Boloker Torkari

Sunday breakfast prior to my marriage meant luchi (puris) and bolker torkari (white side dish preparation of potatoes sometimes with the addition of parwal (pointed gourd or potol to Bengalis).....My mother used to call it boloker torkari / sada (white) torkari........

A simple preparation with little oil and just one or two ingredients, with kalo jire (kalonji) / panchphoron being the main spice.......

Here is the recipe as learnt from my mother.......

Ingredients:

• 4 potatoes, peeled & diced
• 6 pointed gourd (potol), peeled (alternatively with strips) & chopped
• 1 tsp kalo jire (kalonji)
• salt (to taste)
• 2-3 green chiilies
• 2-3 tbsp mustard oil
• water (as required)

Procedure:

1. Heat half the oil in a kadhai. Add kalo jire and green chillies and let them splutter.
2. Add the chopped pointed gourd slices, saute for 3-4 mins and then add the diced potatoes and stir fry for 2-3 mins.
3. Add salt, mix well and add water (as per gravy).
4. Bring to a boil, simmer and pour rest of the mustard oil on top of the water (Ensure not to stir the oil).
5. Cover and cook for 5-6 mins till the vegetables are tender. Remove from fire, transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot with luchi / parantha / puris.

Sending this to the 15 minutes Cooking event by Mahimaa....

This recipe is also going to WYF -Side dishes by EC of Simple Indian Food

and Think Spice- Think Kalonji guest hosted by Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen, event started by Sunitha..

Stir Fried Bhindi

Lady's finger (also known as Okra / Bhindi / Dharosh) is not a favourite vegetable of a lot of people. But knowing how to cook it in a proper way, can turn it into delicious side dishes. Here is the recipe of Stir Fried Bhindi, a crispy stir fry and a side dish preparation of lady's finger and onions and can be served with both rice and chapattis.

Ingredients:

• 50 gms lady's finger / bhindi / okra
• 3 onions, finely choped
• 6 tbsp oil

Powdered Masala:

• 4 tsp coriander / dhania powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp amchoor / dried mango powder
• 1-1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

Spices for garnishing:

• 1 tsp aniseed / saunf / mouri
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 1 tsp coriander seeds / saboot dhania

Procedure:

1. Crush aniseed, jeera and saboot dhania to form a powder. Keep aside.
2. Wash and dry the lady's fingers. Slice the top and bottom end of each lady's finger.
3. Finely chop to small pieces (You can slit lengthwise also).
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add the chopped onions and saute till light brown. Add the powdered masala, mix and stir fry.
5. Add the chopped lady's finger, mix well with the masala and stir fry for 3-4 mins.
6. Simmer, cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove the cover and cook till the lady's finger are crisp and completely cooked.
7. Add the powdered aniseed, jeera & dhania powdered mixture over the dhania. Serve hot.

Note:
Another version, you can add 2 bsp of beaten curd towards the end of the cooking. Keep stiring on medium heat till the curd is completely blended with the bhindi.

Tips:

1. Always choose young and tender bhindi. You can check whether the bhindis are young or not by snapping. The best ones will get easily snapped when you bend the tail end of the pod.
2. Make sure to dry the bhindi completely after washing them in water or the bhindis will become slimy. Use dry chopping board and knife.
3. Use a little extra oil than other dishes and cook on high heat. After that you can lower heat and cook covered as necessary.

Kumro Phul Bhaja

Fried dish or Bhaja as the Bengalies call them are an important part of a midday meal in bengali cuisine. It accompanies a meal of rice and dal and makes a wonderful side dish. Some of the popular fries are Aloo Bhaja (potato fries), begun bhaja (fried brinjal), bodi bhaja, shak bhaja, potol bhaja (fried parwal) to name a few.
Some fries are prepared by deep frying the ingredients directly in oil and some are prepared by frying the ingredients, coated with a batter.

Here is the recipe for kumro phul bhaja. They are fried pakoras made with the fresh yellow flowers of pumpkin and fried after being coated in batter made of besan / flour.

Ingredients:

• 20 kumro phool (pumpkin flowers)
• 1 cup besan
• water (for making batter)
• � tsp poppy seeds
• � tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying
• a pinch of baking soda

Preparation:

1. Wash the kumro phul (pumpkin flowers) well and remove the stigma from the center and drain off the water.
2. Sprinkle a little salt on the pumpkin flowers. Keep aside.
3. Sieve besan in a bowl and add baking soda. Mix well.
4. Slowly add water and mix with hand (in one circular motion) to form a smoother batter of thick consistency.
5. Add poppy seeds, salt and red chili powder in the batter and mix well.
6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, add 1 tsp of hot oil in the batter and mix well.
7. Dip the pumpkin flowers in the batter and slowly release the pumpkin flowers in the oil.
8. Deep fry the pumpkin flowers till rich brown.
9. Remove from the pan and drain extra oil on absorbed paper.
10. Serve hot with steamed rice and dal.

Tips:

If you have to add some ingredients to the batter, always add after making the batter, otherwise it becomes difficult to mix the ingredients and to form a smooth batter.

Sukki Bhaji (Sukha Bhaji)

As my father grew up in Nagpur, he loves eating more of dry sabzi or sukha bhajis. He is also a great cook and I learnt some easy and delicious recipes from him.

This is a recipe for Sukha Bhaji or Sukki Bhaji (as my father calls it). I mentioned about Sukki Bhaji in my post on Chillah.

Ingredients:

• 4 large potatoes
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (black / white)
• 1 tsp white oil
• salt to taste
• 1 green chiili, finely chopped
• 1 bunch coriander leaves, finely chopped

Procedure:

1. Wash the potatoes and cut into half. Retain the peel.
2. Pressure cook potatoes with 2 whistles (Dont overcook otherwise potatoes will be too mushy).
3. Remove from fire. Let the cooker come down to normal temparature. Strain water and kep the potatoes aside.
4. Remove the outer skin of the potatoes and roughly smash / crush the potatoes with hand / backof a ladle (Ensure not to make a paste).
5. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
6. Add the sliced onions and saute till light brown.
7. Add the roughly smashed potatoes, chopped chillies and salt and mix well.
8. Saute for another 3-4 mins so that the potatoes are slightly brown in colour.
9. Remove from fire. Transfer to a serving bowl / plate and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
10. Serve hot with roti / paranthas.