Bandha Kopi Diye Moori Ghonto (Cabbage in Fish Head)

The one vegetable that I truly dislike is cabbage. As a child I never ate it and nor did I eat after marriage. However, things change when you shop and cook for your family and within a monthly budget. You cannot just bin a veggie that cost you a couple of dollars just because you don't like it. The situation then becomes such where you need to find ways to like it. And this recipe is one! The flavor of the fish beautifully compliments the otherwise bland cabbage and makes an interesting dish. I do not like Fish Head also, btw, but the combination tasted good in totality!! :D  A happy Homemaker!

Ingredients

1 fish head washed and cut in half

1 medium cabbage finely chopped

1 medium onion sliced

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 medium potato cut into quarters (optional; I forgot)

1 tsp panchphoran (equal quantities of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, and onion seeds)

1-2 whole red chillies

1-2 bay leaves

2 each of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ghee (optional)

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

2-3 slit green chillies

Mustard oil as required

Direction

Smear the fish head with a little salt and turmeric and keep aside for 10 minutes. 

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and fry the fish head till crisp and golden. Make sure you keep the pan covered at all times to avoid oil spilling on your hands and face and all around. Remove from heat and keep aside. Fry the potato quarters in the same pan till golden and keep aside. 

In the same pan, add any additional oil if required and add the panchphoran, whole red chillies, bay leaves, and whole garam masala. As the fragrance starts coming out, add the sliced onions and grated ginger and fry till onions turn pink. Add all the spices except the garam masala and ghee and fry for 2-3 minutes. Do not add the salt now.  Add the cabbage and mix well. Cover and  let it cook till tender and shrunk in volume. Now add the salt, fried potatoes and fish head. Cover again and cook for another 5-10 minutes while stirring in between. Now break the fish head with the tip of the laddle and mix everything together. Add the garam masala and ghee and check for seasoning. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice. 

Starbucks Oatmeal and Raisin Monster Cookies

Shopping in Singapore is good as long as you do not have clothes to alter. Unlike India, most stores here do not have a separate alteration counter and once bought, you really have to go places looking for nearby alteration services. On his birthday, husband bought some new formal trousers and the store gave him a vague idea about availability of alteration services in the next mall. We were running short of time and so decided to come back later. 

The next weekend we headed to the same mall as guided by the store sales guys (another problem in Singapore, Guidance!) and spent almost 1 hour looking for it but in vain. The poor 2 1/2 toddler obviously got exhausted with all the useless walking and demanded for a cookie. Luckily, there was a Starbucks right in front of us and we got her a monster cookie while the father continued with his search. The cookie was truly a monster and too heavy for my little one to finish it all (I was hoping she doesn't anyway!). So the rest was left to me and I am sure the others seated nearby could not have missed my grin when my baby said, " No More." As I dug  my teeth into that cookie, I was blown away. I usually do not enjoy cookies and cakes from outside but this was something else. Lightly crunchy, chewy, and melt-in-the-mouth, the cookie was to die for. I immediately got on to the job of finding its recipe using their own free Wi-Fi but nothing fruitful came up. I continued my search at night and finally found a recipe which seemed to do justice to those cookies. As for the trousers, they are still lying helpless in my husband's wardrobe waiting for an alteration! 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not quick cooking ones)

1/2 cup all purpose flour (you can use wholewheat also; I wanted to try the recipe as is to see how close it came to those cookies and hence did not alter the recipe)

1/2 cup brown sugar (I realized my brown sugar was inadequate and so added some white sugar as well; the original recipe called for an additional 1/4 cup white sugar, which I skipped)

6 tbsp or 85 gms butter at room temperature

1 egg 

1 tsp vanila extract

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup black raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries (you can replace with more raisins)

1/4 cup walnuts

More raisins for topping

Direction

In a food processor, grind the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts, cranberries, and raisins. Keep aside. 

In a mixing bowl, take the butter and sugar and beat till smooth and light. Add the egg and vanila essence and whip further till creamy. Now slowly add the oats mixture and mix till everything is well combined. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take spoonfulls of the batter and drop it on the prepared tray. Gently flatten the top with the back of the spoon into a flat disc. Do not keep it too thick nor too thin.  Leave a space of 2" and repeat with the rest of the dough. Sprinkle some raisins on top and gently press it down. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until slightly golden on top but still soft to touch. Gently press down on one cookie with your index finger and if it springs back, you will know your cookie is done. 

Remove from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely and then store in air tight container. Enjoy this Starbucks style Monster cookie with your daily cuppa! Makes 16.

Bengali Maacher Jhol (Bengali Fish Curry)

Fish and Bongs are like the two sides of the coin. Inseparable! While there are a few exceptions, but majority of Bengal population thrives on fish. And why not? It is easy to cook, readily available (even in a pond), and loaded with nutrition. Over the years, the traditional bengali fish recipes have been passed on to the new generation, each doing their own tweaks as per their convenience. However, the basic essence has always remained intact so much so that today people, and not just Bongs, across the globe love and enjoy Bengali food and even recreate it in their kitchen. Today's recipe is one of the simplest Bengali Fish Curry, which gets prepared on a regular day in the most humble household as well as any sophisticated high society one! Try it and enjoy this recipe if you and your family have a liking for fish. 

Ingredients

Rohu fish fillet as per your serving size (I used 8)

2 medium potato, cut into wedges

1 medium tomato chopped

1 tbsp ginger grated

1 tsp cumin seeds freshly roasted

1 tsp coriander seeds freshly roasted

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp sugar

3-4 slit green chillies as per taste

1 tsp onion seeds or kalonji

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Mustard oil for frying the fish and 1/2 tbsp for gravy if required

Salt to taste

Direction

Wash and clean the fish. Apply little salt and turmeric and keep aside for 20 minutes. You can keep it for longer as well. I applied it in the afternoon and kept it in the fridge till I made the gravy in the evening. However, take the fish out and bring it back to room temperature at least 1 hour before frying. 

Make a paste with the roasted cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger, chilli powder, and turmeric powder with a little water. Keep aside. This is usually done on a silbatta or mortar and pestle for the ultimate taste. I had to do it in my regular grinder like in most modern homes!

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan with a lid and bring it to smoking point. Add the fish pieces, leaving enough space for it to be fried golden on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cover the pan with the lid while frying to avoid spillage of oil on the outside as well as on your face and hands. Also, keep adjusting the heat so as not to burn the fish. Remove from heat and keep aside. 

In the same pan, add any extra oil if required. Now add the kalonji and slit green chillies and let it splutter. Fry the potato wedges till golden. Now add the chopped tomato and continue frying on a medium heat till soft and mushy. Add the ground paste and rinse the grinder with a dash of water and add it to the pan. This will ensure that your masala does not stick to the pan without adding any additional oil and also saves you from wasting the residual masala. Take care while stirring the masala now as it might break the potatoes. When the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan, you will know that your base is ready. Now add the salt and sugar as per your taste and 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil and then add the fried fish. Cover and cook on a medium flame till gravy thickens to desired consistency. Pick 3-4 potato pieces in a bowl and mash them with the back of a spoon. Put it back into the pan and stir. Check for seasoning and remove from heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and slit green chillies and serve hot with steamed rice.