Chili Mustard Chicken

Chili Mustard Chicken 

Meeting the right kind of people makes you confident, it makes you strive for betterment and you learn so much more than you had expected to. Meeting the wrong kind of people can have the exact opposite effect. The right kind of people have indirectly inspired me to start my own sourdough starter , open up my mind, experiment and be happy.

I blog because thats the way I express myself. I try to hold on to the fleeting moments of joy and pen them down, most of the times I fail but the strange thing is every time I haphazardly look up a post written long ago I remember every moment of the day, my feelings what led me to write the post.

During my initial days of blogging I was stunned with what I had experienced. A world where photographs rule over the very essence of food. Dont get me wrong I love good photographs but this insane obsession with photographing over learning about food made me feel alone till I met the right group of people whose interest in food transcends beyond fabulous photographs. Some of them take beautiful photographs but the main subject is all about food.

I had , well I still have a basic point and shoot camera which my husband forced me to buy and recently I cannot even find its chord to download the photographs to my computer.

Anyway the joys of seeing that my 2 month old neglected starter is alive completely makes up for the loss of the cord.

So I made a caramelized onion and black pepper sourdough bread. I am  a novice when it comes to sourdough bread so if you want to make your own sourdough bread I suggest you look up the internet. There are plenty of posts which would guide you in the right direction.

Then I thought I needed something to go with my bread. Ideally I would have preferred a dry spicy mutton dish but since we had mutton just last Saturday I went with what I call a mild fiery mustard chili chicken.

Its one of the most basic recipes, minimum ingredients and a quick fix. Where did I learn it, ah well nowhere it draws heavily from the Bengali style of cooking


Anyway it serves 2


You need :-
450gm chicken chopped in medium sized pieces  (preferably thing and leg pieces )
2 to 3 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
10 to 12 green chili (the hot variant is what I used)
A pinch of black cumin seeds aka nigella seeds
Salt as per taste
2 tbsp mustard oil

Make a smooth paste of mustard and green chili with water  .Heat the mustard oil, when the foam appears add the nigella seeds and when they splutter add the chicken and seal the juices and lower heat. Strain the mustard and chili mixture and add it tot he chicken. The best way is to add a bit of water and extract all of it . Straining is a must else the gravy turns bitter. Simmer on lowest heat possible for 10 minutes and serve with hot steaming rice or in my case some rustic homemade sourdough caramelized sourdough bread.

Kancha Lonka Murgi II

Kancha Lonka Murgi II 

I rarely cook a special dish without following a recipe from an old cookbook or a cookbook by a chef I trust and I mostly stick to a recipe when I follow it which is why on that rare occasion when I make a recipe without following any recipe and go with my flow it instantly becomes special to me especially if I love the taste and more so if the people who taste it like it.

Now if you cannot stand heat and I meat hot and spicy food where the heat comes from chili then this particular recipe is not for you. It is called Green chili chicken for a reason.

What I most like about the dishes from my roots that is Bengal is how many of its recipes especially when meat is concerned is cooked sans garlic and onion and it yet turns out delicious.

Last year I made this 'Kacha Lonka Murgi' kancha lonka = green chili and Murgi = chicken following my friend Priyadarshini's recipe which used garlic and ginger paste and green chili.

This time I created my own recipe sans the garlic and I have to say I absolutely loved it. One other factor which is crucial is the use of mustard oil. This dish just simply cannot come out well without that strong flavour of mustard oil.

You must serve it with hot piping rice for a beautiful experience.


Makes approximately 4 to 5 servings :

1 kilogram chicken
40 green chilies made into a smooth paste using water. (The number of chilies depends largely on their strength of heat so start with 30 green chilies and if it doesn't taste hot enough use 40. I used 40 of them)
1 tbsp smooth ginger paste
3/4 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp radhuni (optional)
4 tbsp mustard oil
Salt as per taste

Marinate the chicken with the ginger paste and some salt for 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Now heat the mustard oil and when its smoky turn down the heat and add the nigella seeds and radhuni if available and when it splutters add the chicken and sear it on high heat for 1 minute and stir and then simmer on the lowest heat possible covering the pan and let it cook on low heat for 7 minutes and add half the green chili paste and 1/4th cup of water  and keep cooking on low heat for another 10 minutes or so and add the rest of the green chili and cook for another 5 minutes and let it rest for 7 minutes to 10 minutes and serve with piping hot rice.

Chicken Khirmich Pulao

Chicken Khirmich Pulao 

(Murgir Khirmich Pulao)

If one asks me about the exact moment when I got so interested in the kitchen I would not be able to give the person a straight answer. Part of it was because my mother who always stays away from the kitchen had taken up cooking delicious Chinese food when I was about 11 years old. It was more so delightful for me because I was usually an ostracized person in groups where people of my age group would brag about their mother's skill in the kitchen. What amazed was how close my mother's Chinese was to the food of old Chinatown from Calcutta. Unlike my friends who brought greasy Chinese which was doused in soya sauce or lacked the flavour my mother made balanced mild flavoured Chinese food which had amazed me. I had later learnt that she had learnt this from a friend who had studied hotel management. Then came a period when as with many teenagers I had a dramatic relationship with my ma and she stopped cooking and focused on her love of mountains. So perhaps it was to taste her delicious dishes that I started cooking Chinese food the ones she made at home. She had shared the recipes. That will be for another post.

If I close my eyes I see myself salivating while reading Enid Blytons books and the descriptions of picnic baskets and having this urge to taste all of them but the truth is I grew up among my maternal grandmother and aunt (mother's brother's wife) who left a deep impact on my mind about cooking. While my mother was the fiery no nonsense woman who was rough and tough I grew up in a world of drying lentil dumplings and making lip smacking Bengali dishes. My aunt's influence and an urge to imitate her filled me with an intense desire to learn the way she would render her magic to dishes. She is like a mother to me and taught me all that she knew about Bengali cooking encouraging me and appreciating my efforts.

What I learnt from her was mostly what had been passed down by her mother some 40 years ago hence I have the greatest regard for tradition when it comes to cooking.

Much later I realized that if I do really want to know about my Bengali culinary roots I must do what I believe if the only way to gather knowledge, that is read books.

What I discovered has left me brimming with pride for imagine this in Bengal women were publishing cookbooks at a time when emancipation for women was unheard of in most parts of the world.

Bengali Fish Fry

Bengali Fish Fry 

The Bengali fish fry is this crunchy breadcrumb coated delicious snack. Served with the piquant Bengali mustard sauce 'kasundi' and some thinly sliced cucumber and onions this makes for a superb snack.

To be fair the fish used in this recipe plays a major role. So yes, Bhetki aka Barramundi is irreplaceable for the Bengali fish fry.
I prefer my fillets to not be too thin or too thick so usually I purchase a 1kg to 1.5 kg Bhetki and then get about 16 fillets from it.


Serves 4 to 5 people

9 fillets (Bhetki/Tilapia) weighing 370gm  in total
2 tsp thick smooth garlic paste (Garlic paste can be smooth and watery or thick and smooth,  I used a number of garlic cloves to make it thick an smooth)

Juice of  1 Tbsp ginger paste 

Approximately 2 tsp onion paste which must be extremely smooth
2 tsp green chili coriander leaf paste  

Salt as per taste 

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

For the dipping batter
1 cup gram flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp
Sufficient water to make it to a dripping consistency

3  cups bread crumb

Mustrad oil for frying 

Marinate the fillets for about 1 hour to 2 hours
Make a smooth batter -  If the batter if too thick it does not coat the fish well and the coat keeps coming off from the fish .
Dunk the fillets in the batter and then pat it with  breadcrumb making sure the breadcrumbs coat the fillets without leaving any spots. 

Important tip :-

1. If you use high heat while frying the fish easily becomes blackened on parts which is unwanted. 
2. Make sure you keep changing the oil when there is some residue at the bottom of the wok. In my experience this prevents the fish from crisping up. I do not know why this happens though.

Enjoy this lovely snack with some Bengali mustard base condiment (Kasuni)  onion rings 

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Bengali Scotch Eggs (Dimer Devil)

Bengali Scotch Eggs (Dimer Devil) 

I have this particular fascination with family recipes especially one that has survived 2 generations. When my fellow blogger and friend Pritha told me that she has some family recipes for chops and cutlets handed down by her grandmother to her aunt and mother, I was immediately excited with the prospect of family recipes. I knew that I had to get my hands on these recipes. For me, a recipe is a treasure and a recipe which survives 2 generations or more automatically becomes a part of history and culture and slowly heritage.

Pritha is an extremely dedicated person who sticks to her culinary challenges which she takes up every other month. Not that she doesn't keep preparing lip smacking dishes all round the year but every other month she takes up a challenge of creating  one recipe after a other for a particular time span on a theme she chooses.

I completely stuck to the recipe except for using coriander leaves aka cilantro rather than parsley leaves  .

Here is a little tip for you guys. In the recent past a very experienced lady who is part of the facebook Food group Ranna Bati brought this to light that the term Garam Masala is a very generalized term which makes so sense when it comes to Indian cuisine due to its vast range of cuisines. For instance a Punjabi would use Bay leaves and Black cardamom in his garam masala while a Bengali usually sticks to cinnamon, green cardamom , cloves and for special occasions there is the additional mace and nutmeg and usually we Bengalis do not grind our Garam Masal for most dishes  . Now in many of my previous recipes I myself have used the term 'garam masala' without specifying the spices used.

In this recipe's context since its Bengali when I was making the mince meat filling since I had halved Pritha's recipe I had used 2 green cardamom, 2 cloves , 1/4th inch cinnamon . I dry roasted it and then used a mortar and pestle to make a finely ground powder.

So go check out her recipe here : Dimer Devil

Here is a tip which might help you :

When you fill the cavity of the egg whites with the mince meat and then use a bit of mashed potato to coat the egg make sure the coating of potato is not too much because if you make a very large oval shaped Dimer Devil to be fried when you fry it , chances are that the coating of batter would break on both the sides.

I would suggest serving the dish with the classic 'Kasundi' (Bengali Mustard condiment) and in its absence any mustard condiment is the ideal choice for the condiment.

Malai Chop and an aunt's Love

Malai Chop and an aunt's love

I can just call this my Calcutta Connection. Well I'l be honest once you start making sweets at home it becomes an addiction. I am passionate not just about sweets but about cultures because for me it through food that I can communicate with the entire world.

'Malai Chomchom' is a much loved sweet dish from Bengal where flattened or cylindrical shaped cottage cheese is boiled in thin sugar syrup and then soaked in slightly thickened milk. It is an absolute delicacy but then the recipe I am sharing today is extra special for me. I have a beautiful aunt who would often come over to our place with a big case of delightful  white Malai Chomchom but these malai chom choms had a coat of milk which was thickened enough to stay put on the white beauties. Now that I think about it I haven't ever paid attention to the name of the shop from where my darling aunt would bring one of my favourite sweets but now I can easily make it at home and so can anyone who is reading this.

