Shahi Murg Korma

 

This dish is a Mugal dish, it’s made in a rich creamy gravy with nuts and raisins and hence the name Shahi… this dish goes well with Paratha or Pulao. 

Marination 

Ingredients 

1/2 kg Chicken pieces boneless or with bones as desired 

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste 

1 small Onion Sliced,  Fried and paste 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

3 tbsp Curd

Method 

Mix all the ingredients together and keep it aside for an hour or more. 

For the Wet paste 

Ingredients 

5 to 6 Almonds soaked and peeled 

5 to 6 Cashews soaked in water 

6 Raisins 

2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut 

2 tbsp Fresh Cream

1/4 cup Milk 

Few drops of Kewra essence (optional) 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into a paste.

 

For the Gravy 

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken 

Wet paste 

1 small Onion Paste 

1/2 tsp Ginger - Garlic paste 

1 Bay leaf

2 Cloves 

2 Green Cardamom 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1/2 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste ( if required )

1/4 cup Curd beaten 

2 tbsp Cream 

3 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Add the ghee into a wok. Once the ghee heats up, reduce the flame, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, sauté until the spices crackles. Add onion paste, ginger - garlic paste and sugar. Sauté until light brown in colour, add the marinate chicken. Cook on medium low flame until the oil releases. Add the wet paste, cover and cook on low flame, stirring the chicken occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the curd and cream, continue to cook, until the chicken has cooked. If required add salt as per required. Serve the chicken with Pulao or Paratha. 

Shola Kochur Korma / Colocasia Esculenta - Taro Corms Korma

Shola Kochu can be cooked in many ways, it can be fried, bata/ mashed, cooked into gravy with fish etc. 

Today we are making korma with shola kochu. It’s a simple, yet delicious recipe. This can be eaten with pulav rice or paratha. 

Ingredients 

 8 round pieces of Shola Kochu after peeling 

1 medium Onion made into paste

1 tbsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste

1 Green chilli slit

2 Cloves 

1 Green Cardamom 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1 Bay leaf 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Sugar 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 cup Coconut Milk 

2 tbsp Curd 

1 tbsp Mustard Oil 

1 tsp Ghee 

 

Method 

Take the pieces of shola Kochu, poke the pieces with a fork. Pressure cook  the pieces of the shola kochu for one whistle. Remove the pieces from the pressure cooker.  Heat the mustard oil in a pan, fry the shola Kochu pieces until light brown in colour. Remove the pieces from the pan, in the same pan add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let it crackle, add the onion paste, ginger - garlic - chilli paste, salt and sugar. Sauté the masala for a minute, add the curd, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder and green chilli. Continue to sauté and cook until the oil releases from the masala. Add little water and cook the masala for 2 minutes. Add the shola Kochu pieces, let it cook in the gravy for another minute. Add the coconut milk and let the gravy simmer for another few seconds. Switch off the flame, add ghee and garam masala powder. Garnish with fried onions (optional) and a little coconut milk. 

Kakara Kosha / Crab Sukha (Bengali Style)

While driving towards the outskirts of Mumbai during the rainy season, we get to see land filled with water getting ready for the rice cultivation, small water streams and small water bodies flowing around.. there are lots of small fish and mud crabs that you get to see being sold by the locals which are freshly caught. They are great in taste. We managed to get  some mud crabs and cat fish. 

Here is a recipe of  Kakara Kosha. It’s a Bengali way of making crab Sukha..  

While cleaning the crabs, separate out the crab legs from the body, gently crush them. Keep the crab fat and eggs in separate bowl.    

Enjoy this dish with rice or paratha. 

Ingredients 

5 medium size Crabs cleaned 

Keep the crab fat / tomalley and crab eggs separately 

2 medium size Onions sliced 

1 big Tomato chopped 

5 to 6 Green Chilli crushed 

10 to 12 Garlic Cloves crushed 

1 medium piece of Ginger crushed 

2 Bay leaves 

1 Green Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Sugar 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tsp Coriander powder 

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam masala powder 

1 tsp Ghee

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

1/2 cup Water 

Method

Add salt and little turmeric powder into the crabs and mix them. Take 1/4 cup of Mustard oil, let it heat, on a medium flame stir fry the crabs until it changes its colour. Remove and keep it aside, add the remaining oil in the same wok, add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves, stir, add the sliced onions, sauté the onions until translucent, in between add salt and sugar, continue to cook. Add the crushed ginger - garlic and chillies, stir and continue to cook for a minute, add the  chopped tomato, stir, add turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Stir and continue to cook, add Kashmiri red chilli powder. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the oil release. Add the crab fat and crab eggs if any. Stir and cook for another minute. Add the water, let it simmer, add the crabs. Stir and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add the ghee and garam masala. Let it cook for another minute. Once done switch off the flame. Enjoy the crab bhuna with rice or paratha. 

Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta / Hilsa Fish Tail Bhorta

There were 5 tail pieces of Hilsa fish left in the freezer. Usually as the tail part of the fish is thorny many people avoid eating the tail part. In Bangladesh they make various types of Bhortas. I had this recipe in my bucket list as I had heard from my husband about the Ilish  Bhorta when he had travelled to Bangladesh and I had randomly seen some few recipes on YouTube. It’s delicious, you can actually finish one whole plate of steamed rice with Ilish Bhorta. 

So here it is... 

Ingredients 

5 Tail pieces of the Hilsa Fish

2 medium size Onion sliced 

2 Garlic Cloves

2 or more Whole Dried Red Chilli 

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 cup + 1/4 tsp of Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take the fish tails, apply salt and turmeric powder. Heat 1/2 cup oil, fry the fish tail until golden brown in colour. Remove the fried fish and keep it aside to cool, in the same oil now fry the onion and garlic until golden brown in colour. Remove the onion and garlic and keep it aside. In the same remaining oil fry the dried red chillies until brown in colour. Remove the chillies and keep it aside. Now very carefully remove the thorns from the fish tail and keep the fish meat aside. Now take the fried onion, garlic, red chillies, salt to taste and coriander leaves on a plate, mash all the ingredients together well, add the fish meat and mash the ingredients together. Transfer the Bhorta into a serving plate, drizzle with the remaining mustard oil and a fresh red chilli, serve it with hot steamed rice. 

Pomfret Macher Tel Jhal

This is a quick and easy Bengali recipe to go with steamed rice. This dish is one of our family’s favourite dish, my mother use to make it. It’s supposed to be bit spicy and tangy.

Ingredients 

1 big size Pomfret cut, sliced and cleaned 

1 medium size Tomato chopped 

2 to 3 Green Chillies slit

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds 

Salt to taste 

3/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 cup Mustard Oil to fry the fish

Few drops of Mustard Oil to drizzle  

Method 

Take the sliced pomfret pieces, apply 1/2 tsp turmeric and salt, heat the oil and fry the fish slices until brown in colour. Remove the fried fish pieces, keep it aside. Remove the excess oil and keep around 2 tbsp oil in the wok. Add the nigella seeds and green chillies. Sauté the nigella seeds for few seconds. Add the chopped tomato, salt and remaining turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the chopped tomato is mushy. Add a cup of water and let the gravy simmer. Add the fish pieces and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Switch off the flame, sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and drizzle little mustard oil over the gravy. Serve this dish with steamed rice. 

 

Chaman Olu / Cottage Cheese and Potato

It’s a Kashmiri dish that is made with cottage cheese and potato. It’s served with rice. It’s a very simple dish, yet very delicious.
I have adapted the recipe from Ms. Purnima Kachru’s cook book.
We enjoyed the dish with hot steamed rice.

Ingredients
250 grams Cottage cheese cut into medium size cubes
1 big  size Potato cut into thick roundels
4 Green chillies slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric  Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Fennel seed Powder
1 pinch Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 Black cardamom crushed
2 Cloves crushed
2 Green Cardamom crushed
1 1/2 tbsp Curd
1 1/2 tbsp Milk
1/2 cup Mustard Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
1 1/2 cup Water

Method
Take a wok, add mustard oil, heat the oil. Reduce the flame. Fry the cottage cheese until the edges are golden brown in colour. Take a pot, add water, add salt and turmeric powder. Add the fried cottage cheese into the water. Now fry the potato roundels and add the potato roundels into the water. Add ginger powder, fennel powder, asafoetida and black cardamom. Place the pot on the gas stove and cook the ingredients on medium heat until the water reduces into half. Beat the curd along with the milk. Pour the milk - curd into the pot, stir the gravy constantly and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the gravy from the flame. Take ghee in a pan, let it heat, add the green cardamom and cloves. Sauté and pour the ghee into the gravy. Add green chillies to garnish. Serve the dish with steamed rice.

Kumro Pata Diya Chana Bhapa / Steamed Paneer with Pumpkin Leaves

Steamed Paneer is a Bengali vegetarian side dish. I have added pumpkin leaves, as pumpkin leaves are good for our health and when it grows in my balcony, then definitely it is good to use it in the dish. I have used homemade Aam Kasundi, but you can use mustard and any pickle masala oil incase Kasundi is not available.This dish is normally eaten during lunch. Serve this dish with hot steamed rice. 

For the Wet Paste 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup Fresh Grated Coconut 

2 tbsp Aam Kasundi or use 1 tbsp Mustard seeds and 1 tbsp any pickle masala oil 

2 Green Chillies  

2 to 3 Garlic cloves 

3 tbsp Hung Curd 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste. 

To make the Steamed Paneer 

Ingredients 

250 grams Paneer cut into small pieces 

10 Pumpkin leaves chopped 

4 to 5 Green Chillies slit into half and then cut into pieces 

Wet Paste 

2 tbsp Mustard Oil 

A big piece of Banana Leaf - optional 

Method 

Take a bowl, add all the ingredients in the bowl, mix all the ingredients together and keep it aside for an hour. Take a container with a lid. Lay the banana leaves at the base of the container, it’s optional. Add the marinated paneer into the container. Close the lid. Take a steamer, add water into the steamer. Keep the container into the steamer. Steam the paneer for 20 minutes. Once done, enjoy this dish with hot steamed rice. 

Baked Chingri Begun

This is a side dish made with prawns and brinjal. Though the wet paste made with mustard seeds and other ingredients are commonly used in Bengali dishes to make Jhal, Paturi, Bhapa etc, and even brinjal is a common ingredient used along with fish to make curry, here I have tried out the recipe in a bit different way... 

This dish can be made with other small fishes. 

You can serve this dish with steamed rice.

Ingredients 

1 medium size Bharta Baigan / Brinjal 

10 to 12 medium size  Prawns cleaned and deveined
1 small Onion or 1/4 part of the Onion

4 to 5 Garlic Cloves 

4 to 6 Green Chillies as per the spiciness you require 

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 tbsp Fresh or Desiccated Coconut  

1 1/2 tbsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Poppy seeds

1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped 

2 tbsp + 1 tsp Mustard Oil 

2 tbsp Curd (Optional)

