Parshe Machher jhol/Bengali fish curry

 

This fish is known as 'Parshe' in bengali, 'shevte' in konkani and 'mullet' in english.Machher jhol is a kind of a stew with veggies and fish.It is a wholesome dish to be served with rice.It's a favourite in almost every bengali home..with veggies and fish so nothing else is much required :)

Ingredients -
parshe machh/mullet fish
brinjal/egg plant/baigan
potato/alu
ginger paste
tomato
mustard oil
black cumin/kala jeera/kalonji/nigella/onion seeds
green chillies
coriander/dhaniya powder
cumin/jeera powder
turmeric/haldi powder
red chilly/mirchi powder
sugar
salt
coriander leaves/dhaniya patta(optional)

Method -
Wash the fish pieces well.
Marinate the fish with salt,turmeric,red chilly powder.
Chop the brinjal and potato length wise(not small).
Heat mustard oil in a kadhai/wok.
Once the oil becomes hot fry the fish pieces in it.
Keep the fried fish aside.
In the same oil add some kala jeera seeds.
Once they splutter add freshly made ginger paste and roughly chopped tomatoes,brinjal and potatoes.
Add chopped green chillies.
Add salt,haldi,mirchi,dhaniya,jeera powder,sugar(pinch).
Saute for sometime till rawness of ginger,masala powder is gone.
Add some water to get a consistency and add the fried fish pieces.
Let the fish and veggies cook till they are soft for about 5-8min.
Check the salt for taste and finally garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Server this machher jhol with hot steamed rice and kachha posto :)
kachha posto is a paste of - poppy seeds/posto/khus-khus,green chilly,salt,mustard oil. 

Shukto

 

Shukto is a popular vegetable dish in Bengali cuisine usually served with rice.It has a slightly bitter taste.The tradition of starting a meal by consuming bitters, is considered to have a medicinal value as per Ayurveda.This dish is full of vitamins as it is loaded with veggies.Please try out this authentic and very healthy Bengali dish for yourself :)

Ingredients -
bitter gourd/karela
lady finger/okra/bhendi
plaintain/kachha kela
carrot/gajar
potato/alu
brinjal/egg plant/baigan
arbi/colocasia/kochu,bori
drum sticks
freshly made ginger paste
salt
green chillies
coriander/dhaniya powder
cumin/jeera powder
sugar
milk - 2tspn

shukto dry masala -
Dry roast and make powder of the following :-
cumin/whole jeera
panch foran
whole red chilly
poppy seeds/posto

Method -
Heat mustard oil in a kadhai/pan.
Fry all veggies separately except for drum stick pieces.Fry them with less oil by covering with lid on low flame and not deep fry.
Once done, remove the veggies out and keep them aside.Add panch foran to the oil.
After adding pach foran, add all veggies except bhendi,baigan and karela.
Once all the veggies have been sauted, add the drum sticks pieces,ginger paste,salt, green chillies, dhaniya jeera powder,sugar.
Add water and let all the veggies boil properly.
Once done,add the bhendi,baigan and karela.
Let it cook for another 2min, then switch off the flame.
Add 2tspn of milk to the shukto.The gravy will be of medium consistency.
Heat ghee in a separate tadka pan,add shukto masala to it.
Now pour this over the shukto.
Shukto is ready to serve with steamed rice :) 

Fish Cutlet/Macher Chop(Kolkata style)

Fish chop is a spicy fish croquette that can be made with any fish. In Bengali homes it is usually made from Rui/Katla(carps) but I made this from bhetki fish. Bhetki as its known in Bengali is also known as Chanak in Konkani and Sea Bass in English. This fish cutlet or chop as its known in Bengali is a delicious cutlet which is soft/juicy inside with a crispy breaded coating outside. Although it's quite easily available in Kolkata, I request you to try it at home once and you will never like the outside chops anymore.. just like us :) This is a must try delicacy for fish lovers !!

