Mochar Chop......Banana Blossom Croquette

We all are familiar with Banana: nature's own energy rich food but did you know you can eat its flower too? You might be wondering how, right? This question is very obvious for the one who hasn't tasted it. The flower of Banana is known as Mocha(in Bengali) or Banana Blossom(in English).

Mocha or Banana Blossom is used as a nutritious food item in Southeast Asia. It has a lot of medicinal values like blood purification, curing stomach ulcers, constipation, menstrual disorders etc. Since they are rich in fiber content they help in increasing the hemoglobin level of our blood.

Banana trees are very common in India and especially in West Bengal. We Bengalis utilize each and every part of Banana tree. The stem a.k.a "Thor", the leaves are used to serve food or used in wrapping and cooking, the flower a.k.a "Mocha" and of course the fruit "Banana". These trees also have religious values. They are used in pooja and wedding ceremonies.

Enough of rambling now coming back to our "Mochar Chop". 

How to clean Mocha:

Mocha is a large, dark-red colored flower that grows from the end of a Banana bunch. Its bracts (leaves) snugly enclose the sweet-scented, light yellow colored flowers. You need to remove those red or brown color bracts and separate the flowers as shown in Image(a)). 

Image(a)

Image(b)

Image(c)

Each flower has florets. You have to take each floret and remove the hard stigma (a match stick like structure) and scale (the pinkish small petals or casing at the stem base) As shown in Image(b) and Image(c).

Image(d)

Image(e)

Once the darker and tougher outer bracts are removed you will find much paler and lighter bracts(as shown in Image(d)). At this point stop peeling, as you can chop it and mix with the earlier chopped flowers(as shown in Image(e)).

The cleaning process of Mocha is very tedious, so every time I have to do it I say to myself that next time I won't buy it. You need a lot of patience for cleaning and shredding it. But the end result is so delicious that all the pain is worth it.

Take necessary precautions while working with Mocha as it gives nasty black stains to your hands. So apply oil to your hands before even touching it. Spread few old newspapers on your working surface to avoid the stains.

Image(f)

Once all the cleaning process is done i.e peeling the bracts, removing the flowers, separating the stigma and scales; chop the flowers very finely(as shown in Image(f)). Take a heavy bottomed pan, fill it with enough water and add salt and turmeric powder to it. Once the chopping is done put the chopped Mocha in this water. This will help in removing the bitter and metallic taste. 

Drain the water and boil the Mocha on medium heat for 15-20 mins. (You can also use pressure cooker for doing so. Cook it until 3 whistles.)  Once done, drain the water by using a colander and allow it to cool down. Now remove the excess water by pressing it in between your palms. Your Mocha is now ready for making chops.

How to make Mochar Chop:

Ingredients:

1. Mocha: 1

2. Boiled and peeled potato : 2 (medium sized)

3. Onions (chopped): 1 (big sized)

4. Ginger-Garlic paste: 1 tbsp

5. Coconut (shredded): 3 tbsp

6. Roasted Peanuts (peeled and halved): 10-12

7. Green Chilies (chopped): 2

8. Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp

9. Salt to taste

10. Sugar to taste

11. Cornflour: 2 tbsp

12. Water: 1 cup

13. Breadcrumbs for coating

14. Oil for frying + 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Mash the boiled and peeled potatoes. I use my grater for doing so. As the potatoes get a very good texture for making chops and they get easily mixed with the other ingredients.

2. Add the boiled and squeezed Mocha to the mashed potatoes.

3. Now add in the chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, shredded coconut, roasted peanuts, green chilies, garam masala powder, salt and sugar. Mash all the ingredients with your hands.

4. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Transfer the mixture in the pan and fry it for 5-6 mins until the mixture gets dry or there's no moisture left. You can check it by taking small amount of mixture in your hand and try to form a round ball. If you are able to do so then the mixture is perfect. Once done remove the pan from heat and allow the mixture to cool down.

5. In the meanwhile take a small bowl take cornflour and mix it with water to make thin or watery batter. (Add very little water at a time.)

6. Take small amount of mixture in your hand and give a shape of chop or cutlet. Size and shape of the chop depends on individual choice, I prefer to do a cylindrical shape.

7. Dip the chop in the cornflour and water batter and then roll it on breadcrumbs. 

8. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium and fry the chops till you get a nice golden-brown color. Remove the chops on a plate lined with paper towel to soak the excess oil.

9. Serve it with tomato ketchup, salad or kasundi (bengali mustard sauce).

Note:

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Rasgulla/Rosogolla

Rasgulla or Rosogolla.....Do I need to tell you what it is? Rosogolla and Bengalis are synonyms. You cannot imagine one without the other. It doesn't need any introduction in the Indian subcontinent. But for those who don't know what it is then let me introduce them with this signature Bengali sweet. Rosogollas are homemade cheese balls cooked and soaked in sugar syrup.

