Kheerer Sandesh The full moon that appears right after Durga Puja is the day when Bengali mothers celebrate Kojagori Lokkhi Pujo or Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. Kojagari is derived from the Bengali words Ke Jago Re meaning 'who is awake' and it is believed that on the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, Goddess Lakshmi takes around on the Earth's orbit and relieves her devotees from their woes.   I remember my mother used to wake up early on this day to gather shiuli phool (jasmine), dubbo (grass twigs), aam pawllob (mango leaves), lotus, paddy (unmilled rice) and paddy twigs. She used to fast till evening and cook a variety of dishes for all of us. The preparation for pujo used to start around afternoon. I used to assist my mother throughout. Now, I do it for my family along with my mother-in-law.   While the moong daal  khichuri and ghyat or labra (mix of seven vegetables) is a must, I am going to talk here about the Kheerer Sandesh. Recipe   Ingredients   1 tin of conde

Thakur Barir Sorshe Mangsho   ( Mutton cooked in mustard paste) Experimenting and trying out new recipes was a part of Thakur Barir(residence of Rabindranath Tagore) food culture and Sorshe Mangsho is one such.  Durga Pujo is an emotion for Bengali's where we not only worship the Goddess but worship our stomachs ( I mean Pet Puja!). So, today I tried out this new recipe to satisfy our taste buds on the occasion of Saptami.  Recipe Ingredients   1/2 kg mutton (curry cut) 2 tablespoon mustard paste (black and yellow mixed)  1 tablespoon Poppy seeds paste  1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder  2 tablespoon mustard oil  3-4 green chillies slited  1/2 cup chopped onion  Salt to taste  For marination Garlic paste  2 tablespoon curd A pinch of salt How to cook   Marinate the mutton with the mentioned ingredients and keep it aside for 1 hour. Next pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles.  Now mix all ingredients and then in a steel tiffin  box place the mutton pieces covered with the masala

Narkeler Nabaratna   Today is Maha Shasti, the day when official rituals for Durga Pujo celebration begins and brings joy for every Bengali for the next three days.  The annual festival of Goddess Durga is celebrated with pomp and show and every Bonedi Bari ( Zamindar Homes) has a signature dish  to offer to the mighty Goddess as part of the Bhog(food offerings)during the puja rituals. One such recipe which I have found out belongs to the Mukherjee Bari of Durgapur where the Pujo celebration is 370 years old.  Recipe   Ingredients   1 cup coconut milk  1/2 cup grated coconut  1/2 cup finely chopped coconut  9 types of diced vegetables 1 cup each Potatoes Brinjal Cauliflower Cabbage  Ridged Gourd ( Jhinge)  Spiny Gourd ( Kakrol)  Cowpea( Borboti)  Pointed Gourd ( Potol) Radish Or Flat Beans( Sheem) 2 teaspoon green chillies paste 3 tablespoon mustard oil  2 tablespoon ghee  1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri mirch powder  1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder  A pinch of sugar  A pinch of fenugr

Mangsher Ghugni  Today is Panchami , a day before official Durga Pujo celebration begins. Every year this day, almost all Durga Pujo committees organize Anando Mela , where Bengali women ( mostly Maa, Kakima) showcase their culinary skills by preparing delicious food and selling them for fun.  As this year celebrations are minimal and there is no scope of savoring the delicious recipes, so I prepared one of the most famous recipes available in the Mela, Mangsher Ghugni .  Mangsher Ghugni is a mouth watering recipe prepared from dried peas mixed with minced mutton.  Recipe Ingredients   1/2 kg dried peas 1/2 kg mutton Keena 2 onion thinly sliced 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste  1/2 cup tomato paste  1 teaspoon turmeric powder  1 teaspoon cumin powder  1/2 teaspoon coriander powder  1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri mirch powder  1-2 cinnamon sticks  2-3 green cardamom  1-2 bay leaves  1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder 3 tablespoon mustard oil  A pinch of sugar  Salt to taste  How to co

Paansh Today is the first day of ' Devipokho ' which marks the beginning of Durga Pujo. This is also the first day of Navratri. Every year we welcome Maa Durga with great love and eternal feeling. Pujo is not a festival for we Bengali's but an emotion. This year although the celebrations are minimal but our spirits are always high.  So, to begin the celebration, I picked up a recipe from one of the Bonedi Bari of Kolkata, Jagatjanani Bari where the temple of Jagatjanani was built by the Shaw family in 1871 and they worship an Astadhatu idol of the Mother Goddess. As part of their family tradition they offer "Paansh" to the Goddess during the spring season Durga Pujo celebrations. The traditional household Pujos of Kolkata are also known as Bonedi Bari Pujo in Bengali. The Bonedi Bari Durga Pujo in Kolkata is not just a remembrance of the past but an emotion for the family members. 'Paansh' as called by the Shaw family is derived from the w

Suran Ke Kebab ( Kebabs made of Elephant Foot Yam)  Remember the beautiful and immensely enjoyable movie, Bawarchi , starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee ?  The other day we were watching the movie. While we don’t know how many times, we saw the movie because of its beauty, simplicity and its comic timings, this time, the element that struck me strongly is its moments of real culinary interest. So, I tried out the famous Suran (Elephant Foot Yam or Ole in Bengali) Ke Kabab which reminded every character in the movie of mutton!  All of us realized that although it is used as vegetable but tastes so good that it actually reminds of mutton kabab. The humble yam / ole / suran which we may use it in other usual ways, can be made super tasty and interesting as well.  I would like to thank late Hrishikesh Mukherjee for this wonderful treat! So here's my version of Suran ke Kabab Recipe: Ingredients  300gms Elephant foot yam( Suran/ Ol Kochu) 1 tablespoon bengal gram

