Ilish Dim-er Chorchori (Hilsa egg spicy stir fry)

A few months back, when I was in an Indian (Bangladeshi) store, I picked up some packaged Hilsa Eggs. These have been my all-time favorite since my childhood. Not only that, the demand for this is very steep in my home. I might sound unbelievable, but I’d actually have to trick my 2 year old to get a bite of it.


Generally, I’d keep it simple, and following my maa’s footsteps, I’d fry them with a little turmeric and salt to go with masoor daal. However, this time I wanted to make something out of it so that I could survive for two days at least.

Ingredients:

• Hilsa egg – 1 pkt (250gms)
• Onions – 1 medium chopped coarse
• Garlic – 3 cloves sliced
• Green Onions – 1 ½ bunch chopped coarse
• Red chilli flakes – ½ tbsp
• Turmeric – 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar – 1tsp
• Oil
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tsp

Method:

• Thaw the hilsa egg pack completely.
• Heat oil in a pan
• When enough heated, add the hilsa eggs to it.
• Add turmeric and salt to it.

• As you fry the hilsa eggs, try to break it down with the spatula to medium chunks. It is ok to have some crumbles too.
• Keep the above fried eggs aside.
• Now heat some more oil and add the chopped onions.
• When the onions turn transparent, add the garlic to it. Sauté the mixture for 1 minute.
• Now add the seasonings like red pepper flakes, black pepper, turmeric, salt and sugar.
• Keep the above stirring and add the fried hilsa eggs.
• Stir well to evenly coat the masala.
• Add the chopped green onions at this point followed by garam masala and a little bit of ghee.
• Turn off the stove and let the green onions wilt a little.
• Serve it over white rice.

Notes:

• This will be an oily dish with very least amount of water. I have not used any water in the above recipe. The moisture comes from the two kinds of onions.
• You could even use Grass-carp (rui/rohu) eggs also for this dish.
• The heat level of this dish is a little on the higher side.

Baingan Bharta (Mashed eggplants spiced mildly)

Sometimes after a long day or on a Sunday night especially after a busy weekend, what I really want for myself is a simple dinner, with least amount of fuss. The idea of warm soft chapatti (Indian bread) along with some simple less spicy curry, followed by a cup of hot tea seems to be just right for the occasion. Baingan bharta is one of those preparations which are less spicy yet quite comforting to the nerve. I remember last time when I had the aforesaid combination, the smoothness of the eggplants wrapped in softness of the bread just made me feel in bliss.

Ingredients:

• Eggplant – 2 medium
• Onions – 1 cup julienned
• Garlic – 2 cloves, sliced fine
• Ginger (fresh) – ½ ” root, grated
• Green Chillies – 1
• Tomatoes (fresh) - ½ medium
• Asafetida (Hing) – 1 ½ tsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
• Fenugreek (Methi) Seeds – 1 tsp
• Cilantro – ½ cup chopped
• Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the eggplants well and cut them into half lengthwise. Baste them with 2 to 3 tablespoon of oil.
• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Prepare a baking sheet by covering it up with aluminum foil.
• Place the eggplants on the tray and bake them for about 30 minutes. Check them for their doneness. If needed bake for a little bit more. Baste them with oil if you think it is getting a little drier.
• Once the egg plants are done keep them aside to cool.
• As the eggplants are getting cooled, prepare the onions, garlic and ginger.
• Chop the tomato into small cubes.
• Chop the green chillies fine
• Now heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is heated, add the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds.
• As soon as they start spluttering, add the onions and stir fry.
• After a couple of minutes, add the ginger and garlic too. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

• Now add 1 tsp. of the hing into the mixture.
• Give the above a quick stir. Add the chopped tomato and green chillies.
• Let the tomato cook, till the oil surfaces up.
• In the meantime, peel-off the outermost skin of the eggplants, and mash them well.
• Add this mashed eggplant into the pan.
• Stir all of the above ingredients to mix very well. Continue to cook on higher heat with occasional stirring until the entire water evaporates.
• Add the rest of the hing (½ tsp) along with the cilantro.
• Give all of it a quick stir.
• Serve with plain chappati with a dash of butter.

Red Curry with Chicken (Thai Style)

A few weeks back, I was in a Thai restaurant with my Mom, trying to expose her to Thai cuisine. We had ordered “green curry with tofu”. My mom was curious about various other dishes and I was trying to explain the contents of those to the best of my knowledge. One of them was the “red curry”.

Last week, I was not in a mood to make anything typically Indian, and since we had this discussion earlier about the Thai curry dishes, I thought of making this dish, which incidentally I had not made for a long time.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (boneless) – 1 to 2 oz.
• Mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, sugar-snap peas, baby carrots, bell peppers etc.) – 2 cups(approx.) cut into medium pieces
• Onions – ½ medium
• Garlic – 1 clove
• Ginger – ¼ inch
• Red Curry Paste – 3 tsp
• Coconut Milk – ½ can
• Fresh Basil leaves – 5 to 6 count
• Fresh Lemon – ½ a lemon
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper- ½ tsp
• Sugar – ½ tbsp

Method:

• Mix the Red Curry Paste along with the coconut milk. Keep it aside.
• Slice the chicken into ½ inch long strips. Coat them with salt and pepper.
• Slice the onions, garlic and ginger.
• Heat a little oil in a wok.
• Stir fry the chicken strips until they are browned a little. Take them out and keep aside
• Add the onions followed by the garlic. Stir fry them for a minute and then add the fresh ginger to it.
• Add the vegetables to it and fry for about 2 minutes
• Add the chicken pieces and give it a quick stir.
• Add the red curry paste mixture and about ½ cup of water for the gravy.
• Let the vegetables cook in the gravy till done. Make sure that the veggies are not overcooked.
• Squeeze ½ tsp of fresh lemon juice and add a little lemon zest to the gravy.
• Tear the basil leaves and stir it in. Turn off the heat.
• Serve this with white or brown rice, preferably with jasmine rice.

Notes:

• Red curry paste is a blend of garlic, ginger (galangal), cumin, coriander, red chilli powder and lemon grass. You may make it from scratch too. I’ll have that recipe posted in the near future. I am quite sure that once you use that, you’ll never go back to the store bought one. However, I used the store bought one to save some time.

• Red Curry is the hottest among the three kinds (i.e. green, yellow and red). Hence one has to be careful with the amount of the paste. You can adjust the level according to your heat tolerance capacity.