Celebrating Bengali New Year with Phulkopy Posto/ Cauliflower with Poppy Seeds

Bengali New year is heading and this time, I always feel nostalgic because I miss those wonderful days of my student life, my friends, and my teacher and above all my family. We cherish the different phases of our life. But I bet everyone will echo the same that the student life is the best time that everyone wants to get back it again and again. On this context, sharing few of my childhood memories which are engraved in my heart so deeply that every year on this very day I feel profoundly nostalgic and sad to get those days back.

I always felt exceedingly blessed when I thought that I had completed my education from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, a place founded by Rabindranath Tagore. The natural beauty of the place infuses its elegance through the mode of education. The freedom of creativity and ideas always evince through the various festivals celebrated on the auspicious occasions of special calendar events. During my school days, this Bengali New Year celebration used to start a week ahead. Those days are crystal clear to me. I can still visualise the little girl holding her mother’s or father’s hand heading towards the crafts shop to buy a bunch of white blank cards with full of excitement. The next few days passed within a fraction of moment with full concentration on filling the blank cards with all those imaginary creative mentation. In our school, the best part of Naba Barsho (New Year in Bengali) celebration is the exchange of these self-created cards. Each and every student used to create cards by his/her own hand and would gift it to his/her friends or would make friends by exchanging the cards. The new day becomes emblematic for inviting new friends, divulging one’s talent through the cards and a learning process of acculturation. Now coming at this age I realise the hidden truth of the festivity. But then that was only a satiated fun to amplify the friends’ group and also an exhibition of talents. Self-written short poems used to be scripted in the cards too.

Another fun of this day was to stand in a long queue in the scorching heat only to get a Kachori and two sweets. In our school premise, this snack used to be distributed to the students on this day. These most common bites used to become too tasty and sumptuous only on this very day. Now I am never going to get back those days, the tastes. Only what I have the fragrance of the sweet retention and an urge to make alive few of those memories through my daughter. My father has few of those New Year cards made by my sister and me in his collection. Sometimes I will surely share those with you all.

True Bong nature defines us as the epicureans who are head over heel in love with food. And when it comes to cleanliness Bengalis are very particular to keep their kitchen Clean to maintain the hygiene, not just looking clean and sparkling we make sure there is not a single cockroach in the kitchen. I grow up seeing my mother using Godrej LAL HIT. And I follow her steps too. It has become a ritual to use LAL HIT at least once a week to keep my Kitchen an anti-cockroach zone. Now LAL HIT even comes with deep reach nozzle, due to which I can easily spray it in places where cockroaches hide like a sink outlet, under the fridge, under the dustbin, under the cylinder etc. Say it Non Veg or Veg dishes, Bengalis will be always seen smacking there fingers and burping with utter satisfaction. I have shared most of the time Non- Veg delicacies. But this time I am going to share a Veg-Bengali Dish. Posto/ Poppyseed is one of the important ingredients and also very common in the daily meal mostly in the west Bengal cuisine. Last time I have shared Chhana Posto/Cottage Cheese with Poppy Seeds, where I got a raving feedback. Many tried it in the following days and my inbox got flooded with appreciations. I always feel like a blessed blogger when I get the feedback from my readers considering the true success of blogging. So now let us move to the recipe with out wasting much time:

Phulkopy Posto/ Cauliflower with Poppy Seeds

Ingredients:

Cauliflower: 1 medium size

Poppy Seed - 3 tbspn heaped

Mustard Seeds- 1/2 tspn

Ginger paste: 3/4 tspn

Tomato: 1 small (Optional- See Note)

Salt & Sugar : As per taste

Mustard Oil: 4 tbspn + 1 tbspn (If needed)

Raisins: Handful Soaked (Optional)

Ghee: Few drops.

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower in to semi small florets. Clean nicely. 

2. Boil water desolving a tea spoon full salt. Pour the florets in to it and boil for 3-4mnts. Staring and reserve.

3. Soak the poppy seeds for 5-10mnts then make a smooth paste out of it.

4. Heat 4 tbspoon of  oil in a Kadai or a deep dense pan. Make sure that the oil is hot enough. Add the cauliflower in small batch and fry till they turn brown. Strain the excess oil and then reserve them on a kitchen towel/Tissue. Repeat the same with the remaining batches.

5. Check how much oil is remaining the pan/Kodai. If more oil needed then add. Temper the mustard seeds till those sputter then add the tomatoes (If adding) and the ginger paste. Saute nicely till oil starts to separate. Add the cauliflower florets and mix nicely. Add the poppy seed paste and 1/2 cup water. Cook till the Cauliflower is cooked and the the juice dried up. Add the raisins and few drops of ghee. Fold gently and then take it off the flame and serve with hot rice.

Note:

1. You can add potato along with the Cauliflower. If potato is added then fry how you have fried the Cauliflower.

2. Tomato I hardly use. So I felt it tasted better without the Tomatoes.

This recipe is off to the ongoing online event: Poila Baishakh with Veg-Bengali Dishes by Kolkata Food Bloggers:

(Disclaimer: This Post is in association with Godrej LAL HIT)

Mochar Ghonto (Dry Banana Blossom with coconut)

This year after almost 14 years I was in Santiniketan and became a part of Basantosav, one of the famous festivals of Santiniketan on Holi. To be honest, when my mother requested to visit Santiniketan, during this time, I was trying to avoid. I know it must sound very weird, but I never found Basantotosav interesting anymore. I never liked to accept the truth that I could not take part in the functions and I would be considered as a mere tourist. I never liked to enjoy Basantotosav without my friends. There was a time when I used to take part in each and every function of Basantotsav. Basantotsav was then an integral part of our life.  But this time, thanks to lil K who brought back the old memories and helped me to cherish them alive. When I reached Santiniketan the rehearsals were going on in full swinging. The Stage was getting constructed. All the more busy and festive scenario were seen all around.  I met the Lil K whom I wanted to see since she was born. After we stepped into Santiniketan, I hardly found her at home, rather she would be found engrossed watching the rehearsals of Chitrangada and other Basantotsav related functions. I used to get 3 hours break from my 10 months old's feeding hours. Within that break hours, I would rush to the rehearsals and invigorate those 3 hours to the fullest. Most of the time I felt an elated "I" inside me dancing with joy that rhythm often blurred my eyes in the form of tears. I started revisiting the memories that I locked inside me. The city life almost choked all the memories and I, too never wanted to dig them out. Again, thanks to Lil K whose spirited soul brought back my spirit again. Despite the huge crowd, despite all the restrictions that rudely forced me to accept, that I was not part of the Fest anymore, rather I was just a mere tourist who came to visit the Fest, I had fallen in love with Basantotsav again. And all the credit goes to lil K who infused the spirit of Santiniketan in her soul and enjoyed it from the core of her heart. The colour of Dol did emblazon my soul too.

Now let me come to the Mochar Ghonto recipe. Mochar Ghonto is a kind of dry dish made out of Banana Blossom. It is very common in a Bengali kitchen. I could still feel the taste the way my mamoni (My elder aunt) used to cook the dish. Till date that was the best ever Mocha Ghonto I have tasted so far. But I am pretty late to store the recipe from her. I had a distinct idea that she used to add a pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida in most of her dishes and Mochar Ghonto was no exception too. This recipe I have adapted from my mother. Ad I found my MIL also cooks in the same way. Enjoy the recipe here:

Mochar Ghonto

Ingredients:

Mocha (Banana Blossom) - 1 medium size

Potato - 1 medium size (optional)

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup

Whole Garam Masala - 2 each (Cardamon, Clove & Cinnamon)

Bay leave- 1-2

Oil - 2 tblspn

Ghee - 1/2 tspn

Turmaric Powder -  1/4 tspn

Salt and Sugar as taste

Method:

1. If you are using the whole mocha/banana blossom them you have to remove the blossoms after peeling away the outer leaves and clean. Then you have to take out a stem inside and chop finely. (See HERE how to peel a banana blossom)

2. Boil the chopped mocha for 15mnts adding little bit of salt and 1/4 tspn  turmeric powder.

3. Strain the excess water and reserve.

4. Cut the potato in cubes.

5. Take a Kadai and heat oil. Fry the cubed potatoes till they turn semi brown. Reserve them in bowl draining the excess oil. 

6. Now add the Whole Garam Masala and Bay leaves in the remaining oil. Once they start to splutter, add the boiled mocha. keep on frying for 5 minutes in a medium flame.

