Shorshe jhal (Mustard sauce gravy)

I love my share of dishes that are based on gravy made of "shorshe". Shorshe is nothing but mustard seeds. There are really two types of mustard seeds that we can get in any grocery store - black and white. Though the black mustard is used more popularly in Europe and America to make the ever popular tangy mustard sauce, in Bengal households the much milder white mustard is preferred. And rightly so. Now the favorite mustard seed paste preparation is fish, and the preparation is meant to be thick and flavorful, not very strong or pungent or towards bitter, but just a little hint of all these tastes, accentuated by adding a little mustard seed oil, and tomatoes, cilantro, peppers etc. Depending on the dish, some recipes involve adding a hint of sugar, or ginger paste and some tempering with black caraway seeds.

Sharing my recipe for the mustard paste that I usually use. I know every one has their own version, I wold love to read yours too, so please do add your numero uno go to recipe in the comments.

Recipe video using Salmon and some chit-chat here - Salmon in Mustard Paste

Ingredients -

1) 3 Tbsp white mustard seeds
2) 1 Tsp ginger paste
3) 1-2 chilies
4) 1 Tsp mustard oil
5) 1/2 Tsp salt
6) 1 Tsp turmeric powder

Method -

1) Soak the mustard seeds in water for 2 hours
2) Drain the water and put in a blender
3) Add all other ingredients
4) Add 3 Tsp water and grind. Add more water if the mix gets too dry.
5) Grind until the paste is very smooth, fluffy almost.

Now mustard paste gets bitter if fried for longer in oil. So if you intend to have a thick gravy, add the water to the paste before putting the paste in oil and tempering. If you intend to make a dry dish, turn of the flame before adding the paste and after the paste is all well mixed with the main ingredients, then turn on the flame again.

Do share your methods of preparing mustard gravy, I would love to know your tricks as well :)

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Shedhho Puli

 Oh my gosh! It's been a real long time since I wrote a recipe!! Am I not been cooking? Well, I am. Infact, I have been experimenting. Healthiest possible ways to cook up simple yet good food that hit just the right spot, and don't necessarily show up in the wrong places. I will share those, when I feel that I have the perfect concoction. Like this recipe, which is ancient, but I made it with some twists to cut the calorie values, yet it tasted just right.

In Assam, Makar Sankranti/Bihu is the time when we all grow a couple of sweet tooth, and get ready to empty plate after plate of delicacies, majority of them sweet and savory.  So what if our New Year resolution was to lose those extra pounds, 'tis the season (for us)! I have grown up seeing my Ma and Thamma(Grandma) stay awake till the wee hours of dawn, making Pithas, as these sweet delicacies are called. Not one or two kinds mind you! There have been some years, our plates had as many as TEN different types of Pithas, and we still wanted more!

Tradition calls for waking up as early as possible on Makar Sankranti, while its still dark, and take bath. Oh how I hated it! Who wouldn't? Waking up as early as 4.00 am on a chilly January morning and being rushed to the bathroom to take a bath is definitely not the best thing in the world. But wait, things got interesting when we came out of the bathroom, and went to the backyard, where Dad and Grandpa had lit up the Merameri'r ghar! Its a house-like structure we made the day before with bamboos, straws, branches, old newspapers etc. and was oodles of fun! And even more fun was getting warmed by the crackling fire, and while we sat there, Mom brought us plate full of those delicious Pithas. Oh yes, Sankranti was fun! We forgot all about the bath, and ate the whole day. :)

Ah those were the days! Sugar somehow became bad over the years (I have no clue how!). But the best thing is, we still celebrate this festival in our own ways, we still love those Pithas, and we scratch our heads, and find ways to making them in a healthier way. So here goes, my recipe for Sheddho Puli, which is a Pitha made of powdered rice. And since I have already blabbered a lot, I promise to compensate with as few words as possible :)

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The ingredients here serve 8. Time to cook is approx 45 minutes.

