Bengal or Indian Carp, steamed with mustard and Corriander leaves!

Rui bhanpa, shorshe aar dhonepata diye.. (Bengal or Indian Carp, steamed with mustard and Corriander leaves)

This amazing recipe is passed on from one generation to another in my family. A lot of people, have asked me why do I have such a fondness for the simple Indian carp/ Rui maach. And today, I want to answer one and all why I feel the humble Rui is as much a great fish for consumption as is the jazzy cousin Ilish/hilsa. 

It’s my nostalgia from my childhood. Growing up in a war torn Ranchi; which wanted to be jharkhand, but still was Bihar; this was the only fish available to my family, and that too occasionally. Hence Rui was what my childhood meals were made of. And as if we share the same genes, it is a fish my son likes to indulge in too.. He is otherwise quite a fussy eater. 

This particular recipe has been passed to me from my mother in law. Again a nostalgic element here, if I am not wrong, this certainly was the first dish that my MIL taught me, some 11years ago. I am sure by now, any of my frnds and family have had it in my house parties. Today I am here to share this piece of extreme nostalgia with you all as well.. 

Recipe – 
Take 5 PC’s of Rui maach, and marinate it for 30 mins or more in a mix of salt and turmeric. 
Masala mix---
Start with 2 hot green chilly and a bunch of coriander. Grind it to paste. 
Now add 2.5 TSP of mustard powder, and let it bloom.
Meanwhile soak 2 TSP of poppy seeds in hot water and keep it ready for mixing. 
Combine all of the above ingredients in a mixie jar, and grind it into a fine paste. 
Add water, salt and a pinch of turmeric. Mix well
Add 2 TSP of curd and process it again.
The masala mix is ready. 

Now in a large bowl, which can be used inside a steamer, pour in a tbsp of cold pressed mustard oil. Smear it around the bottom. 
Now place the fishes in a neat fashion. 
Pour in the masala mix. 
Rub it on both sides of the fish. Top each fish with a slit green chilly. 
To seal the flavour, pour in more mustard oil on top. Take the pains of evenly distributing it on all PC’s of fish. 
Cover with a tight fitting lid, and put it on the steam for 20 mins. 
Yummy and healthy Rui Bhanpe is ready. 

Veitnamese Chicken & Rice, with my Twist!!

Com ga – or veitnamese chicken rice! 
Start with trimming off the fat from a washed and dried whole chicken. 
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cut 500 GM’s of carrot into big chunks.
1 bulb of garlic, peeled.
A neat bunch of lemongrass- shoot and leaves
3-4 spring onions, roughly chopped.
Recently boiled water.
Salt and pepper
Cook, covered in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius, for 50 mins.
Save the chicken stock for soup. That’s a recipe coming soon! 
1.5 cups of sela basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 mins. 
In a hot pan, melt the the chicken fat, to produce 2 tbsp of melted fat. 
Saute soaked rice in the fat. 
Add ¼ cup of dry white wine.
Season to taste. 
Add 2.75 cups of water, enough for rice to soak up and be fluffy. 
Cover and cook for 15 mins. Ideally, I make the rice once I have given the chicken to cook in the oven. 
Once cooked through, season and garnish it with chopped onion leaves. 
White sauce, my twist to this recipe. 
A splash of olive oil in hot pan.
1.5 tbsp butter and 1.5 tbsp all purpose flour. Saute well.
Fry a minced mixture of 1 green chilly and 5-6 cloves of garlic along with it.
Now add fridge cold milk -start with ½ a cup and go on till a desired consistency is reached. 
With the flame off, add the juice of half a lemon to freshen up the taste. 
Plating up- 
A bed of rice
Over which the chicken rests
Pour over the hot white sauce.
Garnish with chopped onion leaves. 
Cheers!! 

3 RECIPES TOGETHER- Veg Bengali THALI

Thali is am Indian concept of food. Typically every part of India has a distinctive style of presenting it thali. Today I have put out my vegetable laden thali that my family and I enjoy a lot during these months of great pollution. 

Jhakia seeds that I use in one of my dishes are optional, but a great addition. It doesn't have any strong flavours, but the crunchy seeds from the hills of gharwal are really a delightful addition to the overall texture of the dish. 

