TILBATA NARKOL DIYE PAKA SHOSHA

This picture was hidden somewhere, I discovered while surfing Google Photos. Cooking with ripened cucumber was not regular affair in family but Bengal eats it, some markets in Kolkata suburbs sell it, I have seen it selling at Baguiati Bazaar. The thing is "lau-chalkumro thaktey, paka shosha khabo keno?" The maternal grandmother cooked it tempering kalojeerey+tejpata+shuknolanka & bori+dhonepata, at times with head of smaller sized rui or katla[Bengal Carp fish]. She used this vegetable rarely whenever there was scarcity of "kochi lau ba chalkumro" on her kitchen roof top or in market. Until date I couldn't forget the taste. In most Bengali Homes, vegetables are cooked in minimal spices where variety of tempering worked wonders, "koshano" part, i.e. slow, cover cooking at minimal heat without using water is key to good taste of regular Bengali vegetarian dishes. 

About rest of India's food, Kolkata restaurants serves such good that this island's Northern Indian restaurants don't impress much. It's not their fault, where would they get quality chefs in this expensive island? I come from city of Munna Maharaj, don't tell me all Indian Vegetarian and Chicken or Fish dishes need have cream, butter. This is one reason why eating out has become less at this home. We eat what I prepare, if eating out we prefer South East Asian and Western Joints. Souther Indian food is served good here. 

If you enjoy cooking light, try this healthy vegetarian dish TILBATA NARKOL DIYE PAKA SHOSHA. I really do not know if over ripened cucumber is cooked this way or not with a little of grated coconut, roasted white sesame paste using a tempering of wild celery seeds, bay leaf, dry red chillies. Besides "kumro pui shaak aloor ghyat o dal", we also had meat or fish curry, else my men would need a bowlful of pakoras each to have a vegetarian meal or porota-luchi as we had last night.

It was vegetarian meal, they had it without noise, son had with sauce. All of us love our share of "roti-prata." We love noodles as well. At lunch, we had noodles with eggs, french beans, carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, black pepper.

Its Monday, there happens to be lot of overeating, binge eating, eating rich food over week end. A Monday share should be this light, frill free, why not? Ripened cucumber sells island wide, natives here love it. Moreover, if you are lazy about cooking, you must know old cucumber cooks quick. This vegetarian curry soothe our stomach. Try my TIL BATA NARKOL DIYE PAKA SHOSHA, enjoy the side with steamed rice or roti.

INGREDIENTS :

OLD CUCUMBER : 1BIG
WHITE SESAME SEED : 2TSP
SHREDDED COCONUT : 2TBSP
WILD CELERY SEED / RADHUNI : 1/4TSP
BAY LEAF : 1
DRY RED CHILLI : 2
GREEN CHILLI : 1SLITTED
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1/4TSP
OIL : 1TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

Peel off cucumber skin. Wash, discard two ends, cut half from middle. Then cut lengthwise each half. Discard seeds, wash again. Use shredder to shred each half. Rub with turmeric, salt as required.

Heat wok, dry roast white sesame seeds, shredded coconut at low flame for 2 minutes. Cool, blend to paste using 1/4 small tea cup water.

Add oil to wok, heat it. Temper with a bay leaf, wild celery seeds, dry red chillies. Add shredded old cucumber. Fold in well, cover. Let it cook at minimal heat.

After 5 minutes, remove cover, you get to see that lot of water has released. Add roasted white sesame seeds, shredded coconut paste. Fold in well, cover cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Remove cover, add sugar, slitted green chilli, adjust salt. Cook at low heat uncovered for a minute or two. We are done.

Enjoy when cold at room temperature with rice or roti!