DATA ALOO CHINGRIR JHOL

This kind of meals make me happy these days. "ekta shaak, ekta dal, patla korey maach er jhol"..... The mutton variety we get here needs to be cooked with lot of spices to over power strong smell while Kolkata variety requires only "ada-lanka-roshun bata" on a normal day .... Yesterday, all day I was cooking Bengali, vegetarian dishes to take for friend's family, visiting parent.... a total of seven dishes including fish curry. I would share them with my readers sometime tomorrow hopefully. It was a tiring day though Cristine is always by my side, end of day I was happy, not irritated. If you have studied my nature, I do not stress myself to please anyone, I only do it to that extent until when I can do it happily. To stress myself in kitchen is a big no for me. 

The husband could not make it to office yesterday for obvious reasons, I was just chit chatting with him while cooking. He is not the kind who would enquire what I am doing inside kitchen all day, who I am cooking for.... Because I have not seen our father to intervene ever in household matters except for his sole decision to spend his retired life far from city, I am at peace. After marriage, when I learnt to cook, tried my hands on Biryani occasionally when husband was in town, the father-in-law was concerned about gas consumption. It is obvious Biryani making is time consuming, gas cylinders are precious in India. It used to cause me irritation because I have never seen all these in our home. However, it was husband's father who I would ask for help for any odd job. One cannot get the best of both worlds. 

A couple's life is all about commitments, adjustments, I strongly feel it's about respecting each other's personal spaces too. Else relationships are nothing but unnecessary burdens. Anyway, I have to wrap up quick today as I would be visiting a friend's home for a lunch session. I look forward to such meets if only associates interest me..... I am particular about my likes, dislikes.... my kinds should live an isolated life to avoid hurting people, displeasing own self. If I am going to meet a friend's surviving parent, today is best day to share one family recipe from my side of the family with prawns, overgrown / matured Amaranth stems [data], potato, a non vegetarian, Bengali seafood dish DATA ALOO DIYE CHINGRIR JHOL.

I really do not know if this prawn curry recipe has travelled all the way from Comilla to Kolkata or not, I am having it since childhood. This is exactly copied recipe of what our mother cooked. I prefer it over "chingrir malaikari" any day. I know today at my friend's home there would be a high end spread, even few years back the thought used to delight me but these days I look for a "shukto, bhajabhuji, dal, loter jhuri"..... Oh! My God!I am totally under the family veterans' spell. 

I could connect when my friend's parent told me last week about some personal preferences.... I tried to cook keeping that in mind. These are little gestures you must show people when they make an effort to touch your soul with kind words. Taking care of the elderly generation should be kind of sacred duty. Had I have been settled in Kolkata now, the sickly in-laws would not have required a cook, I would have send meals through my chauffeur, wouldn't have stayed together. I would prefer to stay in same neighbourhood, not together, I cannot take instructions. 

I will not wait each moment of my life for death like my in-laws, I will die romantic doing everything I love doing.... spending enough time with my half soul "Neelohit" ...... it may so happen that at edge of brook in the wood, I may bid a goodbye to him trespassing to an unknown world where they say resides absolute peace.... my chosen number is 75.... the rest is Almighty's wish. Before that, I wish to discharge all my sacred duty towards my friend, my guide I am living with, say sorry with a hug if I have done any wrong to him. "Neelohit" is a cult figure to me, invisible who can only be felt without whom I cannot survive I knew since my teens... "Sunil Babu" knew that, you must know too.

I adore this particular parent of my friend.... full of life, positivity.... stays alone in Kolkata, always wears a smile.... love it. I am eager for a chat session, pretty busy in morning you can see. I do not know if I can avail a free ride in Ipsita's car.... I do not like to make people wait for me. The kind I am, I would take an MRT ride to the nearest station, take cab from there and may reach before Ipsita, this girl, my husband takes unnecessary hassles.... this island hardly requires a personal car. 

Anyway, my father-in-law, my brother[s] has / have to have his / their meals with "shaak bhaja, pepe diye dal" today, let others try this light sea food curry DATA ALOO DIYE CHINGRIR JHOL with steamed rice. Earlier the father-in-law used to eat the curry sans the prawns, now totally barred given his allergic self.... even to most of medicines. My side of family has many recipes with prawns.... it feels like bhai would say "amai feley tora chingri khacchish".... the in-laws hardly have any interest in food or about anything. This is not called living.

