Irreplaceable!

One of India’s most experimental chefs is undoubtedly Chef Joymalya Banerjee who founded a restaurant in Kolkata that was aptly called Bohemian. In his Instagram profile he describes himself as a “Nonconformist Maverick Chef”. His spirit of experimentation was clearly visible in the menu of Bohemian which had offbeat dishes like Coca Cola Chicken (chicken in Coca Cola gravy), Psychedelic Fish Curry and Malai Mutton Chaat. Sadly, this unique restaurant eventually downed its shutters… another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bohemian menu had a distinct Bengali flavour – most of the experimentation took place around traditional Bengali recipes, although there were some non-Bengali flights of fantasy like Chef Banerjee’s Cocktail Fish Fry and Gondhoraj Stew. 

However, in spite of all his crazy experimental shenanigans, Chef Banerjee made sure that certain key ingredients were never meddled with. For example, some of the typically Bengali spices were retained in order to keep the Bengali ethos of the dish intact. Similarly, another ingredient that Chef Banerjee found irreplaceable was Mustard Oil – and also mustard seeds. He even insisted that the mustard seeds used in Paanch Phoran were freshly ground for each round of preparation.

Chef Banerjee often recreates a dish that his father and his uncle used to make: Haanri Murgi – chicken (Murgi) cooked in an earthen pot (Haanri). Yes, he has tweaked the recipe to match the multifaceted menu of his restaurant – but he hasn’t tried to substitute certain key ingredients that create the essential flavour of this dish. These ingredients include cashew nuts, garlic, red chillies and, of course, Mustard Oil. Chef Banerjee believes that the creation of fusion cuisine starts with a foundational flavour upon which variants and offshoots are built up through an experimental process. If the foundation is weak, the final flavour will end up being unappetizing.

Chef Banerjee knows that pure cold-pressed Mustard Oil is part of the foundational flavour of the highly creative dishes he conjures up – and that’s why, for him, this oil is irreplaceable.

Potato Fusion

In today’s post we will explore another one of those crossover recipes that this blog has written about on various occasions. In the past, we have looked at exciting fusion dishes that have been adapted from British, French, Persian and other European culinary styles and items.

Today we will be making an Indian adaptation of Mustard-Roasted Potatoes, a recipe made famous by Ina Garten, an American food writer who is well-known as the host of the television programme Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network channel – this is a highly popular show that ran for 14 years and it made Ina Garten a household name across the United States.

So let’s get started on our Indian fusion version of Mustard-Roasted Potatoes. Here are the ingredients that you will require. 

Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 1 kilogram (small-sized potatoes)
• Onions: 2, medium-sized
• Mustard Oil: 3 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds (Rai): 2 tablespoons
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 2 tablespoons
• Black Pepper Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Ina Garten prefers to use small Yukon Gold potatoes for making this dish. You can use any small-sized potatoes – for example, the kind that you would use for making baby potato dishes.

For the black pepper powder, Ina Garten says it is important to use freshly ground black peppercorns for this preparation. The freshly ground pepper has a more effusive taste that heightens the effect this recipe has on your taste buds.

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing six servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into quarters (the smaller ones can be cut into halves).

Peel and wash the onions. Cut the ends of the onions off and discard them. Cut the onions into slices, and then cut each circular slice into quarters.

Coarsely grind the mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 220^o C (425^o F).

Take the potato pieces in a large pan with a handle (like a frying pan for instance). Add half the Mustard Oil, half the ground mustard seeds, half the black pepper powder and salt to taste. Toss them to mix all the ingredients well. Put the tossed potato pieces on a plate and then use the same pan to toss the onion pieces with the remaining Mustard Oil, ground mustard seeds, black pepper powder and salt to taste (keep in mind that you have already added salt to the potatoes). Put the tossed onion pieces on a separate plate.

Put the tossed potato pieces on an oven tray and carefully place the tray in the preheated oven. Bake for around 45 minutes till the potatoes turn light brown in colour and become soft on the inside (use a fork to check). Use a spatula to turn the potato pieces over at regular intervals to ensure even browning.

During the last 15 minutes of the baking process, add the tossed onion pieces to the oven tray. This will ensure that the onion pieces do not burnt in case the potatoes take too long to become soft. Use a spatula to mix the onion pieces with the potato pieces.

When the potato pieces are done, transfer the contents of the oven tray to a serving dish. Sprinkle a little salt over the top, if required. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Your Indian-style fusion version of Mustard-Roasted Potatoes is now ready. Serve it hot. You can have this as a delicious snack or serve it as an exciting side dish with a touch of pizzazz. Enjoy!

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

All Mixed Up!

India’s colonial past created an exciting melting pot of British and European culinary influences mingling seamlessly with Indian cooking styles to create a fascinating array of crossover cuisines. Adventurous Indian chefs with an experimental bent of mind used traditional Indian ingredients, spices and oils to recreate British dishes in local kitchens, and the results of this intriguing fusion continue to delight food lovers even today.

Many of these crossover creations emerged from the major Presidency towns during the colonial era – places like Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bombay (now Mumbai) and Madras (now Chennai). Across these towns, quintessential English breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes were being recreated in innovative ways. In today’s post, we are going to explore a breakfast snack that exemplifies this intermingling of culinary styles. We are going to take the typically British egg sandwich and add a spicy dash of Indian mustard to create an all-new flavour.

Let’s get started on our delicious Egg-Mustard Sandwich. Here are the ingredients that you will require.

Ingredients:

• Eggs: 8
• Bread: 16 slices
• Mustard Oil: 2 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds (Rai): 2 tablespoons
• Green Chillies: 2
• Butter: for applying on the toast
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings with four pieces of sandwich on each plate. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Boil the eggs. To do this, immerse the eggs in water in a pan and turn the heat up to High to bring the water to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn the flame down to Medium and use a timer to allow the eggs to boil for three minutes. Then turn the flame off. Let the eggs cool down to room temperature. Carefully remove the shells. Keep the eggs aside.

Use a mortar and pestle to grind the mustard seeds into a paste. Add a little water to get the consistency of the paste right.

Finely chop the green chillies.

Method:

Take the boiled eggs in a mixing bowl and mash them using a fork or by using your hands. You should ideally get a nice, slightly moist and crumbly texture.

To the mixing bowl, add the mustard seed paste, the Mustard Oil, green chillies and salt. Mix well. The filling for your sandwiches is now ready.

Use an electric toaster or an iron griddle to toast the slices of bread. If you are using a griddle, turn the slices over to ensure even toasting on both sides. These sandwiches come out really well when the bread is lightly toasted so make sure you don’t make the toast too crisp.

When the toast is ready, apply butter to one side of each toast. Carefully place the egg filling on the buttered side of the toast. Then cover it with another slice of toast with the buttered surface facing downwards.

You now have eight square-shaped egg sandwiches. Cut each sandwich diagonally in half to create two triangle-shaped sandwiches. Arrange these sandwiches on plates with four sandwich pieces on each plate.

Your Indo-British Egg-Mustard Sandwich is now ready. Serve them with hot cups of tea or coffee. You can also accentuate the mustard flavour by having these sandwiches with a traditional (and delightfully pungent) Bengali mustard sauce called Kasundi. This simple sandwich also demonstrates an interesting attribute of Mustard Oil. It is an exciting flavouring agent that can be used in its raw form. It adds an enticing new dimension to the overall taste of the sandwiches.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Indo-Oriental Fusion

India is a land with a delightful array of crossover cuisines that have evolved across thousands of years. In the past we have discussed Persian, Mughal, Portuguese, Colonial and Awadhi influences on this blog. Today, let’s explore the Oriental influence, in particular, the Szechuan culinary influence.

According to historical records, Chinese settlers began arriving in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the late 1770s. They brought with them their culinary styles and practices which were radically different from traditional Indian cooking systems. Most of their everyday dishes were boiled or steamed – and they were too bland for the Indian palate. Also, the cooking medium used by the Chinese settlers was pork lard, which didn’t suit the Indian digestive system at all. But over time, some Chinese dishes, especially the spicy Szechuan ones, became popular in Calcutta. Today, after hundreds of years of evolution and experimentation, there is an interesting Indo-Oriental fusion that has given this cuisine a unique flavour – and foodies just love it! 

The dish we are preparing today is one such Indo-Oriental fusion recipe called Chilli Paneer – hugely popular across India, whether you are in Calcutta or Delhi or Chandigarh or Mumbai. You can find it almost everywhere, from Chinese Food restaurants and eateries to roadside food carts and street food stalls. And that’s the version we will be making today – totally desi and totally delicious!

The ingredients that you will require are listed below.

Ingredients:

• Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer): 600 grams
• Onions: 2, medium-sized
• Capsicum: 1
• Green Chillies: 7
• Mustard Oil: 6 tablespoons
• Light Soya Sauce: 3 tablespoons
• Dark Soya Sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Vinegar: 4 tablespoons
• Sugar: Half a teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for preparing four servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Finely chop four green chillies. Slit the other three green chillies vertically.

Cut the Paneer into cubes and place the pieces in a mixing bowl. Add the light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, vinegar, sugar, black pepper powder and salt along with the finely chopped green chillies. Then add a teaspoon of Mustard Oil and mix well. The roadside eateries also add a pinch of Ajinomoto to the bowl but we don’t recommend it for health reasons. Place the bowl in your refrigerator and let the Paneer pieces marinate for two hours.

Cut the onions into small pieces.

Coarsely chop the capsicum.

Method:

Add the remaining Mustard Oil to the pan and heat it on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point. When this happens, aromatic white smoke will rise slowly from the surface of the hot oil. Reduce the flame to Medium and continue cooking.

Add the onions to the hot oil and sauté for around a minute or so.

Next, add the capsicum and continue to sauté for another couple of minutes.

