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
![Representational image](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963391_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-12-14.jpeg)
Representational image Unsplash
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
![](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963136_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-00-24-1.jpeg)
Shutterstock
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
![](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963151_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-00-25-1.jpeg)
Shutterstock
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
![](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963165_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-00-25.jpeg)
Shutterstock
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
![](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963179_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-03-47.jpeg)
Wikimedia Commons
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
![](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963194_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-00-24.jpeg)
Shutterstock
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
![](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963210_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-03-48-1.jpeg)
Wikimedia Commons
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
![Representational image](https://assets.telegraphindia.com/telegraph/2022/Dec/1669963228_whatsapp-image-2022-12-02-at-12-03-48.jpeg)
Representational image Unsplash
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