Roasted Green Tomato Salsa...

 

I always prefer dishes that can be done quickly yet taste delicious, especially for snacking. Who likes to spend hours preparing for an evening snack? I always keep few things handy to satisfy the little hunger pangs of my family members and it helps a lot when you have a teenager at home. Frankly speaking during this pandemic when the man and kids are at home and craving for snacks every now and then quick simple healthy snacks are bliss. Here is one such make ahead snack idea, roasted green tomato salsa.

Spicy stir fried prawn...

 

Who doesn't love a quick recipe? I always prefer a quick delicious dish for a weeknight dinner. And I choose fish or seafood for that, as the cooking time is much less compared to other proteins. Last week I tried this quick, easy, ready in a jiffy spicy stir fried prawns to go with some steamed rice. The spicy prawns were perfect to go with both stir fried noodles and plain rice.

Pan seared fish with spicy coriander pesto...

We all need quick easy recipes for weekdays meal. Specially in hot and humid country like ours, spending long hours preparing and elaborate cooking is really stressful. Here is one such easy recipe that can be a instant hit. I had some bhetki or betki fish in the freezer and was not sure what to prepare with that. 

Baby potatoes with coriander pesto...

With the heat index increasing everyday it's exhausting to be in the kitchen for longer duration to prepare elaborate dishes. Simple rice, lentils, thin fish curries are what I'm making mostly these days. Other than lunch and dinner, the lunch boxes for school and office require a good planning. With the kid enrolled in a morning school I hardly have 30-40 mins to prepare for the boxes. So I plan accordingly and make myself ready with half the work done before hand. Today I'm going to share one of such recipes, that I prepare for my kid's lunch box. A very easy and quick recipe, which not only great for lunch boxes but also as a starter for your next party.

Pressure cooker chicken curry...

I prefer to spend the weekends either relaxing with my family or just to have some precious me time. Doing nothing and sitting with a cup of coffee or tea is such a bliss, a rare thing that happens but I look for those priceless moments. Throughout the week following a routine is so tedious, and repeating the mandatory chores is so irksome. So I make it point to switch off the alarm on my phone for the weekends,though the body clock always betrays me and I end up tossing and turning on my bed at 5 in the morning while the man and the kid sleep peacefully. I mostly tip toe around the house and sip the hot cup of tea alone and enjoy the perfect me time. Yes we do go out, meet family members, party with friends but also enjoy the rejuvenating lazy weekends.

Thai red curry noodle soup..

What to cook? is a more difficult question for me than who landed  a rover on Mars, specially for weekday dinner. Someday you do not feel like picking up the knife, pots and pans and to cook. Eating out may be a solution, but I avoid that on weekdays as much as possible and try my best to prepare something fresh and healthy for my kid.

To do this, I usually plan ahead. During weekend, I plan for the weekdays meal, and it really helps. I buy things accordingly on  the weekend and stick to my plan. Yes, at times I  do slip,  may be due to health issues or just lack of energy. But mostly I  try to follow my laid out plan.

Harissa grilled prawns...

I love seafood, specially prawns and crabs. So when I saw fresh tiger prawns in the market, happily bought a bagful of those beauties. I usually prepare prawns in traditional Bengali way or try to do something very simple. This time, I marinated the prawns in some freshly made harissa paste and grilled them.

Fish in mustard sauce...

Fishes are an integral part of the daily diet of people of Bengal. The geographical attributes of Bengal is the reason behind fish being the part of the cuisine. Being a state with many rivers running through it, multiple fresh water ponds and lakes along with a  long coastal region, fishes are available in abundance. So from ages we Bengalis' are eating various kind of fishes and now it's a  part of tradition and most of us can't think about a meal without fish. Today I'm sharing a quintessential Bengali dish and an all time favorite in my family, Sorse bata diye pabda mach, which translates to Pabda fish in mustard sauce.

Pan grilled paneer...

Being a non-vegetarian, I always find it difficult to think of a vegetarian starter. But while planning a party one needs to consider the food preference of all the guests and I am sure, we all have friends who are strictly vegetarian. So I thought I would give it a try and prepare a simple quick vegetarian dish that can win everyone's heart.

