Bengali Fish Curry / Maacher Jhol

Bengali Fish Curry (Maacher Jhol)

A delicious fish curry in Bengali cuisine. It goes well with rice / jeera rice / ghee rice….

Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 Rohu fish slices

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon salt

50 ml oil (mustard oil / sun flower oil / olive oil )

Method

Wash and clean fish slices. Wash until the water is clear and no dirt. Drain out water thoroughly. Wipe each fish slices with a soft cotton cloth / towel.

In a serving plate or bowl, mix salt and turmeric powder.

Marinate fish slices with salt and turmeric powder mix . Marinate well on both the sides. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Heat oil in a kadai or frying pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and fry marinated fish  slices  (2 fish slices at a time) golden color on both the sides. Drain out from the oil and keep aside.

Curry ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera seeds (cumin seeds)

½ teaspoon kalonji seeds (nigella seeds)

2 bay leaves

1 onion, finely slices

1 tablespoon ginger – garlic paste

1 green chilli,  thinly sliced

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

1 ½ teaspoon coriander powder

1 ½ cup water (300 ml)

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Fried fish slices

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½  teaspoon fennel powder (saunf powder)

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

In a small bowl / katori, dilute red chilli powder and coriander powder in 3 tablespoons water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a  pan /  kadai  on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle completely, add cumin seeds, kalonji and bay leaves. Fry on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant and crisp.

Add thinly sliced onions and fry until golden color.

Add ginger – garlic paste and fry for 3 – 5 minutes until the raw smell goes.

Add thinly sliced green chilli and fry for 2- 3 minutes.

Add diluted red chilli powder – coriander powder mix and stir well on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes until the raw smell goes,

Add 1 ½ cup water and salt to taste. Cover with a tight lid and boil on a medium heat for 10 minutes (till it boils vigorously).

Now add fried fish slices, fennel powder and jeera powder . Cover again and cook for 10 – 12 minutes. Switch off the heat. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

 Consume this curry / jhol after 2 hours. Then the gravy  and fish will absorb all the flavours.  Serve with rice.

Rohu fish easily available Miri, Sarawak, East Malaysia. We bought it from fish market near Chinese Temple (Miri city area). Also available in Giant, Lutong fish market, E mart fish market Tudan.

Mishti Doi

Homemade Mishit Doi – A delicious sweet in Bengali cuisine !!

Makes: 200 ml (2 servings)

Ingredients

2 cups / 400 ml / 16 oz milk (Indian standard measuring cup)

2 tablespoon melted and sieved jaggery or brown sugar or normal sugar

1 teaspoon fresh curd

Method

In a bowl, boil milk until it reduce to half of the quantity (200 ml) (approximately 15 – 18 minutes, depending upon the quality of the milk). Switch off the heat and measure milk. If it’s reduced to 1 cup, then no need to boil again. If it’s 1 ¼ cup or more, boil again for another 10 minutes or until 1 cup thick milk.

Now add 2 tablespoon (or to taste) melted and sieved jaggery or brown sugar or normal sugar. Whisk well until creamy in consistency. Cover and keep aside for half to one hour until it’s lukewarm temperature (like normal procedure of making curd at home).

Once it reaches lukewarm temperature, add 1 teaspoon fresh curd and mix well. Cover and keep aside in a warm place (or near kitchen platform) for 6 – 10 hours or overnight  (depending upon climate, it will take more than 10 hours during the time of winter and monsoon) till set. Once it sets, then keep it in refrigerator for another 2 – 3 hours. Serve chilled.

Luchi with Cholar Dal

 Luchi with cholar dal - A very popular Bengali dish  (Recipe idea from BBC Goodfood India magazine)

Makes: 11 -12

Ingredients

1 ½  cups maida (all purpose flour ) (Please measure in Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)

2 teaspoon  suji ( rawa )

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon oil

3/4 cup  + extra 3 tablespoon water

250 ml oil for frying

Method

In a bowl, mix maida, suji, salt and 1 teaspoon oil and knead to a firm dough with water (first start with ¾ cup water. Later  adjust with remaining 1 – 3 tablespoon water. It depends upon the texture of maida). Dough should not be very soft like chapatti dough. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside for an hour (or store it in an airtight container).

Divide luchi dough into 11 - 12 portions and make balls. Flatten them to make rounds (just like puri - 4 inches in diameter) with the help of little dry flour (or dip it in oil / ghee (avoid dry flour) and flatten them into 4 - inch rounds).

In a kadai / deep frying pan, heat oil on high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and fry luchis one at a time till it puffs up. Turn over till both sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels to absorb extra oil and serve hot  with cholar dal or any gravy dishes of your choice. Best with cholar dal.

Cholar Dal

Ingredients

Please use same measuring cup to measure dal and water.

For the dal:

1 cup / 200 ml / 8 oz  cholar dal ( spilt chana dal / Bengal gram dal)

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

4 cups water

Method

Wash and soak dal  in a pressure cooker for one hour.  Add   turmeric powder   and  bay leaves  and pressure cook for 25  minutes or until done / soft (reduce the heat to medium after 3^rd  whistle (3 quick whistles) and cook for 20 minute). Switch off the heat. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the lid. Remove bay leaves. Gently mash dal with the base of a ladle.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon  oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

3 slit green chillies

2 dry red chillies

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Extra ½ cup water

2 teaspoon thin slices of fresh or dry coconut (Optional)

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon  oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackle,  add  jeera and fry for 30 seconds.  Then add  ginger, garlic, broken red chillies and  slit green chillies.  Fry on a low heat for 2 - 4 minutes.

