Posts on 'maincourse'

Chicken Bharta with Butter naan is an unbeatable combo. Fragrant and creamy this gravy will always make your meal special. From younger to elder Chicken Bharta is loved by all. This is not my first post on Chicken Bharta, there is another delicious recipe of it which I made few months back. You can try that too, click the name to see that recipe kolkata style chicken bharta One day while cooking B ...

Sorshe bata (mustard paste) diye Mach (fish) is a staple for Bengali. I truly love every form of bengali fish curry from Jhol to Kaliya with some steamed rice. My mom makes this Sorshe bata diye Mach very often but I have never tried it with onion, ginger and garlic. One day I came across this Sorshe Salmon recipe of Somedutta's (my friday food swings) and it caught my attention. I gave it a try, ...

Bhapa means steamed. There are so many fish curry recipes in Bengali cuisine which calls for 'mustard' / sorshe, this particular item is a jewel. Fresh flavor of mustard oil and green chilies goes so well with shrimp. With some steamed rice this 'sorshe chingri bhapa' tastes best. You can make this with fish fillet or paneer also. If you are a shrimp lover and also don't know about this dish, then ...

Dalna means a curry which contains potato with other vegetables or protein. But potato is a must for Dalna. Some also call it Torkari. Summer is coming and so is sweaty tiredness with it. If you don't want to spend long time in the kitchen, no worries! I have a solution. Dimer Dalna or Egg and Potato Curry is the most simple and easy recipe which can easily feed a crowd. Anyone can enjoy a good, t ...

Niramish means without onion and garlic. Usually when we offer a meal to god / goddess with our respect and devotion, we call it 'Bhog' / 'prasad' . In any prasad, this Aloor Dom is a must with khichdi and chutney. This recipe is without onion and garlic, that's why I mentioned 'niramish'. During monsoon you can also enjoy this with khichuri, beguni and chutney or in weekend breakfast make some lu ...

Dahi chicken is a very simple yet delicious chicken curry which goes best with roti or plain chapati. Dahi or Doi means plain full fat yogurt. This dahi wala murgh has a delicious thick white colored yogurt and onion based gravy. Well, I prefer white colored doi chicken, if you like colorful then add some turmeric powder and red chili powder, rest of the recipe will remain same. You will get very ...

One of the most famous dish from Mughlai cuisine is 'Chicken Chaap' and the taste is unbeatable. You will find the actual taste and flavor in few popular restaurants in Kolkata. After researching for a long time about the authentic recipe of Chicken chaap, here is the way how I made it. This recipe will give you the exact flavor of restaurant style Chaap. This dish should not be eaten as regular m ...

Chicken Changezi has a rich, chatpata (spicy and tangy) and very delicious gravy which goes best with plain flatbread or naan. Changezi Chicken is a popular dish in Delhi. Almost every non veg restaurants and dhabas sell this dish. In this recipe lightly fried chicken will be cooked in a brown onion and nut based gravy and to make it chatpata, we will add chaat masala, lemon juice, green chilies a ...

Aloor Dom is a very good old Bengali recipe which can never go wrong with anything. You can serve this Bengali style dry Potato curry with Luchi / Porota / Kochuri / Pulao / Fried rice and what not. It tastes heavenly. I made Lachha Parathas to go with it. The recipe of Aloor dom is very easy in which potatoes will be cooked in onion tomato based gravy along with a special ground masala and yes, t ...

One of my favorite indo-chinese dish is 'Chili Fish' - which is very similar to Chili Chicken. In this recipe, deep fried fish nuggets will be cooked in a hot and spicy sauce with onions and peppers... so, so delicious ! You can get them in many Chinese restaurants in Kolkata. It tastes heavenly with fried rice or noodles and it is very easy to make. Try this recipe in your kitchen and enjoy with ...

Pudina Chicken has a delicious yogurt and mint based gravy which goes best with plain roti or Indian flatbread. Mint leaves / Pudina patta has it's very own unique taste and flavor, which is why you can only use them in those dishes where it fits properly. Not every chicken curry tastes good with mint but this one is my family favorite. Pudina Chicken is very simple recipe with loads of fresh flav ...

