Sunday, 30 September 2018

SHORSHE NARKOL KAKRA


If you say so our weekends are eventful too.... but in our own way... Its been three / four years now that we have stopped partying with friends every weekend! I had never been a party animal though my friends had been visiting our home on a regular basis since my school days.... when we chatted till 10pm on some days.... Those were different kind of associations.... a different era... friends were family.... I visited only those homes where I could enter straight into the kitchen and ask the friend's mother .... "kakima... aaj ki ranna korley?".... haha... I am a born "petuk".... All those aunties had no other way but to treat me with "chingri maacher chop" or "kakroler pur bhaja" or "murgir jhol bhaat".... To visit a home, I had to feel comfortable enough... else the balcony of our rented home was good enough to house me... a book and the father's easy chair... He is not there... but the easy chair is still at our Barrackpore home.... after shifting to Barrackpore such "addas" lessened .... people would not travel 35 minutes in a train.... they were not "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" kind of train ride... ask any "daily passengers" there! I try to give the same cosy feel to my guests .... feel comfortable, be free... do not look at the clock.... we are not in a hurry to close down early saying... if we eat fifteen minutes late today or sleep an hour less... our health suffers.... even our Cristine got seasoned and never complains. What we have done is lessened the number of such parties... we are growing old, we never had been that much of party animals but we love small scale chit-chats, the son has academic commitments.... and this couple needs some "us time".... we thoroughly enjoy sitting together and watching a movie or listening to music! Well, the senior is not that bad either... some days he keeps aside watching those finance / business shows.... and does play few of our favourite numbers... or we watch good movies on Netflix! Yesterday we watched back to back two Bengali movies.... Samantaral & Mayurakshi... just clicked few!


If not yesterday, I do cook few Bengali style crab curries at home occasionally... this SHORSHE NARKOL KAKRA is one with black mustard, green chilli and shredded coconut paste. Nothing but steamed rice goes with it! Crab is something that this couple like... Cristine too but the son does not... so mumma has to keep a chicken curry for him.... the spinach boy has stopped eating spinach unless it is a spinach & cheese stuffed patties.... my readers know mumma's reaction to such things.... she feels kind of severe identity crisis!... What if he does not marry a Bengali or his Bengali wife does not know what actually goes into a "potoler dalna or jhiri-jhiri potol or doi potol or potol shorshe posto".... in each case the combination of spices are different.... No, his mother is not proud, she has two holes in place of a nose... she thinks the daughter-in-law will know lot more things what she does not! Yet I keep above all those of my esteemed friends who are excellent in the kitchen and at office at the same time.... quality is a thing to be applauded....


Kakra / crab is not so much common in the Bengal market as it is here in this island. We get here excellent supply of crabs throughout the year of different varieties and sizes. I forgot when we actually used to get it back in Kolkata... is it during monsoon or winter? What I can remember is that the availability is seasonal in Bengal or Kolkata markets! People there prefer prawns to a crab... you can understand that looking at the difference in their prices. Here the size do matter... in fact in the entire South East Asia we get giant sized... live display... choose your's and they will cook for you .... I do not take the risk of trying those dishes at home.... I feel I cannot manage them... I have to buy smaller sized tongs, I do not even know if I can get the right tone of that overpowering flavour of black pepper & butter in black pepper crab... this couple love it sitting at the sea side.... while the son will have Kung Pao Chicken with those mantao buns & garlic tempered rice.... we South Asians always have to choose Oriental dishes carefully and adapt to them gradually.... we cannot have all of their dishes... So, I prefer to cook a crab curry like this SHORSHE NARKOL KAKRA at home with known spices. 

I love to cook what I have grown up eating, I cannot have the expertise of a chef who prepares a "temple pattern dosa or a crisp, big one"... "sushi / sashimi" or a "roomali roti"..... but I am a foodie who takes interest in cooking.... I absolutely hated the frozen naan I asked Cristine to bring yesterday.... that too after a year! I was feeling tired, the son had assignments to finish... no way left to go out... more so because I prepared a mutton curry in the afternoon {kuch idhar udhar karke, wish to blog about it}.... The naan felt like a piece of leather to me.... I decided that the trick I do with self-raising floor and yogurt is preferred than these stale stuffs.... I will do a photo feature, blog about it for my readers. I do not have my blogger friends' expertise... my slogan will always be like " CURRY AND SPICE offers you your everyday menu"....

 A sister like in the island messaged that she has got a new help who is yet to learn cooking.... the non-Indian sister is working with two kids.... a 4 year old girl and a 2 year old boy.... she has no time to train her... she takes print outs of my recipes and gives to the help because the Bengali husband who is a citizen here wishes for Bengali food ... I was overjoyed to hear that they turn well .... So, I spare her husband from getting bashed by the women.... the kind of husband-wife jokes he sends me each and every day.... the Feminist world would tag him  what I do not know really... I cannot be that bad to him..... his mother was one of my dearest friends in Kolkata till her last breathe... His wife too turned to be my / our little sister in whose land coconut is used rampant.... While you keep guessing who she is, let me share with you the recipe of SHORSHE NARKOL KAKRA .... You may say that we use the same paste in different dishes .... yes we do but each one tastes different from the other because the main ingredient is different!


INGREDIENTS : 

Standard Sized Crab : 500-600gm
Black Mustard : 11/2tbsp
Yellow Mustard : 2tbsp
Garlic Clove : 2-3
Green Chilli : 6-7 [adjust yours]
Shredded Coconut : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Ice Cube : 2-3
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp [kalonji / kalo jeerey]
Oil : 4-5tbsp [We use mustard always]


PROCEDURE :

I always get the crabs cut by the sellers. They clean it for me and then I clean it further at home. Desis are particular about cleaning shell food.

I wash each part of the crabs I get home under running water. Then I soak them in hot water for an hour adding little salt and a pinch of turmeric. Drain the water and wash again.

We will soak both types of the mustard seeds in a bowl filled with water. Half an hour should be fine!

Marinate the crab parts with 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

Heat oil in a wok, discard the marinade and fry the crab parts in batches, but not crisp. The main, middle portion takes a little longer time to fry! Take them out and store in a plate.

The oil already got tasty... our mothers never tasted the seasoning while cooking... but I do just with my finger.... never repeat before you wash that finger.... Once I saw a parent eating from the kids cup... that is unhygienic.... do not do!

While the crab parts are frying at low heat, we will strain the soaked mustard seeds through a strainer, peel and wash the garlic pods, wash the green chillies and take them in a blender along with the shredded coconut.

We will add the ice cubes and salt to it. Blend at high for 30 seconds. Open cover and add 1/4 small cup of water and blend again till smooth. The ice cubes and salt prevents the paste from turning bitter. The easter year ladies knew the technique to do it in a "shilnora"... the "jhaj" and taste depended on the technique of doing the paste. Spare me ok!

Take the paste in a bowl and add the remaining 1/2 tsp turmeric and some salt! Mix well.

Temper the same oil with nigella seeds when its pretty hot. Reduce the heat to the minimum and add the chilli-mustard seeds paste. Stir for 1/2 a minute, we do not over fry this particular spice mixture.

Add the fried crab pieces and fold in well. Stir for 2-3 minutes and add 2 medium cups of water.

Cover cook at low heat for 4-5 minutes till the gravy thickens. Check in between.

Take down and enjoy with steamed rice. You can see we had a chicken curry with raw papaya and potato & peanuts with red amaranth on that day!










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