RAG Demo

Tag: Medium to make

  • Naga Smoked Pork with Bamboo Shoot

    Smoked pork with bamboo shoot is the dish most associated with Nagaland. Naga households traditionally hang strips of pork over the kitchen hearth for days or weeks, where the smoke dries and preserves the meat. Fermented bamboo shoot, prepared at home in every village, is the other pillar of the cuisine.

    The cooking is simple and the flavours bold. Pork is boiled with ginger, garlic and raja mircha, the king chilli, and the sour, pungent bamboo shoot is added to cut through the fat. There are no masala powders, and often no oil, since the pork releases its own. The result is smoky, sour and very hot, with tender meat and a little thick gravy.

    At a glance

    RegionNagaland
    CuisineNaga
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time70 minutes
    Total time90 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientssmoked pork / fermented bamboo shoot / king chilli / ginger

    Ingredients

    • 750 g smoked pork with fat, cut into 4 cm pieces
    • 1 cup fermented bamboo shoot, shredded
    • 2 tbsp ginger, crushed
    • 8 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 raja mircha (king chilli), slit, or 4-5 dried red chillies
    • 4 green chillies, slit
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
    • 2 tbsp axone (fermented soybean) paste (optional)
    • 3 cups water
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 spring onions, chopped

    Method

    1. Wash the smoked pork in warm water to remove soot and excess salt.
    2. Put the pork in a heavy pot with ginger, garlic, the king chilli and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes (or pressure cook for 4 whistles) until the pork is almost tender.
    3. Add the fermented bamboo shoot, green chillies, tomatoes and axone if using. Add salt carefully – smoked pork can already be salty.
    4. Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is very tender and the fat has rendered into the gravy.
    5. Keep cooking until most of the water evaporates and the gravy is thick and glossy, clinging to the meat.
    6. Taste, adjust salt, scatter spring onion and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Raja mircha is among the hottest chillies in the world – use half of one first and remove it once the dish is hot enough.
    • Without smoked pork, use pork belly and add a little smoked paprika, though it will not be the same.
    • Fermented bamboo shoot is sour and strong; rinse it once if you want a milder flavour.

    Serve with

    Sticky or plain steamed rice and boiled greens.

  • Jadoh

    Jadoh is the signature dish of the Khasi and Jaintia people of Meghalaya. In Shillong's Police Bazaar and Laitumkhrah, small jadoh stalls serve it from dawn, often with pork offal, fried fish or a pork curry, and it is the meal people head to after a long night or a cold morning walk.

    It is rice cooked in pork fat and stock with plenty of ginger, onion and turmeric, so each grain turns yellow, glossy and savoury. Traditional versions use the local red rice and sometimes cook the rice with pig's blood (jadoh snam). The version here uses pork pieces and ordinary rice, and is mildly spiced so the meat and ginger lead.

    At a glance

    RegionMeghalaya
    CuisineKhasi
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseRice
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time50 minutes
    Total time70 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / pork / ginger / onion / turmeric

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups short-grain or local red rice, washed and soaked 20 minutes
    • 400 g pork with some fat, cut into small 2 cm pieces
    • 2 tbsp pork fat or oil
    • 2 onions, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped or crushed
    • 1 tbsp garlic, crushed
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 3 1/2 cups hot water
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Put the pork pieces in a heavy pot on medium heat with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the water evaporates and the fat starts to render.
    2. Add the pork fat or oil and fry the pork on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned.
    3. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and bay leaves and fry for 6-8 minutes until the onions are soft and golden.
    4. Stir in turmeric, black pepper, green chillies and salt and cook for 1 minute.
    5. Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Stir gently for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in the fat and turns yellow.
    6. Pour in the hot water, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 18-20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the water absorbed. Red rice may need 10 minutes longer and a little more water.
    7. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff gently and serve.

    Tips

    • Do not skimp on ginger – it is the dominant flavour after the pork.
    • For a lighter dish, use chicken thighs instead of pork, though it is then no longer classic jadoh.
    • Leftover jadoh reheats well with a splash of water in a covered pan.

    Serve with

    Doh khlieh (pork salad), a pork curry, or a fiery tomato chutney.

  • Hanh Kumura (Duck with Ash Gourd)

    Duck is festive meat in Assam, especially during Magh Bihu in January and among the state's many communities who rear ducks in paddy fields and ponds. Hanh kumura pairs the rich, gamey bird with kumura, ash gourd, which soaks up the fat and spices and softens the strong flavour of the meat.

    The curry is hearty rather than fiery. Duck pieces are browned well in mustard oil with onion, ginger, garlic and whole spices, then simmered slowly until tender; the ash gourd goes in towards the end and turns soft and translucent. Black pepper and a little garam masala give warmth. It is a long, slow cook, ideal for a winter lunch.

    At a glance

    RegionAssam
    CuisineAssamese
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time120 minutes
    Serves5
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsduck / ash gourd / onion / ginger / garlic

    Ingredients

    For the duck

    • 1.2 kg duck, skin on, cut into medium pieces
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt

    For the curry

    • 500 g ash gourd (kumura), peeled, deseeded and cut into 4 cm pieces
    • 4 tbsp mustard oil
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 green cardamoms
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 3 medium onions, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp ginger paste
    • 2 tbsp garlic paste
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
    • 4 green chillies, slit
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 3 cups hot water
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Singe off any remaining feathers over a flame, wash the duck well and rub with turmeric and salt. Rest for 20 minutes.
    2. Heat a dry heavy pot and add the duck pieces skin-side down. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, turning, until the fat renders and the skin browns. Pour off excess fat, keeping 1 tbsp.
    3. Add the mustard oil to the pot and heat until it smokes, then lower to medium. Add bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon, then the onions. Fry for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
    4. Add ginger and garlic pastes and fry for 2 minutes until the raw smell is gone. Add the tomatoes and powdered spices and cook for 5 minutes until the oil separates.
    5. Return the duck to the pot and bhuno on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring, until the masala darkens and coats the meat.
    6. Pour in 3 cups hot water, add green chillies, cover and simmer on low heat for 45-50 minutes (or pressure cook for 6-7 whistles) until the duck is tender.
    7. Add the ash gourd and black pepper and simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes until the gourd turns translucent and soft.
    8. Finish with garam masala and coriander, and rest 10 minutes before serving.

    Tips

    • Duck is fatty – rendering the skin first gives better flavour and a less greasy curry.
    • Do not add the ash gourd early; it releases water and turns to pulp if overcooked.
    • If you can find it, a pinch of crushed Assamese bhut jolokia gives the curry its fiery local version.

    Serve with

    Steamed joha rice or plain rice.

  • Dhuska

    Dhuska is the signature breakfast of Jharkhand, sold hot from roadside kadhais in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad, and made at home for festivals and Sunday mornings. It belongs to the Adivasi and Sadan food traditions of the Chota Nagpur plateau, where rice and pulses are the everyday staples. A plate of two costs very little at a street stall.

    Rice and chana dal, sometimes with a little urad dal, are soaked and ground into a thick, slightly coarse batter, then ladled into hot oil where they puff into golden, thick discs. The outside is crisp, the centre soft and spongy. Dhuska is almost always eaten with a spicy aloo or kala chana curry, or with ghugni and green chutney.

    At a glance

    RegionJharkhand
    CuisineJharkhandi
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / chana dal / urad dal / green chilli

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1 cup rice (any short or medium grain)
    • 1/2 cup chana dal
    • 2 tbsp urad dal
    • 1 inch ginger
    • 3 green chillies
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • A pinch of baking soda (optional)
    • Oil for deep frying

