The Quintessential Shukto - Mixed Vegetables Bengali style

I have been avoiding sharing the Shukto recipe -a quintessential Bengali delicacy as long as I could, mostly for various fears. The fear of organization skill it requires, fear of labor that goes behind having all the vegetables in exact proportions and chopped to the precise guidelines and lastly the fear of shaking off my lazy hibernation mode.

Now if you have never heard of Shukto – don’t be put off by my Hyperboles. It’s just the bitter Bengali cousin of the southern Avial or the Indian version of the French Ratatouille. You got the drift – it’s a medley of all vegetables with a hint of bitterness.

Long long time ago when my,mama (maternal uncle ) got married and they were coming home for their post wedding reception, my mother happened to be sitting next to the bride and heard her mumble and memorize the Shukto spices. 30 years have passed since then, and my mami has proven to be a good cook, the story still goes around in my family. So you know, the importance of Shukto does not stop at  it being a classic lunch menu, its much beyond that. A well-made Shukto is considered by many to be the hallmark of a good cook—If you can spice the Shukto correctly, you have made the culinary grade and of course welcomed as a perfect bride, in this case. 

Although in every bong house, the Shukto has its own version. You can certainly adapt the spices and the quantities based on your family’s liking.

Shukto

Ingredients
1 white Radish
1 green Banana (plantains)
4-5 broad Beans
1 small bitter Gourd
2 long thin Brinjal, unpeeled
1 sweet Potato
½+ ½  cup water, 2 tbsp milk
Spices, condiments and Oil

To paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Mustard paste
1 tsp Poppy seed

Dry spices

1 tsp roasted and coarsely ground Panch Phoron (fenugreek, kalonji, cumin seed, radhuni or celery seed and fennel seed in equal parts)
2 bay leaves

Oils
3 tbsp Mustard oil
1/2 tsp ghee (optional)

For garnish
Salt to taste
A handful fried dal bori (dried lentils nuggets)

Method:
Peel and cut all the vegetables lengthwise around 2 inch long ( sweet potatoes, white radish, plantains, broad beans, small bitter gourd and brinjal)

Heat the mustard oil to smoke in a deep dish. Temper with the bay leaf and panch phoron. Now add the vegetables and sauté in low heat. Take care to add the brinjals in the end. Add salt to taste and add ½ cup water, and then cover and cook until the vegetables are done.

Once done and the vegetables are cooked, add the ginger paste, black mustard paste and poppy seed paste mixed in the 1/2 cup water. Finally top it with the fried boris and the ghee, cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the milk, cover and remove from heat.

Serve at room temperature. Sprinkle a pinch of , roasted panch phoron powder on it just before serving.

Baked Phulkopir Singara /Samosa

 New year is knocking at our doors!

2013 already, can you believe it?

I've been thinking about you all and my little blog world all this while, just that the real world didn’t give me a breather  to step into my virtual space.

 The real world where I live in is reeling under cold waves. Its teeth chattering cold. They say that it may get even colder. Duh!, and really don’t hold your bellies and start laughing for New Delhi is not North Dakota or nowhere near the numbing blizzard of the Poles, and if by any means you are reading this post from the snow covered Alps . I envy you!! SNOW FALL eludes me here, but the city is everything else and the chill very much fazes city dwellers in North India who don’t have the comfort of centrally heated houses. The Heat blower is well a silly heat blower.

The other day I slept in my jeans with my jacket on. Just so you know.

I’m a winter person.  I love the way I can create ripples in the fog while speaking. That makes me love winter, but it is just too cold for me. Caps, boots , coats, are all doing their job very well, and once back home its back to the heat blower and oversized sweaters, and now even they  aren’t helping the cause. So I have to look for more ways to stay toasty: like my daughters teddy, a hand knit blankie wrap on my feet while I’m at my desk and (from time to time) this:

Yes, nothing like a crispy Phulkopir Singara (or a Samosa, if you must call it with that name) with tea on a wintry evening. A melt in your mouth flaky samosa with spicy cauliflower,potato and peas  filling in its healthy baked Bengali Phulkopir Singara avatar. It's still not calorie free,but makes me feel so much better at the thought of mindlessly reaching out for the seconds. I still need to learn to discipline myself before I reach out for that third. It's that wicked good. 

Baked Phulkopir Singara /Samosa 

Ingredients for Phulkopir Singara/Samosa dough

21/2 cups All Purpose flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup lukewarm water

Ingredients for Phulkopir Singara/Samosa filling
1 cup boiled mashed potatoes
1 cup steamed and finely chopped Cauliflower
2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
½ cup green Peas
1 inch ginger juliennes
1-2 chopped green chillies

Spices
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
A handful of peanuts (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin powder
Oil for Brushing (or Frying if you going for the deep fried version)

Procedure for Phulkopir Singara/Samosa Stuffing 

In a deep pan add 1 Tbsp oil and temper with Cumin seeds. Now add the chopped ginger, garlic and chilies and sauté for 2 minutes, and then add the chopped onions and green peas. Fry until the mixture has taken a golden hue.

Add the spices, salt and steamed cauiflower and mashed potatoes. Fry for a few minutes more at low flame.

Top it with peanuts, cumin powder, garam masala powder and coriander leaves.

Mix well and let it cool.

Procedure for Phulkopir Singara/Samosa Casing

Knead the flour, salt and ¾ cup oil. The Oil should be able to bind the dry mixture together.If not, add more.

Wrap in a towel and keep aside for 20-25 minutes

Now add the lukewarm water to make stiff  but pliable dough.

Divide the dough to 12 equal portions, and roll each dough ball into a thin round strip

Divide each rolled piece into 2 halves as shown in the picture.Turn it into a cone and add 2 tsp of the filling. Now seal with a touch of water around the edges. Seal it.

Brush oil on the stuffed Phulkopir Singharas or Samosas and bake in the pre-heated oven at 400F/180C/gas mark 7 for 15 minutes. Keep checking at regular intervals. After 15 minutes brush them with oil again and bake for 5 more minutes.

If frying, then dang, take a deep bottomed pan, put as much oil and heat it. Once done drop the Phulkopir Singhara’s one by one. Fry till golden brown.

Sharing this post with Evelyn@My turn forUS, HungryLittleGirl,No Rules Weekend Blog Party by Paula, Simple Sweet Home,HomeMaidsimple,Free Pretty Things For You ,Full Hands Full Hearts,I love my disorganized life and Frugally Sustainable

Bengali Ghugni(Yellow pea curry)

I haven’t been on the blogging scene for quite some time, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking or eating new stuff, sole reason of my absence was too much travel and then I got caught in the whirlwind of work. Travelling is terrific for the sensory as well as olfactory nerves (nose for the uninitiated!), but a week out of home and I was salivating for the known tastes. Indeed the recipe is a dear friend-Swati’s request, and the dish is Bangali ghooghi/ghugni (Bengali matar curry-sounds like a cross between Punjab and West Bengal!!) and though I’m not sure, but I think the ‘Bengali garam masala( five spice blend) may have been put on Earth for the sole purpose of rendering a terrific eastern aroma to this ghooghni... Yummmmm!


Bengali Ghugni

"Puritans" enjoy the ghooghni loaded with kheema (minced and fried red meat ) and greased with ghee. Only if their arteries could speak, they would have loved this Low cal Bengali vegetarian concoction!

What I used:

1 cup soaked and boiled peas
2tsp vegetable oil (this dish tastes better when the base mixture is sautéed in ghee, but then…)
1 potato(boiled and cubed)
2 onions (chopped fine)
1 tomato (de-skinned and chopped fine)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp ginger paste
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 dry chilli
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp bengali garam masala powder
2 tbsp coconut scrapings
½ tsp black salt
green chillies
Salt to taste

How I did it:

Like the popular chole recipe, you need to soak dry peas overnight in water, pressure cook with a teaspoon of salt. Do not overboil. Heat oil in a pan, and add a bayleaf, cumin, and cinnamon. Sauté till it splutters.

Add the chopped onions and stir fry till light brown. Add tomato, ginger paste, green chillies. Stirring briskly for a minute. Now add turmeric powder, and salt. Lastly add the boiled dry peas, potatoes and grated fresh coconut and let it all boil for 5-10 minutes on low heat, or till the consistency is thick with flavours flowing into each other and ingredients well cooked. Sprinkle garam masala powder on top, stir and remove from heat.
Sprinkle lemon juice and Serve piping hot.

Serving suggestion: white rice /phulkas or just have it as a tea time snack with fried alu bhujias on top.

Calories per serving : 125(without the fried bhujias on top)
Vegetarian Mangshor Ghugni

Oh! What a contradiction, but yes a low calorie and healthier version of the trans fat loaded mangshor ghugni is here: so if you are the longing for the same pujor diner Mangshor Ghugni aar Luuchi, then here’s what you can do:

Keep the Ghughni recipe same as above, and to the above ingredients add 1 cup soaked, drained and refried soya granules. While you are adding the boiled peas to the masala paste add them as well. You can avoid the coconut here and top it with lime juice and shredded coriander leaves.

Add a huge dollop of hot ghee on top (if you must!)


Bengali garam masala

This is something my mother prepares in large batches and couriers to me. On pestering her for the recipe, she shared hers here:

Ingredients:

3 tblsp Black Pepper corns

1 tblsp whole Cloves (Lavang)

2-3 Cinnamon (Dalchini)

20 green bruised Cardamom pods (choti Elaichi)
6-7 brown bruised Cardamom pods (Badi Elaichi)

1 tbsp Shahi Cumin Seed (Jeera)

1tsp Jafran

How my mom does it:
Dry roast all ingredients in a dry pan and heat over a very low fire, shaking the pan time to time.When a beautiful fragrance stars enveloping your room, know its done. Allow to cool slightly, then grind finely in an electric grinder. Or grind using a mortar and pestle and fine sieve afterwards. Store it in an airtight container.