Pohila Boisakh is just round the corner. It is the day to cook and gorge on delicious and authentic Bengali food. Over here we bring a complete 4-course meal guide for the special day.

Starting With Breakfast

Start the day with phulko luchi and alurdom. Here’s a simple step by step menu that serves 4.

Ingredients for Alur Dom:

• 12 to 14 baby potatoes
• 2 bay leaves or tej pata
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida or hing
• 1 tablespoon onion paste
• 1 finely chopped tomato
• 1 teaspoon cumin/jeera powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon sugar for taste
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves (for garnishing)
• Oil as required
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a pot, add salt and baby potatoes and then bring them to boil. As the potatoes are done, put the pot under running tap water. This cools the potatoes so that you can easily peel off the skin.
2. After you peel the skin of the potatoes, keep them aside on a separate dish.
3. Now, heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai. As the oil turns light brown add the onion paste to the kadhai with a teaspoon of sugar. Fry until the onions turn to pinkish brown.
4. Then add the ginger paste and chopped tomatoes. Stir until the tomatoes are completely mashed up and mixed well with the other ingredients.
5. Once the ingredients are mixed completely, add cumin powder, garam masala powder, red chilli powder and 2 teaspoons of yoghurt into the kadhai. Saute the masala until you see oil leaving the mixture. Then add ghee.
6. As the masala and ingredients mix well, add the potatoes and saute till their color turns light golden.
7. Add very little amount of water and salt. Reduce the heat and simmer until the water dries out.
8. Serve it in a bowl, garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Ingredients for Phulko Luchi:

• 3 cups of maida/all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of oil to mix with the flour
• Warm water for the dough
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a bowl, pour 3 cups of maida, mix it well with oil and salt.
2. Add water gradually and knead the maida into a soft dough. Pour just the right amount of water (you’d not want your dough to become soggy or stick to your fingers, right?)
3. Once your dough is ready, keep it covered with a damp cloth for a couple of minutes.
4. Make small sized balls from the dough and start rolling them 4 to 5 inches in diameter, using a rolling pin.
5. In a kadhai, heat oil for frying.
6. Carefully place your luchi into the kadhai and wait for it to turn light golden brown in colour.
7. With the help of a slotted spoon turn the luchi from side to side until it puffs.
8. Serve the hot phulko luchi with alurdom.

Then Comes Lunch!

What’s special for lunch? How about Ilish Bhapa this Pohila Boisakh? Sounds yummy! Here’s the recipe –

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 pieces of Ilish maach
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 to 3 green chillies
• 3 tablespoons of mustard oil
• 1 tablespoon white mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the mustard seeds in water. Add salt to taste and 1 green chilli. Keep all the items soaked in water for about three to four hours.
2. Grind them into a smooth paste.
3. Wash the ilish maach pieces. Sprinkle salt and turmeric on both the sides. Keep it aside for a few minutes.
4. Now apply the paste on both the sides of the Ilish maach pieces.There are many ways you can steam the fish. We’ll discuss the traditional way where you can stem the pieces using a pressure cooker.
5. Take a bowl and brush mustard oil on it. Place the fish pieces in the bowl and pour the remaining paste on top of them.
6. Slit the green chillies and place it on top of the fish pieces. Add another 1 teaspoon of mustard oil from the top and cook.
7. Let the fish cook for 2 to 3 whistles.
8. Your Ilish Bhapa is ready to be served with hot rice.

Munch…Munch… Snacks

What else would be better than mochar chop and gorom cha in the evening? Let’s discuss the recipe of Mochar Chop.

Ingredients

1. 3 cups of boiled and squeezed banana flower or mocha
2. 2 cups of boiled potatoes
3. 1 and 1/2 cup of onions finely chopped
4. 3 tablespoons of grated coconut
5. 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of roasted peanuts
6. 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ginger paste
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
8. 3 finely chopped green chillies
9. 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of bhaja masala
10. Salt to taste
11. 1 and 1/2 teaspoon sugar
12. 1/4 cup lightly fried kismis or raisins
13. 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of cornflour
14. Bread crumbs for coating
15. Oil

Method

1. Chop the banana flowers. Take a bowl of water, add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder to it. Then add the flowers in the water. Add salt and boil the banana flowers. Cover the bowl and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until they turn soft or mushy.
2. Once boiled, drain the water and lightly mash the banana flowers.
3. Boil the potatoes. Peel and mash them into a smooth mix and keep aside.
4. In a frying pan, add 1/2 teaspoon of oil and fry the grated coconut until golden brown. Take it out and set aside.
5. Now, add 2 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan. Once the oil heats, add all the spices. Cook till oil separates. Now, add the mashed banana flowers and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Add salt, raisins, boiled potatoes, fried coconut and sugar and cook for a minute or so.
6. Take the pan off the heat and add the bhaja masala together with roasted peanuts and mix well with the prepared mixture. Let it cool for some time. Then take small portion of the mixture to roll between your palms.
7. Roll them in croquette shapes and keep aside.
8. Make a smooth batter of cornflour and water. Place the bread crumbs on a separate plate.
9. Dip the croquettes one by one in the batter and coat it up with the bread crumbs. Make sure all the sides are well covered.
10. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is ready to cook, carefully place the croquettes in the frying pan and fry till golden and crisp.
11. Take the croquettes out in a napkin to strain off excess oil.
12. Your mochar chop is ready ! Serve it with a tomato ketchup and salad.

Muttonlicious Dinner:

In mood for some delicious mutton dish? We think mutton rezala is just the right dish for Pohila Boisakh dinner.

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 500 grams of mutton
• 300 millilitres of yoghurt
• 1/4 cup onion paste
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon salt

Others

• 2 bay leaves
• 3-4 dry red chillies
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cinnamon sticks of 1 inch
• 5 cloves
• 5-6 green cardamom
• 5 tablespoons ghee
• 2 tablespoons onion paste
• 3 tablespoons poppy seed paste
• 2 tablespoons cashew nut paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed mace
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Wash and clean the mutton pieces. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of the marinade and mix them well with the mutton pieces. Keep the marinade in the refrigerator overnight.
2. In a pressure cooker, put 2 tablespoons of ghee. In it, add the bay leaves, dry red chillies, black pepper, cinnamon sticks, cloves and green cardamom. Allow them to splutter.
3. Now, add the marinaded mutton pieces into the pressure cooker and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add in 2 cups of warm water and mix well with the remaining marinade. When the mutton pieces change colour, pour the marinade water mixture into the cooker.
5. Close the cooker lid, and bring the mutton pieces to boil. Wait for 4 to 5 whistles.
6. Grind poppy seeds and cashew nuts separately and keep them in different bowls.
7. Add in the rest of the ghee in a wok and let it heat. To it, add the onion paste and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until onions change colour.
8. Pour the poppy seed paste and the cashew paste to it. Continue to saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the raw smell disappears.
9. Add the nutmeg powder and crushed mace and stir to mix well. When ghee separates from the mixture, add in the mutton pieces from the pressure cooker and fry for 4 to 5 minutes.
10. Add in the remaining mutton stock to the pan and cover to cook until mutton is completely done.
11. At this point, add the salt and sugar and adjust the seasoning as per your taste.
12. Check if the mutton is ready. Once it is, make sure that the gravy is light in colour and soupy.
13. Serve it with hot laccha paratha.