Radhuni Murgi: Chicken curry with wild celery seeds

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I find the food at Calcutta’s Bohemian restaurant quite interesting. The man behind Bohemian chef Joy Banerjee, knows his food. I think he has successfully given Bengali cuisine, a global-gourmet makeover. And what I love about his dishes is the play of ingredients. The ingredients, traditional bengali spices and condiments, are mostly familiar, but their use is far from ordinary. I have dined at the Bohemian a few times and I have a few favourites I keep returning for. My Bohemian favourites are Bacon wrapped chicken supreme bundles with Aam Kasundi reduction and the Bacon baked Tilapia with Ginger and Fennel served with tossed greens and coriander butter rice.

However, there is one dish I have often stopped at, mulled over, drooled some and imagined a little. The Steamed breast of Chicken with Radhuni enriched curry sauce. It is served with tossed vegetables and Bori Pilaf. But some how I always end up ordering for something else. The lure of bacon is simply irrisistible. However, I had brought home the idea and decided to make a chicken curry with Radhuni as the core spice. Hence was born my Radhuni Murgi Curry.

For the uninitiated, Radhuni often referred to as wild celery seeds, is a unique spice used extensively Bengali cuisine. At home, we mostly make a runny Masoor dal tempered with Radhuni. It is delicious, The aroma out of this world, But I had never tried radhuni is a non vegetarian dish before, naturally,  I was little nervous. The thing with Radhuni is used in the right amount it will transform a dish into anything but ordinary, but too much of Radhuni might ruin your dish.

Anyway, this Durga Puja, if you are craving essentially Bengali flavours and yet  looking for something new, you could try this chicken curry. With piping hot rotis, this is a winner.

Ingredients

Boneless chicken – 1 kg

Yoghurt – 100 g

Tomato puree – 50 ml

Onions – 2 medium

Garlic – 5-6 cloves (large)

Ginger – 3 inch piece cut into smaller bits

Whole red chilies – 6-7

Sesame seeds paste – 2 tbsp

Pearl onions – 200g

Radhuni (ground into a paste) – 1tbsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – 1tsp

Garam Masala powder – ½ tsp

Mustard oil

Salt to taste

Sugar – 1 tbsp 

Method

In a mixer, blend the onion, garlic, ginger and whole red chilies into a paste.

Now marinate the chicken with the blended masala, radhuni paste, curd, sesame paste, tomato puree, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt and sugar and keep aside for two hours.

Heat mustard oil in a pan.Once hot add the pear onion, fry for a couple of minutes and add the marinated chicken. Cover and cook on medium low heat until chicken is almost tender.

Now remove cover, add garam masala powder and cook until gravy thickens and oil separates.

Serve with rotis or parathas.

Prawn Paratha: Chingrir Porota

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 What is Durga Puja without some great CHINGRI. And although I am allergic to prawns I wouldn't want to deprive the family. Besides, I love cooking with them. And this year, during the festival, I plan to serve prawns for breakfast too, but is this new ad interesting avatar. I often demand stuffed parathas for breakfast especially on special days. Cauliflower, paneer, raddish, potato, fish, chicken, anything would do. I love stuffed parathas, and I am sure you love them too. But this is nothing like anything you might have had before. The stuffing made with whole and mashed prawns is as good as the dough with which the parathas are made. In fact, the crisp parathas are bound to win your heart. I am making these parathas for the family on the second day of the festivities this year, yes I plan ahead when it comes to food, you  could make them anytime. Super simple, easy and very very tasty.

Ingredients 

For the dough 

All purpose flour/ Maida - 275 g
Egg - 1 large
Hung yoghurt - 100 g
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Vegetable oil - 3-4 tbsp + more for frying the paranthas.

For the stuffing 
Medium sized whole prawns (heads, tail, removed) - 5-6
Prawns -  750 g
Finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves - 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
Chili flakes - 1/2 tsp or according to taste

Method 

For the dough

Sift flour into a big bowl.

Add yoghurt, egg, salt, sugar and 3-4 tbsp of vegetable oil.

Bring it together into a soft dough. Do not knead much, just a couple of minutes.

Cover with a towel and keep aside.

For the stuffing


Clean the prawns carefully, remove the head, tail etc and run the flesh in a blender to make a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and stir a little. Toss in the whole prawns.

Stir for a minute or two and add the prawn paste. Fry on low heat for a few minutes.

Add salt, a pinch of sugar, chili flakes and finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves.

Once the prawn is soften and is cooked through remove from heat and set it aside to cool down a little.

Bringing it together

Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll into neat balls.

Now roll out the balls into thin disks. On two of them spread a thick layer of stuffing, leaving half a centimetre around the rim of the disc. Now cover them with the remaining rolled out discs. Glue the edge with a little water so the two discs would stick.press with a fork around the rim.

Now heat a tawa on the stove-top, and place one paratha, cook/bake for a few minutes on each side on low heat. Once done, add a tablespoon of oil. Fry both sides for a couple of minutes each and remove. Serve piping hot with your choice of raita or chutney!

South Italian Feast @ The Park, Kolkata

"Do you know the land where the lemons are in flower?
In the green leaves golden oranges shine
a quiet wind blows from the blue sky
Quiet is the myrtle, serene the laurel
Do you know it well?
There, there
I would like with you, my love, to go!"  - JW Goethe

  A strange silence, almost heart rending, prevailed in the coach. Most of my fellow travelers had dozed off, exhausted from the taxing tour of the hoary ruins of Pompeii. They sat in their seats, heads bobbing robotically, in rhythm with the persistent joggling of the coach, as our driver, Mario, skillfully maneuvered the giant vehicle through the lush countryside of Campania, headed for Massa Lubrense, a charming town perched high up on the hills, just above Sorrento. Others sat mute, watching the beautiful Campanian landscape swish by. I was slipping in and out of sleep myself, my legs taut from all the walking, the blisters, deadly crimson.

     
The bus was winding up the steep cliffs of the Sorrentine peninsula, and on our right, stretching out into the horizon, were the turquoise waters of the Bay of Naples. The water shimmered and sparkled where the golden rays of the late afternoon sun flirted with the dancing waves. Far away, across the bay, the mighty Vesuvius, the only active Volcano in continental Europe, stood aloof, impersonal and beautiful. On its left, closer to the shores, was the Isle of Capri., only its outline visible from where we were. A lonely streamer, a spotless white, waded through the silken waters of the Bay of Naples, a trail of milky white surf at its tail. The rest of the journey up to Massa Lubrense meant similar views of the bay and as we climbed higher up views of the charming towns and cities of Campania flung across the hills, a canopy of red clay roofs. Although this was not exactly the fabled Amalfi coast yet, it was no less beautiful.

Yes, Southern Italy is beautiful. And so is its cuisine. I remember a particular Dinner at a chic restaurant in one of the lanes near Saint Antonio’s square in Sorrento, where we sat under the canopies on the terrace overlooking the Bay of Naples. The meal comprised a delectable platter of antipasti - bruschetta, an assortment of cold cuts and grilled vegetables and deep fried cheesy bites followed by fresh salad. Next came pizza and considering the fact that Naples was where pizza was born, the Neapolitan pizza was lip-smacking good, and one of the best I have had in Italy. Hand made pasta tossed in tomato sauce and another one in a cheese and cream sauce came next. For dolce there was a delicious lemon cake, soft and dripping juice, the kind that melted in your mouth. Of course the dinner would have been incomplete without a few shots of the Limoncello. The food was fresh, light and the flavours simple and distinct. My memories of South Italian flavours was refreshed recently by a lunch at The Bridge, The Park, Kolkata. The meal comprised authentic South Italian flavours brought all the way from the Calabria region of  Southern Italy, (South Italy comprises six regions Abruzzo, Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata and Molise) by chefs Surojit of The Bridge and Vikas Kumar of Flurys, who spent a few weeks in the region mulling over the nuances of Calabrian cuisine. 

Historically, the south of Italy has been economically backward. The economic divide between North and South Italy reflects upon the cuisine of the regions. South Italy has a high unemployment rate and some regions are still plagued by organised crime, it remains underdeveloped and poor. Hence, the regions cuisine is extremely simple, bordering on minimalist and banks heavily on local produce. However, that doesn't imply a compromise on taste.  The spread on offer at The Bridge's food festival Buon Cibo da Sud Italia underscores this refreshing simplicity of South Italian cuisine.

