Ghanta (ghanta tarkari) is a thick, hearty curry made from as many vegetables as the season offers, cooked with legumes in a mustard-paste gravy. Kalinga TV reports that it is cooked in homes across Odisha the day after Dutibahana Osha — called Pua Jiuntia in western Odisha — and lists raw plantain, ridge gourd, pumpkin, taro, elephant apple (ou), sweet potato, coconut, sprouted green gram, beans, spine gourd, chickpea, carrot, brinjal, papaya and yam among its vegetables.
Quick facts
- Type
- Mixed vegetable and legume curry
- Main ingredients
- Seasonal and root vegetables, chana dal or chickpeas, mustard paste
- Occasion
- The day after Dutibahana Osha (Pua Jiuntia in western Odisha)
Recipe
Ghanta Tarkari
- Serves
- 6 servings
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Soaking the legumes
- 8 h
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup chana dal or dried chickpeas, soaked overnight; ¼ cup sprouted moong (optional)
- 4–5 cups mixed vegetables: raw banana, pumpkin, sweet potato, taro, yam, brinjal, ridge gourd, papaya, beans, spine gourd, elephant apple (ou) if available
- ½ tsp turmeric and salt
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp panch phutana, 2 dried red chillies, 1 bay leaf
- 1-inch ginger, ground
- Mustard paste: 1 tbsp mustard seeds and 2 green chillies ground with a little water
- Bhaja masala: 1 tsp cumin and 2 red chillies, roasted and ground
- ¼ cup grated coconut and 1 tsp ghee
Method
- 1Cook the soaked chana and moong until soft but whole.
- 2Par-boil the hard vegetables (yam, taro, sweet potato, raw banana) with turmeric and salt for 5–6 minutes; taro and yam must be cooked through.
- 3Heat the oil and fry the panch phutana, chillies and bay leaf, then the ginger.
- 4Add all the vegetables and fry 5 minutes; add the mustard paste, legumes and about 1½ cups water. Cover and simmer 15–20 minutes until thick and partly mashed.
- 5Stir in the bhaja masala and coconut and finish with ghee.
Tips & variations
- • The more kinds of vegetable, the better — use what is in season.
- • Elephant apple gives the traditional sourness; a little tamarind can stand in.
Vegetarian · Main course · Odia cuisine. Quantities are typical home amounts; recipe written by Odiapedia from the sources listed below.
Frequently asked questions
When is ghanta cooked?
Ghanta is cooked across Odisha the day after Dutibahana Osha, the fast that mothers keep for their sons, known in western Odisha as Pua Jiuntia.
Which vegetables go into ghanta?
As many as possible: raw banana, ridge gourd, pumpkin, taro, elephant apple, sweet potato, coconut, sprouted green gram, beans, spine gourd, chickpea, brinjal, papaya and yam are all used.
Sources & references
- 1After Dutibahana Osha, Ghanta Tarkari cooked in houses of Odisha today — Kalinga TV
- 2Ghanto tarkari recipe — Tarla Dalal
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