Bengali Cuisine
Bengal or, as she is lovingly referred to, "Sonar Bangla" (Golden Bengal), is made up of the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal). The people of Bengal farm the fertile Ganges Delta for rice and vegetables and fish the regions myriad rivers.
The storage, cooking and eating areas in a Bengali home were a separate unit and the domain of the womenfolk. This barrack-like cookhouse was a row of rooms running parallel to a wide airy veranda often used as the dining space. In an orthodox Bengali home, fish and vegetables were cooked over separate fires, rice over another and meat, if cooked at all was done in a portable bucket fire outside the kitchen. However, recipes that were once cooked on these cowpat, wood or charcoal fires have now been adapted to emerge almost perfect from the gas, electric and microwave ovens that are in use today.
Here are some essential items you are sure to spot if you ever take a peek into a Bengali kitchen (even today!).
The staple food, rice, is bought by the sack and stored in huge containers. Pure golden mustard oil, that pungent Bengali cooking medium is usually stored in zinc lined tins. Large square tins are usually used to store the favorite Bengali snack food - muri (puffed rice). Achaars (pickles), spices, dals and ghee are kept in various sized bottles and jars on a shelf. And you will find many baskets, large and small, lidded and unlidded strewn all over the floor to store vegetables that just arrived from the market.
Among the cooking vessels, the karais (woks) where most of the cooking and frying is done, the tawa (griddle) on which rotis and parotas are made, the handi - a special large pot for cooking rice and the handleless modification of the sauce pan - the rimmed, deep, flat-bottomed dekchi are all hallmarks of the Bengali kitchen. And of course you will also find the pressure cooker which is indispensable to any Indian kitchen. As for the other utensils you absolutely can't do without the hatha (ladle), the khunti (metal spatula), the jhanjri (perforated spoon), the sharashi (pincers to remove vessels from the fire), the ghuntni (wooden hand blender) for pureing dal and the old wooden chaki belon (round pastry board and rolling pin).
The action in the kitchen begins with the cutting of fish and vegetables and the grinding of spices. And this is when the two star attractions of the Bengali kitchen - the sil nora (grinding stone) and the boti (a cutting tool) appear. The items to be ground are put on the heavy sil, a pentagonal slab of stone and are crushed over and over by its moving partner the nora, a smooth black stone you hold with your hands. This inseperable pair lasts longer than a lifetime and is usually handed down from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law.
Although knives and peelers have made their debut into the modern Bengali kitchen, the boti, that unique cutting tool, has not yet been ousted. Boti, the Bengali woman's pride and joy and her proverbial weapon, is fitted on a wooden stand and held in place by the feet on the floor so that both hands are free. The blade of the versatile boti varies and is sharp enough to cut off the head of the toughest carp and yet safe enough to peel vegetables (with some skill that is!).
Dhokaar Daalna
Ingredients:
Chana Dal / Cholar: 200 gms.
Potato : 1 big cut into small pieces.
Coriander seed paste: 1 tbsp .
Cumin seed paste: 1 tbsp.
Chili powder: 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp.
Curd: 50 gms.
Ginger paste: 2 tbsp.
Green chilies: 4 nos.
Ghee 1tbsp.
Salt to taste.
Roast Garam Masala, cumin and coriander together and power it.
Oil: 100 gms .
Direction
Wash it and soak chana dal overnight. Grind chana dal with little ginger, salt & green chili. Heat oil in a pan & add chana dal paste. Fry till moisture dries off. Spread the mixture in a greased plate. Cut in diamond shapes & fry in deep oil till golden brown. Fry potato till brown. In the same oil add ginger paste, coriander, cumin seed paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt & curd. Fry till leaves oil. Add water, fried potato & boil. Add already fried dhoklas & cook for 2 minutes. Add ghee & garam masala
Chicken kobiraji
Ingredients: 500 gm boneless pieces of chicken breasts-beaten flat
4 green chillies
100 gm onions
8 eggs
10 cloves garlic
250 gm breadcrumbs
25 gm ginger
8 tbsp oil
1 lemon
1/2 cup coriander-chopped
1/4 cup mint-chopped
100 gm besan
Method: Wash the chicken properly.
Marinate the chicken with lemon juice, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli paste and with finely chopped mint and coriander and salt to taste.
Mix the gram flour and little salt.
Now put the fillets the mixture and taking out sprinkle breadcrumbs on the fillets.
Beat the eggs with little salt. Heat the oil in the pan. Coat the fillets with beaten egg and bread crumbs.
Put the fillets in the pan to deep fry till brown on both sides
Kathi rolls
Ingredients: 2 cups maida (refined flour) 1 tsp salt
yogurt-to knead the dough
dry flour to help rolling
ghee for frying the paranthas
4 eggs-slightly beaten
chicken, mutton or paneer tikkas for filling
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
chopped green chillies to taste
salt to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
Green chutney
Method: Mix maida and salt, and knead into a soft, sticky, dough (quite wet), with the yogurt. Cover and keep aside for 2-3 hours.
