Bhetki Maacher Jhaal and Kishore Kumar The Legend

This is a dedication for the legend the Kishore Kumar. When i got a chance to be on radio celebrating Kishore Kumar's birthday, talking about the food he loved, I jumped with joy.It is an absolute privilege to be doing such a thing. The first thing to do was to research on the kind of food he loved and all the articles off the net suggested he loved fish.Well no surprise there! A Bengali will love his fish! He loved Prawn , Iilish and Bhetki the most.
Almost immediately I decided to make Bhetki Maacher Jhaal . There easy dish again. It has a lot of variations. Many add kalo jeera phoron , many add mustard paste and so on. I decided to do none. Sometimes its best to keep things simple.Not use too many spices , very little oil and let the flavours of the fish come out.

Ingredients:



Bhetki Fish - 500 gms - cut into big pieces

Onion paste - 5 tbsp ( need 2 medium onions for this)

Curd - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Mustard oil - 4 tbsp for frying + 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 6-8 whole green chillies

Method:

Wash and clean the bhetki pieces. Smear with some turmeric and salt.
Heat some mustard oil in a pan (non-stick preferably).
Fry the fish pieces till done well.
Keep aside.

Now we make the gravy.
In a pan add 1 tbsp mustard oil.
Once the oil heats up , add the onion paste.
Roast the mixture very well till it browns up. Make sure this is cooked well and there is no pungent smell.
Next add the curd, red chilli powder,turmeric and salt to taste. 
Add a little water and roast the spices.
Once the water dries up add another cup of water and let the gravy simmer.
We don't want a watery gravy so let it simmer for a while.

Next add the fried fish pieces and the green chillies. Let the fish soak up the gravy.
Serve with hot plain rice.

Since this a post dedicated to a legend I have to share one of my favourite songs with you all. Its an impossible task to choose one from all the beautiful songs that he has sung . This is one song that I go back to all the time and every time i rediscover it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFRAFHtU-PE 

This recipe has been featured on Arvind's Kitchen on 94.3 Radio One #Kolkatas only 100% Retro Station.
Tune into Arvind's Kitchen every Wednesdays and Fridays between 3 -4 pm to listen to members of Kolkata Food Bloggers share their food stories!

Flavours of Rajasthan - Aloo Mangodi Sabzi

Today I am talking about Rajasthan. When we think of Rajasthan we think of its colours , its vibrancy and its spicy awesome food. I have had the privilege of visiting Jaipur a couple of times and it is a food lovers paradise. If you love  spunk in your food you will love their cuisine. Think of all the tummy chaats,papdis,kachauris,parathas, and the famous bikaneri bhujiya. I love dunking some tomato ketchup in my bowl of bhujia - try it sometimes its heavenly! Traditionally its mostly vegetarian cuisine with dishes like gatte ki sabzi,dal-baati-churma,ker-sangri ki sabzi and all that but there's a certain section of Rajasthanis who love their meat. I mean we all know of the legendary 'Laal Maans' - mutton cooked in a fiery red chili gravy.It also has a version made with curd 'Safed Maans'.But today's recipe doesn't involve any meat...I have decided to share a very everyday dish of their cuisine , something that we all can rustle up in our kitchens, with ingredients easily available. Aloo Mangodi Sabzi simply put is a  side dish made with moong dal fritters.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2 medium (parboiled and cut into cubes)

Moong Dal ( split green gram) - 1 cup (soaked in water for 1 hour)

Saunf(fennel seeds) - 1 tsp

Amchur powder(dry mango powder) - 2 tbsp

Crushed pepper corns - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1tsp + 1 tsp

Besan(chick pea flour) - 4 tbsp

Dried red chillies - 8-10 nos ( adjust according to your taste)

Hing(asafoetida) - a pinch

Oil - 1 tbsp + some for frying the mangodis

Jeera seeds(cumin) - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp 

Method:

Our first task is to prepare the mangodis - moong dal fritters. For that strain the moong dal and transfer into a mixer jar. Add saunf,crushed pepper,1 tsp red chilli powder and salt and grind it into a paste.
Transfer the mix into a bowl , add the besan and mix well.
Add some refined oil in a nonstick pan. Once the oil heats up , drop little dumplings of the moong dal batter into the hot oil. Make little fritters in batches and drain into a kitchen towel.

Keep the mangodis aside. Now lets prepare the base of the dish.
In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil and splutter the red chillies,hing,jeera seeds
and fry a little. Add the potatoes and cook for 6-8 mins.

Next add the ginger paste and saute for another 2 mins.Lower the heat and add coriander powder,turmeric,amchur,1 tsp red chilli powder and salt. Mix well. If required add a few tbsps of water and cook the masala well.
Lastly add the mangodis and serve hot with dal and rice.

Variations:For the health conscious instead of frying the fritters one could make it in the oven too. Just line a baking tin with some parchment paper , line the moong dal batter in little roundels and bake in the oven till light brown in colour.


This recipe has been featured on Arvind's Kitchen on 94.3 Radio One #Kolkatas only 100% Retro Station.
Tune into Arvind's Kitchen every Wednesdays and Fridays between 3 -4 pm to listen to members of Kolkata Food Bloggers share their food stories!