INGREDIENTS :

STANDARD SIZED PRAWN : 500-600GM
POTATO : 1BIG SIZE
MATURED AMARANTH STEM / DATA : 4-5 LONG YARD? / STICK
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 11/2TBSP [IF FRESHLY MADE PASTE, THEN 2TSP]
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 2TSP
FENUGREEK SEED : 2PINCH
CORIANDER SEED : 2PINCH
WILD CELERY SEED : A PINCH
SALT : AS REQUIRED
KAFFIR LIME LEAF : 2-3 [OPTIONAL]
OIL : 4-5TBSP [I USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

When our mother was here few months back, I got surprisingly fresh maturely grown  Amaranth Stems in local market. 

I strongly felt I must grab it, with it some fresh prawns. In presence of our mother let me refurbish my memory about this particular prawn recipe I used to love. I did, Cristine cleaned them all. With the leaves I prepared "shaak bhaja" ..

De shell, clean prawns well, wash thoroughly. It is always suggested to clean, keep head & tail portion of prawns for an enhanced flavour, taste unless you have a kid as mine.

Add little salt, turmeric to it, keep aside. Peel wash, halve potatoes. Cut each half into three equal pieces. Add little salt, turmeric to it. Discard root ends of amaranth stems, cut into finger length sizes. Carefully peel off fibre from its skin.... thinly... do not do away with flesh. Wash, rub little salt [it absorbs salt quickly, be careful].

Heat oil in wok. Lightly fry potato pieces in batches, take out. Fry data / amaranth stem pieces, take out. Fry prawns too in batches, take out. In all three cases you will discard marinade before frying.

Temper oil with coriander + wild celery + fenugreek seeds. Prepare spice paste with rest of turmeric + red chilli powder + coriander powder + ginger paste adding little water. Add it to wok. Never let tempering to burn.

Keep stirring spice paste at low heat for 2 minutes. Lower heat to minimal, add 11/2 coffee mugs of water. Bring it to boil keeping heat to minimal.

Now add lightly fried potato pieces, simmer at lowest heat for 2-3 minutes. Add lightly fried prawns, amaranth stems, kaffir lime leaves if at all using, boil for another 2-3 minutes. We are done.

We enjoy it with nothing else but steamed rice.

EGG FREE PANDAN CAKE

This was long due. I felt let me do it before Bengal dives totally into "Durga Pujo" fervour. I had four cakes in hand, felt let me stay strong with our loving island, it's neighbours today. I try to keep Bengal connection in most of my posts. Nonetheless to say, Pandan leaves / Fragrant Screwpines are called "payesh pata" there in West Bengal, if I am not too wrong. They are used to be packed in rice grain sacks to enhance flavour of a poor quality rice there. Yes, food adulteration is an issue there. I think Pandan Leaves is not considered important there like here. When we shifted to Barrackpore, our garden had a couple of this plant until lady of house uprooted, planted her series of flowering plants, "patabahars." 

Who would tell her Almighty's less fortunate children too need toilet areas to excrete. Even our pomerarian Jenny was strictly told to excrete ii terrace, finish off with her day's "hagoo+hishu" by 2pm.... on days of exception, mani had to take shower even at 9-10pm after cleaning job. My job was to shampoo her, get her good showers two- three days a week. The cleanliness freak us got her cough, cold quite often. It is our ignorance about pet life, care that took away her life early. Thereafter, we did not get one, its lot of emotional drain.... mani performed all rituals we do for a dead family member including eleven days of penance. The father took her body wrapped in "dhoti", "tulsi pata" to holy Ganges with assistance from my husband. The half and full atheists complied to our mother's wish. The brother was not in his senses for quite sometime, I was because I had an eleven month old on lap to look after. When I see pets around, Jenny's beautiful eyes come alive. 

Love has many manifestations, who are you, I  to make it rule bound? Set it free, only then it is real.... else it is only in "khatai kolomey", in "Facebook status".. Love is not mathematical Calculus Theory that you limit it to society set formulae. Come, set your minds free, have this vegetarian, sugar free  EGG FREE PANDAN CAKE using fragrant screwpine extract.

