Narkel Doi Jhinge / Ridge gourd cooked with curd and coconut milk

 Winter sure is in love with us this year. Just a day after I mentioned how hot the days already are, the weather took a turn and it was cold again.
I lived in denial for a couple of days, refusing to wear anything warm, especially in the mornings, but gave up soon. The mornings are all misty and cold, the evenings are chilly and the nights ... boy! are the nights cold!
I do not like cold weather and so reluctantly pulled out my comforters again ... all washed and prepped  to be packed away for the year .... and also the blankets.
And now I am shuffling around in my warm slippers.
So much for the warm weather.

 The long weekend passed by in a blur.
After catching the Republic day parade on the telly ... a ritual I never miss unless there is an emergency ... , we set off to paint the town red, after a lunch of leftovers.
All I had in mind for the three days was shopping .... for myself, for B and for the house.
Pune is all out enjoying winter and the weather ... there are lots of exhibitions, flea markets and sales on.
So shopping I did.
Refurbished my kitchen shelves with modular boxes ... something I have been planning to for a longish while.
Am very happy the way kitchen shelves look now. No more space wasting with round bottles.
And my glass bottles are now free for my spices.

Just before the weekend started, I cooked this light, flavourful curry after seeing it on thegutlessfoodie's post on Instagram.
I am a fan of her food, photography and recipes.
And along with a lot of other recipes that I intend to try out, this particular curry had caught my eyes long back.
All that I was waiting for was some good ridge gourd / turai.
And as soon as B got some when shopping for vegetables, I immediately made this curry.
I followed Natasha's recipe fully except for the coconut part ... I did not have coconut at home but there was a pack of coconut cream in the fridge.
I used that.

This is such a beautifully light and flavorsome curry that you will love to have on any season.
But I think this has 'summer' written all over it.
Do give it a try and let me know.
Not a big fan of the ridge gourd / jhinge / turai, I am a convert now, after tasting this curry.

Need :

Turai / Ridge gourd / Jhinge - 2, medium, chopped
Thick curd - 1 tea cup
Coconut cream - 6 tbsp
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Green chillies - 2 big
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Whole dry red chillies - 1, broken
Roasted jeera/cumin powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp or a little less
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Water - enough to cook in

How to :

Make a paste with the curd + green chillies + roasted cumin powder.

Heat oil.

Add the mustard seeds + cumin seeds + curry leaves + dry red chillies.

Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Add the chopped turai / ridge gourd + turmeric + salt.

Add a little water, cover and cook till done.

Switch off gas, remove cover and let in the paste + coconut cream .... stirring constantly .... or it will curdle.

Serve hot.
This goes best with steaming hot rice but you try it with other things too.

While had it with roti and other sides, I had made my quick Chicken Pulao with some leftover chicken curry that I had ( you will find it in my Instagram stories. )
And it went very well with it ... almost like a cooling raita ... the perfect complement to the spicy pulao.



Enjoy!!

Aam kasundi diye Chingri or Prawns cooked in raw mango and mustard paste

 

I am suddenly very tired.
And drained.
For so long, I have been rushing so hard that I finally had a breakdown last week.
And not surprising too. The way I have been pushing myself ... living in denial; believing that every new morrow is going to bring me peace. That if I bury myself with numerous and more things to do, I will get far, far away from what I am running away from.

I have been running away from memories ... painful memories rather.  From the live video that plays in front of my eyes and in my mind every single waking moment. It drives me insane. 
Does this happen to everyone who goes through loss? I do not know.
All I know is what I have been doing to help myself definitely is not working.
Rather, it has overwhelmed me to the extent that I cannot keep up the pretense any longer.

It is coming to be a complete year since I was back home. And yet, it seems like it was just yesterday.
I tried to blog like a possessed person, write all the happy things I could see around or think of.
I went out to lunches and dinners and movies, bought and read books, drowned myself in music.
Immersed myself with numerous activities ... people praised me for being able to do so many things together. But what do the loving souls know?
They could not see the desperate me inside ... clutching on to whatever I could get my hands on ... to be able to escape from reality.

But nothing worked.
And all those memories and painful times swelled up high and high and built into a giant storm that swept me and my resolves and will power far away into the horizon just as it would a few grains of dust or some  dry leaves.

I had burned myself out.
And then came the nightmares.
I had stopped crying and avoided going out into the balcony in the evenings ... that time when I missed Bapi the most. That built up into suppressed trauma and returned to haunt me.
After not getting to sleep for a whole week straight, we consulted our doc.
And as usual, the only thing they know is to be an ostrich.
But I am not going to give up and let myself go in the hands of anti depressants and sleeping pills.

