Opar Bangla recipes from Panchali Dutta

Khazana is offering their guests with special Opar Bangla Mahabhoj for lunch & dinner. Celebrity chef Panchali Dutta of Hangla Hneshel is now serving up Opar Bangla Cuisine at Khazana. She will be showcasing her cooking skills to celebrate Nabo Borsho. Feel your taste buds getting tantalised with dishes from Nawab of Murshidabad to Thakur Bari to lost vegetarian food "goynabori." Hold your breath and be surprised with a grand culinary extravaganza.

Dutta will be in Dhaka till 20 April, 2018, to not only provide the foodies with authentic cuisine from West Bengal, but also hold workshops and interactive sessions. While that is happening, in the mean time you can try some of her recipes at home for a taste!

CHINGRIR BATI CHOCCHORI

Ingredients

250g shrimp

1 cup potato, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

2 tsp garlic, chopped

Green chillies as per taste, chopped

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 cup mustard oil

Method

Place all the ingredients in bowl. Mix them well and shift the mixture to a heat resistant container or tiffin box. Place a wok with 4 cups of water. Put the container into the water with the lid on. Keep in mind that the quantity of the water should be half of the box, do not allow water to enter the box during boiling. Cook on low heat. After 15 minutes, open the box to check. When everything is cooked, switch off the oven. If you feel it needs to be cooked more, then do so for 10 more minutes on low heat.

As the cooking finishes, open the container and add mustard oil, serve with white rice.

KAKROL PUR – STUFFED BOTTLE GOURD

Ingredients

4/5 kakrol (large size)

2 tbsp mustard seed with green chilli paste

1 tbsp posto (poppy seed) paste

2 tsp grated coconut

2 tbsp boiled masoor daal (daal must remain whole and should not be over cooked)

Gram flour

Salt

Turmeric powder

Red chilli powder

Mustard oil

Method

Clean the spikes of the kakrol. Make two pieces out of one kakrol by slicing vertically. Boil the pieces, do not over boil. After cooling down, clean the inner portion of kakrol with a spoon. The pieces will look like pots. Now, mix mustard paste, posto paste, grated coconut, salt with the pulp of the kakrol previously taken out. Put the mixture into the cleaned kakrol halves. Now make a batter with the gram flour, salt, chilli powder, and water. Dip the kakrol into the batter. Place karai or wok on the stove, put oil and heat. Now deep fry the kakrol and serve.

BOAL MACHER BILASI — WALLAGO ATTU CURRY

Ingredients

5/6 pieces boal fish

4 tbsp onion paste

2 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

Salt, to taste

2 tsp green chilli paste

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

Mustard oil

2 pieces cinnamon

Method

Take all ingredients except cinnamon and oil, and mix them. Now put one teaspoon oil in a karai and put in the cinnamon. When the cinnamon changes colour, put the mixture. Cook on high flame for two minutes. Now simmer on heat and put a lid on the karai. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Now turn the fish and again cook for 3 minutes. Uncover the karai and cook on high flame for 2 minutes. Place it in a serving bowl and serve.

ILISH IN COCONUT MILK

Ingredients

5/6 pieces ilish

1 cup coconut milk

1 big onion, pasted

½ tsp garlic paste

Turmeric powder

Green chilli paste, as per taste

1 cup tender coconut pulp

2 tbsp fresh cream

Sugar

Salt

1 tsp ginger paste

3/4 green chillies, slit

1 tsp ghee

Mustard oil

Method

Clean the fish. Now add turmeric powder and salt. Heat the karai and put the fish; do not fry too much. After frying, keep fish in a bowl. Now, put oil and ghee in the karai as well as the onion paste. When it changes colour, put ginger and garlic paste, chilli paste, salt, sugar, and sauté for a few minutes, and add the coconut pulp. After 2/3 minutes, add coconut milk. Now place the fish and let it boil for 2/3 minutes. Add green chilli. Serve.

Photo courtesy: Khazana