Siblings might have their cars parked at bicker-town all year long, but come Bhai Phonta, it’s all about celebrating this unique bond and making the day a memorable one. If you are still wondering how to make this Bhai Phonta special for your sibling, remember that nothing beats scrumptious home-cooked dishes. So pull out your apron (and the chef’s hat to add some flair) and cook up a storm for this special day.
‘Petai porota’
Are you ready to wow your sibling on Bhai Phonta? Master the art of making petai porotas at home and surprise your brother or sister.
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour: 300 gm
- Ghee
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Take the flour in a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt to it. Make a dry mix
- Add lukewarm water and some ghee, and knead the flour into a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and allow the dough to rest for an hour
- Uncover and gently knead once more and divide into 4 parts
- Make balls from the dough and coat them in ghee or oil and cover. Let them rest for 20-30 minutes
- Now roll out each dough ball and make it as thin as possible. Once done, start pleating as one would pleat a sari. Roll from one corner to make a circular shape
- Brush some oil and let them rest for another 15-20 minutes
- Heat the tawa and cook each porota on low flame first and then on low to medium flame
- Add enough oil to fry the porota
- Once the porotas are all crispy and golden brown, remove them from the tawa and place them on a flat surface to do the petai part, which involves beating and slapping the parotas down. Once that’s done, tear them into pieces before serving
Beef malai kebabs
Representational photo Wikimedia Commons
If you are looking for a dish that pairs perfectly with petai porotas, then look no further than beef malai kebabs. Just add some lachha salad on the side and dig in!
Ingredients:
- Minced beef: 500gm
- Beresta or fried onion: 1 small cup
- Grated raw papaya: 2 tablespoons
- Ginger and garlic paste: 2 tablespoons
- Finely chopped green chillies: 2
- Roasted black pepper powder: 1 teaspoon
- Roasted whole dry red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
- Full fat cream: 4 tablespoons
- Egg: 1
- Flour: 2-3 tablespoons (Only if needed for binding)
- Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
- Salt
- Ghee
Recipe:
- Mix all the ingredients and leave aside for 30-40 minutes
- Give a preferred shape to the kebab
- Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and cook on low flame for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot with your petai porotas!
Mutton ‘kala bhuna’
Wikimedia Commons
No Bengali celebration feels complete without a heavenly mutton preparation. Then why leave it out on Bhai Phonta?
Ingredients:
- Mutton: 1kg
- Beresta: 1 cup
- Finely chopped onion: 1 large
- Ginger and garlic paste: 3 tablespoons
- Green chilli paste: 1 tablespoon
- Chilli paste with one small roasted tomato and two whole dry red chillies: 3 tablespoons
- Roasted garam masala powder: 1 tablespoon for marination, 1 for garnishing
- Whole garlic: 1 small
- Slit green chillies: 2-3
- Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
- Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
- Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tablespoon
- Strong liquor tea without salt: ½ cup
- Cumin and coriander paste: 2 tablespoons
- Bay leaf: 2 large
- Whole dry red chilli: 2
- Whole garam masala: 1 teaspoon
- Salt
- Sugar
- Mustard oil
- Ghee
Recipe:
- Marinate the mutton pieces with beresta, ginger and garlic paste, garam masala powder, green chilli paste, tomato and red chilli paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, cumin and coriander paste, salt and ghee. Keep it aside for a minimum of 2 hours and preferably, overnight
- Add mustard oil and ghee (70:30 ratio) in a kadhai or pressure cooker and heat well
- Add the bay leaves, whole dry red chillies and whole garam masala and sauté well
- Add chopped onions, a pinch of salt and sugar. Keep cooking until the onions are golden brown
- Add the mutton and the whole garlic and start cooking on low flame for about an hour. For the first 15 minutes, keep the kadhai or cooker uncovered and then put on a lid. If it is a pressure cooker, don’t lock the lid
- Once the mutton has cooked well and the spices have changed colour, add the liquor tea and cook for another 30 minutes on low flame
- Add about enough warm water to make the gravy and cook for another 30-40 minutes on a kadhai or until 2 whistles in the cooker
- Check the mutton and seasoning, add ghee and garam masala powder. Your mutton kala bhuna is ready!
Tip:
- Slow cooking on a kadhai, preferably an iron one, adds to the flavour and colour
Gulab jamun
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On happy days like Bhai Phonta, mishtimukh is essential. Give this sweet day the sweetest ending with homemade gulab jamuns.
Ingredients:
- Readymade gulab jamun mix: 1 packet
- Semi-thick sugar syrup: 1 large bowl
- Full fat milk: 1 cup
- Ghee
- Vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Follow the instructions at the back of the packet to make the gulab jamun dough. Add ghee while kneading the dough
- Rest the dough for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil and ghee in a kadhai
- Make small or medium-sized balls from the dough and deep fry them on low to medium flame until light brown
- Take them out of the kadhai and dip the fried balls in sugar syrup immediately. Keep them in for a minimum of 15-20 minutes
- Strain the syrup. Plate the gulab jamuns and sprinkle some chopped dry fruits or even some vanilla ice cream. Serve hot or chilled
