Bengali Recipes from News Groups
Meat in Rich Onion Sauce
Here is another Indian dish that seems pretty easy. It's called
Shidumpukth Gosht or Do Piaza if you speak colloquial Bengali. It
all boils down to meat in tons o' onions. Serves 4 and takes two
hours to cook (you can do your laundry while the meat cooks).
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb onions 1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lb tender boneless meat 2 bay leaves
4 tbs oil salt to taste
salt to taste 2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs ground coriander 2 tbs chopped coriander leaves
1 tbs chili powder
Directions:
Finely chop 2 lb of the onions. Cut the meat into 1 1/2" cubes and
rinse it, then drain and dry it on absorbent kitchen paper. Grease a
heavy based saucepan with a little of the oil. Layer the onions and
meat alternately in the saucepan, reserving enough onion for the top
layer. Sprinkle the salt, ground coriander and chili powder on top
of the final layer of meat before topping with the reserved onions.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook over very gentle heat for 1
1/2 to two hours until the onions are reduced to a pulp and the meat
is tender. There is no need to add any water to this dish as the
onions produce enough moisture. Remove the meat from the sauce and
reserve both.
Finely chop the remaining onions. Heat the remaining oil, add the
onions, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Stir fry until the onions
turn a rich golden brown in color, then add the cooked meat and cook
and stir until the meat browns. Pour in the reserved sauce and
lemon juice, and stir fry for a further two minutes. Sprinkle with
freshly chopped coriander leaves before serving. Give it a whirl
and see what happens. It's MUCH easier than it looks. Trust me!
Maachher Jhal (Bengali Fish Recipe)
From: amber@crhc.uiuc.edu (amber)
This is one of many fish recipes prepared in Bengal (India) where fish
is a staple. This is a simple one which I tried out of memory after
coming to the US and it came out pretty close to the original.
Ingredients :
1 lb fish (preferably freshwater like carp or catfish with
skin and bones cut into steaks 3/4'' thick)
1 cup mustard oil (this can be purchased at any Indian store)
1-1.5 tbsp mustard paste
2 tbsps turmeric
5-6 hot peppers
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Method:
Smear fish pieces with 1 tbsp turmeric and salt and set aside for a
few minutes. Heat mustard oil in a deep pan and fry fish lightly until
golden yellow on both sides. Dissolve mustard paste , remaining
turmeric and salt in 1.5 cups hot water. Slice hot peppers lengthwise
and add to the mustard sauce. Add a few drops of mustard oil to the
sauce. Bring sauce to boil in a saucepan and add fish to it. Simmer
until fish is tender and sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from
heat, allow to cool , sprinkle lemon juice and serve with white rice.
Note 1: The mustard oil is quite essential as this is what gives the
dish the tang. Also , it should be of good quality .
Note 2: The mustard paste is best prepared fresh by crushing 4-5 tbsps
mustard seed with water but prepared mustard can be substituted.
OH, CALCUTTA: COCONUT SHRIMP
by Lon Hall
This dish is adapted from "The Varied Kitchens of India" by Copeland
Marks. Although it is a Bengali dish, from Calcutta, its complex
mixture of hot and sweet flavors gives it a flavor much like the
dishes of Indonesia. It is best made with very fresh shrimp, and it
cooks astonishingly quickly.
SHRIMP WITH COCONUT MILK AND CASHEW RICE
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger root
1/2 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red, pepper
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 heaping tablespoon minced cilantro
Cashew Rice (recipe follows)
Saute garlic, ginger root and shrimp in oil in large skillet until
shrimp turns pink, about 2 minutes.
Add coconut milk, turmeric and crushed red pepper. Cook over
medium-low heat 2 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked and liquid
is hot. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Sprinkle with
cilantro and serve over Cashew Rice. Makes 2 servings.
Note: Do not use sweetened coconut milk designed for cocktails.
Regular coconut milk is available canned in Asian and Hispanic food
stores.
Cashew Rice
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup converted rice
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped cashews
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
Melt butter in medium pan. Add rice and saute 1 to 2 minutes over
medium heat until grains are glossy. Add chicken broth and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until rice is tender, 18 to
20 minutes. Stir in green onions and cashews. Season to taste with
salt and white pepper. Makes 2 servings.
SHRIMPS WITH MUSTARD
From: Dave [davidg@clam.rutgers.edu]
Here is a Bengali speciality that features the taste of turmeric,
without the other curry powder spices.
2 tablespoons ground mustard seed,
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 cup mustard oil or any cooking oil
1 large onion, ground
1 1/2 pounds shrimps,. peeled and cleaned
1 tablespoon minced hot green chili peppers
1 teaspoon salt
Make a paste of the mustard seed and turmeric with a little water. Add
all other ingredients, cover and cook at the gentlest simmer until
shrimps are full pink, 5-10 minutes, depending on size of
shrimps. Makes 4 servings.
Bengali Bhat Payasa (Rich Rice Pudding)
From The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi.
Serves 4 to 6
2 Tbs. ghee or unsalted butter
1/4 cup basmati or other long-grain white rice, washed, drained,
and air-dried
1/2 of a cassia or bay leaf (optional)
8 cups whole milk,
or a mixture of 6 cups milk and 2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar or rock candy, pulverized
1/4 cup currants
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Enough pure camphor powder to cover the head of a straight pin
(optional)*
1 Tbs. toasted charoli or pine nuts for garnishing**
Heat the ghee or butter in a heavy-bottomed nonstick 5 quart/liter pan
over moderate heat. Add the rice and stir-fry until it darkens one or
two shades, then add the cassia or bay leaf and milk or
milk-half-and-half mixture. Raise the heat to high and, stirring
constantly, bring it to a frothing boil. (This will take about 15
minutes). Reduce the heat slightly and let the milk boil, stirring
slightly, until it is reduced to about half of its original volume.
Add the sweetener, currants, and cardamom, and reduce the heat to
moderately low. Simmer, stirring attentively to avoid scorching,
until the liquid is reduced to a fourth of its original volume. It
will become thick and creamy. Stir in the optional camphor and cool
to room temperature. The pudding will continue to thicken as it
cools. If you prefer it chilled, refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Serve garnished with toasted charoli or pine nuts.
*Camphor: pure edible camphor (kacha karpoor) is a crystalline
compound that looks like coarse salt. It is from steam distillation
of the aromatic leaves and wood of the evergreen tree _Cinnamomum
camphora_ that grows in India and China. Extremely difficult to
obtain in the U.S. It is *not* inedible synthetic camphor.
**Charoli seed: nut-like seeds from the tree _Buchanania lazan_ .
Available at Indian or Middle Eastern grocery stores.
Potatoes With Black Pepper (Bengali aloo)
We take black pepper so much for granted, sprinkling tiny amounts on
most foods without much thought. Apart from its taste, black pepper
has a very enticing perfume and a delicate tartness as well. These
properties are drawn out when the spice is used in generous amounts-as
in the French steak au poivre or in these very Bengali potatoes. The
dish is simplicity itself to make and may be eaten with European foods
as well as Indian. You could also stick toothpicks into the potato
pieces and serve them with drinks.
Serves 4
5 medium potatoes
4 tbls veg. oil
3/4 tsp salt
1-1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (a slightly coarse grind is best)
2 tbls very finely chopped fresh coriander or parsley, optional
Boil unpeeled potatoes and allow to cool completely. (Refrigerated day
old boiled potatoes work very well for this dish.) Peel potatoes and
cut into 3/4 inch dice. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium
flame. When hot put in potatoes and stir around for a minute. Sprinkle
in salt and mix gently. Cover and cook over medium-low flame for about
5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add black pepper and mix
gently. Cook, uncovered, for another few minutes over a medium flame,
stirring now and then and allowing them to brown slightly. Sprinkle
in fresh coriander. Mix and serve hot.
(from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking)
Pumpkin blossoms: dipped in batter and deep fried
Author: Shankar Bhattacharyya
Grind some purple mustard in a coffee grinder. Make a thick slurry
with water. Add some fresh, finely minced hot pepper, preferably
cayenne or Thai. Perhaps a pinch or two of salt. Use this slurry as a
stuffing for the pumpkin flowers, spreading it on as you might use jam
or jelly on bread. More than a shmear, perhaps a serious shmear. Fold
the end over so as to keep the stuffing intact.
Then dip the flowers in batter, and fry. You can deep fry this, or you
can pan fry it in a more modest amount of oil.
Eat. Be prepared to have the back of your head fly off.
If you like, serve as a semi-major side dish, with rice and a simple
dal.
The pepper is for flavour, not for heat. Properly done, this is plenty
hot on its own.
Bengali mango lassi
Author: Ted Groszkiewicz [groszt@champint.com]
How about the classic Indian beverage called Lassi? I believe this is
the original from which all smoothies spring. Lassi comes in two
distinct varieties...sweet and salty. The salty version is really a
foreign taste for the western palate!!!
The basic recipe for a sweet lassi includes drops of rose essence
instead of fruit, but our favorite is a classic Bengali mango lassi.
I've never been to Bengal, but my friends from there say that
literally hundreds of mango varieties are available there at this time
of year.
Here's how we make mango lassi.....
You can use a blender for this though we use an appliance called the
Asia Kitchen Machine.
