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Panchkuta
Five desert vegetables with spices
पंचकूटा: Marwar's five desert foods (ker, sangri, kumatiya, gunda and amchur) slow-cooked with spices (plus overnight soaking)
Panchkuta is the Marwari answer to a land where fresh vegetables are scarce: five sun-dried desert foods, ker berries, sangri beans, kumatiya seeds, gunda (lasoda) and amchur, soaked back to life and cooked in mustard oil with red chilli. Jodhpur and Bikaner families keep it for Sheetla Ashtami, when food is cooked a day ahead, and for wedding thalis with bajra roti, because it keeps for days without spoiling. The common mistake is cutting the soaking short; under-soaked ker and sangri stay leathery and bitter. Chef's tip: boil the soaked ker on its own and throw away the first water, which carries most of its bitterness.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the desert vegetables
- 1 ¾ oz dried sangri
- 1 oz dried ker berries
- ⅔ oz dried kumatiya seeds
- ⅔ oz dried gunda (lasoda)
- 8 ¼ cups water for soaking and boiling
For the masala
- 5 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅔ oz raisins
- ½ cup water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ¾ oz dried sangri, 1 oz dried ker berries, ⅔ oz dried kumatiya seeds, ⅔ oz dried gunda (lasoda) and ½ oz dried raw-mango slices (amchur) separately, then soak them all overnight (10–12 hours) in about half the 8 ¼ cups water for soaking and boiling.
10 minStep 2: Drain. Boil the ker alone in fresh water for 10 minutes and discard that water. Boil the rest together for 15 minutes until the sangri bends without snapping. Drain well.
25 minStep 3: Heat 5 tbsp mustard oil in a heavy kadhai until it smokes lightly, then lower the heat. Add ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida (hing), 1 tsp cumin seeds and 3 dried red chillies and let them sizzle 30 seconds.
2 minStep 4: Stir in 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander and ½ tsp ground turmeric with 2 tbsp of the measured ½ cup water and cook 1 minute until the oil turns red.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does panchkuta take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of gluten-free asafoetida (hing)?
- A pinch each of garlic powder and onion powder (asafoetida stands in for onion and garlic).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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