BENGALI GOSHT CURRY (PATHAR JHOL)

In my childhood days, I couldn't imagine our Sunday meal except this mouthwatering and flavourful goat meat curry. This sound delicious mutton curry sends me right back to my Ma's kitchen. Normally typical Bengali preparation of this curry would be a little sweet, but I prefer to make it without sugar. When it was pressure cooked, hissed and whistled, the aroma of the curry already wafting in the air intensified, we asked mom several times, "meal is ready"? Traditionally mustard oil is used to cook the meat, the aroma is really special, that is still tickles my sences and trust me, savoury and spicy - this meat curry is enjoyed by all non-vegetarians. 

INGREDIENTS:
1.250 kgs Goat Meat, cut into medium sized pieces
3/4 Cup Plain Yogurt
3 Onions, cut in slices
2 Tomatoes, cut in slices
3 Large Potatoes, peeled and cut each into 4 pieces
2 Bay Leaves
1 tbsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
1&1/2 tbsps Dry Roasted Cumin (pounded)
2 tbsps Garlic Paste
3 tbsps Ginger Paste
1/2 tsp Mace Powder
1/2 tsp Nutmeg Powder
1" Cinnamon + 5 Cloves + 5 Green Cardamoms
1/2 tsp Black Pepper (coarsely pounded)
6 tbsps Oil (preferably mustard oil)
2 tsps Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Marinate potato pieces with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Fry potatoes in it, till they becoming golden brown, Drain oil and keep them aside.

Fry the onions in the same wok, till they turn golden.

Add bay leaves and ginger-garlic paste now. Saute for a minute.

Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, mace-nutmeg powder and coriander powder. Fry this mixture on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

Add goat meat, mix well and fry it for 5 minutes (approx.).

At this time, add yogurt, salt and tomato in it.

Fold them properly and fry nicely till the oil leaves spices.

Add 2&1/2 cups warm water, cloves, green cardamoms and cinnamon in the mixture. Fold properly. Transfer the whole mixture in a pressure cooker. Cook it on medium heat for 4 whistles.

Let is cool down naturally. Open the lid, add fried potato pieces, pounded cumin, black pepper powder and lemon juice in it. Mix nicely. Close the lid and pressure cook for another 2-3 whistles.

Serve hot with warm plain rice/pulao/naan/paratha and green salad.

Sending to: Taste of the Tropics @ ESHO-BOSHO-AAHARE

Sending to: Cook Like Mom- Foodelicious

PABDA TEL BORI JHOL (LENTIL DUMPLINGS IN PABO CATFISH CURRY)

Today I am here with mouthwatering Bengali fish curry. 'Pabda' is one of the popular fishes in West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. It is popularly known in english 'Pabo Catfish', a very soft and delicate fish. Very simple and nutritious, hope I am able to do justice to the traditional form of cooking of this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm / 2 Pabo Catfishes (pabda mach), cut in halves
1 Tomato (chopped)
1/3 tsp Nigella Seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
8 Lentil Dumplings (daler bori)
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
2-3 Green Chillies, cut into slits
1 tbsp + 4 tbsps Oil
1 tbsps Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Marinate fish pieces with little salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a griddle, add lentil dumplings in it. fried both side till it turns golden. Set aside.

Heat 4 tbsps oil in a pan or wok. Fry fish till it turns golden from both sides. Drain oil and remove fishes.

Temper with nigella seeds and green chillies in the same oil. Add all other ingredients except fish and fried lentil dumplings. Fry till spices leave oil from the side of the wok or pan.

Add 3/4 cup water. Mix nicely.

When it starts to boil, add fried fishes and bori (fried lentil dumplings) in it. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat now.

Serve immediately with steamed rice, garnishing with chopped coriander leaves on the top.

Sending to: Taste of the Tropics @ ESHO-BOSHO-AAHARE

SWEET MANGO PICKLE (AAM KA MITHA ACHAR)

Firm and unripe mangoes are choosen for this pickle. This is an easy to make mango pickle, generally made in every Bengali household, where 'paanch phoron' is used. The mango flesh is cooked easilly within the jaggery and sugar syrup and the pickle is thickens a bit. Mango absorbs all the flavors of the spices, very luscious and yummy. You can store it in refrigerator it should last for 1 year. 

INGREDIENTS:
250 gm Raw Mango 
150 gm Jaggery
100 gm Sugar
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/3 tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera)
1/3 tsp Fennel Seeds (saunf)
1/3 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (methi)
1/3 tsp Nigella Seeds (kalonji)
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds (rai)
3 Whole Dried Red Chillies
1 tbsp Oil (preferably mustard oil)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Firstly, wash and wipe dry the raw mangoes. Cut mangoes in slices, discard the seeds.

Dry roast cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, mustard seeds and 3 whole dried red chillies for 2 minutes on medium heat. Let it cool a little. Pound coarsely and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add asafoetida in it. Saute for few seconds, add mangoes and turmeric powder. Saute for another 3 minutes on medium heat. Add jaggery and sugar directly, lower the heat now. 

Now jaggery and sugar melt. Add salt in it and let mangoes cook in the syrup for 5 mins on lower heat. When the density of the gravy will be thicker, remove the pan from heat. Sprinkle coarsely pounded spices on it. Fold well. Your luscious mango pickle is ready now.

Store the mango pickle in a clean or sterilised jar. Keep in a cool dark place or refrigerator. Enjoy!

Linking to: Show you style series -Mango by Viji .

Linking to: "Spotlight: Show Your Best Creation" @ Cuisine Delights

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PICNIC CHICKEN CURRY

Last month we went for a picnic and there we all enjoyed this luscious chicken curry. So, I adopted this toothsome recipe from our last picnic. With the use of very nominal spices, tastes truelly awesome! It takes only 25 minutes to cook on slow heat, a semi dry gravy, rich with tomato-onion. A stimulating chicken curry which will be ever memorable!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 kg Chicken, cut into medium sized pieces
4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cut each into halves
400 gm Onion (chopped)
1 Whole Garlic
4 Medium Tomatoes (chopped)
75 gm Ginger
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1&1/2" Cinnamon
2-3 Green Cardamoms
3-4 Cloves
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
10-12 Green Chillies (as per taste), cut in slits
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
1/2 Cup Oil (Preferably Mustard Oil)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash chicken with luke warm water nicely. Drain water and set aside.

Grind garlic and ginger together to make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Marinate potato pieces with little turmeric and salt. Heat oil in a wok, add potatoes in it. Fry till potatoes turn golden. Drain oil and remove potatoes from the wok, set aside.

 

Temper with bay leaves, cumin seeds, cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves in the same oil. When a nice aroma comes out, add chopped onions in it.

Fry till it gets translucent.

Add ginger-garlic paste now. Fry for another a minute or two on medium heat.

 

Now add tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt in it. Fry for 4-5 minutes, till spices leave oil.

Add chicken now.

Mix up nicely.

Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. Keep stirring occassionally.

Add fried potatoes now.

 

Fold thoroughly. Again cover and cook for another 10-12 minutes, till chicken and potato tender. Stir occassionally.

Add chopped coriander leaves now. Fold well. Remove from heat now.

Serve hot with roti, paratha, naan or plain rice. Enjoy this luscious chicken with full of flavour!

 

STEAMED EGG (BHAPA DIM)

This is an authentic bengali gravy 'mustard-coconut paste' which I mix-matched with boiled eggs and made it in microoven. I love eggs so much, that explore me to make it in different ways and each tastes better than the other. A mouthwatering and very flavorful recipe, simple and healthy dish, just try it. Tastes great!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (preferably duck's eggs)
1&1/2 tbsps Hanged Curd (plain yogurt)
1 tbsp Mustard Paste
3 Finely Chopped Green Chillies (according to taste)
1/2 of a Small Coconut (pounded)
3-4 tbsps Mustard Oil (first heated till smokey, then cooled down)
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro (coriander leaves)
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt as per taste

METHOD:

Shell the eggs and cut each egg into halves. Keep it aside.

In a microoven safe bowl, combine coconut paste, mustard paste, sour curd, lemon juice, chopped green chillies, cilantro, mustard oil, sugar and salt. Add 2 tbsps water in it. Mix everything nicely.

Now place egg pieces on it. Egg yolk side should touch the gravy.

Cover it with a lid. Micro it on 100% MW power for 3 minutes. Open the lid, turn the reverse side of egg pieces (now yolks are on the top).

Again micro for a minute of 100% MW power. Switched off. Keep it as it is inside the oven for 2 more minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice, pulao as  you like.

Enjoy this luscious steamed egg.

TIPS: Those who don't have microoven, just cook it in wok or non-
          stick pan, it comes out perfectly.