LAALE JHOLE MURGI

"Pakhi Shob Korey Rob Rati Pohailo, Kanone Kusumkoli Shokoli Futilo"..... our mom used to recite this and many more when we were this little. This particular phrase means see the birds are chirping, at the end of a long night, it's the morning.... it is the time for flowers to bloom. We were early risers and I am that till date. I enjoy watching the same rising sun each morning, the chirpy birds say come, sing along. Nature is my first love and I am in a lifelong relationship with it. I keep on telling my senior we will have an one-roomed wooden house deep in the forest. His answer would be... "there is no wifi in the woods, is it ok for you?" I say, "you need not be sarcastic always, a wish is just a wish." We agree to disagree in almost all matters except for one thing. Few years back we agreed on one thing... I told after retirement we will have a small, cosy guest house in Puri ..... he answered it is not a bad idea. I love that place not because it is a pilgrimage for the Hindus, but as a whole.... the prawn farming at Chilka, enjoying the variety of fried fish sitting at the beach, khaja and chanapora and the sarees..... Oh you are spoilt for choices when it comes to sarees there, my most favourite is cotton Bomkai. I do love visiting the age-old temple each morning of my stay there, yet disagree with the temple management about certain rules. My parents visit Puri every year in February and stays there for fifteen long days.

Last evening, I suddenly fell seriously ill and was missing our mom .... how she took care of us when we fell sick .... I cannot be jealous of my brother also as I love him too much. It is this mother who cooks and serve me a plate full of my favourites till date when her daughter is nearing half century. It was this mother who sat for four long hours under a tree in the university campus when her married daughter was appearing for the bachelor of education examination. I literally had to scold her .... mani please do not peep through the window, the invigilator will think you are passing me cheat papers. After all these, if someone expects that you should leave and forget all that your parents have done for you just because you have changed home; problem is yours, not mine. To call a stranger's place your home, we need time and the correct treatment.... been abusive does not help. If the girl is of my nature, she definitely is going to be totally non-cooperative. To mothers of a girl child.... pamper your daughters enough.... they may not get the same later in life. You must also teach them to expect less and be accommodative, which our mom has not taught me. I scold her for that. I will do injustice to my senior if I say he did not take care of me last night, in fact I wish to be sick more often and enjoy all the adulation. Now, I am a son's mother, I do not know how I would be as a mother-in-law; these generation kids would not allow to abuse!

In the bygone days, our Sunday lunch would be light chicken curries, spinach, dal. Mutton would come once a month or twice. I and my brother waited for the Sunday lunch with chicken or mutton. For a middle-class family as ours, things were like this.... if one day was hilsa for us .... next two days would be 'chara pona' .... an inexpensive small variety of fish I crave for till date..... three Sundays would be for chicken and one would be for mutton. I look for offers while in the super market because I am our parent's daughter ..... I will buy a Gucci only when it has a 70% discount offer.... My less accommodative nature gets me find solace in a good read or engage myself in the kitchen to cook for my two chopsticks.... may be a simplistic chicken curry just the way my mother did. Someday, I may get some innovations. Laale Jhole Murgi means a red Chicken Curry we will prepare together now using the red, long chilli peppers! I love it with piping hot steamed rice or plain chapati! What about you?

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 1kg [standard cut]

Big Long Chilli Pepper : 4-5
Tomato : 2 [medium]
Onion : 2 [medium, sliced]
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tbsp 
Garlic Paste : 2tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 2 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 2-3 tbsp
Bay leaf : 1

Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 smaller sticks

Green Cardamom : 3-4

Clove : 3-4
Oil : 5-6 tbsp [authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly, rub with some salt, wash away after an hour. 

Marinate them again with lemon juice, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli pepper paste, ginger+garlic paste. Rub well, cover and keep aside for an hour.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with a bayleaf, cinnamon sticks+green cardamon+cloves. Add the sliced onions and fry till crisp brown. 

Add the chicken with the marinade, fold in well and fry at high heat for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to the minimum and cover.

Every few minutes remove the cover & stir! After some 20-25 minutes,  remove the cover!

