Potoler Dolma

Potoler Dolma in a Cashew gravy

Stuffed Ridged Gourd

Someone mentioned that it's just 7 weeks away from Durga Puja!! and it makes me very nostalgic.
Durga Puja is all about Food, Food and more Food !!

Every "Bangali" just waits for Durga Puja to visit all the favourite restaurants in town.
A separate budget is set aside for those five days and most ladies don't cook at home.
Potol  or pointed Gourd can be cooked in a number of ways. This recipe is a bit different from the one usually prepared. Traditionally curd is used.This gravy is made with Cashew Nut paste and Pumpkin Seed paste. I took the liberty of adding Onion-Ginger-Green Chilly paste.

For The Stuffing :

For the filling you will require- 1/2 cup of Cholar Dal (Bengal Gram Daal), 1 medium size onion, 1 inch Ginger,2 Green Chilly's, 1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder, Salt and sugar as per taste and 4-6 tbsp Refined Oil.

To begin with you will need to soak the lentils in water overnight.
Then grind to a smooth dry paste with the Onion, Ginger & Green Chilly's using as little water as possible.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add the lentil paste. Stir cook. Add the spices and mix well.Keep frying till the paste turns golden in colour and starts to leave the pan. When you get a nice aroma its ready. Remove from the flame and cool. After the mix is cool ,it has to be filled carefully into the Ridged Gourds.

Cholar Dal

To Prepare the Ridged Gourds:

Cut off the sides. Now  make slits on the side and scoop out the insides carefully.

Steamed Ridged Gourd

Steam the Ridged Gourds but not too much.

Remove , strain, cool. Then dry and stuff each and every Gourd.

Cornflour Paste

Make a Cornflour paste to seal the openings of the  Ridged Gourds. Apply the thick paste.

Heat Mustard Oil and Deep fry the Ridged Gourds Carefully on low flame till they are soft and golden fried.

For The Gravy:

Grind  1 small Onion , 1/2 inch Ginger, 2 Green Chilly's, 10 Cashew nuts, 2 Tsp Char Magaj with 

water into a smooth paste.

Heat Mustard Oil till hot and then fry the paste well.

Add 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder, 1/4  Tsp Red Chilly Powder, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder,

1/2 Tsp Coriander Powder, 1/2 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp Sugar. Cook stirring all the while till oil separates

and a lovely aroma fills your kitchen. 

When the gravy is ready, add the stuffed Ridged Gourds and coat with the gravy.

To serve :

Serve with hot crispy paratha

On a serving platter, carefully take out the gravy coated stuffed Ridged Gourd and place it. Place a bowl of gravy along with the dish.

Serve with Hot Paratha's or Hot Rice.

Saffron Rice and Prawn

Saffron Rice and Prawn

Saffron Rice 

This rice perfectly complements the prawn dish I served along. I choose long grained Basmati Rice. Adding  a little saffron gives a  nice flavor and a mild color to the rice. Some use  yellow food color along with the saffron. We will need just a pinch of  good quality saffron.

You can cook the rice and refrigerate for making fluffy saffron rice.

Soak the saffron in 4 tbsp of warm water for some time to get the desired yellow colour.

Wash the Basmati Rice, strain and dry completely. No need to soak.

Keep water to heat before you begin. For 1 cup of rice you will require 2 &1/2 cups of water.

Take 2 tbsp ghee (Not the variety like Jharna ghee Bengali's usually use) and heat in a wok.

I prefer to use a wok for this purpose and use Anik Ghee. 

Stir the rice for some time and  fry till the rice becomes opaque.Stir carefully as at this stage it will be brittle.When the grains have absorbed the ghee, then add the measured hot water.

Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar (optional).

Cover with a lid, reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the lid and add the saffron with the water. With a light hand, using a fork, separate the grains and make the rice fluffy.

Your Saffron Rice is ready to serve.

If you are using cooked rice that has been refrigerated , bring the rice to room temperature before you begin cooking.

Then, heat the ghee in  a wok  and stir fry the cooked rice for five minutes and then add the saffron and salt-sugar and give it a good mix. Cover for 2 minutes to infuse the saffron flavor into the rice ,

before you serve.

For a festive look, you can divide the cooked rice into two parts and flavor one part while keeping the other white in color. Stir the rice together to have lovely white and yellow mingling together instead of a single yellow colored rice.

The deep flavor and color and easy to make process makes this rice my all time favourite and I pick this to serve to my guests , who sometimes come at a short notice.

Prawns :

I have cooked the small size prawns with the head and tail on as "that is where the taste is"declared 

Mr Hubby when he got them fresh from the market .The actual reason that I learnt later is that, if the prawns are very fresh , it is absolutely not possible to peel the shells off.

Now carefully d'vein the prawns and wash. Pat dry.

Using a blender, blend -tender green coconut (the white tender part of 1 green coconut),1 tsp whole Garam masala , 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 inch ginger piece , 2-3 green chilly's,4 tbsp  coconut milk powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tbsp of Pure Desi Ghee.

Marinate the prawns in this mix for 1/2 an hour.

Then, take a non-stick pan and arrange the prawns. Add with the mix too . Sprinkle 1/2 a tsp of 

Garam Masala Powder on top. Add 4 slit green chilly's .

Heat  the pan and cook on low flame till the prawns are ready and soft. There is no need to add any water.

Serve with saffron rice as I do.

Bata Maacher Jhaal

Sorshe Bata Diye Bata Maacher Jhal

Bata Maach was Boro Mama's favourite . My late uncle in law (Mama Sosur mosai )  lived in Jamshedpur for long.  His house (L4 Quarters) was right next to Azad Market.  He bought fresh fish from there.

He had this early morning habit of going to fetch pure milk for the day , from "Gowala" 

(its Go-wa-la) the milkman and then going for a walk round the colony. 

On most days after his morning tea he went fish-shopping, bag in hand. Most Bengali's have a different bag for each - different for milk, different for fish and different for vegetables.

You can cook with onions and tomatoes like my mamima cooked but I choose the mustard paste way this time ,which my mama sosur mosai loved. Now he choose the freshest of fish and loved it to be simple.

Make a fine paste of 2 tbsp Mustard with water , 2 green chilly's ,a pinch of salt and then strain it. What we  want to do here is remove the husk . Keep aside.

Clean 6 pieces of fish and pat dry. Coat with some turmeric powder and salt.

Heat 4 tbsp Mustard Oil in a wok and fry the fish.

Now , strain and use the rest of the oil for the gravy cooking or use a 

fresh wok and add fresh mustard oil.

In hot oil , add a pinch of Nigella seeds and 4 slit green chillies.
Stir a bit and add the fish pieces. Also add the mustard paste , 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt as per taste.
Add enough water to make gravy. 
Put a lid and cook till the fish is soft. Fish cooks very quick. Remove the lid and add 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves.

In this dish, we need a little gravy but not too much. Mama preferred some gravy to eat with rice .
Plain White Rice is served with this Jhaal.

In Kolkata, we get a large variety, but in Jamshedpur many varieties  were not available.





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Raksha Bandhan Special : Custard Kheer with Semai

Happy Raksha Bandhan to all my readers.

Ingredients Used:

1 litre-Milk (Full Cream Milk),4 tbsp-Custard powder(any flavour of your choice),6 tbsp-Condensed Milk,1/4 cup-Semai (Vermicelli),
1 tbsp butter(unsalted),1/2 cup Sugar or as per taste



Custard and Kheer are popular desserts that are loved by all. During festivals we love to have sweets of all kinds so for Raksha Bandhan I decided to serve Custard Kheer with Semai . My daughter's have a little brother Areen and as little kids have a liking for custard I made this.

Now you may think this is an unusual combination to make but I urge you to try it . So , promise me you will try it and see the smiles around you.I have only one younger brother who is younger to me by 8 years. Joy love you lots. 
God Bless you.

Method:      

Heat a pan. Add the milk and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring continuously, so that the milk does not burn. 

Take custard powder in a bowl, add the remaining milk and whisk. I used vanilla Custard Powder here.

Heat butter in a pan, add  the semai and stir fry . Remove.

Add the semai  and let it soften and cook.

Add the Custard , Sugar , Condensed Milk and stir. Cook on low heat till the  Custard Kheer with Semai thickens. Remove from the flame.

Chill for at least 4 -5 hours. 

Before serving, place spoonfuls  into the serving glass, and serve.

Raksha BandhanSpecial : Custard Kheer with Semai

Alu Halwa (Potato Pudding)

Alu Halwa

Alu Halwa isn't at all as easy as it sounds. It needs a lot of stirring.  The only advantage is that Potatoes are readily available at home and so this Halwa can be made anytime.

Ingredients required :

Potato-4,boiled

Sugar-1 cup

Pure Ghee-4-5 tbsp

Milk(thickened)-1/2 cup

Green Cardamom Powder-1 tsp

Pistacio-10

Cashewnuts-10

Raisins-10

Method Of Preparation :

I peel the potatoes and then put them to boil in a pressure cooker.Then grated the boiled potatoes.

Heat 1 & 1/2 cups of full cream milk and reduce to 1/2 cup.You can also use condensed milk 4 tbsp. condensed milk increases the taste.

Powder the green cardamoms.

Chop the cashews and pistacio's.

Use a non-stick pan or a heavy Kadhai.

Heat the Ghee. Do not substitute with refined oil....trust me this Halwa does not taste good at all if prepared in oil.

Add the potato and saute on medium flame.  Keep stirring till golden in colour. It is going to take a lot of time and you certainly cant hurry by increasing the flame. Keep stirring all the while or else it will start to stick to the bottom.

When the colour changes and you can get the aroma, add the sugar , milk and keep stirring again. Remove lumps if any are formed.

Add the chopped cashewnuts , pistacios and raisins. Sprinkle the cardamom powder. Mix well.

Serve hot.

Begun Ilish er Jhol

Begun Ilish er Jhol

Ilish Beguner Jhol


Ingredients:

 Hilsa Fish (Ilish Maach)-1 kg, cut into pieces
 Eggplant/Brinjal (Begun)-1 mediun, cut into pieces
 Nigella Seeds (Kalo Jeere/kalonji)-1/4 tsp
 Green Chilly's-4-5, slit
 Turmeric Powder-1 tsp
 Red Chilly Powder (optional)-1/2 tsp
 Salt-according to taste
 Mustard Oil- 2 tbsp


Preparation :


 Please remember that Hilsa looses its taste if washed too much.
Coat the fish pieces with a pinch of salt and  turmeric powder . Rub them on well.
Chop the brinjal into small pieces and slit the green chilly's.
Make a paste, by adding a little water to the turmeric, red chilly powder and salt.
Hilsa tastes best when mustard oil is used to cook it but it may be too pungent for your liking.
If so you can use a combination of Mustard and refined oil or use only refined oil .

I do not fry the Hilsa pieces, as I follow my Aunt's recipe but if you wish pl.do fry the fish pieces lightly in 4 table spoons of mustard oil. I heat two tablespoons of Mustard Oil till smoking , add the Kalo Jeere and Green Chilly,  and then the brinjal pieces. Stir a bit. Add the turmeric-Red Chilly-Salt paste.
Add the Hilsa pieces . Add 1 &1/2 cup of water.  Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.When the fish is soft , switch the heat off and leave in the pan for 10 minutes.
This tastes best with steamed Rice.


This preparation is exactly as my "Putul Mashi" (Notundi to my mother) used to cook. Now that her son, daughter and even son -in -law are all no more , Mashi and Mesho ( Uncle and aunt) live a quite life, all on their own.
Old age and failing health have taken over and with no charm left ,t hey wait for their end to come.
At old age, everyone has abandoned them and quietly they live on... I still remember the "Good Days",when all sisters and brothers were invited to lunches and dinners and we kids loved the very atmosphere around the house.  Mesho would shop for various fishes and Mashi would cook, herself for all . The taste still stuck on my tongue , I try and try but never can I create the  same magic in my preparation.
Two of my Boudi's (Sister-in -law's) have learnt a lot. They are elder to me by a whole decade and more and have been with Putul Mashi longer and so have learnt a lot  more.

