Keema Aloo (Mince and Potatoes)

Growing up in a Bengali-Bihari household, mutton has been such a core part of our cuisine. By mutton, I mean goat. Not lamb. (India’s most common ‘mutton’ is goat)

This meat was cooked in various forms – light curry, intense curry, cutlets, mince – you name it. Each of these versions is delicious. It has a deep, dark, meaty taste, tons of flavour from the spices and leaves with you such a sense of satisfaction! I will post more mutton recipes on the blog over time, but am starting off with a version of the mince. Keema (minced mutton) was made at home once in a few weeks. It was made very simply, just with spices, onions, tomatoes and peas (that version will also go up on the blog sometime). Given its texture, it is delicious with chapatis or rice. In fact, I used to love eating it with khichdi! It gave a little extra oomph to the simple meal.

Today’s version is a little amped up version of that keema, and it has my favourite ingredient – Potato! I know you’re not surprised! πŸ™‚

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Aloo Gobi (Potato and Cauliflower)

How many of you have watched the film ‘ Bend it Like Beckham’? If you haven’t, please watch πŸ™‚ It’s a fun film about a girl’s football club in England and an Indian girl trying to make football her career, facing some resistance along the way. It has some lovely music, some really funny lines and shines light on how girls in sport are not always looked upon favourably. Boo.

Anyway, enough about the film’s story. The reason I bring it up, is a line in the film. The Punjabi mother asks the girl whether or not she knows how to make aloo gobi. Aloo gobi is used as a symbol of basic, easy yet tasty home food that every girl must know, in order to be a good wife/mother/Indian girl etc etc. While that I don’t think is true (at all!), the way ‘aloo gobi’ was said in that line has stuck with me. It’s even cooler when the girl tells her friendΒ  ‘Anyone can cook aloo gobi, but who can bend a ball like Beckham?’Β  YEAHHHH! Way to go! This movie made aloo gobi iconic! Who’d have thunk it? πŸ˜€

Whenever I cook this dish, I hear this line in my head. Sometimes I say it out loud too. Even though I have zero football skills.

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Shorshe Begun (Eggplant in Mustard Sauce)

Let me introduce you to the most iconic bengali flavour I grew up with – Kasundi. Kasundi is this sharp mustard paste typical to Bengal. I haven’t yet nailed how to make it, but I will get there.

There is normal mustard paste from a jar that you use for sandwiches, european dishes etc and then there is Kasundi. There is nothing quite like the taste – it is sharp, aromatic, pungent and altogether quite delicious. It takes the food to the next level! It is used as a dipping sauce with cutlets or as in this recipe, as the main ingredient in the dish itself. There will be quite a few kasundi led recipes on this blog, this is the first one πŸ™‚

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