Sitting in Bombay I miss Kolkata and so on an ordinary Saturday I decided to make these sweets from my memory. Having previously made roshogollas , pantuas, chanar jilipi , jalebi I was more or less confident enough to not consult any recipe and my confidence was well rewarded with a husband who usually doesn't like sweets yet gobbled up 3 and 3/4th malai chomchoms out of the 5 that I made 

Makes 4 Malaichochoms and a semi mini malai chomchom

1 litre full fat milk and it must be full fat

7 tbsp sugar

3/4th tbsp vinegar diluted in 3 tbsp water

1 tsp sugar

3/4th tsp semolina

tiny pinch of bi-carbonate of soda

For the syrup

1/2 cup sugar granules

5 cups of water

2 green cardamom

2 tbsp pistachios blanched and finely chopped

Start a day ahead by first making the condensed milk. Simply take 500ml of the milk and 7 tbsp sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and simmer it on low flame stirring it from time to time. Once the milk turns beige , thick and starts bubbling you must keep stirring it continuously and then cool it and blend it in the food processor / mixer grinder. Chill it in the refrigerator. The process takes about 45 minutes to 50 minutes.

The next day bring the milk to a roaring boil and lower the heat and add the diluted vinegar and let the cottage cheese form well so that in the end you have snow white cheese floating in a green liquid. It takes 2 minutes. Now switch off the gas-stove and cover and leave for 5 minutes . Then gather the cheese in a cloth and drain it for 15 minutes to 20 minutes and then take the cheese on a wooden board and knead well rubbing the cheese against the wooden board and gathering it and kneading it. After 3 minutes of kneading add the semolina , baking powder and 1 tsp sugar and knead well. Knead well for a good 15 minutes. The softness of the dessert depends entirely on the kneading. Make a large ball and divide it into 5 parts and make discs out of them.

Now bring the sugar and water to a boil and add the green cardamom . make sure that the pan is large enough to hold all the cheese discs side by side. Lower the heat and add the discs and cover and boil on medium heat for 15 minutes. It is essential that you keep lowering the temperature and increasing it in-between. Once done keep it covered for 10 minutes to 15 minutes and then take off the cover. Once the discs cool down place them on a tray and soak them with the thick condensed milk and garnish with pistachios and chill for 4 hours to 5 hours before serving.

Enjoy these soft milky creamy delights.

Very important tips :-

1. It is extremely important that you use the tiniest pinch of bakign soda else your discs will break when they are being boiled in the syrup. 
2. The softness of the discs depends entirely on the kneading , so knead as much as possible , your dough should be melt in the mouth and ultra soft 
3. When you make the syrup remember that it is the thinnest syrup possible so once the sugar gets dissolved in the water after you have started boiling it immediately lower heat and add discs.  

This is part of Kolkata Food Blogger's  Ongoing event 'Deepavali, Festival of Lights with Sweets and Savouries'

Chanar Jilipi (Cottage Cheese Jalebi)

Chanar Jilipi (Cottage Cheese Jalebi) 

 There comes a time of the year when the entire state of Bengal gets intoxicated with celebrating the Goddess Durga.

Now the whole of India loves jalebis , fermented deep fried soaked in syrup ,its crunchy and sweet and delicious but then it is only in Bengal that we have Chanar Jilipi soft and luscious soaked in sugar syrup. To be fair Bengal has its own love affair with ' Chana ' fresh cottage cheese and its other love affair is with sweets. The variety of sweets that you get here amazes everyone.

Makes 8 Jalebis

1 litre full cream milk
1 tbsp to 2 tbsp vinegar diluted with 1 tbsp to 2 tbsp water
3 heaped tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp semolina
A tiny pinch of baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp ghee

Oil for deep-frying

For the syrup :-

1.5 cup sugar
3 cups water
A few drops of lemon juice
3 green cardamom

Start by making the cottage cheese aka 'chena' by first bringing the milk to a roaring boil and then adding the diluted vinegar. You shall see the green whey separate from the white cheese. One must immediately turn down the heat and let the cheese form for about 5 minutes and then switch off the gas and cover the pan and leave it for 5 minutes.

Before I added the whey 

Now gather the cheese aka 'chena' in a cheese-cloth or muslin cloth and drain it of the whey by hanging it for about 15 minutes or so. Do not throw away the whey.

Now make your dough with the chena , sugar, all purpose flour, baking soda , ghee, 1 tbsp whey and semolina. Your dough must be extremely soft. Kneading the dough on a wooden surface gives the best result.

Once you are done kneading leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes and in the meanwhile start preparing the sugar syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil and adding the cardamom and lemon juice and simmering for 5 minutes.

Now give a good kneading to the dough and divide it into 4 equal halves and then make eight balls from these halves and roll out each ball gently but firmly to form a cylindrical shape. When you are forming the cylinders make sure you dip your hands in the why and then mash the balls and form the cylinders , but do it gently because if you put too much of pressure it will leave cracks and now form a 6 with the dough bring the loose end towards the head and press it gently to form the shape.

 These must not have any cracks and if the dough doesn't have enough liquid it starts cracking which is why you must dip your fingers in the whey.

Now heat enough oil for deep frying but on low heat. Gently slide the final raw chanar jilipi in the oil and fry it till its a golden reddish colour on both the sides and then soak it in the syrup for 2 hours before serving it.