Take a ripe mango (i mean really ripe and a bit soft - fruity in
aroma) and gently roll it on the countertop to pulverize the flesh
inside. Carefully open the skin of the mango over a bowl and remove
the flesh by hand - gooey!! The inside of the skin can be scraped
with a spoon to remove strings of flesh, but do not scrape the pit or
you'll get really tough fibers in the drink. Squeeze the pit in your
fist and let the juice and pulp ooze into the bowl (did I say, "Wash
your hands first?"); and repeat several times trying hard not to
launch the pit across the room, but rather to get as much of the fruit
into the bowl as possible.
Next add 2 cups of yogurt, 1/2 cup good water and 3TBS of sugar to the
bowl.
Crush or shave a cup of ice in the appliance of your choice and add to
the bowl. Pour the whole thing into the blender and whip, or use an
electric mixer on the highest speed. The trick here is to incorporate
as much air as possible to make a frothy drink.
Vary the relative amounts of yogurt and water to vary the thickness of
the final product
COUNTRY CAPTAIN
From Madhur Jaffrey's Flavours of India - West Bengal
West Bengal in eastern India is rich in fish from the rivers and an
abundance of vegetables and fruit. Benglais tend to eat five meals a
day - hardly surprising if they are all as tasty as this recipe.
I have yet to find two explanations for the name of this that agree!
But there it is, an Anglo- Indian name, however obscure, for an
Anglo-Indian dish that may well have originated in Calcutta. It is
delicious and easy to prepare, tending to disappear as soon as it is
made. Serve with plain rice.
COUNTRY CAPTAIN
3 in pice of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5 garlic cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small red onion roughly chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium-large red onion finely sliced
One chicken skinned and cut into 2 in pieces
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsps salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsps white whine
2 large ripe tomatoes
5-6 fresh green chillies
2 green peppers cored, seede and finely sliced
Put the ginger, garlic and onion for the paste into an electric
blender. Add 3 1/2 fl oz water and blend to a fine paste. You may
need to push the mixture down with a spatula from time to time to
achieve this.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large wide preferably non stick pan
or wok over a high heat. When hot, add half the sliced onion. Stir
and fry for 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the
chicken. Stir and fry for 8-10 minutes until browned. Reduce the
heat to medium and add the paste from the blender, together with the
cayenne pepper, salt, sugar and vinegar to taste. Stir and fry for a
further 10-15 minutes until the chicken is tender. The spicy sauce
should be thick enouth to coat the chicken pieces.
Add the tomatoes, remaining onions, chillies and the peppers. Stir
and fry for 3-4 minutes so that the flavours blend, but the peppers
remain green and crisp.
TIPS
Cayenne pepper is often called chilli powder. Don't confuse it with
the Mexican-style chilli powder that also contains cumin, garlic and
oregano.
The hot seeds of fresh chillies are never removed in India, but you
may do so if you don't want their fiery addition to your dish.
Always wash your hands well after handling chillies.
Bengal Curry of Lamb
from: Joel.Ehrlich@salata.com (Joel Ehrlich)
Yields 4 Servings
2 1/2 Lb Lean Lamb Shoulder
1/4 tsp Dried Mint, Crushed
1/4 Cup Butter
2 Cups Milk
2/3 Cup Onion, Chopped Fine
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (See Instructions)
3 Tbls Crystallized Ginger, Chopped
1/2 Cup Coconut, Grated
1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Lime Juice
1/8 tsp Black Pepper, Ground
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
2 tsp Salt
3 Tbls Curry Powder
TO PREPARE COCONUT MILK: Remove the shell and the brown inner skin
from the meat of a fully ripe coconut. Chop the meat (NOTE: you may
substitute 1 cup of packaged shredded coconut for the chopped coconut
meat). Combine the chopped coconut meat with one cup of scalded whole
milk. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Remove bones and fat from the lamb. Cut the meat into 1" cubes. Melt
half the butter in a large, heavy pan. Add the onion. Cook until
tender (about 5 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion.
Set aside. Add the remaining butter to the pan. Brown the lamb cubes
on all sides. Return the onion to the pan. Add the ginger, sugar,
pepper, salt, curry powder, mint and milk. Mix well. Cover. Simmer
over low heat for 1 hour. Add the coconut milk and grated coconut.
Cover. Cook for 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the lime juice. Slowly
blend in the cream. Cook over low heat (DON'T LET IT BOIL !) until
the lamb is tender (10-15 minutes). Serve over hot, fluffy rice.
