Deem Begun

Recipe by: Mala D

I don't know why we Bengalis call the brinjal "be-gun" ie without any virtue/quality when this "crowned" vegetable is used so extensively in our cuisine--fried, roasted, boiled, curried and so on! To appeal to fussy eaters, it is even used in non-veg preparations. This is one such recipe, courtesy of my ma-in-law's friend, Mrs Roy from Chandigarh. No copy rights issue here!

Ingredients:

Begun (aubergine, eggplant): 1 big size, about 300 gms
Onion: 1 medium size
Egg: 1 large size
Green chillies: 2-3 nos
Ginger: 1-1/2 inches
Mustard oil: 2 tbsp
Desi ghee: 1 tsp
Bay leaf: 1 large
Cardamoms: 4-5 nos
Cinnamon stick: 1, about 2 inches
Cumin(jeera) seeds: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Turmeric(haldi) powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp


Method:
Cut the brinjal into small pieces, soaking them in a little water to ensure they don't turn dark. Wash thoroughly, drain & keep aside.
Chop the onion finely & grate the ginger. Heat oil in a deep pan till it reaches smoking point. Lower the flame & add bay leaf, cardamoms, cinnamon & cumin seeds. As they splutter, add chopped onion & toss them. Add grated ginger & fry for about a minute & then add the chopped brinjal pieces. Mix well. Add salt, turmeric powder & chopped green chillies. Cover & cook till brinjal turns soft. Now put on sim, & quickly break the egg over the curry & mix it really fast, ensuring it coats most of the brinjals. Increase the flame & keep turning the curry. Add the desi ghee & garam masala powder & coat it all over. Close the flame. It really cooks fast.
Serve it hot with rice/ chapati/parathas.

Teetar shuktor Dal

Recipe by: Mala D


This dal is made during the hot summer months as it's supposed to cool the body. But it's great to have it any other time or when you wish to go easy on your stomach!



Ingredients:
Split moong dal: 125 gms
Bottle gourd (lauki): 1 medium size
Bitter gourd (karela): 1 nos
Ginger: 2 inches
Bay leaf: 2 nos
Mustard(rai)seeds: 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek(methi) seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ghee/refined oil: 1-1/2 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1tsp
Water
Refined oil: 3-4 tsp



Method:
Wash the moong dal once & pressure cook it with 1/2 tsp salt & one glass of water. Turn off the flame just when the pressure starts building up.cool it.
Peel the lauki & chop into big chunks. Wash it & keep aside.
Cut the karela into thin half-moon shapes, wash & dry it.
In a small pan, heat a little oil 3-4 tsp & fry the karela pieces. Drain oil & keep aside.
Now smoothen the dal with a whisk, add more water & lauki pieces.
Pressure cook till one whistle. Cool it.
Peel, wash & then finely grate the ginger.
Heat ghee/oil in a deep vessel, temper with mustard & fenugreek seeds & bay leaves. Add ginger & mix well. Increase flame & pour dal over the tempering. Now add the fried karela pieces. Mix well & add more salt. Add the sugar & bring the dal to boil. The lauki pieces can now be cut into small size. The consistency should be medium - neither thick nor thin. Serve hot with rice.

Chal Kumro with bhaja moong daal

Recipe by: Pratima D


Chal kumro, is not pumpkin and not lauki. It looks like a lau, but is darker green in color and is hairy on the outside. Petha, a north Indian sweet, is made from this. In the US it is available in both Indian and Chinese groceries.


Ingredients: 
Chal kumro: 1 lb

Yellow Moong daal: Half cup
Jeera seeds half tsp
Bay leaf: 2
Green chili slit in two: 2
Ginger: 1 inch
Jeera powder: 1 1/2  tsp
Haldi: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Oil: 2 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tsp (optional)

Peel the chal kumro and cut it into rectangular pieces about an inch long. 
Roast the moong dal in a pan. Wash in cold water. Add 2 cups of water and boil. Once the daal is half cooked, add the chal kumro, salt, haldi, green chili and cook it till it is 3/4th cooked.
Make fresh Ginger paste and mix it with jeera powder. In a skillet heat the oil and add the jeera seeds, bay leaf, and ginger paste. Saute the paste until it is slightly brown. Add the fried paste to the daal and chal kumro. Add the sugar.  Cook it for about 2 more minutes, make sure the daal and chal kumro are cooked. Stop the heat, add one teaspoon ghee, mix it, cover with a lid. Serve with white rice. You can also have it with Roti.

Since there is no onion, garlic, tomato in this recipe, it is ideal for pure vegetarian and Santoshi Ma recipes.

Moolor saag (fried radish leaves)

Posted by: Mala D


The humble saag occupies a pride of place in the Bengali thali. There are many varieties: spinach, brahmi, methi & the king of all - laal saag. Some resourceful bengali ladies even make delectable fare out of gobhi leaves & also radish leaves. This recipe comes to me from my ma-inlaw who in turn,got it from her mother.