As Putul mashi was a Bangal,she cooked the fish without frying it.

Begun Ilish er Jhol

Besan Laddu

Like most Indians, I have a Sweet -Tooth I must confess. Most evenings after dinner we have to have a little sweet something to end the day on a sweet note. Laddu is easily made so I often make and store some .

Besan laddu

This is how I do it :

Heat a kadhai/ wok and roast the Besan.

Melt the ghee in a pan by heating lightly.

Take the Sugar and  grind into powder. Grind the Green Cardamom  into Powder .

Heat a kadhai/wok and roast the Besan. Add the melted ghee little by little and keep stirring on low flame till golden in color. Add the sugar and keep stirring till the mix binds together.( Add a little more ghee if required to bind). Add the Cardamom powder. Remove to a dish. 

Divide into equal parts and then get ready to make balls(Laddu's).

Caution: The mix will be hot. Dont burn Yourself in a hurry.Grease your palm with some ghee before making the laddu's.

While still hot make smooth laddu's. You can put raisins as stuffing as I did. You can also roll on Grated Almonds as garnish Or just sprinkle  them on top.

                                                 Ingredients :

                                               1)Besan(Gram Flour)-1 cup

                                               2)Sugar-1 cup

Besan Laddu

3)Ghee-1/2 cup

4)Green Cardamon-1/2 tsp

5)Raisins(Kismis)-as required

Boondi, Besan, Suji, Kaju, Badam are some of the other Laddu's I make.

Ilish Paturi (Hilsa with Mustard Wrapped in a Banana Leaf)

Have you seen these before? I think now these are extinct. I have used these in my childhood. Used 10 paise coin the most. Ma gave it to me when we went to Benachity Market for Sunday Puja at Bhiringi Kali Bari and then shopping. Every Sunday was a funday for me as we (Ma,Bapi,bro n I) packed in our white Ambassador went to the most congested market places on earth, Benachity !
The ten paise coin given in the morning got us a number of lozenges. It brightened up my day!!
Life was simple and small things thrilled us.

Mr Hubby says, when he was in school, they used to have "Rupaiya-Anna-paii (1 paise was called paii)" With the introduction of 1 Rupee =100 naya paise , these went out of practice. The value of money decreased and 1 paise, 2 paise, 5paise,10 paise, 20 paise, 25 paise all vanished. All had to learn the conversion of old Rupaiya-Anna-Paii into Rupaiya- naya Paise !
Now days, we don't see even 50 paise coins being used any more.
Even the five rupee notes are no more.

Most of these old coins are no more in use. collectors like me still have them

Now to get back to cooking, now days we are getting plenty of Hilsa in our Kolkata fish markets.
My fish monger, Pachu, says "its smuggled across the border from Bangaladesh" in hushed voice.

Ilish Maacher Paturi, all Bengali's would agree is something to die  for. Its my favourite type of "Paturi" . The Hilsa bones don't scare me and any day I would choose Ilish over other fishes.
There's nothing you cant do with the fish. It's natures gift to us. Bengali's have discovered the many faces of this gift "Ma Ganga" (The great river Ganges) has given us.

Hilsa fish Wrapped With Mustard in a Banana Leaf

Mr Hubby got these fresh and tasty Hilsa pieces this weekend and wanted me to cook Paturi.
Now Paturi as all Bengali's know, is a process in which the  marinated fish pieces are coated in Mustard paste and then wrapped in banana leaves and roasted or steamed. When cooked in a banana leaf, the smell gets infused and the taste is awesome. This is in actual a recipe that's effortless......really....believe me. All it needs is a little preparation.

I use the white variety of mustard unlike others cause it's less pungent.
Grind 4 tbsp mustard seeds with a pinch of salt and 2 green chilly's. Its best done in a mortar and pestle.

In a flat plate, take 4 fish pieces and the mustard paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 8 slit green chilly's,
4 tbsp raw mustard oil .Mix well. Rub the paste and spices well to the fish pieces. Adjust the salt.

