CHICKEN KASHA

This Bengali semi-dry Chicken Curry was prepared in a jiffy on a weekday evening. It saves time made with few basic ingredients. A sudden guest at home on a weekday can also be treated well with warmth if we have some chicken at home. A simplistic chicken curry, a dal, fritters and a mixed vegetable medley is what we can humbly serve. When we were young, in an average middle class home, guests came without a notice, relationships were informal, warm. The ladies of the house never got scared of it as we do. Our home being nearer to the airport, there was a regular flow of guests. The market being near to the house, as late as 9 pm our mom used to get chicken from the market and prepare a curry with or without potatoes. It was heavenly to us. Served warm with rice/roti, along with dal, veggies were really a saviour. 

A nuclear family would definitely not have four/five extra pieces of fish stored in the pantry in an era when going to the market everyday and buying fresh was the norm. When I was in the 8th standard we got a refrigerator at home which was used for making ice. A middle class, two-roomed rented space accommodated 5-6 guests often. Life was not self-centric then. Do I want back those days? I like re-visiting them.

I call it a rustic curry because it is made with few basic ingredients, in a jiffy but with warmth. This chicken kasha meaning a semi-dry chicken curry is prepared with little water and tastes best with chapatis and steamed rice. I believe, in a platter, everything should have an earthy appeal. I wanted to serve this in steel utensils but I use them only to offer my God Family, hence they will not be used for any non vegetarian item. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 1 kg [medium cut]

Onion : 2 [roughly chopped]

Green Chillies : 4 [slitted]

Garlic Paste: 2 tbsp

Ginger Paste : 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp

Salt : As required

Oil : 4-5 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the chicken and marinate with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt for an hour.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions. Fry till golden brown. 

Add the ginger & garlic pastes. Keep stirring till the raw smell goes away.

Add the slitted green chillies, salt, turmeric and stir until the spices separate from the oil.

Add the chicken pieces, fold in well with the spice mix. Keep stirring at high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Lower the heat to minimum, cover cook for 30 minutes. 

Remove the cover and stir every 3-4 minutes to avoid burning. 

Remove cover, add a cup of water! Cook covered at minimal heat until the gravy thickens.

Serve with steamed rice or roti. A salad on the side will make the platter complete.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY YOGURT

This is my first ever attempt to prepare frozen yogurt. I was not familiar with this dessert back home. After landing here in Singapore, discovered them in the supermarkets. Never did I buy them, instead got home ice-creams. Then what is the inspiration behind preparing them ? Well I would say a series of irresistibly attractive desserts posted by my fellow bloggers that are flooding G+ for the past few days. They are  worthy of watching staying in a tropical island. I thought of preparing an easy to make frozen dessert. The desserts posted in G+ are having an amazing cooling effect on me, most of them made with the king of all fruits.... mango. I thought let me think of a fruit, a colourful one which can be used to prepare dessert ideal for summers. I thought of using fresh strawberries. Ever since I came back from Cameron Highlands, I am kind of in love with this redilicious tart fruit. I felt a Strawberry-Yogurt combination should be a healthy way to beat the heat. Hence, I prepared this Frozen Strawberry Yogurt with few ingredients in the simplest manner. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Plain Yogurt : 500ml
Strawberry : 300 gm
Sugar : 4 tbsp [you may need more]
Strawberry Essence : 2-3 drops[optional]

METHOD :

Take the yogurt in the middle of a washed white cloth. Bring together the corners. Tie it and hang on the kitchen tap for 45 minutes.

Wash the strawberries, discard the green portion.

In a blender, put together sugar, hung yogurt, 2-3 drops of strawberry essence, strawberries leaving 2-3 of them. 

Blend throughly for about 3 minutes, pausing in between.

Pour in a container. Chop 2-3 strawberries and mix with the yogurt mix.

Put inside the freezer covered, freeze for 1-2 hours.

Now it is ready to serve!

NOTUN ALOOR DOM

This is a winter speciality back home. It is during the winter only we get the supply of this small potatoes, called 'notun aloo', in Bengali it means new potato. It is perhaps grown in Nainital; a beautiful, picturesque hill station in the Himachal range. I never could or can equate it's scenic beauty with potato fields. Yet to visit the place, I am sure the inquisitive self would look for potato growing areas and justify the Kolkata vendors  shouting in early December mornings....'didi Nainital aloo niye jan'....At times they would suggest recipes.... I never mind; I can feel the warmth. Missing home is not only about missing my family but every little thing taken into account.

Since childhood Nainital meant a beautiful tourist attraction, also the source of small round potatoes flooding the Kolkata markets in winter. So far savouring Nainital's beauty is concerned, our retirement plan is to explore the beautiful, incredible homeland, just the two of us. Who knows how far the son would stay with his family? They say, a lifetime isn't enough to explore the entire India. I crave to visit the nooks and corners of it; a bit differently than I did until now. I wish to explore the local food in each place, if possible learn about the locally grown crops!

Here we get small potatoes round the year; I don't wait for a particular season to cook small potato curry. In our family these small potatoes are cooked without onion and garlic, I follow it. This goes with plain chapatis, vegetarian pulao, toast breads. Let us do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Small Potatoes : 300gm

Tomato : 2 medium

Ginger Paste : 1 tbsp

Cumin Powder : 1 tsp

Coriander Powder : 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp

Salt : As required

Cumin Seeds : 3 pinches

Bayleaf : 1

Sugar : 1/2 tsp[can be skipped]

Oil : 4 tbsp

Coriander Leaves : 2 sprigs

METHOD :

Wash and boil the potatoes over gas oven till it is 60% done.

Chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves and wash separately.

Once cold, peel the skin of the potatoes with fingers alone.

Rub turmeric and salt keeping it either whole or cutting it half.

Heat oil in the wok. Fry the potatoes in batches till light brown.

Take out draining the oil and keep aside.

Temper the remaining oil with cumin seeds, bayleaf.

Add the spice paste and fry until the raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until it melts.

Add the potato pieces, fold in well. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water, simmer for 3 minutes.

Add the sugar [optional] and the chopped coriander leaves. Stir, its done!

Enjoy with your choice of mains!

MOGLAI POROTA

Are you laughing at the spelling 'MOGLAI POROTA'? This is how it is pronounced back home. An extremely popular street food, you find this every 200 metres being sold in wheel carts, besides the very old cafes still struggling to survive in strict competition to the boutique restaurants. It is still sold as hot cakes, but the quality has gone down. This is because people prefer to flock the mall hangouts, it is because college goers these days have fatter pockets, they can afford to watch a movie spending 200 bucks following a lunch in a decent eatery. Back in the 90's, it was college goers like us who really helped these small  stalls to survive. In spite of mom packing our lunch boxes, we would manage to save our pocket money, flock to those wheel cart pullers or cafeteria's for a Moglai Porota / Chicken Roll / Fowl Cutlet / Fish Fry. We shared one into two, just as we shared our joys, sorrows, innermost feelings.

In the present day, I cannot digest Moglai Porota. My love for it started when I was pretty young. I would pester mom to buy. Mom would not saying they are unhealthy. The girl who prioritised taste over health, as every other child of her age would, failed to understand her mom. Her anger lingered quite for sometime though mom made them at home which never tasted as good as the stall ones. My brother hated food & eggs in his younger days, in the present day he enjoys a Moglai / Mughlai Porota, actually he loves anything that has meat in it; much like T and our son! 

Mine too I do not claim to be as authentic as the popular eateries. They never divulge their secret recipes fully. These are stuffed parathas, the filling generally made with cooked spiced up mutton mince / keema, then brushed with beaten eggs, folded in square shapes and fried. It is served with curry based boiled potato and onion rings. We preferred to have it with a serving of salad & sauces for the day!