Mix the onions, green chillies, salt and lemon juice and keep aside.
Place a tawa over the burner, and heat it over high heat. While it is heating, roll a piece of dough into a 1/8? thick round, using dry flour if it sticks.
Keeping the heat high, place the round over the tawa. When bubbles start appearing, flip it over and pour a generous helping of egg over it. Dribble some ghee around the edge and lower the heat. When brown on the underside, flip over for just a few seconds.
Take the parantha off the heat, keep egg side up, smear with some chutney, place tikkas in a line in the center, cover with the onion mixture, roll and serve
Doi mach
Ingredients: 500 gm fish (Rohu/Carp)-sliced into desired sized pieces; washed, wiped and rubbed with some turmeric and salt
1 cup curd
3 tbsp onion paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
4 tbsp mustard oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
4 cardamoms
1 tsp cinnamon-broken
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
Method: Mix together the curd, onion, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, turmeric and keep aside.
Heat oil and fry the fish over high heat till brown. Lift fish out of oil and keep aside.
In the same oil, add the bay leaves, cumin, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. When the seeds splutter, add the curd mixture and saute till fat separates.
Add the fish and saute till cooked through, add sugar and salt and serve ho
Shorshebata ilish
Ingredients: 600 gm hilsa
3 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp mustard seeds
3 tsp poppy seeds
6 green chillies-slit
4 tbsp ginger paste
1 tomato diced
1 tsp panch poren
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
Method: Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric.
Soak mustard and poppy seeds and grind them into a paste.
Heat mustard oil in a pan and splutter panch poren. Add ginger paste and mustard- poppy paste and saute.
Now add turmeric and red chilli powder. Add the marinated fish with green chillies and salt.
Add the tomatoes. Mix well and cook on a slow flame.
Once done, serve with steamed rice.
Aloor dum
Ingredients: 1/2 kg potatoes-small
125 gm onion paste
30 gm ginger paste-
oil - for frying
salt according to taste
6 cloves.
2 sticks cinnamon
50 gm yoghurt
1 1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
5 cardamoms
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar
Garnish
lemon juice
5 green chillies- slit lenghtwise
fresh coriander leaves
Method: Peel the potatoes and leave in salty water for approx. 1/2 an hour.
Heat oil in a pan and fry till they become a slight golden brown and firm. Keep aside.
Take oil in a kadhai and put in the cloves till they splutter, and add the cinnamon and cardamom. Add in the onion paste. Stir for about 5-6 minutes till the oil separates.
Add the ginger paste and stir for a few more minutes. Add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Saut?or a few minutes.
Roast the cumin seeds in a dry pan and grind them to a powder. Add sugar and the roasted cumin powder and stir for 2 minutes.
Beat the yoghurt and add it to the kadahi. Lower the temperature and put in the fried potatoes and simmer.
Cook the potatoes covered till they turn tender; do not let the steam escape. Add the garam masala powder and cover again.
Remove from heat. Serve hot and garnish with green chillies and coriander leaves
Chingdi malai curry
Ingredients: 400 gm?prawns
3 tbsp mustard oil
1/2 tbsp whole cumin
2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp cumin paste
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tsp ghee
Method: Blanch the prawns in turmeric water.
Heat mustard oil in a pan and add sugar and whole cumin. Add ginger paste, cumin powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and saut?
Now add the prawns and slit green chillies and stir for few minutes. Add the coconut milk, cook for few more minutes and then add salt.
In the end sprinkle garam masala and ghee on top and serve
Posto boda
Ingredients : tbsp of posto ( khuskhus /poppy seeds)
1small sized boiled potato
2green chillies
Salt per taste
Wheat flour if required
Oil for frying
Method : Take the poppy seeds and wash them using a tea strainer .Now grind the poppy seeds coarsely
Add potato salt finely chopped green chillies n knead it add flour only if required i.e if u cant knead it or finding it difficult to fry
Now take oil in a fry pan n make small flattened bodas ( small tikkis ) n fry on a low heat till its crispy n golden brown.
shondesh
Ingredients: 150 gm
1/2 cup - grated
4 - crushed a little
6-7 strands of
6 tbsp sugar/
6 - shredded thin lengthwise
Method: Blend the paneer, khoya and sugar/gur together till smooth. You can do this in a blender or use the back of a katori to mash them together.
Mix in the elaichi and set in a layer about 1/2 inch thick.
Refrigerate till set and cut into squares or diamonds and serve
Narkel naru
Ingredients: 1 coconut-grated finely
1 litre milk
250 gm sugar
pinch cardamom powder
water
Method: Boil the milk with the grated coconut till it reaches the point where the milk dries up completely.
Add 250gms of sugar in a cup of water and stir to make syrup.
Add the coconut and keep stirring till it dries up once again.
Remove it from heat. Add the cardamom powder and make small balls. Cool and then serve.
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