Ilish Maach Bhapa - A Bengali Delight

I love to eat fish .... mostly ilish maach & chingri maach ( Shrimps ) .
We bengalis eat them by frying with Kichuri or Hilsa paturi ( cooked in a banana leaf with some spices ) or hilsa jhol or hilsa bhapa .But my fabourite one is my mom's version of Hilsa Bhapa ....It was one of my favourite food from my moms place . Here in Dubai , I sometimes get those ilish maach . & yesterday when I got some of them I quickly grab them .So I made some ilish bhapa for dinner . Here is the recipe :



Ingredients :

1. Ilish Maach - 750 gms ( approx 5-6 pcs )
2. 3 tsp Mustard Seeds
3. 4-5 green chillies
4. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5. 3 tsp Poppy Seeds
6. salt to taste
7. 3-4 tsp Mustard Oil
8. 3-4 tsp water






Method :

1. First make a paste with poppy seed , Mustard Seeds & 3 green chillies.
2. clean & wash the ilish maach pieces properly .
3. In a stainless steel tiffin box or small pot with lid put the fish pieces , the masala paste , salt , turmeric , oil , 2 slit green chillis & water( don't put much water otherwise it will become more watery ) .
4. now close the lid of the container .
5. In a heavy bottom vessel/kadai add some water & place the container in the middle of the pot . Make sure that the water should not reach till the container lid .
6. Put the gas on low & let it bring to the boil . Let it boil for 20-25min .
7. Put the gas off & carefully take out the stainless steel tiffin box /container out from the kadai ( as the stainless steel tiffin box /container will be hot ) .
8. let it be for 5 min for simmer & serve warm with hot rice .

Dal Makhani - A Punjabi Delight

We all like panjabi food ( guess ) .So we are & that's why yesterday I made this delicious panjabi food dal makhani .I don't like this dish much but my husband likes a lot & this can be made very quickly . So why not give a treat with panjabi food .....




Here is the recipe :


Ingredients :

1. 1 cup whole black Urad dal
2. 1/4 cup Kidney beans
3. 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4. 1 tsp cumin seeds
5. 1-2 tsp green chillies, sliced thinly
6. 1 tsp cumin powder
7. 1 tsp ccoriander powder
8. 2 medium red onion
9. 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
10. 4 tbsp butter
11. wholeGaram Masala ( 2-3 cloves , 1" cinnamon stick , 2 Bay leaf ,5 Pepercorn ,5 small cardamom )
12. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
13. 1 cup tomato puree / 2 Big Tomato finely chopped
14. salt to taste
15. 3 tsp Oil
16. 3 tsp fresh cream ( optional )



Method

1. Soak the whole black Urad dal and kidney beans overnight. Cook until cooked, almost mushy. In a nonsteak kadai , add oil-butter along with whole garam masala cumin .

2. When the masala crackle add onion & Saute until aromatic and onions gets soft.

3. Then add ginger-garlic paste,fry for 1 min .

4. Now add turmeric powder , cumin powder , coriander powder ,slit green chillies .

5. Once aromatic add the tomato puree or finely chopped tomatoes , close the lid and cook for 8 min until the raw tomato smell leaves.

6. Now add the lentil mixture, reduce the heat to simmer, add salt close the lid and slow cook for 20 min. Stir occassionally to avoid the lentils from sticking to the bottom.

7 .Add the fenugreek leaves , stir and then add the cream.I don't have that so i didn't added .

8. Cook for 2 more minutes and serve hot with Roti .

Weekend Fun with Chingri Curry in Coconut Gravy

We live in Dubai , here we have friday - saturday weekend . When whole world is having weekend we have to start our new week . What to do ....

Somehow now we have managed . Before when I was new I really miss those sunday funs .

Weekend menu is alaways special for all . When we were in Kolkata sunday means Pathar mangso jhol ( mutton curry ) & Rice with some fresh salad . Now we bacame conscious about our health , so we normally skip mutton . But I always love Chingri ( Shirmp) . When I was small I don't have those other fish But have chingi . Still I love chingri most . So I thought to make some
Chingri Curry .






Ingredients :

1. Chingri / Shirmp : 500 gm
2. Onion : 2 finely chopped
3. Ginger paste : 2 tspn
4. Garlic paste : 1 tspn
5. tomato : 2 finely chopped
6. Salt : As per taste
7. Turmeric Powder : 1 tea spn.
8. Red chilli powder : 1 tspn
9. Poppy seed : 2 tspn
10. Coconut Paste : 3 tspn
11. Oil : 5 tspn
12. Sugar : 1 tea spn ( optional )
13. Green Chilli : 3 pc
14. Water : 1/2 cup




Method :

1. First make a paste with poppy seed , coconut paste till smooth .
2. First peel & clean the chingri . Then wash them properly .
3. Put some turmeric powder & salt , rub properly to the shirmp pieces .
4. Put 2tspn oil on a heavy bottom pan & fry the shrimp slighty till the colour changes .
5. Take them out & placed them on a kitchen towel to soak excess oil .
6. Now put rest 3tspn oil in that same pan & add the finely chopped onion & fry them till soft .
7. Add ginger- garlic paste & saute them 2 min .
8. Add chopped tomato & fry for another 4 min .
9. Put turmeric powder , salt & red chilli powder . Fry for 1 -2min . If needed add some water so that it won't stick from the bottom of the pan .
10. Add the fried shirmp ( handle very carefully ) .
11. At this point add the green chilli .
12. Now add the coconut -poppy seed paste & fry for 5 min .
13 . Add 1/2 cup water & put the lid on the pan . Put it on simmer & cook for 15 min .
14. After 15min open the lid . Check the gravy , it shoud be thick .
15 . Serve warm with hot rice or paratha .