Sajana Phula Bhaja

Drumstick flowers or Moringa flowers are known as 'Sajana phula' in Odia. Not very long back, a drumstick tree was a mandatory part of every garden in Odisha. The other must plants were the banana plant, papaya and a fruit tree like mango and/or guava. But with rising land rates and shrinking plot sizes, the gardens are being dispensed with and most people no longer have access to such a delicacy. And sadly one does not find it being sold in the markets.

Residing in Blore, I could only dream of having access to it. So, when I made the annual trip to my native, it was on my must-eat list along with 'karadi' and the famous Rourkela 'Gupchup' . Though I sometimes have it in Bhubaneshwar, the Gupchup here is simply a class apart. Almost everyone swears by the vendor in their own locality or a nearby place. But there are some crazy folks who would not mind making a trip (in some cases a long one)  to Sec 15/ Ispat Market /Sec 20 for savoring the stuff sold by a particular vendor. Since I no longer have the inclination to follow in their footsteps, I am happy to sample the stuff dished out by the nearest vendor.

Coming back to the recipe, it is a frugal one made with the simplest of ingredients. Read on -

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins (most of it is used for cleaning the flowers)

Ingredients -

• 2 cups drumstick flowers
• 1 green chili
• 2 pinch pancha phutana
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Pluck the drumstick flowers from the bunch. Throw away the dried and shriveled ones. Wash and clean them.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken green chili and pancha phutana. Once it stops spluttering, add the crushed garlic flakes along with the cleaned flowers.

Stir fry for 3 mins. Add the salt and mix in. Remove from the flame.

Serve as a side dish with rice/rotis and dal.

Note - The very tender drumsticks can also be fried along with the flowers. 

Maseladar Baingan (Spicy Eggplant Curry)

Eggplant is perhaps the most used vegetable in our house. So I try to make various combinations and permutations so that we do not get bored of it. That is why when i saw this recipe in the Sunday edition of TOI, I added it to my To-Do list.

It turned out to be very nice and spicy. Goes great with rotis!!! Read on for the very easy recipe:

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• Sliced brinjal/eggplant ( 4 cups )
• Finely chopped onion ( 2 medium )
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/3 tsp
• Chili powder - 1/3 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Amchur - 1/4 tsp ( But I used 1/2 tsp anardana powder instead )
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• salt to taste

For the paste -

• Peanuts - 2 tbsp
• Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/3 tsp
• Green chillis - 2-3 nos
• Coriander leaves - 1/3 cup

Preparation - Make a fine paste out of the ingredients listed under 'For the paste'.

Cooking - Add 1 tbsp oil to a wok. Add and fry the eggplant slices for 4-5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil to the wok. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle.

Add chopped onions and allow to turn translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes away.

Add all the powdered spices. Fry for 1 min.

Add the masala paste along with salt and fry for 3-4 mins.

Add the beaten curd along with the eggplant slices. Fry for 2-3 mins on medium flame.

Add 1 1/2 cup water slowly. Cover with lid and allow to cook for 6-7 mins.

Remove from wok. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well.

Serve hot with rotis.

Note - The original recipe made use of the raw eggplant pieces but I choose to stir fry them as it tastes different ( I like it better this way).