LauChingri / Shrimp and Gourd Curry

Ingredien.ts:

• Gourd or Lau : 500 gms ( it's skin peeled off and cut into small cubes )
• 1 Potato : cut into pieces
• Shrimp : 250 gms.
• Ginger-red chilly paste : 2tsp
• Cummin(1/2tsp),Corriander(1/2tsp) and Black Pepper(1/4tsp) : made into a paste
• Tomato Puree : 2tsp
• Mustard oil :4tsp
• Ghee : 2tsp
• Garam Masala : 1tsp
• One Bay-leaf and 1/2 tsp cummin seeds
• Green Chillies.
• Salt to taste.
• Turmeric Powder.
  
• Sugar : 3tsp.

Procedure:
Boil the gourd (lau) for 2 minutes. Set aside. Fry the potato in oil and add bay-leaf and cummin seeds to splatter. Add ginger-chilly paste and tomato puree in it. Then add the shrimp and the boiled gourd together. Add salt, turmeric powder and sugar in succession. Add a little water. Bring to boil. Add the masala paste. Add ghee and garam masala from top.

Serve with hot rice.

Caviar d'Ganga / Rui Macher Dim bhaja

Caviar is obtained from the roe (egg !) of the sturgeon fish that is found in great abundance in the Caspian Sea. Today, caviar is also harvested from commercial fish farm that breed the mighty sturgeon under controlled conditions.

Traditionally, caviar is served with a hint of lemon juice -- and nothing else ! as an accompaniment to champagne and is perhaps one of the most expensive cocktail snacks that one can come up with!

In India caviar is difficult to get and frightfully expensive as well. However fish roe is nothing unsual especially in the riverine delta region of Bengal ( and neighbouring Bangladesh). The Ganga with its infinite variety of fresh and salt water fishes is a very interesting source of fish based delicacies and this is the genesis of our dish of the day : Caviar d'Ganges.


Ingredients for making fried Caviar d'Ganges :

• Fish roe : 250 gms.
• Salt : 1/4 tsp.
• Poppy seeds : 2tsp.
• Green chillies : 4tsp ( finely chopped)
• Turmeric powder : 1tsp
• Red chilly powder : 1/2 tsp
• Gram flour : 50 gms
• Mustard oil for deep frying.

Procedure:
Take the fish roe along with all ingredients, except the oil of course, in a large bowl. Mix lightly. Keep aside.

Heat the oil. Take small amounts of the roe mixture and drop into the hot oil so as to coagulate and form small, roundish clumps on coming in contact with the hot oil. Fry these clumps till they are golden brown. Do not make the clumps too large as this may cause the inner parts to remain uncooked.

Palak Paneer / Spinach-O-Paneer

Ingredients :

• Fresh Spinach ( Palak ) : 500gms.
• Fresh Corriander leaves : 250 gms.
• Paneer : 250 gms ( cut into small cubes )
• Garlic : 10 pods.
• Green Chillies : 7-8 pcs.
• Onion : 1 large (grated )
• Ginger Paste : 1/2 tsp
• Tomato : 1 large (grated)
• Lemon juice.
• Salt and Sugar to taste.
• White oil : 3tsp.
• Ghee : 2tsp.
• Fresh Cream (as per choice )

Procedure:
Take only the leaves of spinach and corriander and clean in running water. Then parboil the spinach lightly after adding a pinch of salt. Keep aside. Place the parboiled spinach, corriander along with garlic and green chillies in a mixer. Add salt, a pinch of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Run the mixer just once. This is the "green paste". Keep aside.

Marinate the paneer cubes with salt, sugar and a few drops of lemon juice for 1/2 an hour.
Heat oil and fry the paneer cubes lightly, on a low flame . Keep aside. Add grated onion, tomato and ginger paste and saute for 5 minutes. Add the "green paste" into it. Bring to boil. Add the paneer cubes and ghee. Add fresh cream on top.

Serve with roti / puri /paratha.

Dhonkar Danla (Fried Dhokla Curry)

Ingredients:

• Chana Dal :1cup.
• Matar Dal : 1cup
• Potato : cut into small pieces.
• Ginger paste: 2tsp.
• Red Chilly Powder: 1tsp
• Garlic: 8 pods
• Green chillies: 6
  
• Asafoetida (Hing) : a little
  
• Cummin seeds : 1tsp
• Bay leaf : a few
  
• Garam Masala Powder : 2tsp
• Salt and sugar to taste.
• Tomato Puree: 3tsp
• Ghee: 2tsp
• Mustard oil : 6tsp
  

Procedure:

Soak the two kinds of Dal in water for at least 6 hours. Place the soaked dal in a grinder along with garlic and green chillies and make a coarse paste -- be careful, do not too much water. Add the salt and sugar. Take a pan, grease it with a little oil and heat it. Now put the dal paste into the heated pan and stir continuously with a spatula in medium heat till the mixture gets dried till the required consistency. Transfer the mixture to a flat metallic plate and pat it down with your palms till it forms a cake about half inch thick. Keep aside and let it stand for 10 minutes. Cut the cake into small pieces and fry them till brown. These are the fried dhonka ( or dhokla)

For the gravy, heat oil and fry the potatoes. Add cummin seeds and bay leaf to splatter. Then add tomato puree, ginger paste and red chilly powder. Saute till the oil separates. Add hing, salt and sugar. Add water. Bring to boil until the potatoes are cooked. Add the fried dhokla . Close the lid. Remove from heat. Add ghee and garam masala powder on top .

