Malai Methi Chicken Kabab Curry

 Malai Methi Chicken Kabab Curry - It’s a delicious side dish to go with Pulao, Roti, Naan or Paratha. It’s quick to make… Vegetarians can use Paneer or Vegetarian Kababs instead of the Chicken Kababs. 

Here I have grilled the Kababs in an Air fryer. The Kababs can be grilled in an oven or on charcoal. 

Here is the recipe how I made it - 

For the Chicken Kabab - 

Ingredients 

400 grams of Chicken Keema or Boneless cut into small piece 

1 small Onion chopped 

4to 5 garlic 

1 small piece of Ginger 

3 to 4 Green Chillies 

1 tbsp Lime Juice 

Few Coriander stems and Leaves chopped 

Few Mint Leaves 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Roasted Cumin and Coriander powder 

2 tbsp Sattu or roasted Besan

1 tsp Chicken Masala 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1 tsp Oil + 2 tbsp Oil 

1 tsp Ghee

1 piece of Charcoal 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients plus one tsp oil except charcoal and ghee into to a chopper and blend all the ingredients together until it begins to form a soft dough. If chopper is not available then use a mixer jar. 

Remove the Kabab mix and knead it well. Take a piece of charcoal and heat it up on fire. Place the charcoal in a small bowl, place the bowl in between the kabab mix. Pour a tsp of ghee and cover the big bowl of kabab mix for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the charcoal bowl. ( The charcoal process can be avoided if the Kababs are grilled on charcoal grill). 

Now apply oil on your palms. Take a big lemon size portion of the kabab mix. Shape as you like, cylindrical or oval. Brush the remaining oil on the Kababs. 

Place them on a tray. Air fry at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes on each sides. Similarly can use a preheated otg or grill it on a grilling pan until brown on both the sides. Keep it aside. 

For the Wet Paste for the Curry 

Ingredients 

1 big size Onion sliced 

5 to 6 Garlic chopped 

1 small Ginger piece chopped 

2 to 3 Green Chillies chopped depending upon your spice level 

Few Coriander stems chopped 

10 Cashew nuts

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Sugar 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - (Optional)

1 Green Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 small piece Cinnamon 

1 tsp Oil 

4 to 5 tbsp Curd 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a pan except curd. Sprinkle little water and mix all the ingredients together. Place the pan on a low flame. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion pieces have become translucent. Switch of the flame. Once the ingredients have cooled down, grind all the ingredients together with the curd into smooth paste. 

For the Methi Malai Chicken Kabab Curry 

Ingredients 

Chicken Kabab 

Wet paste 

2 to 3 tbsp Ghee 

2 Green Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1 Bay leaf 

1 tbsp Kasuri Methi 

Salt if required 

1/2 cup Milk 

1/4 cup Cream 

Method 

Take a wok, add ghee, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Sauté for few seconds. Add the wet paste and 1/2 of the crushed kasuri methi, stir, cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Once the masala starts to thicken and the ghee releases, add 1/2 cup water, cover and let it simmer for a minute. Meanwhile beat the milk and cream together and keep it aside. Add the kababs and let the gravy simmer for another minute. Pour the milk - cream into the gravy and stir gently, in few seconds switch off the flame. Garnish with remaining crushed Kasuri Methi and serve with Paratha or Naan.

Amara Diye Ilish Macher Tok

 Amara Diye Ilish Maacher Tak 

This is one of the recipe made Ilisha fish that is sour in taste.. the sourness is made either tamarind pulp, dried raw mango or the fruit of the season that is hog plum.. (Amara). I have added a tbsp of poppy seed paste too to enhance the taste of the curry… and to create new recipe from my kitchen with love.. Serve this curry with steamed rice. 

Ingredients 

4 slices of Hilsa / Ilish 

4 small size Hog Plum peeled 

2 Garlic cloves crushed 

3 to 4 Green chillies slit

1 Dried Red Chilli

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder 

2 tbsp Jaggery powder or Sugar

1 tbsp Poppy seeds paste 

3 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method - 

Marinate the fish with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt for 10 minutes. 

Add oil in a pan, fry the fish on both the sides until light brown in colour… or we can just use the fish without frying them. 

In the same pan, add mustard seeds and dried red chilli. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the hog plum. Stir for a minute, add the green chillies and garlic. Stir for few seconds, add 2 cups of water, poppy seed paste, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and jaggery powder. Cover the pan and let the gravy simmer for 2 to 3 minutes on medium - low flame. Add the fish and let it simmer further for another 2 to 3 minutes. Once done serve the Hilsa curry with steamed rice. 