Alur Khosha Bhaja (Potato Skin Fry)
From The Healthy Cuisine of India by Bharti Kirchner
The potato skin is not only nutritious but tasty. Since many recipes
require that potatoes be peeled, you often end up with a pile of
potato skins. Rather than waste this nutritious food, try this
delicious and unusual recipe. The aroma of chickpea flour and the
crunch of poppyseeds make the fried peels a sensory delight.
1 tbl besan (chickpea flour)
1 cup firmly packed potato peels, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
1 tbl veg. oil (mustard oil preferred)
1 tbl white poppyseeds
1/8 tsp salt
Dash ground red chili or cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1. Put besan in a paper bag and add the potato peels. Close the bag
tightly and shake 8 or 10 times until peels ar evenly coated. 2. Heat
oil in a nonstick skillet over medium low flame. Add poppyseeds and
saute until lightly browned, a few seconds. Add salt and red
pepper. Add the peels and fry until medium brown and crisp, 10 to 15
minutes, stirring constantly. (The peels will absorb the oil quickly,
but continue to fry them.) Remove from heat. Serve hot or at room
temperture.
2 servings
Shingara (Bengali Samosa) stuffing recipe
Author: Shankar Bhattacharyya [sbhattac@u3.farm.idt.net]
Here is a regional implementation, from Bengal. We call it a
shingara. It is, of course, the one true samosa. It will not taste
like the samosas most people are accustomed to, but I cheerfully
assert that this is no loss.
Traditionally, one serves shingaras by themselves, without a chutney,
which is regarded as gilding the lily. If you are accustomed to a
chutney, you will probably want one. I don't have a useful recipe. I
would suggest a tamarind based chutney, but retain the right to
grimace at the very idea.
I'll just provide a recipe for the stuffing:
cooking oil 8 fl oz (to fry in; you don't consume all of
it, but you do consume a lot of it)
potato 1 large
cauliflower 1 medium
ghee 2 fl oz
coconut 3-5 tbsp, fresh, peeled, chopped. This is optional,
but if you use it, it must be fresh. Dried
coconut is an outrage in this context, and
the sugared stuff in supermarkets is a crime.
cumin seeds pinch
ginger 1-1.5 tsp, finely minced, fresh
hot green peppers 2, seeded and chopped (or to taste); Thai, preferably
green peas 3-4 oz by weight
cayenne pepper 0.25 tsp, powder
turmeric 0.25 tsp powder
salt 0.5 tsp
raisins 2-3 tbsp, preferably golden
ground roasted cumin 1.25 tsp
ground roasted coriander 1.25 tsp
peanuts 1-2 oz, well blanched and chopped (optional, but nice)
coriander leaves 1 tbsp, chopped (optional)
Peel the potato, cut into small cubes, say 1/4 to 3/8" on the side.
Chop the cauliflower so as to get pieces of the same approximate size
as the potatoes.
Heat the oil, and fry the potatoes till golden brown. Remove from oil,
and set aside on paper towels to drain.
Add the cauliflower pieces to the oil, and fry till almost
cooked. Remove and set aside to drain, as for the potatoes.
Heat the ghee. Add coconut, cumin seeds, ginger, green peppers,
peas. Fry for about a minute. Add the fried potato, cauliflower,
cayenne pepper, salt. Fry for a few minutes over medium heat.
Add the raisins, heat covered till vegetables are done. If any excess
liquid remains, uncover and heat till excess moisture is
absorbed/driven off. If things get too dry along the way, sprinkle a
touch of water.
Add the ground roasted cumin and coriander, chopped coriander, and
peanuts, mix well, and cool. Stay aware that the mixture is moderately
fragile, and beating the hell out of it is not a good mixing
technique.
The potato and the cauliflower are supposed to be cooked through but
still in distinct pieces. They will be a bit sticky but definitely not
mashed.
Also, go easy on the chopped coriander leaves. They are rather
strongly flavoured, and are intended to accent the dish, not to
dominate it. I usually skip the coriander leaves altogether. I'm not
fond of them.
A few comments:
If ghee is a concern, use vegetable oil with a touch of ghee for
flavour instead. The flavour will not be quite so without ghee but for
many of us there are realities.
The green peppers should be of the type one gets in the Indian
stores. the flavour is important. Serranos are adequate. Thai peppers
are a better idea.
Go easy on the coriander leaves. I usually skip them altogether.
Go easy on the peanuts and raisins. They should provide an occasional
encounter, no more.
Do not make this incendiary. It should be spicy, but should not pack a
wallop, if I may get technical about this. A shingara is a dish with a
complex and full-bodied, yet subtle flavour. It is not a chemical
weapon.
Incidentally, the finishing of the stuffing with the roasted cumin and
coriander is a bit unusual, in that that mixture of spices is more
common as a finishing step for chutneys and raitas. It is, however,
substantially responsible for the very characteristic taste of a
shingara.
Laoo Dhal
Author: Paul Kent Oakley [paulkentoakley@my-deja.com]
Here's a zucchini recipe that takes a little more time than
simple skillet-braised zucchini, though not much, and that makes a
full meal if accompanied with brown rice:
*Laoo Dhal*, a West Bengali dish, made there with white pumpkin rather
than zucchini
Heat in saucepan:
2T ghee (a fine vegetable oil if you are vegan)
Add:
1 large onion, chopped
1/2t ground turmeric
1/2t cumin seed
1 hot red pepper
1 bay leaf
Fry 1-2 minutes.
Add:
1C red lentils (split lentils work wonderfully well for a dhal)
3/4t salt
1t sugar (jaggery is better)
2C water
Bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Add:
2C zucchini, cubed
Stir to mix. Return to boil. Reduce heat again and cook covered. Stir
occasionally. Cook until zucchini is tender and split lentils are
cooked to almost puree consistency. (If using lentils which are whole,
wait 5 minutes longer before adding the zucchini.) It doesn't take
very long very long.
Serve as a thick soup accompanied by flatbread. Or serve with (or
over) brown rice.
Delicious! And easy!
ALU PIAJER CHORCHORI ( dry curried potato and onion )
Author: Shyamala Parameswaran [U15297@uicvm.uic.edu]
Ingredients ( to serve 4-6 )
5 medium sized potatoes, cut in half lengthwise and the sliced into
1/8" pcs. crosswise.
4 onions cut in half lengthwise and then sliced thicker than normal.
2 tsp. turmeric paste.
1/2 tsp. chili paste.
4-6 green chilies washed and slit.
Salt to taste.
2 tbsp. oil.
1/2 cup water or as required.
Heat oil. When a blue haze appears, add potatoes and fry for several
minutes until potatoes turn opaque. Reduce heat, add onions and
continue to fry, stirring now and then for a couple of minutes more.
Add the turmeric, chili paste and salt to taste, mixing thoroughly and
keep frying. Add green chilies.
The potatoes and onions should cook as much as possible in their own
juices, but if the curry gets too dry, test to see how much cooking
the potatoes need and accordingly add water a little at a time.
The cooked dish is dry and therefore adding of water should be
judicious. The curry is done when the potatoes are cooked and there is
practically no gravy.
This curry can be reheated before serving, and is a good accompaniment
with rice, luchis, or porota.
BATI CHORCHORI ( dry mixed vegetables )
Author: Shyamala Parameswaran [U15297@uicvm.uic.edu]
Ingredients ( serves 4-6 )
200gms cauliflower florets.
100gms shelled green peas.
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed.
1 medium eggplant, cubed.
1 horseradish, peeled and cubed.
1/4 onion, minced.
1 tsp. turmeric paste.
1/2 tsp. chili paste.
2 tsp. mustard paste.
3-4 green chilies, slit.
4-6 tbsp. mustard oil.
Salt to taste.
This curry gets its name from the brass vessel ( bati ) in which it is
cooked, so that the ingredients fit snugly in the bowl leaving just a
one inch gap at the top. As a substitute, an aluminum or brass bowl
with a tight fitting lid may be used.
After cutting up all the veggies, wash them well and place them in the
bowl. Add the mined onion, the masala pastes, and the green chillies.
Add the oil and mix well after adding salt. Cover the bowl with its
lid.
Stir the vegetables occasionally over a medium-low heat, so they cook
in their own juices withot any addition of water. remove from heat
when the veggies are quite cooked and blended flavourfully with the
spices.
Any combination of vegetables may be used in preparing Bati Chorchori.
This chorchori is a good accompaniment with rice.
SAJNEY DANTAR CHORCHORI ( drumsticks with vegetables )
Author: Shyamala Parameswaran [U15297@uicvm.uic.edu]
Ingredients ( serves 4-6 )
4-6 drumsticks, strung and cut in 3" lengths
(these are a vegetable known as "phalli", canned ones may be used)
2 potatoes, scrubbed, halved, and sliced 1/4" thick, unpeeled.
12 1" pcs. red pumpkin with the skin on.
2 med. eggplants, halved and cut in 1" pcs., with the skin on.
1 horseradish, peeled and cut in 1" lengths ( optional ).
4 parwals scraped, split lenghtwise, and halved again (optional ).
1 onion, halved, sliced fine.
1/2 tbsp. turmeric paste.
1/2 tsp. coriander ( cilantro, chinese parsley ) paste ( optional ).
1 tsp. chili paste.
1 tsp. cumin paste ( optional ).
1 tsp. mustard paste.
A pinch of panch phoran.
