Hard boil three eggs, shell and cut into halves. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry egg pieces. Drain and keep aside. Thinly slice two onions and fry till golden brown. Add two teaspoons of mustard paste, one teaspoon of vinegar and a pinch of turmeric powder. Stir well and add half a cup of water. Bring it to boil, put in the fried eggs and season with salt. Reduce the heat and simmer for some time. Garnish with sliced tomatoes and serve hot with steamed rice.
2 eggs, boiled, shelled and halved
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chilli powder (optional)
Tomato sauce
8 oz. potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed
2 green chillies, sliced lengthwise (optional)
1 dozen sprigs cilantro chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable or corn oil
Method:
Place two eggs in a saucepan, pour enough water to cover the eggs and
boil them on high heat for ten minutes.
In the meantime, wash the potatoes, prick them with a fork and cook
them in the microwave, two minutes on either side. If you don't have a
microwave, quarter the potatoes and boil in water on high heat for ten
minutes, like the eggs.
While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onions, green chillies and
cilantro, and beat one egg. By this time, the eggs and potatoes will
be done. Immerse them in cold waterto make handling easier. Next, peel
and mash the potatoes, and mix with salt, pepper, chilli powder,
onions, green chillies and cilantro. Finally, shell the eggs and halve
them. Turn on the heat to medium high and heat the oil in a frying
pan. Coat each egg half with a half-an-inch layer of seasoned
potatoes, dip the chop into the beaten egg, coat with bread crumbs and
fry on medium high heat until the covering turns a light golden brown
in color. Serve hot with tomato sauce.
Note: The recipe requires a fair amount of time management, so follow
the steps in the order outlined above. You can use instant mashed
potatoes to speed up the process.
Add coconut milk, turmeric and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium-low heat 2 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked and liquid is hot. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over Cashew Rice. Makes 2 servings.
Note: Do not use sweetened coconut milk designed for cocktails.
Serve the dish with plain rice. Any dal and a vegetable may also be served.
Serves 4
1 tbs whole black mustard seeds
1 tbs whole yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 lbs uncooked prawns (shrimp) with shell
4 tbs mustard oil or vegetable oil
1/3 tsp nigella seeds (kala jeera)
4 whole, dried, hot red chillies
3 fresh hot green chillies
Put the black and yellow mustard seeds into the container of a clean coffee grinder or food processor. Grind. Empty the ground spices into a bowl. Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and 1/2 cup of water. Mix.
Peel the prawns (shrimp) but leave their tails on.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium flame. Let it get smokingly hot for a second, if using mustard oil. Now put in the nigella seeds (kala jeera) and a second later, the red chillies. Stir for one minute. The prawns (shrimps) will just start to turn pink. Now put in the mixed spice paste and the green chillies. Stir on a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until the prawns are just done and the sauce is a bit thicker.
Note: the whole chillies should be eaten only by those who know what they are doing.
4 cups (1 liter) whole or 2% low fat milk 2 cups firmly packed dried flaked or shredded sweetened coconut, ground in a blender 1/2 cup at a time to a coarse powder, or grated or shredded coconut mixed with 1/2 Tbs. sugar 3 Tbs. sugar.
Thicken the milk by heating it for 20-30 minutes in a lightly oiled pan until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream, stirring frequently to keep the foam down and scraping the bottom and sides if the pan. Add coconut and sugar. Cook until the mixture acquires a thick, doughy consistency, 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. While still a little warm, pinch off portions of the dough and roll into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Serve at room temperature or chilled. (These tend to harden if left in the refrigerator for several days.) Makes 18 to 20.
Serving suggestions: Serve on a platter alone or with sliced fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, or bananas.
Ingredients: 1kg of hilsa (but any firm white fish like rui or bhetki will do) 750 gms Basmati rice 1-inch piece of ginger 2 medium onions 6 cloves garlic 350 gms yogurt 200 gms ghee 2 green cardomoms 4 cloves 2-inch piece of cinnamon 4 bay leaves hot water 3 cups warm milk 2-3 tsp sugar salt to taste
Method:
Cut the fish into half inch thick steaks (10-12 pieces). Wash and semi dry the basmati rice. Grind to a paste the ginger, onions and garlic.
