Pabda Macher Jhaal (Bengali Fish Curry)

I got some frozen pabda at a local Bangaldeshi store. The packaging could easily give the Egyptian mummy makers a run for their money. However, the fish tasted fine.

This recipe is not specifically for pabda fish, you can use various kinds of sweet water fishes with it. This is the staple curry which Bengalis make with Pabda, Rohu, Katla, Telapia,Kajri, etc… The curry is not too rich and brings out the flavor of the fish and imparts a fine taste of mustard to it.

Ingredients

1. 4 pieces of pabda maach cleaned
2. 2 tbsp. of black mustard seeds
3. 4,5 green chilies
4. 1 tsp. of kalonji (nigella seeds)
5. 1 medium tomato coarsely chopped
6. 2 tbsp. of plain curd
7. 1 tbsp. of turmeric powder
8. 1 tsp. of red chili powder
9. A handful of cilantro / coriander leaves
10. Mustard oil
11. Salt
12. Sugar

Procedure

Wash the fishes and pat them dry. Smear them with salt and half of the turmeric powder.

Heat oil in a kadai (wok) till it smokes and then lower the heat. Fry the fishes till both the sides take a golden brown hue. As these fishes are very soft, you need to be very careful while frying them so that they don't break. Remove fried fishes from the oil and keep aside.

Make a fine paste of mustard seeds with 1,2 green chilies.

In a bowl mix rest of the turmeric powder with mustard paste and keep it handy.

Take fresh oil in a pan and heat it. Temper with nigella seeds and green chilies. Once they stop spluttering add mustard paste and sauté on low heat for about a minute.

Add chopped tomatoes and fry them till they become mushy. Add chili powder to it. Now turn off the heat and add curd (yoghurt) to the spice mixture. Mix it well with the masala and turn the heat on. Season it with salt and little sugar. Add about half cup of water and give a nice stir. Wait for the water to come to a rolling boil. Now gently add fishes to it and let it simmer for 2,3 mins till the gravy is thick. Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rice.

 

Dhaba style Baigun/Begun Bharta

Bharta is pureed or mashed vegetables fried on low heat with different spices. Baigan, Brinjal or Eggplant makes the finest kind of bharta. While in the traditional style the eggplant needs to be roasted over charcoal fire, I used electric oven to roast it. While in the past I have made my husband roast it on a camping stove in our balcony, I decided to spare him this time due to the bitter cold.

My father-in-law was a vegetarian and loved to cook. My husband use to rave about the bharta his dad made. So after getting married I asked him to teach me his recipe. When he was cooking it, he had a glass of heated mustard oil standing by. He finished cooking and as I was about to ask him, he pored the entire glass of oil on the bharta!!! Each time I make this dish I remember about this incident and ensure I deviate from at least this part of the recipe

Ingredients

1. 1 large eggplant (Brinjal)
2. 1 large onion slivered
3. 1 large onion coarsely chopped
4. 1/2" ginger minced
5. 6-8 garlic cloves minced
6. 3-4 green chilies finely chopped
7. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
8. 1 tbsp. chili powder
9. 1 tsp. coriander powder
10. 1 tsp. cumin powder
11. 1 tsp. garam masala powder
12. 1 tbsp. kasuri methi ( Dried fenugreek leaves)
13. A handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves
14. Salt
15. Sugar
16. Mustard oil
17. Ghee / clarified butter

Procedure

Wash eggplant and pat it dry. Make some incisions all over it to avoid explosion in the oven. Smear the surface with oil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350F for 40 mins. In case you don’t want to use the oven you can alternatively roast it on a gas stove by placing it on a mesh and allowing the skin to char on all the sides. Frequently turn it around until fully roasted. You will see the eggplant is loosing its shape and the juices start coming up. On open gas stove it doesn't take more than 10 mins to get roasted..

Once done allow it to cool and either scoop the flesh out or remove the charred skin to get the flesh.  Mash it with a fork and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add minced onion to it. Fry till it turns light brown. Now add chopped ginger and garlic to it . Sauté till you get a nice aroma of fried ginger and garlic. You may add little water if the spices stick to the bottom of the pan. Now add all dry spices other than garam masala powder. Next add chopped tomato and fry well till the tomato becomes mushy.

Add mashed eggplant and season with salt and sugar. Keep frying mashed eggplant with the spice mixture till it blends well. Sprinkle kasuri methi and remove from heat.

Just before serving, Heat ghee in a separate pan  on low heat and add garam masala powder to it. Once it starts sizzling pour it over the bharta along with chopped coriander greens. Serve it with phulka or chapathi.

Yakhni Pulao (Kashmiri Meat Pilaf)

Exactly 10 years back on the 30th of January, at our wedding reception the caterer who has by father-in-laws friend and colleague affectionately served Yakhni (pronounced as Aakhni) pulao. He planned the entire dinner on his own.

