Kosha Dim – The same Egg Curry, a different day, a different way ...

Kosha Dim – The same Egg Curry, a different day, a different way

It was a cold winter evening when she headed home from an uneventful day at work thinking of making something simple and easy for dinner.  It had not been a very good day, like most days now .. she was tired of doing the same things for so long. She frantically needed a change, not from her workplace, but the work she was doing. However, she could not winch or make a face, there were people around who would have been happy knowing she was not happy and getting frustrated – a typical work environment it was.

She got back home & went through her stockpile, there was a pack of Eggs sitting there, as always. However, just like doing the same work was getting her frustrated, she was bored of the same Egg Curry she had grown up eating. Thoughtlessly she picked out some Onions and Green Chillies and made a paste, she also puréed a Tomato, shelled some Peas, all this while she kept thinking what she thought life would be and what it was today. Not that she was unhappy, she married the Man she loved and settled down some time back, the way they had wanted; she was pretty happy in fact, in her personal life. It was her professional life which troubled her day and night. She couldn’t comprehend where she was heading, she did enjoy her work very much, but fate had been unkind to her and the thing she enjoyed doing till some time back, now she dreaded the most.

Half heartedly she got back to her Egg Curry and prepared it, absent minded all the time. He returned home and she tried being her usual cheerful self. The last thing she wanted was to pester him after a tiring day. Though he was very patient with her when she was upset still she refrained from dragging work to home midweek.

They sat down for dinner and after the first bite he said, “How do you mange to cook so well even after a hard day at work? How do you manage to make something different every time”? She smiled, first a grin and then a wide beam, this is what she lived for. This was what formed the base of her being; doing little things for people she loved dearly, the ones she held very close to her heart. She continued eating with her head bent tucking at the food on her plate. She realized yet again, there were some relationships in life which made life worth living, there were some moments in life which made life worth living like the one she just shared with her Man. That night sleep did not come easily, she kept changing sides, but she had understood, this is not the end of the world; while it was night where she was, in another part of the World, the Sun had already risen and it was a bright day with new hopes and fresh imaginings.

Here is what you will need to make Kosha Dim (Egg Curry):

Eggs – 6, hard boiled, shelled

Onion – 1 large – made into paste

Green Chillies – 5 – made into paste along with the Onions

Tomato – 1 medium – puréed

Peas – a handful, shelled

Whole Dry Red Chillies – 3

Bay Leaf – 1

Ginger – Grated – 1 tsp

Ginger – Grated – ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Cumin Powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar to balance

Mustard Oil / Cooking Oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

Hard boil the Eggs, shell them and smear them with 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder and Salt for 10 minutes. Make slits on them lengthwise like in the picture, do not puncture the Yolk. Just to make sure some flavors go into the Egg White while cooking.

Heat 1 tbsp of Mustard Oil in a Pan and shallow fry the Eggs till brown and keep.

Add 2 more tbsp of Mustard Oil to the same Pan, heat it up.

Add the Whole Dry Red Chillies and Bay Leaf and let it sizzle for 30 seconds.

Add the Onion Paste and sauté them till golden brown.

Add the Ginger Garlic Paste and cook till for some time.

Add the puréed Tomato and cook for some time.

Add the Peas.

Add the dry spices, Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Salt and Sugar and mix.

Once they gravy is cooked, add water and bring it to boil.

Add the Eggs and let the Curry simmer for some time.

Once desired consistency is reached, turn off the stove.

Serve with plain white Rice.

Bengali Crab Curry

I have been scared of Crabs since childhood; never have been able to fathom how some people could dig into these clawed creatures.  Everyone in the family is fond of My Mother’s Crab Curry but being her daughter I have never tasted the dish.

During one of my trips back home, my best friend ever (D) took me to Flame & Grill as she wanted me to taste their exclusive Kebab platter, which had Crabs too. That was before the nuptial knot and as right afterwards we were heading for one of the beaches along the Indian Ocean, I had to give in to some other seafood besides my first love, Shrimps.  I tried the Crab Kebabs that they had made, and yes I did not have to shell them. The Kebabs tasted exotic & I fell for them instantly.

Since then, I have been planning to make some Crabs at home. However, I never got live Crabs here. I kept nagging about these clawed creatures to our dear Sagar, the best Fish Monger who caters to all our demands; God bless him. Last Saturday when we were out brunching, he called and informed that he has got live Crabs finally, we agreed right away. After a good nap in the afternoon, A rushed to get the Crabs, Sagar made sure I did not have any difficulty cleaning them up. He made sure they were inert, shelled and cleaned.

All I had to do was giving them one final wash and a quick call to Maa (My Mother) to get her recipe. She ended by a word of caution, ‘make sure you do not gulp down any pieces of the shell; else you might have to get hospitalized to get rid of the shells from your tummy’, she ended.

The best article I have come across to handle live Crabs was by Chitrangada on her beautiful blog Color and Spices and the post is here. Please refer to this if you do not have a blessing like Sagar in your life :)

Here is what you will need to make a very Bengali Crab Curry that my Maa makes:

Serves - 6

Crabs – 800 gms

Onion – 1 large – made into paste

Tomato – 2 medium – made into paste

Green Chillies – 5-6 – pasted with the Onions

Thick Coconut Milk – 1 Cup – I used one Dabur Hommade Tetra Pack (the one in the picture)

Cinnamon – 1” stick

Green Cardamoms – 4

Cloves – 4

Whole Dry Red Chillies – 2

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – ½ tsp

Cumin Powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp to sprinkle on top

Salt to taste
Sugar to balance

Mustard Oil – 2tbsp

Method:

Marinate the washed Crabs in Turmeric Powder and Salt and keep for 30 minutes.

Heat Mustard Oil in a Kadhai and shallow fry the Crabs and keep aside. You will see fat from the seafood seperating; it will look like bits of scrambled Eggs on your Crabs after frying.

In the same Oil, add the Whole Dry Red Chillies, Cardamoms, Cinnamon and Cloves, let them sizzle for 30 seconds.

Add the Onion and Green Chilli Paste and fry till the Onions change color to a light brown.

Add the Tomato paste and a pinch of Sugar and cook for a few minutes.

Add the Cumin and Coriander Powder and cook for a few more minutes till the dry spices are cooked through.

Add the Coconut Milk, mix well and bring it to boil & simmer.

Add the Crabs and mix well. Let them cook. Add Salt to taste and mix. It took me about 20 minutes on simmer for the Crabs to cook. Adjust cooking time if needed.

The gravy should not be runny, again to your taste. Tastes best with minimal gravy.

Sprinkle some Garam Masala Powder when plated. 

Serve with steamed Rice.

P.S: I am eating that Crab Curry next time I am home for sure! :D

Shrimp Noodles - Indian Chinese

Street food is an absolute favourite when it comes to my home. As we all know Calcutta and food are synonyms & when it comes to street food, no place can beat the City Of Joy. Rolls, Noodles, Kebabs, Chops, Fritters, Momos, Biryani .. you name it, you have it. According to A, nothing can beat ‘KhonchaWala’s’  (Someone who sells street food on their makeshift shops) Noodles be it Chicken, Prawn or even Pork.

After I made the Shrimp Biryani on Friday, I still had some Shrimps sitting in my Freezer and was planning to make Malaikari with it, when suddenly midweek a dinner came up which we could eat together, first A suggested eating Luchi and Aloo Chorchori, then I suggested Noodles as I had a pack sitting at home. I thought of making the plain Jane Noodles that my Mother in Law makes for breakfast, which has its own Bengali world charm. But then I remembered the Shrimps and thought of making Shrimp Noodles. It turned out so good that I simply had to post this. We did not talk while we ate dinner last night; one as we were very hungry and second was because we enjoyed the food thoroughly and did not want to break the charm of eating this heavenly sumptuous dinner.

Here is what you will need to make Shrimp Noodles:

Hakka noodles – pre boiled in salted water, strained under running water (to get rid of the starch) – 200 gms

Shrimps – 200 gms, washed and deveined, I had the tails on

Onion – 1 medium – sliced thin (I did not have Spring Onions available)

Carrot – 1 medium – sliced thin

Green Beans – about 5 – chopped into 1” pieces

Green Bell Pepper – ½ of a medium – sliced thin

Cabbage – 1/4^th of a medium – sliced thin

Dark Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp

Red Chilli Sauce – 1 tbsp

Green Chilli Sauce – 1 tbsp

Ginger finely chopped – ½ tsp

Garlic finely chopped – 1 tsp

Green Chilli – 2 – chopped

Chilli Oil – 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp (Can use Cooking Oil totally if you do not have Chilli Oil, we like the zing hence use it in all Chinese preparations)

Cooking Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Once you strain the noodles, make sure there is almost no water in it, put it in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of Chilli Oil in and mix with hands and set aside.
 In a Chinese wok or any other non stick Pan with a big surface heat 2tbsp of Chilli Oil & 2 tbsp of Cooking Oil.
Once the Oil is hot, add the sauces one by one, keep the heat to low, otherwise it might splutter.

Add the chopped Ginger, Garlic & Green Chillies.

 Add the Shrimps & increase the flame to high, keep mixing quickly like in stir frying. It will take about 2-3 minutes for the Shrimps to become just like we want them.

Once done increase the flame to high again and add the Vegetables & keep stirring, they will be done (as needed for Chinese preparation) in no time. I would say in about 3 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Add the noodles little by little and keep mixing.

Scramble an Egg in a different Pan & mix. (I did in the same one).

Serve hot.

Kumro-r Chokka – Indian Pumpkin Curry with Potatoes & Chickpeas

An authentic Bengali recipe to be eaten with Rutis or Porota’s. The day I made this I did not have the energy to make Porota’s and A is not fond of Ruti’s. Hence I made Bengali Luchi’s to go with this. It was  a meal to remember. Weekend breakfast is always elaborate, late and extremely filling for the two of us. I spend a good time from my Friday planning the weekend breakfasts. Luchi being at the top of the carte du jour, always.

I was mulling over making Kumro-r Chokka for a long time now. There was a sudden urge to make Shrimp Biryani for Friday dinner. I had thought of buying frozen Shrimps after work, when I reached the shop which keeps frozen food from a hard day at work, the shopkeeper told me, he ran out of his Shrimp stock. He should thank his stars that I did not strangle him. I called Sagar, my beloved Fish Monger, who informed he had fresh Shrimps and he was still around, I ran. On my way back, I was window shopping Veggies when I found this succulent looking Pumpkin and made up my mind to give mulling over about Kumro-r Chokka for months a final finish. On my way back I also got some Desi Chickpeas without which this dish will be incomplete.

Kumro means Pumpkin in Bengali and Chokka, as far as I know means Dice :P However, here I think it means a medley, unsure though.

Here is what you will need to make Kumro-r Chokka:

Serves - 2

Pumpkin – 250 grams – cubed

Potato – 1 large – cubed

Desi Chickpeas – about ½ Cup, mine looks more in quantity as they are more, I love to munch on them hence soaked more than needed.

Green Chillies – 5 – slit

Nigella Seeds / Kalonji – ½ tsp

Ginger – grated – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – ½ tsp

Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar to balance

Mustard Oil – 1.5 tbsp

Method:

Soak the Desi Chickpeas overnight and drain in the morning.

Heat Mustard Oil in a Kadhai, add the slit Green Chillies & Nigella seeds and let them splutter.

Add the Potatoes and fry.

Add the grated Ginger and the Turmeric Powder.

Add the Coriander, Cumin and Garam Masala Powder.

Once the dry spices are cooked add the cubed Pumpkins.

Add the Desi Chickpeas.

Add Salt to taste and Sugar to balance and mix well.

Add desired amount of water and cook till both Potatoes and Pumpkin are tender.

This will be a dry preparation hence make sure all the moisture has evaporated before you turn off the stove.

Serve with Indian bread of your choice, I did with mean Bengali Luchi’s :D