2 tbsp. mustard oil.
Heat the oil in a heavy, deep vessel. Add the panch phoran. When the
spice stops spluttering in the oil, add potatoes, horseradish, and the
parwal. Stir- fry for about 5 minutes. Add the drumsticks and the
salt, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add all the masala pastes, stir in.
Add all the remaining veggies, stir and cover, cook another 5-7
minutes.
Add half a cup of water, and simmer till all th veggies are cooked and
well blended with the spices. there should be practically no gravy in
the pan when this chorchori is done.
This chorchori is best with rice.
BHUTTA (CORN ON THE COB)
From: Tina Chaudhuri
Ingredients:
1 corn cob
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lemon slice
Method:
Slice a lemon. Take a small bowl and pour salt into it. Rub salt over
the lemon slice. Turn on the heat to high. Take a corn cob and hold it
an inch above the burner. In two or three minutes you'll hear a
popping sound. Keep turning the corn cob over and over till the
kernels acquire a brownish black color. Rub the salt flavored lemon
slice all over the corn cob and serve hot. Hint: If you can't stand
cooking on high heat, use medium heat but note that the process will
take longer.
Bengali Chickpea Curry
From: Tina Chaudhuri
(This dish is slightly different from the Punjabi "chole masale". It
is closer to the Bengali "ghoogni")
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can chickpeas (approx. 400g)
1 15oz. can whole potatoes (approx. 400g), halved
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoonfuls oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 teaspoon ginger powder/ minced ginger/ ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic powder/ minced garlic/ garlic paste
1 teaspoons chili powder (optional)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste/ 2 tablespoonfuls salsa
2 green chillies/Jalapenos slit lengthwise (optional)
Method:
Heat oil in a frying pan or saucepan and fry cumin seeds and
chillies/jalapenos(optinal) for half a minute, followed by ginger and
garlic for a couple of minutes. Add chickpeas, potatoes, tomato/slasa,
salt, along with onion powder and chilli powder if required. Stir
thoroughly to mix, and add a cup of water. Cover with a lid until
done, about fifteen minutes on medium low heat.
NOTE. This dish is very versatile and works as a snack, soup,
appetizer or main course.
FRIED FISH
From: Tina Chaudhuri
Ingredients:
1 lb. fish fillets (catfish is best)
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. ground mustard powder
1/2 tsp. chilli powder (optional)
1 tsp. salt in a salt shaker
1 tbsp. oil
Method:
Using a salt shaker sprinkle salt evenly on both sides of the
fillet. Mix the turmeric, ground mustard and chilli powders and smear
the mixture evenly on both sides of the fillet. Cut fillet into 2"
pieces. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fish pieces on medium low
heat, ten minutes on either side.
EGG CHOPS
From: Tina Chaudhuri
Ingredients:
2 eggs, boiled, shelled and halved
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chilli powder (optional)
Tomato sauce
8 oz. potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed
2 green chillies, sliced lengthwise (optional)
1 dozen sprigs cilantro chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable or corn oil
Method:
Place two eggs in a saucepan, pour enough water to cover the eggs and
boil them on high heat for ten minutes.
In the meantime, wash the potatoes, prick them with a fork and cook
them in the microwave, two minutes on either side. If you don't have a
microwave, quarter the potatoes and boil in water on high heat for ten
minutes, like the eggs.
While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onions, green chillies and
cilantro, and beat one egg. By this time, the eggs and potatoes will
be done. Immerse them in cold waterto make handling easier. Next, peel
and mash the potatoes, and mix with salt, pepper, chilli powder,
onions, green chillies and cilantro. Finally, shell the eggs and halve
them. Turn on the heat to medium high and heat the oil in a frying
pan. Coat each egg half with a half-an-inch layer of seasoned
potatoes, dip the chop into the beaten egg, coat with bread crumbs and
fry on medium high heat until the covering turns a light golden brown
in color. Serve hot with tomato sauce.
Note: The recipe requires a fair amount of time management, so follow
the steps in the order outlined above. You can use instant mashed
potatoes to speed up the process.
Bengali Moong Dhal
Title: Bengali Moong Dhall
Categories: Side dish, Indian, Vegetables
Yield: 4 Servings
6 oz Split washed moong dhall
2 Bayleaves
1 tb Ghee
2 1/2 tb Dessicated coconut
1 ts Ground turmeric
3 Whole chillies (green)
1 ts Salt
3 tb Chopped fresh coriander
1 ts Ground cummin
1 1/2 tb Ghee or oil
2 ts Whole cummin
Method
Pick over the dhall removing the odd stone etc. Put into solid
saucepan and heat dry over moderate heat, stirring ALL THE TIME
with largeish metal spoon. After about 5 mins or so, the dhall will
be smelling cooked and become well speckled with
brown. Immediately, take pan to the sink, and pour in cold water to
cover (kerboom!). Swirl around vigorously and tip out washing
water. Add more water and repeat the washing process till the water
runs away clear.