It had started out as a bright sunny day, but from where I sat I could see tufts of grey clouds claim the sky, gradually. The Bellini, a sweet, sparkling wine, was well a little too sweet for my taste. I mulled over the idea of fishing out the cherry swimming in the wine, and popping it in my mouth, then decided against it. Instead I continued chitchatting with friends at the table. My mind of course was wandering, I was restless. And then the food arrived.

I was a little surprised to see a Piadina, a thin Italia flat bread typical to the Romagna region of Northern Italy on the menu, our first dish of the day. I remembered enjoying a delightful Piadina stuffed with cheese, rocket leaves and ham, for lunch, at a tiny cafe in Ravenna. Nonetheless, the slice of piadina stuffed with Philadelphia cheese and Roma tomatoes looked scrumptious. But I quite liked the slightly crunchy piadina with its melt-in-the mouth insides, the cheese dripping from the sides and the tart roma tomato, the pool of olive oil to dip the piadina into, I was not complaining.

I am not a huge fan of European soups, so the zuppa alla cannavesse, a  tangy and light vegetable broth, was not of much consequence to me. I would have, perhaps, better enjoyed the zuppa di pesce or the seafood soup better, but I was not ready to take a chance, what if the allergies struck?

An assortment of bread rolls, Apple raisin cinnamon rolls and Honey-glazed Lemon Chicken Rolls, was brought to the table at around the same time. The rolls were served with bowls of a delightful pesto I couldn't have enough of, a deliciously tangy red pepper coulis, and four different kinds of olive oil, in test tubes. The serving platter, fitted with the test tubes, glass bowls et al, reminded me of a lab apparatus really!. I turned my attention towards the rolls. The Honey-glazed lemon chicken rolls could do with more chicken, P agreed too, but we dunked in the delightful pesto and was quite happy with what we chomped on. On P's recommendation I dipped my sweet apple raisin cinnamon rolls into the tangy peppery coulis. She has often goaded me to try these apparently weird combinations (I have a penchant for it myself) and they always hit the right spot. The sweet cinnamon-y rolls, the bursts of sweet tang from the raisins, the peppery sapidity of the coulis, together unfurled a flavour fest!

Next came a moist, subtly flavoured chunk of boneless chicken with a herb crust,  fried to a beautiful golden brown, served with a side of a simple, unadorned, lettuce and rocket salad and drizzle of pesto - a classic example of the minimalist bent of South Italian cuisine.

However, the dish I had been looking forward to ever since I glanced through the menu for the day was the Fornarina, egg yolk stuffed ravioli served in subtle, basil infused butter. The dish had a rather curious name though, I realised later. While I was looking up Fornarina later, to learn a little more about the dish, I realised La Fornarina is one of Renaissance master Raphael's famous portraits, and not a type of ravioli. I wonder what the story behind the dish's curious nomenclature is. As for the dish itself. it was definitely one of the highlights of the meal. I especially took delight in the way the egg yolk gushes out and blends into the sauce the moment you cut into soft ravioli.

The other highlight of the meal was the pa fried chicken risotto served with a piece of tempura chicken. I was a little disappointed with the tempura, but the creamy, slightly tangy and abundantly flavourful risotto, chockful with shredded chicken, made up for what was missing in the tempura. This was one dish I could have a second helping of. Diagonally across the table, a fellow diner was chomping on home-made pici pasta in a chunky tomato sauce. And my eyes wouldn't behave.

For the final course before dessert I had a choice between a roasted vegetable lasagna (I don't do vegetables!), Pesce alla Livornese with Salsima, a fish preparation from the Catanzaro region, (sounds promising, I thought) and Bollito Carne de Maiale, a pork ra....yes that one please. So there it was a chunk of fatty sparerib, in fact there was more fat than meat, no I am not complaining, in a herb infused jus. It was there in front of me one moment, it was gone the next.

Dessert was a traditional Italian pie made with ricotta and barley pearls. Slightly cinnamon-y and pretty rich, the slice of pie was served on a puddle of light, runny custard and topped with fresh fruits. The Pastiera Napolitana, was a good note to finish the meal on, but it didn't make to my list of desserts I would return for.

