MATAR ER DAL O BASMATIR KHICHURI

It is Basanta Panchami, Bag Debir Pujo in two days. We had CNY friendly recipes in the past week; tried to coordinate it with celebrations in my family and my country of origin. Now, I must share with you some Saraswati [Soroshoti] Pujo friendly recipes. I wished to share with you the recipe of "dhupi pitha" today but its not a matter of joke. I strongly felt trying it few more times or making few more experiments is required before I blog about it. I shall be ready to share the recipe when not a single piece would break. I had a lot of them with tea in the past few days, so you can understand my high caloric intake. Yet, I felt like preparing something fresh and simple for my readers that they can offer as "bhog" to the God and also prep up anytime as their comfort meal. Here is it; a vegetarian, rice & dal hotch potch with split pigeon pea and long grained Basmati Rice MATAR ER DAL O BASMATIR KHICHURI. Since yesterday morning; I am planning this combination to prepare for our dinner. The help was on leave yesterday is true, this does not require much of precision or chopping of vegetables. What we need is a lot of patience and some love. I started at 7:30pm and finished off around 10pm. Thereafter, fried some omelette too for the three of us. I was unwilling to serve vegetarian food on a Sunday night. I have the feeling that pressure cooker can never give us the same taste as slow cooking would do. May be I do not know the proper use of pressure cooker till date when the world moved towards way more modern cooking equipments. I do not think I will get gadgets for my kitchen anymore even if I am blessed with a bigger kitchen in future. "Haata-khunti" works the best for me; I fear technology.

The reason why I name this pure vegetarian, hotchpotch with rice and lentil MATAR ER DAL O BASMATIR KHICHURI is that it is not so regular among us. We usually do our khichuri with fried skinless split moong dal and gobindo bhog ba kalijeera chal, a fragrant short grain variety. At times, we eat red lentil khichuri too. I think, now onwards I will try hotchpotch with a varied combination of lentils, millets, rice grains. I cannot try getting different kinds of rice grains at home because the senior wants only basmati. In case of payesh, polao, khichuri it can be gobindo bhog or kalijeera. When I visit the biggest Indian Super Market here, I so enjoy looking at the lentil varieties available. We Bengalis may not have tasted a few of the varieties because we are busy buying "mishti jol er maach." I will not hide that it feels like buying all of them at one go. Yet, we cannot quit eating "maach, mangsho" and get vegetarian. You see, I am not at all eager to prove what I am not. I have my own set of rules, I will abide by them. See, while frying the omelette I was in a hurry, it was already 10:15pm, the help was yet not home and I got angry. Every Sunday, I discover a messy kitchen to my standard and burst on her. I have to be a little more sincere homemaker, she is so unable to meet my standard of cleanliness. We cannot think of replacing her either, such a good soul she is.

I must have a "bhaja lanka" with my khichuri.

INGREDIENTS :

BASMATI RICE : 1/2COFFEE MUG
MATAR DAL / TOOR DAL / PEGION PEA LENTIL : 1/2COFFEE MUG
CASHEW NUT : 8-9HALVED
RAISIN : 12-15
GINGER PASTE : 2TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1/2TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP + 1/2TSP
AESAFOETIDA / HING : 2PINCH
BAYLEAF : 2
CINNAMON STICK : 2-3 TWO INCH LENGTH
GREEN CARDAMOM : 2-3
CLOVE : 3-4
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3HALVED
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP
GREEN CHILLI : 2-3SLITTED
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1TBSP [I USE BROWN SUGAR]
OIL : 4-5TBSP [I USE MUSTARD]
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 2TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

We will wash and soak the pigeon pea dal in hot water for 2-3 hours. We will wash and soak the basmati rice in normal water 1/2 an hour before we start to boil the dal, another half an hour goes for the dal to half boil.

After 2-3 hours, drain the water from the dal. Wash again and pour in a heavy bottomed vessel and add two coffee mugs of water, a little salt & 1/2tsp turmeric.

Cover cook for 15-20 minutes at low heat till half done.

Drain the water from the rice and add to the boiling pot of dal. Add 1coffee mug of water and stir.

Cover cook at low heat for 15-20 minutes. In between, open cover every 5 minutes and stir. Add water if required.

Add the washed and slitted green chillies, sugar and cook further for 7-8 minutes.

Remove the vessel and place a clean pan on the gas top. Mix together the ginger paste, cumin & coriander powder, 1/2tsp turmeric, salt and little water to get a paste.

We have heated oil in the wok and our ingredients for tempering are ready.

We must wash the raisins before use. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, halved dry red chilli, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and hing to it. Stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add the raisins and cashew nuts now and stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add the spice paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add it to the hotchpotch mix, stir well to mix. Boil it for few minutes without allowing it to burn at the bottom.

On switching off the gas oven, add the clarified butter.

Enjoy it with mixed vegetables, papad, fries. We had it with "chak-chak aloo bhaja."

For the potato fries, skin and wash them. Cut in thick roundels. Soak in salted water for an hour.

Rub salt and turmeric and keep aside for 5-6 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, place them gently.

Fry both sides brown.

Enjoy a stomach friendly, comforting meal.

BEDANAR ROSH O CHAL ER GURO DIYE BHAPA PITHA

Do not book me for giving a Bengali name to today's post, ain't these puto cakes, yam cakes, chitoi pitha, all be categorised into "bhapa pitha" or "steamed cake" varieties? The more I see these Filipino desserts, I get connected to some childhood memories, ain't their "bilo bilo" resembles our "choshi?" I am totally under the spell of South East Asian desserts these days. Our kinds deserve a lot of sugar or jaggery and over boiled, creamier milk which is detrimental to my health. I cannot take too sweet stuffs anymore but nolen gur / khejur gur is a bliss. I can have "porota o khejur gur" perhaps every day, one who has not eaten such meals would never know the beauty of it. I will keep trying to transport all these nostalgia, tradition to my son so long I am alive. May be when he turns fifty, he would find logic in mumma's wishes. He however enjoys these experimental desserts that I prepare. Call it a snack or dessert, this vegetarian steamed cake BEDANAR ROSH O CHAL ER GURO DIYE BHAPA PITHA was well taken in our family. Few ingredients like rice flour, pomegranate juice, evaporated creamer are required to prepare it. I enjoyed topping it with pumpkin seeds and walnuts, my two favourite variety of seed and nut. I did not wish to but I had to add evaporated creamer to it. Few days prior to making it, I tried something with watermelon juice alone without using any amount of yogurt, milk or egg and it turned out very hard.

It tasted good but was hard and could not avoid the raw smell of the watermelon juice. This morning, I deleted the pictures. I thought of sharing the failed experiment with my readers. Never mind, we learn from our mistakes. This time it was perfect, until when I will not ask my readers to do it in their kitchen.

It is a long weekend in this island. Earlier, when the son was younger we used to go for short trips. Now, there is no question of going. The son will have a series of exams from the next month till the final call in May. However, this is a very relaxed family with loose parents. I am loose by force, the men do not let me set any routine. My readers will not believe that I do not know a single child or parent from the son's class. They both felt I should not be allowed to recreate a Kolkata kind of scenario here, where the parents [read mothers] tear each other apart for a single mark. I cannot counter this allegation. Our son was in class 2, when after school I grilled the hungry and tired him for half an hour on the discourses at school. I have a dirty habit of comparing kids. I mean their performances, not looks. I know people here who in front of me had / have / do / does deliberately compare the physique, skin colour, looks of the kids.  I know few of them and I cannot talk with them for more than five minutes. I hope I am sensible & grounded enough to bless and only wish good for her sons, son or say daughter. I believe something majorly got amiss in their upbringing, you should pity such characters instead of getting angry. If you are observant enough, you will get a feel of their crooked selves from their social media shares. Do not you think I am truthful calling myself a happy loner? Only external polish or skin colour do not make you a fair soul, "eder chalcholon guloi nitey parina ami, bondhutto to durer byapar." At this moment, I am too occupied with the son's career graph and only talk to people who have similar interest about their's. I will not stop calling a spade a spade even if anyone is supporting my Blog. But yes, I do not mind sharing some good food like this vegetarian steamed rice cake BEDANAR ROSH O CHAL ER GURO DIYE BHAPA PITHA for everyone around. What I can assure is to behave cool and formal with the above kinds, I deliberately avoid meeting them often is a truth. In the night of 31st December, people told me that I am busy enquiring about the kids' academic performances instead of taking part in the chat. What to chat about? Cars, property, bedroom story? Leave that, let the husband call me unfriendly while I do something for him with pomegranate juice, rice flour, evaporated creamer, sugar, baking powder. Try, its easy and worth it. Enjoy it with your cuppa.

INGREDIENTS :

RICE FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG
POMEGRANATE JUICE : OF 1 BIG SIZED
EVAPORATED CREAMER : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
BAKING POWDER : 1/3 TSP
POWDERED SUGAR : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
RED FOOD COLOURING : 2 PINCH [I USE ICING COLOUR]
KEWRA / SCREW PINE WATER : 2 DROPS
CHOPPED WALNUT AND PUMPKIN SEEDS TO TOP
A LITTLE OF OIL AND RICE FLOUR TO GREASE AND DUST THE TIN

PROCEDURE :

We are using these ingredients.

Cristine peeled and juiced the pomegranate kernels. I keep telling you what a big help she is. If only she knew what cleanliness is or may be  I am too demanding. 

Now, we will add the evaporated creamer to the pomegranate juice and whisk it well.

Now add the powdered sugar and whisk for 1/2 a minute.

Pass the rice flour and baking powder through a strainer. Fold in well with the whisker.

At this stage, I felt let us add a little of red food colouring and the kewra water too. We will keep it aside for 20-25 minutes [it is important].

We have half filled a heavy bottomed vessel with water and put it for boil, covered.

We have greased and dusted the container with few drops of oil and some rice flour.

We have poured the batter to it and tapped lightly on the counter. I topped it with pumpkin seeds and chopped walnuts.

After 10-12 minutes, we will see that the water is boiling. We will place a colander kind of thing on it, atop it in the middle the bowl filled with batter.

We will tie the lid with a heavy towel and cover cook at medium heat for 10-12 minutes. We get a fluffy steamed rice cake.

Take it down and cover until cool.

Remove cover, loosen the sides with a knife and turn over gently to a plate.

Have it fresh to get the best taste. If refrigerating, bring it to the normal temperature before heating just for few seconds and serving.

KABULI POLAO

Kabuli or Afghani Pulao is not a family thing, so I had to take idea from elsewhere doing it. This is what irritates me because following someone ditto makes me forget steps, do mistakes. What I prefer doing is read a couple of recipes and create something of my own to my convenience. The reason why I do not Blog about "Mizoram er Sheem Posto" or "Chattisgarh er Mishti Pulao" or "Moradabad er Jhotpot Chingri." If I am not doing extensive research, reading a lot, talking to the concerned people enough; I cannot associate names of a family or a place to a dish. Distorting facts and figures is a crime. 

Some seriously do research before blogging about such heirloom recipes while the majority do not. However, I wished to cook KABULI POLAO someday, I felt unless I do some research I may not know how Kabul or Afghanistan actually does it. I am far from something called "sincere studies", I browsed few youtube videos of which this Pakistani gentleman's video about it attracted me. His name is Janab Mubashir Siddaque and I was enjoying his way of throwing dialogue, a heavily accented village style. The simplicity of his recipe attracted me. I still do not know if his recipe is an authentic Afghani Pulao or not, that requires research. The thing is I could not remain as simple as him while cooking the meat. Unlike him, I had to marinate the meat for pretty long hours in lemon juice. 

The Afghans may not use lemon juice for marinating the mutton for a pulao recipe, they neither have to prepare meat dish with a horrid variety coming from the Kangaroo Land. Hence, I will not claim mine to be  an authentic rice & meat dish of Afghanistan. I am still wondering what difference is their between Uzbeki Oshi Pulao and Kabuli Pulao? I really wish to learn different cultures, their way of living, food habits. I was searching for the cost, rules & regulations of the MPhil courses. Oh!My! be it a distance or regular course, we have to face an interview. I fear stage, I fear to speak, I fear text books which I have left behind twenty years back. My own university is offering an MPhil course for a meagre amount of Rs.10, 500. The husband always says, "if you wish to study I will fund happily." He is exactly doing the same for the son, told me "S, there will be no big tours and expenses in the next five years, the son's education cannot be disturbed." In the secret corner of his heart, there is the regret of a wrong decision he made. As his childhood buddy I know academics was his field, though he lacks tenacity.

Leave us, there are celebrations in both sides of my family. I want to wish both parties today with this non vegetarian rice and meat dish KABULI POLAO because I know the maximum in my family enjoys this kind of dishes. I do not need to mention what the occasions are, one is too close to my heart, the other is too close to the man's heart. Its a family thing and this year I am not keen about celebrating dates. Last September, one Partha Dey told me that we are alive is a good enough reason to celebrate. I look at this guy and wonder how come one gentleman be a philanthropist, an engineer, a top level manager / director at the same time. Anyway, we may not be able to be with our family on such auspicious occasions but we are celebrating here with food that the family would also love. The son had his fencing class yesterday which happens at the night time. He comes home around 11:15pm and we had our dinner around 11:30pm with "begun bhaja, kumro bhaja, dhonepata tomato diye mushur dal, mutton kosha." This morning, I did porota for the husband's lunch box, the rest of us will have the same for our lunch.

Though KABULI PULAO seems on the sweeter side and less spicy to me, while writing about it today I felt like doing it again adding some "moshola-toshola." Unlike Janab Mubashir Siddaque, I used few whole spices in the tempering. Let us do it.

Recipe Source : Janab Mubashir Siddaque of VILLAGE FOOD SECRET.

INGREDIENTS :

BASMATI RICE : 1COFFEE MUG IS ENOUGH FOR 4-5 HEADS
MUTTON OR LAMB : 1KG MEDIUM CUT
MUTTON STOCK : 2COFFEE MUG [IN CASE IT IS LESS, ADD WARM WATER]
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
GARLIC PASTE : 2TBSP
ONION : 3-4BIG
CARROT : 2STANDARD SIZE
GARAM MASALA : 11/2TBSP
CINNAMON STICK : 3-4 TWO TO THREE INCH LENGTH
GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4
BLACK CARDAMOM : 2
STAR ANISE : 2
CLOVE : 4-5
BAYLEAF : 4-5
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 2TBSP
LEMON JUICE : 1SMALL TEA CUP
ALMOND : 1TBSP
RAISIN : 2-3TBSP
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP + 1/4SMALL TEA CUP

PROCEDURE :

Wash the mutton thoroughly several times and marinate with salt & lemon juice. Keep marinated for at least 4-5 hours.

If refrigerating, take out the mutton an hour before putting it to cook.

Wash and soak the rice in enough water for an hour.

Peel the carrots, discard the two ends,  cut half and then into strips. Peel, wash, cut the two ends of the onions and wash them. Slice.

Get the whole spices, raisins and almonds ready. I had some sliced almonds, so did not need to soak and peel the skin. Wash the raisins.

Put the marinated mutton or lamb in a pressure cooker and add 1/2 coffee mug of water. Add the ginger and garlic pastes too.

Close tight the lid and pressure cook at the lowest heat up to 3 whistles.

Let it open normally.

Strain the mutton and reserve the stock for later use.

Strain the water from the rice. Heat 1medium tea cup of ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the cinnamon sticks, black & green cardamoms, star anise, cloves and bay leaves. Let them splutter.

Add the onion slices and fry till crisp and brown.

Add the boiled mutton and stir. Cover cook at minimal heat for 10-12 minutes stirring in between.

Open cover, add the rice and the garam masala powder. Stir for 3-4 minutes.

Add 2 coffee mugs of the mutton stock, if less use warm water. Stir and cover.

Put the heat to low and cover. Place a heavy something on top of the cover. I used the roti rolling base.

Let it cook at low heat for 12-14 minutes. Meanwhile we will heat 1/4small tea cup of ghee in a pan on top of another burner. We will fry the carrot strips, sugar, raw almonds and raisins in it and add to the rice and meat dish once done.

We will lightly fold in all well.

Serve it hot and fresh. Indian Style Biryani lovers may find it a bit of bland but once in a while its okay to have it.