Spicy Dam aloo

Celebrations!!! Yes, we love to celebrate each and every occasion, right from Valentine ’s Day to Eed, from Christmas to Navroz.  Our calendar is marked with festivals and celebrations all through. Then there are birthdays and anniversaries.

As a Bengali my festival starts with ‘poush parban’ or Makar sankranti, followed by saraswati puja (Vasant Panchami), holi, paila boishak (Bengali new year or first day of Baisakh), jamai shoshthi and so on. Married to a Bihari family I now also celebrate some more occasions with much fervour.  Rakhi or Rakshabandhan is one such.

I remember one incident of Rakhi from my childhood when I was in first standard.  Our’s was a girls’ school and there was no holiday on Rakhi as in Bengal we observe Bhaiphonta (bhaiduj). One of my classmates Neeraj Pandey came with a big Rakhi adorned with all Zari and decorative beads. She managed it from her brother. The rakhi was too attractive and there was a wish hidden on my young mind to have one such some day. Then so much water has flown into the Ganges!!!

When I came to Mumbai, didi was the one who tied me a rakhi for the first time. It was a small decorative piece and I loved it. After that as long as I was in Mumbai each year she used to tie me the silk thread.

With R, Rakhi is now more serious and busy event. Till now, R, the only daughter of the family, has to send Rakhis to all her cousins. So, now I get enough chances to handle those silk threads. This year, I have even bought 3 extras. They are so beautiful and creative!!! A Superman or a Doreman Rakhi for the kids, Designer Rakhs, Rakhis like Punjabi ChuRas and so on. One for my boudi, one for my sis-in-law and the other one for me- 3 punjabi ChuRas apart from R’s share.

If Rakhis and gifts are one part of the celebration then the other important part is the food of course (the one without which we cannot think of our festivals). The menu that I decided this time was spicy dam aloo, dhokar dalna, shemai-er payesh and sattu paratha (chatu-r parota). Typically a mixed Bihari  & Bengali cuisine.

I am sharing the recipe of Spicy Dam aloo.

Ingredients

Baby Potato 10-15

1 big onion finely chopped

1 medium tomato finely chopped

Green chilies  (as per your tolerance) finely chopped

1 Big onion fine sliced

Garlic paste

Ginger paste

2 tblsp fresh lemon juice

Jeera/ Cumin powder

Dhaniya/ Corriander powder,

 Lalmirch/ Red chili powder

Haldi/ Turmeric powder

Whole jeera/cumin seed, whole dry red chili and tejpata

Mustard oil or any white oil

Ghee, garammasala and sugar (optional)

Method     

                                                                                                                          

Wash the potatoes and partly boil. Add some salt while boiling. You can cut them into halves if you wish.

Peel the boiled potatoes

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon mustard oil.

Fry the potatoes with ½ tbsp of turmeric. Fry till they have a golden colour.

Next add another tbsp of mustard oil and temper the oil with some whole jeera/cumin seed, 2 whole dry red chili and 2 tejpata

To it add the finely chopped onion, green chilies and tomato.

Cover and cook

Now, add 1 tbsp garlic paste and cover again

This should be cooked in a low flame.

Now in a small bowl make a paste with 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1tbsp jeera, dhania and ½ tbsp lal mirch powder, salt turmeric and water.

Add this to the cooked onion and tomato mix and fry. You can add a pinch of sugar at this time. I add this as a part of traditional Bengali cuisine. This doesn’t make the dish sweet but adds to the taste and flavor.

When the mix releases oil add the potatoes and let them be cooked in the spices for sometimes. After they are well cooked in the spices, add water and increase the flame.

Cook in a high flame for 5 minutes or till the water dries. This is a dry dish, so do not keep lot of gravy.

Now add the lime juice and mix it well and switch off the gas.

If you want you can add some ghee and garam masala at the end. I usually avoid this but this time I added as a part of festival dish J.

Minced Chicken Cutlet / Chicken Keema Cutlet with blanched Veg Salad

Long monsoon and rains....yes, that's how the climate here now for last 3 months. The temptation over fried items is irresistible and then blame to the climate!!!