    For the aloo curry

    • 3 potatoes, boiled and cubed
    • 2 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 1/2 cups water
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Rinse the rice, chana dal and urad dal and soak them together in water for 6 hours or overnight.
    2. Drain and grind with ginger, green chillies and garlic, adding as little water as possible, to a thick, slightly coarse batter like idli batter.
    3. Stir in cumin, turmeric, salt and coriander. The batter should drop thickly from a spoon. Rest for 15 minutes; add baking soda just before frying if you want them fluffier.
    4. For the curry, heat mustard oil, splutter cumin, then fry the onion for 5 minutes until golden. Add tomato and the powdered spices and cook for 4 minutes until soft.
    5. Add potatoes, salt and water, lightly mash a few pieces, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until thick. Finish with garam masala.
    6. Heat oil for deep frying on medium-high. Pour a ladleful of batter gently into the oil; it should sink and rise immediately.
    7. Spoon hot oil over the top so it puffs, fry for 2 minutes, flip and fry another 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Drain and serve hot with the curry.

    Tips

    • A batter that is too thin spreads and absorbs oil; add a spoon of rice flour to thicken it.
    • Fry one at a time until you get the hang of the ladle movement – pour from close to the oil to avoid splashes.
    • Ghugni (spiced dried peas) is the other classic accompaniment.

    Serve with

    Spicy aloo curry or ghugni with coriander chutney.

  • Champaran Mutton

    Champaran mutton, also called ahuna or handi meat, comes from the Champaran region of north-west Bihar, near the Nepal border. It was cooked by farmers and at roadside dhabas in clay pots sealed with dough and set over wood or charcoal, and in the last decade it has become a craze, with 'Champaran meat house' signboards appearing far from Bihar.

    Everything goes into the pot raw: mutton, whole garlic bulbs, sliced onions, mustard oil and a generous amount of whole and ground spices. The handi is sealed and gently shaken now and then instead of stirred. The meat cooks in its own juices, absorbing the smoky, earthy flavour of the clay, and the whole garlic turns soft and sweet.

    At a glance

    RegionBihar
    CuisineBihari
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time120 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsmutton / garlic / onion / mustard oil

    Ingredients

    For the mutton

    • 1 kg mutton, curry cut with bone and some fat
    • 4 whole garlic bulbs, top sliced off, outer papery skin removed
    • 4 medium onions, thickly sliced
    • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1/2 cup mustard oil
    • 1/4 cup curd (optional)
    • Salt to taste

    Whole spices

    • 2 bay leaves
    • 6 green cardamoms
    • 2 black cardamoms
    • 6 cloves
    • 2 inch cinnamon
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 4 dry red chillies
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds

    Ground spices

    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp meat masala or garam masala

    For sealing

    • 1 cup atta kneaded into a stiff dough

    Method

    1. Put the mutton, onions, ginger-garlic paste, all the whole and ground spices, salt, curd and half the mustard oil in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands and marinate for at least 1 hour.
    2. Heat the remaining mustard oil in a small pan until it smokes, then let it cool slightly. This removes its raw pungency.
    3. Put the marinated mutton in a clay handi (or a heavy-bottomed pot), push the garlic bulbs into the meat and pour the cooked oil over the top.
    4. Cover with the lid and seal the edges all round with the atta dough so no steam escapes.
    5. Place the handi on a low charcoal fire or on the lowest gas flame over a tawa. Cook for 75-90 minutes.
    6. Every 15 minutes, lift the handi with a cloth and shake it in a circular motion to move the meat around. Do not open it.
    7. Break the seal after 75 minutes and check: the mutton should come off the bone easily and the oil should float on a thick, dark masala. If not, reseal and cook another 15 minutes.
    8. Serve straight from the handi, with a whole garlic bulb on each plate to squeeze over the meat.

    Tips

    • Season a new clay handi by soaking it in water overnight and rubbing it with mustard oil before use.
    • In a pressure cooker, cook on medium for 1 whistle then on lowest heat for 30 minutes; it lacks the smokiness but is close.
    • Choose meat with fat and bone – the dish depends on the meat's own juices.

    Serve with

    Plain rice or thick rotis, with sliced onion and green chillies.

  • Sattu Paratha

    Sattu, flour made from roasted chickpeas, is the protein staple of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Farmers and labourers carry it to the fields mixed with water and salt, and in homes it becomes litti, sharbat and these stuffed parathas. Cheap, filling and shelf-stable, it is one of the oldest convenience foods in India.

    The filling is dry, savoury and sharp: sattu mixed with raw onion, garlic, green chilli, ajwain, kalonji, lemon and mustard oil, often with a spoon of masala from the mango pickle jar. Once rolled inside a wheat dough and cooked on a tawa with ghee, it gives a nutty, smoky paratha that keeps you going until lunch.

    At a glance

    RegionBihar
    CuisineBihari
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time25 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientssattu / whole wheat flour / onion / mustard oil

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp oil
    • About 3/4 cup water

    For the filling

    • 1 cup sattu (roasted gram flour)
    • 1 small onion, very finely chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger, grated
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1/2 tsp kalonji
    • 1 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp mango pickle masala (optional)
    • Salt to taste
    • 2-3 tbsp water if needed

    For cooking

    • Ghee or oil, as needed

    Method

    1. Knead the atta with salt, oil and water into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
    2. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze with your hand – the filling should hold together when pressed but crumble when poked. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water if it is too dry.
    3. Divide the dough into 8 balls and the filling into 8 portions.
    4. Roll a ball into a 10 cm disc, place a portion of filling in the centre, bring the edges together and pinch to seal. Flatten gently.
    5. Dust with flour and roll carefully into an 18 cm paratha, applying light, even pressure so the filling does not break through.
    6. Cook on a hot tawa over medium heat for 1 minute until small bubbles appear, flip and cook another minute.
    7. Spread ghee on both sides and cook, pressing with a spatula, until both sides have golden-brown spots, about 1 minute per side. Repeat with the rest.

    Tips

    • Chop the onion very finely; large pieces tear the paratha while rolling.
    • If the filling is too dry the paratha tastes powdery, too wet and it leaks – aim for damp sand.
    • Wrap cooked parathas in a cloth to keep them soft if packing for travel.

    Serve with

    Curd, mango pickle and aloo chokha or a hot cup of tea.

  • Machha Besara

    Besara is the Odia word for a mustard paste, and machha besara is one of the most common fish preparations along the Mahanadi delta and the coast around Puri and Cuttack. Rohu, katla and other freshwater fish are typical, cut into steaks and fried in mustard oil before they meet the gravy.

    Where Bengali shorshe dishes stay pure mustard, Odia besara usually grinds garlic into the paste and adds tomato for tang, and some families add a few slices of brinjal or potato to stretch the curry. The result is a pungent, sour and gently hot gravy that coats the fish, best eaten with rice or even with pakhala on a summer afternoon.

    At a glance

    RegionOdisha
    CuisineOdia
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time25 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrohu fish / mustard seeds / garlic / tomato

    Ingredients

    For the fish

    • 500 g rohu or katla steaks
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 4 tbsp mustard oil

    For the besara paste

    • 2 tbsp yellow or black mustard seeds
    • 6 garlic cloves
    • 2 green chillies
    • 1/4 tsp salt

    For the gravy

    • 1/2 tsp panch phoron
    • 1 dry red chilli
    • 1 medium tomato, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 small brinjal, cut into wedges (optional)
    • 3 green chillies, slit
    • 1 cup water
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Rub the fish steaks with turmeric and salt and rest for 15 minutes.
    2. Soak the mustard seeds for 15 minutes, then grind with garlic, green chillies and salt into a smooth paste using a little water.
    3. Heat the mustard oil in a kadhai until smoking, then lower to medium. Fry the fish 2-3 minutes per side until golden and firm. Remove and keep aside.
    4. In the same oil add panch phoron and the dry red chilli. When they crackle, add the brinjal if using and fry for 3 minutes.
    5. Add the tomato, turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomato breaks down.
    6. Add the besara paste and cook on low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, then pour in 1 cup water with salt and slit green chillies. Bring to a gentle simmer.
    7. Slide in the fried fish and simmer on low heat for 6-8 minutes, spooning gravy over it, until the gravy thickens slightly and the oil floats on top.
    8. Sprinkle coriander, cover, and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    Tips

    • Once the mustard paste is in, keep the heat low – a hard boil makes it bitter.
    • Add a teaspoon of mango kasundi or a few pieces of raw mango in summer for the classic tangy variation.
    • Shake the pan rather than stirring after the fish goes in so the steaks do not break.

