Sojne Data-r Chorchori/ Drumsticks cooked with mustard and poppy seed paste
Ingredients:
- Sojne Data/Senjan ki Phalli/Drumsticks, lightly scraped and cut into 3” long pieces, 6
- Potatoes, peeled and cut into thick wedges, 2 large
- Shorshe/Sarson/Mustard seed paste, 2 tbsp (refer to notes)
- Posto/Khus Khus/Poppy seed paste, 3 tbsp
- Kalo Jeera/ Kalonji/Nigella seeds, ¼ tsp
- Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
- Red chili powder, ½ tsp
- Salt, to taste
- Green chilies, slit, 1-2 (remove seeds if you want)
- Mustard Oil, 3-4 tbsp (I made this with 2 tbsp oil but ideally dishes with mustard paste are supposed to have a little more oil)
Instructions:
Heat oil in a kadhai/wok. Add the drumstick pieces and lightly fry for a couple of minutes. Remove and keep aside.Now add in the potato wedges in the same kadhai and fry till they change colour. Remove and keep aside.
Add in nigella seeds and slit green chilies. Sauté for a 10-15 seconds and add in the fried vegetables, the pastes, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Mix well and let it cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes.
Add in half to one cup water, cover and let it cook on medium low heat till the vegetables are done. Remove the cover and dry up the leftover water if any on high heat. Done!
Notes:
- Instead of the typical 4-5 vegetables as expected in a “Chorchori” , you are only seeing potatoes and drumsticks here since I don’t like yellow pumpkin and horseradish and I hate frying eggplants – I always endup using too much oil.
- How to make mustard and poppy seed paste: Soak seeds in warm water for about an hour, drain and grind with some water, big fat pinch of salt and one green chili into a coarse paste.
- I use Black Mustard seeds, just like my mother in law and the mustard is not too pungent here since poppy seed paste is also added in.
- You can use yellow mustard seeds or a mix of black and yellow (2:1) to reduce the pungency.
- If you want a smoother looking paste, grind the black mustard and then strain it through the fine sieve.
- You can make this with only mustard paste or only poppy seed paste as well if you want.
And this is what Drumsticks look like ( picture taken from the net)
