A Green Baked Fish (Bhetki Paturi) and a lovely baby shower

This Green Fish Paturi almost came with a matching spring-like cute story, but as luck would have it, it didn't  But just to humor you, here’s what happened:

I was planning to throw my bestie a baby shower. Since it was her baby shower, I decided to call only her friends and I haven’t event met most of those. After chasing them on Facebook and spamming their mailboxes with invite , I began the task of calling them. Most of them accepted graciously even offered to bring something along, I said most, but ONE vehemently disagreed. I prodded and …

Her: “I can’t come”…pause…err..”I’m a vegetarian”
Me: “No problem at all , we will have enough vegetarian dishes”
Her : “Uhmm uhg but won’t you cook fish and rice?”
Me : "I might , but I will still cook lots of vegetarian dishes."
Her : “Do you use fish sauce in everything?”
Me: “Fish Sauce? Hell no, I’m a Bengali not Thai!!”

This went on for a few minutes more, and I think I was unsuccessful in convincing as she never showed up!

C’mon I’m amazed that people still think that we all Bengalis eat and serve only Fish and Rice and have our Rosogollas for Dessert. We continue this cycle till we are severely vitamin deficient or turn potbellied diabetic after an overdose of Rosogollas. Too bad. We have as much overload of plant based dishes as we like our fish and rice.And as a correction – Rosogolla is not the only dessert we have.

Now that the baby shower is over and my friend delivered a cute little baby girl last Saturday, I’m happy to post that this Fish dish – among many other vegetarian dishes was well liked, and I’d like to think that all's well that ends well.

 Although this is a fairly straightforward recipe: Prepare the green base with coriander , coconut, green chilies and mustard, use the mixture to feed flavor to the tender pieces of the fish. This concept of using the oven to cook the fish in this coriander, coconut mixture comes from the lack of banana leaves and time at hand and I think it’s pretty neat. It resulted in a beautifully flavored fish and a pretty presentation ( the photography does not do any justice to the dish but this is all I have). This dish is just as good as traditional Bhetki Fish paturis are supposed to be, the fish meat was delicately spiced and fell off the bone as we tunneled our forks (and hands too) however barbarously into the serving dish itself .

Green Baked Fish Paturi Recipe 

Ingredients:

7-8 Bhetki fillets
6 tbsp Fresh grated Coconut (you can use the powdered one too)
1 tsp Ginger paste
4 tbsp Mustard oil
4-5 Green Chillies
1/2 Onion
1 Bunch fresh coriander (about 50 grams)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

In a mixer finely grind the ginger, onion,green chilies, coconut, mustard oil and salt.  Thoroughly, rub the green paste all over the fish fillets. Keep aside the marinated fish for about an hour or more.

If you have Banana leaves then cover the fillets in the banana leaves and tie, then steam for 8-10 minutes. If Not, then you can bake the dish in an oven for about 35 minutes at 170 C (325 F).

Once done, top it generously with fresh pungent mustard oil .


While this little stint at Friends shower got me into a cooking overdrive, I’m afraid I've already begun hibernating into that little comfortable cove of the Fish, Rice and Rosogollas. I blame you, dear vegetarian guest.

Echorer Dalna (JackFruit Curry) - Veg meets Non-veg Dish

Sometimes I wish I had a pause button.

A button that allows me time. Some time to me and the rest to carry out things at my pace.
Like, time to stop and take the pictures of the things I cooked and I so wanted to share. Time to pause and write the story which had been brewing in my head that day while I was cooking.Time to smell the flowers. I agree . There will never be enough time for it all. Clothes will always be dirty. Toys always strewn across. A mountain of clothes always waiting to be folded. Diapers to be stacked. Noses to wipe. Vegetables to buy. 

As I rush through my day. Something cuts into my soul. My mom never hurried. Neither screamed mad. Yet, laughter was abound. House always brimming with love and enough food for all the unannounced guests. We were not sitcom type families. Below the belt jokes were conspicuously absent.Foul words out of the window. Even speaking any language other than Bengali in the house was sniggered at.Good bong houses of yore never had PDA between parents, yet we knew it was there.

And look at what hurry has done to me.

I am angry. Little one screaming. Profanity flows.Anxiety overload and love is nowhere to be found.

Let me help love find its way back into my house.

Let me get it the old school way…through the stomach. What else…

With this thought I get to chop a gummy tender and green Jackfruit. The complication ends at chopping as the rest of it is quite simple and quick.  Jackfruit is actually the vegetarian option for the hardcore non-veg Bengalis. A delicacy which most often than not finds its place in the vegetarian buffet section of the weddings and always cooked when you are serving vegetarian guests a Bengali meal. A win win option to keep both meal hemispheres happy.

Today's Recipe is the most most popular and commonly made using up the very basic Bengali pantry staples.


Echor er Dalna

Ingredients:

Vegetables you will need 

Tender green Jack fruit  - around 400 gms
Potatoe - 1 nos boiled (optional)
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Tomatoes -1 medium,chopped
Ginger - 2-3" piece, finely grated
Garlic - 5-6 cloves, finely minced
Green Chilies- 2 nos (you can also use red chili powder for an extra  kick)

Masalas
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder  - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - ½ tsp
Whole Cardamom - 3-4

Whole Cinnamon - 1" sticks
Whole Cloves - 4-5
Bay Leaf - 1 whole
Garam Masala Powder - ½ tsp

The grease :

 Mustard oil (this is what adds the flavor, trust me . Don't substitute.) - 2 tbsp
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 tsp



Method:

Pressure cook the raw Jackfruit pieces.1-2 whistles. Remember to add salt to the water.

Heat oil in a pan and temper with the whole Spices , namely the Cumin,Cardamom, Cinnamon and Cloves and Bay leaf . Once they stop spluttering add chopped onions and fry till slightly browned.Add the ginger and garlic and fry lightly.

Now time to add the salt, turmeric powder, and cumin powder and fry till the masala is well blended and cooked through.sprinkle water every now and then. add tomatoes. cook and stir till well blended.

Time to add the chopped pressure cooked jack fruit pieces and mix well in the above spice mix.

Lastly add a cup full of water to the mixture and keep simmering on low heat for around 10-12 minutes. This will allow the spices to seep into the jackfruit In case you like it dry, keep cooking till most water is evaporated. Top it with a teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter) and a teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder. Mix. Serve with steamed rice.


My thakuma 'grandmother' used to say that if cooked well you cant make a difference between this and Kosha Mangsho.  In reality the texture of a green jack fruit is quite meaty, hence the nickname earned "Gaach Pantha" literally translated it means 'this meat grows on trees'!. You can cook green jackfruit any which way you want, the most popular is cooking it the like the  way we cooked above, with thick and sinful gravy topped with a dollop of ghee. You can also add plain yogurt to the gravy and make it Doi Enchor. One more popular way is to add Shrimps and call it Enchor Chingri. Or go the Vaishnav way without onion or garlic and call it the Niramish Enchor (Vegetarian Jackfruit curry).

Moong er Kochuri with soulful Rabindra Sangeet

Cuisine and culture (spelled Kal-char)  is life and soul of us Bongs. Since we all think we are direct descendants of Guru Dev Rabindra Nath Thakur and related to him by virtue of being born in the same soil, we have to keep the Kalchaar flag  flying high. By singing (melodious is given) Rabindra Sangeet  (songs penned by Rabindra Nath Thakur)- of course.

Ours is an open secret.We Bengalis love our singing.

An early morning walk in any suburban locality in Kolkata will confirm this. Most bong girls (and some lucky boys too) are introduced to classical singing early in age.  Talent or choice notwithstanding. Practice makes a man perfect is a verdict given. Abiding is the rule.  Some lucky ones like me break it.In hindsight , I wish I didn’t. My mother being a classical singer of note herself,  perhaps realized that with my no sur-gyaan and interest it would be complete waste of time. She let me do my own thing. It sure made me happy as a kid – not any more.

Now I have a toddler who refuses to sleep to my singing. Yells at my attempts at crooning. Pits me against my husband and both father-daughter duo have e a good laugh at my hapless attempts to sing children’s songs in Bengali.

Sure enough - I bet I am one of the rare Bongs who sucks at singing.!

Singing is not my forte. I can’t even lip sync to Rabindra Sangeet for my lyrics end up being ill timed. I am still mad at why all bong social parties break into a singing session and who the hell invented Karaoke!
Well well.

All is not gone yet- perhaps I can still flutter the kalchaar flag  high by cooking  up a storm in the kitchen. Listen to dada’s and boudi’s applaud – The husband appreciate and put my little one to bed , not with lullabye but a happy belly.

Moong Dal Kochuri 

Ingredients: 

For the dough : 
1 Cup Maida,
Cooking oil
Water.

For the filling : 
1 cup Yellow Moong Dal (Yellow lentils -washed and soaked overnight)
1 pinch Hing/Asafetida
1tsp Turmeric/haldi powder
1tsp Red chilli powder
4-5 Laung/Clove (powdered)
1 tsp Black Pepper Powder.
Salt

Knead the dough well, and add oil generously so that’s its crumbly in texture. Then add little water, in sprinkles and knead into a soft pliable dough.

Heat a little oil and add hing (this is a dominating flavor so be careful to avoid if someone hates it vehemently). Now add the soaked dal and stir. Add all the dry powders and salt .Stir fry for some time and do not add any water. cool.  taste. You should like what you having before it goes into the dough.

Now make small balls of the dough and stuff with the filling and roll them out. Typically these Kachoris are deep fried in Ghee (Clarified Butter) but I use vegetable oil to fry them.

Lastly put some music on. Who says you need to know singing to enjoy some music .

Sending this recipe too Diwali Fest hosted by Cooks Joy and Anus Healthy Kitchen

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 

Shubho Bijoya'r Priti o Shubhechcha

Shubho Bijoya'r Priti o Shubhechcha

Bijoya Greetings to all of you and your loved ones.

Bijoya is joyous occasion. Although a bit tearful in spirit as today is the day we bid adieu to Durga Ma and her children. BUT, Of course sadness was the predominant (and quite publicly noticeable) emotion when I was small. We used to be sad as it was the last day of the much awaited festival, the excitement which was carried in our little hearts for months in a row was ending. The  ‘Visarjaans’ or the departure of the pomp and grandeur of the Durga Thakur deities meant going back to the routine. The end of buying bhelpuris along the footpath sides, back to wearing the school uniforms and catching the early morning bus to school …Hmmm…time to moan indeed.

Image courtesy -festivals.iloveindia

Bijoya was the time when we used to dress up in in our best Pujo clothes and hop from house to house touching the feet of all elders, curious to taste their Bijoya special delights and receive a platter of sweets or savories for us visiting kids. Rating the houses based on the cooking skills of the kitchen owner an important part of the game.  Afterall we were the ones eating it all. So how soon we visited the house after visarjan was directly proportion to how soft their nadus (coconut sweets)were.

As a grown up now – we have Bijoya sammilani’s where all the families gather to exchange greetings and taste the festival sweets. This has indeed simplified the yesteryear's rituals, cutting short the greeting period to one day vis'a'vis over a month back then. The only thing that this common meeting place does not allow is rating the houses based on the quality of food. So taste spotting is a bygone ritual. Let me just uplift the spirits by saying – asche bochor aabar hobe (meaning ma will come again next year).

Till then- No matter where you are or how grown up you are now, whether or not you celebrate Durga puja or care for the symbolic  victory of good over evil, I wish you a Shubho Bijoya and a festive Dusshera!

