Easy to make Quick "Bengal Lentil Cake Gravy(Dhoka)"

 

Ingredients:

1. Pulses (Chana/ Toor / Bengal Gram) - 250gm
2. Ghee - 1tsb
3. Turmeric powder - 1 1/2 tsb
4. Coriander powder- 1 tsb
5. Cumin powder - 1tsb
6. Red chilly powder- 1tsb
7. Green chillies - 4-5 no.
8. Dried red chillies- 2 no.
9. Bay Leaf - 2 no.
10. Ginger paste - 1  1/2 tsb
11. Green chilly paste - 1tsb
12. Oil
13. Salt to taste
14. Paanch poron*



*Ingredients for PaanchPoron/Chaunk ( mixture of spices ) : This is a special Bengali mixture of spices listed below. All the items except fenugreek and mustard seeds listed are to be taken in equal quantity  and a mixture is made. Fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds are taken in little lesser quantity.
1.Cumin seed
2. Black cumin seed
3. Feenugreek (Methi)
4. Mustard seeds
5. Sweet Cumin seeds
Mix all the items. Donot grind or powder the mixture. This mixture is known as Paanchporon

Procedure:

Soak the pulses in water for two hours.

Make a paste of the pulses. Add 1/2 tbs ginger paste and 1/2 tbs green chilly paste.Add salt to taste.Mix well. Pour 1 tbs oil in a wok and add the mixture to it.Stir well till it becomes sticky and thick. Do not dry the pulse too much.

Apply some oil in a clean dish and pour the pulse mixture on it. Flatten it with a spatula. Make desirable shapes(square/triangle/cubes) as shown in the picture. Make sure that the pieces are considerably thick. Some pieces may be thin. Pour some oil in a wok and heat it. Deep fry the pieces till they turn to golden brown color and keep aside on a paper towel.

Pour some oil if required in the wok and heat it. Add one cinnamon and a cardamom to it.Fry them till they turn brown. You may take out the cinnamon and cardamom. Now add the two dry chillies , one-two bay leaf , paanchphoron , 1 tbs ginger paste 1/3 tbs turmeric powder , 1 tbs red chilly powder , 1 tbs cumin powder , 1/4 tbs coriander powder and stir them till it gets fried and oil separates. Add chopped tomatoes to it(You may also add one-two tbs tomato puree). Add warm water to it and stir till the gravy is ready. Add the previously fried lentil cubes to the gravy. Add 1tbs ghee. (Optional:A pinch of sugar may be added)Cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

                                                Pulse mixture cut into different shapes

                                                            Fried lentils pieces

                                                        Lentils Cakes in Gravy

Veggie Mix - Bengali Style

Why don't we try some Vegan today? Lets cook a very simple dish in Bengali Style. In Bengali making a veg item means we do not add onions and garlic. Hence, it is something really exciting.

You may pick up any vegetables. Cut them in cubes/round which ever can be.Wash them thoroughly and keep aside. Prepare the ingredients for Paanchporon which is the special mixture of spices.

You should keep the following ready:

1. Chopped Vegetables
2. Green chillies - 10-12nos
3. Dry Reg Chillies - 2-3 nos.
4. Bay leaf - 2nos.
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tbs
6. Cumin powder - 1/2 tbs
7. Red chilly powder - 1/3rd tbs
8. Ghee - 1tbs
9. Sugar - 1/3rd tbs

Salt to taste

Ingredients for PaanchpPoron/Chaunk ( mixture of spices ) : This is a special Bengali mixture of spices listed below. All the items except fenugreek and mutard seeds listed are to be taken in equal quantity in gms and a mixture is made. Fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds are taken in little lesser quantity.

