KABLI CHOLAR KEEMA GHUGNI

Ashtamir Shokale jodi mon dei radhaballavi aar aloor dom e.... Nabami utshargokrito KABLI CHOLAR KEEMA GHUGNI o trikon porotai..... and a Bengali has that ability to have this kind of heavy breakfast after a rigorous pandal hopping on the Ashtami night... more so after gorging on a heavy meal of mutton biryani at Arsalan or mutton rara and kulcha at Azad Hind Dhaba or Hilsa at Taj Bengal or Kewpie and finally we must mention the flocks of crazy people running for their favourite Indo-Chinese at the Park Street or China Town.... I really do not have any idea of the present day eating house scenario at Kolkata.... a once a year or twice visit is not enough to give a good account of it... We do not even get time for restaurant hopping as we did years before.... Back then the son was little, the man of the house came home every six months and we explored new and more of new eateries often.... at times thrice a week. If he was there during the pooja, pandal hopping happened after midnight of the first one or two days of Durga Pooja with few friends.... rest at home or at our own neighbourhood pooja. 

If you ask me now how would you wish to spend the four days of Durga Pooja... I would say one or two days at the pooja venue and rest at home over a good read, good food and chat with like minded people. Then what will happen to my sarees? .... this time they are 25 in number but you need not make "golgol chokh"... they are mostly cottons... some gifts too. I will give you one example of how extravagant the pooja organisers at Kolkata can be.... at one pandal the saree of the Durga idol is weaved with gold.... crores of rupees are spent on each of the famous poojas from the costume to lighting while the flood affected areas do not get relief in time or not at all.... it is not always wise to point finger at the government.... how enlightened are we as citizens?.... I am not in a position to say anything beyond as I have made no contribution to the cause till date.

Let us be less critical today and talk about something I love and my readers wish to hear from me.... that is food..... come on this should be my last post until Bijoya Dashami... it's Durga pooja and my nails are not done yet, hair not coloured.... the blog needs some rest. Coming to the post to be shared today, this garbanzo beans and minced chicken curry is usually had with paratha / porota or poori / luchi. Authentically, the Bengalis do it with minced mutton and dried white pea. Bengalis must be eating Kabuli Chana.... kabli chola as we call it.. any mention of it reminds me of Tagore's famous short story Kabuliwala.... that heartrending conversation between the Afghani trader and the little girl Mini will remain etched in my mind / heart / memory forever........ and how the perfecto called Chobi Biswas immortalised that role of Kabuliwala in the movie with the same name..... 

In the early 20th century or may be earlier, these Afghani traders were seen in Kolkata selling dry fruits and lending money... which provided a rough plot to the poet to write it laced with finer layers of emotions between a little girl and a father like stranger who found his daughter who he left behind in that distant land for business in this little girl Mini. Each time I cook something with garbanzo beans..... kabuli wala overshadows my mind..... today I strongly feel I have to read it once more.... you can also watch the movie in youtube if it is there, cannot guarantee the print quality though. Forget about my "wetty eyes".... drama queens get that every now and then.... let us cook together KABLI CHOLAR KEEMA GHUGNI and enjoy it with any kind of bread... yes I mean it... among Kolkata tea stalls' best selling items are "cha-tos-mumlet" .... that is tea, butter toast & omelette ..... and "cha, pauruti aar ghugni"..... tea, soft local bakery loaf bread and dried white pea curry.

INGREDIENTS : [for the dry roasted spice powder]

Cumin Seed : 1tsp
Coriander Seed : 1tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 2-3

INGREDIENTS : [for the Kabli Cholar Keema Ghugni ]

Garbanzo Beans : 200gm
Chicken : 250-300gm [minced]
Onion : 1big [sliced] + 1small [chopped]
Tomato : 1big [chopped]
Coriander Leaves : 2-4tbsp [chopped]
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped] + 3[slitted]
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp
Garlic Paste : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2tsp
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Tamarind Juice : 1/2small cup
Salt : As Required
Dry Red Chilli : 2-4
Bayleaf : 1
Cinnamon Stick : 2one inch size
Green Cardamom : 2
Clove : 2
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Oil : 3-4tbsp

METHOD :

Heat a pan, dry roast the three spices meant for a dry roasted spice powder. Stir for 3-4 minutes, switch off the gas stove  as you get a nice aroma. Let cool and grind to a coarse powder with help of a grinder.

Wash the garbanzo beans / kabuli chana and soak in hot water for at least 5-6 hours or overnight in cold water. Pressure cook them adding little salt and turmeric in enough water up to 4-5 whistles at low heat. Let cool completely before we open the cover.

