Tomator Tok

Tomator Tok
Ingredients:
4 Ripe tomatoes  chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp garlic chopped
1/2 tsp  Ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 dry red chilli
1/2 tsp Panchforon (a mixture of fennel, mustard, fenugreek, cumin and black cumin)
1 Bay leaves 
1 tsp Sugar
Salt  to taste
2 tsp Oil

Method
Boil the chopped tomatoes with ginger, turmeric  and salt in 4 cups of water.Once the tomatoes become soft, stir the mix thoroughly into a thick paste.In a separate pan, heat the oil and brown the onions and garlic.Add in the panchforon, dry red chilli and bay leaf, and fry for another minute.Add all the ingredients from the pan into the tomato mix.Stir in the sugar and let it simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.Serve hot.

Oler Danla ( Yam curry)

Oler  Danla ( Yam curry)
Ingredients
500 grams yam cut in to cubes
2 potatoes cut in to cubes
1 onion finely sliced
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp chilli paste
1 tomato chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp of ghee
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder ( powder made of 2 cloves, 1 small stick Cinnamon, 2 cardamom  and 1/2 cumin seeds)
Method
Take 1 1/2 tbsp ghee in a kadai. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let the cumin seed crackle. Add chopped onion. Saute till brown in colour. Add the cubes of potatoes, sugar and saute it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ginger - garlic , chilli paste and salt to taste. Stir for 2 minutes more. Add the yam and the all the dry powder masala. On a low flame cover the kadai and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato. Cook it for few minutes more with a close lid. When the ghee starts to leave the sides of the Kadai add 2 small cups of water. Cook the yam on a medium flame till the potatoes and yam is cooked. Before serving add 1/2 tbsp of ghee and sprinkle garam masala from top.

Chicken Dak Bangla

Chicken Dak Bangla
A  very easy, tasty and rustic recipe to make.
Ingredients
   1 kg Chicken cut in large pieces
4 tbsp  Mustard Oil
2 big  Onions roughly chopped
A small piece of  Ginger
6 Garlic cloves
2 Tomato chopped
2 Whole Dry Red Chillies
3 tbsp curd
1 tsp turmeric pd
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 green cardamom
1 small stick of Cinnamon
4 cloves
6 pepper corns
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Ginger Julienne for garnishing
Chopped Coriander for garnishing

Method
Wash and dry the chicken.
Except for Mustard oil, sugar and curd take all the ingredients and grind it in a blender. Now take the chicken and add the curd and the masala paste and mix it well. Marinate it for 1 to 2 hours. Now take oil in a cooker. Heat the oil well. Add the chicken and sugar to the oil and saute it for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and cook it till the chicken has become tender or give just 2 whistles as the chicken has been marinating for long. Garnish it with ginger Julienne and chopped coriander.

Badakopi diye macher mata ( fish head with cabbage)

Badakopi diye macher mata ( fish head with cabbage)
Ingredients
500 grams of cabbage finely sliced
1 big katla or rahu fish head fried in mustard oil and broken in to big parts
2 potatoes cut in to big cubes
1 tomato chopped
1 onion sliced
2 tsp ginger - garlic paste
1 tsp chilli paste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cumin powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 sugar
Salt to taste
1 bay leaves
2 tbsp mustard oil
1/2 tsp ghee
Method
Take a vessel. Add mustard oil and heat then cumin seed and bay leaf. Add onions and fry then add ginger - garlic paste, chilli paste and tomato. Saute them properly. Add sugar and salt to taste. Add the potato, cabbage and all the powder masala. Cover the vessel and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes. Now add the fish head and cook it till all the water dries up and the potatoes are cooked. Add ghee and sprinkle garam masala for garnishing.

Bengali style Mutton Biryani

Bengali style Mutton Biryani

Ingredients

750 grams   meat
500 gm. of basmati rice washed and soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
4 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp. ginger paste
1 tbsp. garlic paste
4 potatoes cut into halves
1 large onion finely chopped
1 cup  curd
2 tsp. Kashmiri  chilli powder
Few drops Kewra essence
Few strands of saffron soaked and 1 tsp kesar colour in 2-3 tbsp. of warm milk
Salt  to taste
1 tsp Sugar
2 green cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
5 pepper
2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
4 boiled eggs

Make a powder from the masala:-
2" cinnamon stick
6 cloves
3 green cardamom
1/4 of a whole nutmeg
1/2" mace
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1tsp of pepper corn

Method

Cook the pre soaked rice in enough water seasoned with salt, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, pepper and few cloves. Cook till the rice is almost done. Drain the rice on a colander and spread on a flat plate.

Take ghee in a heavy bottom pan or in a pressure cooker and heat it. Add chopped onion and fry till they are brown. Add the meat pieces and sear them on high heat. Add ginger, garlic paste and stir the meat pieces. Once the raw smell goes away add the curd and Kashmiri chili powder. Add the potato, salt and sugar and saute the meat and  add the masala powder. Cook till the potatoes are 90% boiled. Remove the potatoes and keep them aside. Rest 10% cooking will be done in Dum.

If required add water as per requirement or else   cook the the meat pieces in a pressure cooker.
Now  assemble the biryani. Take a heavy bottom pan. Add one layer of rice and then the mutton pieces, some potato pieces and some gravy. Repeat the layer. The last layer will be rice.  Add the boil eggs on top. Now add saffron and kesar colour milk on top of the rice, also add a few drops of kewra water. Add some melted ghee . Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves.   Cover the biryani pot tightly. Now we are ready to put the biryani for Dum.
Put the vessel on a thick tawa or charcoal so that the bottom does not get burnt.  Cook it on a low heat for 30 minutes. Once done  keep it off the fire for at least an hour before serving. Serve it with green salad.