CHANCHRA / CHHYANCHRA( MALABAR SPINACH WITH HILSA FISH HEAD)

CHANCHRA ( MALABAR SPINACH WITH HILSA FISH HEAD)

 

'Chanchra', is very traditional, popular and monsoon favorite dish in Bengalis cuisines.

Malabar spinach curry while mixed up with fish head is called 'Chanchra'.

Other names of this herb is Pui shakh or Puin shaak in Bengali, Poi saag in Hindi, Pasalai keerai in Tamil, Bachhala kura in Telugu, Basale soppu in Kannada.

INGREDIENTS:

1 banch Malabar Spinach / Creeping Spinach (Pui saag)
1 Hilsa Fish head, cut in two pieces (may use Rohu fish head)
2 Potatoes
200 grm Pumkin
1 long ridge gourd

50 grm flat beans
1 Eggplant
3-4 Green Chillies, cut in slits
1 tsp Paanch Phoron
(combination of mustard, cumin, nigella, fenugreek and fennel seeds)
2/3 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/3 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Sugar (for flavor only)
Salt to taste
4 tbsps Mustard oil (or any white oil)

METHOD:

Wash and clean the fish head. Marinate fish head with 1/3 tsp turmeric powder and little salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Cut and clean Malabar spinach first. Cut leaves and finely chop them. Then cut the tender stalk in 1&1/2" length. Wash them in running water. Drain all the water from it. Set aside. Peel potatoes, pumpkin. Cut potato, pumpkin, flat beans, ridge gourd and eggplant in medium sized cubes. Wash all the vegetables, make those pat dry.

Heat mustard oil in heavy bottomed wok. When it comes to smokey, add fish head in it. Fry till the both sides of fish head turns golden brown. Remove it from the oil. Keep aside.
 

In the remaining oil, add paanch phoron. Then add 1 red dry chili and bay leaf leaf in it. Fry for 2 minutes, add all vegetables and green chillies in it. Stir for 2 minutes. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, Cumin and Coriander powder in it. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes, then add Malabar spinach and salt in it. Fold nicely. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

At this point add fried fish head in it. Break the fish by the tip of spatula and mix with the vegetable nicely. Keep stirring for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add sugar and fold well thoroughly. Remove from heat. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Enchor/ Echor Chingri (Raw Jack Fruit with Prawns)




Enchor/ Echor Chingri (Raw Jack Fruit with Prawns)

Ingredients:
• Green Jackfruit - 500 grms
• Prawn - Medium size 6 to 8 pieces/Small 10 pieces
• Potato (Big) - 1 big cut into medium pieces...
• Onion - 1 medium Paste / chopped
• Ginger & Garlic Paste - 2 teaspoon
• Green chili - 1 Tablespoon
• Red Chilli Powder - As per taste
• Coriander Powder - 1 Teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1 Teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 2 & 1/2 Teaspoon
• Bay Leaves - 1 Big
• Whole red chilies- 2 pieces
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard oil - 8 tablespoons
• Salt - As per taste
• Sugar - As per taste
• Ghee- 2 table spoon

 Method:
Make sure to rub oil in your hand before cutting green jack fruit to avoid sticky latex to stick to your hand. Skin off the Jack fruit and cut into small pieces.
Heat 4 cups water in a pan with some salt & Turmeric and when the water will start boiling add the jack fruit. Cook till the jack fruit is semi tender. Drain and keep aside.
Clean the prawns and marinate with turmeric and salt and keep aside.
Now heat oil in a wok and fry prawns and potatoes (separate) and keep in a bowl and in the same oil fry boiled jackfruit for 5 minutes and keep it aside.
Now again heat oil in a wok and add bay leaf and whole red chili and fry for a while.
Then add paste /chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add turmeric, Coriander, Green chili and red chili powder and again fry with 1 tea spoon of water. Fry the masala very well till oil separates from the masala. Add salt to taste and some sugar to it.
Add jackfruit and mix the masala with them and cover the pan to soften the jackfruit for 4-5 minutes. Now open the lid and fried prawns, potatoes and fry to mix the masala with them. After 5 minutes add 2 cups of warm water to the mixture and cover the curry and simmer the heat to cook the very well.
When jackfruits and potatoes are well cooked pour the curry in a big serving bowl and sprinkle some Garam Masala powder and ghee . Serve the curry with steamed rice.

Note: You may use canned jackfruit, easily available in any super market.
If you are using canned jackfruit then just cut the can and drain the water of the can and soak the chunks in cold plain water for 1 hour to remove the sourness of the preservatives.

Lau chingri (Bottle gourd and the spicy shrimp).

Lau chingri is a hot favorite dish in East Bengal. Basically this is Portuguese recipe. It is a combination of the sweet bottle gourd and the spicy shrimp.

                                                 

Ingredients:

Serves: 5

·     Lau (bottle gourd or lauki) - 1 small (about 750 grams)

·     150 g- Small Shrimps/Choto Chingri

·     salt to taste

·     1 tspn turmeric powder

·     4 tbspn of oil

·     1 tspn cumin seeds

·     1 bay leaf

·     2  whole dry red chili

·     1 tspn cumin powder

·     Coriander leaves for garnishing

·     Water as needed

Preparation:

Peel the vegetable and chop finely cut into 1 inch long thin strips.

Peel shrimp, wash thoroughly, rub salt and turmeric and keep aside.
Cooking procedure:

Heat oil in a kadai/ pan. Fry the shrimps and keep aside.

To the same oil, add jeera (Cumin seeds) / panch phoron, bay leaf and dry red chillies. Fry until the seeds change color (about 15 seconds).                    

Add the cut lauki, and mix. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

Add turmeric, jeera (cumin) powder, green chilies and fried shrimps. Mix thoroughly and cover to cook further for approximately 8 minutes or until the vegetable is tender and cooked.

Take the cover off occasionally and stir. If the lau is fresh it will release water. The lau will soften gradually. No need to add water as the lau will cook in its own juice.

 Remove cover, add salt, and turn heat to medium-high to evaporate excess water.

Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from heat.