STEAMED HILSHA/SALMON

This is one of the most favorite and the most loved recipes for a Bengali. One of the most flavorful fresh water fish is Hilsha. This fish was not amply available in the western part of India. So when our fishmonger got them, mom used to get pretty excited. Even now when I think of steamed Hilsha in mustard paste makes my mouth water.
Here we don't get fresh Hilsha and this recipe tastes best with it. I saw that Salmon too works really great with this recipe. They both have the similar softness needed for this recipe.
There are 2 ways to prepare it - in pressure cooker and in the oven. I will list out preparing in both the ways.

Ingredients:
5-6 pieces of Hilsha fish or Salmon fillets
2 tbsp Black Mustard Seeds
2 tbsp Yellow Mustard Seed
6-7 Green Chillies
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 inch Ginger
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
2 cups Water (for pressure cooker preparation)
Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Rub the fish pieces with little salt and turmeric.
• Make a paste of black and yellow mustard seeds, green chillies, ginger and add a little salt to avoid it being bitter.
• Place the fish on a pan and coat them liberally with the paste.
• Pour the mustard oil on top of the fish.

For Pressure Cooker Preparation:

• Pour the 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker.
• Put in the steamer ring into it. 
• Place the above prepared pan on the ring in the pressure cooker.
• Pressure cook for about 8-10 minutes.

For Oven Preparation:

• Preheat the oven for 400 F
• Seal the above prepared pan with Aluminium foil.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
• Serve the fish hot.

Tip:

If you don't want to make the mustard paste or if you want to add to taste, you can add 2 tbsp of Indian mustard sauce (Kasundi)

The picture above is of steamed Salmon. Below is a picture which I found from the internet of steamed Hilsha.

TOK DAAL/MANGO LENTIL SOUP

This is a very common traditional Bengali - Indian recipe. It is made of green mangoes which are pretty sour. It is a very good food for respite against the hot Indian summer. It helps to keep the body temperature down.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Masoor Dal/Red Lentils
3 cups Water
1 Green Raw Mango
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 Dry Red Chillies
2 Green Chillies, sliced
2/3 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 1/2 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 tbsp Sugar
Salt to Taste

Preparation:

• Wash the lentils till they run clear.
• Boil the lentils in water in a sauce pan. Boil the lentils till they are 'almost' done. Adjust water so that it doesn't become dry.
• Add turmeric and salt to taste.
• Meanwhile peel the mangoes and cut then into 1 inch cubes.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add 1 tsp of mustard seed.
• When the mustard seeds splutter, add the mangoes and the green chillies. 
• Cook till the mangoes become soft. 
• Now add the boiled lentils to it. Add sugar.
• Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. 
• Add water to make it soupy and taste for salt and sugar. It should be sour-sweet.
• Remove the lentils in a serving bowl.
• In a small tempering pan, heat the remaining mustard oil. Add mustard seeds to it.
• When it sputters, add the dry red chillies. Fry them for a few seconds.
• Pour this directly on the lentils in the serving bowl.
• Serve hot with rice or as soup.

CABBAGE SOUP

This soup has been one of my most delicious and the easiest of soups. The ingredients are also the most healthy. If you are looking for a tasty way to diet, I found out online that this is a great filling soup.

Ingredients:
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup yellow/white onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken/vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup tomato, diced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
3 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Add the celery, carrots, bell pepper and onion. Saute until slightly tender.
• Stir in the garlic and add the broth.
• Stir in the tomatoes and cabbage and bring it to boil.
• Reduce the heat and cook till the cabbage is tender.
• Add the basil, oregano, red and black pepper and salt.
• Taste the soup for seasoning and adjust.
• Serve hot.

BLACK EYED BEANS CURRY

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of black-eyed beans soaked in warm water for at least 1 hour
2 inch ginger root, grated
3 green chillies finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida(hing) or ajwain powder
1 tsp amchur powder
1 chopped tomato
1 tsp garam masala
2 cups water
For Garnishing:
2 green chillies, fried
1 Lemon wedge

Preparation:

• In a bowl mix ginger, chopped green chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder with little water.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds.
• When the seeds pop, add the asafoetida or ajwain powder and the above mixture and fry for a few moments.
• Add the soaked beans, salt and water.
• Pressure cook for about 10-15 minutes.
• After opening put it on heat and add amchur powder, tomatoes and garam masala. Cook for 5 more minutes.
• Garnish using fried green chillies and lemon wedges.

Notes:

If you pre-boiled canned beans, then use one 550ml can for this recipe. No pressure cooking required. Fry the ingredients in a pan add the beans. After cooking for about 5-7 minutes, add amchur, tomatoes, garam masala. Cook for about 15 minutes.

LEEK STUFFED SALMON

When thinking of making something with leeks, I found this was one of the best that uses the whole leek. This recipe has been a hit at my house where normally fish is normally not a hit. Very filling and juicy.

Ingredients:

1 whole salmon fillet, descaled
2 whole leeks
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 lemon juice & zest
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, grated
salt & pepper to taste
small bunch dill/coriander
1 lemon sliced

Preparation:

• To clean the leeks - remove the outer layer of white. Trim the base and make an incision in the middle of the white stalk to the green tips without severing it in two. 
• Wash under cold water pulling the leaves apart to clean in between them. Let them drain.
• Roughly chop the leeks in 1/4 inch rounds.
• In a pan heat the butter and 1 tbsp of oil.
• Add leeks and saute slowly till they are soft.
• Keep stirring and season them with salt. When cooked, remove from heat and let it cool.
• Place the salmon skin side down and cut a generous slit on one side , deep into the center but not all the way through.
• Preheat the oven to 350F. 
• In a small bowl combine lemon juice, lemon zest, soy sauce, garlic and the remainder olive oil. Mix well. 
• Place the salmon on a baking sheet and fold back the top layer.
• Spoon the marinade all over the salmon fillet reserving a bit for the top.
• Spread the leek mixture evenly over the bottom of the salmon and fold the top layer back down.
• Spread the remainder of the marinade on top.
• Bake the salmon for about 15-20 minutes till the salmon is still firm but moist. 
• Transfer the salmon on a serving platter and garnish with dill/coriander and lemon slices.

Tip: You can add sliced mushroom to the leeks when sauteing.

EGG KEEMA

My husband had egg keema at a restaurant on his recent trip to India. He was so impressed by it that really had to find out the recipe. Quite frankly I just plain disagreed with him that there is such a dish. This Valentine's day I surprised him with the dish.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 Bay leaf
2 Cardamom
3 Cloves
1 inch stick of Cinnamon
1 1/2 Onion, large grated
2 Tomatoes, medium, pureed
1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 Green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
2 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Garam masala powder
1/4 cup of green peas
4 eggs, hard boiled, grated
Salt to taste
Cilantro finely chopped, for garnishing
1/2 cup water

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
• Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. Stir for a few seconds.
• Add onion and a little salt and let fry. 
• Add ginger-garlic paste, mix well and let it fry.
• Cover and fry till the oil starts to separate and its quite brown in color.
• Add the green chillies and the tomatoes and mix well and cover and fry for another 10 minutes.
• Keep stirring frequently to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom.
• Remove the cover and continue to stir and fry till the oil starts to separate again.
• Add the red chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and mix well.
• Add the grated hard boiled eggs, salt (to taste) and little water and mix well.
• Add the green peas and garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

RED POTATO & TOMATO GRATIS

I wanted to make something using Leeks. It was the first time for me using leeks. So I searched around for a nice recipe with leeks and found this French recipe which has been a hit at our house. This also a perfect thing to serve to guests.

Ingredients:
For Leeks -
1 tbs olive oil
3 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts), washed thoroughly

For potatoes -
1 lb red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 tsp salt; more for boiling the potatoes
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp chopped rosemary (can also use 1/2 tsp dried rosemary)

To assemble the gratin -
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or a pinch of dried rosemary)
1 1/4 lb ripe tomatoes. cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (can use any Swiss cheese)
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
2/3 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 2 tsp olive oil

Preparation:
The leeks -

• Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.
• Add leeks and saute, stirring frequently until limp and lightly browned - about 15 minutes.
• Spread the leeks evenly in the bottom of an oiled 2 quart shallow gratin dish (or baking dish), preferably oval. Let it cool.

The potatoes - 

• In a medium saucepan, cover the potato slices with well-salted water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just barely tender.
• Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.
• Pat dry. Toss the potatoes with salt, olive oil and rosemary.

Assemble the gratin -

• Heat oven to 375F.
• Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of chopped rosemary over the leeks
• Starting at one end of the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish.
• Prop the tomatoes against the dish at a 60 degree angle.
• Cover the row of tomatoes with a generous sprinkling of cheese.
• Arrange a row of potato slices over the tomatoes.
• Sprinkle again with cheese.
• Repeat with alternating rows of tomatoes and potatoes, sprinkling each with cheese until the gratin is full.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp salt and the remaining rosemary and season with pepper.
• Drizzle with olive oil.
• Mix any remaining cheese with the breadcrumb mixture and spread this over the while gratin. 
• Cook until gratin is well-browned all over and the juices have bubbled for a while and reduced considerable - about 60 minutes.
• Cool it for a bit before serving.