Mishti Kumro chechki – 
1. Heat a tbsp of mustard oil to a good smoking point.
2. Temper a red dry chilly, until it turns brown.
3. Add ½ TSP of kalonji /kala jeera/ Nigella seeds
4. Optional but highly recommended – add ½ TSP of jhakia seeds. It gives a beautiful crunchy taste to the dish. Read more on this in the blog post. 
5. Once the flavours of the masala wafts out, put in  500 GM’s of Ripe pumpkin cut in long fine strips.
6. Mix well, and let it cook on low flame, but uncovered. 
7. Do remember to stir it every now and then. 
8. Adjust salt and put in a green chilly to get a beautiful fresh aroma. 
9. Sprinkle on some finely cut fresh coriander and serve hot. 
Kalo jeere diye jhinge alu - 
1. Heat a tbsp of mustard oil to a good smoking point.
2. Temper a red dry chilly, until it turns brown.
3. Add ½ TSP of kalonji /kala jeera/ Nigella seeds
4. Once the aroma releases out, add in some cubed raw Potatoes. Stir and cook for a minute in the hot oil.
5. Add salt and haldi, stir well and cook for a minute longer, covered. 
6. Now add cubed ridge gourd, and stir well. 
7. Cover and cook until the potoes absorb all water released from the gourd, and become soft. 
8. Garnish it with fresh cut corriander leaves and a slit green chilly. 
Radhuni diye daal- 
1. Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil to a good smoking point.
2. Temper a red dry chilly, until it turns brown.
3. Add ½ TSP of Radhuni /celery seeds.
4. Once the Masala becomes fragrant, and attains a deep dark brown colour, add ½ TSP haldi mixed with a tsp of water and slit green chilly.
5. Stir and add 6 tbsp of boiled fmasoor dal/red split lentils. 
6. Boil the dal in the tempered spices for a couple of minutes before adding in some green chillies slit and corriander leaves For flavour and garnish.
7. Give it a final simmering time of a minute before serving it hot with plait white rice and simple vegetable curries! 
Cheers! 

Diwali Special Starters- Banno Kabab, Subz Tikka & Khameeri Roti

Khameer loosely means yeast. These soft flat breads are made with a yeasted dough, and then cooked over the flame or in the oven. This is perfect for anyone who has never made a bread loaf before.

2. Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

3. White flour - 1 cup

4. Baking powder – ½ TSP

5. Salt - 1.5 tsp

6. 1 cup of lukewarm water, add a tbsp of sugar and mix well.

7. Sprinkle on 2 TSP of active dry yeast, mix well and keep it aside to bloom for 10 minutes.

8. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

9. Add 2 tbsp curd (homemade or store-bought)

10. After 10 minutes of resting, your yeast should become frothy like so. If not, discard the yeast and start the blooming process with another fresh packet of yeast.

 11. Add the activated yeast to the dry ingredients, and put together a soft dough.

 12. Once the bowl gets cleaned, and the dough sticks together, add a tbsp of olive oil and start kneading the dough.

13. Knead the dough as shown here. Fold the dough on itself, turn and then again fold the dough and continue like so.. Do 80 such folds..

 14. Check the dough by pinching it. If it springs back half way, then it's done.

15. Keep it in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp cloth for 1 to 2 hours, till it doubles in size.

16. After it doubles up, punch the dough to release the air and divide into smaller portions.

17. Roll each pc into a smooth ball of dough.

18. Then with a rolling pin roll out each ball to an oblong oval shape. This way we will be able to fit 2 breads in a pan while making it over the flame.

19. Let the flattened dough rest for 15 minutes, before roasting. Apply some olive oil on top to prevent it from forming a tough skin.

20. Ease it gently on a hot tawa, an cook on one side till you see the bubbles forming.

21. Flip and cook it on the other side till it puffs up and become a balloon.

22. Serve hot along with these kababs..

Veg tikka-

You can use any vegetable as you have..

I am using Mushrooms, halved.

Green capsicum, cut into bite sized pcs.

Red bell pepper, to add a dramatic colour.

Onion quarters that has been leafed out.

For the masala mix, you will need –

Homemade curd, 3 to 4 tbsp. I never strain out the water as the juices make a lovely dipping sauce at the end.

Fresh Ginger, garlic and green chilly paste 3 Tbsp.

And a secret ingredient – 3 tsp kosha mangsho masala. The link to make the spice mix will be in the description box below.

1 TSP red chilly powder.

½ TSP sugar

Salt to taste

Mix well to eliminate any lumps.

Then masssage and marinate the cut veggies in the spice mix for at least 1 hour.

Banno kabab –

It’s a recipe that I developed for my restaurants in 2017. We use besan as the main flavouring agent.

Cut 500 GM’s of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in 3 equal pcs.

