Chaal Bandhakopir Ghonto: Thakur Barir Ranna

 Chaal Bandhakopir Ghonto

 

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was a foodie and liked experimenting with food. He would ask his home chefs to mix and match ingredients and develop new recipes. Even his family, as any other Bengali loved food and the recipes prepared in Thakur (Tagore as anglicized by Britishers) household are known as Thakur Barir Ranna.

 

Chaal Bandhakopir Ghonto(Cabbage with Fragrant Rice) is a simple vegetarian recipe from the list of Thakur Barir Ranna prepared using cabbage, green peas and govindobhog rice.

Recipe 

Ingredients

·       1 small cabbage finely chopped

·       1 cup gobindobhog rice

·       1 tomato finely chopped

·       ½  cup fresh green peas

·       1 tsp ginger paste

·       1 tbsp ginger finely chopped

·       3-4 green chilies slit

·       1 tbsp raisins

·       1 tsp turmeric powder

·       1 tsp cumin powder

·       ½  tsp red chili powder

·       a pinch of asafoetida or hing

·       1 tsp cumin seeds

·       1-2 bay leaves

·       2-3 green cardamom

·       1-2 cloves

·       1 one-inch cinnamon stick

·       1 ½  tbsp mustard oil

·       1 ½ tbsp ghee

·       1 tsp sugar

·       salt to taste

How to cook 

Finely chop a medium sized cabbage and steam it for 5 minutes. Keep it aside. In a wok add mustard oil and once it starts smoking add a pinch of asafoetida and then add a cup of washed Govindobhog Rice or any Rice used in preparing kheer. Once the Rice starts spluttering take them out of the wok. Keep it aside. Now add one tablespoon of mustard oil in the wok and to it 2-3 add green cardamom, cinnamon sticks and cloves, bay leaf and cumin seeds. Once the ingredients start giving out fragrance add a finely chopped tomato and mix well. When the ingredients start giving out oil add the rice, mix it with the Masala and add one cup of warm water. Bring it to boil and cook the rice to 80%. Then add the cabbage and green peas to the rice. Add cumin powder, turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon sugar and slitted green chillies. Mix well and cover the same to cook it on medium flame for 5 minutes. If required add two spoonsful of water so the vegetable does not become too dry. Keep a check that neither the rice nor cabbage becomes too mashy. Once done add a generous dollop of ghee and half teaspoon of garam masala. Serve it with steamed rice or chapati.