Ingredients -

Fish - Sea bass/Bhetki/Chonak

onion

ginger

garlic

green chillies

potatoes

oil

turmeric powder(haldi)

red chilly powder(mirchi)

coriander powder(dhaniya)

cumin powder(jeera)

freshly coarsely ground garam masala - cardamom(elaichi),cinnamon(dalchini),black pepper(kali mirch)

bhaja masala - powder made by dry roasting - whole cumin(jeera), red chilly, cardamon(elaichi),cinnamon(dalchini),black pepper

salt

sugar

oil for deep frying

for coating-

corn flour

egg

salt

black pepper powder

bread crumbs

Method -

Wash the fish pieces well.

Marinate the fish with salt,turmeric powder,red chilly powder for 30min.

Heat oil in a wok/kadhai.

Fry the fish pieces in oil(medium to high temperature).

Allow the pieces to cool,then separate the bones and mash them.

Boil potatoes till soft,then peel and mash them.

Sprinkle salt on the potatoes as per taste.

Finely chop the onions and green chillies.

Make a paste of ginger,garlic.

In the same kadhai heat some more oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, green chillies,ginger-garlic paste,salt.

Add all the seasoning powders - turmeric,red chilly,coriander,cumin.

Coarsely grind the following - cardamom,cinnamon,black pepper.Add this to the above mixture.

Add the mashed fish and cook for sometime.

Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Now add the bhaja masala.

Adjust the salt and add bit of sugar for taste.

The stuffing is ready.

Take small balls and make oval shaped cutlets out of them.

To fry the cutlets -

Heat oil in a deep wok/kadhai for deep frying.

Beat 1 egg in a wide bowl and whisk it well.

Add 1-2 tspn of cornflour to it.

Add salt, pepper powder for taste.

Mix it well to get a consistent batter with no lumps.

Sprinkle bread crumbs over a plate.I have used the ready made bread crumbs.

Take 1 oval shaped cutlet deep it in the corn flour mixture on both sides.

Now roll it in the bread crumbs on both sides.

Deep fry in the oil.

Fry on medium flame till golden brown on both sides.

Serve the hot chops/cutlets with mustard sauce/kasundi or tomato ketchup.

Dum Aloo/Alu Dum

Dum aloo is a potato based dish which is a part of Kashmiri cuisine.In Bengal it is typically known as Aloor Dum and served as a hot accompaniment with pooris or luchis as they are called in bengali .The recipe I have posted below is obviously the bengali version which has certain differences with the kashmiri one.So please do give it a try..


Ingredients-
potatoes
onion
ginger
garlic
tomato
green chillies
red chilly powder
turmeric powder
coriander powder
cumin powder
garam masala powder
salt
coriander leaves
water
oil

Method -
Cut the potatoes into medium size cubes.
Chop the onions,ginger,garlic,green chillies,tomatoes roughly.
To prepare the garam masala, dry roast the following ingredients and then make a paste out of it - dhaniya,jeera,sukhi laal mirch,elaichi(choti and badi),dalchini,laung,kaali mirch,khuskhus.This powder remains good for many days or months when kept in an air-tight container.
To reiterate the masala names in english - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly,cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,black pepper,poppy seeds.
Now heat oil in a non-stick pan/kadhai.
Put in the potato cubes and chopped onion and fry till light brown.
Make a paste of the ginger and garlic which you chopped.
Add the paste and fry.
After 5min add the chopped tomatoes and gren chillies.
Let it cook until the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away.
It will take about 5-7min on medium flame.
Now add the salt,red chilly powder,haldi powder,dhaniya jeera powder.
Let all the masalas cook for another 2-3min.
Now add water and let the potatoes get cooked well.
You can adjust the amount of water as per the amount of gravy you require.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add finely chopped coriander leaves and the garam masala powder which we just prepared.
Thats it..the garam masala aroma will make the magic:)
Serve delicious aloo dum with phulkas/parathas/pooris.

