KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE ECHOR

I was wondering for quite sometime that besides an "niramish echorer dalna".... "echor chingri"..... "echorer kofta".... what else can we do with echor... that is raw jackfruit! It is during this time of the year that Bengal markets are flooded with raw jackfruits.... our mothers used to cut it all by themselves which required great efforts.... These days Kolkata too has made things easier... The sellers sit with a "boti" and cut it for you once you pay.... Our mother is a perfectionist, she only gets a whole or the skin cut and rest of the cutting part she does herself.... We get it here in this island both as a whole and in pieces.... fresh but packaged! Buying whole is economical but I cannot use a "boti" neither our Cristine can.... we both use knife... so I buy fresh, cut ones.... You see even cut raw jackfruit need some treatments before cooking.... the seeds need to be taken out and its skin is to be discarded, the tip of the pieces are to be trimmed! I must tell you and many of you already know that all the effort is worth it. 

This time I prepared the raw jackfruit with a spice paste which is not common at Bengali homes. Now, our generation is not that much stuck to authenticity.... we try and test everything that suit our tastebuds! I have seen 'raw jackfruit korma' to 'shahi kathal' in different food groups.... most of the time I do not follow a particular recipe which may require buying ingredients worth 50 dollars........ instead I will buy five jilipis for 5 dollars and then come out sobbing from a clothing store... none of them fit in given the standard of this island.... I have to hug the slogan "saree tomatei purna hoy nari"..... People around also do not love me.... they have to allure me with something I wish to give a blind eye to, say a jilipi!.... Why they cannot share pictures of zucchini salad.... carrot juice... beet smoothie.... uff, I will worship those bodies but cannot have a drop of it.... I will pour the beet smoothie in a wok.... boil to reduce, add kheer / mawa and cardamom powder towards the end and call it beet sandesh / halwa! Anyway, since I will not buy some extra ingredients for one dish, I will prepare this KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE ECHOR with available ingredients at home.... 

I may tell you this is an awesome vegetarian option that you can cook for the family or for your visiting guests as a vegetarian side besides the other non vegetarian items. My men like this as it tastes almost like mutton. I feel happy if they are happy..... like it feels good to see the husband behaving normal. Since Sunday evening he is not only talking work and watching CNN, CNBC, BBC NEWS, those violent shows in FOX CRIME that I cannot tolerate, he is taking interest in normal things like rejoicing at his name been included in his college group. We just met his college friend at our very own Sanak and Nibedita Chattopadhay's home.... they were not in touch and it was so sudden. This lady actually lives in the Bay Area of San Francisco and they were here for two years, now leaving!.... All this while the danseuse Nibedita used to tell me about one Piali Mukherjee who is very nice and helpful, whose kids used to dance in her troop... Nritya Chanda! How do we know that she would be my husband's college mate? 

I saw my husband quite relaxed talking past.... I really wished that they stay here and do not go back. I could have called them this month to our home instead of July! I did not.... I do not understand social media norms but I maintain protocols in real life.... as much as possible or required! Sanak-Nibedita are going to Kolkata and I will wait for them to be back because it is for them that my husband got to meet his friend..... I did not exchange phone number with Piali.... why? Its too early to do that.... it is my husband who is her friend ... I am here to call and treat his friend Piali and her family royally because we do not know if we are going to meet again or not.... they are going back to their present home which is thousands of miles far or may be I do not wish to travel to that land ever 😊. I am happy that I have a month long time to decide on the menu... what should be the starters? The non vegetarian mains? The dessert? Should the vegetarian dishes be this KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE ECHOR or kancha kolar kofta or dhokar dalna?.... I value all my guests alike! Besides a newly found Piali who managed to include my weird husband in different friends groups, there is also a Nibedita's husband Sanak who omitted the first two letters of my name, added an extra at the end and calls me "maa".... I keep some people in the warmth of my heart!

For this vegetarian bliss called KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE ECHOR, I used "charmogoj".... melon seeds, cashew nut, raisins in the paste, a generous amount of tomato paste.... So you can see it is neither korma nor a shahi item.... its just itself.... a pleasure to have with steamed rice and should go very well with roti / prata! The senior loved it, the son had it too given mumma mixed it well with the rice with few drops of lemon juice added. At every meal with rice, we have to have lemon. I read somewhere, smokers should have more of lemon juice.... ever since his rice plate has to have a big piece.... Lemon juice also helps to prevent cough & cold often. The latter is a proven fact.... earlier when the son would catch cold... I used to feed him a table spoonful of lemon juice mixed with 2 pinches of pepper powder and 1tsp honey... 3 times a day! It works wonder, I did not depend much on cough syrups! Now that the toddler has turned in to a tailed teen, he does not listen to me at all.... 

