SoyBean Sprouts diye Mochar Ghonto

For the uninitiated that's a Vegetable dish with SoyBean Sprouts and Potato. Ok so every person on the face of this earth , know why soy bean is good for you, that it contains plenty of vitamins and blah, blah, blah.

What many don't know is, Mocha(ch pronounced as in charm and not as in choir) or Banana Blossom/Banana Flower is deep purplish-crimson-coloured and is used as a vegetable from South East Asia. Mocha holds a much esteemed position in Bengali Vegetarian cooking, and though the mocha preparation is delicious, the act of peeling the outer bracts and extracting the inner flowers is a pretty tedious job according to me. I have never attempted it but watched my Ma, Dida go through the process.

Some pretty brilliant person had this idea to make mochar ghanto using SoyBean Sprouts. I on my part, learnt it from a friend, and found it tastes pretty well, is easy to prepare and also a pretty healthy dish. Even my epicurean hubby, who being a Bangal(ancestors going back to East Bengal now Bangladesh), is more tuned to the finer points of these delicacies, agreed that it comes pretty close.

What You Need

SoyBean Sprouts (fresh Soy Bean sprouts) ~ 1/2 or 3/4 lb

2 medium sized Potatoes

2/3 Green Chillies

Grated Coconut ~ fresh

Ginger Paste ~ 1tbsp

Jeera/Cumin Seeds

Tej Pata/Bay Leaves

Red Chilli Powder (Optional)

Jeera Powder

Turmeric Powder

Garam Masala Powder

How I do it

1. Chop the Bean Sprouts in small pieces, you can use your blender to chop them, if you don’t have the patience. Don’t make a paste though, just chop.
2. Cut potato in cubes.
3. Heat oil in Kadai/Frying Pan.
4. Add the whole Jeera/Cumin seeds and Tej Pata/Bay Leaves, wait till they sputter.
5. Add the potato cubes in the oil with a pinch of haldi/turmeric powder.
6. Saute the potato lightly till they develop a golden tinge. Do not over or deep fry them.
7. Add the ginger paste.
8. Add Jeera Powder, chopped green chillies and red chilli powder.
9. Sprinkle water as needed and fry till the masala is cooked, you see the oil separate from the masala.
10. Add the chopped bean sprouts.
11. Continue cooking/frying in medium heat till the masala has mixed nicely with the sprouts.
12. Add salt and sugar. At this point if you find the sprouts a little pungent in taste, add sugar/splenda to overcome that add a little water, cover and cook till the Potatoes & Sprouts are done and the water has dried up.
13. Add grated coconut, garam masala powder and mix well.
14. Add a dollop of ghee to get the authentic taste.
15. I like to have this dish with white rice, but it would go well with roti too.

Now, your dish is ready to be served.