Sukto

A traditional Bengali recipe without which a typical Bengali menu is incomplete. Generally sukto has a biter taste with the addition of bitter gourd / leaves of pointed gourd (parwal / potol) but again sukto can be of various types with assorted vegetables. It is served with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 badi / bori (small sundried cakes made from urad dal batter)

Vegetables:

• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 2 small eggplant / aubergine / brinjals
• 2 small radish
• 1 green (raw) banana / kachha kela / kanchkola
• 2 small sweet potatoes / rangaloo
• 2 pointed gourd /parwal / potol
• 3 long drumstick, cut into 1-1/2� pieces
• 2 bitter gourd / uchchhe, finely chopped

Others:

• 2 tbsp wheat flour / atta
• 1-1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 green chilli
• 4 tbsp mustard oil (as required)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-1/2 tsp panchphoron
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 tbsp ghee

Procedure:

1. Wash all the vegetables. Peel potatoes and raw banana. Peel radish, sweet potatoes, pointed gourd and drum sticks in strips (alternate - peel and keep skin).
2. Cut the vegetables in half, lengthwise and then sideways (lengthwise).
3. Dry roast the Panchphoron on a griddle / tawa. Cool and grind to a coarse powder. Keep aside.
4. Blend mustard seeds, poppy seeds with a green chilli (add a little water) to form a smooth paste. Keep aside.
5. Mix the wheat flour with the milk (ensure that there are no lumps). Keep aside.
6. Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan. Saute and fry the badi till light brown. Keep aside. Fry the bittergourd till cooked and keep aside.
7. Heat the rest of the mustard oil in the kadhai. Add the bay leaf, dry red chilli and panchphoron and let them splutter.
8. Saute and fry the rest of the vegetables (except bittergourd). Add salt and sugar and stir fry for 5-7 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, add badi and water and bring to a boil.
9. Add mustard � poppy seeds paste. Mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and, simmer and cook for 5-10 mins until all the vegetables are well cooked.
10. Add the fried bittergourd, milk-wheat flour mixture & ghee and adjust the seasoning, mix well, bring to a boil and remove from flame.
11. Transfer in a serving bowl. Sprinkle the �Panch phoron� powder. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Tips
Cutting the vegetables is a key thing. Cut all the vegetables in 1 � inches long (sideways).
While frying the badis, don�t give too much oil as they tend to absorb the entire amount of oil.

Aloo Posto

Aloo Posto (Potato cooked in poppy seed paste) is a delicious & popular Bengali recipe generally eaten as a dry accompaniment with a meal of steamed rice and daal. This recipe finds a place with biulir daal (urad daal) in every other Sunday afternoon lunch at our home.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium sized potatoes
• 4 tbsp poppy seeds / posto / khuskhus
• � cup water (to make poppy seeds paste)
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp panchphoron
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 3 green chillies
• � tsp red chilli powder
• � cup water
• salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Wash, peel and dice the potatoes into one inch sized cubes.
2. Take a pan, boil water and steam the potatoes a little (ensure that the potatoes do not become too mushy). Keep aside.
3. Soak poppy seeds in 1 cup of boiled water for 30 mins. Drain and put poppy seeds in a blender. Add 1 green chilli, � tsp salt and � cup water and blend to form a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add bay leaf & panchphoron and let them splutter.
5. Reduce the flame. Add the poppy paste, 2 green chillies, red chili powder and salt and stir fry for 3-4 mins.
6. Add the semi-cooked potatoes to the poppy paste, mix well and again stir fry for 2-3 mins.
7. Add water and cook till the water evaporates and the potatoes are done.
8. Transfer in a serving bowl and serve hot with rice and daal.

Tip:

Instead of steaming the potatoes, you can directly cook them with the poppy paste with enough water to cook the potatoes until tender.

Thor Chhechhki

Banana pith (known as thor in bengali) is an useful part of the banana tree (stem) which is believed to remove kidney stones.

In previous days, a typical menu in bengali cuisine served during lunch time will have delicious recipes made from various parts of the banana plant like banana stem (thor chhechhki) and banana flowers (mochar ghonto). Cooking thor recipe is easy but the cutting takes a little time and patience.

Because of our busy and hectic schedules, it becomes difficult to prepare these recipes on daily basis unlike other vegetables. But if you know the proper technique and have enough time in your hand, you can definitely give this recipe of Thor Chhechhki a try.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 thor (banana pith)
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar (to taste)

Procedure:

1. Remove the outer covering to get the core inner portion known as the pith.
2. Cut the thor / banana pith into circular slices and keep on removing the intervening fibers (oil your hand otherwise it may feel sticky).
3. Soak the slices immediately in water to avoid browning.
4. Cut the slices to fine pieces and again soak in water for 5-10 mins. Drain the excess water. (Press with hand to squeeze all the remaining water).
5. Take a kadhai / frying pan and heat oil. Put mustard seeds and slit green chillies and let them splutter.
6. Add the sliced onions and saut� till light brown (If you want a strictly vegetarian dish, omit the onions).
7. Slowly release the finely sliced thor in the kadhai. Stir fry for 2-3 mins.
8. Add sugar and salt. Add a little water if required.
9. Cover and cook till the thor is tender and cooked thoroughly. Remove from fire.
10. Transfer to a serving bowl / plate. Serve hot with plain rice and daal.

Lal Shak Bhaja

The chief sources of Vitamin A are green leafy vegetables including taro black/green arum leaves (kalo / shobuz kochu shak), helencha shak, drumstick leaves (sajina shak), indian spinach (pui shak), bottle gourd leaf (lau shak), jute leaves (pat shak), amaranth red leaf (lal shak) and spinach (palak).

No authentic Bengali cuisine is served without a dish of shak bhaja (which is eaten first).

Here is the recipe for lal shak bhaja.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches � fresh laal shak (red amaranth)
• 1 tbsp whole black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp poppy seeds (posto)
• 1 � tsp oil, for frying

Garnish:

• 10-12 chhoto bori bhaja (optional)
• 1 tsp coconut, grated (optional)
• 10-12 peanuts, roasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash, clean the laal shak thoroughly and finely chop the shak, only leaves and soft branches just above the hard roots.
2. Heat oil in a kadhai / non-stick pan, add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
3. Lower the flame, add chopped shak and stir fry.
4. Add salt and sugar. (Remember shak do not absorb salt, so be careful while adding salt or else the dish will be too much salty).
5. Cook in medium flame. Stir fry till salt & sugar are completely absorbed.
6. (You do not have to add water as water will be released from shak, and it will be cooked in that water only).
7. Cover the kadhai / pan, reduce the flame and simmer.
8. Check from time to time and stir occasionally so that the shak do not stick to the bottom of the kadhai / pan.
9. Cook till the shak is tender and done. Dry the excess water.
10. Sprinkle poppy seeds, mix and remove from fire.
11. Garnish with either bhaja bori / grated coconut / peanuts (as desired).
12. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Bengali Fish Curry

Tired of having the same old fish (Rui / Rohu) curry, decided to try this Bengali Recipe (Fish) in a microwave. It turned out to be quite delicious.

Ingredients:

• 8 - 10 medium pieces of fish (Rui / Rohu)
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 6 tbsp curd
• 6 tbsp onion paste
• 4 tbsp mustard oil
• 3 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
• 5 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped

Procedure:

1. Marinate the fish with the salt, turmeric and half of the oil and keep for 15 - 30 minutes.
2. Beat the curd with the sugar and a little water.
3. Add in the onion and chilli powder to the curd.
4. Lay out the fish pieces in a baking dish and add the curd mixture on the top of the dish.
5. Add a little water. Put the remaining oil and cover the dish.
6. Cook in 100% power in the microwave for 6-7 minutes.
7. Bring out the dish, turn over the pieces, add green chillies and chopped coriander leaves.
8. Cook again at 100% power for another 10-15 minutes.
9. Garnish Serve hot with rice.

Sweet Dish for the occasion of Saraswati Puja

Today is Saraswati Puja, the ritual worship of the goddess Saraswati (Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge). Saraswati Puja is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the Magha month of the Indian calendar, on the day called 'Vasant Panchami'.

The most significant aspect of this day is that Hindu Children are taught writing their first words on this day (known as �Haathe Khori�, meaning writing with chalk in hand) - as it is considered an auspicious day to begin a Child's Education.

Traditionally, priests make Children write the word as per customs like for Bengali People, it�s the Bengali Alphabets and for Non-Bengali People, it�s �Om�.

This year it was a special celebration for our family as my child was taught to write the Bengali Alphabets for the first time.

The recipe for Saraswati Puja is strictly vegetarian consisting of Puri, Aloo Dum, Fried Brinjal (Begun Bhaja), Payesh and a sweet dish. Thought of writing the recipe for Malpua.



Ingredients:

• 150 gms Plain Flour, shifted
• 100 gms Milk Powder
• 2 tbsp Aniseed (Saunf / Mouri)
• 2 Black Cardamoms (Badi Elaichi), finely crushed
• 3-4 Black Pepper, finely crushed
• Water
• Milk (optional)
• White Oil, for frying

Sugar Syrup

• 500 grams Sugar
• 625 ml Water
• 3-4 Green Cardamoms (Chhoti Elaichi)

Method:

1) Combine flour and milk powder in a mixing bowl. Add water and mix slowly to form a smooth batter of a pouring consistency (Add a little milk, if necessary to thin the batter).
2) Add aniseed, crushed black cardamoms and black pepper in the batter and mix well. Keep aside for 30 mins.
3) For the Sugar Syrup, put sugar and water in a saucepan (if 1 cup of sugar is used then use 1 � cups of water).
4) Bring to boil. Stir for 8-10 minutes till a thick stringy syrup is formed. Split and add the green cardamoms in the syrup. Remove from fire and keep the syrup in 2 separate bowls.
5) Heat oil in a non-stick flat bottomed frying pan, carefully spoon out a small amount of batter into the pan to form a circular pancake.



6) Let it stand for a few moments and then flip the malpua over. Let it stand for another few moments and fry until golden brown. Remove from fire.
7) Drain the excess oil and transfer the malpua into the sugar syrup.



8) Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
9) From time to time, the remaining sugar syrup can be heated a little and poured over the malpuas. Serve hot.