A traditional take on Durga Puja recipes

Discover divine flavours with these Puja recipes crafted by the talented chef, Banefus Gomes of the Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre. Experience the essence of tradition on your plate.

KORAISHUTI'R KOCHURI (LUCHI)

Ingredients

For the dough —

150g maida (all-purpose flour)

3g salt

7g sugar

15ml vegetable oil

75g warm water

150g green peas (shelled)

3 green chillies

4g salt

3g sugar

10g vegetable oil

¼ tsp kalo jeera (nigella seeds)

½ tsp hing (asafoetida)

10 g ginger paste

½ tsp cumin powder

¼ tsp coriander powder

Oil for frying

Method

In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, 3g salt, 7g sugar, and 15g oil. Add warm water and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, shell the peas and drop them in a saucepan of boiling water. Cover and cook until the peas are soft (about 3 minutes). Strain and transfer to a grinder jar. Add green chillies, salt, and sugar. Blitz to a fine paste, scraping sides and adding a little water, as needed.

In a small bowl, combine the ginger, cumin powder, coriander powder, and 1 tbsp water to form a paste. Set aside.

Heat 10g oil in a pan. Temper it with kalo jeera and hing. Add the ginger, cumin, and coriander paste, and fry for 2 minutes. Now, add the ground peas. Sauté on medium heat for about 6 minutes until the mixture dries out and gathers around the spatula in a lump. Set the filling aside to cool. Divide the dough in 25g portions and the filling in 10g portions. Oil the rolling pin and surface well. Roll the kochuris with a gentle hand, applying even pressure, to a diameter of 14 cm. Lower it into hot oil (200°C). Gently press down to allow the kochuris to puff up. Fry both sides evenly until golden. Drain from the oil and serve hot.

ALU POSTO

Ingredient

300g potatoes

35g poppy

½ tsp black cumin seeds

2 green chillies

1 dry chili

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

50ml mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Soak 3 tablespoons white poppy seeds in ¼ cup water. I usually soak the poppy seeds overnight, so that the grinding is easier. Otherwise, they don't grind well. If you forget the soaking, then soak at least for a couple of hours in warm water.

After overnight soaking, use a fine mesh strainer and drain all the water. Add the poppy seeds to a small chutney grinder. Add 2 green chillies and 1 tablespoon water. Grind to a fine paste. Add more water if required while grinding.

Next, rinse, peel, and chop 2 large potatoes (300g potatoes). Heat 2 tablespoons mustard oil in a pan and let it smoke on a medium flame. Lower the flame and add ½ teaspoon black cumin seeds. Stir and sauté the nigella seeds for a few seconds. Add the chopped potatoes.

On a low flame sauté the potatoes, stirring at times, until they are half done or they become faint golden from the edges. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder all over the potatoes. Turmeric powder is optional and you can skip it. Mix very well.

Add the poppy seeds paste and two whole green chillies. Scrape all the poppy seeds paste from the grinder jar. You can even rinse the jar with some water and then add the water to the pan. Mix again. Now, add ½ to ⅔ cup water. The amount of water required depends on the consistency you want. Usually, alu posto has a dry to semi-dry consistency, but for a gravy consistency, you can add some more water. Stir very well.

Season with salt. You can also add sugar if you want. Add about ¼ teaspoon sugar or as per your taste. Mix very well. Cover the pan with a lid and on a low flame simmer till all the water dries up and the potatoes are cooked. The poppy seeds paste will also cook by then. Do not overcook the potatoes. Do check a couple of times when the potatoes are cooking. If the potatoes are undercooked and the water has dried up, then you can add some water. The consistency should dry and there should be no water in the pan. The poppy seeds paste will also coat the potatoes.

While serving you can place some fresh green chillies if you want as a garnish or serve alu posto plain with some steamed rice.

BENGALI HILSA PULAO

Ingredients

For fish —

 4-6 pieces ilish (hilsa)

 ½ cup chopped onions

3 tbsp onion paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp red chilli powder

2-4 green chilli

¼ cup mishti doi (sweetened yoghurt), whisked well

1 cup coconut milk

 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1 tbsp salt

For polao rice —

2 cup or 500g (basmati or Gobindobhog)

1 cup coconut milk

1-2 green chilli

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1 tsp salt

 3 cup warm water

Whole garam masala

1 bay leaf

2" cinnamon stick

4-5 green cardamom, crushed

5-6 clove, pounded

Method

Wash and clean the rice. Then soak it in water for 20 mins. Begin with this step so that by the time the fish is done, the rice will be ready to cook.

The cooking begins with ilish. Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a deep-bottomed wok and fry chopped onions until the onions turn translucent and pale golden.

Add onions, ginger, and garlic paste with red chilli powder and fry until oil separates. Sprinkle water in between if required. Once masala is ready add whisked mishti doi, salt, and stir well to mix with the masala.

Pour half of the coconut milk and stir quickly to incorporate everything. Add raw fish pieces into the gravy very carefully in a single layer without overlapping the fish. Add green chilli and cook for 4-5 mins, depending on fish size. Flip ilish pieces gently as it is extremely delicate and fragile.

Add the rest of the coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes with cover or until the fish is cooked thoroughly.

Once done keep the fish covered until needed. Otherwise, the gravy will be dried out. Now, it's time for the rice. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and add whole garam masala to tamper oil. Add half of the gravy from ilish along with warm water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add previously soaked rice into the mixture and let it cook for 10-12 mins. Or until the rice is half cooked. Add coconut milk, and salt and cook with cover for another 10 mins. Arrange the ilish pieces on a bed of rice and pour the gravy on it. Add green chillies. Cover and cook for 5-7 mins on simmer. Once done, remove from the flame but keep the Ilish polao covered. Only remove the lid once ready to serve. Enjoy!

Photos: Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre