Phulkopir singara.. The typical bengali Cauliflower samosa

In one of my previous posts "Tale of many cities", I had written about cities and towns where I had stayed briefly or for long. These cities have their own bundle of memoirs. Sweet or savory each city has offered many "MUST EATs". One such city which remained unaccounted for in my post was Agartala. Baba was posted to this capital city for some months. Although because of my studies Ma n me could not shift to Agartala, being an avid traveler like ourselves we did make it a point to visit or rather stay in Agartala for a month(of course during my sem break). And what did I like about Agartala? The lazy and peaceful life for starters, the bengali sweet shops in every nook and corner and the "SAMOSA", crisp and thin on the outside and extremely delicious in the inside. I never liked Samosa so much, except for Ma-made Aloo Phulkopir Singara(Aloo Gobhi Samosa). But this beauty was an exception. Not too large, just the perfect size, this Samosa is To Die For.

We bongs are a weird lot(no offense meant). While we love to have aloo in all our veggie as well as non-veggie recipes, we love our Samosa (or Shingara সিংগারা )with other veggies specially Gobhi along with aloo.Come winters , when the beautiful florets start blooming in the market, its almost customary to make Singara at home. 

I am not bounded by the seasonal constraint here in US as we get Cauliflowers around the year, so I decided to make these favorites at home a few days back.

So here goes the ingredients and the how to make:

For the outer covering:
A cup of flour
2-3 tbsp oil
salt to taste
a pinch of baking powder

Mix the salt, baking powder and oil to the flour. Now start adding water slowly and kneading. Knead till dough becomes smooth and firm. Cover and keep for half an hour.

For the filling:
half or full cauliflower depending on size, cut into small florets
1 medium potato(chopped)
roasted or fried peanuts, crushed coarsely
frozen peas half a cup to 1 cup
a tsp of cumin seed
salt to taste
chopped green chilies(2)
chopped coriander
a tsp turmeric
a tsp aamchur
1 inch of ginger grated
2 tsp of roasted cumin seed powder

Heat oil , temper the cumin seed. Now add the chopped potatoes and cauliflower and green chilies. Toss on high for few minutes, add turmeric and salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Now add all the spices and peas, mix well and toss , sprinkle a little water if needed. Cover and cook till done. Lastly add coriander and roasted peanut. Keep aside to cool.
Now take the dough, pinch out small balls from it. Roll the ball thin to a circle (more like an elongated circle). Cut into half. Take one half. Brush a little water into the straight edge, and form a cone. Fill the cone with mixture. Seal the top perfectly. Deep fry on medium flame.
Enjoy!!

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The homemade PIZZA

A couple of months back I had severe allergy and eczema. The eczema has not yet completely gone. The doc asked me to go for an allergy patch test. Oh its one the worst medical tests. Anyways the verdict: I have severe allergy to nickel and benzoic acid. And that means "NO CHOCOLATE", no tinned foods , no salmon, no blah blah blah and of course possibly "no eating out". Imagine life without Chocolate.. a sweetaholic person like myself, this is no less than a punishment. Poor me... buuuuhhuuuu..
Anyways since we have stopped eating out, I thought of making a pizza at home, with almost everything homemade. From the crust to the sauce, all was made at home. And believe me, the pizza came out really delicious.
So here's what I used and did
Ingredients
For the base :
about 1 and a 1/2 cup flour
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
instant yeast - a sachet
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

For sauce(U can use ready-made tomato sauce) :
2 Large tomatoes
a little butter
2 garlic pods
a tsp of olive oil
any Italian seasoning(I used oregano, basil)
chilly flakes
crushed black pepper

For toppings
shredded mozzarella cheese
any veggies U like
I used Red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes(cut into halves and deseeded), mushroom, onion
Pepperoni(if U like, else skip) 

 Preparation
If using instant yeast ,proof the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water ,1/2 tsp sugar. Let it bloom for 10 mins or so until it doubles. In a bowl, start kneading flour, salt and olive oil. After a couple of  minutes of kneading, start adding the yeast slowly and keep kneading. Make a perfect dough. Smear a deep bowl or utensil with oil and keep this dough in the bowl , covering the bowl with a lid in a warm place. You can keep it in your oven or microwave. In an hour the dough should double its size. Meanwhile for the sauce, I blanched the tomatoes. Remove the skin of the tomatoes, make a puree. In a pan heat olive oil. Add crushed garlic. Add a little butter for that wonderful aroma. Now add the tomato puree. Add salt as per taste, and the other seasonings and crushed black pepper. Simmer for a few minutes.

