Chicken Rezala (Bengali Style):-
Bengali Chicken Rezala is a smooth and rich Mughlai curry prepared with chicken, curd, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and wholesome flavours. Use my simple recipe to make it.
About Chicken Rezala:-
- Rezala is a Mughlai style curry made using curd, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and whole spices.
- There are some unique variations of this curry: a Bhopali, a Bengali and a Bangladeshi.
- Rezala curry is usually made using sheep (goat meat), but here, I am sharing a Bengali-style chicken rezala recipe.
- This smooth and rich chicken curry is simple and full of majestic flavours. It gets spiciness from curd, sweetness from cashew nuts and spiciness from black pepper and dry red chilli.
- Serve it with Rumali Roti, Baked Roti, Tawa Paratha, Lachcha Paratha, Naan or Luchi for a generous feast.
Material:-
- Chicken – Use skinless boneless chicken pieces for best flavor.
- If you are not a fan of eating bone-in chicken, you can use chicken breasts cut into small pieces.
- Dahi (dahi, curd) – Plain curd forms the base of this curry. In case of using hand-made curd, at that time, make sure that it is not hard.
- Wholesome Flavor – This recipe uses essential wholesome flavors like cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dry red chilli and green cardamom.
- Zest Powder – To make the curry even better, flavor it with regular flavor powders, like white chili powder and garam masala powder.
- Oil Ghee – I like to mix both, although you can use either one to make the curry.
- Cashew nuts and white poppy seeds – these two ingredients add the ideal velvety surface to the rezala curry.
- Assuming poppy seeds are not accessible, omit them from the recipe or substitute melon seeds in their place.
- Others – You will also need ginger garlic gum, salt, onion gum, kewra avatar and saffron thread.
- To make onion glue, blend one medium peeled onion with 3-4 tablespoons of water in a blender and make a fine paste.
Instructions to make Bengali Style Chicken Rezala:-
Marinate the Chicken
Mix the given ingredients together in a bowl and marinate for 60 minutes.
- 1 kg skinless boneless chicken (cut into 1.5 inch pieces)
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic gum
- 1 cup plain curd
make poppy gum
Soak 10-12 cashew nuts and 2 tbsp white poppy seeds in 2 tbsp hot water for 10 minutes.
Add the peeled cashews and poppy seeds to a blender along with the water they have absorbed.
Add 4-5 green chillies in the blender and blend to make a smooth paste.
Make Chicken Rezala Curry
Heat 3 tablespoons ghee and 2 tablespoons oil in a container on medium-high intensity.
When the ghee becomes hot, put the ingredients given in it in the container and fry for 10-15 seconds.
3-4 cloves
6-8 whole black peppers
2 inch pieces cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
4-5 dry red chillies
Pick up the chicken pieces from the marinade and put them in a container. Fry for 4-5 minutes while mixing frequently.
Add the following ingredients to the container and mix well.
leftover marinade
Cashew and Poppy Gum
1 teaspoon white chili powder
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Add ½ cup onion gum and 1 cup water in the container and mix well.
Reduce the intensity by reducing it.
Cover the container with a tight-fitting top and cook for 40-50 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Mix once or twice while cooking.
Finally add 1 tablespoon ghee and 2-3 drops of kewra powder and mix well.
Check the salt and add more salt whenever required.
Garnish with saffron soaked milk and serve!
Aloo Posto (Bengali Poppy Seed Potato Fry):-
Aloo Posto (Bengali Poppy Seed Potato Fry) is a perfect side dish to serve with luchi or dal rice. Use my simple recipe to make this traditional dish.
About Aloo Posto
Aloo Posto (Aloo Posto, poppy seeds potato fry) is a reliable Bengali dish in which aloo means ‘potato’ and posto means ‘poppy seeds’. It means potatoes cooked with poppy seeds gum.
To make this potato curry, poppy seeds are ground into powder or gum, and potatoes are cooked in this gum along with some other basic flavors.