And have promised myself that I will get up again soon. Strong and stout.
Maybe I will be able to laugh too ... I live in hope.

Right now, I am learning to rest.
Have dug out all the books that I had got from the Boi mela at Kolkata.
My bedside table holds two by Samaresh Majumdar, that are in line and sequel to the first one that I have started reading.
Rabindra sangeet is my constant companion, especially in the kitchen, these days ... much to B's discomfort.
Since the rains have started, they are playing a part too. Pune's light, soothing rain is more like a balm on a parched soul. Not unruly, wild and noisy .... rather a light, soundless, steady drizzle with that cold wet breeze that stops you in your tracks as soon as you step out or open a window.
Take a deep breath and you can feel the insides of your heart and mind wash afresh with that sharp, clean and wet air.

I have been cooking too ... but not too much though.
The days and nights are perfect for hot, nutritious soups. And I am making a lot of them.
Very filling; very quick to make; very easily warming you up and your insides with that comforting hug of spices.
I do not feel like clicking any photographs and I am not pushing myself much.
Will take one day and one evening at a time.
I do not feel like communicating much these days ... so no friends or guests allowed. The family will be visiting soon ... that I am looking forward to.

Right now, I have this beautiful Prawn curry that I had made a few weeks ago.
Fuss free, no garam masala, redolent with the flavour of prawns and coconut milk. 
Fresh prawns, my aam kasundi and some coconut milk thrown in together to a boil and voila!, you have a beautiful, light almost malaikari like jhol in your hands.
 Some plain boiled rice to go with it and you will need nothing more on the side.

Need :

Prawns - 6 pieces, medium sized, cleaned and deveined
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Aam kasundi - 2 tbsp
If you do not have aam kasundi, just make a paste of mustard seeds + green chillies + salt + a little lemon juice
Thick coconut milk - 4 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - to make gravy
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp ( I used mustard oil )

How to :

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed kadahi / wok.
Marinate the prawns with a little turmeric powder + salt.
Fry them lightly and remove.

In the same oil add the aam kasundi and a little water.
Add turmeric powder and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and add the coconut milk.
Add salt and water, if required.

Let in the fried prawns and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

 Serve hot with steaming hot boiled rice.

Enjoy!!

Narkel Doi Chicken or Chicken in a coconut milk and curd gravy

( Vegetarians can make this with paneer or the cauliflower. )

Like Tuesdays are my vegetable shopping days, Wednesdays are allocated to masala making.
Mondays are usually very hectic, as after the weekend, which I take totally off, fresh batch of cooking and laundry take up almost half the day.
So I make all the  masala pastes on Wednesday.
Most times, it is onions, ginger + garlic, and tomato pastes that I make and freeze in ice trays.
Lasts almost a week or more.
On other times, I make the mustard paste ... that one thing that makes Bengali dishes, especially fish dishes, a class apart, from the usual ones.
I also make the Posto or poppy seed paste for all those Bengali vegetarian meals, especially lunches.

Once a month, I make all the dry, powder masalas too ... like the dhaniya or coriander, jeera or cumin and the garam masala too. And the Bengali bhaja masala.
The dry masalas usually last me a month.
There are some other masalas I make that I would love to share here someday.

Last week I had clicked this photo and so thought of including it to give you an idea.
These pop up ice trays are a big help. Not only they have small sized slots but also getting a cube out is much easier than conventional ice trays.

I had also made this chicken cooked in coconut milk and curd. I could have called this a  Doi chicken too. Only, the quantity of coconut milk is more here ... and hence is more dominant in flavour.
Another very easy and very quick recipe, I rely heavily on it when I have sudden guests. Or for a quick meal.
This curry is very light and has almost no heavy spices. Fragrant with the combination of the cardamom and the coconut milk, its light, soupy gravy is the perfect side dish to any spicy biryani.
You can also enjoy it with naan, parathas or even the Bengali Mishti Polau ... that I had made to go along with it.

There isn't much to write today.
So let's get on to the recipe for this beautiful chicken curry.

Ingredients needed for Narkel Doi Chicken :

Chicken - ½ kg, medium sized pieces , washed
Coconut milk - I used around 300 ml of thick coconut milk
Curd - around 1 cup, well beaten till smooth
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Grated garlic - ½ tsp
Choto Elaach or Green cardamom - 3 pieces
Whole dry red chillies - 2, broken
Dalchini or Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
Onion - 1 medium sized, thinly sliced
Fresh green chillies - 2, chopped
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Water - 1 cup

How to :

Heat oil + ghee in a heavy kadahi.
( You can cook this in a pressure cooker too. )
Add the green cardamom + red chillies + cinnamom or dalchini.

Add the sliced onions and lightly fry them. Do not brown.
Add the ginger + garlic and stir a little and immediately add the chicken.

Stir well and turn the chicken pieces over once.
Add salt and  water.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove cover and add the coconut milk.
Add sugar.
Cover and cook till done.

Remove cover and add the curd.
Mix well and add water if necessary.
Check for seasoning.

Cover and simmer till chicken is done.
Remove from heat and sprinkle chopped green chillies on it.
Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

I had made some mishti polau as I had guests.
Will post the recipe next time.

Till then, enjoy!!

PS: Hope you are following my posts on our recent trip to Kolkata, my travel blog.

Kolkata - Day 1

Kolkata - Day 2

Kolkata - Day 3

Narkel dudh diye Ilish / Hilsa cooked in coconut milk

While the season is in and I am still on the topic of Ilish, I thought I should finally post this wonderful recipe that I had tried out and absolutely loved, some two years back.

Just my kind of cooking, simple yet flavourful, this recipe has the wonderful sweetness of the coconut milk infused with that unique flavour of the Hilsa fish.
With a hint of jeera in that mustard paste, the flavour is just great.

My blogger friend  Arundhuti S. Rama of the beautiful blog My Saffron Kitchen, had shared this recipe, which actually belongs to her mother.
I had tried it out then and had clicked some photos too. But never got 'round to making a post on it.
Finally bringing it out into the light.

Thank you Arundhuti Rama and Mashima for this wonderful recipe!

Need:

Ilish pieces - 3, lightly fried
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Thick Coconut milk - 6 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

For the paste :
Yellow mustard seeds / shada shorshe  - 1 tbsp (soaked for around half an hour)
Posto / khus khus  - 1 tsp (soaked for around half an hour )
Jeera / cumin seeds - half teaspoon
Green chillies - 2

How to  :

Make a paste of all the mentioned ingredients.

Heat the mustard oil , add the paste and keep frying till the rawness goes away.

When it starts to get slightly dryish add the coconut milk and stir well.

Add the fish pieces, adjust salt and cover and cook till you get the desired consistency of the gravy.

Remove from heat.
Serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!!

How to make Virgin Coconut Oil at home

Deepti Khemani-Bhatia wrote to me saying she 'read somewhere' that I make my own coconut oil, came over and searched my blog and could not find a post on it.

Coincidentally I had picked a few dried coconuts just a few days back before that mail and was waiting for the hectic festive season to get over ... so that I could make some oil. So set about making my coconut oil. This is not for the faint hearted ... or those who easily tire.
It takes loads of patience. :-)


My Thamma ( paternal grandmom ) used to make this at home. Of course she had a whole army of assistants to help her. I used to sit and watch. Later she would add many things like herbs etc. to it and store it for herself and the ladies in the family ... including us grandchildren. She had black, lustrous long hair all her life ... till a ripe old age.
Of course she never had to buy coconut ... we had a huge 'godam ghor' / store room full of them .... they used to come from the villages where we had our fields and farms.
Later I tried making it at home. Of course ... it is fun when you have nothing else to do ... and get everything ready at just an order.
So enjoyed the adventure everytime.

But now it is a different story. Making coconut oil by myself is a huge task .... here time management plays a very important role. Not to mention the daunting task of standing for hours attending to it. And the result is so little one can easily get demoralised.

( I started to make this at 1:30 in the afternoon and the final drop of oil made its way into the bottle at around 5:30 in the evening. )

Nobody from my generation ... none of my cousins have treaded this path. And have often laughed at me for my whimsical attempts. But I do what I like to. Especially challenging things. :-)



So here's my recipe on homemade coconut oil.


Need : Dry coconuts ( they have a very high oil content .... check for a darkish line on the border of a broken piece when viewed sideways ) , a little warm water.

How to : Take the dry coconuts and cut them in to small pieces .... this step is in sympathy for your mixer / grinder.

Run it in a grinder using warm water to make a thickish paste. The first time it won't be too moist ... do not worry.


Use a seive / soup strainer to strain .... this will be for the first time/step. It won't work for the next time as the paste will be more moist.


Collect the strained liquid in a heavy and thick bottomed kadahi / wok ... in which you will do the boiling part subsequently.

After all the coconut paste has been strained, take a little and taste it. If it tastes sweet, grind it again with more warm water.

Strain again into the same wok / kadahi. Use a cheesecloth or your hand to strain now.

Repeat this process for three or four times. By the fourth time, the coconut will taste less sweet and more bland. You can stop grinding and the straining part now.