Coconut Ladoo/Narkel Naru/Nariyal Laddu - Durga Puja Special

Coconut/nariyal as in hindi/narkel as in bengali/naal as in konkani is a fruit/nut which is used in every Indian and typical Goan homes in some form or the other.It has a lot of medicinal benefits but today I shall not go into those details and restrict my post to coconut ladoos.These ladoos are a hot favourite in our home and they just disappear in no time.A very good alternative to sweet if you dont want to have those ready-made sweets/mithais.These are a must-have ladoos in every bengali home during Durga Puja.They are called as "narkel narus" in bengali.We love to have it in any season..:)So here goes the recipe.. 

Ingredients-
coconut
sugar
jaggery/gur
kalakand/sandesh(optional)

Method -
Grate the coconut.
Adjust the amount of sweet as per your preference.Typically same amount of sugar/jaggery as the amount of grated coconut.
Generally we use half sugar and half jaggery.
This is how we love it in our house.
You can use only sugar or only jaggery.
Mix the mixture of coconut,sugar and jaggery with your hand well.
You can also add some mashed sweets like kalakand or sandesh if you wish.This is optional.
Now transfer this mixture into a kadai and put it on sim flame.
Stir it continuously till a whole lump is formed.
Remember this step is really important so that you can make perfect ladoos.
Once done, remove the mixture from flame and make round ladoos.
Thats it..lovely delicious ladoos are ready to be had anytime:)

Mourola machh bhaja/Stir fried small fish

Mourola fish as it is called in bengali is a very small and tasty fish.This is a very simple dish which consists of mainly frying the fish till its crispy.Goes well as a starter for any event provided you are a fish fan :)

Ingredients-
mourola fish
onion
garlic
green chilly
salt
turmeric powder
red chilly powder
mustard oil

Method-
Chop the onion and garlic finely.
Wash and clean the fish properly.
Marinate it with salt and haldi powder for 1-2 hours.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Fry the fish lightly.
Once done keep the fish on one side of the pan.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute.
Mix the onion garlic with the dried fish and fry.
Add chilly powder and slitted green chillies.
Adjust salt as per taste.
Serve hot mourola fish as a crispy starter :)

Niramish Ghugni narkel diye/Vegetarian Yellow Peas curry - Durga Puja Special

Ghugni as it is called in eastern India mainly Bengal,Orissa,Bihar and Assam.It is dried yellow peas/matar cooked with gravy.This is a very famous evening snack in Kolkata which is served with puffed rice/kurmura(hindi)/muri(bengali).Be it on the streets or at home you will hardly find any bengali who would refuse it :) The recipe I have posted here is a vegetarian version which means there is no use of onion and garlic to it.This niramish(veg in bengali) ghugni is one of the common dishes you will find on the MahaAshtami eve of Durga Puja.

Ingredients-
dried yellow peas/matar
coconut
potatoes
ginger
green chillies
garam masala - dalchini, cloves, elaichi, tej patta
tomato
dhaniya powder
jeera powder
turmeric powder
red chilly powder
jeera/cumin seeds
salt
sugar
oil
water

Method-
Wash and soak the peas in water for 5-6 hours or overnight.
Pressure cook them with some salt till soft.
Make a paste of ginger and all the garam masala.
Chop the tomato, potato and green chillies finely.
Chop a fresh coconut into small pieces.
Heat oil in a non-stick kadai.
Fry the coconut pieces till golden brown.
Remove them once done.
In the same oil add tej patta and some cumin seeds.
Add the ground masala,chillies,tomatoes and poatatoes.
Add salt,pinch of sugar and all the powders - haldi, mirchi, dhaniya and jeera.
Let it cook till the oil separates out.
After about 5-8min add the boiled peas.
Cook for sometime without adding water so that all the masala gets coated over the peas.
Add water for it to cook.Adjust the salt as per taste.
Once the potatoes are cooked turn off the heat.
Garnish with fresh corinader leaves.
While serving sprinkle some masala over it.This is a home made masala which my mom uses - Dry heat the coriander and cumin seeds and then grind them to a powder.This is optional but it tastes heavenly.
You can also have onion and lemon wedges as an accompaniment with the peas curry.

Shorshe Posto diye Parshe Machh / Shemot fish in mustard gravy

This fish is known as 'Parshe' in bengali, 'shevte' in konkani and 'shemot' in english.This is one of the mouth-watering bengali recipes which is a must have on the menu for special occasions like weddings/parties.It's a favourite in every bengali home..so if you have not yet tasted this preparation you are definitely losing on something precious :)

Ingredients-
fish - parshe/shevte/shemot
mustard seeds
poppy seeds
green chillies
tomato
red chilly powder
kala jeera/kalonji
turmeric/haldi powder
mustard oil
salt
water

Method-
Wash and clean the fish well.
Apply salt and turmeric powder and marinate for 2-3hours.
Freshly make a paste of mustard seeds, poppy seeds and green chillies.
You can also use ready made mustard powder which is available in the market, but I prefer to make a paste since the taste always enhances in the latter.
Heat some oil in a non-stick kadai.
Fry the fish lightly.
Now, remove the fish and add some kalonji to the oil.
Add roughly chopped tomato and the ground paste.Add some chilly powder, haldi powder and salt as per taste.
Fry till the paste and masala is cooked.
Add some water and cook.
Add the fried fish and cook for 2min.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot machher jhal with steamed rice :)

Malapua/Sweet Pancake - Holi special

Malapua is basically a deep fried sweet pancake.This is a famous Indian dessert which is common in the states of WestBengal,Bihar and Orissa.It is served as prasad for lord Jagannath.Malapuas are common during Holi in many bengali homes.Sorry for posting it a bit late :) 

Ingredients -
all purpose flour/maida(2cups)
sooji/rava/semolina(1cup)
milk(1.5cup approx)
sugar(1.5cup approx)
saunf/fennel seeds/badishep(1 tspn)
banana(1)
freshly grated coconut(2-3 tspns)
oil for deep frying

Method -
Take maida and sooji in a bowl.
Mix them together.
Add sugar,mashed banana,saunf and coconut to it.
You can use caster/powdered sugar.Adjust the sugar according to your taste.
Now add milk to this mixture.The milk should not be hot.
The batter should be like dosa batter(not very thick or very thin).
Let it stand for sometime maybe an hour or so.
If required add more milk, since milk will get absorbed when you keep it.
Heat oil in a non-stick kadai/pan.
Pour laddle full of batter into the oil and fry the malapuas till golden brown.
Fry them on medium heat.
Typically after deep frying, they are soaked in sugar syrup.
I avoided that step,anyways it tastes equally yummy in this way too :)

Hing Kachori/Asafoetida flavoured Puris

Hing kachori is a famous street food in Kolkata served along with chana dal or aloo sabji.It is common outside Dakshineshwar Kali temple or Belur Math(this is where I had it for the first time).I was so much impressed with the piping hot kachoris that thought of giving it a try.So I made them for Durgashtami this year(sorry for posting this so late :p) and the combo was just awesome-Hing er kochuri and niramish Aloo Dum :-)

Ingredients -
urad dal/kaali dal/split black lentil(1cup)
ginger(small piece)
fennel seeds/saunf(1/2 tspn)
asafoetida/hing (1/2 tspn)
green chillies(3-4)
salt to taste
sugar(a pinch)
oil
wheat flour(2cups)
water for kneading

Method -
Wash and soak the urad dal in water overnight or for 6-7hours.
Grind the urad dal with green chillies to a paste.
Make a paste of ginger and saunf separately.
Heat oil in a non-stick kadai.
Add hing,ginger and saunf paste.
Then add the dal-chilly paste.
Stir it continuously,adding salt and sugar.
Cook for sometime until the mixture drys up.
Knead the flour with some oil and water.
Make small balls out of the flour.
Stuff in the mix inside the ball and roll it into a puri.
Similarly stuff and roll all the puris.
Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
Fry the kachoris  till golden brown.
Serve hot kachoris with aloo dum/potato curry of your choice.

Sandesh-Kacha Golla/Sweet cottage cheese balls

Sandesh/sondesh is a bengali sweet which is famous all over.Kachha gola/kacha golla is one kind of sandesh in which the chena/paneer is not cooked.Hence the name kacha meaning uncooked.These balls of chena mixed with sugar taste delicious..