The Food festival began on September 5 and shall be on till September 29, 2014. An a la carte meal for two would come for Rs 3000 approximately. 

Murgir Bhorta: Opar Bangla specialty

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A bona fide Bengali is essentially khadyoroshik and his love for machh (fish) and bhat (rice), is legendary. For a Bengali, dining is not a survival routine; it is a ritual of sorts.  There was a time when the status of a Bengali household was determined by the quality of rice they ate or the size of the Illish they served their guests. The man of the house would return home drenched in sweat, having spent an entire morning in the bazaar. He would definitely extol his uncanny knack for picking up the best fish in the market, before scurrying off to the bath. During bride viewing sessions the mandatory question posed to a Bengali girl by the groom’s family, in a bid to judge her worth, would be if she knows how to cut and clean mocha (banana flower). But that was another age. The New Age Bengali usually serves Fish Florentine or Chicken lat me kai to guests, sends the domestic help to the market and heads out to one of the city’s specialty restaurants to slake his occasional cravings for mochar ghonto and ilish bhaape. In fact, the proliferation of Bengali specialty restaurants in Calcutta is a comparatively recent phenomenon. 

Of course, there are still people who have the time or make time and take the trouble to prepare traditional Bengali delicacies at home no matter what the demands of present day life are. My family, for instance, doesn't often venture out to eat Bengali food in a restaurant. Everything from mochar ghonto to Daab chingri is prepared at home and on a regular basis.Nonetheless there is one particular restaurant serving Bengali cuisine that is a family favourite. Kasturi, a Bangladeshi restaurant serving Dhakai cuisine. And being a Ghoti family (natives of West Bengal), the Bangal (native of erstwhile East Bengal,now Bangladesh) style of cooking is anything but regular for us. My mother is crazy about their Kochu Pata Chingri (shrimps and taro leaves cooked with mustard in mustard oil) while their paturi, with that extra zing from the mustard, is a perennial family favourite. 

However, my favourite dish at the restaurant is the fiery (runny nose, teary eyes kind of fiery) Murgi Bhorta. My friend Angona, another huge food enthusiast, introduced me to the bhorta a few years ago and am I glad she did. Trust a Bangal to turn anything from dried fish (shutki machh) to taro leaves (kochu pata)  into a bhorta and you are in for a delectable meal. As far as I am concerned, I can eat a plateful of rice with two tablespoons of Kasturi's murgi bhorta. Usually I pass most of the other dishes ordered, just so I can have my fill of bhorta and bhaat. Now this bhorta is markedly different from the North India favourite, Chicken bharta. The Bengali avatar of Bhorta is basically chicken, ground into a paste and fried with a host of spices in mustard oil, on a low flame, for the longest time, and finished off with a drizzle of raw mustard oil, for that extra kick. The dish is oily but like I said it is so rich and full of flavours that a table spoon is enough to polish off a mound of rice. 

Anyway, last year, on the second day of Durga Puja, I insisted we bring home food from Kasturi. My father vehemently protested considering the crowds and the traffic. But then, when the daughter wants something, she wants it. I was ready to shed a couple of tears to convince him, however 20 odd "please Baba" did the trick. What I didn't know then was that I would regret my decision. My father had to wait for over two hours to get his order packed and returned home close to 3:30 in the afternoon. By then, my sanity was at stake. I hurriedly brought out the boxes and off came the lids. But no Murgi Bhorta. I could feel that stinging sensation in my eyes. Yes I still cry when I am denied good food. How could he forget? And just then dad came in and said "Shono, tomar oyi bhorta ta shesh hoye giyechhilo (Listen your bhorta was over") Great. And so was my appetite...it was gone! I sulked the entire day. And that's when I decided I have to try and make my own version of the Bhorta, which I did. And now, though Kasturi's remains a favourite, my own murgi bhorta is a close close second. In fact, sometimes, I crave mine more than I crave Kasturi's. And this Durga Puja, I am not banking on Kasturi for my quota of murgi bhorta. You should try it too. 