The senior is back home, went office. I anticipated this would happen, asked Cristine to prepare multigrain atta flour dough. You remember we had Aloor Dum in hand? The reason why I cook and keep food stuffed in the refrigerator. The son is at home today, breakfast of mine is proof why living room is dark in morning. Cristine does my "pooris" while I do it for men, Cristine too though not always. You know South Asian women lack ability to consider themselves as individual, to do something to please their own selves. It is pleasure to fry "pooris" for my men.... but I have to have freedom to think in my terms, live my own life. When the mother-in-law tried to impose her laws on me, I made it clear that its my life.... your friends, your relatives, your set of rules cannot define my life..... I will live my life my way, I will have my own set of friends, acquaintances who may not necessarily be in your list. You lived your life in your own terms, let me. She is nice otherwise. The thankful wife did fry them happily within few minutes of notice after failed plea he needs some rest. He is flying since last evening coming via Delhi.

Anyway, I do not mind if he visits his parents often which is his sacred duty, provided I am given to live life my way without any set rules. I I had to be economically independent to be in firmer position. 

The question is  are all working girls "independent?"..... Can they think beyond set rules? When did they last think about their own selves? Do not tell me you never wished to be humming butterfly flying beyond set boundary. Leave it, my fresh batch of "shona monger dal" has arrived, courtesy sister like brother's wife who got it from mani's prescribed shop, handed over to "T" dada. Then, if you have a brother travelling to Delhi in same day evening, he would definitely make it a point to meet his brother like "T" dada, send "didibhai" selfies of duo, even pictures of his bed, rest room where he will stay put & pee for next few days. When anyone travels, I cannot sleep well. I need good swim after this post, sleep until 6:30pm.... or should I go for long walk with my headphones on playing old Bollywood numbers?.... Where they take me is none of your business.... but the thing is if mumma has fried Babai's multigrain "atta pooris," she would want to fry them for him too instead of Cristine didi before settling out for long walk in an unstipulated path than normally prescribed humming"Chandni Raat Mein Ekbar Tujhe Dekha Hai". Thats a promise we must make .... to give our best for our own before spreading our wings for some me time with unknown. I think I should not care for my lunch time, set out for Punggol seaside, must do 10k, its about 2 years now I did not go for running event, must sign up for big December event.... the daddy is getting angry. My baby may be weird but two days back when all of a sudden I decided to record live procedure of cleaning a "pabda maach" .... he silently switched off television and retired to his room without any request from us. Mumma should not go out for her own pleasure without settling his lunch spread. Yesterday, it was only a 5:6km walk to old neighbourhood, thereafter a sweet plum+lime juice spoilt effort. Today, I need to be careful.

You can see I have used bottled pandan extract, few other ingredients for my vegetarian, fragrant screwpine flavoured EGG FREE PANDAN CAKE, beyond that is not in my capacity which I admit. It was done in month of June when my visiting family was here, all of us liked it though it was dense, moist in texture unlike fluffy ones we get island wide. Because it was decent, I decided to share recipe with all of you. Finally I could write my post. From that dark, noisy living room, I shifted to guest room with my morning cuppa, we need to concentrate on whatever we are doing.

This happens when our monkey is at home! Its easy to handle girl child I think.

INGREDIENTS :

REFINED FLOUR : 2COFFEE MUG

BAKING POWDER : 1TBSP

BAKING SODA : 11/2TSP

PANDAN EXTRACT : 2TSP

FULL CREAM MILK : 2MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP

STEVIA POWDER : 1MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP [YOU CAN USE SAME AMOUNT OF SUGAR]

VANILLA ESSENCE : 1TSP

OIL : 1 SMALL SIZED TEA CUP [CANOLA or SUNFLOWER or SOYBEAN any variety I use]

PROCEDURE :

Besides refined flour, I have used these few ingredients for pandan cake.

Take refined flour, baking powder, baking soda together, sieve & mix well. 

Take milk, oil, stevia powder or sugar, pandan / screw pine extract in clean blender. Blend it for 2 minutes at intervals.

Add wet mix to flour mix, beat with whisk or spoon for sometime. I do it clockwise, cut through middle.

We will do this for 4-5 minutes before we add vanilla essence. We will beat again for 2-3 minutes, pour into greased cake tins or aluminium foiled containers.

I do my bakes in convection mode microwave. I placed bake stand inside, preheated it at 180*C for 10 minutes.

Thereafter I placed one container filled with pandan leaf / fragrant screw pine cake batter on top of low stool.

