Kochu pata Chingri - Prawns with Colocasia leaves

We have this Bangladeshi restaurant in Kolkata named Kasturi where we have tasted this delicious dish for the first time. Here the prawns are cooked with kochu pata or young colocasia leaves with coconut and mustard paste. Flavor of Mustard oil is very dominant in this dish and you have to be really really careful about the leaves, since colocasia leaves may give you an itchy throat. In a nutshell, a dish not for the faint hearted.  

Ingredients

• Colocasia / Kochu leaves - finely chopped, 2 cups
• Green chilli and mustard paste - 3 tbsp
• Prawns - 200 gm, cleaned and deveined
• Desiccated coconut - 2 tbsp
• Coconut milk - 1 cup
• Salt, turmeric
• Mustard oil - 4-5 tbsp, more, if required

Boil the colocasia leaves in hot water and then discard the water. This is a mandatory step to omit the itchiness of the throat. Now pour mustard oil in a pan. Lightly fry the prawns with a pinch of salt and turmeric and keep aside.

Remove the prawns, then in the same oil add the mustard paste, sugar, salt and turmeric, Fry quickly.

Now add chopped leaves which were steamed in the hot water.

Stir it to mix with the masalas, then add the fried prawns.

Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk and desiccated coconut.

Cover and cook till the milk dries up and oil starts coming out the sides. Adjust the seasoning. Switch off the heat and then pour one or two tbsp of mustard oil more over it. Keep covered for some time. Sprinkle some more desiccated coconut and serve with plain rice.
You may add some more chopped green chillies, if you can handle the heat. Enjoy !!

Kachur Loti - Karai Paturi

We bangals ( those whose ancestors are from East Bengal, now Bangladesh) love to eat our Kochu or colocasia. Kochur Loti or colocasia stem / shoots are a delicacy, though a bit tedious to cut and clean etc, but the effort is worth it. Cooked this with a generous dose of mustard oil, mustard paste and some grated coconuts. A great dish to enjoy with a plateful of steamed rice.

Ingredients

• Kochur Loti - 500 gms, clean, cut into 1 inch long pieces after removing the skin
• Mustard Paste - 2 tbsp
• Grated Coconut - 4 tbsp
• Mustard Oil - 4 tbsp
• Salt, Turmeric. Sugar - as per taste
• Green Chilli paste - As per the tolerance level
• Kalonji seeds / kalo jire - a pinch

Steam the loti lightly and discard the water. 

In a flat bowl, take the kochur loti, and add mustard paste, grated coconut, salt, turmeric, green chilli paste, sugar and half of the mustard oil. Mash everything and keep aside for 30 minutes.

After the marination time is over, heat a flat pan and add the remaining mustard oil onto it. When it is smoking hot, add the kalonji seeds and let it splatter. Next add the kochur loti mixture and spread evenly after giving it a good stir.

Now lower the heat and cover the pan tightly. Let it cook in its own juice.
After 10 minutes, remove the lid. Carefully flip the mixture on the other side and continue cooking over low heat for 10 more minutes. Usually, you don't need to add water. If required sprinkle few drops here and there.

Adjust the seasoning.  Remove from heat once the kochur loti is soft the bottom side is almost brown.
Sprinkle some more grated coconut and relish with hot steamed rice.