Potato curry with Luchi

About the food:

Ask any Bengali about plain potato curry and luchi, I bet he would come up with a heartfelt nostalgic association with this dish.If you ask me, this is the best food I could ever have.This is not only a food, but it has so many cherished associated images with it. It brings back my childhood days, when on holidays our entire family would gather in the living room, and mom ( with occasional help from us!) would serve us steaming hot luchis with the potato curry. It is a memory worth of a thousand lives..

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the curry:

500 gms potato
4 green chillies, slit through the centre
1/2 tbsp black cumin
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 bunch of coriander leaves, finely chopped
vegetable oil
salt to taste

for the luchi: (makes 18)

2 cups white flour
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp oil

Method:

Curry:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Wash and drain.

2.Heat 3 tbsp of oil in as pan. Add the black cumin and the green chillies- let them char a little. Add the tomato and continue stirring. when the tomatoes has become a paste, add the potatoes. Add salt. Continue cooking for about 6-7 mins over a medium flame, and when the tomatoes has mixed with the potatoes, add 1 cup of water. You can vary the amount of water for the desired consistency. Cover and cook for 15-20 mins over low flame or until the potatoes are cooked.

Luchi:

1. Put the flour in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp oil and mix it well. Add hot water, mix and knead well to get a smooth, soft dough.

2. Make small balls from it. Brush the balls with oil and roll them in thin circular cakes with the help of a rolling pin.

3. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. When the oil is hot and smoulders, deep fry the cakes on both its sides.

4. Drain the oil on a kitchen towel and serve hot with the curry.

Paneer curry

About the food:
This is not a traditional Bengali dish, though it has grown in much popularity of late. There is a typical Bengali variation of the paneer curry, which I will share with you very soon. This is a perfect dish for the vegetarian guests, which could be served as a main dish, accompanied by plain rice.

Preparation time: 30mins
Cooking time: 25mins

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1. Full cream milk 1 litre
or
Paneer 300 gms.
2. 2 big potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 inch cubes
3. 1 inch grated root ginger
4. Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon
5. Green chillies, slit through the centre
6. Whole garam masala ( 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods, 4 cloves)
7. vegetable oil
8. 1 bunch coriander leaves finely chopped
9. 1 big tomato, finely chopped.
10. salt to taste
11. 2-3 large lemons
12. 1 pinch turmeric powder


Method:

1.Making the paneer ( Cottage cheese):

For a fresh flavour, you can prepare the paneer at home, following the steps below. Otherwise you can get them at the supermarkets.

a. Pour the milk in a big saucepan. Bring the milk to boil. Squeeze the lemon juices in a small non-metallic bowl. Discard the seeds. Pour this into the milk. The solid part of the milk would separate out, leaving a clear liquid. Until the liquid is clear, you should go on adding the lemon juice.

b. Line a colander with a cotton cloth. Pour the milk solution on it, and gather the solid part. Press the solid part to squeeze the water out. Tie the cloth tightly, and put some heavy bowl etc on top of it, to drain the water away. Keep it for atleast 2hrs.

c. Open the cloth, and you get fresh smelling paneer. Take it out from the cloth, and cut it into 1 inch cubes.

2. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Deep fry the paneer in batches until they are light golden in colour.Keep a bowl of water ready and put the fried paneer in this bowl. keep them for 5 mins in the water, then shift them to another container. This makes the paneer very soft.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the garam masala and let them crackle. Add cumin, green chillies and tomato and saute them over a low flame. Add the potatoes, salt, and turmeric powder and continue cooking. Add the ginger paste and mix it well. Continue cooking for about 10mins or until the oil separates out. Add 1 cup of water, cover and simmer over low flame for about 15 mins or until the potatoes are well cooked. Adjust the water level if the water dries up. Add the paneer to the pan and bring it to boil.

4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice.

