Charred and roasted vegetables with a simple spicy stuffing consisting of onion, garlic and chillies.
In an Odia household, we love our Gotta Bhajjas (Odia stuffed vegetable roasts). We make these with as many vegetables possible. Potatoes, Okra, Brinjal/ Egg plant, Plantains, Bitter Gourd, Pointed Gourd, Ridge Gourd etc. This dish is also a secret weapon for every Odia mom to feed their children vegetables that they hate.
Though we have many versions of this dish, Today I am showcasing with 4 types of vegetables as they all need same stuffing.
Prep time | 30 mins
Cooking time | 30 -40 mins
Difficulty level | Beginner - Intermediate
Ingredients
Okra / Ladies finger, 8 units
Pointed Gourd, 2 units
Brinjal/ Eggplant, medium, 2 units
Plantain, 1 unit
Onion 1 large, chopped
Garlic, 22-25 cloves, medium
Green chillies, 3 units, chopped
Salt, 2tsp
Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
Mustard oil, 3 tbsp (1 tbsp for stuffing + 2 tbsp for roasting)
The first step in this recipe would be to keep the stuffing ready. Take the chopped onions and start pounding it in a mortar and Pestle until it’s crushed coarsely. Then add the garlic to it and pound until it’s crushed and everything comes together. Next add the chopped green chillies and pound them until all the ingredients are crushed to form a rough paste.
Once done add the remaining spices to to the mixture - salt, turmeric powder and 1 tbsp of mustard oil. Mix it well and keep it aside.
Now wash and dry all the vegetables. Take the okra/ ladies finger, cut the head and tail. Make a slit lengthwise (80% of the radius) creating a pocket to stuff the filling. Refer to the video to see the procedure in action or refer to the images below.
Follow the same preparations for all vegetables.
Once all the vegetables are cut, start filling it with the spice mixture.
Once they are all filled, place a pan/ tawa on the stove on medium high heat. Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a pan. Once the pan is hot, start adding the vegetables one by one while placing the open side facing towards the pan.
Placing them in this manner helps seal the cut and avoids the stuffing from falling out
Cover and fry for 10 mins on a low to medium flame. Then flip them, cover the lid and fry for another 10 minutes. Now remove the lid and keep roasting on all sides until it’s fully cooked. Formation of a dark brown charred layer on the vegetables is a good sign.
Keep removing the vegetables once they are done. Okra with be cooked mush faster than the rest. Once they are done, serve hot as a side dish to price, dal etc.
Comments