SHAHI EGG CURRY

Its been long I have not blogged about an Egg dish. It is a regular affair in our home. My senior loves egg to the hilt. The day I prepare an egg curry, I serve extra spoons of rice on his plate without the fear of been scolded. My men are not fond of plain steamed rice and me.... a typical Bengali of East Bengal origin thinks how can one survive without rice. After been diagnosed with diabetes, rice is as much forbidden to me as was apple to Adam n Eve. At times, I get angry with the Lord; why he had to gift diabetes to a person who is a diehard foodie. I still do not deprive myself of the white beauty, I eat 2-4 tablespoon everyday. 

The sight of rice gives me a pleasure. I love handmade breads too but they cause me acidity at times, rice never do.... it never betrays me... When the stomach is upset... I take a little of rice on a bowl.... add a spoonful of butter, salt and a green chilli. Having it works wonder for my stomach when upset. I am planning to learn, cook and blog about various kinds of handmade breads and fried rice varieties in the coming years.

This island is the perfect place for foodies. You are spoilt for choices when it comes to food. Almost with every dish there is a choice of rice or noodles. Thats where I have restrictions and settle with a soup or salad mostly. Coming to the Egg Curry, yesterday I wished to prepare something different from the regular affair. This made at home shahi spice paste I use in chicken / mutton / paneer dishes too. It is mildly spiced, a little of sweet & flavourful. Shahi Egg Curry goes very well with both rice or  breads, perhaps better with breads. Let us prepare this yummy Shahi Egg Curry together in few easy steps....

INGREDIENTS :

Egg : 6-9
Onion : 2
Poppy Seed : 2 tsp[if you are in Singapore or Dubai, use roasted white sesame seeds instead]
Cashew Nuts : 6-7
Melon Seed [charmagoj] : 1tsp
Raisin : 5-6
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 1tsp

Green Chilli : 2
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cinnamon Stick : 2 two inch size
Cloves : 2-3
Bayleaf : 1
Salt : As required

Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp [optional]
Sugar : 1 tsp [optional]
Plain Yogurt : 2 tbsp
Oil : 2 tbsp

METHOD :

Boil the eggs in enough water adding some salt, take them down and let cool. Thereafter, peel off their shells. Rub a little of salt on the eggs after making slits on both ends or on their body with a knife.

Peel, wash and roughly chop the onions. Grind them to a paste.

Wash and soak the poppy seeds in hot water for 1/2 an hour, strain the water. If you are using white sesame seed.... roast lightly.

Blend together the washed green chillies, cashew nuts, poppyseed or roasted sesame seeds, melon seeds, raisins using water as much as is required for a paste.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper the oil with bayleaf, cloves, cinnamon and green cardamoms.

Add the onion paste. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the mixed spice paste now and saute for a minute. Beat the yogurt and add to the spice paste, stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add a cup of water. As the gravy comes to a boil, add the boiled eggs. Add salt and sugar.

Let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Once the gravy thickens, switch off the gas stove.

Transfer it to a serving bowl and enjoy with chapati, paratha or rice! 

SWEET N SOUR PINEAPPLE PANEER

The trend that I see these days is that the visiting guests are keen about the varied appetiser spread. With the unwinding chitchat at the weekend, we really need a good starter platter to accompany. As far as I am concerned, whenever I visit someone's home, I forget all about my diet and indulge in eating from the cheese to the fritters. These days when guests come over, I try to keep the appetisers as healthy as possible without ignoring the taste factor. The taste and colour of the food matters a lot to me. If the colour does not appeal to me, half of my interest to have it is gone. Last week I had some visiting guests in our home. I wished to prepare vegetarian appetisers for them as the main course was predominantly a non vegetarian one. To me paneer [Indian Cottage Cheese] is a good vegetarian option. I love using it in different ways. When I prepare salad for myself, I use paneer instead of feta cheese. I enjoy cheese but I am too scared to have it. That day I had some pineapple too at home. Hence, the idea of Sweet N Sour Pineapple Paneer popped up. The pineapple and paneer combination did work well, I have seen such recipes around earlier. Let us do the  quick and yummy Sweet and Sour Pineapple Paneer together.

INGREDIENTS :

Pineapple Cubes : 1big cup
Paneer Cubes : 1 & 1/2 big cup
Red Bell Pepper Cubes : 1/2 small cup
Green Bell Pepper Cubes : 1/2 small cup
Onion Cubes : 1/2 medium cup
Green Chilli : 4-5 slitted or chopped
Cornflour : 1tsp
Minced Garlic : 1tsp
Minced Ginger : 1/2tsp
Light Soy Sauce : 1 tbsp

Tomato Ketchup : 2 tbsp

Vinegar : 1 tsp
Sugar : 1/2 tsp

Crushed Black Pepper : 1/4 tsp

Chilli Flakes : 1/2 tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 3tbsp

METHOD :

Mix together the tomato ketchup+light soy sauce+vinegar+chilli flakes+sugar. Mix well and keep aside.

Wash, peel, cut the pineapple into cubes. Marinate the paneer cubes with salt and crushed black pepper for 15 minutes.. Rub the bell peppers with salt 10 minutes before the cooking.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the cornflour to the paneer pieces, fry them lightly and take out.

Temper the remaining oil with the minced garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute and add the bell peppers & the cubed onions.

Stir at high heat for a minute or two. Thereafter, add the paneer cubes, pineapple cubes and the slitted or chopped green chillies. Add the prepared sweet & sour sauce and stir carefully for a minute. We should be done.

I served it with burnt garlic rice & grilled chicken.

DRY SPICED FISH N INDIAN HERBED RICE

This is another lazy food plate from my kitchen. Cooking and blogging about this kind of a recipe that  hardly have a tradition associated with it does not give me the pleasure of creation. Then again I think, the pleasure is elsewhere... my men love such combos.... that should be satisfying enough for me. Looking at their happy faces, I decide to blog about it too. There might be many who look for quick solutions for busy weeknights. Although I enjoy cooking, I must admit I am aging, somedays I do wish to spend minimum time in the kitchen. 

However, I would not cease to cook traditional Indian / Bengali recipes in my kitchen; would compile them too. Such combo meals I would cook when there is not much of cooking resources stored in the refrigerator.It would work when my pantry would be almost empty, the clock would strike 7pm and I would be unable to decide what to cook. At a Bengali home a fish and rice meal is always a hit. My junior is not fond of typical Bengali fish or fish curries, me too do not get much of  interest in cooking a curry with a sea-fish variety. 

This dry spiced fish and herbed rice combo was cooked up in a jiffy. I love using coconut in my cooking whenever possible and spicing up my dishes with the Indian / South Asian spices is a must.The idea of cooking a herbed rice dish flavoured with Indian fresh herbs was on my mind for long. I always store coriander leaves, curry leaves and dried Fenugreek leaves. Believe me, their combined flavour well incorporated in the rice was really worth it. This combo meal of DRY SPICED FISH N INDIAN HERBED RICE was a hit at my home, which I hope you will like too. Let us cook it together.

INGREDIENTS :[for the Dry Spiced Fish]

Fish Fillets : 6-8 [Any firm fish fillet]
Shredded Coconut : 2tbsp
Sliced Onion : 2 tbsp
Slitted Green Chilli : 2-3
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice : 3-4 tbsp
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds : 2 pinches
Water : 1 small tea cup
Oil : 4-5tbsp

INGREDIENTS :[for the Indian Herbed Rice]

Cooked Rice : 2 big cup
Chopped Coriander Leaf : 1 tbsp
Chopped Curry Leaf : 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi [dried Fenugreek leaf] : 1tsp

Chopped Mint Leaf : 1 tsp

Chopped Green Chilli : 1 tsp
Black Mustard Seed : 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli : 2-3 [halved]

Bay Leaf : 1 or 2

Bengal Gram Lentil : Chana Dal : 1/2 tsp

Skinless Urad / Black Gram Dal : 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 2-3 pinches
Salt : As required
Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp
Oil : 3-4 tbsp

METHOD :

Let us prepare the Indian Herbed Rice at first.

Cook the rice in enough water until it is 60-70% done. Drain the water, transfer the cooked rice to a colander in fact. I overcooked it a bit.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper it with a bayleaf, halved red chillies, mustard seeds, the two variety of lentils, the chopped green herbs. Stir for 1/2 a minute. Add the rice, fold in well.

Add the salt, turmeric powder and the lemon juice. Stir at high heat carefully for a minute. Our Indian herbed rice is done. Ain't that too simple? We are fond of any fried rices, say any flavoured rice that matches our taste bud.

Let us prepare the Dry Spiced Fish now.

Wash the fish pieces thoroughly and rub with half of the turmeric, salt and the lemon juice. Keep aside for an hour.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Discard the fish marinade and lightly fry in batches.

Temper the same oil with fenugreek seeds. As they give out a nice aroma, take them out of the oil or let them be.

Add the shredded coconut, stir fry. Add the onions and stir fry for 2-3  minutes until soft.

Add all the powdered spices and salt. Add 1 small cup of water. Gently add the fried fish pieces. Fold in well. Let cook for 4-5 minutes at low heat. Switch off the gas stove.

Serve the combo of fish & rice with a salad of your choice. If the men enjoyed a salad, I would have cooked such non-vegetarian combo-meals often. The rice bowl is vegan, the combo is gluten-free.

KHOYA BADAM KHEER

I really wished to say Happy Holi / Subho Dol Purnima to everyone on a sweeter note. With a series of sweets in the making for the past few days, the refrigerator is full of them and the poor lady's sugar level  is rising higher. For the past few days I was thinking what to prepare for the D-Day that will be essentially Indian and also be loved by my Ladoo Gopal. Those who have interest in the Hindu Mythology, know by now that Ladoo Gopal  /the younger avatar of the Lord Krishna loves "malai, kheer" kind of stuffs. 

While writing this piece, I was looking at few years back and smiling. My junior when younger was unhappy with mumma's undue attention towards Ladoo Gopal. When we were not around, he used to throw away his flute. We had to replace it a couple of times. Many a old memories keep visiting on such special occasions ..... how my junior used to go out with his paternal grandparents to play Holi, how my friends of my present abode in Kolkata pestered me to go down quickly to enjoy with Bhang, Pooris and Jalebi. Going back even further, my little brother played too much with the colours... from the morning till afternoon. We had to really work hard to take them off from his skin. His sister would watch him play from the terrace of the rented house they lived in DumDum.

I was a bit tired yesterday and finally decided to prepare a dessert that will be easy, yet yum. I thought this KHOYA BADAM KHEER will be perfect for the occasion. Khoya Badam Kheer is a mixed nut and milk dessert. At times, I find it very difficult to do proper translation of a dish. I try to explain the recipe as clearly as possible. Let us prepare this easy to make KHOYA BADAM KHEER together and celebrate the occasion of Holi.

INGREDIENTS :

Milk : 1litre
Khoya [semi-solidified milk] : 100 gm
Almond : 6-8
Cashew Nut : 10
Pistachio : 6-8
Raisin : 8-10
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2 tsp
Fennel Powder : 4-5 pinches [optional]
Sugar : 2-3 tbsp
Condensed Milk : 100 ml

METHOD : 

Lightly roast the almonds, cashew nuts and the pistachios and transfer to a grinder. Add the raisin, fennel powder, green cardamom powder and 1tbsp sugar too to it. Grind to a coarse powder.

Break the khoya [semi-solidified milk] and crumble it with your palm.

Pour the milk into  a heavy bottomed vessel. Put for boil. Keep stirring. After 10 minutes, add the sugar and the condensed milk.

As the milk gets thicker, say after 5-8 minutes, add the coarsely  ground nuts. Let boil for 2-3 minutes.

At this stage, add the crumbled khoya, stir well and boil for another 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl, bring to the room temperature. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Please note, the reason why I used both sugar and condensed milk in this sweet dish is that given my taste bud, i felt sugar not only adds sweetness but enhances the taste of a sweet dish. Condensed milk  alone cannot do that. 

SWEET POTATO MALPUA

With the occasion of Holi around, I kept the curries aside and wished to share with you all some homemade sweets and shakes.... essentially Indian. In our family, we do not play Holi, but I keep some special prayer for my Laddu Gopal [younger avatar of Lord Krishna]. It is a an auspicious and fun filled day for us, India gets more colourful. Lord Krishna started playing Holi with his lady love Radha and the rest of India follow the tradition till date. 

Holi is also about celebrating the spring. The beautiful colours of nature during this period is brought alive ..... we play with the colours with our loved ones. My wish to visit two places during Holi is yet to be fulfilled.... Vrindavan and Shantiniketan. The former celebrates Krishna's love for Radha and the later, colours of spring.

