Paneer Chorchori

Paneer chorchori, oh yes! Bengali Cuisine is so flavourful, delicious and wholesome. A versatile dish – ‘ Chorchori’ is loaded with flavours of whole spices. You can serve this mixed vegetable dish as a side to rotis or rice.

Chorchori, Chochchori or Charchari is an extremely flexible Bengali vegetarian dish that can be cooked in a jiffy. Chorchori comes handy when you have a little of each vegetable and don’t know what to cook!

‘Charchori’ or ‘Chorchori ‘ means a mishmash of vegetables. The vegetables are fried over a wide pan and they char and give out a sizzling sound and hence the name ‘Chorchori’. Traditionally the Panchmishali Charchari meaning the five vegetable medley is the most popular and is made using yellow pumpkin, ridge gourd, aubergines, broad beans and potatoes. A chorhori does has to have at least one vegetable.

Today I’m twisting the dish by adding paneer to my mix of veg I found in my fridge!

Carrots, potatoes, peas and green beans made it out but I used the beans for something else! More about Indian veg hereLets Talk about Indian Vegetables – and Tips

So that left 3! So I added paneer! The paneer chorchori was cooked with Panch Puran temper. For more about Panch Puran visit Lets Talk About Panch Puran

To source any of the spices or Panch puran contact The Herb and Spice Emporium.

INGREDIENTS:

1 block paneer, cut into 1 inch chips.
2 ned potatoes cut into 1 inch chips
1 cup peas
2 carrots cut into 1 inch chips
1 bayleaf torn
3 dried chillies
1 small piece cinnamon
2 cardomoms
1 tsp sugar
3 green chillies slit
1 tbsp panch puran
Quarter cup oil
1 tsp Salt
25g butter

Spice powders
Half Tsp turmerric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp cumin powder
11/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp kasmiri chilli powder

METHOD:

Mix the spice powders together in a bowl.

Add a few tbsp of water to make loose paste, set aside.

Heat the oil in a non stick pan. Add the potatoes, carrots and paneer. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric and dried methi leaves.

Saute them so you get a char on them! Keep moving them about.

When they have got the colour and char remove with slotted spoon and keep aside.

In the remaining oil add the bayleaf, dried chillies, cinnamon, cardamom and dried chillies.
Let them colour alittle and the aroma rekease.

Next add the panch puran. Let them sizzle and sputter. Let the aroma release and it get a little darker.

Now have the pan lid ready for sizzle action!
Add the curry paste to the oil and cover immediately. The contact of the spices with hot oil will create a blistering of spices and cause some spitting. This is a welcome good sign and adds a smokey nuance. It also helps the spices to start releasing the oil.