This famous West Bengali dish is a comfort food for some Bengalis. It is best enjoyed with lunch, steamed white rice or roti and dal. I like to pair it with hard parathas.Aloo Poshto is made for all Bengali celebrations, like Durga Puja and Basant Panchami, and extravagant events like weddings and birthday celebrations. It is likewise a part of the regular feasts of every Bengali family. This recipe without onion, without garlic can be made even during fasting days. This is an exceptional dish to pack in office and school lunch boxes.
Material:-
Chicken – Use skinless boneless chicken pieces for best flavor.
If you are not a fan of eating bone-in chicken, you can use chicken breasts cut into small pieces.
Dahi (dahi, curd) – Plain curd forms the base of this curry. In case of using hand made curd, at that time, make sure that it is not hard.
Wholesome Flavor – This recipe uses essential wholesome flavors like cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, black cardamom, dry red chilli and green cardamom.
Zest Powder – To make the curry more flavourful, flavor it with regular flavor powders, such as white chilli powder and garam masala powder.
Oil Ghee – I like to mix both, although you can use either one to make the curry.
Cashew nuts and white poppy seeds – these two ingredients add the ideal velvety surface to the rezala curry.
Assuming poppy seeds are not accessible, omit them from the recipe or substitute melon seeds for them.
Others – You will also need ginger garlic gum, salt, onion gum, kewra avatar and saffron thread.
To make onion glue, blend one medium peeled onion with 3-4 tablespoons of water in a blender and make a fine paste.
Instructions to make Aloo Posto:-
make poppy seeds powder
This is the riskiest part of making Aloo Posto Sabzi.
Traditionally, white poppy seeds were ground to make gum using a stone processor. The glue made using this process is exceptionally fine.
However, these days, with many kitchens not having access to stone processors, we only have zest or espresso processors.
Using today’s equipment, it is unimaginable to grind poppy seeds into a fine powder or make a small amount of gum, so I grind them into large flakes. I use a little to make the recipe and freeze the extra ground poppy seeds powder for a future time.
Add ½ cup white poppy seeds in a processor and grind to a fine powder.
Measure out 4 tablespoons of powder and freeze the extra for a future time.
prepare potatoes
Peel 1 pound (500 g) potatoes and cut them into ½-inch 3D cubes.
Cover the cut potatoes with water; If not, they will turn black from oxidation.
make vegetables
Heat 4 tablespoons mustard oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the accompanying ingredients and let them splutter for 3-4 seconds.
½ tsp cumin
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
2 dried red chillies
Drain the water from the cut potatoes and put it in a container. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the following ingredients along with ½ cup water in the container and mix well to cover the potatoes with the mixture.
4 tbsp poppy seeds powder
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 green chillies (cut into half pieces)
Reduce the intensity to a minimum.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the potatoes become soft and the raw smell of poppy gum goes away. Mix one or two in between.
Remove the top and cook uncovered until the vegetable is practically dry.
Check the salt and add more if necessary. Serve hot!
Jhal Muri (Kolkata Road Style Zesty Puffed Rice):-
Jhal Muri (Kolkata Road Style Zesty Puffed Rice) is a famous street food of Kolkata made using puffed rice, onion, tomato and some other ingredients. Raw mustard oil gives it extraordinary taste.
About Jhal Muri:-
Kolkata Road Style Jhal Muri (Hot Puffed Rice) is a famous street food of Kolkata made with puffed rice, onion, tomato and various ingredients.
In Bengali, Jhal means ‘enthusiasm’ and Puri means ‘puffed rice’.
Jhaal Muri (Jhaal Muri, Masala Muri, Jhaal Mudi) is cooked rice with flavoring powder. The extension of raw mustard oil gives it an interesting taste and makes it completely different from its other counterparts like Bhel Puri, Masala Madkki, Girmit or Churmuri.
Suppose you have ever been to Kolkata, then I am sure you have experienced this Bengali flavor on each and every street. People run to the nearest truck to get a cone (thonga) filled with this delicious delicacy. This street food was sold to soldiers by Bihari travelers in the city of Kolkata during the Second Great War. English culinary expert Angus Denoon has been selling it in downtown London for almost 10 years. He tasted this delicacy in the city of Kolkata and became crazy about this simple dish.
