Potoler Dorma -- Fish Stuffed Pointed Gourd

 With 2 canned sardines lying around for a while, I decided to make Potoler Dorma with it. Now Potol (Parwal) is something I am not too fond. My childhood memories of potol are not too good. I remember dreading the summer season after the so-full-of-green-vegetables winter. Summer meant only jhinge (ridge gourd) and potol, and while I loved jhinge, I was bored with Potol very soon.

But times change and with things change too.

When this not-so-loved vegeteable of mine became scarce once I moved out of Bengal, I began to miss it and whenever I found some dish related to it I gladly gobbled it up. I even went to the extent of carrying kilos of it on a two-day train journey from home to down south in Mysore!

Outside the country I was overjoyed on seeing packed frozen versions of it, and bought 2 packets of it. My joy vanished as soon as the pack was thawed. What remained was a soggy, watery vegetable which didn't have much resemblance to the fresh green vegetable I was used to seeing in my hometown market.

This time when my father bought home some fleshy green Potols from his trip to the bazaar in Bangalore, the whole family was pleasantly surprised. Half of those were made into a curry by my mom, and with the other half I decided to make Potoler Dorma. I've never had Dorma before, so I don't know what it should taste like, but I can say my experiment didn't fail :)

Ingredients:

Potol: 8 pieces

For the stuffing:

Tinned sardine: 1 can

Onion:

Ginger:

Garlic:

Salt

For the gravy:

Garam masala powder: ¼ tsp

Turmeric: ½ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp (adjust according to taste)

Salt: To taste

Sugar: 1 tsp

Oil

Procedure:

Cut one end of the potol and with the back of a spoon scoop out the insides. Season the potols with with salt and turmeric and set aside.

Mash the tinned fish with a fork and set aside.

In a pan, heat oil, add sugar and let it caramelize. Once sugar turns brown, add the ginger, garlic and onion paste and fry until the raw smell of the masala is gone.

Now add the fish and cook until fish is done. You can also add some tomato ketchup to the fish mixture. Once done, let the stuffing cool.

Now fill the hollowed out potols with the fish stuffing.

Fry each of them carefully and set aside.

To make the gravy, add some garam masala powder (you can also use whole garam masala), turmeric, chilli powder and onion-ginger-garlic paste to hot oil and cook until brown.

Once the masala is cooked through, add water and bring to a boil. When the gravy starts thickening add the stuffed potols, cook on high heat for a while and serve hot with steamed rice.

Alu Bhaja -- Fried Potatoes

For a backstory see Mastering the art of alu bhaja

Ingredients:
Potatoes – 5-6 (peeled and cut into long strips)
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Green chili – 3-4 (you can use more or less)
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – for frying

Procedure:
Wash the potatoes in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Add a teaspoon of turmeric and season with salt. Toss the potatoes to coat well and put in a colander. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a pan with enough oil for frying the potatoes.

When the oil starts to ripple add the potatoes.

Turn the potatoes every now and then so that they don’t stick to the bottom. If they start sticking add a little oil.

When they are done halfway make a hollow in the middle of the pan.

Add a tbsp of oil and then throw in the onion and the green chili. Fry it for 2 minutes in the hollowed out space.

Then mix the onions with the potatoes and keep frying, turning very frequently. Be
careful not to break them.

Keep frying until the potatoes are fully cooked and the edges start to turn brown.
Remove from heat and serve.


Enjoy with rice and lentils or roti/ luchi/paratha. You can even have this as an evening snack with muri (puffed rice).

Note: You can garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. Looks nice as well as gives a fresh taste.

Wonton Wrapper Samosa aka Shingara

I love to eat shingara but I hate all the trouble involved in making it, specially the dough. The filling is easy to make but the dough for me is a complicated process with all the kneading and the rolling and the folding. So I made use of wonton wrappers (I never let any shortcut go by unnoticed!)and voila! Shingara is ready in minutes and tastes great too.

Ingredients:
Potatoes – 2 medium (peeled and cubed)
Ginger – a 2 inch root
Green chili – 4-5 (adjust according to your taste)
Coriander seeds (optional)- 1 tsp
Turmeric – a pinch
Salt – to taste
Oil
Wonton wrappers

Procedure:
Put oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add the coriander seeds and let it infuse the oil.

