Bengali Squash and Chickpeas

Looking for some tasty vegetarian alternatives? Visit my friend Becca over at her blog Relish for more tasty recipes!







A staple spice-blend of Bengali cuisine, Panch Phoran literally means “five spices” and is made up of equal parts cumin seed, mustard seed, nigella seed, fenugreek seed and fennel seed. In the interest of freshness, I like to mix it up in very small quantities (about ½ tsp – 1 tsp of each) and keep it in a small, tightly-sealed jar. (I also like to bash it up a bit before using it, but I don’t think that’s necessary…or traditional, for that matter).

In this simple, vegetarian curry, panch phoran is joined by ground cumin, coriander, tumeric and garam masala. Adding the spices, whole and ground, at different stages in the cooking gives this dish a wonderful, complex flavour…despite its simple preparation. There is a nice, subtle heat to this curry, but feel free to spice it up to your tastes.

Bengali Squash and Chickpeas
½ tsp panch phoran
½ small onion, finely minced
1” fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 medium butternut squash, peeled/seeded/cubed
1 cup veggie stock
½ tsp brown sugar
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp garam masala
salt, to taste

Spray a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add panch phoran and cook, stirring, until mixture is fragrant and seeds begin to pop. Add the onion to the pan and cook until golden. Stir in the ginger, ground turmeric, cumin and coriander and allow to toast for 30 seconds before adding stock. Bring to simmer. Add squash and sugar to pan, reduce heat to med-low, cover and cook for 10 mins or until squash is fork-tender. Add garam masala and chickpeas. Cook until heated through, stirring carefully to avoid breaking-up the squash*. Season to taste with salt.
Serves 2