This is off course a breakfast platter but we had this today for lunch.... and yes it is authentic Bengali. Mom used to prepare this particular mixed vegetable stir fry during winter when Kolkata markets were flooded with cauliflower, carrot, beetroot, green pea. I actually prepared Chicken Kasha [chicken dry curry] today. It goes well with homemade Indian or South Asian breads. I thought let me prepare this panchmeshali bhaja and serve my chopsticks a platter much loved by them. Can you see the achar / pickle alongside. Well, that is an instant chilli pickle I prepared to make the platter complete. I have taken its picture separately and will share the recipe in another post soon. Saturday morning to afternoon is extremely busy for me. If there is anything called cooking to heart's content, then I do that on Saturdays. By evening I am too tired. Yet I am always ready to go out if there is any party on weekend nights.... I love to unwind amidst / with friends and family with my favourite vodka with lime. I am that quiet listener in any party who loves to get little topsy, carefree as it is weekend and because she has her tall, dark, moderately handsome chopstick to take care of her all through the party and all the way back home.
We are at home this evening, the chopsticks are having their afternoon nap. I thought let me share this dish of triangular / trikon porota / paratha served with a panchmeshali bhaja made of potato, cauliflower, beetroot, carrot and green pea. Tomorrow is Sunday, it can be your Sunday breakfast or brunch if you wish to. Moreover, I wish to keep my Sunday free for some workouts. Ever since, Priyanka Chopra has been declared the second most beautiful woman of the world, I am again into some kind of exercise. Trust me, I only had a small paratha today though I know Priyanka never has any. However we preach for... "Beauty is Skin Deep"..... at some point or the other we wish be like that...... and how much I rebuke some for not been so Bengali with their food habits, I always want to enquire about their likes, dislikes, preferences. In the journey called life, we may not keep up pace at same frequency with all who mean to us, yet we can keep them in heart in one way or the other. As I write this post, I am listening to some soft romantic hindi numbers. Do you know why I like Bollywood? It nourishes and feeds my dreams with all its unreal elements. In reality, your hero will not even cross a lane to hold you tight, forget about crossing a mountain. The film world takes me to the world of fantasy, I enjoy it as much as I enjoy cooking for my dear ones and sharing it with the world. As of now I am too excited to share this humble breakfast platter of Bengali style triangular paratha served with a non spicy stir fried mixed vegetable and lonkar achar [chilli pickle]. Come let us do them together.
INGREDIENTS : [FOR THE MIXED VEGETABLE / PANCHMESHALI BHAJA]
Potato : 2big
Carrot : 2medium
Beetroot : 1medium
Cauliflower Floret : 2big cup
Green Pea : 1small cup
Green Chilli : 2slitted
Dry Red Chilli : 2halved
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Sugar : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 2tsp [preferably mustard]
INGREDIENTS : [FOR THE TRIANGULAR PARATHA / TRIKON PARATHA]
Wholewheat Flour : 3coffee mugs + 1/2small cup to dust
Salt : 2pinches
Water : As Required
Ghee[clarified butter] : 1tsp + 2tsp for each paratha [alternatively any oil except mustard]
METHOD :
Let us prepare the vegetable first.
Peel, wash and cut the potatoes, carrot, beetroot into smaller pieces. Cut the cauliflower into smaller florets and wash thoroughly. Take all four of them together in a bowl and rub with some salt and turmeric. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Add little salt to the green peas taken in another bowl, mix well and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok, temper with nigella seeds and halved dry red chillies. Add the cauliflower florets, potato, carrot, beetroot pieces discarding the marinade. Stir at high heat for a minute. Reduce heat and cover cook for 2 minutes. Open cover, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the slitted green chillies and green peas, sugar too. Fold in well and let cook for a minute. Transfer to a serving bowl.
We will prepare the parathas now.
Take the wheat flour, salt and 1tsp of ghee in a bowl. Rub well for 2 minutes. Add water little by little and keep kneading till we get a soft dough. Tear small portions from the dough and use your palms to form balls.
With help of rolling pin, roll out circles dusting with flour.
Fold to overlap as below.
Fold again to get the shape of a triangle.
Now with help of rolling pin, we will roll it bigger onto a paratha.
Heat pan on gas. I prepare 2 parathas together always. You can do one at a time. Cook each side for 1/2 a minute.
Now add 1tsp ghee for each side.
Transfer to a serving plate.
I served the paratha and the mixed vegetable platter alongside a Bengali style chilli achar / pickle which I wish to share in a separate post.
Always have such things fresh and hot. I hope I could contribute a little to your Sunday happiness.