I baked for 30-35 minutes at 180*C. Temperature of each oven differs, you must check temperature, cook time of yours' through a series of trial, error.

TOFU MUSHROOM RICE

Yes, at times I create recipes as per events happening around. There was no requirement to cook yesterday evening but I did to convey "thank you" to islanders. I lost my diamond studded gold earring while swimming, the cleaning supervisor got it back to me after three days.... can you imagine? At times I do shout at husband that we should have moved to Europe or some other bigger country, whats the point staying here in cringed, rented apartments, sending kids to other countries for higher studies? That is when such incidents happen.... I have lost my cell phone a few number of times and got it back, here girls are seen running outdoor around 3 am in morning..... there is not a bit of exaggeration in it. Okay, there is a negligible amount of crime rate, back in 2012.. the husband's laptop was stolen near lift at our then condo's ground floor. A state cannot really assess the psychology of it's people but the crime rate can be controlled, here they do it beautifully. Like in Mumbai, no one would touch a middle class like us... why? There if you don't have crores of "khokas"... "bhailogs" don't touch you. 

I really wish to go back settle in "Mumbai .. meri jaan"... it has something that attracts me.... whatever we have saved here would have helped us own decent flat in Kandivli or Borivli or somewhere in Navi Mumbai but what thereafter? Now we cannot given family expenses.... you cannot deny responsibilities, Life at sea is rough, these people earned, sent home resources we all used, they spent 3-4 months per year on land years after years..... they are not money making machines, they must enjoy the rest of their lives. For this reason, I allow him to stay in hotel paying from his pocket, that too in his hometown. How many wine bottles comes to his room is my concern actually. As of my life, I find out new ways for my entertainment, I am happy that people at home let me be but I am gradually knowing my fate. The rest of some people have fun scaring me with "shap, byang, chucho, tiktiki, konkal", I know I am going to breathe my last sooner of those nightmarish thoughts. Anyway, before that I wish to cook at lot, talk a lot. It was fun cooking this vegetarian rice bowl TOFU MUSHROOM RICE for family, serve it with "mota aloo bhaja o Bangali scrambled egg".. Really cannot have it the way westerners have their scrambled egg as.... the husband does, son isn't fond of eggs like me.

Each day I think of wrapping up quick but see how I keep talking endlessly, irrelevant. I overlook or miss many posts in social media even of my friends most of time, I am busy speaking for myself. However, I chanced upon a post by another blogger that there are word limits for blog post as part of SEO rules. I know less, I have many tales in my kitty to carry on uninterrupted. Anyway, if someone is trying to put through an important message, we must listen to it. Social Media forums may provide you space to express yourself but your ultimate pride lies in being a published author.... that is independent working. A couple of fellow bloggers asked me to join, blog in groups in past few years, I refused. Whats the point in few people visiting each other's blog posts, commenting as part of routine exercise. I get no high from such ideas, I would work independently.  

I cannot work on an instructed script at this age. In my last school at work I was entrusted with jobs that my colleagues refused, because I can't say no, I did. Then I felt why  am I wasting my time here teaching something I do not enjoy, repeated requests to give me few History and English classes went in vein. Ask me why?... because I never did visit the administrative head unnecessarily to get into good book.... I am a teacher, not an informer. I have always believed that my work should be only proof of my sincerity. Okay, one sitting in admin chair has to be little less of "principled" but one cannot like only teachers who speaks against colleagues, irrespective of the fact how they taught.... Then I do not have to earn to feed my family, its easier for me to be honest, to give big talks! The world is still beautiful, there are more good things than bad!

Anyway, if our cleaning supervisor has gotten my diamond jewelry back, I must not have lots of dry fruits today on my food plate. Life has taught me to be little humble. Hope my readers will enjoy this platter of a vegetarian main with TOFU MUSHROOM RICE with sides of spicy Bengali style scrambled eggs, store bought French Fries... but yes our homes do make better "mota aloo bhaja." You know someone who is travelling now loves his son too much, each night I have a lot to complain against the millennial, he keeps silent in solidarity with the teen.... gives me deaf ear.

