Sunday 3 March 2024

Kolkata style Chicken Cutlet ( Fowl Cutlet)


 

Fowl Cutlet is one of the street food of Kolkata and also one of the popular dish that’s sold in the Cabin style restaurants.. where each wall of the old cabin restaurant has some story to tell.. This dish is also made during occasions… 

The chicken cutlets are made with chicken mince or boneless chopped chicken pieces, spices and coated with egg and bread crumbs. It’s fried in oil until golden brown in colour and served with salad and mustard sauce (Kasundi). 


Ingredients 

1 cup Chicken Mince

or Boneless Chicken pieces 

Half Onion taken from 1 small Onion 

1 small piece of Ginger 

4 Garlic cloves 

1 Green Chilli 

1/4 cup Coriander and Mint leaves 

Juice of 1/2 Lime

Salt to taste 

1/4 Pepper powder 

1/2 Garam Masala (Ground 1 Green Cardamom- small Cinnamon-2 Cloves)

1/2 tsp Bhaja Masaala (Roasted Cumin- Coriander- Red Dried Chilli ground into powder) 

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Bread Crumbs 

Oil to Fry 



Method 

Take a chopper or a grinder, add the chicken mince or pieces, lime juice, onion, green chilli, ginger, coriander and mint leaves, garlic, salt and pepper powder. Blend the above ingredients together. Take the paste out into a bowl. Add the garam masala and Bhaja masala into the paste. Mix the ingredients together. Take 1/2 of the bread crumbs in a plate, beat 2 eggs with little salt. Take a lemon size portion from the chicken paste. Roll the portion on a greased plate to give a cylindrical shape. Then with the help of the bread crumbs flatten the cutlets into diamond shape or oval shape. Repeat the same process. We get around 7 cutlets. Now with place one cutlet on the chopping board and with the help of a knife shape the edges well. Repeat the same process with all the remaining cutlets. Now dip one cutlet into the beaten egg and then coat the cutlet with the remaining bread crumbs. Repeat the same process with the remaining cutlets. Take a pan, heat the oil, until medium hot. Place 2 to 3 cutlets into the pan as per the space of the pan. Fry the cutlets until golden brown in colour from both the sides. Serve the chicken cutlets with salad and Kasundi. 



Wednesday 21 February 2024

Coorgi Style Chicken Masala


 My recent visit to Coorg or the Kodagu district was an experience of its kind, as we stayed with the locals at a home stay amidst the coffee and pepper plantations… we enjoyed the uniqueness of the lush green wild nature and the distinctive cuisine to the fullest. Kodava or the Coorgi cuisine enjoys using fresh and local ingredients found in the region… like Kachampuli, the local vinegar extracted from the Garcinia Cambogia fruit, pepper - spices, bamboo shoots, pork - wild boar etc. 

The home stay owners were kind enough and allowed me to pluck some fresh pepper from their plantation… I also managed to get Coorgi Masala (kartha Masala) and Kachampuli… 

Using all the Coorgi ingredients, I have made Coorgi style Chicken Masala, here is the recipe -  

I have used big leg pieces, but we can also use medium size chicken pieces.. 


To marinate the Chicken 

Ingredients 

2 Big leg pieces 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1 tbsp Coorgi Curry Masala (Kartha Masala) 

1 tsp Kachampuli Vinegar 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients together and keep the marinated chicken for 2 to 3 hours. 


For the Wet Paste 

Ingredients 

2 small Onion chopped 

6 to 8 Garlic cloves 

1 small piece of Ginger

3 to 4 Green Chillies 

1 Handful Coriander leaves 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into coarse paste 


To make the Coorgi Chicken Masala 

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken 

Wet paste 

Few Curry leaves 

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

2 Green Chillies slit and cut into pieces 

Few drizzle of Kachampuli vinegar 

Pickled Fresh Pepper 

Salt if required 

6 tbsp Oil

Method 

Add oil into the wok, once the oil is hot, add the wet paste. Stir and sauté until the paste is translucent. Add the marinated chicken, cover and cook for 2 minutes on each side, turning the chicken leg pieces occasionally. Continue to cook on low flame. Once the oil releases, add 1/2 cup of water, cover the wok and continue to cook, turning the chicken leg pieces occasionally until the chicken legs are tender and the gravy has reduced. Garnish with fresh pickled pepper, coriander leaves, curry leaves, green chillies and drizzle of Kachampuli vinegar. Serve with hot rice or akki roti.

Friday 12 January 2024

Duck kosha / Hasher Mangsho kosha


Winters are the best time to make duck meat.. though the meat is not commonly eaten now a days as the meat is expensive. Earlier days I remember we use to get duck eggs or swan eggs when we travelled to Kolkata, but nowadays it’s not available. It’s a delicacy preparing duck meat. The duck meat is paired with chitoi / sara pitha or chaul er ruti/ rice chapatis.
 


Ingredients 
To marinate the Duck 
500 grams Duck 
Salt to taste 
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Method 
Apply salt and turmeric powder on the meat. Keep the meat aside for 1 or more hours to marinate. 

Ingredients 
For Spice paste 
Salt
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 
1/2 tsp Chilli powder 
1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
1 tsp Cumin powder 
1/2 tsp roasted Cumin and Coriander powder 
1 tsp Meat masala powder 
2 to 4 tbsp Water 

Method 
Mix all the above ingredients together and make a paste. Keep the paste aside. 

Wet paste 
Ingredients 
1 small Onion 
1 medium size Tomato 
1 Green Chilli
1 small piece of Ginger 
5 to 6 Garlic Cloves 
2 Coriander stems 

Method 
Grind all the above ingredients together into a fine paste. 

To make Duck kosha
Ingredients 
Marinated Duck 
3 medium size Potatoes with skin cut into big cubes 
1 medium size Onion sliced 
2 Green Chillies slit
Wet paste 
Spice powder paste 
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 
2 Green Cardamom crushed 
3 Cloves crushed 
1 small piece of Cinnamon crushed 
1 Red dry Chilli cut into pieces 
2 Bay leaves 
6 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method 
Take a pressure cooker, add the marinated duck meat, add a big cup of water. Pressure cook the meat for 2 whistles. Let the press release. Remove the boiled meat and the stock into a bowl. In the same pan, add the oil. Let the oil heat up. Add the potato cubes, fry them until light brown in colour. Remove and keep the potatoes aside. In the same oil add the cumin seeds, crushed cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, red dry chilli and bay leaves. Let it crackle, add the boiled meat, sauté for 2 minutes, add the sliced onions, sauté until golden brown in colour. Add the spice paste and wet paste. Cook the meat until the oil releases. Add the potatoes and continue to cook. Add little stock at a time and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender. Add the green chillies and add the last remaining stock. Cook for 2 minutes and switch off the flame. Serve the duck kosha with Chitoi pitha or rice chapatis. 

Kulfa / Purslane Bhaji


 Kulfa/ Luni Bhaji/ Nunia Saag / Purslane grows wild in India and it’s generally mistaken as weed…unlike spinach, fenugreek, mustard greens etc, this vegetable isn’t cultivated, few days back I saw this plant growing in my kitchen pots.. wild.. I was about to pluck, my house helper said let it grow… we can use in cooking.. this plant has immense health benefits. Staying in urban, most of us don’t know many of the greens that grows around wild… it’s off later that I have been noticing that sometimes some of the villagers come to the city from the nearby villages to sell these treasures. 



This is an annual plant, the leaves and stems are succulent and the flowers can be of any colour like pink, white or yellow. The common one is yellow… The stem and the leaves are both edible, used in soups, salad or cooking. In India it’s cooked with dal, or with as sabji / bhaji. The taste of the leaves are bit tangy. Purslane has vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can be extremely beneficial to our health. 



We can stir fry the greens with garlic and green chillies, or cook them with dal or make a gravy dish… one of the recipe that I make with this leafy vegetable is -

Ingredients 

1 bunch of Kulfa leaves chopped 

1 Potato cut into cubes 

1 small Tomato chopped 

1 tbsp chopped Garlic 

2 Green Chillies cut into half 

1 Dried Red Chilli 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

2 tbsp Oil 


Method 

Take a wok, add oil, once the oil heats up, reduce the flame, add the garlic and red dried chilli. Sauté the garlic, once the garlic turns light brown in colour, add the tomato, potato, salt and turmeric, stir and cook until the potato is half cooked. Add the chopped greens and green chillies. Stir and cover the wok. Let it cook until the water has evaporated and the vegetable and the potato has cooked completely. Serve this vegetable with rice or chapatis. 

Thursday 14 December 2023

Apple - Beetroot Jam




Hola - It’s the happiest season of the year… as Christmas is just around the corner and the true magic of Christmas is  Love, Joy, Togetherness, Kindness and Care…..
Apple plays a significant role during festivals … as is considered to be an image of paradise that symbolises Joy and apples being winter fruit has made its way into so many winter holiday traditions. 
During Christmas,  stockings use to  be filled with apples and oranges, over the time now the stockings are filled with different goodies, but still today the toe of the stocking is filled with an apple or an orange. Apples are given as gifts in Eastern European culture, men have traditionally given girls a decorated apple as a romantic gesture during Yuletide (Christmas time). In China many young people have developed a tradition of giving gift wrapped apple on Christmas Eve as they say in Chinese language the word for Christmas Eve and Apple almost sounds the same meaning Peaceful / Safe night. 
Apples and Honey is a traditional dish served by Ashkenazi Jews on Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish new year. A blessing is said in Hebrew for Sweet New Year. The apple is dipped in honey and eaten. Apples have been a part of the Christmas decoration too. 
- Net source 

So let’s make Apple- Beetroot Jam this Christmas- 
Ingredients 
1 1/2 kg Apples boiled 
1 Big Beetroot boiled and grated 
Juice of 2 Oranges or juice of 1 big Lemon 
1 tbsp grated Ginger 
1 tsp Salt
750 grams of Sugar 
2 Star Anise 
1 stick of Cinnamon 


Method 
Take the boiled apples, remove the peel,  the core and seeds of the apple, blend the apple and strain the pulp through a wire mesh strainer. Take a heavy bottom pot, add the apple pulp, orange juice or lemon juice, a bottle of water, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir and let the pulp simmer on medium to low flame, stir occasionally. Gradually remove the jam foam that gathers on the top of the liquid. Once done add the beetroot. Continue to simmer the until the liquid has thickened. To test if the jam is ready, place a small spoonful onto a cold plate. Wait for 2 minutes or keep the plate back in the fridge for few minutes, the jam will hold its shape, incase the jam is still runny then continue to cook. Once done cool the 
Jam, while still warm, keep the jam in a clean sterilised glass bottles. This portion makes 6 bottles of jam. This jam is good to pair with bread butter, bacon and ham. The jam stay good for a year when refrigerated.