These Bengali recipes will set the #MadderRed mood

This holiday season celebrate with traditionally tinted Eastern preparations and surrender to the modernistic versions straight from Sonar Tori at Raichak on Ganges.

1. Laal Saag Bhaja (Sauteed red spinach with red chilli and garlic)

15 ml mustard oil, 250 gms laal saag (red spinach), cleaned and chopped, 5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped, a dry red chilli, whole, salt to taste

Method

Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add garlic and a whole red chilli. Add saag and stir fry the mixture for two minutes. Season with salt, cook for two more minutes. Serve hot.

2. Lanka Banta Ilish Jhaal (Hilsa with kalonji in a chilli paste gravy)

50 ml tomato puree, 25 ml mustard oil, 200 gms hilsa fish darne, cut in two, 10 gms red chilli paste, 2 gms garlic paste, pinch of kalonji (black cumin seeds), salt to taste

Method

Sprinkle hilsa fish with salt. Deep fry in mustard oil and keep aside.

In the same oil, saute kalonji and garlic paste. Add red chilli paste and tomato puree and cook for two minutes. Add the fried hilsa and allow to simmer for three to four minutes. Season with salt and serve hot with steamed rice.

3. Chhanar Payesh (Bengali cottage cheese pudding)

250 ml milk, 50 ml rose syrup, 250 gms sugar, 25 gms chhana (Bengali cottage cheese), pinch of green cardamom powder

Method

Knead and roll the cottage cheese to smooth dough-like consistency. Make small roundels and poach in thin sugar syrup on heat for six minutes and keep aside. Combine milk with sugar and cardamom powder. Bring to heat and allow to simmer until reduced to half. Add in the poached balls and cook for three minutes. Seperately in a saucepan, heat and reduce rose syrup to half and refrigerate to chill. To serve, layer serving glass with rose syrup, top with chilled chhanar payesh. Serve cold.

Recipe courtesy Corporate Chef Sumanta Chakrabarti, Ambuja Neotia. The ELLE DECOR team travelled to Raichak courtesy Raichak on Ganges, Post Bag 1, Sarisa, 24 Parganas (S), West Bengal 68.

Website: www.raichakonganges.com

Also read: Throw a three course feast with these Benarasi recipes