Methi-begun(Methi green with eggplant n potato)-nutrition in 15mins

What You Need

Methi shaak( Methi green)- 3 cups
Eggplant- 1 big or few small
Potato -1 medium
Methi seeds-1/2 tsp(Methi green and seeds both are little bitter so instead of seeds you can add Black jeera/kalonji/nigella seed-1/2 tsp.)
Turmeric-1tsp
Salt
Musturd oil - 3 tbsp

How I Did It 
1- Wash and chop Methi leaves nicely . Green leafy vegetables are best to wash first and then chop because it retains nutrition and wastage is less too.
2- Also chop 1 eggplant and 1 medium potato into cubes.Wash all together throughly.
3- Take a pan and heat 3 tbsp musturd oil. Add methi seeds-1/2 tsp and let it splutter.
4- Methi green and seeds both are little bitter so instead of seeds you can add Black jeera/kalonji/nigella seed-1/2 tsp.
5- Add eggplant and potato cubes. Give a good stir and add turmetic,salt.
6- Keep flame on high for 1 min and then low .Let vegetable cook half .Check few times so that it does not burn.
7- Add methi green to it and mix well.Cover with lid .Keep for 5-10 mins and check few times and give a stir .   
8-Taste and adjust salt  to get balanced taste.

Gathi Kochu er torkari(Arbi or eddoe curry)- simplest way to cook vegetable

Eddoe( Photo from wiki)

What You Need

Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe-500gm
1 potato

A couple of green chili 

Whole Jeera/Cumin-1 tbsp
Cumin powder-1 and half tbsp(Format:  Jerra Bhaja guNro i.e. Cumin sauted dry in wok and grinded to powder)

Salt and sugar to taste. Mustard Oil

How I Did It 

1-If arbi are big in size ,cut in half. or whole.You can peel the skin or not.Also same do for a potato.
2-Boil in pressure cooker or in an open pan.
3-When boiling is done, cool ( If you did not peel the skin earlier,now peel off)
4-In a Kadai/Pan heat little musturd oil. Add a tbsp whole Jeera/cumin.
5-Add the boiled content,salt and sugar if you like.
6-Mash the content little with your laddle/spoon.
7-Cover and let it cook and absorb flavour of spice.
8-Add Jerra Bhaja guNro & green chilli and cover for few minutes. You can add little           water at this step if content is too dry to make it mashy. 9-Taste and adjust salt+sugar to get balanced taste.
10-Drizzle some ghee (and Garam Masala powder if u like its flavour) and cover.
11-Serve with steamed rice and enjoy.

Gathi Kochu- alu Sidhho makha / Mash potato and Arbi(Eddoe)

Being brought up in a Bengalee family now I truly believe that we can make food from anything. Khosha, Danta , bij kichui bad jay na....Vegetable peel, Stems, seeds nothing is left out from kitchen. We can make delicious dishes which sooth our taste. Every dish is wrapped into love, unique touch, Bengalee taste and most important is that every household makes each dish with its special touch. Lets talk about Kochu.

Kochu ( TARO) is something which I have seen to grow into our back yard , beside ponds in childhood. My grandmother used to take it off and then my aunt used to make 3-4 items from its whole body, except using the leaf.  Now-a-days its not that well seen because e backyard and ponds are just gone under multistory buildings. From the stem we make Kochur Shaak along with either Macher matha (fish-head fry) or Chola () or Narkel kora(coconut grind). Root here are we use to make curry or siddho makha(boil and smash). There are more formats of making this tree parts.

I do not get Kochur Shaak or Stem now in market. I get a different type of  TARO which we call Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe .
To refer I copy from wiki:
Eddoe is a tropical vegetable, a variety of Colocasia esculenta, closely related to taro (dasheen), that is primarily used for its thickened stems (corms). It has smaller corms than taro, and in all but the best cultivars there is an acrid taste that requires careful cooking.The young leaves can also be cooked and eaten, but (unlike taro) they have a somewhat acrid taste.

I will like to share a simple loving smash arbi with plain rice tossed in mustard oil and green chilli. Its just knocking in heaven when you will have it with hot rice and may be with a spoon of ghee instead of oil.

Mashed Arbi

What You Need 

Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe
1 potato
Salt to taste. 
A couple of green chili Mustard Oil

How I Did It 

If arbi are big in size ,cut in half. or whole. Boil in pressure cooker or in an open pan.
Also take 1 potato .Boil as wholw with arbi.
When boiling is done, cool and peel the skin.
Mash the content with a masher or your hands.
Add few drops of mustard oil, very finely chopped red onion(optional), very finely chopped green chili.
Add salt to taste.
Make rustic looking balls and serve with steaming rice and ghee.

Laal shaak bhaja / Red spinach fry

Serve as the first item in a traditional Bengali thali.

What You Need 

Laal Shaak or Red Spinach. Chopped, washed.
Kalonji /Kalo jeera
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste. 
A couple of red chili
Badam / nuts
Oil
 
How I Did It 
Heat Oil in a Kadai/ frying pan.
Add some badam/nuts , fry nuts, and keep aside.
Add some kaloni/ Kalo Jeera.
Add 2 red chilli broken as phoron.
When starts spattering , add the chopped laal shaak aka red spinach.
Add about 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well folding spinach all over.
Add salt to taste.
Do not add salt at this step in much amount. Any leafy vegetable seize in amount. And so final salt add after final taste.Let the shaak/spinach cook, fried  and stir so that it does not stick in pan. Taste and adjust salt.
Add fried nuts and mix well. Keep rest in pan for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with rice.:-)

Shaak Fritters or Shaker bora and plain rice

As very often I go to market so never miss the chance to pick something irregular at my home. A Saturday morning I made up my mind to go to market with husband just for a change. A old feeble man was sitting alone in market with his large stock of common and uncommon leafy vegetables. Surprised! I have found some really irregular items in his stock, many I do not know name exactly but sometimes in my childhood I had them . A bliss!
Pui Shaak
Palak
Thankuni
Gima

Bathua (lamb’s quarters)
Helencha
Kalmi shaak (water spinach)
Note Shaak
Lal Shaak
List goes on...
I have bought some of them  and already made up to make Bora/ fritters with some of those. 
here comes my Gima Shakker Bora. You can make it well with Palak/Pui leaves as well.

What You Need

2 cups Gima shaak washed, leaves separated
1 cup Besan / wheat flour
1/2 cup rice powder (Optional, it makes crispy)

1/2 tsp of Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp of Jeera / whole Corriander seeds
1/3 tsp Holud / Turmeric Powder
Salt
1/2 tsp Suji/Rava( Optional, it makes crispy)
2 KaNchalanka/ green chilli chopped


How I Did It

Mix all the above ingredients well with little amount of water

This batter consistency is not loose, its just moist to give shape with hand
Heat Oil in a Kadai/ frying pan
Give the mixture a shape of oval/ round as you wish with hand
Place each fritter in oil and fry both side until done.

Have this with plain rice and it really loving if you like authentic old Bengali touch food.
 

Begun pora / Roasted Eggplant and scary receipe

No, No, don't go by the title of post.
The only scary part in this whole thing is roasting the eggplant. Its a tricky elaborate and lengthy process.

What You Need

Eggplant 1 medium
Salt and 4 tsp of mustard oil.
Green chilli 1-2
Onion 1 finely chopped


How I Did It


Wash an eggplant thoroughly.
Slit it at several places, not very clumsy way,  with a knife.

Rub with salt and 2 tsp of mustard oil.


Now put it on grill, iron caged base used for making Rotis at home.
Fire the oven. Smoke or roast the eggplant: .
Rotate the eggplant 90 degrees every few minutes or so. The skin will gradually loose, the eggplant will start to sag. After about 20 minutes when the skin is completely loose, remove the eggplant from the flame. 

Allow the eggplant to cool, then discard all of the skin.
Mash with hand.
Add Mustard Oil and mix finely chopped onion, finely chopped green chili, salt to taste.

Alu-Piazkoli Bhaja and Saturday morning breakfast

The mehendi from my hands had just started to fade.Always shaken about the dos and don's. It was a typical Indian marriage for me.I can imagine a scenario of busy railway station. The train rolled into the platform. The coolies ran towards the bogie carrying passengers large suitcases. Passenger run and sit .Match the ticket and settle down. I am now settling down. Mind is heavy with memories. Eyes are full of tears for Baba. Food is amazingly spiced for me.

A Saturday morning I was given responsibility to make Piazkoli bhaja and Roti.
Thank Almighty. Its so easy and fast.Now I make it often in winter.Sharing the recipe.

What You Need

Piazkoli chopped in 1 inch pieces
Potato in same amount i inch pieces

1 tsp of black Cumin Seeds/ Kalo JeeraSalt
2 dry red chilli

Ingredients

 
How I Did It

In a deep bottomed frying pan heat Oil
Add black Cumin Seeds, dry red chilli and saute
Add Potato and Piazkoli .Add salt and saute.
Lots of water will release. Open the lid and water will vaporize.
Fry till done.
 
Serve with Chapati or rice. As a side dish with lentils/Dal.

Simply Side dish: Jhinge Posto and Alu Posto

It was work, work and work . It was August and yet as far as the eyes could see it was BUSY.

Today was different though.Sunday and a leisure Sunday ensures I can take off from work. Dusting, cook for lunch,  argue with husband.

This post is specially for my bachelor friends who love cooking and like fast simple tips for cooking.These dishes' main attraction is Poppy seeds (Khaskhas/Posto).

And potato.This round shaped vegetable,Ahh,It is not simple vegetable..It is life saver at times.An awesome gift with which I can do anything.If I boil it, it just mesmerizes me with help of salt and ghee,if I tamper it with dry red chilli it stands by with rice/roti.I can handle it anyway.

 

Jinge Posto

What You need

Jhinge/ ridge gourd  ~ fresh  chopped about 2 cups. Can be substituted by veggies like cauliflower, beans etc
Potatoes ~ 1 large sized cut in cubes
Green Chillies ~ 2-3 slit
1.2 tsp kalonji
Poppy seeds (Khaskhas/Posto)- 5-6 tbsp of the Poppy seeds paste or posto bata.
Salt
Oil

How I Do It
Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying pan
Add Kalonji. Wait for the seeds to pop.
Add the green chilies and the potato.
Sprinkle a little turmeric powder and saute
Add the chopped green gourd and saute
It will release water, do not panic, let it be cooked covered.
Open over, if you want let it dry a little.
Add Posto bata.
Cover and cook by stirring off and on. Do not add water, you may sprinkle a little only. 
Taste and add salt.Remember to stir and mix frequently.Cook till done.Enjoy this dry dish with Roti or Rice. 

Alu-Posto 

What You need
Potato chopped in cubes -3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
Poppy seeds (Khaskhas/Posto)- 5-6 heaped tbsp of the Poppy seeds paste or posto bata
Green Chillies – 2-3
kalo Jeera
Salt
Turmeric Powder
Sugar -1/2 tsp
Oil
Mustard Oi

How I do it
Grind the posto/poppy seeds to a fine powder. The consistency of the paste should not be too watery. If you are wet grinding make a paste at one go.
Cut the potato in cubes and soak in water , else they develop black spots.
Chop or slit the green chillies.
Heat oil in a Kadai/Pan. Mustard Oil is preferred.
Add the Jeera/Cumin seeds and wait till they sputter.
Add the potato cubes in the oil with a pinch of haldi/turmeric powder.
Saute the potato lightly till they develop a golden tinge.
Add the posto/poppy seeds paste
Fold potatoes uniformly with paste
Add little water , salt, and the chopped green chillies.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Take care that the potatoes don't get mashed up though.

Potol Post / Pointed gourd/Parwal in poppy seed

Summer summer...
Hooh Haah
Pit Pat with sweat
I am bored with summer this year. Though I have no leave from kitchen. Its like a resort. Even in hot of oven. Summer is for bottle Gourd and Pointed gourd. Now in days of globalization though we get every vegetable all over year, still there is some special in mind always that this one is of summer, this one is for winter.
Every other day now I cook Potol for us. Lets share quickly potol posto with rice . Make it and serve it with love.What You Need
Potol/Pointed gourd/Parwal – 8 pieces large
Turmeric Powder ~ ½ tsp
Green Chillies ~ 8 cut in slits
1/4 cup of posto aka poppy seeds
1/2 tsp of Kalo Jeera/Kalonji 
Salt
Oil

How I Did It

Peel off Potol/Pointed gourd/Parwal and chop each potol in 4 along the length.
Paste Poppy seed with little water, little salt, 1 green chilli.


Heat Oil in a Kadai/ frying pan.
Add some kaloni/ Kalo Jeera.
Add the chopped Parwal Add about 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well . Add salt to taste.  Add 4 of green chili slit through.  Fry the potol till they develop brown . let it cook with some quick stirs in between. When the Potol is almost done add posto bata/ poppy seed paste. Mix well and let it cook together.  Give sprinkle of water. Its just by your measure, choice of gravy in curry.
  Check and adjust for salt. Add about 1/2 tsp of sugar.Mix well.
DO not cook for long time after adding Poppy seed paste, it will loose its flavor.

Palak Paneer - Vegeterian delicacy

One of my fond memories of my childhood is sit beside my aunt , grnadma and lick a piece of raw vegetable like cucumber,tomato in kitchen . Though they did not allow me to sit for a log time and returned me back to room . But I think that seeded the sense of cooking inside me. Otherwise I could not be able to cook without even  doing a simple dish before my marriage.
I used to make simple dishes earlier, later I have started experimenting or test hand in tricky one.This time palak paneer was a grand hit for me.

Palak Paneer

What You Need

 Paneer in small cubes. There were about 28-30 paneer cubes.

 1 clove of garlic chopped

 4 slit green chillies.

 4 cups of blanched  spinach

1 tsp of Whole Cumin Seeds/Jeera

1/4 tsp of sugar

 1 tsp of Ginger paste, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder, 2 tsp of Corriander Powder/Dhania Powder, 1/4 tsp of Red Chilli Powder 

Salt

 1/2 cup of 2% Milk

1/4 tsp of Garam masala powder

1 cube butter for garnish.

How I Did It

~Spinach Puree
In a deep bottomed frying pan heat Oil
Add 1 clove of garlic chopped, 4 slit green chillies and saute
Add 4 cups of blanched spinach
Add salt and saute til the spinach softens
Cool the above mix and make a paste in the blender. Do not add water while doing this. This is referred to as the spinach puree .

~Final dish
Heat a little Oil in the pan

Little fry Paneer Cudes.

Add 1 tsp of Whole Cumin Seeds/Jeera
Fry with 1/4 tsp of sugar
Add the spinach puree that you made
Saute for a couple of minutes
Add 1 tsp of Ginger paste, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder, 2 tsp of Corriander Powder/Dhania Powder, 1/4 tsp of Red Chilli Powder and salt
Mix the masala and saute for some more minutes (about 3-4 minutes)
Add 1/2 cup of yogurt + 1 cup of water, mix well with all the masala and let it simmer
When the gravy comes to a boil add the Paneer pieces and let the gravy simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes (approx. timing). By this time the gravy should be thick and creamy and there should not be any raw smell.


Just before taking it off the heat sprinkle 1/4 tsp of Garam masala powder .

 Mix well .
This goes very well with Roti or Naan and even with a Rice dish with a cube of butter in it.