Mix the onion-ginger-garlic paste with half the yogurt and a little salt and marinate the fish for 1 hour. Heat the ghee in a pan until very hot. Reduce heat and fry the green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bay leave till they are fragrant. Add the fish and marinade and fry for another 3 minutes. Lower heat; add half a cup of hot water and cook for another 7 minutes on moderately high heat. The water should have evaporated and the fish cooked. Remove the fish and set aside. Leave the gravy in the pan. Add rice to the pan and cook on high heat until it changes color. Add 3 cups of hot water and warm milk, sugar, salt and stir well. Let it come to the boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. The rice should be almost done but still moist. Remove the rice and butter the pan well. Layer it with rice and fish alternately beginning and ending with rice. Whip the rest of the yogurt and pour it over the rice. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Bake the polau in a preheated oven (300 F, 150 C) oven for 15 minutes.
Ingredients: Boneless bhetki slice (75 g each) 900 g Yellow mustard grains – 450 g Turmeric powder – 20 g Salt – 25g Green Chillies (slit) – 25 g Red chilli powder – 10 g Kalunjee (kala jeera) – 5 g Sugar – 20 g Mustard oil – 300 g Banana leaf (6" x 6") 12 nos.
Method: Make mustard paste in a blender with salt and turmeric. Marinate the fish in a little salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add mustard oil, kalunjee, slit green chillies, sugar into the mustard paste and mix well. Coat each piece of fish well with the paste. Warm each banana leaf piece and fold each fish in it and fix with a toothpick. Steam fo15 – 20 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.
Ingredients:
Hilsa or similar fish - 500g
Unsweetened youghurt - 200g
Mustard Oil - 150g
Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Mustard Paste - 1/2 tsp of whole mustard
Green Chillies – 8,Salt to taste
Method:
Mix turmeric powder with hilsa pieces and salt and set aside. Slit 4 green chillies. Heat mustard oil in Karai. Add the slit green chillies. Fry for a min. Add ginger paste. Fry for 2 mins. Add a cup of water. Once the mixture boils, add fish pieces, cover and cook. In the meanwhile in a bowl mix thoroughly yoghurt, mustard paste and 1 pinch turmeric. Pour over the hilsa pieces. Add 2 or 3 green chillies. Let the mixture boil and the fish pieces cook thoroughly. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.
One of my favourite recipes for simple khichuri requires, for five people, 500 g (1 lb) of atap rice (Basmati, available in the West, can be used since short-grained rice varieties are not available) and 500 g (1 lb) of roasted moong dal. For seasoning I use garom mashla of 4 sticks of cinnamon, 2.5 cm (1 in) long, 4-5 whole cardamoms and 4-5 whole cloves; a liberal pinch of whole cumin seeds; 2 bay leaves; a finely chopped piece of ginger 4 cm (1½ in) long; 2 whole green chillies; 1½ teaspoons of turmeric powder; 60 ml (2 fl oz) of mustard or any other cooking oil like corn or peanut oil; salt and sugar to taste and ghee.
The rice and dal, rinsed separately under running water in a colander, are left to dry on a flat surface for about fifteen minutes. This process makes them easier to cook and, anyway, in Bengal we never cook anything without rinsing it first in water. While they dry I put on the kettle so that I have ready the hot, though not boiling, water you need to add to the khichuri. I heat the oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed deep cooking pot, add the garom mashla and bay leaves and wait for a couple of minutes, without stirring them, for the fragrance to be released before I throw in the cumin seeds and chopped ginger. These I stir-fry for a couple of minutes, then add the half-dried rice and fry it for two to three minutes. Finally, I add the roasted moong dal and the turmeric and stir the mixture fir another two to three minutes before pouring on the hot water. The level of the water should be 4 cm (1½ in) over the rice and dal. If necessary, more hot water can be added towards the end; depending on how thin you like your khichuri or whether the rice and dal are sticking to the pot. Adding a lot of water at the beginning will make a mishmash of the grains. Once the water comes to a boil, I add 2 teaspoons of salt and 3 teaspoons of sugar reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Generally, it takes about twelve to fifteen minutes for the khichuri to be ready. To avoid sticking and even the slightest burning, which ruins the flavour, I keep checking from time to time and stir the mixture thoroughly with a spatula. If needed, I add a little more hot water. After ten minutes of cooking, it is a good idea to test the grains of rice and dal. When they feel nearly ready, I throw in the green chillies, check for salt and sugar, wait till the consistency is just right, add 2 teaspoons of ghee and remove the pot from the stove. The earlier you add the chillies, the hotter the khichuri will be, for the stirring will blend them in.
To prepare doi machh or fish with yoghurt: if you have 500 g (1 lb) of fish (we prefer carp varieties for this), cut them horizontally into long pieces 2.5 cm (1 in) thick. The peti or frontal stomach is especially suitable for this. Wash the fist, dust it with a little salt and turmeric and fry it lightly in oil. Remove and set aside to train off all excess oil. Meanwhile whip 250 g (8 oz) yoghurt and mix 1 tablespoon of sugar with it. Chop 3 medium onions very fine and grind enough ginger to give you 1 tablespoon. In a karia heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil, add 1 teaspoon of ghee and throw in whole garom mashla (3 sticks of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms) and 2 bay leaves. After a minute, add the onion and ginger with 1 teaspoon of turmeric. Fry these until brown; add the yoghurt and a little salt. As soon as it comes to the boil, add the fish and 5-6 green chilies, reduce the heat to low and keep covered for six to eight minutes. Uncover, check for salt and sugar balance and remove.
250 gms tomatoes, cut in four
1/4 teaspoon of ginger cut intostrips
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder or chopped green chill.
1 tablespoon raisins, soaked and cleaned in water
1/8 teaspoon panch phoron
1 teaspoon mustard oil
salt and sugar to taste
Method:
Heat mustard oil in a pan.
Add panch phoron to hot oil and fry till spluttering stops.
Add chopped tomatoes. Stir well.
Add salt, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Remove cover. Add ginger strips, chopped chilli and raisins.
Add 2-3 tablespoons sugar and a cup of water.
Continue simmering until tomato chutney thickens and is cooked.
Serve cold.
500gms enchor or green jackfruit 4 potatoes 2 tablespoons coriander paste 1 tablespoons cummin paste 1 and half teaspoons turmeric paste 1 teaspoon chilli paste 1 teaspoon garam masala paste or powder 2-3 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds 3 tablespoons oil 1 tablespoons ghee salt and sugar to taste
Method-
1.Cut the jackfruit into small pieces, remove the outer skin, seeds, the fibrous portion retaining only the 'meaty' portion. Boil the fruit pieces in a pan of water for 15 mins and drain well. 2. Peel and cut the potatoes in four lengthwise and then cut across to make 8 pieces. 3. Heat oil in karai and fry the potatoes until light brown. Remove fromthe pan and keep them aside. 4. Add all the masala pastes, salt and sugar to taste to the pan. 5. Stir well and fry several minutes sprinkling water as necessary. Continue stirring and frying until "masalas "change color. 6. Add one cup water, stir and add the boiled "enchor" and the potatoes. Simmer gently until the potatoes and "enchor" are both cooked and there is a small amount of gravy in the pan. 7. In a separate pan, add the bay leaves and whole cummin seeds to fry in 1 tablespoon of "ghee". 8. Stir - until the masalas stop spluttering. 9. Pour on to "Enchor Dalna". Stir well.
Any on the following vegetables can be used to make bajji:
1 Raw green plantain (peeled); cut into thin slices
1 Potato; peeled & sliced
1 Onion; peeled & sliced
1 Chako (chayote); peeled & sliced
Cauliflower; cut into florets
Oil; for deep-frying
1 cup Bengal gram flour (besan; chickpea flour)
1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
½ teaspoon Ground coriander
½ teaspoon Asafoetida powder
1½ tablespoon Rice flour
Salt; to taste
½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Ghee
Water; as required
BATTER To Make Batter: Sift the Bengal gram flour, red chilli powder, gound coriander, rice flour, and salt to taste into a large mixing bowl. Add the cumin seeds and ghee. Combine ingredients well. Add sufficient water to make a thick batter of pouring consistency, and beat until smooth. Peel and prepare the vegetables as necessary. Wash the vegetable slices and pat dry. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Dip the vegetable slices into the batter, and deep-fry until golden in color. Drain the bajjis on a sheet of brown paper or absorbent kitchen paper. Serve hot with chutney or tomato ketchup. Makes 15 - 20 bajjis.
1 medium Eggplant 1½ tablespoon Vegetable oil 2 eaches Red chiles, dried ¼ teaspoon Five-spice powder ¼ teaspoon Turmeric ½ teaspoon Salt 2 teaspoons Roasted red chile paste 1 tablespoon Water 1 cup Green onions, chopped
Smoke & roast eggplant. Cool, mash & set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet & fry red chiles until they darken: this only takes a few seconds in hot oil. Add five-spice powder & fry until it starts to crackle. Stir in the turmeric & salt, followed by the red chile paste & water. Mix well. Add the eggplant, cover & simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add green onions & simmer a further 2 minutes. Serve at once otherwise the green onions will lose their color.
