Recipes from Amitav's kitchen

Prawchi tikkis in a spicy garlic sauce on a bed of slaw with caesar dressing. Prawns in a spicy chicken keema and baked. 1) Make the chicken keema (250 grams) and while making it add 1/4 tsp garlic flakes, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala. Or, add all of these spices to ready made chicken keema. 2) Mix well and rest for 15 mins. 3) Take around 15-20 small prawns and add salt as per taste and 1/4 tsp black pepper powder. Mix well. 4) Make ball out of the keema and place a prawn inside it. Flatten to make a tikki. 5) Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 5 minutes on each side. Keep aside after baking is done. 6) For the sauce, mix 1 tbsp hot sauce, 1/2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 1/2 tbsp green chilli sauce and 1/4 tbsp soya sauce. Mix well. 7) In a pan add 1/2 tbsp butter and add mince of 8-10 garlic. Fry for 15-20 seconds and add the sauce mixture along with 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 5 mins and then increase the heat and stir for 2-3 more m...

1) 7-8 pieces of fish (I used rohu, ring pieces) washed well and marinated in a mixture of 2-3 cups of water, 2-3 tbsp vinegar and 1 tbsp salt for 15 minutes. 2) Add 1/2 tsp each of methi seeds and mustard seeds in 3-4 tbsp oil and saute on medium heat for 15 secs. Add fine thin slices of 1 medium sized onion, juliennes of an inch ginger and 8-10 garlic cloves. Add few curry leaves and saute until the raw flavor is gone. 3) Add 2 slit green chillies, 1-2 tbsp red chilli powder (as per your taste) and 1/2 tsp turmeric. Saute until the raw smell of chilli and turmeric is gone. 4) Add tamarind water (soak 1 lemon sized tamarind in water for 20-30 minutes, get the tamarind pulp, add 3-4 cups of water) to the pot/vessel. Add salt as per taste and bring to a boil. 5) Take out the marinated fish from the liquid mixture and add to the pot/vessel. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the vessel and let it cook for 25-30 minutes. 6) Add few more crushed curry leaves and c...

  1) 1/2 kg bite sized caulifower mixed with 2 tbsp cornflour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper powder. Mix well and deep fry until cooked. Take out of the oil and keep aside. 2) Thick slices of onions and capsicum, 1 inch ginger into jullienes, 5-6 garlic cloves jullienes, 2 green chillies cut into half inch and then slit 3) Mixture of 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 1 tsp soya sauce and 2 tsp chilli sauce in a 1/2 cup of water. 4) Add oil in a kadhai. When hot, add the capsicum first and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Mix well and fry for another 5 minutes. 5) Add the sauce mixture, a pinch of ajinomoto, mix well and adjust for seasonings/taste. 6) Add the fried caulifower, mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and let a little liquid stay in the kadhai. 7) Add thick sliced onion rings and some jullienes of ginger and cover the kadhai for 1-2 minutes. 8) Dish out hot and garnish with thick sliced onion rings and some jullienes of ginger which ...

  1)  1 kg curry sized chicken on the bones - marinate with 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, a pinch of hing, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp black pepper powder and salt as per taste. Marinate for 30 minutes. 2 )  Add mustard oil in a kadhai, when hot add the marinated chicken and fry well for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is 90% cooked and raw smell of chicken in gone. Take out the fried chicken and keep aside. 3 )  In the same kadhai, add very finely chopped onions (2 medium) and fry well for 5 minutes on medium heat. 4 )  Add very finely chopped tomatoes (1 large), mix well and fry for 2-3 minutes. 5 )  Add 1 tsp each of turmeric and red chilli powder and mix well. 6 )  Add 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste and fry (kassifying) for 7-10 minutes. 7 )  Add 2 tbsp of a fine mustard paste (should not have the black particles). Lower the heat, mix well and let it get further kassified, for another 5-10 minutes. 8 )  Add the thick milk of 1 fu...

Ingredients • 6-8 pieces of Fish (Rohu) • 4 tbsp mustard oil • Salt as per taste • 2 tsp black pepper powder • 3 tsp turmeric powder • 2 tbsp roasted fennel powder • 1 tbsp ginger powder • A pinch of hing • 1 tbsp red chilli powder • 3 garlic cloves minced • 4 green cardamom • 2 black cardamom • ½ inch cinnamon • 4 cloves • 200 grams whisked curd Marination Marinate the fish pieces with salt, 2 tsp turmeric powder and 2 tsp black pepper powder. Rest for 15 mins. Process • Heat a kadhai/cooking pan and add the mustard oil. Heat the oil and turn the heat to between low and medium. • Shallow fry the fish pieces 2 mins on each side. Don’t completely fry the fish. Take out the fish. • In the same pan, add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Fry for 15-20 seconds. • Add the hing and chilli powder and fry for 30-45 seconds. Add a 2-3 tbsp water if needed so the chilli do not burn. • Add the fennel powder and ginger pow...

Ingredients Serves 3-4 people - 12 cloves of crushed garlic - 1 bunch of green coriander - 2-3 tbsp black pepper powder - White and Black salt as per taste - 1/2 chopped onion - 1/2 chopped tomato - 1/2 green capsicum - 1-1.5 liter water - 1 tbsp cornflour Process - Chop the green coriander, add to a vessel along with everything except cornflour. - Start boiling on high heat until you see the 1st bubble. - Lower the heat to low, cover the vessel and let the entire mixture simmer for the next 30-45 minutes - When done, strain the water into a container and squeeze all the yumminess from the veggies. - Transfer back to the vessel and turn on the heat. Adjust for salt and pepper now. When it starts boiling add the cornflour mixed in 1/2 cup water and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Dish out hot in a soup bowl and garnish with a green coriander stem. You can also add slices of burnt garlic to give that rustic flavor.

For 8-10 people Ingredients • 200 grams Dry matar soaked in water for 4 hours and then cooked in a pressure cooker. Don't overcook the matar, cook until 75% done • 4 medium sized potatoes boiled and mashed with hand • 1 large onion finely chopped • 2 tomatoes finely chopped • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste • 4 red chillies ground to a fine paste along with 3 garlic cloves • Garam Masala paste - 2 tsp fennel seeds, 3 inch cinnamon, 2 black cardamoms, 4 green cardamoms, 1 bay leaf, 4 cloves - soak in water for 30 mins and grind to a fine paste • 1 tsp turmeric • 1 tbsp roasted coriander powder • 2 tsp roasted cumin powder • 3 tbsp mustard oil For Garnish • 2 onions finely sliced • Sev • Boondi • Masala peanuts/kabuli chana • Mitha chutney (6 dates, 1 tbsp tamarind ground to a paste and added in 2 tbsp jaggery and 1 cup water. Simmer for 10 mins and cool) • Tamarind water • Whisked curd • Chat masala (Home made: Mix well 1 tbsp black pepper powder, 1 tbsp black salt, 1/2 tbsp white salt, ...