KUMRO KHOSHAR BHARTA

I HAVE NOT BLOGGED ABOUT A BENGALI RECIPE FOR LONG!

There is no specific reason or may be there is; I wish to catch up with the people as far as those in Siberia may be! I am not a versatile cook yet I try to be at par! Just that I do not believe in getting stuck within Bengal; that I am stringently against those who cannot look beyond their own state because I think these people having such mindset has a retarded growth rate! Our deceased father was not fond of Bollywood & popular Hindi Music is true but never stopped us from loving Bollywood! He loved eating out chicken & mutton kebab & curries with naan bread & tandoori roti but not the homely Bengali chicken! If eating in a restaurant, the food of northern & central India was a must for him, if ordered at home, he ate one or two pieces of Pizza as a snack! You cannot just tag him a typical Bengali in a closet, I would beg to deny! In his younger days, he watched a lot of Hollywood movies, listened to western music[a particular genre] & took interest in International Sports until his death! I do not know what stopped the YMCA member to upgrade his living standard! Actually, in a household, you are to dream together to take life further upwardly; if the maximum of one's body & soul is stuck in the family one is born in; things get confusing in the present home! It would be wrong of me to say however that we strayed or experienced neglect & suffered from lovelessness! In fact, we were overly protected, we never learnt to be independent! Anyway, I settled on my mind how I want my family to be run! All said and done, for the past few years, I have developed an immense love for the most rustic family kind of Bengali Food! Did I ever imagine I would enjoy bitter gourd, even neem leaves in this lifetime?

I WAS RUNNING LATE TODAY!

Running late to the office? Nah, do not make me feel ashamed further asking this, I already feel a kind of guilt! But honestly, I had the best eighteen years spent with our son; until when he decided to flee from Mumma's lap! I wished to know if he equally enjoyed or felt asphyxiated; given mumma is way bit nagging! Mumma looks back, recounts and strongly feels she could have organised things in a better manner for him, looked after his studies better! Then, it is also true it is impossible to make the son & T listen to anyone; they would only listen to themselves! Mumma got worried looking at his thinner self in her recent visit; I doubt if he eats in time! My lunch time too fluctuates! Today, I was correcting few pictures existing in the blog, I may not be able to correct them all in this lifetime it seems! This is the case with aimless, disorganised people like me! I went for a swim around 3:50 pm & had my lunch at 4:40 pm! I swam for less time today!

I am too fond of cabbage preparations; be it with rice & dal or with ruti-porota! Again I have asked Cristine to prepare some spicy semolina appe to go with my tea or coffee! I think I am more fond of tea! In the son's present city of stay, I saw only coffee shops! Is tea only an Asian & British thing? I do not conclude my statements, I research & read less! 

WHAT IS THIS KUMRO KHOSHAR BHARTA?

Although people of East Bengal origin make "bharta" dishes with almost all vegetables, my family ate more of vegetable boils; bharta / spiced mishmash happened too! This  particular bharta with the pumpkin skin KUMRO KHOSHAR BHARTA is not a family recipe, I picked up the recipe from someone else's space in Facebook! I clicked the pictures of this vegan, gluten-free vegetable paste recipe back in 2020, today I decided to blog about it! Give me any bharta or veg boil & mash, I would love it with some steamed rice or even chapati! It requires few ingredients to prepare, is rustic & suits me given I hardly get my choice of fish varieties here! Also, Cristine made semolina appe tastes good!

INGREDIENTS : 

PUMPKIN SKIN : A BOWLFUL

GARLIC CLOVE : 2

GREEN CHILLI : 2

SLICED ONION : 1 MEDIUM TEA CUP

DRY RED CHILLI : 2

BAYLEAF : 1

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP

OIL : 3-4 TBSP [I USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

We would wash & cut small the peels of the ripened pumpkin! We would wash the green chillies & the garlic clove! We would blend all the three together adding a little of water if only required!

We would temper the oil with the nigella seeds, halved dry red chillies & a bayleaf! We would give a stir & add the peeled, sliced & washed onion to the wok!

Once the sliced onions turn brown, we would add the pumpkin skin paste to it!

We would continuously stir cook it at low to minimal heat adding the turmeric & salt!

I forgot to click the last step! In about 8-10 minutes of stir cooking at low to minimal heat, it would dry up, come out off the wok surface, which means it is ready to be eaten with plain steamed rice or chapati!

 

SESAME SPRING ONION DIM

IF I SEARCH THE WORD "FATIGUE" IN THE INTERNET, I WOULD END UP SEEMING TO HAVE CANCEROUS CELLS IN EACH PART OF MY BODY!

Yep, research if not done properly may land people like me in acute depression! Trying to be positive, I am considering it my after walk effect! I had to walk to the Tekka Market-Mustafa Centre area, for some work. I took a different route to shed off boredom, also I do not like crossing over the Mustafa Centre-Bengali shops area; go to the Tekka Market area only for the flowers & mutton, again come back to the Mustafa area! That too on a Monday when most of the markets in the world wear a dull look with maximum of the shops closed!I was walking just a block after the main road, yet got a bit scared, what if I get lost? But exploring new avenues get us some enriching experiences! I had never seen before this pattern of homes in Singapore, two-stories but not typically row house patterns! I liked the entrances! Once I saw the Farrer Hospital Board, I knew I am on the right track! I reached, I shopped and headed towards the Mustafa Centre & Rajdhani Stores!

