With festivities, come occasions when attending guests becomes a regular thing at your home. Even if not guests, your family members must be asking you to whip up some lip smacking snacks and main course recipes to make the festive days colours. Here we have food writer and recipe chronicler Debjani Chatterjee Alam sharing the recipes of Rupchand Maach-er Tawa Fry and Bhetki Batter Fry; and home chef and content creator Subhajit Bhattacharyya sharing the recipes of Moong Dal er jhuro and Thakurbarir Doi Chingri to make a grand lunch or dinner.
Rupchand Maach-er Tawa Fry
Ingredients:
Rupchand fish – 6 nos
Salt – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Tandoori masala – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Onion juice – 1 tbsp
Garlic juice – 1 tbsp
Ginger juice – 1 tbsp
Semolina – 100 gms
Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
Method
Rinse and pat dry the Rupchand fishes after cleaning them.
Marinate the fish in a mixture of salt, turmeric, chili powder, tandoori masala, lemon juice, onion juice, garlic juice and ginger juice for 15 minutes.
Coat the marinated fish in semolina mixed with 1 tsp salt.
Refrigerate the coated fish for 10 minutes.
Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the coated fish on medium heat, flipping each side for 2 minutes until light brown.
Fry the remaining fish in the same manner.
Serve the Rupchand fish fry as a starter with kasundi and salad.
Bhetki Batter Fry (Fish Butter Fry)
Ingredients:
Fish fillets (3 inch X 4 inch) – 10 pcs
Onion paste – 4 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Green chili paste – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 1/4 tsp
Salt
Garlic Powder – 2 tsp
Plain flour – 150 gms
Corn flour- 75 gms
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Fruit salt- 1 tsp
Egg – 1
Melted butter
Oil
Method:
Mix onion paste,ginger paste, garlic paste, green chili paste, lemon juice, black pepper powder, salt, and garlic powder.
Marinate the fish fillets in this mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In another bowl, combine plain flour and corn flour with garlic powder, black pepper powder, salt, baking powder, and fruit salt.
Whisk in an egg, and then gradually add chilled water until the batter reaches the right consistency - it should be slightly thick.
Let the batter rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, and then stir in melted butter. Allow the batter to rest for an additional 15 minutes before using.
Heat oil in a deep pan until it's at the right temperature for frying.
Coat the fish fillet generously with the batter and put the fish into the hot oil. After frying for 2 minutes, flip the fish and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Maintain a low heat to ensure even cooking. Fry for an extra minute, adjusting the time based on the preferred colour and crispiness. The fried fish should have a golden colour and a satisfying crunch.
Take the fish out of the oil and let any extra oil drain by placing it on a paper or kitchen towel.
Serve the hot fried fish with kasundi sauce.
Moong Dal er jhuro
Ingredients:
Moong dal- 250 gms
Green peas, boiled- 1 cup
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Whole cumin seeds- 1.5 tsps
Bay leaves- 3
Turmeric- 1.5 tsps
Dried red chilis- 3
Ghee- 2 tbsps
Garam masala powder- 1.5 tsps
Sugar- 4.5 tsps
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon of garlic paste
Mustard oil
Method:
Dry roast the moong dal, wash it well and boil it with optimal water so that the dal is thoroughly cooked and the water is dried up too.
Once the dal is cooked, put mustard oil and ghee in a kadhai, add dried red chilli, bay leaves and whole white cumin seeds.
Roast till the spices become fragrant and add the ginger paste to it. Cook till the raw smell goes away.
Add turmeric powder, a splash of water and keep cooking until the spice mix releases oil. Add the grated coconut and boiled peas to it.
Cook for 4-5 minutes and add the boiled moong dal to it, salt and 2.5 tsp sugar to it.
Once all comes together and is absolutely dry, add 2 tsp sugar, garam masala and ghee and mix well.
Have it with rice, or just have it separately as a dal er polau.
(Recipe inspired from Satarupa Bandyopadhyay)
Thakurbarir Doi Chingri
Ingredients
Medium-sized shrimps- 12-13
Curd- 750 gms
Sugar- 2 tsp
Slit chillis- 6-7
Salt- As per taste
Bay leaves- 2
Garam masala powder from 2-3 green cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 1” cardamom
Vegetable oil- 3-4 tbsps
Method:
In a bowl, take the curd and add a little more than a teaspoon of garam masala, a teaspoon of sugar, add salt to taste, and mix everything very well.
Add vegetable oil to a skillet and heat it well.
Once the oil is heated, add the bay leaves to it. Add the beaten curd, once the bay leaves change its colour.
Let the curd come to a boil, and then add clit green chillis to it.
At this stage, keep stirring the gravy and you’ll slowly see the colour of the gravy changing, and you will find oil separating from the curd and surfacing on the gravy.
Allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes and then add the shrimps, and just cook it for not more than 4-5 minutes.
Before finishing, do a taste test to check the seasonings and serve hot with pulao or plain steamed rice.
(Recipe inspired from Purnima Tagore)