Tangra Macher Jhol (Bengali Fish Curry)

          As a seafood lover, I love any small fish too, besides prawns. So Here is a simple, easy and a traditional homemade fish curry which is only relished with hot steamed rice. The fish used is Tangra fish which is a fresh river water fish. The recipe that I am sharing is a thin gravy made out of minimum of spices. Vegetables of your choice can also be added.

          It is one of the favorite fish among the smaller varieties, for most of the Bengalis. A little bit of raw mustard oil to the end product enhances the flavour and I like to have my macher jhol bhaat (Fish curry & rice) with a dash of lime.

• 5-6 tangra fish, cleaned, washed & drained
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. cumin powder powder
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. raw mustard oil

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish on both sides till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with kalonji and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the ginger paste, cumin powder and turmeric powder mixed with 1/4 cup water.

          Sauté till dry. Add 1 & 1/2 cups water and salt. Bring it to a boil and gently drop in the fried fish. Cover and simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

          When done, add the raw mustard oil and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain steamed rice.

Gongura Pappu (Lentils cooked with Sorrel / Ambada Leaves - Andhra Style)

         Gongura Pappu or Lentils cooked with Sorrel / Ambada greens is a traditional Andhra delicacy. It is a very healthy recipe as the greens are full of vitamins and iron. Moreover the lentil is a rich source of proteins. So a very good combination. 

          It is a very easy and a yummy recipe that can be made in a jiffy. This tangy lentil curry goes best with plain steamed rice, a drizzle of some ghee and accompanied with papad / curd chilies. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

          You can prepare this recipe in two ways. The dal and the leaves can be pressure cooked together first and then the tempering poured over it. 

          In the other method, the leaves can be cooked first along with the tempering and then the boiled dal is added to it. Both ways it turns out very yummy and lip smacking. This is the former method. 

• 1/2 cup tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentil), soaked for 30 minutes
• 2-3 cups gongura (sorrel) leaves, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1" ginger, sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped (opt)
• 1-2 tbsp. oil
• 2-3 whole dry red chilies
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Pressure cook the lentils, greens, salt, turmeric powder, onion, green chilies, ginger and tomatoes for 5-6 whistles. Mash them slightly and keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with dry red chilies, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the garlic, urad dal and curry leaves. 

          Sauté till the garlic changes colour. Pour this tempering over the prepared dal and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot steamed rice .

                         Pick only the leaves. Wash well & drain. 

                      Pressure cook lentils, greens, salt, turmeric powder, onion, green chilies, 
                      ginger & tomatoes for 5-6 whistles. 

                        The boiled dal.

                        Mash them slightly & keep aside. 

                      Heat oil & temper with dry red chilies, mustard seeds & cumin seeds. 
                      Then add garlic, urad dal & curry leaves. Sauté for some time & pour 
                      this tempering over the dal. 

                  Garnish with chopped coriander leaves & serve with plain steamed rice .

               

Pabda Macher Shorshe Jhaal ( Fish in Mustard Gravy - Bengali Style)

          Pabda (Cat Fish) Maach is a river water fish, which is very popular and relished by most of the Bengali crowd. I was able to get hold of them on my recent trip to my home town in India and thought of preparing a thin mustard gravy. So here is my version.

           A simple fish curry where I used some store bought mustard paste (kasundi). It can also be substituted with homemade ground paste. Enjoy this delicious and flavourful fish curry with plain steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this traditional delicacy.

• 5-6 Pabda Maach (Cat fish)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. kalonji / nigella seeds
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 2 tbsp. kasundi / mustard paste
• 2 green chilies, slit

          Clean the fish well and marinate them with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish in batches till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with nigella seeds. Saute for a few seconds and add the turmeric powder, ginger paste and cumin powder mixed with 1/4 cup water.

          Fry till it leaves the sides of the pan. Add 1 cup water, salt and the green chilies. Bring it to a boil and then drop in the fried fish. Cover and simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

          Add the kasundi / mustard paste and mix well. Switch off the flame and let it remain covered for 2 minutes. Serve with plain steamed rice.

                          Clean fish well & marinate with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for
                          10 minutes. 

                          Heat oil & fry fish in batches till light golden in colour. Drain &
                          keep aside.

               
                          Temper same oil with nigella seeds. Saute few seconds & add turmeric
                          powder, ginger paste and cumin powder mixed with 1/4 cup water.

                      Fry till it leaves sides of the pan. Add 1 cup water, salt & green chilies. 

                          Bring to a boil & then drop the fried fish. Cover & simmer on a 
                          medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

                         Add kasundi / mustard paste & mix well. Switch off the flame & let it
                        remain covered for 2 minutes. 

                                Serve with plain steamed rice.

Gongura Chicken Fry (Chicken cooked with Sorrel Leaves - Andhra Style)

          This is my version of a traditional Andhra delicacy, where Chicken is cooked with gongura (sorrel) leaves. It is also known as Chukka or Ambada bhaji. It is generally cooked with mutton, but I used chicken for a change and also as it is far more healthier than red meat. 

          Coming to this dish, it has a tangy taste. You can increase the quantity of red chili powder to make it more spicy and also to balance the taste and flavour. Enjoy it as an appetizer or with any form of rice or Indian bread. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 500 gms. chicken, curry cut
• 1-2 bunches of Gongura leaves (sorrel leaves), chopped
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and sauté the garlic till it changes colour. Add the onion and fry till light brown. 

          Now add the chopped gongura leaves and continue to stir fry, covered, for 2-3 minutes. Keep aside to cool down. Then grind into a paste.

          Heat remaining oil in a pan and and fry the chicken till it slightly changes colour. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and simmer, covered, for 2-3 minutes.

          Add the ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, curry leaves and coriander-cumin powder. Mix well and keep frying for a minute or two.

          Add the gongura paste and a sprinkle of some water. Mix well and cover with a lid. Simmer on a low flame for 8-10 minutes. 

          Keep stirring at intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook till the chicken turns soft. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis.

                                 Heat 1 tbsp. oil & sauté garlic till it changes colour. 

Add onion & fry till light brown. 

Add chopped gongura leaves & continue to stir fry, covered 

                                 for 2-3 minutes. 

Keep aside to cool down. Then grind into a paste.

Heat remaining oil & fry chicken till it slightly changes colour. 

 Add salt & turmeric powder. Mix well & simmer covered for 2-3 

                             minutes.

 Add ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, curry leaves & coriander-

                           cumin powder. Mix well & keep frying for a minute or two.

  Add gongura paste & a sprinkle of some water. Mix well & 

                                  cover with a lid. Simmer on a low flame for 8-10 minutes. 

Keep stirring at intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom of the 

                        pan. Cook till chicken turns soft. 

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve as a side dish with either rice 

                         or chapattis.

Chicken & Bell Pepper Salad with Spring Onion & Tomato

          Enjoy this simple non-veg salad as an appetizer or as a simple light meal anytime of the day. Made with boiled and shredded chicken, coloured bell peppers, tomatoes and spring onions, they are a perfect visual treat. Grated paneer or cheese also can be added to make it more appetizing and flavorful. 

• 1 cup boiled chicken, shredded
• 2 cups coloured bell peppers. sliced
• 1 cup spring onions, sliced into roundels
• 1 tomato, deseeded & sliced
• 1-2 fresh red / green chilies, chopped
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. lime juice

          In a bowl, combine the boiled & shredded chicken, bell peppers, spring onion, fresh chilies and tomatoes. 

          Just before serving, sprinkle salt and pepper over it and toss well. Drizzle olive oil and lime juice. Enjoy as an appetizer or as a light meal.

Matka Murgh Dum Biryani (Clay Pot Chicken Dum Biryani)

          Biryani is an all time favourite one pot meal with most of us. It is sometimes prepared in a dum style which is also known as Kachchi Dum Biryani, where the chicken / mutton is marinated and layered with rice. This is then slow cooked to perfection. 

          But do try preparing it in a clay pot if you are able to get hold of one. It gives a nice earthy flavour. Enjoy it with some raita and salad. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 700 gms. chicken, cut into medium size
• 1 & 1/2 cups basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes
• 1/2 cup fried onions
• 2 cups thick buttermilk
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• handful of coriander & mint leaves, chopped (save some for later use)
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 2-3 tbsp. ghee
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• a pinch of nutmeg powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 3-4 green cardamoms
• 5-6 cloves
• 1 mace
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 2 star anise
• a small piece pathar ke phool
• pinch of saffron strands soaked in 1 tbsp. water
• 1 hard boiled egg, cut into half 
• few chopped cashews to garnish 
• mint leaf to garnish

          Marinate the chicken with all the above mentioned ingredients, starting from fried onions to coriander-cumin powder for 2-3 hours. 

          Bring sufficient quantity of water along with (1 tbsp. salt, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, mace, star anise & pathar ke phool) to a boil. 

          Add the drained rice and cook for 3-4 minutes till half done. Drain and keep aside. Grease a clay pot with ghee / oil.

            Transfer the marinated chicken into the greased pot. (Save some marination for later use). Then spread a layer of the rice, followed by the fried onions, coriander-mint leaves, boiled eggs, saffron & leftover marination. 

          Close the matka (clay pot) with an aluminum foil and place the lid over it. Cook on a high flame for 10 minutes. Then simmer on a low flame for another 8-10 minutes. 

          Let it remain covered for 10-15 minutes. Then transfer the contents to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cashews and mint leaf. Serve them with raita.

               Bring enough water to a boil along with 1 tbsp. salt, cinnamon, cardamoms,
               cloves, bay leaves, mace, star anise & pathar ke phool. 

                                  Add drained rice & cook for 3-4 minutes till half done.

                                 Drain & keep aside. 

               Marinate chicken with all ingredients, starting from fried onions to coriander-
               cumin powder for 2-3 hours. 

                 Transfer marinated chicken into the greased pot. (Save some marination
                 for later use). 

                  Then spread a layer of rice, followed by fried onions, coriander-mint 
                  leaves, boiled eggs, saffron & leftover marinade. 

                Close the matka (clay pot) with an aluminum foil & place the lid over it. Cook 
                on high flame for 10 minutes. Then simmer on low flame for 8-10 minutes. 

After it is done.

Then transfer the contents to a serving dish & garnish with chopped 

                         cashews & mint leaf. Serve them hot with raita.