mustard – Batter Up With Sujata

Data Posto Or Drumsticks With Poppy Seeds

Data posto or drumsticks with poppy seeds.
Data posto is a very common dish of Bengali household. You can make it with tender and thick both type of drumsticks. If you are using thick drumstick scrap the skin before using. Sometimes we make it with only poppy seeds and green chilli paste and sometime adding mustard powder with or without poppy seeds. All the three dishes taste totally different and delicious.
I have already shared a drumstick or sojne data recipe with mustard and panch phoran or Bengali five spices. Get the recipe here

Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). The tiny poppy seed is mentioned in ancient medical texts from many civilizations. It takes 3,300 poppy seeds to make up a gram, and a pound contains between 1 and 2 million seeds. Poppy seeds are widely used in Austrian, Indian, Croatian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Turkish and Ukrainian cuisines.
7 Health Benefits Of Poppy Seeds

1. Poppy seeds can improve your digestion.
2. Poppy seeds can assist in antioxidant defense.
3. Poppy seeds can assist in red blood cell formation.
4. Poppy seeds can help improve cognitive functioning.
5. Poppy seeds may boost your bone health.
6. Poppy seeds are perfect for helping manage your blood pressure.
7. Poppy seeds can help your slumber at night.
Source

Today I am sharing two different taste of drumstick with poppy seeds or khas khas. One with only poppy seeds or khas khas and green chilli and other is with mustard powder and poppy seeds. Recipe is similar but adding mustard, you will get totally different taste. You can skip potato if you want, make it with only drumstick. My mother in law used to make it with only thick variety drumsticks.

Recipe is very easy and simple. You need only poppy seeds and green chilli paste with salt and turmeric powder. If you want to make sorshe posto die data or drumsticks with poppy seeds and mustard then add only 1 tablespoon mustard powder with poppy seeds paste.

Recipe

Drumstick – 250 gram

Potatoes – 2 large

Poppy seeds or khas khas – 3 tablespoon

Green chilli – 3 – 4 or to taste

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard oil – 1 & 1/2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

Water – 1 & 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup

For poppy seeds and mustard drumstick –
Mustard powder – 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Soak poppy seeds or khas khas in 1/4 cup hot water for 30 minutes or microwave for 1 minute.

2. Grind soaked poppy seeds with green chilli with the help of little water.

3. Peel and cut the potatoes lengthwise.

4. Rinse and cut the drumsticks into 2 inch piece. If you are using thick drumstick then scrap the skin lightly.

5. Heat 1& 1/2 tablespoon mustard oil in a pan or wok.

6. Add chopped potatoes and drumsticks. You can add 1/2 teaspoon Nigella seeds or kalonji for tempering. I didn’t. Add Nigella seeds in hot oil before adding potatoes and drumstick if using.

7. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes.
Add salt, turmeric powder and green chilli, poppy seeds paste. Mix well.

8. If you want to make it with poppy seeds and mustard, then soak 1 tablespoon mustard powder in 3 tablespoon water for 10 – 15 minutes. Add with poppy seeds and green chilli paste. But first time try it with only poppy seeds and then try with mustard to enjoy both taste.

9. When dried up add water. Cover and cook till potatoes and drumsticks becomes soft and dried up completely.

10. Add 1 teaspoon mustard oil and mix well. This step is optional but adding mustard oil at the end gives extra zing.
Serve with steamed rice.

Note

Potatoes are optional. You can make it with only drumsticks.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

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Fulkopir Paturi Or Cauliflower With Poppy Seeds And Mustard

Fulkopir paturi or cauliflower with poppy seeds and mustard.
If you want quick easy and fingerlicking taste of cauliflower then its perfect for you.
This dry curry goes well with steamed rice.

Sending this post to 193 #Foodiemonday bloghop Bengali food fest theme. This week I have suggested the theme. I would love to see what my blogger friends cook and share from Bengali cuisine.

In my knowledge paturi refers to the method of cooking fish and veggies by marinating with mustard and wrapped up in a banana leaf and steamed or sometimes fried. Pata is Bengali word for leaf. Hence the name paturi.
But in a food group when Mili Roy shared the recipe of Adhora Madhuri, its a completely new dish for me. Quite easy recipe because we don’t need banana leaf to make this paturi. I asked Adhora then how it named paturi? She said that, we also call it paturi. So here is a delicious fulkopir paturi without using any leaf.

