MUTTON ROLL

If I am far from my home, I will bring it closer to me and enliven it in my kitchen. Thats the way I feel. I miss Kolkata's street food; the lip smacking rolls, chaats, phuchka. Would I wait for my Kolkata visits to have them? That is difficult for this foodie. I try to recreate them in my kitchen. Whenever I do them I get lost in those days, in those scenes of two friends sharing one roll most of the time. Sharing was caring then too. I remember how I and my brother urged mom to buy us rolls and cutlets, how she denied street food most of the time. Once we were in college, the free birds had them often. Can I do them exactly like the Kolkata street food vendors? I dare not claim that. However, my family is happy with mine. Our mom felt it was our stupidity wanting to have those unhygienic stuffs. Moms forget their childhood; no point arguing. I cannot digest rolls and Mughlai porota kind of stuffs, rarely have them. An egg roll per Kolkata visit happens as I like it the most. I tasted the Mutton Roll from Badshah for the first time on my courtship days with the man... I tried to prepare something similar. We do it in 2 parts.... first we cook the dry mutton curry and then the parathas. Finally we are to assemble everything and roll it. I have marinated the mutton with spices and cooked it without using oil. I used store bought frozen paratha / flatbread for the purpose.

INGREDIENTS : [for the dry  mutton]

Boneless Mutton : 500gm [small cut]
Ginger Paste : 2 tsp
Garlic Paste : 1tbsp
Onion Paste : 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp

Cumin Powder : 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Cinnamon Powder : 1/4 tsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 4 pinches

Cloves Powder : 2 pinces

Crushed Black Pepper : 1 tsp

Bayleaf : 2
Vinegar : 3 tbsp
Salt : As required

Ingredients : [for the paratha]

Refined Flour : 2cups
Salt : 2-3 pinches
Water : As required
Oil : 2 tsp for each paratha + 1tbsp for the dough

ELSE YOU CAN USE THE STORE BOUGHT PARATHA LIKE ME!

INGREDIENTS : [Final Assembling]

The Cooked Parathas 
Sliced Onion : 3-4 tbsp
Sliced Cucumber : 2 tbsp [I forgot]
Chopped Green Chilli : 2 tsp

Tomato Chilli Sauce : As much you require

METHOD :

Let us cook the boneless mutton first. Get it cut into small pieces.

Wash the mutton pieces, marinate it with the spices except for the green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon powders. Keep it covered for 2 hours. 

Heat a wok on the stove top and add the mutton. Cover and slow cook at the minimal heat. Every 5 minutes remove the cover and give a stir.

Once the released water dries up, add 2-3 coffee mugs of hot water, again cook covered at minimal heat until all of the gravy dries up. Add the green cardamom+cinnamon+cloves powders and give a stir. The mutton is ready for the purpose.

For the parathas I have used store bought frozen ones and roasted them on a pan. In case you want to cook them, below is the recipe.

Take the flour in a bowl, add a bit of salt and 1 tbsp of oil, rub for 2-3 minutes.

Add a little of water at a time and keep kneading until a smooth dough is formed.

Keep covered for 1/2 an hour with an wet cloth.

Remove and shape into medium sized balls.

Roll out into round paratha shapes with the help of a rolling pin.

In a frying pan / tawa fry each paratha with 2 tsp of oil.

Place the cooked paratha on a plate. Add few pieces of mutton.

Top with the sliced onions and cucumber, chopped green chillies. Pour some tomato-chilli sauce. The forgot to add the cucumber.

Fold as you wish and enjoy.

ALOO CHAAT N MINT LASSI

Indians have many occasions when they are required to keep fast. There are hundreds of festivals for the millions of people following different religion or faith. On such days our body need special nourishment. After an entire day of fasting, we feel lack of energy and at times it causes dehydration too. We need to plan our diet meticulously to rehydrate it and fill it with carbohydrates to boost our energy level. Fasting does not mean we sit idle for the next few days, we need to take care of our family too. Considering these factors, I planned for two simple, fuss free, instant, energy boosting, rehydrating recipes for all of us. Within our community, it was or is always fruits and sago after a long day of fasting. But I have thought of a broader perspective and thought this might best suit for breaking a fast. In normal days too we can have this combo if we are in a diet mission. My doctor says even people with high blood sugar can have potatoes ...... they are to be boiled and the water thrown before eating or used in gravies. So here for all of us an onion free Aloo Chaat and a refreshing, digestible Mint Lassi. Let us do it.

                                              

                                                      ALOO CHAAT

INGREDIENTS :

 Potato : 2

Onion : 1 

Cucumber : 1 small sized
Black Gram : 1/4small cup
Sweet Corn : 2tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 3-4 pinches
Green Chilli : 1
Chilli Flakes : 1tsp
Salt : As required
Coriander Leaves : 1sprig [I did not use]
Lemon Juice : 2-3 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash and soak the Bengal Grams for 2 hrs in hot water and boil in enough water adding salt. Once cool, drain the water. Also boil the sweet corns for few minutes.

Peel, wash and cut the potatoes half. Boil them in enough water adding salt as required. Cut into small cubes.

Peel, chop the onion and green chilli, wash. Discard the two ends, chop and wash the cucumber.

Take the potatoes, Bengal gram, sweet corn, chopped cucumber, onion and green chillies in a bowl. Add the salt, chilli flakes, mix together well.

Add the  lemon juice and mix again.

Garnish with coriander leaves if you may.

                                                

                                         MINT LASSI

 

Take the mint leaves, yogurt, roasted cumin powder n carom seed powder, salt, sugar, mint leaves, water in a blender and blend for 3-4 minutes at interval.

Pour the lassi into  2  glasses. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Sprinkle chaat masala and garnish with mint leaves.

Enjoy the refreshening, digestive drink, which is healthy too!

NARKOL TAKTI

Today it is Kojagari Lakshmi Pujo in many Bengali homes. I also keep a special prayer on this day in my own small way ever since I moved abroad. These are the rituals, customs we have grown up watching. The smell of dhoop-dhuno[incense], camphor mixed jaggery n coconut been cooked, of freshly cut fruits, of "bhog er khichuri", of chandan / sandalwood smeared flowers..... all taken together.... it was a heavenly atmosphere. All these memories are still afresh on my mind. I try to follow them as much as possible though not with the same expertise as did the family veterans. For today, narkol naru is a must. I remember a variety of it was made; "naru, takti, chacher sandesh." Chach are designer blocks / moulds in which we place the cooked sticky jaggery and coconut mixture / dough and carefully take them out. On my next visit to India I need to buy some otherwise will steal my mom's which are about 40 years old. Today I made some Narkol Takti. They are just another variant of naru, made a bit more stickier & harder, we cook the mixture more to get this consistency. Now let us prepare the Narkoler Takti / Coconut Bars which requires only few ingredients and a bit of patience.

INGREDIENTS :

Coconut [shredded] : 250-300 gm 
Jaggery : 150gm
Camphor Tablet : 1 powdered [I used 1/2 tsp cardamom powder]
Water : 2 tbsp

A tablespoon of ghee adds to the flavour but I skipped to keep it vegan.

METHOD :

Place a wok on the gas top. Add the water and jaggery to it. Let the jaggery melt at minimal heat.

Add the shredded coconut, fold in well. Keep stirring continuously, the coconut would releasewater.

We have to let it cook till the water dries up and it reaches a sticky consistency. We cook it some extra time as we are preparing takti and not naru.

Transfer the cooked content on a baking sheet or butter paper. Press from the sides to give it a square shape, also press lightly the top. 

Let it cool a bit, Cut into your desired shape when it is still warm, I got squares. Cristine has shaped and cut them.

They will be a bit harder and chewy than naru; the coconut-jaggery balls. We can keep them for 3-4 days stored in air tight containers. I refrigerate but that makes them drier.

GREEN PEA N DRY FRUIT MITHAI

Diwali is approaching, we are up for preparing homemade sweets. I was thinking of preparing something new, different from the usual ones we do at home. At times we love to be experimental in the kitchen. There are times when ideas pop up, we want to implement them and see how it comes. It is not that every time the result is satisfactory, a lot of blunders happen in my kitchen... but we can only learn through trial and error. There is no artificial colouring in this sweet. They are made of green peas, condensed milk and few dry fruits. Doing them I did not follow anyone else's recipe, followed my mind and the result was satisfactory. We will use little ghee while cooking it because we need to get rid of the raw smell of the green peas paste. I can assure you will only enjoy taking healthy bites at the end. Let us do it.

                           

Above is the picture I clicked in 2015, this is 2024, I understand the importance of day light to do the clicks, I did not learn to click good though.

INGREDIENTS :

Green Peas : 200 gm
Sugar : 3 tbsp

Almond : 4-5
Pistachio : 4-5
Cashew : 4-5
Rose Water : 1 tsp
Oil : 3-4 tbsp [Using ghee / clarified butter gives a better flavour but I wanted it vegan too]

METHOD :

Wash the green peas and blend it to a paste in the blender together with the almonds, pistachios and cashews.

Heat the oil moderately in a wok. Pour the green peas paste and sugar, stir continuously at low heat for  7-8 minutes.

Keep stirring till it turns into a sticky consistency and tend to come out of the surface of the wok.

Add the rose water and fold in well.

Transfer the dough to a greased plate. Let cool a bit. Grease your hands with oil and shape as you desire.

GHEE TOMATO FISH

It is the weekend, time for elaborate cooking and indulge ourselves in food, fun, frolic. Those who are not that fond of fish, they too prepare some fish curry in the weekends, given they are not vegetarians. There again are some who want to have it, but cannot take the smell of it. For them I always have comforting words.... if cooked properly you never find it smelly. Marinate the fish in salt for an hour, then wash & drain the marinade and cook. Fish is high in protein and doctors say fish fat is good to have. If not a vegetarian, one must include fish and chicken in their regular diet, may not the red meat varieties. I learnt to cook this particular fish curry from a friend when our kids were studying in the Kindergarten. They had a Ghee[clarified butter] manufacturing unit, named "Shree Ghrito". Hence, she used ghee in many of her recipes. Dona is a good at cook. Her house was near to our son's play school, whilst the family jointly won a big house at Shyambazaar, we visited there one day. A group of us ladies would go and disturb her everyday. I felt it wasn't okay to go to someone's home everyday and stopped going soon. She told us about this fish curry one day, an extremely flavourful curry prepared in ghee, tempered with the whole garam masalas. Having a little amount of ghee is not bad they say.We need a generous amount of freshly made tomato paste for this curry. Let us do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Fish[Bengal Carp preferably] : 5-6 pieces
Tomato : 3 medium sized
Onion : 1 medium sized
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp

Garlic Paste : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder : 1/2tsp [for an enhanced colour]
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Cinnamon Stick : 1 two inch length
Green Cardamom : 3-4
Cloves : 2-3
Bayleaf : 1
Ghee : 4tbsp + 1 tsp for garnish

METHOD :

Was the fish pieces and marinate with salt and turmeric as much required.

Wash and cut the tomatoes. Discard the seeds and blend in the blender to get a paste.

Peel, wash and paste the onion.

Heat the ghee in a wok. Fry the fish pieces lightly in batches.

Temper the ghee with a bayleaf, green cardamoms, cinnamon stick and cloves.

As you get the aroma, add the onion paste. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic pastes, the remaining salt and turmeric. Fry until the raw smell goes away.

Add the tomato paste. Keep stirring until the spice mix separates from the oil. Add both varieties of the chilli powders and stir at low heat for 1/2 a minute.

Add a big cup of water. Let boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the fish pieces gently. Cover cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with a tsp of ghee. Enjoy with piping hot steamed rice.

LUCHI O CHOLAR DAL

Be at the breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, Luchi / Puffed Bread is an all time favourite at Bengali homes. In fact, luchi or poori is part of our identity for an Indian besides rice. Luchi is considered a main and with it many a veg and non-veg sides do go .... depending on the time you are having it. If it is for the breakfast, we have it with Chola / Chana / Bengal Gram dal, Dum Aloo... if for the lunch... luchi and mangsho [chicken or mutton curry] is what the Bongs crave for. Luchi comes as very handy for us. A sudden guest at home, we always have the options of preparing it and serving it with a dal or potato curry, a home made dessert alongside, makes the platter complete.complete. Luchi / Poori is a saviour in our home. The easiest way to bring smile to my bread loving men is serving them Luchi. It is easier for me to do as it is not a time consuming process like stuffed flat breads. I serve luchi with various kinds of veggies at different times. This time it is served with cholar dal made with a twist. Instead of doing the lentil curry with coconut, I used some tomato sauce in it. Few years back I saw a catering house in Calcutta doing it this way. Given here are the  recipes of both luchi and cholar dal.

INGREDIENTS : [for the luchi / Puffed Bread]

Refined Flour : 200-250 gm
Salt : 2 pinches
Oil : 2tbsp + 100 ml to fry
Water : As Required

INGREDIENTS : [for the Bengal Gram Dal]

Chana Dal [Bengal Gram] : 100gm
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric powder : 1tsp
Cumin Seeds : 2 pinches
Green Chilli : 2-3 [slitted]
Dry Red Chilli : 2 [halved]

Bayleaf : 1
Tomato Ketchup : 1/2 small tea cup
Oil : 1tbsp

METHOD :

Let us prepare the dough first. Take the refined flour in a bowl. Add the salt and 2tbsp oil to it.

Rub well for 1-2 minutes.

Add the water little by little, and keep rubbing until a smooth dough is formed. This may take 7-8 minutes.

Once done, cover the dough with a moist piece of cloth. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

For the Dal, soak it overnight in enough of water or soak it in hot water for 2 hours.

Pressure cook up to 2 whistles.

Heat 1tbsp oil in a wok. Temper with the cumin seeds, bayleaf and halved dry red chillies.

Add the ginger paste and saute for 1 minute. Add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt. Saute for 1/2 a minute. Add the tomato sauce, mix well.

Pour the dal and fold in well. Pour 1small cup of water and the slitted green chillies. Let boil for few minutes.

Now let us fry the the Luchi.

Remove the wet towel from the dough. Rub again for a minute. Make small balls out of the dough.

With help of the rolling pin and base, roll out small round shaped luchi. Apply little oil while rolling the luchis.

Heat 100 ml oil in the wok. Here is the trick. The oil should not be too hot or towards cold. It should be moderate for getting fluffy luchi.

Fry them one by one. Once one side puffs up, turn over, as it puff, transfer onto a tissue paper to get rid of the excess oil.

Serve hot with the Cholar dal and rosogolla.

AMRIT RAS

It is this time of the year we wait for throughout the year. Our biggest festival Durga Puja is here and we are in a celebration mood. Let me tell you Durga Puja is not a festival for the Bengalis alone, and it will be unwise to call it a religious one. To prove my word, one needs to visit Kolkata / West Bengal during this time. You can see in fervour and spirit, it is for all residing there. Everyone takes part in the celebration. I can visualise the warmth, vigour, vibrance of my city sitting far off. Which ever part of the world we are in, we try to create that ambience and indulge ourselves in the celebration, though not in the vigour but in spirit.

If you say so, I do not miss Kolkata Pujo sitting far off. I was not in the bandwagon who roamed & roamed tirelessly during the Durga Puja! My family was strict about letting me go out with friends whilst in school! Once I was in college, I got that freedom and us friends would roam around the northern fringe of the city during the day time! In the evening, the father would take us around DumDum and starting from Muhammad Ali Park to all around Central Kolkata! 

It was only after marriage, I started visiting the South Kolkata Pandals, T's family had been great enthusiasts about any festival, except his father, he did not require many things in life! My brother took liberty forcefully during his senior school years, would go out locally with friends and got scolding from our parents, the father more for coming home late! We did not have the liberty T & his sister got! Did I ever wanted liberty in those days? All I wanted was food & my choice of story books & Chitrahaar! About our son, he has no special excitement with regards to the  Durga Puja or any Bengali ritual as such, mumma still hopes there would be a day when he would visit the Puja pandal with his family!