1.Cumin seed 
2. Black cumin seed
3. Feenugreek (Methi)
4. Mustard seeds
5. Sweet Cumin

Pour some oil in a wok. Heat it till oil is hot. Add 1-2 dry red chilly, 1- bay leaf. Stir them till the dry chillies turns brown. Add 6-7 green chillies and keep stirring.Add Panchporon. Now add 1 tbs turmeric powder, 1/2 tbs cumin powder,1/3rd red chilly powder one by one. Stir well till oil separates.Add all the chopped vegetables and stirr till all the spice mixture adheres to the veggies. Take a air tight lid and cover the wok for 2-3 minutes. After 2-3 minutes remove the lid and stir. You should cook the contents with the vapour that is formed when you cover with lid. Therefore, after every 2-3 minutes cover the wok with the lid. Once you see water comming out of the veggies you can stir the content. Do not forget to add salt to taste.Cook till the contents are soft and are cooked. Add 1 tbs of ghee and 1/3 tbs sugar.Stir well. Remove from flame. Serve as a side dish.

 Your Veggie Mix is ready.

                                                                   Veggie Mix - Bengali Style

Veggie Fried Rice

Its time for some Veggie. Here is a simple preparation which you can try. It goes to well with chilly paneer and chilly chicken. I have learned it from my mother-in-law.

Ingredients:

 i. Grated carrot: 1 nos.
ii. Green Peas: as per choice
iii.Chopped  Capsicum: 1 nos
iv. Washed and dried Basmati Rice:500gm
v. Garlic paste:1 tbs
vi.Chopped Green Chilly: 5-6
vii.Cinnamon:2 sticks
viii. Cardomom:2-3 nos
ix. Rice bran oil:4-5 tbs
x.Ghee: 4tbs
xi. Sugar:1tbs
xii. Bay leaf :1nos.
** You may also add grated cauliflower,cabbage,potatoes too.
Serving pax: 3-4nos.

Pour some oil in a wok. Lightly fry the grated carrot,green peas,chopped capsicum and keep the contents aside. Pour some oil in wok. Put bay leaf,cardamom,chinnamon in the wok. Put the garlic paste in mixture. Fry the content for 2-3minutes or till the oil seperates. Now add the washed rice. Add green chillies and salt to taste. Fry the content for 3-4 minutes. Pour 1 tbs ghee. Pour water till the rice gets submerged in water fully. Stir well and cover it. Boil for next 5-6 minutes. Add the lightly fried grated vegetables. Add 1 tbs ghee and 1 tbs sugar. Keep stirring till there is no water left.
Your veggie fried rice is ready.

                                                                Fried Grated vegetables

                                                                 Veggie Fried Rice

Chole (Ghugni in Bengali Style)

Ingredients:
a. Chickpeas/Chole - 2 cups
b. Onion - 1 small(paste)
c. Onion - 1 small(chopped)
d. Green Chillies - 5 to 6 nos
e. Garlic - 4 small cloves (mashed)
f. Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
g. Red chilly dry - 2 nos
h. Bay leaf - 1 nos
g. Cinnamon -1 nos.
h. Cardamom - 1nos.
i. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
j. Red Chilly powder - 2 tsp
h. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
k. Oil
l. Tomato puree/sauce
Salt to taste.

Keep the chickpeas dipped in water for 6-7hrs so that they become soft.Drain the peas and wash them.Pour 500ml water in a pressure cooker.Put the washed chickpeas in the pressure cooker and cook for 6-7 whistles.

Take oil in a wok and heat it.Put cardamom and cinnamon in the oil and fry them till they turn brown.Take them out of oil.Add bay leaf and dry red chillies and stir it.Add chopped onions and chopped green chillies.Keep stirring til the onions turns to light golden color.Add garlic paste, onion paste and stir it.Add ginger paste,turmeric powder,cumin powder and red chilly powder.Stir them till oil separates.Add 1tsp tomato puree/sauce and stir it.Add the cooked chickpeas along with the leftover water which was used to cook the chickpeas in wok.You may pour some hot water if required.Simmer till the gravy thickens.Add salt to taste.

Serve with hot poori,bhature,veg pulao and chapattis.

Veg Momos

Veg Momo is a dish of Nepal but is well known in many parts of India.It contains very less oil and is thus very healthy.

