Panch Misali Torkari / Bengali Style Mixed Vegetable Curry

For your information, there is a variety of vegetable curries in Bengali cuisine...if you by any chance belong to that category of people who thinks that we know nothing outside the fishes. Apart from, ghonto, chorchori and labra....there are numerous other pure vegetarian delicacies that I have seen my mother, aunt and grandmother cooking.

Labra, ghonto and chorchori...all are mixed vegetable curries, but their different names emerge from their diffence in cooking method. Today I am sharing a very favourite curry of mine. This is called Panch Misali Sobji or Panch Misali Torakri.

It’s a mildly spiced mixed vegetable curry, where the vegetables retain their shape and texture till the end. This is very important. And there is no such restriction that you have to use only 5 kind of vegetables...but you can use 6 or 7...but not beyond that. Too many flavours can actually ruin your dish. Besides, this curry is perfect for summer. So if you can find, pointed gourd / potol, ridge gourd / jhinga and shim / flat beans, then do add them. They are kind of must in this curry, if you are cooking this in summer. Pair this Panch Misali Torkari with plain moong or masoor dal and some papad...and the perfect meal for this long overpowering summer is ready for you.

Panch Misali Torkari / Bengali Style Mixed Vegetable Curry

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 medium cauliflower – cut into medium sized florets

2 medium potatoes – cubes

2 cups of cubed pumpkin

1 medium sweet potato

2 eggplants – cut into small pieces

A handful of bori / ¼ th cup of grated coconut

1 tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp panch foron

2 dry red chillies

1 bay leaf

A pinch of hing

1 tsp ginger paste 

Salt

2 -3 tbsp of mustard oil

2 tsp mustard oil to drizzle in the end

Method:

At first clean your vegetables properly with water.

Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat the oil and temper it with panch foron, bay leaf, dry red chillies and hing.

Sauté them for some seconds and then add the cauliflower to them.

Cook then on medium flame until you start to see golden patches on the florets.

Now add the cubed potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder over them and cook them until they get a little golden.

Now add the eggplants and pumpkin and ginger paste.

Sprinkle some more salt and mix them well.

Put cover and let them cook for 4-5 minutes.

Stir them in between.

After 4 minutes add ½ cup of water and mix well.

Cover again and cook until the vegetables are nicely cooked from inside.

Finally taste and adjust the seasonings.

Sprinkle the grated coconut over them and drizzle the rest of the mustard oil.

Simmer for another minute or so and put off the flame.

If you are using boris, fry them in some oil until they turn golden and then crush them over the curry before serving. (If you add the boris long before serving then they will turn soggy.

P.S. You can add any seasonal vegetable of your choice. But do not skip pumpkin and potatoes, because to get that perfect texture. And add hard vegetables first, which will take longer time to cook, followed by the tender vegetables.