BENGALI KHARKOL PATA RECIPES

SATISFACTION IS STARTING TO LOVE YOUR FAMILY'S RUSTIC RECIPES AT A RIPE AGE!

I started to love having the rustic family recipes at a ripe age may be because I relocated abroad. Post marriage when I learnt to cook, I cooked particularly Bengali Food. The son grew up having "shaak to patla macher jhol". The home cooked foreign dishes he ate were fish and chicken stew. In those days, I did not cook fancy stuffs except for chilli chicken and makhani matar paneer. To have party food, we frequented the Kolkata restaurants. Even after relocating here, we would eat out. Gradually, I started cooking from different cuisines, the man not a foodie prefer home cooked food, the only compliment he gives me. Once grown up, the son did not want to go out with us often, he preferred ordering food with his pocket money. Once he left home, I thought the two of us would go out for food ventures every weekend but the man is actually married to the television set and classy bottles, I am secondary. Whatever the situation is, I thoroughly enjoy cooking, it is never a compulsion. 

MY EATING ORDER CHANGED THIS MORNING!

For the last four years, I do intermittent fasting, Monday to Friday. My blood sugar level got controlled but my hanging belly, fat arms and thighs continue to thrive. I cannot control portion after an eighteen hours of fasting, neither can workout in beast mode. I am getting heavily bloated. Today, I took a break and let myself be. I had my morning tea with a slice of bread spread with ghee with a sprinkle of brown sugar.

I detest drinking tea or coffee without anything on the side. Here is my lunch bowl, "samo rice khichuri". 

I need to eat easily digestible food. Whenever there is a special prayer at home, I consume an excess of sugary, deep fried stuffs, specifically post Janmashtami. I want to have dinner together with the man, hence eat around 10 pm, that isn't right. While taking a heavenly bite at the ghee toast, I noticed my Hibiscus plants fetched five flowers today.

I used to enjoy my tea and coffee sessions, I hardly prepare my favourites nimki, malpoa now-a-days. In the midst of such heart burn, the watermelon popsicle gets me some pleasure.

WHAT IS BENGALI KHARKOL PATA RECIPES?

These recipes I cooked and clicked back in 2021-22, blogging about them got delayed. I thought let me share three recipes in a single blogpost. Bringing together all of the pictures was necessary, they lay scattered. Later we can again share them separately. Kharkol Pata is the leaf of a specific variety of yam / Taro, some call it Arum leaves. Seriously, we did not require to know it's English name all this while. I / We love it's Bharta, hence I planted them on my tiny hedge, they grow anywhere. Recently I uprooted them because they spread to other pots. May be later I would plant them again. Three recipes with Kharkol Pata has been compiled under the title BENGALI KHARKOL PATA RECIPES. One recipe is vegan and gluten-free, a bharta made of Nigella Seeds & Arum leaves, one is done with prawns and Arum leaves, the other is done with dried Bombay Duck fish and Arum leaves. The first of the three recipes is vegan, all of them are gluten-free.

Another Kharkol / Ghatkol Pata recipe from the Blog is this; KHARKOL PATA BATA

KHARKOL  PATA O KALOJEEREY BHORTA 

INGREDIENTS :

ARUM LEAF / KHARKOL PATA : A BUNCH

NIGELLA SEED / KALO JEERE : 1 TSP

ONION : 2 

GREEN CHILLI : 2-3

GARLIC CLOVE : 3-4

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 1 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Do not pick the plants from the roots, just cut halfway from the stems. The plants regrow. The leaves with stems are sold in the Bengali markets. 

Wash the leaves thoroughly and dry roast them for 3-4 minutes. We would wash and strain the nigella seeds too. 

We would peel and wash the onions, garlic, also the green chillies. We would blend together everything else except the oil, salt, turmeric powder, bayleaf and the dry red chilli.

We would heat the oil in a wok, temper with a pinch or two of nigella seeds, bayleaf and dry red chilli. 

We would add the green paste, turmeric powder, salt, stir-cook for 4-5 minutes at low heat. 

Enjoy it with peeping hot steamed rice.

KHARKOL PATA O LOTEY SHUTKIR BHORTA

INGREDIENTS :

ARUM LEAF : A BUNCH

DRIED BOMBAY DUCK FISH : 2-3

SLICED ONION : 3-4 TBSP

 GARLIC PASTE : 1 TBSP

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

BAYLEAF : 1

NIGELLA SEED : 2 PINCHES

DRY RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP

OIL : 2-3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

We would chop off the arum leaves midway from the stem leaving the roots, wash them thoroughly and roast taken in a wok for 3-4 minutes.

We would discard the heads and tails of the dried fish, cut into small pieces.

We would wash the fish pieces several times and soak in hot water for sometime, then drain the water.

We would heat the oil in a wok, temper it with the nigella seeds, dry red chilli and the bay leaf. 

We would add the garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

We would prepare a paste with the yam leaves and green chillies, add to the wok, stir cook for a minute or two.

Thereafter, we would add the dried fish pieces, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder. We would stir and cover it, let cook at low heat. 

After 6-7 minutes, we would remove the cover and stir cook it at low heat until it semi-dries.

Enjoy it with hot steamed rice.

KHARKOL PATA O CHINGRIR BHORTA

INGREDIENTS :

ARUM LEAF : A BUNCH

SMALL PRAWN : 8-10

SLICED ONION : 2-3 TBSP

GARLIC PASTE : 1 TBSP

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

NIGELLA SEED : A PINCH OR TWO

BAYLEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

TAMARIND JUICE : 2 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Clean, de-vein, de-shell totally the prawns. Wash them and marinate with salt and turmeric.

Discard the root end of the Arum leaves, wash them and roast taken in a wok. 

If you do not dry roast but paste directly, also not growing them at home; you have to use tamarind juice to remain safe, yam is known to cause us itching.

Paste together the chopped leaves, green chillies. 

Heat the oil in a wok, temper with the bayleaf, dry red chilli, nigella seeds.

Add sliced onion, garlic paste, salt, turmeric; stir cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the prawns discarding the marinade. Stir cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes, add the green paste and stir cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add the tamarind juice, adjust the salt if required, stir cook for 2 minutes. We are done.

 

I can have plateful of rice with each of these pastes / bhartas. Even my not much of a Bengali men would eat these, Cristine too, only says "such hot". Remember, you are to eat a little of the paste at a time with double the amount of rice.

 

BENGALI BHOLA MACH CHILLI MUSTARD CURRY

THIS WAS ON MY MIND FOR LONG!

I mean I was too happy to find Bhola Bhetki / Indian Jew Fish  / Indian Croaker Fish here; not frozen but fresh! Post pandemic, the supply got too irregular! Earlier, I used to get them locally too! Post pandemic, the local wet market does not remain the same; there were three fish vendors & two big vegetables shops! Now there are only one fish vendor & one vegetables shop; that wet market's meat shops I bought from rarely! In the floor above of this permanent wet market in our area, has a smaller market from where I buy chicken & vegetables regular, some days fish too from the three fish stalls that sell local sea fish varieties mostly! One day, I have to visit the big wet market at the Hougang Avenue 1, just beside my doctor's clinic! I have to check if I get Bhola Mach, Lote Mach there, it gets closed by the time I visit my doctor! There is no point buying from the Tekka market unless you are visiting there on a Saturday or Sunday morning! Hence, you would see me shopping from the local smaller market, Rajdhani Stores, Southern Indian stores! I miss here only my choice of river fish varieties! I come across some Thai or Myanmarese profiles where I see their fish markets filled with fresh, our kind of fish varieties, tyangra, pabda, bell, aar mach, koi, puti & few more! I wonder why they are not imported fresh here, a lot of Bengalis stay here who would not want to have those frozen river fish varieties!

I HAPPILY COOK A VARIETY OF RECIPES HENCE!

We actually do not mind having a Luchi-Cholar Dal, Bhature, Lemon Rice, Homemade Chicken Burger Meals hence! I cannot source enough variety & choice of fish to cook throughout the week! It is not a healthy habit to have mutton regular, that too is either lamb or mutton with too much of fat! Seriously, I enjoy a spicy kebab made with the cheapest variety of fish fillet! Only that, deep inside, I miss a freshly made macher jhol / fish curry made with my choice of fish! I get home from pomfret to sea-bass to salmon; Cristine, her Sir & the son love them! I have decided I would not accept any unknown fish & meat at this stage in life! I know how to cook a varied number of Bengali / Desi style vegetarian recipes, the problem is I cannot turn to be a full-fledged vegetarian! My brother gets upset or not, I like smaller prawns & vegetables dishes, Bengali style! Yesterday, our lunch was spinach+potato, egg curry & faux poppy seed bakes made with white sesame seeds; all Bengali style! I managed to click our dinner, ragi+refined flour flatbread, light chicken curry, raita!

These days, I store only one variety of millet flour at a time, next I would get Bajra flour! This works well for us, we cannot live in a world of millet made kebabs to curry, neither do I wish to discard them totally! Had I have known about them two decades back, our son need not have to survive on "chirey, muri, khoi, bhaat" for some three years! I miss that extremely busy life with him, how every day we travelled 22km+22km to & fro his school, I wished for some me time in that busy schedule! Today, I crave to see him, only once in a year I get to! It feels disgusted!

WHAT IS THIS BENGALI BHOLA FISH CHILLI MUSTARD CURRY?

This wasn't amongst our family fish until one day in my teens, our mother got it home! It was a winter morning probably, because the brother & moi loved the curry made with the raw fish & fresh coriander paste! Both fresh coriander & this fish was available during the winters in those days! In the present day, those we get throughout the year! The fish comes in different shapes & colour; I love the below variety, the picture is sourced from the internet!

I do not know why it is called Indian Jew Fish, it is Bhola or Poa in Bengali which is not exactly Barramundi or Asian Sea-Bass! May be they belong to the same Croaker family & are cousins! In the pre-pandemic times, Singapore wet markets sold them fresh & that made me happy! Now a days, they are rarely seen! I just do not get at least some choice of fresh fish! I dug out these pictures from the album, a gluten-free Bengali style fish curry done with a choice of fish; BENGALI BHOLA MACH CHILLI MUSTARD CURRY! Well, I went down for a swim, back home took a shower, did the afternoon prayer & ate a huge meal!

I love noodles so much so that at times I would have it tossed in some butter, salt, crushed black pepper! Adding the peanuts did not make me happy, the family never did! The mango Swiss roll tasted heavenly, that our daughter like Wisha got us last Saturday! These days, I do not mention in public who got us what or what I take for people, it might create pressure on others, send a wrong message I do not intend to!

Few other Bengali recipes from my blog are; SUGAR FREE LUCHIR PAYESH, CHINGRI ALOO PEPER DALNA, MUSHUR DAL ER BORA, BENGALI STYLE LIGHT CHICKEN CURRY

INGREDIENTS :

BHOLA BHETKI / INDIAN JEW / INDIAN CROAKER FISH PIECE : 7-8

BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 1 TBSP

GREEN CHILLI : 5-6 [CHOOSE YOUR'S]

CHOPPED FRESH CORIANDER : 1 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

KALONJI / KALOJEEREY / NIGELLA SEED : 1/4 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

I like this fish's orange-red variety that is not flat shaped but the elongated ones; that tastes better to me! It definitely belong to the Croaker family!

Cut half each fish, clean the stomach! It has a lot of scales, get rid of them well! Wash well, re-check if all of the scales are gone!

Marinate the fish pieces with salt & turmeric for some 10-12 minutes!

We need to soak the mustard seeds in water for 1/2 an hour! Strain, wash and blend the mustard seeds to a paste along with some salt, ice-cubes & the green chillies!

