Banana halwa

2 ripe bananas
Raw Sugar to taste
Milk powder
2 Tbsp ghee (preferably homemade)

Method:
Mix everything except the ghee together and cook the mashed bananas in a low flame by stirring continuously. You may also use cardamom or cinnamon powder to enhance the flavor. You may also try a variation with jaggery instead of using sugar.

Okra with dry fish/ ঢেঁড়স দিয়ে শুটকির ঝোল

Method:
Pressure cook washed whole okra with garlic, onions, green chilies, dry fish (preferably chepa/shidol).
Give it a good stir before you serve. You can make a similar jhol/broth using green beans and potatoes.

If you don't eat dry fish, try the recipe with fish bones/ fish head or simply red lentils.

Making salted hilsa/nona ilish with potatoes and eggplant

Kochur loti /stolon of taro / Taro Stem

For Shweta and Shreya

Taro was plenty where I grew up. My mom cooked taro stems with dry fish or shrimps, taro green with Ilish (fish) head. Yaers later at a Hawai'ian luau (traditional Hawai'ian feast), I ate chicken wrapped and cooked in taro leaves. The islands of Hawai'i has a tropical climate and has similar flora to other tropical places of the world. Also, the fertile volcanic soil makes crops taste better. Even the Hawai'ian potatoes have a distinct flavor you can discern.  Anyhow, I digress. Back to my roots.

My mom taught me a trick to make the frozen taro stems taste better. She asked me to dry roast the frozen vegetables in a wok  on low heat until the water evaporates before I start cooking them so the stems don't become a mush from the excess water.

Ingredients:
Minced onion- 1 medium
5-6 garlic cloves smashed or to taste
Minced green chilies (optional, I prefer it for extra flavor
Red chili powder about 1/2 tsp or to taste
Dry fish, preferably chepa/shidol. Soak in warm water, Clean scales well. Remove heads if needed (if the dry fish is not too fresh or else it might taste bitter)
You may use whatever dry fish you have including Bombay Duck. Can substitute it with shrimps or make a vegetarian version with mustard paste.

Turmeric powder
Salt

Tip: If you want the taro stems to itch less, you may soak/boil them in vinegar water or lime juice. Fresh taro stems may also be boiled in water and strained before cooking.

Method:

1. In a wok, heat mustard oil. Fry the minced onions and garlic. Add the dry fish/shrimp.
2. Since the taro is frozen or boiled (if fresh), you may add the stems later when the masala is halfway cooked. You will get a better idea as you cook a couple of times.
3. Add salt, turmeric,  red chili powder, and minced green chilies. Stir lightly occasionally to toss the spices uniformly. Serve with steamed rice.

Ilish Paturi: Bengali New Year Special

Ingredients
Ilish/Hilsa fish- 4-6 pieces
Mustard paste
(I mixed yellow and black mustard seeds in 2:1 ratio. Yellow mustard is for flavor, black mustard is for punch. Soak in water first, then strain and make a paste. I used Magic Bullet for making the paste)
Green chilies paste and slit whole for garnish
1 tsp yogurt
Grated Coconut
Turmeric powder
Mustard oil
Salt to taste

Method

1. Clean the fish. Smear the pieces with turmeric powder, salt, mustard paste, mustard oil, coconut and green chili paste. 
2. Cut the banana leaves into rectangles. Wrap each fish in a separate packet, add a slit green chili on top, tie with kitchen string.
3. Heat mustard oil in a tawa or  frying pan. Fry the packets covered to cook uniformly. Turn every 5 mins till done. I cooked for 15-20 mins.
4. Serve with steamed white rice.

Pork Bulgogi

Marinate thinly sliced pork with bulgogi marinade overnight. Grill and serve with thinly sliced red chilies, ginger, and scallions. Serve with salad, pickled radish, and rice or in a sandwich.

For the marinade, combine crushed garlic cloves, soy sauce, organic sugar, grated green chilies or crushed red pepper or kochujang, and ground pepper.

Christmas dry fruit cake/cupcakes

You can use dry fruits soaked in rum for 24 hrs or simply dry fruits like candied orange slices, cranberries, raisins, figs, apples, apricots etc.

1. Preheat oven to 345 F.
2. Whisk 2 eggs, 1 tsp butter, 2/3 cup sugar (or to taste), 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup dry fruits, 1 cup sifted flour. Mix till uniform. Fold in with a spatula.
3. Use parchment cups for cupcakes or a cake pan if you making a single cake.
4. Bake for 20 mins if making cupcakes, 40 mins if a single large cake, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.