Put it on to boil.




After around one hour and a half it will start to thicken ... notice the oil leaving the sides.
Do not start to collect just yet ... there is still a lot of moisture in it.


Slowly the residue will start to solidify. You can start collecting the oil now. If needed tilt the wok a little to collect drop by precious drop.

Do not collect into a plastic or glass bottle directly ... it might crack due to the temperature difference. Collect in a steel container ... and transfer only when it is completely cooled.
And use a strainer to filter the solid stuff.



I got this much oil from this many coconuts ....

If you are doubtful about the moisture content, then you can sun the oil for a few days.

The residue tastes heavenly too. I love it on warm rice. But it is great when rolled into a roti or on a bread. You have to taste it to know. :-)


So here's the sweetest tasting and the purest coconut oil .... straight from my kitchen.
It is perfect and safe for consumption ... for cooking purposes .... and the very good for your skin and hair.



I know I have been a little irregular here ... and also in visiting all your wonderful blogs and recipes out there .... but I promise to get back on track soon.
Take care folks !! :-)
 
( Updated : Deepti read it here ... thanks Bharti for the info and Deepti for confirming. :-) )

Chingri Malai Rice / Prawn & Rice cooked in Coconut Milk

( Vegetarians can substitute the prawns with paneer .... tastes equally good. Add some sliced onions for more flavour as paneer has no flavour of its own ... unlike the prawns. )

It is difficult to name a dish that you conjure up on your own. Which is why I have just put in the names of the main ingredients together ... if it still looks like a proper name ... well ... am lucky.

Chingri / Prawn Malakari is a pretty famous Bengali dish. Cooked in rich coconut milk, this dish is flavourful and delicate at the same time.

But this time I was cooking prawns only for myself. Had some coconut milk ( I use packet milk ... and find it pretty thick and good enough) ... so thought of making Prawn Malakari. But that would mean cooking rice seperately. Ah ... too much work for one soul.

So thought of combining the two ... and have a one pot meal .... my fav. No hassles. :-)

Even though I do not like sweets, I do like a little sweetness in almost every dish ... maybe it is that Bengali thing in me ... and sometimes do crave the sweetness of coconut milk in dishes ... which makes me cook Coconut Rice often.

I had previously posted Coconut Rice & Coconut Chicken. This recipe uses lesser ingredients than the chicken version.

And is perfect when you are having guests ... cooks on its own ... and with the minimum of stuff to use.


Need :

Prawns - 200 gms ( shelled, deveined and slightly steamed [optional] ),
Basmati rice - 1 tea cup  ( washed,  soaked for a while),
Coconut milk - half from the packet, around 5 or 6 tbsp, or as much as you like
Whole dry red chillies - 2, broken
Whole garam masala ( cinnamon, green cardamom , cloves ) - 2 each
Salt - a pinch
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Water.

How to :

Heat a little oil in a heavy bottomed kadhai / wok.
Add the chillies and the whole garam masala.
Now add the prawns and stir a little.
As soon as they change colour add the rice.
( Do not over fry the prawns ... they lose the softness).
Stir well and add the coconut milk ( on low flame ), salt and sugar.

If needed adjust with a little water. Cover and cook till rice is done .... but not overcooked.
Remove from heat , fluff it up with a fork or give a stir to separate the rice grains and keep covered for a while.



Serve hot.

This tastes so good that you need almost nothing to accompany it. But if preparing or guests, do pair it with something spicy and yet has less gravy.

Enjoy! :-)

Vegetables Stewed in Coconut Milk

Considering whatever little favour winter ( if we can call 30 degrees winter ... in a place that is used to 9 degrees or less once upon a time ) did on us .... read get some absolutely fresh vegetables, I should feel grateful. When in fact I am not.

No matter how hard I try to imagine it is winter, it is no fun having soups or stews when it is so hot & sweltering. :-(
Even the Chinese dishes that I usually make for dinner seem dreary .... the veggies with an almost pleading look to let them be ... and are being preferred cold.

And the most depressing part for me is the disappearence of fresh green peas ... almost as soon as they had entered the market. They did not last even a whole month ... not to mention them almost dryish and having a strange flavour. Whatever happened to the days of sweet baby peas bursting with juices?

Anyway ... I think I just made the last stew of the season ... holding on to some winter veggies for the last time.
I usually make veggie stew this way ... but this time I had some coconut milk packs in the refrigerator .... so decided to empty one into the veggies.

The stew turned out great ... mild yet flavourful.

