Fish Market is flooded with 'Golda chingri' ( Prawns with big head) now a days and it is very rare to get good quality Bagda or Chapra Chingri ( Tiger prawns or other varieties). So the moment I get to see them last week end, I just jumped onto them. Cooked 'Chingri Machher Kalia' or Prawn Kalia after a long time. Recipe is a common Kalia recipe which you can use with other fishes as well. However, for prawn dishes, You may omit the garlic, if you want. Being a garlic lover, I try to use it in as many dishes, as possible though. :-) Also, we prefer our prawn dishes a bit hot and sweet, so used lots of green chilli and atleast a tsp of sugar. Please be judgemental and use the chilli and sugar as per your taste bud.
Ingredients
Medium Prawns - 500 gms
Potato - 2, cubed
Fresh Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion Paste - 2 tbsp
Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 2, chopped
Kashmiri chili powder - 1 tsp
Whole garam masala - as required
Bay leaf - 1
Salt, Turmeric, Sugar - as required
Green chilli - 4, chopped
Onion - 1, chopped
Garlic - 1 tsp, chopped (Optional)
Marinate the prawns with salt and turmeric powder for 15 minutes. Lightly fry the prawns and keep aside.
Fry the potato cubes till golden brown and keep aside.
Heat some more oil, then add the bay leaf and whole garam masala. Add the onion slices and fry till transparent. Then add the onion paste, ginger paste, chopped garlic and continue frying till the mixture turns golden brown. Add the tomato and chopped green chilli.
Fry well till tomato is mashed. Next add the turmeric and kashmiri chili powder with a little water and stir till oil comes out. Add the fried prawns and potato and mix with the masala.
Add required amount of salt, sugar and 1/2 cup of peas. Next add 1 cup of hot water and cook covered over low heat.
Cook till the potatoes are soft and gravy thicken a bit. Adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with rice or roti.
You may sprinkle some more chopped green chilli at the end, if you like.
Saru Chakli is a flat rice based fried pancake traditionally made in Bengal during winter and served with liquid jaggery. I remember having it at my Grand Mom's place during our winter holidays.. Dosa or pancake was quite unheard of during our growing years and this was the first Indian pancake that I have tested. I vividly remember having it on cold evening straight from the coal chulha.....
Ingredients:
Urad Dal - 1 Cup
Rice - 1 Cup
Salt - a pinch
Oil for frying
Soak the rice and dal separately for two hours. Grind them to a paste and then mix with a pinch of salt. Keep it covered for 2 hours.
Heat a non-stick tawa really well. Coat it with a film of oil. Take the batter in a tablespoon and spread it on the hot tawa like a dosa or pancake.
Turn upside down after 1 minute and remove from heat. Serve hot with liquid jaggery / Nolen Gur.
This creamy and fruity salad is a winner, if combined with a hearty soup, it is perfect for a light dinner. I have used blue cheese dressing along with sour curd with the vegetable and fruit, the pungent taste of blue cheese gives a sharp contrast with the sweetness of the apple. Added some roasted peanuts as well to get that extra crunch. You may use roasted walnut instead of peanut.
Ingredients
Apple - 1, cut into wedges
French Beans - 100 gms
Blue Cheese Dressing - 1 heaped tbsp
Curd - 2 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Roasted peanuts - a handful
Blanch the french beans in boiling water. Mix the blue cheese dressing and curd together with the olive oil. Add 1 tbsp of water to it and whisk. Season with salt and pepper. You may add a pinch of sugar, if you like. Spoon over the dressing on the apple and french beans. Scatter the roasted peanuts for garnishing.
I don't remember exactly from where did I get this soup recipe, but made some modifications myself like adding the garlic and all and it tastes great. Needless to say how healthy it is.
Ingredients:
Beetroot - 1 big, chopped roughly
Onion -1
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Vegetable stock or water: 1-2 cups
Green chilli: 1
Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Pressure cook the chopped beetroot and keep aside. Keep the water. Chop the onions. In a pan add the olive oil. Add the chopped onions and garlic paste. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add the boiled beetroot, and chopped green chilli along with the stock/water and let it boil for a few minutes.
Add the cornflour mixed in cold water and stir for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Dilute with stock if it is too thick. Serve hot with bread sticks or bread.
