BENGALI SOUR JUJUBE SWEET SPICY PICKLE

FINALLY, TODAY I HAVE DECIDED TO GET THIS FAMILY PICKLE RECIPE TO THE BLOG!

Actually, the Sour Jujube / Ber / Tok Kul season is going off for a year. If I do not get it to the blog now, I have to wait for another year. I am finding it difficult to keep track of the clicked pictures, I am a forgetful self. Since my childhood, I had seen the mother to prepare jam, jelly, achar / pickle at home. And those pickles were sweet with a hint of sour. Jaggery was the sweetening agent, which means they were Bengali style pickle. Way later in life, may be sometime in 2007, I learnt about the Aam Chunda pickle which is not a Bengali Recipe but is sweet. My new neighbouring aunty then, who lived in Mumbai for 42 years before retiring in Kolkata, told me. Until then, I did not know much about the food of the other Indian states except for idli, dosa, naan, tandoori roti, butter chicken, mutton rogan josh, kulcha. The aunty, Kakima travelled many places with her man, Kaku. I have learnt about many things from her. She has three daughters all of whom stay in the United States. Not for a single day she or Kaku have complained about her daughters not staying with or near them, she does not even after her husband's demise. At some point, the kids would empty the nest, we would feel lonely, it's obvious. We need not complain unless we are severely neglected, that they do not call us or visit us at intervals. I believe firmly our weird boy would call us regular after he settles down with a job. You cannot blame him, the man puts his phone to the silence mode, does not pick up when his parents call. No, I am not saying this happily, he is a dutiful son to an extent only few other sons & daughters can match but he wouldn't talk. This I consider "ek litre dudh e ektu khani chona". I plead why being such dutiful he has to behave like this, he would keep seeping Whisky, Beer with his eyes fixed on the television screen. But he gets upset when his son does not take the call.

HELLO, I MADE A LOVELY CHICKEN SOUP LAST NIGHT!

Yesterday night, I cooked a light chicken soup, had it with toasted bread & cheese. I dislike cheese slices but this Amul's cheese slices do I find tasty, cannot have regular. We definitely do love clear chicken soups, the man and his mother & sister; also our mother & Bidisha. Our son definitely did enjoy Oriental soups outside of home when he stayed with us. I wish he has it often now. My brother hates perhaps, the father & the father-in-law too may be. The mother says Bidisha makes good soups, though not regular. But we cannot have clear vegetable soups, in that case, I have to make it spicy & thick. 

I am against buying readymade soup packets, the parents anyway were against much of outside food. I ask the mother to have soups & chapati at night. For dinner, she cannot have non-vegetarian food, neither one or two vegetarian side dishes, fries she would not eat much. I or the brother or Bidisha dislike it that she would have only dal-rice-salad for dinner and a little of rice with milk. The maternal grandmother had rice with milk to end her lunches and out mother eats it regular too. She cooks this and that vegetables & a non-vegetarian curry; 3-4-5 dishes each day, cannot eat at night. I do not believe only dal protein helps. I prefer having a meal with at least three items. We are paratha lovers in the entire family. My father & brother are not fond of roti, their choice of breads had been luchi & porota everyday. Us in this family, the son, man, I and Cristine love roti too! The entire pandemic period we had mostly roti. Today is a paratha day and the son is not around. 

I got to be a good paratha maker, today it was a purely wholewheat made. These days, instead of a spoon, I use a brush, that way you consume lesser amount of oil. My first meals are pretty big. I do not even try to eat less.

WHAT IS A BENGALI SOUR JUJUBE SWEET SPICY PICKLE?

Before I share this family condiment recipe with Ber / Tok Kul / Boroi, let me tell you this morning I made a fresh batch of Dates-Tamarind Chutney after few years. Like the last time, I followed Tarla Dalal's recipe of it ditto, only added one thing more, that is Dry Mango Powder. Although, we are more of Sanjeev Kapoor fans, when it comes to the Dates-Tamarind Chutney, I prefer Tarla Dalal's recipe. I do not do it regular as it requires a lot of jaggery. Then, some days I wish to make Bhelpuri or Chaats at home, in that case, this chutney is a must. 

When it comes to this vegan, gluten-free pickle, a condiment with the Indian Sub-Continent's sour variety of Jujube, BENGALI SOUR JUJUBE SWEET SPICY PICKLE; I blindly follow the mother's recipe. The father required a little of spicy sweet pickle / jhal mishti achar with his rice meals. The few varieties the mother prepared were the sweet & spicy pickles with mango, elephant apple, sour jujube and two partly sour varieties with sugar, salt, raw mango in one case & with sugar, salt, sour jujube. She would prepare in large quantities to be used throughout the year. I never had a sour tooth, neither a sweet tooth. Bengali girls grew up in those days loving raw fruits with salt & red chilli mix, spicy sour pickle. I had no fascination for these, the only sour thing I loved was the sour fish curry. I developed fondness for chaats, spicy & sour pickles when I was carrying our monkey, started loving sweets after being diagnosed with diabetes. I remember the pickle vendors standing in front of the Kolkata schools & colleges, our parents never did let us eat from there. Whilst in college, I did not even wish to buy a pickle from a vendor, I was conditioned not to. But I tasted from the friends who used to buy in one or two occasions. What makes Bengali Pickles distinct in taste & flavour are the ground mixed spice varieties.