Method 

Take the brinjal, cut the brinjal from the center horizontally leaving the end tail part of the brinjal intact. Scoop out the inner part of the brinjal on both the sides. Keep it aside. Now chop the scooped flesh of the brinjal and keep it aside. Take a grinder, add the onion, green chillies, garlic, mustard seeds, poppy seeds, coconut, turmeric powder and salt. Add little water and 2 tbsp of curd (optional), make a smooth paste. Rub little salt on the inner and outer parts of the brinjal.  Take a bowl, add the prawn, chopped brinjal flesh, coriander leaves, 2 tbsp mustard oil and the paste. Mix all the ingredients together. Now stuff the prawn stuffing on one side of scooped brinjal. Cover it with the other side of the brinjal. Tie up the brinjal with a thread. Keep the stuffed brinjal in the refrigerator for an hour, Remove the brinjal from the fridge.  Place the brinjal into a baking tray, pour the remaining mustard oil, and apply the oil on the brinjal. To bake, you can either bake it in a preheated OTG at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the brinjal after 10 minutes to cook it evenly or to bake it on a gas stove, take a wok, place a pressure cooker stand into the wok, cover the the wok for 5 minutes on medium flame. Open the lid, place the tray on the cooker stand. Cover the lid and bake for 10 minutes on medium low flame, after 10 minutes turn the side then continue to cook for another 20 minutes with the lid covered. Remove the baking tray from the wok. Remove the thread, place the brinjal on a serving plate and open one side of the brinjal. Pour in the liquid of the baked brinjal and prawns. Garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies. Serve the dish with hot steaming rice.

Chatpata Murgh

This a very easy dish to make. It can be made in many ways. Here is my style of making this dish. This dish is a dry dish and can be served with paratha or roti and salad. I have used coriander stem paste as it gives out a strong flavour of the coriander. You can use any spice masala instead of the curry powder. 

Ingredients 

8 Chicken Legs

1 Onion coarsely ground

3 tbsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste ( 1 small piece of ginger, 6 garlic cloves and 4 green chillies)

2 tbsp Coriander stem paste 

Few Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing 

4 tbsp Curd 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 tbsp Curry powder 

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

Method 

Add salt, turmeric powder, curry powder, ginger - garlic - chilli paste, coriander stem paste, curd and 2 tbsp of oil to the chicken legs. Rub the ingredients well to the chicken legs. Let it marinate for 2 to 5 hours. Take a wok, add the remaining oil and let it heat. Add the marinated chicken legs. Stir, cover and let it slow cook until the chicken legs are tender. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it with paratha or roti and salad. 

Punti Maccher Chorchori

I had a Bengali lady who worked for me for many years. Some time she would share her village stories with me. They did not have bathrooms at their place in the village so they all had to bathe in the river. On the way to the river they had to cross small streams. They use to carry gamcha (that is a cloth to wipe the body after bath). As they lack money... while on the way back home the village ladies usually use their gamcha to catch small varieties of fishes from the streams. One of the fish is called Punti Maach. They are called the swamp barb or chola barb or Puntius chola, in English. They are tropical freshwater fish. They are mainly found in streams, rivers, swamps and  shallow water. Since my maid lacked money, normally they would cook this small fish with potatoes and onions, either season with panch phoran and make jhal (spicy gravy) or season with nigella seeds to make Chorchori adding some vegetables of the season which grew in the nearby fields. Another dish which is made is Punti Maacher tak. The dishes were  served with hot steaming boiled rice.

I found this fish being sold by a local fisher woman after a very long time which was caught from the nearby river. It was a task cleaning this fish, but the end result was delicious.

Ingredients

* 500gm Punti fish cleaned and marinated with 1 tsp Turmeric powder and Salt

* 1 big size Onion chopped

* 3 big size Potatoes cut into wedges

* 1 big size Tomato cut into wedges

* 250 grams medium size Brinjal cut into wedges

* 4 Green Chillies slit

* Few Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing (optional)

* 1 tsp Ginger paste

* 1 tbsp Mustard paste

* 1 tsp Cumin powder

* 1 tsp Turmeric powder

* 1 tsp Chilli powder

* Salt to taste

* 1 tsp Nigella seeds

* 1/2 cup + 1/2 tsp Mustard Oil

Method

Take a wok, add 1/2 cup oil. Fry the punti maach in batches till golden brown in colour. Remove and keep it aside. In the the same oil add the nigella seeds and let it crackle. Add the  green chillies, onion, potatoes, brinjal and tomatoes. Stir fry the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin powder, chilli powder, ginger and mustard paste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of water, stir and cover the wok. Let it cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender and the gravy has almost dried up. Open the lid and check the vegetables. Add the puti mach and continue to cook for a minute. Drizzle with 1/2 tsp of Mustard Oil. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Dimer er Bati Chorchori

