Note Shak'er Chorchori

This is a simple recipe for chorchori(medley of vegetables) with note shaag, this shag is also prepared with posto bata (poppy seed paste), sometimes it is also made with macher moro(fish head) and macher tel(Fish fat),a simple stir-fry with roasted peanuts , chopped onions and Kalo jeere (Nigella seeds) tastes too good accompanied with rotis , recipe link for Shaag Bhaja ( Stir-Fry Green Leaves)
This is authentic Bengali recipe for note shag, prepared with vegetables like bitter gourd(Korola),sweet potato(ranga Aloo) , pumpkin(Kumro) and potato(Aloo) .One interesting ingredient which my MIL asked me to add this time is, dried jackfruit seeds(Katalher Biji), when cooked this gives a very nutty flavor.
There is mild flavor of bitterness due to addition of bitter gourd, that’s why this is eaten as a starter in authentic Bengali Meal .Its always said you start your eating with Teto (Bitter) and end the meal with mishti(sweet).Chorchori is what ,you start with your meal .

Note Shaager Chorchori

Ingredients
Note shaag 1 bunch with fresh leaves
1 potato chopped into lengthwise
Kumro or pumkin pieces
1 Bitter gourd cut into small pieces
Ranga aloo half cut into lengthwise
Dried Jack fruit seeds chopped and made into four quarters
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp of red pepper powder
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of sugar
3 tbs of oil

MethodMarinate the bitter gourd pieces with salt and turmeric powder, fry them first and fry them to deep brown. TIP-Frying them reduces the bitterness from them .
Now take out in a separate vessel, add oil, temper it with panch phoron, Bay leaf .
Add chopped vegetables to it TIP- Its better to chop vegetables in equal length as it helps the chorchori to cook evenly , one thing which is important in preparing chorchori is the way how you cut your vegetables ., potato,kumro,ranga alo, kathaal er Biji , add salt(TIP- always add less salt , that much which is required to cook vegetables only) and fry them for 2 mints, now add turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander powder and fry them for 5 mints .
Add little bit of water like jol chora deva and bitter gourd pieces , cover and cook the vegetable for 5-7 mints.
Meanwhile clean the note leaves and discard the leaves which are worn out .Now break the twigs and leaves , wash it thoroughly for 2-3 times in water to discard any soil particles from it or use the sieve for this purpose .If you think leaves need to be chopped do so , while we like eating it in chorchori the other way without chopping and just breaking the leaves and twigs with hands TIP- this gives the fiber element to the dish .
Add green leaves and sugar to the cooked vegetables and korola or bitter gourd , just sauté them for a while till the leaves are reduced in volume .Cover again and cook for 2-3 mints , stir fry, mash them with spatula gently and take out and serve with garam Bhaat .

Chorchori , a traditional dish in Bengali Cuisine , (Visit here for more details on Bengali Cuisine ) an excellent recipe for health conscious people as its low calorie food,Provides essential nourishment to the body .
The bitter gourd is good for many stomach ailments and Diabetes, Green leafy vegetable Amaranth is a good source of Vitamins and minerals. This leafy vegetable provide all the health benefit requirements, including dietary minerals like calcium, iron and Manganese .More health Benefits, know from Here and Amaranth in Wiki .

This Chorchori recipe ,I would like to send it across to Manasi , as she is hosting a wonderful event, Healthy Cooking event for a good cause of Eat well and Live well .Visit her here for more details .Healthy Cooking Event .

Happy Cooking Friends .