Celebration calls for a variety of food and indulging ourselves in them, sweets topping them all. Greetings are incomplete without sweets. Among us who ever visits home should be greeted with some 'mishtimukh'.... serving them sweet. During Durga Puja or any other festival, we prepare sweets, so that who ever comes, we can serve them those. They, in turn feel the touch of warmth of having homemade something. So I thought of preparing these easy made sandesh / fresh Chena / paneer cheese fudge filled with cooked mango puree to wish everyone happiness on the occasion  of Durga Puja. 

We do not love to cook much on these 4-5 days, so this easy one suits perfectly for the occasion. Let us do it and remember this sweet should be eaten within a day, the mango puree may spoil!

INGREDIENTS :[for the filling]

Fresh Mango Pulp : 1 medium cup

Sugar : 1 tsp

INGREDIENTS :[for the cottage cheese]

Milk : 1lt
Lemon Juice : of 1 lemon

Water : 3-4 tbsp
Ice cubes : 1/2 cup [they prevent the cheese from overcooking]

INGREDIENTS :[for the Sandesh base]

Cottage Cheese : As much as we get from 1 litre of milk
Sugar : 2-3 tbsp [you may need more]
Rice Flour : 1tbsp
Ghee : 1tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp

METHOD :

Let us get the filling ready. Blend the mango pulp in a blender. Cook it in a wok for 4-5 minutes with 1 tsp of sugar at low heat; stirring continuously! We would transfer it to a bowl! 

Now we would prepare the cottage cheese. Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and bring to boil stirring constantly. As it comes to boil, switch off  the gas stove and add the lemon juice that is mixed with the waterer without it. The milk curdles. Add the ice cubes to avoid hardening of the cheese too much.

Drain the water from the cheese through a clean piece of cloth. Tie and squeeze it. Hang it for 40-45 minutes to get rid of the excess water.

Take the cottage cheese in a plate and keep mashing for 7-8 minutes. 

Take  the ghee, 2-3 tbsp sugar & the paneer in a pan that never cooked turmeric & spice based food. Switch on the gas stove & keep the heat at the lowest. Keep stirring continuously for about 8-10 minutes. 

Keep stirring till it binds together well and tend to come out of the pan base. Add the rice flour & the cardamom powder and mix well. We will stir cook for another 2-3 minutes!

Take the dough in a plate and  let cool. Knead for 3-4 minutes & shape into roundels creating pockets . Fill the pockets with the mango puree using what is comfortable for you.

Enjoy it fresh or you can store up to  a  day in the refrigerator.

RAW MANGO AND GREEN MOONG SALAD CHAAT

It was a promise made to myself that besides curries and fries and desserts, I will also share some healthy bites and salads from time to time. Of late I have learnt the benefits of following a healthy diet. I keenly follow the healthy recipes around, learnt a lot. This enables me to mix and match various ingredients and prepare different kinds of salads and salsas. I often give an Indian twist to them adding Indian spices. For me it gives the feel of an Indian chaat which is healthy too. It becomes an absolute pleasure to have it at lunch, or at times I also serve it as an appetiser along with other non-vegetarian dishes. Given my health condition, I try to have a carb free or low carb lunch which have to have protein, fibre and the necessary nutrients. Bengalis and salads are remotely related. Hence my salads have to have an Indian twist with few spices sprinkled on it. The other day I got some raw mangoes from the market to prepare chutney. It was then that this idea of preparing a raw mango-moong bean salad popped up. I had some guests at home, so I served it along with the non-vegetarian appetisers. They loved it, so did I. Let us do it and have it fresh.

INGREDIENTS :

Raw Mango : 1
Cucumber : 1small
Green Moong Dal [skin on Moong Bean]: 1small cup
Black Gram : 1/4 small cup
Sprouts : 1/4 small cup
Coriander Leaves : 1tbsp
Green Chilli : 1
Roasted Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder : 1/4tsp
Black Salt : As required[alternatively plain salt]
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the green moong beans and black grams, soak in enough water overnight. Alternatively soak in hot water for 2 hours. Drain the water and wash again.

