Special Thanks To

Paramita Mukherjee, Sayani Sarkar & Tannistha Mukherjee for their contributions. This post could not have been possible without the recipes they have shared.        

Healthy, quick tiffin box recipes

Flattened rice (Poha) Tikki

Packed with iron, fibre, carbohydrates, antioxidants and vitamins, Poha (chire) provides a wholesome meal. And it’s also gluten-free.

A quick look at the ingredients to prepare poha Tikki for tiffin

Poha – a handful for two medium size tikkis, a small potato, seasonal vegetables (most preferably carrot, beans and capsicum), 2-3 tablespoons refined oil, ½ cube cheese or one teaspoon butter, half onion, pepper & salt according to taste

The ratio of poha to potato should be 1:1/2

Poha Tikki recipe

Wash the poha to soften it but ensure it does not become soggy. Mash the hardboiled (not very tender, yet mashable) potato in a bowl and add finely chopped onion, grated vegetables and cheese or butter. Mix well. Add the softened poha. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Mix well with your hand. Take small portions from the mixture. Give the portions flat shapes like Tikki or patty. Keep aside. Heat the oil and shallow fry the Tikki or patties till golden.

Preparation time: 10 to 15 mins. You can prepare the veggies the previous night and refrigerate them in a bowl of water or in an air-tight pouch.

Pick it and place it in your child’s tiffin box. As a dip, you can give tomato sauce or mayonnaise. (Try out Hellmann’s Eggless Mayonnaise.)

Pancake/Gola Ruti

This is one of those quick tiffin box recipes which has the widest variance. Different moms make this all-time favourite tiffin food in different ways. The process is the same, it’s only one of the ingredients that differ from mom to mom. 

Ingredients which has a wide options to choose from

An egg, all-purpose flour/semolina/Rava/wheat flour, chopped onion, grated veggies (if available), turmeric (optional), salt, pepper/chillies, oil for greasing the pan so that the batter doesn’t get stuck, a pinch of julienned ginger (optional). You can also add a bit of milk to the batter. It helps to maintain the consistency of the mixture and is healthy but adding is not a must.

Preparation

Preparation time: 10 to 15 mins. You can prepare the veggies the previous night and refrigerate them in a bowl of water or in an air-tight pouch.

Whisk the egg and mix in every ingredient to make a batter. The batter should be neither thick nor watery.

Grease the pan and start putting a ladle full of batter for browning. When one side browns, flip it and let the other side cook in the same way.

If in a dire hurry, you can also make this preparation without veggies and onion. In that case, add half a teaspoon of honey.

You can also add mayonnaise to it. But, in that case, whisk the mayo and then add the egg.

Quick fix Rava/semolina upma

Along with various other benefits, upma helps in digestion and boosts energy (something that all our kids need).

Ingredients

• Half cup Rava/fine blended suji (Semolina)
• Mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering
• 1/4^th potato
• 1/4^th onion
• A small portion of carrot
• A handful of groundnuts
• 2-3 tablespoons oil or ghee
• Salt according to taste
• A teaspoon of coriander for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

• Finely chop all the vegetables
• Add oil/ghee to a deep-bottomed pan
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves to splutter. Then, add the veggies to it.
• Stir fir them until mildly cooked.
• Add the Rava and keep frying. Sprinkle some water on and off.
• Add the salt.
• Once the rava turns golden brown, take it off the pan, and garnish it with coriander.

Preparation time: 10 mins. You can prepare the veggies the previous night and refrigerate them in a bowl of water or in an air-tight pouch.

Lemon Rice

Like pancakes, lemon rice is also a prevalent tiffin food which our friends from Southern India swear by. Lemon rice is straightforward to make and lengthens the shelf life of rice. During humid days, when our kids cannot digest fried food easily, you can prepare lemon rice to cool the gut.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pre-cooked rice (tastes better with short-grained gobindobhog atop chaal/rice)
• A handful of groundnuts
• A sprig of curry leaves
• A pinch of mustard seeds, chana daal (Bengal gram), urad daal for tempering
• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt and Sugar according to taste
• ½ slice of lemon
• 2 tbsp refined oil

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in the pan
• Fry the groundnuts and keep them aside.
• Now, put the mustard seeds, urad and chana dal in the same oil.
• As they start spluttering, add the curry leaves and immediately add the pre-cooked rice
• Stir in. Add the fried groundnuts, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Mix well.
• Meanwhile, take the juice from the lemon slice and mix it with 1 ½ tbsp of water.
• Turn off the flame after mixing the rice well with the other ingredients.
• Add the lemon juice and water mix. Mix well. Once you see the colour of the mixed rice changing to faded yellow, you know it’s done.
• Preparation time: If you use a cooker, the rice hardly takes 15mins to cook. And once that’s ready, the rest is a matter of just 10 mins more. To quicken the process, you can use last night’s pre-cooked rice.
• Serve in the tiffin box after a standing time of 5 minutes.

Kabuli Chana Chaat (Chick Pea Salad)

The Chick Pea or Kabuli Chana has high protein content, which is required for nourishment in children.

Preparation that’ll make your Mondays happier

1. Boil overnight soaked Kabuli chana (Chick Pea), or use pre-boiled chana. The quantity depends on the kid’s appetite.

2. Mix chopped onion, cucumber, tomato, chilli and Kabuli chana in a bowl. Add a dash of lemon juice and black salt before packing the tiffin.

Preparation time: This is one of the best quick tiffin box recipes. It hardly takes 8 mins to prepare this delicious recipe. And can be used as a great evening snack too.

So, here are a few handpicked quick tiffin recipes, and we have a storehouse full of more tiffin ideas. So, please write to us in the comment section if you want more quick tiffin ideas from us. And if you have some other ideas, which will make the tiffing times more joyful for the kids without burning us, the moms, please share with us.

Related Articles: Hugely Popular Bengali Breakfast Dishes

The post Quick Tiffin Box Recipes appeared first on KolkataFusion.

The Bengali Sweets of Bankura District

MECHA SANDESH

 Mecha Sandesh has always been a trademark and pride of Beliatore, Bankura, the birthplace of the great artist Sri Jamini Roy.

As the legend goes, the Rajas of Bishnupur known as Malla Kings, used to rule this area.  There was scarcity of milk in this part of Bengal. But due to the high demand for sweets from the Malla kings and the local people, Mecha Sandesh was first prepared in Beliatore between 1625 – 1635 without using any milk and chhena.

At first, the grams or chola (Bengali for chana) are dried and powdered. This besan is fried into Gathiya and the Gathiya is again powdered. Kheer (Bengali for reduced and condensed milk) and sugar are mixed with this powder and cooked to form lumps. These lumps are further well mixed with ghee and cardamom into small round balls and again dipped in sugar syrup and ultimately dried in Sal leaves to give it it’s signature scent and flavour.

One of our contributor’s home being at Beliatore, she still remembers when she used to visit there and how crazy she was about Mecha Sandesh and couldn’t resist to have a bite of this mouth watering masterpiece. Although, there are many sweet shops at Beliatore, but the best among them is undoubtedly Mecha Mahal. If anyone avails the state highway from Durgapur to Bankura, then they can have a chance to taste this delicacy at Mecha Mahal, Beliatore.

Recently, the local people are demanding a patent and GI Tag of one of the iconic Bengali Sweets, Mecha Sandesh from the government.

Best Place to sample an iconic Bengali sweet – Mecha Sandesh:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mecha+Mahal/@23.3184891,87.215957,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x39f7a029c5e49297:0x34e0dcca00233ff9!8m2!3d23.318475!4d87.2181448

HATI KHAJA

The Hati Khaja or gigantic Khaja is also a popular sweet dish found at some parts of Bankura. It is a type of khaja similar to the one found in Puri, but the size is a bit bigger. It is made with wheat flour, sugar and fried in ghee or oil. The flour and sugar are used to make several layered dough and fried in either oil or ghee. Believed to have originated from the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, khaja has become a popular sweet dish in Orissa and West Bengal. The sweet might have travelled with the Kanauj Brahmins who started settling in different parts of Bengal in the past. Good quality Hati Khaja can be found at Kalika Mishtanna Bhandar, Ranigunj More, Bankura.

Mihidana and Pera of Bishnupur, Bankura is also famous. But ‘Motichur’ or ‘Mitichur Laddu’, a masterpiece of Bishnupur is now an extinct product due to the non availability of peal seeds which was the main ingredient of this mishti. Laha Sweets is one of the best sweet shop found at Bishnupur providing quality sweets.

Best Places to sample the Bengali sweets – Hati Khaja and Motichur Laddu:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kalika+Mistanna+Bhandar/@23.2332536,87.0695221,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x39f7a58d7795f2a1:0x324301a6e0acff1d!8m2!3d23.2332588!4d87.0717077

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Laha+Sweets/@23.0624096,87.301023,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x39f793f824b0690b:0x20e00c89eabdb4c1!8m2!3d23.0624047!4d87.3032117

The Bengali Sweets of Purulia Districts

KASTAR LADDU / KASTAR MITHAI

Kastar Laddu or Kastar Mithai is a highly localized sweet of Kashipur area of Purulia district. This laddu, introduced by Jyotiprasad Singh Deo, king of Panchakot kingdom, used to be one of the traditional sweets of the Manbhum and the Panchakot Royal family. The king used to distribute this laddu among people on the occassion of Bijaya.

The main ingredients of this unique laddu is chena, kheer, flour of bengal gram, cashew, raisin, cardamom, cinnamom, nutmeg and mace. Small balls are made out of this mixture and fried in ghee. Then, they are dipped into sugar syrup and laddus are made from it. Sadly, this unique Bengali sweet is losing its prominence quite rapidly. It is found only around Kashipur and adjoining areas. You can search for the local sweet shops at Kashipur More for this sweet because at present it is prepared by only two or three shops.

NIKUTI

In Purulia, one must not miss to taste the delicious Nikuti. Although Nikuti is an origin of Shantipur, Nadia district, but it is also a specialty of Purulia as well as popularly eaten all over the district. Nikuti is a similar dish like Gulab Jamun or Pantua, but the size is much smaller. It is made with cottage cheese, flour, ghee, cardamom and sugar syrup. Small oval-shaped dumplings are made out of the dough which is deep-fried before soaking in a simple syrup.                                                      

Best place to taste Nikuti in Purulia:

Adi Dilip Sweets is a renowned sweet shop at Kashipur More.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Adi+Dilip+Sweets/@23.4361124,86.6690376,17.52z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x39f6f7ce8d21118f:0x5235ba8d2bc6493f!8m2!3d23.4364732!4d86.6701589

With increasing availability and storability of cottage cheese in these parts of Bengal and huge popularity of sweets like Rashogolla and Sandesh, only time can say whether these iconic non chhena Bengali Sweets can stand the test of time.

The post The Sweetmeats of Bengal – 5: Sweets from the Bankura and Purulia Districts appeared first on KolkataFusion.

The All-time favourite Kochuri-Alur Torkari-Jilipi

Once, a newlywed from Durgapur was told by her new family members in North Kolkata that the Sundays are ‘Kochuri-Alur Torkari-Jilipi’ days. Sunday being a holiday, almost all the North Kolkatans prefer Sunday Bazar visits for buying the veggies, fish and meat for the forthcoming week. And carry back home a big paper package of Hot Kochuris, moderately spicy potato curries and Jalebis (Jilipis) to extinguish the hotness of those curries.

The household members have their Sunday breakfasts together before embarking on elaborate cooking activities of that day. The Kochuri is so famous and ubiquitous in Kolkata that we don’t even care to know the true-blue Bengali recipe of Kochuri. Who cares to sweat out when your neighbourhood sweet shop can parcel Kochuris at your doorstep? Also, a plate of Kochuri-Torkari-Jilipi costs pretty negligible, approximately around 20-30 Rupees in the sweet shops lined in the Dalhousie-Shyambazar stretch.

The duo – Luchi and Shada Alur Chocchori

While Kochuris are to be quintessentially bought from sweet shops, Luchi is made strictly at home. Luchi, the flour cousin of the North Indian Puri, is also primarily a holiday delicacy, complete with a fill of Shada Alur Chocchori (White curry with potatoes without the use of turmeric and tempered with paanchphoron – five spices) or Begun Bhaja, and a Roshogolla or Bonde. Sometimes, a chhanar jilipi (a juicy jalebi preparation with cottage cheese) or a Pantua can barge in alongside humble norom alu bhaja (Potato fry) instead of the chochhori – depending on the mood of the cook. Commonly, any bong sweet can be a perfect accompaniment with a plate of pristine white Luchis. Period.

Talking about Luchi, it can also be considered a crime if we don’t mention the royal presence of Bashi Luchi, Bashi Roshogolla, and Bashi Paanthar Magsho (the delectable trio of Luchi, Rasgulla, and Mutton Curry made the night before for any occasion). It’s a Bengali brunch served on the breakfast tables. For, whenever you eat them in the morning, you are sure to skip your lunch of that day!

Muri – With any dish at any time of the day

It’s not that we Bengalis love only greasy, unhealthy kinds of stuff as our breakfasts. We love Muri, yes, almost all of us. Muri can be no less than a superfood because it plays multiple roles, so effortlessly, easily. A bowl of Muri, which gets huger when you visit villages, with the same Alur Torkari that we described earlier with Kochuri, tastes pleasant because the Muri cuts up its hotness. We can have a bowl of Muri with Milk and Bananas (as you have cornflakes with milk) or Roshogolla or Jilipi or Bonde or Alubhaja. Or even with that Baashi Paanthar Magsho if we want to go easy on our stomachs while making it filling and tasty.

Panta Bhaat – A Relief During Summers

During the hot summer days, many of us love Paanta Bhaat (made more famous by Kishwar Choudhary in the show Master Chef Australia). Breakfast recipe with Panta Bhaat, frying posto fritters (postor bora), or boiled and mashed potatoes, a green chilly and raw onion to beat the heat outside. Panta Bhaat is a simple recipe of soaking the pre-cooked rice in some water for a few hours before eating.

Read: Saraswati Pujo Delicacies

Doi Chinre – Another Summer Relief

In summers, we also swear by Doi-Chinre (Dahi Chura) or yoghurt and flattened rice with jaggery, ripe bananas, or ripe mangoes (preferably mangoes). The sweet-toothed Bengalis don’t mind a serving of Murki (jaggeried khoi) and batasha with the Doi-Chinre-Aam (yoghurt-flattened rice-mango), although.

Parantha in Various Forms

Along with the very Bengali breakfast items we mentioned above, there are other popular items, too. The Mughal influence or Arab influence added in the Chapati or Ruti-Torkari concept (not to forget Gur Ruti or Roshogolla Ruti), Parantha and yoghurt/Raita, and Petai Parota. The Petai Parota is just a pieced huge Parantha sold according to weight. It is commonly available in the tea shops across Bengal and served with potato curries, chholar daal, or sweet syrups (depending on the resource availability in respective shops).

Gola ruti – the Bengali style Pancake

Something started 30,000 years ago during the Stone Age and has become a staple breakfast of many Bengali households – Pancake. Bengalis prepare it in different ways – sometimes with all-purpose flour and sometimes with wheat. Keeping the egg constant, they have different variations of gola ruti – sweet, salty and spicy. It depends on the mood and the weather which flavor the family will have that day for breakfast. And not just that, sometimes this gola ruti is also prepared without eggs with urad daal, rice flour, suji as replacement ingredients.

European influence

The European influence was most commonly the bread that got rechristened as Pauruti (or bread kneaded with feet). Like Muri, Pauruti is also widely eaten across Bengal with similar accompaniments as of Muri. Adding to that, we have our favourite Bengali version of Dim Pauruti (widely Bengalized from French Toast) prepared at homes or streetside tea stalls in and around Bengal.

Chinese Influence

The Chinese influence brought in the concepts of Bengali Chowmein prepared with potato wedges, sliced onions, egg, or fried groundnuts to make up the absence of egg in common Bengali households. And the most loved Maggi or different varieties of instant noodles, which is also a dedicated companion of college-goers, is cooked by Bengalis in their unique ways. Some like fried Maggis, some prefer soupy, and others prepare it like noodles or grab a bowl in the middle of work or studies.

So, what’s your favourite?

With this, we sign off with a burp and a thought on what to prepare for our next breakfasts. But, we would like to ask you to share your favourite Bengali breakfast item or any unique Bengali Breakfast item you had somewhere and still remember.

The post Hugely Popular Bengali Breakfast Dishes appeared first on KolkataFusion.

The Bengalis swear by two things – a fill of Posto Baata or Alu Posto with rice and an afternoon siesta thereafter. Posto or poppy seeds, also known as khus khus in other parts of the country enriches our taste buds, cools down our bodies, and simultaneously heals our digestive system. The Posto Chicken recipe described here is a true-blue Bong recipe born in our ancestors’ kitchens when they discovered the power of Posto as a condiment enhancing the taste along with thickening the gravy. 

History of Posto

Though the poppy seeds and their farming originated in the Middle East back during the Sumerian Civilization, the British colonization in Bengal started its abundant agriculture in the fertile lands of Bengal for supplying the booming opium trade in China during those years. The food grain farmers suffered exploitations in the hands of the British for increasing the production of the poppy seeds to the extent where their families spent days with immense hunger. 

The British eliminated the dried poppy seeds as waste before collecting the opium. Desperate foraging by the women of the opium farmers’ families led to the discovery of posto baata or paste of poppy seeds that they could have with their rice plates.

Thus, posto, entered Bengali culinary. And today, we can add it to any preparation, be it veg or non-veg. Bengalis even have posto bata (or paste) with nothing but green chilies and a tinge of mustard oil.

Food Historian Chitrita Bannerjee rightly says about posto, though the benefits of khus khus are accepted in other parts of India, “it’s single-minded utilisation is only to be seen in Bengal.” Undoubtedly, our easy dinner recipe of Posto Chicken takes a cue from her this particular observation.

So that’s the history, let’s concentrate now on the recipe:

Preparation of Posto Chicken:

For the Posto chicken recipe, you will require the following ingredients:

1. Chicken – 500 gms
2. Tomato – 1 small
3. Onion (fined sliced) – 1 large
4. Onion (finely chopped) – 1 large
5. Cashew Nuts – 5 gms (optional)
6. Green Chillies (slit) – 4-5
7. Ginger (1 inch) – sliced
8. Garlic (10 cloves) – chopped
9. Poppy Seeds (Posto) – ½ cup
10. Dried Melon Seeds (Charmagaj) – 1/4 cup

Make sure that the proportion of the charmagaj and posto is 2:1

1. Whole Garam Masala – 1 tsp
2. Bay leaves
3. Dried red chillies – 2
4. Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp
5. Coriander Powder – ½ tsp
6. Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
7. Whole Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
8.  Refined Oil – 2 tbsp
9. Ghee – 1/2 tbsp
10.  Curd – 200 gms
11. Salt – According to taste
12. Turmeric Powder – 1 small pinch

How to Prepare Ghee At Home

Posto chicken video

How to cook Posto Chicken

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the whole garam masala, a bay leaf, a bit of salt, sliced ginger, chopped garlic cloves, chopped onion, green chillies, chopped tomato and cashew nuts in the oil and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add in cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder. Mix in for 2 minutes
3. Turn off the flame and leave it too cool.
4. Blend the masala into a fine paste.
5. Marinate the chicken with 200 gms yoghurt, the cooked masala paste and a bit of oil. Keep in the refrigerator for half an hour.
6. In the meantime, make a paste with the charmagaj and poppy seeds.
7. Once the chicken is marinated, heat the pan.
8. Add the ghee and oil. As they heat up, add coriander seeds, a bay leaf, 2 dried red chillies and fine sliced onions. Fry for 2 minutes.
9. Add the marinated chicken. Cover and cook for a minute and turned the flame to medium.
10. After 10 – 15 minutes, add the poppy seed and charmagaj paste. Mix in well.
11. Cook on a medium flame for 15 more minutes.
12. You can optionally add a drop of keora water before serving the Posto chicken piping hot. But, if you are trying it for the first time, taste the posto preparation without adding it.

How to enjoy Posto chicken?

The Posto Chicken can be a perfect choice during summer dinner get-togethers or quick lunch parties in your homes. This easy chicken recipe goes absolutely fabulous with Rotis, Paranthas, Basanti Pulao, Luchi or Plain Sweet Pulao.

The post Posto Chicken Recipe appeared first on KolkataFusion.

It was apparently the Mughal era when diligent documenting administrative details, biographies of the Mughal kings and other nobles started. For documenting purposes, the scribes were employed. This class of writers came to be known as ‘Kayasthas’ later. Gradually the ‘Kayasthas’ got acquainted with the Mughal culinary styles that transcended to their household kitchens. During those years, most of the scribes were Bengalis. They wholeheartedly embraced and experimented with the Mughal culinary techniques with Bengali cooking giving birth to some delectable Bengali dishes like Kormas, Dolmas and Polao.

We cook Gajorer Halua using the Mughal ‘dum pukht’ style of cooking. ‘Dum pukht’ means slow cooking over low flame. In this style, the juices of the vegetables or meats help in cooking them in sealed containers. ‘Dum pukht’ dishes are rich in flavours.

Ingredients for Gajorer Halua (Gajar ka halwa) recipe: 

• Carrots (Gajor) – 750 gms (finely grated)
• Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 3 ½ tbsp
• Kesar (soaked in lukewarm water) – 8-10 strands
• Green Cardamom (Choto Elach) – 5 pods
• Cashew Nuts – A Handful
• Raisins – A Handful
• Milk – 1 ½ Cup to be reduced to ½ cup by boiling
• Sugar – According to taste
• Honey – 2 tbsp

Recommended read: Chicken Sukka

Buy the ingredients for Gajar ka halwa recipe:

• Kesar
• Green Cardamom
• Cashew Nuts
• Raisins
• Organic Sugar
• Organic Honey

(Bonphool’s pure honey from Sunderbans is the best. But, due to excess demand, they are facing delivery issues. So, here we have suggested the next best option, Saffola Honey)

Preparation of Gajorer Halua:

• Take a flat-bottomed pot (a handi or dekchi) and put over the flame for heating.
• When the pan gets heated, add 3 tbsp ghee.
• Once the ghee starts melting, put 1 tbsp of sugar.
• After the sugar gets caramelized, add the grated carrots.
• Close the lid, simmer the flame and let the carrot cook on its own for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the milk to boil, simmer the flame.
• Add the crushed cardamoms. Stir in gently.
• Add 2 tbsp honey to the boiling milk. Stir in gently.
• Now open the pot’s lid, stir in once and close it again for 15 more minutes.
• Add some sugar to the boiling milk now. We added two tablespoons, but it’s totally up to you to adjust the sugar quantity according to your preference.
• Add the soaked Kesar in the milk. Put off the flame and keep the reduced milk aside.
• Take a ladle. Add 1 tsp of ghee—roast in the cashew nuts and raisins. Keep aside.
• Next, open the lid of the pot to check the doneness of the carrots. You’ll find that they have turned tender.
• Add in the reduced milk. Mix well.
• Keep stirring till the juices dry up completely.
• Garnish the gajorer halua with the roasted dry fruits and serve after a standing time of 10 minutes.

A perfect dish to enjoy during the winter! Have it either after a meal or savour it as an evening snack.

For an evening snack recipe, read Ghugni and nimki recipe

Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

The post Gajorer Halua (Gajar Ka Halwa) Recipe – Mughal Influence in the Bengali Kitchen appeared first on KolkataFusion.