Begun Takti ( Fried aubergine in mustard sauce)

About the food:

This is a traditional Bengali dish, served with rice at the beginning of the meal. The mustard sauce gives the typical strong flavour, which smells like heaven. The flavour is accentuated if you use mustard oil for cooking. But take care friends, this dish might be too hot for the meek hearted. My advice, if you are cooking for guests, try it out earlier, you would not like your guests crying over their food.You might reduce the amount of the black mustard to reduce the strength of the sauce.

Bori, which is used in this dish, adds a crunchy flavour. It is a traditional Bengali delicacy, prepared from lentil pastes mixed with spices, and then moulding them by hand in small shapes and drying them in the Sun.

There are a variety of them, made from different mixtures of the lentils. Nowadays you can get readymade bori at the markets. But I remember my childhood days, when my grandma and aunties, and even my mom (!) homemade them and spread them on long cotton cloths, and dried them in the Sun. My cousins and myself were given the coveted job of guarding them against the crows and sparrows! But I can tell you, the market packed boris can never compete with the homemade ones, the memory of its taste and smell has made me nostalgic already!

Go ahead, and I am sure, you would love this dish!


Ingredients (serves 4)

3 big aubergines
100 gm small bori
vegetable oil for deep frying/Best with mustard oil.
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black mustard seed
4 tbsp white mustard seed
2 tbsp poppy seed
4 whole green chilli, split through the centre
1/2 tbsp Indian five spices (Panch phoron)
1 pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the Aubergines longitudinally in long thin 2 inches slices. wash and put it in a bowl, sprinkle it with salt and 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of turmeric. Cover at keep it aside for an hour.

Special tip: if the aubergines are kept as above, they release water from inside, and require much less oil when cooked.

2. Heat pan. Pour the oil, and when it smoulders, deep fry the bori until they are golden in colour. Drain them on a kitchen tissue, and put it aside.

3. Mix the mustard and poppy seeds, and grind them in a mixer. You can either dry grind them and then add half a cup of water; or you can wet grind them to form a thick paste.

4. Deep fry the aubergines. Take care not to over-fry them, as they can become charred. But also take care not to under-cook them: they should be crispy and golden brown when they are done.Drain them on a dish lined with a kitchen tissue.

4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the five spices and let them crackle.Add the green chillies, and fry a little. Pour the seed paste, and saute for 2 mins on low flame. Add salt, turmeric powder, and 1 tbsp sugar. Add 1/2 cup water to make a thick gravy. Put all the fried aubergines in the gravy and mix it well.

5. Pour it on the serving dish and garnish with the fried bori and serve.

Accompaniment: Best served with basmati rice.
Posted by Sharmis

Mushroom masala

About the food:

Mushroom is not a very common dish in India and it is not widely available. It is true that many supermarkets and some specialist shops sell them, but the demand is not huge, as it appeals to those with an acquired taste.

It is very strange, but I did not know about mushroom until I passed my primary school. How I came to know, can well be worth mentioning. I went to my uncles' place for the summer vacation, which is a countryside, off from Kolkata. My auntie took me to the woods and began to pluck something which I did not know. That was my first exposure to mushroom. She made a wonderful dish from it, which still I can smell, and my love for mushroom so began. But then I knew, wild mushrooms could be extremely poisonous and fatal, and was horrified to think how plucking them could have gone wrong! I have however, warned my auntie about it, and I am glad to know that now she can buy them in the market.

Hope you like the dish, though it is not typically Indian!



Ingredients (serves 4)

400 gm button mushroom
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder (optional)
1 big onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic paste
2 whole green chilli, split through the centre
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing
1 pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Method:

1. Thinly slice the mushrooms and wash well. Drain them till dry.If needed, dry them with a kitchen tissue.

2. Heat pan. Pour the oil, and when it smoulders, put the cumin powder,coriander powder and green chillis and saute a little. Add the garlic paste and the tomato puree, continue cooking on low flame for about 2mins.

3. Add the dried mushrooms and mix the ingrediants well. Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Cover the pan and let it cook on low flame for 5mins. uncover, and continue cooking, by tossing and turning until the oil separates out. You might sprinkle a little water, if the gravy becomes very dry.

4. Put the lime juice in the pan, and mix it well.

4. Pour the curry to a serving tray and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

5. Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best served with basmati rice/ Pulao

Chicken curry

About the food:

Chicken curry is one of the most common Indian dishes, and yet it is a delicacy. I remember my childhood days, when it was a coveted special item on the Sunday menus. We awaited the Sundays for this delicious meal.

It reminds me always of the funny event: me and my younger sister always resisted the idea that it could only be a Sunday dish, and our mom, frustrated arguing, threw a challenge. She can serve the meal everyday, until we got bored..we were over the Moon and accepted the challenge instantly. And then it so began..for months, until mom got fed up cooking the same dish again and again..but we sisters were going brave and strong! Needless to say, who won the challenge!

There could be many variations of this dish..you can vary amount of the spices to make it light (which mom obviously did..); you can make the gravy thick or watery, by controlling the water; you can make it hot or mild. The magic lies in your hand..go on, try this out, and let me know how you like it. Bon mange!


Ingredients (serves 5)

1 kg skinless chicken thighs and legs
3 tbsp vegetable oil
5 big onions, made into paste
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
4 whole green chilli, split through the centre
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1 tspn whole garam masala ( 4 cloves, 4 cardamon pods, 1/2 inch cardamom stick,broken in pieces)
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing
1 pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the chicken pieces and put it in a big bowl. Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste and mix it well. Cover and set it aside for about 1 hour.

2. Heat pan. Pour the oil, and when it smoulders, put the sugar and let it char. It will give a beautiful golden colour to the food. Next add the whole garam masala in the oil and let them crackle. Put the green chillies and fry a little. Put the chopped tomatoes, taking care, as it might splitter. Fry over gentle flame for about a minute.

3. When the tomatoes have formed a gravy, put the marinated chicken into the pan, taking care as it might splitter. Keep the heat low, and keep on frying. It would take about 15-20 mins, depending on the flame. This is the most timetaking and crucial part of the cooking. Keep on frying, often tossing and turning the chicken on low heat, until the oil separates out. Add the salt and turmeric.

4.When chicken gets a golden colour, and the oil separates out, add 200ml (1 cup) of water. You can add more water, if you want, to make a less thicker gravy. Cover the pan and simmer for about 20mins, or until cooked. Toss and turn the chicken pieces in between to avoid their sticking to the pan.

4. Pour the curry to a serving tray and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

5. Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best served with basmati rice.
Make the gravy a little thick, and it is great with Paratha, served with a dab of mixed pickle, which you would get in jars in the stores.

Shorshe Chicken ( Mustard Chicken)

About the food:

This is a classic Bengali dish, but beware friends, this food is not for weak hearted people. This is a food which is very hot. This uses mustard oil and seeds, which have a strong flavoury smell.For those who do not know, black mustard seeds are much more stronger than the white ones. I recommend, if you are cooking for guests, try it out for yourself sometime earlier, as I don't want to be blamed for your guests crying over the food. But believe me,if you do not mess up the mustard seed proportions, this dish is heaven!

I have a particular experience with cooking this food and messing it up. I was newly married at that time, and was just learning to cook. I invited my cousins to my in-laws' place, and have ventured cooking this dish. The proportion of the mustard seeds has gone horrendously wrong, I used only the black mustard seeds, about 7-8 spoons, instead of about 1 spoons, as far as I remember. The dish looked deliciously rich, with the chicken pieces floating on the mustard sauce.

What happened when everyone started eating was a nightmare.There was a sudden commotion, with someone running for the wash-basin, someone gulping jugs of water, someone crying with their eyes out, and someone chocking.

I was so utterly horrified at the result, that I could not gather myself to cook this dish once more for many years. And the most pathetic part of the story is, it's been more than a decade now, but my in-laws and my cousins never forget what a horrendous cook had I been, despite of so many goods foods I have served them later!

