#Title Delicious vegetarian recipes to subdue your inner carnivore Durga puja is the time when vegetarian dishes get special attention throughout Bengal, although their consumption is not limited to the festive season only. Vegetables are immensely nutritious and should be kept in our regular meal plan. The following tasty and innovative recipes will satiate your desire for variety in your meal plan.

AMARANTHUS WITH SESAME PASTE (TIL NOTEY)

Ingredients

1 bunch Amaranthus

4 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp whole cumin

4 tbsp sesame seed

4 tbsp peanut

2 tbsp gram flour

2 pcs dry red chilli

3 tbsp chopped onion

1 cup chopped tomato

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

4 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and chop Amaranthus. Heat oil in a pan. Add Amaranthus leaves and salt. Stir and cook for some time. Remove from heat and keep aside. Make a paste with sesame seed, nut, and gram flour with little water in a mixer. Heat oil in a pan. Add dry red chilli and onion for tempering. Stir, add garlic, tomato, turmeric, chilli powder one by one. Mix nicely, add sesame-nut paste, stir thoroughly, add Amaranthus leaves and mix. Remove from heat and serve.

RIDGE GOURD SALAD

Ingredients

700g ridge gourd

5 cloves garlic

1 tsp jaggery

4 fresh red chillies

2 tbsp fish sauce (or 2 pcs dry prawn)

3 tbsp lime juice

50g beans

25g peanut

Salt to taste

Method

Cut ridge gourd and beans diagonally. Blanch lightly. Pound garlic, jaggery, red chilli together. Add fish sauce and lime juice with it. Mix the pounded spices and ridge gourd together. Sprinkle peanuts and beans. Serve.

MORINGA STEW

Ingredients

4 pcs drumstick

½ papaya

3 tbsp garlic-ginger paste

2 bay leaves

3 green chillies

2 cups vegetable stock

½ tsp sugar

2 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

2 tbsp white oil

1 gondhoraj lime

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and cut drumsticks in medium pieces. Cube raw papaya and wash. Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, ginger garlic paste, green chilli, and stir for a while. Add cubed papaya, drum stick, stir and add stock. Cover and cook. When vegetables become tender, add fish sauce and vinegar. Sprinkle coriander leaves and lime juice. Serve healthy and tasty moringa stew.

POINTED GOURD WITH SESAME PASTE

Ingredients

500g pointed gourd

5 tbsp white sesame paste

5 green chillies

Salt to taste

½ tsp sugar

Mustard oil, as required

Method

Wash and cut pointed gourd from the middle. Heat oil in a pan. Fry pointed gourd and keep aside. Put green chilli in oil, stir and add sesame paste. Stir for a while, add gourd, salt, sugar and mix thoroughly. Add little water and cook for some time. When vegetable become tender, sesame paste becomes reddish, sprinkle mustard oil and remove from heat. Serve with hot rice.

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By Sharmila Basu Thakur

Photo: Food Farishta