SHOJNE PATAR BORA O BEULIR DAL

                    

Before we indulge into some good, festive food for Rakhi Poornima / Raksha Bandhan and rest of the occasions to be had this month and next, let us have some comfort food. Do not expect much of healthy fairs in this blog. This is one food blogger who jumped into blogging without doing any homework, hence will dare not try to write about the history of a dish or a detail of its nutritional value. The lazy self denies to read and learn because she is more interested in novels laced with melodrama..... what to do I grew up on 'Sarat Rachanabali'. Though the old self now believes the Indian women need not be that epitome of perfection at all given situations, I cannot deny the fact I always marvelled his kind of writing, his description of 'Gram Bangla' is deep rooted within me. I read all of his volumes while at school, perhaps that was an influence enough to make me a silly, billy goat as this who feeds you made up stories from the past with a good amount of dramatisation. 

Eight years into this island, I am still that typical Bengali girl who told her senior 'T.... ami kanta chamoch dhortey janina'... when he took her for a dinner date for the first time at the Trinca's, Park Street in the early 90's, 1992 to be precise. We lived in Kolkata but in our home there was no ritual of fine dining at the restaurants. Eating out for us meant eating falooda-kulfi at the Rally's or Indra Mahal and Roshogolla-Pantua from a decent sweet shop... the mother got us cutlets and fries though. The mother who always said, 'toder baba amai to bairey khaoaini' was crying profusely day before yesterday.... your father could have lived a little more.... 'aar kota din thakte parto'. So, it is not always a blame game, the same father had subscription of end number of books, three to four bi-monthly magazines adorned the balcony of our two-roomed rented home, the brother got a computer set as early at a time when few middle-class family thought of owning one. This Kolkata girl did not know that Park Street had many restaurants and people can spend this much on eating out until my senior took me there. At their home, they did dine out once a month at least. 

The maa-in-law had beer with the family but was not generous enough to accept that a daughter-in-law should be taken into consideration in any decision making process, that it may hurt the girl if you talk negative of her family, and that it is absolutely unnecessary for the daughter-in-law to ask each and everyday what amount of rice should be cooked just to prove and accept that the mother-in-law has the supreme command in the household. No, this is not an attempt to assault my not much of a friend maa-in-law.... I do not spare my mother too if she behaves otherwise. There must be a reason why the brother's wife loves me much... she told  her colleagues and friends were impressed when they met me at our father's Shradh Ceremony.... they say I am quiet, reserved, calm ..... and the T da had to deny it quickly and say .... only I know what kind of a volcano I live with...... hence, he will get only shojne patar bora and dal and no mutton curry..... haha..... or may be there will be some.

The primitive girl of the 80's-90's remains the same till date.... Eight years into the island and she cannot use chopsticks neither knife and fork properly.... 'konta kon haathey je dhorbo chai bhule jai'.... I forget which one to hold in which hand... hihi.... Someone took a wise decision of not walking along with such a primitive, that again is a bad joke based on an imaginative story. Anyway, I feel one should not come in the way of someone with an aspiring dream of going high up in the social and economic ladder, you definitely should not if you care. Coming to the point, in the first week after I stepped into the island... I went to the super market and saw something similar to 'murir moya'.... puffed rice rolls kind of.... I could not hide my excitement and called the mother.... Mani... 'era murir moya khai..... shutki mach o khai'..... 

The mother visited in 2013, went back happy and told her mother, brothers and sisters, neighbours.... 'ranga aloo, shorshe shaak shobi paoa jai janish, shomudrer kekle, mourolao..... mamoni ke bolechi kekle mach diye mulo chechki ta korish'.... in a word.... she was content and happy to know her daughter will not die of hunger and can do our kind of cooking in a foreign land that feels so much of home, each morning you get to see the 'Ranganer Jhar or Tagar Phooler Gach' as you walk along the road just the ones the mother grows, saree clad women every 200 mt. I love to see my friends cooking pies and pastries and much appreciate it, but the purpose of this blog is to share what I grew up eating. Shojne Phooler Bora / pakora with drumstick flowers was more popular at our home with the onset of spring but this also works either with dal and rice or as a snack or an appetiser . 

You can trust my dishes full fledged, but do not believe in my stories.... they hardly have any truth in them.... all for fun. By the way, a small note or wish to some people concerned.... I do respect a struggling mother and to every child... a mother is a Goddess and thats the way it should be. I accept and respect that part... but please do not force unto me any kind of unwanted match-match... I am simply not interested. Friends who are taking part in such non-sensical game is only distancing me from them.... I know I am not a material to be kept, but you must respect people's wishes too.... as I told not all in a classroom needs to be taken along and treasured in memories.... Most important is.... I am yet to understand this game.... I am a free willed person who refuses to think deep. To the rest of my readers who has faith on my recipes.... come let us enjoy cooking together Bengali style Urad Dal and Drumstick leaves pakora / fritters / bora.

We will prepare the Urad Dal / Beulir Dal first. Let us start with it.

BEULIR DAL / URAD DAL

INGREDIENTS :

Urad Dal / Beulir Dal / Skinless Black Gram Lentils : 1medium cup
Dry Red Chilli : 2 halved
Green Chilli : 2-3 slitted
Fennel Powder : 1tsp [preferably paste]
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Fennel Seed : 1/4tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp
Oil : 2tbsp [Authentically Mustard]

METHOD :

Place a wok on the gas oven top and add the beulir dal. Stir till they turn little brown. Transfer to a bowl and wash thoroughly under running water. You can skip the roasting part & boil it directly!

Take the washed dal in a pressure cooker, add 2 big cups of water, a little of turmeric and salt. Close the lid and pressure cook up to 2 whistles. Let cool.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with the fennel seeds and halved dry red chillies. Add the ginger paste and stir for a minute. Add fennel powder and rest of the turmeric powder and salt. Fold in well and stir for a minute.

Open the lid of the pressure cooker and add the boiled dal to the wok. Fold in well and add two big cups of water. Stir and cover cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the slitted green chillies and sugar. Let boil for another 2 minutes and it is done.

Let us cook the Drumstick Leaves Fritters!

SHOJNE PATAR BORA 

INGREDIENTS :

Drumstick Leaves : A Big Bowlful
Chopped Green Chilli : 1 tsp

Sliced Onion : 2-3 tbsp 
Rice Flour : 1/2 medium tea cup sized 
Gram Flour : 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/3tsp
Oil : 100-150ml to deep fry

METHOD :

Tear off the stems and wash the tender, young drumstick plant leaves. Prepare a batter with the rice flour, gram flour, refined flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and sugar adding water little by little.

Add the washed drumstick leaves and sliced onions to the batter and fold in well. Make sure to drain all the water from the leaves.

Heat the oil in a wok. Take out small portions of the mix and add gently to the oil. We will fry the shojne patar bora in batches while adjusting the heat from medium to low. Once done we will place them on to tissue papers to get rid of any excess oil.

Serve the pakoras / shojne patar bora and beulir / urad dal with piping hot steamed rice.