Add mashed cholar dal and adjust salt and extra water (if the dal is too thick in consistency adjust with ½ cup water).  Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 15 minutes.  Decorate with thin coconut slices (optional).  Serve with luchi.

Kolkata Kathi Roll & North Indian Thali @ The Bay Leaf, Chennai

North Indian Thali costs Rs 175 (service charge and VAT extra) & Kolkata Kathi Roll costs Rs 160/. There's special menu available for Bengali dishes. But please do not try Bengali dishes (Mutton curry, Aloo posto, Paturi, Fish dishes ...). That's not traditional and very expensive too.

The Bay Leaf,

14, 6th St, Gopalapuram, (From Gemini, take a left turn just before Gangotree  snacks and Moksha),

Chennai -600086

Phone:044 2811 4557

 Monday - Sunday 11:00 am–11:00 pm

Sujir Payesh

Sujir Payesh / Sooji Kheer / Rawa Kheer – A delicious and quick dessert /  payesh / kheer in Bengali cuisine !!

Serves: 4 – 6 small dessert cups

Ingredients

500 ml milk / 1/2 litre

2 tablespoon sooji (rawa / semolina)

4 – 5 tablespoon sugar

2 pinches cardamom powder

Lightly fried 6 cashew nut splits cashew nuts and 6 raisins (optional)

Method

In a bowl, boil milk. Do not dilute milk with water.

Add sooji. Mix well. Cover with a lid  and boil  on a low heat for 10 – 12 minutes until sooji well cooked and slightly thickens.

At this stage, add sugar and boil again for another 5 minutes on a low heat. Switch off the heat and keep aside to cool for half an hour. Then sprinkle cardamom powder. Mix well. Serve warm or cool.

Decorate with lightly fried cashew nut splits and raisins.

Bengali Style Dal

Bengali Style Dal – A tasty dal, goes well with rice  / rotis !!

Serves:  4

For the  dal:

1 cup / 200 ml tur dal (or 1 cup / 200 ml masoor dal (pink color dal) Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity )

3 cups / 600 ml water

1/2 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 medium size tomato, chopped

3 green chillies, slit lengthwise

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

For the  dal:

Wash and soak dal  in a pressure cooker for thirty minutes. Add  oil, turmeric powder, chopped tomato, slit green chillies, salt  and pressure cook for 20 minutes or until done / soft (reduce the heat to medium after 2nd whistle and cook for 15 minute). Switch off the heat. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the lid. Gently mash dal with the base of a ladle.

For the tadka (seasoning):

2 teaspoon ghee / oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

Method

In a pan, heat oil or ghee. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves. Fry on a low heat for 1 -  2  minutes until  crisp and fragrant. Pour the seasoning over cooked dal and boil again for 3 minutes. Serve with rice or rotis.

Bengali style Masoor Dal

Bengali Style Simple Masoor Dal

A tasty dal, made of masoor dal (pink color dal), green chilli and onion (also without tadka (seasoning)). Best with rice / rotis / luchi(Bengali style puris).

Serves: 3 – 4

Ingredients

For dal:

1 cup (100 g) masoor dal (pink color dal)

3 cups (300 ml) water

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon oil

Method

Wash and clean dal. Soak in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes and boil in pressure cooker with its soaking water, turmeric powder and oil until done and soft (Switch off the heat on high after 3 rd whistle and allow the cooker to cool naturally). Open the lid.

Final preparation:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion. Finely sliced

3 green chilli, slit lengthwise

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

Heat oil in a kadai / pan. Add finely sliced onions and fry till golden color on a medium to low heat.

Add boiled dal along with 3 slit green chillies and salt. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes or until done and dal slightly thickens. Serve with Rice / Rotis / Luchi ..

Dimer Devil

Deemer / Dimer Devil

A tasty deep fried snack in Bengali cuisine !!!

You will need

2 eggs, boiled

2 potatoes (big size), boiled and mash well

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper powder

1 egg (beat well with 1/4 teaspoon salt)

¼ cup (50 – 60 g) Bread crumbs

250 ml oil (to deep fry)

Method

Hard boil 2 eggs and shell them.

Boil the potatoes and mash well. Add salt and pepper powder. Mix well. Make a soft dough.

Coat the boiled eggs with this potato mixture.Cover it tightly.

Heat oil for deep frying to a smoking point. Reduce heat to medium.

Dip the coated eggs in the eggwash, roll in breadcrumbs and deep fry till golden brown. Drain on paper towels to absorb extra oil.Cut into desired shape and size. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Bengali style Aloo Dum

Bengali Style Aloo Dum

A spicy potato dish simmered in yogurt flavored with fragrant spices and piquant green chillies.

Serves: 2

You will need

3 tablespoons oil (45 ml)
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
250 g baby potatoes, boiled and peeled
1 tablespoon tomato puree
3 tablespoons (45 ml) thick yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, roasted and powdered
2 teaspoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Method

Mix yogurt with red chilli powder and ginger paste. Make a smooth solution and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wide frying pan. Reduce heat to medium and fry bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Saute till they fragrant.

Add boiled and peeled baby potatoes. Fry on a low to medium heat till they turn golden color (approximate frying time 12 minutes).

Add tomato puree. Mix well.

Add yogurt - ginger paste - red chilli mix. Stir well.

Add salt and sugar.

Add finely chopped green chillies. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 -12 minutes or until the gravy thickens, well coated on potatoes and red in color.

Sprinkle cumin powder. Decorate with chopped coriander leaves and serve as a side dish with Rotis / Puri / Luchi ...