Bengali's love for Rosogolla is endless. They can eat it at breakfast, at lunch and can even finish their dinner with it. My love for Rosogolla has a short story behind it. As a child I was not a big fan of sweets and needless to say I had never tasted Rosogolla. My parents used to tell me you are missing such a big thing in your life. But one day my Mesho (Maternal Uncle) insisted me much to have a bite of it but I was not ready and then he took one Rosogolla and put it in my mouth and I realized how delicious it is and what I was missing all that while. From that day onward I can eat Rosogolla at any time of the day.

This time I made Rosogolla on Diwali. I posted its picture even on my Facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flavors-Of-My-Plate/737185573034586?ref=hl 

 Since I was busy with Diwali chores I was unable to post its recipe before. So now here I am with its recipe. Hope you all will like it.

Ingredients:

For Making Cottage Cheese (Chena):

1. Milk : 1 liter 

2. Lime Juice : 4 tbsp (mix with 1 tbsp of water)

For Making Sugar Syrup:

1. Sugar : 4 cups

2. Water: 2 cups

3. Crushed Cardamoms: 4-5

Method:

For Making Homemade Cottage Cheese (Chena):

1. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. Stir it continuously as it tends to stick to the bottom.

2. As milk starts boiling reduce the heat to low. Take small amount of milk in a ladle and add lime juice to it until milk (in the ladle) starts curdling. Then add this curdled milk into the pan and stir slowly until milk solids and whey (green color water) gets separated (you can add more lime juice if required but don't add too much because it will leave a sour taste and the chena will get firm). I like to curdle milk like this because this makes the process of curdling easier. 

3. Strain the curdled milk with a muslin cloth or a strainer lined with cotton cloth. Once all the water gets drained wash the chena under cold running water. This helps the chena to cool down and will remove its sourness.

4. Squeeze the excess water from the chena (don't overdo it otherwise the chena will become too dry) and hang it on the kitchen tap for around an hour to remove any excess water. Now your chena is ready for making Rosogolla.

For Making Sugar Syrup: 

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan add sugar and water and place it on medium heat. Stir in between and remove the scums (if any).

2. Once sugar is dissolved completely reduce the heat and add crushed cardamoms. 

For Making Rosogolla:

1. Mash the chena with your palms until its smooth. You need to do it for good 10-15 mins. As you do so your palms will become greasy which is due to the fat present in the chena. 

2. Once your chena is ready divide it into equal portions.

3. Take each portion put one cardamom seed in it and roll it into a smooth ball with the help of your palms. Roll it until you get a perfect ball. By perfect I mean you should not be able to see any cracks. If you see any cracks then again mash it and make a smooth ball out of it.

3. Once your chena balls are ready put them in the sugar syrup, cover the lid and boil them for 20-25 mins on medium heat. (Remember to take a wide mouthed and deep pan because these chena balls will get double in size so there should be enough room for them to accommodate).

4. Check the Rosogollas after 20-25 mins by this time they will be double in size and will get spongy too. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool down to room temperature. 

5. Enjoy your home made Rosogolla with some extra syrup as we Bengali's do.

Dahi Vada

The taste of Indian street food is so addictive that it's irresistible. It leaves your taste buds tingling even after the dish is finished. The spicy and tangy flavor of the food always ask you for "Thoda Aur"(little more). Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla is an Indian Chaat (snack) to be more precise a North Indian street food but now its taste has spread in the entire world and can be found easily in many Indian restaurants around the globe.

Dahi Vada is deep fried lentil dumplings made from Urad daal (split black gram), soaked in beaten yogurt and topped with flavored chutneys, spices and garnished with Sev or Boondi. It is making me drool even when I'm writing this post. It's taste is just inexplicable. So, without any further ado I'm sharing it's recipe:

Ingredients:

(For 16-18 vadas)

For making Vada:

1. Urad Daal (split black gram) : 2 cups

2. Asafoetida :1/4 tsp

3. Cumin (crushed) : 1 tbsp

4. Green chili : 2-3

5. Salt (to taste)

6. Oil (to fry)

For assembling Dahi Vada:

1. Yogurt: 4-5 cups

2. Water: 2 cups

3. Tamarind chutney

4. Sev or Boondi (to garnish)

5. Cumin powder (to sprinkle)

6. Red chili powder (to sprinkle)

7. Black Salt (to sprinkle)

8. Fresh Cilantro (Coriander)

9. Warm Water (to soak the vadas)

10. Salt (to taste)

11. Sugar (to taste)

Method:

1. Wash and soak the Urad daal for 7-8 hrs or overnight. Wash well and drain the water from the daal. 

2. Grind the daal to a smooth paste with the green chili. Use very little water while grinding (few drops at a time). Remove the paste (batter) into a large bowl and add asafoetida, crushed cumin and salt and mix well with your hands or a whisk. This will make the batter airy. Always remember the key to make melt in mouth Dahi Vada is beating the paste very well until you feel pain in your arms. As we all know "No pain No Gain"

3. Heat oil in a pan or wok on medium heat. Wet your hands, take out small amount of batter and put small blob of the batter. Fry them until they get a nice golden hue. Fry the vadas in batches. Remove them in a plate lined with paper towel to soak excess oil. 