Paneer Butter Masala has a thick, creamy nut, onion and tomato based sauce with some juicy and lightly fried paneer pieces, also the rich gravy has an aromatic flavor of butter and kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves). Those who had 'dhaba' (street side food joints of India) food once in their life knows that no restaurant can replicate their rustic yet delicious taste. Dhaba style paneer butter ma ...

Kolkata style Chicken Dum Biriyani is one of the tastiest variety of biriyani recipe, which has awesome flavors and juicy chicken pieces. You can have it as it is or with Chicken Chaap / Korma / Kosha. I also have other Biriyani recipes in my blog. Cooking Biriyani is time consuming, also the more you practice the more you will get better at this. The process is lengthy but with few tricks and tip ...

This is a traditional bengali dish. 'Basanti' means yellow colour. You can also call this Sweet (mishti) Pulao. My mom make this in many gatherings along with Macher Kalia or Mutton Kosha. I have literally no words about the combination. This is the must combination 'he' wants on his birthday. But once we had this with Chicken Dopyaza (already on blog) and that combo was also so good! Give it a tr ...

Our common friend Subhodip visited our house last weekend for a dinner. He is a real foodie and have a very good knowledge about food and restaurants. So, I wanted to make something new on chicken for him and also for my blog. I have already posted 'mutton dopyaza' recipe, then I thought this time why not with chicken? Confirmed the idea with my hubby and 'chicken dopyaza' got selected for main-co ...

Zafran which is Saffron is a very expensive and subtle spice. This pulao recipe requires lots of it as we are not using any other overpowering spices. It is a very easy recipe (best to feed a crowd) and goes very well with any type of gravy. Try this pulao in your kitchen and let me know how it turned out for you.

I have someone in my house who often demands to eat 'homemade-restaurant style' dinner in weekend ???. That's why last Sunday I had to make 'butter chicken' along with 'butter naan'. Nowadays 'butter chicken' is famous in all over the world. In Indian restaurants this is the mostly ordered dish. It has a tomato based, rich, velvety gravy and grilled, juicy chicken pieces. The combination was a tot ...

"Lajawab" is the only compliment about mom's recipe. My mom make this dish in a very easy and simple way. But it tastes delicious. You will need very few ingredients for this dish. This the best recipe for teenagers because its very easy to make.

I know it's been two weeks I didn't post anything due to settling down in India, but heyy now I am back with another interesting recipe from 'dhaba' gharana. Every place has their own style of dhaba / road side food joints. Whenever we plan any short trip within Bengal, we try to make the lunch stop at some popular Dhaba. Their 'torka-ruti' and 'chicken curry' with rice are must for us. I like the ...

We both adore almost any type of mutton curry. I think, once in a week, mutton curry is must for every Bengali households. I made this curry with some plain roti / chapati in dinner last month, just didn't get time to post. Now finally I am sharing this yummy recipe with you all. If you love the strong flavour of black pepper, then believe me, 'morich mangsho' is worth giving a try. I am sure your ...

I had no idea what this 'pheni paratha' is until one day I watched a video of this in YouTube and the end result was jaw dropping - so flaky and soft parathas ! Now the thing is they are not easy to make. You will need some patience and several trials to achieve the perfect texture of 'pheni parathas'. But these delicious breads are worth trying. I served 'Keema Aloo' with these parathas and we bo ...

During monsoon or winter or whenever you are down with cold and flu, this 'chicken stew' is the perfect dish to bring back the taste of your tastebuds. I am sure lots of Bengalis will relate to this dish. The slight heat from black pepper and saltiness of butter is the main attraction of this item. This stew is very healthy and home style as you can add many veggies of your choice. The recipe is s ...

Pakistani cuisine is full of delicious surprises. Their cuisine is lot more than just kababs and biriyani. I was searching for a different 'goat meat' recipe and suddenly came across with this delicious 'peshawari mutton' recipe. Don't know whether the cooking process is authentic or not, but I really fell for its simplicity. This dish doesn't require too many ingredients even though surprisingly ...

In USA, every Indian resturant serves 'chicken tikka masala' and it tastes delicious. I never had it in India, don't know why ? Tikka sized grilled chicken, onion and bell peppers are cooked in a tomato based creamy gravy. After tasting this dish several times in restaurants, last month I thought of making it at home. Few months ago I uploaded the recipe of 'chicken tikka kabab', so I am going to ...

I find this particular recipe of pulao very relaxing and different. 'Achaar' / pickle itself is a very tasty ingredient. With rice and some veggies it creates a very beautiful dish which takes so little time to cook. If you are looking for easy but unique weeknight dinner, then 'Achaari Pulao' along with some raita and salads should be the one for you. This is a very flexible preparation, you can ...

Panchmel Daal is a very healthy and traditional Rajasthani dish, which you can make with five types of lentil - yellow moong, urad, masoor, toor, whole moong / chana daal. This daal is also known as 'panchkuti daal'. This dish is fully packed with protien and nutrition, also it requires very less oil. You can enjoy this delicious, thick consistancy daal with plain roti, bati or rice. Not only the ...

This dish is an indo-chinese item which is very popular and frequently ordered in restaurants of India. Gobi means cauliflower. The recipe is very similar to chicken manchurian (which I have already posted), except the key ingredient here is cauliflower, not chicken. You can make this dish with potatoes, soya granules or raw jackfruit also. Every single time it tastes delicious and goes best with ...

If your milk gets curdled, don't throw away, you can do a lot with it. Well, it's bengali style 'chanar kalia' where plain curdled milk / cheese balls are first deep fried and then cooked in a tomato based gravy. It's a vegetarian delicacy of Bengali cuisine. The dish tastes awesome and goes best with plain basmati rice. In any puja or special occasion, we make this dish and it always becomes the ...

This chicken curry belongs to the category of 'dhaba food'. The gravy is very popular in Punjab and all over India. You can also make this dish with paneer or vegetables. The white, creamy texture of the gravy and beautiful aroma of fenugreek leaves will take you to heaven. I used boneless chicken for this recipe, feel free to make it with chicken on bone, it will be no issue. You can pair this di ...

Don't know about you, but I love 'keema' / mince form of meat. I have already posted so many recipes on 'keema' and this time I made paratha with mince chicken. The authentic recipe calls for 'mutton keema' but didn't have it that time, so made it with chicken and the parathas came out perfectly fine. These breads can be enjoyed with pickle, raita or any type of gravy. The recipe is very simple bu ...

The name sounds odd ? Well, I am not crazy, we call this mutton curry vegetarian because it has no onion and garlic. The food we usually offer to our god / godess is called 'bhog' which never contains onion and garlic. During 'kalipuja' or diwali, we Bengalis make this vegetarian mutton curry with the meat of 'pathaboli' (ritual). The taste of this curry is suprisingly delicious, even if there is ...

Chicken curry is almost regular in my kitchen and that's why I always try to do some twists with the masala, otherwise who will eat same chicken curry regularly? Nobody ! This time I made the twist with dry spices. Generally whole garam masala is used in this type of curry but I decided to go for a change and surprisingly I got the perfect taste. 'Bhuna' means koshano / in low flame you have to co ...

Cooking fried kofta / balls in a rich gravy is an old school Bengali delicacy. I guess everybody loves to eat fried balls made with paneer, vegetables, chicken, fish, mutton etc, but after soaking them in a flavouful gravy they become scrumptious. I had some fish fillets in my fridge and couldn't find any better idea than this to use them. Process of making 'Kofta Curry' is tricky and little bit o ...

In India "biriyani" is a very popular dish and we both are crazy about any type of 'biriyani'. You can find plenty of variations in biriyani. The process is a little bit of lengthy but the result is unbelievable. Last friday I took an attempt on making Keema Biriyani, after the entire process I realized it is the easiest one. That is why I am sharing this recipe with you because it is one of the t ...

Whenever I buy different types of sauces from market, can't think anything but Chinese dishes. With few ingredients you can creat such a splendid item. So, last of last weekend I went ahead and made 'chicken manchurian', the more I can say about it's delicious tangy and spicy taste the less it seems. We enjoyed it with some fried rice but you can also serve this with hakka noodles or simple rumali ...

This prawn curry is a family recipe and my mom-in-law is an expert of making it. It's a very common fish curry in Bengali households. We love to eat prawns in many forms, but his favorite is this one. I would suggest you to make this dish with small prawns, you will get much more flavours. First I fried the prawns, potato and cauliflowers, then cook them with gravy. Plain rice will go very well wi ...

