When I was young I have seen my mom and grandmother cook every bit and pieces of vegetables, starting from the stems of some plants growing in the back yard to the roots of others. Not to miss the peels of few vegetables, the gourd being in the top of the list.
Chhechki, as this preparation is popularly known in Bengal is a boiled down version of stir fries. Chechki is a very authentic Bengali recipe and is made from different vegetables – from radish to beet and carrots and from stems of plantain plants to pumpkin. This chechki that I prepared a couple of days ago was with gourd peels with a subtle concoction of spices – whole mustard and poppy to titillate your taste buds. Peels for food may sound a bit weird, but a stir fry of juliened gourd peels miraculously tastes like elixir.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium size potato
- Peel of 1 gourd
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2/3 chili
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 – 3 tablespoon mustard oil or oil of choice
- 7 – 8 bori (vodi)
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Julienne the gourd peels and chop the potato in to thin 1” size pieces
- Heat little oil in a wok and fry the boris till they turn slightly brownish, keep aside
- Pour in rest of the oil in the wok, throw in the mustard seeds
- Add the gourd peels and potato as the mustard seeds start spluttering
- Add salt, turmeric powder and chili. Cook till the vegetables are half done
- Put in the poppy seeds and cook till the veggies are fully cooked
- Take out of flame and garnish with the fried bodis
- Serve hot with warm rice
Hot Tips – Chhechki is mainly served with warm rice as the first side dish during lunch.
Further Reading – Chanchra, Kacha Kalar Kofta
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@ Sudeshna Banerjee
Perhaps you meant “Bati Posto” and not “bosto bati”.
Oops,
That was a bad typo. Corrected it. Thank you 🙂
Lau khosa happens to be one of my most favourite dishes. I have never tried lau khosa’r chhechki as illustrated in the article. I go for a far simpler item – lau khosa bhaja. I’m not too sure, but the skin of a kochi lau makes the dish better. After peeling off the skin, the khosa must be thinly sliced and fried with a sprinkling of kalo jira and some crushed daler bori, besides salt as required. Adding sugar is optional. Just try it with warm rice and maybe you would fall in love with this dish.
WOW now I know this is a true blue Bong food site .. lau khosa?? WOW!!
Su,
Thanks a lot for your comment. Lau khosa is one of my favorite preparations 🙂 and also kochu bata and bati posto.
love lau khosha but never tried bori in this. will try your version sometimes.
what is bori (vodi) and how can i find it in new jersey?
this dish sounds delicious and i want to make it!
and what kind of gourd to use?
Hi,
Thanks for your comment here. Bodi or vodi is a typical Bengali way of tempering the dish. Its mainly made with different types of pulses or rice flour. I am not sure where you can find them but you can make them. Try these links to prepare bodi in oven or by the traditional way.
The use of bodi in this preparation is just to have a crispy texture and feeling to the softness of the vegetables. If you don’t find the bodis or are unable to prepare it then please omit the bodis.
Happy Cooking and Happy Eating!
Sudeshna