BOISHAKHI LUNCH

KASUNDI HILSHA
Ingredients:
1 kg hilsha fish
¼ cup mango kasundi
1 tbsp mustard paste 
2 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ cup mustard oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Cut and wash the fish. Marinate with salt, turmeric and keep aside for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan, put all spices and pastes. Cook for a few time. Add a little water to it. Add salt, jaggery, mango-kasundi. Stir it for 5-6 minutes. Put hilsha and some water in it, if required. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid on low heat. When the gravy is thick, remove the pan and serve.

TADKA DAAL
Tadka daal is easy and simple to cook. This is a creamy chickpea daal with a beautiful aroma of mustard and coconut.
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas
5 cups water
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chopped ginger 
1 heaped tbsp fried coconut pieces
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 red chillies
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
Clean and wash the daal, and cook with water, salt, turmeric powder and ginger until soft. Now add the sugar and coconut pieces to it. Cook for a few minutes. Heat oil in a separate pan, add red chilli and mustard seeds, when it is giving out flavour add the cooked daal and bring to a boil and then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from oven. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

POSTO MURGI (CHICKEN WITH POPPY SEEDS CURRY)
It is the mouth-watering chicken preparation mostly prepared during the festive season. The chicken is made in ginger, garlic and poppy seed paste. Groundnuts enhance the taste of the dish with a rich flavour.
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli paste
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp lime juice
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp poppy seeds
3 green chillies
¼ cup oil
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
Marinate the chicken with garam masala powder, turmeric powder, salt and lime juice and keep aside for half an hour. Heat oil and fry the bay leaves. Add chopped onion, ginger, garlic paste and sauté until the raw smells goes away. Now add the marinated chicken, cook for a few minutes. Add red chilli powder, poppy seeds paste and green chilli to it. Cook for 3 minutes. Now add water and cook until the chicken gets well-cooked and gravy becomes thick. Serve hot with rice.

Sponge rasgulla
Ingredients:
1 litre milk
2 cup sugar
2½ tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Heat milk stirring occasionally. Mix lemon juice with 2 tbsp of water. When the milk boils, switch off the flame. Wait for 30 seconds, add ½ tbsp of lemon juice and stir well. It should start curdling. Once the milk is curdled and greenish whey is out, pass it through the cheese cloth lined colander. 
Wash the channa with some cold water. Gather the sides, and lightly squeeze the channa. Do not apply much pressure. Lightly squeeze. After that, hang this for 30 minutes. 
Now take a pan which is wide and deep. Add 10-11 cups of water and 2 cups sugar. Heat it up. Take the channa (it should be dry but moist). Start kneading this until it gathers all together and some fat will start releasing and no lumps and bumps are there. 
Make smooth round balls of about 1" diameter. When the syrup is boiling, add the balls into it and cover it. Cook for 15 minutes. The water should be vigorously boiling. Keep the flame on the higher side. After 5 minutes, open the lid once, and stir with utter care. Cover and do the same after 10 minutes. 
As soon as the timer rings, transfer the Rasgullas to a bowl with a good amount of syrup. After 5-6 hours, it will be soft, juicy, moist, spongy and will hold its shape. 

DINNER
A traditional pohela Boishak dinner may have similar items as served in lunch, although the rice is generally replaced with polao. Meat and fish curries cooked in an oily, rich gravy of ginger, garlic and onion still play a key role in the dinner menu. 
Bindi polao
Ingredients – bindi:
2 cup beef mince
2 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1½ tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp black paper powder
2 eggs
½ cup fried onion
Salt to taste
Ingredient - rice:
4 cups aromatic rice
1 tbsp ginger paste
5 pieces cardamoms
4 pieces cinnamons
½ cup fried onion
3 bay leaves
1 tsp kewra water
1 tsp rose water
8 pieces green chilli
½ cup ghee
8 cups water
Salt to taste
Method:
Rinse the aromatic rice and let the water drain. Mix all the bindis' ingredients except oil. Now give them small, round bindi shapes with your hand. Heat oil in a pan and fry the bindi until brown. Keep aside. 
Now heat ghee in a separate pan, add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, ginger paste and aromatic rice. Fry them for 5 minutes. Add water, green chilli, salt and cook until water is reduced. 
When the water is completely reduced add rose water and kewra water. Mix well, put the lid back and leave it on low heat for 10 minutes. When it is done, garnish with fried onions and serve on a platter.

Begun shiraji
Ingredients:
500g plump eggplant (diced into 2 ½ inch pieces)
1 kg fenugreek leaves, finely chopped
½ tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
 2 tbsp tomato puree
100g peanuts ground
1 ½ tbsp mawa (grated)
4 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add eggplant pieces and stir fry over medium heat until half done. Add fenugreek leaves and mix well. Make a paste with ginger, turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander and water. Add it to the pan with tomato puree. Mix well and stir fry until spices are well blended.
Stir in peanut paste, salt and sugar. Mix and continue to cook until the eggplant is soft and all the moisture has evaporated from the pan. Check seasoning, remove from oven and sprinkle with mawa before serving. 
 

Hilsha paturi
Ingredients:
One piece hilsha fish
3 tbsp mustard paste
2 tsp green chilli paste
1 tsp turmeric paste
¼ cup mustard oil
Salt to taste
1 banana leaf
Method:
Cut the banana leaf into suitable pieces and soak them in lukewarm water to soften. Wash the fish and cut into pieces. Mix all the ingredients and leave them for half an hour. Now take a piece of fish, fold it inside banana leaf and tie with a piece of thread. Brush oil on a fry pan, put the paturis (wrapped fishes) in it and cook in low heat for 10 minutes with the lid on. Cook the other side of the paturis for another 10 minutes the same way. Remove the pan from oven, untie the threads and prepare to serve.

Mishti doi
Mishti doi or sweet yoghurt is a popular dish in Bengal. The Bengalis are famous for their sweet preparations and mishti doi is among their most well known desserts. But mostly it is difficult to make at home as curd does not set well if you add too many ingredients to it. But you can make this delightful, creamy preparation at home by following this simple recipe. Mishti Doi tastes great but is amazingly simple to make.
Ingredients:
1 litre full cream milk
3-4 tbsp yogurt
250g sugar
Clay pot
Method:
Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan, on medium flame till it is reduced to half. Add the sugar and stir till it gets dissolved completely. Put the gas off and keep the milk aside. Once the milk is lukewarm add the yoghurt and stir thoroughly. Pour into the clay pot, cover and warp a cloth around the clay pot. Leave the milk for 7-8 hours to settle. Keep it in refrigerator before serving.
 

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Food prepared by LS Desk