Homeward bound .....ghugni and a little magic!!!

I am ecstatic these days..... going home after a loooooong time....... its not about going back to my parents or in-laws so much as it is going back to Calcutta ......our parents visit us on and off..... but it is me visiting Calcutta that is so important this time!!!!
In winter its all about that morning fog that hangs around in the air ,the warmth of the blanket, the smell of 'patali gur' er payesh ,the frying of 'koraishuti r kochuri',the steaming cup of hot milk tea, the hot 'jilipi' s dripping with syrup and so many fond memories.....
Calcutta also brings back memories of ghugni that is cooked at home. It took me 1 and 1/2 years to figure out the exact recipe but now I can proudly say I have mastered the art of a perfect vegetarian dish.

Ingradientes:

Ghugnir matar or garbanjo beans- 1 cup
potatoes-2 medium diced
tomato-1 large sliced fine
ginger-1 tbsp paste
cloves-1-2
green cardamom-1
cinammon-1"roll
whole jeera-1 tbsp
turmeric-1/2 tsp
kasuri methi-1/2 tsp
green chillies-2-3 slit
asafoetida-a pinch(optional)
coriander leaves-a sprig
cooking oil-3 tbsp
salt

Pressure cook the garbanjo beans until they are soft but not mushy.
Boil the potatoes and keep aside.
In the cooking vessel heat oil and sizzle the whole jeera and the whole garam masala.
If you are using asafoetida add it now and let the smell come out.
Next add the ginger and the tomatoes and turmeric.
Put the flame on low medium and let the mix cook.
Now add the matar and the potatoes and coat properly with the masala.
Add salt and 1/2 cup water and let it cook.Add the slit green chillies.
When you have the correct consistency of the gravy add the kasuri methi and mix.
Garnish with sprigs of coriander and serve with hot rice.

Fun times....Desserts and all that!!

I love desserts... what is a meal without one? Be it ice creams or cakes or sweets or the typically bengali amshottwer chutney or doi or ... oh god... I could go on and on and on.....So for New Year I baked a simple chocolate cake and it was heavenly.....
Here's how I did it...

Baking tray
Milk Chocolate chunk-150 gm
Cocoa powder-4-5 tbsp
All purpose flour-1cup
Baking powder-2-3tsp
Eggs-2 large
Sugar-1 and 1/2 cup
Margarine or low fat butter-5 tbsp

In a shallow pan heat the butter/margarine and just as it melts away add the chocolate chunk. All this while keep the flame on low. Be careful not to burn the mix.As the chocolate melts and the syrup thickens slowly add the sugar and the cocoa powder and let it melt away .
Grease the baking pan and preheat the oven to 180C.
In a separate bowl sift the flour and baking powder.
Beat the eggs and slowly fold the flour mix in it. Mix thoroughly.
Meanwhile take the chocolate syrup off the flame and let it cool.
Then mix the syrup in the flour-egg mix and beat for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the mix in the baking tray and set it into the oven for 40 -45 minutes.
Bake until the cake is set and test with a knife or tooth pick.
Cut and serve with a hot cup of coffee or just like that!!!!

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!!!

Chaat and old memories!!!

Street food is one sinful thing I cannot live without.... be it rolls,kababs ,phuchka(golgappa), churmur . alukabli or the chaat..... oh how badly I miss them!!!
Coming to chaats I have heard Mumbai has amazing chaats on the beaches.. but I have never been fortunate enough to savor them....
I am quite happy with what Kolkata has to offer me....one of my first memories of having Chaat at kolkata is at GUPTA BROS.... a cafe at triangular park .....the amazing dahi kachori that they made steeped in yogurt and hot sweet tamarind date chutney.... I still remember the taste...
another place which we frequented was GANGAUR at park street....they have some amazing chaats there..particularly Rajkachori chaat.....
C and I both like to have chaats and I love to make them.....(most of the days I finish off the yogurt while I am mixing it)....
So here's one simple and delicious chaat that I prepare at home..... you can prepare pudina and tamarind date chutney to go with it... but Since I did not have tamarind or pudina at home I skipped them.....
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
Besan fefdas(savory chick pea flour biscuits floured with caraway seeds.... available ready made in most stores)- 5-6
plain white yogurt-200 gm
cumin powder-1 tsp
green chillies-2-3 cut into small pieces
potatoes-2 large
chana-a handful
sev- a small packet
sugar
salt
coriander leaves
lime juice -1/2 tsp


Mix the yogurt thoroughly with sugar and salt and cumin powder .Adjust the sugar according to taste .I like mine a little sweet. Set it inside refrigerator.
Boil the potatoes and chana. Peel the potatoes and and cut thin round slices.
Mix the potatoes and chana together with salt ,lime juice and green chilli bits.
Next break the fefdas into bite size pieces and arrange them at the bottom.
Layer the potato mix over it.
Next pour over the yogurt and let it seep in. Mix lightly.
Generously sprinkle sev on top with coriander leaves.
Serve and enjoy!!

Shorshe mach....A favourite

'Shorshe' or mustard has always been a favorite.... for the zing in the taste,for that beautiful color and also because it goes so well with nearly all fish dishes that we cook back home...
'Shorshe ilish' is a Bengali favorite.. no Bengali feast is complete without it....
This fish that I used in this recipe is not Ilish though...I substituted it with salmon which is available in all the supermarkets .... if salmon is unavailable any other white fish will do....
Ma-in-law suggested this recipe and the end result was an absolute delight...

6 medium pieces of salmon(any white fish will do)
1 tablespoon mustard paste
5-6 tbsp mustard oil or any other edible oil(i used olive oil)
2-3 split green chillies
2 tbsp yogurt or beaten curd
1/2 of a large tomato diced
salt
turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Rub the fish pieces with salt and turmeric and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces until they turn brown on all sides.
Take out the fish and drain the excess oil.
Now in the remaining oil in the pan put in the tomatoes , a little salt and the chillies.
Fry until the tomatoes soften.Then stir in the mustard paste.
Put in the fish and let them cook in the gravy for a minute. Then put in the curd.
Add a little water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Put on a lid and let the fish cook.Put salt according to taste.
Serve with hot rice.

Prawns and an eternal recipe...

Half the people at my place are allergic to prawns... that includes both my father and father- in- law...but prawns being the sinful treats they are... I love to cook them as often I can....
Both in Germany and USA we have had fresh stocks at home and I try and make innovative twists and turns( I don't actually know how innovative they are.)....the Bengali favorite "chingri maacher malaikari " is a favorite with us too..... but this post is not about that....

I cooked this first around 1 year back.... back then my cooking skills were pathetically restricted... but I was one brave little soul.....C was quite enthusiastic..( no other options for him..:))....

This is a short cut way to prepare a pulav....I prepare the rice first and then mix everything slowly....

Ingradients:
Rice: long grained white rice cooked and cooled(take care not to overcook it)
tiger prawn or large prawns:200 gms cleaned deveined
Marinate the prawns with lime juice, salt and turmeric.
Frozen peas: 1 cup
Onion: one large sliced in rings and one small crushed
ginger garlic paste:
tomato:2 medium sized pureed or sliced thinly
green chillies: 2-3 slit
whole garam masala:cloves, cardamom and cinammon ground coursely
bay leaves
turmeric
whole cumin seeds
coriander and cumin powder
yogurt

salt
sugar
cooking oil
One hard boiled egg to garnish


Marinate the prawns and keep it aside for 2-3 hours.
Next shallow fry them in a nonstick pan till they are pink on all sides.
Set them aside and soak the extra oil in a paper towel.
Next heat oil in a wok and put in half of the dry masalas except the coriander cumin powder.
Put in the onion paste followed by the tomatoes and turmeric.Put the gas on low medium and fry until oil starts coming out.
Next put in the yogurt and sugar according to taste.
Stir well and let the gravy form.
When the yogurt sauce boils put the prawns in it and season with salt and cumin coriander powder.
When you get the right consistancy take out the prawn mixture and put it aside.
Next in a large pan(which can hold all the rice) heat oil and put in rest of the dry masalas.
Fry lightly and put in the onion rings and chillies. Saute until the onion is light brown in color. Then put in the peas and let the mixture cook for 1-2 minutes.
Next put in the rice in batches and mix well with onion mixture.
Switch off the gas and at last add the prawn mixure and lighly fold into the rice . Take care not to break the rice. Season with salt according to taste.

Garnish with halves of boiled egg and serve piping hot!!