Paneer Kalia ~ Bengali style

I love Bengali food, thanks to my dear friend Deltu who got me into the habit of eating true Bong food. This was many years back. Through her I got to learn the importance of Paach Phoron, a blend of five spices which add the authentic taste to any Bong dish; numerous ways to make Koccha Kela, serve the raw banana plantain vegetable as a side dish with chopped vegetables cooked in mustard oil or pan fry them with little Haldi, I also learnt how to make Begun Bhaaja which is tiny thin slices of Aubergine marinated liberally with Haldi and Salt and then pan-fried in mustard oil. This along with host of other dishes like Aam Tok, Maccher Jhol, Jhaal Muri, Aloo Posto, Fish r' Chop, Kolkata Kathi Rolls, I could go on. Though I must confess, Aloo Posto is my favorite and the dish can roll me into a peaceful slumber for good 2-3 hours in the noon.

Recently, I tasted Paneer Kalia at a Bong friend's place. This is my version of Paneer Kalia as per the faint memory of the dish I sampled. The taste of this dish is very faint and non-spicy with subtle flavours of Yogurt making it ideal for kids and tiny tots. I am not a big fan of Yogurt however the flavour of yogurt disguised in a curry took me by surprise. Traditionally, Kalia dishes are thick and semi-dry in texture and do not have a runny curry like texture opines my Bong friend, I added little broth to my curry since I was pairing it with Roti and ginger-garlic paste to spruce up the flavour.

~ Paneer Kalia ~
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
Paneer (cubes) - 2 cups
Green Peas (fresh or frozen) - 1 cup
Yogurt - 1 cup
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin-Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Tomato paste - 3 tablespoon
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Salt
Ghee/Oil

Method:
In a deep bottomed pan, heat few spoons of oil/ghee, coat the bottom of the vessel evenly with ghee/oil, add ginger-garlic paste and tomato paste. Saute for a while till it forms a clump and oozes out oil. Add the spice powders now and switch to a low flame. Add Yogurt as well, don't worry if it begins breaking down. Add the Paneer pieces and Green Peas and adjust water and salt as desired. Cook on low flame for about 2-6 minutes or till completely cooked. Serve hot with Rotis.

Fenugreen Leaves Flatbread (Methi Paratha) & 250th Post

Methi Paratha is a healthy, nutritious snack/ lunch/ dinner item. I prefer making them in bulk and packing them off for office lunchbox. They remain intact for 2-3 days and avidly support batch cooking needs. If you are tired for the day, just pop them on the griddle for 2-3 minutes. Eat them away with cream cheese or a cheese spread of choice. They are great for kid meals and breakfast.

There is a particular version of these Parathas which you find at local Indian stores in US. I am very fond of them and this is an attempt to reproduce the same flavour. Glad they turned well and they remained fresh for 2-3 days when packed in Aluminum foil.

Turns out that this is my 250th post. Kudos to Konkani Foodie! The journey has been tough but sweet with loads of good food along the way!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8-10 Parathas

Ingredients:

Fenugreek Leaves or Methi (chopped) - 1 bunch or 2 cups

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 cups

Red Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon

Cumin powder - 2 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Amchur Powder or Mango powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

Ghee (molten)

Water to knead the dough

Contraption used: Rolling pin and Base to roll the Parathas

Method:

Take the whole wheat flour in a huge mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add molten ghee and salt. Mix well with hands and add the spice powders one by one. Also add the chopped leaves and knead a stiff dough like Chapati. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

While making Parathas, pinch a lemon sized ball of dough; roll out thin parathas to the shape of circle. Fry them on hot griddle, one by one, slather ghee while frying on both the sides. This enables the Parathas to be soft and pliable. Cover them in a foil and refrigerate them if using for the day after. Consume within 2-3 days. Preferably heat up before eating for better flavour.

Lime Salt-Cured Pickle (Limbiya Kanchi) - II

Every year during summer I love making my little batch of Pickle at home. I made this Konkani style of pickling Lime and Lemon known as Limbiya Kanchi (pronounced as kan-chee). If you ask me why its called Kanchi, I would say I have no idea. My take on this is may be on olden days when resources were scarce, the depleting spices and fruits were all meshed together to create this wonderful version of Konkani style of non-masala Pickles all at the liberty of your home and hearth.

I followed my Mother's recipe since her precision & measurements of spices and condiments is well known in our family. She easily knows 10+ varieties of home made Pickle varieties. The only change I made is I added a good measure of Turmeric for color and preservative properties. Store in traditonal porcelain containers called as Bharnee if you have one, cover with a lid and tie the mouth with a muslin cloth and push in a cosy corner of the kitchen. Well, that's how my mother and grandmother made pickle batches and preserved them. Else, always store them in non-reactive glass jars. They stay longer and the acidic content does not corrode the walls of the container. This method of salt-curing Lime is stored and given to kids/ adults especially when they have low appetite and/or are sick. I prefer eating them with Paej or Paez (parboiled brown rice).

Few Konkani varieties of Pickle(s) (with Konkani names) are:

1. Kanchi - Salt + Ginger-Green Chillies with no spice powders, very less liquor.

2. Adgai - Black hued, classic combination of Raw Mangoes with Raw Green Jackfruit with fried Red Chilli (Byadgi_ powder added to give the rich black color, medium liquor.

3. Kotla or Kochla or Hindee Nonche - Grated Raw Mango pieces mixed with spice powder, no liquor hence dry textured pickle.

4. Koot - Mostly made with pre-sauted Yam, is thick with dark hued pickle liquor. Made for weddings to be specific.

5. Murabba - Sweet pickle made with Mangoes (similar to Marmalade). Some also treat it as a jam or spread for breads of choice.

6. Randekayee Nonche - A very popular mixed vegetable pickle made of Ivy Gourd, Cauliflower, Chillies and Lime with Red colored pickle liquor.

7. Whole Mango Pickle or Bharlele Tor - This is mostly made in Goan regions (Tor = Raw Mangoes in Goan Konkani), whole Mango pieces are stuffed with spice powder, tied with a string and stored in porcelain jars topped with lot of warm oil for pickling for 4-6 months. Occassional shake or stir recommended with clean hands.

8. Pitte Nonche - In this one, the vegetable of choice is mixed with spice powder (dry and no water) and left for pickling. We make numerous pickle with Lime, Lemon, Bilimbi, Raw Green Mangoes, Dhodle (do not know the english name for this fruit) with this approach.

9. Karmbi - This is a very age-old way of salt-curing Raw Green Mango pieces in salt water brine. Throw in some chillies if you wish to.

10. Pacchadi - This is a fairly simple way of finely chopping raw mangoes and treating them with green chillies and a generous hand of asafoetida which renders a very unique taste and flavour. This is served in temples as ritual prasadam during summer season when Raw Mangoes are available in abundance. Some even complement it with coconut paste to enhance the flavour.

11. Ambuli Nonchey (Simple Raw Green Mango pickle) - Red colored pickle liquor, tastes great with abundance addition of gummy Hing.

This version of pickle is different from the conventional pickle. It has no spice powders and is very kid friendly. This pickle is a big hit with kids in our family since it has just the right amount of spice for a tiny tot's palate. If desired, remove chillies while serving kids. We had huge batch of this tangy treat at home while growing up, so it was easy on the palate and we could enjoy our own version of kid friendly pickles at home. It takes around 2-3 weeks for the complete batch to get pickled and more if the weather does not permit so patience is a must. With little effort, I was glad I could make this at home once again.

Processing time: 2-3 weeks
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Lime - 5 (large ones)
Green Chillies (chopped) - 10
Ginger (finely chopped into bits) - 1/2 cup
Salt - 5-6 tablespoon ~ tweak as required
Turmeric powder (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon

Contraption/ Container - A sparkling clean glass jar or any non-reactive container

Method:
Wash the Lime thoroughly to remove any traces of bees wax coating. Use a cleaning kitchen brush if required. Wipe dry with a clean cloth and leave on a kitchen towel to dry for some time. Once moisture is gone and Lime is totally dry, chop the Lime into bite sized pieces. Transfer to a clean glass jar. Mix in the green chillies and ginger (both chopped). I layer them in the order of Lime-Ginger-Green Chillies-Salt and so on. Stir well and leave in a cool dry place to pickle for 2 weeks. Once every two days, give a gentle stir with a clean spoon at night and leave aside. It took around 2 and 1/2 weeks for me to get the Lime pieces, Chilli pieces and Ginger pieces to pickle. Once done, store in fridge if you stay in hot terrains or you could leave them out in a dry cool place if the temperature is cool, less damp and non-humid. The shelf life for this recipe is a year or two without any signs of moulds and fungus if you store it well. The older the life of of Kanchi, the wholesome the flavours. Recommend to begin using Kanchi after 3-4 months of pickling for a wholesome taste.

Extra tips for Pickle at home -

- Keep water, dampness at bay while making pickle. Even a small amount of moisture can ruin the whole batch.

- Pick good quality juicy Lime or Lemon for great tasting pickle.

- Preferably use a glass container since its non-reactive, the citric acid does not breakdown or corrode the container.

- Never compromise on salt, less salty your pickle gets ruined. Fresh batch of Pickle would always taste salty.

- Leave the Pickle undisturbed during the whole period of pickling. Store in cool, dry place.