Pôddar Ilish Paturi in the Microwave

Apparently the best and the most precious Ilish (Hilsa) comes from the river Padma of Bangladesh. Pôdda is the Bengali name for the same river.

When I moved to Canada, I wasn’t quite surprised that I got to eat better Ilish here than in India (Bihar and Delhi). Obviously the best produce of any country is exported to the western countries. Plus the Ilish we get here from the Bangladeshi store in Danforth is straight from Padma rather than the Rupnarayan River in Kolaghat.

The best quality of Ilish is known by its silver skin, which almost scintillates to your touch. Its scales are softer compared to a Rohu or Katla, two other voraciously consumed river fish by the Bengalis.

A fresh Ilish’s taste is the avatar of butter. Silken and oily, Ilish has a distinct taste, probably from the freshwater plankton it feeds on. You don’t have to be an Ilish connoisseur to quickly separate a fresh from a not-so-fresh Ilish. The latter will become chewy and also not have its deep and distinct flavor.

I do not know what exactly the word “Paturi” means. But the connotation is “steamed” or bhapa. Traditionally, Paturi is made by wrapping the fish in fresh banana leaves and steaming it. Though I do get to eat the best quality Ilish in Canada, I am not quite close to finding banana leaves (or a tree!) in layers of snow outside. Thus I am forced to settle with something that every city-dweller has convenient access to. The microwave.

Oh, a rather important thing about Ilish, please do not “thoroughly” wash Ilish. You will just wash off all its flavor and taste. Ideally the scales of the fish are first removed, then the whole fish is washed and cut. But if you get your fish monger to cut the fish for you, bring it home and only lightly wash the pieces.

Ingredients for Ilish Maacher Paturi are:

4-6 slices of Ilish
Half teaspoon + 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4-5 heaped tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon khus khus/posto/poppy seeds
2.5 tablespoons plain yogurt
5 + 7-8 green chilies
5-6 tablespoons mustard oil
Salt

Grind to a smooth paste the mustard seeds, poppy seeds, half teaspoon turmeric powder and 4-5 green chilies. Use little water to wet grind. What I do is, first dry grind the mustard and poppy seeds and then introduce the green chilies with very little water to get the smooth consistency.

Arrange the slices of fish in a shallow microwaveable glass dish.

Slobber the spice mixture on the fish. Add the yogurt, slice lengthwise the remaining green chilies and add them too. Top the fish pieces up with a teaspoon of turmeric powder, salt and drizzle the mustard oil. With a small spatula, evenly coat everything onto the fish pieces.

I start with a spatula but usually end up using my hand to get the spices on both sides of the fish.

Cover with a cling wrap and keep for at least 10 minutes. Microwave the fish for 10 minutes.

Serve the Ilish Maacher Paturi with steaming plain white rice.

Gota Sheddho Revisited

I am a fourth generation Bengali to grow up in Bihar. I also went to a convent school. Such socio-cultural dynamics are not strange or unheard of in India. But they clearly contribute largely in raising a sufficiently confused young girl.

Tomorrow is Saraswati Puja in India. Growing up, it meant an extra holiday in school. I do not remember myself doing any prayer ritual on this day; although something that lingers on from this day is the taste of Gotta Sheddho, literally translated from Bengali as “whole boiled”.

I am told, Gota Sheddho is a Ghoti thing, where Grandmothers and Mothers cook at least five types of whole vegetables with lentils on the day of Saraswati Puja, and eat it the next day, when its cooled down. The day of Sheetal Shasti.

Saraswati Puja in the part of Bihar I lived in, meant young boys and men setting up pandals in the neighborhood and praying to the Goddess of Knowledge. It often translated into muted nuisance where the more boisterous boys would visit every home in the neighborhood to collect donations or chanda, which sadly was more forced than voluntary. These were also the boys who probably never went to school. So their association with “learning and knowledge” remained questionable.

But I do not want to undermine the credibility of their efforts in making arrangements for just one day only (though “celebrations” often stretched to a week). Loud music - most often the raunchiest songs of that year made a perfect set up to tease and torment scared girls who ventured out on the streets that day. Another reason for me to stay in and prepare for the final exams coming up the next month. Though traditionally, its a pen and paper down day in India for all students.

But watching young girls and boys in their finest dresses made a great celebration from home. Some girls as young as 12 or 13 would wear saris.

On this day, it is traditional to wear the color yellow (or mustard yellow) to welcome the Spring/Basant season in India. My memories of girls wearing yellow cotton saris, their hairs washed and smelling of Head & Shoulders, making a wet patch of damp at the back of their blouses where their hair ended are quite vivid. Each girl giggling, walking nervously in their little heels when they saw a group of boys coming their way. This day also made for a great desi, pre-Valentine’s Day celebration. All in the name of knowledge!

With all the Saraswati Puja gung-ho around me, I would shift between bending over the cast iron railings of our terrace to people watch, run to the kitchen to see how Mum was making Gota Sheddho and sprint back to a very visible spot where people could see me “studying”. Clearly I was the only one who was not letting the Goddess of Knowledge down.

Now back to the taste of tradition – Gota Sheddho. There is no one recipe for this vegetarian stew, packed with hearty vegetables. Each family pretty much does it their own way. I will of course share how its made in my family. I had previously made Gota Sheddho on a regular day and the recipe is here.

Ingredients for Gota Sheddho are:

Half cup whole urad dal
Half cup whole green moong
2 small sweet potatoes (either whole or cut into quarters)
Handful of whole green peas, remove the stringy part
Handful of broad beans/sheem, remove the stringy part
6-7 small eggplants
Few green chilies, slit
1 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon mustard oil
Sugar
Salt

Wash the two dals and begin to boil them in a pressure cooker or a thick bottom saucepan – for about 25-30 minutes.

