What's Poila Baisakh without new clothes, binge eating and evening soirées? But due to the virus-imposed lockdown, none of these will be an option this year. Nonetheless, you can always make the most out of this special day at home by cooking a sumptuous true-blue Bengali style meal for yourself. Chef Prakash Chettiyar, executive chef of JW Marriott Kolkata, shares easy-to-make recipes for three ever-popular Bengali dishes to brighten up the mood.
ALOO JHINGE POSTO
Ingredients:
Potatoes peeled dice - 250 gm | Ritz gourd dice - 250 gm | Chopped ginger - 30 gm | Chopped onion - 70 gm | Poppy seeds - 200 gm | Mustard oil - 50 ml | Nigella seeds - 10 gm |Green chillies - 10 gm | Turmeric powder - 8 gm | Salt to taste
Method:
● Soak the poppy seeds in a bowl of hot water for two hours. Make sure the water covers all the poppy seeds. ● Make a fine paste. ● Heat the oil in a heavy bottom saucepan, over a medium flame. ● Add the nigella (kalonji) seeds, ginger chopped, onion chopped and green chillies. ● Fry for a few seconds. Add the potato and cook until the potato dice gets soft. Now add ridged gourd dice. ● Mix well and cook for five minutes. ● Add the turmeric powder and salt, stir well. ● Put the lid on and continue to fry for further five minutes. ● Stir and add the poppy seed paste, making sure it coats all the potato pieces. Cook until 15 minutes. ● Add the water and check the seasoning to taste. ● Serve hot with basanti pulao and garnish with green chilli slice.
BASANTI PULAO
Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 400 gm | Water - 800 ml | Cashew nuts - 50 gm | Raisins - 50 gm | Cardamom powder - 10 gm | Saffron - 1 gm | Rosewater - 20 ml | Kewda water - 20 ml | Sugar - 20 gm | Salt to taste | Ghee - 100 ml
Method:
● Wash and clean the rice, and drain the water. ● Fry the raisins and cashews in heated ghee. Keep it aside. ● Take a thick bottom pan with a tight lid. Add the rice, ghee, salt, sugar, fried cashew nuts, raisins, rose water and kewda water. ● Stir gently to mix with the flavours. Add warm water along with saffron. ● When the water dries up and the rice is 85 per cent cooked, cover it with the tight lid and cook for another 5 minutes. ● Pour the rest of the ghee, mix gently and cover the pot. Turn off the flame. ● Serve Basanti Pulao hot.
KOSHA MANGSHO
Ingredients: Lamb/mutton curry cut - 1kg | Mustard oil - 50 ml | Whole garam masala - 30 gm | Onion - 300 gm | Ginger garlic paste - 50 gm | Coriander - 10 gm | Salt to taste | Garam masala powder - 10 gm | Red chilli powder - 50 gm | Tomato paste - 200 gm | Jharna ghee - 80 ml
Method:
● Clean and cut the lamb curry cut. ● Take a thick bottom kadai, add mustard oil. Heat, add whole spices and cook till it crackles. ● Add thin slices of onion and cook till nice golden colour, add ginger garlic paste, add lamb curry cut. ● Now add all the spices (turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt) and cook the lamb until it gets dry and the oil separates. ● Add tomato and cook for another five minutes. Now add water. ● Cook on slow flame until mutton gets very tender. ● Once the mutton is cooked, finish with jharna ghee and garam masala. ● The gravy should be thick. ● Garnish with chopped fresh coriander. ● Serve hot with pulao or luchi.
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