Noodles Omelet

Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
1 Packet Dired Noodles (Approx. 75 gms)
4 Eggs
½ Green Capsicum
½ Red Capsicum*
½ Yellow Capsicum*
1 Small Onion
½ cup Shrimps
¼ cup Diced Bacon**
½ tsp Pepper Powder
20 gms Cheese
½ tsp Pepper Powder
1 Green Chilli
1 tsp Vinegar
6 tbsp Oil
Salt to Taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the noodles in water with salt till just done. Drain out water and mix about a tbsp of oil to avoid the noodles sticking to each other.
   
2. Dice the onions and the capsicum into small cubes.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan. Use a pan which is approx. 8” in diameter.
4. Add the shrimps and sauté till lightly fried. Add the bacon and fry for a little longer.
5. Take them out and leave aside.
6. Now add 4 tbsp of the oil and add the onion. Allow the onions to get fried for about a minute before adding the capsicums.
   
7. Finely chop the green chilli and add them as well.
8. Fry till the capsicums have softened a little.
   
9. Now add the shrimps and bacon back into the pan.
   
10. Add the pepper, vinegar and a little salt.
11. Mix in the noodles.
12. Add the remaining oil along the sides of the pan.
13. Beat the eggs and pour on the noodles.
14. Cover and cook on low to medium heat until the eggs are done.
15. Remove from heat. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the omelet.
16. Put the pan inside an oven and grill the top till the cheese is melted and browned.***Let the omelet cool a little. Now carefully, with a flat ladle, take out the omelet onto a plate and divide into 4 equal portions and serve hot.

NOTES
*Add green capsicums only if you do not have red and yellow ones at home.
** Optional.
*** If you can’t put the whole pan inside the oven, using a flat ladle, carefully take out the omelet from the pan onto a foil and then grill it.

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Chicken Kadam

This is to my father, who himself is an ardent cook and a connoisseur of food. He picked up this recipe half way from a cook show and developed it to suit his taste. The name also has been coined by him!

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 1 hr | Cook Time: 10 mins| Yield: 12 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
150 gms Minced Chicken
½ cup Rice*
1” piece of Ginger
1 Green Chilli
Salt to Taste
1 tsp Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and soak the rice for about an hour.
2. Finely chop the ginger. Should make about 1½ tbsp chopped ginger.
3. Finely chop the green chilli.
4. Drain out the rice and take it on a plate. Ensure there is no excess water in the rice.
5. Mix the ginger and the chilli with the chicken adding salt according to taste. Divide into 12 portions and make them into balls. The balls might tend to be a bit sticky at this stage. If unmanageable, apply a little oil on your palms.
6. Roll the chicken balls on to the rice and cover it well with the rice.
   
   
   
7. Now steam the balls in a covered container. Or just make sure that water doesn’t reach the chicken balls while they are getting steamed.
   
8. Do smear the oil in the container before placing them.
   
9. If cooked in a pressure cooker it should take about 10 mins to be done (first on high, then on medium). Or steam them until done.
   
10. Serve hot as a starter or snacks.

NOTES
*Ideally use fine, small grained rice.

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Cheesy Grilled Mushrooms

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 8 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
8 Medium Button Mushrooms
4 Cheese Slices
2 tbsp Boiled Peas
2 tbsp Boiled Corn
4 tbsp Diced Bacon*
1 tsp Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and clean well and leave them aside.
2. Heat a pan and add the bacon. Fry them a little in their own fat.
3. Once the bacon is slightly brown, remove from heat and mix the peas and the corns.
4. Divide into 8 equal portions
5. Cut the cheese slices into halves.
   
6. Take a mushroom, and place it upside down. Now place a piece of cheese slice and then a portion of the bacon mixture on top. Press this in a little and seal it up with the cheese slice itself. Repeat for the rest.
   
   
   
7. Heat a griller or pan and smear the oil.
   
8. Grill the bottoms mushrooms for 5-7 mins on medium. Now place it in an oven and grill the top until they are browned. **

NOTES
*Optional. You can also use shredded chicken instead.
** I prefer not to bake the mushrooms in an oven as they become slightly too soft by the time the browning is done.

