Fit for a goddess
With the festive mood of Durga Puja in full swing, there is no better time than this to try out the following recipes, straight from the kitchen of Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort, by their Director of Food & Beverages, ATM Ahmed Hossain.
SHAHI RABRI
Ingredients
1½ litre milk (full fat)
2½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp green cardamom powder
10 almonds, sliced
1 tbsp rose/kewra water
7 saffron strands
10 pistachios, sliced
Method
Boil milk in a broad, heavy based pan or broad non-stick pan over medium flame. When the milk starts to boil, reduce the flame to low. Stir at regular intervals of 3-4 minutes, but not continuously. When a layer of cream appears on the surface, shift it towards the side of a pan. Repeat the same process for the next layers of cream. Cook until milk is reduced to 1/3 of the original quantity. Add sugar and stir to dissolve it. Add cardamom powder, sliced almonds, saffron strands, rose/kewra water and sliced pistachio and mix well. Scrape small cream chunks collected on the side of the pan into the milk. Cook for 2 minutes and turn off the flame. Let it return to room temperature naturally. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before serving. Transfer prepared sweet in a serving bowl and garnish with sliced almonds and serve chilled.
STUFFED POTATO
Ingredients
6 potatoes (medium), skin rinsed
1 cup cottage cheese, grated
3 tbsp mustard oil
½ litre mustard oil, for deep-frying
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
3 green chilies
12 cashew nuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp raisins
1 tsp chaat masala (1 pinch more for garnish)
1¼ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
1½ tsp garam masala powder
Salt, to taste
½ cup yoghurt
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 lemon
1 tsp sweet cumin
Method
For marinade —
Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the centre to make barrels and place all the scooped out potatoes and the potato barrels aside in two separate bowls for later. Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Deep-fry the potato peels till golden brown and crisp. Drain with absorbent paper or let it rest on a cooling rack if absorbent paper is unavailable. Mix together yoghurt, ginger paste, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon chat masala and salt in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon mustard oil in another non-stick pan. Switch off the heat and add turmeric powder. Pour this tempering over the marinade. Crush the fried potato shells and add to the marinade.
For stuffing —
Boil the scooped out potatoes, drain, and mash. Then, set it aside to cool as you prepare the spices. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan, add ginger and green chillies and sauté for a minute. Add cashew nuts and raisins to the pan and sauté for a further minute. Add mashed potatoes to the sauté over gentle heat and stir till slightly brown. Then transfer the mixture into a bowl. Add cottage cheese, chaat masala, ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, and salt and mix well.
For stuffed
potatoes —
Stuff the potato barrels with the filling. Place the stuffed potatoes in the marinade bowl and coat with the marinade from all sides. Pierce one lemon in half, followed by 3 stuffed potatoes, leaving a little gap between each of them on each skewer. Place the skewers in a hot tandoor and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the skewers and halve them. Transfer onto a serving plate, sprinkle some chaat masala and serve hot.
SHORSHE ALOO POTOL
Ingredients
2 potatoes
6 pointed gourd (potol), peeled and cured
4 tbsp poppy seed paste
2 tbsp mustard paste
3 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder
2 green chillies, Salt, as per taste
1 cup water
Method
First peel off the skin of the pointed gourd and slice off the ends. Cut each one in half, lengthwise. Peel off the potatoes and cut into medium wedges. Heat mustard oil in a wok. When the oil gets hot and starts to smoke, add the potatoes and pointed gourds. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder, and on medium flame, fry them for a few minutes until only slightly browned. Now add the rest of the ingredients except chillies. Thoroughly mix with the potato and the gourd. Stir it for another 4-5 minutes on medium to low flame. Then add water, and give a nice stir and cover with a lid. Cook the potato and gourd pieces until they are medium tender. Uncover and increase the flame, taste the seasoning, add salt if needed, and adjust the gravy, increasing the flame slightly to reduce the water. Add the green chilli (can also be done in the beginning) and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of mustard oil on the top of the curry. Turn off the flame and serve with steaming hot rice.
Photo courtesy: Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort