Potoler Dorma....!! Potoler Dolma....!! Prawn Stuffed Pointed Gourd Curry ....!!!!

The Bengali people can’t imagine a single merriment time without some special foods. Be it their new year, be it their wedding ceremony, be it any religious time or at home even Sundays are considered curtailed without the food indulgences. Yes, we love to cook, love to enjoy our exclusive moment to its full extent and take pleasure of our food in every possible way.

Today, I am going to share an elite vegetable preparation with a non veg twist which is considered as one of the most conventional and humble Bengali delicacies, Potoler Dorma/Potoler Dolma or Stuffed Pointed Gourd Curry. There are two deviations of this dish. One is the complete vegetarian version where fried pointed gourds are stuffed with smashed potato or paneer (cottage cheese) and the the in other variety fried pointed gourds are stuffed with fish ,prawns or even chicken.
I picked the prawn stuffing version this time. The procedure is little prolonged and time taking but the consequence will be so unparalleled and well that it worth putting time.

Here comes the complete procedure of making Chingri Pur Bhora Potoler Dorma or Prawn Stuffed Pointed Gourd Curry..!!!!!!

Ingredients:

• Pointed Gourds:
• Prawns(small sized, I used biryani prawns) :200 gm.(decapitated ,without tail,shelled, ,veined and washed , )
• Onions: 4 (2 chopped finely and make a smooth paste with other two of them).
• Ginger: 1 tsp. + 1 ½ tsp.
• Garlic: 1 tsp + 1 tsp.( Crushed)
• Coconut (grated): 2 tbsp.
• Tomato Puree: 2 tsp+ 2 tbsp.
• Salt: to taste
• Sugar:1/2 tsp.
• Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 2 tsp.
• Mustard Oil: 2 tbsp for cooking
• White Oil: 2 tbsp (For frying the pointed gourds and the prawns)
• Water: 1 Cup
• Garam Masala Powder: ½ tsp.

Preparation:

• Wash and clean the pointed gourds at first. Then Scrape the whole skin of each of them with a knife. Then cut one end little, near the edge and the other end little big. The big cut helps to enter a spoon inside to scope out the seeds.
• Then rub the pointed gourds with little salt and turmeric powder and keep them aside for just 4-5 minutes. Heat little white oil in a pan and fry them .Once done, take them out of the pan and keep them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.
• Now wash and pat dry the prawns. Marinate them with little salt and turmeric powder. Now fry them with little white oil until pinkish in color. Take them out of the pan and let it cool for sometime. Then mash them coarsely with hands. 
• Now heat 1 tsp of mustard in a pan. Add 1 tsp of crushed garlic and sauté till brown. Add the chopped onion, tomato puree, ginger paste, little salt and red chili powder. Sauté till the raw smell goes off. Now add the mashed prawns into it. Stir well and cook until oil starts releasing from sides of the pan. Sprinkle a very little water at this time and give a nice stir. Add the grated coconut and cook another 5-6 minutes on medium to low flame.
• Your prawn stuffing is ready now. Take them out of the pan and keep separately until it becomes cool.
• Now stuff each of the fried pointed gourds with the prawns and make them ready to be cooked into the gravy.
• Take a separate pan. Heat the mustard oil and add the sugar and fry till brown. Now add the garlic, fry little and add the tomato puree and onion paste together. Sprinkle salt, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder and mix thoroughly.
• After 5-6 minutes add the ginger paste and cook on medium flame till the oil start to release from the sides of the pan. Pour the water and cover. Let it boil for sometime. 
• Now uncover and add the garam masala powder and cover again for a while so that the aroma of it could be absorbed by the curry.
• Then add the stuffed pointed gourd. Lower the flame and instead of stirring it vigorously cook them very carefully. Once one side the pointed gourds is covered by the gravy turn them and cook the another side for few minutes more. 
• Your Potoler Dorma is ready. Turn off the flame and serve with steaming hot right. Enjoy this absolutely heavenly delish.

                                

                                                  

                                                                                       Enjoy your food...!!!

Chili Baby Corn With Gravy...!!!

“Chili Baby Corn Gravy”….! As the name implies, it is an Indo Chinese Preparation which has a thick gravy with it. But there is another edition of this dish called, “chili baby corn” which is a dry version with no gravy. The dry version is best for starter or first course of a meal while the gravy edition can be served as a side dish of the main course of a complete meal. I prepare this now and again when I wish for a healthy side dish to serve with roti or paratha.
Before I leap to the recipe, the goodness of this vegetable should be discussed a little, though I don’t have a great deal of knowledge about this. However, baby corn is a rich source of fiber. It has complex carbohydrates which keep you keyed up all the way through. It helps in  fight against many infections. In addition the anti-oxidants in it aid in the prevention of cancer. It helps to defend the heart ailments also.

Nonetheless, the chili baby corn gravy recipe I am going to share today is little spicy.Actually, its spiciness depends upon the type and the amount of chili you are using. As I personally like the zestier version of any Indo-Chinese food I used moderately hot chili but you may choose  less hot chili or even you may skip the use of the chili too. I also don’t use chili whenever I prepare any Chinese dish for my little one.
Now let’s talk about  the recipe:


Ingredients:


To Fry The Baby Corns:

• Baby Corns: 15-16 pieces
• All Purpose Flour: ¼ th Cup
• Corn Starch: ¼ th Cup
• Water: 4-5 tbsp
• Salt: to taste 
• Black Pepper Powder: ¼ th to ½ tsp.
• Oil: 3-4 tbsp.

For the Gravy:

• Bell Peppers:  Thin slices of ½ Red, ½ Yellow and ½ Green Bell Peppers ( In absence only green bell pepper is ok too)
• Onion: 1 Medium (Finely Chopped) 
• Green Chili: 2-3 fiery hot (Chopped)
• Garlic: 7-8 Cloves (Crushed or finely chopped)
• Ginger (grated) : 1tbsp.
• Spring Onion: 2-3 strands (very finely chopped)
• Soya Sauce: 2 tbsp.
• Tomato Sauce: 2 tbsp.
• Vinegar: 1/2 tsp.
• Corn Flour: 1 tbsp (make a smooth paste of this with 2 tbsp of water).
• Sugar: ¼ th tsp.
• Salt:  To taste 
• Water or Vegetable Stock: 2 Cups.

Process:



How to make fried baby corns:

• At first wash the baby corn and slice them vertically or horizontally. Here I want to mention that I discarded the hard middle portion of them with a sharp knife. But if the baby corns are very small you don’t need to do that.
• Prepare a smooth batter with the all purpose flour, corn starch, salt, black pepper powder and water. Keep them aside.
• Now heat oil in a pan . Dip each of the baby corns into the batter and coat it well with the same. Now fry it on medium flame till golden yellow. In this way fry all the baby corns. Once done,Keep them on a tissue paper or kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

How to make the gravy:

• In the same pan heat little more oil. Then add the crushed garlic into it. Once it becomes little brown add the chopped onion and the ginger. Fry these for another 3-4 minutes keeping the flame medium to low. Now add the chopped green chili and sauté for 2-3 minutes. 
• Now add the slices of the bell peppers. Once the bell peppers become little tender add the tomato sauce. Give a nice stir.
• Sprinkle salt, sugar and black pepper powder.Be very careful while you are adding salt as soya sauce will be added later which has salt itself.
• Now lower the flame little add the soya sauce  and stir well.
• Pour the water and increase the flame and bring it to boil.
• Once it starts boiling make the smooth paste of the corn starch and the water and pour it into the pan. Keep stirring continuously so that no lump could be formed.
• Now add the fried baby corns into the pan. Simmer for 5-6 minutes and when the sauce becomes thick gradually and the baby corns become soft sprinkle the chopped spring onions and the vinegar. Give a nice stir. Check the seasoning. Add more soya sauce, salt, sugar or black pepper powder if required.
• Turn off the flame and serve hot with chowmein, fried rice or even roti or paratha too. 

                                                                            Enjoy Your Food..!!

Posto Borar Malai Curry .... Poppy Seeds Cakes In Coconut Gravy.....!!!

