Pomfret Macher Tel Jhaal (Pomfret Fish Curry - Bengali style)

         I love Pomfret? I'm sure many of you do just like me. My most favorite winter special lunch is and will always be fish curry and rice. Then try this very simple Bengali homemade style fish curry. It is cooked in mustard oil with minimum of spices and is a quick recipe. 

          It just has red chili powder and turmeric powder as the base of the gravy. It's that simple with minimum effort but with maximum flavour. It hardly takes any time to dish out this traditional Bong delicacy. It is best relished with only and only hot steamed rice.

• 2 pomfret fish, cut into 3 pieces each
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. nigella seeds
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

           Marinate the fish with a pinch of turmeric powder and red chili powder for 10 minutes. Mix the remaining turmeric powder and red chili powder in 1/2 cup water and keep aside. 

          Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the fish on both sides till light brown in colour. Drain and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with nigella seeds and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the chili paste and salt to taste. 

          Bring it to a boil and gently drop in the fried fish. Cover and simmer on a low flame till the gravy reduces slightly.

          When done, drizzle the remaining mustard oil and switch off the flame. Keep it covered for a few seconds. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot steamed rice. 

Crispy Grilled Pita / Khubz Chips

          These are nice crispy Pita / Khubz (Arabic Bread) Chips that are grilled to perfection. You can just have them plain or by sprinkling any seasoning of your choice. Both ways they are just perfect as an appetizer or as a tea time snack. 

          You can enjoy them with your favourite dips, hummus , chutney or salsa. They can also replace the papad and can be relished as an accompaniment with your sambar / rasam rice or dal-chawal, a la Indian style.

          I never had any idea that any leftover pita bread can be transformed into such yummy and crispy chips, unless I personally tried them. 

          So it is a perfect comfort snack that goes best with any dip, hummus, chutney or salsa. Any leftover chips can be added to your salad or soup for an interesting fusion food. 

        

           Grilling these pita bread is much simpler and easier than baking them. End result is here for you to see. 

          So if you are looking for some homemade crunchy chips, other than the store bought ones, then these pita bread chips are just perfect. 

          They are also so easy to prepare and completely hassle-free. Enjoy !!

• 3 leftover pita bread / khubz (Arabic Bread)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• hummus / dip / chutney / salsa to serve

           Cut each pita bread into 8 triangles. 

 

          Place them on a greased baking tray.

          Brush each triangle pieces with olive oil. 

          Grill for 4-5 minutes or till they turn crisp. 

          Serve as an appetizer or snack with hummus / any dip / chutney / salsa.

Pan Fried Mixed Lentil Handvo

 

           Handvo is a traditional Gujarati snack that can be had as an appetizer, tea-time snack or for breakfast. It can be cooked through various methods - by baking, steaming or pan frying. It is generally cooked with a rice-lentil combo with various grated veggies added to it. However, I skipped rice and made with mixed lentils along with some cabbage and cucumber. So it is diabetic friendly recipe that can be had guilt free. 

          In this recipe, the Handvo is first steamed and then pan fried with little oil. So if you are craving for some healthy and nutritious snack, go ahead and dish out this simple delicacy. 

• 1/2 cup mixed lentils
• 1/2 cup grated cucumber
• 1/2 cup finely sliced cabbage
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2-3 tbsp. fresh grated coconut 
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted coriander-cumin powder
• juice of 1/2 lime

Tempering - 

• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida

           Soak the the lentils overnight. Grind to a slightly coarse paste. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds. Pour this tempering over the batter and mix well.

          Transfer the batter to a greased container and steam for 20 minutes. When cool, cut as desired and keep aside. 

          Heat remaining oil in a pan and fry them till light brown. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve as an appetizer with green chutney. 

          They can also be relished as a tea time snack, after-school snack or as a lunch box meal.

Moong Dal Idli

           

          Idli, a South Indian delicacy is a healthy breakfast option. It is relished with coconut chutney and sambar for a nice wholesome meal. Traditionally, it is made of split urad dal (black gram) and rice. But it can also be made of split green gram. So just replace rice with moong dal and they come out just like any regular idli, nice, soft and fluffy. So enjoy this great variation for breakfast, lunch of dinner. They can also be packed for a lunch box meal too.

• 1/2 cup moong dal (split green gram)
• 1/2 cup urad dal (split black gram)
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp. eno fruit salt
• oil to grease the idli moulds

          Wash both the lentils well and soak overnight along with the fenugreek seeds. Then grind into a smooth batter by adding very little water. The batter should not be too thin or too thick. 

           Add salt and mix well. Cover and keep aside in a warm place for 8-10 hours to ferment. Add eno fruit salt and 1 tbsp. of water. 

           Give it a quick stir and spoon the batter into greased idli moulds. Steam for 15-20 minutes. Demould when it cools down slightly. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

          

Watermelon Dhokla

 

         Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati steamed delicacy prepared out of gram flour. They can also be prepared with semolina. So just add some watermelon juice and other basic ingredients to the semolina and turn it into a healthy sweet version. 

           They turn out real yummy, refreshing and appetizing. You can enjoy these fluffy small bites as an after meal dessert. Garnish with chopped pistachios and dry rose petals. Serve it at room temperature with a drizzle of some watermelon juice if you wish.

• 1/2 cup semolina
• 1 tbsp. roasted chickpea flour
• 3/4 cup watermelon juice or as required
• 2 tbsp. sugar or as required (I added brown sugar)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp. melted ghee / butter
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1 tsp. eno fruit salt
• chopped pistachio and dry rose petals to garnish 

          In a bowl, take the semolina and roasted chickpea flour. Mix well. To it add the watermelon juice, salt, melted ghee, cardamom powder and sugar. Whisk to combine well. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

          After 10 minutes, whisk again and adjust the consistency by adding more watermelon juice if required. The batter should be of pouring consistency.

          Add eno fruit salt and give it a gentle stir. Pour into a greased steel container and steam for 15-20 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness. Set aside to cool. 

          Then demold on a plate and cut as desired.  Enjoy it at room temperature with a drizzle of some watermelon juice and garnished with chopped pistachios and dry rose petals.

Sweet Semolina Dhokla

 

          Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati steamed delicacy prepared out of gram flour. They can also be prepared with semolina. So let me share a sweet version of this healthy savoury treat in a dessert form. They came out just perfect and you can enjoy it as an after meal dessert or when desired. Serve it warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of some sugar syrup / castor sugar if you wish.

• 1 cup semolina, dry roasted
• 1 tbsp. roasted chickpea flour
• 1/3 cup castor sugar or as required (I used brown sugar)
• 2-3 tbsp. fresh grated coconut 
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1-2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 1-2 tbsp. soaked chia seeds
• 1 tbsp. chopped pistachios
• required quantity of water
• 1 tsp. eno fruit salt
• chopped pistachios, dry rose petals & soaked chia seeds to garnish
• sugar syrup to drizzle (opt)
• castor sugar to garnish (opt)

          In a bowl, combine all the mentioned ingredients (except eno fruit salt and the garnishing). Add enough water to form a batter of pouring consistency. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

          Add more water if required and whisk well. Add eno fruit salt and give it a stir. Pour into a greased steel container / plate and steam for 20 minutes on a medium flame. 

          When cool, cut into desired shapes. Garnish with chopped pistachios, dried rose petals and soaked chia seeds. 

          Serve it warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of some sugar syrup / castor sugar if you wish.

Bafauri Ki Kadhi

           Bafauri is a traditional steamed delicacy from the State of Chhattisgarh. It is basically a lentil based snack recipe that is prepared with chana dal. However, I made use of mixed lentils to prepare this dish and it turned out real yum. It is a very easy and a quick recipe and can be relished with tomato sauce or green chutney. It is also a great tea time snack. 


        

  

          Kadhi on the other hand, is a yoghurt-chickpea flour based sauce with a tempering. So I combined both Bafauri and kadhi to come up with my version of this yummy fusion dish of Bafauri Ki Kadhi. So enjoy it with pulao, hot steamed rice, jeera rice, naan, kulcha, tandoori roti or just plain chapati for a great comfort meal.

Bafauri - 

• 2 tbsp. chana dal (Bengal Gram Lentil)
• 2 tbsp. urad dal (Split Black Gram Lentil)
• 2 tbsp. tuvar dal (Pigeon Pea Lentil)
• 2 tbsp. moong dal (Split Green Gram Lentil)
• 2 tbsp. masoor dal (Split Red Gram Lentil)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. carom seeds
• 1 tsp. flax seeds (opt)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander roots, chopped

Kadhi - 

• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 2 tbsp. gram flour / besan
• 3 & 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida / hing
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• coriander leaves & a drizzle of pickle oil to garnish

           Bafauri - Soak the lentils for 4-5 hours. Then grind to a smooth paste by adding very little water.

          In a bowl, mix the dal paste and all the other ingredients (except oil). Drop spoonful of the batter on a greased plate and steam for 15-20 minutes. Keep aside. 
          
          Kadhi - Whisk together yoghurt, gram flour and water. Keep aside. In a small bowl, mix ginger-garlic paste and all the dry spices along with some water to form a paste. Keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with cumin seeds and asafoetida. Now add the paste and sauté till oil separates.

          Add the whisked yoghurt and bring it to a boil. Simmer on a low flame till it thickens to a desired consistency. Be sure to stir at intervals. When done switch off the flame.

          To serve, ladle the kadhi in a bowl and arrange the steamed Bafauri over it. Garnish with coriander leaves and pickle oil. Enjoy with any form of rice or Indian bread.