Few other condiment recipes to try from my blog are these; PINEAPPLE JAM WITH CHILLI FLAKES, PEPPERY MANGO JAM, AAM SHORSHE KANCHALANKAR CHUTNEY, CHALTAR ACHAR.

INGREDIENTS :

TOK KUL / SOUR JUJUBE / BER / BOROI : 250-300 GM

JAGGERY : 100GM

SUGAR : 2-3 TBSP

SALT : 1/2 TSP

BENGALI PANCHPHORON / FIVE SPICES : 2 TBSP [an equal amount of fenugreek, fennel, cumin, ajmod / radhuni, nigella seeds mixed together]

DRY RED CHILLI : 5-6

WATER : AS REQUIRED

PROCEDURE :

My family prepares sour jujube sweet & spicy pickle with the ripened, brown fruits. I bought those green coloured as available, washed, kept on a tray open under the sun & the fan. In few days, they turned brown.

Once ready, I smashed them a bit and marinated with salt for about 10-12 minutes.

I took the jaggery and 1 medium tea cup of water in a wok and put it for boil. As it came to a boil, I simmered it for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously.

Thereafter, I added the smashed & salt marinated ripened sour jujubes & the sugar. I gave a stir, reduced the heat to the minimal and let it simmer.

After some 7-8 minutes of simmering, I continuously kept stirring until sticky and semi-dry.

I transferred it to a bowl, let it cool. I kept it under the Sun in the day time & under the fan at the night time for the next one week.

Thereafter, I dry roasted all the spices and ground to a coarse powder. I added it to the pickle and folded in well.

We will give the pickle sun bath for another couple of days, then transfer to a sterilised bottle. Bengali Homes do not refrigerate their pickles, I do. 

BENGALI ONION STALK POTATO FISH STIR FRY

 THE ONION STALK SEASON IS ALMOST GONE; THE JUJUBE SEASON IS STILL THERE!

I say this in the context of India! Anyway, this island does not sell sour jujube which is special among the Bengalis and some Indians, Bangladeshis; how Pakistan eats it I do not know. Why the internet does not speak about a specific tiny variety grown in the desert regions of Rajasthan, I do not get. I and the mother ate too much of it on our tour of Rajasthan in 1996 and got stomach upset then and there. The brother as a child almost met with death and a jujube seed has a major role in it, that real life story I would talk about when I blog about the pickle next! I have mentioned about it in one blogpost I think. If the onion stalk season is going off for a year, let me blog about this non-veg stir fry recipe today. Anyway, we get it only in the Bangladeshi shops in this island. In West Bengal too, it is going to be off the market, young pointed gourds would appear now. My love with regards to shopping for the raw materials / bazaar-haat comes from the mother's side. I do not know why she does not let the brother to shop post the pandemic, he does it pretty well. Under my tutelage, Cristine has learnt a lot about Bengali Food. She shaped those Bori / sun-dried lentil balls.

My readers believe it or not, I thoroughly enjoy roaming in the wet markets. Just that the fish markets here with a lot of sea-fish varieties do not make me happy. 

IN THE PAST TWO DAYS, I WASN'T COOKING AT ALL!

I have no place in the refrigerator to stock food. Even I am having kind of a guilt feeding my family stale food beyond five days. We usually finish off the Saturday cooking by the next Thursday or Friday. No cooking over the weekend means more of boredom for me. How long can you watch a movie & series? We do that but I enjoy cooking in between. The man wants to relax at home. And seriously we do not want to go for small tours around. At this time, we  would prefer to visit the son every alternate year, I absolutely do not expect the man to be a superman. Growing up in a middle class Bengali household, my expectations are in control. I do not even feel like buying a Hilsa for 50$ or a Clinique product. Given that the son is wanting to study more, getting us good grades; we cannot have much of complaints in life. Mumma never demanded him to score the highest in his class, I only ask him not to settle for less than what is in his capability. She keeps pleading not to buy the ready to eat food packets, they are carcinogenic. Mumma cooks flatbreads and thinks of him who loves breads a lot.

I made those easy parathas last night. I took no hassle to make them round or triangular, just made an elongated shape. A mixture of Refined Flour+Whole Wheat Flour dough gives the best tasted parathas. Yesterday for lunch, I air fried the potato slices.