INGREDIENTS : 

COOKED RICE : 1COFFEE MUG [I USED BASMATI, THAI JASMINE IS BETTER]

SLICED MUSHROOM : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP

TOFU / TAU KWA : 100GM

CUBED ONION : 1SMALL TEA CUP

MINCED GARLIC : 1TBSP

CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2TBSP

SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

BLACK PEPPER POWDER : 1TSP [FRESHLY GROUND]

LIGHT SOYA SAUCE : 2TBSP + 2TBSP [YOU MAY USE GLUTEN-FREE VERSION]

CORN FLOUR : 2TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SESAME OIL : 3-4TBSP

OIL : 2-3 TBSP [I USED OLIVE OIL]

PROCEDURE :

We have cubed tofu, washed, drained, marinated with little amount of salt, 2tbsp light soy sauce. We have washed mushrooms, drained, marinated it with little amount of salt, 2tbsp of light soya sauce. We would keep them at rest for 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile we have cooked rice in enough water until 60-70% done and kept to strain for an hour. It is better to use cooked, refrigerated rice.

We have cubed onion, chopped coriander, slitted green chillies, minced garlic, washed them separately.

Cristine helps with this part.

Take cornflour in bowl, take tofu cubes out of marinade, coat well in cornflour. 

Heat oil, lightly fry cornflour coated tofu cubes. Take out.

Heat oil taken on a clean pan or wok. Add, stirfry minced garlic just until light brown.

Add cubed onion, stir until translucent.

Add slitted green chillies, stir for a minute.

We will add sliced mushrooms along with marinade, stir at high heat until marinade gets semi dry.

You can see me adding some freshly ground black pepper. Thereafter we will add fried tofu pieces, stir.

We will add cooked, strained rice, chopped coriander now. We will fold in, stir entire thing at high heat for 2 minutes.

Adjust salt if only required. Come taste, your mother is not watching.

We enjoyed it with French Fries, Bengali / Indian style scrambled egg.

BHINDI KUMRO POTOL DIYE NARKOL ILISH

I am starting late this morning, I discovered dust inside remote  holes backside of stand fans, caught hold of the poor girl, told her to clean up asap! This girl never argues; not really is a lazy bun... just that her cleaning services doesn't match my expectations. I know to maintain the standard, I have to work, instructions alone ain't fruitful. Why I have become such lazy I do not know. Perhaps for this reason husband may be staying in hotel on his this visit to Kolkata. He is on work in Delhi, thereafter he is to visit his parents. We both love our privacy end of the day, he is unwilling to stay at his parent's home during night time. How can he? There are two sickly elderlies, four helps in a 750sq.ft. apartment, their son smokes. I think on his last visit, I monitored him too much, so he is unwilling to stay in his own home. I told him let me or mani ask Zahida to come for cleaning. 

This girl Zahida does too dirty work unless I or the mother monitor.... I had been reported while Zahida's dada was sleeping on his couch, she did "fakibazi" as much as possible. Her dada told me on return that she did everything he asked her to, but I am pretty sure had I have taken next flight after his return to island last time, I would have been into tears looking at condition of my home. Unless our mother goes after Diwali, does some job along with Zahida, it would not look decent. The husband perhaps got fed up with my enquiries last month "Bidisha sofa-bichana jherey tarpor dhekechey to?" "ashar agey bathroom duto khokon ke diye porishkar koriye ashtey partey" ... So this time he told me "ami thakboi na tomar bari, hotel e thakbo"... I got softer, pleaded "aha thakbena keno, ami ki tai bolechi... Zahida dusting-cleaning ta thikmoto korlo kina dekhlei hoy".... I don't know why he doesn't wish to spend night time with his parents... Though he says he needs a relaxing night sleep after a long day, I may ask the brother & his wife or his sister to appoint a "Feluda or Mitin Mashi" to keep watch on him. 

Okay okay lah, its my fault that I am too much of a cleanliness freak but yes, age is taking over, moreover in a smaller flat you cannot get exactly that level of clean corners as you wish. However, no one would remember how sparkling white my commode looked because the rest of girls would reach moon soon. Be them, not me or my mother. I told her, keep her telling "Mani tumi bhul korecho, amio.... eei prithibitey amra nishproyojoniyo".... 

How this short statured lady ran from this door to that door to get her kids admitted to Loreto, Auxilium, St. James or Calcutta Boys without any help or botheration from her "bindas" husband that I remember. Her kids thanklessly did not fulfil her dreams but it is okay... she may not have met a weird son-in-law had I not being in that school I went, neither would you get spiced up stories laced with half truth from this lady today, a series of. 

