Dhonepata Kasundi Bhetki

This is the 3rd week of KFB 'Know Your Bloggers' event and the star of this week is Priyadarshini Chatterjee. She blogs from "allthatsdelicious.blogspot.in" where you wil get "All that's delicious" with a pleasant writeup, which itself is a good read. I envy her photographic sense too, because of all those tempting images, just looking at them will make you salivate. I have tried her other delicacies too, like this 'Dutch Buttermilk Pudding' which I have served to a small get together at home and got huge praise for its richness and mild sweet taste. I have tried her version of 'Bori r Jhaal with Kasundi' too which is quite different from our family version of 'Bori r Jhaal' and it was equally good, if not better. 
While browsing through her blog, I have shortlisted three of her recipes and end up making all three of them. So here I am presenting the easy and delicious "Dhonepata Kasundi Bhetki" or Bhetki fish cooked in a Coriander and Kasundi ( a kind of Bengali mustard  sauce ). You may find the original recipe here.

Ingredients 

• Bekti Pieces - 6-7
• Corinder leaves paste - 4 tbsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Kasundi (Bengal's legendary pungent mustard sauce) - 1 tbsp
• Vinegar - 2-3 tbsp  
• Green chilli paste - as per taste
• Salt to taste
• Mustard oil - 2 tbsp  

Marinate the fish with vinegar, salt, coriander leaves paste, garlic paste and ginger paste.

Turn after 15 minutes and continue marination for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Heat mustard oil in a flat bottomed nonstick pan. Carefully place the marinated fish. Cook on low heat. 

The fish will take about 4-5 minutes to cook. Midway turn the fillets over. Once the fish is cooked, water reduces and oil separates from the masala, add the kasundi and carefully mix it. You have to be very careful not to break the fish.

If you like the kick of mustard, you can add a spill of raw mustard oil just before removing it from heat. Serve with plain rice.

Sending this Entry to 'Know Your Bloggers 2014'  event organised by 'Kolkata Food Bloggers'.

Doi Phulcopi - Cauliflower with Curd

Season of cauliflower is here, and hubby brought these three cuties. Made a very light  'Doi Phulcopi' or Cauliflower curry with curd. Used minimum oil and didnot fry the cauliflower rather steamed them lightly before marinating  with curd. 

Ingredients

• Cauliflower - 3, small, cut into florets
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Potatoes - 2, quartered
• Onion - 1, sliced
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Green chilli - 5-6 chopped
• Curd - 1 cup
• Salt, Sugar, Cumin and Coriander powder
• Bay leaf
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Maida - 1 tbsp

Put the cauliflower florets and potatoes in closed vessel with boiling water for 10-15 minutes.

Whip the curd with maida so that no lump is formed. Add salt, sugar, ginger garlic paste, cumin powder and coriander power. Make a smooth paste.

Marinate the blanched cauliflower florets and potatoes with curd mixture and chopped green chilli for 2-3 hours.

Add  a tbsp of Ghee in a pan. When it is hot, add cumin seeds and bay leaf and let it splutter. 

Now add the chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Then add the marinated cauliflower along with peas.

Add half cup of water and let it cook covered. When almost done, sprinkle some sugar, if required. Remove from heat and sprinkle some garam masala powder.

Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Chicken Bharta

The word 'Bharta' refers to dishes in which the ingredients are roughly mashed either before or after the dish is prepared.  You may prepare it with vegetables or even wth Chicken. This Chicken Bharta is a very popular recipe in Kolkata and a perfect accompaniment to Biriyani or Naan. You will get them in every restaurant where Mughlai food is served. A very rich preparation it is, ideal for a festival or get together. 

Ingredients

• Boneless Chicken Breast - 500 gms
• Garlic Paste - 3 heaped tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 2 tbsp
• Onion - 6-7, chopped
• Tomato - 5, chopped
• Curd - 4 tbsp
• Fresh Cream - 200 ml
• Chicken Tandoori Masala - 1 heaped tbsp
• Green Chilli - 10-12
• Boiled Eggs - 2
• Turmeric, Kashmiri Mirch powder, Salt, Sugar
• Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp
• Keora Essence - few drops
• Butter - 2 tbsp
• Garam masala powder
• Coriander leaves - for garnishing
• Bayleaf
• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Whole Black pepper 

Pressure cook the chicken breast with water, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, 1 tbsp chopped onion, 1 tsp garlic paste and bayleaf. Let it cool down and then shred the chicken into thin strips. Donot discard the stock. It will be used later for the gravy.

In a pan, heat oil. Then add the bay leaf, whole red chilli, cinnamon, clove and cardamom and let it splutter.

Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste with chopped green chilli and fry till the raw smell evaporates.

Then add chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are mashed.

Add salt, turmeric, kashmiri chilli powder, tandoori masala powder in half cup of water and add it to the pan. Fry till water evaporates and oil comes out from the masala.

Next add the curd mixed with a spoonful of sugar and incorporate into the masala. Fry continuously. 

Add the shredded chicken and mix well with the masala. Add the stock too.

Let it boil for 7-8 minutes. Then add the yolk of the boiled eggs to the pan. Boil again.

Add the butter and cook till the gravy thickens. Add Kasuri methi soaked in water.

When almost done, add the cream. Give it a good stir, adjust the seasoning and remove from heat.

Garnish with boiled egg whites and coriander leaves and serve hot with biriyani or naan.

Egg Cutlet - Bangali'r Dim er Chop

Last year, sometimes during September-October, I took part in an interesting event, "Know Your Blogger" organised by "Kolkata Food Bloggers", where every week, a member of the group became the star of the week, and we rest had recreated one of the star's recipe in our kitchen and posted it in our blog, with a writeup and link to the blog. In line with the same, we are organising the event again this year and all the participants are quite excited this time too. 
To start with, the star of this week is Sarani Tarafder. Though I could not meet her personally, I am a big fan of her, because of her look, her photography, her 'kahani' behind the photographs, and of course, because of her cooking. Those who don't know, She blogs from  Cocoawind, a lovely blog with easy and quick recipes ( I like that the most). 
I have recreated her 'Dim er Chop' or Bengali Style Egg Cutlet last week on my Son's Birthday and it was well accepted by his friends. I cannot comment how tasty it was though, since  I myself could not taste a single bite of it, all disappeared in front of those hungry monsters, ( :-) ) but got the feedback from them that it was yummy!!  So, better luck next time!!!

You may visit Sarani's blog here to get access to those lovely and tasty recipes.

Ingredients

• Hard boiled eggs - 8, 
• medium potataoes - 12
• Onion - 4, chopped
• Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Green chilies- as per taste,chopped
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Dry Masala Powder - 1 tsp
• Cornflour - 4 tbs 
• Crushed Cornflakes - for coating
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Peel the boiled eggs and cut into quarters. Boil the potatoes and mash them with a pinch of salt.

Add a spoonful of oil to the pan and add chopped onions with a pinch of salt and sugar. Fry till golden. 

Add the ginger garlic paste and fry a little. Then add chopped green chilli ( I added a load of it!!), cumin powder, salt and fry till the mixture become brownish.

To this add the boiled potatoes and cook till the masala gets nicely incorporated in the potatoes. Take it off the heat and sprinkle the dry masala powder. Let it cool. 

Now, using a knife cut the eggs into quarters and season with salt and pepper. Then wrap the quarters in the mashed potato mix - these will look like mini bolsters. Make a batter of cornflour with water but it should be of very thin consistency. 

Dunk each bolster into the cornflour batter and dredge it the crushed cornflakes. Sarani has used breadcrumbs but I didnot have the stock so used the corn flakes instead.

Deep fry the bolsters till they turn a nice golden brown. 

Serve hot.

Sending this to  Kolkata Food Bloggers event Know Your Blogger 2014 !!

Chingri Jhal - Bengali Style Prawn Masala

Some quick dish, best enjoyed with plain rice.

Ingredients

• Prawns - 500 gms
• Onion - 1, chopped
• Onion Paste - 2 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Garlic - 1 tbsp, chopped
• Green chilli paste - as required
• Bay leaf - 2
• Salt, Turmeric, Kshmiri Chill powder - as required
• Sugar - a pinch

Marinate the cleaned prawns with slat and turmeric for 15 minutes. Add mustard oil to the pan, when it is hot, saute the prawns for 1 minute and keep aside.

In the same oil, add bay leaf, when color changes, add chopped onion and fry a little with a pinch of salt and sugar. When the color changes, add onion paste, and ginger paste and fry well. Add the green chilli paste and chopped garlic and mix well.

Add all the dry masalas, sprinkle some water and continue frying till water evaporates and oil comes out of the masalas.

I have added some extra green chilli too, which are chopped roughly.

Add the sauteed prawns to the fried masala and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add a cup of hot water. Adjust the salt.

Boil for some time till oil comes out on the surface. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar if you like.

Sprinkle some garam masala powder and your chingri jhal is ready!!!