Bhetki Macher Kanta Chorchori...

Bhetki or (Barramundi) is quite a popular fish. We Bengalis have many preparations made from Bhetki. The small size is used to make jhol or jhal. And the big size ones are cut into fillets and made into cutlets, paturi, chops, fish fingers etc. Moreover even the remaining bone along with some flesh and head are also not wasted and it is made into Kanta Chorchori. You will not find this delectable dish in any of the restaurants. It is a very simple traditional dish cooked at home. Simply have it with hot steaming rice and it is divine... 

Ingredients 

Bhetki head and bones cut into pieces marinated for 5 minutes with 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and salt.

1 tsp Garlic and Ginger paste 

2 Green chillies slit 

2 big size Onions sliced 

2 big size Potatoes cut into wedges 

1 Tomato cut into wedges 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

1 small stick Cinnamon 

1 Green Cardomom

2 Cloves

1 Bay leaf 

1/4 cup Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take a wok. Add mustard oil. Heat it till the smoking point.  Reduce the flame. Fry the bone and the head till golden brown in colour. Remove it from the wok and keep it aside. In the same oil add the cinnamon, green cardomom and cloves. Let it crackle. Add the bay leaf and the green chillies. Add the onions and sauté it till light brown in colour. Add the ginger - garlic paste. Sauté for a minute. Add the potatoes. Stir fry the potatoes for a minute. Add the tomato. Stir it. Add the salt, sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Stir it and add the fish bones. Stir and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till the potatoes are cooked and the water has evaporated. Server it hot with hot steaming rice.

Bata Mashala diya Mangsher Jhol....

Mangsher Jhol is known to all Bengalis. It is cooked on all occasions. In earlier days and still in some household fresh spices are ground for the masala, but now a days mostly powdered spices have taken over. In this recipe in addition to the garam masala used in Bengali kitchen, I have used few more other spices as an experiment in my kitchen, This dish can be eaten with hot steamed rice or paratha or luchi. 

For the Bata Mashala / Wet Paste

Ingredients 

1 Onion chopped 

12 Garlic cloves 

1 medium Ginger piece 

1 medium Fresh Turmeric piece

12 Pepper corns

4 Cloves 

1 medium stick Cinnamon 

3 Green Cardomon 

4 Kabab Chini 

4 Dry Red Chillies

4 Dry Kashmiri Chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds 

2 tsp Mustard seeds 

1 tsp Coriander seeds 

1/2 tsp Celery seeds (Optional)

Method 

Add all the above ingredients into a grinder and add little water. Grind all the ingredients into a fine paste. 

For the Mangsher Jhol / Mutton Curry 

Ingredients

1 kg Mutton Pieces 

2 Big Potatoes cut into big chunks

1 Onion sliced

2 Tomatoes chopped

2 Green Chillies slit 

2 Bay Leaves 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Sugar 

1/2 cup Curd 

Bata Mashala / Wet Paste 

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take a pressure cooker. Add mustard oil. Let it heat till the smoking point. Reduce the flame. Fry the potatoes till brown in colour. Remove it from the oil and keep it aside. In the same oil, add the onion, chillies and bay leaves. Fry the onions for a minute, add sugar and fry till light brown in colour. Add the mutton pieces, stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the bata mashala and salt. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the curd. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes on low flame. Remove the cover and add the potatoes. Stir and add 6 cups of water. Close the lid of pressure cooker. Give 4 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let all the pressure release. Serve it hot. 

Chocolate Chips Banoffee Smoothie with Chia...

If you are lazy and want to avoid solid food... you can enjoy this drink. It fills up your stomach while you enjoy the chilled smoothie. Love this drink and I am sure you will love it too... 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup Milk 

1 Banana chopped 

1 tbsp Chia soaked in water

1 tsp Coffee powder 

1 tsp Honey 

1 tbsp Chocolate chips 

1/2 tsp Chocolate chips and Chocolate syrup for garnishing 

1 Cake toast cut into thin strip for garnishing 

Method 

Take a blender. Add milk, banana, chia seeds, coffee powder, honey, 1 tbsp chocolate chips and few pieces of ice in the blender. Blend all the ingredients. Take a glass. Add the a tbsp of chocolate syrup. Pour in the smoothie in the glass and garnish with 1/2 tsp chocolate chips and cake toast. 

