Samosas with Aloo (potatoes), Green peas and Fulkopi (Cauliflower) stuffing – Evening Tea-time Snack

Think about the evening snack, the mind boggles, what to serve for the evening becomes the thought of the evening. There are readymade snacks at home, but something made in one’s kitchen is something very DIFFERENT – be it in taste and the love that has mixed with the care and efforts put in.

As there was cauliflower in the fridge, thought of using it for the samosas. And potatoes, a common stock in every household. If you don’t have any veggie, the potatoes can help make a dish – aloo bhate (boiled potatoes mashed) with that dribble of mustard oil and some chopped onion and salt, the aloo bhaja, of course the kurkure ones, I mean the crunchy ones, aloo posto, aloo-r dum, aloo-r chop, and I don’t have to go on. The kitchen master knows how to feed the people at home.

Making samosas at home gives the liberty to eat a good number of them without the thought of having the Gas Problem, that’s a common word you find Bengalis saying, “Gas hoyeche”, which very well means indigestion and that also means to pop in a Gelusil tablet to get rid of the gas.

Simple Bangali Jolkhabar -- Porota aar Begun Bhaja/Simple Bengali Tiffin -- Parathas and Fried Eggplant (aubergine)

Sometimes simple things are inviting and appetizing. My sons loved Porotas in their tiffin box, and to compliment the porota there was Begun Bhaja or sometimes Aloo Bhaja. Even carrying tiffin like this to the office for lunch is a good choice.

Porotas, when they are fried on the tawa, give out an aroma that is ‘inviting’ for those who can get the smell but not a share. This I can say from my experience. We lived on the ground floor of a building. The kitchen that was separated by a wall had a small door, was very near the staircase. Whenever I made porotas, those climbing the stairs would say softly to one another how they felt hungry by inhaling the aroma of the porotas that were being fried in my kitchen. I would hear their fading words as they went up step after step. I cannot compel one to believe in what I’ve written, just a passing thought that went into words as I sat to write.

Coming to the Begun Bhaja:

Cut the Begun/Eggplant into slices, neither very thin nor thick either, it’s easy to fry.  See pic.

Rub some salt and turmeric powder onto the body of the pieces.

Next heat some oil in a wok/kadhai and fry them.

Next the porotas:

For this add some oil (to make it khasta/crispy) and salt to the flour. Mix it and then add water to make the dough. Divide the dough into small sections. 

Now roll out the porotas/parathas into triangle shapes. 

Next fry them and its ready to be served with the begun bhaja.

You must be wondering why this simple Jolkhabar spread. Let me release the secret, all because someone who is a learner in her kitchen wanted to know about it. No offence for those who are masters of cooking.

© gouriguha 2013