7. Add the coconut and the potatoes. Add salt and sugar as per taste. Then keep on sauteing till the texture become dry and you will get a nice flavour of cooked coconut. Add ghee and serve with rice.

Few more recipes with Banana Blossom:

Mocha Chingri (Non - Veg)

Mochar Paturi (Veg)

Mochar Phuler Bora( Banana Blossom Heart Fry)

Sajne Phuler Bora (Drumstick Flowers Fritters)

“Each day has a color, a smell.” 

                                                                           ― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Mistress of Spices

It was around 7.30 am in the morning. I dropped my daughter in her school and headed straight to Lake Market. It's always a sheer joy for me when I visit the local markets. I feel nostalgic and miss my home. I visualise my garden and all the home-grown vegetables, fruits and flowers. I see my father or my mother busy in the garden, plucking up the vegetables and the joy of contentment in their faces. I smell back my home again. This time, in the morning, is kind of a blissful moment for me. It's like revealing a mystery box every time at my each visit. Say it like getting introduced to a new kind of vegetable/ fruit or flower or learning a new recipe from your daily vegetable or fish vendors. I love the mayhem of the market and exploring the nook and corner of this place. The fresh and colourful fruits and veggies will be seen inviting and seductively shining on the big bamboo baskets. People with their sneakers on will be seen busy with their daily marketing. The fish market will look totally chaotic. All set to fetch for the fresh fish at a bargain price. The flower sellers will be seen exhibiting their collection of vibrant flowers and bouquets. Every time I wander by the array of flower stalls on the pavement, I get a weird feeling. I feel happy to see the emblazoned pavements and the freshness that infusing a kind of purity in the heart. On the other hand, I feel hollowed from the bottom of my heart as again I miss my home, my blooming flower garden. I pass by the chaiwalahs and see them busy in crouching over their stove, hurrying to satisfy the impatient customers. I love to pass by the dust, dirt, flies and diesel fumes swarming in from the main road. And again every morning I fall in love with the city ignoring all the negative sides that convince my mind every night to leave the city forever. I fall in love with Kolkata again and again.

 So the other day I found my daily vegetable seller was selling a bag full of Sajne phul or Drumstick Flowers. He might be selling quite often but I never paid that much attention to it or it always skipped by eyes. Now a day, I am introducing different kinds of vegetables to my daughter which have more food values. And at the same time, I have restricted our lunch meal to typical Bengali meal that should start  with Something bitter and ends with something sweet. You all must be knowing that a Bengali platter would not be completed if there is no Bhaja (some deep fried items) to accompany with the Dal. Therefore to go with the Bhaja (some deep fried items), we have always some vegetables to fry or edible leaves or some edible flowers. Recently I have started collecting the edible flowers and introducing them to my daughter. So when my eyes got fixed on the Sajne phul or Drumstick Flowers, I didn't hesitate for a single second but bought some. I started to recollect the memory of the big Drumstick or Moringa tree at my home, which every time gets bloomed with the profusion of white flowers and then with the drumstick pods. The long pods hanging down from the tree were always a cause for celebration time for my parents. But for me, it was like a nightmare as I never liked Drumsticks and moreover what used to annoy me more were the hairy stinging caterpillars what we call in Bengali - ShuoNpoka. Once the tree is all bloomed with flowers the caterpillars will nestle up clinging to the tree bark and then it will swarm around/ inside our house. It used to get found in our clothes or on our books and almost everywhere. One single contact with the singing caterpillars means to end up itching and scratching yourself for hours. But my parents would never cut the Drumstick/ Moringa tree. What the gardener used to do, he used to set fire on a stick to burn the caterpillars. And I used to dislike so much that site. Anyways, the flower and the pods from the drumstick tree were religiously and ceremoniously used to get cooked in my mom's kitchen,  but I never allowed them to reach my plate. Even I had never paid any kind of interest to know how those used to get cooked. Cooking is my passion since childhood but that is only restricted in making some jazzy party dishes or the dishes after my taste. Now when I became a mother, I stepped in my mother's shoe and trying each day to replicate my mother's kitchen in my kitchen. Moreover, the food blogger inside me is always tending to try out new things every time and to learn more of the food culture. So when I cooked the Sajne Phuler Bora (Drumstick Flowers Fritters) {which is one of the common items in a Bengali kitchen}, to my surprise I loved it and my daughter enjoyed it. I was thrilled with the fact that I had introduced Sajne Phul (Drumstick Flowers) in my kitchen. But my parents had a shock to believe that their daughter had changed so much. To talk about the nutritional value of  Sajne Phul (Drumstick Flowers), it is high with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. (Source -Here).  