Both men are weird of whom the junior is more.... he keeps his bedroom window closed at all times not letting natural air and light coming in..... he will not go for outdoor games.... the father will not say anything.... hence, he catches cold every month. I am a total failure as a mother.... or a wife..... How about you? You have built disciplined homes I believe where people go by certain rules! You can well include this vegetarian side KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE ECHOR in your family menu plan or for your visiting guests. You can see I also cooked some chicken, 'beulir dal' and 'laal shaaker ghonto'..... Had it being for visiting guests, I would have changed the daal to "fulkopi-motorshuti diye moong dal".... chicken to "dahi murg" or "doi mutton".... a prawn or "shorshe bata salmon".... chutney, two more veggie dishes and off course 3-4 starters, 2 desserts!.... Its a food blogger's home which should have the word food written in the walls.... Besides cooking, this lady knows nothing.... she cannot make pot pies either for her guests.... what if Bianca visits her home some day? Instant Idli, butter chicken with naan, salads and wine of her choice "can can lah!".... She cannot go from this home insulting fish... so she has to have macher chop and baked fish or I may force her to have a "fish fillet er kalia"..... though I know she will not take the risk of getting me "hasher tatka dim" from her farm... If you allow me to talk, I may not stop... lets cook and share. This semi-dry curry is quite easy to cook but getting the jackfruit ready to cook takes some time..... I do not stay in that "bahargaon".... I will not buy tinned food.... How is it so that a country do not have enough wet markets .... then buy from the farmer's market... When Piali's husband told "we at times drive 20-25 miles to dine at a restaurant".... I was about to faint... and whispered "dada e jonmey aar apner bari dekha holona"....

INGREDIENTS :

Raw Jackfruit : 500gm [buy skin off but fresh if possible]
Cashew Nut : 8-10
Raisin : 6-8
Melon Seed : 1tsp
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Onion Paste : 2tbsp
Tomato Paste : 1small cup
Red Chilli Powder : 2tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 two inch stick
Clove : 3-4
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Bay Leaf : 1
Sugar : 1/2tsp [optional]
Salt : As Required
Oil : 3-4tbsp

PROCEDURE :

I definitely had to provide pictures for the jackfruit cleaning process, but it was cooked on a Saturday morning.... I cook 8-10 other dishes too!

Ok, I always buy fresh but packaged jackfruit. You still need to spend some time to clean and cut it into shapes.

The first thing we will do is to apply mustard oil on our two palms and the knife, else the juice released can give trouble to be removed.

Cut the jackfruit pieces further into smaller, square shapes. Take out the seeds and get rid of the skin... its yellowish. Trim the tip of each piece. Oh! my English... so horrible!

When we are cutting the jackfruit, we will sit with a vessel full of water. Just cut and drop them in the vessel.... else they get pale and black may be.

This will take some 20 minutes. Wash and pass the water through a strainer.

Fill the vessel again with water. Add the jackfruit pieces, salt and turmeric!

Boil at medium heat, covered for 7-8 minutes. Let cool and throw the water... use a strainer... raw jackfruit is precious for us... not a piece to be wasted.

Heat oil in a wok! Rub the boiled jackfruit pieces with little salt and turmeric and fry lightly in batches... take out!

Temper oil with a bayleaf, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms and cloves! Add the onion paste and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the ginger paste and fry for a minute or little more. Add the tomato paste and keep stirring for 2-3 minutes. When the oil separates from the spice mixture.... add some salt, turmeric and the chilli powder. Mix very well and stir for a minute.

Add the lightly fried jackfruit pieces and fold in well. Cover the wok and put the oven at minimum heat.

Wash the melon seeds, cashew nuts and raisins taking in a strainer. Adding little water, blend them together to a paste.

After 5 minutes, remove cover and add 11/2 medium cup of water to the wok and give a quick stir. Cover cook at the lowest heat for 3-4 minutes.

Open cover and add the cashew nut-raisin and melon seed paste, sugar. Fold in well and cook covered for another 3-4 minutes at minimum heat.

Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with steamed rice or roti / prata / paratha.

ALOOR PUR BHORA LANKAR BORA

That the primates in this family eat unhealthy is well known to the readers by now! This ALOOR PUR BHORA LANKAR BORA was a part of a meal including the ural dal fry & chapati! At the best, I can do that much ... combine unhealthy dishes with the healthy ones! May you know that the sushi-sashimi & steak loving husband is revolting not only for me cooking too much but complaining that his wife cooks spicy as well! ... The son eats, our friends eat... only he has a problem.... I will not change till the son ventures out of home.... though I do not know how to live a single day without him.... The thought of the son having food outside everyday or cooking "dal sheddo-aloo sheddo-dim sheddo" for himself gets me into tears! Given the prolonged, mental illness I suffer from, I know I will spend sleepless nights thinking.... "did he switch off the gas oven properly?" 

