Paat Shaak / Shaag Bhaja (Jute Leaves Stir Fry - Bong style)

 

          Paat Shaag / Shaak literally translates to Jute Leaves and is commonly found and relished in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The leaves are slightly slimy in texture and only the tender ones are used for cooking. It turns out very yummy and is best relished with hot steamed rice. If you happen to come across these jute greens, do give it a try. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

          The greens are cooked in many ways. At times it is cooked on its own or with veggies like potato, red pumpkin or eggplant. 

         It is usually found during summer & monsoon. I have heard a lot about this particular green leafy veggie, but so far was not able to lay my hands on them. However, few days ago I was able to spot them in a supermarket here and so decided to give it a try. 

        This is quite a rare dish, usually not served in any restaurants. The new generation is not much aware of this cuisine and it remains a purely homemade delicacy usually cooked by our mothers and grandmothers.

• 3-4 cups of Paat Shaak / Shaag (Jute Leaves), washed, rinsed & drained
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 4-5 bori (dried lentil dumplings)
• 3-4 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp. nigella seed
• 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste 

          Chop the greens finely and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and fry the bori till golden in colour. Drain and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with dry red chilies and nigella seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Then add the garlic and sauté till it changes colour. Now add the onion and stir fry till light brown. 

          Add the chopped greens, salt and turmeric powder. Mix everything well and stir fry on a low flame till it is done. 

          Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish. Enjoy with rice or chapatti. It goes best with hot steamed rice. 

                                    Pick only the tender leaves.

                    Heat oil in a pan & fry the bori till golden in colour. Drain & keep aside. 

                   Temper same oil with dry red chilies & nigella seeds. Sauté few seconds. 

                                  Add the garlic & sauté till it changes colour. 

                                  Now add the onion and stir fry till light brown. 

                                  Add the greens, salt & turmeric powder. 

                                Mix everything well and stir fry on a low flame till it is done. 

                                Enjoy with rice or chapatti. It goes best with hot steamed rice. 

Lau Chingri (Lauki / Bottle gourd & Prawns Curry - Bong Style)

 

           Lau Chingri (Lauki / Bottlegourd with Prawns) is a traditional Bengali homemade delicacy. The addition of Prawns cooked with Lauki and a medley of spices tastes simply delicious. This is my version of Lauki & Prawns cooked with onion, ginger and garlic. 

           There is another version of this quintessential dish prepared without onion and garlic in a veg. form with bori (dried lentil dumplings). So enjoy Lau Chingri with either rice or chapatti. I personally like to relish it with hot steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this awesome regional dish.

          This particular dish happens to be a hot favorite among the Bong crowd. Adding ghee to the end product adds a nice flavour to the dish. In fact this is how I prepare it. 

          And not to forget the mustard oil, which no doubt, should be the medium of cooking for a traditional touch. Sugar is another important ingredient added to this dish. However, I skipped it to suit my palette. 

• 1 medium size bottle gourd (lauki), sliced finely
• 1/2 cup prawns, cleaned & deveined
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 bay leaves 
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. ghee 
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the prawns till they change colour. Drain and keep aside. Heat the remaining oil and temper with cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Sauté for a few seconds 

          Then add the onions. Stir fry till light brown. Now add the ginger-garlic paste, coriander-cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and red chili powder mixed with some water. Sauté till the oil separates from the sides of the pan.

          Add the bottle gourd, green chilies and salt. Cover and cook on a low flame. Water can be sprinkled if necessary and stir at intervals.

          When the bottle gourd turns soft, add the tomatoes and the fried prawns. Continue to cook, covered till done. Add coriander leaves and ghee and give it a stir. Serve with rice or chapatti. 

                      Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan & fry the prawns till they change colour. Drain 

                      and keep aside. 

                   Heat the remaining oil & temper with cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, 

                   cloves and cardamoms. Sauté for a few seconds.

                                  Add the onions. Stir fry till light brown.

                   Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander-cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam

                   masala powder & red chili powder mixed with some water. Sauté till the oil 

                   separates from the sides of the pan.

                     Add the bottle gourd, green chilies & salt. Cover and cook on a low flame. 

                     Water can be sprinkled if necessary and stir at intervals.

                     When the bottle gourd turns soft, add the tomatoes and the fried prawns. 

                     Continue to cook, covered till done. 

                                  Add coriander leaves & ghee and give it a stir.

                                 Serve with rice or chapatti. 

Zunka Vadi

 

          I have reached another milestone. This happens to be my 1700th recipe blog post. I take this opportunity in thanking you all for the support and motivation, without which I would not have been able to reach this far in my culinary journey.

          So let me share a traditional Maharashtrian snack recipe called Zunka Vadi, where the main ingredient is gram flour. It is basically Zunka ( Maharashtrian side dish) turned into a shallow fried snack. It also goes very well as an appetizer, served with any chutney of your choice. 

          

          It is also very popular in Karnataka, where it goes by the same name. It is sometimes called as Jhunka Vadi. A very simple and an easy recipe, it is perfect as a tea time snack or as a tiffin with your favorite accompaniment.

          Try having it with mayo, hummus or any dip. It is pure divine and tastes super yummy. You can also store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

Batter - 

• 1 cup gram flour
• 1 tbsp. rice flour
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes (opt)
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. flaxseed (opt)
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Tempering - 

• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup spring onion (only the green part), chopped

          Batter - In a bowl, mix together all the mentioned ingredients. Add water, little at a time and form a batter of pouring consistency. Keep aside.

