mughlai paratha (moglai porota)

Unlike it's name this paratha does not have anything to do with the Mughal Era or it's cuisine.Now why the name Mughlai?Well,there is no sufficient explanation for this.Or maybe there is and i am still not known to it.But what i know is if this paratha time traveled to the mughal era.Then it would be sure to please all the royal taste buds.Mughlai paratha or as known in kolkata as "moglai porota" is a famous street food of Kolkata.Mughlai paratha is nothing but a stuffed and deep fried Indian flatbread.It is usually stuffed with eggs or minced meet(keema).But all the vegetarians reading this-don't be sad.You can always substitute the eggs and the meat with potatoes and cottage cheese(paneer).This paratha is served with a simple and spicy potato curry.The paratha is flaky,crispy and delicious.It is a wholesome meal in itself and can be had any time of the day.

For the potato curry

Ingredients serves-for 2-3 paratha's

• 1 medium large and 2 medium sized potato (with skin on) cut into cubes 
• 1/2 of 1 large onion chopped
• 4 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon bark
• 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder
• 1/4th-1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• few grains of sugar
• salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp of oil

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadhai.Once hot add in the cloves,cardamom,cinnamon bark and cumin seeds.
   
2. Once they release it's aroma add in the chopped onions.
   
3. Once the onion starts sweating add in all the spices (red chilly powder,cumin powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder).Cook till oil separates.
   
4. Toss in the potatoes.When eating any potato curry outside i have noticed that the potatoes are cooked with their skin on.I had always thought that it was shear laziness.Hence today even i thought of keeping the skin on.And as a result the curry was even more flavorsome.Thus,i would suggest to keep the skin of the potatoes intact.Don't forget to was it thoroughly.Cook for a minute.
   
5. Add in the sugar.It is not compulsory but few grains of sugar enhances the taste.Add sufficient water to cook the potatoes and salt to taste.Cook till the potato gets cooked and the liquid dries out.The curry should be dry.Your finger licking potato curry is ready to compliment the Mughlai Paratha.
   

For making the Paratha
Ingredients serves-2 paratha's

• 2 cups all purpose flour/maida
• 2 tbsp of oil
• salt to taste
• water to knead the dough
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of finely chopped onion,tomato,green chilly,coriander
• Oil for frying

Method

1. Take a large bowl.Add in the all purpose flour,salt and oil.Mix well.
   
2. Add in water little at a time to knead it into a soft dough.Rest it for atleast 20-30 minutes.
   
3. After the resting period take a generous portion of the dough and roll it into a ball keeping it between you palms.Grease the countertop and the rolling pin  with a bit of oil.Roll the dough into a form of rectangle.Once you have rolled the dough half way start stretching the dough with your hands.It should be thin so that once the paratha is fried it comes out super crispy.And remember one thing that the paratha swells up when fried in hot oil.Hence rolling it thin is important.And moreover if it's not thin enough the dough might remain raw from inside.
   
4. Crack a egg into a bowl.Add in handful of the chopped onions,chilies,coriander and tomato.Add salt to taste.whisk it properly.
   
5. Meanwhile,heat sufficient oil in a pan.
6. Spread the egg mixture In the center of the rolled dough.Fold the rolled dough into a form of an envelope covering the egg mixture.Make sure the mixture does not overflow out of the envelope.
   
   
7. Once the oil is hot drop the paratha carefully.Cook till golden brown.
   
8. Your mughlai paratha is ready.Serve it with the potato curry and pickled salad.Pluck a portion of the hot paratha,mix it with some  curry and Eat it up! :)
   

Spicy Fish Curry (macher kalia)

Through centuries bongs have been famous for their love for fish.Well,this statement is true but there are always exceptions to everything.i am one of such exception.My love for fish is....let's just say it's selective.One of the big turn offs while eating a fish is struggling to take out those minuscule bones out of a fish.It's so tedious and a single bone stuck in your throat can choke you to death.Can't take that risk. But for this fish curry i chose Rohu fillets which has few easily traceable bones and makes the task of hunting bones a lot easier.This curry,known as "macher kalia",is spicy,rich and packed with flavours.This is not a curry to be eaten with roti or paratha.A plate of piping hot rice is the best way to compliment this curry.Seeing the long list of ingredients you might want to find reasons to skip making it.But prepping few things a day before can really make your life a lot easier (like-making the puree and the onion,raisin paste.I like making fresh ginger,garlic and green chilly paste).Once you are at a sync with all the ingredients making this dish becomes really easy.And once you make it trust me you'll never have a boring fish stew on your plate again.

Ingredients serves-5 people

• 5 pieces of Rohu fish fried with little turmeric powder and salt(i did not shallow fry or  deep fry the fish.But i used considerate amount of oil to fry the fish)
• 1 medium large potato cut into chunks and lightly fried
• 1/2 of 1 large onion sliced
• 2 1/2 tbsp of fried onion and raisin paste (fry 1 large onion and 10 pieces of raisins till it caramelizes and turns golden brown.Put them into a grinder and grind it with little water till it forms into a smooth paste.Add the raisins according to the amount of sweetness you prefer)
• 2 tbsp of tomato puree
• 1 tsp of ginger,garlic and green chilly paste (i used an inch of ginger,4 pods of garlic and 1 green chilly.You may change the ratio according to your taste)
• 1-2 tbsp of curd (depends on the tartness of the tomatoes)
• 1-2 tbsp of red chilly powder (That extra tbsp of red chilly powder gives a kick to this curry.I like it that way)
• 1/2 tsp of coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
• 1/4th-1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 3 pods of green cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 whole red chilly
• 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
• 3-4 tbsp of mustard oil/vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of ghee/clarified butter
• pinch of garam masala
• slits of green chilies (optional)
• Sugar (optional)
• salt to taste

Method

1. Heat mustard oil in a kadhai.Mustard oil has a really pungent smell.The oil needs to be really hot so that the pungency of the oil disappears.Heat the oil on high flame and once smoke starts coming out the oil lower the flame and add in the whole spices (bay leaves,cardamom pods,cloves,red chilly,cinnamon,cumin seeds).Cook till the spices releases it's aroma.
   
2. Add sliced onions and cook till it is translucent.
   
3. Add in the ginger,garlic and green chilly paste and the fried onion and raisin paste.Cook till the oil separates.
   
4. Add in the tomato puree and all the masalas (turmeric,red chilly,coriander and cumin powder).Cook till the spices and the tomatoes leaves it's raw taste.
   
   
5. Take the kadhai off the heat and add in the yogurt.While adding the yogurt i always take it off the flame that does not allow the yogurt to get curdled.Mix it well and put it back on the heat.Cook it for few minutes.
   
6. Once the oil starts separating toss in the potatoes and mix well.At this stage you can add the green chilly slits and tiny bit of sugar.We Bengali tend to use sugar in almost everything.And i really love this idea.As in baking desserts we believe that a touch of salt enhances the taste.Similarly,in savory dishes the touch of sugar enhances the flavors.I have written optional in case of adding green chilies and sugar because some people does not like their food  to be that spicy.And some don't like to have trails of sweetness into the dish.But i would recommend a tiny sprinkle of sugar just to elevate the taste.
   
7. Add in the water and salt as per taste.Now don't add a lot of water and turn your kadhai into a swimming pool.Remember we had lightly fried the potatoes.Hence they are already partially cooked.The fish that is fried are also cooked.Once the water reduces a bit add in the ghee and garam masala.Usually this is done at the end.But i don't like to mess around once i have added the fish by stirring and breaking the soft and succulent fish pieces.Toss in the fish and give a gentle stir.Cover the kadhai.Let the curry cook till it gets thick and it penetrates into the fish making it moist.
   
8. Once the curry attains the said consistency switch off the flame and garnish it with a sprinkle of chopped coriander and serve(note that once the curry cools down it tends to dry up further.So you would like to keep sufficient amount of liquid left in the curry for the fishes to soak it).This curry is supposed to be dry but if you are not used to eat your rice with a dry curry you can leave it a bit more liquidy.Your Spicy Fish curry is ready.Serve this curry with a generous portion of rice and Eat it up! :)
   

Kosha Mangsho (spicy mutton/goat curry)

Bengali version of the spicy goat curry or as we call it "kosha mangsho" is another variant in the diverse Bengali cuisine.Apart from aur mishti doi and beloved mach we even love our meat,too.This goat curry is thick,rich of flavors and perfect justice to the goat meat.During the olden days the ladies used to cook their meant on their hand made earthen oven under slow cooked fire.Which gave the meat it's tenderness.It also gave enough time for the spices to bind with each other perfectly.But now gone are the days of slow cooking and earthen ovens.With drastic changes in our lifestyle we hardly have time to spend in the kitchen slaving for our to cook our currys.We opt or super-fast solutions without compromising the tastes.Hence this goat curry is an answer to those who avoid long hours into the kitchen and to those who don't mind trying something new.

Ingredients Serves-2 people

For the marination

• 250 grams Goat meat (with bones)-250 grams
• 3-4 tbsp Yogurt-3-4 tbsp
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
• 1/4th tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp of red chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 3 green chilly's cut into slits (seeds removed)
• 3 tbsp of mustard oil

For the gravy

• 2 tbsp of mustard oil
• 5-6 tsp of onion paste
• 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 4 cloves
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole dry red chilly
• pinch of garam masala powder
• 2 large potatoes cut into halves(not given in the picture)
• 1/4th tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of ghee or clarified butter
• salt to taste

Method

1. Marinate the meat with the above said ingredients for at least 3 hours.It helps the meat to become tender and the spices to penetrate into the meat.
   
