CURRY AND SPICE: KANCHAKOLAR CUTLET IN OVEN

Ahh! The weekend did go well but was not a relaxed one. We love "lyad-ing" on a Sunday! The husband is travelling, I did a lot of cooking on Saturday, the son went for his "torowal khela" on a Sunday morning, it was Cristine's day off. I started the day yesterday on a positive note having chia with yogurt because Cristine reminded me that its time to visit the doctor. The sugar level got very stubborn just for my inability to bid a good bye to junk food. I had a relaxed morning, did a 7km walk, came back and took a shower, did my "dainandin pujoarcha" and was waiting for the son. He came back home around 2:15 pm hungry and worried. Ok, mumma promised him that she would get his glasses fixed but he never found it necessary to listen to her request of learning a musical instrument... "ugrapantha ta komto ektu".... After a lunch with our style of a mutton curry, I was not in a position to walk to the Mall opposite our home. It was not necessary because the son has other pairs....... but then he had to hurry and this is a soft hearted mumma... The glasses were fixed for free but this lady spent near 100 $ shopping. It was not necessary but you know such small pleasures keep you going. There were more pleasures in the evening, baking a cake and frying "halenchar bora".... watercress fritters. What got the devil out of me around 8:45pm yesterday was discovering to what extent is Cristine callous in her cleaning services. Look at how I had to re-clean my microwave oven. Once back home, she got severe scolding from me but helped me chopping the leaves, washing the utensils which she is not supposed to do on a Sunday.... she is a wonderful human being!

Clean your microwave oven with a mixture of baking soda, lemon juice and water. I cannot tolerate a single piece of dust particle at any corner of my home, the reason why I deployed a helper.... Unless I take over the rein it seems no one can make me happy. Back in Kolkata, my helps used to mop our home two times a day, how beautiful it feels when in the evening all your rooms smell dettol and you do the "sandhya arati with dhoop dhuno".... I am indeed a grandmother's daughter.... she is presently at our Barrackpore home .... my mother says that at her 90"s she is still so particular about rules, rituals "etho-kata".... I cannot think of an oven or a refrigerator not made squeaky clean on a regular basis. I am just scared of doing it all alone, else I would have shown what my definition of cleanliness is. Anyway, I baked a "depression cake" too but I am not happy with the taste, fault is not of the recipe source but I think I used a bit more of baking soda than required.... we may not be eating it. The semolina idli is however wonderful as much as an idli in a microwave can be.

Yesterday night, my temper came down to normal when I had those watercress fritters. That watercress is our "halencha" was told by a blogger friend.... and I am so thankful to her. I so wished to share on blog today the "halenchar shukta" I prepared last Saturday, may be next week. "lau shaak chaira smoothie dhoroner public amina, idir modhya bhab bhalobasha ase ami jani, hokoldir jonyo nahoy ami kaskola diya kisu koira di".... I think few bloggers have this KANCHAKOLAR CUTLET IN OVEN on their blog, may be the deep fried version. Earlier this month, I tried this vegetarian, Bengali styled snacker in my own way. I wished to use less oil, so in the last step instead of deep frying, I baked them. On that day too, the husband was travelling, so I had it with salad while the son either got some porota or pulao alongside .... cannot remember.

I repeat again, how I wished to share a heirloom Bengali recipe today, specially after seeing "lauer doga to bilati dhonepata" around... I am acquainted with such food eversince I was 5-6. Then, not all grand children would have a similar tastebud as mine, neither all mothers are like our's. Commitment is a very precious word in my dictionary, I self impose it on myself in certain cases. However, I do not expect commitments in return.... An evil sleeps inside... I either own what I love, if that seems absurd, unnatural I would prefer to distance myself! I discovered the evil in me in the recent past and was surprised to see so much of negativity in me. I never do work myself up to achieve anything! For such an attitude, I have failed in different stages of life....... Like, I will not order lau shaak online to satisfy my soul, will wait for my July visit to Kolkata to have "lau shaak diye charaponar jhol".... the mother used to do it in summer... The vegetarian, evening snacker KANCHAKOLAR CUTLET IN OVEN has been described with a pretty good number of steps, so it should not be a problem replicating it in your kitchen!

If you want the recipe links of few more fritters on this blog, here they are.... MUSHUR DAL ER BORA , PEYAZ NOODLES PAKODA, CHOLAR DAL ER BORA

INGREDIENTS :

RAW BANANA : 2STANDARD SIZED
POTATO : 1BIG
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1TBSP
CHOPPED FRESH CORIANDER : 3-4TBSP
CUMIN SEED : 1/2TSP + 1TSP
CORIANDER SEED : 1TSP
CAROM SEED : 1/2TSP
FENNEL SEED : 1/2TSP
FENUGREEK SEED : 1TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
SEMOLINA : 1/2SMALL TEA CUP
CHAAT MASALA : 1TSP
REFINED FLOUR : 1/4SMALL TEA CUP
RAISIN : 10-12
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 3-4TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Dry roast the coriander + fennel + fenugreek + carom + 1tsp cumin seeds + dry red chillies for a minute or two. Let them cool, grind them to a coarse powder. Keep aside.

Soak the raisins in hot water for 1/2 an hour, discard the water thereafter.

Peel, wash, cut half and pressure cook the potato and raw bananas at the lowest heat up to 1 whistle adding 2 coffee mugs of water. Let the lid open by itself. Strain the water.

Be good, do not eat the boiled stuffs with "shorsher tel, kancha lanka, noon, bhaat.".... You are doing "katlet" today, you are not like me who yet does not know the right use of fork & spoons ... "hai rey cemri"...

So, mash the boiled vegetables with some salt and the turmeric.

We have the washed and chopped green chillies & coriander, the ground spices right on the kitchen counter.

Heat the oil and temper it with the cumin seeds. Before they turn black, add the green chillies and give a quick stir.

Add the boiled and mashed vegetables and fold in well.

After you have stirred continuously for 3-4 minutes, you will add 1tbsp of the ground spices or a little more.

Fold in very well and keep stirring at low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the washed and chopped coriander leaves now.

Mix very well, stir & keep mashing for 3-4 minutes. Add the soaked raisins now.

Fold in well, stir for 2-3 minutes and take down. Let it cool.

Do all the cooking at low heat.

Take the semolina and chaat masala on a bowl and mix well.

Dilute the refined flour with some water.

Tear out tennis ball sized portions and smoothen in between your palms, give your desired cutlet shapes.

Roll it onto the semolina mixtures, dip in the diluted refined flour and repeat.

To avoid deep frying them, I baked them. Preheat the oven at 180*C for 10 minutes. Place the low stool inside if you are using the convection mode of a microwave like me.

Bake at 180*C for 15-18 minutes or depending on your machine, they differ!