Now after an hour, take the dough, punch it to release all air, and roll it into a nice large circle. Place on a pizza pan or baking sheet and bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Keep checking, do not burn the crust.

Once the crust is done, smear a layer of tomato sauce, top it with your veggies and other toppings. Top with a generous amount of shredded cheese. Bake till the cheese melts. I kept on broil for 2 mins. Enjoy your home-made pizza.

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Cheesy buttery garlic rolls

The other day I baked my first bread. I was contented with my result, but wanted to improve. So again I tried today. And wow, the bread(roll actually) came as wonderful as I could imagine of. Simply simply perfect and sooo delicious. No I am not bragging. Better no more talks.
Here's what I did:
Used: 1 sachet of active yeast(around a teaspoon)
A cup and a half of All Purpose flour(the first day I had used half maida and half aata, the roll was not so very very fluffy as today's)
A teaspoon of sugar
A teaspoon of salt or as per taste
A bunch of cilantro
3-4 pods of garlic
A few green chilies for our Indian palate
around 2 teaspoon of butter
Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
A tbs or two of olive oil

For active yeast proof the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water and a teaspoon of sugar. Let it bloom for 10 mins. Now in bowl start kneading flour, salt, olive oil with the yeast mixture. You may not require the whole yeast mixture. Use till you get a smooth perfect dough. Keep the dough in a bowl in a warm place, covered for an hour or so. I kept the bowl in my microwave with the microwave door open.
Meantime, blend the butter, garlic , cilantro and chilly to a spreadable consistency.
After an hour, the dough must have risen to twice. Punch it down. Now roll it into a rectangle of approx 1/2 inch thick. Spread the garlic butter . Sprinkle the grated cheese.

Roll the rectangle and then slice into discs. Place them in an oil smeared baking tray. Microwave the remaining butter. Add a little more chopped cilantro. Brush the top with the garlic cilantro butter mixture. Sprinkle a little mozzarella. Keep for another 45 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven at 375F. Bake fore 20 minutes.
Happy Baking!!

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Moong Daal paratha

My Ma makes daal puri of urad daal, but daal paratha I had never tasted. I got this recipe from :
www.maayeka.blogspot.com/2012/04/moong-daal-paratha.html. Than Anjana for sharing such a wonderful and healthy recipe. Made from moong daal, this paratha can be a complete meal.
Since my recipe is a ditto of hers except that I added hing (asafoetida ) while adding fennel and cumin, I wont go about scribbling the recipe here.
Its a worth try and if you like the smell of hing , do put a pinch of it. The whiff of hing makes the paratha deliciously alluring. 

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Dahi Kabab (Yogurt Kabab)

I love yogurt and any recipes with yogurt. I got this recipe from NDTV. Carried out the recipe almost word to word. So I would rather Ctrl C , Ctrl V , with my tini-mini changes here and there.
Ingredients:

400 gms yoghurt
100 gms paneer
2 teaspoons chopped onion
1 tsp chopped ginger
Half a handful of chopped fresh coriander

10 finely chopped almonds
7 to 8 chopped raisins
1/2 tsp white pepper powder(didnt use)
1/2 a tsp green cardamom powder
salt to taste
oil to grill
Cornflour to dust
A cup of ready to eat oats(didnt use)

Method:

Hang yoghurt overnight in a muslin cloth.I hung it for 4-5 hrs.
Saute the onion and ginger in minimum oil till the onions turn translucent. Keep aside to cool.
Take the yoghurt in a bowl. Add crumbled cottage cheese, chopped raisins, coriander, almonds, and the onion mixture. Add the white pepper powder, cardamom powder and salt. Instead of white pepper I added chopped green chilies and a little roasted cumin fennnel and pepper powder(my bhaja masala)
Now make round patties with this gooey mix and pat a bit of cornflour on the outside, after giving them a shape.
Crush the oats to resemble breadcrumbs and dredge the patties in this oat powder. I didnt have oats , so used breadcrumbs.
Grease a pan with olive oil, and grill these on a medium hot skillet, till they turn brown.
Serve hot with chutney.

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Ghugni or "The Yellow peas Bengali snack"

Actually the title is not literally correct. A because the Ghugni is not a native to Bengal rather to the East Indian states of Bihar , Bengal , Orissa or Odisha(I recently happened to know that the state's name has got changed, phew God only knows what the achieve by changing names) and B its not just a snack but rather healthy breakfast too. Served in many households along with Luchi (Maida puri) or Muri (Puffed rice), this is a easy , hearty and ever welcome breakfast. And for snacks,Ghugni topped with onions , a little tamarind chutney goes great with the Cuppa.

The best Ghugni of the world award always goes to Ma's Ghugni. No its not just my mom, its the same for all bongs. Ask any bong,the best Ghugni they ever tasted and they would definitely say : "Ma er kora Ghugni" (cooked by Mom), at least I say so, Mr Husband says so, my Ma says so, my bong friends say so(long list). I really don't know whats the secret behind this mystery. So the other day I made Ghugni for breakfast, it didn't turn as wonderful as my Ma's , nonetheless it was quite yummy.
Here's the ingredients:
a cup of yellow or white peas
an onion chopped
a tomato chopped
ginger chili paste
a potato cut into dices
ginger julienne
chopped corainder,
bhaja masala(Dry roast a handful of jeera , saunf, few peppercorns and dry red chilly depending on hotness , then grind ) or roasted jeera powder
a bay leaf
Jeera

Since it was weekday I was making Ghugni , and I did not have much time in the early morning rush hours, I soaked the peas the previous day for 3-4 hours and then pressured cooked them until rightly soft but not mushy, kept the boiled peas in fridge to use the next morning.

Heat oil  in kadhai, fry the potato dices till light golden, keep aside. In the same oil(you may reduce the oil in case its too much), add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let them splutter. Now add the onions, fry till golden brown. Add ginger chilly paste and chopped tomatoes. Fry for 3 minutes. Add turmeric, salt and keep frying till oil separates. Now add the peas and fried potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped onion and coriander and ginger julienne. Sprinkle a little bhaja masala.
I served it with Muri(puffed rice) and tea

Footnote: We have switched to Green tea as our daily breakfast cuppa. Although not as tasty and flavorful like Darjeeling or Assam or Masala tea and completely sugarless and milk-less, the green has immense health benefits compared to milk tea. And somehow we have come to enjoy this tea more than milk or black tea.

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Sorse Kopi.. Cauliflower in mustard and coconut

Bongs love any recipe with mustard paste in it..The pungent and sharp taste of ground mustard adds magic to many veggies as well as pisces recipes. Love knows no bounds and so is our love for this humble seed.

The other day I was bored of cooking and eating aloo gobhi (dry or gravy whatever). Since the choice of veggies is quite limited in Texas, and ones like Mr Cauliflower are my guest at all time any season of the year, I decided to try something new. And what better option then Sorse Kopi (Cauliflower in mustard), a very very simple and quick recipe with a very different taste to the palate.

I used:
1 medium Gobhi(Cauliflower)
5-6 green chilies (depending on the heat U like)
2 tbs of grated coconut
2 tbs of mustard seeds (soak it for an hr)
salt to taste
turmeric
a pinch of sugar
oil for cooking

Cut the gobhi into medium size florets. Keep the florets immersed in hot water (with a pinch of salt) for 5mins.(they should retain their crunch) Drain water and pat the florets dry.
Meanwhile make a paste of mustard seeds with 3-4 green chilies and a pinch of salt and a little water. I usually strain the mustard paste with a tea strainer to remove the skin of mustard seeds. In the strained mustard paste , I then add the grated coconut and give it a quick churn. Now in a kadhai , heat a little oil. Mustard oil is definitely preferred. Throw in a little nigella seeds, a dry red chilly. Add the florets and fry on high for few minutes. Now add turmeric , salt and a pinch of sugar. Add 2-3 slit green chilies After frying for a minute on high flame, cover the kadhai and keep on medium flame for few minutes. Once the gobhi is half done , add the mustard coconut paste , stir for a minute and then cover and keep on medium flame for a few minutes more. Once the gobhi is done, toss it on high for a minute or two. Enjoy with rice or roti.

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Dhaniya aloo

I love aloo or potato like no other vegetable. Potato in any form except for the potato wafers which does not allure me that much. As a small kid while reading stories of other countries I often envied the people and places where potato is a staple food. I think I can survive just on potatoes. During my bachelorhood days away from home at Chandigarh, when my roommate left for Delhi on weekends and I had to stay back for some reason, I always made sure I indulged in various potato recipes(my roommate refrained from potatoes). So you can understand how much I am in love with this veggie.

I had seen this recipe in on of the NDTV food shows. With some slightest concoction , I tried it.
I used:
half a kg baby potatoes,
2-3 cloves of garlic, a small piece of ginger
few green chillies, a bunch of coriander
finely chopped onions
chopped tomato

Boil the baby potatoes. Shallow fry them and drain excess oil in a kitchen towel. Now blend the coriander chilies, garlic , ginger and a little salt in a blender. The mix is more like a chutney. In a kadhai, heat oil. Fry the onions till golden, add the tomatoes, salt to taste and turmeric if you want. Fry till oil separates. Now add the coriander chutney. Fry for few more minutes then add the potatoes. Toss for 2-3 minutes in high flame. Now simmer for a few more minutes. You may sprinkle a little water while simmering. Serve hot with roti or paratha.  

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Radhaballavi aka Daal puri and Kashmiri Aloo dum for Sunday Brunch

Now on a December day when the sun plays hide and seek , and I keep running around for a bit of sunshine, I don't feel like going for a breakfast and then an elaborate lunch. So for such a cloudy and lazy Sunday a good nice Brunch is the keyword.  And here comes Mr Husband's idea of daal poori and Kashmiri Aloo Dum. Of-course the daal was soaked the previous night for a different cause, but no harm done if its used for Kachauri or Daal Poori or as is called in bengali "Radhaballavi". The recipe of Kashmiri Aloo Dum has been taken from a TV show "The Foodie" of Times Now so I wont take the disclaimer. The Brunch I would admit was a joint venture and turned out simply fantabulous.
For the Radhaballavi

Soak a cup of Urad Daal overnight. In the morning make a coarse paste of it with very little or no water. No in a frying pan drizzle a few drops of oil, add a pinch of hing.Then add the daal paste, salt and a little chilly powder. If possible add a teaspoon of roasted cumin seeds powder. Mix well and stir till the mixture is dry. Let it cool.
Kneed flour with salt ,2 tablespoon cooking oil and little water. Make a soft dough. Keep the dough covered for half an hour. Now make small round balls of the dough. Fill spoonful of daal mixture in the puri balls. Roll out the balls into puris. Make sure the stuffing does not come out.
Heat oil in a kadai. Fry the puris till golden brown.

For the Kashmiri Dum aloo
Boil and peel potatoes(I used 500 gms small potatoes). Pierce the potatoes with fork or toothpick. Now deep fry them on medium flame till they are brown(dark brown, such that outer cover becomes little hard). Keep the potatoes aside. Now take oil in a kadhai. Add a pinch of hing, and a bay-leaf. Now the original recipes asks you to add saunth or dry ginger, since I was not having dry ginger, I added ginger chilly paste at this stage. Add turmeric and Kashmiri chilli. Fry for few minutes. Meantime, take a cup of curd, add fennel seed powder and green cardamom powder and salt, whip the curd. Add this to the masala in the kadhai. Keep stirring for few minutes. Now add a cup of water. Add the deep fried potatoes. Add a teaspoon of garam masala. Check the seasoning. Cover the kadai with a tight lid and let it simmer on low flame for 15-20 minutes.
Enjoy your Sunday Brunch..

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Egg soya bean dum biryani

So one fine day I was in no mood of making the same old lunch of rice and veggies and daal or fish and neither was I in the mood of too much labor. I was looking for something interesting and easygoing. And then I thought about "Egg soya dum biryani" I had never tasted this recipe before leave alone trying it. Also two of the key ingredients of biryani : mint and coriander leaves were missing from my fridge but I decided to do away with them. "Lets see how it tastes the nontraditional style" I told myself.
I used :
eggs(hard boiled),
a cup of Basmati rice ,
biryani spices like : large(black) cardamom, cinnamon sticks, a few javitri, bay leaves,
ginger garlic chilly paste
chopped onions,
onion julienne
a small chopped tomato
nutrela soya bean chunks(boiled in water and drained)
4  tablespoon curd,
garam masala powder
few cashews and raisins
Ghee
saffron
Heat water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the biryani whole spices, half a teaspoon ghee and salt. Boil the water then add the rice. Stir time to time. Once rice is done, drain out the water.
Heat oil in kadai,  free the onion julienne such that they get caramelized , keep aside. Make slits on the eggs and shallow fry them, keep aside. Now add a few green cardomom, cloves, a bay leave and jeera to the oil. Add the cashew and raisins saute them for a min , now add the chopped onions. Saute till brown, then add the chopped tomato and ginger garlic chilly paste. Add salt and turmeric and chilly powder as per taste. Fry till oil separates. Now if you have mint and coriander, chop and add them(I proceeded without them). Add the curd. Fry for few minutes , now add the eggs and the boiled soya chunks. Cook for few more minutes such that the soya chunks are completely cooked.
Now  grease a heavy bottomed pan with ghee. Add half the egg- soya masala . Layer half of the cooked rice. Top it with caramelized onions , sprinkle few drops of saffron milk(soak a few strands of saffron in 2-3 tablespoon milk). Spread the remaining egg-soya masala topping it again with a layer of rice. Top it with caramelized onions and saffron milk. Sprinkle a little ghee. Place the lid. You may keep some heavy utensil on top of the lid, to keep it tight. Lower the heat to minimum for dum , and keep for 20 minutes. Serve with raita.

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Instant microwave dhokla

Am I turning this blog of mine into a food blog? Well I don't intend to that, but I could not resist myself from posting this super duper easy recipe which I tried for the first time. And boom!! it turned out so well. Cutting short my blabbers , here's the quick recipe
Ingredients
1 cup Besan,
1/2 cup curd,
a teaspoon salt, half a teaspoon sugar,
a teaspoon of ginger -green chilly paste
a sachet eno, 1/2 cup of water
a pinch of turmeric, one and a half teaspoon oil
For tempering:
1 teaspoon of rai(mustard seeds)
a pinch of hing,
3-4 green chilies slit into long pieces
a teaspoon of lime juice, a little oil
Chopped coriander for garnishing(i didn't have it)

Method
In the besan , add the salt, sugar, haldi, oil, curd, ginger-chilly paste. Mix well so that no lumps are formed. Slowly add water. The batter should have idly-like consistency. Now grease a microwave flat bowl. Add the eno to the dhokla mixture, mix well and transfer the mixture to the bowl.
Microwave for 6 minutes, do not cover it.
Keep aside, let cool for few moments then transfer to a dish. Cut into desired pieces.
Now for the tempering, heat a teaspoon oil in a kadhai , splutter a teaspoon mustard seeds(rai), add a pinch of hing, add chopped curry leaves(I didn't have this either) and slit green chilies. Now you can pour this on the dhokla, but I transferred the dhokla to this kadhai, poured a teaspoon of lime juice a pinch of sugar and salt and tossed the dhoklas for a minute. This gives a nice crispy texture to the dhoklas.
While i njoy the instant dhokla, hope next I return to my blog with an article or a story..

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Achari bharva baigan(Stuffed baby brinjal)

Phew .. the last few weeks have been quite stupendous on me.. loads and loads of academic work. Finally I am done(hopefully for good). Though there are many priorities assigned in line, I plan to take a short break and indulge myself in whatever i like best.. which is of course cooking blogging and painting..not to forget watching Star Trek with Mr husband. Oh I have become a huge fan of Star Trek recently thanx to the better half. I always despised Sci-fi, but that's past now. It all started with "Star Trek : The next generation". Now Janeway and Chakotay of Star Trek Voyager fascinate me. I always refrain my self from any sorts of addiction but I should admit Star Trek has become a complete addiction.


The other day I tried this recipe. I wanted to improvise on the Bharva baigan recipe but nothing I found on the internet seemed quite interesting. Then I came across this particular video on you-tube. The original recipe on you-tube is very different, and mine as I would say is a collection of stolen ideas blended with some of mine. As long as there is no copyright violation, I think we can very well enjoy the recipe.
So all I used was:
few small brinjals or eggplant or aubergine or guinea squash or baigan or begun.. oh my god this vegetable has so many names
onion, green chillies, grated ginger, salt, turmeric, a small tomato or little puree(this is entirely optional), amchur, dhaniya powder and
..

the secret ingredient(as the sweet lady on youtube said): any pickle(achar) you have at home
For the stuffing , I fried the onions till light brown. Then added green chillies, salt turmeric , grated ginger. Added a small finely chopped tomato to make the stuffing little mushy. You may skip the tomato. Once the stuffing was almost done, added a teaspoon of dhaniya powder and a little amchur. Let the mixture cool. While the mixture was cooling down, I slit the brinjals into quarters (hey do u know the paste tense of slit is slit.. frankly I didn't , I thought the word was slitted but then my PC said "ITS WRONG"), dipping the slit ones into water to prevent blackening. Now before filling the brinjals, I added a spoon of the pickle masala-oil to the stuffing. Believe me this is all needed to make the recipe "Achari". The slit baigans are then stuffed with this spicy tasty mixture. Then in a kadai, I poured little oil. Once hot, I lowered the stuffed brinjals into the oil. Kept the flame on full for a few minutes, tossing the brinjals to other side(to get the outer skin crispy). Then before closing the lid, I sprinkled a little salt on the brinjals. Kept the the brinjal covered for around 10 mins(this time may wary), checking and flipping them time to time. Once soft , removed from flame.. and served.

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Kala Chana Chat.. a Healthy snack

After the hush and rush of the whole week, Sundays are usually for pure gastronomical indulgences from breakfast to dinner. But once in a while, its good to go healthy and simple. This Sunday I opted for a simplest and a nutrient packed breakfast..... A tasty Kala Chana chaat.

 Kala Chana..this small black Mr Lentil is rich in minerals, fiber , proteins. But my better half does not like the chana curry, so I keep it more simple.. 

 

I soaked a cup of Kala chana overnight.In the morning, boiled the chana in the pressure cooker with a little of salt and water. Once the chana boiled, in a skillet ,I heated  little oil. Added a pinch of hing, a dry chili, little cumin seeds. Then drained the water off the chana and added the chana to the skillet. Seasoned with salt , I tossed the chana for a while. Meantime, chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, green chillies, coriander. In a bowl , served the chana with the chopped veggies, sprinkled a little of chat powder, a dash of lime juice, and some sev to top it.

And a healthy chat was ready. Goes great with a steamy cuppa. 

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Spicy Chicken.. oven cooked

My studies are keeping me very busy, and even though I feel like blogging at times, time puts the constraints on me.. I was planning to post this recipe for quite a long time but didnt really get into the mood of writing. 

The recipe is originally Mr Husband's. This is one of the easiest and tastiest chicken recipe I have ever tasted.

Ingredients:

Chicken legs(8-10), 

A small onion, few pods garlic, an inch ginger, green chilies.

Bay leaves, kasuri methi, Red Chili Powder, a small cinnamon stick. Salt, turmeric

Vinegar, Curd, oil

Procedure:

Wash and clean the leg pieces. Make slits on the pieces. Now make a paste of onion, garlic ginger chilly. Into this paste add salt to taste, half teaspoon turmeric, red chilly powder(as per your taste), a small spoon of crushed kasuri methi, a tablespoon or two of curd, a tablespoon vinegar, 2-3 tablespoon of oil. Mix the paste thoroughly. Now marinate the chicken pieces with this masala. Keep the marinated chicken for 6-7 hours or overnight. Pre-heat the oven at 380-390 F. Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking dish. Cook or bake for 45 minutes checking time to time. After half an hour turn the pieces.  The chicken would slowly cook in its own juices. Check after 45 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes once the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from oven. Garnish and enjoy.     

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Borir Jhaal (Aloo vadi)

The bori or Vadi as we call in Hindi are sun dried lentil dumplings. In the north its mostly spicy but we bengalies prefer the non spicy one. We have bori in small and medium size of massoor, urad , chola daal. During childhood days, come summer and Ma used to make these BORIs , sun drying them and then packing them in air tight jars for the whole year. Now a days Bori/ Vadi are readily available in grocery shops. We like putting these boris in vegg recipes as well as fish recipes. And sometimes its just the borir jhaal which we like to devour with steaming rice.

The "bori aloo r jhaal " is a typical HOT bengali recipe. I used the medium sized urad daal bori(which I had brought from Kolkata and saved a few) and small arhar daal badi (which i had got from Indian Market).

So I used :

The above mentioned boris

diced tomatoes

a small potato cut into wedges

and Ginger Jeera paste..now I usually make the paste of an inch  or 2 or ginger and little soaked Jeera , keep it in an air tight container. This comes handy in many of my cooking. And before closing the lid of the container a drizzle a little of oil on the sorface of the paste.. This keeps it fresh for a longer time.

Now the instructions:

Heat a little oil(preferrably mustard oil ) in a non stick pan. Fry the boris at medium flame. Keep aside, you may drain the excess oil in a kitchen towel

Now in the pan heat little oil again, temper half a spoon of kalaunji.

Add the potatoes. Fry a little. Now add the diced tomatoes. Cook a little. Add the ginger paste. Add haldi, salt and red chilli powder as per taste. Cook till the masala is done. Add water as desired. Now add the boris. You may add the boris first and then the water. I went the former way as my boris were too soft. Simmer this for very few minutes. Garnish with coriander.

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Frittata...

This is one another recipe which I have never tasted. I was just browsing through one of the recipe sites, when I happened to discover it. Since Mr Husband is a great egg -o -holic , I decided to give it a shot.Now the wiki says: "Frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette or quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta". The original recipe had sausages and bell peppers as ingredients , but since I didnt have either of them , I made my concoction.
Ingredients I used:
2 eggs
A small Tomato, A small onion, Green chilies
a slice of bread
grated cheese
A little oil and may be butter
To do:
Dice the tomatoes, chop the chilies and onion. Dice the slice of bread into very small squares. Heat a pan with a little oil. Add the onions. Saute till translucent. Now add the bread squares. You may add a little butter at this point. The bread soaks the butter which makes it yummy..(the bread was a substitute of sausage and believe me it tasted amazing with the buttered bread popping into your mouth now and then ) Now add the tomatoes and chilies. Season with salt.You can add veggies like pepper , mushroom. I had none with me today so had to keep with just these. Next time definitely. While the veggies get sauteed, beat the eggs vigorously with salt and black pepper, make sure the egg is fluffy . Spread the fried veggies evenly on the pan and now pour the beaten egg. Spread it evenly through out the pan. Cook on low flame. Once done, transfer it to a baking dish. Sprinkle grated cheese generously. Grill for 5 minutes in oven or till the cheese melts. Sprinkle chopped coriander, chilly flakes and oregano if you wish.
Raven with a cup of tea !!!!!!

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Dahi Baigan.. eggplant in curd gravy

During the good old doordarshan days, we had this afternoon children's program... It was a story of a kingdom , the kingdon of veggies and the king was our very own cute , plump "बैगन राजा".. donned in a beautiful green crown, then he ruled over the entire veg kingdom.. and he still does..

बैगन or বেগুন or eggplant or aubergine or melongene or guinea squash or  brinjal as it is lovingly called is many of our favorite. Be it Baigan ka Bharta or Bharwa Baigan or simple Begun Bhaja many of us can not say no to the humble vegetable. 

 I learnt this recipe from my most promising friend "THE INTERNET" , the site I have completely forgotten. I had never tasted the original recipe , but felt like giving it a shot. And it did turn out very well, tasty and refreshing specially in the hot parched summer.

For the recipe I used: 

A good chubby eggplant.. (can be substituted by the slender ones as well).

A cup of curd.

Few green chillies, fennel seeds (saunf) , asafoetida (heeng).

Cut the eggplant in long pieces. Smear salt and turmeric. Shallow fry the pieces. Dry excess oil in a kitchen towel. 

Keep the cup of curd ready.Add little salt, red chilli powder as per taste. You may add a little water in case the curd is thick. Make sure the mixture is smooth.

Now heat some oil in kadai. Temper with a pinch of heeng, 1-2 dry red chili , a few pods of cardamom, a teaspoon of  saunf, 2-3 slit green chillies. Now add the curd. Keep stirring for a few minutes so that no lumps are formed. Add the eggplant and simmer for another 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander.

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The story of a bengali kitchen

India is country of 28 states and 7 UTs and I can bet that the variety of recipes and cuisines is hundred times the mentioned figures. It is said that in India "With every 10 miles the dialect changes" and so does the cuisines.

Being a land of varied demographics our cuisines are signatured by spices , herbs not to forget the immense variety of vegetables and fruits and pisces (thanks to our long coastline and perennial rivers). We love cooking feeding and eating. Being the land of "वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम " , the food and cuisine has been influenced by the Aryans, Arabs, Mughals, British and Portuguese apart from our own culture and traditions. Be it veg or non-veg, we can lay down 100s of recipes of a single item.

I have stayed in many parts of my country and have devoured many regional recipes. My friends have treated me with the authentic recipes , delicacies and savories from their land. They are all "THE BEST". Every nook and corner of the country has something superb to offer on the pallet. So here's a sneak peak from my corner - a typical bengali kitchen.

Speaking of Bongs, we have three main interests: reading, travelling and ofcourse eating(or rather cooking). During the era of GrandMas, the meals took all their time, labour and ingenuity, from dawn to dusk. With us, leaving our homes in the morning for work returning post sunset, things have changed, but we still love to lay courses on weekends and holidays. And mind you, bongs have strict rules for cooking, serving and eating. The courses cannot be swapped , they always arrive on your plate in the age old sequence. The meal can be a veg,non-veg combination or a purely-veg( may be on a Pooja day)...Bongs refrain using onion garlic for pure veg dishes.

Till date on occasions like Bdays, pooja days or when the Jamai (Son-in-Law) visits, Mas and GrandMas prepare all the courses: 

We start with the

Teto(Bitter) . The teto can be Karela bhaja(fry) or Shukto(a curry of bitter guard with loads of other veggies ) or Neem begun Bhaja (tender neem leaves and very small cut brinjals fried).

