Phulkopir Dalna (Cauliflower and Potato Curry)

Updated: With video

If you are a Bengali you have literally grown up eating Phulkopir Dalna. This is one of the most common and fundamental bong dish. At the beginning of Winter when fresh cauliflowers arrive at the local markets in Kolkata dalna becomes the staple curry at the bong household for the next few months. Even though cauliflower is used in a variety of recipes this simple dalna uses limited spices and help the true flavor of cauliflower to come through.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w4jnrttSY4&t=4s

Ingredients

Serves four

• 1 cauliflower cut into medium sized florets
• 2 medium sized potatoes cut into quarters
• 1 large tomato chopped (optional)
• 1” fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. whole cumin powder
• 1 tsp. whole coriander powder
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. Bengali Garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp. ghee (Clarified Butter)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• For Tempering
  • 2 bay leaves (Tejpatta)
  • 2 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
  • Whole Garam Masala ( 1” cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamom)

Procedure

Heat 4 tbsp. oil in a pan and add cauliflower florets to it. Fry till the florets are well coated with oil and get a light brown hue (8-10 mins). Remove from oil and keep aside.

Add 2 tbsp. of oil and temper it with bay leaves, whole garam masala, whole cumin seeds and green chilies.

Wait till they stop sizzling. Add potato cubes and fry on medium heat for 2-3 mins.

Now add ginger paste. Make a paste of all dry spice powder by adding little water and add to the pan. Sauté on slow fire till the raw smell of ginger goes away. Optionally add chopped tomatoes. Fry well till the oil is separated.

Add salt and sugar and give it a nice mix. Add fried cauliflower florets and give it a nice mix. Add one cup of water to it and cook it covered on low heat till potatoes are done.

Add a spoonful of ghee and sprinkle little garam masala powder to it. Serve with hot rice or chapatis.

 

Komola Kopi Chingri

This Durga pujo we got more busy than usual, as both me and my teenage daughter decided to volunteer at the pujo venue. Serving food for hundreds at the pujo meant that we lost our appetite and barely ate lunch. Tired we also decided to turn in early.

A few of our friends learned about a Bengali buffet in a local Indian restaurant. Since
Pacific Northwest does not have too many Bengali families, having a Bengali spread at a local restaurant was a first time. My social media feed soon filled up with folks having luchi-mangso and other Bengali delicacies.

Next week I decided that I am going to give myself and the family our own version of a Bengali pujo spread and got into cooking frenzy. The menu was chapor ghonto, mochar ghonto, dhokar dalna, gondhoraj bhapa bhetki, komola-kopi-chingri, akbari-hundi and rabri.

In this post I bring to you the komola kopi chingri or orange shrimp cauliflower. This is a in-shell shrimps cooked with cauliflower in a orange flavored curry.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower cut into medium sized florets
• 1 large potato cut into medium sized cubes
• 1 lb prawn deveined (you can also prawns without the shell)
• 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• Rind of one orange
• 1 medium tomato
• 1" ginger
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• Oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 tsp. powder of cinnamon and clove

Procedure

Make a paste of tomato and ginger in a grinder.

Heat oil in a pan and fry potato and cauliflower pieces on medium heat till they take a nice golden brown hue. Remove and set aside.

Smear the prawns with turmeric powder and salt. Now fry them on very low heat till both sides turn pink.  Remove and keep aside.

Now add little more oil if you need and temper it with bay leaf, cardamom , cinnamon and cloves. 

When the oil becomes fragrant add fried potato to it. Now put the tomato ginger paste along with little water. Saute on low heat for a while till the raw smell of the spices go away. This is the time you add the cauliflower florets, turmeric and chili powder. As it takes less time for cauliflower to get cooked you add it later.

Mix everything together with the spices till you see oil oozing out. Now add  half a cup of water. Season with salt and sugar. Give a nice stir.

Cook  it covered on medium heat till potato and cauliflower are done. Throw the sautéed  prawns and allow it to sizzle for another one minute.  By this time the curry will be almost dry. Turn off the heat and let it cool down a bit before you pour the orange juice to it. Gently mix. 

Sprinkle cinnamon and clove powder along with the orange rind and keep it covered till you serve,

Goes well with plain rice.

Dim Fulkopi R Rezala

Few days back I posted the story of our new family tradition of making Prawn-pulao every Mahalaya. Now you cannot really eat pulao by itself, even though mysteriously the pulao kept decreasing as I was busy making it’s accompaniment. While I do plan to summon Mr. Holmes to get to the bottom of this mystery, here goes the recipe of egg-cauliflower rezala that I made to go with the pulao.

This rezala goes really well with the pulao because of it’s mild smooth taste. Since the pulao itself has a very distinct flavor, serving it with anything stronger like mutton doesn’t work that well. We also really enjoyed the left over rezala with some laccha paratha.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs boiled and de-shelled
• 2 medium potatoes cut into halves
• 8 medium sized florets of cauliflower
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 2 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1tbsp. cashew and raisin paste
• 1/4th cup milk
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. dry spice powder of the following dry roasted spices
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom
• 5 cloves
• 1 tsp. caraway seed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan and fry onion, ginger, and garlic for about five minutes on low heat.

Remove from heat and let it come down to room temperature. Now make a paste of all these three ingredient with half a cup of yogurt.

Heat oil in a wok and fry cauliflower florets on medium high heat. Ensure the florets don't change their white color. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. Fry potatoes and eggs in the same way.

Now in the same oil add dry whole red chilies and pepper corn. When they stop sizzling add onion, ginger, garlic paste to it add fried potatoes and sauté till the raw smell subsides.  If required you may add water during the sautéing process.

When the potatoes are three quarter done add cauliflower florets to it. Sprinkle salt and sugar to your taste. Mix well so that every pieces are well coated with spice mixture.

Add half a cup of water and let it simmer on low heat till both the vegetables are tender. Now goes in the fried boiled eggs along with the cashew and raisin paste. Add quarter cup of milk to it. Let it simmer for a while till it takes a thick gravy consistency.

Turn off the heat. Add one tbsp. ghee along with one tsp. of dry roasted spice powder. Mix once and keep it covered till you serve.

Khichuri Kancha Maslar

Winter is coming up and so is the season for khichuri for those sleepy rainy Sunday lunches. This khichuri is from my dida and is not the typical bong niramish version (for that you have plain Khichuri). This has the flavor or raw spices and is made without any oil. However, you can indulge yourself with a large dollop of ghee on top of it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 3/4 cup musur dal ( Red Lentil)
• 2 medium potatoes cut into halves
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1” ginger knob grated
• 2 fat cloves of garlic grated
• 1 medium sized onion cut into quarters
• 4-5 green chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Wash rice and dal thoroughly.  Take a big pan and put rice and dal  along with salt, sugar and turmeric powder. Mix well and pour enough water, about six cups. Throw the potato halves into it. Cover it up and let it come to a boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling remove the lid and one by one add bay leaf, onion, grated ginger, garlic and green chilies, cauliflower florets and green peas. Keep boiling on medium heat till rice , dal and potatoes are cooked and look a bit mushy. You might need to add water to get the desired consistency.
Serve it with a big spoon full of ghee.

Tandoori Stuffed Gobi

My mashi (aunt) loves cauliflower and so my cousin Puja went out and bought some with the intention of making Tandoori Gobi for mashi’s birthday. Puja was not that successful in finding a recipe online which she could successfully execute. She requested me to make some and post here.

I mixed mashed paneer (cottage cheese) with tandoori spices. Then stuffed the cauliflower with it and also smeared it on top. Finally baked it in an oven.

Ingredients

For Stuffing

• 1 medium sized cauliflower
• 250 gms. of grated paneer (Cottage cheese)
• 4 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp. raisin paste
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
• 2 tbsp. chicken tandoori masala
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp. butter
• Salt

For Infusion

• 2” cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves black cardamoms
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt

Procedure

Take a deep wide vessel and pour enough water to cover the cauliflower. Add all spices along with salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Keep boiling on medium heat for about 20 minutes till the water is fragrant.

