The Raw Papaya Sabzi

The Raw Papaya sabzi Or Kacha Peper Dalna

The raw papaya is a health food among the eastern states of West Bengal ,Assam and Odissa.It forms a regular part of the diet owing to its many food values.among other things,the raw papaya is an excellent  natural de-worming agent ,and works very effectively if consumed in a regular basis.
This vegetable is taken plain boiled with rice with a sprinkling of mustard oil ,or it is consumed by making its preparation without onion and garlic.This is best eaten on days ,when you want to eat  a plain homecooked non spicy meal and yet not miss out on taste.

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Ingredients

Raw papaya-about 500 gms
Potatoes -2 medium( peeled and cut in cubes)
Mustard oil-1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
bay leaves-2
ghee-1 teaspoon
Sugar -1 teaspoon
Salt -as per taste
Cumin powder-1 teaspoon
Coriander powder-2 teaspoon
chilli powder-1 teaspoon
turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1teaspoon

The raw papaya needs to be peeled first,once the green skin has been peeled,it has to be cut into pieces lengthwise,and then the inner potion (the white ends of the seeds  have to be scraped out.If not done the preparation will get  a bitter taste.Once done the long pieces have to be cut into bite size pieces and then kept in water for 15 minutes.
This dish does not call for coriander leaves,the flavours are best enjoyed when garam masala is added to it.and the ghee adds a subtle touch of tradition to it.I always use  a mix of green cardamom,cinnamon and cloves,the quantity of Cinnamon being the highest.Sugar is the quintessential element in all traditional Bengali fare,so makes it way in this dish too.
The quantity of the cumin ,coriander and the chilli powder can be increased if you want more gravy in it.Needless to say the quantity of oil also increases with the spices.

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The Raw Papaya sabzi Or Kacha Peper Dalna

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Method

1- Take the papaya cubes out of water and boil them till tender.Alternatively ,you can also pressure cook them with little water till 2 whistles .The papaya pieces should not get mushy,they should be cooked but stay firm.

2-Take them out of the water and discard the water.

3-heat oil in a pan

4-add the cumin and the bay leaves

5-Once the cumin splutters,add the potato pieces with the salt and the turmeric.

6-Cover and cook in medium low heat till little tender

7-Add in the papaya pieces,and add the cumin ,coriander and chilli powder over the papaya.

8-Stir and mix well.the spices and the papaya pieces should be well coated with oil

9-Cover and cook in medium low heat till the spices give out their fried aroma

10-Remove the lid and add water ,increase the heat to high and bring to a boil The quantity of water depends on how much gravy you want and the quantity of spices you have put.

11-Add in the sugar and the garam masala

12-Switch off the flame and leave covered for ten minutes before you serve.

This preparation is best enjoyed with steamed rice.Though some people love to have it with hot  ,thin chapati or phulkas.

Potol Bata ( Pointed gourd in poppy seeds )

   

Potol Bata(Grated pointed gourd in poppy seeds paste)

   Ever since I have got married ,and stepped into my in laws place ,I have been hearing many a praises of this recipe.The patol bata,bata in Bengali means a ground paste,and in this case it was the parval or patol grated  and cooked in poppy seeds.the Bengali vegetarian cuisine has many such bata,especially done with different varieties of yam and the mash is cooked in varied spices.This particular mash of parval is my mother in law's recipe or my grandmother in law's (my mother in law's mother) recipe to be more precise.Since it is one of my husband's favourite things I wasted no time in learning it.Now in course of time my daughter"s have also started liking it.

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Ingredients
1-Pointed gourds or parval -11 to 12 in number(peeled and grated)
2-Khus khus or poppy seeds-2 tablespoon
3-salt-as per taste
4-sugar-1 teaspoon
5-turmeric-1 teaspoon
6-Green chillies-4 ( you can reduce or increase the number as per your taste)
7-Oil-1 big tablespoon-preferably mustard


Method 
1-Soak the khus khus in little water for about 15 minutes

2-Grind to a little coarse paste with the green chillies by putting little water at  a
time

3-Peel the pointed gourds or parvals as shown in the pic and grate then relatively long

4-Heat oil in a pan

5-Put in the grated pointed gourds with the salt and the turmeric

6-Mix and stir well for sometime,keep spreading out the mixture on the pan

7-  After about 5 minutes add the khus khus paste(it has the ground green chilli in it)

8- Stir and mix well again

9-Now cover and cook in low flame for about 10 minutes

10-  open the lid,put on high flame and dry out the mixture well,then add the sugar

11-Mix again till the mixture turns slightly red at the bottom and gives out the aroma of fried khus khus
.

