Aloo-Parval in Khuskhus paste.

Kakima, Kaki is chachi and Ma is Mother. The Kaki who showered mother's love on her nephew, Shubir, my husband. She lived in Kolkata in the ancestral home of the Maitras'. I was showered with equal love as the daughter-in-law of the Maitra's. On our visits to Kolkata, we always lived in this two storied bungalow, a typical bengali architecture. She lived with her husband, our Kakababu and there only son Sumit. A small family with a big heart




Late Mrs. Gita Maitra & Late Sankar Chandra Maitra.

 Kakima (Late Mrs. Gita Maitra), was a great cook and she loved to feed everyone. When we visited Kolkata, she would always cook different bengali dishes of fish, meat and vegetables. I guess she believed that since Shubir, who then lived in Mumbai, had no access to bengali food, I being a Maharashtrian. It was her duty to feed him the delicacies he loved on the few days we stayed there. Shubir ate to his hearts content.  On the day of our return to Mumbai by train she made it a point to pack this vegetable Aloo-Potol Posto(Khuskhus) with Luchis(Puris). She would not take no for an answer. No we could not order on the train. Home cooked food it had to be. This variety of subzi was packed, because it is dry and can be easily carried on a journey.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms Parval
• 2 Potatoes
• 2 Dry red chillies
• 1 tsp panch phoran (Mixture of jeera,mustard seeds,fennel,methi and kalonji mixed in equal quantities).
• 4 tbs Khuskhus (powdered dry in mixer then to that add 1/4 cup water and make a fine paste).
• 2 leaves tejpata.
• pinch of hing.
• 1tsp salt.
• 1/2tsp sugar.
• 2 tbs Mustard oil.

Method: 

• Heat 2 tbs mustard oil, when it smokes lower the flame.
• Add the tejpata, red chillies, paanch phoran and hing.
• Add the cut vegetables which are in small piece, salt, sugar and stir fry them on a small flame.
• Cover and cook stirring from time to time.
• When the vegetables are 3/4th cooked add the khuskhus paste. 
• Now don't cover and keep stirring till it gets a light brown colour.

Serve the vegetable with puris made of maida called "Lucchis". 

Pack this on your next train journey and enjoy a tasty meal.

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