MOTOR DAL BORA PAPOR ALOOR DALNA

 

I COOKED THE SAME RECIPE TWICE WITHIN A MONTH!

I do that if ain't I am happy with the outcome of the first. This morning I cooked it again and wanted to present the platter as this. Coming Saturday there is something back home and I believe certain things need not be talked about too much in public. There early morning, I cooked those chapatis to do the photo feature, I am yet to have what was supposedly to be my lunch! After the cooking & photo feature, there comes arranging & editing the pictures as much as possible within my limits! Usually, we would eat chapati "garmagaram" fresh from the tawa, but unfortunately, I am unable to eat the breakfast! The man is again travelling since last night; this time on a leisure trip! You can guess where to! Around 1:10pm, I went for a walk & did the mistake of buying a peanut butter stuffed waffle, located just the opposite side of our back gate! I am approaching 52, I felt heavy on the stomach, kept walking while eating! Then I planned the roti meal sometime around 5-6 pm with tea / coffee & my dinner should be light! After few months, I had a waffle, yet I got scared! The problem is I get scared only after having a high caloric thing! This does not help!

Too strict a diet regime would lead me to depression, what to do all day? This week there was no food order to deliver! I cannot think of going for walks & not eat something! Hence, my already broad structure looks broader; it takes a lot of sweat & self control to get slimmer during the process of menopause; if one is a born obese!

I SAT WITH MY LUNCH DURING THE TEA TIME!

And I enjoy such meals, homemade! Today, I felt, a 50+ Indian should have waffle once every three months!

Two chapatis, laal shaak, dhonepata bata, kali dal that was. I can have roti-prata with anything! I remember, I was too fond of fish since childhood & some days, I would have "ruti-mach er jhol" for dinner, even "dudh-ruti" & "mach er jhol" on the side. The idea was not to give up my share of fish at any cost! There was a lot of happiness in a two roomed rented flat, there is happiness in the present day rented flat too! It is my worries, tension with regards to the safety & security of my own, & my dearest son that kills me. Even if my brother drives to somewhere for an overnight stay, I live in tension until he is back to the Barrackpore home. Our mother is way stronger mentally, the way she handled our family, her physical fitness is also exemplary! I come no where near! Even with a Cristine at home, I feel lonely, worrisome; not unhappy I believe!

WHAT IS THIS MOTOR DAL ER BORA PAPOR ALOOR DALNA!

I knew I would share a Bengali recipe today, no other way but. Okay, I could have shared a cake or a soup, even a sweet bun, a bhature & aloo matar combo! Tandoori Roti would have been best but I am not good at it, also I get angry at how fast a tandoori roti gets hard! Instead, I decided on this vegan, gluten-free Bengali Curry; MOTOR DAL BORA PAPOR ALOOR DALNA! It is not totally a family recipe, but motor dal er borer jhol / lentil fritters curry is! I learned about this particular recipe from Gargi, she is the wife of T's friend, elder daughter of my father-in-law's childhood friend; our family friend!Last month she cooked this at a get-together; she says this is the family recipe from her in-law's side! Gargi / Dola is the elder daughter-in-law of the Neogy family! I had been to both sides of her family; both her mother & mother-in-law are great cooks! For today's blogpost, I have chosen this Bengali recipe! My entire family would enjoy it! I cooked the recipe last month, was unhappy with the outcome & the photo feature! I felt something was missing! Dola's fritters were spongy! Like our mother, she was not telling all of the secret, I felt!

With today's outcome, I think I am almost happy! I read somewhere, we are to add some baking soda while we soak the dal / lentils! Last night, I did the same!

INGREDIENTS :

YELLOW SPLIT PEA LENTIL / MOTOR DAL : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

POTATO : 1 BIG SIZED

PAPOR / PAPADAM / LENTIL CRACKER : 2-3

BAKING SODA : 1/2 TSP

CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP

BAY LEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

GREEN CHILLI : 2

GINGER PASTE : 2 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 11/2 TSP

CUMIN POWDER : 11/2 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP

GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/4 TSP

CINNAMON POWDER : 1/2 TSP

CLOVE POWDER : 2-3 PINCH

SUGAR : 1 TSP [I USED JAGGERY POWDER]

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 5-6 TBSP [I DEEP FRIED THE LENTIL BALLS & POTATO CUBES]

A TBSP OF GHEE TO GARNISH IS REQUIRED, I SKIPPED TO KEEP IT A VEGAN DISH!

