A simple lunch

A simple curry..... heartwarming yet amazingly delicious,easy to cook but still reminds you of Ma er Ranna.... how good is that!

My Mother in law makes amazing bandhakopi r torkari.... and she showed me the trick...

Well.. I have never been a big fan of this vegetable.... tastes kind of vegetably (whatever that means!) and takes ages to cut and then of course it never seems to have any taste!

But then all of it changed 2 years ago.... I learnt how to manage this veggie properly...

Yes, you have to be patient and do a little bit of hard work... but the superb lunch we had today... was so totally worth it!

What you need:

Cabbage- 1/2 of 1 large finely shredded. Discard the outer leaves.

potato -2 medium diced

green peas-1/2 cup

green chillies-2 slit

ginger paste-1 tbsp

tomato-1 large finely chopped

turmeric-1 tsp

cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

cumin powder-1/4 tsp

garam masala-1/2 tsp

bay leaf-1

ghee(optional)- 1/2 tsp

oil

salt

sugar

Add the shredded cabbage to a pot of simmering water. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then discard the water and drain the cabbage.

In a pan add 2 tbsp oil, and sizzle the cumin , green chillies and the bay leaf with a tsp sugar.

Next add the ginger paste and tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked and oil separates.

Next add the potatoes and the green peas. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the drained cabbage , turmeric and salt. Stir for a couple of minutes and cover and cook for 25-30 minutes on low heat. Do not add water. Add water only if the cabbage dries up.

When the cabbage cooks down and turns all mushy, and potatoes have cooked, add the cumin powder and garam masala.

Stir in the ghee after the gas is put off. Serve hot with steaming rice.

Delicioso!!!

Coriander chicken and a cold saturday lunch

No No...the lunch wasn't cold.... after all there is nothing worse than a cold lunch on a weekend...the day was unusually cold.... the sun was out though... and the patio was bathed in the usual warmth.... but the the nip in the air made it impossible to sit out and enjoy the warmth.... inside too with our old pink blankets wrapped around our feet... we had a hot and yum lunch....

I am back after a long time.. with the pujas at home and the festivities continuing... I was as usual too lazy to sit in front of the computer and blog....But now I am back in full energy...

I made Coriander chicken after a long time... I love the aromatic coriander ... because it goes so well with all our curries.... veggies or non veg... the fresh leaves and the pliant stems impart so much flavor to the base....and one of my favorite chicken dishes is coriander chicken.....

What you need to do:

Chicken~1 lb

yogurt-2-3 tbsp

fresh coriander leaves and soft stems-1 bunch properly cleaned. Exclude the hard woody stems

mint leaves-5-6

green chillies-4

onion garlic ginger paste-tbsp

cashew nuts-10

clove-4

garlic-2 large cloves

oil

salt

Marinate the chicken with the onion ginger garlic paste and the yogurt.

Meanwhile put together the coriander, mint,chillies, cloves and garlic and a little water and make a fine paste in the food processor.

Also dry grind the cashew nuts .

Now heat oil in a pan and add the coriander paste. Put on medium heat and lightly fry the paste until the water starts drying up.

Next add the chicken and the marinade and increase the heat.

Evenly coat the chicken with the paste . Add salt, put the heat on medium again, cover and cook.

The yogurt will release water and the chicken would cook in that. If it dries up too much add a little water.

When the chicken is completely cooked add the cashew nut powder.

Put off the heat and let the chicken cook in its own juices.

Serve hot with jeera rice or pulao.... Hmmmm...... lovely...

Lau chingri.....and a rainy afternoon

Well no ... not rainy exactly.... but cloudy certainly and very depressingly gloomy....
I was debating whether to have lunch or just have anything that was in the fridge.I usually refrain from keeping cooked food for more than 2 days.(C does not like it) and so usually you will not find anything very edible stored in the fridge other than milk, sauces, jams and raw vegetables.
So very stealthily I opened the fridge praying to find something and there it was..... no no... to be more precise... there was 'nothing'.. readily eatable.... (Poor me!sob!)...
But by then my hunger pangs had grown severe and I decided to cook something that would take me less than 20 minutes.
I fished out a gourd ( half of which we have had two days back) and found a quarter pound of kucho chingri (small shrimps) in the deep freezer.
So there it was Lau Chingri... a very traditional bengali recipe and very light and healthy.
You can spice this up with coconut shavings and boiled bengal gram lentil.... but without these condiments too this dish is simply delectable.

Ingradients:

Bottle gourd: half of a medum sized one peeled , washed and chopped finely
Shrimp: 1/4 lb
Mustard seeds:1/2 tsp
Panch foron:1/2 tsp
light coconut milk:5 tbsp
ginger paste:1 tbsp
dry red chilli:2-3
coriander leaves:a hanful
oil:4 tbsp
salt
sugar

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and lightly saute the shrimp with a pinch of salt.
Set them aside.
Now heat the remaining oil and sizzle the mustard seeds, chiilies and the panch foron.
Add the bottle gourd. Add a pinch of salt and stir.
Now cover the pan ,put the heat on medium and let the gourd cook in its own juices for 7-8 minutes.
When the gourd is soft add the ginger paste and stir again.
Add the shrimps now with the cocnut milk and cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
Now remove the cover and add salt and sugar according to taste.Note that the coconut milk should dry up before you remove form heat.
Add the coriander and serve hot with white rice...YUM!

P.S. Paanch foron is a Bengali spice mix comprising of paanch or 5 spices. This is mainly used for tempering or foron. It comprises of whole
1.Fennel
2.Fenufreek
3.Nigella
4. Mustard (black)
5. Cumin