Bhetki Maach Butter Fry (Batter Fry)

This is one of the most delicious side dish for all bengalis. Bhetki Maach Butter Fry ( originally Batter Fry) This goes extremely well as a side dish with muger dal and gorom bhaat as also as a snack with Kashundi ( Mustard Sauce - which makes your nose run even in summer)

Some people advice marination , some dosen't - personally I don't believe in fish marination - bhetki itself is soft and delicious enough. Just a light marination would do. The oil to be used depends on the kadai..and you should be able to dip the fish pieces completely in it. The residual oil is not an waste and can used to cook macher jhol or fry fishes - sometimes I store it to use in veggies with fish like Rui macher matha with cabbage, mulo ( radish) with either chingri or surmai - one of the delicacies I invented while staying in Mumbai.

The Ingredients

The Fish

1/2 kg Bhetki Fillets cut in square pieces
200 - 250 gm of White sunflower or any Oil for Cooking

Marination

1 tbsp Ginger Paste
1 tbsp - Garlic Paste - for gods sake dont use the ginger-garlic or any readymade paste as they come with vinegar and might spoil the taste.
1/2 Lime
1 tsp of Salt.
1 tsp of Green Chilly Paste
Corriander paste (2 green chillies along with 4-5 stems of Corriander leaves wet grinded)
1/2 tea spoon or one pinch jeera powder.

Batter
6 tbsp of Corn Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 cup of Milk.
1/2 spoon black pepper powder
1/4 tea-spoon baking powder (optional)
1 spoon tamarind powder

The Process

Arrange all the pieces of fish in a big plate ( no metal) - Mix all the ingredients of marination in
a small bowl thoroughly. Apply to both sides of the fish and leave it for a while. 15 minutes to 30 minutes should be OK.

For the batter - mix the corn flour in milk with constant stirring leaving no lumps - once done mix the eggs until smooth.

Heat oil in the kadai - its better to pour all the oil in the beginning so that you do not worry later. Add two or three whole black pepper to flavor the oil. Once the oil is hot and you can see smoke leaving the kadai - drop a small amount of batter - just a drop to see how fast it turns brown and then black. Now reduce the flame to medium ( else the fries will burn out) . Dip the fish in the batter so as both sides are coated properly - and then drop them in the oil. Press it down with a flat spoon and turn t it to check both sides. Once brown - remove it and keep it on a plate with adequate tissue paper covered to soak the excess oil.

Traditionally a few great hotels in Calcutta serve the fry with tartar sauce. I have the recipe in this blog. Please check it by clicking here

Next week, I am planning to prepare a new kind of prawn cutlet - and if it turns out good, I will for sure, share with you.

Sorshey Eilish Bhape ( Baked Hilsa )

Sorshey Eilish Bhape ( Baked Hilsa )


I had to write this post for one of my new friend. She stays alone in Mumbai, loves bengali food or bong food and so I decided to give her this simple recipe of one of the most highly regarded dishes of bengal. This is one of the most easy yet one of the most tasty recipes one can imagine. The Eilish Maach or the Hilsa fish carries lot of bones and like one of my friend said - more the bones more the taste of a fish and mind it - he was no other than one of the senor VP of Sony Pictures based in LA.

Originally this cooking was done in sealed vessels set over kadai with half filled boiling water on a slow fire.

Ingredients

Hilsa fish - 500 gm cut pieces - 6/7 pieces.
Fresh Mustard Paste - as fine as possible - 8 table spoon
Mustard oil - 6 table spoon
Tamarind/ Haldi powder - one tea spoon
Green Chili - 8 - 4 sliced in half / 4 whole forked
One tea spoon - red chili powder (optional)
Salt to taste.

Mix the mustard paste with 4 spoons of oil, haldi powder, red chili powder, salt with four table spoon water and rub it all over the fish. Heat a baking dish with one spoon oil and take it out of the oven. Arrange all the fishes on the dish and spread any remaining paste put the green chillies inside. Cover and bake over medium or 2/3 power for 20 mins. Serve with hot rice.

Tip: In most cases the mustard turn bitter - add one tea spoon salt and one green chili to the mustard while making the paste. Do not soak mustard before making the paste - it will spoil the taste.

Option1 : You may fry one finely chopped onion before placing the fish in the baking oven. But I prefer it straight.
Option2 : You may mix a small bunch of fresh corriander (cilantro) leaves with the paste.
Option 3. Add half grated coconut to the mustard paste and increase the baking time to 25 mins - these adds a different dimension to the Ilish Bhapey. ( I like it )

Legend : This is an excellent monsoon recipe to release clogged nose and throat - and also good for the scalp as most people not habituated with mustard start perspiring heavily top down.

Prawn Cakes with Sweet Garlic or Tartar Sauce

Prawn Cakes with Sweet Garlic or Tartar Sauce

This is another quick and easy snack for the bachelors . Delicious to the extreme. It goes well with sweet garlic sauce or mustard sauce but I prefer the former. This also serves as an excellent side dish for noodles and can play a vital role in enhancing the taste of port wine - matured over a few years. For people who lack the courage of hot sauces - tartar sauce would be the best - but you need to find the recipe elsewhere or wait for some other post in future. And for those who hate to maka a sauce - you can buy sweet garlic or use tabacso.

Ingredients

Medium - de-veined clean Prawns - 500 grams ( Buy the frozen ones - its a pain to clean them)
Two medium onions - chopped
Six cloves of garlic - finely chopped
Fresh Coriander leaves - finely chopped - two table spoon
Two green chillies - finely sliced (with scissors)
Two eggs - as it is.
Three sliced breads - you heard correct.
Two cups cornflakes - hand crushed
Salt - to taste.
White Oil - for frying.


Process.

Soak the breads in water for 5 seconds - gently sqeeze out water - tear them and drop them in a blender. The prawns should have as little water as possible. Drop everything else in the blender except cornflakes. Crack the eggs and also drop it in the blender. Add salt to taste.

Blend it till the mixture is smooth - take it out in a foil and arrange small potions - 8 - 10 in a plate. Sprinkle the crushed cornflakes - turn them and sprinkle other side also. Heat oil and use a flat spatula to drop them and turn them till brown. Remove and keep aside. For the superfluously health conscious - you may bake it also in a micro wave without adding any oil till brown - you need to turn it thrice while baking.

The sweet garlic sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Red pepper flakes - one table spoon
Red chilli sauce/paste - one table spoon

Mix everything in a small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved cool it to room temperature - you can do this the earlier day also. In absence of rice vinegar - use table vinegar - which is light brown in color.

Tartar Sauce - Tartar sauce goes well with any fried fish preparations - a lot of people use olive and pickles - but this is the purest form of tartar sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
One small onion, grated
Parsley - one table spoon grated
Capers - one tablespoon grated
Lime juice or lemon juice
Garlic salt - one tea spoon ( if u cannot get used one fat clove of garlic - sliced superfine or paste and 1/4 spoon of salt)
Mustard Powder/Paste - one tea spoon.

Take a deep breadth and mix everything thoroughly - keep aside - you may have it instantly or later.

White Alfredo Sauce Pasta

This recipe is for my friend from Bolivia. She is in New York currently but never has the time to cook for herself.

Pasta comes as a handy food for people living alone and can also be treated as a wholesome food. Its convenient and easy to make and you can use different flavors with or without side dishes.

Here I will give you the recipe and process for a quick pasta ( any type ) with Alfredo Sauce. You may replace the pasta with noodles or macaroni but pasta is always different in taste and flavour and nothing else can match it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (12 ounce) box pasta
Optional: mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup

Process

Melt the butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add the pepper and watch it foam a bit, add the minced garlic - increase the heat to medium, wait a minute and then add cream ( thick milk will also do - I use it) and bring mixture to a simmer while stirring all the time slowly. Add the grated parmesan cheese small portion at a time - the heat should be as such that the cheese just melts - watch the sauce thicken and add more cheese. Never boil the sauce - Overheating will make the sauce separate and curdle while low heating will not allow the cheese to melt. Now simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until the whole sauce has thickened enough and is smooth. Add salt to taste. - remember the butter already has some salt unless you are using sweet or white butter. ( Optional - When sauce has thickened add the mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth).

Prepare Pasta as per instructions on the Box and always al dente - never over cook. Lot has been said about this so no more here. Spread the pasta on a dish and pour the sauce.