Bati Chorchori or Dobka as it was called in my house was very frequently made dish by my mother. There are lots of type of Bati Chorchoris... some are made only with vegetables combining of carrot and potato  or bitter gourd and potato or pointed gourds and potato... there are Bati Chorchori made with prawns and potato and like this one with egg and potato... tomato is optional.. so is onion in the vegetarian version. You can add onions in the non vegetarian version. The dish is made with nothing but only salt, turmeric and mustard oil.. may be in some household they add seasoning like nigella seeds or panch phoran. The spiciness comes from fresh green chillies. It’s the simplest of the recipe, but the taste is divine. Bati Chorchori was cooked in a Bati or a bowl and hence the name has derived. All the ingredients are added together and stirred and then water is added to cook the vegetables. It’s then covered and left to cook till the vegetables are tender. Lastly to enhance the flavour mustard oil is drizzled. Coriander leaves were not added in the actual recipe, but it’s optional. It can be enjoyed during lunch with steamed rice or for breakfast with poratha. 

Ingredients 

4 Boiled Eggs cut into 4 pieces 

3 Potatoes cut into small cubes 

1 Onion chopped 

1 Tomato chopped 

3 Green Chillies slit 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

3 tbsp Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take a bowl or a wok. Add 2 1/2 tbsp mustard oil and let the oil heat up. Then add onion, green chillies, potatoes, tomato, eggs, turmeric powder and salt. Stir it, add around 1 1/2 cups of water. Cover and let it cook. Open the lid and check if the potatoes have become tender. Drizzle 1/4 tsp of  mustard oil and switch of the flame. Serve the Bati Chorchori in a bowl and drizzle remaining mustard oil on top. Serve it with hot steamed rice or porata. 

Pur Bhora Komroni

These are stuffed Pumpkin Fritters. Normally in Bengal we have pumpkin pieces dipped into gram flour batter and deep fried. Here I have added a stuffing between the two pumpkin pieces, then dipped it into the batter and fried. I have added prawns in the stuffing but prawns can be omitted... for vegetarians. This dish goes well with hot steaming rice.

For the Stuffing
Ingredients
* 10 pieces of Prawns
* 2 tbsp Mustard seeds
* 1 1/2 tbsp Poppy seeds
* 1 tbsp Fresh or Desiccated Coconut
* 1 Garlic
* 1 or 2 Green Chillies as per the requirement
* Salt to taste

Method
Add all the above ingredients into a grinder. Avoid water, if required then add a tbsp of water and continue to grind. Grind it into a coarse thick paste.

For Komroni
Ingredients
* Pumpkin cut into 30 square thin pieces
* Stuffing
* 3/4 cup Rice flour
* 3/4 cup Gram flour
* 1/4 tsp Nigella seeds
* Salt to taste
* Mustard Oil for deep frying

Method
Take a bowl, add rice flour, gram flour, salt and nigella seeds. Add water little at a time and whip into a thick dropping consistently. Keep the batter aside. Heat the oil in a pan. Meanwhile take a pumpkin piece. Apply the stuffing onto the pumpkin slice. Take another pumpkin piece and cover the stuffing. Press the pumpkin slice from top, so that while frying the pumpkin pieces don’t open up. Repeat the process with other pumpkin pieces. Take the pumpkin pieces, deep it into the batter and fry it until golden brown from both the sides. Eat it hot with hot steaming rice.

P.S. I have not peeled the pumpkin, but you can peel it. Try to cut it into a thin slice.
Fresh Coconut is preferable, if you don’t have then use desiccated coconut.

Tawa Maachli

This a simple fish recipe which can be served as a side dish. Any fish of your choice can be used. I have used about 1 kg Rupchand / Indian Piranha Fish here. I prefer to use coconut oil as it gives a flavour and enhances the aroma while cooking. 

