Labra- Bengali vegetable stir fry
Labra is a stir fried mixed vegetable dish which is served as a side to bhoger khichuri.
Ingredients
- 1 no large potato
- 2 nos sweet potatoes
- 1 no large radish with stems
- 1 no small cauliflower
- 1 cup banana stem
- 1 no medium sized brinjal
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 1 no dried bay leaf
- 2 nos dried red chilies
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 nos green chillies
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables and pat them dry. Peel the potatoes, radish, sweet potatoes and cut them in equal sized cubes (1 inch cubes should be fine). Cut the brinjal in cubes but a little larger than the potatoes. Cut the cauliflower into floret - 8 to 10 florets.
- Cut all the stalks and stems lengthwise (about 1 inch in length.) Cut the banana stem in half moon shape.
- In a kadai, take the vegetable oil and once it it hot, add the brinjals and fry them. Once done, keep them aside. In the same kadai, add the mustard oil and add dried bay lef and dried red chili.
- Once they get colour, add panch phoron and let the spices temper. Then add all the vegetables excpet the brinjals and the stalkhs and stems. Sprinkle some salt and stir fry them over high heat.
- Then sprinkle a little bit of water, cover and cook the vegetables. Lower the heat to a minimum so that nothing sticks to the bottom. You have to uncover from time to time and stir them around so that heat gets passed on equally to all the vegetables.
- After about 10 minutes, add the stalks and the stems of the radish. Again stir them around and cover and cook.
- Once the vegetables are done, add the brinjals and sprinkle some water to bring it all together. Add the sugar and stir.
- Finally add freshly grated ginger and ghee. Add a few slit green chillies and give it a stir and turn off your heat.
- Serve labra torkari with khichuri.