Navami Special Mutton Curry

This year Durga Puja is just aweful. Today is Maha Navami and it is raining continuously for the last 2 days due to cyclone Phailin, which hit Coastal Odissa last night. Bengal has got heavy rains due to it and met office says, since the cyclone weakens and turns into deep depression, hence the rain and it will continue for next 48 hours. Blah !! Whatever it is, this is the worst Durga puja I have ever had since my childhood. Can't go out, no question of Pandal Hopping, no street food etc etc...so I decided to focus on the food rituals during Durga puja. For those who are not aware, it is customary to have mutton on Navami. I have mutton in my freezer, but I was not ready to cook something very elaborate. Tried this recipe, which I have got from one of my friend, and it comes out really delicious.

Ingredients:

• Mutton - 500 gms
• Onion - 2, chopped
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Dried Red Chilli - 4,green chilli - 3
• Jeera = 1 tsp
• Star Anise - 1
• Cloves - 4
• Cardamom - 4
• Cinnamon - 1 stick
• Bay leaves - 3
• Potatoes - 3, peeled & halved
• Mustard Oil
• Salt, Kashmiri Chilli powder
• Turmeric
• Sugar

In a pressure cooker, add washed mutton pieces, chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, all the whole spices, salt and mustard oil.

Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well with all ingredients. Close the lid.

After the first whistle lower the flame and let the mutton cook for 10 mins. Keep covered.

Open the lid and let the water dry. Add potatoes and  1 cup of water and close the lid again. After the first whistle lower the flame and cook for another 8 mins or till the mutton is done.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice.

Nona Ilish

Nona Ilish is a Bangal delicacy, which I learnt from my Mom In Law. Nona Ilish is basically sun dried Hilsa fish preserved with lots of salt. What I understand from Mom-In-Law is, when Hilsa fish is in abandon, fishermen preserve the fishes with salt in a layered manner so that the same they can enjoy when Hilsa is not available. This process to make nona ilish  is something like this, one layer of fish is mixed with salt and placed in an earthenware pot. A second layer goes on top and this way it continues till it reaches the top mouth of the pot. Then the mouth is sealed and placed underground. Anyway, just a word of caution, since the fish contains lots of salt, you need to wash them very thoroughly before cooking and you must not use any salt during cooking. I was a bit sceptical before trying it out because of the smell, but there was no strong smell that you usually get while cooking dried fish ( Sutki).

Ingredients

• Nona Ilish - 3 pieces
• Onions - 3 - chopped
• Green Chilli - 6, more if you can handle it.
• Turmeric - a pinch

Soak the nona ilish in hot water preferably overnight so that most of the salt get dissolved in water. Change the water after 2 - 3 hours for atleast 2 -3 times.
Remember, this preparation does not need salt to be added since  the fishes are already salted. Washing the fish is very important, otherwise you will not be able to have it due to its salt content. Now, the recipe.

Take mustard oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces thoroughly.

Add chopped onions and 3 green chillies in the same oil and stir. You may sprinkle some water as well.

Fry for 4-5 minutes till the onions are browned thoroughly. You may add the turmeric powder at this stage.

Add the fried fish and mix well. Add some more green chilies if you can handle it, Sprinkle a handful of water into it.

Continue frying till oil comes out of the onions. Add chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve with plain rice.

Loittya Maach er Rosa - Bombay Duck Curry

Seriously, this loittya machh in Bengal, (Bombay duck or Bombil in Mumbai), is the ugliest fish I have ever seen. But, truly speaking,, they are really delicious, both the fresh as well as the dried one, provided you can handle the pungent smell of dried fish. I used to make jhuro of fresh loittya fish with potato or brinjal, but this time it is made in the curry form. You may have to adjust the amount of chilli you add depending on your taste bud and tolerance level though.

Ingredients

• Bombay duck / Loittya fish - 6 - 7
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp.
• Medium Onions - 2, chopped
• Green Chilli - 6 -7, chopped
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt and Turmeric Powder - as required
• Mustard Oil - 3 tbsp.
• Coriander Leaves - a handful
• Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp

Clean and Cut the fish into 2 pieces. Discard the head and tail. Smear with salt and turmeric and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wide pan and put the garlic first, stir.

put the chopped onion and stir … then put the chopped green chilies and stir.

Put the loittey pieces …… stir carefully turning only once ……. After 2-3 min cover the pan with a heavy lid.

After 4-5 min, remove the cover, put salt, remaining turmeric powder , the red chili powder, all mixed in little water and the ginger paste.

Pour the water and gently stir the fish pieces and shake the pan holding the handles and cover again.

Cook for further 10-12 min in low heat ………check once in between and if dried up, add little water. Remove from heat … put the tomato sauce, shake the pan holding the handles …… spread chopped coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice.

Chicken Stew - Indian Style



This is a simple recipe using chicken and vegetables simmered over low heat with very less spices and oil.

 

 

Ingredients

• Chicken - 500 gms
• Onion - 3, chopped
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Green chilli - 5
• Mixed vegetables - copped, 1 cup
• Bay leaf - 2
• Whole garam masala - 3
• Salt, sugar, turmeric - as required
• Butter - 1 tsp

 

Add butter in a wok and when it is hot, add the bay leaf and garam masalas. Immediately add the chopped onions with green chilli and fry well.

 

 

Add the vegetables and stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add the chicken pieces with pinch of salt and turmeric and mix well with vegetables. Add 2 cups of hot water to chicken vegetable mixture and let it boil for some time.

Cook till the chicken and vegetable is tender. Adjust the seasoning. When it is done, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and keep covered. Serve hot with tawa roti.

 

Kolkata Style Mutton Biriyani

One of my sister once asked for this Kokata style Mutton Biriyani recipe and I was like..'Impossible... can't make it..so time consuming,,so many ingredients,,so much patience I need,,etc etc..,,,'. But finally I did it,,Thanks to Sayantani, my Kolkata food blogger friend, from her blog I have adapted this recipe,,with some minor twist and turn, of course.
For those, who don't know, Biriyani is a one dish meal where rice is cooked separately from the thick sauce, which is essentially a reduced meat curry. The rice and curry are then brought together and layered, resulting in a dish of contrasting flavour of flavoured rice and intensely flavoured curry. Kolkata Biriyani evolved from the Lucknow style when Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh was exiled to Kolkata. He brought his personal chef along with him since he was very particular about his food. During recession, Aloo or Potato was used instead of meat, which, later has become the signature of Kolkata Biriyani.

Ingredients:

• Mutton : 500 gms
• Long Grain Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
• Potatoes - 3, peeled and halved
• Eggs - 3, boiled
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Onion -3 , chopped
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp.
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp.
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 5
• Bay leaves - 3
• Green Cardamom - 5
• Cloves - 5
• Cinnamon Stick - 1
• Peppercorn - 10
• Mace - 1
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Rose Water - 1tsp
• Kewra Water - 1tsp
• White Oil
• Ghee
• Salt, Turmeric

Marinate the mutton with curd, turmeric powder and salt for 1 hour.

Cook the basmati rice carefully with salt and bayleaf. You may need to cook it for 10 minutes over low heat and immediately drain the water. Spread it in a plate to cool it completely. This step is very crucial, if the rice is overcooked, your biriyani will become something else other than biriyani. ;-)

Dry Roast the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorn and mace for 1 minute, then cool it and grind it to powder.
Add oil in a pan. Then add half of the chopped onions with a pinch of salt and suger till it gets nice brown color. Remove and keep aside.

Boil the eggs and keep aside. Fry the potatoes with a pinch of salt and turmeric till golden brown. Then add 1/2 cup of water to it and let it boil. Add the fried eggs too. Once potatoes are cooked through, remove from heat and keep aside.

 Heat oil and ghee in the same pan. Then add a pinch of Jeera and bayleaves to this oil. When it splutters, add the rest of the onions and fry till golden brown.

Add garlic paste and green chilli and fry well. When the raw smell of garlic evaporates, add 1 chopped tomato, ginger paste and sauté. Add coriander powder with a sprinkle of water if required, then add the  marinated mutton and mix well. Add salt, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli powder at this stage as well.

Saute well till the mutton is brown and oil comes out of it.

Add 2 cups of boiling water to it and pressure cook till the mutton is cooked well. Remove the lid when pressure drops, then boil the mutton till most of the water evaporates and it becomes a thick gravy.

In the mean time add ghee to the cooked rice. Sprinkle the ground masala powder and mix well. Be careful, you must not break the rice or mash it. Mix lightly.

Add rose water and kewra water in 1/2 cup of milk and keep aside.
Take a heavy bottomed pan and smear ghee into it. Now make one layer of rice, then add mutton pieces along with gravy, cooked potato and egg. Sprinkle scented milk with some ghee.

Continue this way, make a layer of rice, then a layer of mutton till you reach at the top of your pot. Your top layer must be rice. Sprinkle rest of the milk, add some more ghee then cover the top with fried onions.

Seal the mouth of the pot with foil. Then put a heavy lid on top. Place the sealed pot over a tawa. Cook it over low flame for 45 minutes.

Give it a good shake once. done. Keep of standing time for 10 more minutes before seaving. Serve with fresh salad and Burhani.

Foil Baked Fish n Vegetable

Once again, it is time for Know your Kolkata Food Blogger's event and this time it is the turn of Antara Ray who blogs from http://antypasti.com. As like other bloggers from Kolkata Food Blogger's friend, I am yet to meet her in person, but what I like about her blog is there are recipes which are very easy and super quick. e.g. This baked fish recipe is so easy, yet so flavourful, I could not imagine the end result would be this good. Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• Basa Fish Fillet - 3
• Potato -2, sliced
• Carrot - 2, sliced
• Green peas -1/2 cup
• Corn - 1/2 cup
• Black pepper - as required
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp.
• Salt - as required
• Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
• Lemon Juice 1 tbsp.
• Garlic - chopped, 1 tbsp

Marinate the fish fillet with lemon juice for 30 minutes
Lay out two layers of foil on a baking tray. Now arrange potato & carrot slices onto it. Put other vegetables as well. Sprinkle salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

Place the marinated fish on top of vegetable. Sprinkle chopped garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and vinegar over the fish again. Sprinkle red chilli flakes at the top.

Wrap up the sides of the foil around the fish so that the cooking juices should not come out of it. Now place the fish packets onto the baking tray and bake at 180 degree C for 15 minutes. The time may vary depending on your oven so keep checking,

  Let it stand inside the oven for 5 more minutes before you take it out of the oven.
Serve by opening the top of the foil with a drizzle of lemon juice.

For more easy and quick  recipes, please visit Antara's Blog.