DHONEPATA BATA DIYE SHEEM

BROAD BEANS / HYACINTH BEANS WITH CHILLI-CORIANDER PASTE IS COMILLA SPECIAL; CLAIMS THE FAMILY VETERANS!

This is actually a winter time vegetarian dish in the family. Decades back, coriander leaves were found only during the winter season. I have always heard within the family, only the people in Comilla, now Bangladesh use coriander paste in few of their dishes; only in the winters. I immensely love all of these WINTER SPECIAL FAMILY RECIPES. My blog is having quite a few of these recipes, VEGETARIAN & NON-VEGETARIAN. These days, we get coriander leaves round the year, so I keep cooking my FAMILY FAVOURITE DISHES. My in-laws' side do not prepare any dish with coriander paste, but they would eat when I prepare or our mother would sent them. I am not so particular while in the kitchen like my family veterans; I mean I would not look for that very young leaves of coriander in the entire market and spend there an hour for this one thing; I would not mind using two-three days old green chillies to do a chilli-mustard paste. Our mother's youngest sister is too rigid about the ingredients she uses in her cooking. Whenever she was there in our DumDum home or later in Barrackpore; on the days she took up some cooking project, she really got on our mother's nerves. She made her or our father to visit the market only for green chillies; may be wanting to use the freshest ones in her cooking. I am far from all these; I do not mind using a week old green chillies in my cooking if they are not rotten! I must admit, my youngest maternal aunt is an excellent cook, been a spinster she is closer to her mother for the longest period. The middle sister, who I call mashimoni did not really take to family's cooking spree. She cooks everything but she is kind of a hurried cook. She, along with her husband are deeply involved with the Ramakrishna Mission, they socialise a lot!

A MIDDLE AGED COUPLE'S SUNDAYS BECAME QUIETER; WE ARE HAPPIER WHEN THE CHILD PICKS UP THE PHONE!

Sunday mornings, we wish to talk with the son for longer periods; the rest of the week mumma keeps nudging her boy day and night, he ignores! Never mind; thats our weird boy's game plan with his mother; mumma categorically asks him to behave well with every other person in the world. After the talk, we would discuss incidents from our baby's childhood. It feels bad to keep the man alone at home and go out for a walk; but I go! Several times, I have asked him to join me on my walks, in the swimming pool; he would not get up from his couch. Most of the days, I get store bought food for him; some days I do not get for myself. I do this despite the refrigerator having a lot of cooked food. This little variation our lives should have in the absence of our child. Yesterday, I had got a KFC wrap meal for him; I had the natural "Tahdig" formed after serving the biryani cooked in microwave with eggs, onion, green chillies, one paratha, melons. I cannot just waste food; rice morsels I would never. 

At night, I had skipped the dinner; had back to back sugar free, milk free chilled tea and coffee. The man was served "dim sheddo, aloo sheddo diye gola bhaat"! I was unwilling to work on an oats hotchpotch, as planned earlier the day!

I am liking this work from home thing. It helps when we both are missing our only child in our own ways. I would express my mental state in different quarters; the child's father would not. Then, throughout the island; the expat parents go through the same ordeal. We would be entering into the phase 3 of the restrictions does not mean too much of get togethers and outings for us. At one point in life, we did a lot, now we enjoy being at home. In this scenario, my food delivery venture in a minuscule scale is helping me to keep tension and monotony, both at bay!

WHAT IS THIS DHONEPATA BATA DIYE SHEEM?

What is SHEEM? SHEEM is HYACINTH BEAN or INDIAN BROAD BEAN! What is DHONEPATA? DHONEPATA is FRESH CORIANDER! DHONEPATA BATA DIYE SHEEM is a FAMILY RECIPE with fresh coriander- green chilli paste & hyacinth beans. Until two-three years back, I knew its a very family thing; then one day I discovered its already blogged about; there are videos too about it! I remember one co-passenger of mine when I used to travel to Barasat to attend the school I taught in. She asked me one day if my family's  origin is in Comilla; over hearing my discussion on the food my mother makes. She told her in-law's family hails from there and they add coriander paste to few dishes in the winter. I keep cooking this BENGALI, VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE VEGETABLE DISH often, the pictures were taken on 7th September, 2019, blogging about it was not happening! On that particular day, the following were the vegetarian dishes I cooked. 

INGREDIENTS :

HYACINTH BEAN / INDIAN BROAD BEAN / SHEEM / SHEM : 250-300 GM

FRESH CORIANDER PASTE : 1/2 MEDIUM TEA CUP FULL

GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 2 TBSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 2-3 PINCH

DRY RED CHILLI : 2 HALVED

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY / KALONJEE : 3-4 PINCH

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2 TBSP [WE USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

The above ingredients are exactly what my family uses in this dish and I do it exactly the way my family does, used to do!

Okay, my family cuts half each of the hyacinth beans but I kept them as it is. We just need to cut off the two ends and discard the fibre that comes out. 

We will wash them and marinate with the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, 1 tbsp of oil.

Usually we prepare the fresh coriander & green chilli paste there and then, just before adding it to the wok, so that the flavour is not lost!

We will heat the oil in the wok and temper it with the halved dry red chillies and nigella seeds.

We will add the marinated hyacinth beans along with the marinade and cover cook at minimal heat for 8-9 minutes.

In between, we will stir 2-3 times to avoid sticking and burning. If required, sprinkle some water, do not add a cup of it.

After 8-9 minutes, add the green chillies-fresh coriander paste, adjust the salt! Stir cook for half a minute. Cover cook for 2 minutes; we are done!

We usually have it with rice, would go with chapati too!