Ingredients -
milk -500ml/1 packet
lemon - 1medium
powdered/caster sugar -5tbspn
cardamom/elaichi powder(optional)

Method -
Heat the milk in a saucepan.
When it comes to boil add lemon juice mixed with some water.
Now you would see the milk solids separating out from the water.Do this on a low flame.
Drain out the water and wash the chena/paneer with water to remove the lemon smell.
Collect the paneer in a muslin/soft cloth and keep some weight over it so that the excess water goes out.Keep it for an hour.
Now knead the paneer with the palm of your hand for about 5min.
Mix in the sugar and knead again for 5min till the sugar and chena are mixed well.
You can add elaichi powder or rose water/gulab jal for flavour.
Make round balls out of the chena.
Refrigerate them for 2-3 hours.
Sandesh or Kacha golla is ready to serve :-)

Sattu Paratha

Sattu is basically a mixture of pulses and cereals that are roasted and ground.It includes p

ulses like chickpeas(gram/chana),pigeon peas(arhar/toor dal),green peas(matar),grass peas(khesari),horse gram(kurthi) and cereals like corn(makai) and barley(jo).Sattu is also known as chhatua or saat-anaaj(7 ingredients).It is basically originated in Bihar but is also popular in neighbouring states like WB,Orissa,Jharkand and UP.So here is one healthy and delicious savoury

dish made of sattu..

Ingredients -
sattu(1cup)
garlic cloves(3-4)
green chillies(2-3)
ajwain/carom seeds(1/2 tspn)
kalonji/onion seeds(1/2 tspn)
salt to taste
lemon juice(2tspn)
pickle/achaar masala(optional)
water
wheat flour/atta(2cups)

Method-
Chop the garlic and green chillies finely.
Take sattu in a mixing bowl.
Add the chopped garlic,chillies,ajwain,kalonji,salt,lemon juice and achaar ka masala to it.
Sprinkle some water lightly.The stuffing should be a bit dry.
Add salt to the wheat flour and knead using water.
Make balls out of the flour.
Roll a ball into a small roti.
Place the sattu stuffing inside it,seal the edges and roll into a paratha.
Heat a non-stick tawa.
Cook the paratha on both sides applying ghee/oil.
Serve hot sattu parathas with baigan ka bharta or dum aloo :-)

Mughlai Paratha/Egg Paratha

Mughlai paratha or Dim paratha as it is called in bengali -dim standing for eggs.This is a very famous bengali food which can be had at anytime maybe breakfast,lunch or dinner.It is basically parathas stuffed with egg.This is a very easy,filling and quick recipe which can be made even if you do not have much in your pantry :)

Ingredients -
all purpose flour/maida(1.5 cups)
salt(1/2 tspn)
oil(1tspn)
water to knead the dough
For the stuffing -
eggs(3)
onion(1big)
ginger(small piece)
green chillies(4-5)
tomato(1 small)
salt
oil/butter for frying

Method -
Add oil and salt to the flour and knead the dough using water.
To make the stuffing -
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add salt.
Chop the onion,ginger,tomato and green chillies finely.
Add this to the beaten eggs.
Make small balls out of the dough.
With the help of a rolling pin roll each ball into a roti.Try to make the roti as thin as possible.
Since maida is used you can stretch the roti to make it very thin.
Heat a non-stick tawa.
Cook the roti mildly on both sides.
Place the egg mixture in the center of the roti and spread it carefully.
Drizzle oil or butter or ghee on the sides of the roti.
Fold the 2 ends of the roti and close it.See pic below.
Flip it on the other side and drizzle oil and cook.
This paratha should be cooked slowly on a low flame or else the egg stuffing inside might remain uncooked.
Similarly make rest of the parathas.
Serve hot with ketchup or dum-aloo :-)