Serve with roti or paratha.

Doi-Begun / Brinjal in Curd

Ingredients:

• Two medium sized brinjals : cut length wise into 8 pieces.
• Fresh curd : 100 gms.
• Mustard and green chilly paste : 2tsp.
• Salt and sugar to taste.
• Mustard oil : 4tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves and green chillies : finely chopped.
  

Procedure:
Marinate brinjal with salt. Fry the brinjals in oil on a low flame till soft . Add well beaten curd, mustard paste, salt and sugar into it. Add a little water if necessary. Bring it to boil . Add fresh, finely chopped coriander and slit green chillies on top.

Serve with roti/or rice.

Panipuri/Golgappa/Fuchka

Ingredients:

• Readymade fuchka : available in the Bhujawala shop
• Boiled potato, Gram and Matar: mashed together by hand-"potato-gram-matar" paste
  
• Tamarind paste: dissolved in water-"tamarind water"
  
• Lime juice.
• Rock salt.
• Cummin seeds and dry red chillies: roasted and powdered.
• Fresh coriander leaves: finely chopped.
• Green chillies and some coriander leaves : made into a coarse paste.

Procedure:
Prepare the "tamarind water" by adding rock salt, lime juice , a little of the chilly-coriander paste and some cummin-red chilly powder.
Then add the rest of the masala paste and the masala powder into the mashed mixture of "potato-gram-matar" .
Fill the fuchka with the potato stuff and add tamarind water into it.
Serve as a summer snacks.

Shukto

Ingredients:

• Green Papaya (sliced): 1 cup
• Drumstick (skinned and cut into small pieces ): 1 cup
• Bitter gourd (finly cut): ¼ cup
• Green banana ( cut into small pieces )
  
• Brinjal (cut into small pieces )
  
• French beans (cut into small pieces):1 cup
• Potato (cut into small pieces)
• Raddish (cut into small pieces)
• Bori ( made from Dal-paste )
• Masala paste (a) : a thick paste of 2 tsp poppy seeds, 2 tsp mustard seeds and 2 inches ginger.
• A paste of wheat flour (1tsp) and milk (2 tbsp) mixed together.
• Masala paste (b) : a coarse powder of dry fried cellery seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, saunf and bayleaf
• Ghee : 2tbsp
• Salt and sugar
• Oil : 2tsp
  

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the bitter gourd till brown. Stir fry all the other vegetables. Deep fry the BORI. Keep aside the bitter gourd. Add salt and boil all the other vegetables along with the BORI. Now add the sugar, the masala paste (a) and the paste of wheat flour and milk. Boil till a medium consistency is obtained. Sprinkle fried bitter gourd on top.
Heat ghee. Add the dry fried, coarsely powdered, masala (b).
Serve with rice as a starter.

Doi Rui

Ingredients:

• Rui fish-500gms.
• Fresh Curd-200gms.
• Whole Garam masala -3 pieces each of Cardamom and Clove and 2 inches of Cinnamon
• Ghee-2tsp.
• Mustard oil -4tsp.
• Bayleaf –2 no.
• Onion-1 large (grated )
• Garlic-10 pods. (finely chopped).
• Ginger paste-2tsp.
• Red chilly paste ½ tsp
• Green Chillies-5-6
• Kismis-a handful
• Salt,Turmeric powder
• Sugar—5tsp

Procedure:
Marinate fish with salt and turmeric powder. Heat oil. Fry the fish lightly once on each side and keep aside. In the same oil add whole garam masala and bayleaves. Then add garlic, onion and fry till brown. Add ginger paste. Saute for some time. Then add well-beaten curd along with salt, sugar, red chilly paste and kismis. Add a cup of water. Bring it to boil. Add the fried fish and green chillies.

Finally add ghe on top.

Serve with hot rice or pulao.

Chilly-Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken, 500gms.
• A large Onion, finely cut
• Finely chopped garlic, 2 Tbsp
• 6 dry red chillies, each cut into two halves.
• Finely cut green chillies.
• Dark Soya Sauce
• Corn flour - 2tsp
• Flour -1tsp
• Salt & sugar to taste
• White pepper -1tsp
• Black pepper -1tsp
• Spring onion -finely cut
• Any white oil -4tsp.

Procedure:
Marinate boneless chicken with soya sauce, salt, sugar, black and white pepper, 1tsp corn flour and 1tsp flour. Heat oil in a WOK. Fry the marinated chicken taking few pieces at a time till crispy. Keep aside. Using the same oil fry the garlic and the dry chillies and then add onion. Add soya sauce, corn flour and a little water. Finally add the fried chicken. Stir and garnish with finely cut spring onion and green chillies.