We will wash the minced chicken and marinate it with little salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice and the red chilli powder.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with cumin seeds, dry red chillies, bayleaf, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks.

Add the onion slices and fold in well.

Keep stirring till they turn golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and keep stirring for a minute or two at the medium heat. Add the remaining turmeric powder and a little of salt.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the wok and fold in well.

Once they melt, the spice mix looks as below. We will now add the minced chicken along with the marinade. Mix well and cook covered for 10-12 minutes.

The boiled garbanzo beans can be added now along with the slitted green chillies. Fold in well.

Cover and simmer for about 14-16 minutes. Little water can be added in between if required. Open cover and add 1/2 of the chopped coriander leaves, rest of the lemon juice, tamarind juice and the dry roasted coarse spice powder. Fold in well and simmer for a minute or two.

Once done, we will transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped onion and green chillies and rest of the chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy with your choice of bread.... hot and fresh. There has to have some sandesh or roshogolla, tea or coffee with this platter.

MACHER PUR BHORA MOSHOLA DIM

Our week long celebration started with the kind of food that makes my boys ..... specially the junior.... happy..... some dry kind of sides and meaty dishes with bhaat bhaja.... rice fried with any thing makes rice acceptable to them. I have become kind of "let go... what can be done?"..... There is a Bengali in essence mother at this home who is ready to serve a 3-5 course typical Bengali meal to her family from shaak..... shukto to rui / katlar jhol.... but there is a son who chooses salmon over ilish ..... chicken / mutton over dim bhora khal-biler koi. Off course it hurts me but as a mother / wife you will always want to see your family happy, at the dining table too. If you are like me you will take a midway and will not do away with 'desi khana' entirely and cook something like MACHER PUR BHORA MOSHOLA DIM. I will not stop cooking ilish / hilsa either and be in a happy conversation as this " Rehman bhai.... Ganga / Padma r ilish aaise ni... toi ekta dyan.... Burma r ilish gosaiben na amarey... ilisher namey kolonko ogulan"..... and this mother will sit and de bone ilish for her 15 year old son with the hope that some day he will adapt to the taste of it. 

There is less reason to be sad when the kid of your neighbourhood friend do lap up all the rice with the mulo chechki or pui chocchori you have sent with love.... that is hope enough to know that generation next may not forget the roots.... the son eats four rasgullas at one go at least. It is perhaps the failure of the mother of this house not been able to make her son continue with reading and writing in Bengali.... a punch of "Ghanada".... "Feluda".... and religiously "Upendra Kishore" would have set him on the right track.... Unfortunately they are all breathing feebly in a locked, dark home back in Kolkata. This time of the year, our biggest attraction were the "pujo barshiki"..... our newspaper dealer Bhola Kaku got them on the first day of publication. However, while taking a lazy stroll at the by lanes of College Street on my last visit to Kolkata with our friend Joy Ghosh.... he told they do not remain as attractive as before..... this guy is one of the species who spends 80% of his limited resources buying books, I have to believe him. However poor I am in science or say in academics, Professor Shanku was an all time favourite. My friend Swati does reserve them for me though.

I do not cook at all on the four main days of Durga Puja.... I do not stay at home either. Mornings I will visit the Ramakrishna Mission and evenings are spent at the puja venues followed by eating out with the friends. The next few days will be some kind of cooking that we love as a family. There could have been a Bengali style dimer devil but I had some boneless fish resting in the freezer and I had to use it.... there will not be much shopping for the kitchen this week, just using up the remaining..... there was this last night.... MACHER PUR BHORA MOSHOLA DIM served with some meatball ghee rice done with minced chicken, the recipe of which will be shared later. 

The recipe of this fish stuffed egg whites is super easy and yes, loaded with spices. As I happily cook it in my temple called the kitchen, I indulge in an imaginary conversation with an elder cousin whose daughter got relocated to the West recently. I can feel the father who has not studied beyond the school, a majority of my extended family have not tasted even a college life but brought up their kids beautifully.... I love it.... On both sides of our family, we are perhaps the first generation who got to see "bahar gaon".. "foren"..... I was wondering what he must be thinking.... " Mezda.... oto bhaibyo na... hai shob paibo Bangali mass-torkari.... shun bon hyaira ki khai ri? Ogo dyashe moshola khai na.... moshla sara zhul randhey ... orey koi soup... dimer debbil randhe ogo moto koira... shiddo kushum tarey maikha piper modhya dhukaiya dimer shadai bhoira khai.... moshola nai, bhazeo na amago moto.... he asks... tui khaisot ni itan? Khaisi... barite randhi na... lanka tipya bhaat na khailey amar pyato bish lagey.... arey oto bhaibyo na amago dyasher koto manush thakey....amagor moto bhaat, rutir h-utel er abhab nai.... ami zei dyasho thaki moza paiba.... kamraranga, batabi lebu, kot bel o paoya zai.... bhabtey partaso? Ooi dyasheo paoa zai hoyto... zigai nai bondhugo"..... 

I really cannot translate the above conversation.... if there is any expat like me who are always charged / overloaded with nostalgia besides enjoying all the fruits of living in a developed nation.... they will understand by themselves, they will feel what I mean. Eggs are too much of a love for my husband who had even 3-4 a day once.... for me egg is good when there is a duck egg curry with rice or a paratha. All of us loved the spicy minced fish filling on it though and we will do it together with help of few pictures. The yolk can be refrigerated and later used in a salad... what do you say? The left over fish filling is kept for some fish kachori... who can stop me from gaining 4kg weight in the next week?

INGREDIENTS :

Egg : 4-6 [boiled and halved]
Boneless Fish : 250-300gm
Onion : 1 medium [chopped] 
Green Chilli : 2-3 [chopped]
Coriander Leaves : 2-3tbsp [chopped]
Cumin Seeds : 1/4tsp
Asafoetida : 2pinches
Cumin Powder : 1/3tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Cinnamon Powder : 1/4tsp
Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp
Aamchur Powder : 1/4tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 4-5 tbsp
Refined Flour : 1tbsp [optional]
Minced Garlic : 1tbsp
Minced Ginger : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 1/2 medium cup

METHOD :

Boil the eggs... Once cool, de shell and wash under cold water. Half them and take out the yolk. We will use them later in another dish.

Marinate the boiled egg whites with salt, little of cumin, coriander, red chilli, turmeric powders, a  tbsp of lemon juice and the aamchur powder. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

After 1/2 an hour, we will deep fry them till golden brown and crisp.

We will rest them on tissue papers and set to prepare the fish filling. We have already washed the cubed fish pieces and marinated them with salt, turmeric powder and 2tbsp lemon juice.

We will heat 2tbsp oil in a wok or a pan. Temper oil with cumin seeds and asafoetida. Add the minced garlic and ginger, chopped onion and green chillies.

 

Once the onion turn brown, add the fish with the marination, cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chilli powders too.

Fold in well, cover cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Remove the cover, add the cinnamon and cardamom powder, chopped coriander leaves to the wok.

Fold in well and cook for 1-2 minutes, uncovered. Add the refined flour.

Fold in well and cook for a minute or so, our filling is done.

Once cold, we will fill the pockets of the boiled and fried egg whites with the mouthwatering, spicy, aromatic fish filling.

Arrange them well on a serving plate and serve! We enjoyed them with some minced chicken meatball rice and salad. Our Durga Puja celebration starts with a bang.

MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS WITH RAW MANGO- GREEN CHILLI DIP

Have you ever had an appetiser for dinner? We did it last night. Do we really have any time for enjoying appetisers on the weekdays? We do not have ..... not at our home where some one finds it really difficult to leave his first love and come back to his wife and kid ..... more so when the kid has his major examination knocking at the door..... at least this is the scenario at this home. It is absolutely unnecessary to listen to a worried wife pleading to sit with the son at least for an hour now. The knowledge level of the mother of this particular house is questionable and limited to "H2O maney jol.... O2 maney oxygen"...."eei prithibi je amai oxygen nitey dicchey akhono dhakka merey joley feley deini eei onek bhagyo amar" ..... 

What she can do to keep herself engaged? She makes some plan and calls for Cristine ..... come let us do some"mukhorochok".... may be a "fry.. shry" this time. Ideally the fry had to have some kheema or fish stuffing inside because it is the eve of our biggest festival. Then it is also the start of a fasting week for many in India & the Indians stationed abroad! I definitely will take care of their sentiments.... 

I also need to see the Bengalis do not use their sticks on me.... come on MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS is a good option to have before setting out for your pandal hopping! Phuchka may have been a better option but I do not know if chaat is welcome during fast or not. Even on the "Shasthi".... day, Bengalis of the West Bengal origin keep fast or do not eat rice. In my side of the family, all four days are painstakingly vegetarian as the daddy's extended family still perform Durgotshob at their Bangladesh home. Before her marriage, the daughter of the house then would run to her now in-law's place or at Chandrayee's place for a taste of fish and meat. At times, my little brother would also accompany me though he was never a foodie like his didibhai.

