Lau Shak Chorchori

 

          This is a traditional Bengali style curry made with tender Bottle Gourd leaves and few tender twigs. A whole lot of mixed veggies and some fried bori (dried lentil dumplings) are added to make this simple and healthy recipe. It is cooked in mustard oil for an authentic touch.

          I added some ghee and roasted cumin powder to the end product to enhance the flavor. This yummy classic dish is best enjoyed with hot steamed rice. However, one may also have it with chapatti. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare my version of this Bong delicacy.

• 3 cups Bottle gourd leaves & tender twigs, washed, drained and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. panch phoron 
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 dry red chili, broken
• 2 green chilies
• 8-10 bori / vadi / mangodi (sun dried lentil dumplings)
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• A cup each of veggies (pumpkin, radish, eggplant, carrot, Pointed gourd, long beans, raw papaya), chopped 
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp. ghee

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the bori / vadi till golden color. Keep aside. 

         Temper the same oil with bay leaves, dry red chili and panch phoron. Sauté till it stops spluttering.

          Add the chopped radish, long beans, raw papaya, carrot and pointed gourd. Stir fry on a low to medium flame for 2-3 minutes

          Then add the twigs, chopped pumpkin and eggplants. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

          Now add the chopped greens, turmeric powder, salt to taste, fried bori / vadi, green chilies and ginger.  Cover and cook by stirring at intervals.  

          Sprinkle some water if necessary and cook till the veggies turns soft. When done, add the roasted cumin powder and ghee. Give it a stir and switch off the flame.

          Serve with hot steamed rice. It can also be had with chapattis. 








Note--

1.  Instead of ghee, you can also add mustard paste or kasundi to the end product. 

2.  Bori (dried lentil dumplings) can be substituted for fried prawns in the non-veg. version.

3.  Apart from the veggies I have used, you can also add potato, drumstick, French beans, taro root, bottle gourd, etc. 

               Heat oil in a pan & fry the bori / vadi till golden color. Keep aside. 

Temper the same oil with bay leaves, dry red chili & panch phoron. Sauté till it stops spluttering.

Add the chopped radish, long beans, raw papaya, carrot & pointed gourd. Stir fry on a low to medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

  Then add the twigs, chopped pumpkin & eggplants. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Now add the chopped greens, turmeric powder, salt to taste, fried bori / vadi, green chilies & ginger.  Cover & cook by stirring at intervals. Sprinkle some water if necessary & cook till the veggies turns soft. 

When done, add the roasted cumin powder & ghee. Give it a stir & switch off the flame.

           Serve with hot steamed rice. It can also be had with chapattis. 

Potoler Rezala (Parwal / Pointed Gourd Curry)

          This is a vegetarian version of the very popular Bengali / Bangladesh style Mutton / Chicken Rezala. So I made use of some Potol (Parwal / Pointed Gourd) to make this yummy dish. The spices remain very much the same. This recipe calls for a gravy with a slightly thicker consistency. 

          With a nice aroma coming from the kewra water and the nutty flavour from the cashew paste, this makes it a sure shahi dish. It is mildly spiced, mostly coming from the ground peppercorns. Enjoy it with naan, paratha, roomali roti, rice, pulao, etc. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

          Mutton Rezala and Chicken Rezala are two very traditional and popular Bengali style aromatic non-vegetarian dishes. It is cooked in a creamy yoghurt based gravy. 

          They are very much a part of the menu in many Bengali restaurants in and around Kolkata. The non-veg. version of this recipe is very popular in Bangladesh too.

            It is usually cooked in mustard oil and some ghee to give an authentic flavour to the dish. It is a great party recipe and is mostly cooked during special occasions. 

• 10 Potol / Parwals / Pointed Gourds, scraped
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1" ginger
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• 1 cup milk
• salt to taste
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tsp. kewra water
• chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Dry roast & grind - 

• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 mace
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp. peppercorns
• 2 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 " cinnamon stick

          Blend together cashew nuts and yoghurt till smooth. Grind the onion, ginger and garlic to a paste. Keep them aside. 

          Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and stir fry the potol till light brown. Keep aside. 

          Heat remaining oil and ghee and temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and dry red chilies. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the ground onion paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the dry spices and give it a stir.

          Now add the cashew-yoghurt mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the fried parwals and mix well. Cover and cook till the oil separates.

          Add the milk, salt and green chilies. Cover and simmer till the gravy thickens to the desired consistency.

          When done, switch off the flame and add the kewra water. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it with naan, paratha, roomali roti, rice, pulao, etc.

          

                                   Dry roast the spices & then grind.

                                  Scrape potol & give a slight slit on either sides.

                              Heat 2 tbsp. oil & stir fry the potol till light brown. Keep aside. 

                    Heat remaining oil & ghee. Temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, 
                    cloves and dry red chilies.

                                  Add ground onion paste & sauté for 1-2 minutes. 

                                  Add the dry spices & give it a stir.

                                  Now add yoghurt & simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

                             Add fried parwals & mix well. Cover & cook till oil separates.

                        Add milk, salt & green chilies. Cover & simmer till gravy thickens
                        to the desired consistency.

                                 When done, add kewra water.
          

                     Garnish with coriander leaves & enjoy with naan, paratha, roomali roti, 
                     rice, pulao, etc.

Bhaja Muger Dal diye Lau Chingri - Bengali Cuisine

          Lau Chingri (lauki / Bottle Gourd - Prawn Curry) is a simple and a traditional Bengali homemade delicacy. The addition of prawns cooked with bottle gourd and a medley of spices tastes simply yummy. But I gave a twist to it by adding some dry roasted green gram lentil (moong dal). 

          This combo turned out very delectable and tastes awesome when paired with hot steamed rice or chapati. This recipe has minimum of spices and is light on the tummy. So a perfect curry for the summer. For a veg. version, prawns can be substituted with some bori / dried lentil dumplings to prepare this curry. 

• 1 medium size bottle gourd, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup moong dal, dry roasted, washed & drained
• 8-10 medium size prawns, cleaned, washed & drained
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds 
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. sugar (opt)
• 1 tsp, roasted cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the prawns with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. Heat 1 tbsp. oil and saute the prawns till it changes colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Heat remaining oil and temper with cumin seeds and bay leaves. Saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped bottle gourd, roasted dal, fried prawns and all the dry spices.

         Mix everything well and cook, covered till done. Sprinkle water and keep stirring at intervals.

          When done, add ghee and coriander leaves. Give it a stir and serve with plain steamed rice or chapatis. 

Potoler Korma (Parwal / Pointed Gourd) Curry - Bengali Style

          Potoler Korma is a traditional Bengali recipe, where parwal / pointed gourd is cooked with a medley of spices in a mustard-cashew based gravy. The gravy is on the thicker side and is typically served as a main course either with any form of rice or any type of Indian bread. So check out an easy step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 8-10 potol (parwal / pointed gourd), cut lengthwise
• 3 tbsp. +1 tsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (Bengali five spice mix)
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1" ginger
• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
• 1-2 green chilies
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves to garnish

          Grind together mustard seeds, cashew, coconut, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Keep aside.

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil and fry the parwals till light brown. Keep aside. 

          Heat 2 tbsp.  oil and temper with bay leaves, dry red chilies and panch phoron. Allow it to splutter.

          Add the onion and fry till light brown. Add the fried parwals, ground paste, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and add 1-2 cups water.

          Bring it to a boil and simmer, covered, till the veggies are soft and the gravy turns slightly thick. 

          When done, switch off the flame. Add the remaining mustard oil and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve with rice or chapatis. 



Note - 
You can substitute cashew nut with poppy seeds. I had to skip as it is not available here.

                      Heat 1 tbsp. oil & fry parwals till light brown. Drain & keep aside. 

                     Heat 2 tbsp. oil & temper with bay leaves, dry red chilies & panch phoron. 
                     Allow it to splutter.

                       Add the onion and fry till light brown. 

                       Add fried parwals, ground paste, salt & turmeric powder. Mix well.
                     

                     Add 1-2 cups water. Bring to a boil & simmer, covered, till veggies are 
                     soft and the gravy turns slightly thick. 

                     When done, switch off flame. Add remaining mustard oil coriander leaves. 

                       Serve with rice or chapatis. 

Kumro Shaag Er Chorchori (Pumpkin Leaves Curry - Bengali Style)

          Here is yet another traditional Bengali chorchori (curry) made with tender pumpkin leaves and few tender twigs. A whole lot of mixed vegetables are thrown in along with some fried bori / dried lentil dumplings to give some crunch to this simple, yet delicious recipe. It is cooked in mustard oil for an authentic touch and finished off with the addition of mustard paste. It is best relished with hot steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2-3 cups Pumpkin leaves & tender twigs, washed, drained and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (nigella, fennel, fenugreek, mustard & cumin seeds)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• 8-10 bori / vadi / mangodi (sun dried lentil dumplings)
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• A cup each of veggies (potatoes, pumpkin, radish, eggplants, ridge gourd, broad beans), chopped lengthwise
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. kasundi / mustard paste

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the bori / vadi till golden color. Drain and keep aside. Temper the same oil with bay leaves and panch phoron. Sauté till it stops spluttering.

          Add the ginger and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds and then add all the veggies (except green peas) and turmeric powder. Stir fry on a low flame till light brown.

          Add the chopped greens, twigs, green peas, fried vadi, salt and coriander-cumin powder. Cover and cook on a low flame. 

          Sprinkle water at intervals and cook till the veggies turns soft. When done, add the kasundi / mustard paste. 

          Mix well and stir fry for a few seconds. Switch off the flame and serve with hot steamed rice. It can also be had with chapattis. There is absolutely no harm in it.








Note--
1.  If not using kasundi, them grind 1 tbsp. mustard seeds along with 1-2 green chilies and a pinch of turmeric powder.

2.  Instead of mustard paste, add 1 tsp. ghee to the end product. 

3. Bori (dried lentil dumplings) can also be substituted for prawns in the non-veg. version.

4.  Apart from the veggies I have used, you can also add raw papayas, drumstick, carrots, beans and parwal (pointed gourd).

                                Pumpkin plant growing on the terrace of my parents home.

                                Take few tender twigs and leaves. Chop them as shown.

                                 Chop all the veggies lengthwise as shown.

                        Heat oil & fry the bori / vadi till golden in colour. Drain & keep aside.

                                 Temper same oil with panch phoron & bay leaves.

                                  Add ginger & green chilies.

                                  Add all veggies & turmeric powder.

                                 Sauté till light brown.

                   Add chopped twigs, greens, salt, fried vadi, coriander-cumin powder & green 
                    peas. Mix everything well.
                       

                                  Cover & cook till done. Sprinkle water at intervals.

                             When done, add kasundi & mix well. Stir fry for a few seconds.

                                 Serve as a side dish with rice or chapattis.