The Bengali Recipe of Brinjal that we’ll be discussing today is a simpler version of the elaborate Begun Basanti from the treasure house of Parna’s mother-in-law’s cookbook. She prefers to call it Doi Begun because curd is the primary ingredient replacing the mustard paste altogether. Due to the absence of the mustard paste, though our Doi Begun has lost its pungency, the yoghurt has brought in a lighter yet delicious taste in it. We have done away with the mustard paste to solve the indigestion problems after having the meal.

Before describing the ingredients and the process, let us share a trivia about Doi or Yoghurt or Curd, as you prefer to call it. The yoghurt was an accidental invention by the Central Asian herders. The animal skin bags they used to store the extra milk made the milk coagulated and sour after exposure to heat. Thus, the yoghurt originated.

Enough of history; here goes the cooking process now!

Bengali Recipe with Brinjal

Ingredients to make the Doi Begun (servings 4)

• Brinjals: 1 large or 2 medium
• Yoghurt: 200 gms
• Salt: According to taste
• Sugar: According to taste
• Roasted Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
• Roasted Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
• Roasted Black pepper powder: ½ tsp
• Green Chillies (slit): 4-5
• Mustard Oil or Ghee to deep fry the brinjals

Step by step process of making Doi Begun

• Heat a pan. Take a tablespoon of Coriander Seeds and dry roast till an aroma comes out. Make sure that you don’t burn it while roasting.
• Follow the same dry roasting process with Cumin seeds and Black peppercorns.
• Grind the roasted spices separately.
• Cut the large brinjal lengthwise into 4 pieces. If it is smaller or medium-sized brinjal, cut lengthwise into halves.
• Smear some salt in the brinjal pieces and keep aside for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, take a mixing bowl, add the yoghurt, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, mix well with a spoon. Use the spoon to blend with the hand.

Recommended Read: Another cool Bengali Recipe to try during spring – Green Jackfruit or Enchor Curry

• When the yoghurt mix has a smooth consistency, stop blending and keep the bowl aside.
• Add the roasted spices to the yoghurt mix. If you feel to make the dish sweeter, you can add more sugar.
• Heat the ghee or mustard oil in a deep pan or wok. If you want a bit of sharp taste in your Doi Begun, you need to fry the brinjals in the mustard oil.
• When the oil or ghee is heated well, deep fry the brinjal pieces.
• As they get fried into a golden brown hue, place them on a sheet of tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.
• Allow the fried brinjals to cool down.
• Take a cookie tray or cake baking flat utensil, place the fried brinjal pieces beside each other.
• Pour the yoghurt mix on the fried pieces. Add in a few slit green chillies.
• Allow the preparation to set in for a minimum of 4 hours; the more, the tastier. If you want, you can keep it covered in your fridge too.
• Serve cold with Ruti (Chapati), or Parota, or Luchi for dinner.

Doi Begun tastes excellent in summer. The refreshing sour taste has a cooling effect, indeed. So, next time, when you have a busy day with you exhausted to the core, you know which quickfix Bengali recipe of brinjal to try for dinner! Bon Appetit!

The post Doi Begun – Easy Bengali Recipe with Brinjals for dinner appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Most of us are still abiding by the social distancing norms. And with the steeping rise in the number of COVID cases, it’s safer that way. But, how long can we enjoy the same types of dishes – our taste buds need a change! And those of you who have kids, you have to meet their demands, too and prepare dishes, which are healthy, tasty and UNIQUE.

Today we have brought a recipe that is pretty common yet unique. It’s sure to be the most sort after dessert in your homes. And you can also pass it as an evening snack for your kids.

Let’s start with the recipe of Phirni

To the Biryani lover Bongs, Phirni is a pretty typical sweet dish after the Kolkata special Biryani is polished off from the plates. The Phirni is again a Mughlai dessert that originated in ancient Persia or somewhere from Central Asia. This royal rice pudding is made rich with reduced creamy layers of milk, ground Basmati rice, sweeteners, crushed pistachios and cashew nuts.

The recipe of Phirni is easy and simple. And you can enjoy it after any meal. We have described the step-by-step process below.

Origin of Phirni

Ingredients For Recipe of Phirni

Soaked Basmati rice or Gobindobhog Atop Rice: 70 gms

Milk: 1 ltr

Condensed Milk: 5 tbsp

Sugar: 4 tbsp or according to taste (You have to keep in mind that Firni is going to get layered with the Gajorer Halwa)

Pistachhios: 5 gms finely chopped

Cashew nuts: 5 gms finely chopped

Clicks on the links to buy the ingredients.

Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

How to prepare Phirni

1. Soak the rice for 1 hour.

2. Drain the water and pat dry the soaked rice.

3. Loosely grind in the mixer. The rice should not be a fine ground one.

4. Keep aside.

5. Heat the milk. Simmer the flame and set the milk to reduce.

6. When the milk will reduce to 1/4, add the ground the rice and continuously stir using a wooden spatula so that the rice does not get lumpy.

