ALOOR BHANGA CHORA JHOL

Well, an "ucche-chingrir chocchori" or "lauer khoshar jhuri" or "mulo-begun diye shutki"  would have been a perfect share today had I been celebrating Mother's Day! She or the daddy, both loved the above kinds of humble dishes.... as was cooked in middle class families like ours'. Not that they did not / do not like a pizza or similar kinds once in a while... if only their kids get it for them.... else our mother is that kind who would prepare "kochuri-aloor dom"... "kasha mangsho".... cut some ripe mangoes... may be the daddy would get some "roshogolla-sandesh" from the store but would never order a pizza or its' kinds ..... It was when the daughter started earning.... and much later the son that readymade outside food besides "mishti doi-roshogolla, chop-shingara" got an entry to our home.... Even a chop or a shingara or a roll or phuchka were restricted .... not that we could have them whenever we wished to! 

The mother's perennial complain continued "tor baba to Park Street er restaurant e khaoalo na konodin, DumDum e ekta bari kiney dilona amai".... the daughter had a prompt answer ready .... Mani, he did not ever bother or question how many sarees you bought in a year.... which ranged from 25-40 in number or what you do in the kitchen or from which pick-pocketer you got a good training.... hahaha.... The brother or his mother will not spare me for spilling the bean though I do not see any wrong in it... seems cute to me ... both the deed and the complaint.... the complainant was too! To our mother... the area ranging between Nagerbazaar & Chiriamore is the best place to live in at the Kolkata suburbs.... she still laments for DumDum, neither is willing to sale her home at Barrackpore......... 

This island will neither forgive me for cooking Bok Choy with "shorshe lanka narkol bata"..... They may throw me out .... but trust me it went well with this "Bangali Jibba".....

This happens when I do not wish to travel five metro stations to get fresh, Indian "methi shaak or palong".... I do not know why people get cruel showing me pictures of "katoar data"...... I crave so much so that I asked the mother.... "katoar data radhley?".... She makes an awesome curry with "kochi data-aloo diye chingri".... a curry which has fair amount of red chilli paste... that has been flavoured with radhuni seeds paste added towards the end! However, we get the normal "data" here and S will cook "data aloo diye rui-katlar jhol"..... only when she gets a decently fresh "rui-katla" in the market.... until then let her cook something like this ALOOR BHANGA CHORA JHOL and serve it with some dalpoori and yes, there definitely are some meat sides for my men most of the time... but today my men has to accept a platter that "Apu-Durga or Kangali's Maa" could provide.... Abhagi could not even provide this much for her son... only "fyana bhaat".... no, our society does not allow a dalit anything better than that.... I am no exception, I will do a post on "aloor jhol" and serve my child a mutton curry for lunch.... I accept what I am.... not a justifiable being, not willing to focus on anything or get focussed, not a sane person by any means... I just go by my instincts!

I called the Mother yesterday! No, I did not wish her neither will she know that today is her day unless we tell her... but she knows which plant needs what fertiliser! She, at 70 takes an up Sealdah local at 4:30 am in the morning from Barrackpore station and travels 100km to see her 90 year old mother carrying along "chanachur to petticoat" for her..... takes the return train to Barrackpore at 11am and travels another 100km to reach home by 1:30pm.... Why?.... No her brothers are not morons that they do not give our mother any entry or do not buy their mother anything! Our grandmother is a well off woman who always loved to get her stuffs from Kolkata that has to be got by her eldest child! Why our mother has such a hurry to return back?.... aww "Shiprer maa " will come by 2pm.... then who will water her plants in the evening or may be she has the responsibility of a make ahead preparation of biryani for her son's lunch box the next day.... not that the son or his wife wants her to! 

