Dim er Jhol (Egg curry)

Dim or egg is almost everyone's favorite, specially kids even the grown ups. And "patla dimer jhol" is a very common item in bengali cooking. It is very easy to cook and loved by everyone.

Ingredients:


Eggs (dim): 4 (medium)
Potatoes (aloo): 1 (medium)
Onion (peyaj): 1(large)
Ginger (ada): 1 inch root
Garlic (rasoon): 2-3 cloves
Ripe Tomato: 1 (medium)
Green Chilli (kacha lanka): 2-3
Turmeric Powder (halud guro): 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder (lanka guro): 1½tbsp
Cumin Powder (jeera guro): ½tsp
Coriander Powder (dhone guro): ½tsp
Cardamom (elachi): 3
Cloves (labanga): 3
Cinnamon (dalchini): 1inch 
Sugar – 1/4 tsp
Oil (sada tel): 5 tbsp
Salt to taste


Method:


Hard boil the eggs for 10mins and place under cold water. Peel them and make 2-3 small slits in each of the eggs. 

Now coat the eggs with half of the turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder and suger. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs until slightly browned. Continuously turn the eggs. When these are done set them aside.

Now peel and cut the potatoes in long thin pieces. Add 1tbsp oil in the pan and fry them for 4-5 mins adding little turmeric. Then keep the fried potatoes aside.

 Chop half of the onion length wise. Add 1tbsp oil in the frying pan and fry the chopped onions till they become translucent.

Now make a paste of the remaining half onion, ginger, garlic and green chili. Add the paste to the frying onion and fry for one minute (medium heat). Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and the remaining turmeric and fry until the whole masala is fried. Add a little more oil if needed. Now cut the tomatoes in small pieces and fry. When done, add water, salt and the fried potatoes and bring it boil. Then cover it with a lid cook for 5 mins (check if the potatoes are not cooked properly keep it for 5 more mins).

 Add the eggs and simmer for another 5 minutes. Grind the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon together and add the powder in the curry. Serve hot with rice.

Grilled Chicken

This is my husband's favorite recipe. He likes gilled chicken a lot, so I make it a lot!

Ingredients

• 1 (3 to 4 lb) roasting chicken
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• Red chili powder
• Red chili flakes 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If the chicken is frozen one keep it in hot water with salt for about 2 hrs. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken properly. Remove excess fat and leftover pin feathers. Pat the outside dry. 


Now mix the butter, chili powder, chili flakes, black pepper and salt together. Heat the mixture for 30 seconds (if the butter is already melted, no need to heat it). Add the lemon juice in it.


Brush the inside and the outside of the chicken generously with the butter mixture and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. 


Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. You can turn the chicken one after 45mins. Remove the chicken and slice it onto a platter and serve.

Note: Serve it with onions soaked in vinegar. Cut onion rings and dip them in about 1 cup of white distilled or chili vinegar for 3- 4 hrs. While serving discard the vinegar and add salt and red chili powder in the onion rings. Mix and serve.  

Dal Makhni

This is my one of the favorite dal. In Bangalore, Indranagar area there is a restaurant named Kund. I loved their Dal makhni. So I tried to replicate the same thing at home. And I was almost successful (almost because I din't want to add so much of butter as they do). This is how it goes:

Ingredients

Whole urad dal (black lentils): 150gm
Rajma (red kidney beans): 50 gm
Ginger, peeled (ada): 2'' piece
Garlic (rasoon): 2-3 cloves
Green chillies (Kacha Lanka): 2-3
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Cumin seed (gota jeera): 1tsp
Tomato paste or puree: 1 medium tomato
Butter : 2 tbsp
Fresh Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream: ½ cup
Chilli powder (guro lanka): 2tsp

Turmeric powder (halud guro): 1tsp
Garam masala:Salt to taste

Method
Soak all of the lentils (urad and rajma) in water for 8 hours, or preferably overnight. Wash four times, changing the water each time.

Boil all of the lentils with salt, and simmer until lentils are well cooked. Drain off excess water and mash the lentils lightly with the back of a ladle.

Chop the garlic and ginger finely. 


To make the tadka, heat the ghee or oil in a heavy pan until hot, and add the cumin seeds and stir until they crackle. Add the ginger-garlic and fry until beginning to colour. 

Add the tomato puree and fry for a minute or two. 

Add to the cooked dal, mixing well. Bring the dal to the boil again, adding the chilli powder, turmeric powder and green chillis. Now butter and cream. Simmer gently for until the dal is thick.

Aloo Fulkopi

I will start with my favorite vegetable Fulkopi (Cauliflower). In my childhood I liked to think the florets of cauliflower as small trees while eating. This is one of the most common recipes in a Bengali household in Winters. I like to add a little Paneer in this recipe. This is how it goes:   

Ingredients: 

Cauliflower (fulkopi): 1 medium size

Potato small (aalu): 2 pieces

Paneer : 8 oz or 200gm

Green peas (matarshuti): ½ cup 

Green chilli (kacha lanka): 3 / 4 (optional)

Turmeric powder (haluder guro): ¼ tsp

Chilli powder (sukhno lankar guro): 1 tsp

Cumin seeds (gota jeera): 1 tsp

Red Pepper (sukno lanka): 2 pieces

Cumin powder (jeera guro): 1 ½ tsp

Coriander powder (dhone guro): 1 tsp

Tomato sauce (ketchup): 1tbsp

Vegetable oil (sada tel): 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method: 

Cut the cauliflower in 1“ size florets. Cut the potatoes also of the same size. Cut the paneer into cubes.

Aloo and Cauliflower

Paneer

Pour oil in a wok or kadhai and when the oil is hot add the red peppers and cumin seeds to the oil and let it fry a bit. 

Now add the cauliflower and and the potatoes. Add turmeric powder and fry a little. When the cauliflowers become little golden add the paneer pieces and fry.

Add cumin powder, coriander powder and the chilli powder. When the vegetables and paneer is coted with the spices add the green peas (you can use the frozen one's). 

Add salt and put a cover on the wok. After 2-3 mins add a little water and bring it to the boil. Now cut the green chillis into half and add them to the gravy. If you want more spicy you can add them earlier also. Cook till the vegetables become soft and the gravy becomes thick. 

Finally add the tomato ketchup and mix well. Serve hot with rice, roti or paratha.

Note: If you wish you can garnish with Coriander Leaf/ Cilantro.