12-Done, now serve with hot steamed rice

Step by step pictorial

Poppy seeds paste

Heat oil in a pan

                             Put in the grated pointed gourds with the salt and the turmeric

                                          Mix and stir well for sometime,keep spreading out the mixture on the pan

                            After about 5 minutes add the khus khus paste(it has the ground green chilli in it)

                    Stir and mix well again

 

                                    Now cover and cook in low flame for about 10 minutes

                                        Open the lid,put on high flame and dry out the mixture well,then add the sugar

                          Mix again till the mixture turns slightly red at the bottom and gives out the aroma of fried khus khus.

Done,now serve with hot steamed rice

Veg Cutlet Recipe

 Veg  Cutlet Recipe.

The veg cutlet is a fast and healthy snack.though it is deep fried it has a very healthy and equally delicious filling .This particular snack is a favourite among adults and children it is so easy to make that one can make it in large quantities for parties ,where this can be served as an excellent starter.

It is always towards the end of my cooking meals that i am reminded of an evening snacks. and then I start thinking of what can be prepared in a jiffy.I pressure cooked some veggies quickly ,and by the time they were getting cooked I got the onion ginger garlic and coriander leaves ready.

Rolled in bread crumbs and ready to be placed in the fridge

Preparation time -1 hour

serves -5 people

makes 15 pieces

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                                   Care should be taken that the quantity of oil is less in the filling,more oil in the filling will cause the cutlet to disintegrate in the oil while frying.

Ingredients

Ingredients to be pressure cooked
potatoes- two medium sized peeled and halved
cauliflower- 6 to 8 medium sized florets
carrots- 2 medium,peeled and cut in big pieces
french beans- about 6 to 7,threaded and cut in long pieces
peas -handful

Other ingredients for the filling
Coriander leaves finely cut-one handful
green chillies-3 finely cut
Onion-1 finely cut
ginger garlic- minced -1 teaspoon
raisins(kismis)-handful,cut into smaller pieces
peanuts-1 tablespoon(crushed in small pieces)
breadcrumbs-2 tablespoon
chilli powder
Roasted jeera powde1 teaspoon
garam masala powder-1 teaspoon
aamchur(dry mango powder)-1 teaspoon
sugar -1 teaspoon
Oil -1 tablespoon
salt -as required

Ingredients for batter
cornflour-2 tablespoon
all purpose flour-2 tablespoon
breadcrumbs-as needed to coat the cutlets
Water -to make a medium thick batter
Oil for deep frying


Method
Pressure cook the vegetables upto 2 to 3 whistles,till completely cooked
I generally keep the water level less in the pressure cooker than the vegetables and cook till 3 whistles.I then leave the cooker closed and wait for the pressure to drop on its own


Heat oil in a pan and add the onions,ginger and garlic and fry well till red
Then add in the cooked veggies (strain them out of water),and the coriander leaves,raisins ,peanuts ,salt,sugar,all spices and breadcrumbs and cook on high heat by stirring continuously,till the mixture dries up.
Let it come to room temperature. Remember to mash up the veggies well.

Make  a batter by mixing the cornflour and the all purpose flour in enough water.You can add little salt to it.Shape the mixture in oval shapes with the help of your palm,coat with the batter and roll in the breadcrumbs.Repeat the process twice.Keep open in the refrigerator till it is time to fry.(it can be stored in the refrigerator after coating upto seven days

Take it out of the refrigerator half an hour before you want to fry it.
While deep frying keep the oil hot first and then reduce to medium heat.Do not crowd the pan with the cutlets,as this will cool down the oil and the cutllets will start breaking in the oil

Serve hot with mustard sauce(kasundi) or ketchup.

Sweet Corn Fritters Recipe

 Sweet Corn  Fritters Recipe

Fritters are always the saviors when you have not made anything quite interesting for meals especially on weekends.And helping the kids with their studies ,bringing them back from their activity classes ,all this after a very elaborate breakfast ,leaves me with little time for preparing lunch. This is when I peep into the refrigerator for some instant help ,and I come across the corn kernels lying in there.