Posto or poppy seeds ,which is drawn from the opium plant (Papaver somniferum) is one of the most imperative components  of any Bengali Kitchen. We deem a full course Bengali meal imperfect without this. There are copious preparations in which we use poppy seeds paste as the key ingredient. Not only that in many fries we intersperse the whole poppy seeds to augment the deliciousness. Amongst all the preparations of poppy seeds Alu Posto( potato and poppy seeds paste curry)  and Postor bora or poppy seeds cakes are  enormously trendy and most admirable Bengali Delicacies. But eating raw poppy seeds paste with steaming hot rice is my most favorite. Ahhh Heaven...!!! I will definitely share  the experience with you someday.

Now lets discuss some of other good magnitudes  of Poppy seeds.Besides its luscious and mouth watering taste this  is good for human health too. Poppy seeds are highly nutritious, and less allergenic than many other seeds and nuts. These are a potential source of anti-cancer drugs.  Moreover it is very helpful in digestion and rich in carbohydrate and calcium too. 

Today I am going to share a little off bit recipe of poppy seeds. Out of inquisitiveness I prepared a different type of curry with the poppy seeds cakes. After making poppy seed paste cakes or postor bora I made Malaicurry with those.If the truth be unfold ,I also never tried or tasted it before but it was simply cherished by my other two family members, even I also liked it very much. 


Here is the recipe for you ….!!




Ingredients:

For Making Postor Bora:

• Poppy Seeds Paste: 1 Cup + 1 tbsp.
• Coconut ( Freshly Grated or Frozen) : 3 -4 tsp.
• Onion : 2 small ( very finely chopped)
• Green ChiliL :2 (Chopped)
• Salt: As required.
• Maida(White flour) :2 tsp.
• Mustard Oil : 1 tbsp + for frying.

For The Curry:

• Cinnamon Stick:1
• Cardamoms:2-3
• Cloves:2-3
• Onion:2 tbsp ( Paste)
• Ginger:1 1/2 tsp.
• Garlic:1 1/2 tsp ( Crushed)
• Tomato Puree:2 tbsp.
• Salt:to taste
• Sugar:1/4th tsp.
• Turmeric Powder:1/2 tsp.
• Kashmiri Red Chili Powder:2 tsp.
• Coconut Milk: 1 cup ( I used 1 small packer of  maggi coconut powder which I dissolved in a cup of water)
• Poppy Seeds Paste:1 tbsp.
• Mustard Oil : 2 tbsp.
• Water:1/4 -1/2 Cup ( warm)

Process:

How to Make Postor Bora:

• At first mix 1 cup of poppy seeds paste with green chili, onion, grated coconut, salt, mustard oil and maida. The idea of adding coconut in the popp seeds paste I learned from one of my friend. You may skip it too. But dont forget to add little flour while you are going to make curry with your poppy seeds cakes. It will help to keep the poppy seeds cake firm and these wont break easily.
• Once yout mixture is ready make few flattened balls keep them aside.
• Heat a little mustard oil in a pan( preferably non stick pan) and shallow fry them until golden brown in color.
• Your postor bora is ready. Take them out of the pan and keep them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.

you can serve these with steaming hot rice and lentil too.

How to prepare the Malai Curry:

• Heat the rest of the mustard oil in a pan and then add the sugar. On medium flame fry the sugar till brown and then add the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamoms.Fill the fragrance and then after 2-3 minutes add the tomato puree. Give a nice stir . Then add the onion paste. ginger paste ,salt and kashmiti red chili powder.
• Keeping  the flame in low to medium cook thoroughly until oil starts to release from the sides of the pan. At this time you will find that the spices mix tends to leave the pan. Now add the coconut milk and a 1/4 th cup of warm water.Let it boil for few minutes.
• Then add the fried poppy seeds cakes or postor bora. Do not cook them for a very long period of time as they can break off.
• Once these gravy becomes thick and the postor bora become more soft and tender and well coated by the gravy turn off the flame.
• Serve with steaming hot rice.
• Trust me it's blissfully delicious.

                                                                   Enjoy Your Food...!!

Sweet And Sour Mango Pickle...!!!