Now add enough water to cover by 1 to 1 1/2in. (2.5 to 4 cms).
Bring to boil, add 1 Tbs ghee, turmeric, cummin and bay. Turn down
to low, cover and boil slowly. After about 10 to 15 mins the dhall
should be parcooked - the grains are beginning to break up at the
edges.
Add the coconut, the chillies (just as they are) and the chopped
fresh coriander. Continue to boil slowly, adding a little more
water if needed. MAKE SURE that the dhall doesn't stick at the
bottom. When cooked, add salt. Now heat ghee/oil in small
pan. When very hot, add whole cummin. As soon as it begins to pop,
pour into the dhall, stir and simmer a couple of minutes.
Mithai Recipes
Rassogolla (Cheese Balls in Syrup)
From: I. Chaudhary Queensland AUSTRALIA imranc@OntheNet.com.au
Categories: Desserts, Indian
Yield: 4 servings
300 g Paneer
175 g Ricotta cheese
350 g Sugar
1 1/4 l Water
Rub the paneer and ricotta cheese with palm of your hand until smooth
and creamy. Divide into 16 balls.
Boil the sugar and water for 5 minutes over medium heat. Put the balls
into the syrup and boil for 40 minutes.
Cover and continue to boil for another 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Paneer (Home-made cottage cheese)
3.5 litres milk
about 250 ml warm water
about 5 Tbsp white vinegar
1.Bring the milk to the boil, stirring constantly, over a high
heat. Remove from heat.
2.Combine the water and vinegar.
3.Slowly add the vinegar solution to the boiled milk, stirring
with a wooden spoon. As soon as the milk curdles, do not add any
more. (The curd and whey will separate.)
4.Place three or four layers of cheesecloth in a sieve and strain
the curdled milk through them. Ties up the ends of the cheesecloth
and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Hang it up to
drain thoroughly.
Note: When adding the water and vinegar mixture to the milk, do not
add more than necessary as this tends to harden the paneer.
Narkeler Payesh (Coconut Scented Rice Pudding)
Rice pudding prepared with milk is more common in Bengal, but this
coconut milk version, which is quicker to make, has a fragrant, sweet
aroma. Since coconut has an affinity with fish, I often serve this
dish after a seafood meal. Try as is, or arrange slices of fresh ripe
papayas, bananas, or mangoes around the pudding.
This dessert is best enjoyed soon after it is made. If allowed to sit
for several hours, it will become dry. If that happens, add a little
milk (or coconut milk), reheat, and serve.
3/4 cup Basmati or other fine long grain rice
1 1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. raisins (preferably golden)
2 Tbs. toasted cashews or slivered almonds
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. sugar
1 1/4 cups fresh or unsweetened canned coconut milk,
stirred until evenly mixed
Note: You can substitute a mixture of 1/2 cup coconut milk and 3/4 cup
whole or 2% low fat milk
Garnish: chopped raw pistachios
1.Bring rice and water to boil in a pan. Simmer, covered, until
all water is absorbed and rice is tender, 20 or so minutes.
2.Add raisins, cashews, and cardamom. Dissolve sugar in the
coconut milk and stir into the rice mixture gently, so as not to
break the rice kernels. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered
until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let
cool slightly. Garnish with pistachios and serve.
6 servings
(from The Healthy Cuisine of India by Bharti Kirchner)
Cham-Cham (Pleasure Boats)
These milky-white ovals, floating in a clear sweet sauce, are irresistible.
For the dumplings:
Fresh cheese
1 tsp. regular Cream of Wheat
10 to 12 unsalted raw pistachios, chopped
For the syrup:
1 cup sugar
4 cups water
Flavoring: dash of rosewater (optional)
1.Make sure that the fresh cheese is well drained; too much
moisture may cause the dumplings to crack as they cook. Place the
well drained and well kneaded cheese on a board. Sprinkle Cream of
Wheat evenly over the cheese and knead again to uniformly
incorporate it. Let rest a few minutes.
2.Prepare the dumplings: Pinch off portions of the dough and roll
into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Gently insert your little
finger halfway into each ball, place 1 or 2 pistachio bits in the
indentation, and reshape into a smooth ball that doesn`t show any
cracks on the outside. Flatten into an oval about 2 inches long
and 3/4 inches thick. ( Use any remaining pistachios for garnish.)
