PRAWN CUTLET

I have a kind of addiction for fried stuffs, right from my childhood. On an all vegetarian day, mom had to prepare few kinds of fries for me and the brother, accompanied by dal, rice, a piece of lemon and a green chilli! It felt like heaven. At that time, it felt like what else do we need in life, except the mother's lap and the food cooked by her. Later, demands kept on soaring, worries too. In those days going out with mom to Shyambazaar / Newmarket for shopping and waiting for what she buys for me was the greatest pleasure. 

Coming back home and finding the brother done with all kind of mischiefs was not that much of a pleasure. If the mother was in a good mood, she would buy me cutlets, chips, otherwise it was either sweets or ice-creams. She prepared lot of this kinds at home too, because her daughter loved to eat. Keeping in tune with that tradition, I too try my hands on them quite often, for my men.

These are Prawn Cutlets, easy to prepare at home. For this we need small prawns, onion, green chilli, coriander, etc. I will not guarantee they tasted as that of Mitra Cafe / Basanta Cabin / Allen's Kitchen but I do it my own way and with all my heart. There is a lot of satisfaction in cooking for our loved ones. Let us see how we do them. Honestly speaking, I never did taste a prawn cutlet in the eateries or restaurants of Kolkata; our parents were not the kind! It is only after starting at the college, more after starting to date T; did I taste restaurant food!

INGREDIENTS :

Prawns : 250gm
Chopped Onion : 2 tbsp
Garlic Paste : 1 tsp
Ginger Paste : 1 tsp

Chopped Coriander : 2-3 tbsp

Chopped Green Chilli : 1 tsp
Cornflour : 1tbsp 

Egg : 1
Salt : As required
Oil : As much required to shallow fry

METHOD :

De-shell the prawns completely, wash thoroughly. Paste the prawns in a blender.

Take the prawn paste in a bowl. Add the chopped and washed onion+coriander+green chillies, ginger+garlic pastes, salt, black pepper powder, salt! Mix together well!

Add the corn flour & egg, mix well!

Heat the oil in a wok. Take portions in a spoon, add to the pan, flatten with the back of a spoon! Fry both the sides well!

Place onto tissue papers to drain the excess oil.

Serve hot with a salad & chutney / sauce of your choice.

CHAMCHAM

Rakshabandhan / Rakhi Poornima;  a bond of love and care between a brother and sister, a promise to stand by each other throughout life. On such occasions, the childhood revisits me inevitably.... with how much enthusiasm I used to go to the market with the mother to buy Rakhi for my brother the night before, how eagerly bhai waited the next day to wear it before going to the school. He used to come back with more of enthusiasm with two wrists full of Rakhis, tied by his classmates. Yes, in our student life we used to tie Rakhi on our friends' wrists. Tagore introduced this concept of tying Rakhi to promote brotherhood and friendship.... was it at the time of partition of Bengal?

Our mother's middle sister mashimoni used to come with her twin boys, Dodo and Deep. Only these two cousins stayed near by. Else, I have a couple of cousins spread over Nadia district, Nagaon, Gauhati in Assam! This the reason why I did not take any initiative  to get our only son know about all these! It cannot be continued forever! But it always feels on such days that my child would never know the beauty of such occasions! I do not recommend having a single child! Having a sibling gets one a happier childhood, unforgettable memories are made! I get scared thinking what if the son does not get along with his companion, he does not have a sibling to speak to! We would not be by his side forever! I am messed up with unnecessary thoughts! The son must have some good friends around.

For us any festival is a mean to eat to our heart's content; sweets are a must. I remember how mom used to prepare a couple of dishes on the  special occasions; luchi and payesh / kheer / rice pudding would be compulsory! Kolkata is a hub for sweets, Roshogolla and Sandesh were always store bought. I try to prepare sweets at home these days, those within my capacity. This is the CHAMCHAM / CHOMCHOM  sweet pretty famous in Kolkata. I have provided stepwise pictures for your convenience. Let us do it. Later I may share the malai chamcham sweet recipe!

INGREDIENTS : [for the paneer / chena]

Milk : 1litre
Lemon Juice : 4-5 tbsp
Water : 1/4 small tea cup

INGREDIENTS :[for the sugar syrup]

Water : 5-6 big cups
Sugar : 2 small tea cups

Cardamom : 3-4

INGREDIENTS : [for the chamcham]

The freshly made chana / paneer

The freshly made sugar syrup

METHOD :

Let us prepare the cottage cheese first. 

Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed vessel, bring it to boil at medium heat. Keep stirring continuously.

Mix together the lemon juice & water, add to the boiling milk slowly. As soon as the milk curdles, switch off the gas stove!

