Ladies' Fingers or Okra Curry

Ingredients

250 gms ladies' fingers
2 tablespoons oil
1/8 teaspoon onion seeds
2 tablespoons mustard paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric paste
1/2 teaspoon chilli paste
3-4 green chillies
salt to taste

Method

Slice off the stem and tip of the ladies' fingers; otherwise leave whole. Make a couple of gashes on the body of the vegetable.
Heat oil in a karai (wok). Add the onion seeds and fry till they stop spluttering. Add the ladies' fingers and stir-fry for at least 5 minutes, adding salt to taste. When the vegetables appear fried but not brown, add the masala paste blended with water. Stir and add the green chillies.
Simmer gently until the ladies' fingers are cooked and there is only a thick gravy in the pan.
If necessary, a little additional water may be added, depending on how long the vegetables take to cook.

Maacher Sorse Jhol (Spiced Fish Stew in Mustard)

Ingrediants

250 gms white fleshed fish, rui etc.
1/4 teaspoon turmeric paste
1/4 teaspoon chilli paste
4 tablespoons mustard paste
6 - 8 green chillies
3 tablespoons mustard oil
3 cups water
salt to taste

Method

Cut the fish into even pieces.
Mix together all the masala pastes in water in a bowl.
Heat oil to smoking and fry the pieces of fish in the oil for 3 - 5 minutes.
Pour the masala-water into the pan through a sieve. Add salt to taste and the green chilles.
Let contents of the pan come to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer gently for approx 15 minutes or until fish is cooked.

Serve with Rice.

Bengali's and Fish

A Bengali meal without fish is incomplete.

There are untold amounts of fish recipes originating both in East and West Bengal.

Bengalis believe that the flavour of river fish can be best appreciated if it is cooked with mustard oil. A favourite of mine is Maacher Jhol (Spiced Fish Stew) which is eaten with rice as a midday meal in most Bengali homes. There are so many varieties of fish, Rui, Coy, Talapia, Boil, Bhekti, etc. which are all bought fresh, on a daily basis, from the local fish markets.

Chicken Curry (Murgi Curry)

Ingredients

1 medium-sized chicken (approx. 750gms), cut in pieces.

4 potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tomatoes, chopped or quartered

2 onions, halved and sliced fine

2 onions, ground to a paste

1.5 tablespoons turmeric

2 tablespoons chilli paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

salt and sugar to taste

4 tablespoons ghee

Method

Heat ghee in pan. Fry the sliced onions till well browned but soft. Add the onion paste together with all the masala pastes. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until masalas change colour. Add the tomatoes and stir-fry a few minutes more.

Add the chicken, stir-fry another 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little water, if necessary. Add salt and sugar to taste.

Add 4 cups water, stir, cover and simmer chicken over medium heat until three-quarters done (approx 45 min to and hr), stirring from time to time.

Add the quartered paotatoes. Stir and cover pan. Cook till potatoes and chicken are both done and gravy has thickened.

Bengali's and Food

For the Bengalis, preparing and eating a meal is a ritual, a traditional basic meal consists of boiled rice and lentils (dal bhat), with of course a little fish. Bengalis, spend not only a great deal of time thinking about food but also on its preparation and eating. Quote's like "Bengalis live to eat" and Bengalis spend most of their income on food" are exaggerated, but there are some stories of the Bengali clerk reporting late at the office because his spiced fish stew (maacher jhol) was not ready on time, is a truism of the past.

Indian Curry Lovers

Im pretty sure whoever enters this blog, is a Great Lover of Indian food.

Well you'll love this blogger because I'm going to tantilise your taste buds with some really yummy recipes and just to give it some punch, i'll add a bit of culture on the side as a starter.

To begin, my first blog will be on 'Bengali Food', being close to home and its always better to write about what you know, rather then what you don't know, if you know what I mean.

So don't miss out, keep a weekly track on this site, add it to your favourites folder and pass it onto your family and friends.

Must stop blogging now and get on with the cooking.