Bonafide Bengali Cuisine

Sorshe-Narkel Bhapa Chingri (Freshwater prawn curry with mustard and coconut)

2010-12-12T20:35:00.014+05:30

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Ingredients and Spices:

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Freshwater Prawn (Golda Chingri): 4 medium large freshwater prawns totaling 400 gms approx. (Serves 2-3 people)

Grated Coconut Paste: 200 gms

Mustard Paste: 75 gms

Green Chilly Paste: 2-3 whole

Mustard Oil: 4 tbsf

Turmeric Powder: 2 & 1/2 tsf

Red Chilli Powder ( Kashmiri red chilli for flavor and color ): 1 tsf

Salt: 3 tsf

Sugar: 3 tsf

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Initial Preparation:

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Wash and clean the prawn properly put them in a bowl. Add 1 tsf turmeric powder and 1 tsf salt to the prawn, rub properly and set aside.

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Method:
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1. Pour 2 tbsf of mustard oil in a kadai and heat the oil over medium flame.

Fry the prawns two at a time in the hot oil for two minutes each. Keep them covered with a lid while frying. Pour the entire contents of the kadai in a container after frying and set aside.

2. Add the entire grated coconut paste, entire mustard paste, entire green chilly paste, 1 tsf red chilly powder, 2 tbsf mustard oil, 1 & 1/2 tsf salt, 1 & 1/2 tsf of turmeric powder, 3 tsf sugar and 3/4 cup water to the container where the prawn had been kept after frying. Mix the contents thoroughly using your hands.

3. Place the entire content of the container in a pressure cooker and cook over medium flame with the lid closed. The cooking is done when the whistle of the pressure cooker has blown on its own for a total of three times. Take out the contents only when the pressure cooker has cooled down slightly.

Pomfret Macher Kalia (Spicy Pomfret Curry)

2010-07-11T21:24:00.006+05:30

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Ingredients and Spices:

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Pomfret: 4 medium sized pomfret fish totaling 325 gms approx. (Serves 4 people)

Onion Paste: 200 gms

Tomato Puree: 75 gms

Kalo Jeera: 1/2 tsf (Nigella Seeds)

Mustard Oil: 4 tbsf

Black Mustard Seeds: 2 tsf

Turmeric Powder: 1 & 1/2 tsf

Red Chilli Powder ( Kashmiri red chilli for flavor and color ): 1 tsf

Ginger Paste: 1 tsf

Garlic Paste: 1 tsf

Green Chillies: 2-3 whole

Salt: 2 & 1/2 tsf

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Initial Preparation:

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Wash and clean the fish properly after removing the guts and put them in a bowl. Add 1/2 tsf turmeric powder and 1/2 tsf salt to the fish, rub properly and set aside.

Paste the mustard in a grinding stone till it is smooth. Rinse it through a sieve by adding 2 tbsf of water and collect the paste. Throw away the fragments of skin that remain behind. (This is the authentic way to get the best flavor out of mustard but 2 to 2 & 1/2 tsf of ready-made mustard paste can also be used)

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Method:
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1. Pour 3 tbsf of mustard oil in a kadai and heat the oil over medium flame. Fry the fish in the oil one by one for two minutes each. Turn them over their sides after one minute of frying. Keep them aside after you are through with the frying.

2. Add 1 tbsf of oil to the oil used for frying the fish and heat the oil again for 5-6 seconds over a high flame and then turn down the heat to sim.

3. Add 1/2 tsf Kalo Jeera to the oil. Wait for 5 seconds and then add the entire onion, garlic and ginger paste, 1 & 1/2 tsf of salt, 1 tsf of turmeric, 1 tsf of chilli powder and the entire mustard paste to the oil. Add the green chillies whole.

4. Cover with a lid and fry the contents over a flame slightly greater that simmer for 6 minutes. Stir the contents 3 to 4 times in between.

5. Remove the lid and keep frying for 3 more minutes. Stir the contents 2 to three times in between.

6. Turn down the heat to sim and add the fish. Add 2 cups of water and stir. Cover with a lid and cook for a minute over medium flame.