When I face the above, it is the husband then who will be my support, come on trust me I consider him as my biggest confidant.... what I do not like is that he is turning like his father who thinks anything except "kancha lanka bata jhol" is bad for the stomach.... Every day the same boring food could not save their stomach either .... they live within 2 km from our Kolkata home.... but my mother has to come from Barrackpore to clean our home "each" time.... for the rest of the time while it comes to "claims".... people do not hesitate to say "its our son's home".... Each time I got "my" parents to stay with me for few days, my husband's parents got upset, felt insecure and they had to express it in front of the very "sensitive" me! I visit my in-law's home  "on duty" call.... with cooked and packed food, gifts, essentials and for some evening or morning tea & chitchat .... You must treat your daughter the best, who knows what is waiting for her in future....But they are growing old, with them I too; I try not to hold old grudges, they are not nasty people!

I never did allow my mother to poke her nose when it comes to discharging "duty" towards my in laws.... It is true that "their son" gifted me a good life.... So, I love a girl child but not at the cost of my son.... he is the "prime" in my life unless he is causing any harm to a girl! For imparting such lessons including not to fall for girls online in kinder chats and its likes ... I need to sit with him for sessions of vocal tonic.... for this I urged the rebel husband to arrange meetings with our rebel son 😰.... though he does not have a problem having mumma made vegetarian snacks ALOOR PUR BHORA LANKAR BORA! 

I am not going ahead with meat and fish shares today too.... may be I am waiting for the occasion of "Jamaisashti".... In this 31/2 years of blogging, I made no special posts on Jamaishashti.... I find it very wrong with no "boushashti".... around.... I do not know about others... but in most Bengali homes... you can see clear the discrimination in behaviour towards the son-in-law and the daughter-in-law.... The discriminated treatment of the daughter and daughter-in-law is wide open in most cases .... what is very wrong with the daughter-in-law becomes perfect when it comes to the daughter.... 

Our mother is not allowed to do that... she got dependant on her son and daughter-in-law who are so dutiful that she herself does not complain "much".... A person who keeps herself too busy has no time for complaints either! Yet, I am unable to go ahead with a meat share for my little brother today too, he will always remain a "littler" to me.... I will always wish to see his Kimi and cricket shares on his stream.... because he is nothing else but that.... He and his likes have to understand the truth.... The truth is in the pictures below.... Just an hour back it was BBC News happening at this home... it was featuring some real life stories... of where?... well... particularly of the so called "India's enemy country".... Religious extremists on both sides are actually destroying the structure of their own country.... else everything else is just two sides of a coin.... Isn't this Child Labour a menace? 

Isn't the situation same in the entire sub-continent? Then why do we fight over the wrong issues? This boy Akhtar who was tortured to death at his master's house could be an Akhil too! The kids as small as them are sent to work out of poverty... who will teach their parents about birth control if we are busy spreading hatred based on religion? Are human lives any less important than the other species? I am not against the four legged "thingis"... oh! how beautiful are the eyes of a doe or how painful it is to see a caged bird! None of us or very few do pay attention to the need of the hour... it is not overdose of religion but the right amount of education that makes us wise humans.... Well, the moms are not in the picture... may be they were crying mad inside their homes...

Hundreds of Akhtar / Akhil / Ayesha / Ahana die tortured... that requires to be stopped.... You are not a "sit at home and giving big talks" kind of superfluous lady and you work silently for them just as a Madhuchanda Dey Ghosh of Mumbai does! The couple donate fat amounts to Pondicherry Ashram too.... There need not be any fight between a cause and one's own belief... if we can be wise! Watching BBC News made the atmosphere heavy... a Sunday morning and the television is switched off.... No, angels do not stay at this home... I just remember a teen boy and a girl walking towards a bank... the boy has to pay his sister's school fees... The girl says "T tor panjabi ta chera".... T your kurti is torn.... T said "the bank is not bothered about it... they want that money.... one day I will have fatter pockets".... Today, he is smoking B&H one after another! The now middle aged woman says.... once the son settles down .... we must do something to recover the lost pride.... We cannot die without  contributing a little something to the society.... Can we? 

