Recipes from Amitav's kitchen

  1 kg desi chicken/mutton marinated with 1 tsp haladi, 2 tsp salt and juice of half lemon for an hour 250 grams sliced onions.  Heat 3-4 tbsp mustard oil. Add 2 green cardamoms, 1/2 black cardamom, 2 cloves, 1/4th inch dalchini, 2 bay leaves. Fry for 15 seconds. Add the sliced onions and fry till translucent. Lower the heat to between low and medium. Make a paste of 2 tbsp coriander, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 inch cinnamon, 3 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 3 cloves and 4 green chillies. Except green chillies, all were soaked in water for 30 mins. Add 2 tbsp from this paste in the masala mix. Fry for 3-4 mins. Add 3 tbsp garlic paste. Fry for 2 mins. Add 2 tbsp ginger paste. Fry for 2 mins. Add 1 tsp each of turmeric and kashmiri red chilli powder. Now kassify for around 20-25 mins. Add the marinated meat and kassify for another 1 hour or so. Add hot water, mix well and cover. It should be well cooked in 30-45 mins.* Turn off the heat and sprinkle 1 tsp only dalchini powder. Done an...

  400 grams boiled boneless fish (boiled with salt and black pepper) 1 medium size potato boiled and mashed 10 cloves of garlic finely chopped 1/2 inch ginger finely chopped 1 medium size onion finely chopped Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions, fry for a min. Add chopped ginger and garlic and fry for another 2 mins. Add the boneless fish and mix well with the mixture until you get bhoorji/keema texture. Should not take more than 5 mins. Mix the boiled mashed potato, dry spices (a pinch of garam masala, 1 tsp chat masala, 2 tsp roasted coriander powder, 1 tsp ginger powder, 1 tsp roasted fennel powder). Mix well and fry for another 2-3 mins. Adjust for salt. Add a 1/2 cup chopped green coriander and 4 tbsp bread crumbs. Mix well. Switch off the heat and let it cool down. Make nice round tikkis out of it and shallow fry in butter or ghee. Enjoy with your choice of chutney!