Very Important tips :-

1. You must use full fat milk else the taste is almost always compromised upon 
2. When you are making the syrup adding the lemon juice prevents crystallization. 
3. When making the dough if you happen to add even a bit of extra bicarbonate of soda your jilipis will break when you are frying them which is why after forming the dough and having it let it rest you should first shape and fry and in case it spreads out use a bit of flour , say about 2 tbsp flour and knead the dough. This will prevent the rest of the jilipis from cracking and spreading. 
4. When you are frying the jilipi it must be on low heat at all times. It will take a frustratingly long time but if you increase the heat it will burn or become golden very quickly and the insides will remain raw.

Sondesh

Norom paker Sondesh (Ultra soft sondesh)  

Once you have had your success with Sondesh a delicate sweet from Bengal you realize its one of the easiest desserts to make but all you need is patience, strong hands and a will to knead a good amount.

Before I give the very easy recipe what you need to know is Sondesh can be categorized broadly under 'Norom Pak' the soft melt in the mouth variant which is cooked for a few minutes to make cotton soft sweets and then there is the 'Kora Pak' the hard variant which lasts longer than the Norom Pak but quite honestly isn't of the melt in the mouth texture. Then there is 'Kacha Golla' a softer variant which is not even cooked or hardly cooked to keep it ultra soft.

Now I was born in the city of sweets at least the city of Sondesh, Kolkata , but I am very particular about the kind of sondesh I eat. If its coloured I will give it a skip, if it has too much of fragrance from artifical attar I detest it. I like mine in the purest form with natural falvourings such as rose or saffron or pistachios or almonds.

When it comes to Sondesh I cannot remember my maternal grandmother, 'Dima' who stays in a house which is more ancient than her 92 years. Not that she has ever made sweets but my Dima was always the sweet connoisseur or rather one who staunchly believed when it came to sweets it must be traditional. There is one of the oldest sweet shops in Calcutta located near her home called , 'Bhim Chandra Nag' established somewhere in 1848 and while I was growing up she would ritually send me to get sweets from the sweetshop to feed me a huge number of sweets. Later in my late teen years I would protest saying that it seemed irrational since at times I did not want to eat sweets. Only after I passed out from college and suddenly stepped into adulthood did I realize how much I cherish these silly rituals.

Today when I made these soft sondesh and fed my 92 year old grandmother at first she refused them saying she has lost her taste and doesn't enjoy sweets and then when I informed her that I have made it myself she ate an entire square and said that it was fantastic. I guess that brought me all the joy.

Then there is my Mimi (maternal uncle's wife) who is a true magician in the kitchen when it comes to Bengali dishes and when her approval came for the sweets I knew I have passed in the art of making sweets. Funnily enough I realize it now that I have begun writing that I did not follow anyone's recipe but I will share those very important tips which are essential

What you need for 16 squares of Sondesh

1.5 litre full cream milk
1 tbsp to 2 tbsp non fruit vinegar diluted with 1 tbsp water
6 tbsp castor sugar
50gm finely chopped pistachios which have been blanched from before
2 fat green cardamom
Ghee or clarified butter for greasing

The process is pretty simple. Bring the milk to a roaring boil in a large pan and slowly add the diluted vinegar and keep boiling till the cheese is formed and you see the greenish whey and the floating cheese. Turn off the gas stove and cover with a lid with no holes and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Now gather the cheese in a cheesecloth or muslin cloth and hang it to drain it of whey for 15 minutes.

In the meantime dry roast the cardamom for 2 minutes and take out the seeds and pound them to a fine powder. Blanch the pistachios and finely chop them.

After 15 minutes take the cheese in a large flat bowl. It helps to have a raised fence around the flat plate greased with ghee from before for ease of working with the cheese. Start mashing it using both your hands and then use the heel of your palm to make the smoothest dough ever. Your Sondesh's success depends completely on this process of kneading.

After 5 minutes add the sugar and cardamom powder and knead for 15 minutes. In the end it will be a soft dough. Now take the smallest possible wok in proportion to the amount of cheese dough and place the dough in it and cook this on low heat for just about 2 minutes to 3 minutes.

Let it cool down and knead with some amount of the finely chopped pistachios for 10 minutes and then make 16 balls and shape them in squares on a greased plate. Finish off by sprinkling pistachios on each square.

For making Ultra soft Sondesh these following tips are crucial :-

1. The milk must absolutely be 100% whole milk. No compromise on fat please 
2. You must not use lemon to curdle the milk since it leaves a lemony smell which interferes with the flavours you use 
3. If you want ultra soft melt in the mouth Sondesh you hand the cheese for 15 minutes else you can hang it for 30 minutes 
4. You cannot compromise on the time for kneading because that dictates how soft your Sondesh will turn out 
5. When it comes to flavouring know that Sondesh is supposed to be delicate so if you are using rose flavour where you use 1 tbsp rose water per 500ml of milk used for making cheese its best to not use cardamom because then the flavour of cardamom will overpower the flavour of rose. When using saffron no other flavouring is needed. 

Rose flavoured Norom Paker Sondesh

Mishti Doi / Sweetened Curd

Mishti Doi / Sweetened Curd 

The truth is sometimes we have the ideas in our head but until and unless we get 'proof of the pudding' from someone else we are too afraid to take up the challenge. You see I have always made thick curd at home. My trick, well its simple I thicken the milk a bit and strain it to remove all that unwanted layers of cream which does interfere with the curd's smoothness. I have often thought of adding sugar or jaggery to the curd while setting it but then backed out because I was not sure. Now there are a lot of recipes for the typical Bengali sweetened curd out there but most of them require you to bake it and that is perfectly logical but somehow I have a mental blockage. You see having been born and brought up in Calcutta I literally grew up with numerous sweetmeat shops around me and baking curd is not an option followed by any sweet shop in Calcutta and then I came across Swati Burman's recipe which simply used sugar and then set it like one would with normal curd. Simple enough for me. I did reduce the quantity of milk and what I ultimately had after overnight setting and 4 hours of chilling is thick luscious sweetened curd. I do use those big hot pots which keeps food warm.

