Rohu fish curry with winter vegetables and raw papaya

"When I woke up after a week of high fever and a very bad throat infection, I realised that not only has the first day of the brand new year has passed by but also a whole week has gone by.
So like a good Bong I stepped into the kitchen to rustle up a maacher jhol / fish curry,to drown my sorrows in.
The good thing about this jhol is it is light, soupy and very nutritious with a whole gamut of winter vegetables thrown in.
And a sprinkle of fresh coriander leaves to add to that wintery feel,since back home we add coriander leaves to curries only during winters... when they are available abundantly.
The fish is a fresh water Rohu / Rui.
And the vegetables are green papaya, cauliflower,green peas and the favourite of all Bengalis ... potatoes.
I added a squirt of fresh lemon juice to spike up the taste level to suit my bland taste buds.
Comfort food at its best .... to warm a winter afternoon and to soothe a medicine battered soul."

 This is what I wrote on my Insta post as well as on my FB page along with the photo of my still steaming hot rui maacher jhol, that I cooked for myself this afternoon.
And then decided to make a post of it too.
After all, it is well into two weeks of the new year and I have not been able to drop in here ... not even to wish you all a happy new year.
So here I am, writing about what I can happily say the most soothing maacher jhol I have ever made.

Since I am still too weak to stand for long in the kitchen, I decided to add a good number of fresh vegetables to the curry .... so that I don't have to make different bhajas or side dishes.
To make the jhol more nutritious and to break down the protein for good digestion, I added raw papaya to it. Since I am not too fond of raw papaya, but do include it in my meals, I keep trying to find ways to slip it into dishes.
And since this jhol had all of my favourite vegetables, I did not mind a few pieces of papaya in it.

So here goes the recipe for this super light maacher jhol.
And you need not be ill to relish it.
Try it while you still get fresh winter vegetables in the market ... especially those sweet cauliflowers and green peas.

 Need :

Rohu fish - 4 pieces, fried ( refer here on how to fry them )
Ginger + garlic paste - 1 tbsp ( I had frozen cubes and used two )
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Potato - 1 medium, sliced
Cauliflower - a few florets
Fresh green peas - as much as you want
Raw papaya - 2 big slices, chopped
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped
Green cardamom - 2, crushed
Dry red chillies - 2, broken
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Water - for gravy


 How to :

Heat the oil in a heavy kadahi / wok.

Add the crushed cardamom + red chillies.

Add the chopped onions and fry till almost brown.

Add the ginger garlic paste + haldi powder + red chilli powder + sugar.

Fry well till oil starts to leave the sides.

Add the vegetables and mix well.

Raise heat and add the water.

When it starts to boil add the salt, cover and cook till the vegetables are done.

Remove cover and add the fish pieces.

Add more water if needed and check for salt.

Add the garam masala and cover.

Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove cover and sprinkle the coriander leaves.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Enjoy all the goodness in one plate!!

Wishing you all a very happy new year 2018!

My Noname Chicken Curry .... the spicy, tangy and oh! so good kind

 

 Ever since I have started posting on Instagram, I have turned lazy when it comes to laying the table and setting up a place for photographs.
Not to mention the respite from the constant struggle with natural light.
And the fact that we have moved the dining table to another end of the living room ... away from the windows ..... is not helping too.
Which explains the sudden lack of photographs, now that I am raring to make some posts.

As I was going through my folders today,  I found these photos that I had taken on the iphone, for Insta, as usual.
And remembered that this curry had come out very well.
One look and I could remember that tangy, spicy gravy .... it was indeed good.
This was actually a result of indecisiveness and a little experiment.

Now, since I cook chicken rather frequently, and most of the time just marinate and dump the whole thing in a kadahi or pressure cooker or the oven, to cook on its own, I was getting tired of the same way of cooking.
I do use different kinds of sauces or masalas etc. at different times, but I had wanted to eat something really different this time.
Something that I would not recognise as cooked by me.
Hilarious .... I know.
But then, at times I do feel like eating food cooked by someone else .... and that does not mean eating at restaurants.

So what I had planned to do was to sear the chicken ... that has been sitting in some lemon juice for a while .... till brown, and then add spicy sauces to it.
Yeah ... I wanted to kill the already dead bird real well.
But then, as I went ahead with my cooking, things started to go very differently.

I had, initially, wanted to add tomatoes ( I rarely use tomatoes in my dishes, hence have no idea why I wanted to now) but forgot to add it.
While searing it in the pan, I decided to add Chinese sauces but forgot to do that too.
Instead, added turmeric and red chilli powder. My mind must have been somewhere else.
So now, to balance it, went ahead and added garam masala powder.
And watched in dismay as the curry was going exactly the way I did not want it to.

Adamant at not letting the chicken have its way, I threw in some Maharashtrian kanda lahsun masala too. Hoping that the onion and garlic as well as the coconut in the fiery masala will help deviate from the current path.

I also added a potato .... the Bengali in me wants a potato in her chicken jhol after all ....  and after the chicken was cooked, added another big squirt of lemon.
And just before covering it again, went ahead and added the chilli and a little soy sauce too.

And that is the end of the story.
I had no idea what to call it ... hence the name Noname.
But boy! did it turn out right!!
And lip smacking good.

And oh ... the ginger garlic paste is in the marination and the salt and sugar and cooking oil go in by default. 

I hope you try it.
With some plain rice, it was an absolute delight in every mouthful .


And if you to stay abreast with such quick and quirky recipe ideas by me, join me on Intsa here.
And get to share my meals and snacks alongwith.

Cheerio all!!

Murgir jhol or A light chicken curry made the Bengali way

Friday had started with loads of housework and more than my usual number of chores.
Since monsoons are approaching, I need to sun everything to be able to wade through Pune's cold monsoon months. Yes, I am a tad traditional ... the old aunts kind of way ... when it comes to such things.
My balcony and windows get ample sunlight.
Hence the quilts are out, the bori and achaar bottles sit on the window ledges. So do the dals.
Not to mention the washing and putting out to dry all the curtains and covers.
So by the time the dishes were done and the whole house had been set, it was almost one in the afternoon. After which I started to cook lunch.
And it was not before four that I got to eat.

Naturally, I was drained by evening.
B was extra busy and was in numerous office calls all day. And that went late into the evening.
I did not make anything for dinner, with the hope of going out. Focused on the knitting that I needed to finish yesterday.
B became free only after quarter past nine.
And we sat down to discuss what to eat or where to go.
The tab came to life again and we start our search.
B wanted to have pithla bhakri. I love bhakris too.
The picture of a crisp, hot bhakri, just out of the tawa danced before my eyes.
B wanted to pick a place where I could have non vegetarian too.

All this was taking time and Pune's eating places shut down at eleven in the night.
So there was hardly any time for us to get ready and reach a place. But finally we zeroed in on one that was around 9 or 10 kms from our place.
We somehow managed to reach the place in 15 minutes flat ... just as the clock on the dashboard showed 10:59.
I was sure we would have to end up with vada paos that night. But luckily for us they took us in.
And that is where lies the catch.
Or my rant for this post.

Most restaurants take in people who arrive just before closing time.
And after you have settled down, read the menu and given your orders, they come up with this ... "Please order everything that you want at one go ... the kitchen is closing."

Drives me up the wall.

Why on earth do they take in customers if their kitchen is closing?!
How do I know that I will not need an extra roti or rice or dal or gravy later?
Why do they have to threaten you as if they are doing a favour feeding you or allowing you in?
There is a famous restaurant in the city that has absolutely fantastic food. And is one of our favourites.
But they too do this.
I mean, if we reach at 2:45 pm, they will take us in.
And after the food comes, a server will come over and give us the ultimatum ... do you need anything else? Our kitchen is closing.
And they will plonk down a basket holding all the rotis that you need....and by the time you have finish half of one, the rest have gone cold.

Makes me hopping mad.

Shouldn't restaurants have a minimum sensibility to at least let the people they have taken in to have a full, satisfying meal?
The simplest thing to do is not take in any more customers who arrive nearer to closing time.
Instead of having a server or two hovering around them, waiting for them to finish as fast as they can just because they have to clean and wind up.
I find it very ,very rude.

As for the afore mentioned place, we did finish early.
Not only because I was already angry at the attitude.
But also because the pithla and the bhakris were a complete let down.
The pithla was lumpy, lacked salt and cold.
The rice bhakri was chewy and not fresh. I suspect it was re heated in a microwave oven.
The jowar bhakris too were faux.
Very thin, limp, had a thin covering almost like polis and soft. And cold too.

The dream of a rustic, fragrant, thick bhakri, very hot,  right out of the tawa remained a dream.

At least for tonight.
Tomorrow, I will make ourselves some mean Pithla and bhakri.
Hhmmmppppfff.

Today, I have this beautifully light Murgir jhol or Chicken curry made the Bengali way.
While it does have garam masalas for flavour, it does not have too much of oil or the masalas are not fried for too long.
Just a stir here, a stir there, cover and let it cook on its own.

Need :

Chicken - around 6 to 7 medium sized pieces
Potatoes - 2 medium sized, halved
Curd - 5 tbsp
Onion paste - 2 tbsp (preferably home made )
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp (   "     )
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp  ( "    )
Black cardamom -2, crushed
Tej pata or Bay leaves - 2
Dry red chillies - 2, broken
Haldi or turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp ( I use mustard oil )
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp 
Lime juice - 2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves - for garnishing

I do not use any dhaniya powder or cumin powder or garam masala powder for this.
And prefer the curd to be slightly sour ... home made curd sitting in the fridge for two days works best.

You can also mix everything together with the chicken and put it in a pressure cooker for a faster version.
In which case, do use less onion paste.

How to :

Marinate the chicken with curd.

In a heavy kadahi, heat mustard oil.

Add the red chillies + black cardamom + bay leaves.

Add the onion paste.
Fry well till dryish and brown.

Add the ginger + garlic paste.
Fry well.

Now add the haldi powder + red chilli powder + sugar.
Fry till all water has dried up.

Now add the chicken and fry well on low heat well.

Now raise heat, add water, potato and salt.

Cover and cook on low heat till chicken is done.

Remove cover and add lime juice and coriander leaves. 

See how soft the chicken is cooked? The meat is falling off the bone.
And the gravy is light and thin.

Serve hot.
This goes great with soft, hot rotis.
Of course, you can pair it with rice too. And some salad.

The light gravy is perfect for summer lunches or dinners.
If you like bread, then this jhol is perfect to dip a piece in.
Will be great for the monsoons.

Enjoy!!

Aloo Matar Rassewala / Potatoes and Green Peas curry

Lots of things going on these days. Life sure has a way of reminding you that not all will stay hunky dory. Not always. So even before we have had enough of our whatever little good time we get, there comes a jolt that brings us back to reality.

And I find myself taking solace in Mirakkel ( an absolutely wonderful Bengali stand up comedy show on Zee Bangla ) more and more ... just so that I know I am still humane enough ... that I can still forget reality and laugh for an hour.

I'll not write anything about the blast in a favourite hangout ... the German Bakery ... in the quiet lanes of Koregaon Park of my city.
The reason being too many things are being written and said.

I for a change will just say quiet ... and keep trying to figure out why the release of a movie is so important than the lives of innocent citizens. And why was the police, patrolling KP for so long, sent to guard multiplexes so that a movie can be released ... so that some already filthy rich could make some more money. Citizens life be damned.
No ... I'd rather stay mum.
Cook. Serve. Eat. Live.


And to add to my woes, my TP crashed. Finally got it back whole. And fell in love with the "Mark all as read" button.
Much as I would have loved to visit all the beautiful blogs and leave lines, the number on my reader overwhelmed me and I scurried to get rid of it. But I do promise to start visiting all of you again.

On a slightly happier note, I did get to make a small trip to the beach in the past long weekend ( post coming up in my travelogue soon ). After almost a whole rough year, I got to breath awhile.

Coming to today's dish, it is a family favourite that is ridiculously simple to make yet wonderfully flavourful. A huge help when you have family or close friends visiting. Makes a cosy quick dinner or a very filling breakfast too. This dish is made very regularly at my in-laws place. I have added fresh green peas as they are in season. Can be skipped too.



Need : Boiled potatoes, green peas [optional],
a pinch of haldi / turmeric powder, a pinch of hing / asafoetida, a little jeera / cumin seeds,
a little red chilli powder, cooking oil, a pinch amchur powder / dried mango powder,
salt to taste, water to cook.

How to : Skin the potatoes and lightly crush them by hand. Do not mash them completely ... do keep a few medium sized pieces.

Heat oil in a wok or kadahi. Add the jeera. When it starts to splutter add a little hing ( if you like the flavour of hing, you can add enough to make the dish pungent ... else keep it to just a little).

Add the potatoes, the peas and toss around a little on high heat.

Add the haldi, chilli, amchur powder and salt. Add enough water to cover the potato pieces.

Lower heat, cover and cook.

Let it stay on heat and simmer for a longish time. Do remove the cover and check in between if it needs more water. If the gravy is turning thickish, then add more water and cook for some more time.

The more you boil this, the better the flavours are absorbed by the potatoes.



Done!
Pair it off with hot rotis or parathas or puri/luchi.
This tastes best when it has been kept over for a day or overnight. Try it out this weekend for brunch or dinner. :-)

TC all !!

