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. 

Whole Wheat Atta Cookies

These are home baked whole wheat cookies, we can enjoy these with a hot cup of tea. These cookies can stay for a week in a air tight container. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Ghee

 1/2  cup Powdered Sugar 

 1 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour 

 3 tablespoons fine Semolina 

2 tbsp Milk powder 

 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp Baking Powder 

1 tbsp  or more Milk 

 1 tbsp Almond flakes 

Some Kesar strands 

Method 

Add the ghee, sugar, salt and cardamom powder in a bowl and beat it well. Add the whole wheat flour, semolina, milk powder and baking powder into the bowl and mix it together till crumbs are form. Add the milk very little at a time until a dough is form. Take a baking tray. Make small lime size portions of the dough. Take a portion and slightly flatten the dough and create a small cavity in the centre. Please the cookies on the tray leaving little gaps in between the 2 cookies. Garnish with almond flakes and Kesar strand. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes depending upon your oven temperature. Cool the cookies in the same tray until the cookies cools down completely before eating it. Keep it in a air tight container.

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. 

Komro Pata Diye Ilish Macher Bhorta

 Komro Pata Diye Ilish Macher Bhorta 

Ilish Macher Bhorta is one of the favourite in our house… from the time my husband visited Bangladesh… mostly head and tail of the fish is used… one of the dish made with the head of the fish is chorchori… 

We had some pumpkin leaves growing in our balcony pot… we have used pumpkin leaves to make Macher paturi.. and chorchori… but the leaves weren’t enough to make either of the dishes… since Bhorta is one of our favourite.. used the pumpkin leaves in the Bhorta… 

Patients is the key word for Bhorta… as lots of fine fish bones  have to be removed .. but once made.. it will just vanish from your plate…: 

To marinate the Fish 

Ingredients 

Head and Tail of Ilish/ Hilsa fish 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Chilli powder 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Apply salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder on the fish head and tail.. 

To make the Bhorta 

Ingredients 

Marinated Fish head and tail 

Handful of Pumpkin leaves (can add more)

2 medium size Onion sliced 

2 or more Green Chillies 

2 Garlic cloves

2 Dry Red Chillies 

1/4 tsp Nigella seeds

Salt to taste

2 to 3 tbsp of Mustard oil

Method 

Take oil in a pan.. let it heat, fry the fish head and tail.. until golden brown in colour… remove the fish head and tail and keep it aside. Add sliced onion, garlic, green chillies and dried red chillies into the remaining oil in the pan. Sauté until light brown in colour, add the pumpkin leaves.. stir once.. move the sautéed onions and the leaves on one side of the pan, add the Nigella seeds, spread the onions in the pan, place the fish head and tail over the sautéed onions… cover and cook for a minute, open the lid and turn the fish and cook for another minute. Switch off the flame, let it cool a bit, take a grinding jar, add the head, tail, garlic cloves, green chillies, one dried red chilli, pumpkin leaves into the grinding jar. Don’t add any water.. use the pulse button and grind the ingredients coarsely… 

Remove the Bhorta on the plate.. here comes the test of your patients… time to remove the bones… once done add the sautéed onions and salt.. mix all the ingredients together.. the Bhorta is ready to be savoured with some hot rice… 

Macher Dimer Bora / Fish Egg Fritters

Fish eggs are a delicacy in Bengali homes during monsoon… as the fish sold in the market mostly comes with eggs.. we generally use Rohu or Catla fish eggs to make fritters / Bora or we make curry with fish egg fritters / Macher Dimer borar Jhol or Macher Dimer jhuri bhaja / Scrambled Fish Eggs or Macher Dimer bhapa / steamed fish eggs. 

More common recipe using fish eggs is Macher Dimer bora/ Fish egg fritters.. 

Rohu or Catla fish eggs are taken, chickpea, salt, onions, green chillies, garlic, coriander leaves (optional) are mixed well with the fish eggs. It’s deep fried. The fish egg fritters are eaten during lunch with dal and rice or as evening snacks. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Fish eggs / Roe 

2 tbsp Chickpeas flour 

1 medium size Onion sliced

2 Green Chillies chopped

2 medium size Garlic cloves chopped 

Coriander leaves (optional)

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder (optional)

Oil for deep frying 

Macher Dimer Bora r Video 

Method 

Wash the fish eggs, take the fish eggs in a bowl, add chickpea flour, chopped onions, green chillies, garlic, coriander leaves (optional), turmeric powder (optional) and salt. Mix all the ingredients together. Keep the batter aside for 5 minutes, meanwhile heat the oil. Once the oil heats up, reduce the flame. Add tbsps of the batter into the oil, on medium low flame fry the fritters until golden brown in colour. Serve the fritters with dal - rice or as snacks. 

#fisheggs #roe #fritters #bengalidelicacy #monsoonsnacks #monsoonfood