Ingredients:

1. Flour - 2cups
2. Vegetable oil - 1tsp
3. Variety of vegetables (carrots,beans,peas,cauliflower)- finely chopped
4. Green chillies - 2-3 chopped
5. Onions - 1-2 small -chopped
Salt to taste.

For making dough:
Take flour.Add 1tsp vegetable oil to it.Add water to it.Add salt to taste.Knead well to get a smooth dough.Keep aside.

For stuffing:

Chop all vegetables into small pieces.Steam the chopped vegetables for 10-15minutes.Add salt to taste to the vegetables.Keep the boiled vegetables aside.This will be used as stuffings.

Make small balls from the kneaded dough.Press the balls gently and make round shape with roller.Put the steamed vegetable stuffings,chopped onions and green chillies in center.Fold the edges properly.Twist to seal properly.These look like dumplings.

Slightly rub oil on the steamer plates so that the dumplings donot stick to vessel. Put all the filled dumplings in steamer.Cook for 10-15minutes.

Enjoy veg momo or veg dumplings with spicy tomato chutney and veg clear soup.

Enjoy veg momo........................

Egg Devil (Dimer Chop)

Ingredients:

1. Boiled eggs - 2 (slit in between)
2. Eggs - 1 (battered)
3. Boiled potatoes -2 nos.(mashed)
4. Green chilles - 4-5 chopped
5. Onions - 1 small (chopped)
6. Garlic - 2 cloves (chopped)
7. Ginger - chopped 1 tsp
8. Oil
Salt to taste.

Take 2-3tsp oil in a wok and heat it. Add chopped onions and fry it till it turns golden.Add chopped garlic and ginger together and constantly keep stirring.Add mashed potatoes and mix well for 10minutes.Add salt to taste and keep aside.

Take some amount of prepared mashed potato in your hand and make a ball.Gently press the ball and flatten it into a round shapes each of about 1/2 inch thick.Put the slitted egg in the center and  cover it with more mashed potatoes such that all edges are properly closed to get a fine ball and press gently to an oval shape.Now dip each ball into beaten egg.Now cover each ball with bread crumbs such that full ball is well covered by bread crumbs.

Pour sufficient oil in wok and heat. Once you get perfect heated oil dip fry each balls till the balls turn into brown.Take each ball out of the wok and place it on paper towels to soak extra oil from the balls.

Your Egg Devils are ready........Enjoy with tomato ketchup or mint paste......

Grated Chayote Squash with Coconut (Squash er Ghonto)

Ingredients:

1. Chow chow in Tamil/Chayote in English/Squash in Bengali - 2 nos medium sized (grated)
2. Coconut -1/2 cup (grated)
3. Potato - 1 nos medium(diced into small cubes and slightly boiled. and fried)
4  Bay leaf - 1 nos
5. Green Chillies - 5-6 nos(chopped)
6. Dry red chilly - 1 nos
7. Fried pea nuts
8. Reisins
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Ghee - 1tsp
12. Sugar - one pinch
13. Oil
14. Cinnamon - 1nos
15. Cardamom - 1 stick
16. Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste.

Paanch Poron(Special spices mix)

1. Cumin seeds - 1/4th tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4th tsp
3. Sweet cumin seeds - 1/4th tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds(methi)- 1/4th tsp
5. Black cumin - 1/4th tsp
  Mix the contents to get a special spices mix. (Do not make powder)

Peel the squash nicely. Wash thoroughly and slice it. Grate the slices and keep aside. Heat 4-5 tsp oil in wok. Put cinnamon and cardamon in oil till they turn brownish. Take them out of the oil. Add bay leaf and dry red chilly in the oil.Add Paanch Poron (special spices mix).Stir well till you get a sweet smell. Add green chillies,ginger paste and grated coconut.Stir well for 1 minute.Add turmeric powder and cumin powder.Keep stiring til oil separates.Add grated chayote and potatoes. Stir well till it gets cooked.Add salt to taste.Now add fried peanuts and resins.Stir well. Add ghee and a pinch of sugar to it.

Serve with hot steamed rice and pulses.