Peel, wash and cut the raw mango into bite size pieces discarding the seed. Wash and cut the cucumber into small pieces. Was the sprouts too.

Chop the coriander leaves and the green chilli. Dry roast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds and grind them to a powder.

In a bowl add all the ingredients and toss well.

Serve and have immediately. Enjoy as your lunch or serve with other appetisers.... it goes well with kebabs.

ILISH BHAJA O SHORSHE POSTO....

Durga Puja knocking at the door and there will be no Ilish/Hilsa fair at Bengali homes? That is unimaginable... Ilish-Bengali-Kanchalanka[green chilli]... are sewn together. It is part of our identity. Where ever we are we do not stop making love with this silvery beauty. I can bring forth many a sweet memories associated with Ilish. The mother always reserved the biggest piece for the daughter considering her love for it, perhaps thinking she will go away one day. The indulgent daddy and a loving brother were  supportive of that. There is a hint of pain in all the happiness while cooking it that I am unable to sit together and have it with my family.

In my husband's side of the family, it is a ritual to have Ilish on Dashami[4th day of Durga Puja], then stop and again have it on the Saraswati Puja Day. There is a scientific reason for this, allowing them enough time to breed. Unfortunately, these days it is not followed resulting into lack of it's availability, hence the skyrocketing prices. The fish loving Bongs are finding it difficult to have what they love.

It is this time of the year when I miss Kolkata the most... Durga Puja... the celebration....the food fair....Yesterday evening I visited the market and again stopped by when I saw some fresh Ilish in the market. My plans never work when I get to see an Ilish! I am never tired of cooking it because it's an absolute frill free cooking... idea is to retain it's own flavour and taste. On the eve of Durga Puja, I wish to share two simple, authentic Bengali recipes of Ilish/Hilsa.... Shorshe Posto Ilish and Ilish Bhaja. You may ask what is so special about a fried fish and blogging about it. It is as much as of the fried Hilsa's oil... peeping hot rice, a green chilli, a bit of salt and the crispy fried Hilsa....isn't that Heaven on a plate? You bet yes, ask any Bengali.....

Let us do the Hilsa Fish fries at first!

INGREDIENTS :

Ilish Pieces : 3- 4

Salt : As Required
Turmeric : 1/2tsp
Mustard Oil : 1tbsp[the fish itself releases oil]

METHOD :

Clean and wash the fish pieces well. Apply salt and turmeric, keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add 2 fish pieces at a time. Fry at low heat each side 4-5 minutes. They need to be crispy fried.

Reserve the oil to have with piping hot steamed rice, with a green chilli, a dash of salt and a crispy fried hilsa piece.
                                   

The Shorshe-Posto Ilish was done with a paste made of mustard seeds, white sesame seed, green chillies as poppy seed is banned in Singapore.

INGREDIENTS :

Ilish : 5-6 pieces

Black Mustard Seed : 2tsp
Poppy Seed : 1tsp[use white sesame seed instead if you stay in Dubai or Singapore]
Green Chilli : 4-5[using generously enhances the taste]
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Kalojeera[Nigella seeds] : 2pinches

Ice Cube : 2 
Mustard Oil : 1tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the poppy seeds[white sesame seed in my case],  drain the water through a strainer and soak in hot water for an hour.

Wash the mustard seeds too. Blend together mustard seeds, poppy seeds[white sesame seeds in my case], green chilli with little salt and 1/4small cup of water.[the salt & the ice-cubes help the paste not to turn bitter].

Apply salt and turmeric to the fish pieces and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with kalojeera. Add the paste and saute at low heat for 1/2 a minute.

Add little salt and turmeric. Add 1 small cup water. Let the curry boil for 2 minutes.

Add the fish pieces. Let boil for 2-3 minutes. Flip over, let boil for another 2 minutes. Add 2-3 slitted green chillies.Switch off the burner & transfer to a bowl!

Serve hot with piping hot steamed rice.