Place the cauliflower in the water and boil on high heat for 10 minutes. Do not cover the pan while boiling. By this time the cauliflower would be 80% done. Gently remove cauliflower from the water with a slotted spoon and allow it to cool so that you can handle it comfortably.

In a mixing bowl take mashed paneer and one by one add yogurt, butter, lemon juice, chili powder, tandoori masala, chopped ginger, raisin paste, honey and salt. Whisk it thoroughly to make a paste.

When the cauliflower is ready to handle, over turn it and stuff the paneer mixture through the gap between the florets. Use your finger to reach almost every corner of it.

When the bottom portion is done, gently slather the stuffing on top of the cauliflower.

Allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven at 350 F. Place the stuffed cauliflower on a baking dish and drizzle one spoon butter over it. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. After 10 minutes drizzle another one spoon of butter over it.

Remove the baking dish carefully and sprinkle chopped coriander before serving.

Note: If you have a microwave with convection,  bake it for 15 – 20 minutes at 180C. For microwave with grill you can cook it at micro-grill combination mode for 10-15 minutes, but you need to brush oil at every 5 minutes.

Cauliflower Pot Roast

I tend to trust scientists with caution. They summersault in their recommendations every couple of decades. One of our physicians used to tell us to never eat cauliflower because apparently it has zero nutritional value. Now I hear the exact opposite and they are touted to be a super food with cancer fighting abilities.

Whatever confusion science has, I am not in the least bit confused in calling out that cauliflower pot-roast is indeed yummy just as it was a decade back.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower cut into big florets
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tomato
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2” ginger
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1/2tsp. Bengali garam masala
• 1tsp. ghee (Clarified butter)
• 5 – 6 tbsp. oil
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. whole garam masala (Cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves)

Procedure

Make a fine paste of onion, ginger and garlic. Add turmeric and chili powder to it and mix well. Rub this paste on cauliflower florets so that they are well coated. Sprinkle salt over it and keep it marinated for 3-4 hours.

In a pan heat oil on medium heat and temper it with bay leaves and whole garam masala. Wait till it stops sizzling. If you want a vibrant red color you can add sugar at this point. The caramelized sugar will give it a gorgeous red color.

Add marinated cauliflower to it and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Cook it covered on medium heat for about ten minutes. The marinated cauliflower and the wet spices will release enough water for cooking so you really don’t have to add any.

Remove the lid and do the rest of cooking uncovered. This will help to retain the shape of the cauliflower florets. Once the cooking is done you will see the oil gets separated from the rest.

Add a spoonful of ghee and a pinch of Bengali garam masala over it and keep it covered till you serve.

It goes well with any kind of Indian bread. 

Bhaja Mooger Dal

Bhaja Mooger dal is a Bengali delicacy specially for winter. Here yellow moong dal is dry roasted to bring out its nutty aroma and then cooked with fresh winter vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow moong dal
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florets cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh green peas (I used frozen)
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen grated coconut
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp.canola or any refined oil
• For Tempering
  • 1 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 2-3 green chilies slit lengthwise

Procedure

Take a pan and add dry moong dal to it. Dry roast on medium heat till you get a nutty flavor and the grains take a light brown hue. Remove immediately from the heat and allow it to cool down. Wash them thoroughly once it is cooled.

In a pressure cooker boil the roasted dal with 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and grated ginger for one whistle. Let the steam escape.

In another pan heat oil and temper it with cumin seed, bay leaves and green chilies. Sauté till the oil turns fragrant. Add cauliflower florets to it and fry on low heat till you get a nice aroma of fried cauliflower. Transfer this content to the pressure cooker.

Add green peas. Season the dal with salt and sugar. If this meal is planned for the kids then remove the green chilies now and add during the time of garnishing. Simmer dal along with the vegetables on low heat till the dal and the vegetables are cooked. You can add little water if required.

Pour the dal in a serving bowl and garnish with freshly grated coconut and finish it off with a spoonful of ghee.

Serve with plain hot rice. 

Aloo Phulkopi-r Chorchori (Dry Potato-Cauliflower Curry)

I just posted about making Bengali Triangular Paratha. The most common accompaniment to these parathas were aloo-phulkopir chorcori, especially in the winter when fresh cauliflowers were easily available in the market. Generally a breakfast of paratha’s and chorchori was followed by some nolen gurer sondesh.

This is super simple to make, fresh cauliflowers and green-chilies dominate the flavor. In today’s world it’s hard to fresh cauliflowers (or for that matter anything). We hunt our local farmer’s market to get our share.

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 medium sized potatoes cut into small cubes
• 2 cups small florets of cauliflower
• 3 – 4 green chilies
• 1tsp. nigella seed (Kalonji)
• 1tsp. turmeric powder
• 3 – 4tbsp. mustard oil
• 1tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan and temper it with green chilies and nigella seeds. Let them sizzle before you add cauliflower florets to it. Sauté for a minute or two till you smell the fragrance of cauliflower. Add potato cubes. Sprinkle salt, sugar and turmeric powder.

Mix everything well and cook on medium heat for 2- 3 minutes. Add half cup water and cook it covered on low heat till the vegetables are done. You may crank up the heat now to dry the excess moisture.

Serve with triangular paratha and nolen gurer sondesh.

Kopi Bhape (Cauliflower in Mustard Paste)

I cook different things for different people. This is something I cook for myself. I love Kopi Bhape. When I was young eating this for lunch in the Wintery afternoons was a special attraction. My mom used the freshest cauliflowers of the season and made it in copious quantities for me :)

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized cauliflower cut into medium florets
• 2 – 3tbsp. of mustard paste (Mix yellow and black mustard along with one green chili to make the paste)
• 1 tsp. kalonji seed (Nigella Seeds)
• 2 – 3 green chilies slit lengthwise
• 1tsp. turmeric powder
• 2tsp. chopped cilantro (Coriander leaves)
• 1tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• 5 – 6 tbsp. mustard oil

Procedure

Take water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add salt to it and stir till it is dissolved. Now add cauliflower florets to it and cook them on high heat for 3 – 4 minutes. Drain the water and keep the florets aside.

Take oil in a wok and heat till it smokes. Reduce the heat and temper with nigella seeds and green chilies. Wait till they stop spluttering. Add cauliflower florets and sauté them on high heat for a minute.

Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Mix everything well and then cook them covered till the cauliflower is 80% done. Cauliflower will be cooked in its own juice, so you don’t have to add any extra water.

Add mustard paste to it and mix gently so that all the florets are coated with the paste. Now cover and cook till the vegetable turns soft. Switch off the heat and drizzle some extra drops of mustard oil and add chopped cilantro to garnish.

Best enjoyed with steamed white rice.

Chingri–Sobji Diye Cholar Dal (Lentil with Shrimp and Vegetables)

Sometimes the bongcook is tired of cooking. Interestingly even though my little one will gobble down pizza/pasta when offered, prefers to eat at home, especially for dinner. So I take refuge in one of these simple recipes.

One of my daughter’s favorite food is daal. Adding Prawn quenches the non-vegetarian bong soul as well.We use this as a healthy one-pot dinner along with hand made soft rotis.

Ingredients

1. 10 – 12 medium sized prawns cleaned
2. 1 cup chana dal
3. 1/4th cup carrot chopped
4. 1/4th cup beans chopped
5. 1/2 cup cauliflower cut into small florets
6. 1 medium tomato finely chopped
7. 2tbsp. chopped coconut
8. 1 cup thick coconut milk
9. 1tsp. garam masala powder
10. 1tsp. turmeric powder
11. 1tsp. chili powder
12. 1tsp. sugar
13. 1tsp. ghee (clarified Butter) 
14. Salt to taste
15. For Tempering
1. 2,3 Bay leaves
2. 1” cinnamon stick
3. 2 cloves
4. 2,3 green cardamom
5. 2,3 Dry red chilies
6. 1tsp. whole cumin seeds
7. 1 pinch hing (asafetida)

Procedure

In a pressure cooker boil daal with 2 cups of water and turmeric. It takes 10 minutes if you are cooking on medium heat.

