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. 

Kolkata Fish Fry

 

Kolkata Fish Fry 

It is one of the Bengali Delicacy made during occasions and celebrations. Normally mostly at home fish fry / mach Bhaja is frying the fish with salt and turmeric, but the marinated fish that is crumb coated and deep fried is made very rarely at home. Bhetki or Telapia is used for this dish. This dish is served with Kasundi and Onion. 

Ingredients 

6 pieces of Boneless Fish Fillets cut into rectangular or square shapes

Juice of one small Onion Paste 

1 tsp Garlic paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1/2 tsp Chilli paste 

Juice of 1/2 Lemon 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

1 Egg beaten with little salt 

3/4 cup Bread Crumbs

Oil to Fry 

Method

Marinate the fish with lime juice and salt, keep it aside for 15 minutes. Then add onion juice, ginger - garlic paste, chilli paste and pepper powder. Let it marinate for at least an hour. Take the bread crumbs on a plate. Take a marinated fish fillet, dip it in egg and coat the fish with bread crumbs, repeat the process by dipping the fish in egg and again coat it with bread crumbs. Shape the fish properly from the sides. Heat up the oil, on a medium low flame fry the fish until golden brown in colour. Remove the fish on a paper towel. Serve hot with onion and mustard sauce / Kasundi.

Vegetable Chops

 

This year Durga Pujo and Pet Pujo both are to be celebrated within the four walls of our home. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Thanks to the technology that there are live streaming of rituals, performances and zoom adda from any part of the world that you are situated in. 

As this year pet pujo is at home.. hence I made vegetable chops without onion and garlic to cherish the memories of the last year Durga Pujo .. it is served with Kasundi and salad 

Ingredients

1 cup grated Beetroot

1 cup grated Carrots

2 grated Boiled Potatoes

1 or 2 chopped Green Chillies

1/2 tsp grated Ginger

Few Raisins

Few broken Cashew nuts 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Bhaja Masala powder ( 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 Coriander seeds and 1 dry red chillies - Roast it and grind it in a grinder)

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 Bay leaf

2 tsp Ghee

4 tbsp  Corn flour or Maida  + 1/4 cup or little more Water mix to make a slurry 

1 cup Bread crumbs 

Oil to fry 

Method

Take a pan, add Ghee, let it melt, add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, green chillies and grated ginger. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the cashew nuts and raisins, sauté until the cashews turn light brown in colour. Add the beetroot, carrot, potato, sugar, salt, cumin powder and garm masala powder. Stir and cook all the ingredients together until the ingredients binds well. Add the bhaja masala and mix the ingredients again. Switch off the flame, remove the mixture into a plate and let it cool down. Take lemon size portion from the mixture and give the ball a oval shape, repeat the process. Take the slurry and the bread crumbs. Dip the chops into the slurry and then coat the chops with the bread crumbs, repeat the process one more time. Heat up the oil in a wok, add the chops into the oil, fry the chops on a medium flame until golden brown. Remove the chops on the paper towel. Serve the chops with salad and Kasundi. 

Fried Achaari Paneer Sticks

 

Since the festivals are round the corner, here is a very simple and easy vegetarian starter you can make at home. This recipe that I created calls for few ingredients which most of us have at home. This dish can be enjoyed with ketchup and mint mayonnaise dip 

To Marinate the Paneer Sticks

Ingredients

6  Paneer strips - Paneer cut into 3 inches  length and 1 1/2 inches thickness 

4 to 5 tbsp spicy Mango Pickle Masala including the oil of the pickle masala or chilli pickle masala for more spiciness 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Panch Phoran crushed (Equal portion of Nigella seeds, Fennel seeds, Wild Celery seeds or Mustard seed, Cumin seeds and Fenugreek seed)

6 inches 6 Bamboo Skewers

Method

Take a bamboo and insert the paneer strip gently into the stick, till the tip. Take a bowl, add crushed panch phoran , salt and the pickle masala into the bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Apply the masala on the paneer strips and keep it aside to marinate while we make the batter and proof the batter. 

To make the Batter 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour / Maida

2 tsp Dry Yeast

1 cup and more as required Lukewarm water

Salt to taste

1 tsp Sugar 

Method 

Take a rectangular container, add 1 cup lukewarm water, sugar and yeast. Mix all the ingredients together. Keep it aside until the yeast rises. Now add a cup of flour and salt into the same container, mix the flour into the yeast water, add the remaining flour and mix the ingredients together into a smooth thick batter, while whisking add extra water only if required. Keep the batter aside to rise. 

To make the Paneer Sticks

Ingredients 

Marinated Paneer

Batter

Oil to fry 

Ingredients 

Take a pan, add oil, let the oil heat, reduce the flame. Take a marinated paneer stick, dip the paneer stick into the batter, coat the paneer strips well. Fry the paneer strips until golden brown in colour. Remove the fried paneer strips on the paper towel. Serve the paneer strips with tomato ketchup and mayonnaise dip.