Dhakai Dum Polao / Bini Chaler Polao

Dhakai Dum Polao

Ingredients:

500 gm – Bini Chal (Glutinous rice)

2 -Bay Leaf

30 gm - Raisins

14 – Cashew nuts

6 - Cloves

6 - Cardamoms

2 inch piece - Cinnamon

½ tsp Black pepper seeds

1 tsp – Chopped Ginger

1/2 tsp - Sugar

Salt to taste

4 cups - hot water

Saffron - 3 strands, soaked in a tbsp of coconut milk

200 gm – Ghee

 

   Procedure:

  Clean, wash and drain rice. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add bay leaves and onion slices. Fry till golden brown. 
Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, Black pepper seeds, cashews, fine chopped ginger and finely chopped carrot. Fry till light brown.
Add rice, salt and sugar. Stir fry for a 8-10 minutes. Add raisins and saffron-coconut milk mixture and mix. Add 4 cups or as required of hot water and mix.
 Finally cover the lid with dough and seal it and cook for a period of 10-15 minutes till rice is done. Garnish with nuts and fried onions and serve with pigeon meat curry.

Jhola gurer (Liquid Dates Jaggery) Pudding



Jhola gurer (Liquid Dates Jaggery) Pudding

Nolen Gur or date palm jaggery (slightly smoky in colour) is a delicacy of any Bengali household food in winter.  Visit any sweet shop in Bengal in the winter season and you will get variety of lip-smacking delicacies made with this jaggery, like - Moyas, Rasogollas, Sandesh, Jalbhora, Kanchagolla and many. But today I made egg pudding with liquid dates palm jaggery.

We all know caramel egg or creamy pudding is a classic French dessert made of simple ingredients like milk, egg and sugar and it’s very common recipe for all. Today I prepared egg pudding with Liquid Dates Jaggery(Nolen gur / Jhola gur) which is something different form the regular pudding recipe or any nolen gur recipes. I hope your kids are going to fall in love with this proteins and calcium rich dessert.

Ingredients

1 ltr mik

4 eggs

100 ml Jhola / nolen gur (Liquid Dates Jaggery)

Minced dates

1 tsp Melted Butter.

Nolen / Jhola Gur

Method

 Boil 1 ltr of milk in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame and reduce it to around ½ ltr.  Then cool it down to room temperature.

Now add eggs, nolen gur and milk in your blender and blend it to make a smooth mixture (you can also use a hand mixture to make the mixture). Now grease the baking pan with butter. Then pour the egg mixture in the baking pan

You can make your pudding in two ways, on your burner or in your oven. I made it in the oven. Making on the burner: Take a saucepan large enough to fit your pudding pan. Take some boiling water in the saucepan (take such an amount of water so that  when you will place your pudding pan in the saucepan, half of the pan will be under the water and the pan will not float in the water. You can use a stand to keep the pan steady). Now place the pudding pan in the saucepan and cover with foil both the pan and then keep it in medium heat for around 40-45 minutes (occasionally check the water of saucepan; add more water if needed).

Making on the oven: If you want to make the pudding in your oven, preheat your oven to 350  F, then in a large baking dish, pour 1-2 inches of water and place the  pudding pan in it. Cover with foil your pudding pan and then place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake it for around 45- 60 minutes.

Check your pudding with a knife or toothpick. Insert it into the pudding; if it comes out clean then your pudding is done. If it seems still liquid or sticky, keep it on burner or in oven for another 5-10 minutes and check again.

When pudding is done keep it to cool down. Then carefully run a knife along the edges of the pan, place a plate on the top of the pan and flip the pan to take out the pudding on the plate.

Your pudding is ready.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Niramish Pathar Jhol ( Veg Mutton Curry)

                      

Niramish Mutton Kasha ( Veg Mutton Curry)

The story of mutton that was cooked without onion and garlic and that is call NIRAMISH MANGSHO (Veg Mutton Curry) in Bengal. The name of the dish is bit funny. Is it not?

