Beguni/Baingan ka pakora/Aubergine Fritters/ – Snack for all seasons and on a rainy day say ‘Aha!’ while eating it

Beguni or the North Indians like to call this Baingan ka pakora is all about Tele Bhaja in a Bengali tone and something deep fried in a regular way so to speak.

“What’s in a name”, that’s more corresponding in a Shakespearean style. After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Phoolkopi Pakora/Cauliflower Pakora/Deep fried cauliflower fritters – Snack -- go easy who is health conscious

Before the Phoolkopi/cauliflower season could just go…though most of the vegetables can be found all through the year…but the seasonal ones taste good, I decided to make these pakoras for the evening snack.

Fish Cutlet – Goody Goody Snack, Tasty Starter and…nothing fishy about it…

The aroma filled the room. When J, my friend visited that evening she couldn’t resist her temptation as the house was filled with the aroma that was cooking in the kitchen.

“What’s that happening in the kitchen? Ki sugondho, kisher go (what an aroma that has spread all around. What’s it from)”.

“Bosho, tomar share pabe (I’ll give you a share)”, I said giving her a sly wink.

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.

Jhal Muri/Tel Muri Cheena Badam aar Kancha Lankar Saad/Swaad – Call it Snack or Name it Time- Pass…

Jhal Muri

Always thoughts splash the mind while writing something. At times the write-up can be under the literary category, sometimes a short story can pop-up, maybe a political or social article or something under the category of FOOD, which is the one I’m concentrating on for now.

When writing about food the area is so vast, and, this area has caught up with people who love to eat, cook and invite people to their home to eat, (of course relish) their home-cooked food. This is not for the fancy of getting heaps of praises on the back (maybe so heavy to carry, just joking), but all for the sake of love for Food.

Jhal Muri is such a common preparation. Jhal Muri eaten from the filled-up paper cone sold out by the hawkers mostly in places that attract a lot of people, has a taste and smell of its own. The man, why did I say The Man, for till now I’ve not seen women selling Jhal Muri, maybe I’m wrong…

The Jhal Muriwala is mostly found carrying his ware from one place to another like a bird perching from one tree-top to the next destination.

For a Jhal Muri preparation it’s so simple that as the thought crosses the mind, spend a couple of minutes and there you have it for self and others at home.

Jhal Muri Snack/Time Pass

Jhal Muri

Muri/Musmus/Puffed rice is the main ingredient

Mustard oil few drops, the pungent smell of the mustard oil wraps in the entire flavour.

Salt

Roasted peanuts

Green chillies chopped

Ginger finely chopped

Onion chopped finely

Potato chips or even some mixture added will enhance the taste.
When all are mixed, aha, what a taste!

Such a simple thing yet the evening cup of tea and jhal muri can make a good pair.

© gouri guha