Kanch Kolar Kofta

Curry made of Raw Banana Dumplings 

Kanch Kolar Kofta is a pure vegetarian delicacy of Bengal, often cooked sans onion & garlic.

However today's preparation was prepared with Onions but sans garlic.

When a colleague distributed fresh home grown Raw Bananas from his "kheti", I ditched the idea of making crispy shallow fried banana chips and decided to make the slightly more elaborate Kanch Kolar Kofta Curry.

Ingredients :

• For the Koftas

  *      kachkola (unripe, green bananas) - 2 

  *      boiled potato - 1 large sized

  *      onion paste – 1 small onion (can be skipped if totally sattvik vegetarian)

  *      ginger paste – 1 tsp

  *      green chillies (finely chopped) – 2 small

  *      cumin powder - ¾-1 tsp 

  *      coriander powder - ¾ -1 tsp 

  *      turmeric – a pinch

  *      Roasted Cumin powder or roasted garam masala powder – ½ tsp

  *      Salt to taste

  *      Sugar as per taste

  *      Maida (refined flour for binding)- 1-1.5 tbsp

•         For the Gravy

• *Cubed potatoes- 2 medium sized                                                                                                      *Finely chopped onions- 1 (optional and to be avoided in case if pure vegetarian)

• ·    *Tomato pureed- 2 small

  ·    *ginger paste-1tsp

  ·    *cumin powder – 1 tsp

  ·    *Coriander powder-1/2 tsp

  ·    *turmeric powder – 1tsp

  ·    *Kashmiri red chilli powder-1 tsp

  ·    *slit green chillies – 3-4

  ·    *mustard oil – 1.5-2 tbsp

  ·    *dried red chillies - 3

  ·    *bay leaves – 1-2

  ·    *green cardamom-2

  ·    *cinnamon- 1-2 one inch pieces

  ·    *cloves-1 or 2

  ·    *salt as per taste

  ·    *sugar

  ·    *ghee-1 tbspn

  ·    *home made Garam masala - ¼ tsp (dry roasted green cardamom, cinnamon, clove and powdered in a pestle mortar)

  *2 cups of warm water
  
  
  

  Procedure :

  Kanch Kolar Kofta (Raw Banana Dumpling) 

  
  
  1. 1. Cut kachkola (raw bananas) into 2-3 pieces depending on their length. Also take one large or two small potatoes , cut in half and place in the pressure cooker. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt, pinch of turmeric, ¾ litre (or till the raw banana pieces & potatoes are immersed) of water. Cook on medium heat till one whistle .
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• 2. After release of pressure, remove the boiled bananas & potatoes from the water and peel their skin. Mash the Kanch Kola and boiled potato till smooth. 


• 3. Add onion paste/grated, ginger paste,  chopped green chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, pinch of Bengali garam masala or roasted cumin powder, salt, sugar and maida. Mix everything uniformly. 
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• 3. Divide the mashed mix into balls and press the spheres gently into discs .


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• 4. Shallow fry the koftas in a frying plan till they are uniformly brown in colour. 



5. Drain from the oil and keep aside.



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• The dalna or the Gravy

• 1. Take 2-3 potatoes and cut them into cubes, smear them with salt and turmeric and shallow fry them till 80% cooked. 
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2. Mix the spices - ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, and kashmiri red chilli powder with water.

  

• 3. In a kadai, heat mustard oil. Season with dried red chillies, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin seeds.
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4. Add chopped onions and tomato puree. Allow the rawness of tomato to be cooked into a mushy paste and add the spice mix prepared at sl2. Cook well while sprinkling some water from time to time to avoid burning of spices.  Add the salt  &  sugar. Keep cooking the spices till oil separates and now add the fried potato cubes. Add warm/hot water to make the gravy. Cover the kadhai till it comes to a boil.

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• 5. Slide in the fried koftas into the boiling gravy. Lower the flame till the gravy thickens.  
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• 6. Garnish with ghee,  garam masala , slit green chillies (as per heat tolerance).  
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• 7. Take it off the flame and serve with steamed rice.

Mukhi Kochu .....Arbi .....Colocasia

A simple fry of Mukhi Kochu and Potatoes

Ingredients :
Mukhi Kochu - 250gm
Potatoes : 2-3 medium sized
Dry whole red chilies -2
Ajwain - 1 tbsp
Chopped garlic - 8-10 gloves
Curry leaves - quite a handful
Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Tomatoes - chopped
Sambhar masala - 2-3 tbsp
Amchur Powder - 2-3 tbsp
Haldi/Turmeric -1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chili
Salt to taste
Mustard Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Procedure :
1. Boil and cube the potatoes and Kochu into equal sized pieces
2. Add Dry whole red chilies, Ajwain, Chopped garlic, Curry leaves into smoking hot mustard oil
3. Add a pinch of Hing followed by chopped tomatoes.
4. Add Haldi, Chili Powder, Salt, Sambhar Masala.
5. Add the boiled Kochu and potatoes and fry on medium to high heat.
6. Adjust the salt and chili level.
7. Sprinkle Amchur Powder. Stir it around till the veggies and spices are all mixed well.

Lau Chingri

Bottle Gourd with Shrimps

The addition of Shrimps (Kucho Chingri) to the humble Lau (Bottle Gourd) has elevated this dish to  an exalted position in the world of Bong gastronomy. The 'Lau Chingri' didnt stop at conquering the heart of the Bong gourmet, but inspired the cult folk song from Opar Bangla "Saadher Lau banailo more Boiragi" !

Coming to the recipe, here it goes :

Ingredients : 

Lau / Bottle Gourd- chopped into small pieces

Pumpkin julienne-a small qty ..about 1/3 the quantity of Lau

Shrimps-de-veined and washed

Panch phoron-1 tsp

Tej pata -1

Shukno lonka / whole dry red chili

Grated/paste of ginger

Holud/turmeric

Jeera powder

Green chili

Dhonepata / Coriander leaves-chopped

Ata (whole wheat flour)- 1 tbsp

Ghee

Salt

Sugar

Procedure :

1.Steam the chopped lau + julienned pumpkin

2. In a Kadhai, heat oil and season with Panch Phoron.

3. When the phoron is crackling, throw in Tej pata, Shukno lonka followed by the washed and de-veined shrimps.

4. After frying the shrimps add ginger, turmeric, jeera powder followed by salt and a pinch of sugar.

5. Now add the steamed chopped lau + julienned pumpkin into the spice mix in the kadhai.         

6. Stir it around..no water is to be added as white gourd gives out water.                                  

7.Keep it covered for a few minutes till the vegetables are cooked. Remove the cover...let the moisture evaporate.

8. Once the veggie-shrimp is done, sprinkle a spoonful of Ata to help dry up excess moisture and make the dish 'maakha-maakha'.

9. Finish of with dhonepata, slit green chilies and a dash of ghee.

10. Serve with steamed rice

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Phish Phash / Pish Pash...what's in a name ;)?

A gentle nudge from friends reminded me that I have a Cooking Blog. It has been sitting idle, gathering (virtual) dust for the past 2 years or so. Not that I haven't cooked...I have. But blogging about food is a tad bit more cumbersome than cooking food.

A microorganism is holding up the whole world of the mot superior being at ransom...the whole human world is under forced hibernation. While the more fortunate ones are cooped up within the confines of their home, praying for safety and good health, the others are stranded far away from home, alone, scared and helpless. Among the millions of Covid related forwards doing their rounds in the virtual space, one which struck me somewhere said "A vaccine for the Human Virus has finally been found ...Corona....which will heal mother Earth"! What a sad state of affairs we have brought ourselves to...

Well in these troubled times, when supplies, though regular (till now) are limited and cooking simple yet finger licking food is a daily challenge, remembering Phish Phash was like a God Send.  

This is  comfort food I remember from my childhood, especially  from the after-fever-bitter-taste-zero appetite phase. I remember the soft aromatic rice with melt-in-the-mouth-mutton, carrot-peas-potato drizzled with dollops of butter....Aaahhhh bliss!

With chicken in the fridge, I proceeded with the chicken version of the above one pot comfort food!

Ingredients for 10 generous helpings and some more

Gobindobhog Rice - 750gm

Curry cut chicken with bones - 1.5kg 

Carrot : 2-3 chopped into chunks

Beans - a handful -roughly chopped

Potatoes- 2-3 cut into quarters if large

Green chilies - as per taste

Any other vegetables may be added: capsicum, raw papaya, cauliflower, cabbage..all chopped roughly in chunky pieces

Ginger paste - 2 tbsp - for marination of chicken
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp - for marination of chicken

Pepper powder
Whole garam masala - Cinnamon, Green Cardamom, Peppercorns (optional), Bay leaf

Finely chopped onion-1
Onion paste-1
Chopped tomato -1
Butter

Procedure :
1. Marinate the thawed and washed chicken with ginger-garlic paste, salt and pepper for about 1/2 hour.
2. In a pressure cooker, place the marinated chicken + onion paste + chopped onion+ chopped tomatoes +whole garam masala+Pepper powder+salt+green chilies+salt. Add adequate water. Cook for 2 whistles.

3. Separate the chicken stock and the boiled chicken pieces.4. In a rice cooker place the washed Gobindobhog rice with the chunky vegetables and add the chicken stock and a bit of butter/ghee and let it cook till almost done. Add the chicken pieces. Keep the cooker on for a couple of minutes more.

5. Serve the steaming hot Phish-Phash with dollops of butter.

I dont like the rice very mushy and overcooked. 
If you like it that way, after pressure cooking the chicken, add the rice and veggies into the chicken stock in the pressure cooker. If needed, add some more more water and pressure cook for 1 whistle (gobindobhog cooks very fast)...And the mushy risotto like  Phish Phash is ready to be served

Optional : A fistful of Masoor Dal (Red Lentils) may be added along with the rice to make it an even more wholesome meal. I didnt, though...

Sheem Chochchori

Fried Broad Beans ....the Bengali way

 The Sheem or Broad Beans looked so fresh and green, I of all persons, who's not in the least bit a vegetable lover,  seemed to have fallen in love with them....Cautiously, as I had never cooked it earlier, bought just a packet of it....didnt have the heart to refrigerate this fresh a vegetable and hence cooked a 'Sheem Chochchori' (Broad Beans fried in typical Bengali spices) with it.

A quick and easy recipe .... though of course the presence of mustard paste (shorshe baata) and grated coconut in the fridge helped...

Ingredients :
Broad Beans - 250gms. ..each cut it 3 parts
Dry red chili whole - 1
Kalojeera / Nigella seeds - 1/4 tsp
Haldi / Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
grated coconut - a small bowl
mustard paste - 2 tsp
coriander leaves
green chili
salt to taste
sugar - a pinch
Mustard oil

Procedure :
1. In a kadai, heat the mustard oil and season with whole dry red chili & kalojeera
2. Add the Sheem pieces  (cut in 3 parts as shown in the pic) and add Haldi, salt and sugar. Turn the vegetable and spices around in the kadhai and let it cook till partially soft yet the crunchiness should still be there.
3. Add the grated coconut followed by mustard paste. Let it cook for a couple of minutes more
4. Garnish with Coriander leaves and slit whole green chili.

To be savoured with steamed white rice

Grilled masala coated Whole Bhetki with Mashed Potato and Vegetables

A recipe I'd used a number of times and it was super simple and the end result was super delicious. The Source : Preeoccupied's Masala Salmon.

However instead of Salmon, I had used Bhetki / Basa in the past. This time I had a whole Bhetki fish, deboned, sans the head and tail. Used it as a whole instead of making small sized fillets from it. 

Ingredients:

For the Fish:

Deboned Bhetki - approx 1 kg

onion - 1

plain curd - 3/4 cup 

fresh coriander - 3/4 cup 

lemon juice -2 tablespoon 

green chilies-3-4 

ginger - 2 teaspoon (grated)

garlic - 5-6 cloves (minced)

vegetable oil

Salt-to taste

For the mashed potatoes

Potatoes - 4 medium 

Butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chili flakes

Garlic cloves

For the sauted vegetables:

I used mushrooms, babycorn, peas

Butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Procedure :

Fish :

1. Finely chop the onion and deep fry them till they turn red and crispy. Remove the onions from the oil and let it cool. Keep the oil aside.

2. In a blender, add the ginger, garlic, curd, green chilies, coriander, lemon juice, the fried onions, very little of the oil (from the onions) and salt. This blend is the marinade for your fish.

3. Apply a thick layer of this marinade on both sides of the fish. For basting, drizzle the remaining oil you used to fry the onions. 

4. Keep the fish marinated for about 1/2 hour.

5. Place the whole marinated fish on the baking tray and Grill it at around 170-180 deg C about 7-8 minutes on each side. 

Mashed Potatoes :

Boil, mash potatoes.

Fry the mashed potatoes in butter and add salt, freshly ground black pepper and chili flakes, till golden brown in colour

Remove from flame

In 2-3 tbsp of butter , fry garlic cloves till golden brown.

While serving using this butter+fried garlic as the dressing for the mashed potato

Vegetables :

Saute the vegetables in butter with a sprinkling of salt & freshly ground black pepper

Serve the grilled fish with the mashed potato drizzled with butter-fried garlic and sauted vegetables