3.Make the syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a deep
pan about 10 inches in diameter .. Boil for 10 minutes, then lower
the heat. Place each ball on a spoon and gently lower into the
syrup. Simmer, covered, 1 hour.
4.Transfer cham-chams and any remaining syrup to a large bowl. Let
cool, then refrigerate for several hours or, for best results, up
to 2 days. Sprinkle with rosewater and decorate with any remaining
pistachios.
Makes about 20 cham-chams.
(from The Healthy Cuisine of India by Bharti Kirchner)
Rasmalai
2 quarts milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
5 whole cardamom pods
1 teaspoon fine grained semolina
3 to 4 drops rose essence
1 quart half and half
1/8 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon shelled, unsalted pistachios
Make the chena with the milk and lemon juice according to the
directions in the preceding recipe with this difference. Hang up the
milk curds for 2 hours instead of 1/2 hour. Knead thoroughly. Make a
ball and set it aside. Put the 3 cups of sugar, 6 cups of water, and
the cardamom pods in a deep 9 1/2 to 10 inch skillet or saute
pan. Bring to a fast simmer over a medium flame. Once the sugar has
dissolved completely, turn the heat to low and let the syrup simmer
gently for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Flatten the ball of chhena and add the semolina as well as the rose
essence to it. Knead for 5 minutes, making sure the semolina and rose
essence are well mixed in. Now make 20 crack-free balls, rolling each
with just a little pressure between the palms of your two hands.
Bring the syrup to a simmer over a medium flame. Drop the balls into
the syrup. Bring to a simmer again. Adjust the heat so the syrup
simmers gently for 5 minutes. During this period, move the balls
around and turn them over occasionally, using a very gentle
touch. Make sure you do not damage the balls. Turn the heat up and
bring the syrup to what might be described as a furious simmer. The
syrup should look like a mass of tiny moving bubbles, but it should
never boil over. Sprinkle the balls with 2 tablespoons of water,
cover, and cook for 10 minutes. During this period, the balls should
swell up.
Uncover, sprinkle the balls with another 2 tablespoons of water, cover
and cook, simmering furiously for another 10 minutes. Turn off the
heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the balls to an empty bowl. (the
syrup can now be discarded. ) Pour the half and half over the balls
and let them soak in it for 3 hours.
Take the balls gently out of the half and half with a slotted spoon
and put them in another bowl. Pour the half and half into a skillet or
saucepan and boil it down until you have about 2 cups left. Turn off
the heat. Crush the cardamom seeds finely in a mortar and mince the
pistachios. Add the crushed cardamom, the minced pistachios, and the
one tablespoon of sugar to the reduced half and half. Pour this half
and half over the chhena balls. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours, and serve cold, as a dessert along with the
creamy sauce.
(from Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking)
Jelebi (Deep Fried Batter Sweets)
Categories: Desserts, Indian
Yield: 4 servings
Batter
2 c Plain flour
1/2 c Rice flour
7 g Fresh compressed yeast or 1/2 t Dried yeast
1/2 c Lukewarm water
1/4 t Saffron strands
2 T Boiling water
1 T Yoghurt
Vegetable oil for frying
Syrup
3 c Sugar
3 c Water
1 T Light corn syrup
Rose essence to flavour
1 1/2 t Liquid orange food colouring
Sift the flour and rice flour into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on the
warm water in a small bowl, leave to soften for 5 minutes and stir to
dissolve. Put saffron strands in a cup and pour the boiling water
over. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
Pour dissolved yeast and saffron with its soaking water into a
measuring jug. Add tepid water to make up 2 1/4 cups. Stirring with a
wooden spoon, add the measured liquid to the flour and beat well until
batter is very smooth. Add yoghurt and beat again. Leave to rest for
1 hour. Batter will start to become frothy. Beat vigorously again
before starting to fry jelebis. (While batter stands make syrup and
leave it to become just warm).
Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and when hot use a funnel to
pour in the batter, making circles or figures of eight. Frying,
turning once, until crisp and golden on both sides. Lift out on a
slotted spoon, let the oil drain for a fews seconds, then drop the hot
jelebi into the syrup and soak it for a minute or two. Lift out of the
syrup (using another slotted spoon) and put on a plate to drain.
Syrup: Heat sugar and water over low heat, stirring until sugar
dissolves. Raise heat and boil hard for 8 minutes; syrup should be
just thick enough to spin a thread. Remove from heat, allow to cool
until lukewarm, flavour with rose essence (about 1.2 tsp of good
quality essence is sufficient) and colour a bright orange with food
colouring.
*Jelebis are coils of crisply fried batter with a rose-scented syrup
inside the coils. How the syrup gets into the coils is a mystery
unless you do some research on the subject.
This is a traditionally festive sweet. (Moghul custom)