Sri Lankan Egg Curry without Coconut Milk ( My Style ) ......

I absolutely love this egg curry or this Sri Lankan curry powder that I have used in this curry. This curry powder can be used for any curry you make. You can make this in large batch and it can be stored. 

I have added potatoes, but it is optional. You can enjoy this with hot steamed rice... 

For the wet paste... 

1 Onion chopped 

1 Tomato chopped 

6 Garlic cloves

1 small piece ginger

Method

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste. 

For Sri Lankan Curry Powder....

Ingredients

5 Whole Red Chilies

2 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 tbsp Cumin seeds

6 Cloves

6 Pepper Corns

2 Cardamom

1 stick Cinnamon

1 tbsp Rice

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 

Handful of Curry Leaves

Method

Dry roast the curry leaves in a pan and keep aside to cool. In the same pan, dry roast all the whole spices and allow it to cool. In a grinder, add all the roasted ingredients including curry leaves and grind to make a powder.Store it in an air tight jar.

For the Egg curry...,

Ingredients 

6 Eggs boiled 

2 Potatoes cut into big chunks 

1 Onion sliced 

1 Tomato cut into wedges

Few Curry Leaves

Few Coriander leaves for garnishing 

1/2 tsp Tumeric powder

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

1 tbsp Sri Lankan Masala

1 Dry Red Chilli slit

1 tsp Jaggery 

1 tsp Tamarind paste

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 cup Oil 

Method 

Take a wok. Add oil. Let it heat. Fry the potatoes until light brown colour. Keep it aside. Give a slit on the boiled eggs. Fry the eggs till light brown in colour. Keep it aside. In the same oil, add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, and dry chilli. Let it crackle. Add the curry leaves and sauté it for few seconds. Add the onion and sauté it till light pink in colour. Add the wet paste, stir and cook it for 2 minutes. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, Sri Lankan powder and pepper powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir and add 4 cups of water. Cover and cook till the potatoes are cooked. Add the eggs, tomato, tamarind paste and jaggery. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving. 

P. S. Water can be added as per your requirement. 

Dutch Speculaas Cookies.....

Speculaas cookie is a type of spiced short crust biscuit, traditionally baked on or just before St Nicholas' day in the Netherlands that is 5th December, In Belgium it is December 6th and around Christmas in Germany. Speculaas are thin, very crunchy, caramelized, slightly browned and, most significantly, have some image or figure (often from the traditional stories about St. Nicholas stamped on the front side before baking and the back is flat. 

Traditionally speculaas are made by pressing the dough into a mold before baking in the oven. Using a springerle rolling pin (a rolling pin with a pattern carved into it) is an easy way to impress a shape into the cookies. If you don’t have a speculaas mold or a springerle rolling pin, you can just use regular holiday cookie cutters to make festive shaped cookies instead or just roll them out, and cut them into squares with a knife. While baking the whole house is filled up with aroma and makes you feel like holiday season.

Net source ...

Ingredients

2 cups All Purpose Flour 

1/2 cup  Butter

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon powder 

1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder

1/4 tsp Clove powder

1/4 tsp Dry Ginger powder

1/4 tsp White pepper powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

2 tbsp Curd 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar together till fluffy. Scrape the sides with a spatula and add the vanilla essence and curd, beat it well. Add all the spice powder and beat it. Add the flour and the baking powder. Beat it again and knead it until all the ingredients incorporates well and forms a dough. Sprinkle some flour on the platform. Place the dough on the platform. If you using the springerle rolling pin then roll the dough out into 1/2 inch thick sheet with a plain rolling pin. Dust the springerle pin with flour then roll over the dough, pressing it firmly to make a 1/4 inch thick cookie dough, with imprint. Cut the dough along the springerle grid lines with a sharp knife or pizza cutter and place the cookies on a baking tray.If using a cookie cutter, roll the dough out until 1/4 inch thick with a plain rolling pin and cut out cookies and place on the baking sheet. Bake it in a preheated oven at 170 degrees celsius for 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before enjoying... 

Recipe adapted from Irvin Lin