special aloo posto

This is my husband, Prithwis' favourite recipe. He is an engineer from IIT KGP, a PhD from UT Dallas, Texas. Apart from a being a complete food-freak, he is the most delightful person on earth. You can visit his web-space on http://www.yantrajaal.com, which completed ten years this May

Ingredients:

• shrimp (shelled, deveined, and cleaned) - 200gms
• posto (kus-kus) - finely ground with a few green chillies and water -1cup
• potato - diced
• patol (parwal) - finely chopped
• jhingey - chopped
• paanch phorone (a combination of five spices - kalanji, cummin, fenugreek, saunf, mustard)
• mustard oil
• green chillies
• salt and turmeric powder

Procedure

Heat mustard oil, and add add 1tsp paanch phorone to splatter. Then add all the vegetables. Fry them for 10 minutes. Now add the shrimp, salt and turmeric powder, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Do NOT add ANY water. Pour 2 tbsp mustard oil, and add the slit green chillies, when the potato is completely cooked.

Serve hot with rice.

Mach-Patoler Dolma (Dorma)

This is my brother Abir's (Apu) favourite fish delicacies. He is a research scientist in a Biotech firm in Pune.
Ingredients:

Large Patol (parval): 4
Fish: 200 gms.
Onion : 4tbsp.
Garlic : 2tsp
Ginger : 2tsp.
Green Chillies : chopped (2tsp)
Garam Masala powder : 2tsp.
Ghee : 2tsp.
Raisin : 2tsp.
Cashew nuts : Chopped(2tsp)
Mustard oil
Salt
Turmeric powder
Sugar

Procedure:
Scrape the Patol lightly with the help of a scraper. Scoop the seeds out with the help of a long thin object like a knitting needle. Wash and shallow fry the patol in a wok till light brown in colour.
Marinate the fish with salt, a pinch of turmeric powder, and then boil the fish, with just the right quantity of water, till there is no more water left in the vessel. De-bone the fish using your hands. Keep aside.
Fry the onions in 2 tsp oil, till golden brown. Add the garlic, the ginger, the green chillies, and then fry for 5 minutes. Finally Add the de-boned fish. Saute for 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp sugar, salt (to taste), a pinch of garam masala, ghee, raisins and cashew. Spread the mixture on the wok so that it gets completely dried.
Now take each scooped patol and fill it completely with the fish stuffing. Heat the wok and pour a little oil. Arrange the patols slowly and cook in a low flame.
Serve hot with pulao/rice or simply as a snack.

Mustard Crab (shorshe kankra)

This is my cousin Deepanwita's (Chutki) favourite dish :)

Ingredients:

• crab (cleaned in running water, and cut, marinated with salt and turmeric powder)
• mustard paste
• red chilly powder
• green chillies
• mustard oil
• salt to taste
• a pinch of turmeric powder

Procedure:

Take a large pan, add the marinated crab, along with mustard paste, red chilly powder, and green chillies, salt, and a little turmeric powder. Pour water so as to submerge the crabs completely. Cover the pan, boil the crab till it is completely cooked. Add slit green chillies and mustard oil on top.

Serve hot with rice.

Fish Croquette

My mother-in-law, Reba Mukerjee loves fish and this is one of her fish-delicacies which she learnt from her mother

Ingredients:

• fish (preferably rohu) : 250 gms (makes 12 pcs)
• onion (finely chopped) : 1 cup
• garlic (finely chopped) : 2 tsp
• ginger (grated) : 2 tsp
• green chillies (finely chopped) : 2 tsp
• tomatoes (finely chopped) : 3 tsp
• carrot (grated) : 1/2 cup
• capsicum (finely chopped) : 1/2 cup
• lemon juice : 1 tsp
• salt and sugar, turmeric powder (to taste)
• 2 eggs : well beaten
• refined oil : 250 ml
• garam masala
• bread crumb

Procedure:

Marinate the fish with salt, a pinch of turmeric powder, and lemon juice for 15 minutes. Boil the fish, with just the right quantity of water, till there is no more water left in the vessel. De-bone the fish using your hands. Keep aside. Fry the onions in 2 tsp refined oil, till golden brown in a wok. Add the garlic, the ginger, the green chillies, and then fry for 5 minutes. Now add the finely chopped tomato, and the grated carrot, and finally the capsicum. Finally Add the de-boned fish. Saute for 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp sugar, salt (to taste), and a pinch of garam masala. Spread the mixture on the wok so that it gets completely dried.
Now shape the dried mixture in any desired form with your hand, coat them with beaten egg and then with bread crumbs. Fry the croquette in refined oil till brown.