Radhuni - Jeere Bata R Shobji Diye Rui / Catla Maach er Jhol

Rahu Fish with Wild Celery -  Cumin and Vegetables 

This is a healthy dish made with Rohu fish or Catla fish , loads of Vegetables and with flavour of Wild Celery seeds.. enjoyed with hot steamed rice and lemon. Winter vegetable like radish, carrot, brinjal, onion stalk and flat beans with potato are preferably been used..  other vegetables like raw papaya, raw banana, beans, pointed gourd etc can also be used. 

This is my home style recipe where I add onions and garlic too.. we can avoid garlic and onion if we want.. tomato and ginger is used. 

Here I have made this dish for 2 people.. 

For the Wet Paste 

Ingredients 

1 medium size Tomato cut into pieces 

1 small size Onion cut into pieces 

1 small piece of Ginger 

5 to 6 medium Garlic cloves 

1 or more Green Chilli

1/2 tsp Wild Celery seeds / Radhuni 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds or powder 

1/2 Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder or 3 to 4 Pepper corn

Salt to taste 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into paste .

For the fish Curry 

Ingredients 

2 Rohu or Catla Fish pieces 

1 medium bowl of vegetables 

1/2 Radish cut into thick strips

1 small Carrot cut into thick strips 

1 medium size Potato cut into wedges 

1 long small size Brinjal cut into thick strips 

1 Onion Stalk cut into an inch length 

4 to 5 Falt beans cut into 2 halves 

1 or 2 Green chillies silt

1/2 tsp Panch Phoron 

Salt and little Turmeric powder for the fish

Wet paste 

4 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method 

Take 2 tbsp oil in a wok, heat the oil up, fry the fish with little turmeric and salt until brown in colour, remove and keep it aside. 

Add the remaining oil, once the oil heats up add the Panch phoran, let it crackle, add the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes, add the paste.. stir and cook the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, cover and cook the vegetables until soft. Add the fish and let it cook for another 1 minute. Serve the dish hot with hot steamed rice and preferably Gandharaj lemon…. 

Mulo Saag, Sabji ar Chingri Macher Matha Diye Chachra

 

This recipe is shared by one of our “Annapurna”… yes I would call her Annapurna.. they are the actual people in most of our houses for whom we are blessed. They are always behind the scene.

She is the lady for whom we enjoy all the traditional meals each day in my brother’s house.. for the last 6 years.. 

Unfortunately as my brother has to move on to a different city.. so we will miss her immensely.. before departing, I had requested her to share one of the traditional Bengali recipe. She was so happy to share the following recipe - 

As winter is almost in, now a days the market is flooded with winter vegetables like flat beans, radish, radish leaves, brinjal, cauliflower, carrots etc. we got some vegetables from Market 1, C.R. park market as we get many vegetables that are used in Bengali dishes.. and got some prawns and other fishes too.. 

We used the prawns head for this dish… we can used fish offal like fish oil or small fishes or fish head to prepare this dish… 

Ingredients 

2 bunches of Radish leaves cut into medium - small pieces 

Incase Cauliflower stems are available then the stems of the cauliflower can be cut into medium - small pieces 

1 Long Brinjal cut into medium long pieces 

1 medium size Radish cut into medium long pieces 

1 Big size Potato cut into wedges 

Few Flat Beans cut into 2 halves 

2 to 3 Green Chillies slit 

Few Prawn heads cleaned, washed and marinated with salt and turmeric 

1 tbsp Poppy seeds ground into paste 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Sugar 

3/4 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/2 tsp Panch phoran 

4 tbsp Mustard Oil

Method 

Blanch the Cauliflower stems and Radish leaves in hot water for few minutes. Drain the water out and keep it aside. 

Take a wok, add 2 tbsp oil, let it heat up. Lower the flame, to medium flame, add panch phoran, let the panch phoran crackle. Add the cut vegetables (flat beans, potato, radish and brinjal and cauliflower stems ), sauté the vegetables, cover the wok, stir occasionally and cook  for 5 to 7 minutes,  Add the radish leaves, stir occasionally, cover the wok and continue to cook for another 3 minutes until water releases from the leafy vegetable, add salt, turmeric powder. Stir, cover and continue to cook for another minute, add the chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Stir, cover and continue to cook. In another pan add 2 tbsp Mustard oil. Let the oil heat up, lower the heat, add the marinated prawns head and fry it until brown.  Add the green chillies and sugar into the vegetables, continue cooking until the vegetables are almost tender. Add the fried prawn heads into the cooked vegetables and add 1/4 cup hot water. Cover the wok and cook until the water has dried up and the vegetables are soft. Add the poppy seed paste, stir, cover and cook for another minute. Open the cover stir, and drizzle 1/2 tsp mustard oil, stir and transfer into serving bowl.. and enjoy with hot rice. 

Jugadu Chicken Curry

 

As I am with my daughter to settle her… at present we don’t have much amenities in the kitchen, just a gas stove and very few things, rest of the things are all on the way including all the ingredients … frankly speaking we are a bit feed up eating the restaurant food.. we had ordered some vegetables that can sustain without fridge for some days like potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and some green chillies from Bigbasket.. was wondering what can we cook in a easy way.. my daughter loves chicken.. got some chicken and chicken masala from blink.. love this app as it just deliverers anything  within 90 minutes… we had some all spices leaves that I had carried with me as it grows abundantly in my house and turmeric powder that I make at home, but the question was how to arrange garlic ginger paste.. cannot buy readymade as there is no refrigerator.. suddenly I realised that I had a small chopping board and a rolling pin.. that was my wooden shil batta for today… 

Since I have only one pan.. I used same pan to mix the chicken with the masala and cook the chicken directly in the same pan. 

Here is the recipe for Jugadu Chicken Curry 🤗

Ingredients 

500 grams of Chicken with bones or boneless 

2 Medium size Potatoes peeled and cut into 2 

1 Medium size Onion sliced 

1 Big size Tomato sliced 

1 small  piece of Ginger peeled and cut into tiny  pieces 

5 to 6 Garlic cloves peeled 

3 to 4 Green Chillies 

Few handful of Coriander leaves 

2 tbsp Chicken Masala powder 

3/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste 

2 Dried AllSpice leaves or Bay leaves 

2 tbsp Sugar syrup 

2 to 3 tbsp Mustard Oil 

Method 

The name  jugadu chicken curry is given as I didn’t have grinder or mortal - pestal.. I used chopping board and rolling pin to grind the green masala (ginger, garlic,green chillies and coriander leaves). 

Take the pan or wok in which the chicken will be cooked, add the chicken pieces, cut potatoes pieces, some sliced onions, some sliced tomatoes,  3/4 of the green masala, chicken masala powder, salt, turmeric powder and 2 1/2 tbsp mustard oil. Mix all ingredients together. Place the pan or wok on the gas stove and switch on the flame, cover the pan or wok and cook on medium low flame for 5 minutes, stirring the ingredients occasionally.  Now add the remaining green masala, some more tomato - onion slices and 2 all spice leaves. Stir and cook for a minute.  Add a cup of water or as much water required for the gravy. Cover and let the gravy simmer the gravy for 2 minutes, add the sugar syrup - (I used it from the the rosogolla syrup as I didn’t have any sugar at home) and stir, now cook the gravy until the chicken pieces and potato pieces have cooked well. Switch off the flame, drizzle the remaining mustard oil, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice. 

Mutton Curry / Mangshor Gravy

In earlier days, in most of the Bengali households, Sunday meals were always mutton curry … Mangshor Jhol and rice… I am sure many houses still makes it… but somehow due to the health reasons, nowadays we rarely have red meat at home… today after a long time made mutton curry, a bit different from the regular mangshor jhol… I added the marination as per my mood… marinated the mutton and slow cooked it… 

For Marination 

Ingredients 

500 grams Mutton pieces 

1 big size Onion sliced 

3 tbsp Onion Birista 

5 Garlic cloves 

1 small piece of Ginger 

1 Green chilli

1/2 cup Hung Curd 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/2 Fennel seed powder 

3/4 tsp Garam Masala powder ( ground cloves, cinnamon and green cardamon)

1 tsp Chilli powder 

4 to 5 Almonds soaked in water and peeled 

1 tbsp Mustard Oil

Method 

Grind the birista, garlic, ginger, green chilli  and almonds with very little water into a paste. Take a bowl, add mutton, salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, fennel seed powder, hung curd, ground paste, sliced onion and mustard oil, mix all the ingredients together, cover and keep it aside for 3 to 4 hours. 

