GREAT INDIAN FOOD(BENGALI)

BENGALI RECIPES
Bengali cooking is famous for sweets made from cottage cheese. Sandesh, Rosogolla, chanar payesh are few of the very popular recipes. Mishti Doi (sweetened curd) and Patali gur confectionery (date palm jaggery) are mouth watering. Every district in Bengal has a special sweet recipe of its own . Langcha and Mihidana Sitabhog of Bardhaman, Sharbhaja of Krishnanagar, Chanabora of Murshidabad and so on. Luchi, Bengali Fish Curry, Cholar Dal and Aloo Posto to Gurer Payesh and Chum Chum are any food lovers first choice.

MACHER JHOL RECIPE
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)2 medium potatoes5 green chillies1 1/2 tblsp coriander seeds1 small sized fish (preferably rohu)3 tblsp mustard oil2 tsp turmeric powdersalt to taste 1 tsp cumin seeds
How to make macher jhol :
Clean, cut and take off fish head.
Clean inside of the fish and wash thoroughly.
Cut the fish into half-inch thick slices.
Pat dry with a kitchen towel and apply salt and turmeric powder.
Wash, take off and cut potatoes into half-inch thick finger sized pieces.
Wash, take off stems and slit the green chillies.
Dry roast coriander and cumin seeds briefly, cool and grind to a fine paste, adding a little water.
Heat up two-tblsp mustard oil in a pot till it just reaches smoking point.
Remove, cool and heat up the oil again on medium heat.
Mix in the fish slices, few at a time and fry for a minute on each side.
Remove and keep aside.
Mix in potato pieces to the pot and stir fry for two to three minutes.
Heat up remaining oil in the same pan, mix in kalonji, slit green chillies and stir-fry briefly.
Mix in coriander-cumin paste and stir fry on low heat up for a minute sprinkling a little water, if required.
Mix in two-cup of water, sautéed potatoes, salt and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for four to five minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked.
Gently slide in the pot fried fish slices and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for two to three minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

BEGUN BHAJA RECIPE
Ingredients:
mustard oil to fry 1 tsp turmeric powder salt to taste 1 big size brinjal
How to make begun bhaja :
Wash and cut the brinjals into half inch round slices.
Apply salt and turmeric powder.
Heat up the oil in a pot to smoking point.
Take off heat, cool slightly and then reheat.
Fry the brinjal pieces till crunchy and brown.
Serve hot.

BENGALI FISH CURRY RECIPE
Ingredients:
2 tblsp lemon juice2 tbsps.mustard oil for fryingsalt to taste 8 fish fillets8 1 tblsp red chilli powder4 red chillies wholesalt to taste 1 tsp mustard paste1 tsp turmeric powder4 green chillies slit2 tblsp coriander powder1 tblsp garlic paste1 tsp mustard seeds1 bay leaf2 cup onions chopped1 tblsp ginger paste1 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
How to make bengali fish curry :
Clean and cut fish fillet, wash well, remove excess water and then marinate with limejuice, turmeric powder and salt.
Keep aside for 30 minutes.
Heat up a pan, mix in 1 tblsp oil, shallow fry marinated fish from both sides until slightly browned.
Take off and keep aside.
Heat up remaining oil, mix in mustard seeds, kalonji, whole dry red chillies and bay leaf, stir fry for a few minutes till seeds crackles, mix in ginger, garlic paste and stir fry again for a moment.
Mix in cut onion and stir fry until slightly brown in colour.
Mix in mustard paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder, stir fry masala nicely until oil starts separating.
Adjust water and salt, bring to boil and then mix in shallow fried fish, put green chilli slits on top.
Stir fry on a slow flame until fish get cooked and oil starts floating on top of gravy.
Take off and decorate with cut green coriander leaves.

KHASTA POROTA RECIPE
Ingredients:
4 tblsp ghee 2 cup refined flour (maida)1 egg 1 tsp salt1 tblsp sugarwater as required
How to make khasta porota :
Melt the ghee.
Mix everything flour, sugar, salt.
Mix in 2 tblsp of ghee and the egg and mix well.
Mix in enough water and knead into a soft dough.
Divide the dough 3 portions.
Roll out each portion into a chappati.
Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside.
Spread a little ghee on a flat surface.
Keep one chappati on it.
Apply some ghee to the chappati and gently pull the edges of the chappati so that it gradually spreads into a thin one.
Fold into half and again into half to resemble a triangle.
Keep it covered with a damp cloth.
Preheat up the oven to 190ºc.
Gently pat each triangle to a fairly thin chappati.
Keep them at least 10 cm apart on the baking tray.
Bake in the oven at 190ºc for about 30 minutes.
Serve hot with mutton curry.

PISTA SANDESH RECIPE
Ingredients:
1/2 cup castor sugar12 tblsp pistachios (powdered)1 litre cows milk10 pistachios1/4 tsp citric acid
How to make pista sandesh :
Boil the milk.
Mix citric acid in water and gradually mix in it to milk till the milk curdles.
Strain the paneer through a clean cloth and cool.
Squeeze out the excess water.
In a pot roast the paneer and sugar lightly for four to five minutes.
The paneer should not change the colour.
Grind this mixture in a mixie till it is soft and light (without adding water).
Mix in powdered pistachios to paneer-sugar mixture.
Divide into small portions and shape into round balls.
Decorate with whole pistachios and serve.

TAUK DAL RECIPE
Ingredients:
1 tsp ghee1/2 tsp onion seeds250 gms pigeon pea divide (arhar dal)1/2 tsp turmeric powder3 medium raw mangoes4 -6 green chilliessalt to taste 2 tsp sugar
How to make tauk dal :
Wash, take off and cut the mangoes into 6-8 pieces lengthwise.
Wash the dal and boil with 4 cup of water.
Mix in turmeric and stir.
Continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
Mix in raw mangoes, green chillies and salt.
Stir fry till the time the mangoes are soft but not mushy.
Mix in sugar and stir.
Heat up ghee in a kadhai and mix in onion seeds.
When they stop crackling pour out this over the dal.