Egg and Prawn Chowmein

Chicken curry with Bell Pepper

About the food:

This is not a very common recipe, and is very light and healthy. I learnt this recipe from my brother-in-law, who did study in hotel management, and is full of experimental recipes. I hope my readers like this recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4)

500 gms skinless & boneless chicken breast
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 tbsp whole garam masala ( Clove, Cinnamom and Cardamom)
1 big onion, diced
2 inch root ginger, shredded in small pieces
1 pinch of turmeric powder
1 big bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
1 big toamto, finely chopped
black pepper powder to taste
salt to taste


Method:

1.Cut the chicken in 3 inch by 1 inch stripes.

2.Heat oil in pan. Add the black pepper seeds and the whole garam masala and let them crackle.Add the onion, ginger and bell pepper. Fry for about 5mins. Add chopped tomato and keep on frying. After 2 mins, add the chicken and keep on cooking over a low flame for a further 10 mins.Add the turmeric powder and season it with salt and black pepper powder.

3.Add 2 cups of water and cover. Keep it simmering over a low flame for 20 mins or unless the chicken is cooked.

4.Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best with basmati rice.

Chicken with Worcestershire sauce

About the food:

This dish is a fusion food, and could well be said of Mediterrean origin.

It uses worcestershire sauce, the discovery of which, though controversial, has been credited to England. It was first commercialized in England in 1837. The strong taste of the worcestershire sauce is drawn from a fermented fish sauce called garum, which was a staple of the Greco-Roman cuisine in the the Roman Empire.

At present it's popularity has grown immensely, and it is now used extensively in western, eastern as well as Cantonese cuisines.

I learnt this recipe from a friend of mine, who likes to experiment a lot with foods. This is an extremely easy to cook recipe, and goes very well as a dry snack, specially in a cocktail party.


Ingredients (serves 4)

500 gms skinless & boneless chicken breast
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 big onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic salt/garlic granules
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1 pinch of turmeric powder
1 big bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp black pepper seeds
black pepper powder to taste
1/2 cup tomato puree
salt to taste


Method:

1.Cut the chicken in 3 inch by 1 inch stripes. Marinate it with the worcestershire sauce and garlic salt.Cover it and set it aside for an hour.

2.Heat oil in pan. Add the black pepper seeds and let them crackle.Add the onion and bell pepper. Fry for about 5mins. Add the marinated chicken and keep on cooking over a low flame.Add the turmeric powder and season it with salt and black pepper powder.

3.Toss and turn the chicken in the pan, and when they become golden in colour, add the tomato puree. Mix it well and carry on cooking until the oil separates.

4.Serve hot.

Accompaniment: Best as a starter/ Dry snack served with drinks.

Aubergine Shahi Masala

About the food:

This is an extremely easy to cook dish and always had been my favourite. I learnt this recipe from my auntie,for which I am grateful to her, and ever since I made this, it had always been a big hit among my friends and all. To be honest, this is the only dish which has never let me down. And this is very easy to prepare, you need not to be a cook to prepare this: try this out, I can promise you, you would like it! I would love to hear from you, wish you all the best!


Ingredients (serves 4)

2 medium aubergines
2 cup onion paste (add two green chillies to the onion paste, if you want to)
2 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
vegetable oil for deep frying
4/5 green chillies, chopped
a bunch of fresh green coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp whole cumin, dry roasted
250 ml plain yogurt
1/3 cup water
1 pinch of turmeric powder
salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the Aubergines in 1 inch wide circles.wash and put it in a bowl, sprinkle it with salt and 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of turmeric. Cover and keep it aside for half 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 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.Arrange them in a single layer on a serving tray.

3. Heat pan. Pour 4 tbsp oil, and let it smoulder. Put the onion paste and fry it for 5 mins. Add the garlic and ginger paste. Continue frying on medium flame by tossing and turning them, until the oil separates. This stage might be a little long, but carry on patiently.

4. After the oil has separated out, pour in the tomato puree. continue frying for some more time, until the oil separates again. Add salt to taste.

4. Pour in this gravy on the single layer of the fried aubergines on the serving dish.

5. Put the yogurt in a mixing bowl and add the water.mix it well. Add a pinch of salt, cumin and coriander powder, roasted cumin seeds, and mix again.

6. Pour this yogurt on top of the gravy covering aubergines on the serving dish.

7.Garnish with chopped coriande, dry roasted cumin and green chillies (optional) and serve.


Accompaniment: Best served with Paratha/Naan.

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