Now the support dish - mushroom peppers.

Ingredients

Three Cups mushroom cut in four
Half yellow bell paper Sliced
One red bell pepper diced
One green bell pepper diced
6 garlic clove finely chopped ( not minced)
Two spoons butter / white oil
Two spoon Fresh black pepper
One table spoon dark Soy sauce
A dash of Tabasco
Roasted Oregano
One spoon sugar
Salt to taste..

Process

Heat oil or butter and add garlic.. wait half a minute and add Soy Sauce... stir frequently, add sugar, add mushroom and saute for 7-8 mins, add oregano and green pepper, add salt and the other spoon of black pepper - keep stirring for 2-3 mins, add the red and yellow pepper - add a dash of Tabasco. There you go...

Fish Chop or Fish Croquet or Macher Chop

Fish Chop is one of my all time favorites - a delightful evening snack, a compliment to rum and coke and even a great starter which never fails to leave the feeling of wanting more... I will give you options so that people in all parts of the world can try this. One small guideline - always use less spices when you are using a fish which has its own good flavour - if you are using canned or substitutes like Greas carp (rohu), tilapia, red snapper, butter fish (pomfret), rawas (salmon), surmai (king fish).

The ideal fish for fish chop is our famous Bhetki.

Ingredients

500 grams boneless bhetki
2 large potatoes forked and microwaved or cut and boiled and mashed

12 pods of garlic - finely chopped
Two medium to large onions - finely chopped
One and half inch ginger - finely chopped using a mixer - use as little water as possible
Fresh Coriander / Cilantro leaves - finely chopped - two table spoons
Two green chillies - finely chopped - use scissors.
One green lemon - cut in four
Jeera/Cumin Powder - two tea spoonful (not table spoon)
Optional Red Chili Powder - one tea spoons
Black Pepper Powder - one tea spoon
Salt - to taste.
White Oil - Adequate - keep the bottle next to you.


Three egg whites
One tea spoon wheat flour
Bread crumbs in a shallow bowl

Process

Squeeze the lemon on the fish and add salt and red chili powder and keep aside for marination - 30 mins should be OK.

Heat a skillet - add four tablespoon of oil - heat it up - sprinkle a small pinch of chopped garlic and wait till you smell them - add the chopped onions and fry them on full heat for 4-5 minutes - reduce heat and add chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies, jeera powder and keep on stirring for another 2-3 mins on medium heat.

Drain water from the marinated fish - place them on kitchen paper if required and then add the fish to the skillet - mix it well with the onions and let the fish break properly. Keep on stirring - always at medium heat. Stir it for 4-5 mins or till the fish is just cooked - we are not frying fish -OK. The fish should be white as also the mixture. Add the mashed potatoes - coriander leaves and mix well and cook for another 3-4 mins. Bhetki takes very little time to cook and so does Butter fish / Pomfret - other fishes will take more time but the smell of the fish is important. Over cooking will kill the sptiy of the fish-chop.

Take it down on a shallow plate - add the coriander leaves - mix and check salt and add if required. Sprinkle the black pepper powder. Roll the mixture into balls or shape them into croquet ( if round then keep a diameter of two inches, if croquet - then two inches ling while one inches thick) and keep aside. Fish Chop come in many shapes.

Beat the egg white thoroughly and mix the wheat flour and half a spoon of of salt. Heat Oil in a shallow skillet ( kadai) so that the chops dip fully. Dip the balls in the egg white and then in the shallow bowl of bread crumbs . The crumbs should be as fine as possible and stick to all sides. Dip again in egg ( very fast) and dip back in bread crumbs before you put them in the oil. Don't bother about some breadcrumbs going in the egg white - the twice dipping is a technique to make it crunchier. Do not put too many of the balls ( four should be ok and manageable) in the oil as you need space to turn them so that all the sides fry well. Once done take them out and place them on kitchen paper to drain excess oil.

You can have it with Mustard Sauce or Tomato Chili or plain Tomato sauce. Salads can be made with a mix of sliced onions, thinly sliced beet root, carrots and cabbage - sprinkled with black salt with a squeeze of lemon.

Tip: Whenever using white oil - always add a little of the strongest herb or spice before cooking - like whole black pepper for non-veg curries, cumin seeds, garlic, red chili, etc. White oil does not have a food-friendly flavor on its own. You don't require to add anything while frying puri or coated stuff.