Heat the banana leaves to make them soft and easy to fold.

Grease the banana leaves with a drop of mustard oil . Now place the fish pieces with masala and wrap like an envelop. Secure  the envelops with thread.

Coat a non-stick pan with a little oil and place the envelops on the pan. Now cook the parcels on low heat till the banana leaves are well browned on both sides.

Serve with plain Rice.

Tip : Sometimes I also cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 15-20  minutes.

Pepper Chicken in White gravy(Kali Mirch Murg in white Gravy)

Pepper Chicken

My Best friend, Radha made a point the other day. She says my posts are more non-veg than veg...
What to do, I love to prepare non-vegetarian dishes as it comes easy to me .

I promise to come up with exciting vegetarian dishes soon.

To Marinate :

Chicken-750 grams
Salt-1 tsp
Ginger-Garlic Paste-1 tbsp
Yoghurt (Thick)-1/2 cup
Refined Oil-1 tbsp

Clean the chicken and pat dry. Mix the ingredients and massage to coat well.
Keep aside to marinate for 2hrs.

For the Gravy :

Onion Paste (Boiled Onion Paste)-1/2 cup
Ginger-Garlic Paste-1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder-1 pinch
Garam Masala Powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper (Crushed)-1/4 tsp
Salt-as per  taste
Sugar-1/2 tsp

Peel the onion and boil . Grind to paste.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and fry in oil lightly. Keep aside.
Keep the marinade aside as well.
Fry Dry Red Chilly's and Onion cut into large pieces. Keep aside.

Heat oil and then  add 10 Black Pepper Whole.  Next fry the onion paste. Add Ginger-Garlic paste. Cook well. 

Add Turmeric powder, Sugar, Garam Masala Powder, Coriander Powder, Black Pepper crushed. Now add the ingredients used to marinate the chicken (The marinade). 
Check the salt and add if required.

After that, add the fried chicken as well . Add 2-4 green chilly's (I used those that had ripened -to add some color to the dish).
Chicken doesn't take too long to cook. Add the fried onions and Red Chilly's.

Remove when done. Kali Mirch Murg is ready to be served.

Serve.

Ilish Maacher Maatha Diye Kochu r Saak ( Hilsa Fish heads with Colocasia)

This is not something that happens everyday , cause Mr Hubby is very scared that Kochu r Loti or Saak will cause irritation. Ilish Maacher Maatha n Kochu Saak - perfect combination.What do you think ?

Ilish Maacher Maatha Diye Kochu r Saak

Kochu r Loti as well as  Kochu r Saak, both take up a lot of time to prepare .

You have to carefully clean, wash and peel and then chop. 

My Aunt in law, Bithika Chatterji uses a wet cloth to first wipe away dirt if any. Then she smears mustard oil on her palms. She peels and chops and then washes them very well.

Caution : it may cause a little irritation, use mustard oil on your hands. Remember, if your hands scratch it doesn't mean it will cause irritation after eating.If you are scared just add a little tamarind to the dish.

Boil and then discard the water. Completely squeeze out the water. You can leave the boiled Kochur Loti or Saak on a strainer to drain off the water.

Preparation :

Coat the Hilsa Fish head (I used Fish heads of two fishes) pieces with Turmeric Powder and Salt.

Heat 2-3 tbsp  Mustard Oil in a wok and then add the fish head pieces to fry. Fry till crisp and remove.

Chop one medium size onion finely.

In the oil (use the oil that you had fried the fish heads in) add a pinch of Cumin seeds (Sada Jeere),2 Green Chilly's (Or as per taste) and 2 Bay Leaves. Stir a bit and then add the chopped onion. Stir fry till transparent. Add 1/2 tsp of Coriander-Cumin Pastes.  Stir fry a bit and add the Kochu Saak. 

Add 1 tsp Tamarind paste (Tetul er Kaath),1 tsp Sugar, 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder and Salt as Per taste.You can use 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder, 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder  instead of pastes. Cook well till oil separates.

The tamarind paste is optional. 

Add the fried Fish Head Pieces. The Saak needs to be fried very well with the spices. Fry till reddish.