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Baati Chochchori

You need not be a typical Bengali to love this recipe. Provided one doesn’t have allergies from shrimps, any food lover would fall for this one!! This simple and mouth-watering recipe is thanks to my sister-in-law, from whom I have picked it up in the first place.

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Jhinge (Ridge Gourd)
1 Medium Potato
1 Medium Onion
1 Large Tomato
½ cup Shrimps (shelled)
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ tsp Chilli Powder
2 Green Chilli*
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Peal the jhinge and the potato and cut them into 2” long and ½” thick pieces.
   
2. Thickly slice the tomatoes and the onion.
   
3. Break the green chillies into 2-3 pieces each.
4. Take a pan and mix all the ingredients together.
   
   
5. Cover and place the pan on low heat. Cook for about 15 – 20 mins or until the potatoes are done.
6. Now uncover and cook on high until the vegetables get slightly mashed and the excess water evaporates fully.
7. Check seasoning and remove from heat.
8. Serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTES
*Add according to taste.

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Wurst Curry

My first taste of ‘wurst curry’ was at an almost deserted railway station in Germany at the middle of the night. It was past 11.30 p.m. and we had reached Nuremberg, Germany, waiting at the station extremely hungry for our next connecting train. The only shop open were two small food stalls outside the station…one selling ‘kebab’ and the other ‘wurst curry’! My husband and I, decided to go for the latter as we always have been adventurous about food and love trying out new things. And till date, we have not regretted our choice that day.

We even thought that may be our hunger pangs made us love it so much…but we have tried our way of making it at home and it still tastes delicious. Hence now, this is a very fast and yummy dinner we often have in our household. Actually, this is something I tried to replicate of what I had, but you can try any kind of sauce and gravy…..just give it a try! It’s a big yes especially for kids and sausage lovers!!

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins| Yield: 2-3 Servings

INGREDIENTS
250 gms Sausages (Pork/Chicken)*
1/2 Large Capsicum
1 Medium Carrot
1 medium Potato
2 tsp Barbecue Sauce
1 tsp Red Curry Paste
1 tsp Green Curry Paste
3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the sausages into 1” thick pieces.
   
2. Dice the capsicum.
   
3. Slice the potatoes and the carrots into little thick discs.
4. Heat the oil in a pan and add the sausages.
   
5. Fry them for about a minute and then ass the rest of the vegetables.
6. Continue to fry them together until they are lightly fried.
   
7. Now add all the other ingredients and stir for another minute.
   
8. Now add water (approx. 2 cups) and bring it to a boil.
9. Simmer and cook until the carrots and potatoes are cooked and the gravy is of a nice thick consistency.**
10. Check the seasoning and remove from heat.
11. Serve hot with warm buns or French fries/mashed potato or maybe even with rice.
    

NOTES
*I used the thicker variety of sausages, but you can use anything that’s available. Also the pork ones taste better in this preparation.
** You may need to uncover and cook on high heat until the gravy is thick. This will depend on the quantity of water you have added and also on your taste and preference.

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Potato and spring onion hash with fried eggs

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 3 Servings

INGREDIENTS
3 Eggs
3 Stalks Spring Onion
1 Medium Potato
¼ tsp Pepper
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the spring onions into 2” pieces.
2. Peal and dice the potatoes. Dice them into small sizes, about ¼” cubes.
3. Heat oil in a pan (ideally a non-stick pan) and add the potatoes.
4. Stir and fry until they are half cooked.
5. Now add the spring onions and a little salt.
   
6. Stir for another minute or two.
7. Now divide the vegetables into 3 segments, keeping a gap in between for you to drop the egg.
   
8. Break one egg at a time and drop them into the empty space. Repeat for all the eggs.
9. Now sprinkle some more salt and the pepper.
10. Cover the lid and cook on low heat until the yolk is fully done.
    
11. For browning the top, put the pan into the grill and grill it till you get a nice golden brown colour on top.*
12. Now serve with toasts for breakfast. Each portion should have one egg along with some of the spring onions and potatoes.

NOTES
*You can avoid this step. Like, in the picture I did not grill it as I did not have a large oven to do the same.

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Methi Fish

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 6-8 Servings

INGREDIENTS
500-600 gms Fish (12 pieces)
1 Large Onion
½ tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Ginger Paste
2 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder*
½ cup Yogurt**
1 tsp Kasoori Methi
¼ tsp Methi Whole
¼ tsp Garam Masala Powder***
6 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the fishes. Add about 1½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder and mix well. Marinate the fish aside for about 15 mins.
2. In the meanwhile make a paste of the onions.
3. Once the fishes are marinated, heat about 4 tbsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the fishes.
4. Leave them aside.
5. Add the remaining oil into the pan.
6. Add the whole methi and then the oinion paste. Add the onions immediately after the methi. In case the methi gets burnt the whole preparation might get a bitter taste.
   
7. Fry the oinions till they are dark brown in colour.
8. Add the ginger and the garlic paste and fry for another minute or so.
9. Now add the coriander, red chilli and the remaining tumeric powder. Add a little water along with these.
10. Also add some salt at this stage.
11. Fry till oil separates, then add some more water again. Repeat till the water has evaporated once more.
    
12. Now add the yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is smooth before adding. Whip it if necessary.
    
13. Stir and simmer for a minute or so.
    
14. Again add about ½ cup water and add the fishes to the gravy.
15. Cover with a lid and on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.
16. Uncover and add the kasoori methi and the garam masala powder.
17. Stir and check seasoning.
    
18. Dry up the excess water, if any, at this stage by increasing the heat. The gravy should be of a thick consistency, not too dry and not too liquidy.
19. Remove from heat and serve with plain rice, jeera rice or peas pulao.

NOTES
* Add as per taste.
** If the yogurt is too sour, add ¼ cup.
*** Garam Masala includes equal proportion of cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon grinded together

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Prawn Malai Curry

My husband not only is a big connoisseur of food, he’s a great cook himself! Well, over the years he’s gone from being a good to an excellent cook. This prawn preparation is a very famous Bengali prawn preparation, but normally the way I cook is a little different than this recipe. Well, the fact is, this is my husband’s way of making this preparation. I would love to share this recipe with you all as it tastes great….may be even better than the one I normally make! :)

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins| Yield: 4-5 Servings

INGREDIENTS
24 Medium Prawns
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Cup Milk
1½ Medium Onion
1 tsp Ginger Paste
4 Green Chillies*
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Kasmiri Red Chili Powder**
2 Bay Leaves
2 Whole Cardamoms
½” Cinnamon Stick
4 Whole Cloves
2 Dry Red Chilli
4 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
1 tsp Sugar
Coriander Leaves (for garnishing)
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the shells of prawn, leaving the tails intact. De-vein them and clean thoroughly.
   
2. Make a paste of the onion and leave it aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry the prawns lightly. The prawns would now be red in colour.
4. Leave them aside.
5. Heat the rest of the ghee.
   
6. Add the bay leaves, dry red chillies, cardamoms, cinnamon and the cloves. Stir for a few seconds till they slightly change in colour.
7. Add the onion paste and fry till light brown in colour.
   
8. Now add the ginger paste and fry for another minute or so.
9. Now add the powdered masala and a little water. Fry for a while till the water evaporates and then add little more water again. Again, keep frying till the oil separates.
   
10. Now add the coconut milk and the milk.
    
11. Bring this to a boil and add the sugar and the salt as per taste.
12. Add the prawns and the green chillies after making a slit in them.
    
13. Simmer and cook will the prawns are cooked and the gravy has a nice thick creamy texture.
    
14. Before serving remove the whole spices from the gravy and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
15. Serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTES
* Add as per taste.
** Kashmiri red chilli powder is not too hot but it gives the gravy a nice red colour.

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Murgir Jhol

Bengali Chicken Curry



Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins| Yield: 5-6 Servings

INGREDIENTS
800 gms Chicken (Medium Pieces)
2 Medium Potatoes
1 Large Onion
1½ Medium Tomato
1 tsp Ginger Paste
½ tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Coriander Powder
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder*
1 Bay Leaf
2-3 Green Chillies**
4 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the chicken.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves.
3. Make a paste of the onion, or, you may also finely slice them.
4. Chop the tomatoes.
   
5. Heat oil in a big pan or a pressure cooker.
6. Golden fry the potatoes and leave them aside.
7. To the same oil add the bay leaf and then the onions.
   
8. Fry till the onions are almost dark brown in colour.
9. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for about another minute.
10. Add the coriander, turmeric and red chilli powder and about ¼ cup of water.
11. Stir and fry the masala adding a bit of water from time to time. As soon as oil starts to separate add a little water.
    
12. Now add the tomatoes and a little salt. Cook with the masala for about a min.
13. Add the chicken and on medium heat cook it stirring occasionally. Do not add water so that chicken pieces get slightly fried in the process.
    
14. After another 4-5 mins add about 2 cups of water.
    
15. Stir, add the green chillies. You may make a slit in them if you would like a little hot gravy.
16. Add the fried potatoes as well.
    
17. Cover with lid and simmer until the chicken is soft and well done. Also ensure the potatoes are cooked. You may also pressure cook it, but make sure not to over cook as chicken and potatoes cook very quickly in a pressure cooker.
18. Check seasoning and the salt.
19. Serve hot with steaming hot rice. It’s lovely to have some very hot rice with some even more hot murgir jhol!

NOTES
* I used Kashmiri red chilli powder here, as it would give me a nice red coloured gravy without making it very hot.
** Optional

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Stuffed Pomfret

Difficulty: Difficult | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins| Yield: 4-6 Servings

INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Pomfrets (300-400 gms each)
100 gms of Coriander Leaves
4 tbsp Grated Coconut
2 Green Chillies*
2 Medium Pods of Garlic (1½ tsp Paste)
2 small Lemons
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean the pomfret without cutting it.
   
2. Now we need to make a slit in the pomfrets very delicately from just below the head.
3. The incision has to be made lengthwise and right above the bones. That is, the bottom part of the flesh would remain attached to the bone and the top part separated from the bones. The incision should be deep enough to reach the stomach cavity and also cover the whole fish till the tail. But please be careful so as not to make a slit through and cut the stomach as well! Also note that only one such slit is required, i.e., you should not repeat the same for the other side of the fish as well.
   
4. Once you make the slits for both the pomfrets, apply the juice of the lemons and about 2tsp of salt to the pomfrets. Leave aside for about 10-15 mins.
5. Now wash and clean the coriander leaves. Remove mostly all the stems, leaving the tender ones with the leaves.
   
6. Make a smooth paste of the coriander leaves along with the coconut, chillies and the garlic. Add as little water as possible so that the filling is not at all liquidy.
   
7. Now divide the filling into two and stuff the mixture into the slits of the fishes. Stuff in as much of the filling as possible even though some of it might tend to come out with a little pressure. It'll only ensure you have a tastier preparation! :)
   
8. Now heat a non-stick frying pan (or tava) and smear ½ tbsp of oil.
9. Now place one of the pomfret and cook on medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes.
10. Gently flip it over and cook the other side as well. Repeat the procedure for the other one as well. You may also use the oven for cooking the pomfrets. Use your oven settings accordingly, just remember pomfrets cook very easily. Whichever the mode used, grill or bake, make sure they are cooked and nicely browned on both sides.
11. Serve hot with any suitable accompaniments of your choice.

NOTES
*This is normally good to taste if the filling is a little hot, but you can adjust as per your preference.

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Poached Egg Curry

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins| Yield: 2-4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
4 Eggs
½ Medium Onion
2 tbsp Poppy Seed Paste (Posto/Khas khas)
6-7 Cashew Nuts**
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup*
1 Medium Pod Garlic (½ tsp paste)
½ tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder***
3 tbsp Oil
Salt to Taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely slice the onion.
2. Make a paste of the poppy seed paste, cashew nuts, tomato ketchup, garlic and the cumin powder.
3. Heat the oil in a pan.
4. Add the onions and fry til they turn translucent in colour.
   
5. Now add the paste mixture, red cillie powder and the salt according to taste.
6. Cook it for a while on medium heat.
   
7. Once oil starts separating, add about a cup of water.
   
8. Simmer and bring the gravy to a boil.
9. Now carefully break the eggs and drop them raw into the boiling gravy. Be very careful not to drop some pieces of shells inside as well.
10. Sprinkle a wee bit of salt on top of the yolks while its still soft. This will ensure that salt goes inside them.
    
11. Now cover and cook for 2-3 mins on medium or until the eggs are fully cooked.
12. The gravy should be thick in consistency, so adjust the water accordingly.
13. Also check seasoning and adjust to your taste.
14. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.

NOTES
*Adding ketchup gives a nice tangy but sweet and souring taste to the gravy. If you prefer you may instead use tomato puree which will not give you the sweet aftertaste.
** May omit this. Though this gives a creamy texture to the gravy. And ofcourse, it gives a better taste as well!
***Add according to taste.

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Maacher Kalia

A Bengali Fish Curry

Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
350 – 400 gms of Fish* (4-5 Pieces)
1 Small Onion
½ Medium Sized Tomato
½ tsp Ginger Paste
½ tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Dhania (Coriander) Powder
1 tsp Haldi (Turmeric) Powder
1 tsp Chillie Powder
2 Green chillies
1½ tbsp Curd
1 Pinch of Garam Masala Powder**
5-6 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the fish pieces and rub ½ tsp of haldi powder and 1 tsp of salt into the pieces and let them stand for about 30 mins.
2. In the meanwhile make a paste of the oninon, ginger and garlic separately. Also slice the tomatoes.
3. Now in a pan add about 3 tbsp of oil and lightly shallow fry the fish pieces. Take the pieces out and leave them aside.
4. Now add the remaining oil and add the onion paste. Fry the onions till it's colour turns dark brown.
   
5. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for a min. Add a little water.
6. Now add the dhania, haldi and chillie powder and again a little water. Stir and fry the masala. Once dry add a little water once more and fry the masala again. The frying of masala should be done 2-3 times adding a little water each time so that the masala cooks well and becomes a smooth paste.
7. Now add the curd and the tomatoes. Mix them well and add a little salt at this stage. The salt will help to soften the tomatoes quickly. Cook till oil starts separating.
8. Now add about a cup of water and then add the fish pieces. Slit the green chillies and add them as well. Season with salt according to your taste.
9. Cover a cook for 2-3 mins.
   
10. Remove cover, and cook on high flame till the excess water evaporates and oil stars to separate.
11. Now sprinkle a pinch of garam masala and remove the pan from the heat.
12. Garnish with some fresh green chillies and serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTES
* Generally, you can use any kind of fish which is big enough for cutting into big pieces. But ideally Carps are used for this preparation.
** Garam Masala Powder includes equal proportion of cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon grinded together.

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Mutton Korma

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 4-5 Serving

INGREDIENTS
650 gms Mutton/Lamd
1 large Onion
1½ cup Yogurt
1 tbsp Ginger Paste
10-12 Whole Black Peppers
3 Cardamom
4-5 Cloves
1" Cinnamon Stick
1 Dried Red Chilli
1 Tej Patta
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste
1½ tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the mutton pieces.
2. Make a paste of the onion.
3. In a bowl, take the mutton, onion paste, yogurt and the ginger paste. Mix well and marinate for about 20-30 mins.
4. Heat a pressure cooker* and add the oil and the ghee.
   
5. Add the red chilli, tej patta, cardamoms (make sure to split it beforehand), whole black peppers, and the cinamon stick (after breaking it to smaller pieces).
6. Once their colour changes and flavour starts to emit, take out the mutton piece from the marinade and add it to the cooker.
7. Now cook the mutton on medium heat till the pieces are dry and is very lightly fried.**
8. Now add the rest of the marinade, sugar and salt according to taste.
   
9. Cook till the gravy comes to a boil, add about ½ cup of water.
10. Pressure cook for about 15 mins or until done.*
11. Remove the cover of the cooker once cool, check the seasoning and adjust the salt and sugar according to your taste. If you wish to have even lesser amount of gravy, dry it up on high flame before adjusting the seasoning..

