SOME DAYS I HAVE TO RISE ABOVE MY MENTAL BLOCK AND DECIDE TO BLOG ABOUT THE RUSTIC VEGETARIAN DISHES!
I do have a mental block with regards to the recipe that would go to the blog, it has to be something the son and the man would want to have. This however deviates me from the primary motive of blogging about the Family Bengali Recipes or just Bengali Recipes. There is another reason why I do not want to call myself a Bengali Food Blogger; I became friends with people from different parts of the world; I do not wish to confine myself to my community, I am against grouping. The men are not typical Bengali, they are cosmopolitan, be it food or their way of life. Coming to that mental block, you see I am using "Poppins" font today, those who know us would understand this. My question is are the duo at this home equally bothered about me?
YESTERDAY, I SUCCESSFULLY MADE SATTU PARATHA!
After two failed attempts at Bread Gulab Jamun and a Microwave made Mutton Rice, that success was a necessity for a sound sleep. I know only few things to do, that too if I do not do well how would I survive?
We did enjoy the mutton rice but the mutton and the rice seemed hard to me. Cristine ate it sometime back and says, "ma'am it tasted such good, why did you delete the stepwise pictures?" I just wish to use a better quality of mutton on bone! When you do not get a satisfactory result after a lot of effort, you feel exhausted, yet I went ahead with the spiced roasted gram flour stuffed flatbreads. After few attempts, last night I got them right. I loved my meal, the man too I believe. He is diplomatic, he loves both biryani kind of meals and handmade breads. He would not comment if both are not made equally good. Our mother never made sattu stuffed paratha, the grandma never knew about it. We ate sattu / chatu with puffed rice, banana, sugar. In the recent years, I have embraced dosa, different stuffed paratha kind of stuffs.
WHAT ARE THESE BENGALI RECIPES ACTUALLY; SHOJNE DATAR TORKARI, MAAN KOCHU BATA, KOLMI SHAAK BHAJA, SHOJNE DATAR JHOL?
The above mentioned are the homely Bengali regular vegetarian dishes, they are vegan and gluten-free too. Today, I wished to blog about a couple of the vegetarian recipes I grew up having. I never did want them in my life, I was force fed. Only in the recent years I have started enjoying the vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free recipes that I have seen being cooked in the family, at friends' or at the relatives' homes. I do enjoy recipes from other cuisines. Let us cook the Family recipes all of which REGULAR BENGALI RECIPES like the SHOJNE DATAR TORKARI, MAAN KOCHU BATA, KOLMI SHAAK BHAJA, SHOJNE DATAR JHOL. The other Bengali Homes would have more or less the same recipes for these.
SHOJNE DATAR TORKARI
INGREDIENTS :
DRUMSTICK : 2-3
PUMPKIN : 1/2 OF A SMALL SIZED
POTATO : 1
DRY RED CHILLI : 2
GREEN CHILLI : 1
NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP
BAYLEAF : 1
TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1/2 TSP
OIL : 2 TSP
PROCEDURE :
This vegan, gluten-free, Bengali regular vegetables dish can use a variety of vegetables. I have used only the pumpkin, potato and drumsticks. I think I was running out of the eggplants on the day I cooked it.
Thinly take out the skin of the drumsticks discarding the two ends of each of the sticks. Cut them lengthwise and wash.
Wash the potato well, we need not peel it! Cut it into 8 pieces.
Peel off the pumpkin and cube as much as required, like 8-9 pieces.
Wash all of the vegetables again, drain the water.
Marinate the vegetables with some salt and turmeric. Keep aside for 4-5 minutes.
Heat the oil in a wok, temper with the bayleaf, halved dry red chillies and the nigella seeds.
Add the marinated vegetables along with the marinade. Give a stir and cover cook at the minimal heat.
Every 3-4 minutes, remove the cover and give a stir.
Once the vegetables are almost cooked, remove the cover, add the washed and slitted green chilli and the sugar. Stir and let cook at minimal heat for another 2-3 minutes. We should be done.
