They say the way to reach and win a person’s heart, mind, soul and memories is through the stomach. Four Kolkata food experts and chefs lay bare the stories of their favourite food recipes passed on by an inspiring woman in their lives.
Lessons from the Grandmother
Nayana Afroz, culinary expert and food consultant says, “My maternal grandmother used to be a fantastic cook. We used to look forward to her preparing this and felt overjoyed when it arrived on the table. The chitol muithhya served with steamed rice seemed so simple then, yet so unforgettable. I fondly remember her cooking and regret not having taken the opportunity to record the recipes. For her, cooking was like meditation; she put her heart and soul into it. My mom, who herself is a great cook, got this recipe from her mother and passed it on to me. I consider this and many other recipes as an inheritance indeed.
Chitol Muitthya (Featherback Fish Dumpling)
Ingredients
· Featherback fish backside: 1 kg
· Potato: 2
· Egg: 1
· Salt: 1 tsp
· Onion paste: 1+2 tsp
· Ginger paste: 1+1 tsp
· Garlic paste: 1+1 tsp
· Turmeric powder: 1½ tsp
· Approx 4 green chillies and 1 tsp raisins in a paste
· Freshly ground pepper: 1tsp
· Sugar: A pinch
· Freshly prepared garam masala powder: ½ tsp
· Yogurt: 2 tbsp
· Red chili powder: 1 tsp
· Bay leaves: 2-3
· Green cardamoms: 8
· Cloves: 5
· 2” cinnamon: 2 sticks
· Ghee
Method
· Take the fish and scoop out the flesh with the help of a spoon. Pick out the bones.
· In this pulp, mix one big mashed potato, egg, salt, one teaspoon each of onion ginger and garlic pastes, turmeric powder, the paste of green chillies and raisins, freshly ground pepper, sugar, and freshly prepared garam masala powder. Mix everything well and let it rest for half an hour.
· Now grease the palms of your hand, take some mixture in your hand and shape them into thick tikias/tikkis. Shallow fry them in oil. Let cool, cut them in halves and deep fry. They are now ready to be made into a curry.
· For the curry, cut the potatoes in fours, fry and keep aside. Make a paste of yogurt, 1 tsp each of turmeric and red chili powder.
· Now heat ghee and add bay leaves, green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. When the aroma comes, add two tablespoons of onion paste, 1 teaspoon each of ginger and garlic paste. Stir and mix well and add the yogurt paste.
· When oil separates add warm water, let it come to a boil and add fried potatoes and peas (optional).
· Let it cook covered for a while and when the potato starts to become tender add the fried fish dumplings. Let cook for 8 - 10 minutes.
· When the dumplings start absorbing the gravy, add a teaspoon of sugar, 5-6 green chillies, a pinch of garam masala powder and a dollop of ghee and switch off the flame.
A Love story to remember
Pritha Sen, Food historian and consultant recalls, “This is a very dear and coveted family dish that never fails to bring tears to our eyes each time one of us cooks it. The story goes that my Dadu (maternal grandfather) dragged his feet each morning when told to get fish. So, by the time he went, all that was left was fish of substandard quality and my Didima (maternal grandmother) would explode saying “Abar pocha maach enechey” (He’s bought rotten fish again.). This was post-partition and Dadu, I feel, was forced to cut corners because he had to support a large family of close and distant relatives who had been displaced from East Bengal. After Didima passed away, Dadu would have a faraway look in his eyes and tell his daughters: “Tomader Ma oi pocha maachh diye jaa kumror chhyanchra banato na, icchey korto roj i pocha maachh ani" (Your mother made such lipsmacking kumror chhyanchra with that fish, I used to feel like getting rotten fish every day!)”
"Pocha" maachher Kumror Chhyanchra (Pumpkin mish-mash with fish head and entrails)
· Rohu or Katla head, scraps, bones and entrails or any small fish with single bone
· Red sweet pumpkin: 300 gm
· Onions: 2 cups thinly sliced
· Garlic paste: 4 tbsp
· Turmeric: 2-3 tsp
· Red chilli powder: To taste
· Green cardamom: 3-4
· Cloves: 3-4
· Cinnamon: 2”
· Bay leaf: 2
· Fennel seeds: ½ tsp
· Green chillies: 5-6
· Mustard oil: 8 tbsp
· Salt
· Sugar to taste
Method
· Slice red pumpkin in thin slices.
· Apply turmeric and salt to the fish head and scraps and fry crisp and keep aside.
· Discard leftover oil.
· Heat rest of mustard oil and add whole garam masala and fennel seeds.
· Add one and a half cups of sliced onions.
· Fry till golden crisp and then add the garlic paste, turmeric and chilli powder.
· Keep frying on slow heat till all water has evaporated.
· Add the pumpkin slices and salt and fry till disintegrated.
· When the pumpkin is well mashed, add the fish and the rest of the sliced onions.
· Check for salt. You won’t need sugar if the pumpkin is sweet or else add sugar to taste.
· Keep frying to rich, oily consistency. Add lots of green chillies and fresh coriander.
Of memories and celebrations!
Urvika Kanoi, chef and owner, The Daily Café & Café Duco tells, “I learned this recipe from my Nani (maternal grandma). She taught me that it's food that can relay our love to our people. She used to love sharing recipes, which was her way of life; something I am very proud to have imbibed. After years, I finally got the courage to try out her recipes. They used to make me feel that she’s right here, directing me, tasting my food, and correcting it. Her recipes aren’t just recipes for me; they are a large part of who I am personally as well as a chef! This below-mentioned recipe was a winter special.”
Lal - Kaala Gaajar Pak
Ingredients
· Red carrot halwa of ½ kg carrot
· Black carrots: ½ kg
· Milk: 1 l
· Khoya: ½ cup
· Sugar: 1/4th - ½ cup
· Ghee: 1/4th cup
· Cardamom powder: A big pinch
Method
· Grate the carrots. Heat the milk, add the grated carrots, and cook until the carrots start to soften.
· Once softened, add the sugar.
· When the mixture comes together, crumble the khoya and add the ghee.
· Mix together and continue cooking.
· Add the cardamom powder, then transfer this mixture to a greased plate and let it cool.
· Spread warm red carrot halwa on top of cool black carrot mixture. Once set, cut into desired shapes.
· Garnish with pistachios and serve.
In her footsteps
Ishika Konar, Executive chef, Hyatt Regency Kolkata mentions, the lady whose recipes inspired her the most is, “ Abha Konar … not because she is my mother and like some old formulae, it is safest to put her name. But because my understanding of her is much better now and the realization that I am actually trying to be like her made me feel proudest ever. ‘Mayer hather ranna’ is enough to shake a professional chef. Maa used to grow beautiful Ranga Aloo (sweet potato) in our backyard and one day she came up with a Kadai full of “Ranga aloo r pantua”. The Konar family never looked back and the dish became our all-time favourite. Today, I explain the same as ‘Vegan pantua’.
Vegan Pantua
Ingredients
For the syrup
· 4 cups of water
· 2 cups of sugar
· 4 to 5 pods cardamom, bruised
For the sweet potatoes
· 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)
· 3 tablespoons rice flour
For the coconut filling
· 3/4 cup freshly grated coconut
· 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Finishing
· Oil for frying
· Slivered Almonds for garnishing
Method:
· Place the water, sugar and the cardamoms to boil in a heavy bottomed pot and boil for about 15 minutes until the syrup is fairly thick, about a 1/2 strand consistency. The syrup should gently coat the back of a spoon.
· While the syrup is cooking, pre-heat the oven and bake the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, alternately boil until just soft. Note, the sweet potatoes can be boiled or baked ahead of time.
· In a heavy bottomed pan, gently cook the coconut and sugar until fragrant and sticky. Cool and shape the mixture into 10 balls. This size is between that of a raisin and a grape. Note, as I mentioned before, this filling can be skipped if desired.
· Peel and mash the sweet potato with the rice flour and shape into larger balls, make a deep dent and stuff with the coconut filling and cover. Take care to completely seal the balls. When complete, place in the freezer for 10 minutes
· Heat the oil in a heavy wok, add the balls about 3 at a time and fry in a gentle even level on medium low heat. At first let it cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, and then keep turning to allow them to turn uniformly golden. This process will take some time, but do not rush it.
· When the balls are crisp and uniformly browned, drain them well and place in the syrup. Let them soak for at least 15 to 20 minutes for a light coating and up to 1 hours for a richer deeper sweetness.