Serve HOT with fried rice.

Papri Chat

Ingredients:

• Fresh Curd-200gms.
• Salt and sugar
• Papri (made from gram flour, available in market)
• Tamarind Chutney ( made from tamarind paste, salt and sugar )
• Boiled Potato-1 cup,cut into small cubes.
• One large Cucumber, cut into small cubes.
• One large tomato -- diced
• Boiled green peas —1 cup
• Chat masala ( made by grinding roasted Cummin and Red Chillies, and adding rock salt )
• Red Chilly powder.
• Fresh Coriander leaves and a few green chillies ---finely chopped.

Procedure

Beat the curd and add all the above ingredients into it except Papri. Add Papri before serving. Add extra chat masala for a more pungent taste !

Pizza-de-India

Ingredients:

• Bread (preferably French loaf)
  
• Sandwich spread
  
• Pizza Sauce (made by mixing home made Tomato Puree, Oregano, Black pepper, Chilly flakes, finely chopped garlic, Olive oil, salt and a little sugar )
  
• Cheese (cut into small pieces)
  
• Onion, Capsicum, Tomato (finely cut)
  
• Tomato Ketchup
  
• Oregano and chilly flakes
  

Procedure:

Cut the French loaf into two halves lengthwise. Then using a knife first coat the bread with a layer of sandwich spread and then spread the pizza sauce to form a thick layer. Arrange onion, tomato, and capsicum slices as per your choice on the bread. Then add the pieces of cheese. Finally add a little tomato ketchup. Bake in a preheat oven for ten minutes. Sprinkle Oregano and chilly flakes.

Serve hot with chilled Cola.

Shahee Paneer

Ingredients:

• Fresh Paneer 300 gms.
• Tomato Puree 4 tbsp.
• Poppey Seeds (2tsp), Char Magaj (2tsp), Kaju (2tsp), Kismis (1tsp), Cinnamon (2 inches), Cloves (2 pc.), Nutmeg (a few bits) -- made into paste
• Ginger (1 inch) and green chillies (4 ) --made into paste
• Ghee (2tsp)
• Fresh Coriander leaves.
• Salt and Sugar to taste.
• Refined oil (4tsp)

Procedure:

Cut Paneer into cubes, marinate with a pinch of sugar and salt for half an hour. Fry the paneer cubes in refined oil for 2-3 minutes. Add 1tsp ghee on the oil and then add ginger-chilly paste, then tomato puree, saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the masala paste into the mixture along with paneer. Add salt and sugar according to your taste. Stir to boil adding extra water if necessary. Add ghee on top. garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve with Paratha or puri.

Dahi Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken, cut into small pieces : 500 gm.
• Fresh curd : 100gm.
• Ginger-green chilly paste : 1-tsp.
• A large onion : grated
• Garlic-8-9 cloves-finely chopped
• Kasuri methi : 2-tsp.
• Refined oil : 2-tsp.
• salt to taste and a little sugar.
• Garam masala powder.

Procedure:

Wash the chicken, marinate with curd, salt, sugar, garam masala and ginger-chilly paste for one hour. Fry grated onion and garlic in oil for five minutes. Then add marinated chicken . Cook in low flame without adding water. Add kasuri methi. Cook till the chicken is done. Garnish with green chillies and a little fresh cream on top.

Serve with hot tawa roti / chapati .

Mashed banana-flower with coconut : মোচার ঘন্ট Mochar ghanto

Ingredients

• Banana flower --finely cut, boiled in a pressure cooker, hand mashed ---2 cups
• A hand full of dry chana soaked in water for 2-3 hours.
• Mustard oil
• Cummin seeds, bay leaf, green chillies for phoron (ফোড়োন )
• 1tsp cummin seeds, 5-6 whole black pepper and 2 green chillies ---made into a fine paste
• 1tsp wheat flour
• 2tsp ghee
• Turmeric powder, salt to taste and 4 tsp sugar
• Grated coconut, fried bori ( বড়ি made from dal paste) and a few green chillies for garnishing

Procedure:

Put mustard oil in a pan, add green chilly, bay leaf and cummin seeds to splatter. Add the mashed banana flower, soaked chana and all ingredients except the masala paste, ghee, coconut and bori . Cook in a high heat while stirring with a spatula till the mixture becomes dry. Now add the masala paste along with the wheat flour. Finally add ghee on the top and switch off the burner. Garnish with coconut, bori and green chillies.

Serve with hot rice.

Porsche Prawn

Ingredients :

• shelled, de-veined, cleaned prawn-500gms, marinated with salt and turmeric powder.
• mustard-3tsp, poppy seeds 4tsp, and 4 red chillies, coarsely pasted
• salt to taste
• mustard oil-4 tbsp
• slit green chillies (7-8 )

Procedure :

Bring water to boil in a wide pan. Take the marinated prawn, and all the other ingredients along with mustard oil in an air tight metallic container. Place the container in the boiling water and steam for half an hour. Serve with hot rice.

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