   
   
   
2. Take a cooker add in the mustard oil.Mustard oil has a very pungent smell.So in order to remove this smell the oil while heating should be hot.Once you see that there are no bubbles forming on the oil and smoke comes out it's ready for further use.Add in the whole dry red chilly,bay leaf,cloves,cardamom and sugar.
   
3. Saute it for a while and add in the onion paste.Sugar is added to caramelize the onions and to add a tiny amount of sweetness to balance the flavors.
   
4. Once the onions caramelize add in the ginger garlic paste.Saute till the rawness goes away.Add in the chopped tomatoes.Cook till the tomatoes turn soft.
   
5. Add in the marinated meat pieces into the cooker (while marinating the water separates.while adding the marinated pieces don't add the liquid from the marination right away.)
   
6. Drop in the potatoes as well.Cook till oil separates.
   
7. Once the oil separates add in water and the liquid left from the marination to cook the meat and potatoes.
   
8. Add salt and close the cooker.
9. Cook till 6-7 whistles.Once the pressure of the cooker goes away add in the garam masala and ghee.Stir thoroughly.Your spicy goat curry is ready.Serve it with luchi's (puri's),paratha's or simply with rice(the way i like it) and Eat it up! :)
   
   
   
   

Chocolate sandesh

Take a Bong out of Bengal but you can never take Bengal out of a Bong.A mad Bangali is always crazy for biriyani and mishti (sweets).Sandesh or as we typically call it in our Bong accent 'sondesh' has a very special place in our hearts.Being a bengali myself i cannot vouch much for the fact that a bangali goes gaga for sweets but i can definitely testify my love and loyalty for sandesh.It's not loaded with extra sugar and it's not heavy on your palate,too.It's rather very light like a puff of cloud and it melts in your mouth.In kolkata you do get a huge variety of sandesh starting from a plain one to the one which has little sugar syrups filled in the middle of the sandesh which we call "jol bhora" (jol-water bhora-filled).Chocolate sandesh is yet another delicacy which people buy on special occasions.Now who wouldn't like the cult combination of sandesh and chocolate?

Ingredients serves- 16 pieces

• 1 liter pure cows milk
• 1 tsp of cocoa powder
• 1-2 drops of vanilla essence
• Powdered sugar as needed
• Lemon or curd for curdling the milk
• Sandesh molds (optional)

Method

1. Heat up 1 liter of cows milk on medium flame.Once the milk comes to a boil switch of the gas.
   
2. Let it cool down a bit for at least 5 minutes.Then add the lemon juice or the curd.If you add only lemon juice mix it with equal quantities of water and pour it in the milk little by little.Stir gently while doing so,Once the milk curdles and the whey separates stop pouring anymore lemon juice.If you add curd then it's better to use the thin water that we get from the curd.Here the basic concept of diluting the lemon juice or using the curd water instead of the thick curd is that as i said sandesh is supposed to be soft and light.While making the chenna we don't want anything harsh to curdle the milk.Hence we dilute the curdling agents.A lot of people use vinegar or citric acid,too.But i am yet to use these so can't comment on that.
3. Once the milk curdles pour some ice cubes so that the cooking process stops.Take a muslin cloth and strain the whey out of the chenna(remove the ice cubes,too).You can keep the whey for future use like making dough for roti.At times when you use lemon juice the chenna soaks in the scent or flavor of lemon.Thus once you drain the whey out wash the chenna a bit so that any smell of lemon disappears.
   
4. Squeeze all the excess water out of the chenna properly.
5. Once all the liquid is drained take the chenna on a clean counter and start kneading the chenna with the tip of the palm .This is done so that the chenna becomes super soft and smooth.
   
6. After a minute or so add in the sugar,coco powder,vanilla essence and start kneading it on the counter again.Do this for at-least 6-7 minutes.You will know it's done when you can form a smooth ball without any hindrance.
   
   
   
   
7. Once the chenna becomes soft  we need to cook it so that the rawness of the chenna or cottage cheese goes away.Hence put it on a non-stick pan on a very low flame and cook it for few minutes.like around 3-4 minutes.Don't over cook it.Else the softness of the chenna might get disturbed and it'll appear grainy.
   
8. Once cooked remove it from the heat and let it cool down for a while till its easy to handle.While it's still warn knead it for another minute or so and shape it as you like and your yummy chocolate sandesh is ready.Before you serve to others pamper yourself with one of these and Eat it up! :)