Serve with Plain Rice.

I haven't used it but you can grate fresh coconut to garnish.

Ingredients :

Kochu r Saag (Boiled and drained)-1 bowl
Hilsa Fish Heads-2
Onion-1 medium size,finely chopped
Jeera -1 tsp,grinder to paste
Dhone-1 tsp,grinded to paste
Jeere-1/4 tsp
Green chilly-4-6
Bay Leaf-2
Red Chilly Powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp
Salt-as per taste
Sugar-1/2 tsp (Optional)

Kochu r Saak

Another Dish that I remember my Grand Ma "Thakuni" preparing is Hilsa Fish heads with Brinjal(Begun). It tasted as delicious as this one. Try and then get back to me with your comments.

Fry the fish head pieces first and remove. In the same oil, fry the Brinjal  and keep aside.

Add Garlic Paste and on low flame stir fry till you get a nice aroma.

Add chopped Onion, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilly powder, Salt, Sugar and stir .Fry and then add the Brinjal. Mix. Add the Fish heads and fry together. It has to be a Dry Mash. 

When Thakuni  prepared the oil content was on a higher side but then in those days Thakuni wouldn't have heard of "Low Calorie "preparations.

Instant Dhokla

Dhokla is a snack dish that comes to us from the sweet state of Gujarat  Like Bengal, Gujarat too loves to add a little sweetness to all of their dishes. I just love Dhokla and the instant one is what I usually love to make as its ready in minutes. It's a nutritious snack as its steamed. Whenever I am lazy, without much preparation, I serve it with Tamarind chutney.
Learnt this from my neighbor back in the 80's in Jharkhand, Mrs Budhwar, when I started my life as a new homemaker.

Ingredients:

Bengal Gram Flour (Besan)-1 cup
Semolina(Rava/Suji)-1 1/2 tsp
Ginger-Green Chilly Paste-1tbsp
Eno fruit Salt-1 tsp
Water-1/2 cup
Salt-1/2 tsp
Sugar-1/2 tsp
Citric Acid-1/2 tbsp

For the Tempering:

Refined-1tbsp
Mustard Seeds (Black)-1/2 tsp
Sesame Seeds(Til)-1 tsp
Red Chilly (Whole)-2(Optional)
Asafoetida (Hing)-1 pinch

For The Garnish:

Green Chilly-2-4
Fresh Coconut Grated- 2 tbsp
Fresh Coriander leaves, Finely Chopped-1 tbsp
Lemon Juice-1 tsp

How its made :

First of all begin by greasing the tray you are going to use with oil.

Fill water in the steamer base and heat. You can use a pressure cooker for the purpose as well. In that case boil water in the  cooker .

For the mixing, take a large bowl and put all ingredients in one after the other, leaving out the ENO fruit salt. Mix in the water slowly so that you do not get a very water mix .
Remove lumps to make a smooth paste. This paste should be of dropping consistency. Keep aside for 5 minutes.

See if the water in your steamer has come to a boil. If it has, only then add the fruit salt and as it starts to swell up , stir well to mix.
Immediately transfer to the greased tray and put it in the steamer to steam. 

If you are using a pressure cooker do not put the weight. Steam for 15 minutes. 

In the mean time , prepare the tempering to put over the ready Dhokla. Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients one by one. When they start crackling stir a bit and remove from the flame. Carefully add a little water....about 4 tbsp. 

 P.S...To know if the Dhokla is ready, stick a toothpick into the Dhokla tray and if it comes out clean its ready. 

Now, switch off the flame on which the steamer is and add the whole tempering with the water. Spread it evenly over the Dhokla.

Use a knife to cut squares.
Remove and serve.

Garnish with grated coconut, Green Chilly, chopped Coriander, and sprinkle lemon juice all over.
Serve  with Chutney.

Instant Dhokla

I am sure many of you have tasted this a number of times . Although this is not anything new but still ,today I felt like posting this recipe . This is a long weekend and you may want to make something in a hurry and then sit back and enjoy it with your family. 