NOTES
*If you do not have a pressure cooker, follow the procedure in a normal heavy-bottomed pan. Cover and cook for about 30 mins instead or till the meat is soft.
**Please note that during this step, one should not fry the muttons too much. If the pieces become too brown or the masalas starts to stick at the bottom, then you'll not get the true colour of korma when finally done. You'll get a reddish coloured gravy, though the korma should be whitish once done.

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Shorshe Maach

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
4 Pieces Rohu/Bhetki/Illish
2 tbsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Green Chillies
1/8 tsp Kalonji (Black Cumin)*
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Red Chillie Powder
1 tsp Yogurt**
4 tbsp Mustard Oil***
Salt to taste.

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the pieces of fish.
2. Apply ¼ tsp of turmeric and about 1 tsp of salt to it. Leave it aside for 10-15 mins.
3. Wash the mustard seeds well. In a blender add a green chillie along with the mustard seeds and a little water. Blend it well to a smooth paste. When mustard is blended, at times it tends to become bitter. Adding the chillie will avoid this. But before using the paste always taste and ensure it is not too bitter before you use it in your cooking. Light bitterness may be there.
   
4. Heat oil and fry the fishes till lightly brown. Remove from pan and leave it aside.
5. In the same pan, add the kalonji and a green chilli (after making a slit in it).
6. Once the kalonji starts to splutter, add the mustard paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and about a little water.
7. Fry the masala till oil starts separating. Add salt and yogurt. Mix the yogurt well and continue stirring till the masala the water evaporates fully.
   
8. Now add about a cup of water and let it come to a boil.
9. Now add the fishes and cover and cook on medium heat for about 1-2 mins. The fishes should be done by then.
10. Uncover, add the remaining green chillie and, on high, let the excess water evaporate.
11. Once oil starts appearing on top, remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTES
*Has various other names as well
**Traditionally yogurt is not added, though this gives a nice taste to the gravy. You may do away with it also.
***Ideally mustard oil should be used to give the right taste and flavour. Nonetheless, use normal oil if you do not have mustard oil at home.

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Macaroni, Bacon and Mushroom in Cheese Sauce

Difficulty: Difficult | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 2-3 Servings

INGREDIENTS
50 gms Macaroni
100 gms Bacon
100 gms Mushrooms
1 Large Red Chilli
1 Large Pod of Garlic
½ tsp Dried Oregano
½ Pepper Powder
½ cup Mlilk
2 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

For the Cheese Sauce
50 gms Cheese
2 tbsp Flour
1½ tbsp Butter
1 cup Milk
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and put it on low heat.
2. Add the butter and let it melt.
3. Add the flour and stir it well so that the butter and the flour is mixed well with each other.
   
4. Now ensuring the heat is very low add about ¼ cup of milk and start stirring immediately. Stir continuously till you get to a very thick consistency and there are no lumps remaining. Now add another ¼ cup of milk and repeat the process, but this time the sauce would be a lightly lighter in consistency than before. Once again add the remaining milk and keep stirring constantly till you get a smooth white sauce without any lumps in it. If required you may take the pan away from the heat while stirring from time to time. In case the heat is too much the lumps will tend to form more easily.
5. Keep the heat very low and continue to stir occasionally.
6. Add about ½ tsp of salt.
7. Grate the cheese and add it to the sauce.
8. Let the cheese melt, remove from heat and leave it aside.
9. Cook the macaroni in a pan full of boiling water. Make sure that you let the water come to a boil before adding the macaroni and also add about 2 tsp of salt. Cook on medium heat till just done. Drain the water, wash the macaroni with cold water. Mix 1 tsp of oil and leave it aside.
10. Cut the garlic into juliennes, chop the chilli, with the ends cut diagonally.
11. Wash the mushrooms well and slice them.
    
12. Chop the bacons into small square pieces.
13. Heat a pan and melt the butter first.
14. Now add the mushrooms and garlics. Stir fry till the mushrooms are soft and lighly brown at the edges.
15. Add the bacon till the bacon is also fried a little.
16. Now add the macaroni and the red chillies.
17. Also add the pepper powder and oregano and about ½ tsp salt.
    
18. Saute' the macaroni with the other ingredients for about a minute.
19. Add the cheese sauce and the milk. Stir for a minute, check seasoning and remove from heat.

NOTES
*You may increase the quantity of these if you wish to make the fries spicier.

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Lamb Stew

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 3-4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
500 gms Lamb/Mutton
2 Medium Carrot
4 Small Potatoes*
1 Large Onion
¼ cup Corn**
1 tbsp Butter
½ tsp Pepper Powder
Salt to taste.

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the lamb pieces.
2. Peal and cut the potatoes into 4 pieces each.
   
3. Peal and cut the carrots into ½ inch thick circular discs.
4. Dice the onion into big pieces as well.
5. Heat a pressure cooker***, add the butter.
6. As the butter melts, add the potatoes, carrots and the onions.
7. Saute' for about 3-4 mins.
8. Add the lamb pieces, salt and the pepper. Stir well.
9. Add about 4 cups of water. Cover the lid and pressure cook for 15-20 mins until the meat in nice and soft.
10. Check seasoning ans serve with warm bread or even with rice or noodles.

NOTES
*In case a large size potato is used, cut them into 1” cube and take about 12-16 pieces.
**Optional
***Cook in a normal pan if you don't have a pressure cooker. Cook on low heat for about 45 mins.

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Dum Murg

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Yield: 3-4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
500 gms Chicken
4 tbsp Yogurt
1” Ginger
2 Large Pods of Garlic
½ tbsp Lemon Juice*
2 Bay Leaves
¼ tsp Pepper Powder
3 tbsp Coriander Leaves
2 Green Chillies
2 tsp Ghee**
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean the chicken and cut them into medium pieces.
2. Finely chop the ginger, garlic and the green chillies. The ginger should be about a tbsp full and the garlic 2 tbsp full.
3. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together except for the ghee.
   
4. Marinade the chicken for about 10 mins.
5. Now take a large piece of foil and apply 1 tsp of ghee on it.
   
6. Mix the other tsp of ghee with the chicken.
7. Wrap the chicken along with the marinade in the foil.
   
8. Steam this in a pressure cooker or a pan. Do not put the foil directly into the water.
9. Make sure to put it in a pressure cooker container or any other container with a lid.
10. It should take about 10 mins in a cooker or a little longer in a pan for the chicken to be nicely done and soft.
11. Remove the chicken into a serving bowl.
12. Now in case you find water from the chicken in the covered container, pour it into a pan and cook on high till the water almost dries up. Pour this over the chicken.
    Serve hot.

NOTES
*The quantity of lemon juice depends on how sour the yogurt is. You may add a little more according to your taste and the yogurt used.
**Can be replaced by butter or oil. If you wish, you may do away with it totally.

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Fish Tikia

Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins| Yield: 12 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
125 gms Rohu/Bhetki*
4 medium Potatoes
1 medium Onion
1 tsp Garlic Paste
2 Green Chillies
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Kasoori Methi**
2 tbsp Besan (Gram Flour)***
4½ tbsp Oil
Salt to Taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean and wash the fish.
2. Peal the potatoes and cut them into halves. (You make also remove the skin after boiling them)
3. Boil the fish and the potatoes with a little salt.
4. Take out all the fish bones and mash it well with the potatoes.
5. Slice the onions and chop the green chillies.
6. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.
7. Add the garlic paste and fry it along with the onions for another minute or so.
8. Now add the mashed fish and potatoes and the salt.
9. Cook for a while till it is a bit drier. Initially the mashed fish and potatoes would tend to stick to the bottom.Once cooked, it should now easily come off bottom of the pan.
10. Add the green chillies, garam masala powder and the kasoori methi.
11. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
12. Remove from heat and let it cool.
13. Divide this into 12 equal portions. Firstly, roll between your palms and then using slight pressure, flatten them into about 1½” discs. Repeat for the rest.
14. Roll these tikias on the gram flour.
15. Heat a frying pan and evenly spread the ½ tbsp oil on it.
16. Place the tikias and cook on high till they are light brown in colour at the bottom. Then flip them and cook the other side as well for couple of seconds.
    