No, when  I want to have something I have it and I make all the points ready for my defense to me. 

Three weeks back on a heavily drenched Saturday I made this cutlets. Since then this recipe was with me. Finally, before a weekend it is seeing the daylight. A weekend special dish as it takes more time to cook than usual. 

Ingredients for  Cutlet

Chicken Keema/ Minced Chicken:  250 gms

1 Onion big

1 Tomato medium

1 potato medium

2-3 green chilies (or as per your choice)

Ginger paste 1 table spoon

Garlic paste 1 table spoon

Salt as per taste

Turmeric powder ½ tea spoon

Jeera powder 1 table spoon

Red chili powder 1 teaspoon (or as per your choice)

Bread crumbs

1 egg

Mustard oil/Sunflower oil 2 table spoons to cook

Oil to fry the cutlets

Preparation

Wash the keema.

Chop finely onion, tomato and the green chilies.

Boil the potato, peel it off and mash.

Cooking                                                                                                                               

Heat a pan with 2 table spoon of oil.

Add the chopped onion, tomato and the green chilies.

Add salt and cover.

Now add ginger paste, garlic paste, jeera powder, turmeric powder, Red chili powder and cook for 2 minutes.

Add keema and cook. When it releases oil add the mashed potato and cook for some more time.

When the mix is completely dry, it is ready.

 

Making the cutlets

Divide the mix into small portions and make small balls out of it and flatten it.

First, coat a cutlet with breadcrumbs. See that both the sides are well coated.

Now beat the egg and dip the cutlet into it. Then again coat it with breadcrumbs.

In a deep pan heat oil and fry the cutlets.

Serve with blanched Veg salad.

Ingredients for  Salad

1 Red bell pepper medium

1 Yellow bell pepper medium

1 Green bell pepper medium

1 Onion  Yellow bell pepper

2 green chilies (optional)

3-4 garlic cloves

Salt as per taste

1 tea spoon black pepper

1 table spoon oil

Preparation

Slice all the ingredients into thin long strips

Cooking

Boil water in a pan. When it starts boiling add all the ingredients except onion, garlic and the chilies. Boil for 5 minutes or until soft.

Drain the water and place under running cold water to help maintain the bright color of the vegetables.

In a pan heat 1 table spoon of oil and add onion, garlic and the chilies.

Add the boiled vegetables and stir cook for 5 minutes.

Add salt and pepper and stir. If you want you can add some vinegar.

Your salad is ready.

Patol/ Parwal Kasha

During the summer and monsoon Parwal/patol is quiet available here. Parwal is one of the vegetable that both S and I prefer. There are many variations of parwal that I make. This time it is patol/parwal kasha. 

‘Kasha’ is a type of preparation where you fry and cook the ingredient with spices in a low heat for a long time, so that the all the spices go inside it to make soft and seasoned.  The gravy can be thick or dry being ideal to have with paratha or nun. The most enjoyed ‘kasha’ dish according to me is mutton/chicken kasha. The other kasha recipes are dim (egg) kasha, kasha alur dom (dam-aloo) and patol kasha.

Ingredients 

Patol/ Parwal:  10-12

2 Onions Medium

1 Tomato  Medium

2  green chilies (or as per your choice)

Ginger paste 1 table spoon

Garlic paste 1 table spoon

salt as per taste

turmeric powder ½ tea spoon

jeera powder 1 table spoon

red chili powder  ½  or 1 teaspoon

½  tea spoon sugar

½ tea spoon garam masala

½ tea spoon ghee

Bay leaves and whole jeera for tempering

Mustard oil/Sunflower oil 3 table spoons

Preparation

Cut the parwal from both the ends and scrape.

Wash them and with a fork pierce for two or three times. This will give good result while seasoning.

Chop finely both the onions and tomato.

Cooking

Heat a pan with 2 table spoon of oil.

Fry the parwals with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Reduce the flame and cover. Open the lid after 5 minutes. Turn the parwals to the other side and fry well. Parwals may discharge water. In that case increase the flame and fry. Do not cover now. Remove them from flame when both the sides are light brown and the parwal is soft.

The total time of frying the parwals will be some 10 minutes.