 

 Sajne Phuler Bora (Drumstick Flowers Fritters)

{Yeilds 14- 15 Fritters}

Ingredients:

Sajne Phul / Drumstick Flowers - 100gm

Rice Flour - 2 tbspn heaped

Besan / Bengal Gram Flour - 2 tbspn heaped

Turmeric Powder - A pinch

Baking Soda - a pinch (Optional)

Salt as per taste

Kalo Jeera/ Nigella seeds - 1/4 tspn (See notes #2)

Mustard Oil - enough for deep frying

Water as per requirement

Method:

1. Wash the Sajne Phul / Drumstick Flowers thoroughly.

2. Take a bowl add all the dry ingredients. Mix well. Then add water slowly to make a semi thick batter mix well. Make sure that there is no lump remaining.

3. Now add the Sajne Phul / Drumstick Flowers mix well. The mixture should not be very dry or thick. If required then add some more water. 

4. Heat enough oil in a Kadai so that you can deep fry the fritters. Make sure the oil is piped hot before you start frying. Take a small ping-pong ball size portion of the batter and gently put in the oil. Keep on adding more portions to feel up the remaining space full of oil in Kadai.

5. Fry in medium flame until those turn brown. Take them out and put them a kitchen Towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot with the lunch meal or as a tea time snack.

Notes:

1. Sajne Phul / Drumstick Flowers can be cooked in many ways. One can make curry out of it by adding mustard paste and cubed potatoes. It goes well with the prawns. And one famous dish out of it is Bati Chachari (cooked with seasonal vegetables.)

2. I have used here Nigella Seeds. But I prefer Ajwain or Caraway seeds in the fritters.

Please do visit-

Bakers Showcase 2016 

Date: 13th March'16

Time: 12 - 8 pm 

Venue: Uday Sadan

Golf Green

(Near Doordarshan Kendra Kolkata)

#BengaliRecipe - Cholar Dal

"It's Cholar Dal today."

"Are we having any party or some occasion to celebrate?"

Yes you got it right. There are some dishes that are meant for celebration. And if there is nothing, it will light up your mood only hearing that particular dish is on the menu. Cholar Dal is one such dish. We Bengalis love to devour cholar dal at any time of the four meals. Say it for breakfast or evening snacks with Luchi or Kachuris or in our lunch and dinner with rice or pulao. Among all the dals my favourite one is the Cholar dal. So to feed me Dal my mother used to the make the meals gleesome for me by making cholar dal often. She is a wonderful cook and has magic in her hands. But the way my Mamani (my elder Mashi/ Maternal aunty) used to cook, nobody can beat the taste. And the recipe has gone with her, along with many more old traditional recipes. Now I regret for not noting down them. I have seen her often using hing/Asafoetida in most of her dishes, eve in cholar dal too. That used to give an extra hint in the taste to ask for several servings. She died at 86 but till her death she tried to cook by herself and all with home-grinding masalas. She would religiously sit for hours every morning with Mortar and Pestle to grind her dry masalas. She was a cancer survivor, but she never let us know that she was once ill. We have seen her maintaining a strict healthy regime and diet and devoting much of her time in cooking delicious dishes. All her dishes were all most without any spices but that taste and aroma still I can feel on the tip of my tongue. She had a magic too in her hands. And we used to wait when she would be sending some dishes for us. I tried to replicate her recipe. It is almost near, but not like her.

Cholar Dal

Ingredients:

Cholar Dal or Chana Dal or Bengali Gram Dal - 1 cup
Hing/ Asafoetida - a pinch (Optional)

Tomato - 1 medium Chopped

Ginger Paste - 1 tspn

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tspn

Red Chili Powder - As per taste

Whole Dry Red Chili - 1 -2

Bay Leave- 1 -2

Whole Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Soaked Raisins - 1 tblspn (Optional)

Fresh Chopped Coconut - 1 tblspn

Grated Coconut - For Garnishing

Salt and Sugar as per taste

Ghee - 2-3 drops

White Oil - 2 tspn

Method:

1. Wash the Dal and soak for few hours. 

2. Boil it in a pressure cooker (4 to 5 whistles) with water, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.

3. Take a Kadai. Heat the oil. Add hing/ Asafoetida. Soon after temper with whole dry red chili, cumin seeds and bay leaves.

