BENGALI DISHES

SHUKTO (Mixed Vegetables)

Ingredients:
2 karelas (bitter gourds)
1 potato
2 parvals
2 drumsticks
1 green plantain
Bori (lentil vadis)
2 bay leaves
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp panch phoran
1 tsp mustard seeds(roasted & ground to powder)
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp milk
1 tsp flour
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Scrape the parvals and cut all the vegetables into pieces.
2. Heat oil the mustard oil and sauté the vadis over a low flame. Mix in the vegetables and sauté these too.
3. Add 1 cup water and parboil the vegetables, adding salt and sugar.
4. In a separate vessel, heat the ghee and fry the baby leaves, mustard seeds and the panch phoran.
5. Add the boiled vegetables and cook over a low flame for another 2 minutes.
6. Mix the flour with the milk and add this paste to the cooked vegetables.
Stir gently and cook on a low flame for another 2 minutes.
7. Put off the flame and sprinkle the roasted and ground mustard powder on the dish.

TOMATO KISHMISH CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
500gm red and firm tomato
2 tbsp ginger (chopped)
2 dry red chillies
1” cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
25 gm raisins (kishmish)
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and cut tomatoes
2. Boil 1 cup of water in a pan and add all the ingredients and cook over a low flame till it cooks.
3. Now add the kishmish once the chutney is cooked and the gravy is thick. This can be served cold or at room temperature.

FESTIVE POTATO CURRY

Ingredients:
500 gm potato
3 cups milk
2 onions
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1” cinnamon
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 red chillies
2 cardamoms
½ tsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
Coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Peel and cut potatoes into quarters if it big. (if is small keep them whole)
2. Cut onions and grind to a paste.
3. Mix the milk, ginger-garlic paste and onion paste. Now add sugar and salt.
4. Soak the potatoes in this mixture for 4 to 5 hours.
5. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, chillies and allow to splutter. Lower the flame and mix in the marinated potatoes. Cook over the low flame till the potatoes are cooked and tender and the gravy is thick.
6. Serve garnished with coriander leave

KANCHKOLAR DOI BARHA (GREEN BANANA CAKE WITH CURD)

Ingredients:
4 large green banana
1 tbsp besan
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp ginger paste
A pinch of hing
400 gm thick curd
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Coriander leaves(chopped)
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Cut the bananas into haves together with the skins. Cook in salted water till it tender. Cool peel and mash the bananas. Add chopped green chillies, ginger paste, besan and salt. Mix them well.
2. The dough should be firm so, if necessary, add a little besan to make it firm. Divide into equal parts and make balls and flattern into cakes of ¼” thickness.
3. Heat oil and deep-fry them. Remove excess oil.
4. Whip the curd and add salt and sugar. Pour the curd into a flat serving dish and transfer the fried bananas (barha) into the curd.
5. Garnish with roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder and chopped coriander leaves.

MOCHAR CHOP (BANANA FLOWER CHOP)

Ingredients:
Mocha of one banana tree
500 gm boiled potatoes
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
½ tsp sugar
2 to 3 green chillies (chopped)
70-80 gm breadcrumbs
2 tbsp refined oil
Mustard oil for deep-frying the chops
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat the mustard oil and put bay leaf. Now add the prepared mocha and the garam masala and sugar, and fry over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Mix well and discard the bay leaf.
2. Peel and mash the potatoes. Mix salt and green chillies. Divide them into equal portions.
3. Take each portion of potato and flatten on the palme. Fill the centre with a portion of the mocha mixture and roll into a round chop. Stuff all the potato chops with a mocha mixture in this way.
4. Roll each of the chops in breadcrumbs and deep fry in mustard oil.

ALU PHULKOPIR DALNA (POTATO WITH CAULIFLOWER)

Ingredients:
250 gm potato
500 gm cauliflower (cut into small)
4 tomatoes (chopped)
2 large onions (chopped)
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
2 bay leaves
2 dry red chillies
4 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Grind the coriander and cumin seeds to a paste. Peel and cut potatoes into quarters.
2. Heat mustard oil in a pan and deep fry cauliflower pieces and potatoes, till it becomes golden brown.
3. Now add ghee and bay leaves and red chillies.
4. Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Now add chopped tomatoes add
one cup of water. Add garam masala and mix in the fried potatoes and cauliflower. Add one cup of water and simmer over a medium flame for about 3-4 minutes till gravy is almost dry.

