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!