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. After it stops spluttering, add the garlic and onion. Sauté till light brown. 

          Add the chopped spring onion and stir fry for a minute. Now pour the prepared batter and continue to stir on a low flame till it turns thick and leaves the sides of the pan. 

          Transfer to a greased plate / tray and allow it to cool down. Cut as desired and keep aside. 

          Heat remaining oil and pan fry the vadis on both sides till light brown. Serve them hot with some chutney or sauce for an evening tea-time snack. 

Kashmiri Saag

          This is a simple and a quick Kashmiri style spinach stir fry. It is also healthy with lots of garlic in it. Few prominent Kashmiri spices like cardamom, dry ginger powder (sonth), fennel powder and asafoetida are used in this recipe. It is cooked in mustard oil for an authentic touch. You can relish this yummy saag with roti / chapatti or steamed rice. 

          Spinach has a lot of health benefits as it improves the blood glucose level in diabetic patients, is rich in vitamin K, A and C and contains a lot of iron, protein, minerals and fibre. 

          So it is recommended to include greens like spinach, etc in our daily diet. So what better way than to prepare this super easy Kashmiri saag and relish as desired. 

• 2-3 bunches of spinach, washed, drained & chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. mustard oil 
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2-3 cardamoms
• 7-8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. fennel powder
• 1 tsp. dry ginger powder

          Heat oil in a pan till it reaches smoking point. Reduce the flame and temper with red chilies, cumin seeds, cardamom and garlic. Saute till the garlic changes colour. (Reserve some of the garlic pieces for garnishing).

          Add all the dry spices and give it a stir. Now add the chopped spinach and continue to cook on a medium flame till all the moisture has been absorbed.

          Switch off the flame. Transfer the saag to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining fried garlic. Serve as a side dish with roti / chapatti or plain steamed rice for a great comfort meal. 

Mulo Bata (Radish Chutney - Bengali Style)

          A far cry from all the restaurant style food, this humble veggie can be made into a lip smacking yummy side dish. It is almost a lost and a forgotten recipe that the new generation is not much aware of. It is an extremely easy, simple and a quick recipe that consists of all the flavours infused in it. 

          This homemade delicacy has minimum of spices and is sautéed in mustard oil for that authentic touch. It tastes simply awesome with steamed rice. But you may also try it with chapatti or as a spread on parathas.

• 3-4 radish, roughly chopped
• 2 green chilies
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• handful of coriander roots (opt)
• 2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

          Blend the radish, green chilies, garlic and coriander roots into a fine paste. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper with the nigella seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Add the ground paste, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté on a low flame till all the moisture is dried up. 

          Switch off the flame and add the remaining mustard oil. Give it a stir and serve with plain steamed rice or as a side dish with chapatti. 

Mutton Rogan Josh - Kashmiri Pandit Style

          This is an authentic Kashmiri Mutton curry, which is generally prepared by the Kashmiri Pandits. It is traditionally cooked without any onion, garlic or tomatoes. Adding yoghurt is optional. Mustard oil is the medium of cooking but it is also cooked in ghee in many restaurants. 

          The addition of Kashmiri chili powder, fennel powder, ginger powder and asafoetida brings out the real flavor of this dish. It goes well with Kashmiri pulao, plain steamed rice, naan or kulcha. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this great party treat.
            

           There are obviously many versions to this extremely yummy mutton curry. It differs from individual to individual and from one restaurant to the other where onion, garlic and sometimes tomatoes are also used.

          To get the original fiery red color, a good amount of Kashmiri red chili powder and Ratan Jyot, a root from a plant is used. The latter is not available here, so had to skip it. 

          Generous amount of mustard oil / ghee is used in the preparation, but I used less amount of oil and it tasted very delicious even with less oil. The dominant flavor comes from the use of ginger powder and fennel powder, the two main ingredients in any Kashmiri cuisine. 

• 500 gms. mutton with bones
• 2-3 tbsp. ghee
• 2-3 cardamoms
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 1 mace (jaiphal)
• 2-3 tbsp. yoghurt
• 1 tsp. dry ginger powder
• 1 tbsp. fennel powder
• 1/2 tsp. asafoetida
• 2 tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
• pinch of saffron

          In a bowl, mix together yogurt, ginger powder, fennel powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and asafoetida into a paste. Keep aside.

          Heat ghee in a pan and temper with cardamoms, cinnamon and mace. Then add the mutton and fry till light brown. 

          Now add the spice paste. Cover and cook till the oil separates. Add 1 cup water and salt. Pressure cook for 20-25 minutes on a low flame after the first whistle.

            Transfer the contents back to the pan. Add the cumin powder, garam masala powder, cardamom powder and saffron. 

          Cover and simmer on a medium flame till the ghee comes to the surface and you get the desired consistency. Serve with Kashmiri pulao, plain steamed rice, naan or kulcha.

                    Heat ghee & temper with cardamoms, cinnamon & mace. Add mutton & fry
                    till light brown. 

                                 Add spice paste. Cover and cook till the oil separates.

                        Add 1 cup water & salt. Pressure cook for 20-25 min.on a low flame 
                        after the first whistle.

                     Transfer the contents to the pan. Add cumin powder, garam masala 
                      powder, cardamom powder & saffron. Cover & simmer till ghee comes 
                      to the surface and you get the desired consistency. 

                            Serve with Kashmiri pulao, plain steamed rice, naan or kulcha.