How to Make Bengali Bhoger Khichuri | Niramish Khichuri with Baigun Bhaja

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1. Moong Dal or Husked Green Gram – 1 Cup

2. Govindobhog Rice or Any Other Short-Grained Rice – 1 Cup
3. Potatoes – 2 Large
4. Cauliflower Florets – 1 Cup
5. Peas – 1/2 Cup
6. Tomato – 1 Large (Optional)
7. Grated Fresh Ginger- 1 tbsp
8. Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
9. Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
11. Sugar – 1/4 tsp
12. Bay Leaves – 2
13. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
14. Cloves – 4
15. Cinnamon – 2″ stick
16. Green Cardamom – 3
17. Red Chillies – 2
18. Mustard Oil – 1/4 Cup
19. Salt to Taste
20. Water

Method

1. Wash the rice well and soak it in 2 Cups water.

2. In a heavy-bottomed wok or kadhai, over medium heat, dry roast the moong dal till it just starts to
change color.
3. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1″ cubes.
4. Chop the tomato into fine pieces.
5. In a large wok or degchi (heavy bottomed vessel), heat the mustard oil till it starts smoking.
6. Turn the heat down to medium and wait till the oil stops smoking.
7. Add the potatoes and cauliflower florets, and fry till they just start to turn brown.
8. Take the potato pieces and cauliflower florets, and set them aside.
9. To the same oil, add the cumin seeds and stir-fry for a minute.
10. Add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, green cardamom, and whole red chillies.
11. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
12. Turn the heat to low.
13. Add cumin powder, red chilli powder, and grated ginger.
14. Stir-fry for one minute.
15. Add the tomato and fry for a 2-3 minutes.
16. Add the roasted moong dal and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
17. Add 2 Cups of water and cover the vessel.
18. Turn the heat to medium-high.
19. After 5 minutes, the water will start to simmer.
20. Add the cauliflower, potato, and peas.
21. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
22. Add the rice along with the water and turmeric powder.
23. Mix well.
24. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally till the rice and dal are of mashable consistency. Add water, if
required.
25. Add the salt and sugar. Mix well.
26. Serve Niramish Khichuri hot with a generous helping of ghee and Baigun Bhaja.

Tips

 Do not use Basmati rice to make this khichuri. Use any short-grained rice that is available;
Govindobhog is recommended.
 Use mustard oil as much as possible. Heating mustard oil to its smoking point makes it change color and
lose the strong raw mustard odour. Without mustard oil, the Bhoger Khichuri loses a certain je ne sais
quois. 🙁
 Many recipes I have seen fry the peas with the potatoes and cauliflower. I add peas when I do so that
they retain their color.
 You could add 1/4 tsp of Garam Masala at the very end.

How to Make Begun Bhaja

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1. Purple Aubergines or Brinjals – 4

2. Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
3. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
4. Mustard Oil – 3 tbsp
5. Salt to Taste

Method

1. Mix the chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt.

2. Cut the brinjals into roundels about 1/4″ thick.
3. Dip each side of the brinjal roundel in the spice mix and dust off the excess.
4. In a large pan, heat the mustard oil to smoking point.
5. Turn the heat to low, and let the pan and oil stop smoking.
6. Turn the heat to medium.
7. Place the brinjal roundels in the pan.
8. Shallow-fry over low-medium heat till the side of the brinjal touching the pan is lightly browned.
9. Flip the brinjal roundels over.
10. Cook over low-medium heat till the side of the brinjal touching the pan is lightly browned.
11. Serve the Begun Bhaja hot with Bhoger Khichuri.

Tips

 Coat each brinjal roundel as soon as you cut it. Brinjal tends to turn black if left uncovered for long.
 If you are cooking the Begun Bhaja in batches, then between batches you must clean the pan of all the
residual fried masala and once again add fresh mustard oil and bring it smoking point. If you do not do
this, then the masala from the previous batches tends to char and you will have baigun covered with
burnt spice. 🙁
 As the brinjals are frying, if you feel the need to add more oil, resist the temptation to add raw mustard
oil to the pan. In a separate pan or ladle, heat the oil to smoking point and then add to the pan with the
frying aubergines.
 Do not fry the brinjal over high heat. If you do, only the surface will fry while the inner part will remain
raw. The perfectly cooked Begun Bhaja is so tender that it feels like malai!

