MUTTON KOFTA MALAI CURRY

It is weekend.... let us indulge ourselves in some elaborate spread forgetting about how much extra calories we are taking in. There has to be one or two cheat days in the week. We need not be that calculative with life, calculations do not bring happiness. Rest of the week we can go for some light cooking. For my men, healthy eating is a no no, they love their burger, pizza, homemade all kinds of paratha, poori, mutton and chicken curries. I do these all for them..... whether I am wrong or right I do not know. What I feel is they are small eaters, let them have what they like.

This Mutton Kofta Malai Curry was made for a guest quite close to us. Years back when I just got married and was learning to cook, this person was among the few people who were my guinea pigs.... from over cooked pulao to over salted fish curry... they had it all with a smile and said, "boudi [sis-in-law], do not worry, next time it will be perfect." Appreciative.... few people can be... so I have a special place for some people in life. But you cannot like everything in a person, I am not perfect either. I try not to hold grudge against someone for long. Any day they visit me, I will definitely prepare an elaborate meal pouring my heart into it.

What I can boast of about this Mutton Kofta Malai Curry is that I did not fry the kofta, using less oil in the process. What I did was after cooking the kofta mix and shaping them, I oven cooked them for 15 minutes at the microwave+grill option. Then I took them out, arranged in a serving plate and poured the prepared gravy over it. You can see not a single piece is broken. Let us do this Mutton Kofta Malai Curry together.

INGREDIENTS :[for the mutton kofta]

Mutton Keema : 250-300 gm
Potato : 1big [boiled and mashed]
Onion : 1big [sliced]
Minced Garlic : 2tbsp
Minced Ginger : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 3[chopped]
Cinnamon Powder : 1/4tsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp
Clove Powder : 2pinches
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Oil : 3tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the curry]

Coconut Milk : 150 ml
Onion Paste : 1tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 1 two inch length
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cloves : 4-5
Bayleaf : 1
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2tsp
Green Chilli : 2 slitted

Salt : As Required
Oil : 2tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the keema / meat mince and marinate with the lemon juice, salt, turmeric for 45 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the minced garlic and ginger, fry till light brown. Add the sliced onion and fry till golden brown. Add the chopped green chillies and give a stir.

Add the keema discarding the marinade. Stir and cover cook for 10-12 minutes at minimum heat.

Remove the cover, add the powdered spices and salt and fold in well. Cover cook for another 5-8 minutes at minimum heat stirring every 2 minutes. 

Add the mashed potato and fold in well. Add a little of salt if required. Transfer to a bowl. 

Let cool and shape kofta as you wish. Place them on a greased oven proof plate.

Cook them for 15 minutes at microwave+grill mode placing the plate atop the low height wired stool.

Let us prepare the curry. Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the bayleaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, cloves. As they release aroma, add the onion paste. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the ginger paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin+coriander+red chilli powders, salt and fold in well. Add 11/2 big cup of water.

Let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Add some water and bring to a boil. Then add the coconut milk, slitted green chillies. Adding a little of sugar can be for good.

Few minutes before eating, pour the gravy on the koftas, heat for 1-2 minutes & serve with your choice of bread or rice.

CHANAR PAYESH / PANEER KHEER

If there is a sudden guest in our home or when we are craving for a dessert but do not have the time or energy to go for elaborate ones..... we can go for quick and easy ones. Our sincerity as a homemaker does not depend on how much time we spend in the kitchen. It is all about time management and how much love we are putting into whatever we are doing taking into consideration few factors like will it be loved by the family, will it be tasty without inviting any major health hazards to them. Even a one pot meal is welcome if it is loved by the family and is served with utmost love and care on the dining table. At times we really do crave for desserts. I would suggest to go for something that is quick... say a microwave cake in a cup, a yogurt and mixed fruit bowl with a drizzle of honey or any sweet that requires less of cooking and done with kitchen staples. This Chanar Payesh or Paneer Kheer was made as a part of the Bengali New Year Celebration. I was thinking of a quick dessert as that day I was up to preparing an elaborate platter. Hence, I came up with the idea of doing a Chanar Payesh or Paneer Kheer which was quick and easy one with everything available at home. There are different ways of doing Chaner Payesh or Paneer Kheer, I did it my way, perhaps it is the simplest. Let us do this yummy dessert together.

INGREDIENTS :

Full cream Milk : 1 litre + 500ml
Sugar : 1/4 to 1/2 small cup
Vinegar : 1tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4 tsp

Cashew Nuts & Raisins to Garnish!

METHOD :

Let us prepare the cottage cheese at first. Take 1 litre of low fat milk in a heavy bottomed vessel. Put for boil.

As it comes to a boil, switch off the gas stove. Add the vinegar,  the milk gets curdled. 

Strain the whey through a fine cloth and tie the remains onto your tap for 1/2 an hour. 

Take down and transfer the freshly made paneer to a bowl. Add 1tsp sugar and the green cardamom powder. Do not knead, just crumble and mix together gently.

Boil the remaining 500 ml of milk in a vessel for 10-12 minutes. As it gets creamier, add the sugar, raisins and the cashew nuts. 

Let boil for another 5-8 minutes. Add the crumbled paneer. Give a stir and switch off the gas stove.

Let cool, refrigerate before serving.

PINEAPPLE ICECREAM WITH WATERMELON

In this part of the world it is always hot & during this period, even hotter. The mind and body is craving for coolers. My personal choice is the island famous Iced Tea / Ice Lemon Tea. Its my son's favourite too! Coolers are always stocked at home as he has them any time, even at an unearthly hour of the night. He in fact loves end number of coolers, flavoured soy milk to fruit punches! That is something mamma loves watching. The mamma thing also loves sipping them on her way back from the walks / jogs. The lady loves her own company, a lazy lunch with herself sitting in a cozy corner of the local food court, with her headphone on.... watching the people around.

There is one advantage of staying in a tropical country, we get those juicy, yum, healthy thirst quenchers; I meant  fresh fruits throughout the year. I find the pineapple, watermelon here too good, in fact all of the tropical fruits. Actually, in general fruits are of great quality here; Oh My! The varieties of oranges amazes me! I am too fond of the red beautiful watermelon, stands second after mango in my priority list! Litchi, Mango, Watermelon, Jackfruit, Custard Apple are all my favourite & the list continues! It is necessary to have fruits, for us diabetics in less frequency! We should eat more of ripe papaya, cucumber, dragon fruit! Both T & the son take fruits of their choice in their snack box!

The other day I got a pineapple to prepare a cold appetiser along with few other ingredients. The entire pineapple was not required obviously. It was then I thought of preparing a pineapple ice cream with the rest of it. Watermelon is always there at home, hence pampered ourselves with a pineapple ice cream topped with watermelon cubes. It was an absolute bliss. Let us prepare together an easy to do Pineapple Ice Cream with Watermelon.

INGREDIENTS :

Pineapple : I/2 of a standard size 
Pineapple[chopped] : 3tbsp
Fresh Cream : 300ml
Watermelon Pieces : A bowlful

Sugar : 1/2 small tea cup

Edible Yellow Food Colour : Few drops [Optional]

METHOD :

Peel, wash and chop the pineapple. Transfer the maximum of them to a grinder and grind to a paste. Put for boil adding the sugar & simmer for quite sometime!

After some 10-12 minutes of simmering, add the chopped  pineapple & edible colour to it, stir well & simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

Take down & let cool!

Once cool, add the fresh cream & whisk with a hand beater well!

Transfer to a covered container and freeze for few hours. I did nothing else to make it creamier!

                                  

 

                                   

                  

                  

Take out about 7-8 minutes before scooping out! Garnish with the watermelon cubes & serve!

GOBI BUTTER MASALA

Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable and is accepted universally. I look at various recipes in the world and see such wide usage of this vegetable..... be it soup or curry. Since I love this vegetable, I strongly feel in whichever way we prepare it, it will taste good. I have gone through a couple of recipes about creamy soups made with it and wish to try for myself. My men are in no way soup loving kind of, not of vegetarian soups at all. Hence I will do that in my own good time. I never feel like preparing something specially for myself, I am too lethargic doing that. 

I prepare what my family loves and have that lowering the amount of carb. As told many times, my men love breads, any kind of. So I always look for curries that well suit with breads, which are mainly handmade  breads in my home.

Bengalis usually prepare a cauliflower and potato curry garnished with ghee and Bengali garam masala. I love trying different kinds of curries in my kitchen. Being fond of spicy and flavourful North Indian cuisine, I thought of trying Gobi Butter Masala. I remember, that particular day I prepared this rich Gobi Butter Masala and kept the chicken as a light, simple curry and served with chapati... hot from the tawa. They loved it and that makes me happy. This Gobi Butter Masala was done in my own way, as I preferred. Hence, it may not be that authentic. Let us do this butter n garam masala flavoured, tangy cauliflower curry together.

INGREDIENTS :

Cauliflower : 1
Tomato Paste : 1big cup
Onion Paste : 1/2small cup
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Minced Garlic : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1/4tsp
Bayleaf : 1
Sugar : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Fresh Cream : 1tbsp [I used beaten yogurt]
Butter : I tbsp
Oil : 3 tbsp

METHOD :

Cut the cauliflower into medium florets, wash them thoroughly and microwave in enough water at low speed for 5 minutes adding a little of salt. Let cool, discard the water.

Rub the cauliflower pieces with 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and some salt. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the cauliflower florets. Take out and keep aside on a tissue paper that will help to soak the excess oil.

Temper the remaining oil with the cumin seeds, bayleaf and minced garlic. Stir for a minute. Add the onion paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the ginger paste, fry for 2 minutes and add to the tomato paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, rest of the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Stir well for 1/2 a minute.

Add the fried cauliflower pieces, fold in well. Add one medium cup water. Fold in well. Cover cook for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the cover, add 1 tbsp of butter, 1tbsp of fresh cream [I used beaten yogurt] and 1tsp garam masala powder. Fold in well and cook for a minute.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with breads or cumin rice.

EGG RENDANG

Rendang is actually a spicy meat dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia. In Minangkabau culture, Rendang represents the philosophy of musyawarah, discussion and consultation with the elders. They say the four main ingredients of Rendang represent the Minangkabau society as a whole. The meat refers to the clan leaders, nobles, royalty and elders, the coconut milk symbolises the intellectuals, teachers, poets and writers, the chilli symbolises the religious leaders and the spice mixture symbolises the rest of the Minangkabau society. This ethnic group is mainly from West Sumatra. In their tradition, rendang is a dish prepared at the special occasions like marriage, birth ceremonies, religious festivals, etc. [Source : WIKI]

Rendang is also popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Once in Singapore, I tasted Chicken Rendang and the spice loving girl loved it. Not that much of a chicken lover, I loved it lapped up in delectable spices, yum and flavourful. Earlier I have tried chicken rendang, this time it was Egg Rendang. I knew it cannot go wrong, us Indians love our curries spicy. The spice laden, yet not that hot Egg Rendang curry will equally go well with both rice or handmade breads. 

How authentic the recipe is I do not know. I went through a couple of similar recipes and landed into mine. For some of you getting turmeric leaf may be a problem, leave it. We are always open to our version of a dish. I am pretty sure for an authentic version of the rendang curry, we have to travel to West Sumatra and learn the recipe from a Minangkabau family. So no worries, let us enjoy doing the Egg Rendang curry together.

INGREDIENTS :

Egg : 5-6
Shredded Coconut : 2tbsp [I used desiccated]
Coconut Milk : 1/2 small cup
Shallots : 4-5[or a medium onion]
Minced Garlic : 1/2tsp
Minced Galangal : 1tsp
Minced Ginger : 1/2tsp
Chopped Lemon Grass : 1tbsp[or lemon zest]
Dry Red Chillies : 3-4[soaked in hot water for an hour, adjust amount as per your taste]
Chopped Lime/Lemon leaf : 2tsp
Chopped Turmeric Leaf : 2tsp[if u do not get it add 1/4tsp chopped raw turmeric to spice mix n grind]
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/2tsp[I used palm sugar]
Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 2-3tbsp
Lime/Lemon Leaf : 1 to garnish

METHOD :

Wash and boil the eggs in enough water. Let cool and clear off the shells. Apply a little of salt.

Heat a wok on the gas oven and dry roast the desiccated or shredded coconut. Put the roasted coconut, minced garlic, galangal, ginger, chopped lemon grass, peeled shallots, dry red chillies, chopped turmeric leaves to a grinder. Add a little of water and grind to a paste.

Add the oil to the wok and heat. Add the bay leaf, stir. Add the spice paste and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped lime leaves, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and palm sugar. Stir for a minute.

Add the boiled eggs. Fold in well. Add the coconut milk. Stir and cover cook for 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with a lemon / lime leaf.

Serve hot with rice / roti / paratha.

SOYA KOFTA CURRY

I may cook and compile a couple of kofta curries in the blog. Actually, I love kofta.... any kind of. I consider it a good vegetarian side dish to go with rice or breads. Since my men are not vegetable lovers, I have to find out tricks to feed them veggies. They definitely would not want to eat a carrot or beans curry. If I mix them with some selective spices, make kofta balls and cook in a flavourful curry, serve with rice or Indian bread... they will eat. Should not we do this much for our loved ones? We should. My men are not bored of eating chicken / mutton in any form.... minced, bone on, boneless, I do not like cooking it regular. It concerns me giving them meat often. With this on my mind, I keep packets of soya, minced soya, paneer in stock. I try to make dishes with them as tasty as possible so they happily eat them. Preparing a kofta curry with minced soya was long on my list.... I did this Soya Kofta Curry with care, my men did not understand it is not a minced chicken kofta they are eating. Come, let us do this easy to make Soya Kofta Curry together.

          

INGREDIENTS :[for the kofta]

Minced Soya : 1big cup [I boiled and pasted the soy balls]
Potato : 1 [boiled & mashed]
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp

Dry Mango Powder : 1 tsp
Green Chilli : 2-3 [chopped]
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp
Oil : 1 tbsp

INGREDIENTS :[for the curry]

Onion Paste : 1 tbsp
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Tomato Paste : 2-3 tbsp

Chopped Coriander : 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 1two inch length
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cloves : 2-4
Bay Leaf : 1
Sugar : 1tsp [optional]
Salt : As Required
Oil : 2 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash and soak the minced soya in hot water for 1/2 an hour. Drain the water completely, paste if you are using balls. Mash the potato adding a little of salt.

Heat the oil in a pan. Temper with the washed & chopped green chillies & cumin seeds.

Add the minced soya and mix well. Add the turmeric powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder, coriander powder, salt and stir well for 4-5 minutes.

Add the mashed potato, sugar and stir cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a plate. Let cool. Tear portions from the dough, shape into round balls, flatten.

I cooked the soya koftas in the microwave oven. Mine is a microwave convection oven, I greased an oven proof plate with oil and placed the koftas. I had placed the low height wired stool inside, placed the plate atop and cooked in microwave+grill option for 8-8 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok, temper with a bayleaf, the cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves. Once the whole spices would release a nice aroma, add the onion, tomato, ginger pastes. Fry them until brown.

Thereafter, you are to add the cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt. Stir well for a minute.

Add one big cup of water and let boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and garam masala powder. Let boil for a minute. Switch off the gas oven.

Arrange the kofta balls in a serving bowl. Pour the gravy on them. Let the kofta balls soak in the juice. You are to wait for 1/2 an hour before serving.

Note : They taste the best a day after.

MACHER CHOP

For us Bengalis, any time is chop [croquette?] time. We do not need a festival or a special occasion to have this deep fried breaded fish mince cooked with spices. It is usually an evening tea time pleasure for us. Earlier, I remember the middle class Bengali homes would have chop with muri [puffed rice] and tea around 7.30 pm when the rest of the world usually had their dinner. Now a days, perhaps it has become a week end affair. At least, in my home the small eater senior will not have anything but a small bowl of nuts on the weekday evenings. He cannot have early dinners, in our home we maintain the unhealthy practice of having dinner late.

