Aloo Marrow'r Ghaint - Marrow Potato vegetable medley

While grocery shopping in supermarkets, people at the check –in –counter, or while traveling in bus or in tube, sometimes they ask me where are you from. You know, a sense of familiarity always puts you on ease in a rather unknown place. You feel overwhelmed interacting with good-natured people as well.
I always reply I am Indian, so they ask me again which part of the country. Well to that I would say I am from eastern part of India, upbringing in northern part of India, now living in UK. But they keep on asking me, yeah but which state, language etc. I always think how does it matter if I am a Tamilian or a Keralite or for that matter a Bengali. Does it matter to you? Do you make friends only if they belong to your region and speak your language?

Is it not sufficient I introduce myself as an Indian, and not a Bengali, Punjabi or Tamilian or Rajasthani or a Keralite? Well we are Indians first and this is our identity, isn’t?
Isn’t in an irony that after so many years passed after independence we are still holding on to region, caste and language barriers. Hope we the people can think beyond regions or territories and languages and should feel privileged to be part of this vast and ancient culture.
With this hope that one day we all will be introducing ourselves as Indians. Let me wish my fellow countrymen a very Happy Republic Day.

Aloo and Marrow' r ghiant

Marrow is a member of summer squash family. The outer skin is edible also. You can add this in any stews or soups or even make fritters with besan. Just cut them in rounds dip in besan batter and fry in oil.
This recipe is a very healthy preparation of this rather unknown vegetable for me. Have you prepared anything with this vegetable? Do let me know.
I guess this is high in water content and reminds me of lao/bottle gourd or courgettes.So, I tried to make a ghaint with it –Ghaint is- a very mushy textured vegetable medley in a traditional Bengali cuisine.If you wish you may see another Ghaint recipe with Potol/Parwal/Pointed gourd I guess.Click Here.

Now to the recipe

Marrow aloo’r ghaint
Recipe requirements
1 marrow chopped into small cubes
2 medium size potatoes
1 onion
Tempering
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of red pepper powder
½ tsp of aamchur powder
1 tsp of panch phoron
1 tej patta

Method
Chop the marrow and potatoes in cubes.
Now heat up a saucepan. Add in the tempering of panch phoron, tej patta.Add in onions.
Now add in cut potatoes.
Now add the seasonings- turmeric powder, red pepper powder and salt. Mix and fry well with little bit of water. Add very little water just to coat the dry spices over vegetables as marrow tend to loose a lot of water in the gravy and cooks very fast.
Add in aamchur powder. If you wish you may like to spice it even more then add in some chopped green chilies.
Now add in the marrow. Mix well all and cover it and cook for 7-10 mints at med-low or till potatoes turn out soft and mushy. Enjoy with puris or rotis.Goes well with parathas as well.

And let me wish my fellow countrymen and friends a very Happy Republic day.