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)

#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. 

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:

Eggplant/Brinjal/ Aubergine Satay

At my early learning stage, I was shown to a picture of a big egg shaped fat, purple coloured vegetable  with a stem poking out from its head and was introduced that as 'BEGUN' in Bengali, 'BAIGAN' in Hindi and 'BRINJAL' in English. Who thought that after growing up in a lady and owning a kitchen to rule, I had to scratch my head after getting encountered with more names of that fat, purple veggie. Yes, you read it correctly. I did scratch my head when I first stepped in to the vegetable market in USA and saw that the my very well known Mr. Fatty Purple Brinjal was sitting on an isle with a name tagged on its head as "EGGPLANT". Newlywed then, I was not able to relate how could an EGG  be called as a PLANT and why Brinjal was tagged as an EGGPLANT. Too much confusion for the budding cook I decided to rush back home to investigate about it. Cheers to Wikipedia I found this:

"Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a species of nightshade commonly known in British English as aubergine and also known as brinjal, brinjal eggplant, melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash. It bears a fruit of the same name (commonly either "eggplant" in American English or "aubergine" in British English) that is widely used in cooking, most notably as an important ingredient in dishes such as moussaka and ratatouille. As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to both the tomato and the potato. It was originally domesticated in India from the wild nightshade, the thorn or bitter apple, S. incanum." (Source: HERE)

I was introduced another name of Brinjal - "Aubergine". Now I don't have any confusion. Do you have?? I guess No..:)

I think Brinjal/Eggplant/ Aubergine is one of the most versatile vegetables that can be cooked in so many different ways.  Some has some allergy problem with this veggie but apart from that, taste wise it is unbeatable. I love to experiment with food. And from a long time I thought of making vegetable Satay with Brinjal/Eggplant/ Aubergine . Satay is actually now became famous as a Thai cuisine. But originally it came from Java, Indonesia, though there are confusions hovering around about its originality:

“Although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, its Southeast Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders. Even India cannot claim its origin, for there it was a legacy of Middle Eastern influence.”

—Jennifer Brennan (1988), Kitchen Daily

If we delve deep in the history of Satay, the true meaning of Satay is: "Three pieces of Meat" which derived from the word "Min Nan words sa tae bak (三疊肉)". So in true sense Satay should be made with meat only. Non veg , mainly Chicken Satay is widely famous among the Satay family, though pork, mutton, beef and following with many other wild fleshes are its big competitors too.

I took a plunge to go for a vegan Satay and experiment it in a new way. I was not too confident about the result. But when it was served and tasted by the family it was a hit. My hubby became little skeptical after hearing the menu and was not able to hide his grimaced face. Thankfully after tasting with confusion he within a minute called for the next one. Devoured happily by everyone, I ended my day with a peaceful sleep. So here is the recipe of Eggplant/Brinjal/ Aubergine Satay : 

Ingredients:

Eggplant : 2 medium (Long)

Peanut Butter: 2 tbspns (room temperature)

Soy Sauce: 3 tbspns

Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce: 2 tbspns (more or less)

Garlic paste: 1 tspn

Warm Water: 1-2tbspns

Salt and Sugar : as per taste

Method:

1. Thinly slice the Eggplant lengthwise. Rub them with salt and  leave for few minutes. (See Notes)
2. Take bowl. Add all the ingredients except the water. Mix it well in to a smooth paste. If you think its too thick then add water in drops. The sauce will be semi thick.
3. Take a baking pan.  Cover it with aluminum foil. Grease it with oil.
4. Take each Eggplant slice, brush the sauce nice on the both sides and line up on the baking tray.
5. Bake for 7-8 mnts first at 200 degree C. Then turn them carefully so that they should not get broken and bake for another 5mnts.
6. Take each slice and put in the skewers and serve with salad and sauce/dip. 

Notes:

1. When you will thin the Eggplant make sure it should not cut too thin. If it is too thin then it might get a chance to get broken while putting them in the skewers.

2. I always wrap the baking pan with aluminium foil. It helps to get a burnt free and clean pan.

3. You can make it with Potato and other vegetable too.

4. Too make a dip you make some extra sauce same we did for marinating the eggplants.

Badshahi Potol (Royal Parval/ Pointed Gourd) with Archita Ray (Kolkata Food Blogger)

After having a splendid and blissful vacation with my family I am again back to crunch. And one of them of course is the luring call from the blogosphere. I have to wrap up a lot of pending stuff that just left neglected for last three weeks. My lazy soul is still in the vacation mood and in a trance to lazily move around. I need to have some booster to gear back with full vigour to finish my undone works. Ok..Let me stop cribbing back to job. Today I am glad to introduce one of my very good Kolkata Food Blogger friends as a part of the ongoing event - "Know your Kolkata Food blogger Friend". Archita Chanda Ray who blogs from My Food My Life, is one of the most sincere bloggers of our group and also our inspiration to blog with full earnestness.  The gorgeous and charming lady with a very innocent and vibrant smile is always there to help her friends.  She is very much balance headed and always ready with her fair and practical judgment and advises  A great cook she is, who loves to try her hand in experimental cooking and loves to feed her family and friend with great pleasure. Being an Ex-Banker she is now a full time mom of a handsome and sweet little kiddo and enjoys her life with utmost satisfaction.  We met each other through a Food Group but I never knew that she is a blogger and also lives in the same city. Thanks to Sayantani who added her in our group and now we can't imagine the group without her. She takes care of all the duties with full of responsibility and we always have the blind trust on her. Her blog is new but already there are so many sumptuous recipes that each one them tended me to try. I have already tried few of her dishes and also there are many in my bookmarked list. This time I have recreated her Badshahi Chicken Dish (click to see how Archita made it) and molded it in vegetarian attire.

I very much wanted to cook the Badshahi dish with chicken. But in my collection I was only able to accumulate some Potol /Pointed gourd. So I thought of giving it a vegetarian try. And no need to say it came out super delicious. My daughter again demanded to make it today as she liked it that much. And the man too devoured and smacked the dish with the gastronomic satiation.  So here is my dish Badshai Potol/Parval/Pointed gourd.

Ingredients:

Potol/ Pointed Gourd - 8 medium size

Onion - 2 small

Tomato - 1 medium

Poppy Seed Paste- 2 tspns

Cashew nuts - 6-7 pcs

Ginger paste - 1 tspn

Turmaric Powder - 1/4 tspn

Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tspn (more or less - As per hot quotient )

Salt & Sugar - As per taste (the tends to taste a bit sweetish)

Whole Garam Masala - 2 per peice

Mustard Oil - As per requirement

Ghee - a pinch

 Method:

1. Semi skin the Potol / Pointed Gourd and give 4 slits length wise (First half then half of the half) but be careful each Potol / Pointed Gourd should remain as a whole piece.
2. Boil the onion and the tomato for 6-8 mnts. Strain the water and then cool it down. Make a paste along with Ginger and Cashew. Reserve.
3. Heat enough oil in a Kodai or a deep dense pan so that all the 8 pieces of Potol / Pointed Gourd can be fried. Fry well the Potol / Pointed Gourds till they turns semi brown and soft. Starin them out from the oil and reserve.
4. If you have a good amount of oil in the Kodai left, then put it in a separate bowl. Just keep 1 tbspn oil in the Kodai/Pan.
5. Add whole Garam Masala. Let them sputter. Add the Onion paste. After some time add the poppy seed paste. Stir nicely till the masala is well cooked and the oil starts to separate. Add salt and sugar.  Add the Potol / Pointed Gourd. Stir for 4-5 mnts. Add water and cover it with a lid.
6. Cook for 4-5 mnts. Then Take off the lid. Check the consistency of the gravy. The texture should be semi thick. If you feel the gravy is done then taste it if more salt or sugar is needed. Before taking it off the stove add a pinch of ghee and enjoy it with rice, roti, Puri or Polao.

Mochar Phuler Bora( Banana Blossom Heart Fry)

It is my sister who is very much fond of all Bengali cuisines. On the other hand I am always running away from it. I know being a Bengali it might sound obnoxious, but this is my honest citation. My taste bud only tickles when I am served continental foods with less spices and oil. I am talking about this attitude towards food when I was celebrating my state of celibacy. As everybody knows marriage does make life topsy turvy and compels to take a new birth again. My man is a true blue Bengali who hearts for all Bengali cuisines. So I have to introduce different types Bengali cuisines in my kitchen and started growing a likeness towards it after marriage. But at the same time hubby get introduced with all the foods that I used to love too. The recent scenario has surprisingly changes and we have a different story. Hubby wants more continental foods and me the delectable Bengali dishes. So now what we do we have Bengali dishes at the lunch time and at dinner time we have oriental/continental.  The most precious part is my daughter has also grown a likeness towards each kind of foods.

Mochar Phuler Bora/Banana Blossom Heart Fry this is one the tastiest fries that I have learnt from my sister. Now what is Mochar Phul or Banana Blossom Heart? It is the soft tender part inside the Mocha or Banana Blossom which can't be peeled any more but you have to chop it and add it in the curry. Many a times we discard the part or chop it and add it. But the best usage of it is to make fry out of it. Just try it and I bet you will surely fallen in love with it. So here is the recipe how you will make Mochar Phuler Bora (Banana Blossom Heart Fry).

Ingredients:

Mochar Phul/Banana Blossom Heart- cut half then each half in semi thin slice

Turmeric Powder- a pinch + 1/4 teaspoon

Besan/Gram Flour-  3/4 cup

Cumin Seeds- 1/4 tea spoon

Salt according to taste.