I am been watching two extremes in our family for long.... extremes are not good! See, I am not forcing our son to take a "doi er phota" on his examination days.... he will not accept and I do not have the patience of our mother to persuade! This mother of ours' do not like potatoes, more so after she was diagnosed with diabetes.... but Bengali snacks of "luchi / porota with aloo" was / is very common in her kitchen.... because we love it. It is common in my kitchen too.... I am a diabetic, I always make slits on the skinned potatoes or prick with a fork and microwave them at high for 3-4 minutes depending on their number.... doctors say that! Since yesterday, I do not know why this "Apu-Durga" of Pather Panchali or "Kangali" of Abhagir Swargo are shrouding my mind.... the senior often utters that quote where Durga[?] tells her mother that she finds the "patishapta" of rich homes smelly.... ask me why? They were made of kheer stuffing.... I cannot summarise for you now... I have to read it again..... this space will not allow... nor you all are interested.... neither I am our Bengali teacher Iva Dutta Miss who had the ability to bring tears to her students' eyes while teaching Abhagir Swargo... it was in our syllabi.... Now, not all students in her class broke into tears.... come on they had to save their eyes for the exotic evenings.... I often wonder why I had to be this integrated, dedicated, honest towards souls that did not ever matched mine... souls that did not ever care to take a look at the depth of the ocean within me.... I can see I had to pay a heavy price for my stupidity.... Integrity may not have any value ... one should be proud and selfish enough to settle their own lives so much so that they can be their own support!.... 

Iva Miss had high hopes on me.... I could not give her anything in return.... became a distracted mind forever.... Youngsters.... you should not be so stupid and must exercise control over your minds and life.... else you will see everyone have walked past you.... and you are standing alone with a lost soul.... There is no viable justification in losing your mind for anyone or anything.... no one cares! Do not put your entire being to a pair of feet which may throw it like a damaged football! If you see a Kangali around do not forget to help.... he only wished for few pieces of wood to fulfil his mother's last wish to reach the heaven .... As of me I could not be a good mother as I wished to be.... I could not make my son read classics till date... introduce him to the world of Bengali literature.... the guilt is on! 

Coming to the dish today, ALOOR BHANGA CHORA JHOL,  'Apu, Durga or Kangali's" parents could not even afford green peas for them.... I just roughly thought, I will go simple today.... I actually tried to recreate the roadside kind of potato curry.... I ended up with a taste nearly that.... I used roughly chopped boiled potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, spices... everything thrown in.... water added... boiled and done...  For a platter like ALOOR BHANGA CHORA JHOL served with porota.... a tea or coffee is a must! When did I claim I click technically right, complete pictures?

Would you wish to check one more heirloom, Bengali Potato Recipe from my blog?... Here it is.... click the heading....

NOTUN ALOOR DOM

INGREDIENTS : 

Potato :2-3 medium sized
Tomato : 1big [washed, roughly chopped]
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped] + 1[slitted]
Green Pea : 1/4 small tea cup
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Dry Mango Powder : 1tsp [aam choor]
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Salt : As Required
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp

Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 2tbsp

PROCEDURE :

Wash the potatoes and make slits all over or prick with a fork. Take on a plate and microwave at high for 3-4 minutes. Once cool, take off the skin and roughly chop.... no precision is required in this dish!

Add little of salt & turmeric to the chopped potatoes and mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with the bayleaf & the cumin seeds. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir for a minute or 2. Add the rest of the turmeric, chopped green chillies, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Fold in well and keep stirring until the tomato pieces melt.

Add the green peas & the roughly chopped potatoes and fold in well. Add one big cup of water. Fold in well and cover cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the cover, mash few potato pieces with the back of your ladle. Adjust the salt, add the dry mango powder and the slitted green chilli. Fold in well and let cook at low heat for 1-2 minutes.

We prefer curry in the potatoes & do not let it dry... add little water if it tends to dry.

I however have the feel that freshly ground coarse cumin-coriander-red chillies would have given it the perfect roadside feel. A Bengali household do not use dry mango powder often.... I however feel the roadside stalls use it!

I served the dish with porota / flatbread .... you can have with any variety of bread!