Bhat Bhaja (Fried Rice)

Posted by: Mala D

We Bengalis Love Rice! Lots & lots of it (dieting be damned!) there is always some leftover rice left which gives us an opportunity to make this, everyone's favourite dish"Bhath bhaja".


As Spring is here with it's festival of colour Holi upon us, I thought why make the same fried rice with it's typical mustard/cumin/dry red chillies tempering & the same old veggies. So I made this colourful Mexican-inspired rice. My fussy daughter gave her approval, which is a shorthand for "good"!

Ingredients:
Leftover rice: 500gms
Onion: 1large sliced
Garlic: 7-8 cloves
Coloured bell peppers:
Red,yellow,orange,green:1each,small sized
Carrot: 1,coarsely grated
Green chillies: 3-4,chopped(optional)
Refined oil: 3-4 tbsp
Spring onion: a few green shoots
Salt: to taste
Tomato ketchup: 4 tbsp
Chilli sauce: 3 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil till it's very hot, then temper it with chopped garlic & chopped green chillies. Saute & add sliced onion. Add a little salt & fry till onion is translucent, add grated carrot & mix well. Now mix in the finely chopped bell peppers & fry just a little while. Add tomato ketchup & chilli sauce, mix it all in. Add the heated rice. Mix thoroughly. Check the salt, add more if needed. Garnish with finely chopped greens of spring onion.

Children will love it's sweet & sour taste.

Pabda Maacher Jhol (pabda fish curry)

Posted by: Mala D

It's a very popular fish preparation which is very easy to cook & at the same time tastes so good!

Ingredients:
Pabda fish: 500gms
Dal bodis: 10-12
Mustard oil: 4-5 tbsp
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Green chillies: 5-6nos
Corriander leaves: 1/4 bunch
Nigella seeds: 1/2 tsp

Method:
Wash the fish properly, apply salt & 1 tsp turmeric powder & keep aside.
Heat oil to smoking point & then lower the flame & gently put the fish in the pan. Make sure the pan is really hot or this fish tends to stick & break.
Fry lightly on both sides & take out.
Fry bodis in the same oil & keep aside. In a small bowl mix salt & spices together with 3 tbsp water.
Temper oil with nigella seeds & sliced green chillies & add the masala paste. Quickly mix & add 1/2cup water. Now add the fish & gently toss it all. Put 1 glass of water & bring to boil. Add the bodis, lower flame. Cover & cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped dhania patti & close flame. Serve hot with rice.


Note: this recipe tastes best with fresh fish, if it's kept in the freezer for long, then maacher jhal will be a better idea.

Kesar Murgi (saffron chicken)

Submitted by: Mala D

This recipe comes from the royal kitchen of Rajasthan. A heavy usage of exotic & expensive ingredients differentiated the royal cuisine from that of ordinary mortals, much like the gourmet cuisine of today but thanks to globalization: easy access to world market & access to information has brought these fancy recipes to the reach of common man. Now we all can afford to dine like royalty once in a while:-)

Ingredients:
Chicken: 1 kg
Onion: 2 medium
Ginger: 2 inches
Garlic: 3-4 cloves
Yoghurt: 150 gms, full cream
Cashew paste: 5 tbsp
Fresh cream: 2-3 tbsp
Oil: 5-6 tbsp
Bayleaf: 2 nos
Cloves: 4-5
Cardamom: 5-6
Red chilli powder: 4 tsp
redchilli paste: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Saffron: 1/2 tsp
Milk: 2 tbsp
Sugar: a pinch

Method:
Soak the cashew nuts (about 20) in hot water for about 10-15 minutes then grind to a fine paste. Soak the saffron strands in warm milk.
Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly & drain all traces of water. Keep aside.
Make a paste of 1-1/2 chopped onions, ginger & garlic. Finely chop the remaining half of the onion.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel, preferably non-stick & add some salt to it & then fry the chicken pieces in batches till well browned. Take them out. Add more oil if needed & make sure no chicken residue is left in the utensil. Now temper the oil with bay leaves, cloves & cardamom & add chopped onion. Fry a while & then add the onion, g-g paste. Keep stirring throughout. Add the cashew paste & fry till it's raw smell goes away. Whisk the yoghurt & mix to the masala. Add more salt, chilli powder & turmeric & fry till oil leaves the sides. Add the chicken pieces & mix well. Fry on low flame for about 5-8 minutes.
Now add 2 glass of water, check the salt & add sum sugar. Cover & cook till nearly 3/4 done. Mix in the saffron now & cook till done. Finish off with cream.

One thing you need to be careful about is the chilli factor: as cashew paste &cream tend to subdue the hotness of the gravy, you need to adjust it accordingly. The original recipe asks for red chiili paste ie red chillies (approx.10-12) soaked in water & then ground to a paste! You can also first marinade the chicken in g-g paste,yogurt & half of cashew & red chilli paste & then fry it but then chicken tends to stick to the vessel & you need to be very careful in frying it really well.

This curry is mainly known for it's dominant saffron flavour, while other ingredients play second fiddle to it. The gravy should be medium-thick. Serve hot with rice/chapati.

Peper shukno torkari (curried green papaya)

Submitted by: Mala D

Green papaya is used quite a lot in Bengali cuisine. This 

recipe is one among many from my husband's childhood favourites, made tastier by the fact that the papaya in question was mostly stolen from the groundfloor neighbour's fabulous kitchen garden. Who then, got the whiff & sent his children upstairs for lunch! Some neighbourly relationship;-))

Ingredients:
Green papaya: 1 medium-sized,abt 350 gms
Potato: 1 large
Green chillies: 2 nos
Ginger: 1/12 inches
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Bayleaf: 2 nos
Cardamom: 4-5 nos
Cloves: 3 nos
Cinnamon stick: 2 inches
Salt: to taste
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Redchilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Oil: 2 tbsp

Method:
Peel & cut the papaya into big pieces, remove the seeds & the pith, wash properly. Now grate it finely.
Peel & chop potato into small pieces, wash & drain properly. Grate the ginger.
Heat  the oil. Pound the cardamoms roughly, add to oil along with cumin, bay leaves, cloves & cinnamon. Toss and now add grated ginger & chopped chilli pieces. Add the potato pieces & fry well. Now mix in the grated papaya. Saute a while & then add salt, sugar & spices. Mix well, cover & cook till done. Serve with hot rice.

Bhindi diye Maangsho (Bhindi Gosht)

Submitted by: Mala D

Muslims make it a point to include different kinds of veggies to their meat dishes, the reason being, it brings the best of both worlds to the eater & becomes a balanced & fulfilling meal. In fact I remember reading somewhere that in Hindu cuisine, this practice came from the Mogul influence as Hindus would strictly keep non-veg & veg dishes seperate. Well, we should always adopt the best practises from where ever we may find it:-))



Ingredients:
Fresh mutton: 500 gms,medium cut
Lady Finger/okra: 250 gms
Onion: 1 large
Ginger: 2 inches
Garlic: 4 cloves
Tomato: 1 medium
Yoghurt: 1/2cup/150gms
Oil: 1/2 cup
Red chilly powder: 2-1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 2 heaped tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: a pinch


Method:
Wash the mutton throughly & drain all water. Keep aside.
Make a smooth paste of the onion. Finely grate/mince the ginger & garlic. Wash the lady fingers & cut of the tips from both side & keep them whole.
Now heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan & lightly fry the bhindis & keep aside.
Heat oil in the pressure cooker/large vessel & add some salt. Now fry the onion paste till lightly browned. Add ginger-garlic paste & fry some more. Add chopped tomato & fry till oil floats. Increase flame to high & sear the mutton pieces on all sides, this seals the juices. Reduce flame & bhuno(fry) really well, stirring from time to time. Add salt , red chilli, corriander & mix well. Whisk the yoghurt & add to the mutton. Stir & keep frying till the oil again leaves the side of masala (total frying time about 20 minutes). Check the seasoning & if it's sour then only add a pinch of sugar otherwise no need.
Add two cups of water, the gravy is medium-thick. Close the lid & bring in full pressure till 2-3 whistles. Lower flame & cook for about 15 minutes. Close flame & let cool. Now gently add the fried bhindis & cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add garam masala. Tastes good with both rice & chapati.

Note: you can also make this curry with potato/bottlegourd/beetroot. The dry form of this curry can be made with torai/bittergourd.

Lau Khoshar torkari (curried bottlegourd peel)

Submitted by: Mala D

Sometimes looking at the fresh, smooth green peel of the bottlegourd, it seems such a waste to throw it away! At such times, this recipe comes handy as Bongs don't like wasting any edible part of any veggi. I still remember the delicious curry my didu (granny) made using potato peels & roasted poppyseeds(not paste). Even in those old times, our grandmothers knew the nutrient qualities contained in the peels & didn't just throw them away. How this new generation misses their conventional wisdom & their homespun recipes:((

Ingredients:
Peels from a 700 gms Lau

Potato: 1 medium/small
Onion: 1 small
Garlic: 2-3 cloves,minced
Mustard oil/refined oil: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Fried dal vadis: 4-5 nos
Nigella seeds: 1/2 tsp

Method:
Peel the skin from the lauki a bit thickly, ie the peel should contain little of the fleshy part of the lau. Wash & chop it into 2 inches long thin rectangle pieces. Peel & cut the potato into likewise shape. Wash & drain properly. Heat the oil, fry the vadis in them till done. Take them out. Temper the same oil with kalonji seeds & add the minced garlic, when it's a little brown add the chopped onion & fry a bit. Now add the lau peels & potato pieces. Toss well. Add salt,sugar & spices,mix well. Cover & cook on low flame. If needed keep sprinkling little water from time to time. Add the dal vadis when done. Serve hot with rice.

Note: you can also make this using 2-3 tbsp of posto paste while frying the vegetables or roasted poppy seeds (1 tbsp) while cooking it. If posto is not available then add a tbsp of mustard paste towards the end of cooking. There should always be variety in cooking even if you are cooking the same thing.

Moolor chenchki (dry radish curry)

Submitted by: Mala D

Technically,a chhechki means a veg preparation of tiny/grated pieces of one or more vegetables & even the peels of potato, bottlegourd, pumpkin or potol are used to prepare this homely yet tasty dish.You may not find it on the menu of fancy restaurants, infact  in order to taste it, you need to be invited to a Bong's home & into their hearts, for them to feel comfortable enough to share this everyday meal with you:-)

Ingredients:
Radish: 1 large
Carrot: 1 medium
Dry red chilli: 2nos
Mustard seeds: 1/2tsp
Refined oil: 2-1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1/2tsp
Corriander leaves: a few sprigs
Dal vadis: 5-6

Method:
Wash, scrape & roughly grate the radish. Wash,scrape & finely grate the carrots.
Heat oil & fry the dal vadis well. Take out & soak in warm/hot water. Temper the same oil with mustard seeds & dry red chillies & add the grated radish & carrot. Mix well, add the salt, sugar & spices. Cover it & cook on low flame. Add the vadis & cook till done. You may also crumble them. Add chopped dhania patti & serve hot with rice.


Note: You can also make it without the carrot. Sometimes the radish is not sweet tasting & using carrots, offsets that, it also gives a nice colour.