Easy Paneer Butter Masala

( Vegans can make this with tofu / boiled potato cubes / steamed medium sized cauliflower florets ).


Too many things at hand these days ... and every job demanding attention at the same time ... not to say nothing of the people around me ( I hope JKJ pardons me for using the line in such frivolous settings).

There have been a few things ... read major few things ... that needed to be done with in the house before the monsoons set in ( no sign of that yet ... still .... ). So we have been after the guys who were suppossed to deal with them, for over a month. And after days of unending calls (from us) , they all land up on one single day.

The house turns into mayhem ... we are banished to a corner .... and the sounds of hammering, drilling and breaking of bricks etc. made a din enough to drive wild elephants away.
And with my kitchen taken over, we were left to the mercies of home deliveries.



But I just could not stay away from my blog .... I must say this wanting to hear from you all on my posts is getting addictive. :-)

So while checking mails was sidelined ... or any other work for that matter, I wanted to post something. Luckily, the snaps for this dish were ready. So here's the dish that I made, as promised when I posted my homemade paneer cubes.


This recipe is very quick to make .... and easy too. If you have the paneer ready, then this is done in a jiffy. The butter here is just a wee bit ... just to give a flavour.
I have simplified it ... if you want an elaborate one, you can of course use more ground masala pastes like onion, cashew, etc.

Need : Paneer cubes ( around 10 pieces of small size ), a little butter, a few cloves of garlic[optional] , 2 big sized tomatoes, 2 black cardamoms,
a cupful of whey, crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) leaves,
a little garam masala, salt and sugar to taste.

How to : Run the tomatoes, garlic and the cardamom in a mixer to get a paste.

Heat a non stick kadhai / wok and add a little butter. You can go overboard and add lots if you want to too.

Add the tomato paste and keep frying till it is well cooked and dries up. Now add the crushed kasuri methi and keep stirring for a while.

Add the whey and the paneer cubes. Cover and simmer till you get the gravy of desired consistency.

Remove cover and sprinkle a pinch garam masala. Cover and let it stand for a while for the flavours to absorb.


Serve hot with rotis / parathas / naan.
Another easy dish using whey is here. :-)

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.

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.

Kosha Dim

Kosha literally means 'Bhuna'. Onion/ginger/garlic paste ... fried well in oil. Dim is egg. :-)

Need : Boiled eggs, onion/ginger/garlic/tomato paste, haldi powder, a pinch of sugar,red chilli powder, 2 tbsp cooking oil ( I used mustard oil), garam masala powder, salt to taste.

How to : Heat a little oil first. Add the boiled eggs and fry them a little with a pinch of haldi powder and sugar. This gives a colour to the eggs and also the skin turns slightly crispy.

Remove and keep aside.

Now add the rest of the oil and the onion paste. Add the haldi powder and red chilli powder and fry well till oil seperates.

Add some water and the eggs (make a little cut in them so that the masala enters) and keep stirring till all water evaporates.

I had some boiled aloo .... completely crushed one and added it to give a little body to the gravy.

Sprinkle the garam masala and cover for some time.

Goes great with hot rotis / parathas. Also can be had with khichuri (khichdi) too.

Masala Chicken

I love chicken ... cooked in any possible way. This time I made it a little rich as we had a guest for dinner.


Need :

Chicken (I had 5 drumsticks),
2 medium onions,
1 inch piece of ginger,
8-10 cloves of garlic,
haldi / turmeric powder,
whole garam masalas ( cloves / laung,cardamom/ elaichi , cinnamon / dalchini ,bay leaves / tej patta ),
1 tsp kasoori methi / dried and crushed fenugreek leaves,
1 teaspoon garam masala powder,
1/2 cup curd,
a little sugar, salt to taste,
cooking oil.

How to :

Clean chicken and keep aside ( I did not marinate the chicken this time).

Grind 1 onion, the ginger and garlic into a paste.

Heat oil in heavy bottomed kadhai ( I prefer the kadhai to the pressure cooker for cooking chicken).

Slice the other onion.

Add the whole garam masalas to the oil.

Then add the onions.

When they turn pink, make some place in the kadhai and add the sugar.(It helps in brinigng out a strong colour).



Now add the ground masala, haldi powder and fry well till oil leaves the sides.

Add the kasoori methi and the curd now.


Add the chicken, garam masala powder and salt and fry again for some time.



Add water and cover and cook till chicken is done.

Remove and serve hot.