Dhakai Paratha
Ingredients (four pieces)-
- Flour 300g
- Salt ½tsp
- Sugar 1tsp
- Moyen - as per requirement
Method
Mix the ingredients together and slowly add water to make a dough. You should be able to roll balls of the mixture in your fist. If it doesn’t tighten into a ball shape, add more moyen.
Pull out a portion of the dough (lechi) and flatten it under a rolling pin.
Dab some sunflower oil and sprinkle some flour on the flat cake.
Now begins the real test. Hold one edge of the flat cake and roll it inwards multiple times like a Japanese fan.
Once it has become rectangular in shape, fold it in the same way again length-wise till it is resembles a compact cube.
Release this into hot oil and fry. The multiple folds will unfold beautifully and swell up.
Serve hot and relish with Chholar Dal or
Alur Do Piyaji (recipe below).
Ingredients
- Potatoes - 4 medium sized
- Onions- - 2 medium sized
- Chillies- 4 (sliced partially or totally, length-wise)
- Cardamom (chhoto elach)- 2
- Cinnamon (dalchini)- 1” long stick
- Fennel seeds (mouri)- ½tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼tsp
- Sugar- 1tsp
- Salt- to taste
Method
Slice the potatoes the way you do for Alu Bhaja but make them thicker.
Cut the onions into slices as thin as possible.
Pour a bit of sunflower oil and a teaspoon of ghee into a wok. One by one, add the cardamom, cinnamon and fennel seeds. Upon stirring for a while the potion will release an aroma. Now add the potatoes and stir well.
Add salt and turmeric. Do not add water. Cover the wok and let it cook.
Once the potato gets cooked add sugar. Stir for a bit.
Your dish is ready. Enjoy with Dhakai Paratha.
Prawn Croquette
Ingredients (eight pieces)
- Prawns- ½kg
- Eggs- 2
- Flour- 4tbsp
- Butter- 50g
- Garlic- 5 cloves (thinly sliced)
- Green chillies- 2-3 finely chopped
- Onions- 1.5-2 (enough to fill 1 cup when diced)
- Black pepper- to taste
- Bread crumbs- 200g
- Salt- to taste
Method
Remove shells from the prawns.
Put the prawns into a wok along with a cup and a half of water and a pinch of salt. Boil for five minutes.
Separate the prawns from the water and keep both aside.
In a wok heat the butter. When it melts, add the garlic, chillies and onions. When the onions appear translucent, add the flour.
Stir well and add the water that you had boiled the prawns in. The mixture will get sticky. Remove and cool.
Take the prawns and grate them. You could also blend it in a mixie till you get a paste.
Add the prawn paste to the mixture in the previous step.
Add very little salt and some black pepper. Shape into long, cylindrical shapes as shown in the picture.
Beat the eggs and dip the croquettes in them. Roll them on bread crumbs and fry.
Makha Sandesh
Ingredients (for one person)
- Milk ½l
- Full cream paneer- 100g
- Notun Gur or condensed milk- to taste
Method
Boil the milk till it thickens into kheer.
Separately, keep the paneer on your left palm and with your right hand roll it till it softens.
Add the paneer to the kheer that is still on the gas and mix well.
When the mixture thickens, remove from the gas and allow it to cool.
Add as much notun gur till you are satisfied with the taste. Stir for a while.
Makha sandesh can be served hot or cold.
If you are unable to source fresh Notun Gur, try the tubes available at Biswa Bangla stores. You can also substitute with condensed milk.
Ingredients
- Mutton-1/2kg (chopped into tiny pieces)
- Rice (preferably Gobindobhog)- 250g
- Onion- 31/2 (medium-sized)
- Ginger paste- 1tbsp
- Garlic paste- 1tbsp
- Green chilli paste- 1tbsp
- Garam masala (whole)- 6 cardamom (elach), 3 inch-long cinnamon sticks, 6-7 cloves, 3 bay leaves
- Mustard oil- a little more than 200g
- Ghee- 1tps l Salt- to taste
For special powder-
- Black pepper- 1tsp
- Shah jeera- 1tsp
- Joyfol- 1/4 of a piece
- Javitri- 4-5
Method
Add 200g mustard oil to the meat and cook in a pressure cooker. When the oil heats up, add 4 cardamom, 2 inch-long cinnamon sticks, 4-5 cloves, 2 bay leaves and three diced onions.
When the onion appears translucent, add 1tbsp ginger, 1tbsp garlic paste, green chilli paste and salt.
When the raw flavour tapers off add the meat and cook till it releases oil. Add water and wait for three whistles. Open and check if meat is tender. Dry up any extra gravy till the oil releases.
Separately, make the special tehari powder by blending its ingredients in a mixie. Add this to the meat. Add enough hot water to drown the meat.
The meat will cook for at least three whistles. Once it has softened well, remove the meat from the gravy.
Separately, wash the rice and spread out on a napkin or paper to dry.
In a wok, add two teaspoons of oil and the ghee. Add 2 cardamom, one inch cinnamon, 2 cloves and a bay leaf.
When an aroma starts wafting, add ½ cup diced onions and when they appear translucent, add 1tsp garlic and 1tsp ginger paste.
Once the raw smell is gone, add the rice. Cook well for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add salt and hot water. The water should be 11/2 inches above the level of the rice.
When the rice boils, reduce the flame and cover. When little holes appear on the surface level of the rice, it means the water has dried up. Now check if the rice is done.
Add the meat to the rice and mix well. Cook for 10 minutes in low flame and garnish with onion birista.