Labra with rice
Bengal's mixed vegetables for Durga Puja bhog: pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, mooli, raw banana, brinjal and spinach stalks cooked soft in mustard oil with panch phoron and ginger, with no onion or garlic, and finished with ghee. At the puja it goes with khichuri, at home with rice; the everyday version is chorchori.
- 45 minTime
- 30 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 10 gprotein per portion
- 610kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 300 gPumpkin, peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 2Potatoes, peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 150 gSweet potato, peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 150 gMooli (white radish), peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 1Raw banana (plantain), peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 200 gBrinjal, in 3 cm pieces
- 100 gSpinach (palak), stalks and a few leaves, chopped
- 3 tbspMustard oil
- 2Bay leaves
- 2Dried red chillies
- 1 tspPanch phoron
- 1 tspTurmeric
- 1 tbspGinger, grated to a paste
- 1 tspCumin, powder
- 3 mlRed chilli powder
- 1 tspSugar
- to tasteSalt
- ≈ 250 mlWater, hot
- 1 tbspGhee
On the side
- 300 gRice
- ≈ 700 mlWater, for the rice
Method
- Peel and cut the pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potato, mooli, raw banana and brinjal into roughly equal 3 cm pieces. Keep the brinjal and raw banana in water so they don't darken. Chop the spinach stalks.
- Heat the mustard oil in a kadai until it just smokes, then lower the flame. Add the bay leaves, dried red chillies and panch phoron and let them splutter for a few seconds.
- Add the potatoes, sweet potato, mooli and drained raw banana with the turmeric and fry for 4 minutes. Add the pumpkin, brinjal and spinach stalks and fry for 3 more minutes.
- Stir in the ginger, cumin powder, red chilli powder, sugar, salt and the hot water. Cover and cook on a low flame for 15–18 minutes, stirring gently once or twice, until all the vegetables are soft and the pumpkin starts to break down and thicken the gravy.
- Meanwhile, wash the rice two or three times, put it in a pan with the water and bring to the boil.
- Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 12–15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Keep it covered.
- The labra should be thick, with some pieces whole and some mushy. Stir in the ghee and serve with the rice.
