Whole Spinach Curry with Mixed Vegetables/Shish paloker Ghonto

 

Shish Palonger Ghonto is another winter staple cooked with plenty of different vegetables like pumpkin, eggplant, cauliflower, radish, sweet potato and lentil dumplings. Shish palong means whole big spinach with hard stems only available in winter months in India. This is available in Asian groceries call Taiwanese spinach.

Raddish Mismash/Mulor Ghonto

Mulor Ghonto is a winter dish and very understated dish. Ghonto may literally means mash; but it is more about coated nicely everything together. Winter is an abundance of fresh produce of different colors from leafy greens to all types of vegetables and comparatively inexpensive. Therefore,so many ghonto dishes are made in  Bengali households. It requires minimal spices and enjoyed with rice or roti.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is my go to family favorite chicken pot pie recipe, not fancy yet very delicious and flavorful. I use  seasoned slightly grilled chicken thighs and sautéed veggie filling in a creamy sauce without making it too rich, then topped with homemade buttery pie crust baked until golden brown. It’s better than store bought because it’s not loaded with salt, fat, additives and carbs. It needs just basic pantry ingredients.

Orange Chicken Curry

This chicken curry with tangy sweet orange juice is an excellent dish for family and guests. Chicken is marinated in freshly squeezed orange juice then cooked in a mildly spiced basic curry spices. Orange zest makes a big difference to flavor the dish. I like adding cilantro at the end for its bursting warm spicy complex flavor but it’s optional. For a nice presentation place orange slices on top. 

Mochar Ghonto/Banana Blossom Curry

Bengalis would always crave for simple delicacies no matter where they go. And when they settle down in a foreign country they try to find ingredients to recreate all the recipes they grew up with, made by mothers, grandmothers and aunts. Like all immigrants, Bengalis do love to keep their traditional cuisine alive. They wouldn’t even mind to drive a long drive to get certain things they look for. We are the lucky ones to have plenty of Asian and Indian groceries close by to find the most Indian vegetables, spices, fish and seafood. It feels  home in a foreign country. 

Spaghetti & Mini Chicken Meatball in Creamy Vodka Sauce

Spaghetti alla vodka or pasta alla vodka is an Italian American pasta dish is widely popular all over the world and adding meatballs in the sauce takes it to the next level. The mini chicken meatballs with mildly spiced aromatic vodka sauce is slowly cooked to perfection and it is great with any kind of pasta product.

Lemony Chicken & Vegetable Soup

We are in fall winter season and  a bowl of hot soup for cold nights are surely comforting and hearty to savor. This lemon infused chicken & veggie broth is amazingly delicious. I love to add wild rice that has a chewy texture and it can be served as is or with toasted breads. 

Spicy Egg Curry

I have been making this North Indian flavored simple egg curry for years. It's a nice variation from nut and cream based gravy and it tastes surprisingly delicious! One friend once asked what type of nut I used because of its rich korma type taste. But there is no korma ingredients in this egg curry, just everyday pantry staples, yet the finished product looks as pretty as korma because of its color and texture using simple blend of spices. So I am pretty hooked to this recipe whenever I need to whip up something korma type to serve with white rice, toasty naan or paratha. 

Spicy Kerala Fish Curry

This slowly braised spicy exotic Kerala fish curry in spicy tangy gravy yet soothed by little bit of coconut milk has a depth of flavor and it is one of the regional fish curries of India that matches our taste buds. This fish curry requires an tropical dry fruit known as Kudampuli or Malabar tamarind(scientific name,Garcinia cambogia, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia) that has smoky flavor and sour taste, available at Indian groceries. But tamarind is a great substitute for kudampuli in case not found.

Italian Wedding Soup

We all love soup, rain or shine. A bowl of soup with lots of veggies and choice of protein and grain is so satisfying and comforting. I didn't grow up having soup at all; but once I learned to make different soups this Italian weeding soup has been in the soup rotation for years. 

Meen Molee

Each state of India has its own signature dishes and unique flavor profile. As a foodie I love to try the variety of dishes of India that I never tasted while growing up. I have been making Meen Moilee for years, one of the signature fish curries from the state of Kerala. The gravy is mildly spiced yellowish coconut curry with delicious flavor of tempered mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies yet Kerala cuisine is well known for spiciness. It is believed that this curry originated during Portuguese colonial era centuries back. Meen means fish in Malayalam and little analysis revels that Molee is given after the lady by the name "Molly" who added coconut milk to the fish curry to neutralize the spiciness to suit foreigner's palate. 

Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse, a classic French fish stew from Marseilles of Mediterranean Provence region is one of our hot favorites since the day one I made it. We are very much seafood lover and whenever we crave for a hearty stew, Bouillabaisse doesn't get much more delicious. I don't know much about French cuisine. I adapted some of French and other cuisines by watching cooking shows on tv, borrowed cook book from library and so many of them I tried for first time was a hit. Bouillabaisse was one of them. It's pretty easy but little time consuming to make from scratch. Weekend happen to be a great day to prepare fish stock with fresh fish bones, shrimp shells. I make a big batch to savor for a couple of days to use it different recipes. It's so worth it. 

Bengali Style Chicken Stew

A very comforting and hearty stew with chicken and veggies using minimum spices was created for Britishers served with buttered toast during British rule in Kolkata, India. Later, Bengali tweaked it adding some aromatics and spices to suit their liking. However, this is not a spice laden stew and it still has an English touch and mostly served with buttered or plain toast. This delicious hearty stew with bone in chicken, fresh veggies need very basic pantry ingredients that comes together in an hour or less. It's a great way to serve protein and veggies together as an one dish meal to the family all year round. This Bengali style Chicken Stew must not be confused with Bengali Chicken Curry which is made with just potatoes and all most same spices but yellowish in color and medium thick spicy gravy.  

Black Pepper Chicken Curry

Black Pepper Chicken Curry is one of our rotation of chicken curries. I make it with very basic spices yet it comes out incredibly delicious. Spicy kick of freshly ground black pepper and slightly tangy gravy is great with steamed rice or roti and a side salad. I make it whitish, yellowish or reddish in color. It doesn't make that much difference in taste; but using freshly ground black pepper makes this chicken curry really stand out. Here is my take on Black Pepper Chicken Curry.

Macher Paturi

Macher Paturi is one of the best fish delicacies in Bengali cuisine made with predominantly coconut, mustard paste, green chili and mustard oil mixture mostly using Hilsha or Bhetki mach(Baramundi fish), wrapped like a little parcel in banana leaf, then grilled or pan fried. Slowly grilled banana leaf parcel over the hot iron pan gives wonderful aroma and heavenly taste. Paturi in Bengali means pata(leaf). Therefore any edible leaf sometimes used instead of banana leaf for paturi. Macher Paturi is very popular with different spices in different states of India and other countries as well. 

Two Simple Potato Curries

Once upon a time we ate carbohydrate rich food for breakfast or lunch or dinner almost everyday without thinking twice about calorie. We never knew calorie counting back then. We were very active all the time, went to school by walking, played well in the alley or open space, visited friend’s house by walking and we did so many fun outdoor activities. So whatever we consumed easily got  burned out. Life style has changed now. Watching carbohydrate is very important these days for us. I am not saying giving up any of our favorite food but enjoying once in a blue moon. I don’t make just potato curries very often. They are so special that I we can enjoy with roti just for one meal then no carbohydrate for other meals during the day. It balances out pretty good and it satisfies our craving without feeling guilty.

Masor Tenga

Masor Tenga, a signature fish curry from Assamese cuisine specially on hot summer days is truly a soul food. Tenga means sour thin fish curry using tomato, lime juice or other souring agents. This fish curry is the simplest soupy delight I have ever made that doesn't require any spices at all except for tempering, yet very fragrant, richly appealing and heavenly tasty with plain rice. 

Macher Tok/Sour Fish Curry

Macher Tok belongs to West Bengal cuisine that our family never made. This is similar to Assamese counterpart Masor Tenga. We grew up eating simple traditional food that belonged to my parent's native land Noyakhali, in erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh. There is a slight difference between two Bengal's food culture and each side has its own unique ways preparing the food. Tamarind in this recipe is very exotic and drool worthy. Every household makes it differently. This is my close friend's family recipe and I prepare exactly that way. 

Ilish Kumro/Hilsha and Pumkin Stew

During the rainy season Hilsa is at its finest test and it is made in different varieties from simple thin runny stew type to thick gravy type with minimal spices. This is another variation at my maternal aunt's in-laws house who were from Faridpur in erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh. I heard that other district of Bangladesh also make it similarly. When I tasted for the first time, I liked it so much that has since become a family favorite. Hilsha's alluring flavor is nicely balanced with slight pungent mustard paste and sweet pumpkin. Trust me this thin soupy Hilsha tastes out of this world!

ChyaNchra/Mixed Vegetable Mismash with Fish Head

Bengalis are fish lovers and they are not averse to eat most part of fish except for scales and fins. A mixed vegetables and fish head mishmash is a special dish known as ChyaNchra made in almost every Bengali household and Bengali ceremony like weddings or annoprashon(baby's first rice eating ceremony)for lunch. Fish stakes are prepared into a delicious main dish at formal dinner in the actual ceremony and fish heads need to be used up somehow; so this famous dish got created with vegetables, fish heads, oils and gills with some spices. This recipe has been passed down for generations in Bengali households and it tastes insanely delicious! It's a delicacy we grew up with but unfortunately it's not that much appreciated dish among younger generation anymore.