For the Mutton Curry 

Ingredients 

Marinate Mutton 

2 Cloves 

2 Green Cardamom

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

Few Pepper corns

1 Bay leaves 

1/4 cup Mustard Oil

1 tsp Ghee

Salt if required 

1 tsp Sugar

1 big or more cup of Hot Water 

Method 

Take a wok, add mustard oil, let the oil heat up, lower the flame and add the ghee, add sugar,  bay leaves, cloves, green cardamom, pepper corn and cinnamon. Let it crackle, add the marinate mutton, on medium  low flame, cover and cook the mutton and keep adding little hot water stir the mutton occasionally until the mutton is cooked. Add more water as required for the gravy, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes and switch off the flame, serve with rice, roti, paratha etc. 

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Kakara Kosha / Crab Sukha (Bengali Style)

While driving towards the outskirts of Mumbai during the rainy season, we get to see land filled with water getting ready for the rice cultivation, small water streams and small water bodies flowing around.. there are lots of small fish and mud crabs that you get to see being sold by the locals which are freshly caught. They are great in taste. We managed to get  some mud crabs and cat fish. 

Here is a recipe of  Kakara Kosha. It’s a Bengali way of making crab Sukha..  

While cleaning the crabs, separate out the crab legs from the body, gently crush them. Keep the crab fat and eggs in separate bowl.    

Enjoy this dish with rice or paratha. 

Ingredients 

5 medium size Crabs cleaned 

Keep the crab fat / tomalley and crab eggs separately 

2 medium size Onions sliced 

1 big Tomato chopped 

5 to 6 Green Chilli crushed 

10 to 12 Garlic Cloves crushed 

1 medium piece of Ginger crushed 

2 Bay leaves 

1 Green Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Sugar 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tsp Coriander powder 

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam masala powder 

1 tsp Ghee

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

1/2 cup Water 

Method

Add salt and little turmeric powder into the crabs and mix them. Take 1/4 cup of Mustard oil, let it heat, on a medium flame stir fry the crabs until it changes its colour. Remove and keep it aside, add the remaining oil in the same wok, add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves, stir, add the sliced onions, sauté the onions until translucent, in between add salt and sugar, continue to cook. Add the crushed ginger - garlic and chillies, stir and continue to cook for a minute, add the  chopped tomato, stir, add turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Stir and continue to cook, add Kashmiri red chilli powder. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the oil release. Add the crab fat and crab eggs if any. Stir and cook for another minute. Add the water, let it simmer, add the crabs. Stir and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add the ghee and garam masala. Let it cook for another minute. Once done switch off the flame. Enjoy the crab bhuna with rice or paratha. 

Chicken Rezala

 

This Mughali dish  is very popular in any Mughali restaurant - West Bengal. It’s a rich, mildly spiced and aromatic dish,  that is made in thick white rich gravy was introduced by the Mughals. More like a korma, but more richer in taste. Chicken rezala can be eaten with Paratha, but also goes well  with pulao. 

Marination

Ingredients 

1 kg Chicken cut into medium size pieces cleaned 

1 medium size  Onion paste 

1 tbsp Ginger - Garlic paste

1 tsp Green Chilli paste 

1/2 cup Curd

Salt to taste 

Method 

Take a bowl, add all the above ingredients and marinate all the ingredients together very well. Keep it aside for minimum 1 hour or more. 

For the Wet paste 

Ingredients 

15 Cashew-nuts soaked in water  for 15 minutes 

1 tbsp Poppy seeds

Method 

Grind the cashew nuts and poppy seeds with little water into a fine paste

For the Chicken Rezala

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken 

2 medium size Onions chopped 

1 cup Curd 

2 pinches of Saffron soaked in 1/4 cup of Warm Milk

2 drops of Kewra essence 

2  drops of Meetha attar - optional 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Coriander powder

5 Dried Red Chillies 

1 Black Cardamom 

1 inch Cinnamon piece

3 Cloves

3 Green Cardamom 

2 Bay leaves 

4 tbsp Ghee 

Method 

Heat up the ghee on medium flame in a pot. Once the ghee heats up, lower the flame and add the dried red chillies, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Sauté until the spices gives out a beautiful aroma.  Add the chopped onions. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the marinated chicken.  Stir, cover the pot  and cook the chicken until half done or for 15 minutes. Add the salt to taste, sugar and coriander powder.  Stir and cook for few minutes more. Add the cashew and poppy seeds paste and curd. Stir and slow cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked. Switch off the flame, the Kewra essence, the mitha attar and the saffron milk. Stir once again. Serve it with Paratha or Pulao.

