Lal Shak Bhaja

Happy new year to all my friens and all the readers of my creative space.We bengalis normally start our lunch with some bhaja preferably shak bhaja. So here I am sharing the typical bengali recipe of lal shak bhaja.

Ingredients:

1. Lal Shaak - 1 bunch  chopped
2. Onion - 1 fiinely chopped
3. Garlic chopped - 2 tbsp
4. Ground nuts - handful of
5. Red Chilly - 2
6. Poppy seed - 1 tsp
7. salt to taste
8. sugar - 1/4 tsp
9. mustard oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wash and clean the shak. Chop them.

Finely chop garlic and onion.

Heat oil in a kadai. Fry the ground nuts and then add red chilly,garlic and onion.Add little salt and sugar and fry till the onions are golden brown.

Add the lal shak and salt.The shak will leave water.Fry till the water is evaporated and the shak is well cooked.

At the end add 1 tsp of poppy seed and fry for 1 more min.

Lal Shak Bhaja

Serve hot with rice.

Pabda Macher Sorshe Jhal

Ingredients:

1. Pabda fish -
2. Green Chilly - 7-8
3. Kalanjee - 1/2 tsp
4. Mustard paste - 1/2 cup (make the paste with salt and one green chilly)
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp for marination + 1/2 tsp for gravy
6. Mustard oil - 4 tbsp
7. Salt to taste

Method:
Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder.

Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a kadai and fry the fishes in batches.Do not over fry them as over frying will make fish hard.

Keep the fried fish aside.

Now in the same kadai add some more oil if required.Now add Kalanjee and slit green chillies.Fry for 1 min and then add turmeric powder.Add water and salt.

When the gravy starts to boil, add the mustard paste and fish in it.Slower the flame and cover for 2 min till the fish is cooked.

Add 2 tbsp raw mustard oil and then switch off the flame.Keep it covered and give some standing time before serving.

Pabda Macher Sorshe Jhal

Serve hot with hot rice.

Pabda Macher Sorshe Jhal

Fish Fry

Merry Christmas to all my frds. Christmas means cake and something special.So I am sharing the special bengali style fish fry recipe here.

Ingredients:

1. Fish Fillet - 1 kg
2. Lemon - 2
3. Onion - 1
4. Garlic - 10-12 pods
5. Ginger - 1"
6. Coriander leave - 1 cup chopped
7. Green Chilly - 5
8. salt to taste
9. oil for frying
10. Bread scrumps as required
11. Eggs - 3-4

Method:

 Wash the fillet and marinate them with salt and lime juice(1) for 10-15 mins.

Now make a paste of onion,garlic,ginger,coriander leave,lemon juice from one lime and green chilies.

 Marinate the fish with this paste for 15-20 mins more.

Roll the marinated fish over bread scrumps..

Now beat eggs in a flat bowl and dip the fish in it so that this cotes the fish properly.

 Now roll the egg cote fish on bread crumps again.

Shape the sides with the help of a flat knife.

Deep fry both sides of fish in hot oil.First fry in low flame till the fish is cooked and then fry in high flame to make it crispy.

Serve hot with salad and kasundi/tomato sauce.

Fish Fry

Chanar Dalna

This one is a typical bengali and a pure vegetarian dish without onion or garlic.

Ingredients:

1. Chana (made from 1 lit milk,for preparing chana refer the  rosogolla recipe.)
2. Baking powder - 1 tsp
3. Maida - 1 tbsp
4. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
6. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 2 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Potatoes(cut into medium pieces) - 2
10. Tomatoes chopped- 3
11. Green peas - 1/2 cup
12. Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp
13. Cashew paste - 1 tbsp
14. Cardamom - 3
15. Cinnamon - 1"
16. Cloves - 3
17. Ginger paste - 1tsp
18. Ghee - 1 tsp
19. salt and sugar to taste
20. Oil for frying(I prefer mustard oil but refined oil also can be used)

Method:

1. Add maida,baking powder,cumin powder,coriander powder,chilly powder(1tsp)salt and sugar to chana and mix well.Make small balls from the mix and flatten them.Fry both sides of the balls in low flame till they become golden brown.
2. In the same oil add whole garam masala (cardamom,cinnamon and cloves).
3. Then add potatoes and fry them till they become little brownish.
4. Add cashew paste,green peas and tomatoes.Fry them till the tomatoes are well cooked and pulpy.
5. Add chilly powder,turmeric powder and ginger paste.fry for 1 min.
6. Now add tomato sauce and mix well.
7. Add water.Add little more water than desired because the chana balls will soak the gravy.
8. Add salt and slower the flame and cover the lid.Cook till the potatoes and peas are cooked well.
9. When the potatoes are well cooked, add chana balls to the boiling gravy.
10. Add little sugar,garam masala powder and 1 tsp of ghee.Mix well and switch off the flame.Cover the lid and give some standing time so that the chana balls soak the gravy and become juicy.Serve with roti/chapathi.

Chanar Dalna

Chanar Dalna

Egg Roll

I have always adored calcutta street foods.For me they are the best.Be it roll,mughlai paratha,pakodas,fish fry,chop,cutlet,fuluri,beguni,pani puri,alu kabli,churmr,tikki,chaat,jhal muri or whatever.The roadside stalls must have known some magics to make the dishes so much delicious and tasty.Elders always used to warn us not to eat outside and according to them it was the roadside dust which makes those things so tasty.It really does not matter and I simply do not care.I just can't stop eating them. :) . Anyway here I have tried to make calcutta style egg roll.It came out well and it's wasy to make at home.

Ingredients:

1. Maida
2. Egg
3. Onion sliced
4. Cucumber sliced and chopped
5. Green chilly chopped
6. Tomato sauce
7. Green Chilly sauce
8. Soya sauce
9. Mustard sauce or kasundi
10. pepper powder
11. salt to taste
12. Refined oil for frying
13. napkin paper or thin paper

Method:

1. Add little salt and 1 tsp oil to maida and make a dough with water.
2. Make ping pong size small balls from the dough and roll them.
3. Place them on hot tawa.When bubbles come out brush little oil and flip it.Brush little oil this side also.Now paratha is ready.
4. Now beat one egg with little salt and pepper powder.
5. Heat one tbsp oil on tawa and spread the beaten egg.
6. Place the paratha on top of the egg.
7. Cook one side and then flip the other side and cook as well.
8. Now place the paratha with egg on top of a half fold napkin paper.
9. Place onion,cucumber,green chilly on one side.
10. Add tomato sauce,chilly sauce,mustard sauce and soya sauce.
11. Then roll it and serve hot.

Prawn Salad

This dish goes excellent on a winter lunch with hot steamed rice.You can have it either as a side dish or just can simply mix it with rice and eat it.Very simple yet very yammy dish.Try it and I am sure you all will love it.

Ingredients:

1. Prawn(small size) - 100 gm
2. Onions chopped - 2
3. Coriander leave chopped - 1 cup
4. Lemon juice extracted from 1 lemon
5. Green Chilly chopped - 2-3
6. salt to taste
7. turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and clean the prawns.Mix salt and turmeric powder with prawn and boil them in water.
2. My prawns are little bigger in size so I have mashed them to smaller pieces.
3. Mix it with chopped onion,coriander leave and green chilly.
4. before serving add salt and squeeze lemon juice and serve.

Prawn Salad

Potoler Dorma

Ingredients:

1. Parwal/Potol - 16
2. Mutton keema - 400 gms
3. Onion - 2 (1 finely chopped and one paste)
4. Garlic - 2 tsp
5. Ginger - 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
8. Cardamom - 3
9. Cinnamon - 1"
10. Cloves - 3
11. Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
12. salt and sugar to taste
13. mustard oil for fry

Method:

1. Scrape the outer skin of parwal with the help of a knife.Do not peel the entire skin.Refer to the picture below.Cut two sides of parwal in such way that only one part should be open.Now scrape out the inside part of parwal with the help of back of a spoon.
2. Mix salt and turmeric powder and fry the parwals in mustard oil(2-3 tbsp).Keep them aside.
3. Now in the same oil add whole garam masala(cardamom,cinnamon and cloves).
4. Then add finely chopped onion and saute for 5 mins.Add salt.
5. Add ginger garlic and onion paste.Fry for some more time till the oil comes out on top.
6. Then add turmeric powder and chilly powder.Fry for 1 more min.
7. Add keema and some more salt.Cover and cook in simmer till the keema is cooked and soft.No need to add any water.
8. When the keema is cooked add garam masala powder and sugar and cover it for 5 more mins.
9. Let it come to room temperature and then fill the cooked keema inside fried parwals.

Potoler Dorma