White Oil-  Enough for frying

Method:

1. Boil the Mocha r Phul /Banana Blossom Slices with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt for 15mnts.
2. Make a thick batter with the besan/gram flour adding water and all other ingredients. (Remember the batter should be thick, not like a dough but very little flowing)[Tips: Add a tea spoon oil to make it more crispier with the batter.]
3. Heat oil. Let it get quite hot. Then take each slice. Dunk in the batter and fry in a low flame till it turns brown.
4. Soak the excess oil in a tissue papper and the serve with hot rice and dal.

More recipes on Mocha/Banana Blossom:

1. Mocha Chingri / Banana Blossom with Prawns

2. Mochar Paturi (Steamed Banana Blossom wrapped in Banana Leaves)

Mochar Paturi (Steamed Banana Blossom wrapped in Banana Leaves)

To be honest I never knew about the existence of Mochar Paturi (Steamed Banana Blossom wrapped in Banana Leaves) unless and until one day somebody posted - "How to cook Mochar Paturi" in a famous FB group called Chef at Large. We Bengalis were called for, to help her with the recipe of Mocha Paturi. To my surprise there were many who were hearing it for the first time but there were many too who were well versed with the dish. I shared the basic Paturi recipe with it adding Mocha/Banana Blossom in it just on guess. And yes I found, those who shared the recipe were similar like what I thought. From that very day I was trying to target the dish and make it, but time proved to be too busy to me to enter in the kitchen to hit the dish. At last the day came when I successfully able to just the dish.

The web meaning of Paturi says:

"The Paturi is a Bhape (see above) that is cooked by means of wrapping the item to be steamed inside a banana leaf. Substituting other leaves or synthetic material (such as aluminum foil) for banana leaf does not do justice to the unique flavor required".  Source: HERE.

The basic  and most significant ingredients of the Paturi are the uses of the coconut and the mustard paste along with raw Mustard oil.  And of coarse the banana leaves that we use to wrap the Paturi. On top of it one can add Poppy Seeds, Chatu/Sattu etc. Ilish machher Paturi or Bhetki Machher Paturi are two most famous and traditional Paturi dishes of Bengali Cuisine.  In any celebrations and ceremonial parties the Paturies are common of all.

I was only aware of the Non-veg Paturis and prepared them many a times in my kitchen. This is for the first time I attempted for a Veg Paturi. The foodie part of my childhood is crystal clear to me and the fights I always had with my mom when she tried to feed me all healthy foods and veggies. Mocha/Banana Blossom for example was one of the most despite dishes I always avoided. My mom had to scratch her head to cook Mocha in different ways every time so that I could store the nutrition that Mocha provides. But every time I used to reject. And now I am cooking Mocha at my kitchen and liking it too…….

Those days are gone and my mom gets surprised when I tell her I cook this or that with Mocha or some other veggies which were once used to be my enemies. Now I am on the same shoe like my mother and trying new recipes every time so that  my daughter too eat the healthy foods. Days do pay back and who else than me can say better…:) After the success of Mocha Chingri, here I present another exotic dish form the Bengali Cuisine the Mocha Paturi.

Ingrdients:

Mocha/ Banana Blossom:  1 cup Finely chopped (See the notes)

Scraped Coconut: 1 cup

Mustard seeds : 4 tbspn

Poppy Seeds: 2 tbspn

Green Chilli: 1 or more

Salt and sugar according to taste.

Turmeric- 1/4 tspn + a pinch

Banana leaves cut in a  4"X4" square- 15- 20 pieces.

Mustard Oil- As per taste

Method:

1. Soak the Mustard seeds and the poppy seeds for 10-15mnts. Then make a paste adding pinch of turmeric, salt and a green chili in to it. Reserve.
2. Boil the chopped mocha/banana blossom with a pinch of salt and the remaining turmeric powder for 15-20 mnts. I pressured cook it and took off the gas after 4 whistles.
3. Now strain the boiled mocha/banana blossom and mash it with you palm as much you can.
4. Add all the other ingredients and mix them well.
5. To make the banana leaves pliable and to avoid the cracks in between put each square both sides top on the flame for 3-4secs. You will notice a mild change in colour and you will understand it is ready.
   
6. Take a scoop of the mixture, drizzle few drops of mustard oil on the top and wrap nicely and pin it with a toothpick. (Adding oil is optional you can add it later too.)
7. Steam for 10-15 mnts either in steamer or put the Paturis in a tiffin box (metal) / container with a lid. Take a big vessel than that container, boil water and put the container in it. The water should       not rise more than the half of the small container. Cover the vessel and cook.
8. Then serve hot with white rice and if you want you can add more mustard oil after the Paturis are done.

Note:

1. How to cut Mocha/Banana Blossom see HERE in the "Method" section.
2. Always use fresh Mocha/Banana Blossom for it.
3. If Banana Leaves are not available then you can use aluminium foil too.
4. If you want to make it with ready made mustard powder then add water very little and little bit of curd with it.