Pui Shaaker Chorchori | Pui Saag Chochhori
Malabar spinach and seasonal vegetable stir-fry
Ingredients
- 1 large potato
- 1 medium-sized brinjal eggplant
- 1 medium-sized radish
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 thick slice pumpkin
- 1 bunch Malabar spinach with the stem
- 8-10 nos Urad Dal Bori Vadi/ dried lentil dumpling
- ½ tsp panchphoron
- 2 nos dried red chilies
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 2-3 green chilies
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potato and sweet potato. Wash them under running water. Cut the potato into half lengthwise. Then cut each piece into four quarters. Keep the potatoes submerged in a bowl of water.
- Cut the sweet potato into one-inch pieces and keep them submerged in a bowl of water.
- Wash the brinjal under running water. Cut it lengthwise into 4 pieces and then cut each piece of one-inch cubes.
- Peel off the pumpkin skin and cut it into one-inch cubes. Do the same with the radish.
- Wash the Malabar spinach thoroughly under running water. Tear the leaves roughly or chop with a knife.
- Cut the stems and shoots to two-inch length.
- Take a large kadai or wok. Heat one tbsp mustard oil and fry the lentil dumplings (bori). They should be golden brown in colour. Take them out and drop half of them in a bowl of water and the other half, set aside.
- Take 1 tbsp mustard oil and when it is hot, fry the brinjal pieces lightly and keep them aside.
- In the same kadai, heat the rest of the mustard oil. Add dried red chilies and panchphoron.
- When the panchphoron starts to splutter, add potatoes, sweet potato (without the water), the drumsticks (from the Malabar spinach) and radish. Fry these over high heat. I haven't added the pumpkin and brinjal since they cook faster.
- Add salt and turmeric powder and stir for a couple of minutes. Then lower the heat and cover and let the vegetables cook in their own moisture.
- Once in a while, remove the cover and stir. After ten minutes of cooking, add the pumpkin pieces. Stir and cover once more.
- When the vegetables are cooked halfway, add the spinach leaves. If your brinjal is just fried lightly, then add to the vegetables. If they are fully cooked, then add in the end.
- Sprinkle sugar and add freshly grated ginger. Also, when the vegetables are almost cooked, add the dried lentil bori that are soaked in water. Mix everything and over medium to high heat stir and cook the vegetables.
- Once everything has come together, adjust the seasoning. Add split green chilies and break the lentils that were dry and add to the vegetables for a crunchy texture.
- Mix everything thoroughly and serve with rice.