The Bengali Special

PUI-SHAK-ER (BASELLA ALBA) KURMURI
Pui-shak (basella alba) is a green, leafy vegetable rich in calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and lots of soluble fibre. It is low in calories by volume, but high in protein per calories. It can be found everywhere throughout the year. Easy to get and it can be prepare and incorporated in various dishes that would allow individuals to benefit from its vitamins and mineral contents. 

Basella alba is known under various common names, including vain spinach, red vain spinach, climbing spinach, creeping spinach, buffalo spinach, Malabar spinach and Ceylon spinach. In South Asia, it is known as pui-shak in Bengali.

Ingredients
1 bundle pui-shak (only leaves)
1 cup rice powder
½ cup sesame seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method
Wash the pui leaves and leave it in colander until water drains completely. Mix rice powder, turmeric powder red chilli powder and salt with small amount of water into a thick batter. Dip leaves into the batter and then spread sesame seeds all over them. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the leaves-coated with batter and sesame-until they turn brown. Serve hot.

TAKI MACHER BHARTA
Bhartas are the simplest and the ultimate comfort food of Bangladesh. Bhartas are delicious, smooth, fiery and flavourful mashed goodies. Depending on the type, for each bite of bhorta, you can expect to have the crunch of sliced onion, sharpness of chilli, and aroma of roasted garlic.

Ingredients
2 pieces of big fish
Pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder
2 medium onions, thin sliced
3 dry red chillies, toasted 
¼ tsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste

Method
Cut and wash the fishes thoroughly. Now rub turmeric, chilli powder and salt on the fish. Leave them for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan. Fry fish pieces until light brown. Take out the bones from the fish. Now by using your hand mix all the ingredients with the deboned fish. Mix well. Ready to serve with hot, plain rice.

CARDAMOM AND COCONUT RICE
Ingredients
500g aromatic rice
1/3 cup oil
2 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ cup pistachio kernels
¼ cup raisins
4 cups water
Salt to taste
1/3 cup shredded coconut

Method
Wash and soak rice for 1 hour, and let the water drain. Heat half the oil in a pan. Add onions and cook for 5-10 minutes or until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Heat remaining oil in the pan over low heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cumin seeds, cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice, pistachios and raisins, cook for few minutes. Add water and salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cover tightly with lid. Cook until tender. Meanwhile, place the coconut in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Place the rice mixture in a serving bowl. Top with the fried onion and coconut. Serve.

BHAPA CHINGRI
This dish is similar to bhapa ilish. Only you have to pep it up a little with some combination of spices. Yellow mustard paste, poppy seed paste and coconut paste are the main ingredients and can be used in any proportion or omitted even to suit individual taste and palate. Some recipes also use curd in it, but I prefer it this way. They are simply awesome. 

Ingredients
15 pieces prawns
1 tsp ginger chopped
3 tsp chopped green chillies 
1tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
4 tbsp scraped coconut 
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp black and white peppercorns
1 stick cinnamon
2 green chillies, slit
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method
Wash and de-vein the prawns well and clean it properly. Dry roast white and black peppercorns and cinnamon stick. Grind them together in a mortar and pestle to a fine mix. Soak the yellow mustard seeds, poppy seeds for half an hour and grind them together with green chillies, ginger and salt. 

Add the ground spice mix, turmeric powder and the scraped coconut along with very little water. Grind it well to make a thick, creamy and smooth paste and add raw mustard oil. 

Apply the paste evenly and generously on prawns and place the prawns in a container with lid. Pour little more mustard oil on top of the fish, add green chillies and close the lid. Steam the prawns for ten minutes. When it is done, serve the bhapa chingri with steamed rice.

SPICY ARHAR DAL
Arhar dal is the most popular and widely consumed dal in India. This dal is known

with different names in different parts of India, like tovar dal. In northern part of India it is known as yellow dal. Arhar is nutritious and very easy to cook with simple tempering of cumin seeds and asafoetida, but with addition of onion, garlic, tomato and green chillies, it becomes more spicy and flavourful. Every family has its own combination of seasoning and cooking style of cooking arhar dal. This dal is usually served with roti.

Ingredients
1 cup arhar dal
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
½ tsp asafetida 
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 springs coriander leaves
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
2 cloves garlic minced
2 inch ginger minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste

Method
Soak the dal for half an hour. Place the dal in a pan with salt and turmeric powder and let it cook until tender. While the dal is cooking, heat ghee in another pan; sauté onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic, red chilli powder, asafetida and fenugreek seeds for 5 minutes. Add the above mixture to cooked dal; add lemon juice, cook for 5 minutes. When it is done garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve. 

NARIKEL ILISH
Ingredients
6-8 pieces Ilish 
2 tbsp mustard seeds paste
1 tsp chopped ginger
½ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 cup coconut milk
4 green chillies, chopped 
2 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste

Method
Wash the fish pieces well. Mix all the ingredients except the fish. Make a thick, creamy and smooth paste. Keep it aside. Heat little oil in a skillet and add the paste and sauté  till the oil leaves the side. Add half cup coconut milk and mix well. Now put the fish pieces into it and cover the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Open the lid, check the seasonings and add rest half of the coconut milk. Mix them well and cook for two minutes. Serve coconut Ilish with steamed rice or pulao.

BADAMI LAMB KORMA
Korma is a mild, creamy, meat stew made with yoghurt, saffron and spices. Korma was created in the royal kitchen of Akbar during the mid 1500s. It appears in Akbarnama. It is surmised that korma was fusion of Persian and Indian cuisine by Rajputs employed in the service of Jodhabai. Rajputs created korma and named it after 'kurma'. Most likely ingredients were mutton, cardamom, black peppercorn, ginger and lots of saffron. The almonds were soaked in water overnight, peeled and ground, and added to give it thick creamy texture.

Ingredients
For the lamb -
1 kg lamb
3 onions, thinly sliced
½ cup almond paste
5 tsp ghee
2 cinnamon sticks
5 green cardamoms
3 cloves
1 pieces mace
2-3 bay leaves
3 tsp garlic paste
1tsp ginger paste
½ tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
For the cream -
1 cup yoghurt
½ tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
For the paste -
2 thinly sliced onions
1 cup cream

Method
For the cream, take the yoghurt and black pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well.

For the paste, fry the sliced onions till they turn golden. Strain the onions, mix the cream and blend to a fine paste. Heat ghee in a pan and add cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves mace, bay leaves. Roast these spices and add the ginger and garlic paste. When the paste turns brown, add the sliced onions and 1 tsp ghee and fry till the onions are pale pink. Now add the lamb and the salt, and roast. 

Once the lamb has seared, add yoghurt, cream and almond paste. Add water and let it simmer to cook in its own heat. When it is almost done, add the garam masala powder. Cook on low heat. Add the onion paste and cook on low heat, another 10 minutes. When the meat is tender and oil floats over, remove from heat and serve hot.

TOMATO RAISINS CHUTNEY
Chutney is similar in consistency to jelly, salsa or relish, and is used as a sweet and sour condiment. Usually made fresh, it can contain a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and spices. The ingredients are mixed together and then simmered slowly. While chutney is primarily sweet and sour, there can also be many variations of spices, often giving it a hot and spicy flavour.

Ingredients
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
3 tbsp raisins, 2 red chilli, broken
3/4 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp jaggery 
1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf to it. Sauté for one minute till it is fragrant. Add mustard seeds to it. Add broken chillies to it. Sauté for one minute. Add chopped tomatoes and stir it well. Add red chilli powder, jaggery, raisins and salt to it. Mix all the ingredients. Cover it with a lid and cook on low heat until the chutney mixture thickens and water evaporates. Serve as a side dish with rice or biryani.

ROSHOGOLLA 
Roshogolla is made from ball shaped dumplings of cottage cheese and semolina dough, cooked in light syrup made of sugar. Among all the Bengali sweets, raoshogolla takes the first place in our home for various occasions. It is delicious, and needs only basic ingredients from the kitchen. You can make these a day prior to Pohela Baishakh and surprise your loved ones.

Ingredients
2 cup chhana (cottage cheese)
2 tsp semolina 
2 cup sugar
6 cup water

Method
Knead chhana and semolina until smooth and form a soft dough. Divide chhana dough into marble size portions. Roll each dough into smooth balls. Be careful that there are no cracks. Keep aside. 

In a heavy bottom pan, boil water and sugar in medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves and bubble just starts to form. Add the chhana balls to the sugar syrup and immediately cover with a tightly snuggled lid. 

Cook for 30 minutes in  medium heat. Do not open the cover, remove from heat keeping the lid on. Let cool for about 25 minutes. Open the lid and pour the roshogolla in a large bowl. Let the roshogolla soak in syrup and completely cool before serving. 

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Food prepared by Bashir Ahmed, Head Chef, DS Cafe