Image courtesy - theotherhome.com

Pujor Mishti Mukh : PatiSapta

Our Mythology says that Durga Puja is the time when Ma Durga comes home to visit her family with her children. We celebrate her homecoming. From Luchi-alloor dum to Kosha Mangsho and Malpua, we feast on.  Durga Puja Celebrations are done with utmost care and rituals; add to this the dimension of treating the goddess like your daughter the festive fervor takes an entire new level.

Durga Puja is also the time to take out the fine silks, about looking your best, intricate Sarees, delicate jewelry, pandal hopping., laughter that comes along with the revelry and of course time to open doors of your very own masterchef kithen  to all your near and dear ones.

Today being Navami- the Pujo frenzy is at its climax. Today is the last day of the celebrations – and I’m feeling a bit of a letdown to have missed the 'bhog', or community feast offered to the goddess first. Although I had more than my share of bhog for the last two days , missing it on the last day makes you think that you have to wait for the year to roll by before you can dig in again.

The reason why I missed is sweet though – I’m home this year. I’m donning the hat of a sous chef – helping, learning and assisting my mother in the kitchen creating something sweet and memorable for all those Bijoya guests. Rolling out the perfect bite of Patishapta  (rice flour crepes filled with stuffing of coconut & khoya )takes time, so does creating sweet memories.

Patisapta

For the pur or stuffing

Grated Coconut -4cups

Khoa /mava - 1 /2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup (Date Palm Jaggery is the most traditional sweetner for the Pithe)

For the Crepe’s batter

Maida /All Purpose Flour – 31/2 cup

Sooji or Semolina  1 cup

Rice Flour – 1/2 cup.

Milk –Around 5 cups (Might need a few tablespoons more), this should make a fairly thin batter that spreads easily on the griddle. My mother says that mixing by hand the best bet.

This is how my mother did It

Prepare the stuffing

Take all of the grated coconut(around 4 cups). Fresh is best. In a pan mix the grated coconut with sugar or jaggery and keep pressing till they are in a moist togetherness. This step is before the pan is put on the stove. Add to it slightly warm khoya. 

Put the above mixture in a pan and stir.

It should turn light brown and sticky soon.  This is a bit tedious step, and it takes around 20-30 minutes of continuous stirring on a light flame. 

Now prepare the Crepe

Take 31/2 cup cup of Maida/ All Purpose Flour and add to it 1/2 cup of Sooji. Add the finely ground rice flour.Add the milk little by little. The batter needs to be thin so as to spread evenly on the griddle, so you may need to adjust the milk depending on the batter thickness.

How to put it all together: 

Heat a Frying pan and smear a ghee on it (Tip : you can use the cut top of an eggplant to smear the ghee evenly.Perfect for the days and place when you don't have a non-stick oven). Spread it evenly and heat the pan. 

Take a ladle full of batter and pour it on the pan, spread it evenly by tilting the pan, evenly distribute the batter in a circle . You have to do this really quickly as the mixture tends to set on heat fast.

Once cooked on one side, flip. Put the stuffing lengthwise at the centre of the crepe

Roll the crepe once it golden browns. 

Serve it with Kamlalebur payesh (sweet and flavored thick milk), alternatively you can also have it with condensed milk. 

Appendix : 

Bhog : The bhog is an offering to the deity which is later distributed among the masses. The bhog comprises of a wide range of items, from luchi (fried puffed bread)and khichuri (rice cooked with lentils)to vegetable items like beguni (brinjal fry),chorchori (mixed medley  of vegetables),papad  and chutney. In sweets its usually Payesh (rice pudding) or rosogolla.

Sending this recipe to  ICC CooksJoy and Blog Hop Tuesdays and Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Palong Saag Bhaja (Bengali Stir Fried Spinach) - Going Green

The below picture is the everyday lunch which my ma serves my baba(father) as he prepares to take on the day.

Today she graciously agreed to take a picture and share, coaxing me to agree to have something similar everyday atleast till Durga Puja so that I can add to the beauty of the new clothes she has carefully picked for me to wear during the festival...

I give in..I embrace the green in it.

Why?

