GAJOR ALOO FULKOPI MOTORSHUTI DIYE PEYAJKOLI O PEYAJ PHORON DIYE MUSHUR DAL

Wasn't this GAJOR ALOO FULKOPI MOTORSHUTI DIYE PEYAJKOLI a winter bliss for us? It was and all the above mentioned vegetables except for the potato were available only in the winter. The PEYAJ PHORON DIYE MUSHUR DAL was / is a regular affair at the Bengali homes. Following the family, precisely my mother, I cook mushur dal that is red lentil in various ways.... with tomatoes tempering the oil with a bayleaf, halved dry red chillies and radhuni seeds / ajmod.... with tomatoes and chopped coriander leaves with a tempering of bayleaf, dry red chillies and nigella seeds, this one with fried onions and during summers with mango or tamarind. Usually in our family, sour dal is done with Matar Dal.... I do not get it any where here.... I have a query.... Is toor dal that is pigeon pea and matar dal same? May be no! Motorer Dal is not always available, I have got a packet of toor dal finally and enjoying sour dal with it! I hate confusion in any areas of life that made me marry the tiger at home.... the safest haven for a parasite you know ..... The action also earned me various, unacceptable titles "schemebaz mahila".... "sheyana pagol"....."dumbo wife / mumma".... "nagging wife"..... It is quite but obvious that I will not serve the two notorious men baked salmon & ghee rice or chicken / mutton pulao & prawn fried rice every other day, if they cannot say... "we two are the luckiest men in the world to have you darling"..... They will have to have a platter of GAJOR ALOO FULKOPI MOTORSHUTI DIYE PEYAJKOLI O PEYAJ PHORON DIYE MUSHUR DAL and with rice with no pakora or "luchi / porota" by the side. 

The son becomes an authentic Bengali at the sight of pakora with dal and rice on the plate. The question is did the senior ever call me "darling" or "sweetheart" or not.... Forget it my readers, neither would the son kiss or pose with his mother hugging her! .... That may be one of the few reasons of the bone of contention between me and the mother-in-law. I have hardly seen a man as of my paa-in-law who serves the wife as he did / still does! From serving the wife tea five times a day to ironing her clothes to preparing the kid's breakfast and lunch box for school to polishing their shoes he has done it and still does a lot. You do not have to guess what my mother's dialogues are after seeing all these.... haha! 

We always glorify a wife / mother, come on there are also husbands / fathers like my paa-in-law.... keep some love reserved for them too who never told his wife...... my salary does not match your spendthrift nature.... frequent visits to the cinema halls, restaurant hopping with friends and get togethers.... well she in turn never said no to her husband taking the entire responsibility of his family... brothers, parents and also cousins up to a certain period. Our mother had to bear such responsibilities for a small period. We should never question the equation between a couple.... I get angry when even after all these years of living like a queen sans the money power.... the maa-in-law has to complain against that old man. I do not allow or entertain or take her side, so I am too bad. The husband's sister and cousins may read my blog post, and get disappointed of me talking as this of their "maa -mashi -pishi".... but they cannot deny the truth in it. How is my man?.... "A cocktail of his father and father-in-law".... "maaza aa gaya inke saath zindegi guzartey huye".... If today he gets some roses and bends in front of me.... I will just burst into laughter.... and say.... please do not make a mockery of yourself, be who you are! But yes, my mother-in-law is good hearted as compared to the rest!

See, I indeed had the ghee & sugar toasted bread with my morning cup of coffee.... Yesterday, my blood sugar level read at 190.8.... that is 10.6... Do not follow me ok! Girls... do some exercise, if your husbands are self trained bird watchers like mine, you are at high risk! Ohh! that is a very much "non-feminist" comment, we must keep fit for ourselves and the family actually.... corrected now.. haha...

All this while all the near and dear ones were having some celebrations or the other and I was attending them with my small gestures.... I did not notice if there is one today, tomorrow or day after..... but I felt strongly that I have to blog about two winter special Bengali recipes, this GAJOR ALOO FULKOPI MOTORSHUTI DIYE PEYAJKOLI O PEYAJ PHORON DIYE MUSHUR DAL, another dal recipe to come up the next day. The island provides us with all these vegetables throughout the year, this is not the case in most parts of India except for the metro cities. So better today than scrolling down a pile of photographs next winter. But the onion stalks are available in the winters only, in the Bengali shops! Do not expect technology from me, I click with the hand phone, refuse to learn something when people come outwardly to help with it and then scroll, scroll and scroll for the right pictures. 

