A Bong's Delight

A simple recipe that just takes forty-five odd minutes to be done. Rice can be cooked easily with double the amount of water and then put it on one whistle, it should be good for use. Maybe you should let it be soaked in warmish water for five to ten minutes before you pop that into a cooker and let it be cooked as well done as you want.

Now that is done well fry up the eggplant slices after marinating them with salt and turmeric powder about one teaspoon and a half of each of the condiments used for this preparation. Fry them all well both sides for six long minutes on low to medium flame keep changing the sides and check on it all the time. Ensure it does not get charred at all. Now next is to slowly let them all fry out and take them out the pan. Collect them on a dish and that should be it.

Next one is also simple. The dal we use here is masur and takes about fifteen minutes to twenty to be cooked through well enough. In the masur dal or lentil curry we are about to make add to it about three cups of warm to hot water alongside one teaspoon of each salt and turmeric for taste. Put all of this into the pressure cooker for a whistle or two and turn off the gas once the cooking is done. Now, for the tadka, or tempering of spices we need 'Paanch Phoron'; a Bengali five spice blend/mixture that is often used in Bengali regular cooking of veggies and lentils. This is going to be a popular one since you do not need too much but the spice itself is so flavorful that it becomes an aroma filled dal, we all love to devour. In a wok add three green chilies only a couple slit lengthwise, a handful of chopped up onions lengthwise, a pinch of asafetida for extra flavor and to enhance digestion, one quarter teaspoon of minced garlic and a half of a teaspoon of this Bengali five spice mixture. Let all of this be cooked in a couple of teaspoons of mustard oil maybe about three teaspoons will do and pop this mixture into the bubbling away dal for a couple of more minutes and turn off the flame. Add about half cup of water and adjust the salt accordingly. From the top add a little mustard oil too.

Let us begin cooking chicken curry make it milder if you like. for kids in this platter full of choices. Kids love this especially. Add a couple of tablespoons of mustard oil and let it get warm. Add a paste of a single tomato and a small sized onion. Next up, stir this all very well and let i turn into a reddish sort of consistency. It is now time for ginger garlic paste to thicken the gravy. Stir all of this mixture with a little bit of water for this to come consistently well. Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder, the same amount of cayenne pepper for taste and flavor, salt as well and a half teaspoon of Chicken Kadhai masala available everywhere in Indian grocery stores. Stir all of this vigorously and let it all sit together for a couple of more minutes and keep the lid on to make it mushy. It is perfectly fine to tip in the chunky chicken tender pieces cut evenly into little bite sized pieces from the thigh fillet used. Stir them all for a little while. Add a quarter of a cup of warm water for a bit gravy texture and cook it on low. Check for salt, if needed. Lastly, add a sprinkle of Indian garam masala spice blend and wait for a bubble or two to come through and then switch off the gas. Put the lid on and let it come together from the heat off the gas. It is done! Serve it to adults and kids alike. Adjust the spices incase anything you think is missing.