Sweet n Sour Pork

A simple Sweet and Sour Pork recipe that is great served with rice

Ingredients

• Pork - 500 gms, cubed
• Soy sauce- 2 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Corn flour - 1/2 cup
• Flour - 1/2 cup
• Egg - 1,  beaten with 2 tbsp water
• White oil
• Onion - 1, chopped
• Red bell pepper- 1, cubed
• Yellow bell pepper-1, cubed
• Salt as required

For Sweet and Sour Sauce

• Brown sugar - 3 tbsp
• Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
• Vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tsp
• Corn Flour - 2 tbsp, dissolve in water

    Marinate  the pork with ginger garlic paste, soy sauce and a bit of salt. Marinate for 30 minutes.

In a new bowl, beat the egg with water and a bit of vegetable oil. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch very well. Coat the pork pieces with egg mixture and flour and cornstarch and fry well.

Combine the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl with 1/2 cup of water. Put into a pan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Add the chopped onions and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the peppers and simmer for 2 more minutes. 

Add the cornflour dissolved in water and let the sauce become thick. Add the deep-fried pork and stir lightly together. Adjust the seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mutton Rezala

Quite a unusually hot weather in March this year,  mercury touched almost 40 degree C, and you are longing for some light food. Decided to go for a light fragrant melt in the mouth Mutton Rezala last weekend, it was just awesome!!

Ingredients

• Mutton - 500 gms

For Marination:

• Curd - 3 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 2 tsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 heaped tbsp
• Salt

Whole Masalas:

• Bay Leaves - 3
• Dry Red Chilli - 3
• Cinnamon - 1" stick
• Cloves - 6-7
• Green Cardamom - 5-6
• Whole Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

For Cooking:

• Onion Paste - 2 heaped tbsp
• Poppy Seed Paste - 2 tbsp
• Cashew nut paste - 2 tbsp
• Nutmeg powder - a fat pinch
• Mace powder - a pinch
• Salt
• Sugar
• Ghee ( or white oil)

Make a paste of all ingredients under marination.

Marinate the mutton with this mixture for 4 - 6 hours.

 Heat a pressure cooker and add ghee / white oil in it. When ghee is hot, add all the whole masala except 1 red chilli and a pinch of black pepper. Let it splutter. 

Add the mutton pieces to this without the marinade ( reserve the liquid) and fry for 3 - 4 minutes. Mix 2 cups of hot water to the marinade and add it to the mutton, put on the lid and pressure cook the mutton till it is almost done. Keep aside.
Heat some more oil / ghee to a pan. If you are using oil, mix 1 tbsp of ghee at this stage. Add the onion paste and saute a bit, but onion should not change color. Add the poppy seed paste and cashew paste and fry for 3 - 4 minutes. 

Add nutmeg and mace powder. 

When oil is coming out of the masala, add the cooked mutton. Stir for a minute of so, then add the stock. Adjust the salt and sugar. Check the consistency of the gravy, it should be of soupy kind and not a thick gravy. I have added 1/2 tsp of kewra water too.

Cook till the mutton is thoroughly done. transfer to the serving bowl. Take a tarka spoon ( hata) and heat 1 tbsp of ghee. Tamper the ghee with remaining whole red chilli and black pepper. When chilli starts changing color, add the ghee to the mutton and stir the spoon in the bowl to mix the tampered oil to the rezala. Serve hot with Paratha / Luchi.

Dim diye musur dal- Lentil with Eggs

I face quite a bit of struggle while feeding dal to my son. He is such a hard core non-vegetarian, he only eats dal cooked with fish head, ( a bengali delicacy, machher matha diye dal).  Hopefully things will be better now. I got this recipe, where musur dal, or red lentil is cooked in a regular manner, but with addition of boiled eggs, which are halved  and fried separately. 

Ingredients

• Red Lentil / Musur Dal - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1, small, chopped
• Green chilli - as per taste
• Eggs - 2, boiled
• Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic chopped, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, turmeric, sugar
• Bay leaves - 2

Pressure cook the dal with salt and turmeric. add sugar, slit green chilli and keep aside.

Cut the boiled eggs into half, smear salt and turmeric. Fry in little oil and keep aside.

In a clean pan, add 1 tbsp oil, then add the bay leaf, garam masala, then add the chopped onion. Fry till golden brown. Add chopped garlic. 

Then add the boiled dal and mix well. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Add a bit of water, if dal is too thick.

Add ginger paste and mix well. Slide in the fried eggs. Boil for 2 more minutes and remove from heat.
Serve with plain rice.

Dum Chital

This is a traditional way to welcome new member in our family, be it welcoming new bride or groom or welcoming or wishing good luck to the newly or would be mother in the family. So, when my bro and sis-in-law came to visit us with their new born, I made this for them to make the visit memorable. Here, chital or clown fish is slow cooked in a rich gravy tempered with aromatic masalas and a masterpiece is born !!!

Ingredients

• Chital Peti - 3
• Mouri / Saunf - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Green chilli - 5
• Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - a pinch
• Whole garam masala
• Bay leaves
• Curd - 3 tbsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Kishmish - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Oil - as required
• Salt, turmeric
• Whole dry red chilli - 1
• Sugar - 1 tsp

Smear salt and turmeric to the fishes and fry till golden brown.
Add oil and 1tbsp ghee to the same pan. Add mouri/fennel seeds, bay leaf, whole garam masala, dry red chilli and hing to the oil. Let it splutter.