After 30-35 minutes of cooking, add the pre washed, chopped tomatoes, cumin+coriander+red chilli powders. Fold in well and cover cook for another 10 minutes at low heat stirring in between.

Remove the cover, the water should dry up by now, add 2 big cups of water and let boil for about 10-12 minutes. We should be done!

Transfer to a bowl, serve hot with piping hot rice or with your choice of bread.

MAWA NARKEL SANDESH

Tomorrow is Maha Shivaratri, I definitely will come up with something that can help people on the day to break their fast with. I practice Hinduism but I believe in the religion of tolerance. I did come up with a hearty-cheesy post on a loved filled morning just to say 'I do not care or fear of your sticks' to a group of fanatics. B.... Bhaijans you are much unwelcome. If two lovers walk hand in hand staying within the limit of decency, no one should poke their big nose. Yet, I am not an enlightened soul.... I still couldn't taste beef but do not stop my men to have it either .... I am a bit prejudiced, yet never stop my son loving bacon as a breakfast. Though I should never preach any particular religion in this space but for a greater purpose I wished to say.... by chanting the Buddhist phrase "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo", I could get rid of negativity from within.... prescribed by a dear friend Pampa Choudhury it ingrained a lot of positivity in me. However angry friends do get with me, I smile and whisper if not today, we will understand each other someday.... if we do not irritate each other, we are just robots and not human. Above all, we need to respect other's belief..... I am okay with others not been okay with me.We need not be okay all the time.

Coming to the Mawa-Narkel Sandesh, it was done last  Saturday for some visiting friends due on Sunday..... rest of the main courses were all authentic Bengali. I could not think otherwise as two among them brother like Kaushik Neogi and friend Paramita Ghosal are typically Bengali food connoisseurs. The lady who is a pro in Bengali cooking and an English teacher at the IG Level in an Indian International School gifted me two precious packets of 'Bori'... dried lentil balls, just when the "boris" gifted by Ipsita were about to finish. I must mention, right in the midst of this Island city, she does prepare  bori by herself. Coming to Kaushik I had to mention him, it was him, his brother and few others who played the guinea pigs when I started experimenting in the kitchen after marriage. When I over boiled the rice for pulao, they said, "Boudi [brother's wife].... do not worry the taste is good, next time be a little careful".... They are special always and I do not need to show it off in social media. They started their career together with my senior and I wish to see them flourish. They have always treated me as a mother hen.... whats the point visiting the gym?.... haha....

Jokes apart.... this post is also to remind you about someone from whom I have learnt a lot just as from some of you. She is none other than Piyali Shekhar Muttha of ''My Tryst With Food And Travel'' fame. If you are yet to visit her food boutique, do it quick @ mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.com .... I am not good at pie and tarts either, but one of my beautiful friends will not understand that and get angry with me often... Why I mentioned Piyali today? That is because we are missing her too much, she is also the one who been a decade younger than me would scold me and ask me to remain positive. I just wanted to say that no news is not always a good news.... we are worried. Anyway.... let us do this Mawa Narkel Sandesh together, offer the Lord and break our fast praying for our loved ones.

INGREDIENTS :

Full Cream Milk : 500ml
Condensed Milk : 50 ml
Shredded Coconut : 2big cups
Sugar : 1/2small cup
Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Ghee : 2tsp
Raisin : To Garnish

METHOD :

Heat a wok and pour the milk in it. Keep stirring till it reaches a creamy consistency. This will take a couple of minutes, we cannot allow it to burn. This time I did not use my instant mawa [reducing the milk to more than half].

Once we get the milk to a creamy consistency, add the condensed milk, sugar and keep stirring till it becomes sticky.

At this point, grind the shredded coconut further in a grinder and add to the wok. Fold in well.

Keep stirring till the mixture comes out from the sides and is sticky. Add the ghee and cardamom powder and fold in well.

Transfer to a plate. Take out small portions and turn onto desired shapes. I used a cookie cutter, we can definitely do with hands or moulds. You see I am doing anything with a cookie cutter except for cookies. I know I need to.

Garnish each with raisins or you may not. Grease the plate before serving.

ROSE LASSI

Maha Shivaratri is approaching, the ritualistic self do keep fasting and I know many of you do ..... Going back to the past, I never did keep fast during Shivaratri when other unmarried girls did it religiously. Yet the Almighty did spare me for not been that caring a devotee then and got me a wise, honest life partner but he is a 'wildinanger' just like Lord Shiva. Wish I could send him for some anger management classes. It was after my son's birth that my mother-in-law asked me to keep fast on 'neel shashti'..... praying for his good health. It was then my atheist senior jokingly said, "oh you can do it for the son and not for me?" ..... since then I started keeping fast on Shivaratri...... not because I listen to him always, I felt there is no harm doing it. 

While reading this please do not have the misconception that I am a perfect Indian daughter-in-law.... I am not. My maa-in-law is a nice lady... nicer than me perhaps, it is just that we are two different types. I believe we should know to respect each other's differences. To me respect is mutual and age has nothing to do with it. I do not allow anyone to set rules for me, everything comes naturally to me...... whether it is love, like or dislike [hate is too strong a word for me]. Knowing my nature, my senior never tried to tame his mad horse, he knew I will never give in to that, though I lovingly accept all his scoldings for been nuts. You well understand why I could never enjoy all the tele soaps for even five minutes till date. Saying this, I just wanted to tell everyone far, near, close, virtual that do not 'force' yourself to show any kind of love to me, I am ok if you do not. Love itself is a natural force and I am a very liberated soul when it comes to love. 

To all the Indian parents including our beloved mother..... there is a time when you should leave your kids to be themselves, you see they will love you more. I keep fast on Shivaratri because I am okay with it's idea of praying specially for my loved ones..... far and near. That does not necessarily mean that those who do not do it love their family any less. On the occasion of Maha Shivratri I wished to share few recipes which is just perfect during any fasting day or any day of the year. Lassi or yogurt drink is favourite among all of us during the summer months .... whether it is flavoured or plain. Today, let us prepare this simple recipe of rose flavoured lassi together, while fasting we do not wish for any complex dish.

INGREDIENTS :

Plain Yogurt : 1big cup
Rose Syrup : 1/4small cup
Sugar : 1 or 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Black Salt : 1/4tsp[alternatively rock salt]
Chaat Masala : 1/2tsp
Water : As Required

METHOD :

Take the yogurt in a glass and beat well. Use a hand beater.

Add the rose syrup, sugar, black salt, chaat masala and beat well.

Add the water, mix well.

Pour onto glasses, refrigerate and serve chilled. You can take some washed mint leaves, rub taking on your palm and add to the glass.

MINTY EGGS

It is been a jam packed weekend and I enjoyed every bit of it. Last Saturday, we went to watch the play Dear Liar held at the National University Cultural Hall of this Island City ..... and who else could portray George Bernard Shaw and Patrick Campbell better other than Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah Based on the letters exchanged between the two over forty years of time, it was a wonderful, powerhouse performance by the latter and we had to be there. Even if Naseer had come for a 'Oye-Oye' dance, I would have gone though I never could accept my Albert Pinto taking up that role in Tridev. I do enjoy Bollywood commercial movies but cannot accept such people doing it, it is just a waste of talent. 

Although I am not that much of a theatre person, I enjoyed. After the show, we rocked over a full Panjabi platter at the Khansama Tandoor. Yesterday too was another beautiful day with nice people around about whom I will talk later. You know I have to mention them even if later because two packets of bori arrived, accompanied by a thoughtful gift and another blissful one from a loving aunty. Life is beautiful indeed with the nice people around.

By the way, I have not blogged about an Egg dish for long, that does not mean my senior has stopped loving eggs. I was weaving ideas. Keeping in tune with my love for fresh herbs, I thought how about using some fresh mint leaves in my curry along with my favourite ingredient yogurt. My forefathers hail from Comilla [now Bangladesh], using fresh coriander paste in curries during the winter is common among us.... Mint is not that much in use among us but when it comes to food, my acceptability is much higher than the rest in my family. This Egg Curry with fresh mint paste was a kind of experimentation last week and I loved it with piping hot steamed rice. It definitely should go well with Indian / South Asian breads. Let us prepare this Minty Egg Curry together to go with fresh, hot Steamed Rice and / or Chapati.