Now, you may need to add a table spoon of oil to the existing one. Once the oil is hot enough temper it with whole jeera and bay leaves.

Add the chopped onions and tomato.

Add the green chilies and the garlic paste

Let it be cooked for 5 minutes.

In the mean time you can make the spices ready.

For the spices: In a small bowl put ginger paste,  jeera powder, red chili powder, turmeric, salt to taste and 3-4 table spoon of water.  

Mix the spices thoroughly and add it to the chopped onion and tomato. Let it be cooked for some more time.  The mixture will release oil. At this point add a little bit of sugar.

Now put the parwals and reduce the flame and cook for some time.  You may sprinkle little water to avoid the parwals getting burnt from bottom.  Let it be cooked for 10 minutes, covered with a lid. The parwals will get absorbed in the spices.

Now   add ghee and garam masala powder and switch off the gas. Keep it covered for more 10 minutes.

Serve it with roti or paratha.

Veg Shammi Kabab with green Chutney

Shammi Kabab and Veg!!! 

Even I raised my brows as I read the name of the dish in Bongcomb’s blog, but I should say that the whole recipe was indeed appealing.  It was on my mind to make some chatpata  veg starter and what best it could be than trying out these veg kababs!!!

The ingredients of this dish are quiet simple and almost available at home, readily I decided to make it last night. The outcome is a healthy and tasty dish, loved by all including R. Moreover, I did not have to spend more than 15 minutes to complete the dish.

For all those you want the original recipe here it is

http://bongcomb.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/meat-kebabs-wait-these-are-vegetarian-kebabs/

I have made some very minor changes. Here is my version:

Ingredients

Soya granules 1 cup
2 tablespoon of besan ( chickpea flour)
Ginger paste 1 table spoon
Garlic Paste 1 table spoon
Salt to taste
½  teaspoon turmeric
½  teaspoon Red chilli powder
½  teaspoon jeera ( cumin ) powder
½  tablespoon plain yoghurt
1 ½  teaspoon Everest Tandoori Chicken Masala powder*
½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 tablespoon oil

Method                                                                                                                               

Soak the soya granules in 1 cup of warm water for about half an hour. Check if they are soft in texture.

Drain out the excess water. Do not squeeze out the water from the granules.

In a bowl with the soya granules mix all the ingredients one by one other than the oil.

At the time of mixing all the ingredients

Make small balls out of the mix and flatten it with your palm to give it the shape of the Kabab.

Heat a tawa or flat skillet, brush it with oil and shallow fry the kebabs on both sides till the color turns golden.  

Kababs on the Tawa (not a good picture though!!!)

Serve hot with green chutney and onions.

The final thing...

This time I made some variation with the chutney as well. For the chutney:

1 Bunch of coriander washed and roughly chopped.
1 green chili
1 table spoon yoghurt
Salt to taste

Blend or grind all the ingredients in a blender or chutney grinder till smooth.

Mixed Veg Tofu Cutlet with Green Chutnee

This recipe was in my inbox for a long time. Finally, it saw the daylight.  Thanks to me!!!

It was late in the afternoon on one weekend, when S said that an old friend of ours is coming to visit us along with his wife.

Though they said that major is the adda, as we will be meeting after a long time so a cup of tea will be enough. S added, we will order something.   As it was on a weekend, so I could spend some time in the kitchen, and I thought of this cutlet with green chutney.

This was for the first time I made it and it came out well. There are many versions of cutlet, but this one is easy and tasty. If you can spend an hour in the kitchen any day then you can go for it.

Ingredients

Vegetables of your choice (I used the following)
1 carrot roughly chopped
1 big capsicum roughly chopped
French beans roughly chopped
1 large Potato boiled and mashed
Tofu 250 gms
Green chilies (as per your tolerance)
1 Big onion fine sliced
Ginger paste 1 table spoon
Garlic Paste 1 table spoon
Salt as per taste
Roasted jeera, dhaniya, lalmirch Powder*
Any vegetable oil 4-5 table soon
Breadcrumbs

Method                                                                                                                               

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon of oil.

Add the chopped onion and the vegetables.

To it add salt and cover.

