Charchari (Bengali Mixed Vegetable Curry)

BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines
Week 1: Bengali Cuisine
Day 3: C for Charchari (Bengali Mixed Vegetable Curry)

I'm going to continue on with my journey through Bengali cuisine for our 'Journey through the cuisines' month long mega blogging marathon. It's Day 3 and we are cooking with the letter C. I chose to make a very simple, everyday Bengali dish called Charchari aka Chorchori aka Chochchori.

It is an easy to make mixed vegetable dish and from the different recipes I found online, each family has it's own way of making this humble dish. Each version had a slightly different veggie used and some used mustard paste while some didn't. I followed Sandeepa's recipe to make my Charchari, except for the addition of mustard paste which I omitted.
I personally love mixed vegetable curries. Each veggie brings its own flavor and texture to the dish making the dish taste amazing. Any mix of veggies can be used for this curry, but there are some that are almost always used like ridgegourd, pumpkin, potato and eggplant. While others like broad beans, drumsticks, radish etc are stand ins and can be used when available.

Crumbled Bengali boris or vadis are added on top while serving, but I didn't have any, so skipped them. Serve this dish with rice or roti and Bengali Masoor dal for a filling and hearty meal.

Recipe adapted from Sandeepa's Bongmom Cookbook:

Bengali Charchari

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Potato, peeled and diced
• 6~8 Small Eggplants, chopped
• 1cup Peeled and diced Pumpkin
• 1 Small Ridgegourd (beerakaya), peeled and chopped
• 1cup Broad beans, chopped
• 2 Drumsticks, chopped (I didn't add this)
• 3~4 Green Chilies
• 1tsp Panch Phoron (Bengali spice mix with cumin, fenugreek, mustard, fennel & nigella seeds)
• ¼tsp Hing or Asafoetida
• ½tsp Turmeric
• To Taste Salt
• 8~10 Small Bengali Vadis (I didn't add these)
• 1~2tsp Sugar (optional)
• 1~2tsp Mustard Oil (optional)

Method:

1. Make sure to chop all the veggies approximately the same size.
2. Steam or microwave the veggies until fork tender. Keep ready.
3. Heat 3tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the panch phoron and hing; once the seeds start to splutter, add the green chilies and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Add the steamed veggies, season with salt and sugar (if using) and mix well.
5. Cook till all of the water from the veggies completely evaporates and the veggies are completely cooked through and dry.
6. Drizzle mustard seeds, if using, and take it off the heat. Serve with rice or just as is.
7. Sprinkle with fried vadis on top before serving.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63.

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