Before we dive into some "jomiye ekta pathar jhol" or "chingrir jyamon tyamon".... let us share something that would say ..... fast can be a feast too. A couple of my friends in this island, back in India and elsewhere shall be keeping fast from today I know.... my small way to say.... you mean. I also felt this kind of food can appeal to the Western world too if you can take the heat of my RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP.... just take a look at the number of chillies I used.... hahaha .... no worries, choose yours. I simply loved it and the man who tells his friends oil and chillies come for free in our house loved the platter..... 

We had the fries with some rice, narkol diye cholar dal and choto chingri diye aloo-potol to complete the dinner ..... while J Lo must be having her dinner with an assorted vegetables and seeds salad and a low-fat Greek yogurt..... To my defence I will say so long I have a saree to hide my tummy.... I can believe in "go as you like.... zindegi do pal ki"..... Keeping in mind my followers and friends who are keeping fast today, I kept this appetiser and the dip.... MIXED VEGETABLE & MIXED FRUIT FINGERS WITH RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP totally free of onion and garlic. 

Earlier, I never used semolina as a coating, I found it really awesome to get that crisp, hard coating which does not allow the fries to get soggy for a long time.... You can reheat them after few hours and still feel its fresh and crisp. The fingers may not look perfect but they had been too tasty. You actually need to refrigerate them for at least an hour before frying! I had not time to, the taste would not change! Come,  prepare the fries along with me and enjoy the heavenly bites. Do not forget to have your favourite beverage with it either.

INGREDIENTS : [for the RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP]

Raw Mango - 1[shredded]
Green Chilli - 3-4 [choose yours]

Chopped Coriander : 2 tbsp
Ginger Extract : 1tsp
Sugar : 1 tsp
Black Salt : 1/4 tsp
Water : 2tbsp


INGREDIENTS : [for the batter]

Corn Flour : 3tbsp [I do not know if we can use this for fast]
Salt : A Little of [rock or black salt as alternative]
Water : 1/2small cup or little more

INGREDIENTS : [for the MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS]

Cauliflower Florets : 1coffee mug
Potato : 2 medium sized
Carrot : 2 medium sized
Beet Root : 1 medium sized
Green Pea : 2tbsp
Coriander Leaves : 1small cup [chopped]
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped]
Raisin : 1 tsp
Cashew nuts : 2 tsp
Cumin Seed : 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Dry Mango Powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required [rock or black salt as alternative]
Corn Flour : 2tbsp
Semolina : 1 medium tea cup
Oil : 100-150ml for deep frying

METHOD :

Let us prepare the RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP first and refrigerate till the fries are done.

Take the peeled, washed and shredded raw mango, sugar, black salt, ginger extract and 4 green chillies in a grinder....

Grind to a paste adding the water. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate till we are done with the fries.

Let us proceed with the making of the VEG FINGER FRIES!

Peel, wash and cube the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower florets and beet root. Pressure cook them in enough water adding little salt and turmeric up to 3-4 whistles, at low heat! Let cool, take down, open the lid and strain all of the water.

Take the vegetables in a wide mouthed bowl, mash adding salt and turmeric powder. Later I felt, I need not have mashed the cauliflower florets but chop them small!

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Temper with the cumin seeds & washed, chopped green chillies. Add the dry fruits & give a stir! 

Add the mashed vegetables to the wok and fold in well. Add all the remaining powdered spices except for the dry mango powder and fold in very well. Keep stirring for 7-8 minutes until the water dries up.

Add the slightly mashed green peas, sugar, dry mango powder and fry for a minute or two. 

Now add the corn flour, chopped coriander leaves to the mixture. Adjust the salt. Fold in very well and stir for a minute. We are done, we will transfer the mixture to a plate and let cool for sometime.

Take out small portions and prepare finger like shapes! Prepare a semi-liquid batter with the cornflour & water, mix well!

Dip the fingers in the batter & then roll on to the semolina. Repeat the action! Once done, we will refrigerate them for sometime. I did not have the time to refrigerate, may be so some fingers had a little of cracks!

Deep fry the vegetable and dry fruit fingers at medium to low heat in batches. Once they turn golden brown, transfer them onto tissue paper for the excess oil to drain. 

Arrange the MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS on a nice plate and serve with the cool, RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP along with some salad.... It still remains incomplete if you do not have your favourite beverage with this superbly delicious platter.

KAJU KISHMISH BHORA SUJI NARKOL ER NARU

It was Viswakarma[the God of Engineering?] Pujo yesterday and I do not have a bit of him within me, "ekta chotto pronam sherey palai baba." It is Mahalaya tomorrow.... end of Pitripokkho / Pitripaksh and the beginning of Debipaksh / Debipokkho .... We are all set to welcome Maa Durga and her kids .... in few days she will be on her Royal entourage of the earth   ..... her yearly ritual with her kids leaving behind her husband for few days.... according to the Hindu Mythology. With every passing year, I am getting little older ..... not being a J Lo you see. Each year such occasions take me back  to those days when pujo meant a month long celebration..... starting from going out with parents to buy 'notun jama.'.... new dresses on a sunny Saturday or Sunday morning. Kids today will never understand the amount of joy it had.... they get stuffs throughout the year. 

