Macher tikki (Fish tikki)

These days are rainy. A time, when I crave for Kolkata street food. And macher chop was what I was craving for. The Rohu fish flavored with simple spices is nestled inside a delicious mashed potato wrap. The whole thing is then coated with breadcrumbs and fried to get the glorious golden. The crust crunches into the melting softness of potatoes and fish. The nuts and raisins give a hint of sweetness to balance the green chili peppers. Accompanied with chutneys and sauces, it is perfect for the rainy evenings to munch on. Away from Bengal, without those street side shacks, if I am to have macher chop, I very well have to make it on my own. So one afternoon, I was all set to satisfy my palate.  Rohu was replaced by Carp. And I decided to incorporate a healthy twist (I was a bit lazy). I did not wish to have the potato mash coating. And, Instead of deep frying them, I pan fried the fish patties. Hence was born macher tikki from the chop. Ghee used as the frying medium brought richness to the flavors and added aroma. The sweetness of onions and raisins, the heat from ginger and chilies, the crunch of the nuts, all brought together to make the coldish rainy evening delicious!

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 10)

600g Carp fish (or any sweet water fish)

2 onions

2 inch ginger

5-6 cloves garlic

3-4 green chilies

1/2sp turmeric

1sp coriander powder

1sp cumin powder

1sp garam masala powder

25g roasted peanut

25g raisins

Ghee

METHOD:

1.      Boil the fish in salted water. Debone. Mash well and keep aside to let it cool.

2.      Chop the onion, ginger and garlic roughly.

3.      Heat ghee in a wok. Add onion, ginger, and garlic. When it softens, add turmeric, cumin and coriander powder. Fry until golden brown.

4.      Blend the fried onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies in a smooth paste.

5.      Chop roughly the peanuts and raisins.

6.      In the heated wok used for frying, mix uniformly the fish, onion-ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, peanuts and raisins. Let it cool a bit.

7.      Divide into 10 equal portions and form patties.

8.      Pan-fry the patties using ghee.

9.      Serve hot with ketchup and chutneys.

Koraisuti palak (Spinach with green peas)

The fresh market now looks like a celebration. All the fresh vegetables and fruits are so inviting. I always buy more than I planned to. Most of the year, peas come in cans or from the frozen section. One of my best childhood memories is shelling peas in the winter mornings, and popping a few in my mouth while doing so. Like little green pearls they were, and I completely indulged in their fleshy sweetness. Therefore, when I saw the fresh peas on the market stands, I couldn’t resist to buy. Bengal, with so many rivers crisscrossing it and ponds dotting it, gave leafy vegetables a very prominent place in its cuisine. Everyday staple food consists of at least a leafy vegetable item. I do not get most of the greens in Slovenia, and therefore often buy spinach instead. This time I just wished to celebrate the fresh peas with the spinach. Most Bengali vegetarian dishes use very little spices and let the vegetables retain their own flavors and form a subtle delicacy. This dish was no different. A bit of cumin seeds and ghee, and that was pretty much it. While eating it with steaming hot rice, one can easily reach the winter lunches and chatter in a Bengali household.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

 

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

300g spinach

1/2cup green peas

1sp cumin seeds

Ghee, salt

METHOD:

1.      Tear the spinach leaves and soft stems. Wash well and drain.

2.      In a wok, heat 1tbsp ghee. Add the cumin seeds and let crackle.

3.      Add the spinach leaves and green peas. Add salt.

4.      Cook covered on medium heat until the leaves wilt and start leaving moisture.

5.      Remove cover. Cook until the moisture almost dries (5-8 minutes)

6.      Garnish with ghee. Serve with steaming rice.

Morola macher jhal (Spicy mola carplet)

Mola carplet or morola is a famous for its jhal, jhol, and ambol in a Bengali kitchen. It is cooked in a hot spicy dry preparation with lots of onions and occasionally potatoes (jhal), it can be in mild watery gravy (jhol), it is even cooked in mild sour gravy (ambol) to beat the summer heat, and then there is of course the crispy fried version. I love it best as morola macher jhal with lots of onions, chilies, and no potatoes. The crispy fried morola with a watery masoor dal comes a close second. This time I however decided to go with the favorite preparation. I love the sweetness of the golden brown onions to balance the heat from the green and red chilies. The pungency of the mustard oil adds to the taste. The not-so crispy friend fishes retain their soft fresh tenderness. With steaming hot rice, this spicy oily morola-r jhal is heaven on palate on some cloudy rainy noon.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

300g mola carplet

2 big onions

2-3 green chilies

1 dried red chili

Turmeric powder

Salt

Mustard oil

METHOD:

1.      Clean the mola carplets. Rub them with turmeric powder and salt.

2.      Heat mustard oil in a wok. Shallow fry the fishes until they are golden (4-5 minutes). Take care that the oil is hot and fry them in batches so that the fishes do not lump together.

3.      Set aside on a kitchen towel.

4.      Finely chop the onions.

5.      In hot oil, add the green and dried chilies. Let them crackle. Add the onions. Fry until golden brown.

6.      Add the fried fishes. Season. On low-medium heat cook until it leaves oil on sides.

7.      Serve with steaming rice.

Fish piccata

Piccata, sautéed protein in a lemon butter sauce is a classic and simple Italian preparation. It is amazing how a few simple ingredients can come together making such a delicious treat in no time at all. I decided to make a fish piccata with the beautiful Nile perch I bought from the market. The golden fried fish in the creamy buttery lemon sauce was amazing. And I loved the piquant of the capers and the heat of the peppercorns in the bites. A delicious yet light and simple meal it was.

 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

400g Nile perch fillet

2tbsp capers

1sp green peppercorns

1 lemon juice

1cup fish stock

3tbsp butter

Olive oil, salt, pepper

METHOD:

1.      Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper.

2.      Heat olive oil and 1tbsp of butter in a pan.

3.      Fry the fish fillets until golden brown on both side (2-3 minutes per side) and set aside.

4.      In the same pan, add the fish stock, lemon juice, capers, and peppercorns. Simmer until the liquids reduce to half. Stir in the butter.

5.      Pour the sauce over the fish.

Salmon with fennel and olive

Salmon is one of my favorite fishes. This time I wished to pair it up with some clean and distinct flavors. The meaty bitterness of green olives, the piquant flavor from capers, the heat of green peppercorns, and the delicate sweetness of fennel – all complimented well the soft succulent oily salmon. Baking the dish helped retaining the flavors of each of the components. A drizzle of olive oil completed it.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 2)

2 salmon fillet (~200g each)

1 small fennel bulb

10 green olives

10 capers

10 green peppercorns

Oregano

Salt, olive oil

METHOD:

1.      Finely chop the fennel bulb. Cut the olives into quarters.

2.      Rub the fish fillets with olive oil, salt and oregano.

3.      In a baking tray, put the fish fillets skin side down. Add the chopped fennel, olives, capers and oregano.

4.      Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.

5.      Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

White asparagus with tamarind sauce

I had cooked this dish some time ago. The fresh market stalls had the seasonal white asparagus and I could not resist buying this tender mild freshness. Not going with the classics, I decided to play with a sweet and sour sauce. I love the earthy tangy flavor of fresh tamarind. And to balance it, I decided to use the sweetness of date molasses. The sweet-sour creamy buttery sauce and the freshness and mild flavor of the tender asparagus matched each other in the perfect harmony.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

300g white asparagus

2 pods of dried tamarind

1tbsp date molasses

3tbsp butter

1sp chili flakes

Salt

METHOD:

1.       Soak the tamarind pods without the hard outer skin in ½ cup water overnight.

2.       Trim the ends of the white asparagus. Peel off the thin skin.

3.       Bring salted water to boil. Add the asparagus.

4.       Cook the asparagus in simmering water until tender (15-30 minutes depending on their thickness).

5.       Drain them on kitchen towel.

6.       Meanwhile, remove the seeds and strings to make a smooth tamarind pulp.

7.       Mix the molasses with the tamarind pulp until it dissolves.

8.       Add tamarind pulp and butter in a pan. Let the butter melt and bring the sauce to simmer. Add chili flakes.

9.       Serve the warm asparagus with the tamarind sauce.

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.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

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.

Pear cheese salad

Pear and cheese is a classic combination. And I decided to have it for a light dinner. The wilted rocket leaves gave a hint of bitterness, one of my favorite flavors cutting through the sweetness and richness of the pear and cheese. The honey and lemon dressing added the tartness to cut through the creamy rich flavors. A play of simple clean flavors made it a great salad.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

2 pears

100g provolone piccante cheese

200g rocket leaves

1tbsp roasted sesame seeds

50g chopped walnuts

1tbsp honey

3tbsp lemon juice

4tbsp butter

1sp cayenne pepper

Salt

METHOD:

1.      Peel and dice the pear. Dice the cheese into small cubes.

2.      Heat 1tbsp of butter. Add the rocket leaves and let them wilt on medium heat.

3.      To make the dressing, melt 3tbsp butter. Add the honey, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil and quickly remove from heat.

4.      Toss together the pear, cheese, wilted rocket leaves. Add the dressing and seasoning.

5.      Add chopped walnuts and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.

Eggplant avocado salsa

I love salsas. The other time I visited the market I bought some ripe avocados. In my fridge, one eggplant was sitting for some time. I had initially planned to roast it. However, after getting the avocado, I decided to make a salsa adding the roasted eggplant in it. Not a big fan of raw onion and garlic, I decided to fry them a little. It was fresh and vibrant. The saltiness of the roasted eggplants well complemented the buttery avocados, and the hint of tart from tomato was just perfect to cut through the richness of other flavors.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

1 medium sized eggplant

1 large tomato

1 avocado

2-3 cloves garlic

1 onion

1/3cup chopped parsley

Juice of ½ lemon

1 dried red chili

2 Serrano chilies

1tbsp sugar

Salt

METHOD:

1.      Smear the whole eggplant with 1sp oil and put it on a heated pan. Roast it uniformly on slow heat turning it occasionally.

2.      Dice the avocado and tomato.

3.      Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat 1sp of oil and fry the onion garlic until golden.

4.      Finely slice the Serrano chilies and crush the dried red chili.

5.      When the eggplant is roasted, let it sit for 30 minutes. Peel away the burnt skin and chop the eggplant roughly into cubes.

6.      In a bowl, add together roasted eggplant and all other ingredients. Season well. Mix everything with a gentle hand.

7.      Refrigerate it for an hour before serving. 

Coffee rubbed fish

I wished to try the combination of coffee and fish. The flavors were partly influenced by Mexican cuisine and hence the choice of spices. The caramelized coffee gave a touch of bitterness to the fishes, which was well complemented by the other spices. Coupled with the ‘Eggplant avocado salsa’, it was a good dish. 

 
 You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

2 fillet of Nile Perch

4tbsp of ground coffee

1sp cumin powder

1/2sp mustard powder

2sp red chili flakes

1sp Mexican oregano

1sp all spice

1/2sp turmeric powder

Salt, oil

METHOD:

1.      Clean and dry the fish fillets.

2.      Mix all the dry spices and ground coffee together. Rub generously on the fish.

3.      Pan-fry the fish fillets on medium heat, a couple of minutes for each side.

'Farm - bread' cookies

I tasted these cookies for the first at a small local food exhibition/competition. Most of the foods displayed there were typical Slovene ‘farm’ food. And these ‘farm - bread cookies’ were among them. They looked exactly like little farm baked brown breads with nice cracks on top and dusted with flour, and hence the name. They were delicious, and I wanted to have the recipe so badly. Blaž’s grandma and mama did not know it. So, when we went to Blaž’s aunt’s place last weekend, I asked her if she knows. And she did!! She had got the recipe in some booklet that came with newspaper during Christmas one year with recipes of cookies and cakes, and had made it before. The cookies take very little time to prepare and bake. A clean simple recipe it is. They look so tempting. And taste so wonderful. The outside is very crunchy, and then inside, the flavors melt in the mouth. An interesting combination of textures, crunch, and melting flavors these cookies are.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes ~50)

3 egg yolks

250g coconut flour

120g chocolate powder

120g ground walnut

3 egg whites

200g sugar powder

For coating: 100g sugar powder

METHOD:

1.      Mix well the egg yolks, coconut flour, ground walnut and chocolate powder.

2.      Beat the egg whites to form hard peaks. While beating, slowly add the sugar powder.

3.      Gently fold the beaten egg white into the coconut flour mix to form a uniform mass.

4.      With wet hand make little balls (~2cm) and roll them in sugar powder.

5.      Bake in pre-heated oven at 175°C for around 15 minutes (on the middle rack). While baking, the cookies will crack like farm-made bread.

6.      After cooling, they should be crunchy outside and soft inside.

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.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

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.