MAAN KOCHU BATA
INGREDIENTS :
SHREDDED COCONUT : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 1 TBSP
GREEN CHILLI : 4-5 [CHOOSE YOURS']
SALT : AS REQUIRED
MUSTARD OIL : 2 TBSP
PROCEDURE :
This is no cook Taro Root paste, vegan & gluten-free. Here is how every Bengali Home would do it. The veteran Family women or every Bengali women in those days would do it in a "shil-nora", a specific variety of a mortar & pestle, that was good enough exercise for their arms and they did not require dumbbells. Till date I could not use a "boti" and "shil-nora", I use knife for cutting and my blender for doing the pastes.
We have to peel off the taro root, wear gloves for the purpose, cut it into smaller pieces and wash well.
We would wash and soak the mustard seeds in water for an hour. Take it in the blender with some salt and the washed green chillies. If you are doing it in a blender, you do need the soaked water, about 1/2 small tea cup.
We would blend them to a fine paste, add the shredded coconut, again blend to a paste.
Thereafter, we would add the small cubed taro root, blend it to a paste. If we are doing it in a blender, you would get this watery texture, if done in a "shil-nora", they take the taro root paste in a piece of clean, white cloth and squeeze the water. After that, they paste together the mustard seeds+chillies+the shredded coconut and add to the taro root paste.
We pasted everything in the blender, right? We will take it in a bowl, adjust the salt and garnish with the mustard oil. You may add a little of sugar while pasting.
KOLMI SHAAK / KANGKONG : 300-400 GM
GREEN CHILLI : 2
GARLIC CLOVE : 3-4
DRY RED CHILLI : 1-2
BAY LEAF : 1
NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
Oil : 2 tbsp
PROCEDURE :
The yesteryear ladies finely chopped the spinach in a "boti", that was no less than an artwork. Our mother till date does not allow anyone to cut the vegetables, she does not like. Our Cristine does a decent job with the knife.
We are to discard the root end of the spinach stalks, then chop as finely as possible. We would take the chopped Spinach in a colander and wash thoroughly. Let the water drain away.
We would heat the oil in a wok and temper it with the crushed garlic, bayleaf, nigella seeds and the halved dry red chillies. We will give it a stir.
We will add the washed spinach to the wok, turmeric and some salt, then cover.
Once the spinach starts releasing water and a lot of it, we would stir it and cook uncovered at low heat for 5-6 minutes. We would add the washed and slitted green chillies and give a stir. We would cook it until all of the water dries up. We can adjust the salt if required towards the end.
Our mother always boiled and discarded the water of the spinach and then added it to the tempering and cooked further until dry. I do not cook it that way.
SHOJNE DATAR JHOL
INGREDIENTS :
DRUMSTICK : 2-3
POTATO : 1 BIG SIZED
EGGPLANT : 1 MEDIUM SIZED
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP
NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP
GREEN CHILLI : 2+1
RED CHILLI : 1
BAY LEAF : 1
MUSTARD SEED : 1 TSP
OIL : 2 TBSP
PROCEDURE :
This is another vegan and gluten-free recipe. Thinly take off the skin of the drumsticks discarding the two ends, cut them finger length.
Keep the potato skin on, cut into 8 pieces. Also cube the eggplants.
Wash them thoroughly and marinate with the salt & turmeric. Keep aside for 3-4 minutes.
Wash and soak the mustard seeds in water for an hour. Blend together with 3 green chillies and the salt. Get a smooth paste of them.
Heat the oil in a wok and temper it with the nigella seeds, bayleaf and the halved dry red chillies.
Add the marinated vegetables except the eggplants along with the marinade. Give a stir and cover cook at minimal heat for 5-6 minutes.
Once the drumsticks and the potato pieces are 60% done, add the eggplants and cook for 3-4 minutes, covered.
Remove the cover, add the mustard paste, take a cup of water in the same bowl and add to the wok. Add one or two washed and slitted green chillies. Give a stir, adjust the salt if required.
Cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes. We should be done.
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