10 Minute Cooking- Hilsa with Milk!!

I start today with tradition. If the picture up there seems salavatingly amazing, then you got to try these recipes one after another. Today I bring to you the most integral part of any big Bengali Bhoj (BBB) - ILISH or Hilsa or Indian Shad or Hilsa Herring. This is a great recipe for a relaxed sunday lunch. Very few ingredients in the best part of the dish, followed by the time taken from start to finish is just 10 Minutes. 

Indian Shad, Hilsa or Ilish, Bangladesh’s national fish is a pride for any bong ever born. From the Pride that a Kaku (uncle) feels when he walks past the envious stares of his neighbours and mates, with a big ilish tail peeking through his fish-carrying-bag; to the pride of a Kakima’s(aunty’s) fish filleting skills with a sharp iron cutting device (Boti); its pride all the way!!! And the best of it all has to be, when their young child starts eating the fish, without the fine bones stuck to his throat. I remember when I did that, and till date my dad looks at me with pride in his eyes!! :-P

Enough of jibber-jabber about bongs, now to the fish in question; ‘Ilish’. A perfectly cooked piece of ilish is ideally soft, flaky and full of flavour. I prefer making steamed ilish in a mustard sauce (Ilish Bhanpe) over and over again. In fact I repurposed my introduction to the dish on it. It tastes the best when the fish is freshest. The flavour of this flaky white fish lies in the numerous tiny bones all around its body, which makes eating this fish a skill that bongs have mastered. Ilish is an acquired taste, but trust me, when u do acquire the taste, you wont be able to let it go... 

But now, let's talk of the times when you have those last few pieces lying in the freezer; since a week or 2. That would be the perfect time to make this simple dish. The fresh milk in the stew will keep the fish moist and flavourful all along. It's a pride of a dish, for a pride of the fish!!! Respect it the most tomorrow, because come Monday, and its time for the vegetarian navratra to start. 

Ingredients

Unlike Baking, where the measurement of each component is related to science behind it being made properly, stove-top cooking is much relaxed and based on taste. I am going to provide you with a basic measurement idea, but suit yourself and tailor make this dish based on your and your family's taste buds. 

1 Cup Milk

1 tsp Turmeric

Salt to taste

Green chillies to taste

2 big pinches of Kalonji/Kala Jeera/Nigella Seeds

1 small dry red chilly

2 tbsp of Mustard Oil

4 steak kind pieces of Hilsa, which needs to be marinated in salt and turmeric for minimum of 30 minutes.

 CHEERS!!!

Ilish Begun (Hilsa and eggplants cooked in Mustard)

There are times when every efficient household in every bustling city goes through unimaginable stress. Mine is going through one right now. It is at these times when we stop and realise life is too short to be running all the time. Mornings are too beautiful to be missed. And dinners are too important to be skipped. It’s just the dinner where everyone in the house sits and dines together. Though my mind tells me that it should be a bowl of fresh out of garden salad that I need to dig in, but the heart guides you to a more elaborate carbohydrate filled and rich dinner that brings everyone together on the table. Couple it with a mismanaged household and all the running stress; and, this dish is born. 

I have been working from home since long. And suddenly today when I have to be out of the house each day, every day at the same time, somehow nothing seems to work in my favour. Everyone has expectations too high, and I have tolerance too low; which makes life really miserable for many. Yes my laundry basket is full and overflowing at times and a kitchen which is never clean by my standard. Absence of a proper housekeeper is evident from every corner of my home.  


While I sort through my troubles, I figured it is time for indulging in a dish that has given meaning to a life of a Bong more than once. My freezer has been ignored in these trying times, to the effect that it’s been more than 15 days since these last few pieces of fish were jailed inside. It’s a delicacy for us, on palette as well as on the wallet. I couldn't risk it on the untrained hands of my help to cook it properly. I for sure didn't have time, bouncing from one task to another. Finally, yesterday something dawned on me and i found these few fishes lurking in the dark corners of my freezer. I decided it is time now to come out of the induced slumber of inertia, and make something delicious, yet easy and comforting for my family to savour. My Ilish Begun is easy, sharp and gets the palette interested in the right level at the right time!