7. As the water starts to boil, turn down the heat a little and cook for one more minute.

8. Turn down the heat to sim and cook for 6 more minutes with the lid on. Lift the lid occasionally to stir the contents slowly.(Be careful not to break the fish)

Chichinga Pyaj Posto (Snake Gourd with Poppy Seeds)

2010-07-11T20:10:00.010+05:30

Click on the image to enlarge

Ingredients and Spices:

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Chichinga: 450 gms ( Snake Gourds thin variety, not fully mature, serves 4 people )

Finely Chopped Onions: 125 gms

Mustard Oil: 2 & 1/2 tbsf

Turmeric Powder: 1 tsf

Poppy Seeds: 25 gms

Salt: 1 & 1/4 tsf

Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsf

Green Chillies: 1 to 2 whole

Sugar: 1/2 tsf

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Initial Preparation:

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Remove the skin of the snake gourds with a knife and chop into thin round slices. Split the slices in the middle to form half moon shaped slices.

Paste the poppy seeds with the green chillies in a grinding stone and set aside.

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Method:
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1. Heat all the mustard oil in a kadai over a high flame for a minute and add the finely chopped onions. Turn down the heat to sim, cover the kadai with a lid and fry the onions for 3 minutes. Stir 2 to 3 times in between.

2. Add the snake gourd slices, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and stir. Cover with a lid and cook for 9 minutes over a medium flame. Stir the contents 4 to 5 times in between.

3. Turn down the heat to sim, remove the lid and add the poppy seed paste. Cook while stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

4. Add a cup of water and 1/2 tsf sugar and turn down the heat to sim. Stir once and cover with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir 4-5 times in between.

5. After 10 minutes of cooking, check and see if the snake gourd is soft and properly cooked. If not, cook for one or two minutes more. When ready, the curry should not be watery but look juicy.

Chicken Kosha (Spicy Chicken Curry)

2010-06-27T17:45:00.034+05:30

Click on the image to enlarge

Ingredients and Spices:

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Chicken with bones: 425 gms of medium sized chunks of 3 to 4 inches each ( serves 2 -3 people)

Finely Chopped Onion: 250 gms

Tomato Puree: 75 gms

Mustard Oil: 3 & 1/2 tbsf

Tej Pata (Bay Leaves): 2 leaves

Turmeric Powder: 1 tsf

Red Chilli Powder ( Kashmiri red chilli for flavor and color ): 1 tsf

Red Chilli Powder ( Normal for flavor): 1/2 tsf

Ginger Paste: 1 tsf

Garlic Paste: 1 tsf

Garam Masala: 2 green cardamom pods (elaichi) and 1 small piece (1 cm) cinnamon (dalchini)

( we should exclude the other ingredients of Garam Masala)

Salt: 1 tsf

Sugar: 1/2 tsf

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Initial Preparation:

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Crush the finely chopped onion in a sil-nora (traditional Bengali grinding stone) or a mixer-grinder. Do not crush it to a fine paste but rather a coarse uneven paste with some whole pieces.

Crush the garam masala to a fine paste after adding a few drops of water and set aside. Do not throw away the cardamom skin even if it does not turn into a fine paste.

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Method:
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1. Wash and rinse the chicken pieces thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Add all of the onion, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, bay leaves, tomato puree, 1 tsf salt and 1/2 tbsf of mustard oil to the bowl and mix the ingredients vigorously. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes.

2. Heat 3 tbsf mustard oil in a kadai or wok on medium heat. When the oil is hot enough (there are no more air bubbles and the color is slightly pale) turn down the oven sim and pour the contents of the bowl into the kadai.

3. Cover the kadai with a lid and allow the chicken to cook on medium heat for approximately 8 minutes. Lift the lid every 2 minutes to stir the contents for even cooking.

4. Turn down the heat to sim after 8 minutes and repeat the above process for a further 8 minutes.

5. Remove the lid and add the sugar. Then cook on medium heat for 3 minutes and stir the contents properly two or three times.

6. Add one cup of water (approx 100 gms) and cook on high flame till the water starts to boil.

7. Turn down the heat to a little above sim and put the lid back on. Allow the contents to cook for 5 to 6 minutes.

8. Add the garam masala paste and stir. Then put the lid back and cook for a minute. Serve hot.

Glimpses of a few mouth watering recipes

2009-07-26T23:22:00.014+05:30

A picture is worth a thousand words. In the previous post, there was an indication that this one would be an introduction to a few of the more popular delicacies from Bengal and that is exactly what I have here, a visual treat to whet your appetite. Enjoy...

Just click on the images below to view them in full size