Go Fish ( Fingers) and have some fun with Math

I was thinking about this a few days back but never had the time to write …it’s about a celebration day called the Pi day. I now can’t really remember the exact day – but hey, I’d rather not remember it.

Pi Day – are you serious?!  For a moment I thought I might be reading it all wrong and they probably meant it to be the ‘Pie’ (I mean the eating variety and not the mathematical one) day. I was so wrong, they really meant the ‘pi’ as in the (3/14) day. 

I don’t think the day makes me want to celebrate in any way. The numbers haunted me when I first learnt about them and they continue to haunt me even now.  It’s such a setback to my honest bong genes.  
When I was first introduced to these peculiarly named set of numbers, I was flummoxed.  My father – who used to teach me math in school was furious and my mother turned to faith and food. She firmly believed that perhaps I’m too small for all these complexities and one day I will grow up to be like my father and grandfather, and be  a math pro atleast if not a genius. It was a lot of pressure for a ten year old ‘with highly ordinary’ math skills.

 After faith, or maybe along with faith, my mom adopted the food route to make me math whiz. She latched onto fish. She is not alone in this; almost 90% of the fish eating bong believes that fish consumption is somehow directly proportional to the intelligence of a human being.  So along with increasing the portions of this super power dish in my diet, she also increased the frequency. Introducing various snack recipes for me to savor with my morning and evening milk.

I have to admit that I relished those ‘super power’ meals, I frankly don’t know what it did to my brain power as I’m still scared of numbers , however it did its bit to my waist line.  And I do regret that I should not have overdone it, but then I was just a 10 year old!

Since I ate so much of it, that I have now completely eliminated it from my diet. Fish still continues to remind me of maths!!! and It’s been 10 years or so. I wouldn’t have had given this much of a thought , until I met a fellow bong mom at my daughters play school (incidentally on the pi day) who commented on  how important it is to introduce fish to my daughters diet, now that she has started to go to school. This time I just smiled, I knew I have fallen for that ‘fish is must for your brain’ trap. Maybe it has something to do with being Mommy brained.

Anyways, my mind is working fast thinking of an easy fish recipe for my little one to have and C'mon, what can be easier and tastier than fish fingers. After all it’s the pi day. One day she will have to understand the complexities of the math world. Let the fish carry the day for her.

Fish Fingers 

Ingredients:
10 pieces any boneless fish cut in finger shape
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp white pepper powder
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg (for wash)
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method:
Douse fish fingers with salt, pepper powder and lemon juice, and keep then aside well covered in fridge for around 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Now prepare the fish by dipping them in beaten egg and roll in your palm to coat the crumbs uniformly.

Heat oil and deep fry the fingers until fish fingers are light golden and cooked. Alternatively, you can shallow fry them and serve with your choice of sauce.I served mine with creamy mustard sauce.

Of weddings, Family, Food and some Fish in Mustard Sauce.

Today while browsing an old album, I came across this picture of a prized wedding fish on its way to the bride to be’s family . It was a part of the Gai Holud ceremony.I can still almost taste the delicious lunch that followed the ceremony. Oh dear Fish.

Growing up in a lose knit Bengali family, weddings were a cause of major celebrations, for me it meant: Phamily and Phood , especially Pheesh (Bong babu’s way of pronouncing things, pun intended) ! It meant waking up to the robust smell of fish slices being friend in sharp mustard oil. Fried fish is definitely not a breakfast food, now even for us bongs. The early preparation was perhaps the cooks way of ensuring that the food is done in time for lunch. You see, we bongs have a huge appetite for food, especially on festive gatherings like wedding.

Actually the food or more importantly the fish fetish has a lot bigger role to play during weddings than just being the family favorite dish. In traditional Bengali wedding’s the bride walks in to her new home with a live fish in hand. As the folklore goes, it signifies harmony and healthy children.

Nowadays people make is easier on the new bride by making her carry a dead fish but, that’s only if you allow the bending of rituals and traditions. I  generally don’t , and perhaps it’s not me speaking but my grandmother’s spirit who is peeping at my post from the heaven above is  making me write it. She was so focused on these traditions, right from the symbolism of these rituals to how these fishes should be cooked and served in a correct order, that I now feel it’s my personal responsibility to see that the traditional lineage continues. Afterall they come with a promise of good fortune and prosperity. Greedy me! 

