Macher Dimer Curry (gravy)

This one is continuing from my last recipe Macher dimer bora. This one is a gravy item made by the fried fish egg cooked in my last post. Prepare and keep aside 5-6 bora/pakoras and start this one. This one is not be confused with Fish Kalia as it is a simple curry not like the spicy Kalia.

Preparation Time: - 25 mins for making the bora/pakora from my last post.

Cooking Time: - 30 min for the curry

Servings: - Again it depends upon your capacity to consume.

Ingredients:- 

1. Fish egg pakora/fritters – 5 ~6  (I used Katla fish eggs but you can use any sweet water fish or even Hilsa)
2. 2 big or 3 medium potatoes – Peel and cube into small size
   
3. Onions – 1 medium one grinded and make paste
4. Ginger paste – 1 ½ table spoon
5. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
6. Green Chillies - 2 (chopped). You can add red chili also if you like it spiceier.
7. Tomato – 1 medium sized chopped
8. Jeera powder – 1 tea spoon
9. Asafetida /Hing – ½ tsp optional
10. Salt - To taste. If you have sweet tooth you can add sugar also.
11. Oil -  5 table spoon. I prefer mustard oil but white oil also can be used.
12. Bay leaves - 2 nos.

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a kadai/pan with medium flame. Add bay leaves and red chili if you are using.
2. To this add ginger and onion paste. Stir-fry for some time. Cook till the oil leave the side.
3. Add tomato, green chili, salt, turmeric powder, asafetida and jeera powder. Stir continuously.
4. Now add the cubed potatoes and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add sufficient water for gravy and for the potatoes.
6. Cover and cook till the potatoes are soft.
7. Add the Dim Bhaja/bora/pakora/fritters and let it boil for a couple of minutes.
   
8. Boil more if you want thicker gravy.

Now it is ready to serve. You can eat with rice.

Macher Dimer bora (Fish Egg Pakora/ fritters)

We, Bengalis love fish so much that we cook every portion of it in different preparation. Any sweet water (pond, river) fish bore eggs during monsoon. We can extract the eggs if we buy the whole fish. Alternately in any fish market they will extract it for you. Without wasting much time let us go directly into this yummy preparation. First we will prepare the fish egg pakora and then use the same to make the curry. 

Preparation Time: - 10 min

Cooking Time: - 15 min

Servings: - It depends upon your capacity to consume. My husband can eat the whole at one go.

Ingredients:- 

1. Fish eggs – 150 gms. (I used Katla fish eggs but you can use any sweet water fish or even Hilsa)
2. Besan / Bengal gram flour – 100 gm
3. Onions – 1 big one Chopped
4. Ginger paste – 1 ½ tableaspoon
5. Green Chillies - 2 (chopped)
6. Coriander leaves – ¼  cup chopped
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/3 tsp
8. Salt - To taste. If you have sweet tooth you can add sugar also.
9. Oil - For deep frying. I prefer mustard oil but white oil also can be used.
10. Rice Flour – 1 ½ tsp It should be mixed smoothly in water and kept aside.

Some of you may not endure the fishy smell of the preparation. They can add a bit of Garam Masala

Preparation

Make a paste of the salt, ginger, turmeric powder and coriander leaves. In a bowl combine this paste with besan, fish eggs and chopped onions. Add the rice flour. Mix it thoroughly. This mixture should have been smooth like a thick batter. Add some water if you may need to. Marinate for some time.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai. Once hot put in the Boras from the batter with the help of your hand. Be careful not to crowd the pan or else the boras/fritters will stick to one another and will remain uncooked inside. Fry both the sides on low heat so that it is cooked properly and takes a brown colour.

Keep few tissue papers on a flat surface. Put the pakora on it to drain the excess oil.

Serve hot as snacks with ketchup. It goes nicely with tea /coffee. Another option would be to serve as starter with Rice/Khichdi especially during rainy season.

Begun (Brinjal) Chochhori - an old bengali dish

In Bengali cuisine chochchori is a dish made with different vegetable/fish with different spices like paanchforon, mustard etc. Sometimes it is with single veggie like this one is with begun (brinjal). This is a pure Bengali dish that goes with rice only.

Preparation Time: - 10 mins

Cooking Time: - 30 min

Servings: - 2 persons

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size Brinjal
• 1 large /2 medium onion
• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp. mustard paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp paanchforon
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1~2 green/red chilies silted. I used green one as I do not love spicy food
• ½ tsp asafetida
• 5 tbsp oil preferably mustard oil
• Salt according to taste. You can add sugar if you have a sweet tooth.

Preparation

1. Cut the brinjal in cubed form.
   
   
2. Chop the coriander leaves.
3. Make the mustard paste or you can use ready made paste available in market.
4. Grind the onion.
5. Heat 2 ½ tbsp oil in a pan.
   
6. Fry the brinjal with salt in medium flame and set aside.
7. Again heat 2 ½ oil. Sprinkle paanchforon; add bay leaves and green chili. Fry for sometime and then add the onion paste, turmeric powder, hing (asfetida), coriander leaves and mustard paste.
8. Keep for sometimes in medium flame and when it is fried add water and brinjal. This time you can add sugar if you want.
9. Stir and mix well. When the gravy becomes thick it is done.

Serve hot with rice

Chilli Chicken - My homely Style

The general concept is chilli chicken is a complex Chinese preparation which needs a lot of time and it is not very healthy. But the one I am presenting now is quite easy to cook and healthy too. The credit of this recipe goes to my choto masi (aunty) who figured it out that this recipe is even good for people who has high cholesterol. She has passed away last year and this recipe is dedicated to her.

This one is loved by my kids. Even my health conscious husband likes it. It takes little time to prepare. Hope you and your family also likes it.

Preparation Time: 10 min 

 

Cooking Time: 30- 35 min

 

Servings:- 2~3 persons

 

Ingredients:-

1.  250 gm Chicken (boneless preferred). Size of the pieces can be according to your choice. I had 12 pieces when cooking this.

2.  4 – 5 tbsp vegetable oil - I used sunflower

3.  1 medium sized chopped onion

4.  2 tbsp ginger garlic paste (you can grind fresh ginger and garlic if you have more time)

5.  1 medium sized tomatoes

6.  ½ medium sized chopped green capsicum

7.  1 slit whole green chilli (you can use more number if you like it spicy)

8.  2 tbsp tomato sauce

9.  2 tsp Soya sauce

10.  ½ - 1 tsp corn flower if you want a thicker gravy

11. Salt to taste 
12. Few Peyaj Kali (Spring Onion) for garnishing

Preparation:-

1.    Wash chicken thoroughly and boil in water for 5 minutes. 

2.    Separate the chicken and remaining water. Keep the water aside. You will need it later.

3.      Heat the oil in a non-stick pan /kadai and add the chopped onion.

4.      When the onion turn golden brown add the ginger garlic paste.

5.      Add the chicken and salt now

6.      Cook for 1 minute and add tomato and chopped capsicum.

7.    Cover and cook for 3~4 minutes. Add the Soya sauce and mix thoroughly. The colour of the mixture should be brownish.

8.    Cook covered for 15~20 minutes on a medium flame. Stir and mix intermittently.

9.    Add corn flower to the water you separated in step 2.

10.  Now put the tomato sauce in the chicken. Stir and mix. Cook another 1~2 min

11.  Now add the corn flower mixture in step 9 to the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes.

12.  If you want the preparation to be dry then you can cook for more time and reduce the water.

Serve hot with fried rice/noodle. If you have made it dry you can use it as appetizer also.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Kumro Chechki

In Bengali cuisine our dishes have very interesting names, chechki, chachra, labra, chocchori, panch mishali , elo jhelo, puli pitha, labra and so on.  Any chechki is based on Black Jeera/Panchforon, green chilli and turmeric powder. Now different vegetable can be used with this combination to form different dishes. Kumro Chechki is a traditional Bengali homely dish. It is a very simple preparation with minimum of spices and is made dry to be a side dish for Rotis and chapathis or hot rice.

Preparation Time: - 20 -25 mins

Servings: - 4-5 persons

Ingredients:

• 500 gms. pumpkin, cut into slices
  
• 4 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 green/red chilies silted. I used green one as I do not love spicy food
• 2 tsp black jeera/paanchforon
• salt and sugar to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp ghee (optional)
• 1 tsp Hing (asafetida). This is optional.
• 5 tsp roasted jeera powder

Preparation

Heat oil in a pan. Sprinkle jeera powder/paanchforon. I used paanchforon. After it stops sizzling, add the green chilies followed by the pumpkin. Also add salt, turmeric powder and hing. Cover and cook on a low flame till half done. You may need to add little water if the pumpkin is still not boiled properly.

Heat a separate pan and add cumin seeds, roast in medium flame until light dark brown and fragrant. Then grind this and add to the pumpkin. You could add a red chili with the cumin seeds if you want more spice. Stir and mix well.

Sprinkle water if it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add sugar if you want it little sweet and cook till the pumpkin is soft but not mushy.

Add ghee and coriander leaves. Stir and mix well. Now our Kumro chechki is ready. Serve hot.

Wish all my readers (is there any?) a happy Independence Day

 

Aloo Methi - Dry

Methi or fenugreek is a green leafy vegetable with a unique taste that is packed with nutrients. Seeds and leaves form an important ingredient in Indian households. It is used in almost every Indian preparation be it dal, paratha or curry. But what you may not know is that methi or fenugreek is a rich reservoir of medicinal properties that imparts many health benefits.

1. According to studies fenugreek helps to reduce cholesterol level, especially that of the low density lipoprotein (LDL).
2. Due to the presence of galactomannan, fenugreek plays a key role in maintain your heart health.
3. Diabetic must include methi (either in the form of seeds or leaves) in their diet. Because galactomannan, a natural soluble fibre present in fenugreek slows down the rate of sugar absorption into blood.

Aloo Methi is a delicious dish made with potatoes, fenugreek leaves, and a combination of spices. This dish is healthy as well as tasty. This delicious combination of potatoes and fresh fenugreek leaves, in a dry curry form, is very common in every north Indian home.

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 30- 35 min If you use boiled potatoes then it may be reduced to 20 min.

Servings:- 4 persons

Ingredients

1.   3 medium and a small potatoes

2.   2 bunches of fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves

3.   1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

4.   1 medium sized chopped onion

5.   1 tsp chopped garlic (lehsun)

6.   2 tsp chopped ginger (adrak)

7.   1 whole green chilli (or 2 whole dry red chilies, dry roasted and broken into  spieces if you like it spicy)

8.   1 tsp finely chopped green chilies

9.   2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

10.  1 tsp jeera powder

11.  1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

12.  1/4 tsp asafetida (hing)

13.  1 tsp aamchur (dry mango) powder

14.  4 tbsp oil

15.  Salt to taste

16.  1 tsp Garam Masala

17.  2 tsp ghee

Preparation

       1.      Wash the fenugreek leaves and chop them finely. Sprinkle some salt over them and keep aside for about half an hour.

       2.      Take the moisture out and keep aside.

3. Wash peeled and cut the potatoes in small cubes.
4. Heat the oil and 1 tsp ghee in a pan and sprinkle the cumin seeds.
5. When they crackle, add the onion and garlic.
6. After some time add ginger, green/red chilies and salt.
7. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
   
8. Add the fenugreek leaves, coriander powder, turmeric powder, aamchur powder and asafoetida. Cook covered for 10 minutes on a medium flame and 5 minutes more in low flame. Observe the potatoes if it is well done.
9. Add garam masala and 1 tsp ghee. Stir and mix.
10. Serve hot.

This preparation goes well with different chapattis/rotis. You can also eat with hot rice and dal. 

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.