Recipe

Cauliflower – 1 medium

Mustard powder – 1 tablespoon

Poppy seeds or khas khas – 2 tablespoon

Green chilli – 3-4 or to taste

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon +1/4 teaspoon

Mustard oil – 3 – 4 tablespoon

Slit green chilli – 2 – 3

Dry red chilli – 1, optional

Nigella seeds or kalonji – 1/2 teaspoon

Method

1. Soak the poppy seeds or khas khas in 4 tablespoon hot water for 30 minutes. Grind with green chilli. Make a smooth paste.

2. Mix mustard powder with 3 tablespoon water and keep aside.

3. Rinse and cut the cauliflower in small florets.

4. Heat oil in a pan or wok. Fry cauliflower florets with little salt and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder. Fry till the cauliflower becomes light brown. Remove from oil.

5. In the same oil add Nigella seeds or kalaunji and dry red chilli if using. You can add little more oil if require.

6. Let the seeds splutter. Now add fried cauliflower, poppy seeds green chilli paste, soaked mustard powder, salt, sugar and turmeric powder. Mix well.

7. Reduce the heat. Cover and cook on simmer till cauliflower becomes soft and dried up.

8. Your fulkopir paturi or cauliflower with poppy seeds and mustard is ready. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves if you like.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes
1. You can add 1 teaspoon mustard oil at the end for extra zing if you like.
2. Use green chilli according to your taste. You can also use red chilli powder if you want but green chilli tastes better.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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Tender Drumstick Potato Dry Curry With Bengali Five Spices / Sojne Data Chochchori

Tender drumstick potato dry curry with Bengali five spices or sojne data chochchori.
A very simple yet delicious Bengali recipe using panch phoran or Bengali five spices which is consists of fenugreek seeds or methi, Nigella seed or kalaunji, cumin seed or jeera, mustard seed or sarso and fennel seed or sounf.

You don’t need much spices to make it. You need only turmeric powder, mustard powder and red chilli powder to make this delicious dry curry with tender drumstick and potatoes.

The drumstick or moringa plant is one of those rare species, where every part is beneficial for health and wellness. While the world celebrates moringa leaves and moringa powder as superfoods, the stalks are equally powerful, and have been used since time immemorial in Indian kitchens to add a dash of health to your diet.
Drumsticks are rich in two vital nutrients that are essential to bone health, keeping osteoporosis and osteoarthritis at bay. Calcium and iron are both minerals that are known to enhance the quality of your bones, so consuming an adequate amount of drumsticks can really help with that.
Source

I have used mustard powder in it. You can use mustard paste if you want. You can skip potatoes if you don’t like potatoes. Make it with only drumsticks and enjoy the delicious flavourful drumstick dry curry. Or you can add eggplant and pumpkin with potatoes in this drumstick curry.

Recipe

Tender drumstick – 200 gram

Potatoes – 3 – 4

Tomato – 1 large, chopped

Panch phoran or Bengali five spices – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Mustard powder – 1 tablespoon

Mustard oil – 2 tablespoon

Water – 1 & 1/2 cup + 4 tablespoon

Method

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into lengthwise.

2. Wash the tender drumsticks well. Cut and discard the both ends. Chop the drumsticks into 1 inch pieces.

3. Mix 1 tablespoon mustard powder with 4 tablespoon water. Stir and keep aside.

4. Heat mustard oil in a pan or wok. Add panch phoran.
Panch phoran consists of fenugreek seeds or methi, Nigella seed or kalaunji, cumin seed or jeera, mustard seed or sarso and fennel seed or sounf.

5. Let the seeds splutter. Now add potatoes.

6. Fry the potatoes for 2 minutes or till the potatoes starts to charge it’s colour.

7. Add chopped drumsticks. Saute for 2 minutes more.

8. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder mix well.

9. Add soaked mustard powder and water and cover the pan. Cook till the potatoes and drumsticks becomes soft and dried up.

10. Remove from heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with steamed rice or Indian flat bread.

Note

You can also add eggplant and pumpkin with potatoes.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

Kadala Curry Or Black Chickpea Curry

Kadala curry or black chickpea curry from Kerala cuisine.
A very flavourful and spicy curry. Freshly ground Kerala garam masala and coconut made the curry lip-smacking.
Beautiful state Kerala known as ‘God’s own Country’ or land of spices.
According to Wikipedia The cuisine of Kerala, a state in the south of India, is linked to its history, geography, demography and culture. Kerala cuisine offers a multitude of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared using fish, poultry and red meat with rice a typical accompaniment. Chillies, curry leaves, coconut, mustard seeds, turmeric, tamarind, and asafoetida are all frequently used.

Kerala is known as the “Land of Spices” because it traded spices with Europe as well as with many ancient civilizations with the oldest historical records of the Sumerians from 3000 BCE.

I have shared two more black chickpea recipes here.

Black chickpea kabab

Paneer kala chana kofta curry

This month in Shhhhh cooking secretly challenge
facebook group we are sharing different dishes from Kerala cuisine. In this group members are paired up every month. And the pairs give each other two secret ingredients. This month my partner is Sujitha Ruban who blog at

http://sujithaeasycooking.com.
Sujitha Ruban gave me two flavourful ingredients Mace and fennel seeds and I gave her banana and ginger powder. Check out her blog for the recipe she shared with these ingredients.

I made this kadala curry or black chickpea curry from Kerala cuisine with those aromatic ingredients.
Black chickpeas, also known as Bengal grams, Garbanzo beans or ‘kala chana’ belong to the ‘desi’ variety and have a much higher fiber content and lower glycemic index. Being an extremely versatile legume, it is widely used in a variety of Middle Eastern and Indian dishes like falafels, hummus and curries as well as salads, soups and stews or even as a quick snack. In addition to their delicious nut like taste and buttery texture, black chickpeas are extremely beneficial for health.

Being low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals, black chickpeas can indeed be a healthy addition to your diet. Two to three tablespoons of these legumes are equivalent to one portion of the daily recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables. The health benefits of black chickpeas are as follows.

Aids in Weight Loss: …
Cardiovascular Benefits: …
Lowers Cholesterol: …
Stabilizes Blood Sugar and Low Glycemic Index (GI): …
Prevention of Diabetes: …
Great Source of Iron: …
Good Source of Protein for Vegetarians: …
Beneficial for Women:
Source

Now coming to the recipe. You will love this flavourful curry. And all the flavour comes from aromatic Kerala garam masala. If you have Kerala garam masala ready in your pantry then you can use 1 teaspoon of it. I have used kashmiri red chilli powder to bring some colour in the curry.

Recipe

Kala chana or black chickpeas – 1 cup

Water – 2 & 1/2 cup

Onion – 2, chopped

Green chilli – 1-2 finely chopped

Curry leaves – 12 – 13

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Tomato – 2 small

Coconut – 1/2 cup heaped, grated or finely chopped

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Black pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard Seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Coconut oil – 2 – 3 tablespoon

Water – 1 cup

Fennel seeds or sounf – 1/2 teaspoon

Mace – 2 blades

Cloves – 2 – 3

Green cardamom – 2

Star anise – a small piece

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Nutmeg – a pinch

Method

1. Wash and soak the kala chana or black chickpeas in sufficient water overnight.

2. Boil the soaked chickpeas with 2 & 1/2 cup water in pressure cooker for 7 – 8 whistle or till chickpeas becomes soft.

3. Lightly dry roast fennel seeds or sounf, mace, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and grated nutmeg. Roast lightly till fragrant. Don’t overdo.

4. Let the spices cool down. And grind into fine powder.

5. Grind the coconut. Add water as require to make a smooth paste.

6. Grind tomato and ginger. You can use chopped tomato and grated ginger. But I like smooth paste so ground altogether.

7. Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds or rai and let them splutter.

8. Now add curry leaves, chopped onion and green chilli.

9. Fry till onions becomes light brown.
Add tomato and ginger paste or grated ginger and chopped tomato.
Saute till the tomatoes becomes mushy.

10. Add coconut paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli, black pepper powder and dry roasted and ground fennel seeds, mace, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg.

11. Saute till everything dried up.
Add boiled black chickpea or kala chana and salt. Mix well. Saute for a minute.

12. Add 1 cup water. Or you can add 1/2 cup more water if you want more gravy.

13. Let it boil. Now cook on simmer for 12 – 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

14. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat.

15. Take out 3 – 4 tablespoon chickpeas and mash well with a spoon and add in the gravy if you want your gravy thick.

16. Garnish with grated coconut and serve hot.

Note

If you want you can also add garlic to the curry. Grind garlic cloves with tomato and ginger.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

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Corn Salad

Corn salad.
Delicious refreshing filling and healthy salad. Perfect for this hot weather.
Just mix sweet corn, parsley, tomato, cucumber and onion with a tangy delicious dressing. Topped with roasted almond and sesame seeds. And your salad will be ready in a jiffy.
Roasted crunchy almond and sesame seeds will make this salad delish.

