Recipes by expert chefs for Bengali new year

Grilled Barramundi with the Kasundi Mustard Sauce
By Chef Nachiket Shetye (36 Oak and Barley)
 
Ingredients:

• 500 gms Barramundi Fish steaks or thick pieces of filleted fish
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp melted butter or oil
• 1 tbsp kasundi mustard
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• Lemon wedges

 
METHOD:
Spread out the fish and sprinkle adequately on both sides with salt and then with the black pepper, turmeric, cayenne, and garam masala. Pat the spices in and set aside for 15 minutes. Preheat the grill or broiler (on high). Dribble half the melted butter or oil over one side of the fish pieces. Grill them about 4 inches from the heat source for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are just starting to brown. Mix the kasundi mustard and cream. Divide into 3 parts. Baste the fish with one part of the mustard cream. Grill for another 2 minutes or so until the fish is golden brown. Turn the pieces over and repeat the process, first with a brushing of butter or oil and then with one part of the kasundi mustard and-cream mixture. Serve hot with kasundi mustard cream drizzled on top and the lemon wedges.
 
Murgir jhol

Chef Ranjan Anurag (Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel)

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg chicken
• 1 cup curd (beaten)
•  ¾ cup mustard oil
• 1 onion (thinly sliced)
• 5-6 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 25 gms ginger (grated)

Whole garam masalas

• 2tsp Coriander Seeds
• 5 nos. Clove
• 4 nos.Green cardamom
• 8-10 nos. White pepper corns, crushed
• 2 nos. Bay leaf
• 2 nos. Red chili whole

Powder masalas

• 1tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cinnamon
• 2-3 tsp red chili powder

METHOD:
Cut the chicken in medium to large pieces, wash, pat dry. Make a paste of curd, dry masala and 1/4 cup of mustard oil. Marinate the chicken with this paste and leave it for 3-4 hrs. Heat oil, add bay leaf, and red chili, coarsely crush the whole garam masala and add it to the oil, as the spluttering begins, add garlic, ginger and onion. Stir fry till the onion turns golden brown. Add tomato, let it soften, add the chicken with the marinade, keep tossing and turning for five minutes. Add red chili powder, keep tossing. Add the potatoes, adjust salt, and add water as per required consistency. Add white pepper, cover and cook over slow fire. When the potatoes are almost cooked (the chicken would definitely be done by then), add the green chilies and boil for a few more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
 
MACCHER JHOL (FISH IN BENGALI BBQ SAUCE) on sizzler
Chef Sunil Pandey at Out of The Blue (Bandra and Powai)

Ingredients:

• 800 gms basa fish
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 mustard oil or vegetable oil

For bengali BBQ sauce

• 100 gms tomato puree
• 15 ml soya sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Red chilli paste
• l    1 tsp oragano
• 30 gms Tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp kalonji
• 4 whole red chillies dried
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large onion peeled, chopped
• 3 whole green chillies

For accompaniments

• 30  gms blanched carrots
• 30gms blanched cauliflower
• 30 gms blanched spinach

 
METHOD: 
Cut the fillets in about 4 cm size. Rub the fish well with the 1/2 tsp of turmeric and 1/2 tsp of salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium flame. If you are using mustard oil, let it get smokingly hot. Now put in the fish pieces and brown lightly on all sides without cooking them through. Gently lift the fish out of the oil and put it on a plate.

Turn off the heat. Cook tomato puree with chilli paste, tomato ketchup, oregano and soya suace. Add  the ground coriander seeds, the cumin, ginger, 1 tsp turmeric,chilli powder (cayenne pepper) and 1/2 tsp of salt in a the tomato puree mix and stir on slow flame. Heat 5/6 tbsp of oil from the frying pan. Heat the pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the nigelia seeds. A few seconds later, put in the red chillies. As soon as they darken a bit, put in the bay leaves. When the bay leaves start to darken, put in the BBQ sauce. Now put in the fish in a single layer as well as 1 cup of water. Lay the green chillies over the fish. Simmer over a medium heat for 2 minutes, spooning the sauce over the fish pieces, as you do so. Now cover, turn the heat to low and cook the fish for 10-15 minutes or until it is just done. Serve machher jhol (fish in Bengali  BBQ sauce)with  carrots, cauliflower, spinach on a sizzler plate.

aloo posto

By Chef Arunava Mukherjee (Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai International Airport)

Ingredients:

• Potato chopped in cubes: 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Poppy seeds (khaskhas/posto): 5-6 heaped tbsp of the Poppy seeds paste or posto bata
• Green chillies: 2-3
• Dry red chillies: 2 (optional)
• Whole jeera (Cumin seeds): 3/4th tsp loosely packed
• l   Salt
• l   Turmeric powder
• Sugar: 1/2 tsp or none according to taste
• Oil for cooking
• A dash of mustard oil i.e. about 1 tsp of mustard oil to sprinkle on the top

 
METHOD:
Add the whole cumin seeds and wait till they sputter. You can add 2-3 dry red chillies too. Saute the potato lightly till they develop a golden tinge. Do not over or deep fry them. Add little water (around 3/4 cup), adequate salt, and the chopped green chillies. Add about 1 tsp of mustard oil and stir well before you remove from heat. Take care that the potatoes don’t get mashed up though.

Gind the posto/poppy seeds to a fine powder. Cut the potato in cubes and soak in water. Chop or slit the green chillies. Heat oil in a kadai/pan. Mustard oil is preferred. Add the potato cubes in the oil with a pinch of haldi/turmeric powder. Add the posto/poppy seeds paste. Cook on medium heat till the paste has uniformly coated the potatoes. Cover and cook till the potatoes are done. Garnish with coriander and serve with plain white rice.