As you might guess from this, it’s our 10th wedding anniversary. It’s been hell of a journey living across 4 cities and two countries. However, in all the journey we have frequently talked about that Yakhni pulao and how one of our friends had nothing but the pulao in the entire dinner (and a lot of it by the way), you know who you are…

My 7 year old foodie daughter is all excited about our anniversary and all the stories of the big fat Indian wedding she goes on hearing about. So I wanted to treat her with the same Pulao. So on the occasion of the 10th anniversary, I made the same thing.

Yakhni pulao is the Kashmiri version of Biriyani. Yakhni, means a thin cream colored sauce with aromatic spices. It’s made with yogurt as a base with spices like fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and Kashmiri red chili.

Ingredients

1. Grind the following ingredients into a smooth paste with little water (masala paste)
   1. 1 tbsp fennel seeds
   2. 1" cinnamon sticks
   3. 10 cloves
   4. 5 green cardamom
   5. 5 black cardamom
   6. 1 tbsp black cumin
   7. 1" ginger root
   8. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
   9. 1tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder (optional, I didn’t have it on me and hence didn’t use it)
2. For pulao
   1. 1 kg (around 2lb) mutton / goat meat on bone cut into 2" pieces
   2. 3 cups of basmati rice ( washed and soaked in water for 30 mins)
   3. 1 cup thick yogurt
   4. 1 medium sized onion thinly sliced
   5. 1 tsp. saffron strands soaked in warm milk
   6. Oil
   7. Ghee ( clarified butter)
   8. Salt
   9. Sugar

Procedure

Heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium heat and add ground masala paste to it. Stir until you see oil floating on the top. Add half a cup of water, salt and simmer for about 5 mins. Turn off the heat before you add whisked yogurt to avoid curdling. Add sugar. Simmer it on low heat.Once the yogurt is cooked you will get a rich cream colored fragrant sauce. Strain and reserve it.

 

Put the mutton pieces in a heavy bottom pan. Pour the strained sauce or yakhni over it. Cook it covered till the meat is done. You can also pressure cook it if you are in a hurry.

Separate the meat and measure the stock. The stock should measure 6 cups. If there is more boil it down till you get 6 cups, if less add hot water to it.

Deep fry onion slices till they are brown and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

In a separate pan heat oil and ghee. Now add the pre soaked rice and fry on medium heat till all the rice grains are well coated with oil. Add meat pieces along with 6 cups of stock and stir gently. Give a taste test and adjust salt and sugar. This is a pulao and hence will be little bit on the sweeter side. Bring it to a boil and then cook it covered on low heat till rice is done. Allow it to rest for 5 mins then fluff it with a fork.

Sprinkle saffron milk and fried onions over it to give the pulao a nice color.

In our wedding reception it was served with chicken kurma.

Sabji Diye Mator Dal (Lentil soup with vegetables)

This is a common bong delicacy on a cold winter day. Markets in Bengal fill up with fresh vegetables in winter and this dish makes ample use of that. This is generally served with hot rice, accompanied by begun bhaja (fried eggplant) or crispy aloo-bhaja (potato chips).

Ingredients

1. 1 cup yellow split peas (or Motor daal)
2. 1/2 radish cut in cubes
3. 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
4. 1 carrot cut in cubes
5. 1/2 cup green peas
6. Handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves
7. 3,4 green chilies slit lengthwise
8. 1 tsp. kalonji ( Nigella seeds)
9. Turmeric
10. Salt
11. Sugar
12. Oil
13. Ghee ( clarified butter)

Procedure

Wash the dal and cook it in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Let the cooker whistle once, then wait for the pressure to be released by its own. You can boil the dal without cooker but then it will take longer time.

In a separate pan or microwave cook the vegetables till they are tender.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper it with kalonji and green chilies. Once it starts sputtering add the cooked vegetables and sauté till the nice aroma of the vegetables fill the air.

Now add dal and season it with salt and sugar. Finish it off with freshly chopped coriander leaves and a spoonful of ghee.

Chicken Chettinad

I fell in love with the fiery Chettinad cuisine in Bangalore. There my restaurant of choice was Nandini Palace. When I moved to Hyderabad I had no trouble finding great chettinad food their either. Malgudi being my fav. Interestingly this is one of the few things that I didn’t have to compromise when I moved to the US. Our local Indian restaurant Mayuri can churn out Chettinad food with equal ease. When the waitress asks “low, medium or high” you need to coyly say “super-high please” and get ready for mouth throbbing, head numbing, sinusitis curing chicken chettinad to arrive.

Ingredients

1. 1 kg cut chicken on bone
2. Whole garam masala
   1. 3,4 Cardamom
   2. 5,6Clove
   3. 1"cinnamon
3. 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
4. 1 tsp. whole black mustard seeds
5. 2 medium onions thinly sliced
6. 2 tbsp. Ginger+garlic paste
7. 2 tomatoes coarsely chopped
8. Handful curry leaves
9. 7-8 (or more :) ) green chilies
10. 1 tbsp. coriander powder
11. 1 tsp. cumin powder
12. 3 tbsp. red chili powder
13. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
14. 2 tbsp. Crushed peppercorns
15. Handful of chopped coriander leaves
16. Salt
17. Sugar

Procedure

Heat oil in a heavy pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and whole garam masala. Wait till the spices splutter. Add chopped onion with little salt and sugar and fry till they become brown. Adding salt takes the moisture out of the onion and helps to cook faster. Be patient and wait till they turn brown. This brown onion will dissolve when you add water and turns into a nice rich gravy.