Then should come the shaak (Saag). Can be anything from palak to methi to mulo (mooli ka saag) to laal shaak. Another rule : teto or shaak will be eaten only with rice not with roti , etc.

Then comes the Daal (lentils). It can be Chholar daal(bengal gram), masoor() daal , bhaja moong daal(the moong is first roasted) or Arhar daal. Beware again: the daal may taste a bit sweet , but we love it this way. The daal has to be served with some Bhaja(fried brinjal or potato or fish) or a ghonto . Now a ghonto is preparation of any finely chopped vegetable with some specified spices(we call it panchphoron). This is always a dry recipe. It can be badhacopi(cabbage) ghonto or moolo(mooli) ghonto or mocha(the flower of banana tree) ghonto or any other ghonto.

For a veg meal , this would definitely be followed by a daalna. A daalna is a recipe of any veggie this time cooked in a thick gravy with a hint of garam masala and ghee. Its usually a potol (parwal) or cauliflower or paneer.

Now comes the non veg part, the mutton or the fish or both. And the number of fish recipes can be more than one. We have a Machher Jhaal(hot fish curry), or Jhol(the gravy in this case is thin and not so hot) or simply the Bhape(Steamed in banana leaf).

Then walks out the chaatni(chutney) or Tok. The chaatni is the sweeter sister of north Indian chutney and usually made of tomatoes,raisins, raw papaya, pineapple, grapes, olives in combination or single. A tok is a thinner version usually made of tamarind or raw mango.

The meal finally culminates with the infamous dessert mishti doi.

Yes there always remains a tini mini place in the tummy for the paan to take care of all the hogging done..

Now ready for the siesta after the fiesta!!!

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Tomato stuffed

I am not in the mood of writing much today.. So here goes just the recipe.
You need:
A few tomatoes, preferably round ones
Boiled Potatoes, grated ginger ,
chopped coriander and chillies,
sweet corn if you like
Scoop out the center pulp. You may use the pulp in any other recipes. Mash the boiled potatoes , add sweet corn, chillies , ginger, coriander, salt and a little chaat masala. You can replace potato with grated paneer. Fill in the tomatoes. Place in an oil smeared microwaveable plate. Season a little with salt and black pepper. You may or may not sprinkle a few drops of oil. Microwave on high for 6 mins. The time may vary based on softness of the tomatoes and pwer of microwave. so keep checking after 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!!

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Narkol er nadu (coconut laddu)

Yet again my exams are knocking at my door. My evil heart wants to sit and write long blogs but my rational mind stops it and makes me sit and study. There are thoughts and stories coming into shape which I want to pen down but time restricts me. Why is it always when I have exams or loads of assignments or Thesis work, do these line of thoughts crop into my mind? And when I am completely free (idling like a crocodile basking in the sun) I dont feel like writing.
Those who know me , know how I love to devour sweets. Ah , this is one thing of which I never get bored. As a kid , I used to sneak a chocolate or a bit of jaggery (the typical bengali patali or khejur aka gur from date). And so smart of me, I use to neatly smear the tiny teeth marks on the jaggery or choco. On being interrogated by Ma, the poor household ant was blamed. Of-course Ma knew who was the ant of the house. My craving for sweets is insatiable. During my trip to home my Ma prepares the best of desserts. My Baba gets all possible bengali sweets. With marriage there's a double bonus from my Ma-in law as well. Back at US I keep bullying the poor husband for sweets, and he keeps getting chocos and icecreams and cakes for me. But as age is creeping , I try resisting myself from these very very fatty desserts.

Narkol er nadu or coconut laddu is one typical dessert which every bengali loves. Once upon a time, when there ware no microwaves, and no grated coconut readily available , preparing this delicacy was a big project. But thankfully with micro, this is the easiest dessert I have ever made. Very little time and effort consuming , the net outcome is superb. My hubby loves to creep and finish the laddus and I simply love it when he does that.
The recipe goes like this:
All you need: A packet of frozen grated cocunut. A tin of milkmaid. Sugar to taste
Take the grated coconut in a microwave-able bowl. Microwave on high for 3 mins. Stir . Microwave again for 2-3 minutes. Now add condensed milk. For a packet of coconut I add half tin condensed milk. Stir well. Now microwave for 8 minutes stirring after every 2 minutes. You can add a little milk as well. Now add litlle sugar as per taste. Again microwave for 4 minutes stirring every minute. The color should change a little to brown. Also the mixture would now start releasing oil. Keep it for a few minutes but do not let it cool completely. Make laddus and enjoy.

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