How to Make Omeletter Jhol or Bengali Omelette Curry

Ingredients

1. Eggs – 3
2. Potato – 1 Large
3. Tomatoes – 2 Large
4. Onions – 2 Large
5. Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
6. Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
7. Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
8. Garam Masala – 1 tsp
9. Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
10. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
11. Mustard Oil or Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp
12. Salt to Taste
13. Coriander Leaves for Garnish

Method

1. Chop the onions and grind the onions into a smooth paste.
2. Peel and dice the potato.
3. Heat the oil and add the potato pieces.
4. Sauté for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the onion paste and fry for 5 minutes.
6. Add ginger-garlic paste.
7. Fry for 2 minutes.
8. Add garam masala, chilli powder, and turmeric.
9. Fry for 2 minutes.
10. Purée the tomatoes and add to the fried onion masal.
11. Fry till the oil leaves the sides.
12. Add 1.5 cups of water and salt.
13. Simmer till the potato cooks and the gravy thickens.
14. In the meantime, make two omelettes using the 3 eggs.
15. Chop each omelette into 2″ pieces.
16. Places the pieces in the gravy and let cook for 5 minutes.
17. Garnish with coriander leaves.
18. Serve Omeletter Jhol or Bengali Omelette Curry hot with rice.

Tips

 Ensure the gravy is slightly thick before adding the omelette pieces.
 Do use mustard oil, if possible, as it gives this dish it’s distinctive taste.

How to Make Bengali Tomato Khejur Aamshottor Chutney | Tomato, Date, Mango Leather Chutney

1. Finely Chopped Tomatoes – 1.25 Cups

2. Finely Chopped Mango Leather (Aam Shotto, Aam Papdi) – 1/4 Cup
3. Thinly Slices Dates/Khejur – 1/4 Cup
4. Golden Raisins – 1/8 Cup
5. Grated Palm Sugar or Sugar – 1/3 Cup (more if you want you chutney to be sweet)
6. Panch Phoran – 1.25 tsp
1. Saunf, Fennel Seeds – 0.25 tsp
2. Jeera, Cumin – 0.25 tsp
3. Methi Dana, Fenugreek Seeds – 0.25 tsp
4. Kalonji, Nigella Seeds – 0.25 tsp
5. Rai, Mustard Seeds – 0.25 tsp
7. Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
8. Red Chillies – 1 or 2
9. Oil – 1 tbsp
10. Salt to Taste

Method

1. Over medium flame, heat the oil.

2. Add the panch phoran.
3. Stir-fry for a few seconds till the aromas of panch phoran are released.
4. Add split red chillies and stir-fry for a couple of seconds.
5. Add the tomatoes.
6. Stir-fry till stewed.
7. Add the chopped dates, aam shotto, raisins, and turmeric.
8. Add about 1/4 cup water.
9. Over medium flame, cook covered till the dates and raisins are cooked. Stir occasionally.
10. Add sugar and salt.
11. Mix well.
12. Cook on low flame till the sugar has melted.
13. Turn off the heat.
14. Enjoy Bengali Tomato Khejur Aamshottor Chutney by itself or with rotis (as I did).

Tips

 You can also make this chutney without the Aamshotto or Mango Leather. In this case, you may want to
increase the amount of dates a bit.
 As I said earlier, this chutney tastes better the next day. 🙁
 There are variations of this recipe that used powdered Panch Phoran as the final step (instead of whole
Panch Phoran as tempering). Do try it that way as well.

Ingredients for 7 – 8 Radhaballavi :

Ingredients For Stuffing

1. Skinless urad dal – ½ cup

2. Green chilli – 1 or 2
3. Ginger paste – ½ tbspoon
4. Black cumin seed – ½ teaspoon
5. Fennel seed – ½ teaspoon
6. Asafoetida or hing (powder) – ½ teaspoon
7. Pinch of turmeric powder
8. Salt to taste
9. Cooking oil – 2 tbspoon

Ingredients for Dough

1. Plain flour – 1 cup

2. Sugar – ½ teaspoon
3. Asafoetida or hing (powder) – ½ teaspoon
4. Pinch of salt
5. Oil – 1 tbspoon
6. Lukewarm water

Ingredients for Cholar dal or Chana dal

1. Chana Dal or Cholar dal – 2/3 cup

2. Chopped tomato (medium) – ½
3. Ginger paste – ½ tbspoon
4. Small pieces of coconut – 2 – 3 tbspoon
5. Lengthwise sliced green chilli – 2
6. Cumin seed – ½ teaspoon
7. Whole garam masala (Cinnamon stick – ½ inch, Clove – 2, Cardamom – 2)
8. Bay leaf – 1
9. Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
10. Salt & sugar to taste
11. Cooking oil – 1 tbspoon

Cholar Dal in the Making

Method for Making the Filling/Stuffing for the Puris

1. Wash and soak the urad dal for few hours in water. Then drain the water and
grind the dal by adding salt and green chillies. Add little water if needed, the
paste should not be watery.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add black cumin seeds, let it
splutter and then add the urad dal paste and turmeric powder. Fry the dal until
it’s raw flavour goes away.
3. Now transfer the fried dal in a bowl and mix with ginger paste, asafoetida and fennel seeds using hand.
Now your filling is done, let it cool down at room temperature .