4. Take warm water in a large bowl and add salt to it. Dip the vadas or dumplings in the warm water for 10-15 mins.

5. In the meanwhile whisk yogurt with salt (remember you have used salt before so be cautious while adding it to yogurt), sugar, cumin powder, red chili powder and black salt.

6. Just before serving squeeze out the excess water from the vadas by pressing it in between your palms. Place them on your serving plates. Pour the whisked yogurt over them. Drizzle the tamarind chutney and sprinkle red chili powder, cumin powder.

7. Garnish it with finely chopped cilantro, sev or boondi.

Langcha

As Diwali is around the corner its time to indulge yourself into the sweetness of the sweets without having the guilt of those extra pounds gained from them. Diwali or Deepawali is a festival of lights. It signifies the victory of light over the darkness, good over the evil. On Diwali night people dress up their best and decorate their home with Diyas and workship Lakshmi: the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. The Puja is followed by fireworks and the grand feast including sweets. So, I thought of sharing a very popular Bengali sweet "Langcha" on this festive occasion.

Langcha is a Bengali dessert that originated in Shaktigarh in the Burdwan district of West Bengal, India. But now you can find it in any sweet shop of Kolkata. Moreover some of the well known brands also sell them in cans. 

Langcha is made up of sweetened cottage cheese (chena), khoa (reduced solidified milk), and flour. There is another form of Langcha which is known as Pantua. Basically the difference between Langcha and Pantua is in their shape. Langcha is cylindrical shaped while the other one is round.

Cottage cheese is widely used in many Indian sweets. You can use store-bought cottage cheese or make it very easily at home. However, I would suggest you to make cheese at home to ensure its purity. Any adulterated or inferior cheese can ruin your Langcha or Pantua.

Ingredients:

For Making Cottage Cheese(Chena):

1. Milk : 1 liter

2. Lime Juice : 4 tbsp (mix with 1 tbsp of water)

For Making Langcha:

1. Cottage Cheese (Chena) : 200 grams
2. Khoa (Solidified Milk) : 100 grams

3. Flour : 2 tbsp

4. Sugar : 1 tbsp

5. Baking Powder : 1/4 tsp

6. Cardamoms(crushed) : 4-5
7. Ghee : 1 tbsp

8. Oil : For frying

9. Almonds(for garnishing) 

For Making Sugar Syrup:

1. Sugar : 5 cups

2. Water : 2 cups

3. Cardamoms(crushed) : 4-5

Method:

For Making Homemade Chena(Cottage Cheese):

1. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. Stir it continuously as it tends to stick to the bottom.

2. As milk starts boiling reduce the heat to low. Take small amount of milk in a ladle and add lime juice to it until milk (in the ladle) starts curdling. Then add this curdled milk into the pan and stir slowly until milk solids and whey (green color water) gets separated (you can add more lime juice if required but don't add too much because it will leave a sour taste and the chena will get firm). I like to curdle milk like this because this makes the process of curdling easier.

3. Strain the curdled milk with a muslin cloth or a strainer lined with cotton cloth. Once all the water gets drained wash the chena under cold running water. This helps the chena to cool down and will remove its sourness.

4. Squeeze the excess water from the chena (don't overdo it otherwise the chena will become too dry) and hang it on the kitchen tap for around an hour to remove any excess water. Now your chena is ready for making Langcha.

For Making Sugar Syrup: 

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan add sugar and water and place it on medium heat. Stir in between and remove the scums (if any).

2. Once sugar is dissolved completely reduce the heat and add crushed cardamoms. 

For Making Langcha:

1. Mash the chena with your palms until its smooth. As you do so your palms will become greasy which is due to the fat present in the chena. 

2. I used store bought khoa so I grated it first and then mashed it until its smooth.

3. Now mix chena, khoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, crushed cardamoms and ghee. Knead it well with your palms until there are no lumps. The dough will be greasy and you will be able to feel it.

4. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 10-15 mins.

5. Now make equal sized round balls from the dough and shape them into long cylinders with the help of your palms. 

6. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once ready remove the oil from heat, wait for a minute and add Langcha's carefully (few at a time as they tend to increase in size and should have room for frying evenly). Place the pan on heat again and fry them till they get a nice brown color. 

7. Take out the fried Langcha and place them on a plate lined with paper towel to soak excess oil. Now add fried Langcha in sugar syrup very carefully as they are very delicate. Make sure the syrup is hot. 

