A hearty Bengali meal

It's Durga Pujo. And you would like to cook something special?

Try one of these interesting recipes:

Khichuri

Ingredients

1 cup rice
1 cup masoor dal
2-3 tbsp ghee
4 tsp butter
2 dry red and green chillies, each
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp fenugreek or methi seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric or haldi
1 cup cauliflower, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup green peas
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger
Salt

Method

Soak the rice and masoor dal in water for an hour. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add methi, red chilly, bay leaves and ginger. Stir and fry.

Add all the vegetables, onion and green chilly and stir for 7 to 10 minutes. Add rice, masoor dal, salt and haldi powder. Add 4 cups of water. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Take of the heat and serve hot with a dollop of butter.

Remember: Rice and dal should be in 1:1 ratio. You can use other veggies (bean, cabbage etc).

Chingrir Malai Curry

Ingredients

10-12 medium-sized prawns
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp onion paste
11/2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tbsp turmeric or haldi powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt

Method

Wash the prawns and pat dry. Sprinkle salt and haldi powder. Heat oil in a pan and fry prawn until golden. Take off heat and keep aside. Add 2 bay leaves in the remaining oil. Put in the onion, ginger and garlic paste. Add the tomato puree, chilly, powder, salt and sugar. Toss and cook the mixture till the oil begins to separate.

Now put in the fried prawns and mix. Slowly pour in coconut milk and half cup water. Bring to boil on low heat. When the curry thickens, put in the ghee and the garam masala. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Mochar Ghonto

Ingredients

1 banana flower or mocha
2 potatoes
1tsp cumin or jeera seeds
1 red chilly
1 tbsp turmeric or haldi powder
1/2 a coconut: half
4 tsbp Bengal gram
4-5 tbsp mustard oil
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt
3 tsp ground cardamom, clove and cinnamon

Method

Cut the florets into pieces and soak in water. Pressure cooker with salt and haldi for one whistle. Drain and make a paste. Fry the diced potatoes. Now heat oil and fry jeera, 1 red chilly, 1 bay leaf, garam masala and sugar. Add potatoes.

Mix the mocha (now in a paste) with it and cook for 7 minutes. Serve with ghee and coconut garnishing.