Take a thin, clean white cloth, strain the cheese immediately. Hold it under the tap to get rid of the smell of the lemon. 

Tie it to the tap & hang for about 45 minutes to an hour.

We have taken the sugar & water in a deep bottomed vessel and put for boil! As it starts boiling, we have added the green cardamoms tearing each a bit.

While the syrup is boiling, we would rub the paneer cheese well for about 10 minutes or until it comes out clean from the plate. This mashing part is important.

We would tear small portions from the dough, roll between our palms to get oblong shaped chamchams. 

As the syrup boils, add the chamchams carefully. Cover and let them boil for 20 minutes at medium heat.

The chamcham sweets are ready after 20-25 minutes of boiling in high heat. 

I took out the chamcham sweets and arranged them in a bowl! Thereafter, I boiled the sugar syrup further for about 10 minutes to thicken; then poured over the sweets! 

You can either enjoy them warm or chilled!

MURO GHONTO / BENGALI STYLE FISH HEAD CURRY

MUROGHONTO is Bengali Fish Head Curry. It is mostly done with the big sized heads of Rohu or Catla.... which belongs to the Indian Carp family. Back in Kolkata, it was a regular affair at home because there big heads of these fish are sold separately. This particular recipe calls for heads of Bengal carp fish above 5-6 kg weight, and we need not buy such a big whole fish to prepare the dish. God, I miss home a lot. 

Here in this island I do it less but I do, the "Bangaliana" of my kitchen has to be maintained. Here we need to buy a whole fish, that too frozen from the selective stores. It is perhaps a mental block but I cannot do it with sea-fish heads. While cooking a signature dish, I wish to maintain authenticity, particularly while cooking a Bengali dish!

Given the limitations in a foreign land, let us keep cooking our favourite recipes and remember home. In both sides of my family, we prefer doing it with "Katla" fish heads as they are more oily than that of a "Rohu". The fish oil needs to incorporate well in the curry. We need a good quality fragrant rice variety "gobindo bhog" for this dish, you can use Thai fragrant rice or Basmati. I have used the kalijeera / chinigura rice available in the Bangladeshi shops! I have used onions too because the fish may not be that fresh. If in Bengal, you need not use onions Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Catla / Carp fish head : 1[of bigger fish] [You can use any big fish head]
Gobindo Bhog or Basmati rice : 2tbsp [I used kalijeera / Chinigura rice]
Potato : 2medium [peel, wash, cut each into 4 pieces] [optional]
Ginger Paste : 2tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As required
Sugar : 1tsp[optional]
Onion[sliced] : 2medium
Bengali Garam Masala : 1/2tsp[an equal amount of cinnamon, cardamon, cloves dry roasted and ground]
Bayleaf : 1
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 2
Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 one inch length
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cloves : 2-3
Mustard Oil : 1/2 small tea cup

METHOD :

Ask your fish seller to cut the fish head into four pieces, later after frying we will break them further. Wash them thoroughly. Rub with some salt. Keep aside for an hour, then wash thoroughly few times! This helps remove the raw smell from the fish head! Again marinate the fish pieces with salt & turmeric!

Soak the rice for 1/2 an hour. Heat the the oil in a wok. Add some salt and turmeric powder to the potato pieces and fry lightly. Take out and keep aside.

Fry the fish heads nicely, break into smaller pieces and keep aside.

Temper the oil with the bay leaf, cumin seeds, halved dry red chillies, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom, cloves. Add the sliced onions and fry until brown. Add the uncooked rice draining the water. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add the ginger paste, the remaining turmeric and salt. Stir well for 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and red chilli powder, stir for 1minute. Add water and cover to boil.

Remove the cover after 3-4 minutes, add the fried potato pieces.

When the rice is 70% cooked, add the fried pieces of fish head. Cook covered for 5-8 minutes.

Remove the cover, add sugar and the garam masala powder. Stir cook for 2-3 minutes.

We do not use potatoes in this dish always! Enjoy with steamed hot rice!

INSTANT COCONUT BARFI

With Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami, Durgapuja, Diwali approaching, we all are gearing up for preparing home made sweets. Our festive season starts with Rakshabandhan and ends with Holi or may be festivity never ends. There are many celebrations throughout the year; regional, cultural, social, religious. In all the regions of India homemade sweets are made with  a lot of love and care for these occasions.

Coconut is an important ingredient in our homemade sweets. We consider coconut auspicious. These round, brown fruit belongs to the palm family. We perhaps use every part of it, from it's water to the shell. This is also true with any island city or country. Where it grows abundantly, there it is used the maximum.