I was determined today not to shop anything for us, so did not carry the trolley! That was a bad idea, the packets got heavy, but I must handpick each stuff for my clients! I learnt today M.A.Osmania remains closed on Mondays, got the mutton from Haji! I was desperate to have a 5$ meal today, that too sitting in an AC room; Anand Bhavan is the best place for that! I ordered a Ghee Paper Cone Dosa, was craving for a masala chai or milk-sugar coffee; restrained myself, cannot digest! 

From the Rajdhani Stores, today after a long time, I bought toast biskut & not Britannia's semolina or milk rusk! Last to last week, I discovered a samosa, jalebi & sweet shop in that area selling them at a cheap price! The jalebi I liked, today I got the samosa! You can try their's at No.3, Rowell Road! Their Vada Pao sells at 2:50$, Lassi at 2:50$, I wished to sit & eat! The young sardar gently asked me not to as it also houses a Bar! I was impressed; good behaviour is a big thing, I keep telling the son! I would visit a bar only in groups, not alone, never did with my young son!

Have you ever tried Gondhoraj Lemon; Ginger extract infused chilled Coffee or Tea? It soothes my system, quenches my thirst!

THERE'S YOUR'S TRULY DID A BRISK WALK JUST CASUALLY!

That's me; far from the crowd, challenges, unnecessary talks, arguments, competitions, pinching, back biting, misdemeanour!  

Given my love for food and the wrong kinds, I cannot boast of my body basics! Okay, we had to buy few things locally too & for our household, Cristine got back home with the trolley and I took a train to Potong Pasir, handsfree! From there, I started my walking journey today!

                                            

But what's the point, look what I am eating after a dosa lunch! For dinner, we would have a bliss called Hilsa Curry & Rice! No, I would not have proteins without rice or roti and live an unhappy, unfulfilled life of a Bengali! I proudly made some jilipi yesterday but we need not have it every week!

They were crisp & juicy for the first time, I have to do it few more times to be able to blog about it! I think I would not blabber much, I am tired, need to wrap up! All of a sudden, it started feeling awkward that I am not reading at all! I used to be a voracious reader! I hate sleeping in the afternoons, I have to stop that!

WHAT IS THIS SESAME SPRING ONION DIM?

Only last night we had our favourite "dim-aloo sheddo bhaat" in spite of having cooked food in store! 

T never expresses his wish to have a particular food on a particular day, that irritates me! The son too never asked mumma to do this or that! I would always go ahead & cook; because that is my area of interest! Also, I believe taking care of my family is my utmost responsibility, more so because I am a stay at home! I cannot think otherwise or have any interest in chatting over phone or go out for the same! Off course, I would not want the son's girl to be a useless sit at home like me! Do not we see around working professionals taking equal interest in home making, teaching the kids cooking & household work? I wish the same for our son; they should work together to create a happy home, I would not mind watching both working in the kitchen or doing the cleaning job! But I cannot tolerate if my son works out & at home, his girl remains busy with party after office, keep chatting, makes my son do the maximum! Both T & I have to leave the world with a heavy heart, our's do not have a sibling either! I would expect her not to cross the limits of decency as defined in a middle-class South Asian home as mine; yes, I am a bit scared! Where is that doe-eyed girl, every mother-in-law expects a daughter-in-law like her; we talked last May, thereafter she did not respond as yet! With all these working on my mind, I still wish to be nice to the world, share an easy to cook non-vegetarian, gluten-free egg curry! Egg & Chicken are good proteins; have them regular; feed your kids unless they dislike those! Force feeding never works for the body! I think egg & chicken are both bachelor friendly, I suggested the son to have eggs regular! This  is a simple curry with onion-chilli-white sesame paste & spring onion! Here spring onion is cheap, in the son's city it's pricey! Wow, in the past few hours I did not feel drowsy, that's a good sign!

INGREDIENTS :

EGG : 5-6

SPRING ONION : A SMALL BOWLFUL

WHITE SESAME SEED : 2-3 TSP

ONION : 1 STANDARD SIZED

GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

GINGER PASTE : 1 TSP

GARLIC PASTE : 1 TBSP

BAYLEAF : 1

CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 4-5 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash & boil the eggs in enough water adding some salt! This may take 12-14 minutes at low to medium heat, half covered! 

Let it cool down, get rid of the shell & wash the boiled egg! Make scratched on their body & rub with salt & turmeric! 

Heat the oil and fry the boiled eggs lightly! Take out! 

Chop & wash the spring onion! 

Dry roast the sesame seeds until golden brown & prepare a paste along with the washed & sliced onions, green chillies!

Re-heat the remaining oil in the wok & temper with the cumin seed & bayleaf; add the ginger & garlic pastes & stir fry at low heat for a minute or two!

Thereafter, add the sesame-onion-green chilli paste & stir fry for 3-4 minutes; add some salt & stir fry for a minute!