Meanwhile grate the ginger and the green chilies together in a food processor.

When the oil is hot and the seeds start to sputter take them out with a slotted spoon. (Or you can leave them if you want to.)

To the oil add the ginger and chili mixture. Be careful as it will sputter.

When the raw smell of ginger is gone add the potatoes and mix well. (You can also add cauliflower and green peas.)

Add salt and a pinch of turmeric.

Add enough water to let the potatoes cook.

When the potatoes are cooked and all the water has dried up remove from heat and let it cool.

When the stuffing has cooled down completely, put a spoonful of the potatoes on a wonton wrapper.

Brush the edges of the wrapper with water and seal them. I pressed the edges with a fork, just to be sure.

Repeat process until all the filling is used up or you run out of wonton wrappers.

Now deep fry the potato stuffed wrappers until golden brown.

Serve hot.

Chholar Daal

A special occasion like the Naboborsho (New Year) calls for a special daal like the Chholar Daal. I wonder how this daal got itself relegated to special occasions.

Ingredients:
Chhola or Chana Daal (Bengal gram) – 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Shredded coconut – 3 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Bay leaf -- 1
Dry red chili – 3
Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp
Ground coriander – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Salt & Sugar -- to taste
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Oil

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan.

When oil is hot enough add the red chilies and let them turn black.

Now add the bay leaf and the cumin seeds.

When the cumin seeds have stopped sputtering add the shredded coconut and fry until the coconut starts to brown. Don’t let it brown all the way.

Now add the daal and mix well.

Next add the coriander powder, turmeric, salt and sugar.

Add water. Cover with a lid and let the daal simmer on low heat.

When daal is almost done add the ginger paste and cook until the daal is done all the way through.

Add a tbsp of ghee and serve.

Alur Dom -- Spicy Potato Curry

Since it was Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year) I thought of making something special for dinner. And no Poila Baisakh is complete without the luchi. Since we were having a gala potluck party over the weekend at my sis-in-law’s place in celebration of the Bengali New Year I decided it was best to keep today’s dinner simple. So I made alur dom and chholar daal to eat with the luchi.

Ingredients:
Potatoes – 5-6 (peeled and diced into cubes)
Onion – 1 small (thinly sliced)
Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Frozen green peas – ¼ cup (optional)
Fresh chopped cilantro – for garnish
Yogurt – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Garam masala – ¼ tsp
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil
Water

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan.

When oil starts to ripple add the sugar and let it caramelize.

Once the sugar turns brown add the garlic and ginger paste and the sliced onions and start frying.

Now add the chili powder, turmeric and the garam masala powder and continue frying.

Keep frying until the raw smell of the vegetables are gone and the oil starts to separate from the masala.

Now add the yogurt to the masala and stir it in.

Next add the potatoes and mix well with the masala.

Season with salt.

Add enough water so that the potatoes are covered halfway.

When the potatoes are cooked and the gravy has reached a consistency of your liking remove from heat.

Add the frozen peas (if using).

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

Fajita Roll

All of a sudden I had this craving for some sizzling fajitas and so I thought…ok let’s make some fajita today. But to have a real fajita experience you need to have all the sour cream and the guacamole which I didn’t have and I didn’t quite feel like going out and getting the ingredients. So I decided to just make the sizzling filling of the fajitas. As I was cooking an idea struck me. What if I stuff this filling into an egg roll? So that’s how this dish came into being. When I finished assembling the rolls they looked like tacos because I stuffed them so much that it became a little difficult to fold them.
To make the egg rolls, I used tortillas because that’s what I had at hand, but you can use the frozen parathas. Without doubt they taste much better than the tortillas, which by the way ,are much more healthy. You can also use rotis or make parathas from scratch. Totally up to you.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast – 2 (cut into strips)
Eggs – 4
Tortilla – 4
Onion – 1 (sliced)
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into strips)
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into strips)
Green chili – 1 (optional)
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Salt and pepper – to season
Hot sauce – 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp
Dash of lime
Cooking oil

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl add 1 tsp red chili powder to the chicken strips. Mix well and keep aside for 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet and fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown.

While the chicken is being fried, season them with salt and add a tbsp of tomato ketchup and hot sauce each. When sauce dries up and chicken is cooked, remove from heat and keep warm.

In the same skillet (add oil if necessary) fry the bell peppers until the edges turn brown. Set aside.

Next sauté the onions and reserve with the bell peppers.

In a bowl beat an egg until fluffy. Season with salt and pepper.

Now heat a nonstick pan. Drizzle a little oil and pour the beaten egg.

When egg starts to set but is still a little wiggly in the middle, put a tortilla on top of the egg and let it set. When egg has set completely flip the tortilla and lightly fry the other side. (If using frozen parathas, fry the parathas according to the directions on the pack and keep ready before frying egg.)

Remove from heat and onto a plate. Follow the method for the rest of the tortillas and the eggs.

Now stuff the tortilla (egg side up) with the chicken, bell peppers, onion and chopped green chili (if using). Squeeze some lime juice on top.

Fold the tortilla like a roll/ wrap and grab a bite.

Ghugni -- Pigeon Peas Curry

Ingredients:
Matar (pigeon peas) – 2 cups (soaked overnight)
Potato – 1 large (peeled and diced)
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Garlic cloves – 4 (minced)
Grated ginger – 1 tbsp
Tomato – 1 small (chopped)
Tamarind paste – 1 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 ½ tsp
Cumin powder – 2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – to taste
Oil –
Water
For garnish:
Chopped green chilies
Lemon wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure:
In a pan heat oil and fry the potatoes. Set aside.

In the same pan add the sugar and let it caramelize.

Now add the ginger, garlic, onion and tomatoes and fry. When the masala is cooked halfway add the turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder and continue frying until the masala is well cooked.

Now add the soaked peas and fried potatoes and mix well.

Add water, enough to cover the peas, cover with a lid and let it simmer on medium low flame.

When the peas are cooked halfway, add the tamarind paste. Mix well and cook until the peas become soft and tender.

Garnish with chopped green chilies, lemon juice and fresh cilantro.

Serve hot as a side with paratha, roti or as an evening snack.

Alu Phulkopir Tarkari -- Cauliflower & Potato Curry

Ingredients:
Cauliflower – 1 head (cut into florets)
Potato – 1 medium (peeled and cut into cubes)
Tomato – 1 small (chopped)
Frozen Green peas – ½ cup (thawed)
Onion paste – 2 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Bay leaf -- 1
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric – ¾ tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Cooking oil
Water

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan. When oil is heated add the potato cubes and fry them until golden brown. Drain and keep aside. In the same pan fry the cauliflower florets till golden brown. Drain and set aside.

In the same pan add the sugar. When sugar has melted and taken on a brown color, add the chili powder and turmeric and stir. Be careful not to burn. Throw in the bay leaf.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic paste and fry the masala paste.

When oil starts separating from the masala, add the potatoes and the cauliflower and mix well.

Add water and let cook until the vegetables are done according to your choice. I like a little bit of crunch, so I remove them from the heat when they still have a little bite in them.

Before removing from heat add the thawed green peas and mix well.

Serve hot with rice or roti. (You can add a little ghee if you like before serving.)

Dimer Dalna – Spicy Egg Curry

Ingredients:
Egg – 12 (hardboiled and peeled)
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Ginger paste – 1½ tsp
Tomato paste – 2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Cooking oil
Water

Procedure:
Make slits in the eggs with a knife and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl take turmeric and chili powder. Coat the eggs well in this mixture.

Meanwhile heat a pan with cooking oil.

When oil is heated, gently slide in the eggs one by one and fry them till they turn brownish.

Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan add sugar.

When the sugar has melted, throw in a bayleaf. Now add the ginger and garlic paste, and the sliced onions and tomato paste. Cook until the masala is well fried and oil starts separating.

Add water, according to the desired amount of gravy and let it come to a simmer.

When the gravy starts simmering add the eggs and let it simmer on low heat until the gravy starts thickening and starts coating the eggs.

Serve with your choice of rice or roti.

