Moong Fulkopir Ghonto || Cauliflower and Moong Dal Curry

Moong Fulkopir Ghonto or Cauliflower Moong dal curry is a comforting side dish recipe which is also easy to prepare. This is an old recipe that is passed on from generations in my family. I have learnt this from my Pishimoni (Paternal aunty), it tastes heavenly when served with rice, however you can enjoy it with roti or paratha as well. In our family, this recipe is known as "Niramish Murighonto" where we use cauliflower instead of fish head, hence this is the niramish version of murighonto.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower - 1 medium
• Moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger - (grated or paste) - 1 tsp
• Green peas (optional)
• Green chilies - 5-6
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Cardamom powder
• Ghee - 1 tsp

Process:

1. Dry roast the moong dal till it turns golden brown. Wash and drain the dal and boil with water and salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes till dal is 80% done. Drain the water and keep aside.

2. In a small bowl, add all the powder spices and mix well adding water. Keep the paste aside.

3. Heat mustard oil and add cauliflower florets, add salt and turmeric powder and fry till they become tender and light golden in color. Remove from oil and keep aside.

4. in the same kadhai, add little more oil and add bay leaves, panchforon, ginger paste, green chilies and the prepared spices paste. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes on low medium flame.

5. Add fried cauliflower florets and sprinkle supar and give it a good mix. Keep on cooking on low flame for 4-5 minutes. Now add the boiled moong dal and cook for another 4-5 minutes, covering with a lid. You can add green peas (optional) also. Add a splash of water to it if the gravy is getting dry, ensuring it should not turn mushy.

6. Adjust the seasoning. Add cardamom powder along with a dollop of ghee to finish with. Serve hot with rice.

P.S. The recipe video is there on my Instagram and Youtube pages. Do check it out @romisrecipe

Daal'er Borar Dalna || Lentil Fritters curry

Daal'er Borar Dalna is a Bengali traditional dish.  Lentil fritters soaked in tomato based gravy with fried potatoes and spices are very flavorful and yummy. My mother used to cook this curry really well. This delicious and mouthwatering dish is very famous in Assam as well as in West Bengal. This dish is perfectly best option when you want to eat or cook something really special on a pure veg day. You can make this dish with chana dal or motor dal also. I have used masoor dal only. 

Ingredients:

1. Masoor Dal 1/2 cup
2. Potato - 1 (cut in cubes)
3. Onion - 1 big 
4. Tomato - 1 big 
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Green chilli - 2
7. Bay leaf - 2
8. Dry red chilli - 1
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
12. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
13. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Ghee - 1 tsp
15. Refined oil
16. Panch phoron - 1/2 tsp

Process:

1. Wash and soak 1 cup of masoor dal in enough water for 2-3 hours and discard water. Add soaked dal to the grinder and make a smooth paste. Add chopped green chilies, salt and turmeric and mix well.

2. Heat oil and start frying small balls of the prepared dal paste, in low flame. Continue this until the entire paste is done, keep the fritters in kitchen tissues. In the same oil, fry the cube potatoes and keep aside.

3. In the same kadhai, add bay leaves, and cumin seeds, once the aroma comes out, add the chilli and ginger paste along with tomatoes and saute in low heat for few minutes. Add all the powder masalas one by one. Add salt as per taste. You can add a little water and cover the kadhai with a lid and allow to cook for 2 minutes. 

5. Add fried potatoes and cook in low hear for another 2-3 minutes, until the potatoes are done. Add 1 and half cup of water and cover with a lid, let it cook for 2 minutes.

6. Now, add the Fritters / Daler bora and let it boil in the gravy for 2 minutes, do not use the lid this time. Add ghee and fresh chopped coriander leaves (optional) before switching off the gas. Serve hot with rice or pulao. We have enjoyed with peas pulao.

P.S. The recipe video is there on my Instagram and Youtube pages. Do check it out @romisrecipe

Narkel diye Cholar Dal (Bengali Chana Dal with Fried Coconut slices)

Narkel diye Cholar Dal, also known as split Bengal Gram with Fried Coconut, is a traditional, no onion no garlic Dal recipe that is widely popular in Bengali cuisine. This delicious Dal is usually served with Luchi or Parota (Paratha) along with some sweets as side dish. 

I always feel that I could never match the cooking skills of my Pishimoni and Kakimoni (aunty), both of whom were adept at preparing vegetarian recipes. Whereas I can prepare a comforting non-vegetarian recipe in no time, it takes me much longer to prepare vegetarian recipes. Cooking especially no-onion no-garlic is always a challenge for me. But there are few recipes that I love to cook and they are purely vegetarian recipes, Cholar dal with narkel is one of my favourite recipes.

Ingredients: 

• Cholar Dal - 1 and half cup (soaked) 
• Coconut - sliced into small pieces
• Cashew nuts - 10-12
• Raisins - a few
• Cardamom pods - 3-4 (crushed)
• Cinnamon sticks -2
• Bay leaf - 2
• Dry Red Chillies - 2
• Ginger - 1 tsp (grated or paste)
• Panchforon - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste 
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Vegetable oil (Or mustard oil) - 3 tsp 
• Green chillies - 4-5 
• Dry red chilli - 2 
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp

Process:

1. Wash and soak cholar dal for at least 1-2 hours. Add on a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water, salt, turmeric and crushed cardamom pods. While cooking ensure that the dal does not become to mushy.

2. Add ghee on a small frying pan and shallow fry coconuts, cashew nuts and raisins separately until light brown. Keep aside. 

3. Now heat oil on a heavy bottomed kadhai, add bay leaves, red chillies, panchforom and allow to splutter. Add grated giner, mix well and allow 2 minute to release the aroma. 

4. Now add the boiled dal and simmer for 3-4 minutes on low medium heat. Add green chillies, fried coconut, cashew nuts and raisins, cardamom powder, sugar. Give it a good mix. Cover and cook for 2-3 more minutes on low flame. Check the salt and adjust as per taste. 

5. The dal is meant to have a thick consistency. Add a spoonful of ghee to finish with. 

6. Serve with Luchi and any misti of your choice. You can add Begun bhaja also as a side dish. 

P.S. The recipe video is there on my Instagram and Youtube pages. Do check it out @romisrecipe

Masoor Aloo ki sabji (Potato Masoor curry)

Potatoes are one of the most favorite vegetables in many families, including mine. We Bengali's cant imagine even non veg curries without adding potatoes, be it traditional "Macher jhol" or "Mutton kosha". I have tried this Masoor aloo ki sabji, inspired by Master Chef Ranveer Brar, and we absolutely enjoyed this with hot chapati's.

Ingredients (for the masala paste)

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - two tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Fennal seeds - half tsp
• Black pepper - 12-15
• Green cardamom - 4-5
• Cinnamon stick - 1
• Hing / Asafoetida - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - half cup
• Curd - two tsp
• Salt as per taste

(for tempering)

• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Raisins - 1 tsp

(Other ingredients)

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
• Chopped green chilies - as per taste
• Masoor dal (soaked for 2-3 hours) - 1cup
• Potatoes - 3-4 cut into dice
• Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Water - 1 cup 
• Salt as per taste
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Process

• Add oil in a pan and keep adding all the ingredients except curd, hing and coriander leaves. Toss for 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl and let it cool down. 
• Now in a grinder jar add this along with curd, hing and fresh coriander leaves,  Make a smooth paste and keep aside
• Heat oil in a pan, add cunim and let it splutter. Add ginger and green chillies and saute for a minute and add soaked masoor dal and toss it properly. Add the prepared masala paste and saute for some time. Keep stirring so that masala is well combined with the masoor. 
• Add turmeric, salt and red chilli powder and give it a good mix. 
• When the masoor is 50% done, add potatoes and ghee, mix well.  Add water and cover with a lid and cook it for a while until potatoes are totally done. Check both potatoes and masoor once they are properly cooked. 
• In a tempering pan, heat ghee and add raisins and add this tempering to the prepared curry. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti.