Chop / Croquette,  an evening time fried snack is a quintessential part of the Bengali food culture. We prepare chop with almost anything, vegetables, fish, meat, egg. We either have it just like that or accompanied by jhal muri[spiced up puffed rice], in case of the vegetarian ones. Tea is a must have with any kind of fritters. When I got married, I almost fainted to see the man's side of the family having tea end number of times throughout the day, even at an unearthly hour of the night, say 10 pm. The early to bed kind of a girl thought when will they have dinner so that she gets to dive into the bed. Later, the situation improved with a cooperative pa-in-law who too wished to finish his dinner by 10-10.30 pm and retire for the day.

These fish chop / croquettes were made last week as a week end fiesta. I usually try to prepare something special on the weekends as they are special with my men. If we are not going anywhere, we will have a late lunch, spend a leisurely evening over chitchat, tea and chop / fritters / fries. Come let us do Fish Chop in few easy steps.

INGREDIENTS :

Any Firm White Fish Fillet : 500gm
Potato : 2 medium sized [boiled]
Onion : 1big [sliced]
Minced Garlic : 1tbsp
Minced Ginger : 1/2tsp
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped]
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Cinnamon Powder : 1/4tsp
Cardamom Powder : 4-5 pinches
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Sugar : 1/2tsp[optional]
Bread Crumb : 1 coffee mug 
Egg : 1- 2 [beaten] [Alternatively a batter made of 2tbsp Refined Flour & little water]
Refined Flour : 2tbsp
Chaat Masala : Little to sprinkle atop the fried stuff
Oil : 200-250ml [to fry]

PROCEDURE :

Wash and cut the fish fillets into smaller pieces and boil them in enough water for 5 minutes adding little salt. Else we can microwave it at high for 7-8 minutes. Once cool, drain the water and mash it with your right palm.

Pressure cook the potatoes in enough water up to 1 whistle adding little salt. Once cool, peel and mash them.

Heat the oil in a pan. Temper with minced garlic and ginger. As they give a nice aroma, add the sliced onion. Fry till brown.

Add the mashed fish fillet to it and keep stirring for 4-5 minutes till the water released dries up.

Add all the spice powders and turmeric. Stir well for 2-3 minutes.

Add the mashed potato, salt and sugar. Fold in very well. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the refined flour and fold in well.

Once cool, shape as you wish. Roll onto the bread crumbs taken on a plate. Put onto the beaten egg and then again roll onto the bread crumbs, just as below. I mean, we will repeat the exercise. At times, instead of eggs, I use a paste made with refined flour and water too!

Our fish chops are ready to be refrigerated. I refrigerate at least for a day any kebab or breaded stuffs before frying them. I have learnt this from others in the trade to avoid breakage while frying.

Shaping them was Cristine's credit; I had only shown her how I want them. 500 gm of fish fillets would give you 18-20 croquettes.

Heat oil in a wok. Fry the fish chops in batches, at low heat. Keep splashing oil on the top while frying.

Once done, transfer them on a tissue paper to get rid of excess oil, as below.

After sometime, transfer them to serving plate, sprinkle little of the chaat masala on them  and serve with your choice of salad, tea / coffee!

INSTANT LADOO

Poila Baishakh.... one of the two major festivals for us.... our New Year. Just like Durga Puja, during this period I do miss my family back in Kolkata a lot. Memories... old and new rush in. Earlier, it was much more of a fun. The day was about waking up early, taking shower, wearing new clothes, getting ready for the special prayers. An elaborate lunch menu was the most interesting part for this foodie girl. This is one of the days Bengalis would go beyond their limits and have a scrumptious lunch and dinner menu. On the evening, either someone visited us or we visited others.

It is unfortunate that what we love to eat is going beyond our limit. Every year I see the price of mutton increasing on each visit, Hilsa price goes up to 2500-3000 rupees per kg on such special occasions. How many can buy at this price? The  next question..... is it worth it? The new trend back home for the past few years is dining out... all the speciality restaurants arrange for a Bengali spread. We had never been then, neither do now. Such special occasions had always been a homely thing in our family, I have maintained that tradition. Though we usually prepare and eat a non-vegetarian fair on this day, I prefer to have a vegetarian fair for the day to offer a 'bhog' to the family deity. There will be a non vegetarian item done separately to accompany at the dinner time.... I wish to see my men all smiles.

