Hilsa Khichuri

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cups,
Moong Dal - 1 cup,
Hilsa fish (head portion) - 1 piece
Ginger paste - 1 tsp,
Garlic paste - 1 tsp,
Turmeric paste - 1/2 tsp,
Red chilli powder,
Onion (sliced) - 1,
Potato (thin sliced) - 1,
Bay leaf - 2
Green chilli - 2

Garam Masala  - 1/4 tsp.
Water - as required.
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste.

Fish Masala:
Take cleaned head portion of the fish in a bowl. Mix ginger, garlic, turmeric paste, salt and red pepper gently to coat the fish. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

Take a pan, deep-fry the fish until crispy deep brown. Add onion slices, stir until it is translucent. Add potato pieces , red chilli, salt. Remove from heat when nearly cooked. 

Rice and pulse:
Dry roast the dal until aroma is released. Allow it to cool. Give a quick rinse in cold water and drain water immediately.

Completion:
In a pan/handi, boil water. Add bay leaf, rice and dal and semi cook them. Add fish masala , green chillies, salt and sugar. Cook till rice,dal and potatoes are well cooked and reach  porridge consistency. Sprinkle garam-masala. Serve hot.





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Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 500 gms,
Chicken - 500 gms, 
Potatoes (half boiled, peeled, cut to half ) - 5,


Marination:

Ginger paste - 3-4 tsp,
Garlic paste - 1 tsp,
Onion paste - 1 cup,
Chilli powder - 3-5tsp (to taste),
White pepper powder - 2 tsp,
Black pepper powder- 1tsp, 
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp,
Cardamom powder - 3 tsp,
Cinnamon powder- 1 tsp,
Curd - half cup,
Salt - To taste,
Sugar(optional) - 1/2 tsp. 

Spices:
Cinnamon (1'' stick) -1
Bay leaves - 5 leaves.
Cloves - 7-8,
Cardamom - 5-6,  
Milk - 1 cup,
Ghee - 2-3 tbsp ,
Refined oil - 200 ml
Saffron  - 2-3 pinches,
Keora water - 5-6 drops,
Rose water - 5-6 drops,
Sweet atar - 4 drops,


Steps:

Marination:
Rinse chicken. In a bowl, mix chicken pieces, onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, curd, chilli powder, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, coriander powder, turmeric, black pepper powder,  white pepper powder and salt.  Marinate for 1 hour.

Saffron mix:
In a pan, add milk add saffron, rose water, sweet atar, sugar and salt. Mix well and heat for 10 minutes.

Procedure:

Take a pan, heat oil , add 1 bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves , stir. Add the marinated chicken. Stir well till cooked. Keep aside.

Rinse rice. Take water in a handi/pan. Add cardamom, cloves, keora water , salt ,1 tsp oil and rice. Boil till rice is half cooked. Drain water.

Take a copper handi or pan. Place bay leaves at bottom, add a layer of boiled potatoes and chicken pieces in the handi, sprinkle saffron mix. Add a layer of rice, sprinkle saffron water. Repeat the process till all ingredients are layered. Cover the opening of the handi with a piece of thick white cloth and place the lid. Heat it in low flame for 30 minutes. When done, add ghee. Serve hot.




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Egg Khichuri

Ingredients:
Moong Dal -1 cup,
Rice  - 4 cups,
Tomatoes(chopped) - 2 cups,
Green chillies - 4-5,
Eggs - 4-5
Ginger paste -3/4 tsp,
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp,
Coriander paste- 1/2 tsp,
Turmeric - 1 tsp,
Ghee - 1/2 cup,
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste (optional)
Cashew(optional) - 10-12 kernels
Raisin(optional) -  1/4th cup
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Water - 10 cups
 

Procedure:
Stage 1: Rice and pulse:
Dry fry Moong dal to light brown color. Allow it to cool down. Then rinse in cold water and keep aside. Rinse cleaned rice in cold water and keep aside.
In a cooker/handi pour water and bring it to a boil. Add the rinsed dal . Stir 2-3 times so that it does not stick to bottom. Add rinsed rice , cover and allow to cook.

Stage 2: Spices:
Beat the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and turmeric till frothy. In a pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee. Pour the beaten eggs and make a thick omelet. When done cut to small pieces. Fry for a minute more to crisp the outer layer. Keep aside.
Pour the remaining ghee in the pan. Temper cumin seeds until aroma is released. Reduce the flame. Add ginger paste , coriander paste and stir until aroma is released. Add chopped tomatoes, sliced green chillies, salt, sugar, cashew, raisins and fry until oil is released.

Stage 3: Completion:
Open the lid of the cooker/handi and put in 3/4th of fried eggs and fried spices. Stir it well. Put the lid back on and cook until done.
Before serving add lemon juice and garnish it with remaining egg.

Ilish bhaja (Fried Hilsa)

Come rain and every Bengali family will make khichuri (rice,pulse and vegetable mix like paella) and Ilish bhaja . It is the best combination everyone waits to make the best of monsoon....

Ilish is an oily fish rich in essential fatty acids(omega 3 fatty acids). It is beneficial in decreasing cholesterol and insulin level and can be smoked, steamed, baked, cooked , fried... Shad fish is sometime used as an Ilish substitute.


Ingredients:
Ilish maach  / Hilsa fish- cleaned washed and cut into thin slices,
Turmeric -1 teaspoon
Salt - To taste,
Mustard oil for frying.  

Steps:
Heat oil in a pan until the raw pungency evaporates. This will make sure the oil is not raw and the fish does not stick to the bottom. I prefer non stick pan to be on the safer side. Traditional pans made of  kansha (copper alloy) are also used. Sprinkle turmeric and salt on fish slices. Deep fry in hot oil until crisp and golden brown. Drain the oil and serve hot.