PROCEDURE :

We would wash & soak the dal in enough water adding the baking soda to it! I kept it covered overnight, say for 8-10 hours!

We would drain the water & wash well quite a few times! We would take the dal & the green chillies in a blender & blend to a coarse paste!

To get a coarse paste, we would not add water; blend for a few seconds, stop, scrape the sides & repeat 2-3 times!

We would take the lentil paste in a bowl, add some salt, turmeric & jaggery powder; mix well!

We would heat some oil & deep fry the lentil balls at the minimal heat! The baking soda is used for fluffier fritters, I guess!

The fritters need not be fried too much as we would put them in a curry!

While frying the fritters, I peeled & cubed the potatoes! I had washed them & rubbed with some salt & turmeric! We are to fry the potatoes in the same oil & take out!

We would prepare a spice mixture with the ginger paste, turmeric+chilli+cumin+coriander powders+salt! 

In the remaining oil, we would add the cumin seeds, bayleaf, dry red chillies! We would give a stir & add the spice paste to it! We would stir fry it 3-4 minutes at minimal heat, add the fried potatoes & stir for a minute or two!

We are to add 2 coffee mugs of water at this point & cover cook at minimal to low heat for 7-8 minutes!

We would remove the cover & add the fritters & cover cook for 3-4 minutes; remove cover & turn over the fritters; cook for another 2-3 minutes!

Thereafter, we are to break each papad half & add to the curry, along with them the sugar or jaggery, cinnamon+green cardamom+cloves powders! We would give  a stir!

We would transfer the curry to a bowl & enjoy it with rice or chapati! This is the variety of mango my family home grows; I get it from the Rajdhani Stores!

APPE PAN FAUX FULURI

I AM UNABLE TO LOCATE WHAT IS STANDING BETWEEN THE SELF & A HEALTHY DIET!

May be my brother got on the bulkier side but he never overeats like me! His reason of getting fatter is something else; he sits all day while at work! The amount of food he eats is less but he eats wrong; eats mostly outside food! Else, he is a picky eater who always would have less amount of cooked rice! In my case, the volume of food I consume in a day is huge, I am just unable to do anything about it. Yesterday, I planned to cook & blog about this less guilt fries today, all of a sudden. Accordingly, I soaked some cooked rice in water last night, to have it with the gram flour pakoras for my lunch!"Panta Bhaat" cannot be eaten measured, you can see I have the capability of having this amount of rice. What you do not see is that I had a sandesh after the meal! And before the meal? I was on my walk when I had a "Kopi-O-Kosong & Papor Bhaja"; a pack of it I bought from a known Aunty's shop, located the other side of the station. There we stayed for two years as we came into the island! The huge mall was under construction then, and these shops did good business!

You know what? Making a "panta bhaat" from Basmati Rice is kind of an insult to those who survive on it! But seriously, I do not have space in my kitchen to store few varieties of rice! In fact, I prefer Ponni rice with the self cooked Bengali Food instead of a Basmati Rice! 

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY; YESTERDAY!

Ever since the son went off, our Sundays seem dull! Two of us middle-aged people sit all day & the television keeps on going! I do not call home anyone or do a food delivery to keep myself engaged because Cristine is not there to assist, its her off day! Yesterday, we had friendly guests for lunch! I thoroughly enjoyed cooking for them, also the chitchat! Not that we rubbed shoulders with them often, yet there is a peculiar feeling that had they been here, we would have been happier. We liked meeting each other in the Durga Puja venue or at an office gathering! That too stopped in the last two years due to the pandemic! But I am happy for them; we should be happy for others' progress! Cristine helped so much, took a half day off too & our guests are so positive, typical Indian "addabaj" that I never felt tired. In the first place, I call people home only when I can take proper care of them, get comfortable with them & be entertained! They took an early leave; Amit & Neeti are shifting to South America whilst their daughters would be studying in England! If we are still there in this island after few years, we would meet them again; they are citizens here, they would come back I believe! Once they left, I was squaring up & T was taking a nap! At night, we would not have the leftover party food! T had his love; "dim sheddo aloo sheddo makhon bhaat"; I had "quinoa-brown rice-dal-begun bhaja"!

WHAT IS THIS APPE PAN FAUX FULURI?