Ebong Ilish

Participants and Prices

A Three-Day Ilish Festival at City Centre1 started at 2 pm today. Me and my family were the first few present. For foodies like us, it couldn't have  got any better. I love to treat people and this is one instance.   

                                          

Ten Big restaurants  came under one roof   :

            

6,Ballygunge Place, Epar Bangla Opar Bangla, KK's Fusion, Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor,

Sonar Tori , Rajbarir Khawa, Cafe Swiss, Swissotel, The Rose (Viand), Bhoj Caterer's                                         

Barshakaal (Monsoon) in Bengal is incomplete without Ilish Maach( Hilsa  Fish) as Hilsa is the ultimate in both Epar and Opar Bangla(West Bengal and Bangladesh). High prices limit the sale in Bengal. It's heart breaking cause  we Bengali's just adore the fish in all it's variations. Come monsoon and each and every Bong is sure to treat his family at least once to the Bangladeshi "Poddar Ilish "(Fish from the Padma River)                                                                                                                            

This Hilsa Festival "Ebong Ilish"may be the good news every Bengali who has missed their quota of Hilsa this year was waiting for. Because of the exorbitant price of the fish, most can not afford to bring the large sized Hilsa on their dinning tables.

Doi Ilish, Bhapa Ilish, Ilish Paturi, Ilish Pulao, Ilish Biryani,  Fried Ilish , Sorshe Ilish with Rice, Kanta Chacchori, Whole Ilish Bhapa Ilish Borishali were a few favourite recipes of mine available .

KK's Fusion ,The Rose (Viand), Continental catering services, Swissotel had some different menu's to offer. There were Cartoccio of Hilsa as well as  Hilsa vindaloo, Pan Fried Hilsa Fried Hilsa with Lemon Butter Sauce...

What a delicious meal we had.

Fantastico !!!

Old fashioned cake

Inspired by watching shows on the television my little one who is a beautiful young lady now,
spent her 2 months vacations with us baking the best Chocolate Cakes ever among other cakes. She followed recipes from here and there. See how beautiful it turned out.

 Je randhe se chul o bandhe  in Bengali it means  someone who can cook well, can do other things well too....now she is off to the South to work for a large private company. An aerospace engineer baking a cake ....sounds strange but see it for yourself here.

 

This is an easy recipe for all to follow. Old fashioned cake that our mom's used to bake for our birthday parties.
Its as easy as preparing with a cake mix !!

It's necessary to pre-heat your oven always . She pre-heats  at180 degrees .

Coat the baking tray with butter and dust some flour on it .

She put 1 &1/2 cups of Refined Flour, 1 cup Sugar,1 tsp Baking Powder, 2 eggs, 100 grams of white butter, 1/2 cup of Cocoa Powder, 2 tsp Vanilla Essence, 1/2 cup Cream all into a food Processor. When it turns into a smooth paste its time to fill it into a baking tin.

Bake for 35 minutes. After about 20-25 minutes put a Toothpick and check if the cake is done.

When ready, remove the cake tin and cool the cake in the tin.
Remove the cake only after its cool.

You can make an icing but we enjoyed it almost immediately without icing.

You try, but keep aside a piece for yourself first, as Nigella Lawson does. Have fun baking.

Chocolate Cake

Narkel sorshe Diye Potol (Pointed Gourd in Coconut gravy)

My aunt in law is a descendant of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. She comes from the family of  Rabindranath Tagore's nephew, Abanindranath Tagore. Shukla Banerji my aunt in law's grandmother
Sunayani Devi who was the younger sister of Abanindranath Tagore. The three sisters,Chandrima,Shukla and Shantana are all well read.

A poet, a writer, a musician.......this is how we know him but Tagore and his family of descendants are all food lovers.

Shukla Banerji (R)&SantwanaChatterji(L)seated below

Shukla Banerji

Ms Shukla Banerji is a teacher by profession.

Ms.Santawana Chatterjee is a poet and an avid blogger and has just got her book published.

Inspiration, of course, comes from her grandmother Late Sunayani Devi, who was the younger sister of Abanindranath Tagore. 



