TILBATA NARKOL DIYE PAKA SHOSHA

Oh My! This picture was hiding somewhere, I just discovered while surfing the Google Photos. Cooking with ripened cucumber was never a regular affair in the family. Bengal ate it, till date some markets in the Kolkata suburbs do sell it, I have seen it at the Baguiati Bazaar too. The thing is "lau-chalkumro thaktey, paka shosha khabo keno?" The maternal grandmother used to cook it however with a simple tempering of kalojeerey+tejpata+shuknolanka & bori+dhonepata or with the head of smaller sized rui or katla. She used this vegetable rarely whenever there was a scarcity of "kochi lau ba chalkumro" on her kitchen roof top or in the market. Till date I could not forget that taste. In most Bengali Homes, vegetables are cooked in minimal spices where the variety of tempering worked wonders and the "koshano" part, slow, covered cooking at minimal heat without using water is the key to the good taste of normal Bengali vegetarian dishes. 

Coming to the rest of India's food, Kolkata restaurants serves those so superbly that the island's Northern Indian restaurants do not impress me much. It is not their fault, where would they get quality chefs in this expensive island? I come from the city of Munna Maharaj, do not tell me all Indian Vegetarian and Chicken or Fish dishes has to have that over powering presence of cream and butter in it. This is one reason why eating out has become less at this home. We eat what I prepare, if going out we prefer South East Asian or Western Joints. 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, a bay leaf and dry red chillies. Besides the "kumro pui shaak aloor ghyat o dal" we definitely had a 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 a vegetarian meal and they had it without a noise, the son with sauce. All in this family love their share of "roti-prata." We love noodles as well and below is what I cooked for their lunch, noodles with eggs, french beans, carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli, soya sauce, vinegar, salt, black pepper. I definitely would taste a bit.

It is a Monday, there happens to be a lot of overeating, binge eating, eating rich food over the week end. A Monday share should be this light and frill free, why not? Ripened cucumber is sold island wide, natives here love it so much. Moreover, if you are lazy about cooking, you must know that old cucumber cooks quick and this vegetarian curry is soothing on your stomach. Try my TIL BATA NARKOL DIYE PAKA SHOSHA and 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 the skin of the cucumber. Wash, discard the two ends and cut half from the middle. Then cut lengthwise each of the halves. Discard the seeds and wash again. Use a shredder to shred each half. Rub with the turmeric and salt as required.

Heat the wok and dry roast the white sesame seeds and the shredded coconut at the lowest heat for 2 minutes. Cool and blend to a paste using 1/4small tea cup of water.

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

After 5 minutes, open cover and you get to see that a lot of water have released. Never mind, add the roasted white sesame seeds and shredded coconut paste. Fold in well and cover cook again at low heat for 3-4 minutes.

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

Enjoy when cold at room temperature with rice or roti!