Mutton Rogan Josh

Rogan josh is a popular dish of Kashmir. This dish was introduced by Mughals influenced from Persian cuisine. Its made with mutton or lamb. There are various spices that are added to the dish for flavour and traditionally the colour of the dish came from ratan jot or mawal flower, but Kashmiri Chilli is now used for the colour too. There are different ways of preparing the dish, specifically 2 versions of the dish - Kashmiri pandit and the Muslim way..  I adapted the recipe from a Kashmiri friend Deepa Kaul channel DeeZ Culinary Delight the Kashmiri Pandit way of preparing where no onion and garlic are used.  

We enjoyed this with steamed rice. 

Ingredients

750 grams Mutton cut into pieces 

2 Bay Leaves 

2 Black Cardamom crushed 

2 Green Cardamom crushed 

1 small piece of Cinnamon crushed 

3 Cloves crushed 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds crushed 

A pinch of Asafoetida 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Ginger powder

1 tsp Fennel seed powder 

1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 cup Curd beaten 

4 to 6 tbsp Mustard Oil 

Method

Take a pressure cooker, add oil and let the oil heat up. Reduce the flame and add the whole crushed spiced and bay leaves. Once the spices crackle, add the mutton pieces, stir and sauté the mutton for a minute add the asafoetida and continue to sauté until the mutton changes its colour and the juices dry up. Now add the salt, ginger powder, chilli powder and fennel powder. Stir and sauté for few seconds, add the curd and continue to sauté until the oil separates from the masala, add the Garam Masala powder, stir and cook for a minute. Add 1 cup water, stir and close the pressure cooker. Cook on a medium low flame until 3 to 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release. Open the lid and serve the Rogan Josh with Steamed Rice. 

Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta / Hilsa Fish Tail Bhorta

There were 5 tail pieces of Hilsa fish left in the freezer. Usually as the tail part of the fish is thorny many people avoid eating the tail part. In Bangladesh they make various types of Bhortas. I had this recipe in my bucket list as I had heard from my husband about the Ilish  Bhorta when he had travelled to Bangladesh and I had randomly seen some few recipes on YouTube. It’s delicious, you can actually finish one whole plate of steamed rice with Ilish Bhorta. 

So here it is... 

Ingredients 

5 Tail pieces of the Hilsa Fish

2 medium size Onion sliced 

2 Garlic Cloves

2 or more Whole Dried Red Chilli 

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 cup + 1/4 tsp of Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take the fish tails, apply salt and turmeric powder. Heat 1/2 cup oil, fry the fish tail until golden brown in colour. Remove the fried fish and keep it aside to cool, in the same oil now fry the onion and garlic until golden brown in colour. Remove the onion and garlic and keep it aside. In the same remaining oil fry the dried red chillies until brown in colour. Remove the chillies and keep it aside. Now very carefully remove the thorns from the fish tail and keep the fish meat aside. Now take the fried onion, garlic, red chillies, salt to taste and coriander leaves on a plate, mash all the ingredients together well, add the fish meat and mash the ingredients together. Transfer the Bhorta into a serving plate, drizzle with the remaining mustard oil and a fresh red chilli, serve it with hot steamed rice. 

Pomfret Macher Tel Jhal

This is a quick and easy Bengali recipe to go with steamed rice. This dish is one of our family’s favourite dish, my mother use to make it. It’s supposed to be bit spicy and tangy.

Ingredients 

1 big size Pomfret cut, sliced and cleaned 

1 medium size Tomato chopped 

2 to 3 Green Chillies slit

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds 

Salt to taste 

3/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 cup Mustard Oil to fry the fish

Few drops of Mustard Oil to drizzle  

Method 

Take the sliced pomfret pieces, apply 1/2 tsp turmeric and salt, heat the oil and fry the fish slices until brown in colour. Remove the fried fish pieces, keep it aside. Remove the excess oil and keep around 2 tbsp oil in the wok. Add the nigella seeds and green chillies. Sauté the nigella seeds for few seconds. Add the chopped tomato, salt and remaining turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the chopped tomato is mushy. Add a cup of water and let the gravy simmer. Add the fish pieces and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Switch off the flame, sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and drizzle little mustard oil over the gravy. Serve this dish with steamed rice. 

