28 July

Potol is my favorite most vegetable. If they were available whole year I could have survived just on them, that is how much I love them! Fried, curried, steamed, boiled - it gets better for me with every version.  I know potol haters would shiver at this line I wrote but I have an undying love for Potol what so ever.

In fact I will talk about an incident which happened way back in class 1 or 2. My mom enrolled me into a dancing class as all my known friends were enrolled there. On the very first day, I faced a kind of ragging session by the kids of the dancing class ( I was the youngest in the lot). Some girl asked me what did I have for breakfast, while 30 pairs of eyes were focused on me. I had innocently said - Luchi and Potol bhaja ( fried Pointed gourd) and the whole class erupted into laughter. I still cant figure out what was so funny in that ( its a staple breakfast combo in Bengal) but my little ego got terribly hurt and I felt pretty insulted - not only they laughed on me but also on my choice of food and that too potol which I was in love with. The result - it was the end of my dancing endeavor. No amount of persuasion from my mom or dad could make me go back to the tribe which had made fun of my food choices! 

Back at home in Kolkata Potol would be a staple during the warm months of summer. A light potol curry or a dry fry would light up any meal for me. But now a days being in Maharashtra, the cycle of getting potol starts post the summer months. Its already rainy season and now we are getting Potol in abundance. The only gripe is that the potols we get here are not of organic quality which grown on the roof of village houses. The organic potols have a little rough skin texture and they taste absolute awesome. The seeds are not that hard and its more juicy. Every time I would return to Pune form Kolkata, the day before my flight, I would go to the local produce market to get at least 1 or 2 kg of fresh organic potols to bring back to Pune. 

There was a time when  potol diye Magur macher jhol ( catfish in pointed gourd curry) was a staple at my Pune home. Catfish pairs up brilliantly with Potol. You can check out the recipe link below for fish curry with pointed gourd. But post pandemic I do not get good catfish near my area nor are they available in the online meat portals. So I have to satisfy myself with the regular fish like Rohu or Catla paired up with Pointed gourd.

The recipe I am talking about today is Dudh Potol, which is a traditional Bengali recipe where shallow fried whole pointed gourds are simmered to perfection in a mildly spiced rich gravy of milk. You can even replace the full fat milk with coconut milk to create a vegan version of this recipe.

Here are few pointed gourd (parwal/ potol) recipe that you can try form my blog.

• Potol Alu Posto
• Potol Posto Aam Diye ( Pointed gourd with raw mangoes)
• Kacha Potoler Macher Jhol (Fish curry with pointed gourd)
• Doi Potol

1. Wash and peel the pointed gourd skin in alternate lines. Make some shallow slits with knife or prick the peeled part with a fork. Marinate the peeled pointed gourd with little salt and turmeric and keep it aside for 10 minutes. 

2. Heat refined oil in a kadhai. When the oil becomes hot, add the peeled parwals and fry them turning sides till it is golden brown on all sides. Keep aside.

Tip: Use fresh pointed gourd for this recipe.

3. Grind to a fine paste all the ingredients mentioned under paste.

Note: Make sure you de-skin the almonds before grinding. You can soak them in warm water for 1 hour or soak them in normal water overnight and the skin will come out easily

4. Add more oil to the same kadai. On medium heat, once the oil is hot, temper it with cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf, dried red chilli. 

5. Once the spices are fragrant, add grated ginger and sauté for few seconds till the raw smell is gone.

6. Add the ground paste now and on medium heat fry the masala until oil is released.

7. Prepare a paste of cumin powder, turmeric powder and 2 tsp of water. Add this paste, salt and sugar, fold in and cook for a minute.

8. Now add the warm milk and give it a good stir.

Tip : If you have cold milk, then you can put the milk in a microwave safe bowl and warm it for a minute to get it ready to be added to the preparation.

9. Now one by one add the fried parwals into the masala and simmer until the parwal is cooked through.

Tip: If you want to preserve the green color of the parwals, cook it uncovered on medium flame.

10. Now add the garam masala powder and cook it for about a minute. Finally add the ghee, mix it and take off the heat.

Serve it hot with rice or any flatbread.

Though I have been staying in Maharashtra for over a decade now, it was just a couple of years ago I started exploring the local or traditional delicacies of this state beyond vada pavs and misal pavs. And I was surprised to see that many of the dishes felt really interesting to my Bengali palate. Especially the non vegetarian preparations. They have such a unique flavored spice mixes which varies from region to region even within the borders of Maharashtra. The one dish which I have perfected is Kaleji Masala. We Bengalis usually don't like chicken liver that much because of the smell it has. But the Marathi preparation of Kaleji fry has such a rustic flavor profile due to the addition of roasted coconut and a bunch of other ground spices. I will talk about this recipe some day which is now my absolute favorite. 

On my birthday, I had ordered Maharashtrian delicacies and with them came the freshly made mirchi thecha. Mirchi Thecha is a classic Maharashtrian accompaniment which pairs up best with different Bhakhri (wheat , jowar, ragi etc.) or even with normal rotis.  It is a fiery delectable combo made up of pounded green chillies, toasted garlic, peanuts and fresh coriander leaves.  

When we were having office before the pandemic hit, I used to look forward to the various kinds of thecha my colleagues used to bring. But the pandemic put an end to invading other's lunchboxes. But the maharashtrian meal I ordered after all this time rekindled my memories of having thecha. I thought of trying to make it at home. My maid gave a few tips and my mom tried to make it, and I must say it was a hit even the first time it was made. My mom doesn't usually have fondness for other cuisines but she literally went ga-ga over this. We found it so good that the first batch of Thecha only lasted 2 days and it was about 150 gm! 

Personally I feel this goes best with different Maharashtrian non vegetarian recipes to accompany your flatbread. They are best consumed fresh so people make small batches of Thecha and store it in the fridge for no more than 2-3 days. After that, the color and the taste of the thecha starts to change.

Traditionally thecha is made by pounding everything in a mortal pestle. The final texture should be somewhat course and not like a paste.  You can make this in a mixer grinder but then you cannot control the texture of the thecha. And in addition thecha tastes best when you make it the traditional way. But the effort it taskes that way is a put off for many.

So there is an easy tip to get the best taste without putting in too much effort of pounding. If you have a vegetable chopper then you can use it to chop the ingredients till its 50-60% done. Then transfer it to the mortar pestle and pound it to give the finial finish. I have tried and tested this method multiple times and now its my go to method of making thecha at home.

Checkout other accompaniment recipes on my blog:

• Bengali Tomato Chutney
• Pickled Onions - Sirke Wala Peyaz
• Lebanese Toum - Garlic Sauce

Equipment:

• Non stick pan
• Vegetable chopper
• Mortal Pestle / Mixer grinder

Recipe Video:

Some tips before you start

Tip 1: If you like or for extending the shelf life of Thecha you can also fry it again in a tbsp of oil on low heat for around 5-6 minutes. Now you can store the Thecha in a clean- dry airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks easily.

Tip 2: To easily de-skin peanuts, dry roast them on a skillet for about 3-4 minutes stirring continuously. Let it cool down and then transfer them to a bowl and give a good shake. The skin will come off. 

Tip 3: This one is a killer tip. It is recommended to always pound the thecha in a mortar pestle the traditional way for the best taste instead of a mixer. But it is a lot of work that way. So as a hack you can use a hand held chopper to chop the thecha into smaller pieces and then transfer it to a mortar and pestle and pound it to the desired consistency. This helps in drastically reducing the effort to pound the ingredients and the taste still remains in tact as chopping the ingredients don't generate much heat unlike the grinder method.

Tip 4:  In a mixer grinder coarsely pulse the roasted peanuts and store it. You can use this coarsely ground peanut in your thecha or sabudana khichadi. This saves you a little effort in hand pounding the peanuts.

Method:

1. Dry roast the peanuts in a non stick pan for 3 to 4 minutes till black spots appear and the peanuts are fragrant. Keep stirring them continuously on medium flame. Keep aside and let it cool. Once cool rub the peanuts between your fingers and the skin will come off.

2. Heat oil in a non stick pan. Once hot temper the oil with whole jeera. Now add the whole garlic to the pan and sauté it for another 1 minute

3. Add the chopped green chilies and on medium flame sauté the green chilies for about 2 minutes. Keep stirring in between.

