Pish Pash revisited...in a Pressure Cooker

After my first attempt at cooking Pish Pash / Phish Phash during Lockdown, when time had stopped and the fortunate ones, still not struck by the deadly virus , had the time and leisure to  revisit nostalgia filled childhood,  I had kept making Pish Pash many a times. ... with mutton, chicken, veggies,  greens what not. 

But always in a pressure cooker, in the true blue one pot meal style...just in 3 whistles.

Ingredients 

Chicken...500gm

Gobindobhog rice...225-250gm

Onion...1 chopped 

Garlic grated 

Ginger grayed

Vegetables of choice cut in chunky pieces. I used carrots, potato, baby corn, cauliflower, peas.

Butter

Oil...I used Rice bran

Pepper corns

Pepper powder 

Salt to taste

Sugar...a pinch

Bay leaf/Tej Pata...2-3

Whole spices...Green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves

Chopped green chilies

Garlic powder.

Procedure.

1. Marinate chicken (on bones) with salt, pepper, garlic powder.

2. Wash the rice and drain the rice in a Callander.

3. In a pressure cooker, add a tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp butter. 

4. Throw in Tej Pata and whole spices and Pepper corns into the heated oil - butter mix.

5. Now add grated Garlic,  chopped onion, grated ginger and fry them quickly with a pinch of sugar and salt.

6.Add the chicken and toss them around to brown the chicken pieces slightly.

7. Now add the vegetables except peas. Toss them around to saute. Add pepper powder and salt to taste.

8. Now add the washed and dried rice. Gently toss the rice around to coat with the oil /butter.

9. Add three times the water. I used 1.25 cups of rice. I used 4 cups of water. To make the end product more runny or porridge like, you may add another one or two cups of water. Adjust the salt. Should be a bit more salty than your optimum requirement.  If no health concerns, may add a spoonful of butter. 

10. Cover the pressure cooker lid and fix the whistle.  Cook on medium to high heat for 3 whistles.

11. I boiled the peas separately to retain the colour. May be added into the cooker.

11. After naturally releasing the pressure, add the boiled peas. Stir the porridge like buttery, meaty concoction. Adjust the salt if necessary.

Serve with dollops of butter (as much as health permits) 😋. 

Fish in Mango Ginger (Aam aada), Garlic, Pepper & Fennel flavoured gravy

Bored of the usual Katla Machher Jhol (Katla fish gravy, Bengali style) and feeling too lazy to chop  Onions, thought of just adding some totally different spices and check out the outcome.

INGREDIENTS:

1.Catla 750gm

2.For marinarion:

a)Lemon juice: of 1 medium sized lemon

b)Pepper powder 2tbsp

c)Garlic Powder 2tbsp

d) Rock Salt- 2 tsp

e) Turmeric - 2 tsp

3.Tomato - 1 large

4.Fennel Seeds 2tsp

5. Grated Aam Aada(raw mango flavoured ginger) - 2 inch piece , grated.

6.Garlic...1 whole garlic roughly chopped 

7. Rock Salt...to taste

8. Kashmiri Mirch...2 tsp

9. Pepper powder ....2 tsp

10. Garlic Powder- 2tbsp

11. Green chilies...finely chopped-2

12coriander leaves.finely chopped ..one fistful

13. White Oil 3tbsp

14. Ghee 1-1.5 tbsp

15.One large tomato..halved 

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash and marinate the fish pieces with the ingredients  given at 2a to 2e for around 1/2 hour.

2. For frying the fish, I used a flat bottom non stick kadhai. Poured the oil and ghee and added the fish and fried them well on both sides. Keep the fried fish aside.

3.In the same oil+ghee mix, added a halved tomato and fried on low to medium heat for around 10min or till they become squishy. I fried while I was grating aamada and peeling Garlic.

3. Into the same oil, which had the squishy fried tomato,  added 2 tsp of Fennel seeds followed by chopped Garlic and grated Aam aada (Mango Ginger) and liberal amount of Pepper powder and Garlic powder. Fried everything on low to medium heat.

4. Also added Turmeric, Rock Salt and Kashmiri.Mirch and kept frying with some sprinkling of water till the spice mix was ready and oil was oozing out from the prepared masala.

5. Now added about 1.5 cups of hot water (water quantity depends on the required consistency of gravy). I didn't want a very runny gravy. 

6. added chopped green chilies. Covered the kadhai and let the spice mix-water combo come to a boil.

Now slid in the fried fish pieces. 

7. Cooked on medium flame., covered for 2-3 minutes. 

8.Added chopped coriander leaves and switched off the gas

9. enjoyed the delicately flavoured spicy, tangy, sweet(from fennel) fish curry with steamed rice.

Malai Paneer.... Cottage cheese in a Milk Cream Gravy

An unplanned dish born out of laziness and leftovers.....a dish representing 'less is more'.

Suddenly remembered that paneer had to be cooked for dinner after cooking lunch items  while packing up the leftover chopped items like onion and tomato.

Was tired and lazy and was looking for shortcuts.

Used up the chopped onion & chopped tomatoes (1/2 each of medium sized onion and tomato).

Took note of the thick malai (milk cream) on the surface of the boiled and cooled milk , staring at me from the countertop :D 😋😉😉.

Ginger- Garlic paste is omnipresent in my fridge.

So here goes the simple malai paneer ....

Ingredients:

*Paneer 200 gms cut into small cubes 

* chopped onion - 1/2 medium sized onion

*chopped tomato - 1/2 medium sized tomato

*ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

*green chili - chopped 

*Pepper - 1 tsp

*Kashmiri Mirch powder- 1/2 tsp

*malai or fresh milk cream... 1 litre boiled milk yielded 1/2 bowl (150ml bowl) of malai (dudher shawr)

* kasuri Methi- 1 tbsp crushed 

* oil (used rice bran) - 1 tbsp 

Procedure:

1. Paneer to be cubed into size of choice.  Mine were <1 cm cubes.

2. In a kadhai, heat oil. Add the chopped onion, ginger garlic paste, chopped tomato, chopped green chili.  Fry on high heat till browned.

3. While frying above, add pepper powder, salt, Kashmiri red chili powder. 

4. Once the onion- tomato etc+ spice mix are well fried , pour the malai....keep stirring on medium to high heat to prevent burning. Add 1/2 bowl of warm water. 

5.Once the slurry starts bubbling, add the cubed paneer. Gently stir around in the gravy to coat the masala well.  Cover and bring to a boil on low to medium heat. 

6.Check the salt, sweetness and spice level. Adjust according to taste.

7. As a final garnish, crush kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) between your palms and sprinkle on the bubbling paneer gravy. Swirl around to mix.

Serve with Roti,  Paratha, Jeera Rice. We had it with plain steamed rice.

Chicken Kofta Curry

Chicken Meat Balls in an onion tomato gravy

Chicken Breast is not my favourite cut of the chicken and I avoid using it because of its fibrous texture. But often we end up having not so desired products in our kitchen which we have to make do with.

So to use up the portion of chicken breast, decided on making a not so complicated Chicket Kofta curry. 

Certain ideas about the masala have been taken from Chef Varun Inamdar's recipe but I avoided using besan, keora water, rose water etc.

Ingredients :

Kofta :

Chicken Breast 450 gm 

Rock Salt / Beet Noon - 1 tsp or as per taste

Pepper - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves

Green chillies 

Curd - 1/2 cup

Bread Crumb - 2 slices of bread, toasted till crisp and powdered into bread crumb

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp roasted & ground cinnamon+cardamom+cloves

Ginger Galic paste - 1 tsp

Egg -1 

Onions 1-finely chopped

Gravy :

Onion - 2 roughly diced

Tomato 1-chopped

Ghee - 1 tsp

Whole garam masala

Bay leaf - 1 large or 2 small

White Oil/Mustard Oil

Roasted Fennel - 1 tsp

Roasted coriander (dhaniya) - 1tsp

Roasted Cumin - 1tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Whole Garam Masala & Bay leaf for Tempering 

Red chili powder

Kashmiri Chili Powder

Whole green chilies

Salt to Taste

Sugar  a pinch

Chopped coriander

Procedure :

Kofta :

1) Though Boneless Chicken Thighs are my preferred raw meat portion, this time I had to make do with Chicken Breast. To be chopped into small pieces.

2. Into the mixie jar goes : Boneless Chicken pieces, Rock Salt, Pepper Powder, Green Chilies, Chopped Coriander 

3. Into the above meat paste, add ginger -garlic paste, 1 egg, finely chopped onion, bread crumb of 2 bread slices (toasted and powdered) , 1/2 bowl of curd, 1/2 tsp of homemade garam masala (toasted and ground cardamom+cinnamon+clove). Mix well.

4. After smearing yoour palm with oil, make chicken koftas or balls. I made small lemon sized balls.

Gravy :

1) In a kadhai, take 2 tbsp oil (mustard or any other oil. Today I used rice bran oil).

2) Temper with whole garam masala and bay leaf.

3) To this tempered oil, add roughly chopped onions (2 medium sized)  and tomato. Add ginger- garlic paste. Fry till the onions have slightly browned and raw smell of tomatoes gone. Add salt and a pinch of sugar. 

4) Take it aside and on cooling grind this fried onion-tomato-bayleaf-garam masala-ginger garlic into a smooth paste and transfer the paste back to the kadhai.

5) Prepare a masala paste with 1/2 bowl of beaten curd, a mix roasted cumin + roasted coriander seeds + roasted fennel seeds+ red chili powder + kashmiri mirch. Add this paste to the onion-tomato-bayleaf-garam masala paste in the kadhai. Add warm water . Check the salt .  Add a spoonful of ghee.