Once I cleared class twelve board examination, I became richer than many in my age group... I started giving home tuitions and earned 1200-1500 rupees per month, back in 1989. My parents never asked me to, it was by choice. It was during the Durga puja, Bengali New Year I loved gifting my own with that amount.... My banker father opened an account in my name and asked me not to spend all of the amount, save some. My mother still have the semi-precious pearl set I gifted her with my first salary as a teacher in a school. The father used to scold whenever I gifted him something.... "save... save mamoni... you waste too much". The actual scenario was different.... he used to wear it the next day and tell his friends see my daughter has gifted.... this was the scenario till March 2017. There were gifts for my now husband too with my tuition fees and later with my salary however meagre it was.... a shirt or a T-shirt... I could not afford a trouser along with it. Our priceless gift to each other.... our son off course, a daughter never happened.... an Olive Oyl will happen. My brother cannot say I do not gift him anything!

Coming to the fact that once upon a time I was quite active..... I do not know why I  am sitting idle at home, I can always go back to my first job.... giving home tuitions.... For that one needs to be communicative which I have lost interest in. I am perhaps more communicative with the virtual world than the real except for few people and with no regrets. I can feel I am back into my actual nature of been a happy loner.... all the "in-between" years were actually trying to fit in at my in-law's house.... who are of warm and friendly nature. I am a mixed bag inheritor of my parents... self-centric like the mother.... happy go lucky "Uncle Podger" like the father..... failing to be a person like him with warmth and excellent communication skills.

This ever smiling man full of warmth who happened to be my daddy did perform the ritual of paying homage to the ancestors on this day every year since his father's death in 1985. Waking up early morning and going to the Ganges and performing all the required rituals. The "pujo pujo feel" started right from Mahalaya. This year he is no more, there is an awkwardly low feeling deep inside.... yet I will wear my new sarees, get clicked and share some too because words like depression, sorrows were not in his dictionary. There is perhaps no tomorrow, do it now.... live the moment.This island gives you the opportunity to flaunt all you have on this occasion of Durga Pujo, that "baroyari pujo feel" with few pujos at different venues happening islandwide..... its an island mind it..... 

It is also Navaratri for many but I cannot go with full vegetarian shares for two long weeks prior to the Durga Pujo.... it is that time of the year Bengalis will eat Chingri Malaikari for lunch.... and then Pathar Kosha or Murgir Chap with Roomali Ruti at 3am after pandal hopping.... with no antacid either.... some of my readers may get upset with some of my shares next two weeks, hahaha. Trying to stay in your good book, my share on this auspicious day is a not that authentic a Bengali sweet..... but a makeover to our very own naru..... KAJU KISHMISH BHORA SUJI NARKOL ER NARU..... Cashew nuts and Raisins stuffed Coconut and Semolina Balls / Ladoos. This sweet is easy to do, it can be an irresistible sweet meat option for you this festive season. It became an instant hit with my family..... Come let us prepare this sweet together and bring smile to our loved one's faces.

INGREDIENTS : [For The Thickened Milk]

Milk :  2 small sized tea cup

Milk Powder : 2 tbsp

Ghee / Clarified Butter : 2-3 tbsp

Ingredients [For The Sweets]

Shredded Coconut : 2 coffee mug
Semolina : 1 coffee mug
Thickened Milk : 1medium sized tea cup 
Sugar : 5-6 tbsp [you may need more]
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Chopped Raisin : 2tbsp
Chopped Cashew Nut : 2 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified Butter : 3tbsp

METHOD :

Let us prepare the Thickened Milk at first!

Mix together the boiled & cooled milk, milk powder & ghee! Beat well & microwave at the lowest heat for 3-4 minutes, give a stir in between! 

Heat a pan and add the ghee to it. Add the semolina and roast it till it turns brown at medium to low heat. Ahh you will love the aroma.

Add the thickened milk, shredded coconut and sugar to the pan. I used brown sugar! Sprinkle little water. Fold in well and keep stirring.

After about 8-10 minutes, add the green cardamom powder and fold in well. Transfer to a plate & let cool a bit!

When the mixture is still cool, we will knead it for 1-2 minutes. Chop the roasted cashew nuts, wash the raisins and get them ready at your work station.

Grease your palms with ghee, take small portions of the coconut-semolina mixture and flatten between your palms. Place some raisins and chopped cashew nuts atop.

