By now I have written quite a fair bit about my Bengali heritage and love for Bengali food. One of the Bengali recipes I posted was for Kasundi Chicken – this delicious, moist chicken curry with the characteristic Bengali mustard flavour. Happiness!
Today I am sharing another kasundi recipe. The awesome sauce (literally) deserves many ways to be added to your meals 🙂 It is also an amazing way to jazz up basic veggies and make them a lot more appetizing. In this case, broccoli. I like broccoli in many ways, in salad, with some masala or steamed with some garlic. But one of my favourites was when my aunt made broccoli with just panch phoron. I’ve based this recipe on my aunt’s, with the addition of the magic ingredient – kasundi!
The recipe just needs broccoli, kasundi, oil, seasonings and panch phoron. That’s it!
Panch phoron is a characteristic spice mix from Bengal – five spices, in similar ratios, that make the dish exceptionally flavourful. Cumin (jeera) seeds, mustard (rai) seeds, fenugreek (methi) seeds, fennel (saunf) seeds and nigella (kalonji) seeds. Each spice roasted whole, helps to add something unique to the dish.
I always recommend blanching the broccoli for a few minutes in hot water to ensure there are no worms and they get nicely cleaned. Once done, this recipe just needs some seasoning and then patience to let it cook, which doesn’t take too long anyway.
Once almost ready, add the kasundi and cook for a little while more. That’s it. I use Kasundi I bought from Calcutta airport which comes in cute little bottles, very handy to have around.
This recipe comes together in no time at all and is a lovely accompaniment to some dal and rice, or even with just parathas/puris. Simple, easy and tasty. What else do you need after a long day at work? 🙂
Kasundi Broccoli
Ingredients
650g broccoli (3 small broccoli) – cut into florets
1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
1 tsp mustard (rai) seeds
1 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds
3/4 tsp nigella (kalonji) seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tbsp mustard oil
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
6 tbsp kasundi paste
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
4 cups water – boiled
Directions
- Cut the broccoli into florets and soak in hot water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and wash with cold water. Place the florets in a colander to dry.
- Heat oil in a pan, add the panch phoron (cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel seeds). Once they crackle, add the ginger paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the broccoli florets, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring.
- Add the kasundi paste, mix well and cook till the broccoli is done. It should be soft but not mushy, around 10-15 minutes.
- Add salt as per taste and then add the lemon juice. Serve 🙂
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