Basically the concept of the dish came when an animal is sacrificed in front of Goddess Kali or Durga, or in the name of any deity, it becomes Prasad and therefore any non-veg items like onion and garlic can't be used (Don’t be surprised. Bengalis do consider onion and garlic as non-veg items, not  goat / lamb or any animal after sacrificed) J

 Ingredients:

750 gms Mutton -Patha (small male goat) / Khashir mangsho:
7-8 tblsp oil (mustard oil)
2 & ½  tblsp turmeric powder
1 & ½ tsp red chili powder
1  tblsp Cumin Powder
2  tblsp Coriander Powder
1 cup hung curd
½ cup raw papaya paste
2 &  ½  tblsp ginger paste
Black pepper 8 ( optional) 
Cardamom-3-4 whole pieces
Cinnamon-2-3 small pieces
Bay leaf – 3 pic
Salt to taste
Methods:
Clean  and  wash the mutton pieces. Marinade the mutton with hung curd, ginger and papaya  paste, turmeric, coriander and Cumin powder with the 1 tblsp raw mustard oil and salt for 2 hour.
Peel the skin of the potato and cut the potato in two pieces. Rub the potato with turmeric and salt. Now fry the potato and keep it aside.
Heat up oil in a pan and add bay leaf and dry chili and stir it for some time than add  ginger paste, coriander powder, chili powder, green chili and black pepper and stir it for 3-4 munites. Now add the  marinated mutton pieces and stir fry on a high flame heat up for 8-10 minutes or stir well till mutton becomes absolutely dry and the oil separates (kashano in Bengali), it will also change color to a darker shade of brown. Add the dried up mutton in a pressure cooker and pour in 3cups of water, close the lid and wait for 2 whistle  open the lid and put in the potatoes and again allow 2 more whistles. Add the cardamom / cinnamon powder 10 minutes before the mutton is served.

The dish should have fairly thick gravy when done.  Serve with hot chapatti (Indian flatbread), Naans (tandoor-baked Indian flatbread), sweet polao or plain boiled  rice.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Posto Bada /Bora



Posto Bada /Bora

Posto Bada (poppy seed balls) is one of the many types of bora in Bengali cuisine. It can be served both as a snack or with a full meal. It can be prepared very easily with readily ingredients such as poppy seeds, coconut & rice flour making it healthy & delicious

Ingredients

Posto (poppy seeds) : 200 gm

Coconut : ½ cup (grated)

Potato: 2 midium size (Boiled)

Rice / Bengal gram flour : 2 tbsp

Salt : to taste

Sugar : to taste

Green chilli chopped/ paste : 1 tbsp

Oil : for frying

Method

Mash the boiled potato.

Mix potato mash, post(popy seeds)o, grated coconut, rice flour, salt, sugar, chopped green chilli in a bowl.

Take 2 tbsp of the Posto mixture & press by palms & keep aside. Like this give all the mixture pakora shape.

Heat oil in a wok.

Deep fry the pakoras till golden brown.

Take out from the oil & serve with steamed rice.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Dheki-r Saag

      
                              

Dheki-r Saag

Dheki saag looks quite like fern and come in bundles in eastern part of India.
You will need two bundles. Remove the stems and discard. Break off the soft top portion of the stem and the leaves and chop them. Wash the saag very well and drain off water.

 Ingredients:

Dheki Saag  2 bundles

Green Chilly,slit 2-3

Methi Seeds

Dry red chili- 12 pieces.

Roasted hyacinth bean dry seeds (sheem-r shukno bichi)

Potato 1 mediam

Brinjal 1small

Refined Oil 4 tbsp

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

Method:

Wash under running water. Drain off the water and Chop the saag. Make small cubes of 1 large Potato or 1 medium Brinjal.

Roast the hyacinth bean dry seeds (sheem-r bichi) then boil with salt until become soft , now peel the skin and keep aside.

Now heat 2 tbsp refined oil in a wok and fry the brinjal pieces and remove . Do the same with the potatoes till golden.

Now again heat 2 tbsp refined oil and add methi seeds and dry red chili. Now add the saag and stir it for some time. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Mix all well. Then add the roast the hyacinth bean dry seeds (sheem-r bichi), fried brinjal and green chili and cover. Let the saag cook in its own juices.

Remove cover and cook stir frying till the saag mixes well with the soft brinjal cubes and dry been seeds. Serve with plain rice.
 
Author : Manna Majumder

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Sheem-Bori Chorchori

            

Sheem-Bori Chorchori

Sheem-Bori- chorchori (Hyacinth bens and sundried lentil dumplings )  is a very typical Bengali dish. chorchori  means when you combined 2 or 3 vegetable with  mustard paste and  Bori (fried lentil dumplings)  with aromatic spices, the dish called chacchori.  But here I did not use mustard paste for this recipe. You will hear about various types of charchori all the time in Bengali cuisine and  is very flavorful and unique in taste.

Chorchori has a wide range from pui chorchori (Malabar spinach medley ), Sojne chorchri (Drumstick Medley),  Palong Shaak-er Chorchori (Spinach  medley) to sheem chorchori (Hyacinth bens medley).

