Durga Puja is a time when Bengalis like to eat all the traditional cuisines, which they would otherwise avoid on a busy day. Indulge brings you two such traditional yet simple recipes ideal for a Puja day -- Bengali Cholar Dal and Shorshe Posto Machh. Both the recipes have been shared by home chef and popular food blogger Debjani Chatterjee Alam.
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Cholar Dal
Bengali Cholar Dal is a very popular, no onion no garlic, thick lentil soup and goes very well with fluffy luchis.
Ingredients:
Cholar dal / split Bengal gram: 150 gm (1 cup)
Coconut: Half cup (chopped)
Cashew nut: 25 gm
Raisin: 25 gm
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Mustard oil: 1 tbsp.
Ginger paste: 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp.
Asafoetida: ½ tsp.
Cumin powder: 1 tsp.
Bengali garam masala powder: ½ tsp
Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar: 1 tbsp.
Dry red chilli: one
Bay leaf: one
An inch-long cinnamon stick
One black cardamom
Green cardamom: 2-3
Cumin Seed: ½ tsp.
Method:
Pressure cook chholar daal along with turmeric powder and salt with the vent weight on over low flame and cook till four whistles come out. Switch the flame off and open the lid when the pressure drops completely. Heat oil and fry coconut chunks, cashew nuts, and raisins in it. Add half of the ghee to the remaining oil and temper with dry red chilli, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamom, and cumin seed followed by asafoetida.
Add ginger paste and cook on low flame. Add one or two tbsp of water and keep cooking till the oil comes out from the mixture and add rest of the turmeric powder, red chili powder, ½ of the cumin powder, ½ of the garam masala powder and sugar and mix thoroughly.
Add cooked daal along with the water. Now, add fried coconut, cashew nut, and raisins. Adjust the salt and by covering the pan cook for around 5 minutes on low flame. Finish the daal with rest of the ghee and garam masala powder. Dry roast remaining cumin powder and add it to the daal.
Shorshe Posto Machh
Both shorshe (mustard seeds) and posto (poppy seeds) are widely used in Bengali cuisine and not to mention fish as well. Shorshe Posto Maach is a quintessential Bengali delicacy served with hot steamed rice.
Ingredients:
Fish chunks (preferably rohu or katla): Five pieces
Black mustard seed: 1 tbsp.
White mustard seeds: 1 tbsp.
Poppy seeds: 2 tbsp.
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp.
Green chilli: Four
Nigella seed: 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Salt: 1 tsp.
Mustard oil: 4 tbsp.
Method:
Wash fish chunks and marinade with half of the turmeric powder and salt. Soak mustard seeds and poppy seeds in lukewarm water for 15 minutes and make a smooth paste of it along with a green chilli. Add two cups of water and strain the mixture and discard the husk. Heat oil and deep fry fish chunks. Temper remaining oil with Nigella seed. Add green chilli and tomato paste and cook till oil comes out from the side. Add diluted poppy seed and mustard paste followed by turmeric powder, salt, and green chilli powder. Add fried fish and bring it to boil. Switch off the flame once the desired consistency is reached.
Serve Shorshe Posto Maach with steamed rice.
About the author: Debjani Chatterjee Alam, is a quintessential foodie whose blog, Debjanir Rannaghar (kitchenofdebjani.com), has about 70-80 thousand visitors each month, counting among the top food blogs in the country. A busy financial analyst, the mom of a five-year-old daughter, loves to cook Bengali food for friends and family, whenever she gets free time.