Murighonto with Salmon Head / স্যামন মাছের মাথা দিয়ে মুড়িঘন্ট

Ingredients
Gobindobhog/kaalo jeere (short-grain rice you can get in Bangladeshi or Indian stores)
Fish head ( we are using Salmon in this recipe, usually a fresh rui/ katla/ crap head is preferred.)
Cubed potatoes- 2 small or 1medium
Ginger garlic paste- about 1 tbsp
Bengali Garma Masala (clove, cardamom and cinnamon ground in equal parts)

Method:

1. Soak Gobindobhog/kaalo jeere rice in a bowl. 
2. Wash and clean the salmon head. Cut into 4 pieces. Rub salt and turmeric. Fry in mustard oil. Set aside. 
3. In the same oil used to fry the fish head, fry cubed potatoes. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves.
4. Add the pre-soaked rice after straining the water. Cook on medium while stirring continuously. Add ginger-garlic paste. Keep stirring.
5. Add back the fried fish head and slit green chilies. Add boiling hot water in batches til the rice is fully cooked.
6. Serve hot after sprinkling a little garam masala.

Making salted hilsa/nona ilish with potatoes and eggplant

Beet greens and Kashmiri Dum Aloo

I used to throw away beet greens until now.They are quite delicious when sauted with minced garlic and nigella seeds.

I also made Kashmiri Dum aloo à la Sanjeev Kapoor Except that I parboiled the potatoes instead of deep frying them.

Pressure cooker pot roast

You may choose to slow cook and go the traditional way. I sauted the ingredients with a little wine and pressure cooked it to perfection. This is similar to one of my lamb recipes, but I use minced ginger and jalapenos with the lamb.

Ingredients:
Olive oil  2 tbsp
Butter 1 tsp
1 lb beef stew cut (you may use other cuts of meat if you don't eat beef)
Salt
Whole garlic cloves- 5 big
Red potatoes, quartered 2
Celery stalks, chopped
Baby carrots 8-10
Peppercorn 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder 1/8 tsp
Two sprigs of fresh rosemary
Red wine, a dash

Water for gravy- warm, 2 cups

Method:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a pressure cooker. Add the meat, sprinkle liberally with salt and crushed pepper. Add the peppercorn, coriander seeds and sprinkle nutmeg powder. Cook the meat on both sides. Apply the dry ingredients equally on both sides.
2. Add whole garlic cloves, quartered red onions, quartered red potatoes, celery, and baby carrots.
3. The kitchen should smell of pot roast by now. Add rosemary sprigs and a dash of red wine. Cook further.
4. Add 2 cups of warm water and pressure cook it till the meat is tender. Serve hot.

Lamb stew with potatoes and carrot

Ingredients:
Lamb loin chops- 4 pieces (1 lb)
Onion-1 medium, diced
Carrot- 1 medium size, diced
Potatoes- 4 small size/petite, halved
Garlic - 5  big cloves, minced
Ginger- 1/2 inch, minced
Cloves- 8
Coriander seeds- 1/2 tsp
Peppercorn-10
Organic Chicken broth (low-sodium), may use water as substitute.
Salt to taste
Jalapeno- 1, diced

Ground nutmeg

Method:

1. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp butter in a pressure cooker.
2. Add diced onions, ginger, garlic, cloves, peppercorn, coriander seeds, and halved potatoes. Saute till the ginger-garlic don't smell raw anymore. Add the lamb chops and jalapeno. Cover and cook both sides. Add the diced carrots and then chicken broth. You may also season with crushed pepper and ground nutmeg for a richer stew.
3. Bring to boil, cover and cook under pressure until done. If you are using a dutch oven, it may take longer to cook.

Sukhi aloo gobi (dry cauliflower and potato)

1. Cut cauliflower into florets, wash and drain water. Cut potatoes in similar size.
2. Make dry roasted, ground spice mix of cumin, coriander, sauf and a few methi seeds. Saute the vegetables in mustard oil with nigella seeds, diced red onions, the ground spices, turmeric, salt, slit green chilies, red chili powder, amchur, half cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
3. In a separate pan add 2 tsp ghee, fresh ginger garlic paste, and diced tomatoes. Add 4 tsp water, just enough to cook the masala through. Add the sauted vegetables. Cook uncovered on low heat till done. Add kasuri methi towards the end. 
4. Serve warm with rice or chapati (Indian flatbread)

Aloo pepe dalna (Potatoes and green papaya curry)

1. Peel and dice green papaya and potatoes into bite sized pieces. Microwave for 4 mins
2. In a wok, add mustard oil, panch phoron, bay leaves, papaya, potatoes, slit green chilies, grated ginger, asafoetida. Cook covered. Add a cup of warm water if necessary.
3. Add 1 tsp ghee, freshly ground Bengali garam masala (cardamom, cinnamon and clove)  or basic bhaja masala (dry-roasted and ground cumin, coriander and dry red chilies)  and chopped cilantro.

You may also add fried shrimp to make it a non-vegetarian dish.

