Dhakai Parotha with Dal

Dhakai Parotha with Dal
A street food from Kolkata.

Ingredients
2 Cup  All purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp Saltless Butter
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp  Baking Powder
Cold Water from the fridge
Oil to fry

Method
Mix salt in the flour and mix it. Add 2 tbsp butter to the flour and mix it well. Add water little at a time to make a semi soft dough. Cover the bowl with damp cloth and keep it aside for 30 min.Knead dough well for 5 minutes by adding in more butter. Now divide the dough into equal portions. Roll out each portion into a round shape. Brush each rolled portion with oil and sprinkle flour on the top. Make a cut from the centre of the round to the edge. Roll the dough from one cut edge to the other to form a spiral roll. Then roll this into a spiral disc and tuck the ends in. Roll the disc out again. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the paratha turning on a low flame until both sides are golden brown and crisp.Serve it hot with Dal.

Below given is the pictorial steps for rolling the dough...

Cholar Dal
Ingredients
1 small cup Bengal grams washed and soaked for 30 minutes
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1 pinch Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Red dry chilli
1 Bay leaf
1 tbsp Oil

Method
Take a pressure cooker, add the dal, turmeric powder, salt to taste and garam masala powder. Add 1 1/2 cup water and pressure cook it till done. Take oil. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf and  red chilli. Let it crackle. Add asafoetida. Add the seasoning to the dal, add sugar. If the dal has become dry then add water according to the thicken required. Boil the dal and serve it with Dhakai paratha.

Potoler Dorma / Pointed Gourd Dorma

Machdeye Potoler Dorma / Pointed Gourd Dorma

For the stuffing
Ingredients
250 grams Boneless Fish pieces
Scooped out seeds of the Parwal
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of red chili powder
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic chopped
1 tsp Green chilli chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

Method
Take oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Let it crackle. Add onion, chilli and garlic. Sauté it till the onions changes its colour. Add salt, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Sauté it for another minute and add the fish pieces and scooped out seeds of the Parwal.  Cover the pan and cook till the fish has become tender. Keep stirring the stuffing till the fish breaks up into smaller pieces. Keep the stuffing aside.

For the Dorma
Ingredients
12 Parwal / Pointed Gourd
Fish Stuffing
1 Onion sliced
1 Tomato chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
1 Tomato purée
1 tbsp Beaten curd
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 Tumeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Ghee

Method
Take the parwals and gently scrap the skin. (Do not peel the skin.) Cut one side of the Parwal. Keep the cut piece. Scoop out the seeds of the Parwal from just one side, while keeping the other end closed. Fill in the stuffing in the Parwal. Close the open side of the Parwal with the cut piece. Insert a toothpick so that the stuffing does not come out from the open end. Fry the parwal until lightly browned and keep aside. Take oil in a kadai and add the cumin seeds. Let it crackle, add bay leaf. Add chopped onions and sugar, sauté it till light brown in colour. Add ginger and garlic paste. Sauté it for a minute. Add salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, tomato purée and curd. Stir it and close the lid and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of water on a low flame let the gravy simmer for 10 minutes. Add the stuffed Parwals. Cover and cook till the parwals become tender. Add ghee and sprinkle garam masala on top.

Tandoori Pomfrets

Tandoori Pomfrets

Ingredients

6 medium size Pomfret  cleaned and 3 slits given 

1 tbsp Lime juice

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Curd

1 tbsp Garlic paste

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

2 tbsp Tandoori Masala

Method

Marinate the pomfrets with all the above ingredients for 4 to 5 hours. To create a tandoor at home. Take 4 big sheets of foil paper and cover the  kadai with it. Add coal and lit up the fire. Take a wire mesh and put it over the fire. Drizzle some oil. Keep the fish on the wire mesh. Cover and cook on both the sides till done. Serve it hot with chopped onions and tomatoes. 

Tandoori Masala powder

Ingredients 

1 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tbsp Cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp Carom seeds

1/2 tsp Pepper corn

1 stick Cinnamon

4 Cloves

2 Green Cardomom

1 Black Cardomom

1 Mace 

4 Red Kashmiri chilli

Black Salt to taste 

Method

Grind all the spices in the grinder to make the tandoori masala. 

Cold Cuts cooked in Eggs with Caramelised Onion and Tomato..

Cold Cuts cooked in Eggs with Caramelised Onion and Tomato..
Ingredients
1 Ham slice cut into pieces
1 Sausage cut into pieces
1 Becon cut into pieces
2 Eggs
1 Tomato Sliced
1 Onion Sliced
2 pinch Sugar to sprinkle
Salt to taste
Pepper powder to sprinkle
1/2 tsp Butter

Method
Take a small pan. Add the cold cut pieces and sauté it till the cold cut pieces have changed its colour. Take it out from the pan and keep it aside. Add butter in the pan and heat it. Add the sliced onion and sprinkle sugar on the sliced onions. Sauté the onions till they are caramelised. Spread the cold cuts pieces on the onions. Arrange the tomato slices on cold cuts. Break 2 eggs on top of the tomato slices. On a low flame spread and cook the eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper powder. Serve with bread toast...

Punjabi Aam ka Acchar

Punjabi Aam ka Acchar

Ingredients 

1 kg Raw mangoes cut into medium sized pieces  and cleaned. 

3 tbsp  Fenugreek  dal

5 tbsp Mustard dal

4 tbsp Fennel seed coarsely ground

3 tbsp Nigella seed

2 tbsp Turmeric powder 

4 tbsp Red chili powder

1 tsp Hing

Salt to taste

2 cups Mustard oil 

Salt to taste

Method 

Take mango pieces wipe the mango pieces  after washing them. Add some salt and 1 tbsp turmeric powder to the mangoes . Let it dry in the sun for a day or 2 and no water should remain.  Mix all the spices and add some extra salt to the diced mangoes pieces. Mix well. Put the mango peices in a jar covered for 3 to 4 days in the sun. Mix the mangoe pieces and the spices every day with a clean and dry spoon. Heat the mustard oil.  Cool the oil. Pour mustard oil over the mango pieces. Mix well. Keep the pickle in the sun for another 4 to 5 days. Mix it every day with a clean spoon. Store the pickle in a dry place.