Ingredients:

200gm Hyacinth bens / Mangetout (Sheem) (Washed)

1 or 2 Green Chillies

3-4 tablespoons of Oil : Sunflower oil/ Mustard oil (preferred)

Bori(sundried lentil dumplings): 10-15 pcs

Turmeric powder (Halud/Haldi): 1 tea-spoon

Red chili powder : ½ tes-spoon

Methi seeds(Fenugreek seeds) / Panch phoron– 2 pinch

Bay leaf -2 piecies

Coriander leaf

Sugar: 1/2 tea-spoon (optional)

Water

Salt to Taste

Method:

Dice the sheem in small pieces and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the bori until they start getting little red but make sure they are not burnt.

Now add some more oil and add  the methis seeds / Panchphoron to fry little bit. Also, add the dry red chilies and bay leaf at this time.

Then, add both sheem along with turmeric powder, chili powder and salt and mix well to cook by itself. Put a lid over the frying pan to cook and soften faster.

Cook in low medium flame/low medium heat and check regularly for 15-20 minutes whether the vegetables have softened well.

Now add the fried bodi and mix well with little water to just cover them and again put a lid over the frying pan to cook and soften faster. Add the sugar and mix them well. Keep it on the heat and keep mixing until it stuck at the base.

The food is now ready. Garnish with coriander leaf and served.
Author : Manna Majumder

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Maan kachu Bata

Maan kachu Bata

Maan kachu Bata (MALANGA COCO / BIG TARO ROOT) is one of the favorite and mouthwatering dish in Bengali households recipe. Bata is essentially some paste which are very simple, and easy to digest. You will hear about various baata’s all the time in Bengali cuisine.

This is high content of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins make malanga root with high nutritional value. In Bengali we called it 'Maan Kochu'. A traditional and luscious recipe.

Traditionally bata always involves mustard paste, green chilies and a generous amount of mustard oil in it. Mainly freshly grated coconut also plays an important role kachu bata.

Ingredients:

250grm. maan kochu (Malanga coco / taro root)
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1 tsp. mustard seeds
2-3 hot Thai green chilies (I put some ripe red ones along with it)
6-8 garlic cloves (optional).
2 tbsp. mustard oil
Salt to taste
2 dry red chilies.

Maan kachu

Method:

With a sharp knife, cut off the rough outer rind of the maan kachu and wash thoroughly. Now slice it into pieces. Grate or chop maan kachu nicely. Take the grated taro root on a big strainer or colander and put it under running  water. Once you are done with rinsing squeeze out any excess water out of it. This step prevents the itching in the throat.

In a grinder make a past of mustard with dry red chilies with a pinch of salt and keep it aside.

Now grind grated malanga coco, grated coconut, together. Now again add the mustard paste and two green chilies and grind everything together to make a smooth paste. The paste will be thick and not slurry   Pour grinded taro root in a bowl.  Drizzle mustard oil in it. Stir with a spoon and mix nicely. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy this mouthwatering Bengali delicacy on your lunch table.

Note:  If you like garlic, add 6-8 garlic cloves while grinding all the ingredients together. 

Author : Manna Majumder

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Kachu-r Saag / Ghonto

Kachu-r Saag / Ghonto

Kachu-r Saag is an absolutely delightful dish, belongs to bengali cuisine. The method of cooking this dish differs slightly from home to home. Every home has their own touch on it. But the main ingredients are always the same. Colocasia or Taro which is also locally known as kachu in Bengal grows abundantly in the rural areas of India.It is cheap and easily available in the market in many parts of South east Asia and tastes great if cooked properly with the right ingredients. Be careful while chopping and washing the Taro(Kachu) stems as sometimes they might cause slight irritation or itching to your hands,as a precaution you can either use gloves or rub oil to your hands before handling the Colocasia/Taro(Kachu) stems.

                             
 Colocasia/Taro(Kachu) stems are a very good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-2 and Vitamin B-6.They are also a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, Magnesium and Iron.  I hope that you will like this recipe.

 Ingredients:

 

2 to 3 bunch of edible Colocasia/Taro(Kachu) stems.

Tamarind paste

2 table spoon grated coconut.

1 bay leaf.

1 tea spoon fennel seeds

1 tea spoon ginger paste

100 grm pumpkin (Kumro)

1/2 cup roasted pea nuts. (you can use boiled whole chana / Black chickpeas)

1 tea spoon ghee.

1/2 tea spoon garam masala.

Salt as per taste

1/2 tea spoon sugar.

