Aam'er Luchi - Mango Luchis from Pragyasundari Devi

It's no secret that I have started studying Bengali food seriously as of the last few years. I've been trying to learn as much as I can from every available source that I can find. And there's a lot out there! But there's one source that just sings to me, calls me back often, makes me work my way through the Bengali script instead of breezing through others that are written in English and are so much easier to follow - and that is my set of the two volume  Amish O Niramish Ahaar by Pragyasundori Devi.

First published in the beginning of the 1900s this book is like a text book and I have found it ideal as a learner who needed to understand the basics before venturing into the more elaborate stuff. From these volumes I have cleared many of my basic doubts, and understood a lot about the foundations of the cuisine in general.

I did a live demo of a recipe I learned from the book today and I'm sharing that here. The recipe is for "Aam'er Luchi" or luchi with mango. Luchis are the Bengali style of puris made with maida or all purpose flour in contrast to the more common whole wheat ones. Bengalis love white flour and we have many preparations using it. Here's the recipe for luchi. Aam'er luchi has not only aam or mango but a few other interesting ingredients as well and isn't just a luchi recipe with aam added to the mix.

I am reproducing the recipe given by Pragyasundori Devi in her book with no changes. This recipe makes around 20 to 25 luchis depending on how big or small you roll them.

Aam'er Luchi 

375 gms Maida (all purpose flour)
2 tsp ghee
30 gms chhana
3/4 cup mango pulp
fresh coconut milk as required (approx 3/4 to 1 cup)

ghee for frying

I made the chhana at home. You can also use really soft and fresh malai paneer.
I used the pulp from two smallish Hapus mangoes. After removing the flesh from the mangoes I whizzed it in my food processor to get a smooth puree.
I used coconut milk from a tetrapak. You can always use fresh if you prefer, or make some from coconut powder. Whatever works for you!

To make the dough for the luchis start by incorporating the chhana into the maida. Mash the chhana as finely as you can with your fingers pressing to flatten the granules as much as possible. Add maida a little at a time to the chhana and keep mixing and kneading till all the maida is used up. You will end up with a crumbly mixture. The chhana must mix with the maida really well so you ultimately have a smooth and lump-free dough. Take your time to do this step properly.
Once the chhana is mixed in well add the ghee and mix it in properly.
Next, start mixing in the mango pulp.

Once the mango pulp is mixed in start adding the coconut milk and knead till you have a soft dough. Use as much coconut as is required. Your dough should be smooth and soft with no stickiness at all. Knead the dough for several minutes, work it well.

  

Make small balls of the dough and roll out luchis around 6 inches in diameter. 

Heat ghee in a kadai and fry the luchis. Properly hot ghee will ensure your luchis fluff up nicely. Regulate the heat or the ghee will burn. 

Pragyasundari Devi doesn't mention what the luchis should be served with. My husband recommended we have them with something savoury. Luckily I had cooked a whole chicken in Indian spices with a nice gravy so we enjoyed the two together. I have to say it was a perfect pairing! 

Pakki Keri ma Gos - Mutton with Ripe Mangoes

Everybody knows I don't like fruits and I don't eat them at all if I can help it. So if you're wondering what I'm doing blogging a recipe that has ripe mangoes in it, bear with me! A few years ago I asked the husband to dig up some Parsi dishes that were not so commonly known any more, possibly with some unusual ingredients, that we could add to our menu at Katy's Kitchen. I was a bit weary of the sali botis and patra ni machhis and wanted to offer a wider selection on our menu and have a deeper glimpse into Parsi cuisine. That's when he, with a twinkle in his eye, told me about Pakki Keri ma Gos - goat meat cooked with ripe mangoes. Very predictably I looked at him in complete disbelief and accused him of making up something that was sure not to appeal to me just to get out of the hassle of expanding our menu. How wrong I was!

We've been serving Pakki Keri ma Gos to many of our devoted clients every summer over the last few years and yes, I take full credit for putting it out there again.

The mutton for this dish is cooked with relatively fewer spices making it perfect for a summer meal. This also allows the flavour of the mango to shine through giving the dish a light sweet-sour touch. Use a well ripened but still slightly firm mango reserving a few chunks to be added towards the end.

500 gms Mutton 

1 Large ripe mango, cubed 

2 Large onions, finely chopped 

Ginger garlic paste 

Turmeric 

Chilli powder 

Shahi jeera 

Javitri powder 1/4 tsp 

Saffron 

1 cup Milk 

Garam masala powder 

2 -3 Kashmiri chillies 

Oil

Salt

Wash the mutton lightly, drain off water and then marinate with salt and ginger garlic paste for 20 minutes or so.

Soak the saffron in the milk.

In a thick bottomed vessel heat oil and fry the onions till pink.

Add the Kashmiri chillies and shah jeera and let it sizzle. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, and javitri powder. Add a couple of teaspoons of water and cook it all for a minute.

Now put the marinated mutton into the pot, stir well to coat with the spices and braise for 5 to 10 minutes. Add half the cubed mango and the stone (gutli) of the mango along with saffron milk into the mutton and mix. Pour enough water to just cover the meat, cover the pot and cook on a low flame till the mutton is nearly done.

Add the remaining chunks of mango, mix and cook till the meat is completely done. Dry off the gravy if it is watery. The gravy should be thick, and slightly sticky and the meat should be soft and falling off the bone.

Serve with hot rotis or parathas.

I paired the Pakki Keri ma Gos with a quinoa and vegetable pullao. I cooked this combination for a competition I participated in where the challenge was to cook a dish using mangoes and quinoa. 

Aamer Chaatni - Welcoming Summer

A couple of posts ago I showed off my shiny new copper vessel and a pile of tender raw mangoes that the husband brought back from his trip down around the Konkan. While the copper vessel now sits proudly in my kitchen, the mangoes had to be used up. There was no discussion about what we would do with the mangoes - kancha aamer chaatni was on the menu!

Here's the recipe for the chaatni 

Mango season is about to take off and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the arrival of the King!

Amba in Tamba

The hubby was off to do fieldwork (he's an archaeologist) and he was going to a whole lot of places along the Konkan coast, though not necessarily to any of the beaches. I reminded him to bring me some of the beautiful fragrant Ambe Mohar rice that I love. Of course he did.

He also came back with some other goodies including kurdai (a kind of papad made from wheat), a huge pile of tender raw mangoes, some kaju fruit and the show stopper - a gorgeous beaten copper vessel!

I'm gearing up for another sale, a 2 day event this time, and I have tons of stuff waiting to be painted. Work is also keeping me busy. But you know how it is... a beautiful new vessel, the soft light of the morning and a relatively new camera that I'm still getting to know...

So here's what I did today :)

Kaancha Aamer Chatney - A Bengali summer recipe

Mango season has begun and as is always the case when the raw mangoes hit the markets, the pickling and preserving recipes are put to use and practically every household is busy making something or the other with raw mangoes. I too have joined the mass of mango maniacs and I made one of the most simple raw mango preparations across the board. Aamer Chatney is a thin sweet stew of raw mangoes, sugar, mustard and ground cumin. The more sour the mangoes the more delicious this simple preparation turns out.

1 medium sized raw mango, de-seeded and sliced thick
2-3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp mustard oil
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup or so water

Wash the mango and slice it thick. Discard the seed.

Heat the mustard oil in a saucepan or kadai. Once it's nice and hot throw in the mustard seeds.

Once the exuberance of the spluttering seeds has quietened, add in the sliced mango pieces. Lower the heat and fry gently for a good 5 minutes. The mango will begin to soften and will also darken around the edges. Add a pinch of salt too. 

Pour in the water and let the mango cook for a bit. You can let it completely turn to mush or you can leave it still intact with a bit of bite, like I prefer. Once the water has come to a boil sprinkle in the sugar and give it a gentle stir. Let it simmer.

In the mean time broil a teaspoon of jeera or Cumin seeds and pound them in a mortar and pestle.

Pour the chatney into a pretty bowl and sprinkle the pounded jeera on top. Enjoy this hot or cold at the end of your meal. It's especially divine after a rice/daal/subzi lunch on a hot afternoon.

There are many variations to this recipe, each different in each household. My Mum's recipe (from her mum) is frugally simple, letting the mango be the star of the show with the pounded fresh jeera giving it a nice punch of extra flavour.