The salt & ice-cubes do not let the paste turn bitter! Do the paste only 5 minutes before cooking, else the heat of the mustard vanishes!

Heat the oil in the wok & lightly fry the fish pieces, take out! 

Temper the same oil with the nigella seeds & a bayleaf! Add the mustard paste and stir for half a minute! Add 1&1/2 coffee mug of water & bring to a boil!

After the curry has boiled for 2-3 minutes in low heat, add the lightly fried fish pieces, cover cook for 3-4 minutes!

Add some chopped & washed coriander leaves, adjust the salt if required & take down! 

It is to be enjoyed only with plain rice!

 

PRAWN & CHICKEN NOODLES

NOODLES IS TOO MUCH OF A FAVOURITE!

I do not even require such frills in a noodle dish; prawns & chicken, this & that! I / We love our noodle bowls the desi way, to be precise the very middle class Bengali way using potatoes, onion, eggs! Well, in the present day, I would love a burnt garlic tossed noodle dish too! We cannot have our noodles overpowered by too many sauces & ingredients! The reason why I cook our preferred style of noodles! I wish to cook it regular but rice, chapati, dal, fish, meat, veggies; that is Bengali style meals come in between! Ever since the son went to his college & I started doing an intermittent fasting, I keep thinking I need not shop for raw materials every week, I mean fish, meat & vegetables! The amount of dry ingredients we store at home, we can make spaghetti one day & noodles on the other, a litti one day & dal-bata-churma on the other, radhaballabhi thereafter! Another day, I can cook a khichuri! I can have a choice of vegetarian meal for few days, the man needs non-vegetarian food regular! Like some communities, I can have potatoes as the only vegetable option but I do not allow myself! Also it is wrong to have too much of potatoes! The wide array of choice vegetables I must have!

FEELING FESTIVE, I THOUGHT OF ADDING SOME FRILLS TO OUR OTHERWISE REGULAR NOODLE BOWL!

I am not sure about the son, he used to order local noodles too whilst his stay with us, now too he must be! But my otherwise "foreign" man, who loves his steaks & sashimi with chopsticks & octopus fries too, would ask me to cook noodles with lots of eggs, onion, potato with a hint of vinegar! I may add the crunch of fresh spring onions to that! Our mothers did add carrots & green peas to noodles during the winters! You know people, some weeks I have to skip doing "Bengali Bazaar Ghat" & cook a noodle bowl or "roti-prata" or "khichuri-aloor dom" for the family! The idea is not to save money, it is also about cooking & serving fresh & hot! The son is young, mumma loved serving him a variety of food! We do not need too much of food given our age! The thing is I love to cook, the blog is going through updates, our kitchen is always busy, chirpy, happy! Your's truly has few interests in life; cooking & a bit of music!

WHAT IS THIS PRAWN & CHICKEN NOODLES?

It is common to add chicken & prawn in the making of a noodle bowl! Here in South East Asia, they heavily do it! I added chicken mince instead of boneless cubes & totally de-shelled the prawns! The son was not around when I made it, he would not eat a prawn with shell! A little bit of shell in prawn enhances it's taste! I would not touch a prawn whose black, long thing from it's back & the dirt from it's head are not removed! I avoid having prawns outside unless it is completely clear of shells! I like a prawn dish here, an Oriental way of cuisine perhaps; where a de-shelled prawn is blanched, tossed in selective sauces & served! The man's company's Dine&Dance yearly party is approaching towards the end of November, I look forward for the seven course Oriental menu! But this gluten-free, non-vegetarian noodle dish PRAWN & CHICKEN NOODLES borne out from my mind! You can see in the stepwise pictures how simply, with few ingredients I cooked it!

Few other similar recipes to try from my Blog are : NOODLES..... A DESI TOUCH, FUSILLI FRUIT BOWL, MIXED SAUCE NOODLES!