Note: If you are not a fan of spicy things, then go for the light green chilies which are less spicy by equally tasty. And if you want a really spicy thecha you can go for the dark green small ones. 

4. Add the deskinned whole peanuts, sauté for about 1 minute. Add salt as per taste.

5. Transfer the mixture to a mortar pestle or a chopper. Add chopped fresh coriander. If you are using a chopper, chop them till 3/4th chopped and then transfer to the mortar pestle for the final finish. Or from scratch, you can pound it to the desired texture in a mortar and pestle.

Note: You can also pulse them in a mixer grinder but the taste wont be as good.

Serve it with roti or bhakhri and your favorite vegetarian or non vegetarian dish.

20 July

When it rains you feel like having something delicious. The cravings get worse when you are cooped at home due to pandemic and not able to travel anywhere due to the restrictions. You need to have something delicious right at your home while enjoying the beautiful weather outside. I made this quick and easy and super delicious Pizza for lunch a few days back. I would have never believed Spinach tasted so amazing in a pizza if I had not tried it myself. It gives an awesome burst of flavor and texture to your everyday pizza and I assure you , you would love it! Thank me later!

15 July

I recently discovered my love for Roti Rolls. It was a weekend and I had a laundry list of things to do, including cooking, shooting, editing, updating blog, updating Instagram and all that. I usually don't keep all of that on the same day, but it was just another day when I didn't have much of a choice. I wanted to cook something really easy and simple so that I could spend most of the time shooting. I had discovered the beauty of backlights and wanted to do a little experimental shoot. On any other weekend day I would have just cooked a bowl of ramen topped it off with loads of spring onion, a sunny side egg and be at peace. But this time I had to shoot as well. Looking at my pantry an idea occurred to me. There was some leftover Roti from the night before. And I also had some bite sized chicken pieces in the refrigerator. A quick wrap was the answer to question. 

I am from that part of the country where Rolls have almost got an iconic status - the city of joy, Kolkata. We practically ate rolls for any random excuse at least once a week back in the days. Especially when we went to coaching class, to endure the next couple of hours of derivatives and  thermodynamics we needed a happy tummy. There was a Roll and Chop er dokan aka a shop which sold Rolls and cutlets near to our coaching class. No matter how resolute we were of not having street side food, the aroma of the spices and the fried egg on a hot griddle drove us back to the shop every day. We were like giddy teenagers in love, the only difference was this love was not for any human but for those yummy rolls and chops which the shop owner would keep making with extreme dexterity. 

Rolls would always be made with parathas topped with a generous layer of omelette and then came all the wonderful filling ingredients which you wanted. Something like a roadside version of the modern Subway, you could pick and choose what you wanted the filling to be. Though it tasted just heavenly, it was not the most healthy of things. Parathas were oily and so were the chicken fillings. But that is when you shut your guilty feeling and just give in to temptations of good food.

But when you make the same roll at home, you get utterly cautious of how much oil goes into it. Though homemade rolls are healthy but still its something fried. So the calorie conscious folks would still be wary of it. That's when this random discovery made me very happy. It was easy to make (no frying parathas), it was resourceful (you could utilize leftover rotis) and it was healthy (no oil in rotis). I ended up making a marinade with the Mandi masala I had and it gave a lovely Lebanese flavor notes to the wrap. The masala is super easy to make and preserve. 

You can purchase frozen or refrigerated Rotis at Indian grocery stores, or you can make them yourselves at home. Alternatively you can serve this with naan, pita breads or a Western style flatbread or even store bought tortillas. 

Checkout some interesting recipes on my blog:

• Chicken Quiche
• Lebanese Toum - Garlic Sauce

Equipment:

• Skillet/ Tawa
• Skewers

Method:

1. Start by preparing the spice mix. Dry roast coriander, black peppercorn, cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks for about 1 to 2 mins flipping occasionally. Add all the roasted spices in a mixer grinder and add salt, ginger powder, red chilli, turmeric, and nutmeg ( coarsely ground) to it. Pulse it till you get a fine powdered spice mix. It will smell divine at this point! 

Note: This is actually known as Mandi spice mix. Check out my Mandi Chicken Rice Recipe

2. Now to prepare the marination mix, take about 1 tsp of the spice mix prepared above and to it add half a lemon juice and cooking oil. Mix well to prepare a paste.

3. Apply the paste on the cleaned chicken pieces and let it sit for about 1 to 2 hours. The longer the better.

4. Now slice the onions and chop the green chilies and fresh coriander leaves. In a bowl add all the three and add the juice of half a lemon. Add salt for taste and give it a good mix. Let it rest.

5. Now put the marinated pieces of the chicken in skewers. Add some slices of onions as well in between the chicken. Heat a tawa and add 2 tsp oil, let it get heated. Then place the chicken skewers on the tawa in one single layer. Let it cook on medium heat. Flip over every 2-3 minutes for the chicken to cook evenly. 

6. Now for the charred effect, hold each chicken skewer over direct flame of gas, it will sizzle. Keep turning the skewers to get the desired charred edges on your chicken. 

7. In the same tawa add 1 tsp more oil and lightly fry the sliced bell peppers.

8. Now to assemble, spread some base sauce on the roti. Here I have used Honey mustard because I love the flavor it adds to the wrap. Then I added a little amount of tomato ketchup over the honey mustard. Add a layer of chopped lettuce in the middle in a straight line. Add a layer of the onion slices marinated in lemon juice. Now place the fried bell peppers and finally place the grilled chicken pieces and onions. Add some more honey mustard sauce on top if you want. Serve immediately while still hot. Enjoy!

Note: If you are using a day old chapati then thaw it and warm it before assembling the wrap. You can also fry the roti in a tsp of oil and then use for the wrap.

7 July 

After a few sharp spells of rain, and what seemed like the monsoons were here, the rain has completely vanished from Pune. I see rainclouds crowding the peaks of the hillocks in the faraway horizon, and then raining as well, but none of that comes inside the city. Sinhagad Fort is partially visible from my home and on most days it just vanishes behind those clouds. Its a treat to watch but then I keep hoping that some of that rain pays us a visit at times. 

I was all set with my monsoon menus in July but since there is no rain and its still quite hot in the day, my love for summer drinks is still going strong. One of these days while I was neck deep in work and needed a water break, I went to the kitchen and on a whim made some saffron ice tea. It was quick , easy and refreshing. And I must say I was mighty pleased with the colour.

I mean look at that color! Doesn't it look tempting? They say we first eat with our eyes then with our mouth. I felt so happy how beautiful it looked and that heavenly aroma of saffron! It is something to cherish for sure. No wonder saffron is known as the 'sunshine spice'!

This concoction is perfect for the summers when you need your body to be hydrated all day long. Since now a days we are so much into flavored waters, this ice tea with the health benefits of saffron is definitely a winner. 

Checkout other beverage recipes on my blog:

• Persian Saffron Milkshake
• Strawberry Ghol 

Ingredients :

• Jug
• Large Mixing Bowl

Procedure:  

1. Grind the saffron and sugar to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Transfer it to a  large mixing bowl

2. Add the warm water to the powdered mixture and let it infuse for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the turmeric and drinking water and give it a stir. 

Note: Turmeric is optional. But I wanted to add an extra hint of healthy ingredient.

4. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. 

Note: This refrigerates for a day or 2 maximum. So consume within that time.

Serve it chilled with ice or as is. You can add a few strands of saffron for garnish.

Alternative Method:  

Grind the saffron filaments into a fine powder with a pinch of sugar, using a mortar and pestle. 

Steep Darjeeling tea, lemon slices, ginger (optional)  in hot water for few minutes. Add powdered saffron and steep further and sweeten it with honey. Chill and serve.

 

5 July 

With the onset of rains, the craving for having fritters and steaming hot tea comes naturally. Across the length an dbreadth of India some of the monsoon snacks remain same with subtle regional flavour differences - onion pakoda/kanda bhajji, mirchi vada, palak pakoda/pale bhajji, dal vada (lentil fritters), corn on the cob, dimer chop/ egg cutlet etc. are few of the common snacking items you will get almost everywhere in our country.

Just like Bengal which has its own array of famous street side food, similarly Maharashtra has some signature snacks which are iconic to this region. While vada pav, misal pav or pav bhaji are some of the names most people might be aware of. There are a few traditional snacks like, sabudana vada, aluvadi, thalipeet or kothimbir vadi which give you a taste of a typical and authentic Maharashtrian household and these dishes are worth craving for. 

This post is about a delicious snack known as Kothimbir vadi. In Marathi 'kothimbir' or 'kothmir' means coriander leaves. The word ‘vadi’ means cubes or slices or wedges. So Kothimbir vadis are basically steamed coriander and gram flour cake cubes that are later fried or can be even had as is. Dont misjudge the dish if you didn't have a good experience at a restaurant eating a kothimbir vadi which was heavy on besan and with slight traces of coriander leaves. The ones made at home taste heavenly because they are loaded with fresh coriander leaves and spices. This is one recipe which is made best at home. I know because our office canteen used to serve this as an evening snacks and I never really liked them much. But then once, one of my neighbors made a batch of kothimbir vadis and gave me to taste. They were absolutely heavenly. I kept craving for them even after they were finished. 

For ages coriander has been considered as one of the chief garnishing element in Indian cuisine. If some dish is lacking bold flavors then just add a sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves and even the biggest flaws get hidden. Also, chaats are incomplete without a dash of the spicy hot coriander chutney. There will hardly be a household which does not keep a consistent stack of fresh coriander in their pantry.

Me and a few of my friends in Instagram will be hosting a monthly collaboration on Instagram on grains , herbs and spices. Every month a group of Instagrammers will be posting recipes with the 3 core ingredients of the month from each of these categories. This month it is rice, bay leaf and coriander. I chose to make a dish from coriander. Plating and taking a enticing photo of rice has never been my area of expertise, hence I wanted to make something which I could make to look good! That is when Kothimbir Vadi came to my rescue. I had been meaning to make this recipe from a long time and this was a perfect opportunity.

This recipe is even gluten free. You take away the hing (asafetida) and this is an absolute gluten free recipe. To make it even more healthy, skip frying it all together. So the next time you have excess Coriander leaves in the refrigerator, don't just think of making a chutney. Try this easy Maharashtrian Snack recipe  and I am sure you would enjoy it with your evening tea. 

Checkout other snacks recipes on my blog:

• Kachki Macher Bora - Fried Anchovy Fritters
• Kumro Ful Bhaja - Fried Pumpkin flower fritters
• Besan Ka chila

Ingredients :

• Mixing Bowl
• Deep Kadai 
• Trivet
• Steaming tray
• Skillet

Procedure (steaming):

1.  In a mixing bowl, add the chopped coriander leaves, besan, chopped green chilli, red chilli powder, lemon juice, sesame seeds, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste, hing, garam masala powder and salt as per taste. Combine everything together with hand.  Squeeze the coriander leaves with hands, they will release some water into the mixture. 

Tip 1: Sift the Chickpea Flour for a lump free dough.

Tip 2: Wash the coriander leaves well and drain them completely before chopping.

Tip 3: If you want a gluten free version skip the hing. 

Note: The quantity of coriander leaves should always be double the amount of chickpea flour used.

2. Now add the water and knead everything together. It will become a sticky soft dough.

Note: Add the water only when the mixture is damp

3. Now grease a tray with oil. Grease your hands also with oil and add the batter into the tray. Flat it out with the help of your fingers.

Ready for steaming

4. Boil water in a steamer or a deep bottom pan. Place a trivet in center and once the water comes to a rolling boil, place the tray with the batter. Cover and steam for about 10-15 minutes on medium flame.

5. Insert a knife or a toothpick, if it comes out clean take the tray off the heat. Let it cool down.

6. To remove the steamed cake, with a butter knife loosen the edges and cut it into thick squares. You can store it in an airtight box in the refrigerator for 48 hours if you don't plan to consume immediately.

Frying the Vadi:

Shallow Fry : Take a skillet and add oil. Once hot add the Vadis in a single layer and fry each side till golden brown in color.

Deep Fry : You can also deep fry the vadis for a more crispy texture.

Can Kothimbir Vadi be air fried?

Yes, you can. Preheat the Air Fryer for 5 mins at 200 Degrees C. Place the cut vadis inside the airfryer basket and spray / brush some oil.

Garnish the hot vadis with some grated fresh coconut. Serve it for snacks with tomato sauce and steaming chai (tea).