Now add marinated Paneer pieces along with the marinade. Gently stir to mix all the contents of the pan. Cook till the Paneer pieces are done. Just before switching the flame off, increase the heat to High and give the contents a final stir.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving dish and garnish with slit green chillies.

Your Indo-Oriental fusion version of Chilli Paneer is now ready. Serve it hot. You can have it as a side dish with fried rice. It can also be eaten as a snack item.

You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Something Different!

Foodies are always on a quest for something new… something different! So in today’s post we are going to make an exciting snack that’s a fusion of European and Indian culinary styles – a delicious item called Cheese and Potato Sticks.  

Here are the ingredients that you will require – very simple ingredients; this makes it possible to prepare this recipe quickly and easily.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes: 3, medium sized
• Cheese: 100 grams
• Onion: 1, small
• Flour: 2 tablespoons
• Eggs: 2
• Mustard Oil: 4 tablespoons
• Breadcrumbs: 50 gram
• Black Pepper Powder: Half a teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for two servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings that you require.

Preparation:

Peel, wash and boil the potatoes. When they are done (use a fork to check) cut the potatoes into small pieces.

Peel, wash and finely chop the onion.

Cut the cheese into small strips, around half-an-inch in length.

In a mixing bowl, add the potatoes, onion, black pepper and salt. Use a fork to mash the potatoes and mix the ingredients well. Keep aside.

Method:

Use your hands to shape a portion of the potato mixture into a palm-sized ball. Flatten the ball into a round shape and place some cheese strips in the middle. Carefully roll the potato mixture around the cheese strips. Do this till all the cheese strips and potato mixture are used up. Keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, break and beat the eggs. Add the flour and mix well.

On a plate or a tray spread out the breadcrumbs.

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame till the oil reaches its smoking point and emits puffs of deliciously aromatic white smoke. Reduce the flame to Medium.

Now dip each potato mixture-coated cheese stick into the egg-flour mixture, and then roll it on the breadcrumbs making sure that each stick is evenly coated.

Now carefully fry each stick till it turns golden brown in colour. Place the fried sticks on paper towels to drain the excess oil, if any.

There you are! These unique and delightfully different Cheese and Potato Sticks are now ready to be served. Enjoy them with ketchup, mayonnaise or any other dip of your choice.

You can find more recipes at :  https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/

Fusion Fritters

For the past month or so, we have been celebrating the cool rainy weather with a wide array of traditional Indian snack foods – especially the ever-popular Pakora in its wide variety of forms and flavours. Let’s get a little creative for our next round of snacking. In today’s post we are going to create a fusion Pakora with Noodles!

The ingredients that you will require are given below.

Ingredients:

• Noodles: 150 grams
• Chickpea Flour (Chane Ka Aata): 250 grams
• Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
• Mustard Seeds (Rai): 1 teaspoon
• Onions: 50 grams
• Cabbage: 50 grams
• Carrots: 50 grams
• Capsicum: 50 grams
• Green Chillies: 2
• Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 teaspoon
• Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Just a pinch
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste

The quantities mentioned above are for two servings. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings you require.

Preparation:

Boil the noodles and keep aside.

Finely chop the onions.

Cut the cabbage into small strips, around an inch in length.

Dice the carrots into small cubes.

Chop the capsicum into small pieces.

Finely chop the green chillies.

Grind the cumin seeds into a coarse powder.

Coarsely chop the coriander leaves.

Method:

In a mixing bowl add the onion, cabbage, carrot, capsicum, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well.

Heat a tablespoon of Mustard Oil in a frying pan and sauté the mustard seeds till they begin to splutter. Turn the flame off and transfer the contents of the frying pan to the mixing bowl.

Next, add the boiled noodles to the mixing bowl and mix well. If the noodles are in long strands, use your hands to tear them into smaller strands. This will ensure that the batter-making and frying process will be more manageable.

Now add the chickpea flour along with the coriander leaves. Add water a little at a time to create a thick batter (don’t make it too watery). 

Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a Medium flame. When the oil reaches its smoking point, reduce the flame to low. The indication of the Mustard Oil reaching its smoking point is that little clouds of white smoke will rise from the oil and the rich aroma of Mustard Oil will spread all across your kitchen.  

Carefully drop small portions of the batter-coated noodles in the oil and deep-fry till the Pakoras take on a golden brown colour. Fry the Pakoras in batches to ensure even frying and also to make sure they don’t get burnt.

Place the deep-fried Pakoras on paper towels to drain the excess oil. Since we have done all the frying in a healthy medium like Mustard Oil, this step is optional. Mustard Oil is proven to be packed with significant health benefits and is also known to be minimally absorbed in food during cooking and deep-frying. So the choice is yours. It depends on whether you like your Pakoras a little oily or dry.

Your fusion dish of Oriental-Indian Noodles Pakoras is now ready to be served. Have them with tomato ketchup, mustard sauce or any dip of your choice. And if there’s rain pattering outside your window, keep a cup of steaming hot tea or coffee alongside these delicious fritters and enjoy the glorious weather.

You can find more recipes at :  https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/