Serves 5 to 6

Recipe Courtsey : Swati Burman from Ranna-Bati

So this is what I  required :-

1 litre of full fat milk
1 tbsp of store bought thick curd . In Calcutta I relied upon my local famous sweetshop which makes curd thick enough for one to confuse it with clotted cream
4 tbsp sugar , now the original recipe did call for 4 tbsp sugar for 2.5 litres of milk but that seemed a tad too less for me and so I did increase the amount of sugar
2 tsp clarified butter

So you begin by reducing the milk to half its quantity on low heat after you have added the clarified milk before you begin reducing. Please check notes. I took 35 minutes. Add the sugar after 15 minutes of reducing the milk. Now use a spoon and cream the curd in the bowl in which you are setting the curd.  I usually use a stainless steel bowl. You can only use the milk when it reaches a lukewarm stage, slowly add the milk bit by bit after straining it and keep mixing well with a whisk or spoon. I used a spoon, then cover with a steel lid and put it in a warm place. I put it in my hot pot and let it set over-night. In the morning it was a pot of thick luscious curd. I chilled it well and served it.

To be fair I did buy some of Bengal's famous 'Mishti doi' sweetened curd to just compare and found that the sweet shops use some more sweetener but the amount of sugar I used worked perfectly for me.

Note :Using the clarified butter does ensure that your milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan. I have heard that Earthen pots help you set the curd well. Since I have not used an earthen pot I cannot confirm this bit of information but to be fair all sweet shops in Bengal does serve the curd in earthen bowls.

Hara Mircha Murgh (Adapting Priyadarshini's recipe)

Hara Mircha Murgh

(Adapting Priyadarshini's recipe) 

(Kacha Lonka Muri / Green chili chicken) 

The truth is that,  there are some people who cook up a storm in the kitchen and Priyadarshini from Lets Talk Food is one of them. Keeping in mind that taste is subjective I find her dishes tempting enough to want to try them out the moment she posts about a dish. One of the other reasons why I personally love her recipes is that even though I personally love elaborate preparations and do not mind spending hours in the kitchen as a freelancer the concept of a sudden rush of work with approaching deadline is a common factor in my life and recipes which are quick and simple yet amazingly tempting are my soft spot. It had began when I had prepared her sesame black pepper chicken as I call it or Golmirch murgh as she calls it and ever since that day I religiously look out for possible updates from this lovely person. Yes we have met in person and I must say that she is not only a brilliant cook but a warm person whom you can be friends with in a jiffy.

It was just last week when she had posted a bout this tantalizing dish called  'Kacha Lonka Murgi' which literally means chicken cooked in Green chilies. Now here is the thing about hot food and my personal experience. Growing up I was hardly given spicy food. I did grow up in Calcutta but in our home we have a very subtle way of cooking and since I was quite fussy and anti-spicy-food, in the years of growing up I hardly ever tasted spicy hot food. In my late teenage years I developed a sudden love for hot spicy food and suddenly I was the terrorist in the kitchen. I mean I would cook robust Punjabi dishes and other than my father most members would find it way too spicy and hot for their palate and then came the time when I started digging for old long lost Bengali dishes. For some reason chicken cooked in the Indian style would always end up getting prepared in the Awadhi style or the Calcuttan Chinese style or Punjabi style at my home and so when I cooked a 'sorshe posto murgi' at my place it somehow didn't quite connect with anyone else but myself and so a dish which is hot hot hot with chilies alone was out of the question for my home. Over the years I have also developed a soft spot for green chilies for the amazing flavour it imparts to dishes and many a times I have made a paste of ginger with an added green chili for the flavours and so a dish prepared entirely with chili paste sounded exotic. You see , at my home when it comes to Bengali cuisine we are more fishy than anything else since even a quarter century ago chicken wouldn't enter most households in Bengal.

I wholeheartedly thank Priyadarshini for having introduced me to a dish the existence of which  I did not even know about. I did follow her recipe making some tiny changes here and there and since madam herself has said that every cook has her or his own version of this delightful dish  the result overwhelmed me even with the few changes.For instance I swapped the ghee for mustard oil for in my mind green chilies and mustard oil are the best of friends and I added a dollop of that delightful browned cow ghee (clarified butter) which one gets in Bengal alone on the steaming rice when serving. It was fantastic with hot steaming rice, a true delicacy indeed. The recipe needs the minimum of  ingredients and gives you amazing flavours.

Before one begins one has to keep in mind that the type of Green chilies one uses makes a huge difference to the dish as does one's personal spice quotient. We both used the same number of chilies and while she has described her preparation as 'too hot to handle' mine turned out beautifully flavoured yet not hot enough to leave you teary eyed and sniffling while enjoying this lovely dish. Of course the addition of one ingredient in my preparation could have made the difference as well.

Here is what you do :-

Serves 3 to 4

Chicken 750 gm
Smooth garlic paste 1 tbsp
Smooth ginger paste 1 tbsp
Green chilies 20 -de-seeded + 2 whole made into a smooth paste + 3 for garnishing
Salt as per taste
4 tbsp mustard oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1.5 cup of water

I marinated the chicken in the lemon juice salt, 1 tbsp green chili paste  and 1 tsp ginger paste and one 1 tsp garlic paste so that it makes cooking faster and yields soft pieces of chicken and adds flavour.

