Chingri Macher Bhorta

Chingri Macher Bhorta 

Prawn Bharta 

This is  a very popular Bangladeshi dish. It is spicy mashed prawns dish flavoured with garlic, ginger, fried dry chillies and mustard oil. It is eaten with steamed hot rice. You can actually finish all the rice with this dish.. 
Ingredients
1 cup medium size Prawns deshelled and cleaned
2 Onions sliced
4 Garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp Ginger minced
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
3 Dry Red chillies
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Mustard oil

Method
Take a pan, add 1 tbsp oil. Heat it till smoking hot. Lower the flame, fry the red chillies till brown in colour, remove and keep it aside. In the same pan, add the garlic and ginger. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the prawns and sauté it till it is cooked. Remove it from the pan and cool it. Add it into the grinder and roughly grind it... some pieces of the prawns should be seen or the prawns can be chopped into small pieces. Take a mixing bowl, crush 2 chillies and add it in the bowl. Add the onions, coriander leaves, salt and mustard oil. Mix it well. Add the prawns and mix again. Garnish with some more coriander leaves and the remaining chilli. Serve it with hot steaming rice.

P. S. Instead of sautéing the prawns, boiled prawns can be also used. Fresh green chillies can also be used instead of dry red chillies. 

Orange Prawns served with Prawn and Egg Fried Rice

Orange Prawns 

To a Marinate the Prawns 
Ingredients

1 bowl of medium size Prawns

1 Egg White 

1 tbsp Soy Sauce 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Take a bowl and combine all the above ingredients and keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes. 

For Frying the Marainated Prawns

Ingredients 

Marinated Prawns

1/2 cup Corn Starch

Oil for frying 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil and heat it. Add the corn starch in a plate. Take one piece of prawns at a time and coat it with corn starch. Add the coated prawns in the hot oil and fry till brown in colour. Keep it on a absorbent paper. 

For the Sauce

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Fresh Orange juice

1/2 cup Chicken stock

1 big size Garlic clove grated 

1 tsp Orange zest

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1½ tbsp Soy sauce

Salt to taste

2 tsp Brown Sugar Or Sugar 

1 tbsp Corn Starch dissolved in 1 tbsp of water 

1 tsp Sesame oil

Method 

In a mixing bowl combine all the above ingredients and keep it aside. 

To make Orange Prawns

Ingredients 

Fried Prawns

Sauce 

1 tsp Sesame oil 

1/2 tsp Spring Onions chopped  

Method

Take a wok, add the oil, let it heat, add the sauce. Stir it and on low heat cook the sauce till it starts to thicken. Add the prawns and stir it. Cook the prawns in the sauce till the sauce has thicken and incooperated well in the sauce. Sprinkle spring onion for garnishing. Serve with Prawn and Egg Fried Rice. 

Prawn and Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients 

4 cups cooked Rice

1/2 bowl of small size Fried Prawns ( Marinated with 1 tbsp Soy sauce and egg, coated with cornflour and fried) 

1 bowl of Fried Egg pieces ( 2 Egg beaten with salt and fried) 

2 tsp Garlic grated 

1 tsp Ginger grated 

1/2 cup Red , Yellow and Green Capsicum diced 

1/4 cup Cabbage shredded 

1/4 cup Mushroom sliced 

1 Onion chopped 

1 tbsp Spring Onion chopped 

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Fish Sauce

1 tsp Chilli Vinegar

2 tbsp Sesame Oil 

 

Method 

Heat the oil in a wok, heat the oil on high flame. Add  the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the capsicum, cabbage, mushrooms, and onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar. Stir it. Add the prawns. Stir it and add the rice and the salt. Stir fry the rice  till  the rice has incoperated well with the other ingredients. Garnish with spring onions and fried egg pieces. Serve hot. 

Maharashtrian cuisine ...... Kandachi Pat takun Zunka, Bajri chi Bhakri and Kolambi Bhat

 Maharashtrian cuisine......

Kandachi Pat takun Zunka

Bajri chi Bhakri 

Kolambi Bhat

Kandachi Pat takun Zunka

Ingredients

2 cups Spring Onions chopped 

1 Onion chopped 

2 Green chillies chopped 

1 cup Gram flour 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds 

2 tbsp Oil

Method 

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds. Let it crackle. Add onion and chillies. Sauté for few minutes. Add spring onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the gram flour little at a time and stir it. Sprinkle some water and keep stirring and cooking till the gram flour has cooked and Zunka is dried. Serve hot with Bhakri.

Bajri chi Bhakri 

Ingredients

1 cup Bajra flour

Warm water

Salt to taste 

Ghee to apply

Method 

Take Bajra flour in a mixing bowl,  make a well in the middle. Add salt and warm water. Knead it to make a soft dough. Make round balls out of the dough. On a flat surface, sprinkle someflour. Take a portion and pat the ball with your palm. Use flour as required. Keep flattening the ball in circular motion to make round shape like roti. Don't make it too thin. Heat the  skillet. Lower the flame. Place thr bhakri on skillet and spread little of water on upper side of bhakri. When water on bhakri dries completely turn it to cook from other side. Now remove the bhakri from the skillet and keep it on the direct flame. It will get puffed. Remove from the flame and apply  ghee from top.

Kolambi Bhat

For the Wet Masala 

Ingredients 

15 Garlic cloves 

1" piece Ginger 

3 Green chillies 

1 tbsp Coriander leaves 

1 tbsp Grated Coconut 

1 tsp Coriander seeds 

1 tsp Poppy seeds 

1 stick Cinnamon 

3 Cloves 

15 Pepper corn

Method 

Add all the above ingredients and water in the grinder and grind it in to a paste.

For Kolambi Bhat

Ingredients 

2 cups of Prawns peeled and cleaned

4 cups of Basmati Rice washed, soaked for 10 minutes  and dried 

3 Onions sliced 

2 Tomato sliced 

1 tsp Red chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

2 Cloves 

1 Black Cardamom 

1 stick Cinnamon 

2 Bay Leaves 

1 Dry Red Chilli 

1 Star Anise 

Wet Masala 

1 tbsp Lime juice 

8 cups of Hot water

4 tbsp Oil

Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing

Method 

Heat oil in a wok. Add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, star anise, bay leaves and dry red chilli. Sauté it for a minute. Add the onions and sauté it till light brown in colour. Add the prawns and sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the rice and sauté it for another 2-3 minutes. Add the wet masala paste, tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, lime juice and water. Cook till the rice is done. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Aloo Chigrier Kalia (Potato Prawn Curry )

Kalia is a thick gravy prepared with fish like Rohu or Katla. I have prepared it with prawns. 

It is a Bengali dish and it is served with hot steaming rice. It's a must try dish, worth the try. 

Ingredients 

22 Medium size Prawns cleaned and deveined 

2 medium sized Potatoes cut into cubes 

1 large Onion paste

1 large Tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp Garlic - Ginger - Green Chilli paste
2 Green Chillies slited 

1 Bay leaf 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1 tsp Turmeric power

1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Sugar 

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp  Mustard Oil 

1 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Marinate the prawns with little salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a wok, fry the potato cubes until light brown in colour.  Keep them aside. In the same oil, fry the prawns in batches for a minute until the colour of the prawn changes.  Remove the prawns and keep them aside. Add the remaining oil, let it heat. Add cumin seeds, green chillies and bay leaf, sauté it for few seconds.  Add ginger - garlic and chilli paste, sauté for a minute. Add the onion paste, fry till the paste turns light brown in colour. Add the salt, sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and 3/4 tsp of the garam masala powder. Sauté for another minute.  Add  the  tomato paste. Saute for 5 minutes, till the oil separates out from the masala. Add fried potato pieces, stir it and add 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix well. Cover and cook with the  lid closed until potatoes are cooked, add the prawns and simmer for 5 minutes. Drizzle ghee and  sprinkle the remaining garam masala powder over the gravy.  Serve hot with rice.

Stuffed Eggplant with Herbs and Prawns (Optional)

Stuffed Eggplant with Herbs and Prawns (Optional) 

For the stuffed Eggplants
8 small size Eggplants
1/2 cup Rice washed, soaked and half boiled

1/4 cup small Prawns chopped (Optional)
1 Garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
1 tbsp Chives chopped
1 tbsp Dill chopped

1 tbsp Dried Parsley

1/2 tbsp Olive Oil 

Salt to taste
1/4 tsp of each  (cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, chilli flakes and pepper powder)
1 cup Hot water 

Method 

Slice off the tops of the eggplant and scoop the flesh out of the eggplants, leaving at least 1/2  cm Wall of the eggplant intact. Keep aside the scooped  flesh of the eggplant. Take garlic, all the chopped herbs, salt, olive oil, rice and  prawns. Mix the stuffing. Arrange the eggplants in a baking dish, hollow end facing up. Spoon the filling into the hollowed eggplants. Pour hot water into each eggplant, up to the top. Pour another 2 cm of hot water into the bottom of the dish. Cover the tray with foil and put into the oven to bake. Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 60 minutes, till the eggplants are cooked and the rice looks fluffy..

For the Sauce:

Scooped flesh of the Eggplants
1/2 cup Yogurt 

 Mixed chopped Herbs ( 1/4 cup Coriander leaves, 2 tbsp Chives, 2 tbsp Dill, 1 tbsp dried Parsley)

1/2  tbsp Olive oil
Salt to taste

Method

Take a pan. Add oil. Heat the oil. Add the eggplant flesh into a frying pan and stir fry. Once it starts to stick, pour some water into the pan and cover. Cook the eggplant flesh until soft.  Dry of the water from the eggplant and stir till brown. Mix the cooked eggplant with yogurt , chopped herbs  and salt to taste.  Serve the sauce alongside the eggplants.            

Prawn Palau

Prawn Palau

Ingredients 

250 grams Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes

1 cup prawns cleaned

2 Onions sliced

1 Tomato Chopped

2 Green chilies slit

1 tsp Garlic crushed

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 tsp Curry powder

2 tbsp Oil

2 Cloves

1 Anistar 

1 small Cinnamon stick

2 Cardomon

6 Pepper corn

2 tbsp broken Kaju

1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped

Method

Take oil in a pot and heat it up.  Add cloves, peppercorn, cardomon, anistar  and cinnamon in the oil. Sauté for few seconds. Add onions, garlic and kaju. Once the onions turn light brown in colour add sugar. Add the tomatoes and cook for few minutes. Add the prawns, salt, turmeric powder, curry powder. Cook the prawns  for 2 minutes. Add the soaked rice. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Cook the Palau till the rice is cooked. Add coriander leaves for garnishing.