Masoor dal with pattypan squash

Aunt Mojca had bought a packet of red lentils, and she wished to learn some simple Indian recipes using those. Lentils in Bengal are quite watery. Often we add different seasonal vegetables and keep it simple with maybe a bit of cumin, ginger, nigella seeds etc used to temper the fat. Therefore, that is what I wished to show to aunt Mojca. The plan was to use simple spices so that she can later cook the same recipe without having to worry about where to get the more exotic Indian spices. Squashes are perfect complimentary vegetables for this dal, and we decided to dice in the pattypan squash growing in her garden. While we enjoyed the dal with the steaming rice during lunch, I also told her about different variations of the same preparation that she can make.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

200g massor dal (split red lentils)

1 medium pattypan squash

1.5tbsp ginger paste

1/2sp turmeric powder

1sp cumin seeds

2tbsp ghee

Salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.       Wash the split red lentils. Dice the pattypan squash into small cubes.

2.       In a heavy bottomed pot, add the lentils, ginger paste, turmeric powder, salt to taste, and a pinch of sugar. Add 750ml of water. Bring to boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

3.       Using a hand blender give the lentils a quick blend. Add the pattypan squash. Simmer covered for 15-20 more minutes until the squash is soft and lentil well cooked. (Add more water while cooking if necessary to get a thick soupy consistency).

4.       In a small wok, heat the ghee. Temper it with the cumin seeds. When the seeds start crackling, add the tempered ghee into the cooked lentils. Give a gentle stir before serving with steaming rice.

Kolai dal with zucchini

A zucchini from the garden and a cup of kolai dal (urad dal/black gram) left in the cupboard. Coming back from a vacation to a busy week and empty fridge. All these led to this recipe. I wished to keep everything simple and mild. A bit of ginger paste, the aroma of cumin seeds in ghee, and a hint of chili complimenting the flavors of the lentils and the zucchini created this clean simple lentil dish.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

1tbsp ginger paste

1sp cumin seeds

1cup kolai dal (split black gram without husk/urad dal)

1 pinch turmeric powder

200g zucchini

2-3 green chilies

1tbsp ghee

Salt, sugar, oil

METHOD:

1.       Wash the kolai dal well. Cut the zucchini into thick circles.

2.       Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pot. Temper the ghee with green chilies and cumin seeds.

3.       Add the ginger paste. Fry on low heat until it is fragrant.

4.       Add the kolai dal and stir for a couple of minuted.

5.       Add salt, pinch of sugar, turmeric and 3 cups of water. Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes.

6.       Add the zucchini slices. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes more until the kolai dal is well cooked. (Adding a bit of water at a time if needed).

7.       Cook uncovered for a couple of minutes more until the there is almost no water left.

Echor-er dalna (Jackfruit curry)

Jackfruit, before it ripens in late summer, is used as a vegetable in the beginning of summer. This meaty vegetable is a frequent dish in the everyday dinner menu of a Bengali house. Jackfruit is often prepared in a very rich gravy called dalna giving it the alias ‘gach-patha’ or ‘meat from the tree’. I was cooking jackfruit for the first time, that too from the can. Naturally, I was anxious and skeptical. Phone calls to my mother revealed the recipe and little tricks. With all excitement, I started cooking. Although a bit too rich for the hot summer day lunch, it was delicious and the flavors were reflecting those from memories. Rich complex flavors and the aromatics adding a depth to it. I just ended up having a bit too much!

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

250g young jackfruit

1 medium potato

1 medium tomato

1 medium onion

8-9 cloves of garlic

1 inch ginger

3-4 green chilies

1 black cardamom

2 bay leaves

1 dried red chili

3-4 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1/2sp turmeric powder

1/2sp karshmiri chili powder

1/2sp cumin powder

1sp coriander powder

1sp ghee

Mustard oil, salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.      (If using canned jackfruit, drain it and wash well. Soak it in fresh water for a couple of hours.)

