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

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

The pointed gourd or Potol has a smooth ability to adapt its flavour to the ingredients and tempered spices it’s cooked along. That makes it a perfect choice to be cooked with strictly vegetarian ingredients, or non-vegetarian ingredients. You can experiment a lot with Potol. We, Bengalis, have a wide range of dishes made from this vegetable, right from the starters, through the side dishes and desserts. We make Potol Bhaaja, Potoler Dolma, Potol-Alur Chocchori as starters; Alu Potoler Dom, Potol Chingrir Korma, Doi Shorshe Potol as side accompaniments with hot rice; and Potol Kheer as dessert.

I cooked this Potoler Dolma with homemade chicken keema filling but it can be done with prawns or eggs as fillings or fillings made from grated coconut, cashew paste and posto baata (poppy seed paste). Whichever way you choose to cook, the taste will be equally amazing.

Ingredients for Potoler Dolma Recipe

• Potol (Pointed Gourd) – 5 (You can take more if you are preparing for more people)
• Chicken (minced and cooked)– 5 tbsp (Please follow this link to know how to cook minced chicken in Bengali style)
• Onion – 1 small
• Garlic – 2 pods
• Ginger – ¼ inch
• Mustard Oil – 3 tbsp for frying; 1 tbsp for cooking the filling.

Preparation

• Slit the Pointed Gourds as shown in the below photo.
• Scoop out the seeds and the pulps inside them.
• After scooping the seeds out, smear some salt on the pointed gourds and keep aside. The salt will help them to become softer.
• Throw out the seeds which have become hard and fully formed and take the pulps. If you feel like the pulp part is inadequate, take two or three fresh and unripe pointed gourds with bare minimum seeds. While preparing the filling this time, I had to take two kochi Potols (fresh and unripe Pointed Gourds) for adding up the filling.

• Prepare the Chicken Keema as instructed. In case you have stored it in the refrigerator, bring it outside in order to normalize the temperature.
• Chop the onion, garlic and ginger in dices and add to the mixer. Add the Pointed Gourd pulps and unripe seeds too. Mix them to a fine paste. Keep aside.

• Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil. Fry the pointed gourds till light brown. Keep aside.
• In that same oil, add 1 tbsp more oil if required and sauté the pointed gourd pulp, onion, ginger and garlic paste. If you feel like you can add green chilli paste or chilli powder too. I have opted that out because we don’t like the hot taste that much.
• When the paste starts getting reduced and the oil starts coming out while stirring, mix 5 tbsp chicken keema or according to your requirement. Mix well.
• Add a dash of Garam Masala and keep aside the filling for cooling a bit.

• Take the fried pointed gourd shells and fill up the insides with the cooked filling and serve hot.

The Potoler Dolma goes best with piping hot rice as starters, but you can also have it alongside Rotis during dinner or as snacks with tea.

Recipe by Parna’s Mother In Law, a silent but prominent recipe blogger of KolkataFusion.

The post A simple preparation of Potoler Dolma – Bengali Style Stuffed Pointed Gourds appeared first on KolkataFusion.

When I shifted to New Town, the budding outskirts of our Kolkata, I found it to be a really peaceful and clean place to reside. However, the gastronome in me was disheartened to the core of the heart – forget about a star cuisine, this place lacked the options for street food (which Kolkata is famous for).  But, that was in 2013, and now we are blessed with restaurants like 6 Ballygunge Place, Throttle Shrottle, Traffic Gastropub, Orient, Country Roads and many more.

Poila Baisakh is knocking at our door, the festival during which the Bengalis cherish traditional culinary delights, so, why not dedicate this week to the food lovers?

How Is The Ambiance Of 6 Ballygunge Place New Town?

Located at Ecosuite Business Tower, Action Area II, New Town 6 Ballygunge Place Rajarhat is spread over 6000 square feet (shares the space with The Wall) and has the seating capacity of 84.  

From the moment you enter this place, you will get a vibe of traditional Bengali environment. The wooden door, the waiting area, the wall paintings, the furniture, and the cutleries – everything will remind you of an era when the rich Zamindars of Kolkata used to welcome their revered guests with splendour, where every artefact reflected the warmth of the refined lady of the house, who used to supervise each minute detail with the eye of an eagle.

6 Ballygunge Place has their branches in Salt Lake, Ballygunge and various other locations of Kolkata, but the ambience of the 6 Ballygunge Place New Town is something to really cherish.

Without any exaggeration, we can say that the Bengali culinary skills are one of the best and 6 Ballyygunge Place does absolute justice to the age-old dishes. In fact, they have gone a step ahead and have added some delicious, creative dishes to their menu.

What’s On The Menu Of 6 Ballygunge Place New Town?

You can go for their buffet, which is available every day of the week and at a reasonable cost (INR 585 to INR 740, excluding tax). The sumptuous buffet mostly includes a number of options – fish, mutton, chicken, rice, luchi, and sweets along with other dishes.

However, we personally prefer going for the ala-carte menu as we cannot think of visiting 6 Ballygunge Place and not eating Gondhoraj Chicken and Dhakai Pora Mangsho with Steam Rice.

You might be laughing at me for this but even if you do not have an appetite for a starter, try one (most are good, depending on your preference of non-veg and veg) for the sauce at least. It is a dhaniya (coriander leaves) sauce, but the fresh aroma of mustard is so enticing that no one can escape it!

Some of the most recommended dishes

Shukto –  Bengali bhoj has to start with a teto (bitter tasting items)* but if the teto is like 6 Ballygung Places’ teto, you will crave to start with it.

RELATED: Shukto From MIL’s Kitchen  – To know more on hot to cook this heathy starter at home.

Jhuri Alubhaja – It’s the authentic Bengali alu bhaja (potato fries) and the quantity is pretty good.

Narkel Postor Bora – Finely grated coconut adds to the charm of the postor (poppy seeds) bora from Ma’s kitchen.

Steamed Aam Kasundi Murgi – Chicken perfectly blended with kasundi and is a steamed preparation. A must try for diet-freaks. 

Bhetki Paturi – Soft and juicy and surely one of the best that I had till date.

Pur Bhora Doi Potol – Another traditional dish with a contemporary touch is a must try for the veg lovers. (My hubby is pointed gourd/potol lover, so thankfully we had got the opportunity to taste this dish and we don’t regret doing it). 

Hilsa – if you have those sudden cravings for Hilsa in the summers and you know you won’t get it in the market, just give a call to 6 Ballygunge Place and pick any of their Hilsa preparations to whet your appetite.

Dhakai Pora Mangsho – As already mentioned, it is highly recommended if you love spicy gravy of mutton. The texture of the gravy is picture perfect.

Dhonepata Chicken – If you prefer chicken instead of mutton and crab, you must try this.

Daab Chingri  – This delectable recipe of Chingri with a perfect fusion of Daaber Saansh (tender coconut pulp)is one of the most recommended dishes of the 6 Ballygunge Place.

We love to end this sumptuous meal with a “Nolen gurer ice cream” and we would highly recommend it.

What About The Staff?

The entire charm of this restaurant is enhanced by the cordial and supportive staff. They are always there at your service with a smile on their face. But, due to the extreme rush in the weekends, sometimes they are overburdened and you might tend to think, “this is not how they are on other days.”

So, if you are really looking forward to eat out on the Poila Baishakh surrounded by a traditionally Bengali ambience, the 6 Ballygunj Place, Newtown can be your sought-after destination. Bon Appetit!!

Address:

ECOSUITE BUSINESS TOWER, 1st Floor, Plot No-II, D/22, AA II, New, Town, Kolkata, West Bengal 700157

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