Ahhh, atlast I got the time to write down this particular. Made this Chicken Pizza two months ago with Makhni gravy, but the recipe is a bit long, so didn't get the time to write in one sitting. Finally I am posting the delicious pizza recipe. The main attraction here is the sauce which is makhni gravy. I know that we all are a big fan of 'murg makhni' or 'paneer makhni', then why not try this sau ...

We bengalis usually eat 3-4 items with rice in lunch. Yess, its the family tradition in every household in Bengal. Whereas in USA, either it's lunch or dinner, I always make one curry with rice or roti. Sometimes I wonder how our moms, grand mas and mom-in-laws gets time to cook so many items. 'Doi Maach' is an another tasty bengali fish curry which goes very well with steamed rice. It's a classic ...

'Palak paneer' is a famous north indian dish. This is a hit item for spinach lovers. After adding heavy cream the texture will make you greedy. Palak paneer's smooth, rich and velvety gravy is beyond everything. It goes very well with butter naan. It's a no onion and no garlic recipe

I am a big fan of different types of 'pulao'. One of my favorite pulao is 'Jeera Rice' because of it's saltiness and spicyness. It goes very well with many types of veg and non veg curry. The recipe is very simple and easy. You can also give 'jeera rice' in any adult's lunch box with dry curry, every combo will become great. Try this in your kitchen and let me know how it turns out.

We both are not frequent egg eaters, but when we do, we try to make the curry yumm yumm !! One of our favourite egg curry is 'sorshe dim posto'- traditional bengali dish. 'Sorshe' means mustard seeds and 'posto' means poppy seeds. Lunch dishes always plays a big part in Bengali cuisine. There are several typically bengali dishes which you can only enjoy as lunch with steamed rice and may be after ...

Its winter, the season of colourful veggies... One of my favourite veggie is 'green peas' / Koraishuti. You can make so many items with these tiny green balls like, 'matar paneer', 'peas kachori', 'dum aloo with peas', 'khichdi', 'veg daal', 'cabbage curry with peas' etc. But 'fish curry with green peas paste' may seems new to somebody. Its nothing but a dry fish curry with a tasty extra addition ...

Few days before I saw a fantastic picture of mutton curry in facebook. The caption was 'adabata aar kacha lonka diye mutton'. After seeing that picture, I decided to make it on dinner with some steamed rice. As the picture didn't provide the detailed recipe, except ginger and green chilies, I followed my own instinct while making the curry. After finishing, I got a thin, flavorful, tasty gravy and ...

Whenever food has smoked or grilled flavour, there is no second thought about it. Because it has to be tasty. There are so many colorful vegetables available in grocery market during winter. I told you before that my love for winter is only because of food. We can make and also consume without any tension various types of food. Today I am talking about 'eggplant'. Though we both are not big fan of ...

'Dakbanglow' means roadside resting house. Travelers used to take rest or halt for a night in those houses. The care taker of those 'bunglow's cooked this curry for their guests. Nowadays these kind of recipes are almost lost but in a few restaurants in Kolkata you can still find this dish. This is a typical bengali recipe and the tastiest dish ever. Once I ate this curry in my aunt's house and I ...

Soul food means the food which you can enjoy from the bottom of your heart while eating. Being a bengali I always face a common question- 'fish and posto(poppy seeds) are your soul food, right?'. And my answer is always 'oh, hell yaa' ... ? Today I will talk about vegetarian food. We always make 'biulir daal' / 'urad daal' with posto. The combo is nothing but heavenly. There is a must ingredient ...

In India, 'mutton dopyaza' is a very frequently ordered dish in restaurants. 'Dopyaza' means double amount of onion. From this curry you will get juicy meat, thick gravy and some nice crunch of onions. You can make this curry with chicken and fish also. If you make this dish in any potluck or party, it will become the main attraction. I tried to keep the recipe very simple and easy. Just give it a ...

