HILSA (ILISH) DUM PUKHT

"Dum Pukht" is a slow cooking technique which is originated in India and also very popular in Pakistan. 'Nawabs of Awadh' introduced this special type of cooking method in their royal kitchen; where meat, fish, vegetables filled with spices cooked in a large sealed vessel on slow cooking in their own juices or bone- marrow. Here I cooked 'Hilsa', the king fish of Bengal in this royal cooking method. I experimented and explored it in my kitchen and trust me it came out as a mouth watery, flavourful and delicious Hilsa treat.

INGREDIENTS:
500 gm Hilsa Fish (Ilish mach)
2 Large Onions (chopped)
4 Green Cardamoms (crushed)
1 Black Cardamom (split-ed)
4-5 Black Peppercorns
2-3 Green Chilies (whole) + 2-3 Green Chilies, cut into slits
1/3 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red chili Powder
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 Cup Fresh Concentrated Coconut Milk
(Grate coconut, pour hot water in it. Keep it aside for 10 minutes and strain to get fresh coconut milk)
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tbsps Mustard Oil
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean and wash fish pieces nicely. Make those pieces pat dry. Marinate fish with turmeric powder and little salt, set it aside.

Grind onions with 2-3 green chilies together to make a coarse paste. Keep it aside.

Heat oil and clarified butter in a kadhai/wok. Temper with black peppercorns, green and black cardamoms. Saute for few seconds, till a nice aroma comes out. Add onion paste in it. Fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

Add ginger paste and Kashmiri red chili powder in it. Fry for another 3 minutes, till spices leave oil from the sides.

Now pour coconut milk, slited green chilies and salt in it. Bring it to boil. Add fish pieces in it.Cover tightly and slow cook for 15 minutes. 

Open the lid now. Add lemon juice in it and give a nice stir. Turn off the heat. Your Hilsa Dum Pukht is ready to serve. Serve with steamed rice or pulao.

CHICKEN BHARTA

I had this delicious dish on road side 'Dhaba' for several times, and tried to make it like restaurant style. A very popular side dish, chicken bharta served with rotis, naan or any kind of rice dish. It requires onion-tomato gravy with all Indian spices, cashewnut paste makes the gravy more flavourful and at the end using of kewra essence, butter, cream and whisked egg gives a royal texture of mughlai cuisine. It's yummilicious and worth the effort it requires.

INGREDIENTS:
250 gms Ground Chicken (keema)
200 gms Onions (finely chopped)
2 Tomatoes (paste)
2 tbsps Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 Cup Whisked Curd / Plain Yogurt
1 Bay Leaf
1/2" Cinnamon
3-4 Cloves
1-2 Green Cardamoms
1&1/2 tsps Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tbsps Red Chilli Powder (as per taste)
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
1/3 Cup Fresh Cream
1 tbsp Butter
50 gms Cashewnut (soak in warm water and paste)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 Egg (whisked)
1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 Drops of Kewra Essence
2 tbsps Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
2 tbsps Oil

METHOD:

Heat oil in a pan or kadhai. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and green cardamom in it. Saute for 20-30 seconds. 

Add chopped onions in it. Fry till onion turns into golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and tomato paste in it. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, till tomatoes leave oil from the sides.

Add all dry spices one by one (except garam masala powder). Saute for a minute, pour whished curd and salt in it. Fry for another 2-3 minutes, till spices are well cooked.

Add ground chicken in it. Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes, so that chicken mixes with the spices well.

At this time add cashew paste, sugar and 3/4 cup warm water in it. Fold well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Open the lid now. Pour cream, kewra essence, butter, whished egg in it. Saute for a minute. Add garam masala powder and coriander leaves on it. 

Serve immediately with phulkas, parathas, naan or and rice dishes. Hope you and your family will surely relish this luscious non-veg treat!

NOTE: The amount of spices is upto you, whether you want a lot spicy or just a little. After finishing this dish, you can put a burnt charcoal on it and cover the bharta for 4-5 minutes for getting smokey flavour. Though I didn't do it, this dish itself very luscious like restaurant style.

Sending to: "Flavours of Cuisine - Mughlai" to Shruti & Julie

GALDA CHINGRI BHAPE (STEAMED SCAMPI / TIGER PRAWNS) - A MICROWAVE VERSION

"Galda Chingri Bhape" is an authentic Bengali Recipe, which is prepared in every household since ages. It goes best with warm steamed rice, but some people serve it with pulao too. Pungent taste of mustard paste with mustard oil makes it more appealing. Soft meat of this scampi has a very distinct flavour if cooked perfectly, little sweet in taste, it is just mouth-melting!

INGREDIENTS:
1&1/2 kgs Indian Scampi / Tiger Prawns (galda chingri)
3/4 Cup Plain Yogurt (thick curd)
1&1/2 tsps Turmeric Powder
2 tsp Green Chillies Paste
6-8 Green Chillies (or as per taste), cut in slits
1/2 Cup Grated Coconut
3 tbsps Poppy Seeds Paste
6 tbsps Mustard Paste
6-8 tbsps Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean and wash the tiger prawns. In a microwave safe bowl, marinate prawns with turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside for 15-30 minutes.

Add mustard paste, green chilli paste, poppy seeds paste, coconut and salt to the prawn mix. Now add yogurt and mustards oil in it. Mix it well. Arrange green chillies on the top.

Place the bowl in microwave. Micro at 100% MW power for 5 minutes.

Take out the bowl from the oven now, turn the prawns in the bowl to expose other sides. Adjust salt. Microwave for another 5 minutes at 100% MW power. Switch off the oven, keep it on stand time for 5 minutes more.

Serve hot with plain rice or pulao, its yummilicious!!!

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