This recipe is very unique in flavor and its simpleness. I will hazard every Bengali household makes this one curry. It is so simple and yet so flavorful that it makes you wonder how it is even possible. The flavors erupt in your mouth and make you want more, as it it is addictive. When I was a kid I used to beg my mum to make this and could eat a whole pot full of rice very happily. There are several nuances that I will attempt to explain here. But first, the recipe.
Ingredients
Drumsticks (moringa) - about four long sticks, washed, diagonally cut in small 1-inch pieces
Potatoes - two, washed, peeled, cut in wedges
Brinjal/Eggplant - three smaller sized ones, washed, cut in 1-inch pieces
Cilantro/ Coriander leaves - 1/2 a bunch, washed and loosely torn
Kala-jeera / Kalonji/ Nigella - 2 Tsp
Mustard oil - 2TBsp
Asafoetida/ Hing - 1/4 Tsp or just a pinch
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Turmeric - 1/2 Tsp
Green chilies - 3 or 4 sliced
Ginger - 1/2 inch finely minced
Process:
1. Heat the mustard oil in a large pan. Add Hing. Let it fry for a bit, and then add the kala jeera and green chilies, fry for a bit. Add ginger.
2. Add the potatoes and fry for a bit to get the outsides a bit cooked. Add the drumsticks and fry some more. Then add the eggplant. Keep frying.
3. Add turmeric, salt, and sugar. Keep frying as long as it takes for the veggies to be well coated with turmeric and starting to brown.
4. Add warm water, mix well. Check for salt and sugar, add more if needed. Cover and let the veggies cook.
5. Usually the potatoes take the longest to cook, so when they are at a condition that they break when pressed, we are done. The eggplant will be almost mushy by then. Drumsticks will also be cooked.
6. Add fresh cilantro. Mix well. Reduce the flame, cover and simmer for few minutes.
7. Serve with piping hot rice, as the second course, right after the bitter flavored first course.
Notes:
1. I use Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Thai, or Indian eggplant for this dish. I never use the American kind, for they are tasteless and unduly bitter, and sometimes even cause scratchiness in the mouth and gut. I recommend against using the American eggplant.
2. Typically this dish has fish in it. What we do is we separately marinate fresh-water fish, like steaks of Rohu or Catfish or Telapia or Basa, with turmeric and salt, and then fry them. Once the veggies are done, we add the fried fish to the curry, cook it for three to four minutes for the flavors to mingle, and then add the cilantro. This is the version we used to have as a kid, and quite often.
Bengal and Bangladesh, being at the delta or the two biggest rivers in the world, has thousands of ponds, streams, canals, rivers, etc., each teeming with freshwater fish. The recipes for making fish curry in Bengal is as many as there are Bengali people. This recipe is one of many out there.
3. These days it seems that The West has suddenly discovered Moringa and its health benefits. We have been having these for centuries and there are a plethora of recipes. My favorite is fried moringa flowers (shojne phul). The drumsticks are made in variety of ways, including pickles. We just put the whole thing in our mouth, then chew on it to extract the meat and juice, and spit out the fibrous outer part. No need to ingest that kind of fiber, you'll gag if you try. The seeds are quite flavorful, so is the meat in the sticks.
4. The whole flavor of this simple dish rests on the combination of pungent nigella seeds and the aroma of coriander leaves. It is a magical combination. The curry is very light, almost watery yellow, yet very full in flavor.
5. Sometimes, to add a bit more body to the curry sauce people add a bit of cumin powder. This is added in step 3, along with the turmeric, salt, and sugar.
6. In case you are wondering what "Tele-Jhole" means, it is Bengali food slang that implies "quickly cooked in oil and water". It emphasizes the simplicity and effortlessness of the cooking process.
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| Data Aalu Begun Tele-Jhole |
Drumsticks (moringa) - about four long sticks, washed, diagonally cut in small 1-inch pieces
Potatoes - two, washed, peeled, cut in wedges
Brinjal/Eggplant - three smaller sized ones, washed, cut in 1-inch pieces
Cilantro/ Coriander leaves - 1/2 a bunch, washed and loosely torn
Kala-jeera / Kalonji/ Nigella - 2 Tsp
Mustard oil - 2TBsp
Asafoetida/ Hing - 1/4 Tsp or just a pinch
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Turmeric - 1/2 Tsp
Green chilies - 3 or 4 sliced
Ginger - 1/2 inch finely minced
Process:
1. Heat the mustard oil in a large pan. Add Hing. Let it fry for a bit, and then add the kala jeera and green chilies, fry for a bit. Add ginger.
2. Add the potatoes and fry for a bit to get the outsides a bit cooked. Add the drumsticks and fry some more. Then add the eggplant. Keep frying.
3. Add turmeric, salt, and sugar. Keep frying as long as it takes for the veggies to be well coated with turmeric and starting to brown.
4. Add warm water, mix well. Check for salt and sugar, add more if needed. Cover and let the veggies cook.
5. Usually the potatoes take the longest to cook, so when they are at a condition that they break when pressed, we are done. The eggplant will be almost mushy by then. Drumsticks will also be cooked.
6. Add fresh cilantro. Mix well. Reduce the flame, cover and simmer for few minutes.
7. Serve with piping hot rice, as the second course, right after the bitter flavored first course.
Notes:
1. I use Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Thai, or Indian eggplant for this dish. I never use the American kind, for they are tasteless and unduly bitter, and sometimes even cause scratchiness in the mouth and gut. I recommend against using the American eggplant.
2. Typically this dish has fish in it. What we do is we separately marinate fresh-water fish, like steaks of Rohu or Catfish or Telapia or Basa, with turmeric and salt, and then fry them. Once the veggies are done, we add the fried fish to the curry, cook it for three to four minutes for the flavors to mingle, and then add the cilantro. This is the version we used to have as a kid, and quite often.
Bengal and Bangladesh, being at the delta or the two biggest rivers in the world, has thousands of ponds, streams, canals, rivers, etc., each teeming with freshwater fish. The recipes for making fish curry in Bengal is as many as there are Bengali people. This recipe is one of many out there.
3. These days it seems that The West has suddenly discovered Moringa and its health benefits. We have been having these for centuries and there are a plethora of recipes. My favorite is fried moringa flowers (shojne phul). The drumsticks are made in variety of ways, including pickles. We just put the whole thing in our mouth, then chew on it to extract the meat and juice, and spit out the fibrous outer part. No need to ingest that kind of fiber, you'll gag if you try. The seeds are quite flavorful, so is the meat in the sticks.
4. The whole flavor of this simple dish rests on the combination of pungent nigella seeds and the aroma of coriander leaves. It is a magical combination. The curry is very light, almost watery yellow, yet very full in flavor.
5. Sometimes, to add a bit more body to the curry sauce people add a bit of cumin powder. This is added in step 3, along with the turmeric, salt, and sugar.
6. In case you are wondering what "Tele-Jhole" means, it is Bengali food slang that implies "quickly cooked in oil and water". It emphasizes the simplicity and effortlessness of the cooking process.
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