  I find the sweet corn an amazingly useful ingredient in the kitchen.Owing to its sweet taste it can be made into many things,like fried rice,sandwiches cheese corn balls or simply boiled .It is always a favourite amongst kids.The sweet corn fritters that I am sharing today is a very easy recipe,and can be made almost instantly.All you need are some of the basic ingredients available.

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The other day I made this as  a side dish for lunch,and it was an instant hit.The crunch on the outside and the sweetness of the corn is to die for.I have added a few pieces of capsicum to it ,corn and capsicum complement each other a lot,and the capsicum also makes up for some body of the fritters.

I practically had no time for clicking a fancy photograph,.the fritters vanished in no time Somehow managed to get a few clicks.

Preparation time-30 minutes
Serves-5 to 6 people

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Ingredients
1- 2 cups sweet corn
 About one and half cups is to be coarsely ground while the other half cup is to be added whole.

2-onion ,one large ,(cut into fine pieces)

3-garlic and ginger-1 teaspoon each ,paste or minced

4-coriander leaves-handful (finely cut)

5-finely cut green chili-2 teaspoon

6-Besan(gramflour)one tablespoon
7-Rice flour-1 tablespoon

8-all purpose flour(maida) -1 tablespoon

9-salt as per taste

10-Oil for deep frying

11-Pinch of baking powder

12-1 medium sized capsicum cut into very small pieces

Method
Mix all the above mentioned ingredients except the oil and leave aside for fifteen minutes.
The consistency of the batter should be liquidy enough to be taken by a spoon. Add the baking powder just before making the fritters. A very tight batter will make the fritters hard from inside.
Fry in medium to hot oil till crisp and slightly red
Serve hot with tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.

Prawns with Cauliflower (Fulkopi die Chingri Mach) recipe

Prawns with Cauliflower (Fulkopi die Chingri mach)

 Though the prawn malaikari ranks first in all Bengali households ,in my home the chingri aka prawn is best enjoyed with cauliflower.Quite possibly because this recipe can be enjoyed with rice and luchi ( puris) alike. Bengalis and their love for potatoes is in separable,so the potatoes do have their presence in this recipe too ,and somehow I cannot imagine the recipe without the potatoes.
  The cauliflower florets are covered and shallow fried with till they get a reddish colour,to release the aroma of fried cauliflower.
As for the prawns ,I do not shell them completely,I leave a part of the shell for the colour in the gravy.I devein them and leave the head of the prawn partially intact after cleaning them,as my husband enjoys the head too.
For some added colour I have used the kashmiri mirch powder,and you can also put some slit green chillies for some more flavour.i avoid that for the kids in my house .

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Ingredients
About  sixteen medium sized prawns (cleaned and deveined0
Two medium sized potatoes (boiled ,peeled and cut in cubes)
Cauliflower florets -(Cut in one inch florets)

Ingredients for the gravy 

Onion-1 large ,(finely grated)

ginger garlic paste-1 tablespoon

tomatoes-(2 medium ,pureed well)

coriander leaves(finely chopped)

bay leaves-2

cumin -1 teaspoon

cumin powder-1 teaspoon

coriander powder-2 teaspoon

chili powder-1 teaspoon

salt -as per taste

turmeric powder-1 teaspoon

garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

                                                       sugar-1 teaspoon

Method
1-Put some oil in the pan
2-Fry the potatoes till little red with little salt and turmeric sprinkled on them
3-Add in the cauliflowers ,after removing the potatoes,sprinkle salt and turmeric on them,Cover and cook in medium flame till the florets are almost done
3-Remove from oil,
4- Add in the bay leaves and the cumin
5- Once they crackle ,add in the onions ,and the ginger garlic paste with the salt and the turmeric
6-Saute for sometime ,then add the tomato puree ,with the coriander ,cumin and the chilli powder
7-Saute till they start releasing oil at the sides
8-Add in the garam masala ,the coriander leaves and the sugar and check the seasoning
9- Now add water depending on the thickness of the gravy.i had wanted a thick gravy.Add in the fried
10-Add in the fried cauliflower and potato pieces and let the gravy come to a boil. Simmer for sometime
11-Now add in the prawns ,and boil for only a minute (do not over boil as this will make the prawns leathery
12-Switch off the flame ,keep covered for 15 minutes
13-Serve hot with steamed rice or puris.