Mochar Ghonto(Banana flower cooked with aromatic spices)

This dish is very dear to Bengalis and though it takes long to remove the stamens and stigma and chop them fine,we still manage to go through all hurdles to endure the end result which is worth the wait. Thanks to the home delivery of vegetables, we now get it peeled and just ready to be chopped. This is eaten with plain rice and is little sweet which is not exactly new to Bengali cuisine. The sweetness balances the tartness of the banana flower.

Ingredients

1. 1 banana flower (peeled, stamens removed and chopped)
2. 4 tbsps of freshly grated coconut
3. 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 2 bay leaves, 1 dried red chilli
4. A pinch of turmeric powder
5. 2 tbsps of ghee or clarified butter
6. 1 small tablet sized tamarind ball (seedless)
7. 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed ginger juice
8. 2 tbsps of fresh cream
9. Garam masala powder
10. Slit green chillies
11. Salt and sugar to taste.

Procedure

1. Wash and drain the chopped banana flowers and transfer it to a pressure cooker with tamarind , salt and turmeric powder and half a cup of water.
2. After one whistle, let it cool down and drain the water and slightly mash the flowers with a fork.
3. Add ghee to a wok and put all the whole spices and once they start to crackle, add the flowers.
4. Saute and keep adding all the ingredients except grated coconut.
5. Stir fry on medium flame until the aroma of ghee, fresh cream and spices fill your kitchen.
6. Once it is dry, transfer it to a plate and garnish it with grated coconut.
7. It is ready to serve.
8. Cooking of this recipe varies from kitchen to kitchen. Many add potatoes but I personally do not like potatoes in this dish.

French Beans with Grated Coconut

This recipe is one of the most satisfying and good looking vegetable dish.Cooking this recipe is very easy but cutting it takes time. When your table has all the colours and you need to add a green beauty then this comes to your rescue. To me it is very satisfying when combined with roti or rice.

Ingredients

1. French beans (tender) – 250 gms
2. Freshly grated coconut – 2 tbsps
3. Black mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
4. Hing or asafoetida – a pinch
5. Red chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
6. Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. 1 tbsp oil.

Procedure

• Wash the beans and remove the side strings from beans if they are a bit mature and then cut.
• If they are very tender they don’t have strings. Just cut them into half an inch pieces.
• Add oil to the pan and add mustard seeds and hing. Let them crackle and then add the beans. Lower the flame.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and cover and cook on low heat for ten minutes. Do not add water.
• Remove the lid and stir. At this stage, add grated coconut and stir fry.
• Your dish is ready to serve.