What’s a Bengali lunch without some fish and torkari? Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta of Kewpie’s gives you both
Cheere Diye Rui Jhal
INGREDIENTS
Rui maachh 1kg, cut into thick steaks, or fish of choice
Thick and broken flattened rice or cheere 250g, washed and dried out on a plate
Mustard oil or oil of choice 4tbsp
Ghee 3tbsp
Turmeric powder 3tsp
Chilli powder 1tsp
Yogurt or curd 250ml well-beaten
Ginger 50g, made into a paste with water
Medium onions 2, made into a paste
Medium onions 2, sliced
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Slit green chillies 4 to 5
Garam masala powder 1tsp or paste (optional)
Water 1½ cups
Finely chopped coriander leaves 2tbsp (optional)
METHOD
Rub the fish pieces with turmeric and salt. Do the same with the cheere.
Heat 2tbsp oil and 1tbsp ghee in a karai. When hot, fry the fish in batches for about one minute on each side, remove and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the karai and fry the flattened rice until lightly brown, remove and set aside.
Add the remaining ghee to the pan, stir-fry sliced onions until brown, stir in the onion and ginger paste, add the remaining turmeric and chilli powder.
Stir-fry until the oil rises to the surface. Slowly add the curd, 1tbsp at a time, over a medium flame. Add salt and sugar to taste along with water, mix well and bring to a boil.
Stir in green chillies with the fish and cheere.
Cover and cook for six to 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked, with a little gravy remaining. Check seasoning.
Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves (optional).
Serve hot with rice or luchi.
Sabjir Mughlai Korma
INGREDIENTS
Medium potatoes 2, cut into 1-inch cubes
Medium carrots 2, cut into 1-inch cubes
Small cauliflower 1, cut into small florets
French beans 100g, cut into 1-inch pieces
Shelled peas 150g
Turmeric powder ¼tsp
Yogurt or curd ¾cup
Salt 1tsp or to taste
Sugar 1tsp or to taste
Bay leaves 3
Cashew nuts 4-5, chopped into small pieces
Medium tomatoes 2, finely chopped
Medium onions 2, finely chopped
Ghee/oil 4tbsp
Slit green chillies 4
Water 1 cup
Cream 2tbsp
Tomato puree 2-3tbsp
Grind the following into a fine paste:
Water ¼ cup
Grated coconut 5tbsp
Cashew nuts 5, broken into pieces
Poppy seeds or posto 2tsp
Aniseed 1tsp
Green cardamom 4
Cinnamon 1-inch piece
Cloves 4
Cumin seeds ½tsp
Dry red chilli 4
Chopped mint leaves 1tbsp
Ginger 1-inch piece
Cloves of garlic 4
Other ingredient
Finely chopped coriander 3tbsp
METHOD
Heat ghee/oil in a karai, add the bay leaves and chopped cashew nuts and fry until the nuts turn golden.
Add slit green chillies and onions, fry till the onions turn lightly brown.
Add tomatoes and stir-fry till they are soft and mushy.
Add the ground paste and stir-fry till the oil/ghee rises to the surface after about 4-5 minutes.
Add the vegetables and half the chopped coriander leaves.
Add the tomato puree and mix well.
Whip the yogurt and add to the pan, mix well, stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the remaining water, sugar and salt, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover, cook until the vegetables are tender, and the gravy has thickened.
Stir in the cream and remove from fire.
Check seasoning, garnish with remaining coriander leaves and serve hot with pulao, rice, luchi or kochuri.
Holi is gone but not the season for thandai. Joymalya Banerjee of Bohemian shows how to make your mutton raan cooler this summer
Thandai-Inspired Leg of Mutton
INGREDIENTS
Whole leg of mutton 1k 200g
For first marination
Ginger paste 50g
Garlic paste 50g
Green chilli paste 40g
Fennel powder 25g
Lime juice 30ml
Salt to taste
Raw papaya paste 25g
For main marination
Milk 1litre
Khowa kheer 200g
Fennel powder 30g
Black pepper powder 15g
Cardamom powder 10g
Coriander powder 30g
Charmagaz paste 25g
Salt and sugar to taste
Green chilli paste 30g
Almond paste 40g
Rose petal powder 5g
Strands of saffron
Whole spices
Green cardamom 4 to 5
Fennel seed 10g
Half-crushed peppercorn 5g
Half-crushed coriander seeds 5g
Rose water 10ml
Refined oil 75ml
METHOD
Mix all the ingredients of the first marinade and then coat the mutton leg with it. Keep the marinated raan in the fridge for six hours.
Next, bring the raan out of the fridge, scrape off the masala of the first marinade.
Coat the mutton leg with the second marinade and again refrigerate it for six hours.
Next, take the leg out, scrape off the masala.
In a large frying pan, heat some refined oil to shallow-fry the raan in high heat so that the upper crust of the meat is sealed.
Next, add a little water to the remaining portion of the second marinade and pour it over the leg piece.
Place the raan on a roasting tray.
Pre-heat the oven at 150 degrees centigrade.
Cover the tray with a foil and then cook the leg for 4 to 5 hours.
Once done, serve with Indian bread or flavoured rice.
This dish is not available on the Bohemian menu but is available on advance order.
Urvika Kanoi of The Food Studio cooks up a fishy starter to go with your Nava Varsha adda
Gondhoraj & Gin battered fish
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour 1 cup
Cornflour ½ cup
Paprika powder 2tbsp
Gondhoraj lime zest 1tbsp
Chopped parsley 1tbsp
Garlic powder 1tbsp
Egg 1 (beaten)
Chilled water ½ cup
Gin 2tbsp
Vegetable oil 1tsp
Bekti (boneless) 500g, cut into strips
METHOD
Mix flour, cornflour, salt, pepper, paprika, lime zest and garlic powder in a bowl.
Add the gin and 1tsp oil to this batter mix.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Once the oil is hot, pour chilled water to the batter mix, stir it properly to get a paste-like consistency.
Quickly coat the fish with this batter and deep-fry in the heated oil.
Serve hot with Gondhoraj mayo.
Suggestion: If Gondhoraj mayo is not available, mix some mayo with Gondhoraj zest and serve. You can also make a citrusy mayo by adding juice of half an orange to 1 cup of regular mayo.