For more vegetables with shrimp recipes, click here

Aloo beans posto kaju

For Pu, Aloo bean posto kaju ( potatoes and green beans with poppy seed and cashew nut paste)

1. Cut beans  into inch long sticks. Dice potatoes into small size.
2. Microwave them for 3 mins for faster cooking time. 
3. Heat mustard oil in a wok, Kalonji seeds and 2 broken red chilis (or 2 slit green chilies). Now, add the potatoes, beans, and salt.
4. Dry grind poppy seeds with a few cashews. Add a little warm water ( microwaved 30 secs) if needed.  Cover and cook on low flame. Add 1/2 tsp ghee at the end and 1 tsp sugar.
   Sometimes, I add organic milk at the end to make it richer.

For simply aloo beans

1. Cut beans  into inch long sticks. Dice potatoes into small size.
2. Microwave them for 3 mins for faster cooking time. 
3. Heat cooking oil in a wok, add jeera or kalonj seeds.  Add the beans, potatoes, turmeric, salt, coriander-cumin powder, amchur (dry mango powder)
4. Cover and cook on low flame.

Baby potatoes with herbs and spices

1. Wash the potatoes well. No need to take skin off. Microwave about 3 mins in water. Drain.
2.  Heat olive oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds and 2-3 broken red chillies. Add the potatoes, salt, turmeric, some ground spices like peppercorn, cardamom, cloves. 
3.  Add diced tomatoes, asafoetida (hing). Add a cup of hot water. Cover and cook on low heat. 
4.  Add sour cream, kasuri methi and stir. The potatoes should be cooked through.

Poha / Chirer Polao

Chirer polao or aloo poha is a favorite for breakfast in winter. And surprisingly easy to make too.

1. Wash the poha (flattened rice) in cold water and drain in a colander.
2. Finely chop onions, green chilis. Julienne/matchstick ginger if you prefer to add them.
3.  Dice potatoes, cauliflower in small bits.  (You might want to add a little salt here)
4. In a wok, heat vegetable oil and add mustard seeds, onions, then potatoes, cauliflower, frozen green peas. Stir.
5. When the veggies are about done, add curry leaves, Whole mustard seeds, green chilis, ginger, dry roasted peanuts. (you can use your favorite snacking peanuts too.)
6. Add the moist poha (you can add salt and a tsp sugar uniformly before you add it to the wok), stir well and serve warm.

*
I always try to think what I can have for breakfast- I had almost forgotten how good a well toasted bread tastes in warm milk. Yum.

Aloo tikki

There are several versions available, I found the following a convenient way to make aloo tikki. Put them inside a bun and you will get a Aloo tikki burger. Serve them with ghugni for aloo tikki chaat. They are yummy on their own with ketchup.

1.  Boil 3 potatoes, some green peas and bengal gram(soaked overnight) in a pressure cooker.
2.  Remove the skin of the potatoes and mash them with hand or a spoon. Don't make it too gooey. Mash  the peas and gram in a food processor with ginger and green chilis. Mix well with black salt, dry roasted cumin seed powder, and your fav spice.
3. Shape them into patties and fry in oil or grill. 

Two bhery Bengali dishes

Pui Ilish

Pui was a rare find at the Indian grocery store.(Discovered later that it is sold as Vietnamese Spinach at the Asian stores) I decided to make it for a guest who was invited for dinner consisting of  traditional Bengali fare. It goes well with shrimp or Ilish head.

Ilish head

Stalks and potatoes go first in the oil you used to fry the Ilish head. Lots of flavor there.

Final product: my first Pui Ilish

1. Wash and clean the Ilish head. Rub turmeric and salt, set aside for a few minutes while you prepare the pui (Vietnamese/Climbing/Malabar spinach)
2. Wash and break the leaves off the stem. Cut the stalk into bit-sized halves. Dice potatoes (and other vegetables like kumro (butternut squash), jhinge (ridged gourd) and begun (eggplant) to it. ).
3. In a wok, heat mustard oil, light fry the fish head, then keep aside. In the same oil add kalonji, potatoes (and the vegetables ), stalk first and then the leaves. (To reduce cooking time, you can microwave the spinach for 3 mins, drain the excess water released and then add to the wok) 
4. When the leaves are about done add the fried fish head and slit green chilies. Cover and cook in very low flame without adding any water.

A variation with chingri (shrimp) can also be made. Just replace the fish head with shrimp.

Pui Chingri

You might al so like Cabbage with fish head (Macher matha diye Badhakopir Ghonto)

Jhinge aloo kaju posto

Jhinge or ridged gourd is a good source of fiber. With poppy seeds (posto), cashew and potatoes - it becomes an extremely easy-to-make tasty vegetable dish.

1. Using a peeler, peel the tough edges of a ridged gourd. Cut them into inch long sticks, then lightly fry in hot mustard oil. Keep aside.  Cut potatoes about the same size. 
2. Add kalonji, minced onions. Add the potatoes (microwave them for 2-3 mins for faster cooking time), then add back  the ridged gourd , salt, and turmeric.
3. Dry grind poppy seeds with a few cashews- add to the gourd. Add a little water if needed.  Cover and cook on low flame.
   