INGREDIENTS :

NOODLE : 300-350 GM

CHICKEN MINCE : 200 GM

PRAWN : 200-250 GM [MEDIUM SIZED]

CHOPPED SPRING ONION : 2-3 TBSP

CUBED ONION : A BOWLFUL

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TSP

MINCED GARLIC : 1 TBSP

MINCED GINGER : 1 TSP

CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1/2 TSP

SOY SAUCE : 2 TBSP

VINEGAR : 2-3 TBSP

SESAME OIL : 2 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2-3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

The following is how I prepare the noodles! I do not boil them but soak in hot water, a little of salt & oil added to it for 3-4 minutes! Thereafter, I I strain & wash it well, toss in a little of oil!

The chicken mince I washed & marinated with salt for half n hour & washed again! This helps to remove any raw smell from it! Then I marinated it with a little of salt & black pepper!

The prawns did I completely de-shelled, cleaned & washed thoroughly, marinated with a little of salt & black pepper!

Cristine cut, chopped, minced & washed all of the vegetables required!

I heated some oil in a wok & added the ginger & garlic mince! Neither I or Cristine can mince in the real sense! Giving a stir for few seconds, I added the marinated chicken mince, washed & chopped green chillies & stir cooked in high heat for 4-5 

minutes!

We would add the marinated prawns sans the marinade & stir cook in high heat for 2-3 minutes!

We would add the washed, peeled & cubed onions, soy sauce, crushed black pepper, vinegar, salt & stir cook at high for 2 minutes! We would add the washed & chopped spring onions and give a stir!

We would then add the noodles, sesame oil & use two ladles to mix the entire thing! We would then transfer it to a bowl, garnish with some fresh spring onions & enjoy!

DHONEPATA KANCHALANKA LEBU PATA POMFRET

IT IS 7:30 PM; I HAVE JUST STARTED WITH MY BLOGPOST!

As I have told you earlier I am not irritated having to do the household chores! That I am unable to manage time, organise myself is what is making me furious! Actually, all my old blog pictures are causing me irritation! How could I miss the reflections in the pictures here & there,  with no focus? It is not possible to change all of the pictures, I can at least do some editing! This editing & refurbishing the blogposts in between doing the house chores are jeopardising the time management part! What is making me sad is the fact I am unable to go out for a proper fitness regime! Although, I do only walking & swimming, I do them without any fail from Monday through Friday! That is not happening but my eating spree has not lessened! This morning I did Bread Pulao again & see the amount! I have sent some to a neighbourhood home but do not know if they would enjoy it!

I DID NOT GET TO SIT FOR A WHILE TODAY!

I did a pav bread today & a vegan & gluten-free millet halwa too! I would be going to the Mustafa area tomorrow & won't be getting millets for quite sometime! The rest at home do not enjoy, and the Neogi family gave us big packets of sattu / chatu / roasted gram flour before leaving for Abu Dhabi! Their son is also our responsibility now! He had Dengue last November, he stayed with us for a week! Thereafter, I am unable to feed him for a single day, he is just not visiting us or letting me send Cristine to his nearest MRT with some home cooked Bengali Food! Girls are way easier to handle, specially those like Wisha, she would meet me at intervals, let me talk uninterrupted to her! But she would not give me more than 2-3 hours! Though we plan to meet once every month, it gets delayed! Let Cristine come, I wish to call this boy & girl together, how much of fun it would be! I would have been happy & content had our son got a second family there! But we have support for an emergency, the father's long time friend's daughter Gargi! She works in a bank & too tied up with two daughters! She wished to meet me on our last visit, we just could not! She assured me they would be there for any emergency! My cousin sister left that state, then a friend got me introduced to his cousin sister there! I remain too worried about the son & it is to stay for life! Oh! Let me cook some rice & heat up the food! The pav bread we can have tomorrow, bread at both meals is abnormal for a Bengali! This Mumma's worries lie there, her son mostly survives on cereals, milk, breads! Where is the time for him to cook? He orders online too but he is a student, lives a budgeted life! Mumma can feel everything, he was always served hot, mostly mumma cooked food while here, its about to be three years he left home! 