4. Add tomato. Saute till it is soft and mashed. Add ginger paste and Saute till the paste starts to leave oil.

5. Add all the powdered Masalas and saute nicely. If it needs a bit water add the juice of the boiled dal. 

6. Add the chopped coconut pieces and stir saute for a minute. Now add the boiled dal. Add salt and sugar. Add the raisins.

7. Cook for a while (See Notes), add the ghee and then take it off the stove and garnish with grated coconut. Serve hot with rice, luchi/puri or roti.

Note:

i] The consistency of the dal should be not runny or too thick. 

ii] Taste wise it is slightly on the sweeter note. Therefore don't forget to add the exact amount of sugar that the taste asks for. 

Macher Dimer Bora or Fish Roe Fritter

I have never thought that I will document the pure Bengali dishes in my blog. Yes, it must sound weird, as being a Bengali how come one can utter those words so easily! But to be honest, I was never a Bengali food lover. Mainly fish was not in my favourite list except Hilsa and Prawns. My taste bud always forced me to love the continental style of cooking. But once you become a mother you become aware of all the tiny little things. I became more aware to teach my daughters the root of our culture and found food is one of the most interesting contributions of it. I wanted my children to know their culture well and loved the way our each Bengali dish interweaves the memories and the stories trailing to us from our great great grandmothers. I love the way the authentic traditional recipes float to us without any change and give us the identity of who we are by birth, by food, and by culture. What was my outlook or my food habit that got lessened because maturity makes us to understand, that unless you know your root well you will be standing in a no man's land. I understood why my Father relocated back in India with us, leaving behind a promising job and a comfortable life. My father is a strong puritan when it comes to his culture and motherland. He wanted his daughters to grow as an educated lady bearing their Bengali culture as their ornaments. I am not sure how much I was able to bear it through to fulfil his dreams, but now the same dream I have woven for my daughters too. I keep on documenting the traditional household Bengali recipes for my daughters, so that when they will grow up they will not miss them out. I also realised that there are so many traditional recipes got lost with the people whom I missed so much to stay in this world alive and help me out in documenting those with the stories related to it. I miss the memories of my grandmother how she used to make each dishes so skillfully, tasty that was also using the less ingredients that a recipe calls for. I missed my Elder Mashi (Maternal Aunty, whom I used call Mamoni). She was a brilliant cook and till her death I saw her using homemade masalas made by her own. I never thought of documenting those when she was alive. But now I realised what treasure she has taken with her and what I missed.

Macher Dimer Bora or Fish roe fritter is something that is one of the most common dishes of any Bengali household cooking. My MIL makes a sumptuous curry out of it. Please check the note for the recipe. I thought of documenting this recipe for the fiture reference for my kids.

Ingredients:

Machher Dim or Fish roe: 100gm (Rohu /Katla)

Onion finely chopped - 1 small

Ginger finely chopped / paste - 1/2 tspn

Coriander Leaves finely chopped - 2 tspn

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Flour - 1 - 2 tbspn (More or less - As per requirement)

Green Chili finely chopped - 1 (More or less - as per your taste)

Salt and pepper as per taste.

Mustard Oil - As much needed for deep frying

Method:

1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the flour and mix nicely. 

2. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a Kodai. Make sure the oil should be piping hot.

3. Slowly mix the flour in small amount unless it is ready to hold for frying. To test it, take a tiny portion from it and put it in the hot oil. If it is floating then it is ready.

4. Now take small portions from the dough giving a roll in shapes of a ball by your one hand only and then put it in the piping hot oil. In the medium flame keep on frying unless the fritters turn brown. Serve hot with Rice and Dal.

Note:

1. You can add chopped spring onion, a pinch of cumin and coriander powder to make it more tasty.

2. My MIL often makes a curry out of it. Just adding ginger paste and chopped tomato in little oil. When the tomato is well blended she adds a paste of cumin, turmeric, coriander and red chili powder. If one wants potato cane be added too. Then she adds water and it comes to boil the fritters are added. She adds salt to taste and a some whole chilies. That's all.