In a separate pan boil 5 cups of water with little salt. Now add carrots, beans and cauliflower florets to it. Turn off the heat and keep it covered for 5 minutes. Drain the water and dunk the vegetables in cold water for 10 more minutes. Drain the water. This will help the vegetables to retain their color.

Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry prawns. Remove and reserve them.

Temper the same oil with all the ingredients listed for tempering. When the oil turns aromatic and the spices sizzle add chopped coconut pieces to it. Fry till they turn light brown. Now add tomato and steamed vegetables to it. Season with salt and sugar. Sprinkle red chili powder over it. Mix everything well and fry on medium heat till oil separates out.

Add boiled daal to it. Mix the daal with sautéed vegetables. If you want pour little hot water to it and let it come to a boil.

Once it starts boiling add fried prawns and pour the coconut milk. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Finish it off with a spoonful of ghee, green chilies and garam masala powder. 

Bengali Aloo Phulkopir Singara (Samosa)

In my last trip to Kolkata, I reached Delhi airport in the wee hours of the morning. As we were departing out of the international arrival I overheard another fellow Bengali talking loudly over the phone. He was instructing his parents at 4:00 in the morning to ask their driver to buy Singara from “Bhola’s shop” while coming to pick him up from the Kolkata airport. I could really understand his craving for Singara. This is something we miss dearly on weekend breakfasts and when friends come over for some pure Bengali “adda”. We get Samosa’s here but they differ considerably in their filling with the traditional Bengali Singara.

Last week we were heading out to our friends home to meet their new-born and to spend the evening there. I decided to make some traditional Bengali Singara with cauliflower and potato filling. Thousands of miles away from home the “adda” got a special authentic touch.

TIPS

Singara is not that hard to make, however, there are some common pitfalls. You need to ensure that you have the right “moyen” which is the amount of oil in your dough. This will decide how crisp your singara will be. Too much oil results in brittleness. The local stores use dalda and other stuff to make over-crispy samosas, so that they can sell it through out the whole day. It’s not healthy and we will refrain from that.

Similarly the temperature of the oil in which you fry is also very important. It should be low so that the shell gets evenly cooked and it remains crisp for a longer time.

Also note that re-heating the Singara in Micro-wave makes them go soggy. Make them fresh or re-heat in conventional oven.

Ingredients for the Filling

1. 5 medium sized potatoes boiled and peeled
2. 1 cup cauliflower florets
3. 1/2 cup green peas
4. 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
5. 1”ginger grated
6. 2 green chilies finely chopped
7. 1/2tsp. turmeric powder
8. 1/2tsp. dry red chili powder
9. 1tsp. whole cumin seeds (jeera)
10. 2 – 3 tsp. bhaja masala (dry roast whole cumin, coriander seeds along with dry red chili and grind them into a powder)
11. 1tsp. sugar
12. Salt
13. 1tbsp. vegetable oil

Procedure For the Filling

Bring a pan of water to a boil and add cauliflower florets and peas to it. Cook them covered for 2 – 3 minutes and then drain the water. Break all the vegetables ( Potatoes + Cauliflower) in uneven shapes with a spoon.

Heat 1tbsp. oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let it sputter and then add roasted peanuts and green chilies to it. Fry for a while and then add cauliflower and peas. Keep them frying before you add boiled potatoes to it. After potato add grated ginger, turmeric powder and chili powder. Keep frying till everything mixes well. Since all the vegetables are cooked be gentle while frying so that they don’t become mushy.

Season with salt and sugar and fry till there is no traces of moisture. Now add bhaja masla and mix again once more before you turn the heat off.

Ingredients For Shell

1. 3 cups all purpose flour (maida)
2. 4tbsp. clarified butter (ghee)
3. 1tsp. salt
4. 1tsp. sugar
5. Enough oil for deep frying

Procedure

In a mixing bowl take flour, salt and sugar and mix them well. Add 4 tbsp. of ghee and rub it with flour using your finger tips. Knead the flour into a tight dough by adding some water. Let it rest for at-least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into lime sized balls.