1/4 tea spoon haldi or turmeric powder.

1/4 tea spoon red chili powder.

1/4 tea spoon Jeera or cumin powder

 oil.

Method:

Wash the young and edible Colocasia/Taro(Kochu) stems properly and cut them in thumb size pieces. Boil slightly salted water in a pot and add the colocasia/Taro stems(Kochu) in the water. Add one tea spoon tamarind paste (optional) to avoid irritation.  Boil them for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain all the water and mash the boiled stems.

Cut pumpkin in small cube like pieces.

Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and fry the pumpkin cubes and keep aside. Now in the same oil add the bay leaf, red dry chili and fennel seeds and sauté for 30 seconds. Now add the grated coconut and saute for 2-3 minutes and now add the boiled colocasia(Kochu) stems into the pan and stir for for couple of minutes. Also add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, ginger paste and cumin powder, salt and sugar and mix well. Water will start oozing out from the mixture, cook it in medium heat till almost all the water evaporates. Now add fired pumpkin pieces and roasted pea nuts and mix well. Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes, add ghee and garam masala, mix and remove from heat.

Serve hot with rice.

Kochu sag is also cooked with the head of the hilsa. In this instance, the whole chana, coconut and milk are not included in the ingredients

Boal Macher Jhaal

Boal Macher Jhaal

Boal Maach (wallago attu) is widely available in the fish markets in India. This is a meaty fish with little bones and no scales.  Boal Macher Jhaal normally I  cooked with minimum spices but as a taste enhancer and to give this age old traditional dish . This famous dish in Bangladesh North Sylet dist.

Ingredients

Bual / Boal Fish pieces – 400 grm / 4 pieces

Turmeric powder— 1tsp.

Red chili powder- ½ t

slit green chillies— six .

Onion paste-  1 Big

Mustard oil— 4tblsp.

Salt to test.

coriander leaf for garnish.

 METHOD

Marinade the bual fish pieces with turmeric powder, chili powder, onion paste, salt and one spoon mustard oil and keep it for 15 mint.

Now heat mustard oil in a deep bottomed pan. Now fry the fish pieces with medium flame t and after flip the fish to fry other side.  Fry it till oil come out. Then add slit green chilies. Now add 2cup water and Cover and let it boil in low flame for 5 minutes till the fish is properly cooked.

Bual Macher Jhaal is ready to be served. Now garnish with coriander leaf and serve it with hot rice.

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Dal Paturi

Dal Paturi

Paturi is a style of traditional Bengali cooking wrapped and steamed/roasted in banana leaf. The delicate flavor that the banana leaves impart into the steaming food is simply matchless. It is prepared with fishes, vegetables, lentils and all other possible combinations. One such is dal paturi. 
It is a paste of bengal gram / yellow split peas (Chana dal /matar dal) and coconut steamed to form a delicate ‘cake’.

My Thami(Granny) used to cook this for us & it was a family favorite food. She used to fold the batter in banana leaf, & then place on the tawa & after that it got slow cooked on the heat of charcoal oven (unun). The taste of Granny’s hand cooked food-the aroma of banana leaf & charcoal all are missing these days.Dal paturi is one of my favorite food.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup -split bengal gram/ chana dal
1 ¼ cup – freshly grated coconut or ½ a fresh coconut
2 tbsp -mustard oil
2-3 nos – green chilies (as per your spice taste)

Fresh coriander leaves- 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt and sugar to taste

FOR ROASTING

Banana leaf

METHOD:

 

Grind the soaked split peas with little water possible (4-5tbsp). The texture of the paste should be a bit rough.

 Mix together chana dal paste, grated coconut, turmeric powder, coriander leaf and green chillies, together. Add salt and sugar to taste. Add 3 tbsp of mustard oil (raw) to the chana dal paste.

Prepare the banana leaf/leaves. Cut the leaf, pass it over the gas flame, this will soften the leaf and help the paste to b wrapped nicely. De-vein the leaf. Do not throw the veins away, you will need it to tie the leaf parcel later.
Arrange for 4 parcels by laying down double layer of the leaf piece. Put a portion of the paste in the centre and wrap it up. Tie the parcels with the veins.

Heat up the griddle (tawa). Place the parcels on it. Lower the heat to minimum, cover and let it cook for 20-25 mins. Flip them over to the other side of the parcel. And let it cook another 20 mins.

Take it off fire. Cut into wide squares & serve hot or room temperature as a starter/side with cooked red lentil( masur dal) and white rice.
One can also steam the parcels.

Author : Manna Majumder
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