I never hesitate to appreciate an achievement either! I do not wish to see similar people around me... lazy... sit at home, giving big talks .... acting to be overly social beings without earning a penny.... My nose gets a bit high in such cases and I murmur do you read, write, paint, sing, dance, earn a bit or just party? I clap always for those who achieve something, work hard and then party.... we should always.... GAJOR ALOO FULKOPI MOTORSHUTI DIYE PEYAJKOLI O PEYAJ PHORON DIYE MUSHUR DAL can be a bliss for an all vegetarian day.... it can be served with either steamed rice or any kind of South Asian Breads. Some pakoras included in the platter would have made it complete. The vegetables used in this non spicy dish are carrot, potato, green pea, Cauliflower, green chilli, onion flower. 

It is usually done with onion flower stalk and potatoes, but my recipe follows the way it was / is done in my side of the family. The red lentil dal is prepared with a tempering of nigella seeds, dry red chillies, bay leaf. Let us do it together with the dal at first. If you do not get onion flower stalk at your place, use spring onions.

INGREDIENTS [for the dal] :

Red Lentil / Mushurir Dal : 1small cup
Onion : 2 medium [peeled, washed,sliced]
Dry Red Chilli : 2halved
Green Chilli : 2-3 slitted
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp
Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 2tbsp +1tsp [we use mustard oil]

Wash the red lentils / mushurir dal 2-3 times. We need not use a pressure cooker to boil it.

Marinate the dal with little salt, turmeric and 1tsp oil for 10 -15 minutes. Now boil on stove top adding 2 coffee mugs of water.

Once done, use the "dal ghutuni" or "daler kata" or the boiled dal masher to half mash the dal.... Bengalis do this. At times, I do dal as some of my friends do, the way other states of India or South Asians do.

Heat 2 tbsp mustard or any oil and fry the sliced onion until brown, do not burn. Take them out to be added towards the end.

Temper the same oil with nigella seeds, halved dry red chillies, bay leaf.

Add the boiled dal. Add more water, turmeric and salt. Bengalis have their dal watery except for Bengal gram dal.

Let it boil at medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the slitted green chillies and the fried onions.

Let boil for 1-2 minutes, we are done! Transfer to a serving bowl.

Let us do the VEGETABLES STIR FRY now!

INGREDIENTS :[for the non-spicy vegetable dish]

Onion Flower Stalk : 1[you can use spring onion too]

Green Pea : 1/2small cup

Carrot : 1medium

Cauliflower : 1/2 of a small one

Potato :1medium

Green Chilli : 2 [slitted]

Dry Red Chilli : 2 [halved]

Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp

Salt : As Required

Nigella Seed : 1/2tsp

Sugar : 1tsp

Baking Powder : A pinch [helps retain the colour of the vegetables even after cooking]

Oil : 2-3tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the onion flower stalk and cut the two ends, discard. Cut 2 inch size lengthwise and wash again. Apply very little salt and turmeric.

Cut the cauliflower portion into small florets and wash.

Peel the carrot discarding the two ends. Cut further into smaller cubes. Rub with salt.

Peel, wash and cut the potato into smaller cubes, rub with salt.

Wash the green peas too.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper it with nigella seeds, halved dry red chillies.

Add the cauliflower florets, cubed carrots and potatoes together. Add the turmeric powder and a pinch of baking powder, fold in well.

Cover cook for 3-4 minutes. Open cover and add the chopped onion flower stalk, slitted green chillies and the green peas.

Fold in well and cook uncovered for another 3-4 minutes stirring in between. Add the sugar, stir for a minute. We are done!

Enjoy the GAJOR ALOO FULKOPI MOTORSHUTI DIYE PEYAJKOLI O PEYAJ PHORON DIYE MUSHUR DAL with some piping hot steamed rice or South Asian Breads. Some pakoras by the side are  welcome. At our home, we had the veggie dish with some "ruti o roshogolla" too as breakfast!