Pabda maacher jhal (Pabda fish in mustard curry)

Ok!! so the thing is I always brag about being a bong , a foodie, a bong foodie , but like a true bong I am not an absolute fish lover. I mean I do love eating fish but am very selective about it. As there is a list of fishes that I will hog into once I go back to Kolkata, there is also a long list of fishes that I don't want o eat at all.
Among all the fishes I prefer to eat, Pabda is my all time favourite. First of all it tastes so good no matter how you cook it, second and the most important quality is there is no need to separate the tiny bones here and there from the fish, so you can enjoy eating it without any hassle.
This recipe is the easiest way to cook Pabda. I like the way the spiciness of mustard beautifully compliments the simple taste of the fish In this recipe.
Now if you are in Kolkata then you don't have to bother about cleaning the fish .."Macchi wala" will do that for you. But if you are staying out of Kolkata like me and you have to buy the frozen fish, then you will have to clean it up yourself. In the Picture below you can see exactly where I have made the cut, cut it a little, take out the bladder and other things , wash it up well and you are done.
It's not that hard.

After cleaning rub the fish with salt , turmeric and mustard oil.

 

Ingredients

Pabda fish

Turmeric

Salt

Mustard Oil

Mustard seeds - 3 table spoon (red or white)

Green chilies- 2 or 3

 

Procedure

Make a paste of the mustard seeds , soak the paste in water for 5 minutes.

Use the water and leave the residue, this will reduce the bitterness of mustard.

Fry the marinated fishes. do no over fry them.

In a pan add mustard oil , as the oil heat up add mustard seeds.

Upon crackling of mustard seeds add slit green chilies.

Add the mustard paste diluted in water.

Add salt and turmeric.

Let it boil, if needed add a little water.

Add the fishes , adjust the thickness of the gravy according to your preference.

Turn off he heat.

Drizzle a little Mustard oil on the top.

Serve it with garma garam rice.

 

If You like this recipe please do share it and comment below. :)               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Mughlai paratha or Moghlai porota

Oh!! I miss Kolkata so much...It's been a year I am out of my city, my place...and speaking of Kolkata how can we not talk about the street food...I don't know about others but my heart and soul is and will always be with Kolkata street food... coming home from college or having a lazy day at home I always managed to take out some time to hog on to the fuchkas or masala sandwich or alu kabli...
I am a hardcore foodie and I am always lucky with the people in my life be it my family, my friends , my cousins or my husband...they all fortunately are foodies like me. Before marriage, me and my best friend who used to live across the street would call up one another and hangout, and believe me all our hangouts other than giggling on pj's , talking nonsense and gossiping always had a part where fuchkas and masala cold drinks were mandatory and occasionally chow mein or Mughlai porota .
I was craving for mughlai porota after watching a cookery show on tv , but was reluctant to make it because the process of making and folding the paratha was difficult. Eventually my husband and me managed it and satisfied my cravings.

Ingredients

For Mughlai Paratha
Maida- 2cups
oil for shortening- 1and 1/2 teaspoon
salt- a pinch
water or warm milk (as per your choice)
For Paratha stuffing
eggs- 6
onion- 2 medium size (finely chopped)
tomato- 2 medium size (finely chopped)
coriander leaves- 1 cup finely chopped
chicken keema - 1and1/2 cup (optional)
green chillies- 3-4 (finely chopped)
salt
balck pepper
For spicy alu
Potato - 2
tomato- finely chopped
onion- finely chopped
ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
turmeric- 1 teaspoon
coriander powder- 1/2 teaspoon
salt

Procedure
Paratha stuffing
Chicken keema is an entirely optional step , if you want you can skip it.
Marinade the keema with ginger garlic paste(freshly prepared), salt and black pepper for atleast 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken keema until its cooked.
In a bowl add 2 eggs chopped onion, tomato, salt, black pepper, green chilli, coriander leaves and 2 table spoons of keema.
Mix everything well.
This stuffing is for one paratha....repeat the process for another paratha.

Making and folding the paratha
Knead a soft dough ...keep it covered for 30 min.
Make large balls (bigger than normal) out of the dough, I made 3 parathas
Roll the dough (remember shape is not important) and stretch it as much as possible
Add the stuffing to the centre of the paratha fold it from four sides like an envelope.
Very Carefully place it into the kadhai or pan with hot oil.
Fry it in a medium heat from both sides..until the stuffing is cooked.





 

Spicy Alu

Boil the potatoes .

Peel and cut them into cubes.

In a pan add oil , add chopped onions .

As the onion turns golden add chopped tomato, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt.

As the masala is cooked add the diced potato, mix it well with the masala.

Add a little water , mix well.

Once there is no water left turn off the heat.

 

Mouthwatering mughlai paratha is ready...serve it with some chopped onion.

 

 

 

Mulor saag bhaja (muli ka saag)

I am not a veggie lover....I mean I do eat veggies but not in love with them . Bengali people have lots of options when it comes to vegetables, because you know Bengali people can prepare good food out of any edible thing....whether it is "Lau er khosha" (Lauki ka chilka) or "Alur khosha"(alu ka chilka) , "Mocha" or "Kochu", similarly we have a lot of options in leafy greens too..

As in North India "Palak" (spinach) and "Sarso ka saag"(mustard greens) are the two most common saag, in Kolkata we have some more options like, "Pui saag", "Note saag", "Kolmi saag", "Mulor saag".

My favourite is Mulor saag, not because of it's taste, but because of the way it is prepared.

Now my Husband and I both love mulor saag but there is a difference in the way it is prepared in our respective places.....Ghoti Bangal difference you see .

I went to an asian food store that day and saw the radish greens or mulor saag and without thinking much I grabbed a bunch, coming back home I called up my mom asked her about the recepie for mulor saag bhaja. 

But as I told my husband to bring some shredded coconut from the nearby store for the mulor saag ...he got a little confused and said "I am not sure whether It will be a good decision to add coconut in mulor saag, I don't know how it will taste"....He never had mulor saag with coconut, I was so surprised ..but I ultimately convinced him that this is the "Bangal" way of preparation. :)
And here is the recipe for you...

Ingredients:

Mulor saag (radish greens)- 1 bunch

Shredded coconut- 1/2 cup
Kalo jeera or Kalounji or Nigella seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chilies- 2
Turmeric -1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Sugar

Procedure:
Wash the saag properly and chop it finely
Now in a pressure cooker add the saag and about 1 cup water ,enough to cover the saag.
Pressure cook it and after the first whistle turn off the gas....and strain the saag in a strainer ( this step is important as it makes the saag soft and reduce the cooking time).
In a pan or kadhai add oil (about 2 table spoon), as the oil heats up add Kalo jeera, dry red chilies.
As the red chilies start to splutter add the saag add stir it well.
Now add turmeric and the shredded coconut and mix them well...stir for a minute or two.
Add salt and a little sugar according to taste...mix well.
As everything is mixed properly and the saag is cooked turn off the heat.
(Do not over cook or over fry the saag as you have already pressure cooked it)
Ready to serve with hot rice!!!
And....if you are reading this blog , please do comment below,
your comments are valuable...

Sunday Special- Luchi ar Alur Chorchori

This particular dish is very common in Bengali household. Sundays can be special if we have Luchi and Alur torkari for breakfast.
Making Luchi or puri was a tough task for me because despite of number of trials i was not able to figure out what will make the puris soft, and also I was not sure about the quantity of oil to be added for shortening or mayam.
Thanks to my friend Anamika who told me the right way to knead the dough and told me to add some warm milk or curd that will make the puris soft.
Yes!!! I did not call my mom this time becuase she is not good with rotis and parathas.
This sunday I made this breakfast to treat both me and my husband and guess what, like a total foodie my husband was super happy and surprised ... because I generally do not put much effort in making breakfast.
And yes, making luchi is a tedious job.....
Coming to the Alu chorchori part....it is the most easy and quick recipe...and it goes very well with luchi.
At my paternal house in Kolkata...Luchi has to be paired with this alur chorchori, if it is for breakfast.
Plain and simple taste of alur chorchori makes it more apt for luchi.

For The Luchi-
Ingredients-
Maida or All purpose flour- 3 cups (for 6 puri or luchi)
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Oil- 2 table spoon
Warm milk- 1/2 cup or Curd - 3 tablespoon
Warm water- as required
Procedure-
Add oil in the maida and rub it with your finger tips
Add salt and warm milk or curd...keep kneading the dough
Now add warm water accordingly and knead maida into a soft dough (it takes time..more you knead ,more soft the luchis will be)
Keep the dough covered with a moist cloth for 30 minutes
Make small balls or lechi and roll out the balls into luchi or puri ( do not use flour for rolling , use oil)
Heat the oil in a kadhai...and fry the luchi (oil has to be proper hot)

For The Alur Chorchori-
Ingredients-
Potato- 2 medium (cut in small cubes)
Green chillies- 1-2
Nigella seeds or Kalonji or Kalo jeera- 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric- 1/4th teaspoon
Salt n Sugar- according to taste
Procedure-
Heat a little (about 2 tablespoon) oil in a kadhai
Add Kalonji or Kalo jeera
As it splutter add potatoes, saute for a minute or two
Add turmeric, mix it.
Add required amount of salt , mix it well
Add green chilli
Add 1 cup of water or as required...
As the water is lost and the potatoes are well cokked ,add a little sugar , give it a mix
Now turn off the heat
And you are ready to have Luchi and Alur chorchori!!!!!


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Bhaat bhaja or Masala rice

You know there is a common problem with me, every time I cook rice for dinner or lunch I always end up making excess rice...no matter how precisely I measure rice before cooking I always end up having some leftover rice...and you know there are some days when you don't want to eat yesterday's leftover rice ...or you don't want to eat the same "daal bhaat"..and also I feel very bad to just throw away the leftovers.

Day before yesterday I had a decent amount of leftover rice in my fridge , I didn't want to throw but I was not ready to eat the rice in a simple way either , so I called my mom and asked her about what I can do with the rice..she reminded me of her "Bhaat bhaja" that she use to prepare sometimes for my school lunch.

Now in this recipe I made some modifications...in fact this is one recipe where you can add or subtract any ingredients according to your taste..like my mom told me to add some roasted jeera or Roasted cumin powder but I skipped it.

As it was a random decision I could not use some vegetables like beans or carrots because of their unavailability in my fridge..but if you want you can add any vegetables you like ..or can do any modifications according to your need.

Ingredients:

Rice- I had 1 and a half bowl of rice

Onion- 1 medium chopped

Tomato- 1 medium finely chopped

Green chilli- 2-3 finely chopped

Green Peas- 1/2 cup

Any vegetables of your choice - finely chopped (carrots and beans are preferable)

Coriander- 1 tablespoon finely chopped

Ginger Garlic paste- 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Cumin seeds- 1 tea spoon

Bay leaf- 1 or 2

Green cardamom- 2-3

Cinnamon- 1/2 stick

Cumin powder- 1/4 tea spoon 

Coriander powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala powder- 1/4 teaspoon

Salt and Sugar - according to taste

Procedure:

Heat oil in a kadhai or pan and add cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf.

As they start to crackle add the chopped onion , keep the heat in medium.

As the onion becomes transparent add chopped green chilli and the ginger garlic paste, fry them for a minute till the raw smell is gone.

Add chopped tomato and other vegetables (if you want), add a little salt and saute them for another 3-4 minutes keeping the heat in medium.

As the vegetables are done add cumin powder, coriander powder , turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, cook the masala along with the veggies for another 3-4 minutes.

Add green peas and mix it well with the masala.

Add salt and sugar , mix well.

At this point turn off the heat and slowly start adding the rice in small portions and mixing it simultaneously. Check the salt , if needed add some (Do not over stir the rice , mix it slowly to avoid clumping of rice).

Garnish it with chopped coriander.

And its ready!!!!

Lau chingri and The weekend trip

Hello everyone!!! Before I jump on to my recipe and talk about the food , I want to share my weekend trip experience with you all.
This weekend we went to a beautiful place called Columbia Gorge...this place as the name suggest is situated on the banks of Columbia river. There was nothing much to do but the sole idea was to go have fun and a relaxing weekend. Truly speaking the wooden cabin along the river bank, surrounded with fall colours, was enough for me to get super happy but in addition to these the place also has a hot tub in the patio... these two days all of us , me , my husband, and our friends ..cooked food , had prolong adda sessions sitting in the hot tub outside and enjoying the landcape, playing poker in the evening and again adda sessions which continued past midnight....
So overall this trip was a great stress relief for me..a nice break from the routine life :)

Coming back to the routine life , today's post is about a vegetable that I hated the most "LAU" or Lauki or Bottle gourd. Since my childhood I use to wonder who invented this vegetable....I mean  every time I use to have it I found it tasteless no matter how good my mom cooks. After my marriage, one day my Father in law prepared this recipe "Lau chingri".
Obviously I could not refuse it ...reluctantly I sat on the dining table..and stared on my plate and thought do I really have to eat that Lau....but surprisingly it was not that bad..infact not bad at all,
actually for the first time I ate Lau properly...not that I fell in love with Lauki after that, but ya ..now its bearable ...I occasionally make "Lau er dalna" also but Lau chingri is the best way for me to have Lau... and also because my husband loves this dish.

Ingredients:
Lau or Bottle gourd- 1 medium size
Shrimp or chingri- 250gms (clean it properly)
Tomato- 1/2 finely chopped
Cumin seeds- 1/2 table spoon
Bay leaf - 1 or 2
Cumin powder- 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric powder- 1/2 table spoon
Red chilli powder- 1/4th table spoon (optional)
Ginger paste- 1/2 table spoon
Green chilli- 3-4
Salt- according to taste
Sugar- 1/4th tablespoon
Procedure:
Peel and cut the Lauki or Lau into small pieces.
Marinade the shrimp or chingri with salt and turmeric and fry them a little, and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan , add cumin seeds and bay leaf.
As the cumin seed and bay leaf start to splutter add tomatoes and green chillies
Fry them properly for 1 -2 minutes and add ginger paste, fry it for another 1 minute.
Add turmeric, cumin and red chilli powder, cook the masala for 3 minutes
Add the chopped Lauki and saute for 3-4 minutes
Cover the pan and let it cook for 4-5 minutes...if needed add some water and cook for another 4 minutes till the Lauki is properly cooked
As the Lauki is cooked well add the fried shrimp or chingri
Add salt and sugar
Give them a mix, add a little ghee if you want (purely optional)
turn off the ready, serve with steaming rice.

Dimer paturi or Egg paturi

Ammm...i know many of you are facing utter difficulty in pronouncing or understanding this word "Paturi"...if you want to know the meaning of this word ...ask me??? NO...ask my grandma....may be she can define this word.
Jokes apart...for me paturi is anything cooked with "posto bata" , "sorse bata" and mustard oil in banana leaf...sounds interesting right?? Tastes heavenly though.
I am a Bangal and my husband is Ghoti..so for him paturi was just another dish...until he had my grandma's hand made paturi..and after that he totally got it, yes he finally understood why this dish was so important for my family.
I grew up watching my grandma making different kinds of paturi...and believe it or not she can make paturi out of any edible thing,... Kumro paturi(pumpkin or Kabocha squash paturi), Kumro danar paturi( pumkin seed paturi), Posto paturi, tiler paturi(sesame seed paturi), mulo paturi (radish patiri), daaler paturi, kochur loti paturi, maach paturi and many more are some of her recipes.
Back in days when me and my parents use to live in Jaipur, my mother too gained expertise in making paturi ..but in a different way. Instead of making paturi in a banana leaf she use to make it in a Tiffin box half immersed in boiling water...i think many of you know this process..we use it in preparing Bhapa Ilish.
So one fine day I thought why not try making one of these paturi and continue my family tradition...and because my husband is an absolute egg lover I thought of starting my paturi making journey with dimer paturi.
Here is the super easy recipe for you all,

Ingredients
Eggs - 4
Onion - 1 big or 2 small
Posto - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds (sorse) - 1/4th cup
Salt
Sugar-1/4th teaspoon
Mustard oil- 2 table spoon

Procedure
Boil the eggs and cut them into halves
make a paste of onion
Make paste of Posto
Make a paste of mustard seed.... and dissolve the paste in a bowl of water, keep it for 3-4 minutes and you will see the sedimented seed coat...use the suspended water not the sediment , this helps in reducing the bitterness of mustard paste.
Mix the all of these, add salt , sugar , mustard oil
Heat the Kadhai or a deep pan...pour the mixture , add the eggs slowly with the egg yolk facing upward, add a little water.
Cover the kadhai or pan keeping a little opening for the steam to come out ...keep an eye to the mixture so that it doesn't get burned from the bottom.
As the water from the mixture is lost and it gets thick, turn off the heat ....add a little mustard oil as a finishing touch and its ready to serve with hot rice.