INGREDIENTS :

Egg : 6-7
Mint Leaves : 1small tea cup

Fresh Coriander Leaves : 2 tbsp
Plain Yogurt : 1/2 small tea cup
Onion : 1medium [sliced]

Ginger Paste : 1 tsp

Garlic Paste : 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Cumin Seeds : 2pinches
Green Chilli : 3-4
Salt : As Required

Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 3-4tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the eggs carefully and boil in enough water adding a spoonful of salt. This helps peeling off the shells easily.

Prepare a paste with the green chillies, mint & coriander leaves adding the plain yogurt.

Drain the water once cool, discard the shell of the eggs and apply little salt and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder on them and rub well.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the eggs lightly in batches, take out.

Temper the oil with cumin seeds and a bayleaf! As they splutter, add the onion slices.

Keep stirring until the onion slices turn light brown. Add the ginger+garlic pastes+turmeric powder+salt. Fold in well and fry for 2-3 minutes!

Now add the yogurt-mint paste. Fold in well. Stir cook for 3-4 minutes at low heat. Add 2 big cups of water! Let boil for 4-5 minutes. Its done.

Transfer to a bowl and enjoy hot with your choice of rice or roti.

BATTER FRIED STUFFED BHINDI

You see that 'two tablespoons of rice' does not really work unless we are into a balanced diet on a regular basis. The health experts say once a week can be a cheat day, for me it comes to three to four days a week. Of late, I have realised that I cannot keep my tongue under control for long, I have set it free frequently .... the world knows I love my freedom too much. Then there is someone at home who would always say the most important thing in life is to be happy..... you eat and workout. Hey, come on it does not work that way is my feeble answer..... Weight Loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise. Furthermore when I see the food fair in all the food groups I am part of, it becomes impossible to be otherwise than to cook and eat. Just when I decide to have a bowl of dal and salad for the dinner accompanied by a big piece of fish, someone would come up with a post on mutton biryani and leave me nowhere. 

It is for hilsa and mutton that I am unable to turn a vegetarian. Once I had set out of Kolkata, my taste bud has undergone a sea change and I am loving it.... chaats to fries ..... with six years of stay in this health freak island city, I do love my share of soups... steamed dumplings and other healthy spreads like Yong Tau Foo. After few hours, I will be going to the Indian market, and do you think I will come back without having a plate of my favourite Appam?.... Nah.... at Anand Bhavan they serve it with a small bowl of coconut milk and an orange colour sugar ..... whereas our dear Keralite couple friends Mitty and Anjana Matthew serve it with egg or chicken stew. Diabetes, I have made peace with you.

As weekend arrives, we have to have some snackers if we are not going out anywhere. I made these stuffed Bhindi / Lady's Finger last Saturday. Instead of preparing a curry with it, I batter fried them. Trust me you will love it this way as a snacker. I have made the stuffing with a filling made of shredded coconut and few spices. I would like it with a bowl of plain yogurt adding some black salt, ginger juice and chopped green chillies. The man and the son would enjoy with sauces. You can pair it with any kind of chutney, sauce or pickle. Come let us do this easy, vegetarian snacker / fry together and enjoy on the coming weekend. I have tried to provide few stepwise pictures for the whole process.

INGREDIENTS :[for the stuffing]

Coconut [shredded] : 1medium tea cup
Gram Flour : 1/4small tea cup
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Salt : As Required

INGREDIENTS : [for the batter]

Rice Flour : 4-5 tbsp
Gram Flour : 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Salt : As Required

Water : As Required

INGREDIENTS : [for the fries]

Lady's Finger : 8-10[washed, dried, slitted]
The Stuffing [mixing together all of the ingredients mentioned in the section]
The Batter [mixing all ingredients together mentioned in the section adding water to get a paste like consistency]
Oil : 100-200ml to fry [the leftover can be used later]

METHOD :

Wash the lady's fingers / okras / bhindis in running water and pat dry. 

You see I did not cut the ends because I wished to hold it royally, dip it into the yogurt and take the love filled bites. Slit each bhindi from the middle! Chop off the top end but do not cut half. Take all the ingredients of stuffing in a bowl, mix well. Sprinkle little water to tighten it.