It's pan grilled paneer. I marinated the paneer cubes with a spicy, tangy and sweet combination. I commonly use the same marination to grill prawns too. For a change I tried it with paneer and it came out really good. I used a cast iron griddle pan to grill the paneer, but you can use any heavy bottom flat pan (tawa). The griddle gives a nice grill marks on the paneer, if you are using a flat pan you won't get the grill marks but it won't affect the taste for sure.

I used sriracha, honey, garlic, lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves to marinate the paneer cubes. Sriracha is a red chili sauce available easily in any supermarket. If you don't have sriracha at home, use red chili powder mixed with a little vinegar.

Ingredients for Pan Grilled Paneer:

• Paneer (cut into rectangles or cubes): 250 gms
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

For marination:

• Sriracha sauce: 3 tbsp
• Honey: 2 tbsp
• Lime juice: 1 tbsp
• Garlic (minced): 2 tbsp
• Fresh coriander (finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Steps of making Pan Grilled Paneer:

1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients for marination, mix well.

2. Cut paneer into rectangles or cubes or any other shape of your choice.

3. Marinate the paneer cubes in the marinade for 15 min to 1 hr.

4. Put the paneer pieces into wooden skewers. The paneer can be cooked without the skewers also.

5. Heat a pan, brush oil on the pan, when the pan is hot place the marinated paneer and cook till the surface takes nice color.

6. Serve immediately with onion rings and lime wedges. Toasted sesame seeds can be used as garnish.

One can try this same recipe with broccoli or tofu.

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!

Dahi vada...

Last weekend being Diwali, I came across so many delicious pictures of sweets and savories of different kinds in the popular social networking sites. Those added fuel to my craving for the mouthwatering motichur laddoos, irresistible samosas and so many more.  Lately I have been  intentionally keeping  myself away from the kitchen, though not completely but I have been avoiding anything that needed an elaborate cooking process. But the uncontrollable craving needed to be addressed. So I choose Dahi vada to quench it. For me that's the easiest one to make. So Dahi vada to celebrate a belated Diwali.

Dahi vada, is a popular road side chaat (snack) from India. It is basically deep fried lentil dumplings made from urad dal (split black gram), first soaked in water and then served with beaten yogurt and other flavorings. It is an absolute favorite of mine and my family.

To make soft and melt in mouth Dahi vadas keep in mind the following tips, use good quality urad dal (split black gram), soak the dal (lentil) for at least 6 hrs before making the paste, fry the dumplings over a medium high heat and most important of all beat the lentil paste with a whisk till your arm falls apart..... or else use an electric beater :)

Things needed to make Dahi vada:

For making the Vada (lentil dumplings):

(makes 16-18 vadas)

• Urad dal (split black gram): 2 cups
• Asafoetida (hing): a pinch
• Cumin seeds (crushed): 1 tsp
• Ginger paste: 2 tsp
• Green chili paste: 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry

For assembling Dahi Vada:

• Yogurt: 4-5 cups
• Water: 1/2 cup-1cup
• Date-Tamarind chutney
• Roasted cumin and red chili powder: to sprinkle
• Black salt or chat masala: to sprinkle
• Fresh coriander: 1 tbsp
• Warm water: a pot full
• Sev or boondi: to garnish
• Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste

Steps of making Dahi vada:

1. Soak urad dal (split black gram) for 6-7 hrs. Wash well and drain the lentils. Make a smooth paste. The paste should have a consistency of thick cake batter.

2. Add crushed cumin seeds, salt, asafoetida, ginger paste and green chili paste to the lentil paste and mix well. Beat the lentil paste till it is fluffy and airy. 

3. Heat oil in a deep pan, when the oil is hot reduce the heat and put dollops of lentil paste and fry till evenly golden brown. Do not over crowd the pan, fry in batches.

4. While the dumplings are frying, heat a pot full of water. Add  a spoonful of salt in the water. Keep the water warm. No need to boil it.

5. When the dumplings turns golden brown, take out with a slotted spoon and keep on paper towel lined plate.

6. Dip the fried dumplings in the warm water.

7. In a bowl beat yogurt, water, sugar, salt, till smooth.

8. Just before serving, squeeze any excess water from the vadas and arrange them in a serving plate. Pour whisked yogurt over the vadas to coat them well. Garnish with date-tamarind chutney, roasted cumin-red chili powder, black salt or chat masala, chopped coriander leaves, sev or boondi.

