Author: Indranil Chowdhury

Roganjosh

Roganjosh

Roganjosh, a dish traditionally prepared with lamb meat is one of the many culinary gifts from Kashmir to the nation. The way it is prepared by many eateries has led to the misconception that Roganjosh is an overtly rich, hot and spicy dish. On the contrary if I compare it with some other popular Indian mutton or lamb curry dishes – prepared with the usual mix of onion, garlic, garam masalas and sometimes even with cashew nut paste, etc we will find despite its rich colour it is only mildly spicy.

Doi Begun

Doi Begun

‘Doi begun’ (in Bengali) or ‘dahi baigan’ (in Hindi) is – ‘fried eggplant in yoghurt sauce’; it is one of the simplest but delicious dishes that one can prepare for a meal. This dish falls into “anybody can cook” category; yet, it is different from the usual curry.

Apple Juice Chicken

Apple Juice Chicken

This oriental style dish, chicken in apple juice is the result of my culinary explorations to come up with a simple chicken dish with just a few ingredients. Since this dish is not overtly spicy and due to its sweet, tangy, fruity flavour it generally appeals to the taste buds of the kids.

Sunday Mutton (Mangshor Jhol)

Sunday Mutton (Mangshor Jhol)

Mutton curry or mangshor jhol evokes the nostalgia of a lazy Sunday afternoon for Bengalis at any part of the world and I am no exception. In almost every Bengali household mangshor jhol and bhat (rice) was the standard but all time favourite menu for Sunday lunch; and being a popular dish there are few minor variations in the standard recipe. But whichever way it is prepared, ultimately it turns out to be delicious. As they say, “All roads lead to Rome”.

Malai Paneer

Malai Paneer

An avid carnivore, my daughter Mohona loves paneer, the only vegetarian fare she finds delicious. She often says that she can eat as much paneer (cottage cheese) as we can dish out and in whatever form. Among the various preparations – paneer in thick tomato gravy and malai paneer possibly feature at the very top of her list of favourites.

Buttery Baked Chicken

Buttery Baked Chicken

It is a non fussy, simple non-vegetarian recipe, requiring few ingredients and minimum preparation beforehand. Of course, since it is baked wrapped inside an aluminium foil, you require an oven for this dish. I like to prepare it not only because it is easy to cook but at the same time, it is healthy and full of subtle flavours as well.

Basanti Pulao

Basanti Pulao

Celebrations on Noboborsho’ – the Bengali New Year is considered incomplete without a spread of authentic Bengali dishes. ‘Basanti Pulao’ is one of the star dishes gracing the Noboborsho (the Bengali New Year Day) spread. ‘Basanti Polao’ is a form of ‘pulao’ prepared with a fragrant variety of rice, ‘Gobindo bhog’, typically grown in Bengal.

Aglio e Olio

Aglio e Olio

‘Aglio e olio’ in Italian simply means ‘garlic and oil’ (pronunciation: ‘alio e olio’). It is a simple, traditional but delicious spaghetti dish with garlic and olive oil as the two primary ingredients. For me, it is very rare when a vegetarian dish upstages a non vegetarian one but, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is definitely one of them.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf

Meatloaf is an ideal dish for the meat lovers. It provides ample scope for experimentation with different ingredients and brings in variation in flavour and taste.

Gosht (Meat) Tawa Masala

Gosht (Meat) Tawa Masala

When it comes to mutton tawa masala it is truly the preferred dish for a lazy weekend, an answer to our heart-felt longing for a mutton dish but without going into the hassles of preparing an elaborate fare for the day.