CURRY AND SPICE: CHAKA TELE POROTA O CREAMY SHORSHE SHAAK

Until the Kolkata hangover goes off, I will have this kind of food at home and Oriental soups outside adding to it the island special chilli-garlic-vinegar mixed chutney.... it supposedly is made of so! I should get back to my swimming & walking sessions as soon as possible ..... a gym is something I dread.... I feel suffocated in that confiner. Just when I was planning to add more of "chirey, muri, doi" on my diet, our good friend Joy told that they are grains too full of carb... I cannot just survive on a soup and oats diet... what will I eat then? Things I fancy are a poison for me. I cannot switch over to a no grain, Keto diet.... eating eggs and high protein stuffs every day is not for me. My knowledge of science is negligible.... but the question arises within... how scientific is a no grain diet? Our body is used to grains... we should have them but in less quantity.... Our friend Chandrayee was on a herbal supplement for the last 3-4 years even after my repeated warnings... now her haemoglobin content went down severely. I absolutely do not believe in artificial, food supplements. Neither should you be supportive of the amount of food I eat.

However, my food preferences are changing or may be I got stricter about the quality of food! I did not enjoy the Kolkata Biryani this time ..... only the grandson was lucky enough to have home cooked Biryani... ok, ok, I also got to taste "shutkir bhorta, chara ponar tok, chuno maacher chocchori" from the same person. I am really jealous of my friends who prepare Biryani every week, eat outside and manage to remain fit. My brother is not this lucky.... the Swiggy App is destroying him and the majority in Kolkata I feel. Every other day, he orders online a burger, pizza, kebab when there might be at least 5-6 home cooked dishes lying in the refrigerator. My athletic brother has turned into a hot air balloon... its a major concern now! Both of them husband-wife need a proper diet to follow and yes... a stay in this island or its likes to see how health conscious can people be....

90% of Bengal do not value a healthy lifestyle.... The question is do I at all have the right to speak about health & diet? Why did I have to eat that lemon-turmeric rice and a "gola ruti" at 10 pm yesterday night? "Gola Ruti" is nothing but whole wheat pan cake that I saw my maa-in-law eating on Fridays when she used to perform "Santoshi Maa r Pujoo & Fasting".... I added some chopped onion, coriander & green chillies to the batter. If you feel tired & lazy or not keen on learning to make roti / chapati.... try this "gola-ruti".... The son had it with a little of left-over Kheema Curry, I prepared our kind of spicy scrambled egg for the hubby, Cristine really made a wonderful dal... "kumro bhaja".... well my "jolpai er achar" got a lot of sun bath and is ready!

This CHAKA TELE POROTA O CREAMY SHORSHE SHAAK was prepared last month after I had a plate of Sarson Da Saag & Makki Di Roti at the restaurant Mustard here. The son who mumma had to take out for dining every week some ten years back refuses to go out with me, mumma getting food home is awaited though.... so I go out with the daughter likes. This creamy shorshe shaak is not a Northern Indian Sarson Da Saag, neither Roshun Phoron Diye Shorshe Saak.... I did it just my way as I usually do unless it is an authentic Bengali dish.... Oh! I look at my phone's photo album and see that 90% of them are of typical Bengali food items. You bet I will even blog about a "maar bhaat" to be eaten with butter, boiled egg & green chilli.... Bianca or Liz Harley will not be upset, they know that I still do not know clearly the difference between a jam, jelly and spread! However, I will blog about our mother's "peyarer jelly".... I was so busy fighting with her that I forgot to get the recipe from her... she might have forgotten by now getting busy perfecting a biryani, kheema chole, ilish for her son!

You see, my food habit and my men's do not match in most cases. If it is not a prawn or meat curry or "bhaja bhuji".... they prefer a fusion Bengali besides their absolute favourite Mughlai & Japanese. I think I cannot have a sushi or salmon for the next one month. I do not mind cooking their likes for them.... for myself I will get an yam, peel and paste it with at least 5-6 green chillies, shredded coconut, black mustard seeds.... take half cup of rice and enjoy or will have "peyazkoli bhaja with a ruti".... omitting half cup of rice and a roti at least 3 days a week helps in weight loss... the courage I am failing to gather! Anyway, the man and I bond over few other things.... like having a drink together over the weekend! I love that "mouri-jol".... the Turkish Local Drink Yeniraki... I may be totally engrossed in Udayan Majumder's The Labyrinth.... you bet he will not bother me! Both of us respect each other's personal spaces.... we have our own lives.

Coming to the combo, vegetarian meal today, CHAKA TELE POROTA O CREAMY SHORSHE SHAAK, I repeat that the side dish is not done following the authentic recipe. The deep fried porota / paratha is no unique or a big thing.... neither our mother does it. I remember, our maternal grandmother used to prepare it for breakfast at least once a week and serve it with "aloor chocchori " and a roshogolla or sandesh! My memory bank is flooded with bits & pieces from the past ... I am treasuring even the bitter ones. This vegetarian meal using wholewheat flour, refined flour, mustard greens, fresh cream is something you will enjoy, so will be "The Labyrinth" for my kinds! Do not ask it from me for they do not come back. However, collecting books by any means is a birth right for the book lovers, better order online!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE "CHAKA TELE POROTA" / DEEP FRIED PARANTHA :

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
REFINED FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG
SALT : 2PINCH
OIL : 2TBSP + 100-150ML TO DEEP FRY

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CREAMY SHORSHE SHAAK :

MUSTARD GREENS : A BUNCH [I USED HOMEGROWN]

FRESH CORIANDER : A SPRIG OR TWO
SLICED ONION : 1MEDIUM CUP [OF 2 MEDIUM SIZED]
GREEN CHILLI : 2
MINCED GARLIC : 1TSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4TSP
FENUGREEK SEED : 1/4TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
FRESH CREAM : 2TBSP + 2TBSP
BUTTER : 1TBSP
OIL : 3-4tbsp

PROCEDURE :

Let us prepare the Creamy Shorshe Shaak at first!

Get the young leafy mustard greens and discard the ends. Roughly chop and wash them thoroughly under running water.

Fill a container with hot water, blanch them for 1/2 an hour.

Strain and blend together the blanched mustard greens and the green chillies, fresh coriander.

Heat a little of the oil in a wok and temper with the fenugreek seeds. Add the minced garlic and fry until light brown.

Add the washed and sliced onions and stir fry till golden brown.

Add the mustard greens and green chilli paste to the wok now. Add the cumin-coriander-turmeric powders to it and little salt. Fold in well.

Let it cook at low heat for 7-8 minutes. We need to stir at an interval of 1 minute.

We can see the water been dried up, add two table spoon of fresh cream and stir well for 1/2 a minute.

Transfer to a bowl. Reheat before serving, garnish with 1tbsp of butter and 2tbsp of fresh cream!

Now, let us do the Chaka Tele Porota / Deep Fried Parantha!

The original porota colour is this, why it turned yellow while trying to edit a bit the main pictures I do not know. The husband is suggesting to buy a Google Pixel Colour .... its time to change the phone! The problem is that I do not know to operate most of the features in a phone.

Anyway, take both the flours, salt and oil on a bowl. Rub for a minute. Add water little by little and prepare a dough. Cover for 15 minutes. I do not do it while in a hurry.