Ingredients

Ilish/ Hilsa/ Indian Shad- 6 steak pieces (
2 tbsp whole Yellow mustard seeds
1.5 tsp whole Black mustard seeds
1 dry red chilly whole, cut into 2 pieces
½ tsp of nigella seeds
½ tsp or less of ginger paste (just a pinch)
5 tbsp of mustard oil
2 long brinjals (small size) cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Turmeric powder to taste
8 green chillies slit

Method



Smear the fish well with salt and turmeric to marinade, and keep it aside.

Marinade the eggplant pieces in salt, sugar and turmeric and keep it slanted on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes. 

Make a paste of both types of mustard with a pinch of salt and 2 green chillies. Once ground to the desired consistency, keep it aside. 

Now in a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil with red chilli, and wait till it heats up while the chilly turns dark brown. Tip in the marinated eggplants and fry till it turns golden brown. Take it off the flame and keep it aside. 

In the same pan, heat 2 more tbsp of oil to smoking. Lightly fry the fish pieces and keep it aside. 

Now in the pan add the last bit of oil and crackle the nigella seeds. Tip in the mustard paste, and fry for 30 seconds. Add salt and turmeric to taste, followed with a half cup of water. 

Once the paste starts bubbling add in the eggplants and give everything a good toss. Add another half cup water, and let it come to a steady simmer. 

Tip in the fish pieces and adjust the water the way you wish it to remain. Let everything simmer on low heat, partially covered for 2 - 3 minutes. 

Taste for seasoning, and switch off the gas once you are certain of it. An additional drizzle of cold pressed Mustard oil will bring up the flavour and taste many folds. Serve it hot with steamed rice. 


P.S.- I had left over pieces which included the head and the tail of the fish as well. These cuts are extremely delicious and I am quite against of throwing these away. Respect your food and keep the wastages to minimum. Cheers!!

Mango-Fish curry, My way!!

My father in law hails from a simple house nestled in outskirts of Kolkata. His growing years were filled with rustic food made in old fashioned coal stove. My grandma in law had 8 kids in total, so that meant a full day in kitchen. She was a wonderful cook and believed in systematic cooking. She made 2 kinds of chapatti dough, one with ghee and salt to be eaten with vegetables in the tiffin. And one without anything added, to be had with milk and jaggery as a porridge. If you ask me, that was quite some dedication, which got lost in the next generation itself. This is how evolution happens. My mother in law never bothered to make separate dough and in fact, any chapatti which gets left behind in the dinner is had as a porridge next day. The system has evolved, and will keep doing so every time a new person is added to the family. In my house, I rather have porridge made with oats. And so there is really no scene of chapatti in milk.

This is how rustic food has evolved much to suit the requirements of today. In my house, I am constantly seeking and developing recipes from old times. My grandmothers in law are my biggest inspirations from where I get many ideas about how a dish should be made, the old school way. I don’t want that rich cuisine to die as well. I mean trust me, I am going to make ‘Tel Koi’ the old way with tomato juice and ginger juice rather than paste. It’s a celebratory dish, which has very important stand in our culture. It will be made and served with élan. But normal everyday food doesn’t have to be such a rich thing. A simple easy curry is all I seek when I get a friend over for dinner. I have used Indian Carp to make it, but any fish can be used for this dish. It’s a perfect summertime treat for non bongs too, as it has a nice tangy flavour to it.

This dish is best served with a light carbohydrate like rice. But I have given it a slightly healthier outlook by substituting rice with bulgur wheat. I feel, it’s the perfect carb to go with this light preparation. But you are the king/queen of your pallete. Whatever suits you, make that!

Ingredients-

• 6 steak size pieces of Fish on bones (river water or sea water, both would work)
• 3 pcs of raw mango nuts with a little pulp on it (I used the pulp of these mangoes to make a separate chutney. The seed that was left behind was used for the dish- minimal wastage is the basis of a successfully functional home)
• ½ tsp of onion seeds/nigella seeds/kala jeera
• 1 dry red chilly
• 3-4 tbsp of mustard oil
• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 inch of ginger root grated
• A lot of water
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp of whole-wheat flour
• 3 slit green chillies
• A big pinch of coriander leaves chopped
• 2 potatoes quartered (optional)

To know how to make this incredibly easy and delectable rustic curry, click on SmartIndianWoman.com

My Fish Head Biryani- Muri-Ghonto!!