Thoughts and wishes are to be nourished alongside the regular household chores.... of which cooking is one.... hence, the easy and yum recipe of ALOOR PUR BHORA LANKAR BORA is to be shared.... Besides weight watchers, every one else will grab at least two... This snack or appetiser is not an authentic Bengali thing, I named it so because it is done at this Bengali home often.... also I enjoy doing some "dushtumi" at times.... do not bother much about anything that does not harm others! We get a variety of chillies here, this been one... Do not ask me to name them.... I am not my expert friends. What I would say is that I use this big, fat, red variety of chilli for both pickle and pakoras. They are not at all hot, I discard the seeds too! So, they can be had by little growing up kids... I do not understand this part because I started feeding our son our kind of food at a very tender age! Do not feed them kichdi and porridge all the time.... they have tastebuds too! Lets do it and enjoy having! Keep yourself so busy, so occupied, so positive that you do not feel like destroying your life.... Why should that stage come in your life when you do not find anything interesting around? It does come for some.... but it has to be overcome.... What are you all doing today? We have a party to attend.... and I have to bake a cake!

By the way, my Coriander Poori recipe gets updated with new pictures.... Do have a look clicking the heading / link!

CORIANDER POORI

INGREDIENTS : [for the batter]

Gram Flour : 1medium cup

Rice Flour : 1/4small cup

Salt : As Required

Water : As Required

Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp

Sugar : 1/2tsp [optional]

Oil : 2-3 drops

Baking Soda : 2pinch

INGREDIENTS : [for the filling]

Boiled Potato : 2medium

Chat Masala : 1tsp

Dry Mango Powder : 1tsp

Carom Seed : 1/4tsp

Turmeric Powder : 2-3pinch

Black Salt : As Required

Lemon Juice : 2-3tbsp

THE FINAL STAGE :

The Big, Fat, Red Variety of Chilli : 8-10 

The Assorted Filling

The Batter

Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp

Lemon Juice : 2tbsp

Salt : As Required

Oil : To deep fry

PROCEDURE :

Boil the potatoes as you wish... wash, half, take in a pot and boil on stove top or pressure cook at low up to 1 whistle! If you are a diabetic like me, wash the potatoes, prick with a fork and microwave at high for 3-4 minutes. Thereafter, let them cool, peel, wash again and mash.

In the mashed potato.... add black salt, turmeric, carom seeds, chat masala, dry mango powder, lemon juice. Mix together everything very well! Keep aside.

Wash & slit each of the washed big, fat as I am , red chillies from the middle and discard the seeds.

                     

Marinate each of the chillies inside-out with little salt, turmeric and lemon juice before we fill them. Stuff each one with the potato filling.... 

They are now ready to be fried!

                       

Prepare the batter with gram flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, drops of oil adding water little by little to get a thick paste like consistency. We will add the baking soda before  we start to fry.

 

Coat each of the stuffed chillies very well with the batter.

Heat enough oil in a wok, deep fry the coated and stuffed chillies well turning them constantly, adjusting the heat from low to medium. Do them in batches as they need space to move around... "tele dub shatar ditey hobey".... 

                        

Once done, keep them onto tissue papers before serving hot!

Your homes are not as weird as ours, so you will have them as evening teatime snacks with tea / coffee!

       

INSTANT ROSE FLAVOURED SANDESH

 

Sweets and Desserts are made regular at this home! It cannot happen I will not taste them. The result is that junior Chang got worried and increased my dosage while his father.... my favourite Old Doctor Chang is tensed why my medicinal dosage was increased... can anything be done to alter it? I urged "let it be doctor.... I can at least eat something.... else I have to cut off my tongue!" The senior of the two doctors is totally old school and hates too much dependence on medicine, he wants me to eat too.... he himself is fond of South Asian food, besides his own cuisine!.... To go by his wishes what do I have to do? I need all six days of exercise.... walking and weight training.... That does not happen in my life... therein lies all the problems.... When it is time to go for an exercise, I feel like doing some cooking.... like yesterday when the time was perfect to go for some constructive exercise, I sat with "bori".... dal vadi.... sun dried lentil balls making session! Actually, it was the plan since this morning.... before going to the son's school I soaked the dal.... came back and did the rest... If rain does not become a spoiler.... they should be in the blog in another 15-20 days. Last year's stuffed chilli pickle is due till date, I so much wish to blog about it. My readers will laugh at me to know that some of the earlier food pictures I may have to delete... why? I clicked them months back, they may not be authentic Bengali or of any place.... I did not click the steps and now only remember the main ingredients and not the entire recipe😅... Those who know me already, they will not be surprised! 

After I was done with the "bori"... the idea of an instant sweet popped up... I took no time to do this INSTANT ROSE FLAVOURED SANDESH.... If I have some guests due, I start cooking one or two days prior! Usually, I keep two dessert options for the guests.... hopefully to manage another one tomorrow.... There will be two starters with a salad... a seven items main meal including the chutney! My friends are not coming to me for food but I love that little bit of appreciation.... As I always say, there has to be something, at least one thing in us that we can take pride of... It is required specially when your credibility has been questioned! In such a situation, you must love yourself a bit more... haha... I wish... I wish.... I wish I had given it a serious thought earlier and be a lot more sincere with life... Then, there has to be some to sit at home and give big talks! Well, she does not talk big alone, she is here to share such a quick fix sweet for you.... there is always a Rose Syrup, milk powder, paneer, ghee at home... why not make an INSTANT ROSE FLAVOURED SANDESH? Both the 'bori' and the 'sandesh' require  good use of your palms... specially the lentil balls.... beating the paste for about 20-25 minutes... the right arm is paining now.... did I ever care about a pain except for those injections?... For Bori / dal vadi we need to beat the lentil paste clockwise for quite sometime... the paste needs to be light just as in dahi vada or our rosh bora... 

This INSTANT ROSE FLAVOURED SANDESH is really hassle free except for the kneading part... that too is a 10 minutes affair. All the pain is worth when you see smiles around! Besides these, I had some photo session with the watermelon popsicles.... you get to see when you click the heading / link! I got tired and the men had to have "kena porota".... the guilt will be on until I pack the lunch box with "ruti, kumror chokka and sandesh" tomorrow morning... When I enjoy at home, the skeletal structure sweats outdoor... he never asks for anything ... he deserves this little bit! Anyway, every now and then we are craving for coolers or something light on the stomach.... I sit and think about those who may be having their food once in a day for specific number of days, its tough!... Then there are anniversaries, birthdays, me day, humtum day and yes "miracle" days too.... I feel both happy and concerned.... My concerns do not revolve around familial people only, I am not a robot. Sharing a sweet recipe as yum as this INSTANT ROSE FLAVOURED SANDESH is a pleasure! I did not even prepare the paneer at home, just used a store bought one! The idea was instant and the action too thereafter! From scratch to the end, everything was done within an hour... for a sudden guest or for the people around... a little pain in the right palm is worth it! You may have seen me using instant mawa a lot, try it and you will not buy it anymore!

For the Watermelon Popsicles that I blogged about last year, below is the link.... just click the link for the recipe, excellent for hydration! ....

WATERMELON POPSICLES

INGREDIENTS :

Milk Powder : 1coffee mug
Full Cream Milk : 1/2medium cup
Ghee : 11/2tbsp
Sugar : 2tbsp
Concentrated Rose Syrup : 11/2tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Paneer : 100-150gm [cottage cheese / chena]
Chopped Pistachio to garnish

Good amount of love as a final touch...haha!


PROCEDURE :

Take the full cream milk, powdered milk, sugar, green cardamom powder and ghee in a wide mouthed bowl. Mix together everything very well.

Add the rose syrup and mix together well again.

Place the bowl in the microwave and microwave at high for 1 minute. Pause and stir with a spoon. Microwave at high for one more minute. Take out. We are ready with the base of the sandesh.

Transfer the content to a plate and add the paneer to it crumbling the later roughly.

Now sit at your favourite corner and start kneading with your right hand palm. We will do it for 10-14 minutes to get everything mix together well. 

The dough will not remain sticky once kneaded well. Now we can shape the sandesh as we wish. I keep the moulds for rest and go for the easiest shapes. Our Cristine helps at the shaping stage always!

Garnish with almonds or pistachios before serving. It tastes best when fresh... but this home has to refrigerate it for the lunch boxes and has to depend on peoples' mood before serving.... people have other interesting things to have like beer, wine, nuts, cigars..... Moreover, they "visit" home... hardly "stay".... You are not us, you are good homes.... you will refrigerate the INSTANT ROSE FLAVOURED SANDESH for an hour and have it!

TOMATO BHINDI

If you cook and have the pleasure of dumping your stomach with fish kabiraji last night, you have to go ahead with a light and comforting share today. The existing fish kabiraji pictures had to be changed, the family had to be fed, this impossible to measure tummy had to be pleased.... so I did! Thereafter, I felt that I should not have.... the son has his last for this season's examination tomorrow! After an entire evening of sweat, there was a verbal fight with the man... he says he is bored with the sight of food! The truth is that smoking is the cause of his loss of appetite... When the entire world is staging some love scenes, situation at this home is pretty hot... "khabena na maney? cigarette kheye kheye to petey, jivey chora porey gechey... mukhey ruchi thakbey ki korey"... In such a scenario, you know I am actually saying lovely-lovely to the "mad-in-love" people with a heavy heart!.... I need to keep my cool too as I am craving for a tour before the son's school starts in mid July and we are not settled with the place itself! I only said... "Boss... I do not wish to travel from one five-star ambience to another... you know you have to feed my soul"..... hence, I have to cook light today at least, if I make him more angry, he books tickets for such tours.... 1day site seeing, 1day river cruise, 1 day amusement park, 3 days free bed and breakfast at a five star hotel... oh! I feel sick at the thought of it!...