Trust me, they were crisp & yum. I just have to buy a good, single function potato slicer. Mumma would work on the cooking menu on her next visit to the son, she would cook kofta curry, paneer curry, Bengali curries with chicken, prawn, fish steaks, eggs, cauliflower; stir fry cabbage; not too rustic Bengali Food. I wouldn't be there to prove what level of a Bengali I am but be there to feed the son some home cooked food; roam around. The man is an excellent tour guide, companion on the road. I lack his energy level.

WHAT IS THIS ONION STALK POTATO CATFISH STIR FRY?

Onion Stalks & Potato Stir Fry is a common winter dish among the Bengalis. Our mother would add cauliflowers, carrot & green peas to it and serve either with roti or on our rice plate. This was the scenario every year all throughout the winter. I much loved this fry with dal, rice & fish curry or with ruti-porota. I had been such an ardent fish lover that I would not skip my share of the fish even when having Bengali curd-rice or milk-rice for dinners during the summers. I used to have "macher jhol" even with chapati on certain nights. Today, I do not get my choice of fish, yet I am not willing to go back to Kolkata sooner. I enjoy my roti-prata plates, chirer polao, Bengali style noodle, idli-dosa, many more alternatives are there. I just cannot have high protein, weight loss diets; like two boiled eggs, chicken roast, salad meals are not for me. I am not a right wing supporter but enjoy the satwik meals these days, cannot turn a full vegetarian. My first meal today was this.

Did I ever imagine one day I would enjoy roti with bitter gourd fries? I really did love. I was trying to prepare rumali roti today but failed. I had two giant rotis. I insist I make "nolen gurer sandesh" taste like in a Bengali sweet shop, with more of purity. Anyway, I cannot remember if the grandmother or mother ever used Tyangra Fish / Small Cat Fish in a stir fried onion stalk dish. Even if they had, they were not regularly doing it. I came across this dish in the different Bengali Food Groups and in some Bengali Bloggers' spaces. I did them my way. Though any day I would prefer a vegetarian version with Onion Stalks, we also liked this non-vegetarian, gluten-free Bengali dish BENGALI ONION STALK POTATO FISH STIR FRY. Any day, I would love more the version done with deep fried tiny "kechki mach" / Indian River Sprat Fish! I prefer to cook curries with a Tyangra fish, I rarely get them fresh here.

Some similar recipes from my Blog can be these : MIXED VEG ONION STALK STIR FRY & DAL, KECHKI MACH DIYE ALOO PEYAZKOLI, CHUNO MACH DIYE ALOO PEPE

INGREDIENTS :

ONION STALK : 250-300 GM

POTATO : 1 BIG

TANGRA MACH / SMALL CAT FISH : 100-150 GM [USE ANY SMALL FISH]

GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEERE / KALONJI : 1/4 TSP

BAY LEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 2

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1/2 TSP

OIL : 3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

If possible ask your fish vendor to clean the fishes. It is a fresh water fish with no scales. Cristine cuts them for me.

After cleaning, wash the fishes thoroughly under the running water. Drain any excess water, marinate with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt.

Chopping the spring onion stalks is supremely easy. Just discard the two ends and chop them, about 1/2 inch in length. Wash, marinate with a little of turmeric powder & salt.

Peel, wash & cube the potato. Marinate with salt & turmeric. Wash & slit the green chillies.

In a wok, heat the oil and deep fry the fishes, take out.

Temper the remaining oil with the nigella seeds, bay leaf & the halved dry red chillies. Give a stir and add the potatoes. Fry them brown and add the onion stalks. Fold in well and let cook at low heat covered for 5 minutes.

Remove the cover, add the sugar, give a stir. Add the fried fishes, stir cook for 3-4 minutes, take down.

Serve hot with steamed rice & lentil curry. I cooked dried Bombay Duck fish bharta & Eggplant fries too on that day.

CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA

I MUST SAY OUR TASTEBUDS KEEP CHANGING! 

I did not even imagine few years back that I would ever enjoy having an avocado. I remember how I made fun about it on my social media posts. Guava still remains my preference over an Avocado. But I must admit I do enjoy an avocado these days, I even thought of throwing a seed in one of my tubs. Some day, I may prepare kebabs out of it. With two ovens in hand, I enjoy grilling and baking! The thing is the chefs and the Muslim world may not approve of my kebabs. My point of a debate and argument with them can be this that in the process, I use way less amount of oil! That is important, consuming less of oil. However, I dislike arguments, any noise in fact. I cannot cook oil-free stuffs, food without the right taste is not for me! I am trying to use less of oil & sugar in my cooking. I may not go sugar-free but after I am done with the blog updates, sweets would be done at low frequency at this home. I must do them during the date palm jaggery season, "pithe-puli" making season, on the occasion of the special prayer meets at home. I mean, once or twice a month, desserts & sweets I have to make. I cannot stop taking pride in my cooking abilities & interest altogether and start cooking minimal, be on the phone, chat unlimited, sleep or watch television all day! I do not even work, at least I should adapt to some healthy habits. I have started going for walks early morning, all the local school students reach the school before the sunrise, their school starts at 7 am. 