For Marnation 

1 whole medium size Fish cleaned

1 tbsp Garlic paste

1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

1 tsp Spicy Chilli powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

2  tbsp of Kitchen king masala or any Fish Masala

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Tamarind paste

2 to 3 tbsp Water 

1 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Take a small bowl. Add the garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli, spicy chilli, turmeric powder, Kitchen king masala, tamarind paste, water and oil. Mix all the ingredients together. Apply the masala paste on the fish. Keep it aside for 1 to 2 hours. 

For the Tawa Maachli

Ingredients 

Marinated Fish

3 to 4 tbsp Oil

Some Curry leaves 

Method

Take a rectangular skillet. Add oil. Let it heat. Add the curry leaves and let it sauté for few seconds. Add the marinated fish. On a medium low flame cook the fish on both the sides till done. Serve it hot with sliced tomato, cucumber and onions. 

Ram Rochak Tarkari

It’s a delicious Oriya vegetarian dish popular in the Baripada region of Odisha. This dish is made during Ratha Yatra. This a very simple dish. Mung dal dumplings are cooked with vegetables like brinjal and potatoes.  This dish can be served with rice.

This recipe is adapted from Sweta Biswal's blog Oriya Rasoi....

For the Dal Dumplings / Bara

Ingredients

1/2 cup Yellow Split Lentils(Mung Dal) soaked for 1 to 2 hours

1/4 cup Whole Green Gram (Whole Green Mung Dal) soaked for 4 to 5 hours

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Red Dry Chillies

A pinch of Asafetida

Salt to taste

Oil for fry the dumplings

Method

Add the cumin seeds, dry red chillies, asafetida, salt, yellow mung dal and green whole mung dal in a grinder. Add very little water as the batter should be thick. Grind the dal into a batter. Take oil in a wok and let it heat up. Add a tsp of the batter in the oil. Repeat the process for 3 to 4 times. Fry it till golden brown in colour. Remove it from the oil and keep it aside.

For the Masala Paste

Ingredients

2 to 3 small pieces of Ginger

2 Dry Red Chillies

1 small Green Chilli

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

3/4 tsp Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Method

Add the ginger, red chillies, green chilli, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric powder in the grinder and grind the ingredients. Add 2 to 3 tbsp water and grind it again into a paste.

For the Curry

Ingredients

Mung Dal Dumplings

1 cup Brinjal cut into medium cubes

2 medium size Potatoes cut into medium size cubes

1 Green Chilli slit

1 Green Cardamom

1 small piece Cinnamon

2 Cloves

Salt to taste

Masala paste

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp Ghee

Method

Reduce the oil in which the dumplings had been fried to 2 tbsp. Add the cumin seeds, clove, cardamom, cinnamon and green chilli. Let it crackle. Add the masala paste. Sauté it till the oil leaves the masala. Add the potatoes. Stir and cook for a minute. Add the brinjal. Stir and cook for another minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Open the lid, add salt to taste. Stir, cover and continue to cook until the potatoes are 80 percent done. Open the lid, check if the potatoes are almost done. Add the dumplings and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle ghee and switch of the flame. Serve it with hot steaming rice. 

Manji Pulimuchi

Pulimuchi is a sour and spicy Mangaloren Style masala gravy dish cooked with fish or chicken.

The gravy can be dry or semi dry as per one’s choice. This is a finger licking dish that can be served with Rice or Neer dosa.

Here I have used Pomfrets.

For the Masala Paste

Ingredients

20 or more Red Guntur Chillies as per the spiciness required - Soaked in water for 30 minutes

2 Onions chopped

16 Garlic Cloves peeled

1 small Ginger chopped

1 Green Chilli

1 1/2 tsp Tamarind Paste

10 Pepper Corn

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Coriander seeds

Salt to taste

Method

Grind the cumin, coriander and pepper till it is in powder form. Grind the onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli and 1/2 of the red chilli along the powder into a fine paste. Add the remaining red chillies, tamarind, salt and little water and grind the all ingredients together into a thick fine paste.