7. Add the condensed milk and keep stirring.

8. When the texture will start consolidating, add sugar, stir and put off the flame.

9. Allow the Firni to cool down.

Gajar Ka Halwa recipe

You can simultaneously make the gajar halwa or make it earlier by following the process described in our Gajorer Halwa recipe.

And Finally…..

Once you are sure that both the halwa and firni have cooled down, take a scooping spoon and a layering spoon, set the serving bowls and arrange them by putting alternating layers of gajar halwa and phirni on top of the other.

If you have a bit of gajorer halwa left, you can make round balls and dip them upon the top phirni layer, as I have done.

When the bowls are arranged, store them for an hour inside your fridge for settling before you serve them.

“There’s no sincerer love than the love of food!”

George Bernard Shaw

Now that you know not only the recipe of phirni but also the recipe of two more desserts, what are you planning to cook tonight?

Feel free to share your ideas and we’ll love to try them out in our kitchen.

The post Bengali Fusion Dessert: Recipe of Phirni and Gajar Halwa appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Coming back to Rosogollas, did Nabin Chandra Das or other forerunners before him ever think that their creation will become this famous as it is now today?

In the last three posts under this series, we took you to various Bengal districts with the popular sweets originating in those places. With Rosogolla, we come back to Kolkata because the origin of the spongy juicy sweet balls is Kolkata’s Bagbazar.

Origin of Rosogolla

Before we narrate the story of Rosogolla’s origin, allow us to describe the debate on – Who invented the Rosogolla, Odisha or Bengal? After a lot of researches on the origin, it had been found out that in Odisha’s Rosogolla or Rasagola, the excess water after curdling the milk is not drained out and semolina is mixed with it 4:1 ratio. The sugar syrup in which the Rasagola is dipped is much thicker than the Kolkata Rosogolla.

Related Read: The Sweetmeats of Bengal – 3: Sweets from the South 24 Parganas district

On the other hand, the Rosogolla invented by Nobin Chandra Das is a sponge Rosogolla. To make a sponge Roshogolla, one does not use semolina. It is totally made from cottage cheese or chhena. If you drip off the sugar syrup from a sponge Rosogolla, the shape remains intact.

Food Historians KT Achaya and Chitra Banerjee regarded that the art of making cheese or Chhena by curdling milk was unknown to the Indians until the Portuguese came around in the 16^th or 17^th Century. Therefore, the claim of Nabin Chandra Das’s invention gets a firmer ground. Whatever the story of origin may be, we Bengalis adore both, Spongy or Non-Spongy Rosogollas.

Canned Rosogolla

Nabin Chandra Das’s grandson K.C Das used the technique of vacuum packing to facilitate the longer shelf lives of the Rosogollas. Since it’s also easier to carry, it has become a trend among probashi Bangalis (Bengalis living in distant lands, outside Bengal) to take the canned sweets before boarding their flights. We had heard that the Canned Rosogolla are just the drier reminders of their juicy cousins. So, for obvious reasons, taste-wise, they are not at par with the fresh ones. But, outside West Bengal, where there’s a shortage of fresh Rasgullas, these canned sweets come pretty handy.

Where to taste the Rosogollas in Kolkata?

You’ll get Rosogolla at almost all the sweet shops in Kolkata. But we highly recommend the following shops:

1. Chittaranjan Mishtanna Bhandar near Shyambazar AV School
2. Nobin Chandra Das at Bagbazar
3. Joydeb Dutta and Sons at Hari Ghosh Street
4. Nanilal Ghosh Sweets at Durga Charan Mitra Street

If this article has awakened the hidden Rosogolla craving in you, go ahead and order from Zomato. And if you are outside Bengal, try out these canned Rosogollas. Yes! they are not the best, but they will surely make you nostalgic and put a comma to your cravings.

To order canned rosogolla from Halidrams, click here.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

The post The Sweetmeats of Bengal – 4: Rosogolla appeared first on KolkataFusion.

It’s pretty simple to make the delicious Peas Parathas. The ingredients are readily available at your homes. The only thing that would take time is to shell the peas.

Ingredients needed to make Peas Paratha:

• Peas (shelled and blanched): 100 gms (Buy Ready To Use Daucy Extra Fine Green Peas, 400g)
• Ginger – Garlic Paste made from 1 inch of ginger, 2 to 3 garlic pods
• Coriander Leaves: 2 – 3 sprigs
• Green Chillies: 2-3 (according to taste)
• Chaat Masala: 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder: 1 tbsp
• Cumin Powder: 1 tbsp
• Hing: a generous pinch
• A dough made from Maida (all-purpose flour), salt, 1 tbsp refined oil, and water.
• Refined Oil or Ghee for frying

Procedure to make Peas Paratha:

• Dry roast the cumin powder, coriander powder and chaat masala.
• Make a smooth paste from peas, coriander leaves, green chillies, and ginger-garlic paste.
• Heat ghee in a frying pan. Add some hing or asafoetida powder. Almost immediately add the peas paste and keep stirring. Add the dry roasted powder and mix well.
• When the filling starts leaving the sides of the pan and dry, you can stop the stirring. Take it out in a bowl and leave it for cooling. Your peas filling is ready.
• Take a small portion of the maida (All Purpose Flour) dough. Make a small hollow inside and fill it up with a small portion of the peas filling or koraishuntir pur.
• Take some dry flour to roll out the paratha.
• Heat the pan and fry the Parathas using oil or ghee.

