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Rishi panchami bhaji
Pumpkin, taro and corn stew
ऋषीपंचमीची भाजी: a one-pot stew of home-grown pumpkin, colocasia, corn and greens, made without anything grown by a ploughing bullock
The day after Ganesh Chaturthi, many Maharashtrian women fast for Rishi Panchami and eat only what has grown without the labour of a bullock. That rule turns into one of the most unusual dishes of the year: a stew of whatever the backyard and the monsoon give, such as red pumpkin, colocasia (alu) leaves and roots, sweet corn, ridge gourd, snake gourd, lal math (red amaranth), okra and raw banana, simmered with crushed peanuts, coconut and green chilli. It is thick, mildly sweet and fresh-tasting, with no onion, garlic or tomato. Some families also skip the tadka entirely; others use a little ghee or oil with cumin. Eat it hot on its own as the main meal of the day, with nothing else alongside. A common mistake is putting colocasia in without enough sourness, which can leave the throat itchy: always add the tamarind with the colocasia. Chef's tip: add the vegetables in order of how long they need, roots first and leaves last, so nothing turns to mush.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 5 ½ oz colocasia roots (arbi)peeled, cut into chunks
- 9 oz red pumpkinpeeled, 2 cm cubes
- 1 sweet corncob cut into 2 cm rounds or 120 g kernels
- 5 ½ oz ridge gourd or snake gourdpeeled in strips, cubed
- 3 ½ oz okra (bhindi)cut into 2 cm pieces
- 4 colocasia leaves (alu)stems peeled, shredded
- 3 ½ oz red amaranth leaves (lal math)chopped
For the stew
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 green chilliescrushed
- 1 ¾ oz raw peanutsroasted and coarsely crushed
- 2 ⅛ oz fresh coconutgrated
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tbsp jaggerygrated
- 1 tsp saltsome families use rock salt
- 1 ¼ cups water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp groundnut oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and, when it splutters, 3 green chillies, and stir for 20 seconds.
1 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz colocasia roots (arbi) with 1 ¼ cups water and 1 tbsp tamarind pulp, cover and simmer on a low to medium heat for 8 minutes until the roots are half cooked. Tamarind must go in with the colocasia to keep the itch away.
8 minStep 3: Add 9 oz red pumpkin and 1 sweet corn, cover and cook for 6 minutes.
6 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz ridge gourd or snake gourd and 3 ½ oz okra (bhindi) and cook for 5 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft at the edges.
5 minStep 5: Stir in 4 colocasia leaves (alu) and 3 ½ oz red amaranth leaves (lal math), cover and cook for 5–6 minutes until the leaves have wilted completely and the alu leaves are dark and soft.
6 minStep 6: Add 1 ¾ oz raw peanuts, 2 ⅛ oz fresh coconut, 1 tbsp jaggery and 1 tsp salt and simmer for 3 minutes, mashing a few pumpkin pieces against the pot to thicken the stew. It should be thick enough to eat with a spoon, not soupy.
3 minStep 7: Rest off the heat for 5 minutes and serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rishi panchami bhaji take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of fresh coconut?
- Desiccated coconut soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, about three quarters of the weight.
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