2½ tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 each Bay leaf
2½ cup Onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Ginger, minced
½ teaspoon Turmeric
2 teaspoons Cumin, ground
2 teaspoons Coriander, ground
1 teaspoon Green chili, seeded & minced
½ cup Tomatoes, chopped
¼ teaspoon Salt
1½ cup Chick peas, cooked
Mild raw onion rings
Roma tomatoes, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
GARNISH Heat oil in skillet & add bay leaf & onion. Fry until richly browned, but not burnt, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir often while cooking. Stir in the ginger & garlic & cook for several minutes. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander & chili, mix well. Add tomatoes & salt. Slightly reduce heat, cover & cook until the tomatoes begin to disintegrate & a thick sauce forms. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, adding a little water if necessary. Add cooked chick peas & cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat & let stand for a few minutes. Serve with garnishes. This dish is excellent with hot potatoes.
Yield 4 Servings Measure Ingredient 1 cup Chick peas, soaked ¼ teaspoon Turmeric 1 each Green chile ½ teaspoon Salt 2 teaspoons Cumin, ground 2 tablespoons Raisins 1½ tablespoon Vegetable oil 1 each Bay leaf 1 each Dried red chile 5 eaches Cardamom pods 1 each 2" cinnamon stick 2 eaches Cloves ¼ teaspoon Kalonji seeds 1 tablespoon Green chile, seeded & minced 2 tablespoons Coconut, shredded ¼ teaspoon Garam masala Ghee, optional
Cook chickpeas in water with turmeric & whole chili for about 1 hour or until they are very tender. Discard whole chilies. Add salt & cumin & remove from heat. Puree one cup of the dal mixture in a blender, adding a little water if necessary. Return to the pan, add raisins & bring back to a simmer. Keep warm. Heat oil in a small skillet. Fry bay leaf & red chili until the chili darkens. Fry cardamom, cinnamon & cloves for 5 seconds. Add kalonji & fry a few seconds longer. Turn heat to low & add minced chili & coconut. Cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat & pour over the dal. Simmer a couple more minutes & remove from heat. Garnish with lemon wedges, sprinkle with cilantro & ghee & serve.
1 cup Yellow split mung beans
5 cups Water
¼ teaspoon Turmeric
2 eaches Green chiles
¾ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Cumin, ground
2 teaspoons Coriander, ground
1½ tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 each Bay leaf
½ teaspoon Kalonji seeds
3 tablespoons Ginger, minced
1 teaspoon Green chile, seeded & minced
¼ teaspoon Garam masala
2 tablespoons Lemon -=OR=- lime juice
Ghee, optional
Green chile, slivered, for garnish
Place mung beans on ungreased griddle or in a skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Stirring often, roast the dal for 8 to 10 minutes. The dal will acquire a lighter color & emit a nutty aroma. Be careful that they do not turn a dark brown. Transfer to a bowl & wash if desired. Bring water to a boil & stir in the dal along with the turmeric & whole chiles. Simmer, covered, until the dal is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. While cooking, uncover & stir occasionally. Add salt, sugar, cumin & coriander. Keep warm. Heat oil in a skillet. Add bay leaf & kalonji & fry for a few seconds. Add ginger & minced green chile & fry until the ginger is lightly browned which should be no more than 2 minutes. Stir constantly. Pour into the dal & mix well. Simmer for a further couple of minutes & remove from heat. Blend in the garam masala, lemon or lime juice & ghee if desired. Cover & let stand to let the flavors develop. Garnish & serve.
Yield 4 Servings Measure Ingredient 1 medium Eggplant 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil 2 eaches Red chiles, dried ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds 1½ tablespoon Garlic, minced 1 teaspoon Green chile, seeded & minced ¼ teaspoon Turmeric ¼ cup Water 2 tablespoons White poppy seeds, ground into a paste ½ teaspoon Salt ½ teaspoon Sugar Green onions, chopped, for garnish
Smoke & roast eggplant. Cool, mash & set aside. Heat oil in a skilelt over medium-low heat. Fry red chills until they darken. Add fenugreek, garlic & & green chile & stir until the garlic turns light brown, do not burn. Add turmeric & water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly & stir in the eggplant. Add poppy seed paste, salt & sugar. Mix well. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove from heat & let stand for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with green onion.
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