Today I wrote a 1-picture post, as I don’t know how to beautify this wonderfully tasty fish and rice dish for a picture. It’s no secret that I am a rustic food lover and photographer, and care absolutely no damn for props to beautify a dish. This post is an ode to my belief, and hence I restrict myself to just one, but a real picture of how this special dish should look and be served.

Muri-Ghanto on the right served here with plain dal and mishti alu sheddo (boiled sweet potatoes, onion slices spiced with mustard oil and seasoned).

But that’s not all, I have many more believes that I wanna count on, in this post. Wastage being one of the primary ones, I would want to know out of curiosity; what do u do with fish heads? Before Masterchef Australia glorified this rustic cut, what did you do with it? Discard it? Or just about make a stock with it? Or cooked it, to be left on the plate uneaten? This ancient cut somehow always meets this fate in this cosmopolitan era of eating-what-appeals-to-the-eye concept. But we bongs are pagan enough to love our fish quite that much to not waste out any edible part. And the tasty fish heads are a priced component of our food. We make a dhansak styled dal with fish heads, or make mixed vegetable styled chchori. But my most favourite way to use these little nuggets of deliciousness is to make Muri-Ghanto; which can be loosely translated into a fish head biryani. This messy curry-rice is a one pot meal, with the right amount of spicyness and flavour! For me, it deems the position of being the showstopper dish on the table very easily, and I love to serve it to my experimental guests too.

Now, it’s a no onion and garlic recipe, like many other Bengali dishes. Bengal doesn’t grow 
onions or garlic, and hence it’s hardly used in any authentic curries from our region. So we derive flavour from rather unusual ingredients and spices. Today’s dish uses 1 such ingredient, Gobindo Bhog Chal, a specific rice variety. These small kernels of rice pack quite a punch when it comes to flavour, and we use this variety of rice in everything ranging from baby food to the holy meal- Bhog. Though this is one of the most important ingredients of the dish, it’s not available quite easily awy from bengal. And hence, it can be substituted with basmati rice, but the flavour of the dish will vary.

Gobindo Bhog Chal

Ingredients

Head of an Indian Carp- Rohu

Salt and turmeric to taste

2 tbsp Mustard oil

¼ tsp whole cumin

2 dried bay leaves

2 dried red chillies

½ an inch long cinnamon stick

½ cup fresh tomato puree

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp red chilly powder

1 potato cubed

½ tsp grated ginger

2 fistful of Washed and soaked gobindo bhog rice

Water

½ tsp ghee (optional)

Method

Wash and dry the fish head well. Then coat it with salt and turmeric to marinate for an hour. You can even leave it overnight or stash the fish head smeared in turmeric in the freezer to be had few days later. Turmeric is a great thing to add to marinades, due to its antiseptic properties.

Heat a tbsp. of mustard oil in a non-stick pan. Upon smoking, add the head pieces and fry on medium heat till it changes colour to deep brown all over. Keep it aside once done.

In the remaining oil, add the cubed potatoes and fry till golden. The non stick pan should not ask for more oil, but if need be, do add some to ensure unbroken chunks of potatoes. Once done, keep it aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, add the whole spices- whole cumin, cinnamon, red chillies and bay leaf to temper. Once aromatic, add the tomato paste mixed with the dry spice powders of turmeric, red chilly, cumin and coriander; and cook till it is fragrant and leaves out oil from the masala mix.

Now add the rice and fry it in the masala for a few minutes. The rice should turn a glorious golden, and start being quite fragrant. Once there, tip in the potatoes, and after a quick mix in the masala, add the fish heads. Sauté all the flavourful elements in the wok well, till the pieces are well coated in the masala mix.

Add water to the wok, till everything is submerged in the water, and still an inch more. The rice and potatoes will cook and soak up the water. Salt the dish well now, and let it simmer covered till the rice is cooked.