Anyway, the husband of this house is an excellent tour planner and gets the best deals as much as possible.... I kept my cool and explained him .... "see dear, I do not have a boy friend / boy friends to spend some quality time, neither do I have a brain to earn some dollars.... let me cook what I wish to"..... Realising that with my "mashima nature & looks" I cannot have "hot" guys taking me out for a lunch by the sea, I got desperate and clicked myself without a touch up on the hair or at the corner of my eyes etc. etc. If you take a look at my blog profile, you can see vividly the silver lines, wrinkles, eye bags.... the self at present..... Shekhar Kapur have them all and I am his fan since "do naina ek kahani, thodasa badal, thodasa pani".... I got to see him in Instagram and followed immediately! I am too choosy you can see...... few of my chosen girlfriends are coming for lunch on Friday, the shares have to be as simple as this vegetarian curry TOMATO BHINDI.... I have to plan the menu.... Since I do not call guests often these days ... I prefer keeping a wide spread for them.... from starter to dessert and I will buy the raw ingredients only from outside! What I do is that I start cooking a day prior, none has fallen sick till date... haha.... Anyway, I am not travelling to Kolkata this season... its too hot... I know they are upset.... just to say I miss you too! 

This picture was taken last year... that is a bit of Barrackpore... the mango tree from the mother's bedroom.... our snorting daddy had a separate bedroom and study....... How do you say which of the parent you love more? When I read a Maupassant or feel sad at Castro's death ... I am a daddy's girl ..... when I feel happy at the sight of pumpkin leaves... I am a mother's daughter.... but I am no where near her compared to her energy level or dedication.... she wears a cap and works on her plants in the Sun! I am angry why she does not grow fruits and vegetables... The sister-in-law's husband who is a good cook grows many kinds of bonsai fruits and vegetables... a gardener comes and helps... like it... Our mother will not deploy one... she is too proud of herself! This TOMATO BHINDI is not an authentic Bengali recipe but done with regular Bengali spices and my old lady will love it! The husband does love bhindi like me, the brother need not eat meat everyday either in this heat... his wife is a no fuss girl, the rest of the family and friends should find it acceptable!

The pictures of this  TOMATO BHINDI  was taken last year, I usually do very Bengali dishes with Bhindi / okra, I have to be more regular with this too, its light on the stomach! Even I do not know what goes on within or what my next move would / should be.... I scrolled and got this, then did the necessary edits to get three pictures from two! Its truly summer cool! We actually can do it anytime given the heat here and its regular supply .... but I prefer the Indian okras than the local ones because the former is soft, tender and young! 

No, I will not do it for my guests on Friday, I may go Bengali at large... I have to think and why not? When one of them Piali Maitra messaged in WhatsApp yesterday... S, your eyes are expressive! I went back to the distant abyss of time and remember... someone else told me "your eyes are not well defined but they speak... tomar chokh bangmoy".... Now, do not make up stories... he was an uncle kind of! Since yesterday, I am in front of the mirror at least 25 times .... only to discover four more grey eyelashes! The husband came home, I said "you know Piali told that my eyes are expressive!".... What was the answer? "kijani amar to choshma khullei bikot lagey"..... that he never gets bored when I talk about Piali and her likes is an altogether different issue! If I wish to sing with him "suniye kahiye sunte kehte baaton baaton mein pyar ho jayega".... he will react with a "khyak".... Except his sister... the rest in his family had a good dose of "neem pata o chirota" I believe.... they are unable to speak softly. Coming to the son, besides potato and eggplant, the rest of the veggies are either to be mashed with dal or made into a pakora! I am not bothered because he gets often what he loves... see below how he has gone after his father! Do not look at the couch, if people sleep, eat, sit on it 24/7, even a leather sofa needs an upholstery....within three years!

