Bora r jhal or Lentil Dumpling curry

the dumplings cooking in gravy
Borar Jhal and pea rice
These days I am so much into vegetarian food. I am amazed just how delicious the veggies are without any onion paste or garlic or any other masala paste...Lovely.... isn't it? And healthy too...
The first real taste of authentic vegetarian food ... ie., without any onion or garlic was from Dimma 's (grandmother) kitchen.She was an amazingly talented woman. She sewed the prettiest of table cloths and pillow cases, made the most adorable dolls, embroidered the lovliest designs on bedcovers and knitted the best fitting sweaters during winters. And ...when she cooked..... oh! I have never quite tasted vegetarian food ..the kind she made...so simple yet the best tasting ever.... it was her Hather gun.....I guess....the amazing paturis, cutlets, chochhoris, chenchkis... they just tasted so delicious when she cooked them...
So this humble blog post of is my way of remembering her....

How to make Borar Jhal:

For the dumplings:
matar dal (split pea lentil)- soaked overnight and made into a fine paste ~ 1 cup (the paste must not be runny)
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
salt
oil for frying

For the gravy:
potato- 2 medium sized ones diced
tomato- one large roughly chopped
ginger paste-1 tbsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
bay leaf-1
garam masala powder-1 tsp
coriander leaves-a handful
green chillies- 3-4 slit
ghee-1/2 tsp
turmeric
oil
salt
sugar

Grind the lentil to a fine paste with salt .Add the cumin seeds. Now heat oil in a fry pan and add one tbsp of the lentil paste to the smoking oil. Fry to golden brown. (Be careful not to make the paste too watery.) Continue frying the dumplings.
Remove and drain the extra oil.
In the remaining oil add the potatoes and lightly fry them.Remove and drain the oil.
Next add the chillies, sugar(a pinch ),cumin seeds and the bay leaf and let them sizzle.
Add the ginger and tomatoes and turmeric. Lower the heat , add a little salt and let the tomatoes soften.
Now add a cup of water, cover and cook until the potaotes are done.
Carefully spoon in the elntil dumplings in the simmering gravy so that they are soaked.
Season with salt and add garam masala. Add the coriander.
Let the dumplings cook in the gravy for a minute or two.
Just before removing from heat stir in a the ghee.
Note that the lentil dumplings soak up all the gravy. So add more water if you want a little jhol(gravy).

Serve hot with pea rice or just white rice or just take it in a bowl and enjoy...just like that!:)

Jamai Shoshthi Menu: part 1...Cholaar Dal & Alu posto

I will be writing the recipes in batches .So here I am with the recipe of Cholaar Dal and Alu Posto.
These two are integral parts of traditional bengali cuisine and very healthy too. My mother-in-law makes great posto dishes and after I got married I was really hooked on to them.
Back at home Ma's alu jhinge posto (potato and ridge gourd curry in poppy seed paste) and dim posto (eggs in poppy seed paste) are favourites.
But C is the die hard fan of Alu posto and so Alu posto it was... for Jamai Shoshthi.
And Cholaar Dal was a universal choice .

For the Dal:

split yellow grams-1 and 1/2 cup
coconut -chopped into small square pieces
ginger paste-1 tbsp
tomato-1 medium diced
dry red chilli- 1 dry roasted(optional)
whole garam masala-two cloves, two green cardamom, small cinammon roll dry roasted and crushed coarsely)
whole cumin seeds:1 tbsp
bay leaf -1
turmeric -1 tbsp
salt
sugar
oil -3 tsp

Pressure cook the lentils with turmeric and a pinch of oil.
Heat the oil and sizzle the cumin seeds and the bay leaf.
Add the chilli and the dry roasted spice.
Next add the ginger and the toamtoes.
Add the coconut and fry until the spice is done and the coconit pieces are browned.
Add this mix to the lentil and adjust the seasoning and consistency.
Put on simmer for a couple of minutes and its ready to be served.