Dry roast 3 heaped tbsp of mota besan. (Chickpea flour that’s milled coarsely)

Once the aroma wafts out, add enough cold pressed mustard oil to form it in a paste.

2 TSP kosha mangsho masala, mix well over low  heat.

½ tsp haldi powder and salt to taste. Mix well and let it cool down a bit.

Chicken + salt + roasted masala mix + 3 tbsp of home made curd + 2 tbsp freshly ground ginger garlic and green chilly paste.

Mix well and massage every pc. Let it marinate for an hour.

Assembling time –

Skewer  the vegetables on a bamboo stick.

Heat a compartmental pan. Oil it generously. Add the veg skewers and chicken separately so that everything cooks through.

Optionally, you can flame grill it for a charry- smokey flavour.

Serve along with freshly made pita bread and onion pickle.

Cheers!!

Kosha Mangsho

Kosha Mangsho

A classic dish from Bengal, that everyone in the world knows is – Kosha Mangsho. It’s a dish that defines our food culture, and every Bengali family has its ow recipe for it. What I share today is a recipe that my little family enjoys a lot. It’s a labour of love and in my house its best enjoyed with Ajwaini Parathas.

Ingredients –

Freshly ground Kosha Mangsho masala for which you will need-

Green cardamom – 15 PCs

Red chilli – 2pcs

Nutmeg – ½ pc

Mace – 2 pods

Cinnamon –  1 pc

Star Anise – 1pc

White pepper whole – 1tsp

Black pepper whole- 1 tsp

Big cardamom -  3 PC’s

Bay leaves – 2 PCs

Cloves – ½ TSP

Cumin seeds – 1 Tbsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Dry roast each spice in a pan. Add the cumin and coriander at the end. Cool it on a plate, then grind it to a fine powder in your mixer jar. This much of masala is required for 1.5 kgs of mutton.

700 gms of fresh, cleaned mutton (Goat meat)

3-4 medium sized peeled potatoes

2-inch-long ginger root

½ a pod of garlic

2 hot green chillies

3-4 medium onions sliced finely

Salt, sugar and turmeric to taste

200 gms curd

For tempering 5 tbsp of mustard oil-

1 red chilly

1.5 bay leaves

3 pods of cardamom

5 cloves

1 pod of mace

2/3 pc of star anise

½ a cinnamon stick

½ tsp jeera

1 heaped tsp coriander seeds

Making this dish is a very satisfying process, which is well documented in my video. Do check and like the video. Share it with your friends and family so that more and more people make this recipe! Cheers!!

Kumro Phool er Bora - How to cut and prep Pumpkin Blossom

Kumro Phooler Bora

Growing pumpkin plants is easy. I do it every year to reap the flowers with which I make kumro phooler Bora.

All you need is-

The flowers, cleaned as shown in the video.

¾ cups chickpea flour

¼ cups rice flour

1 tsp khaskhas or posto or poppy seeds.

1 tsp nigella seeds

Salt, sugar and turmeric to taste

Mustard oil, for the batter as well as for frying

Water to make the perfectly set batter.

This much of batter would make 20 flower fritters.

Pickled Vegetable Salad!!

Pickled Vegetable salad

This is a great salad to have on a day that you wish to eat healthy.

Or on the day you decide to make Tandoori chicken rice. I always sprinkle the salad on top which is such a flavour booster. The recipe of tandoori chicken rice is coming soon.

We start with –

1.       2-3 cucumbers, diced

2.       A full pack of baby tomatoes

3.       Onion chunks

4.       Green chillies, diced

5.       5 tbsp of vinegar. I used strawberry vinegar, but any acidic vinegar would do.

6.       Salt and sugar to taste.

7.       Lime and mint as garnish.

First make the pickling liquid, which is vinegar salt and sugar. Mix well and let it dissolve.

The first vegetable to go in should be onions, followed by chillies. Let it marinate 15 minutes so that each of these sharp veggies, give out it’s sharpness and absorb the seasonings.

Dump in all other veggies, mix well. Chill for an hour, and it’s ready to serve!

Butterfly Roast Chicken with Compound Butter

Recipe: “Roast Chicken”

This is the process to butterfly a whole chicken.

1.     This technique helps cook the bird faster. All you do is take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors, and cut out the spine on the back of the bird, as shown in the video.

2.    Flip the bird to the front and press on the breast meat to flatten it. This way it cooks uniformly and takes much lesser time to cook.