    Serve with

    Steamed rice or pakhala bhata.

  • Chhena Poda

    Chhena poda, literally 'burnt cheese', comes from Nayagarh district in Odisha, where a confectioner is said to have left sweetened chhena in a cooling wood-fired oven overnight in the 1940s. The result became the state's signature sweet and is also offered to Lord Jagannath. Traditional sweet shops still bake it in sal leaves over wood fire.

    It tastes like a rustic Indian cheesecake. The outside is deep brown, caramelised and slightly chewy, while the inside stays soft, moist and spongy with the milky sweetness of fresh chhena and the warmth of cardamom. A little semolina holds it together. It is served in wedges, warm or at room temperature, and keeps well for a couple of days.

    At a glance

    RegionOdisha
    CuisineOdia
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time40 minutes
    Cook time50 minutes
    Total time90 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientschhena / sugar / semolina / cardamom

    Ingredients

    • Chhena from 1.5 litres full-cream milk (about 300 g), drained
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 2 tbsp fine semolina (sooji)
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • 1 tbsp ghee plus extra for greasing
    • 1 tbsp chopped cashews
    • 1 tbsp raisins
    • Banana or sal leaves for lining (optional)

    Method

    1. Make chhena by curdling boiled milk with lemon juice, straining it through muslin, rinsing and hanging it for 1 hour so it is well drained.
    2. Crumble the chhena into a bowl and knead with the heel of your palm for 3-4 minutes until fairly smooth.
    3. Add sugar, semolina, cardamom powder and ghee and knead again for 2 minutes. Fold in cashews and raisins. Leave the mixture to rest for 20 minutes so the semolina absorbs moisture.
    4. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease a 15 cm round cake tin and line it with banana leaf if using, greased with ghee.
    5. Spread the mixture evenly in the tin and smooth the top.
    6. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top and sides are deep golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
    7. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then unmould and cut into wedges.

    Tips

    • Without an oven, bake it in a heavy kadhai on a stand with salt underneath, covered, on low heat for about 1 hour.
    • Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar over the top before baking for a darker caramel crust.
    • Chhena that is too wet makes a soggy centre; squeeze it well before kneading.

    Serve with

    Warm or at room temperature, on its own or after an Odia thali.

  • Kolkata Kathi Roll

    The kathi roll traces back to Nizam's restaurant near New Market in Kolkata in the 1930s, where kebabs on bamboo skewers – kathi – were wrapped in paratha so busy office workers could eat on the go. Today the city has hundreds of roll counters, and 'egg chicken roll' is ordered as casually as tea.

    A proper Kolkata roll uses a maida paratha cooked on a tawa with a beaten egg pressed onto one side, then filled with charred, tangy kebab pieces, raw onion, green chilli and a squeeze of lime. There is no mayonnaise and very little sauce; the flavour comes from the smoky meat, the flaky, slightly oily paratha and the sharp crunch of onion.

    At a glance

    RegionWest Bengal
    CuisineBengali
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseStreet food
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientschicken / maida / egg / onion

    Ingredients

    For the chicken kebab

    • 400 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces
    • 3 tbsp thick curd
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 1/2 tsp chaat masala
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp mustard oil
    • Salt to taste

    For the paratha

    • 2 cups maida
    • 1 tbsp oil plus extra for cooking
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp sugar
    • Water to knead
    • 4 eggs

    For the filling

    • 2 onions, thinly sliced
    • 4 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 2 limes, cut into wedges
    • Chaat masala to sprinkle
    • Tomato ketchup (optional)