Well...

Green is in.

A recent news report tells me that to send the message across they are making a lot of Durga Puja Pandals green (I mean the Eco friendly one).

The messages are not so subtle always. Some even color the deity green. (I'm not sold to this idea yet...as I keep thinking  H-U-L-K)

Wait..there's more

 Green is a soothing color, a peace and prosperity color, a spring color and …and if you were to listen to me what my instincts tell me , it’s the color signifying fertility….stimulates the eye, making you want more of …ummm food.

Contemplating?

A plate of green to whatever holiday you love to celebrate, will definitely let the others be a little green with…

You guessed it.

Change

Sag Bhaja (Stir Fried Spinach)

Ingredients :


Spinach - 1 bunch chopped fine
Onion - 1, sliced  (Mom called to delete the onions,so add only if you can't do without 'em)
Panch phoron - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Green Chillies to taste
Sugar 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

Method :

Blanch the chopped spinach in a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt for about 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach, run under cool water and set aside. Now drain the water out and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add panch phoron, sliced onion, fry until onions turn brown.

Now add boiled spinach, sugar, salt, Cover the lid for few more minutes.

Finally, add fried bori, mix it.

Enjoy with hot plain rice..

Now for some creative take on the plain 'ol stir fry . These are the regional saag recipes I cooked and liked
Murg Saagwala from ecurry.com
Kashmiri Saag
SouthIndian Palaak Saag

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.

Radhaballavi / Dal Puri and my COOLEST blogging day

Radhaballavi / Dal Puri 

Today has to be the COOLEST Blogging day, in the history of my blooming blog moments. All in my mind I say, but I don’t seem to care – or so I pretend. Every now and then a comment pops up and I’m elated, I go back to my blog zestfully…writing…cooking…taking pictures…repeating et all. Not knowing who will that be- reading, what I have to say. I do it – for I love to do it…. But even the most motley of cooks (a.k.a me) would like a passionate reader… Ha! I have one now…

My mom is reading my blog. 

Coming from a culture where asking ma to come online is as foreign as a trip to Alaska, this is definitely a drum roll moment. In my house the camera is something which is taken out only to capture major milestones – and today it was out. For taking a picture of ‘Radhaballavi  aar cholar dal’ (Stuffed fried bread with lentil soup) which she cooked in the morning and she promised to follow it up with the recipe. 

On cajoling she confessed, that she has been coached by a young btech student (who happens to be my father’s student) and in leiu she prepares mouthwatering evening meals for him. I think this is a deal few can refuse.

Coolness is in the eye of the beholder I guess because I’m sure reading about daughter’s chaotic rannaghor  ---for a person who knows Bela de recipies  verbatim , is difficult and uber cool at the same time. This blog is really just a shout out to my ma, my biggest fan and critic. I love you, read away. This has to be a living example of how far we both have come…bridging the gap that time and distance has created…and I savor every moment of it.

I love you Ma. 

My mom's recipe for Radhaballavi

Ingredients

2 cups maida (Knead into a dough with salt +2 tbsb oil and 1/2 cup water)
Ghee for frying

For the filling :

Chana dal (cholar dal) : 1 cup
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp.
Dry roasted cumin  powder : 2 tsp
Dry roasted fennel seeds (mouri/saunf)1/2 tsp
Ginger juliens 1 tsp
asafoetida/ hing : a pinch
Oil : 1 tsp.

Method

Knead the wheat flour with oil, salt and water and make a dough.

Boil chana dal with approx 1 1/2 cup water and salt. Mash completely into a dry paste. Heat 1 tsp oil and temper oil will all the spices for the filling, now add the mashed dry chana dal paste a. Mix well by hand and keep aside.

Divide dough into equal portions and roll carefully into small puris. Stuff each small puri with enough dal stuffing. Roll out into puris.

Heat ghee in a kadai and deep fry till golden color on both the sides. Serve hot with cholar dal or dum aloo.

Sending this entry to Cuisine Delights 

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