Then add the ginger garlic paste, chopped green chilli and fry well. Next add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and sugar and the kashmiri red chilli powder. Sprinkle some water and mix well. Fry till oil surfaces. Add the curd and continue frying till oil comes out. 

Next add 1 cup of  hot water and mix well. When water starts boiling, add the fish pieces and cook over low heat with cover. 

After 5 minutes, add the remaining ghee and kishmish. Cook for 5 more minutes with a heavy lid ( cooking in Dum). When oil surfaces, switch off the heat. Sprinkle garam masala powder and keep covered. Serve with plain rice.

Mourola- Chingri Bati Chorchori

'Bati Chorchori' is mixture of different ingredients taken in a big bowl or 'Bati'  and cook it covered over very low heat for a prolonged time so that the flavors of its gredients get mixed with each other and lend a distinct taste. I heard the origination of this dish from my Grand Mom that, in ancient Bengal, women used to cook for the male members of the family all the lovely delicious dishes and when everybody had their share of eating, most of the time, very little is left for the ladies working in the kitchen. So they mix whatever is available, small fishes, leftover veggies, etc and put it on the heat with some oil and water. That is the way this delicious dish is born.
Many varieties of Bati Chorchori is cooked in our family having mostly some non-veg element in it. But we have some veg version too, like I made this 'Borir Jhal'. It can be made with different kind of small fishes, even with prawns like this  'Chingri machher Bati Chorchori'. My Mom makes an Egg version too.  
Some days back, I got these fresh Mourola fish, and decided to go for Bati Chorchori, I have some small prawns sitting on my refrigerator which I was not able to utilise, since the quantity is very small, so throw them into these Mourola dish, and it has got some lovely flavor. The most important ingredient of a bati chorchori is Mustard Oil, which lends a sharp kick on the tongue.

Ingredients

• Mourola Fish - 200 gm
• Small Prawns - 2-3 tbsp
• Potato - 1, chopped thinly
• Onion - 2, chopped thinly
• Mustard Paste - 2 tbsp
• Green Chilli Paste - as per taste
• Salt, Turmeric
• Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl or heavy bottomed pan with some sprinkle of water, if required. Keep covered for some time ( 30 minutes or so.)

Now put it on very low heat with a lid and let it get cooked. It will take time but does not need your attention. You will have a lovely smell after some time. When everything is cooked, (check the doneness of the potato), and things are mixed with each other, switch off the heat and keep it on standing time for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. You may add a tsp of mustard oil at the end. Goes best with plain rice.

Masor Tenga - An Assamese Delicacy

Assam, the beautiful state of North-East India has an incredible range of culture, awesome wildlife, the teas, oldest oil refineries, famous Kamakhya temple and of course, the Assamese cuisine, which is characterized by very little use of spices but strong flavors. This Masor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry), an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam, is a light and tangy dish, and is one of Assam's signature preparations. The key ingredient in a tenga is the use of a souring agent like lemon or tomato which lends the dish a tart tangy taste. I being a fish addict, when saw this recipe in one of a popular website, could not stop myself and recreated the same in my kitchen some days back. It can be best enjoyed with plain rice. 

Ingredients

• Rohu Fish - 4 pieces
• Small Ripe tomatoes - 4-5, chopped
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder
• Green chili - 1, slit at the mouth
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp or as per taste
• Mustard oil
• Chopped coriander- 3 tbsp
• Salt according to taste

Sprinkle the fish pieces with turmeric powder and salt and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the fish until lightly browned. Set aside.
Heat one tablespoon mustard oil in a separate pan. Tip in the fenugreek seeds. When the seeds turn brown remove them from the oil. Add the green chili followed by the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes have started to mash and release their liquid.

Add salt and turmeric and stir well. Add water,.

Gently slide in the fried fish pieces,  simmer for ten minutes. Reduce heat and add the lemon juice; according to taste and remove from heat immediately.

Stir in the chopped coriander and serve with steamed rice.
Note: I have added 1/2 tsp of sugar to this to adjust my taste bud. Actual recipe didnot ask for it.

Sending this to the ongoing event organised by 'Kolkata Food Bloggers'  

'East or West, Food is the Best'

Dhoniya Loittya - Bombay Duck in Coriander leaves Gravy

A different way to cook Loittya / Bombay Duck. Simple and Yummy. 

Ingredients

• Bombay duck - 500 gm, halved
• Salt, turmeric
• Lemon juice
• Onions - 2
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic chopped - 1 tsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Green Chilli - 6 - 7 or as per paste
• Coriander Leaves - a bunch

Marinate the fish with salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice for ½ - 1 hour.

Make paste of one medium sized onion and finely chop another medium sized one. make paste of 4 green chilies with the coriander leaves and take 2 whole green chilies with slit at the mouth. 
Heat mustard oil, put the chopped garlic first, add the whole green chilies with slit and stir.

When fried a little, add the chopped onions, stir till golden brown. Then add the onion paste and ginger garlic paste and stir. Add the coriander paste, and fry well till the raw smell goes off.

Add the fish pieces carefully.

Shake the pan so as to cover the fishes with the masala mixture. After some time, turn the fishes carefully, shake the pan. Sprinkle very little water if the contents in pan becomes dry, otherwise not required since the fish usually releases lot of water.

Add the remaining ginger paste spreading around the pan. Shake vigorously,cook on low heat, if possible turn the fish pieces carefully in between. Adjust the salt. Add chopped coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice.