Chef Ananya Banerjee shares two recipes form her pop up menu at LMNO_Q

With gluttony in our genes, Bengalis need no special occasion to whip up a delicious recipe or two. Be it a weekend party at home, or a potluck at a friend’s, making something quick yet loaded with flavours and aroma is always on our mind. A Bengali by heart, Mumbai-based chef Ananya Banerjee is no exception either. A globetrotting chef, painter, lawyer by education and a social influencer by her work. Banerjee is a culinary expert with a twist. With the culinary skills she has gathered from her travels around the world, she has authored two highly popular cookbooks, Planet Global — 100 most popular global recipes and Bangla Gastronomy — The Journey of Bengali Food. And the expert was here in Kolkata to curate a Noboborsho special pop-up menu at LMNO-Q. She shares the recipes for two dishes that were a part of the menu, for our readers. “Keeping the flavours intact, I have tweaked the recipes here and there a bit, presenting them in a way that can be paired very well with cocktails. They are great conversation starters,” says Banerjee about the two recipes she shared with us.

Mocha (Banana Flower) Finger

Ingredients

1 cup of finely chopped, boiled mocha | 1 tbsp mustard oil | 1 tsp ghee | 1-2 bay leaves | 1 tbsp cashews | 1 tbsp raisins | 1 tsp ginger paste | 1 tbsp coconut slivers | ¼ tsp turmeric | ¼ tsp cumin powder | ¼ tsp red chilli powder | ¼ tsp garam masala powder | ½ tbsp green chillies chopped | Salt to taste | 1 tsp sugar | 2 tbsp cornstarch and flour slurry | 1 cup bread crumbs

Method

■ Heat mustard oil and add chopped mocha along with whole jeera and bay leaf.

■ Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and mix well.

■ Add salt and sugar.

■ Add chopped coconut and raisins sauteed in ghee along with garam masala powder in the mixture and mix well. The filling is ready.

■ Now make a slurry with cornflour and flour.

■ Dip the finger-sized mocha fingers in cornflour slurry and coat them with bread crumbs.

■ Deep fry the mocha fingers in hot oil.

■ Serve with a dip made with raw mangoes, green chilli paste, garlic, salt, sugar, and mustard oil.

Chhana Narkel Patapora

Ingredients

1 cup chhena | 1 tbsp mustard paste | 1 tbsp coconut grated | 1 tbsp finely chopped cashews | Salt as per taste | Sugar as per taste | 3-4 tbsp Mustard oil | 8-10 pumpkin leaves steamed/ blanched | 1 tbsp raw mango paste

Method

■ Take pumpkin leaves, steam and keep aside.

■ Make chhena and drain out the excess water by hanging it in a muslin cloth.

■ Mash the chhena well with mustard paste, raw mango paste, sugar, salt, grated coconut and finely chopped cashews.

■ Make small cakes like paturi and wrap them with pumpkin leaves with fresh green chillies and mustard oil.

■ Pan fry and serve hot.