krishnokolee's kitchen: 2010

Friday, 3 December 2010

"FISH FOLDER".. my signature dish for RPlus channel

Last month I had the opportunity to share one of my special signature recipes with eminent singer and host Parama Banerjee in her well known cookery show" R-O RANNAGHOR" in a widely popular Bengali TV channel RPlus. I was invited by RPlus channel to share an exotic and innovative Fish Recipe. It was a nice experience to cook and spend an hour with one of my favourite vocalists Parama. I got nice gifts from the sponsors and was delighted by the cordial behaviour of RPlus channel.

Ingredients for making "Fish-Folder"

For the Pan Cake Batter:
Flour 1 Cup
Egg 1 no.
Milk 1/2 Cup
Pinch of Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Refined oil

For the Pan Cake Filling
Fish (Rui/ Katla) 200 gms. marinated with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder.
Grated Carrot 4tbsp
1 Potato (boiled& mashed)
Finely Chopped Onion 4tbsp
Finely Chopped Garlic 1tsp
Grated Ginger 1tsp
Lemon juice
Finely Chopped Coriander
Finely Chopped Green Chillies
Garam Masala Powder 1/2 tsp
Ghee 1tsp
Mustard oil 2 tsp
Sugar 1tsp

Procedure:

Boil the marinated 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. Add 2-3 drops of lemon juice into the fish and keep aside. Fry the onions in mustard 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 coriander leaves and the grated carrot, and finally the boiled and mashed potato.. Finally Add the de-boned fish. Saute for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp sugar, salt (to taste), ghee and garam masala powder. Spread the mixture on the wok so that it gets completely dried.

Now for the pancake, heat a nonstick frying pan and grease it with 1/2 tsp refined oil. Pour the pan cake batter with the help of a serving spoon and spread uniformly in a low flame. Turn upside down. Now place the fish filling inside the pan cake and roll it like a "Patisapta". Serve with "Cheese Yoghurt Sauce"

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Dash-ratan Kofta

Finely Chopped Carrot 4tbsp
Finely Chopped Beans 4tbsp
Finely Chopped Cabbage 4tbsp
Cauliflower Florets 4tbsp
Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves 4tbsp
Boiled Green Peas 4tbsp
Boiled and mashed Potato 2tbsp
Diced Capsicum 2tbsp
Chopped Cashew Nuts 2 tbsp
Chopped Raisins 2 tbsp

These are the TEN principal ingredients for making DASH-RATAN kofta. In addition to these ten ingredients some other masala and binding agent is required as given below

Sattu ( Dry fried Gram Flour) 2tsp
Chopped Green Chillies 2tsp
Ginger Paste 2tsp
Dry Fried Jeera Powder 1tsp
Garam Masala Powder 1tsp
Salt & Sugar
Ghee 1tsp
Refined Oil
2 tsp Besan

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients except the oil and 2tsp Besan and mix them well with your hand. Make the Koftas -- big balls say 3 inches diameter . Next roll the koftas in the Besan and then fry them slowly in a high flame in refined oil.

Now make the gravy in a conventional manner. I prefer the completely vegetarian way of making the gravy i.e without adding garlic and onion. Heat the oil and add the chaunk of garama masala and bayleaf followed by ginger paste, red chilly powder, tomato puree, a little beaten curd followed by a paste of poppyseeds and cashew nuts. Saute' for a few minutes. Add salt and sugar and then a little water. Place your previously fried koftas on this gravy and bring them to boli for a while. Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves , green chillies and ghee on top. Pour 2 tbsp milk. Serve with roti/ paratha/chapati

Monday, 29 November 2010

Rude Food Of Bengal

Most of the recipes that are talked or written about fall into the category of the exotic and eclectic but beneath the glitz and glamour of -- if I may be allowed to coin a word -- this food-eratti, there lies a wholesome underbelly of tasty, nutritious dishes that is both well known and widely used in the rustic belts of rural Bengal. This is the food that is cooked in the homes of those who are not so wealthy and more importantly have not had the chance to read magazines or watch the TLC on TV ! Someone calls this the "rude food" of Bengal -- that is easy to make, good for your health and yet tasty to eat. Is that a contradiction in terms ? Whatever .. please enjoy ...
Let us start with " Barbecued Brinjal" aka "Begun-Pora" which is very easy to make at home. You should try with Brinjal available in the winter season. Peel off the roasted brinjal and mash it with tomato, onion, green chillies, corriander leaves and of course with salt and a little sugar. Do not forget to sprinkle mustard oil and lemon juice on top. Serve hot with steamed rice and roti!

Generally we eat the fresh winter radish (Mulee/Mulo) and throwaway its leaves. Most of us do not know the foodvalue of this green/leafy part of raddish but in fact it is full of iron and minerals. You can quite simply cook the finely chopped, well cleaned radish leaves by first boiling them with a pinch of salt and then stir-fry the same in refined oil with splatter of mustard seeds, whole red mirchi, sugar and a little fresh mustard paste.