We like our Dal a little sweet .... so add sugar accordingly.

For the Alu posto:

potatoes- 3 medium diced
poppy seed paste- 5 heaped tbsp
green chillies-4-5 slit
kalajeera or black onion seeds-1/2 tsp
salt
mustard oil :1 tsp
white oil:4 tbsp

Heat the white oil and lightly fry the potato pieces.
Add the onion seeds and the poppy seed paste.
Stir until the potatoes are coated with the posto.
When the posto is fried, add water (around 1/2 cup).
Add salt and the chillies and cover until the potatoes are cooked.The water should also dry up.
Just before taking off the heat add the mustard oil.
Serve hot.

Teto r dal (bitter lentils)

Calcutta is famous for its sultry summers. Those summer afternoons were long and balmy and every day after school when I sat down for lunch with Ma there would be two things that were Ma's summer specials. The first one was teto r dal . Now , I am very fond of bitter vegetables (funny eh!) and since then I have come to know that these bitter stuff help to keep the body cool.

Since Sunday the weather here had been unusually warm. And so I missed Ma's tetor dal more than ever. C was a little apprehensive.."Bitter dal?!! How do you make that? Is it good?"He asked me over the phone when I told him that's what I had packed for his lunch."Tell me how it is after you have had it", I told him.
An hour later C told me it was his best lunch ever! He loved the dal!( I knew he would! :))

I also looked up the recipe from Bong Mom's Cookbook.

Ingradients:
moong dal-1/2cup
masur dal-1/3 cup
bottle gourd (lau/lauki)-half of one middle sized one chopped into chunky pieces
bitter gourd (ucche/karela)-2 small cut into circular pieces
ginger paste-1 tbsp
Kalo jire (onion seeds)- 1/2 tsp
salt-according to taste
oil-2 -3tsp
green chilli- 1-2(optional)
turmeric-a pinch

Pressure cook the dal (do not dry roast or fry the dal) with the bottle gourd, turmeric , salt , ginger paste and 1/2 tsp oil.
Now in a pan fry the bitter gourd pieces (not too crisp). Just let them cook.
In the remaining oil sizzle the onion seeds and the green chilli.
Pour the boiled dal and adjust seasoning and consistency.
Serve with hot white rice on a summer afternoon and ENJOY!

Bottle gourd curry or simply.... lau ghonto

OK! A simple vegetarian curry was what we were craving for.... it was chilly outside..... and C was home for lunch and I had half of a bottle gourd at my disposal..... so the genius me thought ...why not try "lau bori" for a change....!!!
Till now everything was fine.... and then the idea struck....So here is the little "tweaked" recipe of my version of lau ghonto...!

Ingredients:(for 3-4)

half a bottle gourd- shredded fine
bengal gram lentil-1/4 of a cup(cholar dal) boiled and almost cooked with no turmeric
bori (small ones)-a handful
shredded coconut-3 -4 tbsp
cumin (whole)-a pinch
panchphoron-a pinch
ginger paste-1 tsp
black mustard (whole)-a pinch
dry red chili- 1
Ghee-1/2 tsp
cooking oil- 1 tbsp
Coriander sprig
Sugar
Salt



Fry the boris till they are brown and crispy and set aside.
Now heat 1 tbsp oil and add the red chili, panchphoron, cumin and mustard. Let them sizzle.
Next add the gourd , coat with the spice , put the gas on medium , sprinkle little salt, cover and let the gourd cook in its own water. It takes around 10-15 minutes. Check from time to time and stir.
Now add the ginger paste and the boris. Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Next add the shredded coconut and adjust the salt and sugar according to taste.
Finally sprinkle a handful of coriander and stir in the ghee.
Serve with white rice and voila!!!

Mug Chingri....A perfect start to New Year!!!

Hey!!!! Happy New Year to all and sundry!!!!!
We had a quiet New year.... we had had a long day on New Year's eve
and so we stayed at home and cooked and ate and made merry.... and caught up on all those movies...
I had bought a bag of shrimps(kucho chingri) which were too small to be put in a gravy.... so I decided to cook 'Mug Chingri 'or prawns in Mung Dal..... its a yummy simple dish which i had in Belgium last year at a friend's place.
It was absolutely delicious and so I decided to give US a special treat this New Year!!! So here it is:

Ingradients:

Shrimps-1 small cup
Mung Dal-1cup
cauliflower florets-half of a medium cauliflower cut into small florets
frozen peas-a handful
Onion-1 medium made into a paste
tomato-1 large diced
ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp
whole cumin-1 tbsp
cloves-2-3
green cardamom-1-2
garam masala powder-1/2tsp
turmeric-1/2tsp
lime juice-3-4tbsp
oil- 6 tbsp
sugar
salt

Marinate the shrimps in lime juice for 20-30 minutes.
Boil the lentils with a pinch of turmeric and set it aside. Do not overboil the lentils and do not put excess water.
Boil the cauliflower florets(in boiling water for 4-5 minutes) but do not let them soften. Drain the water and set them aside.
Heat oil and fry the shrimps till they are golden on all sides. Set them aside and soak the excess oil in kitchen towel.
In the remaining oil sizzle the cumin seeds , cloves and green cardamom.
Next add the onion and the ginger garlic paste.Put the flame on medium low and cook until the raw smell goes.Next add the tomatoes and turmericand cook until oil starts separating.
Add the boiled caulilflower florets and the peas.
Cook until the florets and peas are coated with the spices and let the mix cook in medium low flame.
Next add the shrimps and the lentils. Mix properly.
Add water according to the consistency you want.
Add salt and sugar according to taste.
Let the lentils come to rolling boil .
Sprinkle garam masala powder.
Serve with hot rice and have a great lunch!!

A bengali Lunch

I had an awful night with a runny nose ,headache and dry cough..... and I woke up all sleepy....I talked to Ma and she suggested something hot....so a cup of steaming black coffee and two cookies later I was able to stand up straight....
It was a Saturday and I wanted to have a home cooked lunch but nothing too fancy.....
I am very fond of 'Dal' or lentil soup that we make at home.... nothing is better than a serving of hot dal with white rice....and so that was it.... I decided to go for it.....Mung Dal and some fritters to go with it..... these fritters too made of lentil paste and have an amazing taste..... try them!!!

For the dal:

1cup mung dal
whole cumin seeds-1 tsp
ginger paste-1tsp
tomato- 1 medium diced
peas- a handful
garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp
green chillies-2-3 slit

salt
sugar
oil


Wash the mung dal and drain the extra water.
Next heat two tbsp oil in the pressure cooker and roast the dal until they turn light brown.
Add a little salt and turmeric and around 1 and 1/2 cup water and pressure cook until the lentil is softened and gets soupy.
This takes around 2-3 whistles but again might vary.
Next in a separate pan, sizzle the cumin seeds, add the ginger and tomatoes.Add a tablespoon of salt and cook in medium heat till the tomatoes soften.
Add the peas and cook until the seasonings blend well.
Add this mix to the hot simmering dal.
Season with salt and sugar and slit green chillies.
Mung dal at our place is taken a little sweet .This is according to personal choice. So add the salt and sugar according to taste.

For the fritters or "dal er bora"

Masoor dal-1 cup
green chillies3-4 cut into small bits
Onion-1 medium chopped coarsely
salt
oil for frying


Make a fine paste of the masoor dal with water in a grinder. It should not be too runny.
Add salt carefully according to taste and mix well.
Add the onion pieces and green chilli bits.
Heat oil in a nonstick fry pan . Scoop out little portions of the lentil paste with your hand and put them in the hot oil carefully.
Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Take out , drain the excess oil and serve with the hot dal and white rice.
Happy lunching!!!