Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Sōjnē Dãtā Chorchori

Sōjnē Dãtā is Bengali for Saijhan, Sajna or Drumsticks (Moringa oleifera). Its essentially a summer “vegetable”, where the local bazaar would get these fresh-looking, juicy pods packed with vitamins, calcium, and other important nutrients.

IMG_0356 But nutrients are not exactly the reason I got these juicy Sōjnē Dãtā and made a Chorchori out of them, even though I did not have all the ingredients at home. Traditional Chorchori will have a medley of vegetables and greens, sometimes even fish head.

IMG_0443 My constant cravings had me dreaming about Dãtā almost twice in one week. And a trip to the Bangladeshi store in Danforth helped me get my fill.

 IMG_0460 Ingredients for Sōjnē Dãtā Chorchori are:

4 drumsticks, cut into two inch pieces
1 potato, peeled and cut into wedges
2 tablespoons mustard paste
1 tablespoon poppy seed paste
Half teaspoon paanch phoron
Half teaspoon turmeric powder
Half teaspoon red chili powder
1 bay leaf
Mustard oil
Sugar
Salt

Heat oil in a wok, toss the drumstick pieces in and sauté for a couple of minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

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In the same oil, add the potatoes and get some color on them. Remove after 3-4 minutes. You can also add thinly cut eggplant and pumpkin to this dish. I did not have either!
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Toss in the paanch phoron and bay leaf and sauté for a minute. Add the already sautéed vegetables, spices and the salt and sugar. Give everything a good mix, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

IMG_0449 IMG_0450 Add enough water to cover the vegetables and cover. Cook for enough time that the potatoes and drumsticks are done.

Check the seasoning and balance the sweet and salt. If too much water remains in the dish, just crank up the heat and cook for a few more minutes. 
IMG_0459 Enjoy the juicy taste of this Drumstick chorchori with some plain rice. A dish like this is usually preceded by some daal and bhaja and then followed by a fish or mutton curry.

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5 comments:

Sudha said...

wonderful...will be the next dish i make with drumsticks...i love them and a traditional avial is never complete with it..I share your love for these juicy pods :)

GB said...

Pree that looks good! Not a big fan of drumsticks, but this looks delectable. I had to ask you, have you a really good home-made naan recipe. I'm craving the real stuff!! :(

Suman Singh said...

WOW..speechless here..your post made me nostalgic..it reminds me my mom makes exactly the same way drumstick/sajiyan curry..and we use to enjoy like anything..unfortunately I hardly see or find any fresh sajiyan here..very tempting one..thanks for sharing!
PS: I said sppechless here and wrote so much..funny right.

Devi said...

I have been following ur blog regularly but never commented.but today I had too...I come from Orissa..and sumhow the recipes that u post reminds me of the authentic oriya and bengali dishes made by my mom at home...u are awesome!!

Kamini said...

Its been a while since I visited Pree....but nothing has changed on your blog! Still incredibly yummy recipes with incredibly yummy pics. OK, this one I have to try. All we southies cook with drumsticks is sambar sambar sambar!!!