You can get some more salad recipe here.
Peas chickpea low calorie salad

Mango pomegranate tender coconut salsa

Fruity salad with corn cucumber and parsley

Its my 300 post on the blog. Sharing this healthy salad and coming soon with one more interesting recipe for you.
Sending this post to the 151 #Foodiemonday bloghop #Corn theme.

I have mentioned above that recipe is very easy and simple. I have used 1 tablespoon almond in it but if you like more crunch then you can use 2 tablespoon sliced roasted almond. If you don’t like parsley then you can use cilantro or coriander leaves, mint, basil or any other herb of your choice.

Recipe

Sweet corn – 1/2 cup

Tomato – 2, chopped

Onion – 1, sliced

Parsley – 1/4 cup

Cucumber – 1

Lemon juice – 2 tablespoon

Vinegar – 2 tablespoon

Mustard powder – 3/4 teaspoon

Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Olive oil – 2 teaspoon

Almond – 1 tablespoon

Sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon

Method

1. For dressing, in a bowl mix olive oil, salt, mustard powder, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and black pepper powder. Whisk well and keep aside.

2. Dry roast the almonds and sesame seeds.
Let the almonds cool down and slice them.

3. In a bowl mix sweet corn, cubed cucumber, chopped tomatoes, sliced onion and parsley leaves.

4. Mix the dressing in it. Combine everything well.

5. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if require.
Sprinkle roasted sliced almonds and roasted sesame seeds over it.

6. Cover and keep in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Serve chilled

Enjoy……

Notes

1. If you don’t have parsley then you can use cilantro, mint, basil or any herb of your choice.

2. You can add 1 tablespoon more roasted and sliced almond if you like the crunchiness in your salad.

3. You can use broccoli, capsicum, bell peppers, carrot, radish or whatever vegetable you like.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
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Kasundi / Guest Post By Rita Ghosh

Kasundi
One more recipe from Bengal.
You can call it mustard sauce. I love it’s tangy zingy taste and lovely aroma of mustard.
You can serve it with any Bengali snack, cutlets, chop, fritters, croquettes or anything as a dip or sauce.

You can make fish or any vegetables with it. I often make eggs, ladyfingers, eggplant etc with kasundi. You have to add kasundi with salt, turmeric powder and chilli only. You don’t need much spices with it.

Kasundi is the Asian or Indian variety of mustard sauce. It is a pungent paste of fermented mustard seeds, spices and sometimes dried mangoes, dried Indian plum and olives, popular as a dipping sauce in Bengali cuisine.
Kasundi has always been a revered fixture of Bengali households, its making used to be almost a religious rite, with many restriction and rituals. With modern household appliances becoming commonplace, its making no more remains a complex ritual.
Wikipedia

Some of my readers requested for kasundi recipe. I never tried it. Always bought readymade bottles from Kolkata. So I have requested my friend Rita Ghosh for a guest post. Rita Ghosh is an avid cook and a very humble person. We never met physically but she is really a good friend. We met in a food group. Our interests are same. We chat every day and our topic is food. So when I requested her for kasundi post she gave me the recipe immediately. Thanks a lot dear for this awesome recipe.
Sharing her authentic method to make kasundi. Try it and please give your feedback 😊

Recipe

Black mustard seeds – 3 & 1/2 cup

Ginger paste – 2 tablespoon

Red chilli powder – 1 & 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 2 teaspoon

Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon

Black pepper – 8 – 10

Green cardamom – 2

Cinnamon – 2 sticks

Raw mango – 2 medium, chopped

Hot water – 1 litre

Method

1. Wash black mustard seeds and ginger and let them dry under sunlight.

2. When dried completely blend them well.

3. Dry roast black pepper, green cardamom and cinnamon. Grind them altogether. Make fine powder.

4. Take a deep bottom pan. Mix blended mustard seeds, turmeric powder, salt and water in it.

5. Add mango pieces and mix well.
Cover the pan and keep it overnight.

6. Next day, take out the mango pieces and blend. Now add blended mango pieces and all the spices in this fermented mixture.
Add more cold ( room temperature) water as require.

7. Keep under sunlight for 7 – 8 days.
Your kasundi is ready.
Relish throughout the year.

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Sukto / Bengali Mixed Vegetables

Sukto
Sukto or shuktoni is a Bengali traditional dish.
Mixed vegetables with less spices. Its taste mildly bitter and lightly sweet. In Bengali platter traditionally people start eating with a bitter dish, then main course in lunch. And the last course is sweet. Elderly people say that if you start your meal with a bitter dish then you feel other dishes more tasty 😀

Usually bitter gourd is used in sukto. But I heard from my mom that if it is preparing for marriage or any such auspicious occasion bitter gourd shouldn’t be used in it. That called misti sukto or sweet sukto. All the ingredients are same but it will be without bitter gourd.

Generally sukto is served with steamed rice.
Never thought of sharing sukto recipe on my blog. Because I thought its a very common recipe in Bengali household. But recently I was browsing through some Bengali traditional recipes. And noticed that every sukto recipe is different. So decided to share my both mother’s recipe. Yes my mother and mother in law both used to follow same recipe.

In Bengal radhuni is must in sukto. According to Wikipedia radhuni is known as wild celery in English. And known as ajmod in Hindi.

In Bengal radhuni in used in panch phoran or five spices mix. Panch phoran consists of fenugreek seeds or methi, Nigella seed or kalaunji, cumin seed or jeera, mustard seed or sarso and fennel seed or sounf.
But outside Bengal its not available so we (প্রবাসী বাঙালি) don’t use it.
But this time I have a packet of radhuni which I have bought from Kolkata. So I have used it. If you don’t have radhuni you can omit it. I have used whatever vegetables I have. You can use any vegetables of your choice like drumstick, raw papaya, sweet potato etc.
I like very mild bitter taste in sukto so used only 1/4 of bitter gourd but if you like you can use 1 small bitter gourd.

Recipe

Potato – 2

Raw banana – 2

Flat beans – 4 – 5

Radish or muli – 1 small

Eggplant or aubergine – 1 small

Bitter gourd or karela – 1/4

Mustard oil – 3 – 4 tablespoon

Panch phoran ( mixture of fenugreek, nigella, mustard, cumin and fennel seeds) – 2 teaspoon

Salt and sugar to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Aniseed or sounf – 1 tablespoon

Poppy seeds – 2 tablespoon

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Mustard powder – 2 teaspoon

Bari or dried lentil dumplings – 1/4 cup

Radhuni – 1/4 teaspoon

Flour or atta – 1 tablespoon

Milk – 1/2 cup

Ghee or clarified butter – 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Soak mustard powder in 2 tablespoon water, mix and keep aside.

2. Soak aniseed or sounf in water.

3. Soak poppy seeds in hot water for 15 – 20 minutes.

4. Peel and chop the potatoes and raw banana lengthwise.

5. Chop the radish, flat beans and eggplant or aubergine lengthwise.

6. Cut the bitter gourd in thin round pieces.

7. Wash and drain all the vegetables.
Keep the bitter gourd aside.

8. Grind the poppy seeds, aniseed and ginger with the help of little water. Make a smooth paste.

9. Dry roast 1 teaspoon panch phoran and grind. I have used my mortal pestle to make powder of these roasted spices.

9. Heat oil in a pan. Fry all the vegetables separately.

10. Fry the bari or dried lentil dumplings.

11. At last fry the bitter gourd pieces and keep aside.

12. Add 1 teaspoon Pancho phoran,1/4 teaspoon radhuni and bay leaf in hot oil. Let the panch phoran splutter.

13. Add all the fried vegetables except bitter gourd.
Add poppy seeds, aniseed and ginger paste. Saute till it dried up.

14. Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder and soaked mustard powder.
Mix well.

15. Saute for 1 – 2 minutes. Add water and cover. Cook till the vegetables become tender.

16. Mix flour in milk. Mix well to make it lump free.

17. Add dried lentil dumplings and flour milk mixture. Mix well and cook till you get your desired consistency.

18. At last add fried bitter gourd pieces and 1 teaspoon ghee or clarified butter.

19. Taste and adjust the salt if require.
Remove from heat. Add roasted and powdered panch phoran and mix.

20. Your sukto is ready to serve.
Serve with hot steamed rice.

Notes

1. You can use any vegetables of your choice like drumstick, raw papaya, sweet potato etc.

2. If you don’t have radhuni you can omit it.

3. If you want to make it in less oil fry the bitter gourd pieces first. And then saute all the vegetables altogether. But traditionally vegetables should be fried separately.

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