Saturday 14 November 2015

Bags made by my Mom

বিশ্বায়ন পণ্যয়ানের কল্যাণে সব জিনিস যত হাতের মুঠোতে চলে আসছে, আপন জনের ছোঁয়া লাগা ধনগুলো ততই যেন নাগালের বাইরে চলে যাচ্ছে .............বন্ধুরা, এই Bag গুলো আমার মার নিজের হাতে তৈরী ......


















Tuesday 15 September 2015

Mourola Macher Tok (sweet n sour Mourola fish curry)



আজ সকালে গিন্নীর কিছুই আর ভালো লাগছে না, সবই মনে হচ্ছে পুরনো, সব বাসি. ...."এমন কী আছে যেটা কোনো দিন খাইনি ? অনেক দিন করিনি ? বা কখনই করিনি ? বা কেউ কখনো করেনি ?" মন উতাল পাতাল করা অনেক ভাবনা চিন্তা করে টরে , গিন্নী শেষ মেশ স্বপ্ন আর সাধের ভিতর একটা রফা করেন "মৌরলা টক" দিয়ে ...এটাও পুরোনোই বটে তবু রোজ রোজ তো হয় না....মৌরলা টক খেয়ে, খাইয়ে গিন্নীর আর বার ফের ভালো লাগে পৃথিবীর কোনটি ....'everything old is back as new again' 



Mourola Macher Tok (Sweet n sour Mourola fish curry)


Ingredients:
Mourola fish (Mola carplet / Anchovy fish)
One Sweet potato (optional) : make small cut
Mustard oil : quantity as required
Kalunji seeds (kalo jire)
Dried red chilli (shukno lonka)
Turmeric powder: 1 tea spoon
Red chilli powder: Half tea spoon
Tamarind : Soak the tamarind pods  in hot water. When they become soft, crush and extract the pulp (may use sieve if you want a smoother paste)  
Sugar and salt per taste
 
Process:
Fry the Mourola fish well. Heat the mustard oil in a Kadai. Then add kalunji seeds (kalo jire) and dried red chilli (shukno lonka) in oil. Next add the Sweet potato and stir for some time.
Add some water, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pinch of salt & sugar and cover the Kadai. Once the potato pieces become soft add the fried fish. Then add the tamarind water.
Bring it to boil and adjust salt & sugar per your taste.
Your dish is ready !!!  Serve cold with hot rice. ….. happy eating J

Saturday 9 May 2015

Kosha Machh

Few months back I learned to cook this Kosha machh without any water (fish curry) from my Mashi (Mom's sister).

Ingredients:
Katla Machh : 4 to 6 big pieces (preferably gada’r piece)
Mustard oil as per requirement
4 to 5 Onions : thinly sliced
5 medium sized Tomatoes: thinly sliced
10 to 12 cloves of Garlic : crushed
2” long Ginger : in paste form
6 Green Chillies
Turmeric powder
Salt & Sugar to taste
Coriander Leaves (optional)

Process:
Sprinkle turmeric powder and salt over the fish slices. Spread the spices evenly over the pieces by hand. Marinate for at least 15 minutes. Now heat mustard oil in a Kadai and fry the fish pieces one or two at a time. Fry till both side become golden brown.
Next heat mustard oil in a Kadai and when the oil becomes hot add the thinly sliced onions. Fry till they become golden brown. Add garlic and ginger. Stir some more. Add thinly sliced tomatoes, turmeric powder, Salt & Sugar per taste. Keep stirring. Finally add the splitted green chillies. Add little oil if required but no water.  Then carefully place the fried fish pieces into the Kadai. Adjust sugar/salt according to your taste. Then cover the Kadai and simmer for few minutes.
After 5 minutes or so remove the cover and turn the other side of the fish pieces. Then cover again and leave for another 5 minutes.  Once done garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain Rice.



Saturday 11 April 2015

Luchi and Alu-r chorchori : my breakfast in heaven

One morning I shall be sitting in a chair in the garden of paradise. Sun light mixed with morning mist will spread a golden haze all over the place. An angel will arrive and ask me what I would like to eat. My answer will be....... “Luchi and alu-r chorchori”. Straightaway a plateful of cream colored Luchi and potato bhaji will appear in front of me from nowhere. My spectacle glasses will become hazy from the steam coming out from it. Since I am yet to receive an invitation from the life after I decided to build my heaven right where I am in.  So on coming Bengali new year I will pamper myself and my folks at home with my this breakfast of paradise. You are also more than welcome. 


Luchi :
Ingredients:
Refined flour
Vegetable white oil
Water
Pinch of salt

Process:
Knead white flour with little oil, water and pinch of salt. Better if you use warm water. Better if you have some time and cover the dough with a wet cloth.
Then make small balls. Dip each ball a little in the oil and roll thinly on a plate. Deep fry.

Alu-r Chorchori or Alu Bhaji:
Ingredients:
4 to 5 Chillies : slit vertically
4 potatoes : cut in thin square pieces
1 Tomato : chopped
Salt and sugar to taste
Vegetable white oil
Process:
Stir fry chillies, potatoes for 5 minutes. Then add tomatoes. Stir some more till it becomes mushy. Add salt and sugar to taste. Add little water and cover. Cook till to potatoes become tender.

Sunday 29 March 2015

Dishes which you won't get in finest restaurants: #2 Beet bata

I was inviting my Mom-in-law to our house last week. The conversation went something
like below:
Me: "Hello Ma, try to come as early as possible. Then we will have plenty of time to chat."
Mom in law : "Yes I will try dear, but you know your dad....and don't cook too many thing."
Me: "Please don't worry, Mom....I will manage. By the way, do you like beet ?"
Mom in law : "What ?"
Me: "Beet Ma, beet ?"
Mom in law :  "What ? beef ? no no, I don't eat beef." 
(Mom probably thinking: "What has become of our Hindu daughter's these days, openly asking me if I take beef!!")
Me : "Beef!! oops, no no Ma you did not hear me properly I'm asking about beet , beet root not beef.
Mom in law (with a sigh of relief) :  "Oh beet , yes yes of course I eat beet, dear. "
So I made beet bata...

Ingredients:
2 to 3 Beet roots: shredded  
2 Onions : thinly sliced
6 Garlic cloves : in paste form
2 to 3 green chillies : cut horizontally
Sugar and salt to taste
White vegetable oil

Process:
Add one table spoon oil in kadai and stir fry the sliced Onions till they become golden brown. Then add the shredded beet roots and fry some more. Add garlic paste & green chillies keep stirring.
Add Sugar and salt per taste. This preparation is a bit dry and goes well with warm plain rice.

Friday 20 March 2015

Dishes which you won't get in finest restaurants: #1 Sheem with dhone & tetul

Humans are strange. We wish to dine in five star hotels with fine people but deep inside the we know the satisfaction which a simple warm home-made meal with loved ones can give is incomparable.  We have the desire for everything we don’t have. But may be the things we don’t have are which we don’t need at all !! May be life is not as complex and tough as we think. .....may be we need to go a little bit slow and enjoy every moment & every bit of it....may be...

Now Sheem with dhone & tetul is a perfect tangy dish to elevate any mood and I'm sure you will not get this dish in city’s finest hotels.   


Ingredients:
5 to 6 Sheem / flat Beans : Cut into small square pieces
2 table spoon Tamarind paste  
1 bunch of dhone-pata / coriander leaves
2 to 3 green chillies
Sugar and salt to taste
White vegetable oil

Process:
Soak the Tamarind pods in mild hot water. When they become soft, separate the pulp using a sieve. Make paste of coriander leaves using a blender. Add 2 tea spoon oil in kadai and stir fry the sheem pieces. Add some green chillies.
Next add the coriander & tamarind paste. Add sugar and salt per your taste.  Add little water if required and cover the kadai. Cook till sheem pieces become tender.
This should not be very dry or very watery. This preparation goes well with warm plain rice.  


Thursday 1 January 2015

Traditional Sponge Cake

Just went with the tradition and baked a humble Sponge Cake for the ‘jingle bell’ season. My kiddo has decorated a Christmas tree. Duo made a joyful impression.



Ingredients:
2 cups white flour (maida)
4 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoon baking powder
1&1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
6-8 drops of vannila essence

Process :Grind the sugar into powder. Whip the milk, eggs and vanilla in a mixer. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and oil in a bowl.
Add the eggs mixture. Swirl the mixture well to reach a smooth batter with no lump.  Pre heat the Microwave at 180 degC. Pour mixture into an oven proof bowl greased with a little butter. Then Bake at 150-190 degrees for 20 minutes. Then put the oven in Microwave mode and cook for 3 minutes. Your Cake is ready. Then to make the upper crust a little more brown I again put it in convection mode and bake for 5 more minutes.
I usually keep the plain cakes plain as my family is not fond of dry fruits.
Actually this basic vanilla cake is the perfect beginning different kind of other Cakes. One can add Choco Chips, coffee powder or dry fruits with this cake batter. Or one may decorate the cake with fancy icing.