Pineapple upside down cake

1. Drain Dole pineapple slices (round; reserve 1/2 cup juice) and maraschino cherries in a strainer.
2. Whisk 1 tsp butter (at room temperature) or 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, 1 egg and 1 cup cake mix (like Vanilla flavored Betty Crocker cake mix)  or 1 cup flour with 1 tsp baking powder (sifted in a strainer to make it airy) in a processor.
3. Melt 1 tsp butter and pour on baking pan.Don't forget to brush some on the sides. Sprinkles some brown sugar.  Then arrange pineapple slices and the cherries. 



4. Next pour the batter evenly over the pineapple. Bake covered for 40 mins at 350 F until a toothpick comes out clean when pricked into the cake.
   
5. Place a serving dish over the baking pan and invert gently (use a knife to loosen the edge if you want). Slice and serve

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

Eggplant in garlic sauce

1. Clean and cut Chinese eggplant into serving size (Halved along the length first, then cut into half moon or strips). 
2. Heat oil in a wok, stir fry the eggplant with minced garlic, salt and chili flakes (or minced dry red chilis) until soft but not mushy.
3. Add low-sodium soy sauce and oyster sauce in a cup with water. Mix well and pour on the wok evenly and simmer to reduce the sauce.
4. You may add 1 tsp sugar. The Chinese variation I had in a restaurant was a little sweet and they added wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots and bell pepper to the braised eggplant.

You may also add a bit of chili oil for flavor.

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Bonus recipe: Eggplant sauteed with mini heirloom tomatoes, green peas, cilantro stem and fennel bulb with salt, turmeric (optional) and Thai chili.

Bandhakopir chacchari (Cabbage stir fry)

This is a very simple recipe and I love to eat it with dal and rice. It goes well with Indian flatbreads too. You may use purple cabbage for some color (and the anthocyanins).

1. Coarsely chop cabbage. Wash well, drain. Microwave for 4 mins
2. Add mustard oil to a wok, kalojeere/kalonji (nigella seeds), and the cabbage. 
3. Stir fry with turmeric powder, salt, and slit green chilies. You may add quartered red creamer potatoes, green peas and  diced tomatoes.
4. Cover and cook. Add a spoonful of sugar before turning off heat.

For variation, you might add 1 tsp of Kitchen King masala.

Whole carp pan-fried and baked

1. Clean the fish, remove entails. Make shallow diagonal cuts on the skin. Sprinkle salt evenly. You may sprinkle some ground cumin, coriander and pepper too.
2. Thinly slice onions, chilis and make matchstick ginger. 
3. In a non-stick, shallow fry the fish on both side and then the onions and chilis.
4. Transfer to an aluminium foil, add soy sauce and ginger(inside the cavity too). 
5. Seal and bake for 40 mins at 350 F. Add cilantro.

You might also like : Steamed halibut

Pork Bharta

This recipe was mailed to me by Dad on 10/30/07.  I made it for dinner tonight after ages.

 Ingredients:
1. Pork, 1 kg / 2.2 lbs (use stew meat if you like to eat the fat., my father prefers leaner cuts)
2. Salt to taste
3. Ginger, about 6 cms or 2.5 inches long
4. One large tomato (optional, I don't use it)
5. One large onion, rings or sliced thin.
6. Green chilies, blistered in open fire
7. Cilantro

 Preparation:
1. Cut dressed pork meat into small cubes.
2. Boil the cubes in pressure cooker properly with one cup of water and 1 tsp salt.
3. Let the cubes cool down a little & drain excess water. (you may choose to cut further into smaller pieces now)
4. Finely chop ginger & tomato (may skip tomato). Make onion rings or use thin slices.
5. Dry roast the chilies slightly brown till you can smell the smoky chili flavor. Make a rough paste of the chilies in a mortar and pestle (forego electric food processor for more authentic taste).
6. Chop cilantro finely.
7. Mix boiled pork meat, all the ingredients and salt to taste. Pork bharta is ready to be served. Serve warm. Best eaten on the day of. 

Enoki mushrooms with salted fish

To prepare salted fish: Cure fresh  fish of your choice (I used hilsa) in an dry, air-tight container- fill with salt, and keep it sealed in a dark place. Before cooking, desalt by washing away excess salt. 
Dice Enoki mushrooms into bite size pieces, thinly slice onions, crush garlic, mince green/thai chilis.
In a wok, add cooking oil and fry the onions, garlic and diced fish. Add the mushroom, salt , turmeric, red chili powder, minced chilies. Cook in medium low. Serve with steamed rice.

You may also use Seafood mushroom . I have heard from my parents that button mushrooms taste good with dry shrimp paste. Going to try that next.