 

Kerala Meal - Prawn Fry, Okra and Egg Curry, Cabbage and Carrot Thoran and Moru

I have been blessed with few good friends who are family to me more than friends.. These recipes have been shared by one such friend... who belongs from Kerala, and I thank my Almighty, who has always provided me the opportunity to make good food even though we are homebound 🙏🏼

One of the recipe - Okra and Egg curry is from her Aunty’s Kitchen. Here are the recipes that I made for one of our meal. Here I have adjusted the spices as per our taste.. 

Fried Prawns 

Ingredients 

1 bowl of cleaned and shelled Prawns 

1 small piece of Ginger crushed 

3 Garlic Cloves crushed

Few Curry Leaves 

1/2 tsp Pepper Powder 

Few Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder 

1 tsp Vinegar 

Coconut Oil for shallow frying 

Method 

Take a bowl, add prawns, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, pepper powder, ginger - garlic and vinegar. Mix all the ingredients and marinated for an hour. Take a pan, add oil, add few fenugreek seeds, now add the prawns and fry until golden crispy fried. Add the curry leaves and switch off the flame. 

Vendakka Mutta Curry / Bhindi and Egg

Ingredients 

6 Eggs boiled with little salt and cut into halves 

200 gram Okra chopped into big pieces 

1 medium size Onion sliced 

3 Green Chillies slit

4 to 5 Garlic cut into big pieces 

Juice of 1/2 lime. 

Few Curry leaves 

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Green Cardamom 

1 piece of Cinnamon 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper Powder 

1/4 tsp Chilli Powder

2 cups of Diluted Coconut Milk 

1 cup of Undiluted Coconut Milk 

1 tsp Vinegar 

3 tbsp Coconut Oil 

Method 

Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan, heat it up, add the Okra and little salt. Cook the okra until it is light brown in colour. Add lime juice to the okra, stir and keep the okra aside. Take a pot, add 1 tbsp oil and once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Sauté the mustard seeds until it crackles, then add the onions and let cook for 2 minutes, add the green chillies and garlic. Sauté for another minute. Add the curry leaves. Continue to cook until it turns brown in colour. Remove all the masala and keep it aside. In the same pot, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, reduce the heat, add the crushed fennel, cinnamon, jeera and cardamom, coriander powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and chilli powder. Sauté for few seconds. Add diluted coconut milk, add little salt and boil the curry, as the curry begins to boil add the fried Okra.

Now place the egg pieces in the curry. Continue to cook, stir the curry gently, now add the thick coconut milk and add the fried masala and vinegar into the curry. Switch off the flame. 

Cabbage and Carrot Thoran 

Ingredients 

1 cup of Finely chopped Cabbage 

1 small Carrot finely chopped 

1 Onion chopped

2 Green Chillies slit

Few Curry Leaves

1/4 cup Grated Coconut 

Salt to taste

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 tsp Vinegar 

2 tbsp Coconut Oil 

Method 

Add coconut oil in a vessel, let the oil heat up, add mustard seeds and onion, stir fry until the onion pieces are translucent. Add grated coconut, green chillies, curry, salt and turmeric. Cook the masala until the oil release. Add the cabbage and carrot, cover the vessel and cook on a low flame, stirring it occasionally until the vegetables are cooked. Add the vinegar and switch off the flame. 

Moru Curry  / Curd Curry

This is the curd base curry from Kerala. There are many variations to this recipe.. in this recipe the curd is not cooked... there are many types of vegetables like ash gourd, bitter gourd, ridged gourd etc that can be boiled and added.. here I have used tomatoes. 

Ingredients 

2 medium size Tomatoes cut into cubes 

2 Green Chillies slit

1 small Onion chopped 

1 small pieces of Ginger finely chopped 

2 Garlic Cloves finely chopped 

Few Curry leaves 

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Mustard 

1/4 tsp Fenugreek 

1/4 tsp Carom seeds

1/4 tsp Fennel seeds

One Pinch Asafoetida 

1/2 tsp crushed Pepper Powder 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric Powder 

1 cup Curd beaten

1 tsp Coconut oil 

Method 

Take a vessel, add coconut oil, heat the oil, add the whole spices, asafoetida, onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, salt and turmeric. Sauté until the masala release the oil. Reduce the flame and add the tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame, add the masala to the curd and mix all the ingredients together. Add freshly ground pepper powder from top. 

