ... I do not.

Check out Sandeepa's blog for some great writeup on the Charchari.


Need : Palak / Spinach leaves ( I use the stems too ) cleaned and chopped,
chopped onion [ optional ] , diced vegetables like the potato, pumpkin, brinjal, any kind of string beans, sweet potato, potol / parwal ... basically any vegetable you have will do,
paanch phoron, dry red chillies, haldi / turmeric powder, a little cooking oil ( I prefer mustard oil ) and salt to taste.

How to : Heat a little cooking oil in a karahi / wok. Add the paanch phoron and the chillies.

Then add the vegetables and stir well.

Add the haldi / turmeric powder and salt ... remember .... palak is salty ... so add the salt accordingly.

Cover and cook till the vegetables are done. The vegetables will release a lot of water ... so no need to add any.

Remove cover. If using fried boris / bodi / vadi , add them now. Simmer till all water dries up.


I like my chorchori slightly sweetish ... so sometimes add a pinch of sugar too. But if the pumpkin is very fresh and good , it does impart some sweetness that makes the use of sugar unnecessary.

Goes great with hot rice and dal .... makes a simple plateful. :-)

I might get a little irregular with my posting .... but will try to blog hop and check out all your lovelies being dished out.

Take care all !

Aloo Bori / Potatoes & Sun Dried Lentil Dumplings

After storing away the Boris / Bodi / Badis / vadi that I made, I had forgotten all about them in the fast flying days. Until hubby wanted aloo borir tarkari one day. Waited till the weekend ... I usually run out of all vegetables by weekends .... and made it. So here is another simple dish from my kitchen ... the Aloo Borir / Aloo Bodir tarkari.

But before that let me introduce our new guest. After a batch of guests left around a couple of months back, I had the guestroom and its bath cleaned out and left the window in the bath open to air it. And forgot all about it.

It seems a certain Mr. & Mrs. Pigeon were on the lookout for a cozy place to settle down and zeroed in on my bath ... maybe they loved the empty rack that came as amenity.

And after a while, along came little Baby Pigeon. So right now the members of this happy family are my house guests.

I just pray I do not have any long term guests until Baby learns to fly and leaves home. :-)


Coming back to my simple dish, this does not take much time. If you want more gravy, just add enough water and adjust the seasonings.

BTW I have already posted a recipe with boris / bodi / badis and Lauki / Bottle gourd here.

Need : Aloo / potatoes cut into cubes, bori / badi, sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, jeera/ cumin, haldi / turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and sugar to taste, a little cooking oil, a little water.

How to : Heat a little oil and lightly fry the boris / badis and keep aside.

Heat a little more oil and add the jeera / cumin. Then add the sliced onion and fry for some time.
Now add the potatoes and fry well.

Add haldi / turmeric , red chilli powder, salt and a little water. Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover and add the tomatoes.

Cover and cook till the tomatoes are done.

Now add the boris/badis/bodi and adjust water.

Cover and let it simmer for some more time. It should be slighlty mushy with all the flavours blended well.

Serve hot with rotis / parathas / puris.

Bori / Wadi / Mungaudi / Sundried Lentil Dumplings

( If you do not get enough sun in your part of the world, you can stll make them.
Check out my post on how to make them in the oven. ) 

Even though we use Bori / Bodi / vadi in a lot of dishes, we usually tend to buy them. Of course I am not talking of the days back home, where winter noons would see an array of boris / bodi being dried out in the sunlight .... by our cooks and other helping hands. These little things have to be dried in the soft sun .... so they dry slowly .... and stay brittle and crispy when fried. . If dried under a strong sun, they tend to turn very hard.
I am proud to say that amongst us cousins in my generation, I am the only one who has treaded this path .... and successfully too. :-)

I am refering them as Mungaudis because the name is familiar to a lot of people. Of course they are usually made from the Moong/Mung dal .... but I used the Urad dal for these.

Need :

Urad / Moong dal, grated ginger, a pinch of salt, a little cooking oil, flat plates .... and of course a place where you get ample sunlight.

How to :

 Wash the dal and soak it overnight. Grind it into a paste with very little water.
Add the grated ginger and salt to it and mix very well.
A variety of spices like cumin / black pepper / fresh coriander leaves etc can also be added to the basic dal mixture. This way you can get a variety of different flavoured Boris / Bodi / vadis.
Apply cooking oil on a flat plate.

Scoop out very small ball of the dal mixture and place it on the plate.

Sun dry the boris / bodi for a few days. Do not try to pick them. They will come out on their own when done.

Here are a couple of photographs of the bodis that I made from Masoor dal / Mushurir dal.

Kichu Khonn's Mushur daler bori

 A close up shot. Don't miss the perfect peaks.
I'm sure Thamma would approve. :-) 

Up close ... the perfect peaks. 

They can be fried in a little oil and had on the side with rice and dal. Or they can be used to make some simple dishes.

Give these a try and enjoy your very own home made boris.
 And if you do not have enough sun in your part of the world, worry not.
Just hop over to my post on How to make Boris in the oven!!


Here are a few recipes where you can enjoy your Bori in : -

Lau Bori

Shukto

Aloo Bori

Aloo Borir jhaal

Laal shaak bhaja

Lau Bori or Bodi / Lauki & Bottle Gourd with Sun dried Lentil Dumplings

Even though I make lauki in a number of ways, I like this version for two reasons.
First, it is purely veggie and hubby likes it.
Second, it is made the Bengali way ... read ... it has the flavour of Paanch Phoron ( a mix of equal quantities of methi, mustard, jeera, saunf and kalaunji seeds) and also the boris / bodi / vadi.

Bori / Bodi / Vadi is nothing but sun dried lentil dumplings ... that are called Mungaudi in Hindi ... the name coz they are made usually from moong dal.

While peeling the Lau / lauki / gourd, if you keep the peels a little thick you can make a fry from them .... the Lau Khosa Bhaja. :-)

This dish is easy and fast to make ... and has a distinct flavour that goes great with steamed rice and dal.

Need : Lauki cut into small pieces, chopped onion, paanch phoron, chopped tomatoes, whole green chillies, tumeric powder, dried lentil dumplings / bori or bodi or vadi , grated ginger, sugar and salt to taste and a little cooking oil.

How to : Heat a little oil. Fry the bori / bodi / vadi / mungaudis till they turn brown in colour. Keep aside.

Heat a little more oil in the same pan. Add the paanch phoron and the green chillies.
Then add the onions and fry for some time.
Add the lauki and stir. Add tumeric, salt and a little sugar. Cover and cook for some time.

Remove cover and add the tomatoes , the fried bori / bodi / vadi and the grated ginger. Cover and cook till lauki is done.
Serve hot.


Non veggies can add shrimp or medium sized prawns to this dish instead of the bori.