Shim Bata or Runner beans Paste

Life is getting too busy with the two princesses day by day. The elder one can't lift her head from the extended study pressure and the lil one is totally depended on me which makes me dance around her most of the time. To be honest, life has taken a different turn which is sweeter than anything. The two bundles of joy keep away the glumness from the home and give us the strength to move on with a fighting spirit. This year has shown us lot of ups and downs in our life. Here is hoping the new year will begin on a sweeter note. 

Let me wish you all Happy Dipabali and move on the recipe.. May the festive season brings you happiness and prosperity.

Ingredients:

Shim or Runner Beans - 100 gm (Preferably the baby ones)

Coriander leaves- 100 gm

Garlic Cloves - 5- 6 (Optional)

Green Chilli - 1 -2

Oil - 2 tspn

Salt & Sugar - As per taste

Kalonji/ nigella seeds - 1/4 tspn

Ghee - a pinch

Method:

1. Grind the Shim/ Runner beans along with the green chilli and garlic into fine paste. If it needs water then please add.

2. Grind the coriander leaves separately into a fine paste.

3. Heat Oil in a Kadai or pan and add the Nigella seeds. Add the Shim Paste or the Runner Beans paste and keep on sauteing until it gets almost cooked. Add the Coriander leaves paste and salt and sugar and cook till it turns into a dough and comes out easily from the pan. add a pinch of ghee and serve with hot rice.

Note:

1. I have learnt this dish from my cook. What she has told that the quantity of the Shim/ runner beans and the Coriander leaves should be same. and it should be slow cooked and after getting totally dry the taste enhances.

2. Another thing she has told that choosing the right age Shim or Runner Beans are very important. As much baby beans we cook, the taste comes out better.

Chhana Posto (Cottage Cheese with Poppy Seeds)

If many famous Bengali dishes evolved around of the influences of various foreign cuisines that came and established for a while to invade India, at the same time the essence of true Bengali cuisine has not been lost in any circumstances. Till date the normal Bengali Kitchen flavours up with traditional cooking - the recipes descend from the Great Great Grandmothers to us. If the Bengali are famously identified as fish lovers, Bengali cuisine has an ample collection of vegetarian dishes too which specifically comprehend by the taste which are very simple and cooked with fewer ingredients/spices. Call it the PanNch Mishali or Shukto, or the Posto dishes, they are unique in taste and absolutely have the subtle sense of Classiness. Posto/ Poppy Seed is widely used in the western part of Bengal which one is now known as West Bengal. I would not go after the controversies of the cuisine styles of Ghoti (Bengalis of the West part) and the Bangals (Bengalis of the Eastern Part), but there are something very specifically divided these two parts and that also significantly can be seen through the cooking style. Today the dish I am sharing is a part of the Ghoti Cuisine. My In-Laws, though they have descended from East Bengal, but the cuisine style of my MIL is very much influenced by the West Bengal cuisine style. On the other hand I was grown up with the introduction of mostly the East Bengal style cooking. So after getting married I was introduced to this regional cooking of the west Bengal Kitchen. I learned this dish Chhana Posto (Cottage Cheese with Poppy Seeds) from my MIL and here I am sharing it. Very easy to cook and needs very fewer ingredients. Very healthy and  too tasty. So let’s move to recipe:

Ingredients:

Chhana/ Cottage Cheese: Out of 1/2 liter milk (I used lemon juice 3/4 of one lemon. Let the milk boil. Simmer the flame and add the juice. Let the milk curdle. Take it off the flame and strain the whey out of the Chhana/ Cottage Cheese )

Poppy seeds: 3 tspn

Onion: 1 small

Tomato: 1 small

Salt & Sugar as per taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Ghee - a pinch

Method:

1. Thinly Slice the onion. Chop the Tomato. Paste the Poppy Seed.

2. Take a Kadai/Pan. Heat oil. Saute the onion till it turns brown. Add the tomato. Saute till it blends nicely with the onion. 

3. Add the Chhana/ Cottage Cheese, the Poppy Seed paste and the Salt & Sugar. Fry nicely till it gets absolutely dry and you can inhale a nice cooked aroma from it. Add a pinch of Ghee and serve hot with rice.

This recipe goes to the ongoing event Comfort Food of KFB conducted by Sayantani who blogs from A Homemaker's Diary:

Adaa BaNga (Eggplant with Hilsha Fish Head)

Treasures are those traditional recipes which flowed directly from generation to generation. Each family prizes the honour of such handful of recipes, so do I.  Today I blog on food, I experiment dishes using various spices, sauces every day the hyper marts luring to us. But whatever it is or how may fancy dishes I cook, nothing can beat the taste of the dishes that I have tasted/learnt from my mother or grandmother or great grandmother. The usage of fewer spices was always the key ingredient at my grandmother’s house and the must usage of the freshly ground homemade spices. For me my maternal Grandmother, my Aunt who is much older than my mom and my mom are actually the culinary goddesses from whom I have learnt to cook pure Bengali dishes with the minimum ingredients. I have also learnt to enhance the taste by adding a dash of pure ghee in the dishes just before taking them off the flame.  What is an authentic dish or what is the originality of the recipe, these are very controversial concept to me. Some dishes evolved somewhere then by twists and turns these have reached to our hands. Some have some documents some have not. But what exactly traditionally known to us are the recipes that we have learnt from our ancestors. 

Aada BhaNga is one such dish that I have solely learnt from my mom's family and at the same time I also consider it as one of the signature dishes among the other inherited Bengali traditional recipes. My parents and their family originally are from East Bengal now known as Bangladesh. My grandmother was the daughter of the Sushong Rajbari, Bangladesh which was considered as to be the staunch Brahmin family. In their cooking there was never been any usage of garlic, onion and chicken.  Only the red meat, that was also after offering to the god, was allowed to the kitchen. The meat used to be cooked without garlic and onion and the cooking style is/was widely known as Veg- meat curry. Coming to the Aada Bhanga recipe, I have seen this dish only cooked with the Ilish/ Hilsa head with the Brinjal/Eggplant at our home. But in Rajshahi. Bangladesh it is quite famously cooked with the Aar/Artamim/Sperata aor Fish blocks but the Brinjal and ginger are the common ingredients. In West Bengal this dish is also known as Tottora.   So there must be many names, many ways to cook a dish. But here I will share the way how I have learnt from my grandmother and how I cook at my home. As the name suggests, Aada means Ginger and BaNga means to break.  In this dish the main ingredients are the ample use of the ginger paste, Ilish/Hilsa fish head and brinjal/eggplant, where the incorporation of all enhance the taste and elevate the aroma. So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Brinjal/Eggplant-  2 medium size

Ilish/Hilsa fish head - 1 medium (cut in to four halves)

Mustard Seed- 1/4 tea spoon

Ginger Paste- 1 table spoon heaped

Turmeric Powder- 1/8 tea spoon + 1/4 tea spoon

Salt as per taste

Green Chilli- 2-3 (more or less)

Mustard oil- 2 table spoons (+ 1 table spoon if required)

Method:

1. Cut the Brinjal length wise one 3 inches long and 1 inch thick. Reserve.
2. Rub the Ilish/Hilsa head with 1/8 tea spoon turmeric powder and salt.
3. Heat oil in a Kadai/ Pan. The oil should be heated properly.
4. Fry the both side of the Ilish/Hilsa head pieces till they turn semi brown.
5. If there is enough oil remaining then don't add extra oil. Add extra oil only if needed.
6. Add mustard seed and let them sputter. Add the Brinjal pieces and fold nicely along with the oil and the mustard seed. Keep on frying for couple of minutes and then cover it with a lid. And cook for 3-4 mints in a low flame.
7. Take off the lid. Add salt and the turmeric powder, fold nicely so that each piece of brinjal gets seasoned. Again cover it with the lid and cook for 3-4 mnts.
8. Take off the lid and add the Ilish/Hilsa Fish head pieces and break them in more small pieces with a turner. Along with the brinjal pieces too.
9.  The Birnjal will keep on getting soft and with the turner  keep on stirring and folding all together nicely.
10. As much dry you will make it the taste will enrich more. So keep on sautéing the stuff till it starts to leave a frying smell. Add the ginger paste and sauté nicely for 3- 4 mints. Let the aroma of the ginger spread with the frying smell of the brinjal and hilsa head.
11. Add green chillies and then serve hot with white rice.