Lau er khosa bataa

Now this one is pure Bangal!! The first on my blog from the other side of the Ganges.

We Ghotis have had the luxury of staying on our own lands, our own villages or towns, in our own houses. We have had the good fortune of never having to let go of our roots or our near ones.

My in-laws on the other hand, like several other Bangladeshis, were forced to travel to Kolkata in the 70's and 80's, leaving behind ancestral home in Chittagong along with all what was dear to them. From being one of the richest in the village to becoming immigrants must not have been a happy journey.

As my mom-in-law says, they had to be immensely innovative in their cooking, having to do with whatever they had at home and making sure they wasted nothing. So nothing went into the garbage...vegetable peels, seeds, fruit peels and fish bones...everything were used up. The surprise laid in how they actually came up with delicious dishes with all kind of  trash and leftovers.

This one is one of that kind. I fell in love with all kind of Bataas (Pastes) when I came to this house ... bottle Gourd peels, Green Banana peels, Parwal peels, Kochu Saak Bataa, Chingri Bataa...and the list is unending. Bottle Gourd Peel is my current Favorite. Previously I used to finely chop it up and fry it with kalo jeera and onions. That remains a favorite too, this is just a rendition.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Peel from a small Bottle Gourd.
8-10 cloves of Garlic (I love my Garlic...decrease amount if you want to)
5-6  Green Chili (Ditto on this one)
1/4 tsp Kalo Jeera (Black Cumin)
1 tbsp. oil
Salt

Recipe:

Put the peel into the pressure cooker with little water and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook through 2 whistles.

Once this cools down, make a paste of the peels along with black cumin, garlic and chili. I would prefer Sil Nora (Grindstone), but when time does not permit I depend on my loyal Mixer Grinder. Somehow although I never get the same taste...might be a psychological issue :D

Heat the oil in the wok. Add the paste and keep stirring at medium to low heat. This will take some time and finally your paste will dry up into a ball and the color with change from green to Brownish.

And there you have it. Enjoy with your rice.