This chaat (Indian street food) is not southern style, not at all like most other chaats, which makes it significantly more nutritious and a better decision. It is low-calorie, light and vegetarian and is ready in less than 15 minutes. If you make it at home, serve it in a traditional thanga or paper cone, which is easy to give that authentic Kolkata taste.
It’s also light on the stomach and great at lunch time or as a backup with tea. You can try it at a kid’s party or for a social gathering with friends at an event.
Material:-
You will find all the ingredients to make Jhalmuri in Indian supermarkets.
Puffed rice (Muri, Marmara, Pori, Kurmura, Murmura) is used to make Jhalmuri.
Sev Mixture – You can use any sev mix that is available to you.
Coconut – Fresh coconut adds nice flavor to this dish. You can either grind the coconut or break it into small pieces.
Mustard Oil – This is a priority ingredient for Bengali Jhal Muri. It adds an impressive flavor to the dish, making it extraordinary and delicious.
Vegetables – To give a nice crunch to your Jhalmuri recipe, add vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, onion, potato, green chilli and coriander.
Others – You will also need cumin powder, chaat masala powder, black salt, Kashmiri red bean stew powder, salt and freshly crushed lemon juice (lemon juice).
You can also add roasted, cleaned peanuts, cooked gram, boiled yellow peas, sprouted gram, finely chopped raw mango, chana jor garam (chana chur) etc. to your recipe. Change the green chillies as per your choice.
Instructions to make Jhal Muri:-
Add 2 cups puffed rice to a large bowl.
Tip – If the puffed rice is not completely hard, dry it on low flame for 3 minutes looking for gold. You can also microwave it for 60-90 seconds until it’s fresh.
Add the relevant ingredients to the bowl.
3 tbsp sev mixture
¼ cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp boiled, peeled and finely chopped potatoes
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilli
2 tbsp finely chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped or unpeeled cucumbers
1 tablespoon grated young coconut
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
½ tsp cumin powder
½ teaspoon black salt
½ tsp Kashmiri red bean stew powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp raw cold pressed mustard oil
Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately.
Orange Kheer (Orange Kheer, Bengali Komola Kheer):-
Orange kheer (orange kheer, Bengali komola kheer) is a delicious Bengali-style milk pudding cooked with fresh oranges. It is an incredible Indian sweet made for celebrations and unique events.
About Orange Kheer (Bengali Komola Kheer)
Orange kheer (orange kheer, komalabur payesh, Bengali komola kheer) is a delicious milk pudding cooked from juicy, ripe orange tissue. Not at all like the classic kheer, this recipe does not use rice. This gluten free kheer is perfect to serve at celebrations or unique events. It can be served even during fasting days.
Material:-
Milk – Use whole milk (full fat milk) to make a smooth and rich kheer.
For a vegetarian version you can try this recipe with almond milk or cashew milk.
Oranges – Use sweet and juicy Darjeeling or Nagpur oranges to make this Komola Kheer. Kinnow oranges also work very well. Considering that the oranges are tart, they can make the pudding sour.
Remove the skin and white layer of the orange and use only the tissue.
Sugar – Change as per your choice. You can also take honey or stevia instead of sugar.
Garnish the kheer with chopped nuts like almonds, pistachios and cashews for a pleasant crunch.
Cornstarch – This is optional yet it makes the komola kheer shiny velvety and brings the recipe to life.
To make the kheer tasty, you can also add a little cardamom powder to it.
Method to make Orange Kheer:-
Peel 3-4 oranges and separate them into parts.
Remove the outer layer, remove the seeds and take out the tissue in a bowl. Put it away.
Pour 1 liter of milk into a heavy container and heat it on medium intensity until boiling. Mix regularly to prevent the bottom of the pan from singing.
Reduce the intensity to medium-low and cook for 30-40 minutes until the milk reduces to half. Continue to mix and scrape down the sides of the dish after every 10-12 minutes.
Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water and pour the solution into the dish.
Cook for 10-12 minutes until the kheer thickens. The correct consistency of kheer is like a thick custard.
Add 4 tbsp sugar and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Remove the thickener from the vessel and let the kheer cool completely.
