Borir Jhaal

I have travelled and lived in five different cities in the past two months and unfortunately that has taken a toll on the frequency of both my cooking and blogging. Honestly, I would like to be a bit more regular about the blogging part. Many a times, I feel too lazy and/or tired to blog about the new and interesting things that I try out in the kitchen, and keep on dilly-dallying for later times. Needless to say, that later time never arrives. In the past weeks, I have tried out some interesting recipes. All through this week, I'm going to be blogging about the ones that came out well.

First up, here is a classic Bengali dish that is made from Bori ( Wadi/Mangodi in other Indian languages). Boris are basically sun-dried spiced lentil cakes that are a staple in many Indian cuisines and even though our mothers and grand-mothers spent many a sunny afternoon making and drying them on the terraces, they are totally available in grocery shops all over. Boris come in different sizes, colours, flavours much like Papads and jazz up simple dishes in an instant. In Bengal, the bori adds a different dimension to the simplest Machher Jhol and a sprinkling of crushed, deep-fried boris add a much-loved crunch to a generic medley of vegetable side-dish, called the Ghonto, made with vegetables such as the pumpkin,the gourd or the papaya. On their own, Phul-boris (little red boris made from masoor dal) when deep-fried, make an excellent side with simple dal and rice, and they are omnipresent on my annual traditional birthday lunch.

If you want to make your own boris, here is Sharmila of Kichu Khon telling you how to.



Here is an interesting and delicious take on the boris called the Borir Jhaal. Jhaal is a bengali word that means Hot, and hot this dish certainly is. I have used large, hing-flavoured Punjabi wadis in them, but the moderate sized Urad dal boris would do just as well.





BORIR JHAAL
(serves 2)

Here is how I did it:

Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a non-stick pan to smoking hot.
Lower the heat and fry 8-10 uniformly sized boris for 3-4 minutes till they turn golden brown on all sides.
The boris tend to soak up a lot of oil,hence usage of the non-stick is recommended.
Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add 2 tsp of mustard oil. Increase the flame to medium-high.
Temper with 2 slit green chillies and a pinch of nigella seeds.
Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of red chilly powder .
Add about two cups of water quickly taking care not to burn the spices and stir around.
Add salt to taste. Let the broth come to a boil.
Lower the heat and add the fried boris to the pan. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or till the boris are soft.
Serve immediately with steamed white rice.


Note: The boris are going to absorb all of the gravy within no time and hence it is of utmost importance to pounce on them as soon as they are cooked. Oh, and you can always add 1 or 2 medium sized potatoes chopped 1/8th lengthwise if you want to. In that case, add them after tempering. Fry for 3-4 minutes with the spice powders. Simmer them in the broth till they are cooked and only then add the fried boris.


I will be back soon with a beautiful restaurant-style Paneer dish that I made for my Mom's birthday last week. It was much appreciated by guests and hence, has qualified to be on the blog.
Till then, here's to a hot cup of coffee,warm woollens and the approaching festive season . Happy December, everyone!

Deep-frying on Diwali : Love for Luchi

The Bengali Diwali celebration starts a day before,when we partake of choddo-shaak( a medley of 14 type of greens),light lamps and offer food and water to our forefathers.Infact the day before the Diwali day is called Bhoot-Chaturdashi and it is the desi equivalent of Halloween,the day when spirits are generally believed to descend to the mortal realms. In many homes of northern and western India,Lakshmi,the goddess of wealth is worshipped on Diwali. In homes and neighbourhoods across Bengal, the goddess Kali (aka Shyama) is worshipped. Bengalis are a tad bit partial to the Mother Goddess, and are great fans of Shakti - the feminine energy,divine consort of The Supreme Being.

After that hectic fortnight of touring,shopping and eating in U.P. and Uttarakhand,I was keen on keeping the Diwali celebrations a low-key affair. I helped mom light up the lamps and place them in strategic locations around the house, assisted Dad in fixing up the streamers of tiny flickering electric bulbs on the balconies in between guiding the house cook who was cooking our simple dinner of Chholaar Daal and Alu-Fulkopi. No cooking today,I thought to myself and instead decided to focus on more interesting pastimes of mine ( Facebook,Youtube,an unfinished Hercule Poirot - You get the picture!) Oh, and strictly due to personal ideologies,I have steadily reduced bursting crackers every year and this year,I didn't even light a single Phuljhadi,and I might as well add,I feel mighty proud of myself in doing my bit for the environment.

Getting back to the no cooking part,I was happily uploading my travel pictures on Facebook,when O, my junior from school and fellow foodie, took a dig at my not cooking . She always does that,considering she is my sautan ( we are both hopelessly in love with Ricky Castle), but she is mostly harmless,and is a sweetheart mainly. Charged up by her tippani, I assessed the situation at home. My maid was done with the dal and the vegetable,and only the accompanying bread was to be made. In an impulse, I decided to go fry the Luchis - Bengali style puris made from all purpose flour instead of whole-wheat, and a must for festive days. Every Bengali I know swears by the Luchi, and my Mumbaiyya buddy A, positively glowed with joy when I served them to him on his last visit to my place. The whole purpose of writing a food-blog is not to show off one's culinary skills, but to encourage and interest novice cooks and foodies to find their own feet in the kitchen. I have tried to make the Luchi making as simple as possible,so that even amateurs can try their hands at it.

The amateur cook's guide to Luchi making:

(Deep-fried crisp flour bread, Bengali style)

HOW I DO IT:

In a flat vessel,combine 500 gms of all-purpose flour ( Maida), a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp of white oil/ghee.

The oil/ghee is the shortening used to knead the flour and is called moyaan in Bengali .

The longer and better the knead,the softer and fluffier the luchis will be.

Knead well to form a smooth dough and divide into small equal-sized balls,like this:-

Roll them out on a smooth surface smeared with more oil. Rubbing oil on the rolling pin also helps considerably. The rolled out luchis will be about 3-4 inches in diameter.

Heat about a cup of white oil ( or substitute with half cup of oil-half cup of ghee) to smoking hot.

Reduce the flame to medium,slide in the rolled luchis carefully from the sides and fry.

Once they fluff up on one side (takes 15-20 seconds for each surface) ,gently flip them to fry the other side. They will ideally be golden-yellow in colour,but it's okay to get some brown spots. Take care not to over-fry,like I did one.

Remove with a slotted spoon to drain out the excess oil and place aside. Makes 16-18 luchis,serves 3-4.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

As shown in the picture above, I served the luchis with chholar dal ( Bengali style chana dal\garbanzo beans) and alu-fulkopi ( potatoes and cauliflowers) with one very potent green chilly.

Here are some excellent options for serving with luchis from various food blogs:

Sandeepa of the Bong Mom's Cookbook makes an incredible Alu Dum with Phulko Luchis.I wish my luchis looked half as good as her's.

One of my personal favourite food bloggers, Mandira at Ahaar makes her grandmother's recipe of Alur Dom, a spicy and red-hot version nonetheless.

Try these Fried Eggplants from Pinki at Come Cook with me with luchis for breakfast.

Serve your luchis with this simple potato stir-fry from my blog. This is a classic Sunday breakfast combination loved across Bengali homes.

But wait,if you want the very best possible combination with your luchi,there is absolutely nothing like the Kosha Mangsho. It is a dry,spicy mutton dish that enjoys a cult following and is deeply revered by the food lovers of Calcutta. It was popularised by a North- Calcutta eatery commonly known as Golbari and is an iconic food item in itself. Fluffy luchis paired with Kosha Mangsho is the Bengali's ultimate gastronomical delight, and if you love your meat,you have got to try this. I usually stick to this recipe of Kosha Mangsho whenever I'm making it at home,it comes very very close to the authentic taste,and has never failed me till date. The website is in itself a treasure-trove of Bengali cuisine and it is maintained by two very academically brilliant Bengali women.

(An old picture of Kosha Mangsho that I made for Dad on Fathers' Day this year)

Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali 2010 and more joyful days to come in the rest of the year.