Shorshe Ilish --Hilsa with mustard

Ingredients:
Ilish – 6-8 pieces
Mustard paste – 2 tbsp
Yogurt – 2 tbsp
Mustard oil – 5 tbsp
Green chilies (slit) – 8-10
Salt – according to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a flat oven safe dish/ bowl arrange the hilsa pieces. Season with salt. Drizzle 3 tbsp mustard oil on the fish and coat them well.

Now make a mixture of the mustard paste, yogurt, turmeric powder and remaining mustard oil.

Drizzle the mixture on the fish and coat the fish pieces well.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and put it in the oven.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until fish flakes when touched with a fork.

Garnish with green chilies and serve hot with steamed rice.

Shorshe Chicken -- Chicken with mustard

Ingredients:
Chicken (cut into bite size pieces) – 2 lb
Onion (finely sliced) – 1 cup
Ginger paste – 1 tbspn
Garlic paste –2 tbspn
Turmeric powder – 1 tbspn
Mustard paste – 3 tbspn
Yogurt – 3 tbspn
Mustard oil – 2 tbspn
Green chili (slit) – 8-10
Cooking oil – 2-3 tbspn
Procedure:
In a heavy bottomed pan put oil and heat it.

When oil is heated enough add a tbsp of sugar. Stir the sugar till it reaches a dark brown color.

Now add the garlic paste, ginger paste, sliced onions, turmeric powder and start frying the mixture until it takes up a brownish color, approximately 10-15 minutes.

When oil starts coming out from the fried mixture, add the chicken pieces and stir. Add water and let the chicken cook until tender.

Meanwhile mix the mustard paste and the yogurt together.

When chicken is fully cooked, add the yogurt mixture and mix well with the chicken. Do not let the pot sit on heat for long after you have added the mustard paste, as this will make it bitter.

Remove from heat and drizzle the mustard oil on top.

Garnish with the green chilies and serve hot with steamed rice.

Kosha Mangsho -- Slow cooked goat curry

I learnt to eat goat meat after my marriage. Before that I was more into chicken, and the few times I had goat I was kind of overpowered by the smell, just as I am overpowered by the smell of lamb now. The first time I cooked goat was at my in-laws’ with help from my mom-in-law. Since my husband is a red meat gorger (he doesn’t consider chicken to be in the non-veg category!) and my in-laws also prefer goat I learnt to cook goat. My aim was to get rid of the smell so that I could eat it too and I found that marinating the meat in all sorts of spices helped. I’ve seen my friends and relatives cook goat meat in either a pressure cooker or a slow cooker. Since I don’t have any (the pressure cooker which I have is too small for the amount of meat I cook) I use my stove top. Works just as well.
Ingredients:
Goat meat – 2 pounds
Ginger paste – 2 tbsp
Garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Onion sliced – 1 cup
Bay leaf – 2
Cinnamon – half a stick
Cardamom – 2 cloves
Whole black pepper – 1 tsp
Cooking oil – 3-4 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 1 tbsp
For the marinade:
Yogurt – 3 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1tbsp
Chili powder – 1/2 -1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1 tbsp
Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
Procedure:
Clean the meat and pat dry. Place meat in a large bowl.

To the meat add all the ingredients under marinade and mix well.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 2-3 hours. If you can keep it overnight, even better. The more you let it sit in the marinade the better but not more than 24 hours.

In a heavy bottomed pan put oil and heat it.

When oil is heated enough add the sugar and let it melt until it reaches a dark brown color.

Now throw in the bay leaf, whole black peppers, cinnamon and cardamom. Be careful, the whole peppers will sputter a bit. Stir for a minute or so.

Add garlic paste, ginger paste, and onion to the pan and fry until the mixture takes up a brownish color, approximately 15-20 minutes.

When oil starts coming out from the masala put in the meat and coat evenly with the masala.

Add salt (according to taste), and water so that the meat is just above the water surface.

Put on a lid tightly and let cook on low to medium low for two hours, by which time the meat will be fork tender. Just check once in a while so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
You can add a few drops of rose water if you like.

Garnish with sliced boiled eggs.

Serve hot with steamed rice/ polao/ luchi or paratha.