Achari Baingan

For brinjal /eggplant/aubergine lovers, this will be a welcome change from baingan bharta and also serves as a great accompaniment for both chapati and hot rice.

This is a flexible preparation and I have tried with all the mentioned ingredients. It tastes good, but careful when you buy the eggplant. It should be seedless or minimum seeds - should be lightweight - if in doubt - always take the long finger shaped ones.

Ingredients

Dhania - Corriander seeds - one teaspoon
Saunf - Mouri / Aniseed/Fennel - one tea spoon
Jeera - Cumin seeds - one and half tea spoon
Two dried red chilli - thin type ( not the kashmiri type - it only adds color)
The above four heated/roasted on a dry tawa and grinded and mixed
Optional - Any form of Tandoori / Chicken masala poweder ( Everest preferred) - one spoon - you may use only this if you don't have the time to prepare the masala out of the first four ingredients but use two spoons in such ocassions.

Optional - one tea spoon amchur ( dried mango powder)

Two large Brinjal/Eggplant/aubergine in long slices - avoid round pieces
Two large onions cut in half and then sliced - thick slices will do also.
Four green chillies - sliced lengthwise ( as per your taste - keep whole with just some holes with a fork)
Two medium red tomatoes - cut in four.
A small bunch of fresh coriander leaves - chopped. (cilantro)
12 pods of garlic sliced in length.
Salt to taste - one spoon
Mustard oil - Two table spoon ( or any other oil)

Process

Heat one spoon of oil in a small pressure cooker and then reduce the heat - drop the 12 pods of garlic in oil - wait for half a minute till you get the smell and then drop the tomatoes, brinjals, and the powdered masala and mix well - add the green chillies, onions, coriander leaves, salt and the other spoonful of oil. Mix well - allow one whistle at full heat. Hold below water and remove the cover once the vessel cools down. Sprinkle some more coriander leaves - mix well and keep in a covered vessel. Serve with hot rice or chapati.

Tip: If you have any old dark mango pickle pour in the mustard oil there and let it there for some time. Shake well and take out two table spoons of the oil plus any masala / spices which comes out - use it for cooking. You can avoid the amchur and masala powder both.

Bengali Food - Simple Yellow Dal with Begun Bhaja

Simple yellow dal with radhuni (wild celery/ajmod).

This is one of my all time favorites mostly during summer. Preparation is easy and goes with hot rice but of course with support of garam begun bhaja ( hot deep fried brinjals) or aloo bhaja ( french fries.

Ingredients:
Musur dal - Red lentil seeds - one and half cup
Radhuni - one tea-spoon full /alternate spice is Kalo Jeera ( Nigella and not Bunium persicum which is also refered as Kalo jeera/ black cumin / shahi jeera or wild cumin in Persia and other parts - the two taste are diagonaly different) Nigella or Kalo jeera is widley used in Bengal.
Mustard oil - two table spoon
Chopped Coriander leaves - two table spoon.
Green chillies - 4 - 2 slit and two forked .
Salt - to taste

Radhuni or wild celery or ajmod in urdu is a strong spice - it requires some washing after purchase and drying in the sun before storing - clean versions are sometimes available also. The spice is so strong that it can over power any other spices even if used in pinches. So its best advisable to use this one in stand alone.

Process

Wash the dal / lentil seeds thoroughly to remove the insecticides and pesticides and keep aside.
Heat one table spoon oil in a pressure cooker, drop the wild celery / radhuni and fry it till you get the strong smell, add the daal, add 3 cups water ( this dal is best with more water ) add the coriander leaves, green chilies and cover and cook for one whistle. keep it closed for 15 mins - open add the other table spoon of oil and keep covered till you serve it.

Fried Brinjals - Begun bhaja

Cut as per the shape of the brinjal ( long cuts for finger shaped ones and round cuts for big ones), rub turmeric, red chili powder, salt and deep fry. The trick of using less oil is you need to brush atta wheat flour on the cut brinjals lightly before frying. Cut Brinjals just before frying to avoid oxidation which will turn the flesh dark. Sprinkle amchur ( dried mango powder) before serving.

Enjoy !!