Epicurean feast

Subho Rathyatra to everyone!!! Ratha Yatra is a festival of Odisha associated with Lord Jagannath held primarily at Shri Kshetra Puri Dham. It is the oldest Rath Yatra , whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita. Rath Yatra or Jatra is the celebration of the Lord Jagannath’s journey towards his aunt’s house. Though a festival of Odisha,…

Kancha Aamer Misti Anchar/ Raw mango sweet chutney

As we head towards almost the end of the season of “kancha aam”(raw mangoes), making anchar or sweet relish was something which was mandatorily done by my mother every year. A dollop of aamer anchar would always make an ordinary meal special. Kancha aamer misti anchar stays less than the sour mango pickle. This is because the sour pickle being made with lot of salt and oil and almost no water,…

Korma originates from Mughlai cuisine of the Indian subcontinent . Classically, a korma is defined as a dish where meat or vegetables are braised with yogurt or stock. The technique covers many different styles of korma. While some kormas are prepared using turmeric powder and red chili powder, a Bangladeshi style of korma often called white korma does not use turmeric powder, red chili powder…

Chingrir malaikari, a quintessential bengali preparation made with large tiger prawns (bagda chingri) or giant freshwater prawns (golda chingri) in a creamy coconut-milk sauce. While we were child, special fried rice and polao used to be always our favourite. Therefore, my mother used to often create polaos from the sauces of the curries that she prepared. One of her creation was malai chingrir…

Begunis are a deliciously simple Bengali style fritter associated with monsoon season in the country. While begunis or eggplant dipped in chickpea flour batter or besan is the most popular way of making begunis, muger beguni is a special one. Thinly sliced eggplant coated in spiced mug daal batter and fried to golden brown. Team it up with kashundi and a cup of steaming tea, a perfect combination…

As I have written many times earlier, dolmas are my favourite. The art of cooking the filled vegetable to perfection gives me a sense of achievement as a chef. So much so that I give away the minimum leisure time I get during the weekends in making dolmas carefully choosing a filling for the dolma and the vegetable or the cover of the dolma. While I am yet to put up the most popular Bengali…

Haleem is a savory porridge made with meat, wheat and lentils. A traditional favorite in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and middle-eastern countries, this one pot meal is amazingly appetizing and wholesome. Traditionally it is often slow cooked in huge pots overnight and is a staple food in the months of Ramadan. Other times of the year it is often served as street food or a dish to feed the crowd.…

keema Moglai porota For the dough250 g or 2 cups of all purpose flour1 teaspoon of salt2 tablespoons of vegetable oilFor the filling of moglai porota5 eggs1 onion finely chopped100-125 g of cooked keema Salt to taste3-4 green chilies3-4 tablespoons of chopped coriander leavesoil for deep fryingFor the Keema100 g of minced chicken20 g of finely chopped onion1 teaspoon of minced ginger1 teaspoon…

Gota Murgir Roast/ Whole chicken Roast

Whole chicken is often cooked as murg musallam. But of course that needs a lot of preparation and of course many people to finish the dish off. We are a family of 3 people, 21/2 I would rather say (myself, my husband and my 4 years old, the half one 😁).Additionally, I am always short on time. So, thought of making something simpler. Actually, right since Christmas, my man has been demanding…

Bhorta or Bharta comprises of combination of various mashed vegetables, proteins (eg. lentil, fish, meat) along with herbs, and lots of chilies. While the most common bhartas are aloor bharta, begun bharta, beet bata/bhorta, dhonepata bata/bhorta, lau r khosha bata, other non-vegetarian versions on my blog are Chicken bhorta. The simplicity of it’s preparation, yet it’s delectability makes…

Mutton Glassy is traditional Old Dhaka (Puran Dhakaiya) Meat curry. This mutton dish is rich and the thick layer of oil on the dish which looks like glass, gives the dish it’s name. A melange of spices, cashewnut paste, milk solids and milk, the dish is rich and flavorful. Serve it with roti or paratha or even with rice. Finding mutton in Israel is itself a task. Since people here consume beef,…

The word Paturi literally means wrapped in leaves. Traditionally kolapata or banana leaves are used to prepare paturis. They not only serve as a wrap to parcel the fish but also imparts their flavor to the dish. Soft under matured banana leaves are perfect to use for paturi as they fold easily without ripping. Other leaf choices for making paturi are pumpkin leaves, colocasia leaves and gourd…

In my hometown Jalpaiguri, fish cutlets are often available in roadside telebhaja outlets. To tell you honestly, momo and chowmein are much more popular in North Bengal, in comparison to telebhajas. But there are a few shops which are a signature of such telebhajas. One of which I remember is mangsher singara from a popular shop named “chokher khide.” But cutlets were mostly available in…

Anaros Morog/ Chicken curry with Pineapple

Morog/ chicken cooked with semi ripe sweet and sour pineapple- an East Bengal preparation.  It is a Sylheti speciality. Sylhet uses a lot of pineapple and citruses in it’s food, and in most creative ways owing to its topography. Of some of these citrus dishes, my current favorite is the Chicken and Pineapple Curry which is slightly sweet, slightly hot and spicy dish that is mellow enough to…

Fish fingers on a rainy winter evening, with a cup of steaming tea, sounds perfect, isn’t it? The weather prediction here says that it is going to rain heavily for the entire week. As I saw the weather report, there was no counter thought on it and I knew that fish cutlet is on our menu this weekend. But, when I ripped open the fish packets for making them into fillets, I found that they are not…

Atar Payesh|| Sitaphal Kheer

Rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, this tropical fruit helps improve immunity, reduce inflammation, and promote eye and heart health. Custard apple, also known as ata in Bengali and sitaphal in Hindi is loaded with antioxidants. Atar payesh is an age old preparation of Bengali cuisine. Ata pulp, thrown in cardamom flavored concentrated milk, this dessert is effortless and satiates one’s…

While I have posted chhanar dalna earlier, this is different from the dalna. Kalia is ususally a richer sauce than dalna. While rui machher kalia, dimer kalia uses onion for their preparation, this is a niramish (no onion no garlic) preparation. In Bengali homes, channa is mostly included in the meal on days when we eat vegetarian, but onion and garlic being considered non vegetarian is mostly…