I think I am in that stage in life where we get caught up in the memory and nostalgia every now and then. Aging makes you miss the young you, accepting the greying procedure is not easy. Amidst this, the son's academic moves, some good watches on the OTT Platforms surely get us pleasure.

YESTERDAY WAS A SUNDAY I DID NOT COOK ANYTHING!

Not only we were watching an interesting thriller, a prequel; I also wished to have and serve the man the dried fish & eggplant bharta. Okay, I did grill the two giant chicken leg pieces for our lunch yesterday, the marination was the simplest; mixed Italian herbs, a seasoning mix, crushed black pepper, salt, oil.

The thing is all of the dried fish lovers would agree with me when there is a dried fish item on the plate, we do not want anything else, not even mutton, Hilsa. Dried Fish has an unique taste, it has an overpowering effect on the tongue that makes everything else on the plate seem bland. Instead of the meaty chicken leg, a light chicken curry on bone or some pakoras with the dal would have suited me. If there is no choice of fish available to me, I would prefer boneless chicken pakora, kebab, breaded fish fries, egg "paturi" or "chop" on our plates! Anyway, I would prefer a veg pakora over an egg pakora. Cooking a choice of vegetable bowl is not an issue, we get here all of the vegetables cooked in Bengali Homes. Last night, we had butter toasts with the lobia-minced chicken curry.

On a Saturday and Sunday, I keep eating snacks in between the meals. The stubborn fat layers in my body are not at fault. The amount of hard work and dieting a body requires to get fit and fab, I cannot ever do. I get tired after a 6 km walk, mindful eating is not my thing. I only can follow certain healthy rules, like cooking idli and dosa with an oats, urad dal, beaten rice batter.

Then that cream cheese filled toast I got from the local bakery cannot be low caloric, yum but!

WHAT IS THIS CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA?

Avocado is something I am interested about these days. Although, it cannot take a place in my favourite fruit recipes. Neither I can eat it as a dessert in milk as they eat it in Philippines, as Cristine says. Yet, I have to admit I do not find it lame anymore. Though tasteless, I have seen I enjoy few dishes with it, like preparing a no-cook dip or chutney in addition to fresh chopped coriander or it's paste, green chilli, onion & few other spices. I do not know why I chose this recipe with Avocado to be in the blog, may be I wanted this Bengali style bharta with Avocado fruit to stay documented and spread among people like wild fire. Leave it, the simple reason is I loved having this vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian Bengali mash, chutney, condiment, side dish; CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA, hence documented it. It is a healthy dish if you can excuse the amount of oil drizzled on the top. No exaggeration, I enjoyed a vegetarian meal with it in the forefront on that day.

I cooked the platter on the 18th of December, 2023. I would want to convey a message to our son and his likes that this spiced up avocado mash takes way less time to prepare than a cheese filled sandwich. Skip the mustard oil and use it on a toast instead of cheese daily or have it with rice like us, boil aloo & lentils, egg.

Some usual mash recipes from a Bengali Kitchen you may want to try can be these; LOTEY SHUTKIR BHARTA, GATHI KOCHU CHINGRIR BHARTA, BENGALI ROASTED EGGPLANT MASH & PEANUT MINT CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS :

AVOCADO : 2-3 [60-70% RIPE]

SLICED ONION : 2 TBSP

CHOPPED ONION : 1 TSP

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI / KALOJEERE : 1/4 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1 SMALL SIZED

SALT : AS REQUIRED

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP [OPTIONAL]

LEMON JUICE : 2 TSP

OIL : 1 TBSP + 1 TBSP [I USED MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

Wash the avocado fruits well, discard the seeds and skins. Mash with a fork taking in a bowl. Earlier, I did the mistake of using a blender. Cristine taught me a lot about an avocado.

Thereafter, Cristine peeled, washed & sliced the onions, chopped and washed the green chillies and a onion too.

Then, I heated 1 tbsp oil in a small sized pan, tempered it with a bayleaf, nigella seeds & the red chillies. I gave a stir and added the sliced onions to it.

I got fried the onions until light brown, added the turmeric and salt, gave a stir.

I poured them in a bowl along with the tempered oil. I had mashed the fried red chillies and onions a bit, added to the mashed avocado and folded in well.

In the next round, I added the chopped onion and chillies, lemon juice; folded in well. 

Then I drizzled some raw mustard oil on the top and we enjoyed it fresh with steamed rice, it can be had with roti I believe. 

If we refrigerate it, the colour darkens. I think we need not worry, the inside remains the same green. Students of Botany, Chemistry may know the reason.