For the filling -

•  Shredded coconut - 2 cups
• Molasses (Gur) - 4-5 pieces
• Cardamom seeds - from 2-3 cardamoms
• Zero fat milk - 1/2 cup
• Mawa (powdered milk) - 1 Tbsp

For the Pitha -

• Coarsely powdered rice - 1 cup
• Ghee - 1 Tsp

For garnish -

• Zero fat milk - 1/2 cup
• Mawa (powdered milk) - 2 Tbsp
• Sugar - 1 Tsp
• Cardamom - 2
• Bay leaf - 1-2

Method -

• In a pan, heat about half cup of milk, add the cardamom seeds.
• After the milk heats up, remove from flame and add the molasses. Stir for a while, it is not necessary that they totally melt.

•  Add the dry shredded coconut and start the flame again.
• Add the mawa.
• Stir until the mix is dry.

• Stir the rice powder in a heated pan for 1-2 minutes.
• Add warm water and stir until the mix is dried. Remove from flame and add the ghee.

• Make small balls with your palms while the mix is still warm, and flatten to make a bowl shape. Add the filling and seal with your palms.

• In a pressure cooker, add a little water. Take a bowl that will go in the pressure cooker and coat it with a little Ghee. Put the Pithas in the bowl and cook until 1-2 whistles.

• Heat the milk and add all the ingredients for garnish. Pour on top of Pithas.

Serve warm or cool and enjoy!

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Only in India...

We returned from a lovely trip to India last week. Sharing some of the finger-licking delicacies we had while we were there...

These are the jackfruits and mangoes from the trees in our parents' homes. Ripe and sweet, they can be eaten just the way they are, or made into smoothies, juices or chutneys. Taste heavenly in all forms.

The home made deserts, don't these look so pretty? They taste even better. These are made with home grown coconuts. Mixed with sugar and a pinch of camphor, the simplicity of the ingredients simply amazes. With as little ingredients as possible, but made with a lot of love, the "Sandesh" melts in your mouth and fills your heart with warmth and happiness.

What else did we eat? Fish! Uncountable varieties of sweet water fishes cooked in a million different ways. Utter delight :)

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Coconut Almond cookies

These cookies are a slight variation from my previous post on Oatmeal Raisin cookies. 


Ingredients here make 25 cookies. Time to cook is 1 hour approx.

• Whole wheat - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Shredded coconut - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Sliced almonds - 1 cup
• Organic cane sugar - 1 cup
• Canola oil - 1 cup
• Eggs - 1
• Baking powder - a little less than 1/2 Tsp (if your supply of Baking powder is very new, use just a pinch.)

Method -

• In a big bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Mix with a big spoon.
• Add the oil and mix lightly.
• Beat the egg well and add to the mix. 
• With the spoon, combine all the ingredients well.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make balls out of the mix with your hands, press slightly and place on non stick cookie sheet.
• Put in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Take them out and let cool for 5-6 minutes.
• Then place them on a large surface and cool the cookies completely before storing them.

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oats was on our Costco list this month. After we returned from the store, as usual I started storing the big boxes in our storage. That's when I realized we already have a good stock of oats which I had somehow overlooked or forgotten all about! 

Well, with this huge supply of healthy oatmeal, the first thing that came to mind were big, sweet, chewy and delicious Oatmeal Raisin cookies. These cookies are easy to make, and doesn't take up much time in the kitchen. Here's the recipe I followed -

Ingredients here make 25 cookies. Time to cook is 1 hour approx.

• Quaker Oats - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Whole wheat - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Organic cane sugar - 1 cup
• Canola oil - 1 cup
• Raisins - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 1/2 Tsp
• Cinnamon powder - 2 Tsp
• Eggs - 2
• Baking powder - a little less than 1/2 Tsp (if your supply of Baking powder is very new, use just a pinch.)

Method -

• In a big bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Mix with a big spoon.
• Add the oil and mix lightly.
• Beat the eggs well and add to the mix. 
• With the spoon, lightly combine all the ingredients.

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Make balls out of the mix with your hands, press slightly and place on non stick cookie sheet.
• Put in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• Take them out and let cool for 5-6 minutes.
• Then place them on a large surface and cool the cookies completely before storing them. 

Tips -

Use 1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of cane sugar to get a better color and possibly taste.
Use 1 cup melted (but cooled) unsalted butter instead of Canola oil (if you are not on a strict diet :))

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Asparagus in mustard sauce

I love Shorshe Lota. I am not sure what Lota is called in English. I have never cooked Lota myself, but am a fan of the food in any form - shorshe lota, lota chorchori or lota with shukno maach. The vegetable is long, green and stringy - and slippery, and that's the reason why it is tedious to cut and clean. It is a summertime vegetable and is often cooked with raw mangoes.

My mom makes the best Lota dishes, and this is my humble attempt to recreate the taste with Asparagus. Here is a recipe for Shorshe Asparagus or Asparagus in Mustard sauce.

Ingredients here serve 3. Time to cook is approx 30 minutes.


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• 1 bunch Asparagus - cut finger length
• 1/2 Potato - sliced
• 1/2 Tsp Aamchur powder
• 1 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 Tsp Mustard powder (White mustard)
• 2 Tbsp Mustard oil
• 4 Green chilies - slit
• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a bowl, mix the mustard powder, turmeric powder, aamchur powder and a little salt.
• Add 3 Tbsp water and mix well. Keep aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp mustard oil in a pan
• Add the Asparagus, cover and let cook in medium flame for 5-6 minutes.
• Add the sliced potatoes and salt to taste and saute.
• Now add the chilies and the mustard sauce.
• Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Mustard turns bitter if allowed to be fried longer. So add water to pan soon after adding the mustard paste.
• Cover and let cook for 10 minutes in medium heat. The dish tastes best with little or no gravy.

Serve with plain rice.

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Karela daal

Summer is "finally" here!!! This summer my family has developed a new hobby - we have fallen in love with trailing and every other weekend, we head out to conquer trails around the Bay Area. We are so very lucky our 4 year old can hike!

Today we had Karela daal (or Tetor daal - bitter guard in lentils) for lunch.This is one of my favorite summer time dishes. Especially after coming back all hot and tired from our trail trip, the body calls for a relaxed bath and light food. This recipe is very simple, healthy, light and perfect for summer-time lunch.

Ingredients here serve 4. Time to cook is approximately 20 minutes.

• 1 cup yellow Moong daal (lentil)
• 2-3 Karela (bitter guard) - cubed
• 1 Potato - cubed
• 1-2 Carrots - cubed
• 1/2 cup Green beans - cut into small pieces
• 1 Tsp Paanch Phoron
• 1 Tsp grated Ginger 
• 2 Green chilies (slit)
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 Tsp Sugar
• Salt according to taste
• 1 Tbsp Mustard oil for cooking
• 1 Tsp Ghee
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• 2 dry Red chilies

Method:

• In a dry pan, dry roast the Moong daal. We will wash the lentils post roasting. Roast on medium flame until you can smell the lovely aroma of the lentils roasting.
• Wash the lentils and keep aside.
• In a pan, heat the mustard oil. When the oil smokes, add the paanch foron, bay leaves and dry red chilies.
• When the items crackle, add the grated ginger and green chilies.
• Once the ginger is fried, add the vegetables.
• Saute for about 7-8 minutes on medium flame.
• Add the lentils, saute 2 minutes.
• Now add the salt, turmeric powder and 1 cup water.
• Cover the pan and boil till the lentils and veggies are well done.
• Add more water if needed.
• Get off flame and add the sugar and ghee.
• Let the daal cool before serving.

Serve with plain rice.

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