Now simply heat oil and add the remaining ginger paste,  garlic paste  pieces of chicken and the remaining chili paste and cook on high heat  for 5 minutes stirring now and then to seal the juices and then simmer it till the oil separates and then add the water and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for the next 15 minutes or till it is soft enough to melt in the mouth. Do check from time to time to ensure that the chicken doesn't stick to the wok. If you have enough liquid like gravy when the chicken has been softened simply increase the heat and cook till you get a dry gravy where the gravy sticks to the chicken yet some thick gravy  is left in the pan. Serve with hot steaming rice with a dollop of ghee

For Priyadarshini's recipe check her blog

Soft roshogollas

Soft Roshogollas 

 The truth is practice makes things perfect well perfect being subjective. The truth is Kolkata has been known for the longest time as the City of roshogollas, (little cheese balls in thin sugar syrup) but the truth is this delightful sweet-dish was invented in our neighbouring state of Orissa , well they might have invented it but here in Bengal they mastered the art of roshogolla making.

To be fair there are two distinct variants of roshogollas, the spongy ones which are more popular across India but he who has not tasted the extra soft roshogollas does not what what he is missing.

Before we go on we must realize one thing, one cannot have everything. So if a recipe claims to be both ultra-soft and spongy then one should take it with a grain of salt.

As for myself I have never been a fan of roshogollas especially the spongy ones but soft and melt in the mouth especially served hot, well that make sit irresistible to me. Served in the lanes and bylanes of North Kolkata (the old part of calcutta) these soft 'tultule' 'soft as butter' roshogollas are truly divine.

I had originally followed a recipe successfully and then went to adjust it to make it super soft

Here is what you need to understand about 'roshogollas' :-

1. The quality of cheese (homemade cheese by adding an acidic agent to milk) must be super soft 
2. The syrup should be watery 
3. The milk must have the full goodness of full fat. 
4. The acidic agent when diluted yields the softest cheese 

Now I know this might sound a bit complicated but believe me when I say that leftover whey (the liquid left after making paneer) makes the softest new batch of cheese that there ever could be. 

What you need :- 

2 litres of full fat milk 

2 tea cups of sugar (cups which hold 210ml of liquid) 

10 cups of water 

1.5 tbsp semolina 

1 tbsp ground sugar 

6 to 7 cardamom 

400ml whey + 2 tbsp whey 

2 tbsp vinegar 

25 nakuldana/ makhana 

3 ladles of warm water 

Makhana/ Nakuldana

Now I made the 'chana' (the cheese) in batches so I used 1 litre of milk with 200ml of whey and 2 tsp vinegar . I brought the milk to a boil and slowly added the whey + vinegar mixture and then kept stirring the pot to prevent any scorching.

Remember that a little scorching would result in a yellowish colour. When the cheese separated and I was left with an olive coloured liquid I turned off the gas-stove and covered and waited for 5 minutes and then gathered the cheese in a muslin cloth and let it submerge in the whey while I made the second batch of cheese and then tied it in the muslin cloth and washed the cheese to rid it of any lemony smell. There hardly was any lemony smell. 

Now since you have already washed the cheese in water it will not be hot and so tie it in the muslin cloth and squeeze out all the water  . Now I have seen many a recipe where it asks you to hang the cheese for hours and well that never would yield such soft roshogollas. (You must make sure that the cheese is dry yet not fully dry and this is something that you have to understand because if it has some extra whey than required it would make the roshogollas break so trust your cooking instinct) 

Now comes the part for kneading. Knead it well for 15 minutes to 20 minutes with the semolina and ground sugar.Add 2 tbsp whey. It should be so soft that it melts when you rub it between two fingers within seconds. This kneading is very important. 

Now prepare the balls by placing one makhana in the belly and forming balls , take your time to make sure it has no cracks but there will be pores. You should ideally have 25 balls. 

Now bring the sugar , cardamom and water to boil and when it is boiling put gas to low flame and add the balls, they should float and then cover without any gaps and boil on high for 15 minutes. Now open the cover and remove any sacum whcih has formed and add a ladle of warm water (this step is extremely important to make soft roshogollas) and then cover with no opening and simmer for the next 20 minutes. use another lade of water after 10 minutes of simmering and one more time after 7 minutes of having used the previous lade of water. Now let the roshogollas come to room temperature. Do not disturb them. Try one hot roshogolla and if it is not your thing when it comes to room temperature put everything in the refrigerator and enjoy the softest of roshogollas.Once cool there might be a layer of scum, remove it and you are good to go. 

Luchi Cholar Dal Aloor Dum

Luchi Cholar Dal Aloor Dum 

Every region, culture which of course cannot be there without the cuisine has reasons for celebration be it the lazy Sundays, festivals etc etc. In Bengal a common celebratory combination is the puffed up deed fried breads with sweet pulse and a spicy dry gravy potato curry.

Now this is the most beloved meal and personally for me one cannot exist without the other. They are like the inseparable family. Of course there is the preference for a meaty curry with the puffed bread but the most easy and common items are the "aloor dum" and "cholar dal" . They are like a family.

So luchis might seem like puris served elsewhere in the country of India but it is in reality quite different. It takes a bit of skill to master the art of luchi making and it was last week that I finally perfected it and my joys knew no bounds. You see dont say this to everyone but not everyone can make luchis these days. You see they are either too crispy or too thick. A luchi's characteristic lies in its paper thin texture which is unbelievably soft at the same time. Of course what amazes me is how one food item can be amde in so many ways so you have the "phulko luchi" puffed up bread and the "kara luchi" the bread which is fried but not puffed up and is crispier , well "kara" means hard hence the name. Then I know people who like theirs "white" and people who love theirs reddish fried for a longer time at higher heat to produce  a warm tinge.