 

Chaman Olu / Cottage Cheese and Potato

It’s a Kashmiri dish that is made with cottage cheese and potato. It’s served with rice. It’s a very simple dish, yet very delicious.
I have adapted the recipe from Ms. Purnima Kachru’s cook book.
We enjoyed the dish with hot steamed rice.

Ingredients
250 grams Cottage cheese cut into medium size cubes
1 big  size Potato cut into thick roundels
4 Green chillies slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric  Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Fennel seed Powder
1 pinch Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 Black cardamom crushed
2 Cloves crushed
2 Green Cardamom crushed
1 1/2 tbsp Curd
1 1/2 tbsp Milk
1/2 cup Mustard Oil
1 tbsp Ghee
1 1/2 cup Water

Method
Take a wok, add mustard oil, heat the oil. Reduce the flame. Fry the cottage cheese until the edges are golden brown in colour. Take a pot, add water, add salt and turmeric powder. Add the fried cottage cheese into the water. Now fry the potato roundels and add the potato roundels into the water. Add ginger powder, fennel powder, asafoetida and black cardamom. Place the pot on the gas stove and cook the ingredients on medium heat until the water reduces into half. Beat the curd along with the milk. Pour the milk - curd into the pot, stir the gravy constantly and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the gravy from the flame. Take ghee in a pan, let it heat, add the green cardamom and cloves. Sauté and pour the ghee into the gravy. Add green chillies to garnish. Serve the dish with steamed rice.

Misti Aloor Pata R Chingri Macher Mathar Chorchori

This is a very traditional Bengali recipe that’s cooked only at home and not commonly found in restaurants... we had grown sweet potato in our balcony pot... after 4 months we got some sweet potatoes and sweet potato leaves... I was extremely happy... 

Prawn head Chorchori is made normally with Malabar spinach, potatoes, sweet potato. brinjal and pumpkin with fish head or prawns or small fish but since I got sweet potato leaves, I made the dish with this leaves and sweet potato... some brinjal too can be added to this dish. Fish can be avoided and can be made only vegetarian. Only turmeric, salt and Mustard oil is used to cook this dish along with some garlic, onion and green chillies. 

A plate of steamed rice and this dish is enough to satisfy our souls... this dish will taste more delicious if eaten on the next day... 

Ingredients 

1 big bowl of Sweet Potato leaves washed and cut into pieces 

1 big Sweet Potato washed and peeled 

1 big size Onion sliced 

5 to 6 Garlic cloves crushed 

4 to 6 Green Chillies slit 

1 bowl of Prawn head / after cleaning one kg of prawns or any small fish cleaned and marinated with 1/2 tsp turmeric and Salt. 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

4 tbsp  + 1 tsp Fortune Mustard Oil

Method 

Cut the sweet potato into medium thin strips.. in Bengali we say Shoru kore kata... it was fun to use the boti after a long time. 

Take a wok, preferably a iron wok... I used steel wok as I was cooking on induction-stove. Add 3 tbsp Mustard oil. Let the mustard oil heat up. Fry the marinated prawn heads until crispy. Remove and keep it aside. Add 1 tbsp of Mustard oil into the same wok. Add sliced onion, garlic and green chillies together. Stir fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the sweet potato. Stir and cook for a minute. Add the salt and turmeric. Stir and add 1/2 cup of water. Stir and let it simmer for a minute. Add the sweet potato leaves. Cover and continue to cook until the water has reduced and the vegetables are  almost cooked. Open the lid and gently stir the vegetables. Add the prawn heads and stir it gently. Cover and cook for another 1 minutes. Open the lid and the stir it gently. Switch off the induction. Before serving drizzle mustard oil. Serve the dish with steamed rice. 

Aslam’s Butter Cream Chicken

Few days back one of the foodie friend Rakesh Sharma ji had posted this fabulous recipe in a group. I was very tempted to make this recipe... and believe me this recipe is worth making.. 

Sharma ji had mentioned in his post that Aslam’s Butter Chicken is a very famous dish sold at Aslam Chicken near Jama Masjid, Old Delhi. 

This dish is very different in look and taste from the Punjabi butter chicken recipe. 

In the actual dish Aslam Chicken grills the marinated chicken pieces on a charcoal grill and then the main key ingredients other than the chicken is loads of Butter, fresh cream and curd. The spices that are used in the dish are a top secret. If you scroll the net, there are loads of videos that teaches us to make the Aslam Butter Cream Chicken, Since this recipe was tried and tasted, I preferred to adapt this recipe. 

It’s a very easy recipe... we can grill the chicken in an oven at home, or on a skillet. 

To get the smoky charcoal flavour, heat up the charcoal and place the hot charcoal on a small plate in between the marinated chicken, pour a tsp of ghee and cover the bowl for a minute - I have used this technique and this was not mentioned in the original recipe and it’s optional. 

 Then the chicken can be grilled and further method can be followed as per the recipe. I personally have not visited the restaurant and tasted the original dish, but this recipe indeed very delicious and my family loved the dish... I have added the Garam Masala powder which was not mentioned in Sharma ji’s recipe. Also I have reduced the quantity of the chicken, hence changed the quantity of the other ingredients and have added the butter as per my requirement. The original recipe calls for around 100 grams plus butter. The method follows the same.. 

For Marinating the Chicken 

Ingredients 

500 grams Chicken cut pieces 

1/2 cup of Hung Curd

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 1/2 tsp Garlic paste

1/2 to 1 tsp Chilli paste

Juice of 1 small size lime 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Pepper Powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 tsp Kasuri Methi

1 tsp Cumin seed powder 

1 tbsp Amul Butter

Method 

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the above ingredients and keep the marinated chicken for 5 to 6 hours. We can use a hot burn charcoal to give a smoky flavour to the dish as mentioned in the description. 

To make the Butter Cream Chicken 

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken

1/2 cup of Hung Curd 

1/4 cup of Fresh Cream

1/2 tsp Chaat Masala

1 tbsp Butter for Grilling 

4 tbsp and more Melted Butter

Method 

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius. Take a baking tray. Take the marinated chicken and place the chicken pieces on the baking tray. Rub 1/2 tbsp of butter on the chicken pieces and turn the chicken pieces. Grill the chicken pieces at 180 celsius for 15 minutes. Remove the baking tray, apply the remaining 1/2 tbsp butter on the chicken pieces and turn the chicken pieces and continue to grill the chicken pieces at 200 degrees celsius for 15 minutes. Once done, the chicken pieces are golden brown, remove the chicken pieces from the baking tray. For the gravy, take a pan, add the remaining marinated juices into the pan. Let the water of the marinated juices reduce a bit, add the chicken pieces and coat the chicken pieces with the marinated juices. Switch off the flame. Transfer the chicken pieces into a serving bowl, now take a bowl, add the hung curd and the cream into the bowl and mix the ingredients together. Sprinkle the Chaat masala. Pour the curd and the cream over the chicken. Mix the ingredients together. Now pour the melted butter over the chicken. The chicken is supposed to be drenched in butter... but I used less butter for health reasons... Serve this unique butter chicken with rumali roti, sliced onion and lime.

Kumro Pata Diya Chana Bhapa / Steamed Paneer with Pumpkin Leaves

Steamed Paneer is a Bengali vegetarian side dish. I have added pumpkin leaves, as pumpkin leaves are good for our health and when it grows in my balcony, then definitely it is good to use it in the dish. I have used homemade Aam Kasundi, but you can use mustard and any pickle masala oil incase Kasundi is not available.This dish is normally eaten during lunch. Serve this dish with hot steamed rice. 

For the Wet Paste 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup Fresh Grated Coconut 

2 tbsp Aam Kasundi or use 1 tbsp Mustard seeds and 1 tbsp any pickle masala oil 

2 Green Chillies  

2 to 3 Garlic cloves 

3 tbsp Hung Curd 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste. 

To make the Steamed Paneer 

Ingredients 

250 grams Paneer cut into small pieces 

10 Pumpkin leaves chopped 

4 to 5 Green Chillies slit into half and then cut into pieces 

Wet Paste 

2 tbsp Mustard Oil 

A big piece of Banana Leaf - optional 

Method 

Take a bowl, add all the ingredients in the bowl, mix all the ingredients together and keep it aside for an hour. Take a container with a lid. Lay the banana leaves at the base of the container, it’s optional. Add the marinated paneer into the container. Close the lid. Take a steamer, add water into the steamer. Keep the container into the steamer. Steam the paneer for 20 minutes. Once done, enjoy this dish with hot steamed rice.