Last weekend I wanted to make something new veg maincourse, thats why I chose this 'paneer kofta curry' and it was just delicious. You can make kofta curry with raw banana, jack fruit, chicken, fish, mutton etc. They all tastes really good. I made it with paneer kofta, you can see how good looking they are and by clicking the picture below you can see how it's prepared. I served this curry with pl ...

I think almost every Bengali is familiar with this name. I love 'posto' or poppy seeds in any form. I made this dish on yesterday lunch along with some steamed rice. The fresh flavour of mustard oil and poppy seed paste always makes me crazy. I made it in microwave but you can also make this in oven. Try this in your kitchen and let me know how it turns out.

I have a friend in New Jersy, Monica, who makes the best chana masala ever. I learned this recipe from her. Since we moved from Jersy I missed her and her cooking very much. This is a punjabi dish, goes very well with bhatura, puri or roti. The recipe is very simple and it tastes delicious.

When I was in college, I loved to do some cooking with my mom. 'Dhaniya Chicken' was one of my teenage speciality dish. Dhaniya / dhonepata means coriander leaves. I only prefer to use garlic and don't like to use whole spices for this dish. According to me, the strong aroma of whole spices dominate the flavour of fresh coriander leaves. After a long time, last night I made 'dhonepata chicken' alo ...

Bengali without posto(poppy seed)? - impossible. Bengali without aloo(potato)? - no way. I specially can't live without these two. 'Aloo posto' or 'aloo fulkopi posto' is my favourite weekday's lunch with steamed rice and hot daal. My hubby is very fond of 'fulkopi' (cauliflower), that's why I added this in the gravy. But if you don't like you can totally skip this part. The most simple and easy r ...

I always try new recipes on chicken because it is my family's favourite. Last Friday 'he' wanted to eat any dry preparation at dinner and told me 1 and half hour ago from dinner time. As I had not much time in hand, so, I thought how about marinate everything with chicken pieces and cook it. It took very less time and the taste turned out phenomenal. Believe me the end result was beyond my imagina ...

This lentil soup is one of the traditional food in Bengal. Last weekend I had two fish heads in my fridge. I am personally not too much fond of plain fish head curry. So, I made this dish and it came out really perfect like 'biyebari'. In most of the bengali wedding this dish is must for lunch and everybody loves it. I ate the home made version of this daal twice from my mom. Those times I really ...

From my childhood, almost in every bengali wedding I have seen the famous combo of 'koraishutir kochuri' and 'kashmiri aloor dom' in the menu card. There is no question about that combo, it tastes heavenly. This dish is no onion and no garlic recipe but the attraction is its nice red color. You will need different types of spice powder for this recipe. I don't know much about kashmiri cuisin, this ...

Bengalis are always very fond of 'peas kochuri' and 'aloor dom' (Dum Aloo) during winter. In Texas, the temparature starts falling as we approach towards the winter time. I already took out light blankets, full sleeves and light sweters. Last weekend 'he' begged me for 'kochuri-alurdom' and here is the result ... ? I have already posted one recipe of 'aloor dom' which we can make for party or any ...

We all love to eat 'aloor dom' along with 'luchi' or 'kochuri'. This is our comfort food. It also goes very well with 'pulao' or 'fried rice'. This one is my mom's recipe. She make the tastiest aloor dom ever. Yesterday I tried this recipe and it came out perfectly.Just give it a try.

First time I ate this pulao from one of my favourite aunt. She can turn this simple pulao into something special with her love and care. She really has some magic in her hand and I simply love it. In many gatherings you can make this dish and impress your guest.

In Bengali's weekdays lunch menu fish has to be there. There is a say 'mache-bhate-bangali' indicates our common meal is fish curry and rice. This is a special dish for party, occasions or gatherings. Macher kaliya goes very well with sweet pulao, fried rice or even plain rice.

There are many varities of fried rice you can make like 'chinese style', 'indian style', 'fried rice with sauce' etc. This recipe is about indian style. This is a complete meal with vegetables. You can add chicken, egg, prwan, mushroom in this dish. You will love this dish.

Whenever you are unable to think of any maincourse dish for your party, you can blindly rely on this chicken curry. Everyone will like it. This curry has nice aroma of 'kadai masala', little crunch of onion, capsicum and the juicy chicken pieces. Serve this curry with pulao or biriyani, then your party menu will be memorable.