Rui machher Kalia

Varieties of dishes of Rui (or Rohu) fish can be smelt in the kitchen of Bengalis. Different preparation of Rohu fish can be made by using different ingredients and different recipe. As a spicy dish, the fish can enhance the grace of a lunch.

Ingredients:
1. Fish (Rohu) - 6pcs
2. Mustard oil-50 ml
3. Chilli paste-1tbs
4. Onion paste-1/2 cup
5. Tomato puree-1/4 cup
6. Garlic paste-1/4tsp
7. Ginger paste-1tbs
8. Cumin paste-2tbs
9. Salt-according to taste
10. Sugar-1tsp
11. Cardamom-4pcs
12. Cinnamon-2inch stick
13. Cashew & Raisin-8 to 10 each
14. Kalo jeera-1/2tsp
15. Green chilli-4pcs
16. Bay leaves-1pc.

Procedure:

Wash the pieces of Rohu fish and mix with little salt and turmeric.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the pieces of fish until they turn golden brown and keep aside.
In the same oil, put kalo jeera, bay leaves, cumin paste, chilli paste, cinnamon, cardamom, green chillies, one after another and fry the ingredients for a minute. Then add onion, ginger, garlic paste, tomato puree and salt, sugar and turmeric powder. Fry until oil separate from the spices.
Add two cups of boiling water and put the pieces of fish. Cook in low flame for ten minutes and garnish with cashew, raisin and coriander leaves.

Mast Spicy Chicken

Whenever taste buds of my tongue yearn for some good taste, I turn to spicy chicken. It tastes wonderful with nuns and tandoori rotis. But, one can have it with pulao or with fried rice. While preparing the dish, I keep in mind that all the spices are fried at their optimum level, as the dish will not taste well if the spices are not properly fried.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken-500 gms.
2. Jeera/Cumin powder, Chilli powder, Turmeric powder -2 tsp each.
3. Mustard oil-100 ml.
4.*Garam masala-1tsp
5. Garlic paste, Ginger- paste - 1tsp each
6. Onion paste -1/2cup
7. Tomato puree-1/2cup
8. Sugar-1tsp
9. Salt- according to taste
10. Bay leaves-2pieces

Procedure:

I prefer medium pieces of chicken for this preparation. Mix salt and turmeric powder.
Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, chilli-cumin paste, onion –garlic-ginger paste, tomato puree and fry for 5mins.Add sugar in it to give it nice colour. Now add chicken pieces in it and fry until oil separates from spices.
Add one cup of hot water and in it and cover the pan. Cook for 10 to 15 mins in low flame. Add garam masala and put off the flame.
Serve with puri, nun or fried rice.

*Garam masala is a powder of cinnamon, cardamom, clove in equal quantity.

Bhuna Khichuri

Bhuna Khichuri is usually offered before god as bhog during Pujas. So, it is prepared with utmost care and with lots of spices, ghee, and dry fruits. As the name Bhuna Khichuri means fried khichuri, this specific kind of preparation is dry and looks as it is just fried over oil.
The oil used in this preparation is pure ghee. So it taste wonderful and could be served with labra (i.e. mixed vegetable curry) and any vegetable fry.

Ingredients:
1. Gobindobhog rice -250gms
2. Sona mung dal-250gms
3. Salt-2tbs
4. Turmeric powder-1tsp
5. Sugar-2tsp
6. Ghee-5tbs
7. Bay laeves-2
8. Panchphoron-1tbs
9. Dry red chilli-2pcs
10. Green chilli- 4pcs
11. Cinnanon-2 inches stick
12. Cardamom-6pcs
13. Water-1ltr
14. Cashew&rasin-10gm each
15. Ginger and cumin paste-1tbs each.

Procedure:
Wash rice and dal; spread it for awhile to make it dry. Now in a pan heat ghee and put panchphoron, bay leaves, dry chilli, ginger paste, cumin paste, cinnamon cardamom in it. Stir for a minute. Now add rice, dal, sugar, salt and other remaining ingredients and fry 5 to 10 minutes.
Put all these ingredients in a pressure cooker; add 1ltr hot water in it. Close the lid and cook for 2 whistle over medium flame. Open the lid when all the vapour gets out completely.
Bhuna Khichuri is now ready.

Potol Posto (Pointed gourd with Poppy seed paste)

In summer the dishes should be prepared with vegetabls that compliment their cool nature. Potol/Parval or Pointed gourd is easily available during summer. During summer and monsoon when the choices of vegetables remain very few, this vegetable supports the dish of the vegetarians. There are many dishes that could be prepared with Parval or Pointed gourd. Potol posto is a pure vegetarian dish. It is easy to digest and gives a feeling of calmness in scorching heat.

                          Ingredients:

                     1. Potol-500 gms.
                     2. Posto paste (or paste of poppy seed)-30 gms.
                     3. Mustard oil- 50ml
                     4. Green chilli-8 pcs.
                     5. Turmeric powder-1tsp.

Procedure:

Soak poppy seeds in a cup of hot water for half an hour. Paste it in a grinder with water.
Peel off the potol (Pointed gourd) and cut them into vertical pieces. Mix with green chillies, sugar, salt, and turmeric powder and keep them aside for half an hour. This will make the potol soft and salt and sugar will melt.
In a pan, heat oil and put potols and chllies in it (without the water of salt and sugar) and fry, till it turns light golden in colour. Keep the liquid of salt and sugar in a bowl to be used later. Now, put posto paste and again continue frying for another five minutes. Add the molten sugar and salt water that we got at the beginning when we mixed them with potol to make them soft. We need not have to add any extra water. This salt and sugar water is sufficient for this preparation. Cover the pan and cook in low flame for another fifteen minutes.
Now it is ready to be served.

Sorshe Elish (Hilsa)

During the months of monsoon it was customary scene of the markets of Bengal, that a Bangali babu hanging a whole hilsa fish in hand, on way to home. Those days are gone, but, the passion or the infatuation for Hilsa still exists. During monsoon the soothing drizzles also bring the fragrances of Hilsa in the air. Irresistible gravitation of Hilsa continues even with the mounting price hike. In rainy season nothing could be more adorable than shorshe elish for Bengali’s. It`s flavour makes them hungrier and some can eat even double of their capacity if there is hilsa in the menu.

Ingredients:
1. Hilsa fish-400 gm
2 Mustard paste-25gm
3. mustard oil-100 ml
4. Green chilli-8 pcs
5. Turmeric powder-1tsp
6. Salt according to taste
7. Kalo jeera-a pinch

Procedure: Wash the pieces of fish and sprinkle a bit of salt and turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan and fry the pieces for a minute (or instead of frying raw fish can also be used) and keep aside. Now, in the same oil add kalo jeera, green chillies(sliced),mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder and stir it for a minute. Put one cup of hot water in it, when it start boiling added the pieces of fish and cover the pan. Keep it for five minutes and it is ready.

Serve it hot with rice.

Payesh

The preparation Payesh is widely adored by children. In India during most of the religious ceremonies and birthdays the preparation is served as a must and can be prepared in a short time. The procedure of making Payesh is very simple. In some parts of India it is also known as Kheer.

Ingredients:
1. Milk-one litre
2. Scented (preferably Gobinda bhog) rice-50gms
3. Sugar- 150 gms
4. Cashew and Raisin-10-gms each
5. Cardamom- 4 to 5(powdered)
6. Bay leaves

Procedure: Clean the rice and allow the excess water to drain out and leave it in a bowl for awhile. After the rice is moderately dry, coat it with little ghee. Boil milk in a vessel with two bay leaves. When the milk starts boiling put the flame in sim and keep in this position for 20 mins, so that the milk gets thicker. Add rice in it and stir the milk in regular intervals so that rice could not form lump. When the rice is boiled, add sugar and stir for the next two minutes, sprinkle cardamom powder. Now Payesh is ready. Garnish the dish with cashew and raisin and serve when it is cool.