Ghanta Tarkari
a big pot of mixed vegetables and chana dal with coconut, cooked for festivals without onion or garlic
Allergens in Ghanta Tarkari: milk, mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 100g, soaked 2 hours Chana Dal
- 250g, peeled and cubed Pumpkin
- 200g, peeled and cubed Yam
- 1, peeled and cut into 1cm rounds Raw Banana
- 2 medium, cut into 2cm chunks Potato
- 150g, peeled and halved Colocasiaoptional
- 1, cut into 6cm lengths Drumstickoptional
- 4 tbsp, freshly grated Coconut
- 1.5 tsp Cumin Seeds1 tsp whole, 1/2 tsp for the coconut paste
- 1 tsp Panch Phoron
- 1 tbsp, grated Ginger
- 4, slit Green Chilli
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masalaoptional
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- to taste Salt
- 900ml Water
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the chana dal at least 2 hours, or overnight if you can. It has to be tender at the same moment the vegetables are, and it is the slowest thing in the pot.
- Grind 3 tbsp of the grated coconut with 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, half the ginger and 3 tbsp water to a coarse paste. Keep the last tablespoon of coconut back for finishing.
- Rub your hands with oil before peeling the yam and colocasia to avoid itching.
- Ghanta is a festival dish with no onion or garlic. Cut the vegetables generously, it should look abundant.
Method
- Boil the soaked chana dal in 400ml water with 1/2 tsp turmeric for 15 minutes, until it is just tender but still holds its shape. Do not drain.Stop while the dal still has bite. It cooks another 15 minutes with the vegetables.
- Meanwhile heat the ghee in a large kadhai and add the bay leaves, whole cumin seeds and panch phoron. Let them crackle 20 seconds.
- Add the remaining grated ginger and the slit green chillies and fry 1 minute.
- Add the yam, colocasia and potato and fry 4 minutes until the cut faces turn golden.
- Add the pumpkin, raw banana and drumstick with the remaining turmeric, the cumin powder and salt. Toss 2 minutes.
- Pour in the remaining 500ml water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
- Tip in the boiled chana dal with its water and the coconut-cumin paste. Stir gently from the bottom.Stir with a light hand from here on. The pumpkin is ready to fall apart and it should not.
- Simmer uncovered 10 minutes until the gravy thickens and the yam is completely soft.
- Mash a few pieces of pumpkin against the pan to bind the gravy, then stir in the garam masala.
- Scatter the reserved fresh coconut over the top and rest 10 minutes off the heat before serving with rice.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and improves on day two as the dal and coconut settle. Reheat on the stovetop with 4 tbsp water, stirring as little as possible.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Ghanta Tarkari (369 g) is about 348 calories, or 95 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 8 g a serving, 9% of the calories
| Per serving369 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 348 kcal | 95 kcal |
| Protein | 7.6 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 57.6 g | 16 g |
| of which sugars | 12.5 g | 3 g |
| Fibre | 8.2 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 11.8 g | 3 g |
| of which saturated | 7.2 g | 2 g |
| of which unsaturated | 3.6 g | 1 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for garam masala, panch phoron. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Odia recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.