Nothing much to write about this recipe.
Mourola mach or anchovies are my husband's favorite. I usually make churchura or mourola mach with alu, peyaj and begun. Obviously these recipes have been repeated so many times that we were bored of them.
I was searching frantically for something new yet easy. Something spicy.
Then I came across this recipe in the Bengali food magazine Hangla Hneshel.
Some little tweaks here and there...and there it was. Spicy dry stir fry. Hope hubby likes it!!
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
About 300gm mourola cleaned and gutted.
half tsp. haldi
5 green chilies chopped
1 medium and 1 small onion chopped finely
1 tsp. finely chopped ginger
1.5 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. mustard paste
1 tsp. poppy seed paste
2 tbsps. oil
Salt
Recipe:
Take a big plate (Thala). Mix everything together evenly.
Let it rest for some time.
Take a wok, grease it with oil and heat up.
Spread the mixture evenly in the wok and lower heat. Do not cover.
After few minutes, turn the mixture and let the other side cook. Continue this till the fish is cooked and oil comes up on the surface.
This should not go totally dry. The mixture should have some moisture. Serve with a sprinkle of coriander leaves.
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.
I was on to my usual blog hopping when this blog came up on my list... Let's Talk food has been a constant inspiration since then. I refuse to believe that this lady would or could ever stop cooking good food. She has a knack for coming up with the unusual and more so with Bengali recipes. Her Murgir Bhorta , Aam Kasundi Diye Dimer Jhal seem to have come out of the blue just to make me salivate.
I kept on telling my Hubby and whoever else would listen in the household about how I had come hold of an ingenious recipe and how the picture was beautiful on that blog and how talented this blogger was. Well the idea was to pester them to the limit that they would ask me to make it.
It happened. Hubby, a health freak turned foodie thanks to me (Not that I am very proud of it...I am to be blamed for all his Cholesterol and Indigestion), eventually asked me not to delay this further and what had to be done had to be done.
So, with a breast of chicken (minced chicken was not at hand), I did start off. I am sure from the look of it that it was not half as tasty as Priyadarshini's. But what do I do... as long as I do not get hold of this lady and get her to cook this for me I will have to do with this one. It wasn't that bad after all.
I substituted the chicken mince with a whole breast and just to be a bit original (well I did not have Coriander leaves anyway), I used a leaf which is called Jahaji Bor Pataa by my mom-in law. Not sure what it is called by us Ghotis, but it adds some great flavor to any dish and we add it to our Shutkis and our Loitta mach er jhuri and where ever else it fits.
I also left out the Garam masala...Hubby or mom-in-law isn't that fond of it.
Thanks Priyadarshini!! This was a total hit with Hubby. I am taking along some for Sis and Mom tomorrow. Sure they would like this as well.
Servings: 4 or if it were me and Hubby then possibly 2
Ingredients:
1 medium chicken breast
1 onion paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1.5 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp besan
Around 6 to 7 green chilis (what I sacrificed on chili powder, I made up with the fresh ones)
About 5 to 6 Jahaji Bor leaves
3 tbsp. Mustard oil
Salt
Ingredients:
Grind the chicken in a blender into a fine paste along with everything else the Besan, oil and Jahaji Bor. Keep aside for half an hour.
Now heat a Wok. Once the pan is hot, pour in the spiced chicken mixture. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Remove cover and continue cooking on low heat, until the juices dry up. Add chopped leaves and keep frying on low heat. Continue frying on low heat for another 10mins
As Priyadarshini mentioned, "If the chicken dries up a little to much, sprinkle some warm water and continue. You can do it a few times, as required. "
Add in the besan and mix well. Priyadarshini had suggested some more Mustard oil, but I had to sacrifice since Hubby isn't keeping well. Nevertheless it was yummy.
Sada Lau or Dudh sorshe die lau is a staple in West Bengal during the summer. Its called Sada lau only because we do not add turmeric to it. It is supposed to act as a coolant during the heat.
Mom, being a pure Ghoti makes it on a bit sweeter note. She often adds maida or wheat flour to it to give it a creamy look. She obviously makes it pretty well. Proof being the fact that Baba, who is a self proclaimed veggie hater, eats this without uttering a word.
Now at in-law's, sweet is almost barred in all recipes. Firstly mom-in-law is highly diabetic and next obviously because they are Bangals and which sane Bangal adds sugar in their food!!?? I, however sometimes get tired of all this saltiness and crave for some sweet Lau or Mocha or Thor.
Then suddenly one day Hubby gets bored of the usual Lau Bori and Lau Chingri. I make him Lau Peyaj Posto (That I will post another day). Now he is even bored of that.
So today I eventually take a risk, and a big one that too. I try out mom's Sada Lau. Hubby should have had it at my house by this time, but mom tries to avoid all sweet stuffs when he is around.
Anyways now I am sure this is a fool proof recipe. Hubby and even mom-in-law got bowled out. Hubby had actually had it packed in his lunch box today. He called up just to say that he loved it. Now that's called success!! Yippee for me....now I can have some sweet stuffs occasionally.
Servings: 4 to 5
Ingredients:
1 small Bottle gourd
2 tsp. green chilli paste
1 tsp. whole black mustard
2/3 whole dry red chilli
4 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. mustard paste (I mix both white and black mustard for this ...2:1 ratio)
1 tbsp. sugar (add this according to your taste but I suggest try the sweeter version once)
Salt to taste
2 tsps. oil
Recipe:
Shred the bottle gourd (keep the peel for other recipes). Heat oil in a pan. Add the red chilli. Once it darkens, add the mustard seeds and wait them to splutter. Now add the shredded bottle gourd and salt and cover the pan.
The bottle gourd will release loads of moisture which in turn will also cook it. Once all the water dries out, add the green chilli paste and sugar (I added 2 Sugarfree pellets). Cook it for some more time.
Now mix the mustard paste with milk and add this to the dish. Cook it for another minute maybe or till the milk dries off partially.
This is ready now. However, try to have it once it comes to room temperature.
Tips:
1. You can add the mustard paste separately and then mix some maida with the milk and add it.
2. Add grated coconut to the dish if you want it a bit more yummy.
