Panch Mishali Chorchori - Stir-Fried Vegetable Medley

 

Panch Mishali Chorchori

This dish is a mixture of 5 vegetables (panch mishali) that are stir-fried (chorchori) with or without lentil dumplings, also known as 'bori'. I used 3 root vegetables, radish, carrots and sweet potato, along with eggplant and pui shaak or malabar spinach. It's very easy to prepare and a great use of vegetables that may have been overlooked or forgotten. It doesn't need onions or garlic which was a blessing for me because I dislike 'shedding tears' over onions.

Five Vegetables Stir-Fry

Panch Mishali Sheddho

Panch = 5, Mishali = Mixed, Sheddho = Boil

Potatoes, carrots, green beans, green peas and radish are each boiled separately, just until tender. They are then combined and stir-fried together for a wholesome vegetable side dish. Different from gota sheddho or whole boiled vegetables, these are cut into bite-sized pieces. Any combination of five or seven vegetables can be used to make this side dish.

Gota Sheddo - Lentil & Vegetable Stew

Gota Sheddo

Gota (whole) Sheddo (boil) is a lentil and vegetable stew in which the vegetables are left whole or cut in big chunks. It's a ceremonial dish, both vegetarian and vegan, that uses green (unhusked) mung beans, a combination of 3 or 5 vegetables, minimal oil, fennel seeds and strips or slices of fresh ginger. Pictured here are red salad radishes, whole baby potatoes, chunks of Japanese eggplant, whole jalapeno peppers and sweet potatoes. All the ingredients are placed in a pressure cooker with a cup of water and cooked under pressure for 10 minutes. It's best served with steamed rice.

Panch Mishali Tarkari - 5 Vegetable Medley

Panch Mishali Tarkari

Panch means five, Mishali means mixed or medley and Tarkari means curry. This vegetable medley comprises spinach, sweet potato, potato, chayote squash and green peas. Any combination of vegetables can be used and it's a great way to use up scraps of leftover vegetables hiding in the crisper.

Firm vegetables that take longer to cook are stir-fried first until almost cooked, followed by the more delicate vegetables, to keep the latter from turning to mush.

Panch Mishali Tarkari - 5 Vegetables in Coconut Cream

Panch Mishali Tarkari

Gather together all the vegetables you can find, including bits and pieces in the fridge, to compose this simple and satisfying stew. I used a sweet potato, an eggplant, pui shaak with data (malabar spinach), chayote squash and potatoes, but any five or more vegetables will do. After all, who's counting?

Coconut milk makes it extra special by imparting a creamy quality to the vegetables.

5 Vegetables Cooked in Coconut Milk

5 Vegetables in Coconut Milk

The people of Bengal in India cook a vegetable curry using a mixture of 3, 5 or 7 different vegetables. The vegetables are of different colours, texture and taste. In this dish I have used white potatoes & radish which have a firm texture and bland taste, orange sweet potatoes and green peas that are sweet and melt in your mouth, and purple Japanese eggplant with the skin on that are soft. A squeeze of lime at the end of cooking gives it a tangy flavour that goes well with the rich creaminess of the coconut milk.

All the vegetables are cut in cubes of similar size.