Fill in the lady's finger with the stuffing as much as possible.

Let us prepare the batter now. Take all the ingredients needed for the batter in a bowl, add water little at a time to get a paste like consistency.

Coat the stuffed Bhindi well with the batter. Heat the oil in a wok. Deep fry the batter coated stuffed Lady's Fingers at the medium to low heat till they are brown.

Serve hot and fresh with your choice of condiments.

MINI CHEESY PARATHA BITES WITH STRAWBERRY-YOGURT DIP

Ain't the platter looking beautiful? It indeed is because I have put in a lot of love planning and executing it. I do not believe in any one day of celebrating love, but there is no harm if there is a grand celebration on a particular day, what is wrong if a right ambience is created where one can say .... with you I experienced heaven on earth. The world need not go by my set of rules ........... At times, I love going back to the childhood, teen hood days and cuddle with the fond memories. How silly we had been, specially the boys of the class. Their so called crushes within and outside the school gate, doing all stupid things seeking attention, even one or two young, new teachers were not spared. It was our 10th board examination, we had to go to another school to write the papers, a beautiful, all decked up young teacher Pricilla used to come for invigilation...... do not tell me my boyfriends' all concentration was on the paper. 

Of them all, there was one boy whose crushes changed at higher frequency, and an indulgent me had to listen to all his stories patiently. At times, I had to chase those girls to gather some data to give him some feedback. I could never say dear you should not talk much about beautiful women to a 'not that beautiful' one. I knew he was not doing it purposefully, he worshipped beauty and poured his heart to a trusted friend. Later he and others did get beautiful partners for themselves except for my senior.... no love for telling me he did not wish to have one.. All of them  more or less got what they wished in life, I hope, according to their own capability. As of my girlfriends, with some I literally grew up together. I do treasure them all ..... far or near. A dear one who lost his love few years back, has a wonderful kid as support. As I stepped into the junior college, I came out of my shell and made innumerable friends.

My ever romantic nature was perhaps discovered first by our Bengali teacher, Iva miss. She recommended me Maitreyi Devi's Na Hanyate .... meaning 'It does not die' when I was only 15. Is it her autobiography? We do not know, I believe there cannot be absolute truth in a biography too. We are not at the liberty to disclose everything about our life neither it is required.Through this write up I wished to say do not set hard rules for your kids, just see they do not cross boundaries... they definitely will do well in life.... Secondly, echoing Bengali Miss, one of my favourite teacher, I found it to be the right time to recommend Na Hanyate as a wonderful read for those who believe 'It does not die'. To accompany any good read we need some tit bits or snackers .... hence these Mini Cheesy Paratha Bites that I made last weekend and served with a chilled bowl of StrawberryYogurt Dip with addition of shredded carrot, beetroot, chopped green chillies, cherry tomatoes and fresh coriander leaves. Come let us do both together and serve happily to our family and friends.

I am updating the older pictures on 23rd January, 2024, felt like keeping one original.

                             

            

INGREDIENTS : [for the yogurt dip]

Plain Yogurt : 200gm
Strawberry : 5-6
Black Salt : 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2 tsp

Sugar : 1/2 tsp


INGREDIENT : [for the cheesy paratha bites]

Refined Flour : 1big cup [maida]
Cheese Slice : I used one for three mini flatbread
Salt : 1/4 tsp
Oil : 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp for each paratha


METHOD :

Let us prepare the Strawberry-Yogurt Dip at first!

Wash, discard the stem end & prepare a paste with the strawberries.

Add the black salt, cumin powder, ginger extract, sugar to it. Beat well with a spoon.

Add the strawberry paste and beat well.

Let chill for an hour.

For the mini cheese parathas / flatbread, take the flours in a wide mouthed bowl. Add salt and 2tbsp oil. Rub well for 2-3 minutes.

Add water little at a time and prepare a dough kneading it well for 10-12 minutes. Keep covered with a moist cloth for 15 minutes.

Remove the cover, take out portions and prepare balls.

With a rolling pin shape them round. Place a cheese slice piece in between and fold to seal the ends.

Prepare a batch before frying.

Put the pan on the gas top. We can prepare 2-3 mini parathas at a time. At first, roast both sides for a minute, then fry in little oil both sides.