    Method

    1. Mix the chicken with all the kebab ingredients and marinate for at least 1 hour.
    2. Knead the maida with oil, salt, sugar and enough water into a soft dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
    3. Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill over a gas flame or under a hot grill for 8-10 minutes, turning, until cooked and charred at the edges. Alternatively, sear on a very hot tawa with a little oil.
    4. Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll each into a thin 20 cm circle, brush with oil, fold into pleats like a fan, coil it into a spiral and roll out again to 18 cm. This gives the flaky layers.
    5. Cook a paratha on a medium-hot tawa for 1 minute per side with a little oil until light golden spots appear.
    6. Beat an egg with a pinch of salt and pour it onto the tawa. Immediately place the paratha on top of the egg and press gently. Cook for 1 minute until the egg sets and sticks to the paratha, then flip and cook 30 seconds.
    7. Place the paratha egg-side up. Line the centre with chicken pieces, onions and green chillies, sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze lime over it. Roll up tightly, wrap the bottom half in paper and serve immediately.

    Tips

    • The paratha should be crisp outside and soft inside – keep the tawa at medium, not high, so it cooks through without burning.
    • Soak the sliced onions in iced water for 10 minutes and drain well for extra crunch.
    • For a mutton roll, use the same marinade with boneless mutton pieces pressure-cooked first, then charred.

    Serve with

    Eat straight away, wrapped in paper, with an extra lime wedge.

  • Luchi with Cholar Dal

    Luchi with cholar dal is the breakfast of Bengali festivals: Durga Puja mornings, Saraswati Puja, weddings and lazy Sundays. Luchi differs from a north Indian puri in being made with maida instead of wheat flour, and it should puff up into a pale, almost white ball rather than turning golden.

    Cholar dal is chana dal cooked until soft yet whole, then tempered in ghee with whole spices, bay leaves and slivers of fried coconut. A little sugar and a handful of raisins make it gently sweet, which is the Bengali style. Torn luchi scooping up thick, fragrant dal, perhaps with alur dom on the side, is a combination most Bengalis grow up waiting for.

    At a glance

    RegionWest Bengal
    CuisineBengali
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time45 minutes
    Total time75 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / chana dal / coconut / ghee

    Ingredients

    For the cholar dal

    • 1 cup chana dal, soaked for 2 hours
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 3 cups water
    • 2 tbsp ghee
    • 1/4 cup fresh coconut, cut into small cubes
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 2 dry red chillies
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 green cardamoms
    • 3 cloves
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 1 tsp grated ginger
    • 1 tbsp raisins
    • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • Salt to taste

    For the luchi

    • 2 cups maida (about 250 g)
    • 2 tbsp ghee or oil
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup water, approximately
    • Oil for deep frying

    Method

    1. Pressure cook the soaked chana dal with turmeric, salt and 3 cups water for 2 whistles on medium heat. The dal should be soft but each grain should hold its shape.
    2. Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the coconut cubes on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove and keep aside.
    3. In the same ghee add cumin, dry red chillies, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Once they crackle, add the ginger and fry for 30 seconds.
    4. Pour in the cooked dal, add sugar, raisins and the fried coconut. Simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Finish with garam masala.
    5. For the luchi, rub the ghee into the maida and salt until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add water a little at a time and knead to a smooth, firm dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
    6. Divide into 16 small balls. Smear each with a drop of oil and roll into a 10 cm circle of even thickness; do not dust with flour, which burns in the oil.
    7. Heat oil in a kadhai until a small piece of dough rises immediately. Slide in one luchi, press it gently with a slotted spoon, and it should puff within seconds. Flip after 10 seconds and remove while still pale. Fry all and serve hot with the dal.

    Tips

    • Uneven rolling stops luchis puffing – roll from the centre outwards with light pressure, turning the disc as you go.
    • Do not overcook the chana dal; mushy dal loses the texture that makes cholar dal special.
    • Keep the oil hot but not smoking; luchis should stay white, not brown.

    Serve with

    Alur dom or begun bhaja on the side, followed by a sandesh.