Chapor ghonto

Delicious Addiction’s Chapor Ghonto combines vegetables with shallow-fried split-yellow-pea patties. This Bengali side uses pumpkin, teasel gourd, bottle gourd and ridge gourd in the selected recipe.

The peas are washed, soaked, drained and coarsely ground. Salt, chilli powder and ginger paste are whipped into the batter, then portions are shallow-fried in mustard oil, pressed with a spatula and turned until both faces show brown spots.

A separate mustard-oil portion is tempered with bay leaves, dried red chilli, panch phoron, fenugreek and fennel. The supplied small-cut vegetables are stir-fried, then ginger paste, salt and sugar are mixed in before covered low-heat cooking in the vegetables’ own juices.

The same fried patties join the softened vegetables and are broken into small pieces with the spatula. Grated coconut and the remaining ginger-paste portion are mixed in, followed by slit green chillies and ghee.

The ghonto is taken off the heat and rests under a cover before serving with steamed rice. The broken patties and tender vegetables form the recipe’s mixed finish.