Add the eggs and fold in well, stir fry for a minute or two; add a coffee mug of water!

Give a stir & let it boil at low heat for sometime until it gets to be a thicker gravy!

At this stage, add the washed & chopped spring onion; fold in well! Do not cook for more than 1/2 a minute, do not let it's crunch go!

Have the curry hot with steamed rice or flatbread! You can see lentils & mutton on the sides!

OATS MATAR GREENS KEBAB

 WHY WAS I BORN THIS USELESS?

Just asking! Whilst the maximum in the world are out of home latest by mid-morning to win over the world, I feel like lying down on the couch for the second time! I avoid that, do go out for a walk; but on coming back, taking shower & having a late lunch; I cannot stay awake, just wish to lie down & sleep, whilst the world is unto making important decisions!I get angry with myself of not been part of this decision making process, of being a born lethargic who loves her home & couch the most! This morning I felt less useless a self, I was cooking what you see in the pictures; it is less oily, healthy & tasty! Belonging to the food world, I felt accomplished! I wished to do something with regards to food, but I lack strong determination, am lazy; more of poor adjectives you can use about me!

I DO NOT MISS MY USUAL WALK & CLICK ON THE WAY!

Today, I took a new path, was scared if I would be able to find my way back home, sweet home! Ultimately I did get the lead to a known lane without much of a trouble, on the way I clicked those!

Your's truly is less bothered about her looks; unless my face & body gets me crores of rupees, I need not bother! I was more excited to discover something similar to "Babui Pakhir Basha"! All the way back home I wondered if it was made by a Babui Pakhi or  it is man made! This time outside, I really do enjoy!On days I do not write a blogpost, I stay some more time outside, sit at a foodcourt or eatery to have my lunch! What's there to hurry back home? Mumma's boy would not be there at home by 4:10 pm back from the school! Anyway, where ever he is, he should be hale & hearty; safe & secured always! Mumma keeps worrying about him, the daddy has a stronger heart!

WHAT IS THIS OATS MATAR GREENS KEBAB?

Your's truly is miser enough to pay for a "hara bhara kebab" sitting in a restaurant! She thinks what is there to pay for it, making it is not that difficult as dahi kebab is! I am the last person to follow ditto a chef's recipe of hara bhara kebab! I would follow my own instinct using the available ingredients in my kitchen! My kitchen definitely do not have "anardana powder", so mine would have a distinct taste & I guarantee a good taste! I have added oatmeal as a binder in this vegan, gluten-free starter / appetiser recipe; OATS MATAR GREENS KEBAB! I got a bunch of spinach for a purpose and a little of it was left to be used! I think I made a good use of it this morning, hence it was a fruitful day for me! I hope it got me some money besides my family having it! But I am not yet out of my jet lag, do not know what I wrote all this while, I wrote in my sleep literally! That is why I am angry with myself, when the world is hard working, my body is lazy enough to look for leisure at all times! I had the kebabs for my lunch but they suit the best as an appetiser!

Most of my kebabs are done in the oven, I think I am gifting you healthy food, low in oil! The only pain is the fact I could not feed the son all these for a single day, not possible sitting in an Airbnb kitchen! To a palak hater, this could be the best way to feed palak / spinach!

INGREDIENTS :

SPINACH / PALAK : A BUNCH

GREEN PEA : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

OATS : 1 MEDIUM TEA CUP

GREEN CHILLI : 2

CHOPPED ONION : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

MINCED GARLIC : 1 TSP

CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP

KULAMBU SPICE MIX : 2 TSP

EVEREST KITCHEN KING SPICES : 1 TSP

CUMIN POWDER : 1 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

DRY MANGO POWDER : 1 TSP

CHAAT MASALA : 1/2 TSP

LEMON JUICE : 2-3 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2-3 TABLESPOON + A LITTLE TO BRUSH THE KEBABS

PROCEDURE :

I soaked both the chopped & washed spinach & frozen green peas in hot water for half an hour! Thereafter, I drained the water!

I powdered the oats & kept aside for later use! I pasted together the blanched spinach, green peas, 2 washed green chillies!

Cristine chopped & washed the onions, also the minced garlic!

I heated the oil in a wok & tempered it with the cumin seeds! I added the minced garlic to it & fried till golden brown! I added the chopped onion and fried until golden brown!

To that I added the green paste, kulambu spice mix, Everest kitchen king masala, cumin & coriander, red chilli powder, salt; folded in well & kept stir frying for 5-6 minutes!

Thereafter, I added the oatmeal, dry mango powder & chaat masala, lemon juice! I folded in well & kept stir cooking for another 5-6 minutes! I transferred the dough to a plate!

Cristine shaped them into kebabs, greased an oven proof metal plate with oil & arranged them on it, brushed with oil!

Mine is a convection mode microwave oven, I placed the low height wired stool inside & on top of it the plate!

I cooked it at 300 power for 10 minutes in the microwave+grill mode, I did not require to cook the other side! You can bake too!

Serve them immediately with the choice of sauces & dips!

If you have them fresh & hot, you get the best taste!