Green Papaya Curry - Pep-er Tarkari in Bengali

Mrs. P asked me the other day how I cook green papaya at home. She had never tasted this dish before. There are many who have never cooked green papaya. The green papaya is good for health.

Green Papaya

There were many papaya trees in our house. Baba liked green papaya to be peeled and sliced in big sizes, boiled and served with rice during lunch time. The boiled papaya was mashed and served by adding few drops of mustard oil and salt. Boiled green papaya’s are good to get rid of constipation. With so many papaya trees, many were left to ripen but the naughty crows pecked the ripe papayas and made holes in them. So the work of the servant of the house was to let the bamboo ladder rest against the papaya tree, climb few rungs, reach up to the ones that were about to mature, cover with a piece of sack and tie it around it to keep it away from the wicked eyes of the crows.

I have planted some papaya trees in my home, the raw and the ripe ones my tenant is enjoying. Here in Delhi it’s really difficult to get good green papayas. But I do cook it at least once a month.

Coming back to my recipe, let me share it with all.

1 Green papaya. Peel, cut into half, discard the seeds and make small cubes. Wash and keep it.

3 medium potatoes. Peel, cut into cubes, wash and keep it

Jeera powder: ¾ tsp

Dhania powder: ¼ tsp

Haldi powder: ½ tsp

Red chili powder: ¼ tsp

Cooking oil: 1 ½ tbsp

Sugar

Salt

Cooking process:

Heat oil in a kadhai. Put in the potato cubes and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the papaya cubes and cook for some time. Once the vegetables start getting the pink coating, add the spices – jeera, dhania, red chili and haldi powder. Now add little water so that the spices don’t get burnt. Add salt and sugar and cook till the oil seperates. Add very little water, sufficient to cook the potatoes and the papaya. Cook over low flame till the vegetables are cooked and the water water has completely dried. Serve with plain rice and dal. Those who prefer rotis and parathas, take a helping and enjoy the taste of the Pep-er tarkari as said in Bengali.

Mixed Vegetable (Summer - not exclusive) Curry – the Mesha-mishi Tarkari of my home

With summer I’ll be cooking more vegetarian recipes at home. On days it can be only dal, bhat, amer tak, aloo bhate and the crispy aloo bhaja...a very simple thali but satisfying. Pui saag combo with simple vegetables is another interesting dish I cook during summer; the secret, pui saag is available in plenty during the hot days. Add khucho chingri (tiny prawns) to the pui saag chorchori, tastes heavenly. Other leafy vegetables (saag) cooked with bodi is somewhat a must as many different kinds of fresh vegetables start disappearing in summer. With lots of green mangoes in the market, time to make some mango jelly, gur aam, aam diye masoor dal and of course regular amer ambol (with a running gravy).

It doesn’t mean non-vegetarian dishes get totally lost in our home. It will be more of fish, the smaller ones preferred for their typical taste and flavour.

Back to my mesha-mishi tarkari.

The vegetables in my list:

Potatoes: 2 medium size

Brinjal (egg plant): 1 (big)

Radish: 2 along with the shoot and leaves

Carrot: 2

Green papaya: ½ of a medium sized one

Green banana: 2

Cauliflower: 4-5 florets

Drumsticks: 4 sticks (cut into 1 ½ inch in length)

Tomatoes: 2

Green chilli: 3 (slit in the middle)

Cut the vegetables into the required size so that each vegetable is cooked, as it should be, with each other in the cooking pot. Wash and let the water drain out. Don’t throw away the radish shoot, cut them into 1 ½ inch in length. You may also add some of the radish greens to the curry.

For cooking:

Mustard oil 2 tbsp

Dry red chilli: 2

Haldi powder: I tsp

Jeera powder: 1tsp

Dhania powder: ½ tsp

Red chilli powder: 1 or even ½ tsp (as you like). I use deghi mirch as this adds more colour than the heat.

Salt

Sugar

Green coriander to garnish

Mix the jeera, dhania, lal mirch and haldi powder in a bowl with some water and keep it aside.

Once all the ingredients are ready at hand place a kadhai (wok) on the burning stove. Add oil and then break the dry red chillies into half and drop them into it once the steam starts rising. Then add all the vegetables except the drumsticks. Cover and cook for some time, stirring the vegetables from time to time.

After cooking for 6-7 minutes add the masala that had been mixed in a bowl. Stir so that the masala mixes well with the vegetables. Now add salt and sugar to your taste, reduce the flame and cover it. Remember to give the vegetables a stir now and then so that the vegetables don’t burnt. Once the oil starts appearing at the sides, it’s time to add the drum sticks and then enough water to cook the vegetables. Cover and cook on low flame for some time and then increase the flame and cook till all the vegetables are cooked leaving no watery gravy.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice and dal. Those who don’t like rice eat this curry with roti or paratha or even puri (loochi).

Great fun in cooking something so simple...enjoy the taste of all the vegetables.