Might try this later, sourced via Chools from this site:
www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1219M05.htmGarden Vegetable Stew with Almond Pesto and Fried Dumplings"Badaam Shukta"
Bengalis love this dish as much as Italians love minestrone.
Although it is a traditional dish, there are numerous ways to
prepare it. The best shuktas are filled with fresh seasonal
vegetables. You can serve them almost crisp, as a garnish, or
allow them to soak and soften for 5 minutes before serving.
The final touch is a spoonful of smooth fresh herb pesto.
You could use toasted cashews or walnuts instead of almonds
in the pesto and, to save calories, cottage cheese in place
of cream. Serve with a dal, rice and fresh cheese dish for
complementary nutrition."
Preparation and blanching time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
Dumplings:1/2 cup sifted chickpea flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cayenne powder or paprika
1 tsp dry roasted coarsly crushed cumin seeds
1/2 tsp melted butter or oil
about 1/3 cup water
ghee or vegetable oil for shallow frying
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, spices in a mixing bowl.
Add the butter/oil and stir to blend, then add the water - enough
to make a light, cake-like batter. Heat the ghee or oil in a pan,
and when hot but not smoking add the batter 1 tbsp at a time.
Do 8 to 10 dumplings in the pan at a time; these should puff up.
Turn as they cook to a crisp, golden brown. Drain after cooking,
and keep warm in a warm oven (about 200, 250 degrees)
Pesto:1/3 cup each trimmed fresh coriander and sweet basil, washed and patted dry
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
3 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp each freshly ground pepper and salt
1/2 cup heavy cream or low-fat cottage cheese
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and
puree until smooth. Cover and set aside - refrigerate if you're
making this well in advance.
Stew:2 small green bitter melons, each about 2 ounces, or 20 dried
bitter melon slices, 1/4 inches thick
(Note: I used 1 small bitter melon and 1 zucchini, as I didn't
want to overwhelm my family with too unusual a flavor. It worked
very nicely.)
3 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
1/2 cassia or bay leaf
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium waxy potatoes, 3/4 inch dice
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water (we're not vegetarians, I
used chicken stock)
1/2 small head cauliflower, broken into flowerets
2 small zucchini
1/2 cup fresh peas or black-eyed peas
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black mustard seed
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp fenugreek seed
1/8 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp fresh-chopped coriander or parsley
Blanch the fresh slices of bitter melon in salted boiling water.
Boil for 4 minutes, then strain. Shake off water and pat the slices
dry. Heat the ghee/butter to hot but not smoking, fry the slices of
melon until reddish-brown. Remove the browned ones to drain, set aside.
If you are using the dried slices, drop them in the pan and toss with a
spoon, frying until crisp. They will brown very quickly, in about 30
seconds. Remove to drain.
Add the cassia/bay leaf and tomatoes to the remaining hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and stock/water, bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and zucchini, simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the peas, turmeric, ground coriander and salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the pan from the heat, add the fried bitter melon and set aside, covered.
Combine the remaining dry spices and add to a hot, dry frying pan. dry roast the spices slowly over low heat until the fenugreek seeds turn a golden-brown. Grind to a coarse powder in a coffee mill or mortar/pestle.
Before serving, stir in the spices and fresh chopped coriander/parsley.
Spoon into bowls, add a few dumplings and a generous spoonful of the pesto.