SHEEM SHORSHE (Hyacinth beans with mustard seeds paste)

This is a delicious Bengali side dish, easy to rustle up, and goes well with rice. Sheem shorshe tastes heavenly when simmered in mustard paste until soft and tender. The fresh green beans, potato, and mustard blend beautifully into an appetising vegetarian delight.

Ingredients

2 cups sheem (hyacinth beans), cut into pieces

1 tbsp mustard seeds paste

4 potatoes, cut into pieces

¼ tsp nigella seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp chopped garlic

5 green chillies

½ cup water

Salt to taste

Method

Peel, wash, and cut potatoes into wedges. Wash the beans, snip off the ends and remove the strings on either side of the bean. Cut each bean into 2 pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, add the nigella seeds and the green chilli. Allow to sizzle.

Add chopped onions and garlic, and fry until golden brown. Add potatoes and beans, stir for 2 minutes.

Sprinkle turmeric powder and salt. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Mix in the mustard paste. Add water and mix well. Cook on medium heat with the lid on. Cook until the vegetables are done, and potatoes and beans should be nicely coated with the mustard paste.

Serve with steamed hot rice.

PHULKOPI ALOO'R MACHER JHOL (Fish curry with cauliflower and potatoes)

Ingredients

6 pieces of rui fish

4 medium potatoes

10 big florets of cauliflower

2 tomatoes, sliced

¼ cup onion paste

1 tsp garlic paste

½ tsp cumin seeds powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 green chillies

¼ cup oil

Salt to taste

Method

Wash the fish pieces and smear with salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Wash the cauliflower under running water and soak in water for 10 minutes. Mix cumin powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder in a little water. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Once it's hot, carefully place the fish pieces one by one. Fry till golden brown and keep aside.

In the same pan, add oil, and fry the onion paste until light brown. Add the spice mixture and fry for few seconds. Add potatoes, cauliflower, and salt. Fry on medium-low heat till oil appears on side of the pan. Now add water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Add fried fish pieces and green chillies. Cover and cook till all vegetables are completely done. Serve with steamed hot rice. 

SPINACH AND CORN POLAO

Delicious and healthy, this is a dish that will win many young hearts with its mouth-watering combination of ingredients and attractive appearance. This iron-rich corn and spinach polao is an easy and quick recipe that will do wonders for your whole family.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped spinach

1 cup boiled sweet corn kernels

2 cups cooked aromatic rice

2 tbsp oil

4 black peppercorns

1 stick cinnamon

2 cloves

2 cardamoms

1 cup sliced onions

½ tbsp finely chopped green chillies

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and onions and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Add green chillies, spinach, corn kernels and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Finally, add rice and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Serve hot.

CABBAGE MEAT ROLLS

A delectable way to load up on cabbage leaves. This is an interesting snack recipe that is just perfect for dinner parties. Cabbage filled with lamb and cooked in stock.

Ingredients

10 large cabbage leaves

Chicken/mutton stock

1 bunch spring onion (green part)

2 tbsp spring onion (white part), chopped

1 tsp garlic, chopped

½ tsp ginger, chopped

1 tbsp fish sauce

250g lean minced lamb

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp green chilli paste

1 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp pepper

Salt to taste

Method

Blanch cabbage leaves and spring onion stems in boiling stock for 10-15 seconds. Combine rest of the ingredients for filling and season well. Place the filling on top of cabbage leaves and make a roll. Secure the roll with spring onion stock. Add the cabbage rolls into the boiling stock and cook for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander and spring onions. Serve hot along with steamed rice. 

MIXED VEGETABLE PICKLE

Ingredients

250g turnips, scraped and sliced

250g cauliflower, cut into florets

250g, carrots, scraped and cut into pieces

2 tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped, coarsely pounded

2 tbsp garlic, chopped

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp powdered mustard seeds

2 tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste

½ cup vinegar

½ cup jaggery

1 cup mustard oil

Method

Place the oil to heat in a large wok. Pour vinegar over jaggery in a saucepan on another burner. Bring the vinegar to a boil and then simmer to dissolve the jaggery. When the oil is heated enough, add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry till light brown.

Add the mixed vegetables and continue stirring over high heat. This has to be stirred long enough to evaporate the water in the vegetables. Add the powdered spices and salt. Mix well and add the vinegar solution. Let it come to a boil over high heat.

When it is done, remove from heat. Allow it to cool completely and store.

BEETROOT CUTLET

Ingredients

2 medium sized beetroots, grated

2 medium size onion, chopped

1 cup boiled potatoes

2 green chillies, chopped

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

Salt to taste

Oil for pan fry

Method

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except oil. Make the chop from the mixture in whatever shape or size you like. Keep these in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. In a flat pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the chops on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side or till light brown. Serve hot with sauce.

GREEN PEAS LADDU

Green peas laddu is a popular fusion sweet. This laddu recipe basically uses green peas and mawa, which is cooked in ghee and flavoured with sugar and cardamom powder.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh green peas

250g mawa

3 tbsp ghee

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp cardamom powder

15-20 cashew nuts

Method

Place the green peas in a grinder and blend into a smooth paste. Now, take a non-stick pan and melt the ghee. Roast the cashew nuts and keep aside. Pour the green peas paste into the ghee and cook until it gets fragrant. Now add mawa and cook till it all mixes up.

Mix in the cashews and cardamom powder. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool down a bit. Mix in the powdered sugar and stir well. Now you can start making the laddus. Stuff in a piece of cashew nut on top of the laddus as garnish and serve. 

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Food and styling: RBR