Pointed Gourd Curry/Parwal ki Sabzi/Aloo Potoler Dalna

Pointed gourd is known as parval/parwal in hindi and potol in bengali.It is known as green potato colloquially in India.This vegetable is cultivated and hence available in eastern states of India - Assam,Bengal,Orissa,Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.This recipe is known as aloo potoler dalna in bengali -potol stands for pointed gourd and dalna stands for curry.This is a very simple and tasty recipe which does not require much time and preparation :)


Ingredients-
parwal/pointed gourd/potol (4)
potatoes (2 medium)
ginger paste
tomato (1 small)
green chillies(3-4)
turmeric powder
coriander powder
cumin powder
garam masala powder(elaichi,laung,dalchini)
salt
sugar
oil


Method -
Peel and cut the parwal and potato in medium cubes.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add the green chillies,ginger paste and let it saute for 30sec.
Roughly chop the tomato and add it to the pan.
Now add the parwal and potato pieces.
Add salt,turmeric powder,coriander cumin powder and a pinch of sugar.
Cover and cook for about 2min.
Now make garam masala powder by making a paste of cardamom,cloves and cinnamon.
Add the garam masala and stir for a min.
Finally add water and let it cook till the potatoes are soft.
Serve hot parwal curry with phulka/roti :-)

Tomato-dates Chutney

A very easy sweet-chutney recipe.Since it contains dates and jaggery it is very healthy too :-)

Ingredients -
tomato (2)
dates/khajur (7-8)
jaggery/molasses
mustard seeds
red chilly (2)
oil


Method -
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add the mustard seeds,red chillies(broken) and let them splutter.
Remove the seeds of the dates.Chop the tomatoes and dates.
Add the tomatoes and dates to the oil and cover the lid.
After 2 min add the jaggery and some water.
Cook it till it dries.

Mixed Dal Tadka

Dal tadka is one of the very healthy dishes which goes well with phulkas/roti.It is a combination of various dals and hence very rich in protein.


Ingredients -
mixed dal - moong,masur,chana,chole,rajma
onion (1 big)
ginger (1 medium piece)
garlic (6-7 cloves)
tomato (1 medium)
green chillies (5-6)
coriander powder
tadka masala
salt
fresh coriander leaves


Method -
Incase dal tadka is not available you can mix all the above dals.Soak the dals in water for atleast 5-6 hours or overnite.
Pressure cook with a pinch of salt till the dals are soft.(Rajma takes a long time to cook than other dals).
Chop the onion,ginger,garlic,tomato and green chillies finely.Do not use ginger-garlic paste.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add the onions,green chillies.
After onion sautes a bit, add the ginger and garlic.
Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and let it cook(close the lid).
After 5-10 min add 1/2tspn of coriander powder.
Add the cooked dals and tadka masala(2 tspn).
Add water if required and let it cook.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve hot with phulkas :-)

Chorchuri(Mixed Veg)

Chorchuri is a bengali name for medley of vegetables or mixed veg.This is a very healthy dish as it contains spinach(palak),eggplant(brinjal),raddish and broad beans(ghevda).In a bengali meal chorchuri will be served as a prothom pata.ie-it is the first dish which is served after steamed rice and is had with rice alone.So do give this healthy and easy mix veg a try :-)


Ingredients -
chopped spinach (2 cups)
eggplant/brinjal (1 medium sized)
broad beans pod/sheem/ghevda
raddish/mooli (1 small)
onion (1 small)
tomato (1 small)
kalonji/kala jeera/jeera
green chillies (2-3)
oil
salt


Method -
Wash the spinach well and chop it.
Cube the brinjal,beans(2-3) and raddish(not the leaves) to small pieces.
Chop the onion,tomato and green chillies.
Heat oil in a kadhai or non-stick pan.
When the oil is hot add the jeera or kala jeera/kalonji to it.
Add onions and let it saute.
Now add all the veggies,tomato and green chillies.
Add salt, a pinch of sugar and let it cook in the steam.Close the lid.
Check after 10-15 min if raddish becomes soft.
There would be no need to add water as spinach leaves out water.
Continue cooking till raddish is cooked.
Chorchuri is ready to serve.