Traditionally, this dish is made a tag bit runny and eaten mixed with rice. If you want to do that, then salt the dish generously.

Once the water comes to your desired consistency, and the rice is cooked well, grate the ginger on top and sprinkle on cinnamon powder. Mix well and let the ginger cook down for 2 minutes. Before removing from heat, splash the ghee and stir well. Its best eaten fresh, but keeps very well frozen or refrigerated in an airtight container.  

Muri-Ghanto on the right served here with plain dal and mishti alu sheddo (boiled sweet potatoes, onion slices spiced with mustard oil and seasoned).

Cheers!!

The Crispy Masala Carp!

You know you have a winner recipe for fish when a non fish loving bong suddenly takes fancy of your cooked fish, and eats three straight pieces of it! Her mom, almost teary-eyed on the call, wanted the recipe ASAP! And why wouldn’t she like it, I baked a well flavoured fish to perfect crisp, with minimal oil and served it with a raita (curd mixed with spices) and home-made chutney.

The fish in question is a mildly flavoured, white flesh of Rohu/ Rui/ Indian Carp. A very healthy protein but a tad bit less tasty than its colleagues from the sea. And that’s why, children never really like it so much. A bong kid like yours truly, has grown up eating this humble protein almost 265 days out of a year’s 365 days. We lose to see the charm of this modest species of fish, and it tends to get to the boring stage pretty easily. A bong mom has a lot of ways up her sleeve to make a kid enjoy this modest bite, and I added another one, one that’s easy to make, non fussy and very healthy!

This dish has another story too, a story that revolves around the coming rains. The Romance of Rains in Mumbai is a huge craze. And why won’t it be. The hot humid summer that we are going through is killing in every aspect! Can’t wait for that first drop of water on my forehead, for the cool sea breeze to fill my house and for me to sit by the window, enjoying this with an awesome glass of cool red wine!

Daab Chingri!!!

Bengal has a unique bond with fishes, fresh river water fishes. And it’s quite difficult for other communities to understand this, especially the caste-ridden, vegetarian communities of India! Bengal is the only place in entire India where eating habits are same along every strata of the community. Poor to rich or, Brahmin to Shudra, everyone eats the same multicourse cuisine, which starts with something bitter and ends with something sweet. And fish is the star of the meal, eaten right in the end, before desserts.

Fish is deemed very holy in the big Bengal province! It’s a food noted for luck and prosperity. People are amused of the fact that when, we worship the fish, then how can we eat it too. Well, it’s a pagan concept! This is the food which ensured that the flood ridden delta thrived and survived. Bengal has always given importance to survival, rather than irrational concepts of higher castes being pure and hence vegetarians!

Though we have talked so much about fish, today’s recipe is about prawns, another little guy from the river beds! Daab Chingri is a bong classic! And trust me here, u really can’t go wrong. Pungent mustardy sauce, with soft melt in mouth prawns and the fresh hit of green chillies, paired with a dollop of simple white rice; perfection on a plate. And in a party, you actually don’t need another platter to serve it in. Serve it in the rustic manner right in the tender coconut. The ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ that your guests will shout after looking at them will always be very memorable!

Ingredients:

3 tender coconuts with a layer of soft creamy coconut.

300 gms of prawns, deveined and cleaned

Salt

Turmeric

3 heaped tsp of mustard paste (I use yellow variety of mustard to make the paste, as I love the zing it gets along with it. You may use the simple black ones, also known as 'rye'.)

4-5 green chillies, slit

2 tbsp dark mustard oil

¼ cup water (or less, depends on the thickness of curry you want.)

Method:

In 1/8 cup of water, mix together mustard, scraped out coconut paste, salt and turmeric.

Smear each piece of prawn in this paste till well covered on all sides. Keep it to marinate in this mix for 10 mins.

After 10 mins, depending on the amount of curry you want, add in some water, the mustard oil and chillies. Put this mix inside the empty shells of tender coconut, and cover it tightly with cling film, which is poked with several holes for the air to pass while cooking. 

Now microwave the filled up coconuts on high for 3 minutes. After giving it a bit of a stir, microwave again for 2 minutes, till the prawns are well cooked, opaque and the tails turn a delicious red. Depending on the size of each piece and the amount of water you add, cooking time will vary.

