Recipe of the day: Mocha Ghanto (Banana-blossom Curry)

Hello foodies! First of all – 

So many good wishes and love to all for this New Year season! 😍😍

April comes with several ‘New Years’ for Indians! All most every state has their own new year and most of them fall in mid-April. Tomorrow will come with Bengali New Year ‘Poila Baisakh’. So, I think, I must share a special Bengali recipe today.

‘Mocha Ghanto’ is an authentic Bengali recipe. You know, Banana tree is an amazing one! Every part of this tree can utilize to make delicious dishes. ‘Mocha’ or ‘Banana-blossom’ or Banana flower is much known in Bengali cuisine for its taste; and used to make several dishes that can satisfy your taste buds! ‘Mocha Ghanto’ is one of them.

Mocha Ghanto (Banana-blossom Curry)

Prep Time: 40mins

Cook Time: 15mins

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• Banana-flower or

    Banana-blossom (medium): 1

• Potato (large)

      (Cut into small cubes.):        1

• 3.Green chili:                     3
• Grated coconut:                 1/2 cup
• Ginger paste:                     ½ tsp.
• Chickpea:                           1/3 cup
• Turmeric Powder:              1 tsp.
• Kashmiri Chili Powder:        1 tsp.
• Cumin Powder:                    1 tsp.
• Garam Masala Powder:       ½ tsp.
• Bay Leaf:                            2
• Cumin seeds:                       1/2 tsp.
• Mustard oil:                        2 tbsp.
• Clarified Butter (Ghee):     1 tsp.
• Sugar: -                              to taste
• Salt                                    to taste

Method:

• Soak the chickpea overnight in water. Drain the water and keep it aside.
• Separate the flowers after peeling away the outer layer of banana blossom. Take out each flower from the inflorescence. You have to take out a hard stalk, blackish at the top, from each flower. Now chop the flowers finely.

 

• Soak the chopped flowers in water with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside. Drain the water after some times (minimum 1 hr).
• Heat oil to a deep pan. Add bay leaves and cumin seeds to temper. Now add the potato, salt, turmeric powder and fry till it becomes golden brown.
• Add ginger paste and fry for 1-2 min.
• Now, add Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, cumin powder and some of water and mix well. Cook for 2-3 min.
• Add chopped banana blossoms, soaked chickpea, green chilies, grated coconut, sugar in it and mix very well. Cook again for 3-4 min.
• Add some water, mix well and cover with a lid. cook in low flame till the potatoes are cooked.
• Add the ghee and Garam Masala Powder before the flame of. Cover again for 5 min.
• Garnish with grated coconut.

 

My Tip: It’s better to oil the hands before chopping banana blossom to avoid black spots in hand.

To get rid of the Bitterness of Mocha or Banana-blossom, soak the chopped flowers in water with salt and turmeric powder over night.

Celebrate ‘Poila Baisakh’ with ‘LAL HIT’ – #SayNoToFoodPoisoning

Hello lovely foodies! Today I’m going to share a surprising story with you, surely will make you shocked!

You all know, that I shifted to a new town last December. By then, I was very much irregular in blogging; and the cause was not only shifting, but also illness. All throughout the month of January, we were suffering from stomach diseases. And guess what! Doctor said that these all was because of food poisoning!  I always maintain cleanliness in my kitchen; wash vegetables again and again before cooking, even use hot water sometimes, we eat fresh meal always! Then, how the bacteria attacked the food?? Same I asked the Doctor; and he said that – ‘then must be cockroaches are there in your kitchen and home. They carry germs and bacteria, crawl on food and utensils, contaminate food and cause Food Poisoning!’ Hearing this, I not only got surprised, my head was just spinning!  Out of everything in this world, it was cockroach?? We have shifted just  2-3 weeks back at that time, and as the flat is within a Govt. Housing complex; it was all cleared, newly coloured before we get possession. Then how the cockroaches can be there? Then I called my Mom-in-low and she advised me to search under the cylinder, sink, cracks and crevices. She was right! I found the cockroaches at the same places! Now what to do? This was when I saw an advertisement in a popular channel; and I came to know about LAL HIT! 

LAL HIT is a revolutionary product of Godrej Group. It comes with a Deep Reach Nozzle that reaches deep into the corners and crevices, and kills even the hidden cockroaches. Till the date, I have been using this product to keep my kitchen, as well as home, hygienic, clean and cockroach-free. LAL HIT is very simple, handy to use; I apply LAL HIT each time when I deep clean my kitchen and home.

You all know, that ‘Poila Baisakh’ or Bengali New Year is coming very soon. I am now ready to celebrate this special day with full of energy; because all the problems about my kitchen is solved and I have started to plan to cook some special dishes. Don’t worry; here is a special one for you!

 We, Bengali, are fish-loving folks and fish recipes originating from this state are plenty and delicious. So, how can I avoid adding a special Fish-recipe in this special occasion? I would love to cook ‘Pabda Macher Jhol’ in the special lunch on Poila Baisakh. Try it, it is really too tasty!

‘Pabda Macher Jhol’

 Prep Time:           10mins

Cook Time:          15mins

Serves:                2People

Ingredients

1. Pabda fish:                      4
2. Turmeric powder:           ½ tea spoon
3. Tomato (chopped):          1 (big)
4. Ginger paste:                  1 teasp.
5. Coriander leaves:            1/3 cup
6. Black cumin seeds:          ½ tea spoon
7. Green chilli:                     7-8
8. Mustard oil:                    4 tbsp.
9. Salt:                                as per taste

Method

• Wash the fishes very well and marinate with little salt and turmeric powder.
• Heat oil in a pan. Fry the fish lightly and set aside.
• Add dry Black cumin seeds and 2 green chilies in the hot oil and fry for 30 sec. to 1 min.
• Now add ginger paste and chopped tomato and fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Then, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and little of water. Stir for 3-4 minutes and add water.
• When it comes to boil, add fried fishes and rest of the green chillies. Reduce the flame, cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 min.
• Take the flame of when the fishes are well cooked.
• Garnish with green coriander leaves and serve hot with boiled rice. 

So while I #SayNoToFoodPoisoning this poila baisakh onward and embraced the monthly cleaning habit with LAL HIT. It’s pretty simple, I apply LAL HIT each time I deep clean my kitchen and home, which is almost monthly. I apply LAL HIT in each corner, crack, and crevice. Not only that, LAL HIT now comes with a fresh fragrance. So if you want to do the best for your kitchen and home cleaning; try this easy, effective & specialized solution. A simple habit can avoid food poisoning at home.

Buy LAL HIT here: