‘Aiburobhat’ done right with six lip-smacking recipes

The wedding season also means plenty of aiburobhat functions. Be it your bestie or sibling, planning a spread of delectables to celebrate the last few days of bachelorhood is an important event. So, here’s a helping hand with a few recipes to make your last meal as a bachelor a tasty one.

Kachoris with shrimp and paneer filling

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Small, crispy kachoris with kucho chingri and paneer filling to start the aiburobhaat foodventure.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp paste: 1 small cup
• Grated paneer: 1 small cup
• Finely chopped onions: 2 large
• Finely chopped green chillies: 3-4
• Finely chopped coriander leaves: 4 tablespoons
• Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Cumin powder: 2 teaspoons
• Maida: 300gm
• Sugar: 1 and ½ tablespoons
• Ghee: 3 tablespoons
• Ajwain: 1 teaspoon
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

Recipe:

• Mix ghee and maida and rub gently with fingers until flaky. Now add warm water, ajwain and a pinch of salt and knead into a soft dough. Wrap with damp cloth, cover and keep aside for minimum 15-20 minutes
• In a mixing bowl, take the shrimp paste, grated paneer, chopped vegetables, lemon juice and the remaining spices. Mix well and check seasoning
• Take medium-sized balls of maida dough. Roll into semi-thick rotis
• Add enough filling at the centre of each roti
• Pull the corners, bring them towards the centre. Give a twist accumulating all sides as is done while making mini kachoris
• Heat oil in a kadhai to deep fry the kachoris on low flame until light brown

Tip:

• The shrimps should be deveined, cleaned and peeled before pasting

Notun alu’r dum

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A classic Bengali winter dish that goes well with rice, roti, kachori, muri and what not.

Ingredients:

• Baby potatoes: 300gm
• Green peas: 1 medium cup
• Ginger and green chilli paste: 2 tablespoons
• Diced tomatoes: 1 large and 1 medium
• Slit green chillies: 2-3
• Hing: 1 teaspoon
• Dry whole red chillies: 2
• Bay leaf: 1 large
• Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Whole garam masala: 1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon for gravy, 1 teaspoon for potato fry
• Kashmiri red chilli powder: 2 teaspoons
• Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Garam masala powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt
• Sugar
• Mustard oil

Recipe:

• Wash the baby potatoes well. Pressure cook them for two to three whistles
• Strain water, coat the potatoes in salt and turmeric powder and deep fry on low to medium flame until golden brown. Strain the excess oil and keep aside
• In a kadhai, add mustard oil and heat. Add bay leaf, dry red chillies and temper the spices
• Now add bay leaf, whole red chillies, whole garam masala spices and saute well
• Add hing (asafoetida) and saute some more
• Now add ginger and green chilli paste and cook for 2-3 minutes
• Add the dry spices one by one (expect garam masala powder), mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes, and then for another 2-3 minutes with a dash of water
• Add the tomatoes and slit green chillies, and the potatoes. Mix well with the spices and cover and cook for 4-5 minutes
• Add desired quantity of water, salt and sugar, and the peas. Cover and cook until the gravy is thick enough and the potatoes are all ready
• Sprinkle some garam masala powder and it’s ready

Meatball pulao

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A quick pulao recipe with spicy meatballs — it’s as mouth watering as it sounds!

Ingredients:

For meatballs —

• Mutton keema: 200gm
• Onion, ginger, garlic paste: 2 tablespoons
• Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
• Egg: 1
• Salt
• Maida
• Vegetable oil

For pulao —

• Basmati rice: 1 cup
• Chopped dry fruits: ½ cup
• Bay leaf: 1 large
• Whole garam masala: 1 teaspoon
• Sugar: 1 small cup
• Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
• Kesar (Saffron): 1 teaspoon
• Grated khoya kheer: ½ cup
• Salt
• Ghee
• Vegetable oil

Recipe:

For meatballs —

• Mix the mutton keema with all the ingredients except oil and keep in the refrigerator for minimum 15-20 minutes
• Make medium-sized balls and deep fry until golden brown
• Strain excess oil and keep aside

For the pulao —

• Wash the basmati rice and air dry
• Cook the rice until it is 90% ready. Strain water and leave on a broad surface to air dry
• Meanwhile, heat ghee and vegetable oil (50:50) in a kadhai
• Add bay leaf and whole garam masala and saute well
• Now add the dry fruits and saute for 1-2 minutes
• Add the rice and turmeric powder and give a light-handed mix
• Add sugar, salt and khoya kheer, and mix gently. Cover and cook on low flame for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Uncover, check seasoning. Once the rice is ready and tastes to your preference, add the meatballs and stir gently. Cook for 4-5 minutes on low flame

Add kesar, turn off the heat and this offbeat pulao recipe is ready

Parsi mutton cutlets

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A taste that won’t let you stop at just one…

Ingredients:

• Mutton keema: 500gm
• Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
• Finely chopped onion: 1 large
• Finely chopped coriander leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Finely chopped green chillies: 2-3
• Finely chopped mint leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
• Cinnamon powder: ½ teaspoon
• Boiled, mashed potatoes: 2
• Breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil

Recipe:

• Drain any excess water from the keema
• Mix all the ingredients together, expect oil and breadcrumbs
• Pour the breadcrumbs on a plate and mix with a pinch of salt
• Make cutlets out of the mutton keema and coat in breadcrumbs
• Shallow fry on low flame until both sides are golden brown

Doi katla

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Simple to make, this fish recipe can be done with katla, pona, chingri, koi, ilish — practically almost any maachh.