For me 5 minutes at 900 watts always gives out the best results.

Media Coverage!

We got Covered yet again, twice last week!! 

First in The Statesman- Unconventional route

To Read the article: http://www.thestatesman.net/news/39272-unconventional-route.html?page=2


Second in the Mid day: 

Ilish Bhanpe Recipe 

Re-ilish-ed!!! The tale of relishing Hilsa..

Indian Shad, Hilsa or Ilish, Bangladesh’s national fish is a pride for any bong ever born. From the Pride that a Kaku (uncle) feels when he walks past the envious stares of his neighbours and mates, with a big ilish tail peeking through his fish-carrying-bag; to the pride of a Kakima’s (aunty’s) fish filleting skills with a sharp iron cutting device (Boti); its pride all the way!!! And the best of it all has to be, when their young child starts eating the fish, without the fine bones stuck to his throat. I remember when I did that, and till date my dad looks at me with pride in his eyes!! :-P

Enough of jibber-jabber about bongs, now to the fish in question; ‘Ilish’. A perfectly cooked piece of ilish is ideally soft, flaky and full of flavour. I prefer making steamed ilish in a mustard sauce (Ilish Bhanpe) over and over. It tastes the best when the fish is freshest. The flavour of this flaky white fish lies in the numerous tiny bones all around its body, which makes eating this fish a skill that bongs have mastered. Ilish is an acquired taste, but trust me, when u do acquire the taste, you wont be able to let it go... 
This is my simple recipe for a fresh plate of steamed rice served with Ilish Bhanpe!

Ingredients: 

2 heaped tbsp Mustard Paste (I use yellow variety of mustard to make the paste, as I love the zing it gets along with it. You may use the simple black ones, also known as 'rye'.)

2 tsp Tender coconut paste (the creamy part of a tender coconut)

4 slit green chillies

Turmeric to taste

Salt to taste

2 tbsp dark mustard oil

¼ cup water (or less, depends on the thickness of curry you want.)

4 steak type pieces of Hilsa/Ilish

Method: 

In 1/8 cup of water, mix together mustard & coconut paste, salt and turmeric.

Smear each piece of fish in this paste till well covered on all sides. Keep it to marinate in this mix for 10 mins.

After 10 mins, depending on the amount of curry you want, add in some water, the mustard oil and chilies; and cover it tightly with cling film or a lid. If using a cling film, do not forget to poke several holes with fork for the air to pass while cooking.  

Now microwave the fish on high for 3 minutes. After giving it a bit of a stir, microwave again for 2 minutes, till the flesh of the fish is white, flaky and well cooked. Depending on the size of each piece and the amount of water you add, cooking time will vary. 

For me 5 minutes at 900 watts always gives out the best results.

    Cheers!!

Perfect Fast Food: Grilled Prawns!!!

Fast food, that is actually good for you!! Yeah u heard it right.. Prawns are the perfect fast food on plate that you can ever think of. These tasty little treats are a permanent resident in my freezer. Whenever I crave for something quick and tasty to eat, they bail me out always.

This is hardly a recipe, but here is what I generally do with them.

• Defrost the prawns and let it stand for a few minutes in a simple marinade of salt pepper and turmeric.
• Now smear on some oil over the meat and put them on a hot griddle or tawa. 
• Let them sit prettily sizzling away, till each piece of prawn is half cooked. While they are cooking on one side, please remember not to disturb them till the meat is half cooked. The flavour lies in perfect caramalization of the meat, and so i repeat, don't disturb the prawns till they are half cooked with a nice grill mark on them.
• Once u reach that point, flip them and cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. Look for the meat to turn white, or if you have the tail of the prawn still on, (which I highly recommend, as its ton of flavours) then look for it to turn red!!
• Sprinkle on some lime juice and you have a perfect little tasty treat for yourself!! 

Now u tell me if that was not fast? Its perfect to toss over a bowl of boiled seasoned pasta, noodles or rice. Or make a great little drink like Sangaria and enjoy these as munchies along with it..

Cheers!!