You see, the source of a story is always in a skeletal form, a story teller adds flesh and blood to it... gives it life.... do not ask me why I love fictions.... its obvious for me. Okay, I do bond with my "rosh kosh heen mejaji" husband over few things, of which ilish / hilsa is one. If I have started the talk with family today, let us share a recipe with a family favourite fish ilish / hilsa. 

This cooking of hilsa with okra, pointed gourd, pumpkin in thin coconut milk BHINDI KUMRO POTOL DIYE NARKOL ILISH is definitely not a common Bengali way of doing it. I just wished to get variation in curry base, we may have it once or twice a year, love would always be a "kalojeerey kanchalanka diye ilish... begun diley aro bhalo, shorshe bata diye paturi ba bhapa"...

I continue to be what I was, yesterday had late lunch.... once Cristine was back from her Sunday outdoor tour, I told her let P and I not have fish, dal and rice for dinner. The son had "ruti butter chini roll" and I had "ruti-butter" with fine Darjeeling around 10:30 pm. I was hungry this morning, had "muri badam makha" with fine Darjeeling tea again. Now shall have a cup of chamomile, tea infusions help you if you are having headaches, mild nausea.

Yesterday around 2pm, I asked son to get food from the mall opposite. He usually gets happy when mumma allows him outside food, somedays he takes an MRT to somewhere, comes home late. It was past 3:45pm, I called him, told mumma is hungry, she wants to go to the mall, have Bento Meal. He came back, I went out. No point asking who he was with.... a boy, a girl or just alone like his mother. Oh! I love the 5.50$ Bento Meal with chicken terriyaki & fish fry. Anyway, because son was served store bought "ruti" yesterday night, I may be doing some "porota", serve him with the "bandhakopir ghonto" once he is back from school, if I go for lone trip to China Town which I may if I feel better after sipping chamomile .... Cristine didi would do "porotas"... 

I enjoy my trips to China Town, have not visited the Buddhist Temple nearby for ages. A good thing about it is that it allows a woman all 30-31 days of the month, gives "noodles proshad".... they have a beautiful terrace where we can sit, get lost in thoughts, I love whoever lets me be. I feel I need to go out wandering alone today, desperately willing, before that I must share with you this non vegetarian hilsa fish curry with light coconut milk, pumpkin, okra and pointed gourd BHINDI KUMRO POTOL DIYE NARKOL ILISH. We do have a millennial at home who to my surprise enjoys fish eggs, of hilsa specially but does not eat raisin.... it boils down to same point  ... that it is a millennial. You can use Chinese Gizzard Shad for this curry or with any fish but we would stick to good quality hilsa to show our love always! Remember, a fish with egg compromises with taste but for us fish egg is a bonus.

INGREDIENTS :

HILSA / ILISH : 7-8 PIECES [IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO BUY ABOVE A KILO OF WEIGHT]
POINTED GOURD : 3-4
OKRA : 6-7
PUMPKIN : 1/4 OF A STANDARD SIZED
THIN COCONUT MILK : 1COFFEE MUG
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 2TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 11/2TSP
NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI : 1/4TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 4-5TBSP [I USE MUSTARD] [IF THE FISH IS OF GOOD QUALITY, IT REALISES OIL WHILE FRYING]

PROCEDURE :

We would always use the pieces from mid section of hilsa for a curry. "gada o koler tukro".. We would wash them well but not too many times... yes it's blood adds to taste of curry. But discard the blood laden water you see in the bowl.

Bengalis do not usually add head and tail ends of a hilsa to curries. We add them to mixed vegetables medleys or eat deep fried.

Rub little salt, turmeric to hilsa pieces, keep aside for 5-6 minutes.

Cut two ends of pointed gourds, peel off skin keeping a gap, cut half. Wash, rub with little salt, turmeric.

Peel off pumpkin, discard inner layer. Cut into cubes, wash, rub with salt, turmeric. Wash, cut stem end of okras, rub with little salt.

Heat oil in wok, lightly fry pointed gourds, take out. Repeat same with the pumpkin cubes, take out. 

In remaining oil, lightly fry fish pieces. Take out. Meanwhile we have prepared a paste with ginger, green chilli paste, turmeric + cumin powders, salt as required adding a little water.

Temper remaining oil with nigella seeds, dry red chillies. Add spice paste, stir fry at low heat for 1& 1/2-2 minutes. Add a coffee mug of water, stir, bring it to boil.