6) While the gravy starts simmering,  slide the koftas slowly into the kadhai and add two green chilis, slit at the top. Cover and cook on low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes. 

7) Once it comes to a boil, sprinkle 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder and garnish with chopped coriander.

Dimer Dalna (Poached Egg Curry) Shakshouka Style

Shakshouka ...Bengalified !

That the easy peasy Poached Egg curry was a dish with a fancy name (Shashouka), was something I learnt during random cookery reels on social media.

In my kitchen this simple poached egg curry was born around 27 years back when I had started living on my own and more importantly started cooking without Ma's supervision. No need to boil the eggs...Easy, Quick, dinner ready in minutes.

Much much later, came to know that it's a dish on its own merit with a fancy name too.

Here's my Bangali Shashouka or Poached Dimer Dalna :

Ingredients : (Serves 4)

1. Eggs - 4

2. Chopped Onions - 2 

3. Pureed Tomatoes - I used 4. .... The more the merrier...completely a personal choice

4. Whole Garam Masala - Cinnamon. Cardamom (green), Cloves

5. Whole dry Red Chili - 1 or 2

6. Bay Leaf / Tej Pata - 1 or 2

7. Ginger Garlic Paste

8. Whole garlic cloves - because I love fried garlic...may be skipped

9. Masala Paste - Turmeric+Cumin+Coriander+Red Chili+ Kashmiri Chili

10. Salt to taste

11. Milk Cream (Accumulated Malai) - a bowl...again completely optional...I had  a bowl ...hence used

12. Chopped Coriander Leaves

13. Green Chilies-As per heat tolerance 

14. Mustard Oil  - 3 tbspn

Procedure :

1. Heat mustard oil until it reaches smoking point. Add whole garam masala, red chilies, and bay leaves to temper.

2. Add garlic cloves (if using) until lightly browned. Then add onions, ginger-garlic paste, and a pinch of sugar. Sauté until golden.

3. Stir in tomato puree. Cover and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened.

4. Now add the masala paste mentioned at Sl.9 of Ingredients followed by the malai / milk cream..Cook on high for 3–4 minutes to eliminate raw flavors.

5. Now make four (or as many eggs you have) circular hollows on the bed of the gravy. (Picture 5).  Break the eggs one at a time into the hollows. I break the eggs , one at a time into a small bowl and slide each egg into the hollow gently. Lower the flame. Cover and cook till the eggs solidify. If you like runny yolks, the cooking time at this stage will be lower. This is a personal choice.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander, slit green chilies. Serve with rice, bread or just as it is. .... 

We had our shakshouka style easy Bengali egg curry for dinner with steamed rice.

Kolai Dal with Chingri Maachh

Roasted Urad Dal with Prawns

Ingredients:

Dry Roasted Urad Dal 200gm

Ginger Garlic paste

Tej Pata

Whole Garam Masala

Onion paste

Onion chopped

Tomato

Turmeric

 Salt

Fennel seed (mouri)

Dry Whole red chili

Procedure

1) dry roast dal and wash

2) in a pressure cooker, add whole garam masala, ginger garlic paste, Tej Pata,  Onion paste, Haldi, Salt, sugar.  Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. 

3) In a wok, pour 3 tbsp of oil. Season with fennel seeds when hot,  followed  by chopped garlic and chopped Onion. Fry till golden.

4) add the Prawns into the woke after  smearing with Salt, haldi, chili powder. Fry till golden.

5) pour the pressure cooked Dal into the wok. Let it come to a boil. 

6) garnish with ghee, green chilies and coriander leaves (chopped)

Note: The photograph was clicked as an afterthought,  much after the dal was relished by us all and doesn't do justice to its taste 😀 

Paneer with Posto (Poppy paste) and Capsicum

Had this delicious paneer dish at a cousin's place. Loved it.
She mentioned some ingredients she'd used, I guessed some she may have missed....the result was quite a refreshing tasting Paneer!

Ingredients:

Paneer – 500gm

Tej pata-2

Tomato chopped-1

Ginger paste -1 tbsp

Whole jeera

Whole Garam Masala

paste of 2 medium sized capsicum

paste of 2 tbsp posto

Dhone-jeera powder – ½ tsp each

Salt

Sugar

Green chili

Ghee at the end

Procedure:

1. Season the oil with Tej pata, Whole jeera, Whole garam masala, ginger paste/grated 

2. Add the tomato followed by Capsicum paste and let it cook till the oil separates.

3. Add the Posto/Poppy Paste followed by sugar, dhone - jeere paste.

4. Add the Paneer cubes and salt to taste 

5. Add some water...not too much...just a sprinkling

6. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes.

7. End it off with adding some slit green chilies and a liberal spoonful of ghee.

8. Eat it with steamed rice or roti.

PS: I'd added some diced potatoes which I'd sauted prior to adding to the gravy. Potato is totally optional....I added because I like potatoes with paneer 😉