Fuluri is a Bengali road side snack! Our mother is extremely fond of it! In early April, when I was in Kolkata, Mani was staying with me & one day asked Rizia Mashi, my house help there to get her Fuluri! Mani eats it with a bowl of Muri or as it is as an evening snacks whilst Rizia Mashi's family has it for lunch with rice! I thought of having what I call faux fuluri with fermented rice! The fun fact is that I love this APPE PAN FAUX FULURI but not the authentic fuluri sold in all the roadside "telebhajar dokan" in Kolkata! I call mine faux because I cooked them in few drops of oil in a specialised pan whilst the authentic ones are deep fried! I gifted my family an appe pan which they have not used as yet! I do not know if my brother likes it or not; I cannot remember everything from the past, also forget to ask every little thing! My brother's wife is more of a snack lover than I am, she should start using the appe pan & get my brother homebound; with regards to food! This healthier version of fuluri snack is vegan, gluten-free & uses few ingredients like gram flour, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, green chilli, baking soda! I like vegetarian snacks a lot these days, which was unbelievable a decade ago!

If you want  to cook authentic fuluri at home, there are a couple of written recipes & videos existing! I found Tasty Crowd's Fuluri near to the Kolkata likes in looks & texture but in Kolkata, they do not use nigella seeds, this & that in the batter, but only what I have mentioned in mine!

INGREDIENTS :

GRAM FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 2 TSP

BAKING SODA : 1/4 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

WATER : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2 TBSP [ONLY 2-3 DROPS REQUIRED FOR EACH ONE]

PROCEDURE :

We would take a coffee mug of gram flour / besan in a bowl & add to it the salt, turmeric & red chilli powders, mix well!

We would add water little by little to get a paste like batter!

We have to beat the batter for 7-8 minutes to get a smooth consistency! In a cup of water, we would throw in a bit of batter, if it comes up, the batter is ready!

We would add the washed & chopped green chillies; mix well & keep covered for half an hour!

Thereafter, we would add the baking soda & mix well!

We would heat the appe pan on stovetop & pour few drops of oil in each cup!

I used an ice-cream scoop to pour the batter in each cup!

Each side takes some 4-5 minutes to be done at minimal heat!

I did not use oil while doing the second batch but adding a little of oil is recommended for a better interior texture!

Have them either with rice or as a snacks!

MACH ER PUR BHORA POTOL

 

I DO NOT KNOW WHY EATING SOMETHING AFTER A BRISK WALK BECAME A RITUAL FOR ME!

I do this even if a lunch platter is waiting for me at home. Like today, I am out of home since the morning 10 am. I had to do some shopping, again tomorrow I would go to the Indian Market! Once I was done, it was 12 pm, I called Cristine at the traffic junction, handed over the trolley to her & went for a walk, without my bag pack carrying the water bottle, wet wipe tissues & my headphone. Yet I covered a good distance!

If you look at my step length & pace, it is not even a brisk walk, thereafter having French Toast with Tea was not a good thing, also it was not my lunch! On my walk, I tore some lemon leaves & the branch of a flowering plant from the roadside, not from anyone's property!This mental situation of mine may seem  alarming to others, but I know it is majorly my love for food! Food transpires happiness within me since I got to my senses! Now that I fear for the son's safety all the time & that T is busy in his job; and that I am not in the habit of partying with friends; roaming around the island and eating this and that is my favourite pastime! This exercise helps me stay off the boredom & tension! You are also silly & stupid if you expect the bread winner to ignore work & sing lullaby for you! Back home, within two hours, I had a late lunch with the sour fish curry, lentils & bitter gourd-mixed vegetables, boiled brown rice-red quinoa mix! 

I AM AGING SUPER FAST; WRONG DIET PATTERN, INADEQUATE EXERCISE, AN UNKEMPT LETHARGIC SELF, ARE THE REASONS FOR IT!

Yet, I do not mind going public with my self or selfies, whatever! Yesterday's Pink tee & last Monday's Blue one were from Bossini bought last Friday, they are too thick & I felt sick yesterday as I walk in the day time! Cristine liked them & took! I must wear what gives me comfort! Light cotton wear gets me the ultimate comfort! 

And today, I crossed passed the Ramakrishnan Mission after few months. Its near my home, just that I was not taking that route for long! I can take that route everyday, but whats the point? I would not go inside the temple wearing sports wear while sweating, without a shower! Also modernity is good, but I am old school enough to get off when years back I saw someone coordinated a tank top with a sari while visiting a temple, in Kolkata. I felt the spouse & the veterans present could have requested not to! It is not about right or wrong always, it is about the culture we grew up in & respecting it as much is required! T never interferes in my life but does not like it if I wear anything too high above my knee or way below my shoulders! It was a good day until now & things would keep me busy until Sunday which is good for me. A friendly family is leaving the island for the time being, to treat them, I would not mind a working Sunday! 

WHAT IS THIS MACH ER PUR BHORA POTOL!

Potol is Pointed Gourd. Stuffed Pointed Gourd, a Bengali delicacy was not done often in our home. Even when it was done, what was commonly used for the stuffing was either smaller prawns or coconut. Although, my brother has seafood allergy, prawn has always remained a star ingredient in our mother's kitchen, also the grandmother's. In fact, the entire family branch perhaps used smaller prawns in various vegetable dishes. I say this from my memory of travels to the relatives' home. The paternal grandparents, uncles, aunts stayed far off; yet the family recipes are same; indigenous ingredients came from Assam, even from Tripura to our home in DumDum, then Barrackpore until few years back! About this MACH ER PUR BHORA POTOL, i.e. boneless fish stuffed pointed gourd; I heard from a co-blogger who blogs at Delicious Addiction, few years back, she told me that her family does the stuffing with Bengal Carp! For my fish chop, kofta, stuffing; I absolutely do not take the hardship to debone a rui / katla! I use the readymade fish fillets available. Cooking this non-vegetarian, Bengali recipe was an impromptu decision taken on 2nd October, 2021! I was cooking MACH PATURI; fish wrapped in banana leaves & cooked on stovetop! I was to update an older blogpost! What to do with the extra cuts from the shaped fish pieces & the excess of the chilli-mustard-coconut paste? I had some extra pointed gourds after doing a delivery and made this. I totally forgot to click the stepwise pictures! Oh God! Help me get engaged with what I like, I was never a light hearted person, I get myself involved in the happenings around, over think, get heavy hearted! I feel sick specially when we as a society fail someone who needed some guidance to get back in track! We cannot badmouth anyone until one becomes murderous, does wrong! Until then, it is our fault if we have pushed someone to the edge!

Cristine is wearing a gold ring similar to mine, only that she bought it with her own earning! My brother's wife too does a lot with her own earning, and knows so much of outdoor works, from banking to medical!

INGREDIENTS :

POINTED GOURD : 5-6

BONELESS FISH FILLET : 250GM

POTATO : 1 STANDARD SIZED

CHOPPED ONION : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

MINCED GARLIC : 1 TSP

MINCED GINGER : 1/2 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1/2 TSP [OPTIONAL]

LEMON JUICE : 2 TBSP

 NIGELLA SEED : 2-3 PINCH

BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 1 TBSP

SHREDDED COCONUT : 2 TBSP

GREEN CHILLI : 3-4 

OIL : 5-6 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

On that day, I had cut the Sutchi / Basa / Dory  fish fillets squared shaped for another recipe. I used the edges for this recipe!

We would peel the potato, wash & boil in water! We would boil the fish too separately!

We would soak the mustard seeds in water for an hour, drain & prepare a paste along with the green chillies, shredded coconut, a bit of salt & ice-cubes; the last two do not allow the paste get bitter!

We would peel each of the pointed gourds leaving a gap & wash. 

We would scrap the flesh & seeds with the back of a spoon or with the tip of a knife  making a hole at one end. 

We would wash them again! 

We are to prepare a paste of the flesh & seeds!

We would marinate the pointed gourd with salt & turmeric for some 15-16 minutes! 

Then we are to heat the oil in a wok & fry the pointed gourds well! We have to take them out of the wok!

We would temper the remaining oil with the nigella seeds, add the minced garlic, ginger & onion; fry until brown! 

We would add the seeds & flesh paste, the boiled & mashed potato & fish; the mustard-chilli-coconut paste, salt if required, sugar; stir cook at low heat for 8-10 minutes. 

We are to add the lemon juice , stir cook for a minute & take down!

Once the filling gets cool; Cristine did stuff the pointed gourds with the filling! 

I prefer having it with rice without the added gravy. It would go pretty well with roti-prata! I also cooked Kali Dal & Bandhakopir Ghonto alongside that day!