GHUGN (WHITE GRAM IN MASALA)

Ingredients:
150 gm kabuli chana (white gram)
½ cup grated coconut
1 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp aniseed
2 dry red chillies
1tsp turmeric
3-4 tbsp ghee
1” cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
8-10 black pepper grains
1 chopped onion (garnishing)

Method:
1. Soak the kabuli chana in water overnight. Boil in pressure cooker with salt.
2. Roast cinnamon, pepper, coriander and cumin seeds on a tava and make dry powder.
3. Heat 2 tbsps ghee in a kadhai and fry grated coconut till just brown. Mix in the cooked chana. Now add 2-3 cups of water. Add the turmeric powder, ginger paste and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. In another pan heat remaining ghee and add the aniseed and red chillies and allow these to splutter. Add this to the chana gravy.
5. Garnish with sliced coconut and chopped onion.

PATAL MOONG DAL (GREEN GRAM DAL WITH PARVAL)

Ingredients:
150 gm moong dal (green gram)
5-6 parvals (a kind of vegetable)
2-3 green chillies
½ cup milk
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp ghee
3 tbsp oil

Method:
1. Peel and scrape the parvals and cut into 4 pieces each sprinkle salt keep aside. Heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the parvals till a light golden brown. Keep aside.
2. Heat ½ tsp oil on a tava and fry the moong dal for 1-2 minutes. In a pressure cooker, cook moong dal with turmeric powder and salt.
3. For cooked dal add water to get desired thickness. Add the fried parvals and cook for few minutes.
4. In another pan, heat ghee and fry bay leaves and cumin seeds, and allow it to splutter. Mix into the dal. Now add milk and sugar.

CHHANAR MALAI CURRY (COTTAGE CHEESE-CREAM CURRY)

Ingredients:
400 gm cottage cheese
½ cup grated coconut
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli paste
2-3 slit green chillies
½ tsp sugar
3 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Cut the paneer into cubes.
2. Heat the oil and mix all the ingredients.
3. Cover with a lid and simmer over a low flame for 7-8 minutes.
4. Serve hot with parathas or puris.

CHHANAR JHAAL (COTTAGE CHEESE IN MUSTARD)

Ingredients:
500 gm cottage cheese
1 ½ tbsp mustard seds
4-5 green chillies
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 tsp mustard oil
25 gm masur dal or moong dal
2 potatoes
Coriander leaves (chopped)
Fried vadis

Method:
1. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1” long pieces. Rub salt and turmeric powder and keep aside.
2. Cut the cottage cheese into 1” long pieces and sprinkle turmeric powder and keep aside.
3. Grind mustard seeds and chillies to a paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the potatoes till light brown. Fry the vadis on a lower flame till light golden brown.
5. Fry the cottage cheese pieces lightly.
6. Remove the oil, leaving only 2 tbsp in a pan and fry vadis till golden colour.
7. Mix the chilli and turmeric paste in 1 cup water. Add this to the hot oil and bring the gravy to boil.
8. Add cottage cheese, potatoes and slit chillies and salt and boil till the gravy become thick.
9. Mix the mustard paste with 2 tbsp of water and add the cottage cheese gravy. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with fried vadis.

LUCHI (MAIDA PURI)

Ingredients:
250 gm maida
2 tbsp ghee
Ghee for frying puris
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Sieve the flour and salt. Mix in the ghee and add sufficient water to bind and knead into soft dough.
2. Divide into equal portions and roll on a floured board into thon rounds of 4” diameter.
3. Heat the ghee and deep-fry the puris, one at a time, pressing the centre of the luchi gently with a slotted spoon until luchi puffs up. Fry on one side and then turn so that both the sides are brown. Serve hot.

BANGALI PULAO

Ingredients:
2 cups boiled rice
3 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp sugar
1 bay leaf
3-4 cardamoms
2 tbsp cashew nuts

Method:
1. Boil 8-10 cups of water and add the rice. Cook until the rice is cooked and drain out excess of water.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and add bay leaves and rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix in the rice gently, serve hot with fish gravy or any vegetable.

SANDESH

Ingredients:
1 kg cottage cheese
500 gm condensed milk (khoya)
250 gm curd
250 gm sugar

Method:
1. Whip the curd and mix the khoya and paneer thoroughly.
2. Add sugar and mix thoroughly.
3. Transfer this mix to a pan and cover with a lid and steam over boiling water for half an hour till the sandesh is set.
4. Cool and cut into squares. Garnish with shredded almonds and pistas.

CHHANAR PAYESH (COTTAGE CHEESE KHEER)

Ingredients:
1 ½ litres milk
250 gm cottage cheese
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp rose water
3-4 cardamoms
1 tbsp raisins

Method:
1. Cut 200gm cottage cheese into cubes and crumple the rest.
2. Mix 2 tbsp sugar in 5-6 tbsp water and heat it.
3. Mix in the cottage cheeses cubes and cook till the sugar has coated the cottage

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