WHAT IS THIS DHONEPATA KANCHALANKA LEBU PATA POMFRET?

The son, T & Cristine like Pomfret, any variety of, I cannot have! Because it was black pomfret, I had problem cooking it too given it's too smelly! My folks enjoy fleshy, boneless or less boney fish varieties, they do not mind if it is a sea-fish or a fresh water one! I am too rigid & choosy about having fish, I would either have few fillet varieties or those I grew up eating! On some days, I can still have smaller sized silver pomfrets, not always! Sunday, I would show you what fish I would cook tomorrow night! Saturday I have other engagements! In some selective upscale markets in Kolkata, Black Pomfret is sold! We have always stayed in the suburbs of Kolkata, our wet markets are abuzz with fresh water fish, of different sizes & varieties! Okay, silver pomfret is sold in every market! Why would I have any interest in sea fish? In this island, Black Pomfret is way cheaper, 15-16$ per kilogram at this time but each fish are big sized! Those who are unlike me are bound to enjoy it! I have  used coriander leaves paste in this gluten-free fish curry recipe, DHONEPATA KANCHALANKA LEBU PATA POMFRET! You can see the fish is quite fresh, just that such sea fish curries do not generate any interest in me! Then, we are to rise above our selves at times! Mumma wants to wrap up, she had quite bit of workload today!

She cooks or does not cook, there are always piles of utensils to wash!

INGREDIENTS : 

BLACK POMFRET FISH STEAK : 5-6

FRESH CORIANDER LEAF PASTE : 1 MEDIUM TEA CUP FULL

GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 1 TBSP

SLICED ONION : 3-4 TBSP

GARLIC PASTE : 2 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP

KHAFFIR LIME LEAF : 2-3

SALT : AS REQUIRED

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP

BAY LEAF : 1

OIL : 4-5 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Get the fish steaks cut by your fish vendor! Wash them well! Marinate with a good amount of salt & keep for an hour! Thereafter wash under running water well!

Again marinate with some salt & turmeric! Heat the oil in a wok & lightly fry the fish steaks, do not deep fry! Take out!

In the remaining oil, add the nigella seeds & a bay leaf! Give a stir & add the washed onion slices & fry until golden brown! Add the garlic paste & stir cook at low heat for 2-3 minutes, add 1 1/2 coffee mug of water!

When the gravy starts boiling, add half of the chilli-coriander leaves paste & the lemon leaves! Let boil for few minutes!

Add the lightly fried fish steaks now & let simmer for 5-6 minutes at low heat! Thereafter add the rest of the coriander paste & salt to adjust! Give a stir & let cook for a minute at low heat! We should be done!

 

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, tomorrow too I would go to the Indian Market! Once done, it was 12 pm, I called Cristine at the traffic junction, handed over the trolley to her and went for a walk without my bag pack, water bottle, wet wipe tissues and my headphone. Yet I covered a good distance!

If you look at my step length and 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 and the branch of a flowering plant from the roadside, not from anyone's property! This mental state of mine may seem  alarming to others, it is 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 and 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 and tension! You are also silly and stupid if you expect the bread winner to ignore work and sing lullaby for you! Back home, within two hours, I had a late lunch with the sour fish curry, lentils and bitter gourd-mixed vegetables, boiled brown rice-red quinoa mix! 

I AM AGING SUPER FAST; A 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 and 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! 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 and 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! 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 and 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 that 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 and chilli-mustard paste. 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' homes. 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 to 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 fish fillets readily 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 and cooked on stovetop! I was to update an older blogpost! What to do with the extra cuts from the shaped fish pieces and 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 much of outdoor works, from banking to the 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 :

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 and ice-cubes; the last two do not allow the paste get bitter!

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

We would scrap the flesh and 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 of the vegetable!

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

Then we are to heat the oil in a wok and 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 and onion; fry until brown! 

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

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

Once the filling cooled; Cristine stuffed 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 cooked Kali Dal and  Bandhakopir Ghonto also on that day!