Pyaz posto (poppy seeds in onion)

Poppy seeds/khuskhus is known as Posto in bengali.This is a favourite dish in every bengali home.This is a must item without which the lunch/dinner is incomplete :-)The recipe below uses red chillies, but green chillies can be used instead in which case there is a different colour and taste to the posto.Or posto is also had without cooking it- ie- make a paste of posto and chillies,add salt,a drop of mustard oil and chopped onion to it.This is known as Kacha posto.


Ingredients -
poppy seeds- posto (1/2 cup)
dry red chillies (2-3)
onion (1 medium)
salt
oil
water


Method -
Grind the posto and red chillies to a fine paste in a mixer.Traditionally sheel-noda is used to make this paste.Check the pic of sheel-noda below.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add the finely chopped onion to it and let it saute.
Now add the posto paste and salt as per taste.Add little water for the paste to cook.
Thats it ! pyaz posto is ready to serve with steamed rice :-)

Dimer Jhol (Egg Curry)

Dim stands for egg in bengali.Jhol stands for curry(thin) which is usually had with rice.
This is a favourite dish in every bengali home. Any day if you are running out of veggies in your pantry, you can always rely on this egg curry.The below recipe contains veggies, as it is had with steamed rice and the addition of veg adds both nutrition and taste to the egg curry :-)It tastes good without the veg too.


Ingredients - 
eggs(4)
onion(1 large)
green chillies (3-4)
ginger-garlic paste
tomato(1 large)
salt
turmeric(haldi)powder
red chilly powder
coriander (dhaniya)powder
cumin (jeera)powder
cauliflower(7-8florets)
potato(1 small)
oil
coriander leaves(1 tpsn)


Method - 
Boil the eggs and carefully slit them without breaking.
Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the eggs and keep aside.
Chop the onion and tomto finely.
You can make a paste of ginger-garlic(if you have time) or just use the readymade paste.
Cut medium sized cauliflower florets.
Chop the potato in medium sized pieces.
Heat oil in a kadhai.
Add the green chillies(slit) and onion.
Add ginger-garlic paste and salt to cook.
After the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes, add the tomatoes and let it cook.
After 5min add salt,red chilly powder,haldi,coriander and cumin powder.
Add the florets and potato pieces and close the lid.
Let the veggies cook in the steam.
After about 10-15 min add the slit boiled eggs to this.
Add water and let it boil till the potato is cooked well.(cauliflower gets cooked easily so make medium sized pieces and not small..)
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Egg curry is ready to serve with phulkas/roti or steamed rice :-)


Note - egg curry can also be made without the veggies.

Pomfret Macher Jhal

Pomfret is a sea fish.This is a famous bengali recipe made out of this sea fish.Mach stands for fish in bengali and jhal stands for spicy/hot(though this dish is not that spicy).This is a very simple fish recipe which does not need much ingredients or time :-)You can make jhal with any other fresh water fish too,the procedure remains the same(only replace pomfret with the other fish)So if you need to make a number of dishes in a short time,you can rely on this one.It is a very common and favourite recipe in every bengali home :-)


Ingredients -
2 medium sized pomfrets
mustard(shorshe) powder
1 medium sized onion
4-5 green chillies
1 small tomato
water
turmeric(haldi) powder
salt
oil


Method -
Wash the fish well and marinate it with salt and haldi powder for atleast 2 hours.(This fish I bought was already cut and cleaned).
Soak about 3 tbspn of mustard powder in water(water should be enough to soak the powder).Add a pinch of salt to it and let it remain soaked for atleast 15min.
Heat some oil in a kadhai.
Fry the fish pieces lightly in oil for about 1-2 min and take them on a paper towel to soak the excess oil.
Now add the onions, green chillies(split) and salt.
Add the tomato finely chopped and let it cook.
Now add the mustard powder-water mix to the kadhai and let it cook for about 5 min.
Add the fish pieces and water(water just above the fish) and let it cook for 8-10 min as pomfret fish does not take much time to get cooked.
Serve this as a side dish with steamed rice.