We have grown up eating a number of coconut sweets. Making of them were time consuming but the taste was mouthwatering. The other day I had some shredded coconut and was thinking if I can prepare an instant coconut sweet and here is the INSTANT RAW COCONUT BARFI. It was a fun, easy, relaxing cooking project. Only that we have to refrigerate them and always serve chilled. Let us do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Shredded Coconut : 2cups
Honey : 3-4 tbsp
Powdered Milk : 3 tbsp

Refined Flour : 2 tsp

Rice Flour : 1 tbsp
Cardamom Powder : 1/4 tsp

Choice of roasted dry fruits to garnish

METHOD :

Mix together the shredded coconut and honey. 

Blend the mixture taken in a blender, transfer to a bowl. Add the refined flour, rice flour, powdered milk and cardamom powder.

Rub the dough for 7-8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased plate, press to flatten and refrigerate.

Take out after an hour, cut into desired shapes. Transfer the instant coconut sweet onto a clean container and refrigerate again.

Serve chilled always, otherwise they tend to get soft and break. We are not cooking it.... hence they will not get sticky and tighten. There is no compromise with taste though. 

It should be eaten quick, raw coconut spoils even in the refrigerator.

GOALONDO STEAMER CHICKEN..... BOATMEN STYLE

Goalondo used to be a hamlet at the confluence of the Padma and Brahmaputra in the pre-Independent India. Bengal was undivided at the time. The Eastern Bengal Express would run to and fro between Goalondo and Sealdah. The steamer would take passengers from the Goalondo Ghat to Narayangunj in Dacca, thereafter to different destinations. The story and recipe is about the boatmen in the steamer who cooked a rustic country chicken curry. It's taste was great, became a legend sort of. It had been documented by various Bengali writers. It  earned similar fame like Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry, Railway Mutton Curry, etc. Goalondo Chicken Curry used  minimal ingredients. Those who travelled the route spoke highly about it. It holds true  for generations inspiring us to cook it. The curry doesn't use lemon juice or yogurt or vinegar, neither garam masala nor other ground spices, yet tastes great.

Information Source : A Times of India Article by Pritha Sen

Recipe Source : Pritha Sen and few other blog recipes.

Sources reveal the boatmen used prawn paste in the Goalondo style chicken curry, I did not, neither eggs and potatoes.

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 1kg
Onion : 2
Garlic : 8-9 cloves
Ginger : 2 inch
Dry Red Chilli Powder : 2 tbsp [ Authentically dry red chilli paste is used]
Mustard Oil : 5tbsp + 1tbsp
Salt : As required
Turmeric : 1tsp

Bayleaf : 1 [Do not know if the boatmen used it or not]

Oil : 5-6 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly.

Soak the dry red chillies in hot water for an hour, grind into a paste. I used red chilli powder.

Peel and wash the onion, garlic and ginger.

Roughly chop or pound the onion, garlic and ginger. I minced them in a manual mincer.

Marinate the chicken with 1tbsp of oil and the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the rest of the oil in a wok, temper with the bayleaf.

Add the marinated chicken, stir fry at high heat for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to minimal.

Cover cook at minimal heat for 15-20 minutes, stir occasionally. After sometime water would start releasing and would dry up too.

Add 2-3 coffee mugs of warm water, cook at minimal heat for 15-16 minutes. They say the boatmen did not use water, I did.

STEAMED PRAWNS IN MUSTARD SAUCE / BHAPA CHINGRI

In Bengali Homes, use of mustard seeds in cooking is a regular thing. We usemustard seeds for tempering, also use it's paste made with green chilli in various fish curries and vegetable medleys. We love the heat of the mustard seeds & green chilli paste. It might be used in the other states of India, also abroad. I remotely remember on our visit to Chennai, we had a chicken curry made with coconut and mustard paste. It appealed to my taste bud so much so that I tried to prepare it in my kitchen after decades though it may not be exactly the same. We do not use mustard in chicken, but I believe bringing in fusion in food is actually getting to know different cultures. My share today is steamed prawns marinated in mustard seed-green chilli paste. It is an easily done hassle free recipe. We usually enjoy it with piping hot steamed rice. Let us see how we do it. We can steam it on the gas top, also steam it in the microwave.

INGREDIENTS :

Prawns : 500gm [medium sized]

Mustard Seeds [black] : 2tsp

Green Chilli : 4-5

Garlic Clove : 1-2

Salt : As Required

Turmeric : 1tsp

Oil [mustard] : 2tbsp

METHOD :

We need a steel or aluminium container for this recipe if doing it on the stove top. If we do it in the microwave oven, we have to use a microwave proof bowl.

De shell and wash the prawns carefully. Rub with salt and turmeric.

Wash the mustard seeds taken in a strainer. 

Put the mustard seeds, green chilli, garlic clove, a little of salt, 2-3 ice-cubes and 1/4 small cup water in a blender.

Blend at high speed at regular intervals for 2-3 minutes or till it turns into a fine paste.

Take the marinated prawns in the container. Pour in mustard oil and the paste. Mix well, tighten the lid.

Heat 2 big cups of water in a wok. Let boil.

Place  the container on the wok, 1/4th of it has to be immersed.

We need to steam it for about 45 minutes to an hour at medium to low temperature.

If we are cooking it in the microwave, we have to pour water in a microwave proof bowl bigger than the bowl that has the marinated prawns. 

We would place the microwavable container with prawns on the water and cover it with a microwave proof cover.

We would steam it for 10 minutes at the low heat.

If the water dries up in between we need to pour in more of water. Once done let cool and then open the lid! Transfer it into a serving bowl and drizzle 2 tbsp of mustard oil. Serve hot with steamed rice.

KOLHAPURI DRY EGG CURRY

Kolhapur is in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Hindu Mythology says Kolhapur was founded by a demon Kolhasur who was killed by Goddess Lakshmi. Kolhapur was named after him as per his dying wish. Mythology have always attracted me. I read an interesting account of Kolhapur's rise in the Medieval era. The state of Kolhapur was established by Tarabai in 1707, annexed by the British in the 19th century. After the Indian independence in 1947, it merged with the Bombay State in 1949. A lot of festivals are celebrated in Kolhapur. When it comes to the festivals, how can we stay far from it's cuisine?Festivals call for food. Kolhapuri cuisine is noted for special mutton curries. Besides, they prepare a lot of vegetarian curries, egg curries and snacks. They call their dry curries "Rassa" that are quite spicy and there in lies my interest.... a hot, spicy dry or regular curry. I picked up one of the Kolhapuri dry egg curry last week to recreate in my kitchen. I explored through a number of recipes but liked this one from a noted site. Let us see how we do it. {Sourced from the WIKI}.

INGREDIENTS :

Eggs : 6
Onion : 1large
Tomato : 1big
Minced Ginger : 1tsp
Minced Garlic : 1 tsp
Grated Coconut : 1small cup
Black Peppercorns : 10
Dry Red Chilli : 3
Cloves : 4
Poppy Seed : 1tsp
Fennel Seeds : 1tsp
Oil : 4tbsp

METHOD :

Hard boil the eggs, remove the shell, make slits, rub with salt and turmeric. Wash, peel and slice the onion. Wash, cut and deseed the tomato.

Heat 1tbsp oil and roast the cloves, peppercorns, chillies, poppyseed, fennel seed. As they give out a nice aroma, add the minced ginger and garlic, onion, grated coconut and stir till they turn brown.

Add the tomato pieces and stir for 2-3 minutes. Remove and let cool. Pour into a blender and blend into a paste.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok. Pour the paste into the oil. Add salt and turmeric. Stir well for 3-4 minutes.

Add half cup of water. When it starts boiling, add the boiled eggs. Let simmer till it reaches to a dry consistency. Enjoy it with rice or chapati.

GAJAR HALWA

Today is an auspicious day for us. The much sought after thing for a nation..... FREEDOM....was achieved.... years back. However / Where ever we are today, we must remember and respect there had been  a lot of bloodshed and sacrifice to achieve it. Hence this particular day calls for a lot of celebration, remembering that life was too miserable in those days and we are in a far better position today. Being positive only helps to proceed further.

It is indeed quite soothing to see the food world celebrating Independence Day in their own way, presenting colorful recipes. I was planning for a tri-colour rice pilaf and discovered one much loved Master Chef already came up with it. I thought if I am posting something today, it has to be colourful! I decided on this GAJAR HALWA....the photo feature has all the regular colours in use.

Earlier, Gajar Halwa was not a Bengali thing. Somehow, our mother learnt it from somewhere and prepared it, I picked it up that way. In the process, I learnt to prepare instant Khoya kheer at home. Using khoya adds richness to the dish I feel. But in this recipe, I used boiled milk at room temperature, a bit of milk powder! Diary products are not friendly towards me unless I have them chilled!

INGREDIENTS : [for the halwa]

Carrot : 1 kg
Milk : 1coffee mug

Milk Powder : 2-3 tbsp
Sugar : 1/2  small tea cup [you may need more]
Green Cardamom : 4-5
Ghee : 3 tbsp + 2 tbsp
To garnish  I used roasted pistachio, cashew nuts, raisins!