Every time the green mango flavor takes me back to my upbringing days when I was in school , college or university. My mom used to prepare different types of pickle with the green /raw mangoes  and stored up them for all of us , for the rest of the year. Those days were just like a wealth treasure  in my life. Me my brother , sometimes along with our cousin sisters and brothers stole the pickle from Maa’s cooking pantry during our summer vacation days and the practice of stealing was not less than a venture to us.
 As Maa prepares mango pickle fantastic, I never ever tried to make this even after my marriage. All the time she makes different types of pickles and keeps reserve it for me and I just collect them during the time of my stopover there.

But this time I just couldn't curb myself from doing a little experiment with the raw mangoes, as you all know that I am just a cooking freak.  Though the process is easy like anything and anybody can make it , still I am exceedingly happy as my little one has liked it . Though she is very young still she is very particular about the foods she likes to eat.
 One more thing, this is my first experimental pickle recipe. So please bear with me. I promise I try to improve my skill in this field also.

So, here comes the process of making my easiest description of Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle. 



Ingredients: 

• Raw Mango: 3 (roughly grated)
• Sugar: 2 Cups ( depending upon your choice or the sourness of the mango)
• Salt: As required.
• Chili Powder: 1 -2 tsp.
• Turmeric Powder:1/2 tsp.
• Nigella Seeds : 1/4 th tsp.
• Dry Roasted Cumin and Coriander Seeds: 1 tsp each and then ground to a coarse powder.
• Lime Juice: 2 tsp.

Process:

• At first wash and pat dry the green mangoes. Peel off the skin and then coarsely grate them using a hand grater.
• Then take a big bowl , put the grated mango into it and mix it with salt, sugar, turmeric powder, chili powder and lime juice. Mix thoroughly and keep it almost for half a day (5-6 hours) preferably in the sunlight. 
• Now heat a kadhai or wok in the oven and pour the mango mixture into it. On medium flame cook it until it becomes glossy and thick.
• Check the salt and sugar. Add more if required.
• Turn off the flame and let  it cool for sometime.
• Once it becomes cool completely sprinkle the roasted and cumin and coriander powder and mix well.
• Transfer the pickle into a sterilized bottle or jar.
• Store in the refrigerator. It will be good for at least 5/6 months if stored inside the fridge and it will be good for at least two and a half month if it is stored at the room temperature.

Tip: You may use jaggery also instead of sugar.

                                                                                                           Enjoy Your Food...!!!

Bitter Gourd & Capsicum Fry...!!!

Ruthless summer and its consequences don’t persuade me to stay inside the kitchen for a very long period of time. That’s why these days I am sharing some very easy and fuss free recipes. But I promise I will be back with some other recipes soon. Today I am going to share an incredibly trouble-free, as well as hale and hearty recipe for everyone. This is not only the first-rate recipe for the diabetic people but also it is good for the non diabetic ones.

Here comes the process:

Ingredients:

• Bitter gourd: 2 nos.
• Capsicum (Green Bell Pepper): 2 nos.
• Onion: 2 nos.(thin sliced)
• Garlic: 4-5 cloves(crushed)
• Green Chili: 2-3 (Chopped or halved, adjust the number according to your tolerance)
• Turmeric Powder:1 tsp.
• Salt: To taste
• Onion Seeds ( Kalonji):1/2 tsp.
• Coriander Leaves: Chopped to garnish.( Optional)
• Oil :1-2 tsp.

Process:

• Wash, Pat dry both the capsicum and bitter gourd. Remove the tapering ends of the bitter gourd and make thin slice of them. Keep separately. Discard the seeds of the capsicum in the middle and make thin slice of that also. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add the kalonji or onion seeds. Feel the fragrance. Then add the crushed garlic. Once it becomes little brown add the onion slices and fry it on medium flames till translucent. Now add the bitter gourd and the capsicum slices. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Stir it for 2-3 minutes. Then cover and cook until both of them become  tender.
• After few minutes uncover and cook for another few minutes on medium flames. Add the chopped green chili. Give a nice stir. Once the bitter gourd and the capsicum become well fried turn off the flames.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

                                                                                                            Enjoy Your Food...!!!