Need : Veggies cut/cubed and the green peas shelled, sliced onions, sliced garlic (optional), a small stick of cinnamon, butter, coconut milk, whole red chillies and salt to taste.

How to : Heat a little butter in a pressure cooker. Add the cinnamon and the whole red chillies.
Then add the onion and garlic together and stir for a little while .... do not brown either of them.

Now add the veggies and stir. Add the coconut milk and salt and adjust with a little water.
Pressure cook till the veggies are done.

Seve hot.
Updated :

Do not add tomatoes / lime juice. It will curdle the coconut milk.
And this will taste slightly sweetish too ... because of the coconut milk. So adjust the salt accordingly.

Narkel Chicken / Chicken in coconut sauce

( Vegetarians can replace the Chicken with Paneer ... it tastes even better. )

I learnt this from Jaya's blog.

Though using coconut paste or coconut milk is not a novelty to many, I had never used it in any chicken dish.
So I was a little curious when I saw Jaya's "Hassle free chicken curry" post. But on her assurance that chicken tastes good with coconut too .... I decided to try it.

I have made a few changes ... more out of necessity than my usual tendency to experiment. So am giving my recipe here. The original recipe is with Jaya here.

I have used coconut milk and not the paste. I have also skipped out on the haldi powder just to retain the creamy colour that the curd and coconut milk would give.

Also I have not used any garam masala powder .... as it would tend to darken the colour ..... so just whole green cardamoms ...... they give a wonderful flavour in hot oil. And instead of red chilli powder I used chopped green chillies.

Needless to say .... this is one dish that I am going to make again and again. It turned out so good ... am going to make it the next time I have guests for dinner. :-)

And it indeed is hassle free.
Thanks a lot Jaya for sharing such a wonderful recipe. :-)



Need :

Chicken pieces,
Sliced onions,
Chopped or sliced green chillies,
Whole dry red chillies,
Green cardamoms / choti elaichi,
Curd,
Crushed garlic,
Coconut milk,
Salt to taste,
A little sugar,
Cooking oil.

How to :

Marinate the chicken with curd, garlic, salt and a little oil. Since I was using coconut milk I did not use it in the marination as per Jaya's instructions.

Heat oil in a heavy kadhai. Add the green cardamoms and whole red chillies.

Now add the sliced onions and fry till they turn translucent.

Then add the chicken and cover. Cook till chicken is half done.

Then add the coconut milk and and the chopped green chillies.
Stir a little. Cover and cook till chicken is done.




Great with hot rotis or rice.

Narkel Bhaat / Rice cooked in Coconut Milk

Belonging to a zamindar family ... that too on a coast ..... automatically brings along a lot of privileges that we children took for granted .... only until we left home and set up our own homes.

One of them is the abundant supply of coconuts in the house. Later, when we grew up we came to know that all the rice our big family (read joint family .... with numerous relatives and relatives' relatives visiting at any time the year round) and numerous big and small guests consumed, came from our fields in the villages our family 'owned'.

Of course not to mention the fish part of our daily diet from our pond in Dadu's house. Only on occasions like weddings and others .... where huge number of guests had to be fed .... the fish and prawns on the menu came from the ponds of our villages on the coast.

Coconut was something the 'Godam ghor' ( store house ) always had. Huge piles of browning ones ...when you pulled out one... a few others rolled down .... having us kids running away as fast as we could .... squealing at the imaginary enemy coming down at us. :-))

The tender green ones were consumed for water. But the others were used almost daily. Fresh coconut would be grated and used with chire ( pressed rice ) / muri ( puffed rice ) for breakfast. Or on vegetable dishes. And the very dry ones would be used by Thamma to make coconut oil.

Narkel bhaat .... though an occasional dish ... was a favorite .... and still is. It is a slight variation of the usual Bengali "Mishti bhaat" or "Sweet rice". These days coconut milk is so easily available .... we don't have to shudder when we think of making narkel bhaat or prawn malaikari.



Need : 1 cup Basmati rice (washed ), 2 packets of coconut milk ( I used the 200 ml ones), sugar, ghee, whole garam masala ( dalchini ( cinnamon) , green elaichi( cardamom) ,tej patta (bay leaves) ), whole red chillies, a pinch of salt, kaju and kishmish (cashews and raisins).

How to : Heat ghee in a heavy kadhai. Add the garam masalas, tej patta and red chillies.
Add the rice and fry for some time on low flame.
Then add the kaju and kishmish and the coconut milk. Add sugar ( just enough sugar to give a very light sweetness to the rice).
Add a pinch of salt ( just to complement the sweetness ). Cover and cook till rice is done.

Serve hot. Goes great with any spicy dish with gravy.