The Quintessential Bengali 'Begun Bhaja' - Fried Eggplant / Aubergine

The quintessential Bengali ‘Begun Bhaja’ is extremely easy to make and a Bengali’s favorite to be eaten with Luchi / Puri  or Ruti / Roti. My personal favorite is with Ruti. Though it is an effortless, trouble-free & easy thing to make, it is not very popular amongst Non-Bongs. I have heard many of my Marwari friends say, “Oh, I love the Bengali Begun Bhaja that you make with Khichudi”. This is so simple that I shouldn’t call it a recipe. It is just fried Egg Plant after all.

Here is what you need:

Eggplant – 1 medium, cut into rounds, you can also make halves of the rounds. I         like the round ones more.

Salt – to taste

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Mustard Oil – 4 tsp / use any other cooking Oil if you do not prefer Mustard (Mustard is recommended though)

How to make the Bengali Begun Bhaja:

·         Cut the Eggplant into rounds.

·         Smear Salt & Turmeric Powder on them and keep aside for 10 minutes.

·         Heat Oil in an Indian Wok till smoking.

·         Sprinkle some Salt in the hot Oil.

·         Slide the Eggplant pieces in.

·         Once the color is like that is shown in the picture, turn and fry the other side. I generally poke it very lightly with my Turner to see if it is cooked. Refer to the small punctures on the Eggplant pieces on my picture.

·         Once done, drain on Paper towels as Eggplant absorb too much Oil.

·         Serve with Ruti / Luchi / Khichudi or whatever you like. I fried some broken Green Chillies in the same Oil and added it for plating.

Posto Bhape / Bhapa Posto / Baked Poppy Seeds

‘Posto’ (Poppy seeds / Khus Khus) is much more than celebrity pets. Genealogically it is the tiny seeds squeezed out of the Opium Poppy & hence it stimulates sleep. It is a crucial ingredient in a Bengali Kitchen. My supply of Posto comes from back home. Mother-In-Law makes sure she stuffs in at least ½ a Kilo of Posto in our knick-knack Bag which comes from home during every visit; no, it isn’t that we do not get Posto here, our parents think the quality is better there.

Aloo Posto (Potato & Poppy Seeds) & Kalai-er Dal (Urad Dal) with some Plain White Rice is the best meal ever, period. However, today’s post is not about that, it is about Posto Bhape or Bhapa Posto or Baked Poppy Seeds. My Mother prepares ‘Kancha-Posto’ (Raw ground Poppy seeds with chopped Onion & Green Chillies with a generous punch of Mustard Oil) every time she grinds some Posto as it has always been very much loved by the Family. It is the same Kancha-Posto I made last night for Dinner, to go with some plain white Rice & Pomfret Curry from the previous night. Maa (My Mother) has been mentioning this Bhapa Posto recipe which was aired sometime back on TV, the thought had lingered in my mind for some time; hence, I decided to give it a go & baked the Kancha-Posto & made Bhapa-Posto out of it. Hubby said he does not even need the Pomfret Curry as he can finish the entire plate only with the Bhapa Posto. A mouthful of this is like a slice of heaven!

Here is a list of the things needed to make Posto Bhape or Bhapa Posto or Baked Poppy Seeds:

Poppy Seeds – 2/3 rd cup

Onion – 1 medium – chopped

Green Chillies – 4 – chopped

Mustard Oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

·         Dry roast the Poppy seeds on a hot Tawa & wait till it cools down

·         Dry grind the Poppy seeds in a grinder, add water little by little. It will be a brownish paste when you dry grind & will gradually turn into white. The paste will not be watery. Refer to the picture to see how the paste looks.

·         Add the chopped Onions, Green Chillies, Salt & 3 tbsp of Mustard Oil to it & mix.

·         Pour it into a small Tiffin Box made of Steel.

·         In a Pressure Cooker add water and place the Tiffin Box inside it, make sure the water level is below the rim of the lid of the Tiffin Box. The Box will be floating in water & not drown. Place the lid and heat. Wait till 2 whistles go off & let the pressure go down on its own.

·         The Steel Tiffin Box will be very hot at this time, be careful while taking it out.

·         Serve with Plain White Rice.

Aloo Phoolkopi-r Torkari - Cauliflower Curry

Back home, dinner means Rotis with a warm bowl of Curry, vegetarian or non vegetarian. I liked very few of the Vegetarian Curries, the reason being I am not fond of vegetables. However, the recipe I am going to share today has always been one of the hot favorites. Back in the eastern part of India, Vegetables like Cauliflower, Carrots, and Peas can only be found during winters unlike in the western part. A bowl of warm Cauliflower Curry with Potatoes & Peas is always welcome for Dinner for us. Potatoes are an essential to make this dish; Yes, we Bengalis consider Potato as a vegetable & I have no shame in admitting the same. So here I share the simple Aloo Phoolkopi-r Torkari (Aloo = Potato, Phoolkopi = Cauliflower, Torkari = Curry) recipe.

What we will need to make Cauliflower Curry (Aloo PhoolKopi-r Torkari) for 2

Cauliflower – 1 medium – cut into florets

Potato – 2 medium – cubed

Tomato – 1 medium – quartered

Peas – half cup – add if it is in season, I did not have any so could not add.

Green Chillies – 4 – slit

Panch Phoron – 1 tsp (This is a Bengali tempering 5 spice mix which has equal portions of Fennel Seeds (Mouri / Saunf), Fenugreek Seeds (Methi), Nigella Seeds (Kalonji), Cumin Seeds (Jeera) & Black Mustard Seeds )

Mustard Oil – 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp (which I added later & forgot to click)

Salt to taste

Sugar to balance

Preparation:

·         Heat Mustard Oil in a Kadhai

·         Add Panch Phoron & let it splutter

·         Add slit Green Chillies & give it a mix

·         Add the Cauliflower florets & then the cubed Potatoes, fry for 5 minutes

·         Add the Tomatoes & mix

·         Add Sugar, Salt, Turmeric Powder & Red Chilli Powder & mix

·         Once the dry spices are cooked a little, add enough Water & bring to boil

·         Wait till the Cauliflower & the Potatoes are done

·         Make all the moisture evaporate as this dish is not a gravy dish

·         Garnish with broken Green Chillies & serve with Rotis

My Pomfret Curry

I was tired of eating Chicken throughout last week hence decided to make some Fish for Dinner last night. This dish is a pretty regular one at my home but I forget to write down the recipe each time. Bengali and their unquenchable thirst for Shorshe bata (Mustard Paste) in Fish recipes is World famous, I am extremely fond of it too. However, I have inherited my Mother’s ‘Heart Burn Syndrome’ right after eating anything with Mustard Paste in it, hence I avoid it as much as possible; the last thing I would want after a tiresome day at work is a heart burn.

This recipe has the Nigella Seeds-Green Chilli combination (Kalo Jeere – Kancha Lonka) like so many Bengali Fish preparations & also has my Mother’s Jhol er Aloo (the way she cuts the Potatoes while preparing a plain light Fish curry) – perfect for a Dinner (NOTE : on a weekday) for a loving couple living far away from home and their Mother’s cooking.

Here is what you will need to make my Pomfret Curry:

Pomfret Fish – 2 – medium – cut from between into 2 each – hence 4 pieces

Onion – 1 medium – thinly sliced

Tomato – 1 medium – chopped

Potato – 2 medium – sliced like shown in the picture

Green Chillies – 4 – slit

Ginger – 1” piece – grated

Garlic – 5 cloves – grated

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1tsp

Cumin Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Nigella seeds / Kalonji : 1 tsp

Mustard Oil (Best for any Bengali Fish preparation, use any other cooking oil if you do not have Mustard)– 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar to balance

Preparation:

·         Wash the Fish clean, pat dry, smear some Salt n Turmeric on it and set aside for 15 minutes

·         Heat 3 tbsp of Mustard Oil in a Pan till smoking

·         Add salt to the oil (This does two things 1. When you add the Fish, it does not splutter & burn you the way it would if Salt is not added and 2. The skin of the Fish does not stick to Pan and come off if Salt is added to smoking oil)

·         Bring down the heat to medium and fry the Fish pieces for about 3-4 minutes on each side and keep

·         In the same Oil add the Nigella seeds

·         Add the Green Chillies

·         Once they splutter add the sliced Onions

·         Once Onions start to caramelize, add the grated Ginger and Garlic

·         Once Ginger and Garlic are done add the sliced Potatoes

·         Once Potatoes get a golden tinge, add the chopped Tomatoes

·         Wait till the Tomatoes cook a little, mix well and add the dry spices & Sugar (I did not add any more Salt to the dish as the Oil already had enough salt from the fried Fish)

·         Once the dry spices are cooked, add enough water for the Potatoes to boil and cover

·         When the Potatoes are nearly done, remove lid and add the Fish pieces and make sure they soak in the juices of the Curry.

·         After about 8-10 minutes (5 on each side) after Fish is added, the dish should be done

·         Garnish as you wish and serve with Plain White Rice

Hakka Noodles

The only dish that comforts me, Noodles. I can have it in any form, even boiled with a sprinkle of Salt n Pepper. That’s how much I love Noodles. Being from Calcutta did help develop this fetish for Chinese in more than one way. I, like many others believe that you get the best Chinese in Calcutta; be it the road-side joints to the most classy Restaurants, the taste is impeccable. There is no time in the day when I do not have appetite for some noodles, can be simple instant noodles too.

I have been struggling with making this delectable dish for a long time now. Sometimes I did not get the noodles boiled right, sometimes I did not cut the veggies with the right precision, sometimes I overcooked the veggies & sometimes the veggies were more than the noodles. With time and patience, I have succeeded in dishing out my all time favorite, Chicken Hakka Noodles with accuracy just right for our taste buds & I proudly declare that this tastes much better than what we find in most Restaurants around here in the Western part of India.  

Chinese preparation demand some basics to be absolutely clear.

·         The first, in my opinion is, the food needs to be cooked on a very high flame. You simply cannot get the flame to low or medium and try to get it right.

·         Second would be, the time; as it is cooked on very high flame, we do not need to devote too much time. Chinese dishes cook very fast.

·         Third, if the vegetables are cooked perfectly, you have got it all wrong, the crunch has to be there in the veggies in a Chinese preparation.

·         Lastly (as important as the first 3), the vegetables needs to be cut with ultimate precision, make sure they are thin strips, do not cut them in different sizes, all vegetables need to be approximately of the same thickness.

Here is what you will need to make Chicken Hakka Noodles (If you are a Vegetarian, skip the Chicken & the Egg, it will still taste wonderful, just add a little more of the veggies)  - Will serve 2.

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

Chicken breast cut into strips (I used mini pieces as Hubby went late to the Butcher & managed only 300 gms, I had plans to make Chilli Chicken but 300 gms was too less. Hence,  I made the same noodles I had in mind, only chopped & added the Chicken in it) – 300 gms

Egg - 1

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 Chicken pieces & increase the flame to high, keep mixing quickly like in stir frying.

·         I had lowered the flame to medium & covered for about 3 minutes for the Chicken pieces to get cooked.

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

·         Add the noodles little by little and keep mixing.

·         Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

·         Scramble an Egg in a different Pan & add to the noodles.(I did in the same one).

·         Serve hot.