If you are suffering from annorexia or having a general reluctance to eating, then neem cooked with brinjal or "Neem-Begun" is a splendid antidote. This is particularly true after a prolonged illness, fever, cold and cough when you do not like to have any food then please start your lunch with Neem-Begun and hot rice. You can simply marinate neem and the finely chopped brinjal with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Then fry the neem leaves in refined oil till brown and crispy. Then into the same oil add the brinjal pieces and stirfry till the brinjals becomes crispy. Mix both of them thoroughly and serve with hot rice.

There are different sizes of shrimps available in Bengal. [ Not to be confused with the prawns, the big headed Galda and the feline Bagda ] There are the very small ones called kucho-chingri generally used in fried rice /noodles/ chochhori. But there are even smaller ones, the nano chingri obtained in the fresh water ponds -- and these are called Ghusho-chingri. These are very inexpensive and generally available during winter. If you can buy fresh ghusho chingri from local markets you can make the famous Ghusho-Chingrir Bora generally eaten in rural bengal. This bora ( or vada) is very tasty but you have to be very careful while washing these nano-shrimps because these are so tiny that and the shells are so thin that it is very difficult to remove them -- you might as well eat the lot. Rinse them several times in rumming water and also by soaking in a bowl of water then squeze out all the water with your hand -- along with the troublesome mud if any. Mix salt, turmeric powder, finely chopped green chillies, besan, poppy seeds and red mirchi powder. Mash them well, then pat them into small discs and then deep fry in mustard oil. Serve hotwith rice and dal.

The flowers of pumpkin ( Kumro Ful ) is a very good source of Vitamin A, beta carotine. Pumpkin Flower is not only anti carcinogenic but it is very tasty as well. You can simply deep fry them in oil by coating the flowers with basan, rice flower, poppy seeds , red mirchi powder, salt and kalojeera. Serve hot and crispy Kumro- Ful with rice and dal.

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Peel of Pleasure!!!

Dietary fibre or roughage is the indigestible portion of plant foods having two main components:
# soluble fibre that is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and
# insoluble fibre that is metabolically inert, absorbs water throughout the digestive system and facilitates bowel movement.
Plant foods contain both types of fibre in varying degrees, according to the plant's characteristics.

Regular intake of roughage or food fibre not only reduces absorption of fats in body but relieves constipation.
One can simply consume food fibre by keeping all the vegetable peels and simply making pakoras or one can serve stirfried peels with dals.

Today I will discuss two such recipes that are both delicious and good for health. One is made from Potato Peel and the other is stir-fried BottleGourd (Lau / Lauki ) Peel.
Potato Peel is something that we generally we throw away but it is full of fibre and minerals, perhaps more than Potato itself.

So from next time instead of throwing the Potato Peel away, do something interesting with them ! Wash them thoroughly in water for several times, pat dry and add salt, red mirchi powder, poppy seeds, besan and stirfry them in oil in a low flame. Serve hot with rice and dal.

Another interesting recipe you can try out uses the peel of bottle gourd.
In this case, you first you have to boil the peel with salt and water for half an hour. Heat 2 tsp refined oil in a pan. Add dry red mirch and kalonjee. Add the gourd peels. Stir fry till it becomes tender. Sprinkle 1 tsp besan, 1 tsp atta, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp poppy seeds. Again cook them till the quantity reduces to half its original. Serve with hot rice.

Both in case of Potato as well as bottle gourd make sure that you peels are thick -- that is they have some underlying vegetable along with it. This makes the peel more tasty and also preserves some of the vitamins and mineral.

Friday, 12 November 2010

KK's Fried Chicken

European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine, is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of Europe and other Western countries. European cuisine or Western cuisine includes that of Europe including (depending on the definition) that of Russia, as well as non-indigenous cuisines of North America, Australia and Latin America, which derive substantial influence from European settlers in those regions. The term Continental Cuisine is used by East Asians to contrast with Asian styles of cooking. (This is analogous to Westerners referring collectively to the cuisines of East Asian countries as Asian cuisine.) When used by Westerners, the term may sometimes refer more specifically to cuisine in Europe or continental; in this context, a synonym is Continental Cuisine, especially in British English.

The cuisines of Western countries are diverse by themselves, although there are common characteristics that distinguishes Western cooking from cuisines of Asian countries and others. Compared with traditional cooking of Asian countries, for example, meat is more prominent and substantial in serving-size. Steak in particular is a common dish across the West. Similarly to some Asian cuisines, Western cuisines also put substantial emphasis on sauces as seasonings, or accompaniments Wheat-flour bread has long been the most common sources of starch in this cuisine, along with pasta maccaroni ar noodles. and some times potato plays a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans in the form of bloied (mashed potato) or deep fried (french fries) Generally the term refers to European cooking, or more specifically non-English European cooking.

A style of cooking that includes some authentic dishes of various western-Europian countries. as a whole it could be considered as international cuisine paticularly Bristish, American, Australian, NewZealand. it can be shortly categorised by it's way of cooking which involves bakes, grills, stews, barbeques, deepfry, saute'. Today Continental Cuisine has probably come to mean a blend of all international cuisines.

Continental Cuisine is known for its elegant cooking style and also for its beautiful presentation. In terms of health and calories Continental Cuisine is generally good beacuse of its easy digestibility and use of fresh herbs which makes it less spicy but tasty. Generally a typical Continental Lunch or dinner is served in foru courses viz a salad, soup accompanied by a variety of breads/buns, a main course of meat or fish items (in sumptuous quantity) that is baked, grilled or fried and served with boiled vegetables or mashed potato/ french fries and ends with a pudding for dessert.

Krishnokoli's Kitchen has already had some interesting Continental Dishes of its own like Pizza, "fish & chips", Pie, Bread-de-lite, Chessy Garlic toast and soups, Puddings. Today I will post a typical Continental dinner from my kitchen. A standard ChickenSsoup, a Salad, KK Fried Chicken along with Garlic Bread and discuss the recipe of the authentic Fried Chicken cooked by me. Hope you will enjoy this simple mouthwatering recipe!

KK'S FRIED CHICKEN

Chicken Leg or Breast Pieces ( thoroughly cleaned in running water)
Lemon juice
Salt,
Red Pepper Powder
White & Black Pepper Powder
Ginger, Garlic & Green Chilly Paste
Egg White & and a little Flour
Bread Crumb or Corn Flakes Powder
Refined Oil for deep frying

Marinate Chicken Pieces(4 pcs) with 1/2 tsp lemon juice, salt, pepper and 2 tsp Ginger-garlic-green Chilly paste for at least 6 hours and keep in the refrigerator( do not put them into deep fridge)
Add the egg white and 1 tsp flour.
Coat each chicken piece substaintially with the crumb
Deep Fry the Chicken Pieces in refined oil for 15 minutes( to ensure complete cooking) till it becomes golden yellow in colour.
Serve hot with Soup/ Salad/ French Fries

Thursday, 28 October 2010

Smoked Hilsa, as it is there in Telegraph Magazine GRAPHITI, October24, 2010

Few months ago i posted a recipe of SORSE EELISH as its is cooked in my house. On of my bolgger friends UshnishDa asked for the recipe of SMOKED HILSA. I have tasted smoked hilsa in ITC Sonar, Kolkata last year but i did not have the idea to cook. Fortunately i have seen this recipe as it is published in the food column of The Telegraph Sunday Magazine GRAPHITI (dated 24th October, 2010) written by Rahul Verma. The Chef Mayank Kulshreshtha of ITC Sonar shared this authentic recipe of smoked hilsa with food journalist Rahul Verma of Graphiti.
I am sharing this recipe as it is told to Rahul Verma by the chef.

Steps:

Fillet the Hilsa Fish
Marinate with Kasundi(Mustard Paste), a smoked hickory flavoured liquor available in some stores, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mustard oil and some tabasco sauce.
Leave the marinated fillet overnight in a cool place.
Smoke it in a pan in a smoking chamber and debone.
The sauce is prepared by reducing the liquid left in the pan with tomato juice.
Serve the smoked hilsa with a salad of Arugula leaves tossed in extra virgin olive oil and the smoked sauce.

Hope my Blogger friend Ushnish Da will like it!!!

Tuesday, 26 October 2010

Becti Tef-flora (Bhetki paturi)

Ingredients:

Becti fish, cut into 4 in. x 4 in. thick fillets
Pui leaves or any other edible greens, excluding spinach (too soft!)
KK's Green-fish paste : made by coarsely pasted mustard, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves, and a few spring onions.
Salt, a pinch of turmeric powder, lemon juice
Mustard oil for shallow frying

Procedure:

Marinate the Becti fillets with salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice, and the KK's special green-fish paste for at least two hours.
Take a wide-non stick (teflon coated) skillet, and grease it with 1 tsp mustard oil to allow seasoning.
Place each of the marinated becti fillet inside a green leaf (preferably Pui leaf), brush it with 1/2 tsp mustard oil, and fold the leaf in a triangular fashion (much like a betel leaf). Ensure that the leaf doesn't open up by pricking through the folds with wooden toothpick (plastic ones may melt). Place these folded fish fillets, four at a time, on the non stick skillet. Apply high heat initially, and then shallow-fry over a low flame. Turn over when the lower face is cooked. Ensure that the interior gets fully cooked WITHOUT the green colour fading away.
Serve with hot rice and mustard.

Note that the green leaf used here is edible, and so it can be consumed along with the fish unlike the paturi. Moreover the masala-tang, and the taste of the fish, along with the nutritional value is entirely preserved.