Who can deny.

Now that we are in the topic of traditions, presenting a traditional dish of Fish in Mustard sauce or Sorse Maach.  I have tried to be as authentic as possible, but feel free reason out what proportions will actually make for the best Sorse Maach, which suits your family's taste buds.

Fish in Bengali Mustard Sauce or Sorse Mach

Ingredients

Fish pieces/fillets around 4-5 pieces

Yellow mustard seeds (soaked for a few hours in water) 4-5 tbsp

Green chilies as per taste

Ginger paste 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Salt and sugar to taste

Mustard oil 2-3 tbsp (Plus 1 tbsp more for drizzling) (you can substitute with other oils if you want)

Cilantro for garnish

Method:

Clean the fish pieces and rub the turmeric and salt over it. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Now grind the soaked mustard seeds with a few green chilies in mortar and pestle, or a mixer to a smooth and creamy paste.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat the mustard oil and fry the fish pieces till they are golden brown in color. Keep the fish pieces aside. Now temper the oil with ginger paste and a little salt. Now add the mustard paste and fry on low heat. Add the whole green chilies along with salt and sugar. Adjust according to taste. Add the fish pieces along with half a cup of water and let it cook for few more minutes. The consistency is creamy and thick, not runny. So adjust the liquid accordingly.

Once done, garnish with cilantro and drizzle fresh mustard oil on top.

Serve the fish in mustard sauce over bed of rice.

Quick Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting : Celebrating Twos

Two is a magical age.

(But I’m also getting the hang of what it means by the word troublesome twos.)
My little Miss S has started talking non-stop…with all her words clear as a day…and my days are always so full answering her inane curiosities.

Oh how she loves everything around her, whether it’s the garbage man ringing the doorbell in the morning or the loud whoosh of the incoming bikes in our society in the evening. She welcomes one and all with a warm hello. She’ll laugh at all playful stupid antics (and sometimes the non-deliberate ones too, when you do actually fall or hit your head accidentally) and the silly tickling sessions, dance at the most mellow hint of music and never stop looking, gazing and breathing it all in.

Birthdays are her latest fascination. We whole heartedly give in, considering it is her birthday month. She claps at the sight of a cake, and all she wants is a knife and a candle. Of course she offers me bite once she is done with the role play of being the birthday girl, but what enthralls me more is the glint in her eye when she is in front of the cake, and in my world it indeed calls for a party.

Party we did. That too three times over. I’ll not get into the details of chronicling those, expect for sharing the joy we felt looking at her cream stained lips  and having leftover bites of her freshly cut cake.
She is our little cakelet …and by the time you read this, she will be two years old.

I know, I’m not alone in this… you too must love your little one(s) with this muchness.

Here’s the Butter cake with Chocolate Ganache recipe which, I baked for her. I’m certainly not a baker and neither great at decorating cakes – but I still feel that these were the only moments in my life where I felt the cakes came alive. Yes, my little S’s grin vouched for it.

Quick Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting

Ingredients for Quick Yellow Cake

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for the Choclate Ganache

250 gms chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons flavored liqueur (purely optional)

Method for the cake : 

Mix all the dry ingredients together, all I did was to whirr for 30 sec to mix and aerate.
Then all the wet ones, which includes the eggs, plus any extracts (such as vanilla) go into another bowl and lightly whisked.

Mix both until well blended.

Pour all into whatever well greased pan you are baking in, and bake for around 35 min or until done.

Method for the Choclate Ganache

Heat heavy cream on medium high till it reaches the boiling point, then remove cream from heat and pour the cream on the chocolate and still until the chocolate melts and mixes evenly and is glossy to look . Allow the Choclate Ganache to cool before pouring over cakes as a glaze.

I cooled my cake before glazing. Then covered with sprinkles and added a kit kat boundry.Tied with a satin ribbon.

Done!!

Picnic Fried Chicken at the Zoo

These cranes are sharing secrets. “I love our new little guest, don’t you?” “She loves our long beaks I guess, with which we pick our fish?” “She’s human, and is here to visit us today.” “Ah, ok, I hope she says hello to the deer next door.” “She looks like, she would”...She would definitely dear crane, the mommy will ensure she does what you want.