Ingredients:

• Thick katla pieces: 8
• Boiled onion paste: 1 large onion
• Hung curd beaten well: ½ of a small cup
• Bay leaf: 1
• Whole cumin: 1 teaspoon
• Whole garam masala: 1 teaspoon
• Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Grated khoya kheer: 2 tablespoons
• Raisins: 2 tablespoons
• Cashews: 2 tablespoons
• Garam masala powder: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
• Ghee: 3 tablespoons
• Mustard oil
• Vegetable oil

Recipe:

• Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Shallow fry them in mustard oil and set aside
• In a kadhai, add ghee and vegetable oil. Add bay leaf, whole garam masala and whole cumin seeds and temper well
• Now add the onion paste and cook for 3-4 minutes
• Add the red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and hung curd. Mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes on low flame
• Add salt, sugar, and the khoya kheer. Cook for 3-4 minutes before adding required amount of warm water
• Cover and let the gravy simmer into desired consistency
• Now add the fish pieces and the dry fruits, and cook with the lid on for 4-5 minutes
• Check seasoning, add garam masala powder and some ghee and turn off the flame

Rajasthani Laal Maas

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A traditional Rajasthani mutton curry full of spice, aroma and deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• Mutton: 1kg
• Whole red chilli paste of 7-8 chillies
• Mathania chilli paste of 8-10 chillies
• Ginger and garlic paste: 2 tablespoons
• Finely sliced onions: 2 large
• Hung curd, beaten: 150gm
• Whole garam masala: 1 teaspoon
• Black peppercorns: 1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
• Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt
• Mustard oil
• Ghee

Recipe:

• Soak mathania chillies in warm water for 5-10 minutes and make a fine paste
• Soak the dry chillies in warm water for the same amount of time and make a smooth paste
• Marinate button with salt, 3-4 tablespoons of curd and ginger-garlic paste and leave aside for minimum one hour and preferably overnight
• In a kadhai, add mustard oil and ghee (50:50) and heat
• Now add the whole garam masala spices and black peppercorns
• Add finely sliced onions and fry until it turns light brown
• Add the marinated meat and mix well with the fried onions
• Add mathania chilli and dry red chilli pastes in the kadhai and give a good mix
• Cook without cover for 5-6 minutes on high flame and then with the cover on for another 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir at regular intervals
• Now add beaten curd, Kashmiri red chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder and mix
• Let the mutton cook with the lid on for 30-40 minutes on low flame
• Check the status of the mutton as well as the taste. If it is too hot for your taste, you can also add some sugar
• Once the mutton is perfectly cooked, sprinkle some ghee and serve piping hot

Khejur, tomato, kuler chutney

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An easy, tangy, tasty and storable chutney to cool down after the spicy Laal Maas.

Ingredients:

• Deseeded dates: 15
• Small diced tomatoes: 2 large
• Paka kul: 12
• Sugar: 1 medium cup
• Panchforon: 1 teaspoon
• Dry whole red chillies: 2
• Salt: 1 small pinch
• Radhuni: ½ teaspoon
• Vegetable oil: 3 tablespoons

Recipe:

• Add vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet and heat. Add bay leaf
• Now add the panch phoron, dry red chillies and radhuni and temper well
• Add sugar, keep the flame low and star stirring until it starts to caramelise
• Add tomatoes, mix well, add salt, and cover and cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes, occasionally stirring
• Add the dates and kul and mix well
• Check seasoning and add more sugar if required
• Cover and cook for another 7-10 minutes on low flame, stirring at intervals until you have the desired consistency, and your chutney is ready

Carrot Halwa and Makha Sandesh layered dessert

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What happens when two winter must-haves come together? A medley of delectable sweet delights.

Ingredients:

For carrot halwa —

• Blanched grated carrots: 2 large
• Boiled full fat milk: 500ml
• Condensed milk: 1 small cup
• Cardamom: 2
• Sugar: ½ of a small cup
• Ghee: 4-5 tablespoons
• Mixed dry fruits: 8 tablespoons
• Bay leaf: 1

For makha sandesh —

• Store bought makha sandesh/notun gurer sandesh: 150gm
• Rose water: 1 teaspoon
• Cardamom powder: ½ teaspoon
• Condensed milk: 4-5 tablespoons
• Rose petals (for garnish): 5-6

Recipe:

For carrot halwa —

• Heat ghee on a non-stick pan and add the bay leaf. Temper well
• Now add the grated carrot, mix well and keep cooking on low flame without cover for 5 minutes and with cover for 3 minutes
• Once the carrot has begun to change colour, add half of the milk, sugar and cardamom. Mix, cover and allow it to cook on low flame for 8-10 minutes, occasionally stirring
• When the milk has almost thickened, add the condensed milk and give it another light-handed mix
• Splash some more milk and cook with the lid on for another 5-7 minutes
• Add the dry fruits, check if the sweet is of desired preference
• Cook for another 4-5 minutes on low flame, mixing all the ingredients well. Turn off the heat and allow the halwa to cool

For makha sandesh —

• Gently mash the mishti in a bowl
• Add condensed milk, rose water and cardamom powder and mix well

Assembling the dessert —

• Grease each dessert bowl with some ghee
• Put a layer of makha sandesh at the bottom
• Add a layer of chopped dry fruits if you like
• Add a dollop of carrot halwa on the top
• Garnish with chopped dry fruits, rose petals and a drizzle of condensed milk