Bengali style fish curry

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• Ingredients:
• 350gm meaty white fish (I used Rock fish)
• Half tsp panch poron(refer to cooking made easy link here)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Half tsp chilli powder
• 4 green chillies
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp mustard oil
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Method:

Slice the fish into one inch thick slices and rub in half a teaspoon of salt and half the turmeric. Bring the oil to heat on high in a large frying pan and fry the fish slices for a minute on either side to seal.

Remove them with a slotted spoon and chuck in the bay leaf and panch phoron. As they sizzle up, mix the spice powders into a mug of hot water and pour into the pan. Let this bubble up and then cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Next, gently lower the fish pieces into the curry. Slit the green chillies and add them along with salt to your taste. Cover for about five minutes until the fish is cooked through. Serve with hot steamed rice or an easy dal like I did for simple pleasure.

BENGALI FIVE SPICE: (Panch Phoron)

prep time: 5 minutes

• 1 quantity whole cumin seeds
• 1 quantity whole fennel seeds
• 1 quantity whole yellow mustard seeds
• 1 quantity whole fenugreek seeds
• 1 quantity whole nigella (kalonji) seeds

Mix all the seeds together, enjoy the lovely color and store in air-tight container away from direct sunlight.

Coriander and Spinach Rice

• Ingredients:
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• 350gm rice (uncooked)
• 50gm fresh coriander
• 50gm fresh spinach
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 green cardamoms
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Salt to taste
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Method:

Puree the fresh coriander and spinach in a food processor with two or three tablespoons of water or just chop them finely. Chop the garlic finely.

Rinse the rice well with cold water. Take a medium pot and bring the ghee to heat in it on high.

When it’s hot, add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, and bay leaf and as they sizzle up, the chopped garlic. When the garlic turns a pale golden, measure the rice first into a mug, next stir it in and fry for a minute.

Then mix in the green paste, add 1.5 times as much hot water as the rice, measured in the same mug. Bring to a boil, lower the flame to simmer, cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Serve this with yogurt and pickle for a really simple lunch

Bhendi Raitha

• Ingredients:
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• 400gm okra/Bhendi
• 350gm low fat natural yogurt
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• Half tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp whole cumin
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste (black salt if you have it)

Method:

Prepare the okra/Bhendi as above in my introduction. Preheat the grill to a medium setting.When it’s hot, grill the cumin on a baking tray for a few seconds, then crush into a fine powder and keep for later.

In a shallow rectangular dish, stir the yogurt with salt to your taste and leave to chill in the fridge. If using black salt, don’t add salt here.

Next mix the okra pieces with the chilli, turmeric and oil in a bowl. Place on a lined baking sheet in a single layer and grill for 8-10 minutes until sizzling and crispy.

When they are done, mix into the yogurt. Sprinkle the fresh cumin powder on top and half a teaspoon of black salt (if you are using it). Serve chilled as soon as possible.

Ginger Mutton

Ingredients

• 850gm lamb  (goat meat works really well too)
• 1 large onion
• 3 inches fresh ginger
• 4 tbsp low fat natural yogurt
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• Half tsp chilli powder
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 inch stick cinnamon
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

Chop the onion roughly and mince the ginger in a food processor or just chop finely. Marinate the meat in the yogurt, ginger, turmeric and chilli powders and leave to sit while you fire up the oil in a large pot.

When the oil is hot, add the bay leaf, cinnamon and chopped onion. Saute for five minutes until the onion is pale golden. Then mix in the coriander powder, lamb and its marinade.

Brown the lamb on high, then add half a cup of hot water, lower the heat to a medium high and cook covered for half an hour. You need to keep stirring the lamb to make sure it doesn’t burn. If the masalas start getting stuck to the bottom of the pot, add another half a cup of water and scrape them off.

After half an hour, take the cover off and cook for another half an hour uncovered stirring regularly. Add another half a cup of hot water if the lamb starts sticking to the bottom of the pot. The reason I’m being vague about the cups of water is because it slightly depends upon the quality of the lamb you’re working with.

Finish by adding salt to taste and a sprinkle of fresh, julienned ginger to the serving dish before you plonk it on the dining table. This is great with warm rotis and a raita.

Crisp prawns

Ingredients: 
7 pcs of prawns
1 tbsp ginger minced
2 green chillies chopped fine
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2 eggs
250 gms bread crumbs
250 gms rava (semolina)
oil for deep frying
Lime wedges for garnish

Method:
Clean the prawns and wash. Keep the tail on. Pat dry. Mix the ginger garlic, green chillies, lemon juice, salt and pepper together and marinate the prawns in this mix for 3-4 hours. Mix the flour and egg together in a bowl and blend to remove any lumps. Mix the bread crumbs and rava together in a flat plate. Dip the prawns in the batter, then roll in bread crumb-semolina mix to coat nicely and deep fry till golden. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and serve with mint-coriander chutney.

Smoked Baigan

Ingredients 


Baigan: 4 large,
Onion: 2,
Garlic: 5 cloves
Garam masala: ½ tsp, Cardamom: 2,
Cloves: 2,
Curd: One cup,
Dal Chini: a pinch
Ghee: 3 tsp

Method: 

Chop the onion finely, fry and add masala.
Put the brinjal on the gas flame till it becomes pulpy.
Peel the brinjal stem and beat the pulp so it becomes bharta,add ghee.
Add garam masala, curd and allow it to cool.Serve fresh.