The day turned out real beautiful, with the sun rhyming in rhapsody. Oh how my little S loved the zoo trip. Why not, she was accompanied by her grandma- her favorite in the whole wide world…and her cute questions made us laugh all the way…” Oh, look at beautiful birdy! Can she eat chips? Where are her teeth?”  And even if you don’t have any teeth, I still I love you dear crane .Thank you for the vanity oblige for one pretty picture.

Certainly not like the lazy giraffe who founds it too much an effort to move his long neck. Or the white tiger that preferred to sunbathe and get some color on his pale coat instead of one sly glance at us. No problem, keep your distance. We’ll go and coax the deer to smile for us.

Little feet are aching now, time to hop on to a train. Bye Bye...

Honk Honk here we come......our train trip is done and we are ready for our picnic lunch...today the Kosha Mangsho aar Luchi has replaced the Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Potatoes and Pea dressing and some desserts.We too adapt with time, don't we little one , but then...

Food is how I remember those days. And those were the days.

Picnic Fried Chicken 

Ingredients

1 chicken (900 gms), cut into chunky pieces

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cups flour (maida)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala 

1 cup buttermilk

vegetable oil to fy

Directions

Wash and pat dry the chicken. Now mix the salt, flour, ground black pepper, and garam masala in a large, big bowl. Thoroughly coat the chicken in the flour mixture, dusting off the excess. Keep it aside for a few minutes and then pour the buttermilk into a second bowl. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then back to the   flour and spice mixture.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan(about 360° F to be precise) then place the chicken in the oil, one by one.Fry the its golden brown in color. Check once done by piercing the the fried chicken. Its done once you see the juices run clear. 

Soak the excess in  a paper towel and devour . I tried mine with potatoes and peas in Greek yogurt dressing. 

My picnic table can fire up your valentine's too. Why not try it once.  

Curried Omelette /Omeletter Dalna for Hurried Days

There are days when I come back home late, totally ignorant of the refrigerators inhabitants only to be stopped short and quizzed by the. Husband with “what’s for dinner?” type of question. Then begins the panic attack. This query follows the law of Murphy to T , hence almost always asked on the days when there is  hardly anything in the kitchen. Ask anyone who has gone through this situation, they’ll tell you that it feels like solving a math problem with time bomb ticking away. Since my numerical abilities are rather questionable, you can imagine the predicament.

Now if you ask why do I run out of grocery Mid-week that too on a frequent basis, then I’ll tell you that cooking is a twice daily affair in my house and for that I need a meticulous weekly plan of grocery and lists, I need to find things in colossal quantities and hodge-podges to run through a week of happily fed family… And as obvious we don’t really follow the rules of a NORMAL eating family of five, I often falter here.

Like when I was young, during the Poush Pabon season my Ma and Mashi(aunt) would flood the house with puli and pethe, and hide it in all hard to reach  cupboards, that very instant me and my brother’s six food sense would kick in and we would hunt it down and we'd make it vanish in our bellies overnight. Desserts never survive us. Curries are conquered. These in-born skills are still intact. Now I have a like-minded Husband and mother –in-law. Just so you know.

This is why I’m lamenting over empty pantries mid-week. I’m certainly not complaining over us Loving food. how can you blame us? it’s the genetics. 

And almost always the answer to the “what’s for dinner?”  question in my house is the Curried Omelette /Omelet-er Dalna. Every Bong Mom’s solution to empty pantry days and busy evenings.

Ingredients

For Omelette
2-3 eggs
1 boiled and cubed potato
1 Onion finely chopped

Make a paste of:
1 Tomato
1 onion
2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
2 Green chilies (optional)

Spices:
2 tsp powdered Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil and water as needed

Preparation

Starts with making the omelette for this curry. Break the eggs into a medium bowl. Whisk all the ingredients under Omelette section. Heat oil in a flat pan and pour the mixture, cook till firm. Flip to the other side and cook till firm.  Cut the Omelet  as you would like in  your curry, I prefer long rectangles.

For the Curry


Heat the oil in deep bottomed dish.Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, followed by coriander powder and all the ingredients under the spices and  paste section and mix it well. Add some salt and let it cook on medium for a few minutes, till all the spices are mixed well.

Add 1/2 cup water and boil for 2 minutes  and now add the cubed omelets. Top it with cilantro and mix it very well.Serve with rice or roti.

S-I-X and Counting years, and Bengali Mutton Biryani

Life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony.                                                                                                            Martin Luther King, Jr.

 The first time I met the. Husband. He came across as a hermit. He’d think a lot before speaking. During our dates, he’d just nod in agreement at whatever I wanted to order, even if it meant fiddling with food for him. Once, he came to meet me from Portugal and got a small souvenir from there as a gift– he never gave me that present lest I hate it. He was shy and reticent and nowhere near the ‘Happy –go-Lucky’ attitude I sported. Then the oddity happened, the journey of the opposites began.

I continued being me, just the spirited social soirees were re-scheduled for the day and the nights were reserved for the happy home cooking.  It was frowned at but tolerated well. Year after year, city after city. Then, almost six years later I’m practically running the risk of sounding like him. It amazes me how we’ve changed almost effortlessly over the years, it’s cozy to share a life with someone who enjoys watching Little S patiently as I work at my home office or whose idea for a great weekend is selecting the best thriller movies and waiting for me to watch it with him. I know the.husband has come a long way since the day I first met him, when for the New Year’s night he offered to party at chic nightCLUB while I was happy just huddling with my fellas at home.

Of course my daily life is not all that musical as it sounds now.

We have our rough rides every now and then, still in the middle of all the daily chaos and chunks of months that moves in almost a clockwork fashion, I have to admit that I have now started longing for these quiet days at home, with nothingness on the mind and where the only agenda be laughing nonstop with our daughter and cooking a one pot meal before settling in with a movie to watch together—and as I rush to seize these moments, I pray that they will become less rare and more a way of life.

That’s just the beginning of how we've been tied together in time.


Somewhere I suspect, this Bengali version of Mutton Biriyani has a major role to play too. When the extent of our marital disharmony revolved around the debate of Who’s from a better Biriyani place -The Hyderabad vs The Lucknow, this Bengali Mutton Biryani version entered the kitchen to save our souls.

Bengali Mutton Biriyani

 Ingredients

1 kg Mutton/ lamb meat (marinated overnight in raw papaya paste, can use any other tenderizer)
500 gm. of basmati rice(washed and soked for an hour)
3 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
2-3 potatoes cut into big cubes
1 large onion finely chopped
1 cup plain yogurt/dahi
2 tsp. red Chili powder
Kewra essence few drop
Few strands of saffron soaked in 1 tsp warm milk
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Biryani Masala

Biryani Masala (powder roast the masala, or you can use the readymade Biriyani Masala from Store)
7-8 Cloves
3-4 green Cardamom
A pinch of grated Nutmeg
1/2" Mace
1 tsp. Cumin
1tsp of white Peppercorn
2" Cinnamon stick


PROCEDURE
Cook the rice in a deep bottomed pan spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Cook till done, but not mushy, drain the water, add a tsp of ghee and keep aside.

Take oil in a heavy bottom pan or in a pressure pan and once the oil is hot, add chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown. Add the meat pieces sauté on high heat. Now add the ginger, garlic paste and sauté with the meat pieces. Now add yogurt and red chilies powder and add 3 tsp. of the Biryani Masala. Finally add the potato halves add the salt and sugar, and fry all of them together with the meat and spices. Cook in the pressure pan until the meat is tender.Once done, assemble the biryani.

In the serving pan add a layer of rice, then meat and gravy, add the saffron infused milk, then a few drops of Kewra. Repeat the process. Till all the rice is exhausted.This is the easy way out without the dum and cuts my time in half! Let it stand and heat well before serving.

Dimer Dalna or Spicy Egg Curry with a story of a Golden Swan

Once upon a time, a poor old couple lived in a village. They had a small happy family of two sons and two daughters. The old couple worked and saved hard to make ends meet. The old man loved his family very much and worked hard to provide them the best he could. They were happy indeed.

However the luck was not on their side. The old man fell sick and passed away. His old wife and kids were grief stricken.  The old lady cried land wailed loudly , so the neighbors vowed to take the responsibility of the poor family.

Gods listened to her cries too. The old man was reborn as a golden swan. He remembered his previous birth very well. The old man decided to help his family. He went to his sons and daughters and told them, “Dear children, I’m your father, reborn as a Golden Swan. I want to help you. Today onward I will come regularly and drop one of my golden feathers. You can collect the feather and sell that for the price of gold. With the money you get, you will be live comfortably”.  After saying that, the Swan dropped a Golden feather and flew away.

The Swan left them a Golden feather daily. The family sold the feather and very soon they were out of poverty. In a few months, they became rich and stopped visiting their neighbors. As they were living their life happily,  the old lady feared that the Swan may soon stop visiting them. So she decided to catch the swan. The children stopped her, but she would not listen.One day the old lady grabbed the swan and plucked all the feathers. The old man was disappointed at the ruthlessness of the wife he loved so dearly.

Just when she was done, she realized that all the feathers turned to normal Swan feathers. The swan told her that it was the result of the old lady being cruel and greedy. The hurt Swan left the village and left the heartbroken lady and his beloved family alone.

Slowly his family lost all wealth and became poor again. This time, even the neighbors did not help the poor family.  She learnt that hard way that her greed for more led to her downfall.

This is one of the Bengali folk tales that I plan to tell my daughter as a bedtime story, perhaps when she is a little older to understand.

I hope this can teach her the importance of not being greedy, when the whole world around her is running to get their hands on that extra goodie that they don't need.

I cried when I heard it for the first time.I think I might be five then.

So what does this story has to do with an Egg curry or Dimer Dalna?

Well, on cozy wintry night like this, Bengali's like to eat this full flavored spiced Dimer Dalna (Egg Curry ) and talk about the golden swan and the greedy old woman.

This old-fashioned Egg curry is certainly not the traditional one. But an exotic mix of two traditional Bengali recipes and some imagination. They’re delicious with a plate of hot steaming rice or a hot roti’s right off the stove. And, if you grew up somewhere in West Bengal, you can take mound or rice with the curry , read up the story and in your head you’re five years old again.


Egg Curry or Coconut Milk Spiced Dimer Dalna Ingredients:

For the Egg Curry Spice Paste
A handful Kashmiri red chilies (I tried  with 6)

2 Tsp Coriander seeds

1 Tsp Cumin seeds

½ Tsp Turmeric Powder

3 Tbsp grated coconut

1 tsp Tamarind pulp



Other Ingredients:

2-3 cloves Garlic

1 Onion


½ Cup Thick Coconut Milk

3 Eggs

2 tbsp Oil
__________________

First grind the Egg Curry Spice Paste ingredients above with a little water.

The color should be a beautiful tangerine like the picture on your right.

Heat a deep dish pan with some oil in it,add the chopped onion and garlic and saute. Now add the Egg Curry Spice Paste. Add a little water to make a smooth paste and keep the heat on.

Now break the egg shells and lay out the yolk and whites in a dish. Just don't break the yolks and now drop the eggs carefully in the spice dish.

Cook till the egg are done. Lower the flame and then add the coconut milk, for the desired consistency and flavor.

We're done. bring on the steamed rice and enjoy.

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

Microwave Paturi - For the City Dwellers

Have you tried the Bengali parceled fish, the Paturi yet?

The mustardy and juicy meat gently trapped inside a banana leaf, is divine….  I was craving for a comfort food to get over the post-holiday lull. It’s almost irritating when the flavors call your name while you are already recuperating from the post festival frenzy.   Last night I slept thinking about the food?…. Of course, the morning sun saw me standing in the fish market with my mom and shopping bag in hand!

We were lucky to get a fresh Hilsa. The banana leaf eluded us this time. Durga Puja seems to have eaten into the limited banana leaf stock of my Northy Indian state.. So microwave became my only source of hope. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I was disappointed.

For all you lesser mortals who plan to cook, without the banana leaf at hand – let me assure you that the humble homely microwave promises the same (well almost) taste as its banana leaf wrapped steamed and pan fried cousin, only the romance of unwrapping is lost. In any case we city dwellers outside of Bengal have to settle in for the former – much easier version.

So, come on Ilish/Hilsa Fish of Bangladesh on my plate!  Let’s devour you.

Let’s prepare the Ilish Maacher Paturi

Ingredients

5-6 pieces of Ilish

1 tsp turmeric powder (+ ½ tsp turmeric)

5 tsps yellow mustard seeds

1 tbsp posto/poppy seeds

21/2 tbsp plain yogurt

Green chilies to taste(more the merrier)

6 tbsp  mustard oil

Salt

Make a smooth paste of the poppy seeds, mustard seeds, half teaspoon turmeric powder and few green chilies. It’s best to dry grind and gradually add water before the green chilies, to get the smooth consistency.

I use a microwaveable pie dish for this preparation.

Start with arranging the fish.

Coat the fishes with the half of the spice mixture, and being generous is the trick. I find hand the best bet. Now  whip the yogurt with salt and add on top. Top it with the remaining green chilies. Add the remaining spice mixture. Top the fish pieces up with a teaspoon of turmeric Now add salt  and drizzle the mustard oil. Mustard is what creates the magic in the recipe. Ensure that all is covered nicely.

Cling wrap the microwaveable pie dish and keep for at least 10 minutes. Microwave on high power for atleast  10 minutes.

Serve with steaming plain white rice. Bon appetit!

Sending this event to Anu's Healthy Kitchen 

Luchi aar Kosha Mangsho /Puffed Fried Bread with Mutton Gravy

Remember the time when party dress shopping was an annual festive ritual? Getting two pair (instead of one)of fancy shoes was a big thing? When eating out every month was almost unheard? And going out with ‘friends Vs family’ was a debate not entertained.

If this rings a bell, or you can remotely relate to the life back then, then you my friend belong to the same era as me . And the rest of you, have age on your side ;)

These festive rituals which I fondly associated with Durga puja  are slowly on their way to becoming extinct.
  Thankfully food is not a part of this brigade. Food fervor during the festivals is alive, and will always be. If you don’t agree then you have not tasted the kosha  mangsho and Luchi yet.

You can plan this dish much ahead and prep it beforehand or ask for extra 5 minutes from the guests who decide to drop in unannounced! What makes it so good and unforgettable? The crisp thin puffed up melt in the mouth luchi (fried indian bread) and soft delectable chunks of bony aromatic mutton (aka Kosha Mangsho). I have to agree, it is one of my guilty pleasures.

Luchi aar Kosha Mangsho /Puffed Fried bread with mutton gravy

Luchi  (Fried Indian Bread)

11/2 cup Flour (Maida)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Sugar (optional)
3 tbsp Melted Ghee or ant vegetable shortening
1/2 cup Warm Water or as needed
Ghee for deep frying

Knead the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub the shortening/ghee into it and gradually knead using enough water to make a pliable dough.

Cover the dough with damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.

 Now you are ready to roll. Divide into balls. Now roll out the dough, dip in ghee to avoid the dough sticking.

Heat oil , and drop the luchi once its smokey. Watch it get puffed up. It takes about 30 seconds. Flip and fry until both sides are golden brown.

Ready to serve.

Kosha Mangsho  (Bengali Mutton Curry)

500 gms  of mutton cut to pieces
2-3 potatoes cut to half
2-3 onions

Mutton Marinate

2 tsp fresh ginger garlic paste
11/2 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp  freshly pounded chilli flakes
3 tbsp thick yogurt
1tsp of Bengali garam masala
½ cup coarsely chopped raw papaya (optional, it helps in meat tenderization)
Salt to taste

For tempering

9-10 black pepper
3 bay leaf
3 whole green cardamom
1 whole black cardamom
4-5 cloves
½ inch long cinnamon stick
1 tsp of sugar
½ cup of mustard oil

Process

Marinate the mutton for 3-4 hours, with all the ingredients mentioned under marination.

Heat a heavy bottom Pan and add 1-2 tbsp mustard oil to fry the potatoes till brown. Once done, keep aside the fried potatoes.

Now in the same oil, add the remaining ½ cup oil and temper it with all ingredients mentioned under tempering. Add sugar at the end. Fry all under low heat. Now add the onions, and fry till they are golden brown. Once done, add the marinated mutton.

Fry till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Transfer the contents to a pressure pan/cooker, add fried potatoes and 2 cups water. It will take around 15-20 minutes. Once you open the cooker, add garam masala.

Top it with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with luchi for a festive feel.

Dimer Devil (Bengali style Deviled Eggs recipe)

Dimer Devil (Bengali Deviled Eggs recipe)

Last week had a training session at work. Out of the very many things learnt and forgotten with equal ease the one which is worthy of mention here is the lesson on ‘and’ & ‘but’.

The example shared struck a similar chord with my daily conversations and miffs with dear husband (DH)…you’ll know once you hear this.

Me: Both of us are ready and getting late for our show , BUT little one?
DH-No response (which meant I have to be the one getting her dressed)

Me:Is the dress looking ok?
DH: Looking great on you , BUT isn't it too tight?

The 'But't in ruined my day.

So the moral of the story --- to keep our butt out of trouble we must replace “but” and start using “and.”

Well I'll be glad if I and DH can settle the AND’s into more of a routine!

Till then setting up the stove is my task and I get to make the Dimer devil. I can t tell why the ‘devil’ I chose this today over anything else though…

Dimer Devil

Ingredients of Dimer Devil (Bengali style Deviled Eggs recipe)

Ingredients

4 boiled eggs
2 raw eggs  (used for egg wash)
1 tsp Lime juice
1 tbs breadcrumbs
Mustard oil for frying

Mince meat filling

250 gms minced meat
50 gm Bengal gram dal (cholar dal)
50 gms green peas
2-3 flakes garlic minced
1/2 tbs ginger julliened
3-4 green chillies
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/2tsp Bengali garam masala
1/4tsp nutmeg powder

Mashed potato topping (optional)

3-4 boiled potatoes
1 tsp cumin powder

1tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste
1/2tsp Bengali garam masala
1/4tsp nutmeg powder

Directions

Cut theboiled eggs to half.

Mix the mince with all the ingredients for masala. Pressure cook with 3/4cup of water for 10 minutes. Evaporate the excess water over a high heat.

I usually try to mix it all by hand, this leaves a bite when I'm eating, you can grind the cooked mince to a smooth paste if you'd like. Cover each boiled egg with one portion of the mince.

I double coated with a potato mash.You can skip the step if you like. Make roundels.

Once done, heat oil in a pan, coat the deviled eggs with with egg wash.Dip in breadcrumbs and deep fry the eggs over medium heat till golden brown. Cut the devils in halves and serve with chutney. I served it with the onion chutney , recipe courtesy Tamils Kitchen

Further Reading 

(Well I did come across these links earlier while looking up for my devilled eggs, but here they are courtesy research effort of a fellow blogger BengaliCuisine)

Vaidyanathan Pushpagiri on Eggs in Calcutta, Deviled Eggs and everything in between
Check out the website Deviled Eggs Recipes for some great variations in Dimer Devil recipes

Murgir Jhol or Bengali Chicken Stew

Murgir Jhol /Bengali Chiken Stew

It's that day of the week again. Sunday morning is here. Time to have 2 cups of morning tea instead of one and time to read the paper tad 15 minutes longer. Linger over the cover story, mull over the bad state of economy , give a dirty glance over the crime rate and last but not the least -  lap up the scoops.

Today's scoop is all about a scandalous romance. Romance between Bilawal Bhutto and Hina Khar. So who are they ? Bilawal Bhutto is the chairman of the ruling Pakistani People's Party, and is also the nominated heir to his mother- Ex Benazir Bhitto and father - President Asif Zardari's respective legacies. To top it all - he has the bollywood hero's looks and Hina Khar is seriously mind blowing' as a Pakistani foreign minister, mother of two, married to a loaded guy.

How can we (India) help : This is the piece which makes the scoop all the more interesting , and quoting Shobha De's solution "Apart from asylum in India, we could make life a lot more fun for this couple. As neighbors, we owe them this much..... This is a fabulous, heaven- sent opportunity to strengthen bilateral relationships between the two nations." ha! do you think?

Now that I have  a smirky smile on my face, the day starts to roll ...Murgir Jhol in the name of India- and Pakistan. What say!

PS: I do not do scoop blogging and commenting on other peoples lives is not my hobby either . let's admit - we love a little bit of snooping around and reading oh-so -out of reach scoops .