WHAT IS SWEET POTATO MALPUA OR RANGA ALOOR MALPOA?

It is a little tweaked version of the popular Indian pancake, eggless. Many homes dunk it in sugar syrup before serving, my family does not! This variant of doing it with sweet potatoes is not common. We usually prepare a couple of sweet meats / snacks / pithe with sweet potatoes. I thought let me try malpua with sweet potatoes, hence this. The sweet potato malpua I prepared are perfect for your dessert cravings, just indulge guilt free, we are not having it everyday. Let us enjoy doing together SWEET POTATO MALPUA.

INGREDIENTS : [for the malpua]

Sweet Potato : 3medium
Refined Flour : 1small cup
Semolina : 1small cup
Rice Flour : 1/4small cup
Sugar : 1/4small cup
Milk : 1big cup [boiled to a medium thickened consistency]
Water : 1medium cup
Fennel Seeds : 2tbsp
Black Peppercorns : 1tbsp [optional]
Oil : 100-150ml + 1tsp

METHOD :

Peel, wash and boil the sweet potatoes. Once cool, mash them nicely.

In a big bowl soak the semolina in the water for an hour. Add the mashed sweet potatoes, refined flour, rice flour, 1tsp oil and the milk. Mix well. There should not be any lump present.

Add the sugar, black peppercorns and fennel seeds. Keep in rest for an hour, let the sugar to melt. The consistency of the batter should not be running, neither be a paste. A dropping consistency rather. It looks as below.

Heat the oil in a wok. Bring it to the smoking point and then lessen it to minimum, after a minute we will fry the first malpua; we will use a round ladle to pour the batter. The heat has to be adjusted from time to time. Look at the picture below.

Take out and place onto tissue papers for sometime before serving. It tastes wow, both fresh and stale! After frying, you can further add it to a sugar syrup, we do not!

KOLKATA R SHADA MISHTI DOI / HOMEMADE SWEETENED YOGURT

You have known by now, I cannot stay away from my Kolkata chapter for long. A kind of guilt feeling works, since my prime wish was to show case the cuisine of my region, get them acquainted with the people who do not have any idea of what Bengali Cuisine is. Others are doing it for quite sometime, my effort is my right. Bengali Cuisine is not only about Fish Curry and Roshogolla, there is lot more to it. From fritters to desserts, we have a wide range of choices for you. Just because of lack of proper marketing techniques, our cuisine may not be in the top chart of the world cuisine. Otherwise, we offer  unique vegetarian and non vegetarian food.... I feel we need a couple of Anjan Chaterjee[restauranteur and owner of a chain of Bengali restaurants].

Going back and perhaps till date a Bengali meal would not complete without Mishti Doi[Sweet yogurt] & Roshogolla. Treating the guests with Doi, Roshogolla, Pantua[gulabjamun] and Shingara[Samosa] was the norm, an essential part of our food culture. I remember whenever there were sudden guests at home, mom would prepare luchi[indian bread] and dum aloo and send me to the neighbouring sweet shop to get mishti doi and roshogolla. Till date, that generation Bengalis will not get chicken roll for the guests. Plain yogurt mom would prepare at home.

In West Bengal, there are two kinds of Mishti Doi[sweetened yogurt]... one is less sweet white one, i.e. the Kolkata r Shada Mishti Doi and another is the more famous Kolkata r Lal Doi. However, I have always loved the less sweet one and so much wished to blog about it. No qualms in admitting, this is my 4th attempt of doing it and when I was about to quit, I could finally get the taste of success. Life is perhaps this, you succeed when you are at the verge of losing hope. I believe if we do no wrong, God / The Universal Power is the saviour.

They say earthern pots are best for preparing yogurt. Never mind if you do not have, use glass or steel bowls. I got this Matir Khuri[earthern pots] from my last visit to Kolkata to try my hands on Kolkata r Shada Mishti Doi.

This Kolkata r Shada Mishti Doi is done simply in few easy steps. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Full Cream Milk : 500 ml
Plain Yogurt : 3-4 tbsp
Sugar : 4 tbsp
Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp [optional, I did not use]

METHOD :

Take the milk in a heavy bottomed container and put on the gas top. Let it boil for 8-10 minutes. We will not let it brown.

Add the sugar and boil for another 5 minutes. Now add the cardamom powder if you are using it, stir and pour in the bowl. Let it turn to lukewarm state.