Take little more of the mixture and place over the dry fruits, slowly and carefully bring in to the shape of a naru / ladoo.

You can see they are done and ready to eat. The happy souls at my home got happier having them. They will be done in large amount after Durga Puja and sent to the senior's office, for visiting guests. You too can try this KAJU KISHMIISH BHORA SUJI NARKOL ER NARU this festive season and see happy faces around. They can be stored in a refrigerator for a week.

MULO CHECHKI

I was thinking let me bother less about food for 3-4 days and just relax and watch the activities of my friends from different spheres, I was busy too planning something for the occasion of Mahalaya and Navaratri.... end of pitripaksh and the beginning of Debipaksh. The on going rain too added to my laziness and that silly billy thing inside says lets be merry.... "Mon meteche mon moyurir  ki khelay .... Naam na jana phool fotanor eei belay"..... today I literally got caught in the rain and let myself drench.... that is when I felt like a peacock deep inside and sang this.... the best thing of this place is that no one is bothered what you are doing unless you are causing any harm to anyone. This is a famous yester year Bengali song sung by the legendary Asha Bhosle who had her birthday 2-3 days back.... No Mulo Chechki is not something what Asha ji eats or would love to.... it is this music lover at this home who has grown up eating it. 

I do not think these legends are ever bothered about what they eat.... they are dedicated to their religion.... music. Last to last year while she was performing in this island, the news of one of her son or daughter's demise reached..... she did not leave the stage, completed her programme and flew back the next day to attend the funeral.... can you imagine the amount of dedication? Nearer the Mahalaya day is approaching, more I am missing our father who would go to the Ganges early morning to pay homage to his ancestors, now my little brother will carry forward the ritual from next year. When the heart is this heavy, I try to remain calm thinking of  such stories that there are also people who has to attend their kid's funeral ..... my sorrows get less. When  the mind is this disturbed, do take refuge to your hobbies .... music or any kind of arts and entertainment .... wonderful therapy, trust me!

Mulo Chechki is not something my men would eat happily either.... do not worry lah.... I have not stopped loving them. There are some chicken legs been marinated, to be coated in a buttermilk-cornflour batter, deep fried and served with dinner rolls tonight. Some fresh lamb pieces have been marinated to be cooked tomorrow for lunch..You will hardly see me blogging about such recipes like batter fried KFC style chicken..... I have specific friends doing that ..... each one of us are doing our job. I always wished to maintain a certain kind of authenticity while sharing my food posts .... though I failed to be purely that.  When it comes to saree, I do try to showcase what I adore.... handloom wear.... most of them I get from the government emporiums or few of my trusted friends who know my taste and ability by now. I much wish to buy a Cheongsam .... ethnic wear of the people of this island ..... why I have not? Come on, I do not have the body to.... you need a fabulous body as them to fit in. I am thinking of totally shifting to saree..... this is again not any kind of a dig at anyone.... I can see quite a number of beautiful people on the heavier side carrying themselves pretty well in such dresses .... I always blame my lack of confidence and tremendous love for sarees for what I say and I mean it for myself only.... no hard feeling yeah.... How come the people of this island manage to remain slim after having this amount of Rice... that brings tears to my eyes.... similar to a heart break at your teens... hahaha.... On a serious note, I feel natives here eat healthy, lots of medicinal herbs, finish dinner by 6:30 pm and its genetic too.

We get radish throughout the year here. Mulo or radish is a favourite and was / is cooked in  many ways in the family.... mulor shaak, ghonto, chechki, with dried fish, shrimps, nonetheless to say the famous winter curry with it..... mulo, begun, sheem, aloo, dhonepata diye macher jhol..... My today's share is an authentic, humble, non-spicy dish from Bengal Kitchen MULO CHECHKI.... that is an almost no-spice  dish of radish tempered with nigella seeds and dry red chilli and garnished with chopped coriander leaves. Below is exactly how it is done in our family .... authentically we have it with steamed rice.... it should go well with chapati, poori or paratha. Shall we do it together? This is an yummy vegetarian option for sure.

INGREDIENTS :

Radish : 2-3 big sized
Green Chilli : 2 [slitted]
Dry Red Chilli : 2 [halved]
Nigella Seeds : 1/4 tsp
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Sugar : 1/2 tsp [optional]
Oil : 2 tbsp

METHOD :

Cut the two ends of the radish and peel them. Cut into slices & then into strips. Add little salt and turmeric, mix well and keep aside for half an hour, covered.

Squeeze out the marinade from the radish strips & discard! Our mother steam the radish before adding to the oil but I do not.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with the nigella seeds and halved dry red chillies. Add the radish strips and fold in well. Cover cook for about 8-10 minutes. Remove  cover every 3-4 minutes to stir, we cannot allow it to burn. Sprinkle little water from time to time.

Remove the cover, add the slitted green chillies, adjust the salt, sprinkle a little of turmeric and add the sugar. Fold in well and cover cook for another 6-8 minutes. The entire cooking should be done at low heat.

We have it with steamed rice, you can enjoy it with poori, paratha or roti!

NARKOL KORA MURGI

It is Narkol Kora Murgi.... that is chicken prepared with shredded coconut! How about that hindi phrase... correct or not? Our Hindi speaking and writing ability is terrible. The son is managing.... courtesy... the school and his private tutor. Coming to the problem now, my supposedly happy clicks fails to make my expert  blogger cum photographer friends happy. I could not click the way I wished to but I got to see happy faces... why? There was chicken.... or say a meat on the plate gets sunshine reflect on my shoulder even at 9:30 pm at night. There was some achar / pickle too for me, my senior and yes for our Cristine too.... hahaha.... I have already trained her to eat everything Bengali / Indian.... She says ma'am it is hot but I enjoy.... only that she does not like our sweets that much. She prepares wonderful Oriental soups for my lunches.... I prefer my soups light and my beverages sugar free these days with no alternatives either. The mother of this home's eyes again got "golgol"... surprisingly watching the son secretly sipping from her bottle of green tea without sugar. I am indulgent and I love it when kids..... whosoever it is secretly opens the refrigerator door to look for food and drinks...... perhaps because I am a foodie since my childhood.

This chicken dish with shredded coconut.... that is NARKOL KORA MURGI is not a family recipe. I have not seen it to be cooked in either side of the family. When my parents shifted to the outskirts of Kolkata back in 1995, a boy helped us with the gardening, and other household works. This boy knew many things; construction work, cooking and what not. He told they are from the Barisal district of the formerly undivided India and use coconut in cooking a lot. He was really a help for us in the new neighbourhood.... I remember the date of shifting .... 10th May, 1995. Why? We were having an uncanny feeling in the new house leaving behind a crowded neighbourhood where we lived for 19 years. It was 11pm at night, someone outside was calling my brother's name... who is that? The senior of my chopsticks whose ship reached the Kolkata Harbour that evening..... He came home, got to know we shifted that day, caught a train at 10pm and visited us.... next day he had to reach the ship by 10am. I remember he told my father... you have achieved something, does not matter if it is late ..... while the mother and her kids were still lamenting over leaving behind the crowded, happening city. This guy took the last train towards home without knowing it was an express and will not stop at his place.... Later I heard he reached home at 3 am.... 

I told you the above is one of the few reasons why I never could think of not doing my duty towards my in-laws.... They had been liberal about our relationship .... my height, length, breadth, looks may had been  a concern for the mother-in-law but not to the father-in-law or his son[hopefully] who earned pretty well as a boy of say 23. Thanking the Almighty, I must come to the recipe now... my untold story will be unfolded at different times.... My readers are interested or not, I love narrating. 

Bengalis do use coconut in their cooking but not always like Southern India .... going beyond this will not be permitted by my level of knowledge or research. I had coconut chicken in Chennai and loved it.... ahh the spice and the flavour. After landing in this island, life really got "coconutty" and I love it too..... the taste and flavour both. Come let us cook together my way of Narkol Kora Murgi. I served it to my family last night. You can always choose your mains.

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 500gm
Onion : 1medium [sliced]
Coconut : 1small cup [shredded]
Lemon Juice : 3tbsp + 2tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1/2tsp
Garlic Paste : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Bayleaf : 1
Cinnamon Stick : 1one inch
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Clove : 2-3
Oil : 3tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the chicken pieces well and marinate with 3tbsp lemon juice, little turmeric powder and salt, coriander and red chilli powder. Keep covered for an hour.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with bayleaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves. Add the sliced onions and fry till it turns translucent. Add the shredded coconut and fry till both turn golden brown.

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute or so. Add salt, turmeric and fold in well. Add the chicken pieces along with the marinade and fold in well. Cover cook for 10 minutes at the minimal heat, stirring every 3-4 minutes in between.

Remove the  cover and add about half coffee mug of water. Fold in well and cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes at minimal heat. We are done. Add 2tbsp of lemon juice over the curry.

I served it with rice, lentils & vegetables. You can always have it with your choice of mains.

CHIREY BADAM BHAJA

I am sad and not in the right mood to concentrate on sharing a recipe post with you all today..... Ask me why? The ever graceful Indian actress Vidya Balan was in the island last evening and I did not even know though I follow her page just to see how beautifully she presents herself. There is some collaborative fair going on between the Government of the island and that of India... oh what a miss! Then yesterday was Akshay Kumar's birthday too and his multitalented wife Twinkle Khanna wished him in style. 

