The Bong Connection!

Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ashe Tobe Ekla Cholo Re.....
For some reason, was prompted to cook some Bengali recipes :-)
So today's dinner was Bandhakopir Dalna(Cabbage curry) and Kanchkolar Kofta (Plantain kofta)

Bandhakopir dalna and Kanchkolar kofta

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Bandhakopir Dalna

1 cabbage, sliced finely
2 potatoes, cut in small cubes
1 tbsp turmeric pd

Green chili paste to taste
1 tsp cumin pd
1 tsp coriander pd
1 inch Ginger, grated
2 bay Leaves
1/2 tsp garam masala pd
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste

Heat oil in a pan and fry the potato cubes till they are brown. Reserve. In the same oil add the cabbage and salt and cover and cook till the cabbage is tender. Add turmeric powder, chili paste, cumin, coriander and ginger to the cabbage. Stir and fry until the spices are well blended with the cabbage. Add a little water, the potatoes and salt and sugar and cover and cook till the potatoes are cooked and the water evaporates. In a separate pan add butter or little oil and fry the bay leaves and the garam masala and then pour over the cabbage. Mix well and serve.

Kanchkolar Kofta

For the koftas

Raw banana : 1

1 medium sized potato

1 onion - finely grated or ground to a paste
1" piece ginger finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped 

Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped

Gram flour or besan to bind the koftas
Salt to taste

Peel green banana, potato and boil them. When they have cooled squeeze out as much water as possible and then mash them well. Add onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilli or red chilli powder, salt and coriander leaves in mashed banana-potato mix. Add gram flour slowly in the mix until you can shape koftas from the plaintain-potato mix. Fry these in oil till golden brown and keep aside.

For the gravy

1 Bay leaf 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tblsp ginger paste

4 tomatoes chopped finely

1 tsp turmeric pd
1 tsp cumin pd
1 tsp coriander pd
salt and chilli pd to taste
1 tsp Bengali Garam Masala powder- take 2-3 of cardamoms, cloves and 1 stick of cinnmon and grind it to a powder

Heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaf and cumin seeds to crackle. Then add the turmeric, cumin, chilli and coriander pd mixed in 2 tbsps of water and continuously stir to prevent them from burning. Add chopped tomatoes (I pureed mine and used that instead of chopped tomatoes) and cook til tomatoes turn mushy. Add 1 cup water and cook til the gravy thickens. Add the koftas just before the gravy starts to thicken. Sprinkle the bengali garam masala before you take it off the stove.

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.....Ekla cholo, ekla cholo, ekla cholo re.......