Sahana Das
Currently teaching at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore and working on my PhD on Film Studies.
Chef's Recipes
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Ingredients
- Purple brinjal: 1 large (the bottle-shaped variety)
- Besan (gram flour): 1 cup
- Kalonji (nigella seeds): 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Mustard oil: a few drops
- Oil for deep frying
- Water
Beguni
Adds a little jaan to all meals.
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Ingredients
- Baby potatoes: 500 gm
- Onion (chopped fine): 500 gm
- Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
- Green chillies (slit lengthwise): to taste
- Tomato (optional): 1 large
- Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
- Haldi (turmeric) powder: ¼ tsp
- Jeera (cumin) powder:1 tsp
- Bengali garam masala: ¼ tsp
- Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp
Aloo dum
This is a Bengali version of Aloo Dum.
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Ingredients
- Green cardamom: 1 tbsp
- Cloves:1 tbsp
- Cinnamon: 1 tbsp or equivalent
- White rice (Govindbhog or any other): 1 cup
- Moong dal (lightly roasted): 1 cup
- Jeera (cumin seeds): ½ tsp
- Roasted jeera (cumin) powder 1 tsp
- Bengali garam masala: 1 tsp
- Tej patta (bayleaf): 1
- Turmeric: ½ tsp
- Ginger paste: 2 tsp
- Green chillies (slit lengthwise): 4
- Sugar: 2 tbsp
- Potato (cubed): 1
- Frozen peas: ¼ cup
- Cauliflower (small florets): ½ cup
- Vegetable oil (clear oil): 4 tbsp
- Ghee: 2 tbsp
- Sugar: 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Bengali khichudi
I am not a particularly devout Hindu. Quite unaware of rituals, my relationship with Durga Pujo has been more cultural than…
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Ingredients
- Tomato ripe (chopped): 500 gm
- Sugar: 1½ cup
- Ginger (julienned): 1 tbsp
- Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
- Dates or raisins: a handful
- Dry red chillies (broken in bits): 2
- Panch phoron: 1 tsp (see under Special Care)
- Lemon: juice of one half
- Bhuna jeera (roasted cumin seeds): 1 tsp
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Salt: 2 tsp
Plastic tomato chutney
A versatile Bengali chutney and a must for bhog. The sugar in the chutney gives it the plastic sheen and hence…
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Ingredients
- Vegetables (roughly cubed): 500 gm* (see in Special Care below)
- Urad dal vadi: a handful (optional)
- Mustard oil: 5 tbsp
- Mustard paste: 1 tbsp
- Dry red chilly: 1
- Panch phoron: 1 tbsp
- Bhuna jeera/Bengali garam masala: 1 tsp/ ½ tsp
- Mustard seeds (large): 2 tbsp
- Green chilli: 1
- A pinch of salt
- A little water for blending
- Nigella seeds ( kalonji) 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds 1 tbsp
- Jeera (cumin): 1 tbsp
- Fennel (saunf) 1 tbsp
- Methi (fenugreek) seeds: ¾ tbsp
Labda (Bengali mixed vegetables)
I am not a particularly devout Hindu. Quite unaware of rituals, my relationship with Durga Pujo has been more cultural than…
x
Ingredients
- Brinjal: 1 large
- Curd: 1½ cup
- Garlic paste: 1 tsp
- Haldi (turmeric) powder: 1 tsp
- Salt: to taste
- Dry red chilli: 2
- Jeera (cumin seeds): ½ tsp
- Oil: 2 tbsp