Surprise your friends and family this Poila Boishak with these tasty recipes.
People around India are all set to welcome the regional new year with much fervour. To gear up for the special day, Bengalis go shopping, wear new clothes and most importantly relish delicious meals. While most Bengalis enjoy Mughlai and North Indian food along with Continental or Italian, they like to go back to their roots on this day and prepare traditional Bengali dishes.
The tasty affair is incomplete without fish. Hilsa, Betki or Chingri — ask any Bengali and you’ll know it’s hard to decide on one. What’s more, can they shy away from chicken or mutton on this special occasion? Certainly not. It goes without saying that Bengalis swear by something sweet and when it’s a festival like the new year, it has to end with a special dessert.
So, if you are planning to hold a lunch or dinner this Poila Baishak, here are five recipes you can try. While some are known and have been loved for generations, others have a unique twist to it.
SHORSHE ILLISH
By Chef Rishi, culinary manager of Barbeque Nation Hospitality
Poila Boishak celebration is incomplete without Illish!
Ingredients:
1kg – Hilsa (Illish) [you can make this recipe with Betki too]
1 and 1/2tbsp – Mustard oil
1tbsp and 1/2tsp – Turmeric powder
2tbsp and 1tsp – Black mustard seeds
1tbsp – Coriander powder
5 cloves – Garlic
1tsp – Red chilli powder
1/2tbsp – Panchforan
½tsp – Pepper
1tbsp – Flour
Salt – To taste
Method:
* Wash the fish thoroughly. Baste one teaspoon of turmeric, one teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of flour and one teaspoon mustard oil thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes.
* In a grinder, grind peppercorn, mustard, chili, garlic, coriander, chilli powder together. Set it aside.
* Heat the rest of the mustard oil in a hot pan. Shallow fry the marinated fish, 4-5 pieces at
a time, until crispy on the outside and cooked through.
* In the same pan with leftover oil add panchforan. As they sputter, add the ground masala (prepared above).
* Add approximately 2-3 cups of water. Bring it to a nice boil until the oil separates.
* Turn off the heat. Add fish. Cover with a lid. Set the fish aside and mix well for 5-10 minutes before serving with hot steamed rice.
MUTTON KASHA
By Ashish Srivastava, executive chef, Regenta LP Vilas, Deharadun
Be it for lunch or dinner, rich Mutton Kasha is always a hit.
Ingredients:
1kg – Mutton
550g – Onion
4 – Potatoes (large)
5tbsp – Garlic paste
2tbsp – Ginger paste
100g – Yoghurt
4tbsp – Cumin powder
3tbsp – Coriander powder
2tsp – Red chilli powder
1tsp – Kashmiri red chilli powder
2tsp – Garam masala powder
3tsp – Turmeric powder
1tbsp — Sugar
2 – Bay leaves
3 or 4 – Cloves
1 – Black cardamom
2 or 4 – Green cardamom
1 inch – Cinnamon stick
4 tbsp – Mustard oil
1 tbsp – Ghee
Salt – To taste
Method:
* Wash the mutton pieces and marinate it with 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and half of the garam masala powder. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard oil and garlic paste. Keep it marinated for around six hours in the fridge.
* Cut the potatoes in four halves and marinate it with salt and turmeric. Fry till golden brown and keep it aside.
* Now, finely chop half of the onion and make a paste of the rest.
* Take three tablespoon of mustard oil in a deep bottom pan and heat the oil sufficiently.
* Temper the oil with bay leaves, dry red chillies, then add 1 tbsp of sugar and cook until the sugar
is dissolved and caramelized.
* Add chopped onion and sauté until the onion turns brownish in color. Now add the onion paste and cook further.
* Add ginger and garlic paste and cook for another four or five minutes in medium flame until the oil starts to separate.
* Add rest of the turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder and cook for one more minute.
*Add the whipped curd and cook on medium flame and keep stirring it so that it doesn’t break and form lumps. Keep mixing till oil separates from the mixture.
* Then add all the marinated mutton. Cook for at least five to seven minutes on high flame and stir frequently.
* Now, cook on low flame further for around 45 minutes. Add the fried potatoes half way and cook well.
* No need to add water separately as mutton will release water.
* Cook till the mutton softens but remains in shape.
* Add ghee and garam masala powder and cook for another five minutes. Serve hot with rice.
STUFFED DOI CHICKEN
By Deepjyoti Chowdhury, Head Chef, Eat Good Food, Kolkata
Tired of regular chicken curry? Why not give it a trendy twist using same ingredients!
Ingredients:
120g – Chicken breast
50g – Yoghurt (doi)
50g – Sweet potato (cut in cubes)
3 or 4 cloves – Garlic (finely chopped)
5g – Butter
2g – Poppy seeds
15g – Bell peppers (all three colours cut in juliennes)
Salt – To taste
Method:
* Marinate the chicken breast with garlic, butter and salt and then grill it in a pan.