  

INGREDIENTS : [for the filling]

Minced Mutton : 250-300 gm
Chopped Onion : 3 tbsp
Chopped Green Chilli : 3

Chopped Coriander : 2 tbsp

Minced Garlic : 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp

Cumin Powder : 1 tsp

Coriander Powder : 1 tsp

Biryani Masala : 2 tbsp

Cumin Seed : 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp

Bread Crumb : 3-4 tbsp
Salt : As required

Sugar : 1 tsp [optional]
Oil : 2 tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the dough]

All Purpose Flour : 2 coffee mug
Salt : As required

Oil : 2 tbsp

Water : As Required [warm water preferably]

INGREDIENTS : [for the finished product]

The Cooked Filling

The Refined Flour Dough

Eggs : 3- 4 beaten
Oil : 100-150 ml or enough to deep fry

METHOD :

Let us prepare the dough first. Take the flour in a bowl. Add 2tbsp oil and 2 pinches of salt, rub well for 1 minute.

Prepare a smooth dough adding little water at a time. Cover it for half an hour with a wet cloth. I used a plate!

Let us prepare the filling now. Wash the minced mutton thoroughly. Marinate with enough salt, wash thoroughly after about two hours! This helps get rid of the raw meat smell! Again marinate with a little of salt & turmeric! Keep aside for 2 hours!

Chop, mince & wash the spices required!

Heat oil in a wok, temper with cumin seeds. Add the minced garlic. As it releases aroma, add the chopped onion & green chillies, fry for a minute at low heat!.

Add the minced mutton, stir and cover, set the heat at minimal.

Remove cover after 25-30 minutes, add the powdered spices, mix well & cover again! Cook at minimal heat for 12 to 15 minutes, remove cover, increase the heat, stir fry to dry the remaining release water!

Add the bread crumbs, fold in well! Add the sugar if using, adjust the salt if required, fold in well! Add the chopped coriander! Stir & mix, take down on a plate!

Now remove the cover from the dough, knead for a minute make balls from it! Roll out round shaped parathas. At this point I failed to roll them paper thin as in the shops!

Place 2-3 tbsp of filling on it, brush with generous amount of beaten egg. Fold in from all the sides. It will take the shape of a square! Just lightly roll, I fear breakage!

Heat enough oil in a wok. Deep fry each at a time, flipping over after 1 side is done.

We are to serve & have them immediately, else they get soggy!

AMRITSARI MACCHI

Every year, during summer, an apathy towards curries happen. It is not permanent, it is mind and body that craves for coolers. I can survive on watermelons during summers. While doing the same, I start missing fish after 2-3 days. Looking back, when Kolkata faced frequent power cut in summers, we did not enjoy curries. Mom used to feed us yogurt drink / lassi, sugar-lemon juice, lots of watermelons. 

When it came to rice, it was Matar dal  prepared with raw mango or red lentil with fried onion; lemon juice added to it, crisp potato fries, a vegetarian dish and fried fish. In the months of April and May, only sour curries made with tamarind / raw mango were welcome in our family. Those humble dishes served hot tasted heavenly. Our mothers did not have a microwave then, yet they made it sure we eat fresh and hot. In our home, summer or winter, food was always served hot.

Our family had typical Bengali food. This AMRITSARI MACCHI did I learnt way later, I love exploring different cuisines in the restaurants or at someone's place.Yesterday evening I required to cook. I had some fish fillets. The son, his father are not fond of runny curries and I do not like spending an entire evening in the kitchen, it is pretty hot here. Taking all the factors, I found this recipe of fish to be easy, quick, if we can be considerate with the marination time.

INGREDIENTS :

Any firm white fish : 6-7 medium sized pieces [I USED THE SOFTER BASA FILLET]
Bengal Gram Flour : 4-5 tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
Carom Seeds : 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
Chat Masala : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Lemon Juice: 1/2 small tea cup
Oil : 4tbsp

METHOD:

Wash the fish pieces thoroughly. Marinate with salt and lemon juice. Keep aside for 2 hours.

Prepare a batter with the gram flour, carom seeds, salt and all the powdered masalas adding water as required.

Discard the extra water from the fish pieces and marinate them in the batter for about an hour.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the fish pieces in batches.

Put them on tissue papers to get rid of excess oil.

Usually these are served as an appetiser, I served them as main course along with turmeric rice and salad.