These Instant Ladoos are made of milk powder, ghee, freshly made chana / paneer and a little of sugar. We prepare so many kinds of ladoo, sweets throughout the year. I was lazy enough the other day to cook the coconut for long and planned for these Instant Ladoos instead. They were done within an hour. Let us do these mouthwatering Instant Ladoos together.

INGREDIENTS :[for the paneer]

Milk : 1lt
Vinegar : 1tbsp
A clean, white cloth
Ice Cubes : 1small cup

INGREDIENTS :

Milk Powder : 1/3 big cup
Sugar : 4 tsp [fine or powdered]
Paneer [cottage cheese] : 1/2 big cup
Rose Essence : 2-3 drops[optional]
Ghee : 3-4tbsp

METHOD :

Let us prepare the paneer [cottage cheese] at first. Take the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and put on the gas. Bring it to a boil and put off the gas stove. Add the vinegar, the milk will curdle. Add the ice cubes to avoid the paneer getting harder. Let cool. Strain through a white cloth and tie it to the kitchen tap to let the excess water drain. It should take 1/2 an hour.

Transfer the paneer to a wide mouthed bowl. Keep kneading for about 10 minutes. Add the milk powder and mix well. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and rose water drops. Knead further for 3-4 minutes. At this stage, they look like crumbled. Add the ghee. Mix well and keep kneading. The sugar will melt and incorporate well with the mixture.

We get a soft, yet firm, flavourful dough which will not be dry in any case. Do add a little more ghee if so happens. Apply a drop of ghee on both of your palms and shape into round balls taking a portion from the dough.

Our Instant Ladoo is ready. I would suggest not to refrigerate and have it fresh. It can be stored without refrigeration up to a day or two in a cool, dark place.

DOI ILISH

Many a poet was born in Bengal to write an ode to this silver queen. If I say so I may not be exaggerating. This exotic, silvery beauty is almost worshipped by the Bengalis. Commonly known as Ilish among Bengalis and Oriyas and Hilsa worldwide, it is said there is about 100 recipes of this fish. Authentication of this information is required though. Whatever, we eat it in every form, fried, steamed, smoked, even dried.

    

A rain drenched evening in Kolkata, and you get  smell of  khichdi and fried ilish; the famous Bengali menu on a rainy day. I am getting nostalgic but I never cry over it! I create the same ambience; far from my native place. On a rainy day, in the suburbs here, you might get the smell of fried hilsa and khichdi / rice & lentil hotchpotch. Singapore, off course is the facilitator here. Hilsa is available in the wet markets, mainly imported from Burma. The best quality hilsa are from Padma river of Bangladesh and the Ganges of India.

   

Very less spices are required to cook this fish. Too much use of spice spoils the unique taste of this fish. This super soft fish is cooked in the oil it releases while cooking. I romanticise with rain and ilish together on a rainy day. A rain drenched evening, tiny drops running down, poetry and hilsa; tuned together by the very romantic me. Besides the hilsa & yogurt curry, we had French Bean Bharta & Red Lentil with Tamarind for our meal, with plain rice off course.

INGREDIENTS :

Hilsa / Ilish Steaks : 7-8
Plain Yogurt : 200 gm
Mustard Paste : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As required
Green Chilli  : 4
Kalonji[nigella seeds] : 2 pinch

Ice Cube : 2
Mustard Oil : 2tbsp

METHOD :

Clean and wash the fish pieces properly. Apply salt and turmeric and rub well.

Beat the yogurt and add to the fish. Prepare a paste of black mustard, green chillies adding salt & ice cubes so that the paste do not turn bitter. Add to the fish and marinate everything well.

Keep aside for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan. Temper with kalonji.

Place each fish carefully along with the marinade on the wok.

Turn over after 3-4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water after 3-4 minutes.

Cook for another 3 minutes at medium to low heat. Goes best with plain rice.