Murgir Jhol /Bengali Chiken Stew


500 gms chicken with bones (skinless)
100 gms potato- cut in cubes
1/2 cup of any other vegetable of choice
1 cup thick doi (plain yogurt for the marination)

Dry Stew Masala

1 tsp of whole Corriander Seeds
1/4 tsp of Cumin seeds
5-6 black peppercorn seeds
6 cloves/Laung

Make a paste of the
above spices
few cloves of garlic
2" piece of peeled and chopped ginger
1 tomato
1 onion

Marinate 500 gms of whole cut up chicken with 1 tsp of Garlic Paste, 1 tsp of Ginger Paste, yogurt, a little turmeric powder, salt and lime juice. Keep aside for a few hours.


Heat vegetable oil  in an open lid pan

Add to the oil with a thin 1" stick of cinnamon and 3-4 green cardamom (gently crushed ), add the spice paste. Now stir fry, add the vegetables and meat , stir fry till the chicken starts to brown a bit.

Add about 1 cup of water. When cooking in a pan- wait till the the veggies are meat are all well done.

Garnish with green chilies and coriander.

Serve with steamed rice

I'm sending this entry to the Ongoing Serve It Series - Serve It - Boiled

Lucknawi - Mutton Shami Kabab

Lucknawi - Mutton Shami Kabab

Bored by the banal city life we left for Agra- almost on a whim. Packed duffel bags , booked a room and we were well on our way to explore the rather known richness of the Mughal empire.....beautifully reposed in the banks of river Yamuna, Agra is one of the oldest cities in the country. Although I have seen the TAJ MAHAL many times before, it always leaves me awestruck. Traipisng through the hot stone terrace and uncovered mausoleums, which leave my soles almost hot and parched, I could feel tribulations of the bygone era, life was after all hard. I think. However the Mughal kitchen is what brings my sensory nerves alive and ticking ...the vastness of the Mughal kitchen, the poetic verses on evocative aromas and intoxicating platters of fine food. This is all what I'm yearning to talk about today ...

Although I have to admit that I cut short on the slow cooking techniques many a times, this is not the royal rasoi(kitchen). And talking of the royal kitchen, if you start thinking that I work chef quality gas ranges with a shining chimney atop to hush the smells away.ha! in my dreams.For now my kitchen is full of love and belly full of desires.No-No-dont get me wrong. Unlike most -designer gear is not for me, I dream of a kitchen with shiny breakfast table, dainty pretty plates and sprightly red cabinets.

But for now , I make peace with the utilitarian.

So lets get working in my standard utilitarian kitchen - where the only thing which is in abundance is zeal to make good food and the undying spirit to eat...

Mutton Shami Kabab

Yields 10-12 kababs

Ingredients for kababs:

Lamb (finely minced) – 500 gms

Bengal gram (chana dal) – 200 cup

Onion – one, diced small

Ginger – 1 inch piece, chopped fine

Garlic –7-8, chopped fine

Fresh coriander leaves – a scant handful torn from a bunch, chopped fine

Lemon juice – of 1/2 a lemon

Egg, beaten – 1

Ghee (clarified butter) to shallow fry

Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Spices for kababs:

Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Green cardamoms – 2

Cinnamon – 1/5 stick or 1/4 tsp powdered

Cloves – 2-3

Red chilli powder – to taste

Bengali Garam masala – 1 teaspoon

peppercorns black – powdered 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Steps : 

1) Wash the chana dal and soak it for a few hours 

2) In a pan ,  roast all dry spices and grind. 

3) Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the Chana dal and minced meat with grind spices.Add about a cup of warm water, salt to taste. Cook  till all the water in no more.Add the rest of the spices.

4) Grind all to a fine paste . 

5) In a bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt.

6)To make the kababs, take a palm-sized portion of ground meat in your hand. Roll into a ball then slightly flatten it. Repeat the procedure

- Heat the oil in a pan. Press to flatten the  kababs, then dip each into the egg mixture and place into the ghee to shallow fry. 

For plating up you will need a few lemon slices and onion juliens. they work the best together:

 Once the kababs are done, you can easily turn them into a favorite Luchbox recipe by placing it inside a Roti and rolling it all in . Here's how :

Enjoy!!