Ghanta Tarkari

Today I am writing about a vegetarian recipe which is very popular in Orissa, specially during the festive days. Ghanta tarkari has 2 variations , one with onions & another without onions. We don't use onions as it is made during the puja & also offered to the Gods. Ghanta means mixed in Oriya. So it's a mixed vegetable recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized potatoes peeled & cut into large cubes.
• 100gm pumpkin cut into large cubes.
• 50 gm arum(saru) peeled & cut
• 50 gm yam(desi alu) peeled & cut
• 50 gm parwal/potol
• 50 gm brinjal
• 4 french beans
• 4 long beans/jhudanga
• 50 gm lima beans /shimba
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup scrapped coconut
• 1/2 cup sprouted moong
• 1/2 cup soaked & boiled brown channa
• jeera & red chilli powder (roast 2 teaspoon of jeera along with 3 whole red chillies. Then grind it coarsely.)
• grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon jeera & 2 whole red chillies
• bay leaves (tej patta)
• salt & turmeric powder & chilly powder as required

Process:

Cut all the vegetables into 1 inch sized cubes.Then wash them properly.Then put a heavy bottomed pan on gas. Add 2 tablespoon oil.
Then add whole jeera & red chillies. Then add all the vegetables along with sprouted moong & brown channa dal.Then add tej patta, salt & turmeric powder & a little chillie powder. Add little water. Cover it & stir occasionally.
When all the vegetables are properly boiled add grated ginger ,roasted jeera & red chilli powder. After 2 minutes add grated coconut & remove from the gas.
Ghanta Tarkkari is ready to serve.Its best accompanied by plain rice & toor dal along with tomato kahjoor khatta.Its a very healthy recipe as it uses less oil & very less spices.

Ghanta tarkari with onion:

Make a paste of onion, ginger , garlic & red chillies.Fry the paste in oil & then add chopped tomatoes or tomato puree. Then add all the vegetables to this masala paste & also add lentils.All the rest processes are same.