STUFFED TIL ALOO PITIKA

I hardly have blogged about recipes from the other states of India. As you know, I either blog about authentic Bengali family recipes or I take ideas from around... add mine and do something with the available ingredients... This particular recipe of mashed potato and black sesame seeds I came across the day before yesterday.... I wished to blog about something in the fond memory of my favourite director Kalpana Lajmi who died a day before. She may not be an Assamese but her life and work included a major part of it.... may be because she was the manager or the live-in-partner of another legend Dr. Bhupen Hazarika! I zeroed in on this recipe of STUFFED TIL ALOO PITIKA... to pay a tribute.... the stuffing part is my contribution! She had been amongst the top listed favourites of mine.... since 1988 when her TV Serial Lohit Kinare was launched .... oh I did not miss any of the episode.... it had Tanvi Azmi as one of the main performers ... how could I? Did Tanvi have perfect features? No, she was "dhrupadi".... classic.... I have hardly seen any eyes so expressive & shining... a smile so natural & refreshening! Neither did I miss a single episode of the serial Life Line where Tanvi played the role of a doctor! Later it was difficult for me to sit and watch through the decaying trend of TV Serials.... both Hindi & Bengali.... the father brewed a certain taste within for art & literature... the husband enhanced it! 

Some of my friends had been into these TV Serials... they should not take it personally! Bengali tele films were better than the serials where people wake up in the morning with piles of make up  and "jhokjhoke shonali butir saree"..... spare me the ordeal! Thereafter, Kalpana Lajmi stepped into the world of parallel cinema and gifted us Ek Pal, Rudali, Daman, Chingarey kind of movies. She was that category of a director who could make a Raveena Tandon deliver that power house performance ... how can I bypass this name? The husband ate up my head once praising Raveena... she is such an unconventional beauty S... we share our birthday together! .... This poor lady is still planning what to prepare on his D-Day this year! Will there be social media mentions on our birthdays, anniversary? Nope, I wished him on our 20th in public, will again go public on our 25th. Anyway, Kalpana Lajmi could not direct much films... she had commitments in her personal life! I wish her soul to rest in peace.... thinking to prepare myself for a bigger blow... Gulzar Saab how are you doing?

Today is another beautiful morning! My cooking enthusiast friend Swati Bhattacharya's daughter became a doctor... and us .... all of her friends from college are happy for her! She should show the way to ours'! Come on we are not that old either... Swati got married just after finishing college. Our girl loves to bake too.... she might get disappointed to see aunty blogging about a STUFFED TIL ALOO PITIKA today. Then aunty loves herself the most perhaps, celebrates her taste bud often making separate arrangements for her beloved men. She is not keen about show offs just as she is not friendly with the reptile family.... Is she herself a double standard? Does she spills out the hidden venom within her in public? Leave that part.... my "friends"... I keep the word within inverted comma for a reason... they say all good things about me and I disagree.... the Scorpio traits in me are active, I fail to understand who actually I am! Let us talk food that does not leave me for a moment. Usually I do not have rice grain for lunch, I had to have yesterday to taste the STUFFED TIL ALOO PITIKA! Yesterday I had rice three times and this morning I am having those semolina idly with my morning tea! I took three but could have only two... they were soft, fluffy and filling! I should proceed with the recipe... I have two of my friends coming over for lunch tomorrow... I will treat them with all homemade food... I wish to make my guests feel comfortable and wanted at our home, else I should not call at all! I will surely share the menu on my business pages!

Yes, we use "apel" products at this home and eat "shutki maach" to "bati chocchori" everything... any problem? We belong to families who are still "matir kachakachi".... who own small time business houses selling "chirey muri".... have "tant kol" where a saree is woven.... "kath er gudam".... where wood logs are sold at wholesale rates.... do you feel like puking? Feel free sweetheart / sweethearts! 

Each of us reserve / deserve the right to caress our own likes & dislikes.... I accept that and prefer to remain formal with people who I do not wish to sit together and eat from the same plate... they never had or will move a step forward for me... I keep warning myself... do not cross over the fence that was built right in front of you! Coming to the brown rice, it is a style statement these days.... not like standing in a long queue at the ration shop.... we were a bit more fortunate and saw our mother giving her quota of "rationer chal" to our house helps!

The recipe is heavily inspired by a YouTube video of THE ASSAMESE KITCHEN & a FaceBook Page named ASSAMESE CUISINE AND RECIPES

The idea of peanut stuffing is mine!

INGREDIENTS : [for the stuffing]

Peanut : 4-5tbsp
Dry Red Chilli : 3-4
Lemon Juice : 3-4tbsp
Black Salt : 2-3pinch

INGREDIENTS : [Final Stage]

Boiled & Mashed Potato : 1coffee mug [of two big sized potato]
Black Sesame Seed : 1/2medium cup [dry roasted and powdered]
Chopped Coriander : 1/2small cup [discard the root end, wash]
Chopped Green Chilli : 1tbsp [washed]
Chopped Onion : 1/2small cup
Salt : As Required
Mustard oil : 2tbsp [you can use butter or ghee]


PROCEDURE :

We know how to boil potatoes, let cool, peel off the skin and mash. We will not go into the details and follow the same.

We will dry roast the black sesame seeds / kalo til for 2 minutes.

We will let it cool before grinding it to a powder.

We will chop and wash the onion, coriander leaves and green chillies while the roasted til is cooling.

We will add the boiled and mashed potato to the plate, add the mustard oil and salt as required.

Mix together everything too well and mash!

Add the black sesame powder to the potato mixture and mix well.

Now roast the skinless peanuts on gas stove along with dry red chillies for a minute, let cool.

Add them to the grinder. Add the lemon juice and the black salt.

Grind it for a minute or two. Take in a bowl. Make round balls with the til-aloo pita mixture... make space in the middle, add some peanut filling. 

Close it with your fingers and smoothen between your palms to form balls.

We are done! We will enjoy it with piping hot rice or chapati. To use it as a spread or sandwich filler is up to you.