Off course CHIREY BADAM BHAJA is not a kind of dish to wish happy birthday to the Bollywood hero, but it is something the couple of this humble home enjoys with tea or coffee on weekends while watching some good movies. The hero's wife did not follow her famous parent's footsteps and appeared in few movies.... but wow.... she reads, writes, travels and makes beautiful perfumed candles along with her mom and sister since childhood. When did I start liking her?.... When I read she told her husband they would not have a second child unless they do some meaningful cinema.... isn't that an inspiration enough to go and get the country's most prestigious award.... besides the sheer hard work? My co-blogger friends will be happy to know the glamorous Twinkle's husband and son cooks too... unlike me she has trained her boys well.... if only the world knew what material my boys are... impossible is the right word. Anyways, I know the couple are blessed with a daughter and their son studies in one of the prestigious IB schools of the island.... I definitely should not go public with the name of the school.

Neither my heart throb Vidya Balan nor the uber urban, happening Twinkle Khanna and her husband eat CHIREY BADAM BHAJA as their evening snacks .... our son will not even touch it. Then the mother will not share his favourite grilled chicken or spicy boneless fish or paneer tikka today, she is extremely unhappy since yesterday post the parent's teacher meet ..... the son had  always been favourite with his teachers because he was / is well behaved at school and as they say he is fairly intelligent... No that is not making the mom happy....  she wants a consistent reflection of that in the report card.... in one test he is scoring full marks and then coming down in the next. The mom is getting panicky now with only six month left for his 10th board examination. Anyways my literature loving friends will be happy to know that his teachers say he writes pretty good English in spite of the mother been poor in both written and spoken and cleverly plays with few words given her limited vocabulary. Now to some, do not shower on me on this issue, we need to know English as it is the language of communication in the present day world. Not knowing it well is never a 'crime' but the 'need' to know it is undeniable. 

Coming to the point, why is the wife who is an angry bird towards the husband when it comes to strategise the son's study plan goes ahead with the duo's favourite weekend evening snacks CHIREY BADAM BHAJA that her mother used to prepare for her kids? Well her man confessed to the teachers yesterday that the son went after him, overconfident enough to think he knows everything and can do away with minimal studies....mistakes need not be repeated..... Oh finally! .... and yeah the teachers told the 10th board examination marks will be taken into consideration while seeking admission in college.... the father cannot say now.... S stop it.... marks do not matter that much in life! The son's mother does not want him to stray as his mother did. His mother was below average but could polish herself a little more if she had given some effort.

Coming back to food again, our mother used to prepare chirey bhaja or poha / chivda / flattened rice / beaten rice fry two ways.... one is this and another one was a sweet one which will be shared later. This particular dish is done with flattened rice, peanuts, green pea, toasted coconut, dry red chilli flakes, chopped green chillies, cashew nuts, nigella seeds. This goes very well with your evening cuppa of tea  or coffee.... 

Shall we do the snacks together with all the available ingredients in the kitchen and with a bit more of patience?.... That is required as we need to stir for sometime to get that crispiness... we are not deep frying it  in a lot of oil. Life is short enjoy 'been together' and 'being in each other'.... both ways it is beautiful haha.... we do not need to kiss and smooch each other for that ... there are many ways to show that but then that is a silly romantic , a dumbo saying it !

INGREDIENTS :

Flattened / Beaten Rice : 1 coffee mug
Roasted Peanut : 1 tbsp
Cashew nut : 5-6 halved
Green Pea : 2 tbsp
Dry Red Chilli  Flake : 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli : 1-2chopped
Onion : 1small chopped [optional]
Salt : As Required
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp
Oil : 3tbsp

METHOD :

For this dish we will not wash the flattened rice but lightly seive it. We will get all of the  ingredients ready on our work station.

Heat the oil in a wok or pan, temper with the nigella seeds!  We will add the washed, sliced onion & stir fry for 3-4 minutes! We will add  the washed & chopped green chillies, cashew nuts and  peanuts in batches, stir for a minute! We will add the green peas & stir fry for 3-4 minutes! 

Thereafter, we will add the beaten rice. Here is where we require some patience, we need to keep stirring at minimal heat continuously  as we want our chivda / poha / aval snacks to remain crisp for some hours.

Add the salt & red chilli flakes to the mixture, keep stirring for another 3-4 minutes, we should be done.

Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves, enjoy fresh with tea or coffee! If we skip the onion part we can store the beaten rice snack mixture in an air tight container for sometime without refrigeration!