Add salt marinated okra, lightly fried pointed gourds. 

Cover cook at low heat for 2 minutes. Remove cover, add lightly fried fish pieces, pumpkin cubes. Cover cook at minimal heat for a minute or 2.

Remove cover, add coconut milk, simmer at low heat, covered for 2-3 minutes. We are done!

We enjoyed Hilsa fish with vegetables curry with steamed rice, garlic tempered okra, mango dal.

FULKOPIR PATA BATA

I enjoy having it with plain rice. Few decades back this would have been my third option, keeping fish curry, fry forth, even meat curry given meat was once in week affair, we treated it as weekend celebration. Now, I have crossed prime phase of life..... meat is no more main interest although I am unwilling to quit it... fresh water fish remains love. We do not get kind of fish I prefer here in this island on regular basis, I lean more on vegetarian dishes I have grown up eating. By God's grace, this island sells vegetables that Bengali homes eat.... we even get packeted jackfruit, Hyacinth bean seeds. I saw grandmother, mother roasting Hyacinth bean seeds in sand, stored year long to use in curries. Its not possible to follow them ditto in modern homes, I do as much I can. This rustic, humble vegetarian dish with cauliflower leaves & stem FULKOPIR PATA BATA is one of them. 

I can have it every week, rest in family would not mind to taste anything that may feel like "shutkir bhorta" but problem is this island sells "fulkopi in nyara form".... all leaves are thrown, then sold, even stems are rarely kept.... they make lovely  dish when cooked with chilli-mustard paste. No part of cauliflower was been wasted in our family. I try to follow. For cauliflower with leaves, I have to go hunting for it in Indian shops who get their supply from India, South Asia, even Taiwan Gobi I love comes without leaves. I had an existing picture of this dish stored in Google Photos but I was not keen about sharing, I felt I should do better plating so my family does not feel being left out. It was quite an exercise yesterday.... a cauliflower gives you this little amount of leaves if ain't you are getting it from your family's farmland. So, I included the stems too, never mind we need to cook them too well to avoid bloating.

This was earlier one, the present one is definitely not a perfect one either. I am unhappy with my photography skills! We had quite a few dishes to have last night, beyond 3-4 dishes at this home seems excess. 

We had "maacher jhol" too. So boiled potato was refrigerated, prepared "aloo chokha" this morning and packed their lunch boxes with "ruti o aloo chokha"..... You can see I must have one "ruti" with my morning tea. The "chapatis / rutis" today were not good, perhaps I could not maintain temperature level of oven well.

Food is religion, it energises me. I am not an energetic person, not 1/10th of our mother but whatever little I cook, I try to do it with love like her, her kinds. By the word "authentic Bengali" I always refer to an era I have immense respect for because I have seen what hard work is, what doing it for family is, I would continue to stick to my belief.... who ever says what. I do not know how authentic this vegetarian recipe with cauliflower stems FULKOPIR PATA BATA is, when it dates back to history of Bengali Food. I am doing it how our mother used to do. Among us, it is done with good amount of onion, a tempering of crushed garlic too is must.

INGREDIENTS :

CAULIFLOWER : 7-8 [WHOLE]

SLICED ONION : 2MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP [2-3 MEDIUM SIZED]

CRUSHED GARLIC : 1TBSP [3-4 PEELED CLOVES]

GREEN CHILLI : 2-3

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP

NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI / KALOJEERA : 1/4TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1/2TSP 

OIL : 4-5TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

Tear off leaves from cauliflower, wash well!

Switch on gas stove, place wok, add cauliflower leaves. Keep stirring at low heat, after 3-4 minutes, it looks like this.

Add dry roasted leaves to blender, green chillies. Blend  to paste.

Now, get rest of ingredients ready on kitchen top; sliced onion, crushed garlic, dry red chillies, kalonji, prepared paste.

Heat oil in wok. Temper with nigella seeds, crushed garlic, dry red chillies.

Give a stir, add sliced onions. Fry until light brown, add leaf paste.

Add rest of turmeric, salt, fold in well, keep stirring for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to minimal, cover cook.

After 10-12 minutes, remove cover, you can see water have dried up, colour of content turned darker.

We would stir cook for 2-3 minutes, take down. 

Enjoy it with piping hot rice or chapati.