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 :
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!
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