This is how I make it 

Ingredients

Fine Minced chicken – 600 g

Vinegar – 50 ml

Onion paste – 3 tbsp

Minced Garlic – 1 tbsp

Minced ginger – 1.5 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chili powder – 1.5 tbsp

Cumin powder – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 2 tbsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Besan (Bengal gram flour) – ½ tsp

Chopped green chilies - 1/4 cup 

Chopped coriander/cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup packed 
Mustard oil - 3/4 cup 

Method 

Grind the chicken in a blender into a fine paste. Better still do it on a grinding stone.

Add the vinegar, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin and coriander powder, mustard oil, and salt. Keep aside for half an hour. 

Now heat a heavy bottomed pan. Once the pan is hot, pour in the spiced chicken mixture. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium low heat. 

Remove cover and continue cooking on low heat, until the juices dry up. Add garam masala powder, chopped green chilies and chopped cilantro leaves and keep frying on low heat. Soon oil will separate. But continue frying (bhuna) on low heat for the next 40 minutes or so. 

If the chicken dries up a little to much, sprinkle some warm water and continue. You can do it a few times, as required. 

When it almost done sift in the besan and mix well. The chicken will be a little grainy, but mushy. 

Drizzle a little raw mustard oil and remove from heat. Serve with plain boiled rice. And some onion rings on the side, perhaps. 

Phulkopir Malaikari: Cauliflower in coconut milk currry

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Durga Puja is less than a month away and right about this time every year, we Bongs go crazy in anticipation of these five days of unabashed carousing and relentless revelry. I have started counting days too.  In fact, to me this thrill in anticipation of the Pujas is the best part. Once the Pujas arrive, the days fly in a blink. Anyway, while I wait for the Pujas, to get into the festive mood, I have planned to cook some of my favourite dishes that I associate with Durga Puja. Traditional recipes, restaurant favourites, street bites, et al.

I thought of starting off with something vegetarian. This dish is a vegetarian variation of Bengal’s legendary Chingrir Malaikari, prawns cooked in coconut milk. Phulkopir Malaikari, that is cauliflower florets cooked in coconut milk along with other aromatic spices. This is often made on Shashti (the first day of the Durga Puja), at my place along with the customary Luchi, chholar dal and aloor dom. It is funny though this dish is not considered vegetarian at my place because it uses onion and garlic. And the women of the house, who observe a fast on Shashti do not eat it. In fact, the dish is more of a way to pacify the rest of us who are not fasting and yet cannot feast on fish and meat on Shashti. No meat or fish would enter the house on that day. 

But we do not complain, because this dish is awesome. I remember this one time when I had returned home from the Puja Pandal way past the curfew hour and had got whacked real hard. Worse still, I was forbidden to set foot in the local pandal for the rest of the Pujas. I was crying and sulking in my room when my grandmother brought me crisp paranthas, phulkopir malaikari and some jaggery on the side, and she coaxed and cajoled a stubborn me into eating. It is one of my last and fondest memories of my grandma.  

Ingredients

Cauliflower – 1 large

Minced onion – 1 cup

Minced garlic – ½ tsp

Minced ginger – 2 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chili powder –  1 tbsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Thin/light coconut milk – 250 ml

Salt to tast

Sugar – 2 tbsp

Mustard oil

Ghee – 1 tsp

Whole spices

Cardamom

Cinnamon

Cloves

Bay leaves

Whole Dry Red Chilies

Cumin – ½ tsp

 Method

Cut the washed cauliflower in large florets and in a bowl keep the florets immersed in water to which you have added a little salt and turmeric powder. Leave for a hour, drain, and rinse and the cauliflower once more.

Now heat mustard oil in a deep bottomed pan and toss in the cauliflower florets, sprinkle a pinch of salt  and fry until they are a deep golden.  Keep aside.

In another pan, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil and I tsp ghee. Once hot, add the whole spices. Once they splutter and exude their aroma, add the minced onion, garlic and ginger. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and a little sugar. Fry until oil separates.

In a small bowl make a paste with the turmeric, chili powder and cumin powder and a couple of tablespoons of water. Add it to the onion-garlic-ginger.

Fry until oil separates. Add the fried cauliflower, stir well to coat the cauliflower with the spices. Cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes until cauliflower softens.

Add coconut milk and slit green chilies. Bring to a boil. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cook on medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Once oil begins to gleam around the edges, drizzle a little ghee and take it off the heat.