I have never been to Coorg, but heard about their Pork Curry several times. When hubby dearest brought some boneless pork meat last week, initially I got stuck with what to do with this. Since pork is not a regular in our household, for that matter not a regular in general Bengali household, cooking pork is a bit difficult for us, so started searching the net and came across this rich dark pork curry recipe which is essentially a Coorg specialty. Not all ingrdients are handy though, still I managed to find out some alternatives and cooked it. It was really awesome, I must say!!
Ingredients:
Boneless Pork - 500 gms
Onion - 3, chopped
Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
Black Peppercorn - 1 tsp
Fenugreek / methi seed - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric, salt
Green Chilli paste - as per taste
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp( for color)
Dry roast all the whole spices on a hot tava, till they begin to release their aromas. Allow them to cool, then grind to a fine powder.
Wash and drain the pork, sprinkle with the turmeric and set aside.
Heat 3-4 tablespoons of white oil in a pan. Fry the chopped onions till lightly browned.
Add the garlic ginger chilli paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the pork and turmeric, and fry until the pork releases water, and begins to change colour.
Add the coriander powder, chilli powder and continue frying till the water reduced to minimum.
Finally add all the dry roasted spices. Stir thoroughly. Add salt to taste.
Add about 1 and 1/2 cups of hot water, or according to the gravy required.
Pressure cook on medium heat for about 20 mins. Remove from gas and allow the pressure to drop. Get it back to the Pan, add the vinegar and soya sauce and mix well. Simmer for a few minutes. Finally, add some chopped green chillies. Enjoy juicy pork curry with rice or roti.
I had a small gathering at home and was thinking of some snack recipes, which are not difficult to prepare, can be made beforehand and at the same time innovative too to get a wow from the guests. While browsing through my recipe collections, I came across this sausage ball one and got the idea instantly. Of course, I had to make some changes here and there according to ingredients availability, added some toasted 'panch foron' or Bengali five spice to get that extra punch along with the cheese, have mixed all the ingredients and kept it ready in advance, and just before the guests arrived, popped them into the oven. Yeyyy...'Garma garam' snack is ready and I am free to talk to my guests too.
Ingredients
Chicken Sausage - 10 pieces
Flour - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Panch Foron ( Bengali fivespice) - 2 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1 tbsp
Grated Cheddar Cheese - 100 gms
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1, thinly sliced
Melted butter - 1 tbsp
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Salt to taste
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, chilli powder and baking powder. Roast the panch foron in a dry tawa and then add it to the bowl. Add the grated cheese and mix well. Finely chop the sausages and add to the bowl. Mix the chopped onion, green chilli and butter too. Mix well with a spatula.
Roll the mixture into small balls and keep refrigerated.
Pre-heat oven to 200 degree C. Place ball in a non-stick baking tray 1/2 inch apart and bake until the balls are golden and cooked through. I baked it for 20 minutes of so.
Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.
This recipe is posted in Kolkata Food Bloggers group to celebrate its 1st Birthday. Please do visit the site to get mouth watering dishes and take part in wonderful events organised by them time to time.
This recipe is also sent to the following event organised by 'Home Cooking Chef'
This is recipe from one of my favorite aunt, which she cooks really well and we get to taste it in multiple occasion. This is a favorite fish in my household too, but we used to enjoy it as "Pabda Sorshe - Pabda fish in Mustard Sauce" or even "Doi Pabda - Pabda in Curd Sauce". This time, when I get these fresh Pabda fish in the market, I have decided to give it a try to make "Pabda r jhaal - with Tomato" and asked her the process. It is such a simple and easy recipe but the end result is really wonderful. Must be enjoyed with plain rice and yes,,please donot forget the mustard oil.
Ingredients:
Pabda Fish - 4
Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 3, medium
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Kalojire / kalonji seeds - a pinch
Green Chilli - 4-5
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt, Turmeric
Coriander leaves - a handful
A pinch of sugar(optional)
Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric for 10 minutes. Carefully place the fish in hot oil and fry covered till golden brown. Be careful while frying since the frying process splutters a lot of hot oil.
In the mean time, mix ginger paste, turmeric, cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and sugar in a cup of water. Chop the tomatoes really fine and keep aside.
Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add kalojire, when it splutters, add chopped tomato and cook for a while.
When tomato is cooked and mashed, add the spice water made earlier. Fry it till water evaporates and oil comes out.
Then add 1 cup of hot water. when it is boiling, lower the heat, add the fish pieces, add chopped green chilli and boil for 10 minutes,
When gravy thickens, add chopped coriander and switch off the heat.