I believe you would definitely not have the same experience. Happy cooking and enjoy the food!


Ingredients (serves 5)

1 kg skinless chicken thighs and legs
3 tbsp Mustard oil/ Vegetable oil
5 big onions, made into paste
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
4 whole green chilli, split through the centre
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1 tspn whole garam masala ( 4 cloves, 4 cardamon pods, 1/2 inch cardamom stick,broken in pieces)
1 1/2 tbsp black mustard seed paste
4 tbsp white mustard seed paste
1 pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste

Method:

1. This dish is best prepared with mustard oil. The oil has a very strong smell, which adds the typical mustardy flavour to the dish. But you can go ahead with vegetable oil as well, if you prefer.

For making the mustard pastes, you can mix the black and white seeds together, either dry grind it, and then add a little water to make a paste; or you can wet grind them.

2. Wash and put the chicken pieces in a big bowl. Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste and mix it well. Cover and set it aside for about 1 hour.

3. Heat pan. Pour the oil, and when it smoulders, put the sugar and let it char. It will give a beautiful golden colour to the food. Next add the whole garam masala in the oil and let them crackle. Put the green chillies and fry a little. Put the chopped tomatoes, taking care, as it might splitter. Fry over gentle flame for about a minute.

4. When the tomatoes have formed a gravy, put the marinated chicken into the pan, taking care as it might splitter. Keep the heat low, and keep on frying. It would take about 15-20 mins, depending on the flame. This is the most time taking and crucial part of the cooking. Keep on frying, often tossing and turning the chicken on low heat, until the oil separates out. Add the salt and turmeric.

5.When chicken gets a golden colour, and the oil separates out, add 100ml (1/2 cup) of water. You can add more water later, if the gravy becomes too thick. Cover the pan and simmer for about 20mins, or until the chickens are cooked. Toss and turn the chicken pieces in between to avoid their sticking to the pan.

6.when are chicken are cooked, add the mustard seed pastes to the curry, and mix it well. Let it boil for a minute. your food is done.

7.Pour the curry to a serving tray and enjoy the meal.


Accompaniment: Best served with plain basmati rice.

Bhaja Alur Dam (Fried Potato curry)

About the food:

Bhaja Alur Dam is one of the traditional Indian dishes, and has always been a huge favourite among the masses. It reminds me of my childhood Sundays, when my mom prepared them for breakfast, and served them with Luchi (Indian style deep fried flat bread). That was one of the biggest reason which made Sundays special for myself and my family. Also when we had any special guests coming, it was always served as a quick snack, and it never failed to impress. The recipe is easy and quick, hope you will like it.


Category: Vegetarian

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 kg Baby new potato, (alternatively medium sized potato)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ginger paste
4 whole green chilli, split through the centre
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1/2 tspn whole cumin seeds
1/2 tspn whole coriander seeds
1 tspn whole garam masala ( 4 cloves, 4 cardamon pods, 1/2 inch cardamom stick,broken in pieces)
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing
1 pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Method:

1. This recipe goes best with the whole baby new potatoes, if you are lucky to get them, prepare with their skins on.However, if the potatoes are of medium size, don't worry, just halve them and proceed.

Boil the potatoes in water and simmer for about 15 mins. Take care not to over-boil them. Let the water cool, and take the potato skins off. If you got small baby potatoes, no need to take off the skin.

2. Heat pan. pour the oil, and when it smoulders, put the cumin and coriander seeds and the whole garam masala in the oil and let them crackle. Put the green chillies and fry a little. Put the chopped tomatoes, taking care, as it might splitter. Fry over gentle flame for about a minute.

3. Put the boiled potatoes to the pan, and mix it well with the gravy. Keep the heat low, and keep on frying. Add salt and turmeric. Fry until the items are fully mixed, and the oil separates out.It would take about 6 to 7 minutes. Take care not to mash the potatoes.

4. Pour the curry to a serving tray and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

5. Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best with Paratha/Indian Chappati/ Nun roti/Puri.