You eat first with your eyes

Hello all,
I was away on vacation for the past two weeks visiting the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand with my parents. We all had a really good time,shuffling between grand old palaces and monuments in Lucknow to the religious towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh,and finally to the picturesque valley of Dehradun nestled between the Shivaliks and middle Himalayas. We were awed by the incredible Nawabi architecture, we re-visited the history of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny,we offered puja and floated flowers and lamps in the Ganges,we immersed ourselves in a divine evening of bhajans in an Ashram,we experienced the simple beauty and warmth of a Tibetan Monastery and we explored a beautiful 1200 acre Forest Research Museum.In between me and mom shopped to our hearts' content in the bustling lanes and bylane markets in Haridwar for Puja items, explored Rajpur Road and Indira Market in Dehradun for woollens,and literally emptied our pockets in the Chikan outlets of Old Chowk,Lucknow.But most importantly, we ate. We tried to sample as much of the local favourites as we'd heard of. We tried the shudh shakahari thaalis in Awadhi establishments,we went mad with joy inside Tundey Kebabi,we stood in a long queue fighting for space with numerous other Bengalis to experience the hallowed Dada Boudir Veg Thaali in Haridwar(steaming hot Dehradun rice,gawa ghee,beguni,muger dal,shukto,alu-potol,chutney,papor bhaja,and that too only Rs 40 a plate!),we almost fell sick after over-indulging in the cashew-khoya redolent Garhwali specialties, we shared tables with unknown Europeans in an Italian joint in Rishikesh over the yummiest cheese pizzas,we even went to the extent of going to a very dingy,hole in the wall Sardar establishment in Lucknow and a super-posh,uber-costly,Chinese Restaurant in Dehradun just because they both happened to sell our daily bread of fish and rice,albeit in their distinct styles. And since all three of us have a humongous sweet tooth,we didn't miss out on the sweets anywhere. From Pinnis and Kaju Barfis in Lucknow to Jalebis,Anjeer ke Barfi,Magadh ke and Churma ke Laddoos in Haridwar to Balushahis in Rishikesh to Hot Gulab Jamuns in Dehradun and back to Pedas and Malai Rabri in Haridwar,now that's one droolworthy dessert list!

Here are some selected pictures from our gastronomical adventures,of what we loved the most. Go ahead,feast your eyes. And some day,if and when you visit these places,make sure to try them.Someone who takes her food very seriously assures you that you won't be disappointed.









Crispy Golden Puris,Garhwali Aloo Tamatar ki Bhaji, Nimbu ka Achaar and Cardamom scented Milk Tea - the best breakfast we had in Rishikesh,made by Surinder Joshi, one of the the most humble and simple men I've ever met.







Clockwise from top: Magadh ka Laddoo, Two pieces of Anjeer ki Barfi and Choorma ka Laddoo,Brijwasi Sweets,Bara Bazar,Haridwar.








Uber-hot Honey-Lemon-Ginger Tea, the manna that kept us going in the chilly Rishikesh.



Fresh Water Chestnuts from a push-cart in the bylanes of Haridwar.Notice the Red variety.




The display showcase of Brijwasi Sweets,Bara Bazaar,Haridwar.




Fresh from the frying pan :-Jalebees near Har ki Pauri,Haridwar.




Melt in the mouth Gelawati Kebabs, served with soft fluffy Sheermals and an Onion-Cilantro Salad in Tundey Kebabi,Lucknow.



Kakori Kebabs @ Tundey Kebabi, Lucknow.





Kaju Barfis from Manoranjan Shudh Shakahari,Charbagh,Lucknow.

Mere Paas (Up)Ma Hai!

It's that part of the year in Bengal - The Durga Puja is finally here. As I type this post,it's Maha Shashthi early morning,and I'm clad in a black china silk saree,practising how to sit and walk in it,so that the almost out of touch with wearing sarees me can carry off my prized possessions in the next 5 days fashion frenzy that Calcutta becomes for us girls, age no bar.But more about my secret trials later,this post is about the Upma, as the title puts it,albeit in a very non-subtle and filmy way!

I made two different kinds of upma today,both with the same sets of vegatables and basic ingredients with one slight difference in them, the major ingredient.Now for the naive,Upma is traditionally a South-Indian much loved savoury food item that is basically Semolina(Sooji) stir-fried and cooked with an assortment of vegetables,nuts(optional) and seasoning.You could consider it an alternative of the Rice Pilaf,with Semolina replacing the Rice and the basic idea remaining the same.It makes for a healthy and heartening mid-day light brunch as well as a very tasty breakfast.

Before I turned food-blogger myself,I was an avid food-blog reader for many years and that's where I came across the other Upma , the one which uses Vermicelli ( Sevaiyaan/Semui) as the chief source of carbohydrate.Since then I have made both versions at home over and over,and have developed my own style of making them,albeit keeping the basic format intact.Since these are festive days,and unexpected guests are expected to drop in without informing,the traditional household custom is to cook/stock a lot of sweet and savoury food so that we are always prepared to tackle any amount of people,atleast food-wise!

Here are my versions of the Upmas, the semolina first:-

SEMOLINA UPMA

(serves: 4-6)

Here's how I did it:-

1.Chop 1/2 medium carrot,1/2 medium potato,and about 8-10 french beans into bite sized pieces,like this. These are the colours of the Indian Tricolour,and it has been a marvellous journey for India at the Commonwealth Games so far :-)

2.Slice 2 medium onions finely.

3.Heat 4 tsp white oil in a pan and stir fry 1.5 cups of semolina on medium heat till it acquires a light brown colour.Take care not to fry it to too brown,because semolina tends to change colour very fast when it's heated to a certain temperature,before you can say sooji!

4.Heat 2 tsp white oil in a pan, and temper with 1 tsp black mustard seeds and 4-5 curry leaves.

5.When they splutter,add the onions and fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

6.Add the vegetables along with 2-3 slit green chillies and stir fry continuously for the next 5-6 minutes .

7.Add the semolina to this, add salt to taste and mix well.

8.Add 3 cups of water to the semolina. I add 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup at this stage,but that's because I'm perennially obsessed with ketchup.You can totally omit it if you want to.

9..The semolina will now start to form little volcanoes of steam and puff out hot water so carefully put a lid on the pan.

10.The Upma will be ready in the next 4-5 minutes once the water dries up and the semolina and vegetables are cooked.Serve hot!

The Vermicelli Upma (pictured above) is identical to the recipe above,right down to the exact quantity of ingredients and the number of people it serves.The only difference is that instead of the semolina,I used 2 cups of vermicelli. Vermicelli is usually available in pre-roasted versions,hence saves me a lot of time.Frankly speaking,frying the semolina till it acquires the necessary light brown colour tests my patience,which is why I prefer the vermicelli upma.But then again,nothing comes from nothing,and so for special festive occassions like Durga Puja,I don't mind labouring in the kitchen for a few extra minutes.After all,there are few pleasures as wonderful as making food from scratch and sharing it with the ones we love,even though it is a humble, simple dish of Upma :-)

Alu Chochchori : a simple potato stir fry

One of the classic breakfast combinations loved and relished all across Bengali households is this simple potato stir fry called Alu Chochchori. As I understand,it is common to both the East as well as West Bengali households,usually served with pale golden fluffy breads called Luchi in Bengal and Puri in most of North India. Luchi is mostly made with all purpose flour though whereas Puri can be made with wheat flour. There are other finer nuances of difference but I will get into those in a latter post. For the time being, I made the chochchori a few nights ago to have with Rotis for a simple dinner at home. This is one classic recipe that requires basic pantry staples and can be made in a jiffy! As with most of my cooking where I tend towards moderately easy and fast to cook recipes,this one is no exception.



Alu Chochchori
( Potatoes stir-fried the Bengali way)
Serves : 1





You will need 2 medium sized potatoes per person you wish to serve.
Peel the potatoes and cut them in uniform sized strips.
Heat 2 tsp white oil in a pan and temper with 1 tsp nigella seeds.
Add 2 slit green chillies.
Reduce the flame to medium immediately ,taking care not to burn the chillies.
Add the potatoes and stir well for the next 3-4 minutes till they are well coated with the oil.
Season with salt according to taste.
Add enough water to cover the potatoes,put a lid on the pan and cook till all the water is abosrbed and the potatoes are done, 5-7 minutes at most.
I like them well-cooked yet firm, some people prefer them to get a little mushy.
Serve hot with puris,parathas or even plain rotis like I did.


There is a reason the humble potato is the most popular vegetable the world over. Not until you have made this will you believe how good this actually tastes. Very few vegetables can match up to the heavenly taste of perfectly cooked,well-seasoned potatoes. Plus,since this recipe uses neither onion nor garlic,it is a good one to go to for the days we need to eat vegetarian food for religious purposes.

a lil' quiz!

Hello!
Here are 5 questions that you need to answer in order to win the couple passes as promised on Facebook.Be specific in your answers,explain connections clearly. Mail me your answers with your full name here:- silverwhitewinter@gmail.com. This quiz ends on the 10th of Oct' 9:30 pm IST. I will choose 2 winning entries and announce them on Facebook.

1.Connect the movies Dhoom 2, Endhiran, Jeans, Kajraare and Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya.

2.It is called Janamaaz in Persian.What is the Arabic equivalent name for it which has become fairly common in being used in hindi film lyrics? The Arabic word may have multiple meanings in Islam.

3.Complete the list: The Sacrificial Altar,The Fortress Rebuilt,The Central Hall,The Mechanical Tower,The Garden Tower,The Garden Waterworks,The Prison,The Library,?

4.Literature: In which contemporary English work of fiction do all these characters
appear:-Genghis Khan, Machiavelli, Abul Fazl and Pope Leo X?

5.What vegetable comes in varieties like Beefsteak, Oxheart, Grape and Campari?

Best Wishes :)

Healthy Snacking : Chick Pea Chaat

For those of you not familiar with the word Chaat,it is a Hindi word which literally means to lick and it refers to a broad genre of essentially street food items found in the Indian subcontinent,where a variety of raw/boiled vegetables,legumes or fruits are dressed up with hot,sweet,spicy or tangy sauces/chutneys and the zing quotient is upped even more with a horde of spice powders or masalas. Added to that is a generous dose of lemon juice and seasoning to make the dish truly lip-smacking. There is even a special powdered spice mix called the Chaat Masala (the spice for licking) sold by various Indian companies under various brand names like Everest,MDH among many others. A chaat is something you can buy off the street for as less as 5-10 rupees or you could walk into shops that specialise in these items, good examples being the Haldiram and Ganguram branches found all over the country. Being mostly no-cook,no-oil,they make excellent low-calorie high on health and nutrition snacking alternatives.And yes,they taste incredible and are pretty easy to put together as well.If you've never had a chaat before,go ahead,make one today.I assure you,you will be hooked. And if you like me,have grown up on chaats,then you know what i'm talking about and hopefully this post will tempt you enough to make yourself some chaat today.

Chickpeas are called Kabuli Chhola in my part of the country and are an absolute favourite with most bengalis who use it to make a spicy dry curry called the Ghoogni,which is served on special festive occassions.Today I used them to make this chaat for some evening snacking.It was put together in a matter of minutes,and was gobbled up by my family in even lesser time.That's the way it should be with chaats,they should be finger-lickin' good,and this one sure was.



CHICK PEA CHAAT

(Serves:3)





1.Soak a cup of chickpeas overnight.Boil them once they have soaked up the water and become bigger.Set aside.
2.Finely dice 1 medium tomato,1 onion,half a cucumber and a few sprigs of cilantro.
3.Boil one medium potato.Dice into small pieces.
4.In a bowl,combine all the above ingredients from steps 1-3.
5.Now comes the horde of spices that will jazz the salad up to a chaat.To the items in the bowl,sprinkle:
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp cumin powder ( freshly roasted and ground works best)
1 tsp aamchoor ( dry mango powder,available in most Indian grocery shops)
1 tsp chaat masala ( I'm partial to Everest,but you can use any available brand)
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
6.Toss all the ingredients and coat well with spices.Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Enjoy the chaat with friends and family over an evening of fun and relaxation.


It is the 2nd of October today,the birth anniversary of one of the greatest leaders that the world has seen and our very own Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Wishing every Indian everywhere a very happy Gandhi Jayanti. May peace,non-violence and love of your friends and family guide you today and throughout the year.