17. Garnish with raw onions and green chillies and serve as snacks or starters.

NOTES
*You may use any other kind of fish which doesn't have too much bones (such as salmon).
**Replace with a pinch of methi powder, if you don't have kasoori methi. You may also do away with methi totally to get a slightly different flavour.
***Use normal flour if you don't have gram flour.

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Illish Bhape

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 5 mins | Yield: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS
6-8 Pieces of Illish [also known as Hilsa]
2 tbsp Mustard Seeds
4 tbsp Grated Coconut
5 tbsp Mustard Oil
6-8 Green chillies
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Red Chillie Powder
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Clean the illish pieces and marinate it with 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder. Leave aside for about 30 mins.
2. In the meanwhile, in a blender make a thick paste of the mustard seeds with 2 green chillies, adding water little by little. When mustard is blended, at times it tends to become bitter. Adding the chillie will avoid this. But before using the paste always taste and ensure it is not too bitter before you use it in your cooking.
   
3. Along with this paste, add the grated coconut and 3 tbsp of mustard oil, and blend it once more to make a smooth paste.
4. Mix the turmeric powder, chillie powder and a salt according to taste. Remember that enough salt has been mixed with the fishes already. Nevertheless, this paste should have salt slightly on the higher side as this preparation is a dry one and it would be fine when served with plain rice.
5. Now take a stainless steel bowl with lid. Smear another tbsp of mustard oil insde the bowl.
6. Mix the fishes in the mustard coconut paste and one by one arrange them into the bowl. Place a few green chillies on the top.
7. Cover with the lid and pressure cook this for about 2 mins on high and 3 mins on low heat. Make sure that the lid is a tight fit and water doesn't get into the bowl from the bottom of the cooker.
   
8. You may steam this otherwise as well. Or arrange the fishes in a micrwave safe bowl and mico cook it for 6-7 minutes.
   
9. Once cooked add another tbsp of mustard oil on top of the fishes and garnish with a few more fresh green chillies.
10. Serve with plain steaming rice.

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Coconut Prawns in Coriander Rice

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 30-40 mins | Yield: 2 servings

This simple and light recipe serves as a one item meal, ideal for dinner. One may also serve it as separate dishes with some accompaniments.

For the Prawns:

INGREDIENTS
10-12 Prawns*
½ cup Shrimps*
½ large Capsicum
1½ cups Coconut Milk (Thick)
2 large Garlic Pods
½ Lemon
¼ tsp Red Chillie Powder
2 tbsp Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the shells of the prawns, keeping its tails intact. De-vein and clean them well.
   
2. De-vein and clean the shrimps as well. The shells should be removed fully in this case.
3. Thinly slice the capsicum and grate the garlics.
4. Marinate the prawns and the shrimps with the garlic and the juice of the lemon for 5-10 mins.
5. In a pan heat the oil and add the marinated prawns and shrimps. Cook on hig flame till water evaporates.
6. Add the capsicums and fry for a while till the capsicums softens.
7. Now add the coconut milk, chillie powder and a little salt according to taste.
8. Cook for a minute or two and remove from flame. If you use a light coconut milk then keep the heat on till you get a creamy gravy.
   

For the Rice:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Rice (Ideally Basmati Rice)
2 tbps Coriander Leaves**
3 tbsp Butter
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the rice and put it in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Add 4 cups of water.
3. Now add the turmeric powder, butter, coriander leaves and salt (about 2 tsp).
4. Cook it for 20 mins. Once done, stir the rice lightly with a fork.
5. To cook in a pressure cooker, melt the butter in the cooker, add the turmeric powder.
6. Then add the rice and the salt. Cook till the water eveporates and the rice is lightly fried. Add water as required depending on the type of rice used. Cook till done. Stir in the coriander leaves once the rice is cooked.

How to Serve

Now take a full plate and arrange half the rice in the shape of a Donut. Pour half of the prawn preparation. Repeat with another plate.

NOTES
*You may use only Prawns. In that case use around 18-20 of them
**The rice can be made without coriander leaves as well. Simple buttered rice also gives a lovely taste.

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