Cholar Dal

Hi Friends,

Last week I tried one Bengali Dal recipe. This one is very similar to the Dal Prasad or Abhada that is offered to Lord Jagannath at Puri Jagannath Temple. Slightly sweet and the aroma and flavorful dish is apt for religious ceremonies. Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:- 

Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1 cup

Ghee 3 tablespoons

Coconut 1/4 inch pieces

Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Cloves 3

Cinnamon 1 inch stick

Black cardamom 1

Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon

Bay leaves 2

Whole dry red chillies 2

Ginger paste 1 teaspoon

Raisins 1 teaspoon

Roasted Cumin and red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon

Method :-

Wash and soak the dal for an hour. Drain and pressure-cook with three cups of water till just done. Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a pan and fry coconut pieces till golden. Drain and set aside. Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar to the dal and simmer on low heat till most of its water gets absorbed and it becomes thick.Heat the remaining ghee in another pan. Add cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, cumin seeds, bay leaves, whole dry red chillies  and sauté for two minutes. Add roasted cumin and red chilli powder . Then pour this seasoning into the simmering dal. Add ginger paste, fried coconut pieces and raisins and simmer for five more minutes. Serve hot with luchi's or puri's.

Baigan Bhaja

Hi Readers,

This is a very traditional dish that is prepared all over Odisha and Bengal. The specialty  of this is, it uses large or medium Brinjals cut into round and thick pieces. These are fried taking care not to break them. Since, brinjals become soft after cooking, it is turned from one side to other keeping its shape intact. It normally employs less oil and spices and is a common side dish that is served along with main course.

Ingredients :- 

2 large or medium size brinjal cut into thick round pieces.

2 potatoes large or medium sized cut into same thickness as brinjals.

1 tbsp turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp red chili powder

1 green chili chopped

1 tbsp Paanch Phutan

2 tbsp mustard oil

salt to taste

Method :- 

Wash and coat the vegetables with turmeric powder and salt. Heat oil in a pan. When Oil is hot, add Paanch Phutan and let it splutter. Add green chili, chopped vegetables and mix remaining spices. Mix well and cover and cook over medium flame. In between turn the pieces and let each side cook properly. When each sides turn brown and brinjal and potato is cooked remove and serve with main course.   

jhal muri

Hi Readers,

I like the road side Jhal muri, espcially the one that you get in train when you travel across Odisha or Bengal. Puffed rice ( Muri or Bhel) is eaten in many different ways. Mumbai Bhel puri is also very famous. But, this one is from Bengal and does not have any sweet taste like Mumbai Bhel puri. In Odisha, Baripada and Balasore are famous for their Muri recipe especially with Meat gravy. People do not complete their meal without having Muri at the end. It is just like eating curd rice as a custom in south.

Ingredients :-

1 cup puffed rice ("Muri")

1/4 cup chickpea flour noodles (" Sev")

1/4 cup fried lentils (" Channa Dal")

1/4 cup roasted peanuts with skin, crushed

1/2 cup mung bean sprouts

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 medium cucumber, chopped

1/4 mild onion, chopped

1 tablespoon mixed pickle oil

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon mustard oil

Method :-

Combine the puffed rice, chickpea flour noodles, fried lentils and peanuts in a large bowl. Stir in the mung bean sprouts, cilantro, coriander leaves, ginger, tomato, cucumber and onions to combine. Add the pickle oil, lime juice, serve immediately. I feel even taking pictures hamper the dish, the crunchiness reduces so immediately consume it.

Bengali inspired Bhindi Masala

Hi Readers,

Today, I just modified the regular Aloo bhindi fry to taste a little different. I used famous Bengali masala mustard paste and posto paste(khus khus). Here is the recipe for you.

Ingredients:- 
2 cups ladies finger (bhindi) - 250 gms - chopped
1 medium sized potato - chopped
1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
1 tbsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp chili powder

Method
Wash the ladies finger and pat dry completely on a kitchen towel.Chop them & Keep aside. Wash potato and chop into thin pieces.
Combine the poppy seeds and mustard seeds and grind in a mixer to a fine powder. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a non-stick kadhai, add the ladies finger and cook on a medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes or till they become soft, while stirring occasionally.
Add the green chillies, prepared powder, salt and sugar, turmeric powder and chilli powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Serve hot.

Rasgulla

Rasgulla is famous as a Bengali Sweet, however it actually originated in Odisha which was later introduced to Bengal. Pahala and Salepur Rasgulla has different and unique taste for which this is exported in large quantity from these two places. The Halwai in these places use their unique recipe that they will not share with others. They use Chenna and Semolina mixed together to form the balls. However, the canned Rasgulla available in market is actually sponge Rasgulla  that I am going to share , this will be very spongy but this cant be compared with the taste of Rasgulla from Pahala or Salepur.

Ingredients :- 

For The Rasgullas

1 recipe chenna

1 tsp plain flour (maida) for dusting

For The Sugar Syrup

5 cups sugar

Other Ingredients

2 tsp plain flour (maida)

Method :- 

For the rasgullas

Knead the chenna well.Divide the chenna into 16 equals parts and roll each part into a ball, taking care to see that the there are no cracks on the surface

Dust the back of a flat plate (thali) lightly with the flour and place the rolled chenna balls on it.

For the sugar syrup

Combine the sugarwith 3 cups of water in a large pan approx. 200 mm. (8") in diameter and 150 mm. (6") in height and heat while stirring continuously till the sugar dissolves.

When the syrup comes to a boil, the impurities in the sugar will begin to float on the surface, forming a grey layer.

Heat over a medium flame to allow the grey layer to float. Do not stir at this point as the layer will break and it will not clarify the syrup.

After about 5 minutes, slowly drizzle 1 cup of water form the sides of the pan with the help of a ladle. Water added at this stage will bring down the temperature of the sugar syrup and will not allow it to boil and break the grey layer.

Continue to simmer the syrup over a medium flame for about 10 minutes and then gently remove the grey layer using a slotted spoon.

Bring the syrup to the boil once again and then slowly drizzle another cup of water from the sides of the pan using a ladle. Remove all the remaining impurities from the syrup, again using a slotted spoon.

Increase the flame and boil vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Keep aside.

Next Procedure:- 

Mix 2 teaspoons of the plain flour with 3/4 cup of water to make a flour solution. Keep aside.

Heat the sugar syrup in a deep pan over a high flame and allow it to boil vigorously.

When it boils, sprinkle half the flour solution in the sugar syrup and then add the chenna balls by upturning the plate on which they are kept. (do not touch the chenna balls at this point as they are fragile).

When the flour solution is added, a frothy layer is formed on the surface of the syrup.

If the frothy layer begins to subside, sprinkle the remaining half portion of the flour solution.

After this, keep on sprinkling water (minimum 1 cup) on the surface of the sugar syurp. Ensure that the syrup froths all the time while cooking the rasgullas.

Cook for about 15 minutes, continuously sprinkling water to enable the froth to form.

Check if the rasgullas are cooked. This is determined by touch. If the rasgulla springs back and retains its shape when pressed, it is cooked. Another way of checking is to drop a rasgulla in a pan of cold water.

If it sinks to the bottom, it is cooked.

Remove form the fire.

Transfer the rasgullas to a bowl along with 2 ladles of sugar syrup and 1 cup of water.

Cool and chill for approx. 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Tips

Rasgullas should always be cooked on a very high flame.

While cooking rasgullas, the sugar syrup must froth continuously.

The pan should be approximately 200 mm. (8") in diameter and 150 mm. (6") in height and the sugar syrup should fill about 1/3 of the pan.

While making rasgulla shapes (see variation below), always ensure that there are no cracks on the surface of the shapes.

While cooking, rasgullas expand to at least 4 times their original size.

While sprinkling water on the syrup when the rasgullas are cooking,

make sure you sprinkle a little water at a time (approx. a teaspoon at a time using your hands) and not large quantities.

The cooking time of the rasgullas will vary depending on their size.

(i.e. large shapes viz. the rolls, rajbhog etc. will need more cooking time and versa).

Note :- To make Chenna, boil milk and a few drops of lemon juice when it starts to boil, reduce flame and let it boil till water and Chenna separates. Remeber not to add too much lemon as the taste and smell of lemon will come in Chenna. 

Janhi Aloo Posto / Ridge Gourd & Poppy seed curry

Janhi or better known as Ridge gourd in English or Turai in Hindi is cooked with diced potatoes in posto or poppy seed paste(khus khus in hindi).
The poppy seeds impart a rich creamy texture to the curry.The ubiquitous Posto or poppy seeds is a very common ingredient in a Odia & Bengali kitchen.
It is normally ground on a Stone grinder which is  a rare thing in modern kitchens now.The paste can be made in a mixer grinder also.
The Ridge gourd is a summer vegetable,with lot of minerals and with absolutely no fat content.It is mostly considered bland and not relished by many.
The mustard oil with its sharp taste and aroma gives a distinct flavor to the curry.

Ingredients:- 

Ridge Gourd  - 3 long peeled and diced into 1" pcs
Potatoes      - 2 medium size diced into 1" pcs
Panch phutan(Cumin, mustard,fenugreek,fenell, nigella) - 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil   - 2 tbsp
Turmeric     -1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Water      - 1cup

 To be ground into a paste
Poppy seeds or posto -3 tbsp
Garlic        -4-5 flakes
Green chilly- 2 long (if you like your curry spicy)

Method:-
Take 3 tbsp mustard oil in a wok and heat it till smoking point.Add the Panch phutan,let it splutter, then add the diced potatoes ,keep it on medium flame while stirring.When the potatoes are little cooked add the diced janhi or ridge gourd ,turmeric and salt.Stir  it ,cover and cook till the curry is nearly cooked.Add the posto bata or poppy seed paste to the curry,the posto can be ground in a mixer grinder with garlic and chilly,the poppy seeds can be soaked in little hot water for 15 mins before grinding.Add the water,stir and let the veggies simmer with the paste till it is semi dry which takes nearly 5-7 mins.
Serve with Steamed Rice.

Dahi Baigan/Baingan

This is a traditional Oriya dish. It is served as an additional dish along with the major dish of rice and curries. The dish has a sweet and sour flavour.

Ingredients:-

4 medium sized brinjal

250 gm curd

salt to taste

Paanch Phutan (Cumin, Fennel,Fenugreek,Mustard & Black seeds)

sugar optional

pinch of turmeric

1 red chili

Procedure:-

Cut the brinjals into thin strips. Add salt and turmeric to it. Either you can fry them in medium flame or you can deep fry them. Deep frying helps in not breaking the brinjals in between. However, while frying you need to be careful not to break the slices.

Now fro tampering, take 1 tsp of oil in a pan. When its hot add the Paanch Phutan seeds. When they start cracking ,add the red chili to it and remove from flame.

In another container take the whole curd and whisk it. If you want to make it thinner then add little water to it. Add salt to it. When the oil that we prepared cools to room temperature add it into the curd. Now add the brinjals and keep it for sometime before serving. This can be served chill.

Notes:-

1- The tampering mixture should be cooled to room temperature before putting in curd inorder to avoid spoiling the texture of curd.

2- Care should be taken while frying brinjals in order to avoid breaking the slices.

Potala/Parwal aloo kasha

This is a traditional Oriya main dish. The main ingredients are Potala/Parwal/Parval and potato.The same dish can be modified to a more gravy version.

Ingredients:-

1- 250gm Potala/Parwal

2- 2 medium sized potato

3-1 big onion chopped finely

4- 2 green chili

5- 1 red chili

6- 1 bay leaf

7- 1 tbsp garam masala

6- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

7-1 cinnamon

8- 2 tomatoes finely chopped

9-salt as per taste

10- 1 tbsp turmeric

11- 4 tbsp oil

Procedure:-

Wash Potala/Parwal  and cut them into 2 pieces diagonally as show in the picture. The potatoes should be cut into medium size and should have the peel. In a pan add oil. When its heated add the potato cubes. Fry them till it turns golden brown. Now, remove potatoes and add the Potala/Parwal and fry them till they turn brown in color. After, removing these from oil,tissue paper can be used to soak the excess oil. Potala/Parwal and potatoes would like the picture below.

Now, add to the oil, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they start cracking, add red chili followed by green chili and bay leaf. Then, add onions and ginger garlic paste. when this mixture turns brown in color add the chopped tomato followed by salt,turmeric,garam masala and cinnamon. Cook till tomato is cooked to make fine paste with masala. Then add the vegetables in it. Mix the whole ingredients very well and add half cup water and cook the curry in simmer for about 10 minutes. The same curry can be modified to have more gravy.In this one  have kept a little amount of gravy to give a dry look.

Serve it hot.The dish tastes good with rice or roti.

Try this and post me your comments.