When the lentils get to a rolling boil, add vegetables, ginger, green chilies, turmeric powder, salt and sugar and pressure cook on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables and dals are cooked. Just when you think all the vegetables and dals and well cooked but not too mushy, drizzle the mustard oil, remove from heat.

The Gota Sheddho is the right balance of sweet and savory, so do a test taste and adjust accordingly.

Fresh Salsa Salad

This is a Mexican-inspired salad which is an all-time favorite of ours. Its quick and simple to make and most often you will find all the ingredients at home, except of course jalapeño peppers.

If you don’t have jalapeños, use any hot green chilies.

Ingredients for Fresh Salsa Salad are:

2 firm red tomatoes
2 jalapeño peppers
1 medium red onion
1 medium cucumber
Juice of one lime
Handful of cilantro/coriander
1 teaspoon cumin powder
Half teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt

Remove the seeds from the jalapeños and chop them finely. All the other vegetables also need to be chopped as finely as you can.

Mix everything in a large bowl. Toss in the spices and seasoning and add freshly squeezed lime juice.
If you are making this salad to serve later, do not add salt. Add it just before you serve. Its best to serve this salad chilled.

I will serve this tonight with grilled Tilapia fillets.

Koraishutir Ghugni

I haven't yet made Koraishutir Kochuri this season. Which means I have to make my peas offering with a peas-y alternative.

This is a green peas ghugni, something which can pass off an evening snack or as a brunch with phulko luchi.

Ingredients for Koraishutir/Green Peas Ghugni are:

500 grams shelled peas (frozen or fresh)
2 medium size potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 medium ripe red tomatoes, chopped
Half teaspoon cumin seed
Half teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Half teaspoon black pepper powder
1 small stick of cinnamon
1 cardamom
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
Half cup fried onions, crushed
2-3 tablespoons mustard oil
Sugar
Salt

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the cubes of potatoes till they are lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

In the remaining oil, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Immediately add the chopped onions.

On a low heat-medium heat, sauté the onions till they are lightly red in color. Add the ginger, tomatoes, red chili powder, black pepper powder, turmeric, garam masala powder, salt and half a spoon of sugar. Sweat the onions with the spices and tomatoes till they are cooked. Keep it covered. This should take about 6-8 minutes.

Once this mixture is cooked, add the green peas and the sautéed potatoes.

Add half a cup of water, cover and cook the peas for 5-6 minutes. The peas and potato will release some moisture of their own, make sure you don’t overcook them and make them mushy.

Now add the crushed fried onions to the ghugni and mix well. Do a taste check and see if it has the right balance of everything.

Have the Green Peas Ghugni on its own as a snack or team it up with some luchi or parotha. Some of you may even like to top it with some muri/puffed rice and enjoy it with some hot chai.

Heart-shaped Strawberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate

Valentine's Day is upon us. Attentions turn to matters of the heart. Thus this post of fresh, red strawberries dipped in what every lover longs for – sinful, dark chocolate.

This should be a perfect way of celebrating a signature-style Valentine’s Day. Just go get some fresh strawberries and the best dark chocolate in town and you will be the queen of hearts. Or the king.

Ingredients for Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate are:

Strawberries
Dark chocolate
Parchment paper
Bamboo skewers

Thoroughly wash and drain the strawberries. Prepare dark chocolate (70%) on a double boiler till it has melted but not runny. A lot of supermarkets have ready-to-use bottled melted chocolates which can be nuked and used.

Poke each strawberry with a bamboo skewer. Dip each strawberry individually in the dark chocolate and lay on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so that the strawberries and the chocolate set well.

Serve chilled and experience a burst of love in your mouth.

Though a Little Late…

I had a lump in my throat, goosies all over and a silent tear rolling down...

Fuzzy Fusilli with Barese Sausage

If my husband were to write a love song, it’d either be – I want to lay you on a bed of pasta, or When a man loves a (bowl of) pasta. His love for pasta is undying. And my love for him is well, known in town by now. This dish was created in my kitchen out of love. My love for him.

Oh, and before you think I have misled you into a delicious image of a romantic husband, let me tell you, he doesn’t write love songs. Mine writes financial software. That’s how deprived I am in the mush department.

So to compensate for my deprivation, I start everlasting conversations with ingredients in my pantry and fridge. And today the box of Fusilli told me to marry it with the Barese sausage I got from St. Lawrence Market.

The mixed pitted olives (green and kalamata) and sun-dried tomatoes came in handy too to invoke a whole lot of flavors in my dish.

Ingredients for Fuzzy Fusilli with Barese Sausage are:

4 cups of Fusilli
Barese sausage (you can use any hot sausage you want)
Half cup mixed olives (pitted)
Half cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil

Cook the fusilli according to package instructions. I like to keep mine al dente. Drain and keep. I always generously salt my pasta while cooking, which means I don’t use salt later.

I grilled my sausages before I added them to the pasta. This was being done simultaneously in the oven. If you are using the thick sausages, make sure you poke them randomly with a fork to avoid any blasts in the oven.

Drizzle EVOO on the fusilli, throw in the olives and the sun-dried tomatoes.

Season with dried basil and black pepper. Once the sausages are done and are cool enough to handle, cut bite-size pieces of them and add into the pasta. Toss everything with the passion of an Italian. Serve warm as a main or a hearty lunch. And see how Cupid looks you back in the eye.