Dahi Karela / Bitter gourd in curd

For this dish I scraped and fried the karela ... something I usually don't do when am making karela masala or plain fried. But too much bitter would not go with the slightly sour curd.

This actually turned out great. Hubby likes it with parathas ... but for me .... always rice. :-)

Need : Karelas ( scraped , cut into long slices and marinated with salt for about an hour ),
beaten curd, haldi powder, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder,
jeera, a pinch of hing, cooking oil and salt to taste.

How to : Drain the karela and wash it well. Heat enough oil and fry them till done.

In a different pan heat about a tablespoonfull of fresh oil.

Add jeera and hing. Now add the curd and haldi and red chilli powder.
Add dhaniya powder.
Cook in low flame , stirring gently.
Add the salt and the karelas.

Cook till gravy thickens slightly.
Or you can dry it up completely, like a sukha dish.

Great with hot rotis / parathas / steamed rice.
Am sending this to Sunshinemom's event FIC GREEN.

Shorse Ilish Bake / Baked Hilsa in Mustard Sauce

( Vegetarians can make this dish with Paneer or Mushrooms ).

With this post I'll be done with Ilish for the year. Though my fishwala has profusely promised me one more fish before the rains leave for good, am not counting too much on him. :-)

Ma always made this dish in an oven ... and the house would fill with that distinct smell of Ilish and mustard and green chillies and mustard oil. So I did it just that way.

Usually raw fish is used ... as it gets cooked eventually .... but since the Ilish that I get here may not be absolutely fresh .... I prefer to lightly fry it first.

And yes ..... all that oil is necessary. ;-)

Need : Lightly fried Ilish / Hilsa pieces, mustard paste ( strained and diluted with water ), a little beaten curd, whole green chillies, salt, a pinch of sugar, mustard oil.

How to : Arrange the fish pieces in a baking dish.

Add the diluted mustard paste, curd, green chillies, salt, sugar and pour in a good amount of mustard oil.

Bake at 180 degrees for half an hour.

Since the fish is already fried, the aim is to cook the mustard sauce till it thickens slighlty.

Enjoy with steamed hot rice. ! :-)