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Bandhakopir Dalna

A Bengali cabbage curry with potatoes, spices, and butter.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Turmeric and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,698 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Bandhakopir Dalna

Ingredients

Directions

Fry the potatoes

  1. Fry cubed potatoes in hot oil in a wok until lightly browned.

  2. Remove potatoes from oil and keep aside.

Cook the cabbage

  1. Add cabbage to the hot oil.

  2. Sprinkle with salt.

  3. Stir and cover.

  4. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

  5. Remove cover.

  6. Add the turmeric, chili paste, cumin, coriander and ginger.

  7. Stir and fry until the spices are well blended with the cabbage. The cabbage should be nearly cooked at this stage.

Finish the curry

  1. Add 1/2 cup water and add potatoes.

  2. Adjust salt and add sugar to taste.

  3. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are cooked and there is practically no gravy in the pan.

Temper and serve

  1. Heat butter in a frying pan.

  2. Add the bay leaves and garam masala.

  3. Stir fry a couple of minutes.

  4. Pour over the bandhakopir dalna.

  5. Stir the cabbage and remove from heat.

  6. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

  7. Do not cook the cabbage for more than 5 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

516Calories
9 gProtein
27 gFat
65 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Coriandernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,698 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Turmeric + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,776 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Coriander + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,505 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  5. Turmeric + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,253 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cabbage
Makes up the bulk of the dish and softens into tender strands as it cooks.
Potatoes
Hold their shape when browned and add starch that gives the curry body.
Oil
Conducts heat for frying and carries the spice aromas through the dish.
Turmeric
Gives the curry its golden colour and a warm, earthy flavour.
Ground cumin
Adds a warm, toasty aroma when fried in the oil with the other spices.

The step that matters

Do not overcook the cabbage. Cabbage turns soft and watery with prolonged cooking, and its sulphur compounds increase, producing a strong, unpleasant smell and flavour. Cooking only until nearly tender keeps it fresh and sweet.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, butter, sugar):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Carrotfits better
  3. Parsnipfits better
  4. Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, butter, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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