This setting of the temperature is important for setting the yogurt. Once the milk is luke warm, beat the plain yogurt and add to the lukewarm milk. Gently stir.

Cover with a plate or lid. Cover the bowl again with a deep bottomed vessel. Now wrap a heavy towel all over.

After this we will not touch or move it till the yogurt is set. Keep it in a warm place, preferably inside a microwave oven for 10-12 hours. However it took me 14 hours to get the right consistency.

Enjoy the home made dessert bliss from my region.

ALOO POTOLER DALNA / POTATO & POINTED GOURD CURRY

             

It is the start of summer back home. The markets will be flooded with young pointed gourds / parwal / potol. We usually prepare different kinds of curries with it.... dry gravy or light curry, stuffed, when guests come. When it starts to get little old / ripe, we love to have it fried accompanied by daal / lentil curry and rice. For many of us it a heavenly dish. Oh, not to forget to squeeze some lemon juice on top of the dal rice. 

Only few places of India are fond of this veggie, right? Many among the Bengalis too do not like it. However, our families have it way too much during the summers. I too buy it whenever in sight. Of all the kinds with it, I love it in this humble curry with potato & regular Bengali curries.

As thought of, I will compile as much Bengali authentic dishes here as possible. This Bengali summer time curry is called ALOO POTOL ER DALNA. Today, the mood I am in, I wished to share with you all this simple, regular curry from my family; perhaps done the same way in most of the Bengali families; without onion & garlic.

INGREDIENTS : 

Pointed Gourd : 8
Potato 2 medium sized

Tomato : 1 medium sized
Ginger Paste : 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seed : 3 pinches
Bayleaf : 1
Cinnamon Powder : 3 pinches
Green Cardamom Powder : 2 pinches
Ghee : 1 tsp [skip it you are a vegan]
Oil : 4 tbsp[mustard]

METHOD :

Peel the potatoes and the pointed gourds, the latter keep gap and peel. Cut the pointed gourd half, the potatoes into four pieces.

 Wash them and apply salt and turmeric. Heat the oil in a wok, fry both in batches. Keep aside.

Temper the oil with cumin seeds, bayleaf . Add the ginger paste and add the washed & chopped tomato. Saute for 3-4 minutes, add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder. Saute for 1 minute.

Add the fried potato pieces at first. Coat well with the spice mix. Add 1 cup of water and cover cook for 3 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the pointed gourds. Stir and cover cook for 4 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the cinnamon and green cardamom powder, sugar and ghee. Stir well and cook for another 1 minute. Done.

It is to be served with hot steamed rice. On that day, we also had "palong shaak er ghonto & radhuni phoron tomato dal" alongside!

BADHAKOPI CHINGRIR GHONTO / CABBAGE WITH PRAWNS

       

Bengal's love for fish gets them using it in various vegetables regular. The heads of the fish or small sized prawns we fry and use in lentil curries, mixed vegetables and so on. Earlier when cabbage was available only in the winter, every Bengali home made good use of it. In our home, mom prepared both vegetarian and non vegetarian version of this veggie. Cabbage is Bandhakopi in Bengali. All of us would agree, this is an easy to do veggie. I find it pretty comfortable to prepare it, just shred and do the way you wish to. Badhakopir Ghonto is a common dish among us Bengalis. We do both the vegetarian and non vegetarian version of it. The vegetarian version we do with green peas, tomato and potatoes that tastes awesome with plain rice, Khichdi and chapati or paratha. The non vegetarian versions are done with fish head or smaller prawns. Cabbage with prawns is an absolute favourite for us, we call it Bandhakopi Chingrir Ghonto. It goes with steamed rice, well one can have with chapati too. I followed the family's recipe. Always use small prawns for this, I didn't get it this week.. Let us do Badhakopi Chingrir Ghonto together and enjoy with piping hot steamed rice.We can keep lentil curry and fries or a vegetable dish on the side.

INGREDIENTS :

Cabbage : 1 standard sized

Small Prawns : 250 gm

Tomato : 1 standard sized

Green Chilli : 2-3

Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp

Salt : As required

Sugar : 1 tsp

Cinnamon Powder : 3 pinches

Green Cardamom Powder : 2 pinches

Cumin Seeds : 3 pinches

Bayleaf : 1

Dry Red Chilli : 1

Oil : 4 tbsp

METHOD :

 Clean, de-vein and wash the prawns, apply salt and turmeric.

Throw the outer leaves of the cabbage and wash well. Shred thin and discard the hard mid-section.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the prawns lightly, take out & keep aside.

Temper the oil with the bay leaf, cumin seeds and the halved dry red chilli. Add the shredded cabbage. Add salt and turmeric powder. Stir and cover. Let cook for 8-10 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the washed & sliced tomato, the slitted green chillies. Stir and cover cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove the cover to add the fried prawns. Stir and cover cook for 3-5 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the sugar, green cardamom, cinnamon powder, cloves powder. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

It is done. We have it with steamed rice.

SHOJNE DATAR CHOCCHORI

 

The elderly beings in the family would say starting to eat drumsticks with the onset of spring was a necessity to keep off measles and similar kind of diseases. Starting from the end of February until April, we used to eat drumsticks in various ways, in lentil curries, mixed vegetables. Our mother used to prepare vegetarian dishes and fritters with the drumstick flowers. In those days, when Kolkata was not congested with condominiums, we had a drumstick tree at every nook and corner of our neighbourhood. These trees do not need much of care, they grow just like that. 

I vividly remember that our school was situated in a protected zone, there we had a number of these trees. I used to look at the freshest green drumsticks hanging and how much I wished to get them for mani [our mother] but were not supposed to touch even. The market ones were not flawless green. When our son got admitted in a school at the Nursery level, it was situated in a 14 acres of landed area in the outskirts of Kolkata, I was overjoyed to see so many greens around. The villagers would get me drumsticks and other vegetables just for free. While our kids were at school, us moms would go for walks in the nearby villages or chit chat. I miss those days.

We call this Bengali recipe SHOJNE DATAR CHOCCHORI. Chocchori which is usually a dry or semi dry preparation. We prepare it with black mustard and green chilli paste. We cut the drumsticks and potatoes lengthwise and cook both using the mustard paste with some tempering. Let us prepare this humble vegetarian dish.... SHOJNE DATAR CHOCCHORI together.

INGREDIENTS :

Drumsticks : 3-4
Potato : 1 
Black Mustard : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 3-4
Salt : As required
Turmeric : 1tsp
Whole Red Chilli : 2
Nigella Seeds : 3 pinches

Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 2 tbsp [ mustard preferably ]

METHOD :

Cut the drumsticks lengthwise. Peel off the skin lightly, the flesh should be intact.

Peel and cut the potatoes lengthwise too. Wash and apply salt n turmeric. I keep the skin on for this recipe.

Prepare a paste with the mustard seeds, green chilli with a little of salt. This prevent the paste from turning bitter.

Heat the oil in a wok, temper with the bayleaf, nigella seeds and slitted dry red chillies.

Add the drumsticks and potato pieces. Stir well and cover. Let cook for 3-4 minutes.

Uncover and add the mustard paste. Stir well and cover.

Let cook for another 5-7 minutes at the medium to low heat. Uncover, if the water dries up, it is done.

It is to be had with plain steamed rice. 

MAACHER TOK / SOUR FISH CURRY

  

Mach er Tok.... a summer time bliss for many among our community and perhaps in some other states of India too. The way of doing it may be different. In West Bengal, summers are really hot. It happens that we even refuse to enjoy fish curries. It is then mom used to prepare toker dal[tangy lentil curry] and Mach er Tok[Sour fish curry] for us. Tangy curries are considered to be body coolants and helps beat the heat in summer.

I believe, the state of Assam's sour curries also have influence on our family's sour curries; fish or otherwise! The maternal grandfather lived there for few years as an employee of State Bank of India! The paternal grandpa left Comilla, went & settled in Assam! My maternal grandmother learnt a lot of steamed cake recipes from her Assamese neighbours! What I like about Assam is their pattern of the homes; quaint, bungalows with green space! They are usually with cleanliness freak, that is good enough for me to praise! My uncles think they cannot come & stay in West Bengal for long! 

Different families have different ways of preparing Macher Tok. My mother used to prepare it this way. I exactly followed my mother's way of doing Macher Tok. The tamarind paste can be replaced with raw mango pieces. We usually alternate with tamarind, raw mango, elephant apple, hogg plum. This Macher Tok[sour fish curry] recipe is done with tamarind paste. Let us do it together.