Now in my life I have only met one person who makes luchis the perfect way, my dear Mimi. She has carefully taught me the important factors such as the importance of "moyen" the ghee or oil used with the dough , the importance of properly making the dough , the control of temperature  yet my luchis were never good enough. They were thick or too crunchy and then came the day when I carefully gathered all the information in my mind and if I can make them anyone can. All you need is patience and hard work.

Now there are three golden rules

1. Measurement and Dough making

So start with the measurements
Lets say you are using 1 cup of all purpose flour then add 1 tbsp whole wheat flour to it, 1.5 tsp ghee and Half a cup of water to make the dough. Now feeding the dough this water is extremely important for the puffing up. Start when you are fresh, best time is after a nice nap. Work the water slowly and steadily into the flour to make the smoothest of dough. Take your time. It really helps. The dough must be super soft with a stretchy texture. Cover and leave for 1 hour with a wet muslin cloth.


2. Rolling

Now when you are making the balls to be rolled out with a rolling pin. Give the dough another round of pounding when ready to be rolled and then make a long cylinder and start taking out a bit of dough to be rolled in your hands to make a smooth ball and then roll out the ball in a nice round luchi. Now here is the thing about rolling, it takes practice is extremely crucial in deciding the fate of your luchi yet you cannot really give tips as to how one can roll it out. It cannot be too thin because then it becomes crispy and doesn't puff up, if one side is thicker than the rest even by a bit then only one side puffs up so practice practice practice. It took me 3 years to get it right

3. Temperature

Now for the temperature. Heat your oil but you see this is also a key factor in getting your luchi right. Too high a flame and it makes the luchi burnt out or well too crispy, too less a temperature and then it doesnt puff up and sits sadly in the oil. So throughout the process you need to keep adjusting the temperature.

I hope this helps you all. Now for the rest of the family members the cholar dal and aloor dum. Lets start with the pulse, now India is a land of pulses , the varieties will amaze you from watery to thick smooth delight from salty and spicy to mild and sweet. Now Bengalis especially the ones from the current state of Bengal from India the western half of erstwhile undivided India has a very delicate palate and the pulse has the beautiful aroma of ghee with the hint of spices and sweetness. What is most important is retaining the shape and size of the pulse when boiling it. It must not be a mushy lump.  While each family has a recipe of its own this is mine.

So here it is our cholar dal with raisins. You see we have two sweet pulse from Bengal the Mooger dal (Moong pulse) and Cholar Dal (Chana pulse) and both being special pulses we for some unknown reason add coconut to moong pulse and raisins to this one. Of course you might add both to both pulses but here is mine without coconut but yes adding coconut does make it delicious as well as I have tried as well.

What you need

1.5 cup of uncooked chana pulse
2 tbsp ghee
2 medium sized bay leaf
2 inch cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
2 dried red chili
Pinch of hing
2 tsp ginger cumin chili paste (I usually use 2 green chilies)
2 tsp cumin
Pinch of garam masala
3 tbsp tomato puree
Pinch of turmeric
Salt as per taste
3 tbsp sugar (Add more if you like it that way or reduce it to 2 tbsp if sweet pulse is not your bowl of pulse)
2 tbsp raisins
5 to 6 cups of water


Start by boiling the pulse with 4 cups of water and a bit of water. Since you need to make sure that the pulse retains the shape and size do not pressure cook but cook on open fire half covered. Check from time to time and when cooked start preparation your pulse.

Once your pulse is boiled start with the preparation of tempering. Heat the ghee and add the hing and then the cumin, when its spluttering add the dried chilies breaking them and then before anything burns add the ginger cumin chili paste and when its golden and the raw smell is no more there add the cinnamon and cardamom but after giving them a bit of pounding . Then add the bay leaves and finally the tomato puree and cook till the oil separates and then the pulse and the rest of the water and bring to a boil and add raisins salt , sugar and turmeric and simmer away stirring from time to time till you find a homogeneous mixture. It should be thick yet such that it can still move freely. Before you transfer this tot he serving pot add a pinch of garam masala.

Serve with luchi and do not forget the Aloor Dum

Mustard aubergine

Beguner tel Jhal 

Aubergine in a spicy curry from Bengal

Everything has a meaning. So you see the part of India I belong to, a state nestled between the somber Himalayas and the beautiful Bay of Bengal has one of the most elaborate cuisines of the country. Even today many a household serves a good 5 course meal which is mostly unheard of in most parts of India.

The way the cuisine is segregated with many a terms has never seized to amaze me so you have your soupy curries called "jhols" then the spicy thick ones as "jhals" and the vegetarian section has a whole lot of difference such as the "Ghontos" "dalnas" "chorchoris" "chechkis" etc etc.

Nevertheless in a Bengali's regular dining habit a meal without fish is something which shall probably make most Bengali mothers faint. The usual curries are segregated as either the "jhols" your soups fish curry or "jhals" a bit spicy and thick curry. Of course there is the "Kalia" for special occasions but that will be for another post.

Now the most basic of spicy thick gravy is a very simple recipe which simply uses mustard paste and is tempered with nigella seeds. The spicy strong flavour of mustard is a very popular dish in all of Bengal East or West.