For the Pomfret Masala Gravy

Ingredients

4 medium size Pomfret marinated with Turmeric and Salt for 15 minutes

Few Curry Leaves

Masala Paste

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

Method

Take a flat pan. Add the oil and heat it. Add the masala paste, stir fry it for 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves. Continue to stir fry for another minute. Spread the masala on the pan. Place the pomfrets in the masala. Apply some of the masala on the top part of the pomfret too. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes on a low flame. Remove the lid. Turn the pomfrets. Cover and cook the pomfrets father till the oil from the masala releases and the pomfrets are done. Serve the Pomfrets with Neer Dosa.

For the Neer Dosa Recipe click on the link given below....

http://www.suskitchenbysumitra.com/2017/11/neer-dosa.html

Phulkopir Roast

As winter approaches there are varieties of winter vegetables that comes in the market. Phulkopi / Cauliflower is one of  the winter vegetable that is one of my favorite. This vegetable is used to make various dishes. Phulkopir Roast is one of the vegetarian dish made with Cauliflower, as the name says it all.  This is an old Bengali dish made during occasions. Many of the restaurants in Kolkata serves this dish during Durga Puja. This is a very simple dish made without any garlic and onions. It can be served with rice or paratha or rotis. 

For the Masala Paste

Ingredients

1 tbsp Raisin soaked in 3 tbsp water

1 inch Ginger chopped

2 Green Chillies

1 tsp Coriander seeds

3/4 tsp Cumin seeds

3/4 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a grinder and add little more water. Grind all the ingredients into a fine paste. 

For the Cauliflower Roast

Ingredients

500 grams Cauliflower cut into medium size florets

Masala paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp Sugar 

2 Bay Leaves 

1/2 tsp Bengali Garam Masala (2 Cardomoms, 3 Cloves and 1 small stick Cinnamon ground into powder)

1/4 cup Curd

1/4 cup Mustard Oil

1 tbsp Ghee 

Method 

Take 1 liter water in a wok. When the water becomes hot, add 1 tsp salt and let it bubble. Switch of the flame. Add the Cauliflower and let it stand for 15 minutes. Drain the water out. Add mustard oil in the wok. Let it heat. Add the cauliflower and fry it till it’s colour changes. Remove the cauliflower from the oil. In the same oil add the bay leaves. Add the masala  paste and on a medium low flame, sauté the paste till the oil begins to separate from the paste. Add the curd and continue to cook. Add the sugar. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook the cauliflower till done. Keep stirring it occasionally. Add little water and salt in between as the cauliflower takes time to cook. Once done add garam masala and ghee. Serve hot with rice or roti. 

Gondhoraj Chicken Bhappa

‘Gondhoraj' in Bengali means the king of smell. It's a type of a lebu / lemon, which is aromatic and it is different in size, shape and taste. The smell is very refreshing and mesmerizing.

It is best had with Korai r Daal and Aloo Posto served with hot steaming rice. Now a days many different dishes are made using Gondhoraj Lebu.

The lemons, lemon leaves and Bhut  Jolokia used are from the plant growing in my house. 

Here I have made Chicken Bhappa my style with Gondhoraj Lebu and it's leaves. Since I used bhut jolokia, I didn't add green chilli paste as bhut joloki is very spicy. 

Ingredients 

1 kg Whole Chicken 

1 Onion sliced

3 Green Chillies slit 

2 Bhut Jolokia sliced lengthwise 

5 Gondhoraj Lemon leaves

4 to 6 wedges of Gondhoraj Lime 

Some Coriander Leaves for garnishing 

Paste of 1 medium size Onion, 1 small piece of Ginger and 5 Garlic 

Paste of 2 tbsp Coconut grated and 2 tbsp of Poppy seeds ground with 2 tbsp of Curd 

1 tbsp Juice of Gondhoraj Lebu 

Salt to taste 

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take a whole chicken, after washing the chicken, wipe the chicken with a paper towel. Poke the chicken with a fork. Apply little salt on the chicken properly and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Now add the Onion - Ginger - Garlic paste. Rub it well on the chicken. Keep it aside for 15 minutes. Add the coconut - Poppy seed paste, lime juice, salt, 1/4 cup of oil, sliced onion, 2 green chillies, some slices of bhut jolokia and lemon wedges. Apply all the ingredients well on the chicken as well as in the inside part of the chicken, let it stand for an hour. Take a pressure cooker, place the chicken and its marinated juices into the pressure cooker. Pour in 1 tbsp of the mustard oil. Place the green chilli and the remaining slices of the bhut jolokia on top of the chicken. Cover the lid of the cooker. Let it cook on a low flame until 5 whistles. Let the pressure release. Garnish it with some coriander leaves. Serve it with hot steaming rice. 

Fish Caldino / Caldin ( Mild Fish Curry )

It's a Goan dish. It's a mild yellowish colour curry which is served as a side dish. This curry can be made with any vegetables or fresh fish. Surmai, pomfret or prawns are used to make this curry.  The curry though mild, is quite flavorful.

This can be served with hot rice or pav.

To make the Caldin Juice

Ingredients

1 fresh Coconut grated

4 Garlic cloves

2 Cloves

1 small piece of Cinnamon

10 to 15 Black Pepper Corn

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Tamarind Paste

2 cups of warm Water

Method

Blend all the above ingredients together in a blender along with the warm water.  Strain this through a strainer to get a thick Caldin juice. Add 1 cup of water to the residue and strain out a thin juice. Keep it aside.

For the Curry

Ingredients

3 medium Pomfret sliced and cleaned 

1 medium size Onion chopped 

1 medium size Tomato chopped 

1 tsp Ginger minced 

2 Green Chillies slit

1/4 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil. Let it heat. Add the chopped onions, sauté it till translucent. Add the chopped tomato, ginger and green chillies. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the thin juice and let it simmer. Apply little salt on the fish. Add the fish into the wok. Let it simmer for a minute. Turn the fish. Add the thick juice and continue to simmer. Add the salt and sugar. Let it simmer till the fish is cooked. Serve hot with steamed rice or with pav.

Coorgi Koli Saaru / Coorgi Chicken Curry

 Koli Saaru is a delectable Chicken dish from the region of Coorg. The curry is made with freshly ground spices which enhances the flavor of the curry. It's simple to make. It's served as a side dish, it's eaten with Akki Roti or Rice. I have used pressure cooker to speed up the time, but you can also slow cook it in a pot. 

To Marinate the Chicken

Ingredients

750 grams Chicken pieces washed and cleaned

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken with turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt for 1 hour.

For the Masala powder

Ingredients

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Black Pepper corns

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

5 Cloves

1 medium stick Cinnamon

Method

Dry roast the mustard seeds, black pepper,coriander seeds and cumin seeds till a strong aroma releases. Cool it and grind them into a powder.

For the Wet Paste

1 Medium size  Onion chopped

1 Medium size Tomato chopped

6 Garlic Pods

1 Inch Ginger

2 Green Chillies

1/2 tsp Roasted Poppy seeds - I have not added

1/2 cup fresh or frozen grated Coconut

Method

In a grinder, grind the Onion, Tomato, Garlic, Ginger, Green Chillies and Coconut into a paste.

To make the Curry

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken

1 medium size Onion finely chopped

Few Curry Leaves

Wet Paste

1/2 tsp Kachampuli (Black Vinegar)

OR

1 tsp Tamarind paste

1 1/2 tbsp Dry Masala powder

Salt to taste 

3 Tbsp Oil

Method

Take a pressure cooker. Add oil, let the oil heat up, add the onion and curry leaves. Sauté on the onion medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the wet paste, stir it and cook for 3 minutes on a medium low heat. Add 1/4 cup water and continue to cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chicken pieces, stir and cook for a minute. Add the powder masala. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir for a minute. Cover the pressure cooker and allow 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release. Open the lid. Add salt and tamarind paste and stir the curry. Let it the curry simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve the Koli Saaru with Akki roti or Rice.