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!

Borhani.....

In my last post I told you all about posting another recipe inspired from my readers. Sorry for being so late. Last week was a little rough for me. My little one was not well. I feel miserable when my little one is sick. I didn't feel like taking out the camera and arrange some food and click them.  I lacked the motivation, was too worried about her. She is better now and I'm back to my regular routine.

This is a very simple, 'make in a jiffy' drink, thanks to Soma Basak for the idea. This is a traditional yogurt drink, called 'Borhani', served with pulao, biryani, kebabs during weddings and special occasions in Bangladesh. I have tasted this particular drink many times while having Biryani, but never made it at home. Borhani balances the spiciness of the main food and as it has ingredients like mint, cumin, yogurt, it also helps digestion.

Things needed to make Borhani:

• Yogurt: 1 cup
• Mint leaves: 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves: 1/2 tbsp
• Cumin seed: 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
• Green chili: 1
• Black salt: 1 tsp
• Sugar: 2-3 tsp
• Water: 1 cup

How to make Borhani:

1. Dry roast the cumin seed and make powder.

2. Chop mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chilies.

3. In a blender add cumin powder, chopped leaves and all other ingredients, blend till smooth. Adjust salt and sugar as per taste. Serve cold with biryani, kebab or any spicy food.

Here is some suggestions that you can pair with Borhani:

• Khuskha Biryani
• Mutton biryani
• Chicken Biryani
• Egg biryani
• Chicken Malai Tikka etc & etc...

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!

Spicy fish curry...puNti macher jhal

I definitely love to experiment with different cuisines, but when it comes to soul food, it is always fish curry and rice for me,  that's a confession of a hardcore Bong. The list of fishes cooked in a Bengali kitchen is quite long, from exotic Hilsa to small  fresh water fishes like PuNti, Mourola etc.. Yes, you may not get these fresh where I live now, but the local Asian supermarket  which I consider a treasure trove, many a times helps to resolve the craving for my soul food. It has endless varieties of both fresh as well as vacuum sealed fresh water fishes. Whenever I go to the Asian supermarket, I look around the fish section. Looking for something that  looks familiar, I  then reach out to our ever reliable  friend google to find out more about the fish and then accordingly go for it. I have not been disappointed till now.

I found this packet of small fish in the local Asian Supermarket. It was labeled 'Mud Carp' shipped from Vietnam. The fishes looked like my all time favorite puNti mach. I tried my luck and bought one packet. After cooking the fishes I was delighted. It was exactly like the puNti I know. I made some crispy fried fishes to go with steamed rice and dal and I also made a spicy dry curry.

For the crispy fry, you need to clean up the fish first. Scale the fish, cut the fins and clean the intestine (the belly part). The fishes  being small, it  does take a bit of time. After cleaning, wash the fishes well, smear with some salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 30 min.

Heat oil (preferably mustard oil) in a deep pan or kadhai. When the oil is hot, fry the fishes. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry till both sides are golden brown. Serve hot with some rice and dal.

I also made a spicy dry curry with these small fishes, a favorite of mine. We call it macher jhal in Bengali. It is a dry spicy curry. Macher jhal can be made in various different ways, with mustard paste, or with onion and tomato. I went for the onion-tomato way this time. And of course I used the mud carp for this. You can use any fish, carp, tilapia, swai, anchovies, cod, perch, prawns etc.

Things need to make macher jhal or spicy dry curry with fish:

• Fried small fish: 2 cups
• Onion: 3/4 cup
• Tomato: 1 large
• Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder: 1-2 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Dry red chilies: 2-3
• Green chilies: 3-4
• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste
• Mustard oil
• Fresh coriander to garnish

Steps of making macher jhal or spicy dry curry with fish:

1. In a pan heat mustard oil, when the oil is hot add dry red chilies. Add finely chopped onions and cook till evenly brown.

2. Add tomato, sprinkle little salt, cover and cook till tomatoes are done.

3. In a bowl mix turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder with few teaspoons of water. Add the spice mix. Cook till oil separates.

4. Add the fried fish, salt, sugar, green chilies, and little water (1/4 cup). Cover and cook for 5-6 min. Uncover and reduce the gravy. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice.

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!

Prawn in sesame and mustard gravy...

After coming back from our weekend trip I was not in a mood to cook any elaborate dish, nor I had the supplies in my pantry. Luckily I had some large prawns in the freezer. I like prawns not only for its taste but also for the reason it needs very little cooking time. For such large gorgeous prawns one needs some special recipe. So I choose my friend Trina's sesame and fish recipe, an unique and quick one.

Macher chop...Fish croquettes

We, Bengalis' are passionate about so many things, Rabindrasangeet, football, movies etc and etc, but if you ask me which one is the most important, I would say food. Any discussion either starts with food or ends with food. We so often complain about the high prices of the vegetables and fish and meat, but again that does not stop us to devour the delicacies made out of them. Be it  at an expensive restaurant or  at a street food joint, we equally enjoy both.

Today I want to share a Bengali style snack recipe with you all. You can serve it as a snack along with afternoon tea or as starter in a party. It is a deep fried croquette made with fish. In Bengali it is called Macher chop. Macher chop or Bengali style fish croquette is one of my favorite snack. And the recipe is very close to my heart. I learnt it from my mother.

Generally fishes like bhetki (Bekti), rui (Rohu), katla are used for this preparation. You can use tilapia or swai (basa) fillets too. The fish is first cooked with some spices then made into patties, then they are dipped in egg-wash and rolled in breadcrumbs. The breadcrumb coated fish patties are deep fried to perfection. I love eating hot freshly fried fish croquettes with some spicy Kasundi (Bengali style mustard sauce).

Try this for you weekend snack and enjoy with your friends and family.

Things needed to make fish croquettes:

• Fish fillet or fish with bone: 500 gm
• Onion cubed: 1 small
• Garlic: 1 clove
• Ginger: 1/2 inch piece
• Whole garam masala
• Peppercorns
• Bay leaves: 2-3

To make the patty:

• Onion (chopped): 4 tbsp
• Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
• Ginger (grated): 2 tsp
• Red chili powder: 1-2 tsp
• Green chilies (chopped): 1-2 tbsp
• Cumin powder: 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
• Mashed potato: 1 cup
• Fresh coriander leaves (chopped): 3 tbsp
• Fresh mint leaves (chopped): 2 tbsp
• Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste

To coat and fry:

• Egg: 2
• Water: 2-3 tbsp
• Breadcrumbs to coat
• Oil to fry

Steps of making fish croquettes:

1. Clean the fish pieces. You can use either fish fillets or fish with bone. I personally prefer using fish with bone, as that imparts much more flavor. In a deep pan add water, cleaned fish pieces, cubed onion, garlic cloves, ginger piece, whole garam masala (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves), peppercorns, bay leaves and salt, let it boil. As the water boils the scums will float, discard that. Reduce heat and cook for 12-15 min. Switch off heat and with a slotted spoon take out the fish from the broth. Strain the broth, keep it for future use to make soup or other dishes.

2. Let the fish pieces cool down. If you are using fish with bone, then discard skin and fish bones, mash the fish.

3. In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil, when the oil is hot add chopped onion. Cook till the onions change color.

4. Add ginger paste and grated ginger, mix well and cook for 3-4 min.

5. Add the mashed fish and mix well, cook for 2-3 min. Add mashed potato, salt and sugar, mix well.

6. Add cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, mix well. Add chopped coriander, mint and green chilies, mix well.

7. Let the fish mix cool down. Make round shape with the mixture. You can make any shape of your choice. I made flat round patty.

8. In a bowl crack the eggs and mix with some water. In another bowl or deep plate keep the breadcrumbs. Dip each round fish patty into the egg wash, roll in breadcrumb to coat well. Keep aside. Repeat the process for all other patties.

9. Dip the coated patty into egg wash and again roll in bread crumbs, one by one. As you roll them in breadcrumb press gently with your finger and palm to give a definite smooth shape. So you need to coat twice.

10. Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai, fry the fish croquettes to brown.

11. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or kasundi (mustard sauce) and onion slices. Enjoy with friends and family.

Print Recipe

Bengali style fish croquettes (Macher chop)
(Yields: 15)

Ingredients:
Fish: 500 gm
Boiled and mashed potato: 1 cup
Onion cubed: 1 small
Garlic: 1 clove
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece
Whole garam masala
Peppercorns
Bay leaves: 2-3
Onion (chopped): 4 tbsp
Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Ginger (grated): 2 tsp
Red chili powder: 1-2 tsp
Green chilies (chopped): 1-2 tbsp
Cumin powder: 2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves (chopped): 3 tbsp
Fresh mint leaves (chopped): 2 tbsp
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
Egg: 2
Water: 2-3 tbsp
Breadcrumbs to coat
Oil to deep fry

Procedure:
1. Cook fish pieces with cubed onion, garlic clove, ginger piece, whole garam masala, bay leaves, peppercorn and salt, for 15 min.
2. Strain, let the fish pieces cool down.
3. Mash fish pieces, discard skin and bones.
4. In a pan heat oil, cook chopped onion till red, add garlic and ginger paste, cook for 3-4 min.
5. Add mashed fish, cook for 2-3 min, add mashed potato, salt, sugar, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder. Mix and cook for 2-3 min.
6. Add chopped coriander, mint, green chilies. Mix well. Let the mixture cool down, Make flat round patties from the mixture.
7. Dip each patty in the egg-wash, then coat with breadcrumbs. Again dip in egg-wash and coat with breadcrumbs. Do double coating for all the patties.
8. Heat oil and deep fry and enjoy your fish croquettes.

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!

Muchmuche alubhaja...the guilt free way

We, bengalis have a special bond with Potato. Be it boiled and mashed(alu sedho) or fried(alu bhaja) or with poppy paste(alu posto). And how can you even think of the Sunday special mutton or chicken curry without potatoes...we love potatoes in our curries and in so many various ways.

Today, I was not in a mood for any elaborate cooking but my taste buds were not in a mood to compromise.  So I made the simplest, easiest and  the quickest meal one can think. It was bhat(steamed rice), lau diye moong dal(lentils with bottle gourd and coriander ) and alu bhaja(crispy fried potato).

My problem was frying the potatoes, I wanted it to be crispy golden brown but was not ready to deep fry the potatoes. Suddenly I remembered about a recipe that I came across through foodieslikeus.com, it called for baked crispy potatoes flavored with garlic and herbs.

I used garlic to flavor the potatoes and the herb I used was fresh coriander leaves. You can use whole dry red chilies or kalonji or panch foron instead of garlic and any other herb that's available to you. Or you can make it plain without garlic or chilies or any herbs.

Here is how I did it.

Steps of making baked crispy potato fries:

• Russet potato or any baking potato: 300 gm
• Garlic(minced): 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves(chopped): 3-4 tsp
• Oil: 1-2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Steps of making baked crispy potato fries:

1. Wash the potato well. Make sure it is properly cleaned, as we are going to keep the skin.

2. Cut the potatoes into roundels of 1/2 cm thickness.

3. Then cut the roundels lengthwise of 1/2 cm thickness.Try to keep the thickness even while you are cutting, if needed use a food processor or a mandoline slicer. Wash well and dry them with a kitchen towel.

4. I made some garlic oil to flavor the potatoes. In a pan heat oil. You can use any vegetable oil. When the oil is hot add the minced garlic. As the garlic starts changing color, switch off the heat and let it cool down.

5. When the oil is cold enough to handle, strain it through a strainer. The garlic oil is ready. The same way you can use whole dry red chili or panch foron(bengali five spice mix) or kalonji and use that oil to flavor the potatoes. Do not throw away the garlic pieces, keep it aside.

6. Pre heat the oven to 400F/ 200C. Take a baking tray and cover it with aluminium foil. Take the potatoes in the tray and rub well with the flavored oil.

7. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer. Make sure no two potatoes are overlapping. If needed use more than one baking tray.

8. Put the baking tray on the top rack and cook for 10-12 min. Take out the tray and give it a toss. Cook for another 10 min. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the potatoes. Thicker the potatoes, it will need more time to cook. Check in between, if the potatoes look golden brown in color, better switch off the heat and let it stand inside the oven for few minutes and take out the tray. Keep an eye to the potatoes, they tend to burn very easily.

9. Drizzle the potatoes with salt and the reserved garlic and chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

If you like to get regular updates from me go to my Facebook page and click on the Like button. You can also follow my blog on NetworkBlogs. Thank you..!!!