Cover the dish with stick wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Whenever it cools down, add orange pieces (along with the squeezed orange) to it.
Garnish with almonds and pistachios and serve.
Cholar Dal (Bengali Style Chana Dal):-
Cholar Dal (Bengali Style Chana Dal) is a traditional Bengali dal dish prepared from chana dal (Bengal chana dal), ghee, coconut and some flavourings. It is sweet and flavourful and pairs best with luchi or steamed rice.
About Cholar Dal:-
Chholar dal (Bengali chana dal, chholar dal) is a Bengali dish made using broken gram (chana dal), fresh coconut and a few other ingredients.
Every Bengali family has its own unique way of making it. Some people make it niramish, that is, without onion and garlic, and others with onion and garlic. Chola dal can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner with luchi (Bengali puri), kochuri, porotta or polao. Sound, simple to make, light on the stomach and very tasty, the sweet and exquisite flavors are impeccably adjusted in this dal dish and it is different from other dal dishes.
Make this Bengali Chhola Dal recipe for regular feasts, unique events or celebrations like Durga Puja.
You can cook the dal in a pressure cooker or another vessel with a conventional burner. I am sharing two strategies in the post below.
This vegetarian recipe can easily be multiplied or expanded significantly. I made this in my 3-quart Moment Pot (or 3-liter tension cooker). If you’re doing it on a larger scale, use a larger pot or pressure cooker. Cooking time will continue as before.
Material:-
Dal – Chholar dal with chana dal is ready.
While cooking pulses, turmeric powder and salt are added to it.
Coconut – To add a wonderful flavor, grate some young coconut pieces and add them to the dal.
Treatment – This dal is seasoned with ghee (or mustard oil), cumin, asafoetida, new ginger, green chillies, raisins and sugar. Wholesome flavors like dried red chilli, cloves, cinnamon. Cinnamon), green cardamom, and bay leaves give a great flavor to the dal.
You will also need flavor powders like coriander powder, cooked cumin powder and garam masala powder.
You can change the green chillies as per your choice.
If you can get your hands on Bengali ghee, nothing else comes close to it. You should have the option of getting it over the internet or at an Indian supermarket near you.
To make this Dal Sabzi Lover, use oil instead of ghee.
Instructions for making Cholar Dal:-
cook lentils
in a traditional cooker
Wash 1 cup chana dal twice with water and drain the water.
Soak the lentils in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
Drain the water, add the peeled dal along with the above ingredients in a tension cooker and mix well.
3 cups water
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
Close the top and cook on high flame till one whistle. Then, reduce the intensity and cook for 15 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the cooker from the heat and allow the strain to dissipate normally.
Open the top of the cooker. Dal should not become soft after cooking. It should retain its shape in any condition and be thoroughly cooked.
In a pressure vessel, wash 1 cup chana dal twice with water and drain the water.
Soak the lentils in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
Drain the water, add the soaked dal along with other ingredients in another vessel and mix well.
two and a half cups water
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
Close the Moment Pot at the top and set the valve to the fixing position.
Press the Strain Cook button and set the clock on high strain for 15 minutes.
When the clock stops, allow the tension to dissipate normally for 10 minutes.
Physically remove the excess tension and then open the lid.
temper the lentils
Heat 3 tablespoons ghee in a pan over medium-high heat.
When the ghee is hot, add ¼ cup finely chopped young coconut and fry till it turns golden brown, stirring most of the time to ensure it is browned. Take out the cooked pieces in a plate.
In the same ghee, add the given ingredients and fry for 5-6 seconds.
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon asafoetida
4-5 whole dry red chillies
3-4 cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
2-3 whole green cardamoms
2 narrow leaves
Add 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped green chilli and fry for 5-6 seconds.
Now add the following ingredients and fry for 2-3 seconds. Don’t try to explore too much; In some other way, the flavor can be consumed.
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ tsp cooked cumin powder
¼ tsp garam masala powder
Pour this treat over cooked lentils. Add roasted coconut pieces, 2 tbsp raisins and 1 tsp sugar and mix well.
Check the salt and add more if necessary.
serve hot.