What I tell him is wait for us to take you to a proper restaurant, do not have Sushi from a normal joint, I am scared it may cause worms in your stomach, I read somewhere! Sushi must be had at proper places, but no he had to have it for lunch! Mumma largely remains a Bong....  fond memories came alive at the sight of "patpata" .... jute leaves at some other blogger's space.... Mani used to prepare two dishes with jute leaves.... "patpatar bora o jhol".... very crisp fritters with jute leaves & rice flour and a very healthy curry with jute leaves with a tempering of crushed garlic.... jute leaves turn slippery "lutlutey" when water is added to it! "Patpatar jhol, bora aar dal, muchmuchey kechki maach bhaja".... my lunch is done... thats an unadulterated version of me! I will never be done with my silly talks, let me finish sharing this little tangy, flavourful, vegetarian curry with tomato, okra and minimal spices TOMATO BHINDI and then sing along "baaton-baaton mein" with a very much yesteryear favourite actor.... He may not had the charisma that millions of girls would run for, I do not fall in the "millions of girls" category for few reasons, any day is the right day to fall for him... with the next door boy image in Bollywood.... Amol Palekar... Hello Mumbai... I love you for many of my loves and likes stay there... Amol ji eats TOMATO BHINDI or not, we usually have this kind of curries with steamed rice at our home.... but it should go with chapatis I believe!

Do take a look at my Fish Kabiraji recipe with updated pictures.... I was too tired to click the steps... the taste is near authentic if not the exterior... more or less ok! Just click the below heading!

FISH KABIRAJI

INGREDIENTS :

Okra / Bhindi / Lady's Finger : 10-12
Tomato Paste : 1medium cup [I make it fresh]
Green Chilli Paste : 2tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder : 1tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Nigella or Cumin or Fennel Seed : 1/4tsp [I love experimenting with flavours when I do not go authentic]
Bayleaf : 1
Asafoetida : 2pinch
Ginger Extract : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 3-4tbsp


PROCEDURE:

Wash the bhindi / okra and take in a microwave proof bowl. Add 2 cups water and a pinch of baking powder. The later helps to retain the colour of the vegetables.

Microwave at low for 4-5 minutes. Take out and immediately drain the water. I am scared of them getting discoloured actually. They should be al dente at this stage. Once cool, discard the stem ends!

Rub the bhindi / okra with some salt and turmeric. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with asafoetida, nigella or cumin or fennel seeds and a bayleaf!

Add the green chilli and tomato pastes and cook for 2 minutes or so. Add the dry spices and stir for another minute. Add a coffee mug of water and let it come to boil.

Once it has boiled for 2-3 minutes, add the marinated, al dente okras, salt as required and the ginger extract. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, stir well and take down. Serve hot and fresh with steamed rice or chapati.

AAM LICHUR KHEER

Kheer has a different meaning for the Bengalis than what it is meant among the non Bengali speaking Indians! For us Bengalis... Payesh and Kheer are two different dishes of dessert while the non-Bengali speaking Indians call our payesh as kheer... I do not know about the rest of the eastern India. Correct me if I am wrong! Since childhood I have seen the veterans in the family calling boiled and reduced milk as kheer. Getting milk from the dairy farm everyday was a ritual... I always hated milk having as a drink specially because Bengalis then were in the habit of boiling the milk and having it warm.... I could never tolerate the sight of a glass full of it, neither the brother so far I can remember! However, I loved that chilled milk drink "milkos" and the ad... "milkos khele shakti barey".... I noticed that chilled milk does not cause me much of indigestion, just that I cannot have milk as is. Same is the case with the son, he can have only chilled milk, warm milk disturbs his stomach! For about three years he had gluten & diary allergy!

Every three days in a week, our mother had to do something with the "jomano dudh" / stored milk.... kheer happened then.... reducing the existing amount of milk to 1/4th by boiling it is what the family veterans call kheer... they just added little sugar towards the end! There were no refrigerator to chill either... So, kheer to us is something near to rabri... how much I wish to visit Hardwar or say the northern India for the best lassi, rabri and parathas.... We have not seen 1/4th of India.... Had women not been considered a commodity.... you would have seen me exploring alone with a tour group.... sit at the steps of "har ki piyari" in the evening and enjoy the amazing halwa swimming in "shudh ghee" or sit beside the ruins  of Shaniwar Wada or Kothrud and laugh at the joke... "Bajirao-Mastani".... it was not love.... it was just a political marriage... The senile me is allergic to certain things in life... like mango mastani.... I know I will love every drop of it but I will not give it any entry at this home neither in the blog... I will prepare some AAM LICHUR KHEER for you instead taking ideas from around.... 

There is less of truth in a "Bajirao-Mastani" except for the fact that she was very good in the art of warfare.... hence a beneficial factor for Bajirao!.... When will women know that it is too derogatory to be anyone's second thought... so awful was / is our life... what was a harem?.... It was just a dairy farm...! Truth is in Guy De Maupassant's Mother Clochette... she lived a life with her head held high after been tormented mentally without requiring any support for the rest of her life... This short story did touch a chord deep inside.... as they always do and will do.... silly souls never grow up, never can let go! The last few months I was reading very less, its time to gear up!... While surfing, all of a sudden I realised.... its been long I have not read a favourite author of mine.... Nobonita Deb Sen ..... I enjoyed / will continue to enjoy her style and also her take on life! She never did stay in the shadow of her estranged, world renowned husband.... he left her for once and she made a life of her own... she is an institution in herself... The Padma Shri awardee did not lose her sense of humour even after the bitter incident in her life.... read one of her books and you can see the reflection of her positive mind....

The husband is back home and this Bengali dessert AAM LICHUR KHEER was made right in time.... you know what.... I knew he will not get me ladoo from Amritsar! He is not in the habit of... he knows it is the wife's department! Anyway, I am not angry.... he went for a day and was stranded in the airport for the entire night day before yesterday! The wife was enjoying her kind of food... "muri-narkol"... "chives dumpling" as snacks! I am giving a serious thought to lessen the amount of biscuit intake... You can see below I am having a "dalia idly" with coffee this morning.... it is a 15 minutes affair in the microwave... mix together dalia, yogurt, little salt, 1/2tsp eno, little water, chopped chillies, coriander and onion... stand for 5 minutes and steam in a microwave for 4 minutes... enjoy! Has S turned 360*C....?... Nope, the rest of the shredded coconut and banana leaves were made to kiss the hilsa pieces... haha... I still cannot welcome the idea of using ghee and cardamom in hilsa / ilish... it is like a forced marriage "to me".... so "ilish pulao" has to wait until I can do it my way! Ghee and cardamoms and onions will go to the mutton and eaten with naan or pulao... so one meal or a two has to be clean... How do you like this arrangement?.... 

Anyway, AAM LICHUR KHEER has about 5-6 tbsp of sugar and you are not having it everyday... so you need not worry! Litchi and ripe mango are naturally pretty sweet & we do not need to add much of extra sugar to any dessert made with them.... Moreover, when we boil milk to reduce ... it gets sweeter! This fruit and milk dessert may not be that sinful! From morning to night... I do have to plan the meals... the hard worker at office is lazy at home unless he has to mend a spoilt bulb or tap... I / we adjust at this point... he relieves me of playing the role of a mechanic and I spare him from entering my kitchen and crowd the small space! Besides, his underweight concerns me. Since morning he is tuned into a film on Raja Ravi Varma.... and I cannot help but multi task.... Raja Ravi Verma was part of our syllabi.... an interesting persona was him.... the budding painters should read his life and work in details... not only as part of a text! Let me share this easy but not quick dessert with mango, litchi and milk as your weekend fix! The process of boiling and reducing the milk does require patience and constant supervision.... The dessert tastes best when served chilled!

For my non Bengali speaking, fish loving readers.... I wish to share the recipe of  Rohu / Rui / Carp done with chilli-mustard paste.... done in the oven.... Bengalis do not need it... every family has their own recipe almost similar! Do click the below heading for recipe!

SHORSHE RUI

INGREDIENTS :

Full Cream Milk : 11/2litre
Ripe Mango : 1 big or 2 standard sized
Litchi : 10-12
Sugar : 1tbsp + 4-5 tbsp
Bay Leaf : 1
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Pistachio : 5-6

PROCEDURE :

We are using these few ingredients! Okay, a bay leaf too is used!

Wash, peel & extract the pulp of the mangoes & blend it in a blender adding a tablespoon of sugar! Take the mango puree in a bowl and cook at minimal heat for 7-8 minutes! We are to constantly stir it whilst cooking! Take down & let it cool!

Pour the milk & the bay leaf in a deep bottomed vessel and put for boil.

The dish needs constant supervision as we need to stir the milk every 2-3 minutes in the beginning and constinuously towards the end. We have to adjust the heat often from low to medium low. 

After about 40-45 minutes, the milk will reach a thick consistency. We would add 4-5 tbsp of sugar to it & stir continuously for another 6-7 minutes! We would add the green cardamom powder, mix well & switch off the gas burner after a minute or two!

Let the thickened milk cool down! Meanwhile, peel & de-seed the litchis, wash & tear! Microwave the raw pistachios for 30 seconds at minimal heat & crush them! I am allergic to raw nuts!

Once the thickened milk cools down, we would take it along with the cooked mango pulp & edible colour in a blender & blend it for a minute! Before doing it, discard the bay leaf!

Pour the dessert in a bowl, add the fresh, juicy litchi pulps! Then, garnish with the roasted & crushed pistachios! Keep inside the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to chill; serve & have!