8. Soak the Langcha in the sugar syrup for an hour and Voila!! your Langcha is ready to serve. Garnish it with almonds if you like or enjoy your syrupy Langcha as it is.

Punjabi Chole/ Chana Masala

Nobody makes Chole the way Punjabis do. It is a very popular Punjabi dish. Chole is usually accompanied with Bhature (a fried bread made of flour). Chole-Bhature is a breakfast invented in Delhi after partition and now a days, it is a popular breakfast around Northern India and other parts of the country.

Chole-Bhature is one of my favorite dishes. I had spent 8 years of my childhood in Punjab. We were a family of three; me and my parents. Sundays used to be very special, we would go for an outing and eat those gigantic Bhature with Chole in restaurant. They usually serve them with a pickle made of carrots and cauliflower. 

I wish I could go back in time but you know no one really can. So, here is what I thought, I will give Chole-Bhature a try at home. But somewhere I was not sure whether I can recreate that flavor on my plate or not. After few trials I was able to do so and came up with a recipe which reminds me of my childhood days. Happy to share it with you.

Ingredients:

1. Chickpeas/ Chana/ Chole (Soaked overnight): 2 cups

2. Onions (finely choped) : 1 cup

3. Garlic Cloves: 4-5

4. Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp

5. Ginger Paste: 1 tbsp 

6. Tomato (chopped): 3 

7. Cinnamon: 2-3 (1inch) sticks

8. Cardamom: 4-5

9. Black Cardamom: 2
10. Cloves: 4-5
11. Cumin powder: 1 tsp
12. Coriander powder: 1 tsp
13. Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

14. Kashmiri red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
15. Garam masala powder: 1 tsp

16. Green chilies (chopped): 3-4 (optional)

17. Salt to taste

18. Sugar to taste

19. Oil to cook

20. Cilantro (for garnishing)

Method:

1. Wash and soak the chickpeas overnight in 4 cups of water. 

2. Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse it once or twice. Add the garlic cloves and enough water to cover it by an inch and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles. Don't discard the water you can use it while cooking.

3. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add 4 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot enough add cinnamon, cardamom, black cardamom and cloves. Let the flavors of the spices get infused in the oil but be careful not to burn them.

4. Add the chopped onions and saute them until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry them till the raw flavor is gone. At this point add the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes become mushy and the oil gets separated.

5. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, kashmiri red chili powder, salt, sugar and mix well. Once you can smell the aroma of the spices add the boiled chickpeas with the water (used while boiling the chickpeas) and green chilies. Give it a good mix.

6. Cover the pan with the lid and cook over low heat for 5-6 mins or until the desired consistency is reached. Check the seasoning and garnish it with cilantro.

7. Serve it with Bhature, Puri, Chapati or Rice.

Narkel Nadu/ Coconut Ladoo

Narkel Nadu or Coconut Ladoo don't need any introduction in Bengali households. But for the people who are wondering what it is then let me introduce you to this. Narkel Nadu or Coconut Ladoo is a sweet dish from West Bengal which are made during the festivals specially during the Durga Puja and Lokkhi Pujo/ Lakhmi Pujo. 

The Nadu or Ladoo are of two kinds "Gure'r Nadu" made with Jaggery and are deep brown in color and "Chini'r Nadu" made with Sugar and are pristine white in color. My personal liking is the Chini'r Nadu (the one made with Sugar) and that is what I am sharing with you all.

As the name suggests it is made up of Coconut, Whole Milk (you can also use Evaporated Milk to reduce the time and effort), Sugar and Cardamom to add some flavor to the Nadu (Ladoo).

Ingredients:

1. Grated Coconut or Shredded Coconut : 4 cups

2. Sugar : 2 cups

3. Whole Milk : 3 cups (If you are using Evaporated Milk: 2 cups)

4. Cardamom (crushed) : 5-6

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan mix the grated coconut and sugar thoroughly with your hands.

2. Place the pan on low heat for about 4-5 mins. The sugar will melt and gets mixed with the coconut. Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula as it tends to stick to the pan.

3. Now add the whole milk (or evaporated milk) to the coconut and sugar mixture. After a minute or so the mixture will start bubbling. To prevent it from sticking to the bottom stir the mixture continuously.

4. Keep stirring till the milk gets almost dry and the mixture will leave the sides of the pan. At this point the mixture will slightly change its color. In order to test it make a small ball from the mixture (be careful as the coconut mix will be very hot), if it holds the shape then the mixture is done.

5. Turn off the heat and add the crushed cardamoms. Give it a good mix and wait until the coconut mixture cools down.

6. Make small balls by rolling the mixture within your palms and place it on a clean plate.

7. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate it if you want the Nadu/ Ladoo to keep for several days.