You can have your green peas paratha with Alur Dom, Mutton Kosha, Chicken Sukka, Nolen Gur, Honey, Raita, or just like that.

Though it’s a winter delicacy if you want, you can make some Motorshutir Kochuri for your family any time of the year before winter comes. You can if you know how to store the peas. So, here we go –

How to store Peas?

Neha’s mother has shared with us how to store peas to cook all year round.

In the following video, she had recorded the step-by-step procedure for us  to follow:

Steps to store peas:

• Blanch the peas in boiling water.
• Drain the water and dip the peas in ice-cold water immediately.
• After washing them in cold water, leave them for drying.
• After a while, pat the peas dry with a soft dry kitchen towel.
• And that’s it… the peas are now ready to be stored. Use an air-tight, zip lock bag to keep the peas in the fridge.

These are as good or, in fact, better than the frozen peas that you get in the market. So, what are you waiting for? Grab some kilos of peas and get your family on the mission of pealing them. Once this tricky part is over, you will be ready to savour green peas paratha, peas kachori, or add it as a taste enhancer of our other dishes like cauliflower, paneer, etc., through the year.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

The post Peas Paratha – An easy and healthy tweak to the Motorshutir Kochuri appeared first on KolkataFusion.

With the abundance of coriander as well as mint plants in Bengal, typical North Indian dish like Chicken Hariyali is now a known name among us, Bengalis. For a long time, it had been prepared as a popular dinner recipe with chicken when there’s less time to serve surprise guests in our homes.

In the original version of Chicken Hariyali, Palak or Spinach is also used along with coriander and mint leaves. But since Spinach is just a winter affair in Bengal, we have furnished here the recipe with coriander and mint leaves leaving the Spinach. And we wanted to make it an all-season recipe!

The marinade prepared with curd, coriander and mint paste is well absorbed by the chicken. So, when you have a bite, you can taste a few layers of flavour that makes it a delicious main course dish to opt for.

Here’s our Chicken Hariyali recipe

Ingredients to prepare Chicken Hariyali

• Chicken: 1 Kg
• Onion (Fine sliced): 4 medium
• Tomato (Chopped): 1 ½
• Garlic (4-5 pods): roughly chopped
• Ginger (1 ½ inch): roughly chopped
• Coriander Leaves: 1 bunch
• Mint Leaves: 4-5 sprigs
• Lemon: Half
• Curd: 2 ½ tbsp
• Chicken Masala: 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala: 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1 tbsp
• Coriander Powder: 1 tbsp
• Cumin Powder: 1tbsp
• Whole Garam Masala: 2 cloves, 1 green cardamom, ½ inch cinnamon stick
• Whole Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
• Dried Red Chilli:
• Green Chillies: 4-5
• Refined Oil: 2 tbsp
• Ghee: 1tbsp
• Salt: According to taste
• Sugar: Can be opted out if you don’t want a tinge of sweet taste in your chicken

You may also like: Palak Paneer Recipe

Preparation of Chicken Hariyali

• Take a Kadhai, heat oil, add whole garam masala, whole cumin seeds and red chilli.
• Allow them to splutter and emit aroma.
• Add chopped ginger and garlic.
• Then slowly add sliced onions, slit green chillies, chopped tomatoes and stir in well.
• Add ½ tablespoons of turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chicken masala and garam masala now in the kadhai and keep stirring till the chopped tomatoes melt and the masala starts getting a reddish tinge.
• Switch off the cooktop and allow the masala to cool down a bit.
• Add the masala, the remaining powder masalas, coriander and mint leaves to make a smooth paste in the grinder.
• Add the ground paste, salt, curd and lemon juice and marinate the chicken for half an hour.
• Heat the ghee in a kadhai.
• Add the marinated chicken.
• Cover and cook in low flame. Occasionally stir in.
• Cook for 20-25 minutes.
• Allow the chicken to become tender. Add salt if needed.
• Put the flame on high. Cook for 10-15 minutes. You can add sugar now if you feel like it.
• Reduce the gravy if you would like to have the chicken hariyali with Roti, Basanti Pulao. No need to reduce the gravy if you have it with piping hot rice.

The post Chicken Hariyali appeared first on KolkataFusion.