* Make a hole in the breast and stuff the yoghurt into it. Add salt if needed.
* After grilling the chicken breast, put it in the oven for 15 minutes.
* Cut sweet potato into cubes and roast it.
* In the end, sprinkle poppy seeds and garnish it bell peppers and some salt. Serve it hot.
CHINGRI AGNOLOTTI
By Auroni Mookerjee, executive chef, The Salt House, Kolkata
Who would have thought Bengali saag would be apt for an Italian menu!
Ingredients:
250g – Fresh coriander
250g – Kolmi saag (Morning Glory leaves picked of the stem)
250g – Lal saag (Red Amaranthus leaves picked of the stem)
3 or 4 cloves – Garlic (finally chopped)
1 tbsp – Coriander seeds
2 – Green Chillies
1kg – Medium to small fresh prawns cleaned and deveined (Crab, Mussel or Clams are even better)
500g – Pasta sheet or you can also substitute with Capellini or Linguini
2 tbsp – Olive oil
2 tbsp – Butter
Salt – To taste
Black pepper – To taste
Method:
* Start by cleaning and washing the coriander (if possible, soak it in ice-water for 30 minutes or so, this helps retain the green colour later).
* Toast the coriander seeds lightly to release the aroma and grind them with the green chilli, coriander leaves and garlic in a blender or mixer. This is the base of your pesto sauce.
* Finely chop both kinds of saag and set aside. Ensure that there are no chewy pieces of stock.
* Chop the prawns as well in to the size of a chunky mince. [If using pasta sheets, put the minced prawns and saag and seal it and put it to boiling water]
* If using Capellini or Linguini, boil the pasta in a pot of salted water till it’s almost (say 80-90 per cent) cooked and set aside with a few spoons of the boiling water.
* Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté the prawns and saag lightly in olive oil along with some salt and pepper; be careful not to overcook it.
* To this, add the butter, pesto sauce, boiled pasta and the remaining boiling water and bring it all together in the pan. Check or adjust for seasoning and serve piping hot.
DUDH PULI
By Prem K Pogakula, executive chef, The Imperial, New Delhi
Why wait for winters to enjoy this delicious dessert? Chill it and enjoy it in summers.
Ingredients:
For the stuffing
2 cup – Desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
3 or 4 cup – Condensed milk
1 cup – Whole milk
2 or 3 – Green cardamom
2 inch – Cinnamon stick
For the dumpling
2 cup – Rice flour
1 cup – Water
1/8 tsp – Salt
For milk broth
4 cup – Milk
1 cup – Sugar
3 or 4 – Green cardamom
3 or 4 – Cinnamon stick
Method:
Steps to make coconut filling:
* Mix coconut, condensed milk and regular milk on a non-stick pan. The mixture should be semi sticky but not runny. Add cardamom and cinnamon.
* Turn on stove and stir constantly until the mixture becomes slightly sticky.
For the dumplings:
* Boil water with the salt.
* Now, to knead the dough add this hot water to the rice flour and mix thoroughly. It should form a firm but soft and not sticky dough. The dough should bounce back if you press with a finger. Adjust flour accordingly knead well for about five minutes.
* Take a part of the dough, roll it out and cut out circles with a cookie cutter. [Instead of using cookie cutter you can also use your finger to make small shallow bowls and fill out the stuffing]
* Place a small amount of coconut filling on each circle. Brush the edges of with water and seal tightly to form a crescent (semi-circular) shape.
* To cook the dumplings, boil four cups of milk, cinnamon and cardamom together in a heavy bottom pan.
* Add sugar and dissolve in the boiling milk.
* Add the dumplings and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes in medium-low heat or until dumplings are cooked.
* It can be served hot or cold. Garnish with brown coconut and chopped pistachios.
BANANA MALPUA
By Ashish Srivastava, executive chef, Regenta LP Vilas, Deharadun
You are never too told to have some maalpuas, right?
Ingredients:
3 – Ripe banana
400g – Flour
150g – Semolina (sooji)
1tsp – Black cardamom seeds
1 tsp – Fennel seeds
6 tbsp – Sugar
3/4 cup – Milk
4 tbsp – Ghee (for frying)
50g – Dry fruits
Method:
* Take the bananas in a large bowl and mash them well.
* Add flour, semolina, sugar, black cardamom and fennel seeds. Mash all the ingredients very nicely. Add milk little by little, mix well to make a thick smooth batter without any lumps.
* The batter should be thick pouring consistency. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
* After 30 minutes beat the batter again and heat the ghee in a frying pan.
* Take three or four tablespoons of the batter, and with a flat spoon spread it in circular movement into the hot oil to form a small circle.
* Fry on medium heat till light brown on both sides.
* Take out the fried malpua with a slotted spoon, keep on paper towels. Fry one malpua at a time.
* Serve with chopped dry fruits.