METHOD :

Wash, peel and shred the carrots.

Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a pan, add the crushed green cardamoms. Add the shredded carrots. Stir till the raw smell goes away.

Once, the carrots get softer, add the milk & milk powder! Stir and cover cook at medium to low heat till the milk almost dries up. Stir occasionally.

Now add the sugar & 2 tbsp ghee when the moisture quite dried up!  Cover cook until all the sugar melts and are incorporated well.

As the carrot dessert gets sticky, garnish with the dry fruits, mix well! Serve & have when it's still warm!

                                                  

MATCHA TEA CUP CAKE

Matcha is finely ground powder of a specially grown and processed green tea. The green tea plants for matcha are grown in shade for about three weeks before harvesting, the stems and veins are removed while being processed. These days, besides being drinking as a tea, matcha is also used to flavour and dye foods like noodles, ice-creams, cakes, smoothies. It is favourite among the native islanders. [Wiki]

Matcha is that form of whole green tea leaves that has extra theanine and chlorophyll because the shaded growth produces more of theanine and chlorophyll. It boosts energy. Many health conscious people consume green tea leaves or matcha  for it's antioxidant catechins. [Wiki] How much of antioxidants are present in the tea cakes made with it, I have no idea. I baked them as I liked the colour and the aroma of the matcha cakes I saw  in a bakery the other day.

I became a tea lover after landing in this island, specially fond of the green tea. Many a variety of tea and tea infusions are available here. My first attempt to prepare a matcha cake went haywire. My second attempt was this and I am proud to say they were done well. I am not a professional baker and less innovative, I followed one of Teaglad's recipes to get these soft MATCHA TEA CAKES. Below is how I did them.

INGREDIENTS : [for the cake]

All Purpose Flour : 1 coffee mug
Baking Powder : 1 tsp
Sugar : 5-6 tbsp
Butter : 50 gm[at room temperature]
Oil : 50 ml
Eggs : 3
Milk : 1/2 small tea cup
Matcha Green Tea Powder : 2 tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the frosting]

Unsalted Butter : 50 gm
Powdered Sugar : 2 tbsp
Milk : 2 tbsp
Matcha Green tea : 1tbsp

METHOD :

Preheat the oven to 180* C. Mix together all the dry ingredients.

In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the oil and incorporate with the butter and sugar well.

Add one egg at a time to the batter. Beat the mixture well.

Add the milk. Beat till the batter becomes lighter.

Add the flour mix little by little. Once done, beat the batter till it is lighter and fluffy.

Place paper cups on the muffin moulds.

Pour the batter till half as seen below.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180*C. Once done let them cool. They look as below.

Now let us prepare the frosting.

Beat together the butter and powdered sugar, add the milk and keep beating.

At a point the three will be incorporated well.

Once the cup cakes cool down, we can decorate them with the frosting. They look as below.

CHICKEN IN CHILLI-GARLIC SAUCE

This is perhaps the simplest chicken recipe I have cooked till date. I had few guests at home last weekend, was thinking of some new kind of appetisers.... veg and non-veg. Chicken being extremely popular with my son, I have to explore through various chicken recipes to avoid the monotony.... both in cooking and eating. On that particular day, while going through few off beat chicken recipes, I got confused, I mean I liked some of them so much so that I could not select one for the day. Hence I planned for a simplistic one with a slightly different taste than the regular Indian curries. Almost no spices are used in this preparation. Just minced ginger-garlic, sliced onion, lemon juice, black pepper powder and a generous amount of chilli-garlic sauce are what I used to prepare this CHICKEN IN CHILLI GARLIC SAUCE. The predominant taste of the dish is of the sauce used, hence the name. It was juicy, a bit sweet n sour with a hint of heat, and was a hit off course. You too can try if you believe in me. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Boneless Chicken  : 300 gm
Chilli-Garlic Sauce : 5-6 tbsp
Minced Ginger : 1/2 tsp
Minced Garlic : 1 tsp
Onion : 1 [cubed]
Lemon Juice : 1tbsp
Black Pepper Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 2 tbsp
Chopped Parsley : 2tbsp [to garnish] [I skipped]

METHOD :

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and marinate with salt, wash it off after half an hour. 

Marinate the chicken with the lemon juice, soy sauce, black pepper powder, salt for 2-3 hours.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the minced ginger and garlic. As you get a nice aroma, add the cubed onions.

Once the onion turns golden brown, add the chicken along with the marinade. Stir cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the chilli garlic sauce, stir cook for 2-3 minutes.

Switch off the gas stove and transfer the chicken onto a serving plate. Garnish with parsley.