Now my in-laws from down South are green people as I call vegetarians. So I couldn't understand why they should not get a flavour of this delightful comfort food and so I simply used aubergines to create "Shorshe Begun Jhal" which can be translated as "Aubergines in mustard sauce" . Now "jhal" translates to hotness of a dish and the kick in this dish is gotten from that delightful flavour of mustard. Now use of mustard oil is a must for the true blue flavour to come out but in case you do not have access to it you might use refined oil.

What I need is very simple

3 medium sized aubergines (Using the violet ones help)
4 tbsp yellow mustard seeds soaked in 6 tbsp water.
1 tsp nigella seeds
6 green chilies
Salt as per taste
Mustard oil
1 dried red chili

Start by soaking the mustard seeds in the water and leaving it to soak for about an hour. Now check after Half an hour and if you find all the water to have been absorbed by the mustard seeds then add a little bit of extra water. Now in usual Bengali homes they use the black mustard seeds which bring in a greater punch but for first timers I suggest using the yellow ones and in case you are a brave heart try half an half. In the meantime slice the aubergine but it must neither be too thick nor too thin since if it is too thin it shall break when being cooked in the gravy and if its too thick it shall soak up too much oil when it is fried and it takes too much time. Now make a smooth paste with the mustard seeds , 2 green chilies adding more water if required.

Now heat mustard oil and fry the aubergines on medium to low heat but do not make them crispy. Just cover and cook till its cooked. Now use 2 tbsp mustard oil and add the nigella seeds and when they splutter add dried red chili and the mustard chili paste but only through a strainer else you end up with a terribly bitter curry. Add the bit of water and strain as much liquid as you can till you have a crumbly dried residue. Add this strained yellow liquid to the pan and add 350ml of water and bring to boil and add salt and then simmer till you have a slightly thickened gravy and add the aubergine slices. Cook for another 7 to 8 minutes till you see a layer on top and enjoy with hot fluffy rice.

Kach Kolar Kofta

Kach Kolar Nawabi Kofta 

(Raw banana koftas in a regal gravy)

Now India's culinary connection with the Middle East has been well established. With her beautiful connection it is but obvious that the influence trickles from Persia to India to Bengal. Originally supposed to be Middle eastern Meatballs we of course have the meaty version but to suit many a Green person's taste in India we have our own many a vegetarian Koftas well.

Here is one which is essentially what I have seen being made in our home and my mamarbari (Mother's brother's home) While I have seen many a homes observe a vegetarian day of the week such has never been the case with my own family but the ingredients being easily available this kofta made from Raw Green bananas might perhaps make you go bananas. Rich soft smooth it is delicious.

While in Vizag I treated my mother-in-law and grandfather-in-law to this delicacy and they couldn't stop enjoying this dish which they hadn't eaten before.

The little flat balls melt in your mouth the creamy gravy is a sheer delight and that with soft fluffy Basmati rice one of the finest rice of the world is a regal treatment meat or no meat.

Now there are many a ways to make this particular dish. Mine is a bit heavy so that you can simply enjoy your meal with this one dish with rice . What makes this dish delightfully tasty is the use of ghee.

What I used:

4 Raw bananas
3 potatoes
1 medium sized tomato made into a smooth paste
2 tablespoonful of ginger garlic  paste (made into a smoother than the smooth paste)
Onion green chili paste made with 2 small onions and 3 green chilies (the paste must be extra smooth because we want the gravy to be rich and smooth fit )
Salt as per taste
1.5 tsp sugar
10 to 12 whole cashew nuts soaked in milk for 1 hour and then made into a smooth paste
Half a cup of milk
150gm of curd whipped well
1.5 inch crushed cinnamon
2 to 3 crushed green cardamom
2 to 3 crushed cloves
1 large bay leaf
1 small pinch of Homemade garam masala
3 tablespoonful of ghee
Oil for frying the kofta balls
1 tsp smooth ginger paste
1 tsp cumin powder
1 large tbsp besan or gram flour
1 pinch of turmeric

Start by peeling the green bananas and potatoes. Make them in small cubes and boil them till soft enough to be easily mashed. Drain and preserve the water. lay them out on a plate to cool so that it is soft enough to be mashed. Now you might want to wash your hands and use it for mashing because your masher will never be able to achieve that extra smooth mashed vegetable. Mash it well with the heel of your palms after adding the gram flour , salt ,the ginger paste and cumin powder.

Now keep a bowl of water beside you when making the balls since it becomes easy without the mashed vegetable sticking to your fingers . Make them in balls and flatten them. It yielded about 14 koftas for me.

Now let them rest and prepare yourself for the gravy by making the paste and crushing the spices.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the flattened balls one by one till they are golden brown but not dark brown. Leave them aside on a plate and start making your gravy. Decant the oil and heat the ghee and add your bay leaf and then your crushed spices and the ginger garlic paste and saute it till the raw smell disappears and then add your onion chili paste and saute well but making sure to not burn it. Add your tomato paste and keep stirring till the oil separates and add turmeric . If you find it sticking to the bottom sprinkle it with the reserved water from the boiled vegetables and make sure it is a bubbling thick paste to which you now add your whipped curd and stir continuously to ensure the curd does not curdle and bring to a boil. Add the remaining reserved water or if you do not have reserved water then half a cup of water and milk and bring to a boil and add salt and sugar and  simmer for 5 minutes to 7 minutes and add the cashew paste. remember that this will instantly thicken the gravy. Bring to slow boil and then simmer . If you find the gravy too thick loosen with a bit of milk or water and then add the koftas and simmer for 5 minutes or so and serve with hot fluffy long grained rice.

This one will be a sure hit unless you are allergic to nuts of course