Now add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste. chopped green chilies and curry leaves to it. Fry till the raw flavor of ginger+garlic paste goes away. Add chopped tomatoes, chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder to it. Fry on medium heat till they are soft and mushy. It will take about 10 mins for the tomatoes to get done. By this time you will see that the oil is oozing out of the spices.

Add chicken pieces and mix thoroughly with the spices. Cover it up with a lid and allow it to simmer for about 7- 10 mins. You need not add any water as the chicken will release enough moisture to get cooked. Adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper corn and mix it well. Finish it off with handful of chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with hot rice, chapathi or appam.

Baked Potato (Jacket Potato)

Sometime back few of our friend and family made a weekend trip to the ski-resort of Mt. Baker. We had a blast staying in a log hut and taking ski-lessons. Personally I am not a snow person. So when my family was down in the snow taking ski-lessons, me and my friend decided to stay back at the resort chalet.

We ordered some hot coffee and baked potatoes at the chalet café. While savoring the food we were sitting cozily in the warmth of the chalet and chit-chatting. Far below in the snow my family was learning to ski or rather crawling all over the snow as it appeared to us. We were waiting for them to come back so that we could re-order the potato and share with them. Unfortunately the café ran out of it by the time they came back. That didn’t stop me and my friend from raving about it on the drive back. My husband and daughter half famished got irritated to no end.

After coming back home I had to make it for them. After all what’s good in a food that is not shared with your loved ones. Baked potato or Jacket potato makes a very good supper or dinner with some bread rolls. It’s super easy to make as well.

Ingredients

1. 4 medium baking potatoes
2. Salt
3. 4 tsp. butter
4. 4 tsp. shredded cheddar cheese
5. 4 tsp. tomato ketchup
6. 4 tsp. sour cream
7. 4 tsp. chopped spring onions

Procedure

Pre heat the oven to 350F. Wash potatoes thoroughly and poke them with a sharp fork all over so that the moisture built up inside during baking can escape. Coat the potatoes lightly with oil and place them directly on an oven rack. Bake for about 40 mins and then turn them over. Bake for another 30 mins till the skin feels crispy but the flesh beneath feels soft.

Take it out and make a X shaped incision on top of each potato. Now crack the potatoes open by squeezing the ends towards one another.

It will pop right open. Season each of them with salt followed by a dollop of butter. As the potatoes are steaming hot the butter will melt and help the salt to go through. Load it with a spoon ful of sour cream followed by tomato ketchup . Sprinkle shredded cheese and spring onions over it. Serve hot, immediately.  

Mutton Rogan Josh

After getting up into a cold dreary morning I desperately needed some energy to get me through the day. I thought the best way to get some josh back was obviously to make and eat some Rogan Josh, the classic Kashmiri dish custom made exactly for a weather like this. Traditionally Rogan Josh is made by Kashmiris with lots of asafoetida, dried ginger powder and other spices to fight against the harsh cold of the Himalayas.

Ingredients

1. 2 lb. goat meat on bone cut into 1" cubes (Leg or shoulder portion of goat or lamb is preferred)
2. 1 tsp. of asafoetida (hing)
3. 4 pods black cardamom
4. 5,6 green cardamom
5. 8,10 cloves
6. 2" cinnamon stick
7. 5,6 bay leaves
8. 2 lb. onion thinly sliced
9. 1 tbsp. ginger paste
10. 1 tbsp. garlic paste
11. 4 tbsp. Kashmiri chili powder ( Paprika powder is also a good alternative)
12. 1 tsp. dry ginger powder
13. 1 tsp. fennel powder
14. 1/2 cup plain yogurt beaten
15. 10 tbsp. mustard oil
16. Salt
17. Sugar

Procedure

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan till it smokes and put bay leaves, cardamoms (both green and black), cinnamon, cloves and asafoetida into it. Once the fragrance of the spices start coming out, add sliced onions to it and fry them on medium heat till they are golden brown. Keep stirring them continuously to prevent burning.

Add the mutton pieces and fry them on high heat along with onions till all  sides of meat pieces are brown. Add ginger, garlic paste to it and sauté for about 3,4 minutes on medium heat. Add about 2 cups of warm water to it along with salt and little sugar.

Now bring the contents of the pan to a boil scraping in all the browned spices on the sides and bottom. Cover and allow it to simmer on low heat till the meat pieces are tender. It takes almost an hour for meat to get tender.

In a small bowl mix red chili powder with 4 tbsp. of water to make a paste. Now add this chili paste to the cooked mutton followed by dry ginger powder and fennel powder. Stir it well and cook for about another 5 mins on high heat. In between give the pot a nice stir to prevent burning.

Turn off the heat and slowly add beaten yogurt to it. Mix really well and bring it back to medium high heat and boil off some of the liquid stirring all the time till the sauce is thickened. Give it a taste test and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Serve with butter naan or plain basmati rice.