2.      Boil the jackfruit cubes with a bit of salt for 15-20 mins. Drain and keep aside.

3.      Roughly chop onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and chili. Heat oil in wok. Fry until soft and golden brown. Blend into a smooth paste.

4.      Heat oil in the same wok. Fry the jackfruit cubes on medium heat until lightly golden. Set aside.

5.      Cut the potato into cubes (similar in size to those of jackfruit).

6.      Add bay leaves, dried red chili, cardamom, clove, cinnamon in the heated oil. Let it crackle.

7.      Add the potatoes. Fry on medium heat until golden.

8.      Add the onion-garlic blend and the turmeric, cumin, coriander, kashmiri chili powder. Add a salt and a pinch of sugar. Fry for 2-3 mins on medium heat.

9.      Add the fried jackfruit pieces. On medium heat fry with frequent stirring until the spices leave oil on the sides and coat the vegetables well, approximately 10-12 mins. Take care that the spices do not catch the bottom of the wok. (The method is called Koshano in Bengali cuisine).

10.   Lower heat. Add 1.5cup water. Cook covered until the vegetables are done.

11.   Remove cover. Adjust seasoning. Add the ghee. Cook on high heat for a couple of more minutes. Serve with steaming rice.

NOTE:

The onion-ginger-garlic-tomato can also be made into a paste before and then added during the cooking. In that case, the process of koshano should be done for longer. However, frying before blending into a paste adds to layering of flavors.

Koshano: A commonly used cooking method in Bengali cuisine. In heated (tempered) oil, the spice pastes are added. It is then cooked on medium heat with frequent stirring such that the spice paste starts leaving oil on the sides. This enhances and adds complexity to the flavors. The spices paste can be a fresh paste of whole spices with water, or also onion, ginger, tomato puree etc. Depending on the preparation, the vegetables/meat can be added along with or later.

Borboti bhaja (Fried yardlong beans)

I have not had borboti or yardlong beans literally for years. I was always happy to see these succulent beans on the side of my lunch plate. They were either fried with a bit of onion or in mixed with potato and pumpkin in a vegetable medley. And I loved it every time. With a distinct flavor of its own, this green is one of my favorites and I prefer it more than normal French beans. So when I got an update that the local Chinese grocery store will get the yardlong beans, I was happy. And I wished to get a bunch. As I would only go to the store only the next day, I made sure that they keep at least a bunch for me. Happy I was with the thought of being able to eat one of my favorite greens after years. I was a bit unsure, should I try some new Chinese recipe or make the familiar stir-fry. In the end old familiar tastes won and I made the classic and simple borboti bhaja (fried yardlong beans) with the fried onion adding to the taste. Steaming hot rice and borboti bhaja brought back childhood memories and tastes. The perfect combination.

  

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

250g yardlong beans

1 medium onion

2 green chilies

Salt, pepper, oil, sugar

METHOD:

1.      Wash and chop the yardlong beans into 1cm pieces. Finely dice the onion and green chilies.

2.      Heat oil in a wok. Add the onion and fry until golden.

3.      Add the yardlong beans, chilies, salt, pepper. Cook covered on medium heat for around 10 minutes.

4.      Remove cover. Adjust seasoning and add a pinch of sugar. Cook on medium heat until the beans are cooked but firm.

5.      Serve with steaming long grain rice.

Carrot fennel paturi

While in high school, I had read this recipe of shredded cabbage and julienned carrots baked with mustard paste and coconut in some magazine. This dish is inspired partly by that recipe and partly by dal paturi. As getting the yellow split peas is difficult, I decided to use the more commonly available split red lentils. The sweetness of the carrot and the delicate flavor of the fennel worked well together. The green chilies and the spicy heat of the mustard oil imparted the classic flavors of paturi. There was no banana leaf to make it in traditional paturi style, however, the en papillote technique worked well to make the outcome similar to that of paturi. It was soft, moist, and delicious play of subtle and clean flavors.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

1/2cup split red lentils (masoor dal)

3 carrots

2 fennel bulbs

1/4cup chopped coriander leaves

3-4 green chilies

Mustard oil

Salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.       Soak the split red lentils overnight.

2.       Julienne the carrots and finely chop the fennel bulbs. Add salt and set aside so that the vegetables leave moisture.

3.       Drain the split red lentils. Drain the chopped vegetables.

4.       Add the lentils and half of the carrot, fennel in a blender. Add salt, chilies. Blend into a coarse paste.

5.       Mix the lentil paste with the remaining carrot, fennel and chopped coriander leaves. Add 2tbsp of mustard oil. Mix well.

6.       Spread the lentils-vegetable mixture on a baking paper in a 1cm layer. Cover with another baking paper, and seal all sides. The en papillote cooking technique is used.

7.       Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes.

Turkey - vegetable 'cake'

I wished to cook something that will be easy to carry in my lunch box. Something with meat and vegetables together to have the balance of both protein and carbohydrates. I had some minced turkey in the fridge. From the fresh market, I had bought some random vegetables without much of a plan in mind. Everything is so fresh and tempting that I feel like buying everything and usually end up buying more than planned. Anyway, back on thinking what to cook for my lunch box. Should I make turkey koftas with vegetables? In the end, I just decided to put everything together in a baking try and put it in the oven. I wished to keep it very simple, and hence only added the basic cumin, coriander. The provolone piccante cheese was diced instead of grated. I very much enjoyed the bite into those spicy cheesy bits that dotted the baked cake. And the red chili powder gave the perfect heat. It was a play of textures. Each vegetable had its own texture and it was a surprise of textures and flavors with each bite. I named it ‘cake’ simply because it looks like one. It tasted very good with clean flavors. And satisfied my hunger perfectly during the busy day at work.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

2 large carrots

2 turnip cabbage

200g broccoli

250g spinach

500g minced turkey

100 provolone piccante cheese

3tbsp sour cream

3 dry red chilies

1tbsp cumin powder

1tbsp coriander powder

1sp ground black pepper

Salt, olive oil

METHOD:

1.      Dice the carrots and turnip cabbages. Break the broccoli into florets. Wash all the vegetables and spinach.

2.      Roast the dry red chilies and crush them. Dice the cheese into small cubes.

3.      Heat the oil in a wok. Add the vegetables and spinach. Add the cumin, coriander powder and season. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are half-cooked and the moisture left by the vegetables dry. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.

4.      In a large bowl, add the ground turkey and the vegetables. Add sour cream, cheese, seasoning, crushed chilies, and black pepper. With a gentle hand, mix everything uniformly.

5.      Grease a 20 cm round springform pan. Add the turkey-vegetables and press into a uniform layer.

6.      Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes until it gets a golden brown color on top.

 

Baked sweet potato

The best way to eat sweet potato is to bake it, unless it is in some Bengali dessert! And, as these days nutmeg is my favorite spice, I garnished my soft baked potatoes with this delicious aroma.

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INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 2)

400g sweet potato

Salt

1tbsp butter

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Nutmeg powder

METHOD:

1.      Preheat the oven at 250°C.

2.      Peel and thickly slice the sweet potatoes.

3.      Rub in the butter. Garnish with salt and cayenne pepper.

4.      Bake for 20 mins until it is soft.

5.      Garnish with nutmeg powder before serving.

Sorshe sim (Flat beans with mustard paste)

In winter, my mother cooks this dish often for lunch. It is dish with a kind of flat beans called sim and uses the fresh mustard paste that is so often used in Bengali kitchen. The coriander gives a freshness that reminds me of winters. I love it. And today for a simple Sunday lunch, I decided to make it. And aw, how it reminded me of the colorful and flavorful afternoons in winter Kolkata.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

200g flat beans

1/2sp nigella seeds

2tbsp fresh mustard paste

1/2cup chopped fresh coriander

Green chili

Oil

Salt, sugar

METHOD:

1.      Cut the beans into 1 inch pieces.

2.      Heat oil in wok. Rub the nigella seeds on palm and add in the oil. Let it crackle.

3.      Add the beans and chili. Season with salt. Cook on low heat covered.

4.      When the beans are almost done, add the mustard paste and chopped coriander. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar.

5.      Cook uncovered on moderate heat until the beans are well done.

6.      Serve with steaming rice.

NOTE:

Dijon mustard cannot substitute the mustard paste. In case fresh mustard paste is not available, make a paste out of ground mustard with little water. Let it stay for 10 minutes before adding to the food.

The fresh mustard paste should be made quickly as too much grinding tends to make it bitter and the mustard starts loosing flavor.

Zucchini pear soup

What is better than a hot soup in a cold winter evening? Specially when I am wishing to cook and eat something simple. I had a zucchini and pear left in my refrigerator and I decided to use it in a soup. The hot soup with the hint of sweetness and hint of pepper was delicious!

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

1 medium zucchini

1 medium pear

500ml hot water

1/2cup chopped shallots

Olive oil

1tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt, pepper

METHOD:

1.      Peel and chop the zucchini and pear into bite size pieces.

2.      Lightly coat the pieces with oil and roast for 30 minutes at 180°C.

3.      Heat oil in a pot.

4.      Add the shallots and cook until translucent.

5.      Add water, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and bring it to boil.

6.      Add the pear and zucchini pieces.

7.      Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

8.      Using a hand blender, blend the zucchini and pear pieces. Bring it to boil.

9.      Serve hot.

Pumpkin quiche

We had some pumpkins from a friend. And I was planning to cook them over the long weekend we had. I love pumpkin, but savory dishes. I do not have much liking for sweets. I would love to make pumpkin pies someday, to cook something new, but I know for sure that there will be no one to eat it. Therefore, it had to be a savory pumpkin weekend. And this time I wished to try something new other than my favorite Bengali preparations. I always find quiche interesting, a nice way to try incorporating new ideas. So this lovely pumpkin quiche was on the first preparation to be on the menu. And it turned out so deliciously good!

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INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 4)

500g of pumpkin or squash

2 large onions

8 sheets of phyllo dough

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 cup diced smoked cheese

1 stem of rosemary

1 stem of lavender

1/4 cup sage leaves

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

METHOD:

1.   Cut the pumpkin into bite size cubes. Toss it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a stem of rosemary, lavender and few sage leaves.

2.   Roast pumpkin in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes and set aside.

3.   In the mean time, slice onion.

4.   Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion until tender.

5.   Add 1/4 cup water. Reduce the heat and cook covered until golden brown with occasional stirring (around 40 minutes) (caramelize). Add little bit of water if it tends to get dry.

6.   Line a 26cm pie dish / spring-form pan with the phyllo sheets. Brush each sheet with oil and layer them on top of each other. Let the ends hang from the sides.

7.   Lightly beat the eggs. Add in onion, pumpkin, 2/3 of the cheese, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, remaining of the sage leaves finely chopped. Gently mix.

8.   Pour the mixture in the pie dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

9.   Gently fold the hanging phyllo edges on the side.

10. Bake at 200°C for 40 minutes or until set.

11. Let it stand for 5 minutes more before serving.

Stuffed pumpkin

I had this nice round small pumpkin (kabocha squash I think, not particularly sure). Recently I was going through these recipes of stuffing. Therefore bringing both together to make a stuffed pumpkin was the next idea. I have also taken a fancy on celery recently. Though the flavor is a bit too strong for me, I like it a lot when used in minimum to give a hint of subtle aromatic flavor. And since winter is almost here, the sausage had to form a part of the dish too. I am sure to cook it again in future during the pumpkin season. In the meantime I will be use the stuffing to stuff other things or incorporate in some different way in my food.

 

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

1 small round pumpkin (~1.5kg)

1 small onion

1 large carrot

1 red bell pepper

2 green apples

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 cured pork sausage (in pair)

1/4sp celery seeds

1/4sp fennel seeds

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2tbsp chopped sage

Salt

Pepper

Oilve Oil

METHOD:

1.     Cut open the lid off the pumpkin. Clean the inside of strings and seeds. Brush with oil, salt, pepper.

2.     Bake the pumpkin in preheated oven at 180°C for 20 mins. Set aside.

3.     In meantime, dice the carrot, peppr, apples, onion. Crush the garlic cloves.

4.     Remove the casing of the sausage and gently crush it.

5.     In a skillet, heat oil.

6.     Add the onion and sauté a couple of minutes.

7.     Add the remaining vegetables, celery and fennel seeds. Season with salt. Add 1tbsp of sage and 1/2 of the parsley.

8.     Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

9.     Add the sausage meat. Break with the wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink.

10.  Lightly whisk the egg in a bowl with the milk. Add the vegetable-sausage mixture. Add the remaining parsley and sage. Make everything into a moist mixture.

11.  Fill the pumpkin with stuffing.

12.  Bake it at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, until the egg is cooked and the stuffing has risen a bit.

13.  Stand for 5 minutes, and serve with the lid on top.

Moroccan-style one-pot vegetables

This one-pot vegetable is a warm delight for the cold evenings of the coming winter. Growing up in Bengal, I am a lover of mixed vegetable preparations. I love how the flavors and textures of different seasonal vegetables marry into a delicious combination. I loved the subtle sweetness of pumpkin and apricots, the bite of the bell peppers, the texture of zucchini, the flavor of parsnips, and the hint of spice from the chili flakes. I am sure I will cook something similar again when I have an assortment of different vegetables in the fridge, or just like that for a warm healthy dinner.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

100g leek

600g pumpkin

200g green zucchini

1 big red bell pepper

150g butter beans

100g carrot

100g parsnip

100g dried apricots

1/2sp turmeric

1sp coriander powder

1/2sp cumin powder

1/2sp chili flakes

600ml water

Fresh parsley and coriander

Salt

Pepper

METHOD:

1.     Cut leek lengthwise in half and then into slices.

2.     Slice carrot and parsnip. Coarsely chop the other vegetables. Chop the dried apricots.

3.     Pour water in a pot. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin and bring to boil.

4.     Add leek and parsnip. Bring to boil. Cook covered for 5 minutes on low heat.

5.     Add pumpkin, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot and bring to boil.

6.     Add beans, apricots, and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes.

7.     Cover the pan and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

8.     Season with freshly chopped parsley and coriander.

Kumro bhate (boiled pumpkin)

Bhate, meaning ‘in rice’, is what we call any vegetables boiled in the pot of cooking rice. In Bengal, we have all sorts of bhate. Potato, pumpkin, okra, different gourds, everything could be a bhate. Instead of boiling the vegetables separately, mothers, grandmothers would put inside some vegetables in same pot while cooking rice. They did know how to save energy! Then when it is done, keep the rice aside. While, mashing the vegetables with a bit of mustard oil, salt, and green chili would make the quickest and tasty side dish ever.  It had been long that I have had a bhate. Therefore, I decided to use a bit of the pumpkin that was left from the 6kg one in the garden for a bhate. I was cooking pumpkin in all sorts of Bengali styles, so why not a boiled pumpkin dish. The day before, I had made ghee (clarified butter), and saved the milk solids. I love using it with rice. I had to cook the aromatic gobindobhog rice, a small grain sticky variety of aromatic rice. Wow, how delicious it was! The mellow sweetness of pumpkin spiced up with the heat of the chili was heavenly to eat with the fragrant rice and the subtle hint of fat.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

200g pumpkin

1sp mustard oil

1 green chili thinly sliced

Salt

Sugar

METHOD:

1.      Leave the pumpkin as large pieces. Put it in boiling water along with rice grains while cooking rice.

2.      After rice is done, take out the pumpkin pieces and let it cool a bit.

3.      Mash well with green chili, mustard oil, salt and a pinch of sugar.

NOTE:

Any vegetable can be used instead of pumpkin.

The vegetable can be boiled on its own instead of doing it with the rice.

Though the taste from mustard oil cannot be replaced, in case of unavailability, olive oil or butter or anything similar can be used.