Transfer to a plate. Serve with the chilled yogurt dip & a pickle of choice!

PHOOLKOPIR BORA O AAMER TOK MISHTI ACHAR

I think I should stop all the big talks I do about health, it does not match with my activities at home. With two tablespoon of rice if I have eight to ten fries, people will definitely ask me to shut my mouth soon. Well, we do not always practice what we preach, though we should. Our Cristine is tired of the same question .... dear do you find me a little less? Her innocent answer would be that it is same as last month. The heavy hearted self wants to say some lies are harmless dear. Looking at the mirror I can see piled up stubborn fat in the arms and tummy. My senior would say "stop worrying, be happy, you cannot or need not be Priyanka Chopra". He is jealous actually because he knows the wife is not a dependable kind of, dated many right from her teen.... Imran Khan to Wasim Akram to Pranoy Roy to the magnanimous Big B. Of them all, it was the Little Master who ruled my heart. 

Loving Gavaskar, I loved Cricket, I am not at all a sporty kind. I was in standard 8, and he was supposed to be present at the Aajkaal ]Bengali Newspaper] stall that day at the Book Fair. I went with an equally mad friend... Dalia. We stood in the front row with an autograph book and pen and told each other if lost we will meet at the Vostok stall's entrance. We knew there will be a ruckus but never imagined the magnitude would be of that amount. Everyone were shouting Sunny-Sunny! The Little Master rushed towards the stage, me too with hundreds of others. I could grab his shirt and no wonder the police would start using sticks. I fell from the steps, with deep bruises both of us friends were given first aid at the Calcutta Police Booth .... and the autograph book was lost... Within a week I wrote him a letter, the answer did I get after three years when in 11th standard. Today I cannot think of facing a policeman, not even for the Little Master .... I am aging....

I was sad for many days after Sunil Gavaskar retired, the letter was a typed one with his genuine signature. I keep cooking for my men and remember such incidents from the past! The man is a silent and indulgent observer of his wife's madness, the son hardly has any interest in what I do. Fries and fritters are a regular kind of thing at my home. We love it either as an appetiser or as a sides with lentil and rice. Phoolkopir Bora / Gobi Pakora / Cauliflower Pakora are quite regular at our home. Yesterday two of my friends came over tea..... they do not know each other, i felt they are of same nature, quiet and composed.... so let me introduce them to each other and the three of us can often meet. One is a North Indian and another South Indian.... and my Filipino Cristine made both happy with tea and coffee respectively. Nonetheless to say, all of us rocked over Phoolkopir Bora that was served with a homemade Raw Mango Achar / Pickle. Let us do them together.

INGREDIENTS : [for the achar / pickle]

Raw Mango : 2-3 big
Mustard Seed : 1/2 tsp
Sugar : 1/2 small cup
Cumin Seed : 1 tbsp
Coriander Seed : 1 tbsp
Fennel Seed : 1 tsp
Carom Seed : 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 3-4
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Salt : As Required
Mustard Oil : 2 tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the phoolkopir bora]

Cauliflower : A medium sized
Rice Flour : 1small cup
Gram Flour : 2-3 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required

Sugar : 1 tsp

Oil : 100-150ml to fry

METHOD :

Let us prepare the MANGO PICKLE at first!

For the pickle,  peel, half and discard the seed of the mangoes. Chop into smaller pieces and wash. Heat  the oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds. Add the chopped mangoes, turmeric powder, a little of salt. and a cup of water. 

Cover and cook for few minutes at low heat till they are soft. 

Add the sugar, stir and let it melt. Cook until the mixture gets sticky.

Dry roast all the seeds and the dry red chillies, grind to a coarse powder. Add to the pickle and mix well.

For the CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS, cut the cauliflower into medium florets, wash and soak in hot water for half an hour. Discard the water and add salt to them, let stand marinated for few minutes.

Prepare the batter with the two flours, turmeric, red chilli powder, nigella seeds, sugar and salt. Add water little by little to get a paste like consistency.

Heat the  oil in a wok. Coat the florets well in the batter, discard the salty marinade.

Fry at minimal to low heat until all the sides become brown and crisp.

Once done keep on the tissue papers. Serve hot with your choice of condiment, I served with the mango pickle this time.

FRIED RED RICE WITH VEGGIES N PAN FRIED MASALA FISH

I am frantically looking for ideas to get my junior love our most favourite staple rice and fish. Ever since we shifted to this neighbourhood which has a mall just opposite of our home, he is having Mac meals every now and then. The mamma thing is really worried about his food habits. This island city is a food hub, we just cannot resist the alluring food fair at every corner. I will do injustice to our boy if I say he is fully into fast food. He does love soups, local style fried rice, sushi everything provided it is served in a restaurant like ambience. What concerns his mumma is his apathy towards typical Bengali dishes. I find it hard to accept the fact that he still could not adapt to the taste of our much loved Hilsa, the mumma learnt to debone fish at age six. Lots of thanks to my maternal grandfather who worked in Kolkata and lived with us from Monday to Friday. Back from the market, he would call me and made sure I touch and feel the fish, watch it breathe if it was a whole, living .... 'jyanto mach'! Weekends, he would travel all the way to his own home and do a lot of gardening. I have grown up watching all these. 

I loved hearing stories of 'opar Bangla' now Bangladesh  from our father, who is lovingly call "Papu" not only by my brother & I, but also by most of our cousins. There is not a bit of exaggeration  when they say that they never bought mangoes or fish, everything was home grown. Even the grandfather would speak a lot about East Pakistan / Bangladesh. I could feel the pain from these repeated stories, the pain of leaving everything behind and migrating to a foreign land penniless. But the grandfather came with his job posting, the father for studies and the paternal grandfather settled in Assam with parts of his business if not in a magnanimous scale as he had in Bangladesh. 

When grown up in such an environment, it is quite obvious that the mumma will be worried with his son not been rooted to his own culture much. Our father is a typical Bengali who prefers puffed rice, roti paratha more than bread any day but was a big fan of Sophia Loren. He would tell his daughter, "mamoni did you see how graceful the lady is, how expressive her eyes are", offcourse the oomph factor was not mentioned haha. I do not bind myself to a particular place or belief either, the world is mine. The old man made me read Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay to Maupassant and I enjoyed all. I can relate to anything that talks about relationships, nature, environment, culinary art, you discuss science and technology with me, I make it sure you are talking to a five year old and wasting your energy. No wonder someone sitting beside will say darling, I still wonder how you cleared your 10th boards! I ask him to keep quiet, life has other attributes too, I can identify some flowers from their smell, feel romantic watching a colour smitten butterfly, make love with those tiny droplets atop a leaf.... can you?

I am doing a lot of irrelevant talking I know, but I love this space and pour in my heart here. Can we totally bare our heart? No we cannot... Coming back to food, My son hates plain rice unless it is served with chicken or mutton curry, he is totally averse to bony fish. If I can sacrifice my Bangaliana a bit and fry the rice with anything available in the kitchen and serve it with spice laden crispy or shallow fried fish, he will lap up the plate. For his happiness, anything. 

This red rice was prescribed by none other than the health freak Ipsita, she told it has higher nutritious value. My doctor says it does not matter whether you are having red, brown or white rice, roti... chapati, what matters is the amount of intake. This red rice got favourite with me, Cristine and the son, not that much with my senior who prefers long grained Basmati. As told, the son loves fried rice in any form, be it an oriental one, peppery buttered one or biryani, I do not have any problem with that, only if they did not skip the salad and raita part. Such combo meals save a lot of time. This time I prepared a fried rice with this red rice and carrots, French beans and green peas. To accompany, it had succulent pieces of boneless fish, marinated in garam masala and lemon juice and fried till crisp. Ain't that a yum laden combo deal ? It definitely is, hence let us do this Fried Red Rice with Veggies and Pan Fried Masala Fish together.

