Duporer Tiffin Khabar -Lunch Box Recipes1

Lunch –Box recipes or tiffiner khabar
I was just thinking to put some good lunch –box recipes here in Spice and Curry.
We have always lived on fresh food and ingredients, which means fresh chopped vegetables and even home-made spice powders.
I will highly encourage you all to try this out, it’s always better to eat home-made food rather than take aways or frozen food.Well all of these are traditional meals , a Bengali cuisine has to offer.
Without much intro ,I will start writing the recipes now .

Lunch-Combo One –Beet jhaal,Phulkopi Bhetki jhaal,Dal and rice

The quantity mentioned here for recipes serves 5-6 people .

Beet jhaal( Spicy Potato Beet Subzi)
1 giant beet root cut into long pices of 1 inch.
2 potatoes cut into same length as of beet
Half brinjal/eggplant optional but this gives a nice mushy texture to the jhaal/curry.
3-4 tbs of mustard oil or any other oil that is available.
1 tsp of panch phoron
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of red pepper powder
Salt as per taste
Method
In a saucepan, add oil(2-3 tbs) temper it with panch phoron, add poatoes and beet, fry for sometimes
Add turmeric powder, red pepper powder, salt
Add half cup of water, add brinjal pieces.
Cover and cook for 7-8 mints till the water dries out and the gravy becomes little mushy.

Phulkopi bhetki jhaal( cauliflower Bhetki Fish Curry)

Marinate the bhetki (fish) pieces in turmeric powder and salt.
Keep aside
Fry the fish pieces in hot mustard oil
See how gorgeous looks fresh Bhetki fish fry ,can have them as is ,it just taste heavenly.

Now to making the pholkopir torkari or you may go and have look at this post of Phulkopir Torkari , to make cauliflower potato subzi.
Cut the cauliflower and potatoes.
Fry the cauliflower pieces in hot oil till little brown(make sure they dry otherwise they are going to splutter oil ) take out in a separate bowl
Add little bit more oil, temper it with cumin seeds and bay leaf, add in chopped onion, garlic and ginger.Fry them till evenly brown.
Add chopped potatoes
Fry them well for 5 mints
Add turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, little bit of salt and sugar (as per tsate) and a splash of water to coat evenly ..fry for 2mints.
Add 1-2 cup of water, put the flame to high, and bring on one strong boil.
Now release the fish,cauliflower pieces, lower the flame, cover and cook for 5-7 mints or till potatoes are cooked.

Or you may make fish curry separately and then mix in with the above curry, both the way it tastes great.
A Simple Fish Curry (Quick and Easy)
To make simple fish curry , it will take 6-8 mints at med -high to prepare it …(that’s how I fix my fish curry in hurry , mornings are busy so ,I always keep some fried fish pieces in refrigerator as stock ,take out them in batch and prepare this fish curry)
In a heavy bottomed pan, add oil, 1 cup of water, 3-4 tbs of mustard oil, 1 tomato chopped, 2 tsp of red pepper powder, 1tsp of turmeric powder, salt and 1 tsp of coriander powder.Add in fried fish pieces and then cover the gravy, cook at low for 5-8 mints.
Mix in with the above cauliflower subzi.

Note- Phulkopi Bhetki Jhaal is one of the authentic bengali recipe.

Bhetki as such is a hassle free fish ,as the there is no need to dig out small bones out of it.

Moong dal
In a kadai /saucepan, roast approx 1 cup of moong dal to little golden brown.
Wash the lentil thoroughly in water
Now pressure cook the dal, make sure its’not mushy.
In a separate saucepan, add oil(just 2 tsp ,sufficient for phoron/tadka) temper it with 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 dry red pepper, 2 tsp of ginger paste or you may add in finely chopped fresh ginger and chopped tomato.
Now add in the dal/lentil, cook at low till all incorporate well.
Add in 2 tsp of ghee or butter at the end.
You may add in some chopped coriander leaves.

and steamed rice to go with duperer khabar.

I will try to update this series as I prepare them ..

Happy Cooking Friends