Lauki kofta...

Koftas generally refer to meatballs made of minced meat of beef, lamb or chicken are mixed with spices shaped to round balls and are fried. Unlike middle eastern and central asian cuisine,  you can find many vegetarian varieties of kofta too in Indian cuisine. Potato, paneer, banana, bottle gourd etc are mashed or grated to make koftas. These koftas are then dunked in a  flavourful and spicy gravy to prepare a delicious curry. Kofta curries are very popular in India, be it veg or non-veg.

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.

Chicken pulao...

Last week was a difficult one for me. The minor surgery I had to undergo resulted in restrictions in movement and thus my daily routine. Never mind the associated pain, missing a planned dine out with my friends due to this was more agonizing. But as the saying goes - everything has it's silver lining, I managed to get an uninterrupted break with the support of pain killers and other meds. The man was in charge of the kitchen and other household works. I enjoyed the egg curry for lunch and some not so round paratha for dinner. Yes, being sick now and then is not so bad after all. So this Sunday it was my turn to treat him and of course my little one who relentlessly tried her best to help me and comfort me in her small little ways.

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.

Dal and Achari bhindi...

This year the summer is showing it's rage to the people of Kolkata. It was officially spring when it started feeling like mid of summer here. I don't remember when was the last time I experienced this kind of terrible heat for such a long stretch of time, without any rain or the usual respite of 'Kalboishakhi' (the nor'wester). Many schools have declared holiday due to this adverse weather.

Due to this weather kitchen is one place I dread to step in. I'm relying  more on fruits, yogurt, juices to avoid working in the kitchen for long duration. For lunch or dinner I am sticking to simple and quick to cook dishes.

Chanar dalna...

Chanar dalna is a popular Bengali delicacy. It is made from homemade cottage cheese or Chana. This delicious curry is prepared without using any onion and garlic, for that this is often made during auspicious occasions like puja when eating non-vegetarian food including onion garlic is prohibited. I do not need any special occasion to make this curry. My daughter loves this and I often make this for her. While making this for regular family lunch or dinner I keep the curry simple, but to celebrate a special occasions and entertaining guests I add almond and cashew nut paste to the curry and that makes the gravy extra special, thick, creamy and finger licking good. I also add cubed potatoes to the curry, as no curry is complete for a Bong sans the potato. When fresh green peas are in season I also like to add a handful of green peas to the chanar dalna.

Tandoori spiced grilled whole fish...

Bhetki is a popular fish in Bengal, which is commonly known worldwide as barramundi or Asian sea bass. The white flaky flavorful fish is cooked in many different ways in a Bengali kitchen. Sorse bhetki (bhetki fish cooked in mustard gravy), kalia (spicy fish curry), bhetki with cauliflower are few common dishes conjured up in Bengali households. Special dishes like Bengali style fish fry, paturi (fish cooked in mustard paste wrapped in banana leaf) are very popular and frequently served in specialty restaurants and during special occasions.