Ingredients:
Fresh green radish leaves: 500 gms
Dry red chillies: 2-3 nos
Ginger: 2 inches
Mustard/refined oil: 1-1/2 tbsp
Wheat flour: 1-tsp
Water: 50ml
Salt: to taste

Method:
Wash the leaves thoroughly. Chop them fine & pressure cook on low flame till the pressure builds up & then turn off the flame ( no need to add water as there is water in the leaves. if you are still unsure then sprinkle a bit of water).
Grate the ginger finely.
Heat oil & temper with dry red chillies. Add the saag, taking care there is no water along with it as the oil will splutter. Toss for a while. Now add ginger & salt. Cover & cook till saag is soft. Now mix flour in a little water (if there is any residual water left in the cooker, add it. Now add it to the saag &  mix continuously till it gets a soft,creamy look. Serve hot with rice.

Note: This recipe tastes even better if you add 150 gms of spinach to the radish saag. Wash & chop the spinach very fine. Temper oil with chopped garlic & dry red chillies & saute the spinach for a while & then proceed with the recipe as written above.

Shukto (mixed vegetable curry)

Posted by: Mala D


A traditional Bengali meal always begins with a serving of Shukto or fried bitter gourd (ucche, karela) as its slightly bitter taste cleanses the tongue & enables a better sensation of various flavours. A deceptively simple dish, it's nevertheless tricky to master as it's taste depends on fresh ingredients & subtlety of flavours.

Ingredients:
Drumsticks: 4 nos
Raw/green banana: 1
Seem/pappdi (flat beans):12
Brinjal:1 medium size,abt 150gms
Carrots: 2
Radish: 1 big size
Ribbed gourd: 1 medium size
Runner beans:10
Dried dal vadis:10 (spilt black gram/red lentil/split moong dal)
Mustard seeds: 2 tsp
Ginger: 3 inches
Desi ghee (clarified butter)/refined oil: 1-1/2 tbsp
1/4 tsp each of these: cumin seeds, nigella seeds (kalonji, kalo jeere), mustard seeds, fenugreek (methi) seeds
1/2 tsp of aniseed (mouri)
Bayleaf: 2 nos
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1 tsp

Method:
Wash & soak the mustard seeds in water for atleast 20 minutes before grinding it into a paste with chopped ginger,a little salt & little water. Consistency should be thin.
Chop all vegetables into long, rectangle pieces, trying to keep them identical in size(3-4 inches). Wash & dry them properly. Take a wide & deep pan for cooking.
Heat ghee/oil & fry the vadis & keep aside. Temper the same oil with bay leaves & add all the vegetables except runner beans (add it later as it turns soft very fast). Add salt & sweat it for a while. After 6-8 minutes,add sugar & toss a bit. Now add two glasses of water, check the salt( it should be less than perfect as mustard paste will also have salt in it).


Add the vadis & the runner beans. Cover & cook till 3/4 done.
Dry roast all the whole seeds & roughly grind them with a pestle.
Add the mustard paste & mix well. The gravy should be neither thick nor thin, just right. If needed adjust the water. Now sprinkle the ground spice powder over the curry. Close the flame. Put the lid on, so the paanch phodhon (5 spices) flavours are absorbed. Serve at room temperature with hot rice.

Note: Shukto is an accquired taste. As it's low on oil & spices & has plenty of vegetables, it's a really healthy choice. While drumsticks & radish are a must for authentic taste, other vegetables like bottle gourd, pumpkin, bitter gourd can also be added/removed as per one's choice.

Aloo bodir jhol (potato & lentil dumplings curry)

Posted by: Mala D

It's one of my comfort foods from early childhood. Bengali curries make a lot of use of dried lentil balls (dal vadis) but they are not often available to people residing out of kolkata/India. I was thus forced to improvise it with freshly made lentil balls. The result was just as good if not better:-))


Ingredients:
Potatoes: 2 big-sized one,abt 400 gms
Fresh lentil balls: 12-15
Tomatoes: 2 medium
Ginger: 3 inches(or as per choice)
Oil: 3tbsp
Red chilly powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: 1tsp
Cumin powder: 2tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1tsp
Bay leaves: 2 nos
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Corriander leaves:  handful for garnish

Method:
For making lentil balls: wash & soak 200 gms split black gram in water overnite. Next day grind with 2-3 green chilles & 1 inch ginger, adding little water (1-2 tbsp) to make a soft  batter. Now take it out in a steel vessel & add 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Mix well & keep aside for few hours. Add salt to taste (1tsp), whip it well & fry cherry-sized balls in batches. Dry on paper towels. Leftover batter from vadas/dahi vadas can be easily used to make these. Can be kept for about a week in air tight container in the fridge.

Curry:
Peel potatoes & cut into 3 inch pieces. Wash & drain the water. Remove the seeds from tomatoes & puree them along with peeled & chopped ginger. Heat oil & temper with cumin seeds & bay leaves. Add potatoes & fry them well. Now add the tomato puree & fry till oil floats to the top. Now add all the spices,salt & sugar. Mix well. Add 1/2 litre of water. Cover & cook till potatoes are half-done. Now add the vadis & bring the gravy to boil. As the balls tend to soak up the gravy & puff up, ensure that the consistency of the gravy is thin by adding hot water from time to time. Put the flame at simmer point. The balls should be soft but not squishy. Don't overcook. Keep the lid on & the potatoes will turn soft in the heat. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Aloo Methir torkari - potato & fenugreek leaves dry curry

Posted by: Mala D


This is a popular subji in most Bengali households of course every family having their on take on it. My mom uses green peas in it & my mum-in-law uses brinjals: as a nod to these two special ladies, I have included both in my recipe!

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 2 nos.approximately 400 gms
Methi saag: 500gms
Brinjal(egg plant): 1 medium size abt 150gms
Green peas: a handful
Green chillies: 2-4 sliced
Mustard oil: 3 tablespoon or more (don't scrimp on oil as brinjal tend to absorb it,also mustard oil is good for health)
Turmeric powder:1 tsp
Salt:to taste
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: (sabut jeera) 1/2 tsp
Hing: (asafoetida powder) 1/4 tsp


Method:
Pick methi leaves & wash them repeatedly till water looks completely clear, now chop them finely.
Peel the potatoes & cut them into small size pieces. Chop brinjal into 3 inch sized pieces. Wash them well & drain them of water. Wash the green peas & keep seperately.

In a large-sized pan, heat oil till smoking point. Lower the flame & temper with hing & jeera seeds. Add potato pieces & sliced green chillies & toss for a while. Now add brinjal & mix them properly. Fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the turmeric powder & toss. Add chopped methi leaves & green peas & mix well. Add the salt & sugar. Cover with a tight-fitting lid & cook on low flame. If the curry gets dried, keep sprinkling little water from time to time. Should take about 8-10 minutes to cook. Close flame when the potatoes are done. Serve with yellow dal & rice. Also goes well with parathas.
Note-- children usually avoid having methi for it's slightly pungent taste. In such a scenario, add a handful of washed & chopped Dil leaves(soya/sua leaves), they balance out the pungency with their mellow taste. In fact in North India, sua-methi are always sold together!

Gobi Paratha

Posted by: Mala D


Gobi Paratha: Stuffed parathas are an integral part of most household now as they make a filling & nutritious meal.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets:5-6 big size,approx.350 gms
Wheat flour: 500 gms
Oil to fry
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder 2tsp
Green chillies3-4
Corriander leaves a handful
Water


Method:
Wash the cauliflower florets thoroughly & keep them in a sieve so the water is drained. Further dry them with kitchen towels. Wash coriander leaves & dry them the same way. Now grate the florets from the medium-sized part of the grater. Add chopped green chillies, garam masala powder & chopped corriander leaves. Mix well & keep aside. Add salt just before u start cooking so it doesn't leave water & the stuffing remains dry.

Now make a soft dough with the flour & water. Heat the griddle (tava). Taking a handful of the dough (the size of a bread roll), dust it with flour & roll out a small disk with the rolling pin. Put the disk in the palm of your hand & fill it with approximately 2 tablespoon of the stuffing or more (if you are confident of rolling it out). Sprinkle a little flour over the mixture (that helps keep it safely inside) & bring all the ends together & close the mouth. Now flatten it with your other palm & dust it with more flour. Press the edges out  using your hands & then roll it out like a medium-sized pizza.

Cook slighty on both sides on the hot flat pan. Now increase the heat & adding1-1/2 teaspoon of oil on each side (weight watchers take heart, true blue Punjabis even put a dollop of butter on each paratha!) shallow fry it till crisp & golden on both sides. Keep in a hot case over paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat procedure with the rest of the material.

Enjoy hot with pickle/yoghurt or tomato ketchup.

Jiffy Spinach & Cheese, Palak Paneer variant

by Mala D

A tasty variation on palak paneer. If you are tired of having the same curry or have almost the same ingredients but don't want the hassle of long preparation, try this.

Ingredients:

Fresh spinach bunch: 500 gms

Cheese (paneer): 250 gms

One medium-size onion

One medium-size tomato

5-6 flakes of garlic

3-4 table spoons of refined oil

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Red chilly powder 2 tsp

A pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

Method:

Thoroughly wash spinach leaves & chop them finely. Finely chop onion & tomato. Grate  the paneer. Heat oil in a pan & add the roughly chopped garlic flakes. Add onion & toss them. Fry well & then add chopped spinach. Stir & cook for3-4 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatos. Cook for a while & then add the spices. Add sugar(optional) if the taste is a bit sour. Cover & cook till oil floats to the top. Now add grated paneer & mix well. Cook till it's well incorporated & the curry is a bit runny.

Enjoy it hot with rice!