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Cauliflower Peas curry || Dry Gobi Matar ki Sabji

I am sure many people love to have this Cauliflower peas curry. This is a humble North Indian dry curry with two top favorite winter veggies Cauliflower and green peas. We love both gobi and matar at our home. So during the winter season I love to cook with these two vegetables often. I especially make this dry curry for quick meals. This is a very easy recipe without onion garlic that we can serve with rice or chapatis / rotis.

Ingredients

1. Cauliflower floaters - 2 cups
2. Green peas - 1/2 cup
3. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per taste
4. Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
7. Oil - 2 tsp
8. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
9. Green chillies - 2-3
10. Ghee - 1 tsp
11. Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Process

1. To start with, blanch green peas and cauliflower for 3-4 minutes, drain and keep aside.
2. In a pan heat oil and temper cumin seeds and add blanched veggies and saute for a minute.
3. Season with salt, ginger paste and other spices (mentioned in the ingredient list), and green chillies. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then cover the pan and cook in medium flame for 7-8 minutes or till done. Lastly add ghee and keep the pan covered for a minute.
4. Before serving sprinkle chopped coriander leaves (optional) and serve hot.

Chapor Ghonto - Bong Cuisine

Chapor Ghonto is a delicious and mouth watering vegetable mishmash cooked with some lentil fritters. A wide variety of vegetables like pumpkin, potatoes, ridged gourd, eggplant, pointed gourd, French beans, carrot, cauliflower can be added in this dish (based on availability). In Bengali "Chapor" means pat, the name probably came from the process of making these lentil fritters where you need to press these fritters with a spatula while shallow frying those in very low heat and using very little oil. You can use any lentil for making these fritters, I have used red lentils. To bring the signature taste of Bengali cuisine use mustard oil to cook this dish. Traditionally coconut is not added to this dish, though I have used grated coconut as I prefer the taste and texture of coconut in this dish.

Ingredients:

1. Potato (peeled and cubed) - 1 big sized
2. Pumpkin (peeled and cubed) - 1 cup
3. Brinjal (cubed) 1/2 cup
4. Cauliflower (7-8 florets)
5. Carrot (peeled and cubed) 1/2 cup
6. Beans - 1/2 cup (long chopped)
7. Ginger (grated) - 1 tsp
8. Crated coconut - 1 tsp
9. Bay leaves - 1
10. Dry red chilli - 1-2
11. Panch Phoron - 1 tsp
12. Green chillies - 2-3 (as per taste)
13. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Salt to taste
15. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
16. Mustard oil - for cooking
17. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
18. Ghee - 1 tsp
19. Red lentil -1 cup

Process:   

  

1. To start with, soak the lentils for 1-2 hours wash well, drain and make a paste adding turmeric powder, green chillies, grated ginger and salt as per your taste. Keep aside.

2. In a frying pan, add oil and when the oil is smoking hot take tablespoon full of lentil paste and shallow fry. While placing lentil paste on the pan press it with a spatula and make sure they do not have any definite shape. Shallow fry the rest of the paste and keep aside. These are the 'Chapor'.

3. Take a deep pan and add mustard oil. When the oil is hot, add the brinjal pieces and fry till brown, and keep them aside. Then in the same oil, add bay leaf, dry red chilli and panch phoron. As the spices release nice aroma, add all the vegetables and grated ginger and cook till the vegetables are done. Once the vegetables are done, add the fried brinjals. 

4. Break the Chapor and add in the pan, also add salt and sugar as per your taste. If you like the dish to be spicy, add more green chilies. Lastly add 1 tsp of ghee and garnish with grated coconut.