INGREDIENTS : [for the fried rice]

Red Rice : 1big cup [should be ok for 4-6 heads]
French Bean : 1/2small cup [chopped]
Carrot : 1medium cup [chopped]
Green Pea : 1small cup
Onion : 1big [cubed]
Green Chilli : 2-3 [chopped]
Blackpepper : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Butter: 2-3tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the fried fish]
Any firm white fish fillet : 500gm [to feed 4 -5 heads]
Punjabi Garam Masala : 2-3tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli powder : 1tsp
Onion : 1 [finely chopped]
Green Chilli : 1 [finely chopped]
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Refined Flour : 1tbsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 5-6tbsp to fry

METHOD :

Soak the rice in hot water for 2 hrs else for 4-5 hrs in water at room temperature.

Drain and wash the rice few times  and pressure cook adding 21/3 coffee mug water up to 2 whistles. Switch off the gas and let cool. We prefer it little sticky.

Heat the butter in a wok. Add the cubed onions and saute for a minute. Add the chopped green chillies, carrots and stir in high heat for a minute, add the green peas and stir for another minute. Add black pepper powder and salt. Stir and add the rice, mix well and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Its done.

Wash and marinate the fish fillets with  salt and lemon juice for an hour. Drain the marinade. Take the garam masala, salt, red chilli powder, refined flour, finely chopped onion and green chilli in a bowl and mix well. Coat the fish fillets with it.

Heat the oil in a pan, fry the fish pieces well at low heat. Drain the excess oil and turn on to a serving plate.

Serve hot with the fried rice made with red rice and choice of vegetables accompanied by a salad.

PANEER BITES

It's weekend and our hearts do crave for some fries. At least, my senior loves them during his wine sessions. But he has limited intakes. The more we are aging, we prefer quieter weekends, at times accompanied by few friends. However, our movie going session with a couple friend continues. Going out for night shows when the rest of the city retires for the day is thrilling. Cooking is equally thrilling for me, whether it is for the family or friends. How much of big talks I give on health, when it comes to cooking, I give utmost importance to our tastebud. The resultant fact ..... yesterday's blood report says the blood sugar level has gone quite high. I am not surprised anymore, for emotional fools like me, stress is a major factor besides unhealthy food habits. 

The concern is that the junior should grow up quick enough to take hold of his father. The fiercely independent father says he can take care of himself till his last breathe. I remember all the incidents, from severe illness to sudden accidents that proves what he says. I never get angry when he threatens me to throw out of the window for been a fool. It is the same man who handles my extreme level of nausea with much of care. In the journey called life, we lose many a precious thing, but we gain too. My weekend take this time is that however threatened or dejected we feel, we should accept it gracefully, need not play a victim either. As they say, learn to ignore.

Let us ignore all that hurts us and do what we love doing. For me it is cooking, reading and travelling. With a son gearing up for the 10th board examination, exploring new places will not happen this year, the reading thing is going slow too. Having all the attributes of Uncle Podger in me, I forgot all the books I bought this time back in Kolkata. Hence, let us cook to keep ourselves happy. This time I wished to share a low oil, healthy starter / appetiser recipe with my favourite ingredient paneer. I am also using fresh herbs in my cooking these days, don't they add a lot of flavour to dishes? I was trying my hands on these mint, curry leaves and coriander coated grilled stuff as a starter. They were crisp and yum. My family loved it, you too will. Let us prepare these paneer bites together and enjoy with tea, coffee, wine.

INGREDIENTS :

Paneer Cube : 200-250 gm

Fresh Coriander Leaves : A sprig or two
Fresh Mint Leaves : 7-8

Fresh Curry Leaves : 9-10
Green Chilli : 1-2
Carom Seed : 1/4 tsp
Refined Flour : 2-3 tbsp

Corn Flour : 2 tsp
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Salt : As Required

Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Oil : 1-2 tbsp

METHOD :

Marinate the paneer cubes with salt and lemon juice for 1/2 an hour.

Wash and mince the fresh coriander, curry leaves, mint leaves, green chilli together. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the salt, turmeric powder, refined flour and the corn flour to it. Add 1tbsp water and get a paste like consistency.

Grease an oven proof grill with a bit of oil and place the paneer pieces on it.

Mine is a convection mode microwave oven, I had placed the high wired stool inside the oven. Thereafter, I had placed the plate atop it.

I had grilled the marinated paneer for 15 minutes and you can see, they were crisp from outside with a soft interior!

Enjoy hot with a choice of sauce.