   
   I also made aloo-bean posto (potato-beans-poppy seeds) similarly .

Potato- bacon soup

I thought bacon was unhealthy, until someone recently told me otherwise. Potatoes and bacon should be legally allowed to marry because they are one of the best pairs in my kitchen. Fried, crumbled bacon can work wonders in a mashed potato recipe, and this hearty soup can lift anyone's mood on a winter night.

I fry the bacon strips first (sliced bite-size) then add diced red onions and potatoes. This way you hardly need extra cooking oil( Olive oil, if you must). You can add shresdded cabbage for some fiber. Add water or chicken broth, boil and serve with bread.

Dimer chop (Egg croquette)

For Baishampayan Da:

Method:

1. Boil eggs and  cut into quarters(so the croquettes are not too big). Keep aside.
2. Boil potatoes, mash them well and saute lightly with diced onions , salt , cumin powder, amchur, finely chopped cilantro and garam masala
3. Embed the egg in the potato mixture, and shape them into desirable shape (round or elliptical). 
4. Dip alternately into beaten egg and panko flakes/bread crumbs. Repeat.
5. Deep fry in hot oil. Serve hot with ketchup, chaat masala and raw onions.

You may also make vegetables, fish or chicken croquette using the same technique

Aloo matar tamatar (Baby potatoes with green peas and tomatoes)

Method:

1. Dry roast cumin, saunf, coriander seeds, whole pepper corn, cardamom, cinnamon , and cloves. then grind in coffee grinder.
2. Add kalonji seeds in a hot ghee and diced onions and  tomatoes with a pinch of black salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and hing.
3. Add boiled, skinned baby potatoes and stir in the mix. Add the ground masala, turn to coat well.
4. Add yogurt in little water and bring to boil. Add frozen green peas. Cover and simmer,

Taste for salt, serve with freshly chopped cilantro and hot rotis or luchi (phulke)

Aloo kachalu chaat

Link 1

Tortilla de patatas in yogurt sauce

This is something my Mom made when I was a kid. Baking makes my job easier.

All you need is:

1. Eggs - 5-6, beaten
2. Potatoes- small, 2, boiled and mashed
3. Green peas (optional)
4. Cilantro
5. Cumin seeds
6. Salt, turmeric
7. Onion grated
8. Ginger grated
9. Garlic grated
10. Bay leaves
11. Yogurt
12. Milk(optional)

1. In a small (so it doesn't spread out too thin) baking tray that has some decent height, pour the beaten eggs with mashed potatoes and peas. You can add salt, pepper, a little of the grated onions, garlic powder(or grated), ginger powder(or grated) Bake till it is nice and fluffy. (You can choose to fry this, but why sweat?)Those who like chilies, can add chopped green chillies too. It is good enough to eat now. It is like the Spanish Tortilla de patatas. But let's wait..
2. For the sauce, fry cumin and bay leaves, saute a little onion, garlic, ginger. Add yogurt.
3. Cut the potato-egg omelet into cubes, add to the sauce. Add cilantro to garnish.

Here is a recipe for Omelet curry, using the same ingredients, but the eggs and potatoes are used separately.

Bengali Vegetable Medley (Panch mishali)

Version 1

 Version 2: Added beets for some color

Ingredients:
Chopped cabbage- half
Butternut squash- a quarter
Radish: 1 medium
Roma tomatoes: 2
Potatoes: 1 or 2
Green Peas : 1/3 cup
Dry red chili: 1 (break into 2) or  2 Green chilis slit in halves
Panch phoron: 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder: a pinch or so ( I don't like too much turmeric in my food)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Oil: 2-3 tbsp.
Fresh coriander leaves/cilantro for garnishing

Method :

1. Cut radish, butternut squash, tomatoes and potatoes into cubes. Chop cabbage leaves, thaw some frozen green peas.
2. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp. oil, temper with Panch phoron, and bay leaves.
3. Add vegetables, salt, turmeric powder and a vegetable masala (like Badshah Sabji masala or dry roasted cumin/coriander powder) if you prefer. It is good simply with grated ginger and green chilies too.
4. Stir-fry together for 20-30 minutes in medium flame. Bengalis usually add a spoonful of sugar and ghee at the end. If you add pumpkin or butternut squash in the recipe, you don't need extra sugar for sweetness.
5. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves/cilantro. (or add before you stop the flame/heat)

You may also use other vegetables like carrots, beets, cauliflower or drumsticks. I prefer the radish-butternut squash combination and then I add/subtract other vegetables on whim or availability. It is a  great way to clean to clean your fridge before your weekly groceries.

You can add fresh spinach leaves and chana dal for tempering as a variety. You may also add chopped banana blossom (mocha) or fried lentil fritter (dal er bora) for a different flavor.