Winter Delights

So I am enjoying an actual winter after a long time (as opposed to an imagined Mumbai one!). Its a feast for me here with a dazzling array of winter veggies and local fare available every day.  I find myself obsessed with local winter favourites such as bajre ka sogra, haldi ki sabzi, makke ki roti, sarson ka saag, shakarkand matar etc.

Of course, I would be lying if I said that I didn't find the year-round availability of winter veggies like peas and carrots convenient, but it is a fact that their real flavour comes through only during their proper season which is winters.

About ten days back, I attended a wedding reception where the dinner menu boasted of local delicacies which are rarely found on any restaurant menu. Today's recipe is my attempt (fairly successful,  if I may say so myself) to recreate one such dish that I tasted there.

Mooli Mogri ki sabzi

'Mogri' is what they call a radish pod in this part of the country but it also goes by the name 'moongra'. Radish pods are green bean-like in appearance and smell very much like the radish. 

Radish pods
Image courtesy: tarladalal.com 

(Caution - those who dislike radishes should not proceed as this dish uses not one but two of its main ingredients from the radish family. I personally know people who loathe the smell of mogri as they cannot stand radishes.)

Ingredients:

White radish, sliced into thick sticks                                                                 2 medium sized

Radish pods, tops and bases removed                                                             250 grams

Fresh red chillies,  sliced thick                                                                         2 medium sized

Whipped yogurt, at room temperature                                                              1 bowl

Red chilli powder                                                                                           1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder                                                                                             1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Fenugreek seeds                                                                                              1/4 tsp

Nigella seeds                                                                                                    1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds                                                                                                  1/2 tsp

Mustard oil                                                                                                       2 tbsp

Method:

1. Add the red chilli and turmeric powders to the yogurt, mix well and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start popping,  add the nigella seeds.

3. Add the yogurt-spice mix and keep stirring till it comes to a boil.

4. Cook on open heat until the mixture thickens and oil starts leaving the sides.

5. Add fresh red chillies and saute for a minute.

6. Add the radish and radish pods and mix well. Cook uncovered for a couple of minutes.

7. Remove from heat. Make sure the radish and radish pods are still crunchy when you remove from heat.

8. It goes best with hot chappatis or bajre ka sogra.

This dish is a riot of colours,  flavours and textures. The pungency of radish and radish pods is balanced by the sour notes of the yogurt base. The combination of nigella seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds as the tempering reminds one of traditional North Indian achaars. The addition of fresh red chilli adds heat and acts as the third colour after the green of radish pods and the white of radishes. Overall, the dish is crunchy, almost like a salad with an achari twist.