3.    Trim of any excess fat off the bird. Pat it completely dry.

4.    We are roasting this bird with compound butter.

5.    Making compound butter is very easy - take softened butter and mix green chilli and garlic paste, salt, lemon and orange zest.

Once thoroughly mixed, create a pocket between the skin and the flesh, and push the butter forward.

*Note that the butter needs to be this consistency as you see in the video.

6.    Season well with salt and pepper on cut side of the chicken.

7.    Cut the potatoes in thin slices and arrange it neatly on the baking tray with vertical  sides.

8.    Now sit out the dressed chicken on the potatoes and season the top well.

9.    Put it in a preheated oven for 50 - 55 mins, until cooked through. Temperature of the oven should be maintained at 200 degrees with the fan on.

10. The easiest way to check a chicken is to poke the cooked bird in the meatiest part. If the juices run clear, the chicken is done.

11. Let it rest for 10 minutes at least before cutting and serving it. A great option to serve along is our roasted masala pumpkin some dinner rolls to have the butter and potatoes with.. cheers!

Kathal ki Dum Biryani!!

Do you struggle with the word Biryani? Do you think that you need to buy the ready made Biryani Masala to make a proper biryani? For me both these answers are a straight No. Read on if you wanna join my club.

Kachche Kathal ki Biryani

Almost 400 gms of cut and cleaned Echor / Kachcha Kathal / unripe Jack fruit. Boil it in water along with some salt and turmeric, till its 50 % done. Using a pressure cooker may not be a good idea.

7 onions chopped and fried till brown

About 300 gms good long grain rice, soaked for 1 hour

Masala For the Rice

2 tbsp Oil

A nice mix of whole Garam Masala-

·       1 star Anise

·       1 cinnamon Stick

·       2 to 3 cloves

·       3 to 4 Green cardamom

·       ½ black cardamom

·       2 big leaves of tez patta (bay leaf)

·       1 tsp of Shah jeera

A lot of water and salt to taste.

Masala for the Jackfruit

2 heaped tbsp curd

3 tbsp oil

All the Whole Garam masala as mentioned up for the rice preparation.

3 tbsp Ginger and garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Coriander powder

½ tsp Cumin powder

½ tsp Chilly powder

A few shakes of freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon separately.

2 big pinches of cashew nuts and 2 more of raisins

A big handful each of chopped mint and coriander leaves

3 slit green chillies, or to taste

For Assembling

2 tbsp ghee                                                                    

2 steel containers with lid

1 small pinch of real kesar and warm milk

Procedure-

During biryani making, its best to keep all ingredients out and handy. Also this same process could be used for any other Dum cooked Meat or veggie biryani.

First in a kettle boil a litre of water.

Get a big sauce pot and put it on heat. We would make the whole spice tadka for the rice first, before proceeding for other stuff.

Pour in a few tbsp of oil. Once it heats up, drop in all the whole spices; and on low flame cook till it is fragrant.

Carefully pour in the hot water on the tadka and salt it generously. Add some more cold water and bring it up to a rolling boil before adding the soaked rice. Cook the soaked rice on a rolling boil for 5 to 7 minutes. It should be about 50 to 60 percent done. Drain it out on a plate and let it air dry. I mostly just take my spider ladle and drain out the rice from the starchy water onto a bowl. Then I quickly topple it out on a flat plate and let the rice air dry for a few minutes. Repeat with the remaining rice. The second batch of rice should be kept to air dry on a separate plate.

So by now, you have fried onion kept in one corner . Rice half cooked and air drying in another.

Lets start making the jackfruit masal now.

In a wok/kadhai heat some oil. Once hot, temper in the whole spices along with a sole red chilly. Wait for it to get fragrant.

Add in the cashew nuts and raisins and fry them lightly in this flavour ful oil on low to medim heat.

Now beat the curd with all the dry masala powder, and set it aside.

Now one after another, we would add different elements to the wok and get it frying.

·       The first to go would be a big pinch of fried onion along with the ginger garlic paste. Fry till we get rid of the raw smell of ginger and garlic.

·       The next would be the curd mix along with all dry spices. Cook it till oil separates out of the masala.

·       Now would be perfect to add 2 big pinches each of mint and coriander. Add in the green chilies too for an added kick. 

·       Adjust salt and sugar and this stage. And, add in our already cooked jackfruit to pan fry in the masala and absorb its flavour.

Taste again for salt and sugar, and adjust accordingly. 2 big pinches of sugar was good enough for me. you can even omit sugar, but I highly recommend adding it to lessen the tang of homemade curd.

Now its time for the assembly.

·       You have the jack fruit prepared.

·       You have onions fried.

·       You have half cooked rice

·       You have chopped coriander and mint ready.

·       This would be the right time to create the saffron mix. Just warm up a few tbsp of milk in microwave and drop in a few strands of kesar on to it. Let it bloom and get flavourful.

Now all you need is to set up a steaming station- gas or electric. 

Generously put ghee on the steel containers you choose to steam the biryani in. Put a thin layer of the most uncooked rice of the lot you have made earlier, in the bottom of the pan. Top it all with jackfruit masala. Now an even layer of onions needs to be followed with an even layer of chopped herbs. Top it all with rice once again.

This is where you need to be creative. Get a proper layer of fried onion on top. Now another generous sprinkle of herbs. Now get that saffron milk and spoon it all over the while rice. 

Close the lid, and let it steam for 30 minutes.

And when you open that lid once done, you will be transported to another world it self. Biryani is a soul food, which is made and perfected with love. Make it to believe it.

Cheers!!

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!!!

Sambhar in a Chutney!!

Clean and Delicious Part 4 -  healthy breakfast which is clean, delicious and savoury to our Indian liking!!

Homemade is Clean and Delicious to the infinity and back. And India has a host of cuisines which gets classified under clean and delicious easily. The king of it is the south Indian veg cuisine with its scientifically baffling ingredients, which makes me proud to be an Indian. Idlies are nothing but fermented dough steamed to perfection. It is served with a sambhar which is lovingly simmered with all sorts of vegetables (necessary fibres and nutrients), strong whole spices (essential anti-oxidants and nutrients) and lentils (plant protein). The white coconut chutney adds the essential fats in the form of cold-pressed raw coconut oil that extracts itself and emulsifies with coconut fibres, thanks to the steady friction of a stone mortar and pestle. We actually give very less credit to our ancestors. They were nothing short of geniuses to have made this cuisine so easily available to the world.

My week started with this little packet coming in. It contained a lot of new age healthy choices to pick from. I checked the ingredient list too, and found it was pretty clean with no preservatives and/or stabilizers. Citric acid and sodium bi carbonate are simple everyday ingredients that we use in our day to day life anyways. So I was eager to try their range the very next day. And I loved what I ate. Undoubtedly they had everything that they promised to provide. I dunked my idly in a sambhar flavoured chutney which was easy to put together on a busy workday morning, and yet gave the satisfaction of a proper South Indian breakfast. The ingredients are simple and are always available in my pantry. And this recipe literally takes less than 10 minutes to put together. So, there is no more reasons available to anyone for not having a proper breakfast in the morning.

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes, pureed

1 medium onion, pureed

2-3 cloves of garlic, pureed

½ inch of peeled ginger, grated

1 heaped tsp or more of Home-made or store bought Sambhar masala. I used homemade.

Salt, sugar, turmeric and red chilly powder to taste

2 tbsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds or rai

1 sprig of curry leaves, washed and dried

Method

In a pan, add a tbsp. of oil, and fry the onion and garlic paste till the raw smell disappears. Add in the tomato puree and ginger and let it simmer till the oil separates out of the mix. I do this step while making and drinking my morning coffee, the mix sizzles while I get ready for the busy work day morning.

Now once the oil separates out of the wet masala mix, add in the sambhar powder and turmeric powder. Stir vigorously to combine. Let the masala penetrate the vegetables well.

Once the chutney starts smelling aromatic, taste. If its homemade sambhar masala, you would know about the seasoning, but if its store bought, chances are that salt is already present in the spice mix. So taste well before seasoning to your liking. I like to balance the salt, sugar and red chilly well. At times I even add a dash of white vinegar at this stage, but it really depends on how sour my tomatoes are to begin with.

Once you are happy about the seasoning, get ready to temper the chutney.

 

In a small tadka pan, heat a tbsp. of oil. Pour in ½ tsp of mustard seeds till it splutters and fills the oil with its earthy fragrance. Now let it off the heat and drop in the curry leaves to fry off in the residual heat. As the spluttering sound stops, pour in the hot aromatic oil onto the chutney, mix well and let steep covered for 5 minutes, before serving.

An easy, delicious chutney is ready to be enjoyed with fresh hot steamed idly, or crisp dosa. I have also applied it on a toast and had it with an poached egg. It was beyond beautiful!!

 

Cheers!!

This post is brought to you in association with Gits Food. The recipe and picture are IP of the author herself.