From Grandma's Recipe Macher Dimer Ambol/Tok ( Fish egg fritters in a sweet and tangy sauce)  As a child, I used to always love the taste of the food prepared by my grandmother. I still remember the taste of the Ambol or Tok  prepared by my grandma and was craving for it since long.  So today decided to prepare this recipe her way.  Ingredients  250gms fish eggs( Rohu or Catla fish preferably)  2 tablespoon bengal gram powder ( Besan)  A small bowl of Tamarind pulp 1/2 cup sugar  1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1-2 dried red chillies  1/2 cup oil to fry the fritters  1 teaspoon turmeric powder  Salt to taste Panch phoron powder  How to cook  Clean the fish eggs and mix besan, little salt and little turmeric powder. Add oil in a deep bottomed pan and fry small sized fish egg fritters in it. Keep them aside. Now in the same oil add mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Once the seeds starts fluttering, add one cup water to the Tamarind pulp and then slowly pour it in the oil.

Lobongo Latika The other day me and my husband were craving for some sweets and that's how my Mother in law made some Lobongo Latika for me.   Labongo Latika is a traditional Bengali sweet dish made during special occasions.  Recipe Ingredients  For the dough 2 cups Maida  A pinch of salt  2 teaspoon refined oil Lukewarm water as per requirement of the dough Filling 1 cup khoya 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon elaichi powder  Other ingredients   Sugar syrup is optional  8-10 cloves 1 cup refined oil for frying  How to cook   Make a smooth dough using the maida and other ingredients mentioned for dough.  Next heat a pan,  add the khoya and sugar. Stir well in medium flame until both blend well with each other. Keep stirring constantly so that it doesn't get stuck at the bottom. Add the elaichi powder to it and turn off the gas.  Now take small of the dough and roll it into a small circle. Place small portion of the khoya mixture in the centre of the circle and fold both s

Kheer Komola or Komola Lebu'r Kheer (Orange flavored milk pudding)  Kheer Komola or Komola Lebu'r Kheer is a traditional Bengali sweet dish which is prepared using oranges. Infused with the subtle taste of orange, Kheer Komola is quite a change from the regular kheer we make at home.  I have heard a lot about this dish from my mother in law that her mother in law used to prepare during special occasions. However, after Grandma's death nobody in the family took initiative to prepare it. So today, I took the risk of  preparing it  inspite of being skeptical if the milk gets curdled after adding the orange segments. But it came out well and I happy with the outcome. Recipe Ingredients      1 Litre Milk (Preferably full cream milk) Orange segments (4 to 5 large oranges) 1/2 cup Sugar  1 Pinch Saffron 1 tsp Sliced Pistachios (for garnishing) How to cook   Boil milk till it reduces by half over medium flame. Keep stirring in between to ensure it does stick at the bott

Mochar Paturi   A banana plant is one of the most useful plants whose every part is packed with nutrition and health benefits. This humble plant, with its flower, stem, fruit and leaf, can be consumed in different ways for overall wellness. We Bengali's too love preparing delicious recipes using different parts of the plant.  The recipe which I am writing here is made using the flowers and leaves of the banana plant. Mochar Paturi( Banana flowers wrapped in banana leaves and steamed) is an traditional Bengali recipe where a parcel is made with the help of the leaves of the banana plant stuffed with banana flowers and thereby steamed. While there are several recipes to make an paturi, I have followed an easy yet extremely delicious for your taste buds. Recipe Ingredients : 1 full banana blossom 1 big size banana leaf 1 cup grated coconut  2 tablespoon mustard paste(black and yellow seeds mixed) 2 tablespoon mustard oil  1 teaspoon sugar 2 teaspoon green chillis paste  1

From My Mother's Kitchen  Kacha Lonka Bata diye Murgir Jhol ( Chicken gravy  cooked with green chillis paste) Just like fish is a staple food for all Bengalis, meat( chicken or mutton) is a luxury for us. We like to relish the flavors of the meat over a Sunday lazy lunch or any holiday (Chutir Din).  Kacha Lonka Bata diye Murgir Jhol is a recipe from my mother's kitchen which I grew up relishing during most of the weekends of my childhood. My Mamoni(I call her by this name) prefers using less spices without compromising on the taste and this chicken curry is one of those recipes.  Do try it once and you will fall in love with the taste.  Recipe Ingredients   1 kg chicken( curry cut)  2 medium sized potatoes cut into 4 pieces 1- 2 bay leaves  2 green cardamom  1 inch cinnamon stick 2-3 tablespoon mustard oil  1 teaspoon turmeric powder  Paste of 2 medium sized onion  1 small onion finely chopped  3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste  Paste of one medium sized tomato  Pas

Vegetarian Keema ( Niramish Keema) When we think of vegetarian keema, we tend to end up with soyabean. While doing my research, I stumbled upon this variation that was followed at the Thakur Bari (residence of Rabindranath Tagore at Jora Sako).  A mix of bengal gram pulses, beetroot, capsicum, garlic and coriander, this veg keema is extremely nutritious and flavourful.  While we had hearty lunch with this new keema, I am planning to use this tomorrow for breakfast by stuffing inside paratha.  Food is all about experimenting and I love it.  Recipe : Ingredients   1 cup Chana dal  1 medium sized beet root 1 onion finely chopped 1 capsicum finely chopped 1carrot finely chopped  Paste of 1 onion and 1 tomato  2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 1 teaspoon green chili paste 2-3 cardamom  1 inch long cinnamon  1 teaspoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder  1/2 teaspoon garam powder  2 tablespoon oil A dollop of ghee 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt to taste How