When the vegetables are almost cooked add the tofu.

Dry up the released water and add the boiled mashed potato. Now add the roasted spice powder and stir.

When the mix releases oil, it is ready.

Cover it and give some time to cool.

Divide the mix into small portions and make small balls out of it and flatten it.

Coat the cutlets with breadcrumbs. See that both the sides are well coated.

Now shallow fry the cutlets and serve with the green chutney.

For Chutney:

5-6 sprigs of dhaniya patta
2-3 green chilies or as per tolerance
2-3 garlic cloves
½ table spoon oil (optional)
Salt and lemon juice  as per taste

Mix 1, 2 and 3 in a mixture. To it add ½ table spoon oil, salt and lemon juice.

For Roasted Spice

Heat a flat bottom pan and add whole cumin, coriander seeds and Red Chili. Roast till the ingredients turn brown. Cool and ground it. You can store it in a air tight container for future use.

Tofu/ Soya meat, Red Bell pepper, Corn and Mushroom Soup

Feeding R is the toughest job as yet. The day she eats properly at least once or twice, I really feel great. One can compare this achievement with that of conquering Mt. Everest.

What not I do to feed her!!! Watching Cartoon Shows to Bal Ganesh to Chkini Chameli, playing with water, adding new flavors to everyday’s dish and what not!  Still my daughter’s prompt reaction to her plate is ‘R khabe na’ (R will not eat). Imagine! After your day long tiring sessions you come back and try to prepare the tastiest dish, with high hopes you serve and the little devil says that she’ll not eat. Anyway, I’m the mother. I place her on my lap and sit in front of the TV or the laptop with any of the shows that she has not watched for at least few days or start creating stories of all imaginary creatures. As she’s amused with either of the things I start feeding her. There are some days when things go smoothly and she finishes her plate without any tantrums. Then there are few days when she’s adamant and nothing can make her eat.

Last night was one such when she finished her dalia with Tofu/ Soya meat, Red Bell pepper, Corn and Mushroom Soup. To my surprise she had even asked for another helping of the soup.

The recipe is very easy and it takes hardly 30 to 40 minutes to make it.

Corn Kernel

Tofu

Ingredients

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Capsicum150 gms Tofu1 Onion4-5 button mushroom50 gms corn kernel4-5 garlic clovesSalt as per taste1 table spoon olive oil/ Sunflower oil10 cups of water1 tea spoon white or any vinegar1 tea spoon soya sauce

Cooking

Finely slice all the vegetables including the garlic cloves.

Chop the Tofu and the mushrooms.

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon olive oil/ Sunflower oil.

Saute the onions. Add the vegetables and the corn kernels. Cook in a medium flame for 5 minutes.

Add tofu, water, salt, white vinegar and soya sauce at this time and cook for a few minutes until it is boiling. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot.

Cook the soup for at least 20 minutes and serve.

Jamaishashti Special

Jamai-shashthi is an occasion in Bengal where the mother-in-law prays for long life and well being of her son-in-law or Jamai.  Shasthi-ma is considered to be the goddess who takes care of the children and mothers worship her keeping a morning fast.

Courtsey: http://gobindaroy.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/jamai-sasthi.jpg

In my place Jamai-shashthi was never celebrated with any such fervor. There was no jamai in our family, as I have no pishi (father’s sister). We used to get new clothes. Ma used to tie a yellow thread and distribute fruits after her morning puja. That is what dida (father’s ma) taught her.

My mother did not know much about jamai-shashthi as she hails from Barishal, a place surrounded by rivers in East Bengal, now in Bangladesh. Barishali’s don’t have Jamai-shashthi.  It usually falls in June or the month of Jaishtha, which is the beginning of the monsoon.  Barishal by its geographical position is subject to devastating cyclones, originating over the Bay of Bengal. In those days small boats were the only means of transport. Often accompanied by surging waves, these storms would cause great damage and loss of life. This was the reason why Jamai-shashthi got banned in Barishal. 

However, we used to gather in mamabadi (mother’s place) if Jamai-shashthi was on Sunday or the immediate Sunday following. It was a grand feast day.  Breakfast was essentially luchi, alurdam with bonde/boondi and often accompanied by various sweets brought by mashis and mamas (mother’s sisters and brothers). Lunch was plain masoor dal, with jiri jiri alubhaja (fried shredded potato), fried fish, any leafy vegetable, patal/or any other curried vegetable, mutton, aamer chatni (mango chatni), doi, and mishti. After this grand lunch the only thing you can do is a sound sleep.

Gone are those days…

I was in Kolkata on this day in the first year of our marriage. Ma celebrated it with extra excitements. After the feast S was like- no eating for atleast a week. Anyway he never did that.

Now shashthi means a phone call from ma. I know her eyes are wet. Though she never says but wants us sometimes to be with her on such special days. May be sometimes we’ll be ma.

Not feeling to do anything today; blame it on monsoon moodswings. A story book and a blanket or some old friends, adda and coffee would be enough to make myself satisfied. But!!!!

So, returned to recipes to turn on my mood. Today I’ll give two special recipes of ma. I will not be able to make any of these today. Satisfying my taste buds remembering ma’s dish.

Kucho chingrir bada (small prawn pakoda)

Ingredients

1. Kucho chingdi/small prawns 500 gms
2. Fresh ginger paste
3. Jeera powder 2 tea spoon
4. Green chili paste as per taste
5. Red chili  powder as per taste
6. Salt as per taste
7. Turmeric powder 1 tea spoon
8. Besan/ Gram flour
9. Oil to fry

 Process

Put the prawns in hot water with salt. This will help to clean them easily. Wash them and remove the shells. 

Once cleaned put them in a mixer grinder. Roughly ground the prawns.

Now in a pan heat some oil. Add the ground prawns and all the above mentioned spices one by one. Cook till the mix dries up and releases oil.

Let the mix cool.

In the mean time add salt, turmeric, ajwain, little oil to the besan flour. To it add water in small amount of water constantly stirring the besan. The besan will not be too runny.

Now make small balls out of the prawn mix. Dip them in besan and deep fry.

Let me know if you loved it or not

Mutton ma’r mato (Mutton ma’s style)

Ingredients

1. Mutton 1 kg
2. 3 big Onion
3. 1 Tomato
4. 2 big potato
5. Fresh ginger paste
6. Fresh garlic paste
7. 2-3 garlic cloves
8. 2-3 green chili
9. Turmeric Powder 1 tea spoon
10. Red chili  powder as per taste
11. Salt as per taste
12. Tejpata
13. Cumin seeds/jeera
14. 2 table spoon lemon juice
15. Mustard oil
16. Fresh garam masala (Grind black and green cardamom pods, cinnamon and cloves in a mortar and pestle with little water )
17. 1 table spoon Ghee

Process

Wash and clean the mutton in luke warm water. 

Cut onions and the tomato into 4 big pieces. Slit the chilies.

Keep mutton in a big bowl. Add onion, tomato, chilies, salt, turmeric, lemon juice, red chili Powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, tejpata and 1 table spoon mustard oil. Mix all the ingredients well and marinate for atleast 30 minutes.

Now cut potatoes into 4 equal pieces breadthwise.

In a deep-bottomed pan heat 2 table spoon of mustard oil. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric and fry the potatoes in medium flame till they are half cooked.

Remove the potatoes and to that oil add jeera powder and crushed garlic cloves. I love this smell. To this add the marinated mutton and cover and cook and occasionally stir. 

Remember the essence of the dish is this part. The more time you cover and cook it in a low flame more tasty it will be. You will get the smell of the cooked mutton. At this time ma used to give me two pieces to taste whether it is cooked, whether something more is needed to add etc. I used to wait for this moment. 

Check whether the mutton is cooked or not. When it is half cooked and had released oil transfer the whole thing in a pressure cooker. Add the fried potatoes and hot water. The amount of the water depends on how much curry you want to keep. Mutton will also release water; so keep the amount less than whatever you need. Keep the flame low. After a whistle remove the pressure cooker from heat. 

Do not hurry to open it.  After it opens naturally add fresh garam masala and ghee and close the lid again. 

After 5 minutes open and serve the mutton with steamed rice.