Collecting info from the net I learnt that Tagore was a die hard food lover and he used to collect recipes and menu cards from all places he visited. He was a foodie and these were tried in his family kitchen along with Bengali ones. He loved Kebab's. A wide variety of Bengali favourites like Kacha Ilish er Jhol, Narkel-Chingri, Aadar maach, Chitol-Chalta diye Muger Daal etc were cooked in his Jorasanko kitchen. The family members of Jorasankho Thakurbari were patrons of the art of cooking. Not only were the ladies competent in cooking, there were Indian and French chefs in the kitchen

Cauliflower Sandesh, Chandrapuli, Roasted mutton with pineapple, Kebeb with Turkish spices.....
were all his favourites. Tagore's favourites are available at a food festival "Thakurbarie Bhoj" that gives an opportunity to people to indulge in delicacies cooked in Tagore's era.




I have read this book and found that quite a few of the dishes prepared are what we 
have always prepared in our kitchen. 

My mother in law is old school. She had been taught to believe that  one who ever rules in the kitchen will rule over the house !!
Therefore ,she has always held the reigns of the kitchen very tightly.  We were all only helpers in her kitchen. Only after Baba's death has she stopped looking into the kitchen affairs. 

Now she directs while the cook does the cooking. With time on her hands we get to hear a lot of old stories..... with old recipes,of course.

Narkel Potol

Narkel sorshe diye Potol :

 Narkel (Coconut) grated.......................................................1 coconut
Potol (pointed Gourd)...........................................................500 grams
Tej Pata(BayLeaf.).................................................................2
Dry Red Chilly.......................................................................1
Kaancha Lanka(Green Chilly)...............................................4
Salt .......................................................................................as per taste
Sugar......................................................................................1 tsp
Turmeric Powder...................................................................a little bit
Mustard Seeds........................................................................1 tsp

Method 

Grate the coconut .

Grind the grated coconut, 2 green chilly's, and Mustard seeds together with water to make a smooth paste.

Now, wash and peel the parwal/Potol and  cut the Pointed Gourd lengthwise into two .

Heat oil, about 2 table spoons of oil will do, cause we will be frying the Potol pieces but with less oil.

Now you could deep fry them like Dida (here I refer to my ma in law's mom as Dida) used to. 
In those days these recipes were made in Pure Ghee/Clarified Butter. Deep fried Potol gave this dish its heavenly taste which Ma says is missing in every dish nowdays.

Now fry the potol in oil and remove. In the same oil, add the temperings....Bay leaves and a dry red chilly broken into two.  Give it a stir with a spoon.

Add the Paste ,Turmeric Powder, Salt and Sugar and stir fry a bit before adding the fried Potol.
Mix all together. 

Sprinkle some water, put a lid and cook covered. Note that the dish needs to be cooked on a low flame . Remove cover after a few minutes and check if the Pointed gourd pieces have softened. Add the green Chilly's and mix the masala with the Potol.

Cook stirring till a nice colour is achieved and the flavour of the dish is good.

Remove to a serving bowl and serve with Bhaat and daal.

Pudhina Chaatni

You will find this chaatni in the book. Its quite similar to what we cook at home, so I am writing it down .

North Indian style that I love:

What you require :

Mint(Pudhina).........................................1 bundle
Green Chilly(Lonka)...................................2
Garlic.(Rosun)............................................3-4 pods
Mango Powder(Aam chur)...........................1 tsp 
Sugar(Chini)..............................................1 tsp
Salt(Noon).................................................as per taste

Fresh Pudhina leaves need to be selected and washed well under running water.
Now grind all ingredients together to a thick paste using just a little water. Add mango powder lastly.

You can add fresh Coriander leaves as well while grinding.

The Pudhina-Dhania Chaatni my mom in law loves is a bit different. 
With the mint & coriander leaves, she adds Green Chilly, Tamarind (size of a coin), Sugar and Salt. Tamarind (Tetul in Bangla) can be bought from a vegetable vendor here in Kolkata.

Only five Ingredients

Mint-Coriander Leaves(Pudhina-Dhone Pata)
Tamarind(Tetul)
Green Chilly
Sugar 
Salt




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