INGREDIENTS :

Any Firm White Fish : 500 gm [ we use Rohu or Katla, i.e. Bengal Carp smaller sized, even baby sized ]
Radhuni / Ajmod Paste [wild celery seeds] : 1/2 tsp [alternatively 1 tsp fresh Thai celery paste] [WIKI says radhuni is dried fruit of Trachyspermum Roxburghianum, a flowering plant; smells like parsley, tastes like celery. Honestly, until I had a blog, I did not require to know what radhuni is called outside my family; some called it wild celery seed, I took it, now WIKI says it is this]
Tamarind Paste : 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Green Chilli : 2
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Kalonji Seeds[ nigella] : A Pinch

Rdhuni / Ajmod : 1/4 tsp
Oil[preferably mustard] : 2 tbsp

METHOD :

We usually use smaller sized, in fact no fat, live fish for this curry! This one was big as compared to what is required in this one!

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 small cup of water.

Prepare a paste with the ajmod / radhuni seeds or with the Thai celery leaves if seeds are not available. 

[I cannot paste such a small amount, I use a little more of the whole seeds in the tempering]

Wash the fish pieces and marinate with turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, ajmod paste[alternatively celery leaves paste].

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the kalonji & ajmod seeds. Add the marinated fish along with the marinade.

Cover cook each side for 3-4 minutes. Remove the cover, Add one cup of water and cover cook for another 3-4 minutes at medium to low heat.

 Strain the tamarind juice and pour into the gravy. Add the slitted green chillies.

Let boil for another 2 minutes. Switch off. Transfer to a serving bowl.

It is to be had with hot rice, specially during the summer we have it. You can replace the tamarind with raw mango.

DUM KA MURG / SLOW COOKED ONE POT CHICKEN

Eureka.... was the word I murmured when I saw an one pot slow cooked chicken recipe. As  told earlier, not much of an innovative person, I look for ideas, thanks to Google search, my saviour. With a teen at home, we are in constant need of a variety of recipes. If someone has to prepare chicken thrice a week on demand, she has to look out for a variety. This cook is such a poor planner. None of her blogger friends seem to be poor with planning, how beautifully they plan around a theme, work and research on them and finally come up with a beautiful something. This lady is a lazy cook.... plans a recipe in the morning, cooks in the evening and blogs about it the next morning. She thinks almost a life is spent this way, let it be.... striving for the best is perhaps not a lazy escapist's cuppa.

It was a Saturday, the senior has a habit of starting with a movie when I am busy. That day it was one of my interest too. Hence, I was looking for a hassle free chicken recipe. It was then I came across a number of Hyderabadi Dum Ka Murg recipes. Chicken marinated in aromatic Indian herbs and spices and slow cooked in a pot. Given my nature, I was again running out of some spices exclusively used in this recipe. The temptation of a hassle free Dum ka Murg / Chicken recipe led me to try it. 

I went ahead with my version of DUM KA MURG, skipping the word "Hyderabadi". Whatever we do we need to be honest, there is no alternative to it. My homely DUM KA MURG was not bad either, it was aromatic. Since it was slow cooked all the spices used and the juice from the chicken mingled well. Doing that I could watch the movie uninterrupted. I have decided whenever there will be guests at home, I will take up this hassle free DUM KA MURG recipe. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 1kg [medium cut]
Tomato : 2 [chopped]
Sliced Onion : 2 tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 2 tbsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 2 one inch stick
Cardamom [green] : 2-3
Cloves : 3-4
Bayleaf : 2
Garam Masala Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Green Chilli : 3-5 [slitted]
Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp
Oil : 3 tbsp

METHOD :

Clean and wash the chicken pieces well. Take them in a big bowl.

Add all the ingredients to it. Mix well rubbing thoroughly with your palm for 3-4 minutes.

Cover and marinate for an hour. 

Now grease a deep bottomed vessel with few drops of oil. Transfer the marinated chicken with all the marinade to it. Cover and seal the sides with the dough and place on the fire. 

I actually cooked it in a wok covering it tight with a lid. 

I slow cooked at minimal heat for about 45-50 minutes. Lot of water will be released and it will be cooked in it's own juices.

At the end we get an extremely aromatic chicken curry; a bit tangy and spicy.