Serve as an evening snacks with salad.

Fish envelope

Ingredients:

• fish (preferably rohu) : 250 gms
• onion (finely chopped) : 1 cup
• garlic (finely chopped) : 2 tsp
• ginger (grated) : 2 tsp
• green chillies (finely chopped) : 2 tsp
• tomatoes (finely chopped) : 3 tsp
• carrot (grated) : 1/2 cup
• capsicum (finely chopped) : 1/2 cup
• lemon juice : 1 tsp
• salt and sugar, turmeric powder (to taste)
• flour : 500 gms
• refined oil : 250 ml
• baking soda
• garam masala

Procedure:

Marinate the fish with salt, a pinch of turmeric powder, and lemon juice for 15 minutes. Boil the fish, with just the right quantity of water, till there is no more water left in the vessel. De-bone the fish using your hands. Keep aside. Fry the onions in 2 tsp refined oil, till golden brown in a wok. Add the garlic, the ginger, the green chillies, and then fry for 5 minutes. Now add the finely chopped tomato, and the grated carrot, and finally the capsicum. Finally Add the de-boned fish. Saute for 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp sugar, salt (to taste), and a pinch of garam masala. Spread the mixture on the wok so that it gets completely dried.

Knead the flour with 4 tsp refined oil, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and some water. Cover the dough with a thin wet cloth for 1 hour. Make 12 small flour balls from the kneaded dough, and roll into the shape of thin puris. Place 2 tsp of the fish mixture inside each of the puris and fold. Deep fry these envelopes in refined oil over a low flame.

Serve hot with ketchup/chutneys as a snack

Fish Pulao

This recipe is a special one which my mother learnt from my grandma. My mother, Krishna Banerjee is an expert in making pulao (not by cooking in a pressure cooker but by adding water skillfully ... so that the excess water never ruins the pulao). In fact, my mother is also called the DRAUPADI of our family because of her expertise ... ("RANDHANE DRAUPADI" is a phrase used to praise some one who is an excellent cook).

Rui Macher Pulao (Fish-Pulao)

• Ingredients:
• Rui Mach(Rohu fish): 500 gms (cut into cubes, marinated with salt and turmeric powder)
• Basmati rice : 500 gms (soaked in water and dried for one hour)
• Ghee : 6 tbsp.
• Mustard oil : for deep frying the fish cubes.
• Garam Masala : cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, javitri, sha-jeera, sha-marich (roasted and coarsely ground)
• Kismis and kaju: as per choice.
• Ginger and red chilly paste : 2 tsp.
• Finely chopped onion : 1 cup.
• A few cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• Bayleaf

*I prefer a pinch of turmeric powder (an anticarcinogen) to any artificial colour ... since conventional permitted colour used to make pulao is 'Keshori rang' is nothing but METANIL YELLOW and is extremely toxic for the human body.

• Salt to taste.
• Sugar : 4tbsp.

Procedure :

Deep fry the fish cubes in mustard oil and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a HANDI. Add chopped garlic, onion and fry till golden brown. Now add the ginger-chilly paste, a few bayleaves and 4tsp coarsely ground Garam masala. Saute for 2 minutes and add the fried fish cubes. Mix well and keep aside. Ensure that the fish cubes retain their identity ... that is they do not crumble.
In the same HANDI, add 2 tbsp ghee, 2 tsp coarsely ground Garam masala and the Basmati rice along with kaju and kismis. Fry them over a low flame. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add water from top which is just sufficient to cook the rice (as a rule, keep the water level close to a couple of inches deep). Add the fish along with the masala mixture and sugar when the rice is nearly cooked. Do not stir.
Add the remaining ghee and garam masala. Close the lid of the HANDI.
Serve after one hour.