Method for Making the Dough

1. Shift flour, salt, sugar, asafoetida and oil in a big bowl and mix them very well.
2. Add lukewarm water, little at a time, to combine all the ingredients.
3. Knead the dough very well to give it a semi-soft texture.
4. Leave the dough for at least 30 minutes in an air tight container.

Method for Making of Radhaballavi/Puri

1. Divide the dough into 7 or 8 equal parts and round them between your palms.
Radhaballavi is bigger in size than puri, so make the balls a bit bigger than puri balls.
2. Flatten each ball evenly by your fingers to make a hole in the ball.
3. Put1tbspofthespicyurad dal stuffing, close it from all sides and again roll them between your palms.

Radhaballavi in the Making

4. Now roll the stuffed balls, by a rolling pin, on an oily work surface to make a circular
shape, slightly bigger than that of puris.
5. Now heat sufficient amount of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the puris in it.
I don’t like my puris to be brown in colour, so I don’t fry them for too long. You can fry
the puris according to your preference.

Method for Making of Cholar Dal/Chana Dal

1. Wash the chana dal and pressure cook it, adding water, upto 3 to 4 whistles. Do not throw away the
water soon after boiling the dal.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium flame.
3. Add whole garam masala, cumin seeds and bay leaf, saute them for a while and then add the coconut
pieces.
4. Fry the coconut till light brown in colour and then add ginger paste, chopped tomato, green chillies,
turmeric powder and salt.
5. Cook till tomato gets softened and raw flavour of ginger goes away.
6. Now add the boiled chana dal with water, season with sugar and salt (if needed), also add extra water if
needed.
7. Now let it boil for few minutes so that the dal gets the flavour of other ingredients.
8. Put the gas off as the dal thickens to your desired consistency. It should not have a very thin gravy.

Cholar Dal

Note :

1. While frying the urad dal paste, don’t fry it for too long, otherwise it will get hard.
2. The oil should be moderately hot when you are going to fry the puris. If your oil temperature is low, your
puri will not rise well. On the other hand, if the oil temperature is too high, your puris may get burnt.
3. While boiling the chana dal make sure it does not get mushy. It should be cooked still holds it’s structure
well.
4. If you are using solid asafoetida/hing instead of powder, then use a pinch of it as it is more stronger than
the powdered one.

How to Make Patishapta

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Makes: 6 to 8

Ingredients for the Filling

1. Fresh Grated Coconut or Desiccated Coconut – 2 Cups

2. Grated Palm Jaggery or Sugar – 3/4 Cup
3. Crumbled Khoya or Mava – ½ Cup

Ingredients for Pancake Batter

1. Maida or All Purpose Flour – 2 Cups

2. Rice Flour – 2 tbsp
3. Rava or Semolina – ¼ cup
4. Sugar – 3 tbsp
5. Milk – 3 to 3.5 Cups
6. Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp

Other Ingredients

1. Sweetened Condensed Milk – 4 tbsp

2. Milk – 2 tbsp

Method to Make the Filling

1. Mix the grated coconut, jaggery, and mava together.

2. Place them in a heavy-bottomed pan or Kadhai.

3. On low to medium heat, cook the ingredients till the jaggery melts and the mix becomes sticky.
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Set aside.

Method to Make the Pancake Batter

1. Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of milk.

2. Mix together the maida, rava, and rice flour.
3. Add the sweetened milk and mix well to form a smooth, lump-free batter.
4. Now add the rest of the milk slowly to create a batter of pourable consistency.

Method to Make Patishapta

1. Over medium flame, heat a tava or a pan.

2. Spread a few drops of oil.

3. Pour about ½ cup of batter and let it spread by itself into a circle.

4. When the edges start to brown, turn the heat to low.

5. Place about 1.5 tbsps of the filling in the centre of the pancake in the shape of a thin long tube.

6. Fold over the edges.

7. Let it Patishapta cook for a minute or so.

8. Repeat steps 2 to 7 to make other Patishaptas.

Serving the Patishapta

1. Just before serving the Patishapta, mix the sweetened condensed milk and regular milk together.
2. Over low flame, heat the mix till warm.
3. In a plate, place one Patishapta.
4. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of warmed condensed milk over the Patishapta.
5. Take a bite, close your eyes and savour the taste!

Patishapta