Apply oil on a wooden board or kitchen counter and start rolling each portion of dough in oblong shape with the rolling pin.

Cut the rolled out dough into halves.

Brush water on both sides along the straight edge and then fold the edges to make a cone. Fill 3/4th of it with the potato  stuffing.

Now smear the open edge with water and make a fold just opposite to the join of the cone. This is important to do otherwise the shape will not be retained after frying. Seal the ends by pressing gently with your finger tips.

Take enough oil in a wok and put it on low heat. Add samosas to the oil. Essentially the oil should not be hot. This will make the samosa uniformly crispy which will last longer.

Fry them on low heat for 6-7 minutes and then on high heat for another 2- 3 minutes. Remove when they turn golden

Make sure the temperature of the oil is low enough before you add the next batch of samosa.

Serve hot with masala chai.

If you want to make them ahead of time make sure you reheat them in a oven and not in a microwave.

Chaal Kopi

 

Bongs lives in a Bi-Focal world. They classify Indians into two categories. Bengalis and Non-Bengalis. After I left Kolkata whenever I was invited to so called Non Bengali friend’s home I used to get surprised that they use onion, garlic in their vegetarian food. It took me some time to explain to them that whenever we call some food vegetarian It is devoid of onions and garlic.

Chaal kopi is a vegetarian twist to the more popular Muri-Ghonto. When Bongs are forced to eat vegetarian due to some custom or festival, this is a common option, especially in winter when the fresh cauliflower hits the markets.

Ingredients

1. 1 cauliflower cut into big florets
2. 1 large potato cut into big cubes
3. 4 green chilies cut lengthwise
4. 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
5. 4 tbsp. jeera rice or gobindobhog rice soaked in water for 30 minutes
6. 1 tbsp. grated ginger
7. 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
8. 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
9. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
10. 2 tbsp. golden raisins
11. 1 tsp. sugar
12. 1 tsp. ghee ( clarified butter )
13. Salt to taste
14. Oil
15. For Tempering
    1. 1tsp. whole cumin seed 
    2. 2,3 bay leaves ( Tejpatta ) 
    3. 2 green cardamoms 
    4. 1 inch cinnamon stick 
    5. 2 cloves

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan and add cauliflower florets and potato cubes to it. Shallow fry them on medium heat till they take a light golden hue. Remove and keep them on a paper towel.

In the same oil add all the ingredients listed under tempering. Once they stop sputtering add grated ginger, green chilies, soaked rice and raisins to it. If you are adding fresh peas, add now (for frozen peas see later).  Fry them on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Soon you will get the fantastic aroma of the fried rice and spices.

Add the fried cauliflower and potato pieces to it. Season with salt and sugar. Sprinkle turmeric, coriander and cumin powder over it. Fry them all together till the raw smell goes away and oil separates out from the spices. If required add little water for this process.

Here the rice will be cooked along with the vegetables so we need to  be careful about the quantity of the water.Add water to it so that all the veggies are partially submerged. Cook it covered on low heat till the vegetables are done. It is better to check in between to avoid overcooking because in this dish we want to keep the cauliflower florets intact.

If you are adding frozen peas, add them now.

Remove the lid and add 1 tsp. of ghee to it. If you are a health freak restrict the quantity to 1/4 tsp., but please don’t avoid it completely.

Enjoy with roti, parantha or rice. 

Chingri Maach Diye Aloo Phulkopir Dalna (Cauliflower and potato curry with Prawn )

So I had never had this in life. Each time we get prawns at home my dad wants me to make this and each time I side-track the request, because, well I never had it!!

However, this time I considered it and thought, what the heck. Let me try it out. So after a conference with my over-seas consultant (my aunt ). I tried it out and glad to report that the project landed successfully and was fully endorsed not only by my dad, but also by his son-in-law and grand-daughter.

Ingredients

1. 1 medium sized cauliflower cut into big florets
2. 10-12 medium sized prawns cleaned 
3. 3 medium sized potatoes cut into quarters
4. 1 medium tomato cut into quarters
5. 3,4 green chilies slit lengthwise
6. 1tbsp. ginger paste
7. 1 tbsp. coriander seeds paste or powder  (Tastes better with paste)
8. 1tsp. cumin (jeera) seeds paste or powder
9. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
10. 1tbsp. chili powder
11. 1 tsp. bengali garam masala powder
12. 1 tsp. ghee ( clarified butter )
13. 1 tsp. sugar
14. salt to taste
15. For Tempering
    1. 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
    2. 2 bay leaves
    3. 2-3 cloves
    4. 1” cinnamon stick
    5. 2-3 green cardamoms

Procedure

Wash prawn and pat them dry. Marinate with salt and turmeric powder.

Heat oil in a pan or kadai till smoking and add prawns to fry them. Once they change the color remove and reserve it for later use.

Add cauliflower florets to the oil and fry them on medium heat till the florets take a light brown hue. Remove and drain them on a paper towel. Fry the potato quarters on medium heat till they turn golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

If you think the oil is too less after frying you can add little more and heat it up. Add all spices for tempering along with the green chilies. Once you get the nice aroma of the spices remove the fried green chilies and keep it reserved. This way you can retain the color of the chilies till the end of the cooking process after extracting the flavor in the oil.

Add fried potatoes and cauliflower to the aromatic oil along with ginger, coriander and cumin paste. Sauté them together on low heat till the raw smell of ginger goes away. You may need to add little water if you see the spices sticking to the bottom. Add quartered tomatoes to it followed by turmeric and chili powder. Fry them till the tomatoes are all nicely mushed up. Season with salt and sugar and give a nice mix. Add about a cup of water to it and allow it to simmer. Cook till the vegetables are done and the water quantity has been reduced to half.

Throw in the fried prawns and cook them together for a while. Overcooking makes the prawns rubbery, so avoid it. Add a dollop of ghee and sprinkle garam masala powder. Garnish with fried green chilies.

Goes well with roti, parantha, pulao. 

Doi phulkopi (Cauliflower in Creamy Yoghurt Sauce)

This is one of the mild Indian foods. The spices are mellowed down with the creamy yoghurt but still retains their aroma and flavor. Since it’s on the sweeter side it works as a good side dish if you have non-Indian friends or family visiting you. Works great with kids as well.

Ingredients

1. 1 medium sized cauliflower cut into big florets
2. 1 medium onion
3. 1clove garlic
4. 1" ginger
5. 4,5 green chilies
6. 2 tbsp. cashew (kaju) paste
7. 1 tbsp. raisin (kismis) paste
8. 4 tbsp. thick plain yogurt (curd)
9. Salt to taste
10. 3,4 tbsp canola oil ( you can use sunflower or soybean oil as well )
11. 1 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)
12. 1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder
13. Whole garam masala (1' cinnamon stick, 2,3 green cardamom, 3-4 cloves )

Procedure

Make a fine paste of onion, ginger, garlic and 2 green chilies.

Wash cauliflower thoroughly and smear them with salt. Heat oil in a wok or kadai and temper with bay leaf, whole garam masala and 2-3 green chilies. As soon as you get the fragrance of garam masala and chilies lower the heat and remove the fried chilies. Keep it reserved for garnishing.

Add cauliflower florets to the fragrant oil and fry them on medium heat for about 3-4 mins. You need to control the temperature of the oil so the color of the florets doesn't change during the process of frying.

Add the masala paste you made above. Sauté cauliflower along with the spices on medium heat till oil separates out. Add half cup of water to it. Season with salt. Let it come to a boil on high heat. Now cover and cook on medium heat till cauliflower is almost done.

In a small bowl mix yoghurt along with cashew and raisin paste. Add this to the cooked cauliflower and mix it. Let it boil for another minute. Sprinkle garam masala powder and finish it off with a spoonful of ghee. Garnish with fried green chilies and keep it covered till you serve. Goes excellent with pulao, naan and parantha.