Skip to main content

Featured

Stuffed Pointed gourd - traditional Bengali Potoler Dolma

‘Dolma’ is a Turkish word meaning ‘stuffed’ relating to Ottoman cuisine. It is generally made with a filling of meat, seafood, rice, and fruits or combining them together stuffed inside a vegetable or leaf. Historically stuffed vegetable dishes have been part of Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries. But it is unknown how and when this cuisine entered the Bengali kitchen. If we look back at our culinary history, we find its mention in Bengali kitchens much before the independence of India in 1947. ‘Dolma’ in Bengali kitchen is mostly done with the pointed gourd or ‘Potol’ as it is known in Bengali. The ‘Potol’ is scooped out of its inner seeds and contents, keeping the outer layer intact. A filling cooked with prawns or minced meat or fish is stuffed inside. Then it’s cooked into a gravy, which is called in Bengali as ‘Potoler Dolma’. Presented today is the ‘Potoler Dolma’ prepared traditionally in Bengali kitchens. Ingredients: Pointed Gourd ‘Potol’ large ones – 400 g washed an
Post a Comment
Read more
Labels

Chicken cooked with Kaffir lime - Gondhoraj chicken



‘Gondhoraj’ is popularly known as the King of Lime in West Bengal. It is closely similar to kaffir lime, and makrut. Its beautiful flavour has mesmerized Bengalis for centuries. It adds to the aroma of many simple dishes not only in Bengal (east and west) but also in Assam. Recently, we see many wild experiments happening, infusing the flavour of Gondhoraj lemon into many contemporary cuisines. But this tradition is not new, we see such attempts happening in Bengali kitchens for a long time.

This recipe from Bela Dey’s collection is such a cuisine that infuses the ‘Gondhoraj’ flavour in a Chicken dish. The result is deliciously tasty and unforgettable ‘Gondhoraj Chicken’.


Ingredients:

Chicken – 1 kg

Onions chopped – 2

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder – 1 medium spoon

Ginger paste -1 tbsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Egg – 1

Vegetable oil – 1 cup

Green chillis – 4-5

Garam masala – 4 green cardamoms, 4-5 cloves, cinnamon 1 inch

‘Gondhoraj’ lemon – 2 cut to wedges and deseeded

 

Instructions:

Rub salt and squeeze juice from one ‘Gondhoraj’ lemon into the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, lightly grind the garam masala in a mortar.

Break one egg into the marinated chicken.

Add the chopped onion, ginger paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, green chillies and mix it all and set it aside for another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes add half a cup of the mustard oil on a skillet and heat it. Add the ground garam masala. Put in the marinated chicken with all the ingredients. Stir it all for 20 minutes, the chicken will be 3/4th done. After the first 10 minutes lower the heat.

As you cook the texture will be different from other chicken recipes due to the egg added to the chicken.

The water released by the chicken will dry up and the oil starts separating from the gravy.

Add a cup of water, ½ tsp sugar and squeeze the remaining ‘Gondhoraj’ lemon into the chicken.

Within 10 minutes it will dry up and the chicken ready to serve.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts