“Winter is coming” has a different connotation in Bangladesh. Forget the swords and the sandals – when the mercury drops, we’re reaching for our benaroshis and sherwanis instead. That’s right; the wedding season is here. If there’s a wedding scheduled in the family, you can expect an endless stream of hungry people will be passing through your home like a pack of Dothraki marauders. If you’ve managed to avoid drowning under a sea of invites and obligations, the smell of the feasting is bound to make you crave some good old biyebari eats. Either way, Turtleboo has you covered.
Khandani Chicken Roast
Ingredients:
6 whole chickens - go for the expensive lean, local variety, not the fat farm chicken, which is more meat than flavour
6 tbsp poppy seed (posto dana) paste
1 kg yoghurt
1 cup caramelized onion (bereshta)
2 cups fresh onion, chopped
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp ginger paste
A few drops of rosewater for fragrance
A tiny pinch of saffron for flavour
4 cinnamon sticks
5 black cardamom (elaichi) pods
4 green cardamom pods
3-4 cloves
½ cup ghee. Also known as bhalobasha
½ cup oil
Lime or lemon to taste
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
Whole green chilli
Raisins and chopped almonds (optional, if you’re feeling fancy)
Process :
Lazy chefs, unite! Blend onion, garlic, ginger, and sugar together, with as little water as you can, to maintain the integrity of the paste. In a high pot, heat up oil and ghee, add cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, and gently introduce the sweet ginger-garlic paste. Once the mix is looking golden, add the poppy seed paste. Stir well, and then add caramelized onion paste and introduce the chicken and the masala mix. Stir it like you’re inciting your Unsullied troops to battle, and resist the temptation to add more water. I promise this is the only time you have to use elbow grease.
Once the ingredients in the pot are well mixed and turning light brown, add salt. Lower the heat if the chicken starts to stick. Again, resist the urge to add water. When your chicken is golden, remove from heat and add yoghurt. Mix it up and put the pot back on low heat, and cover and let simmer. It’s perfectly okay if the yoghurt gets curdled; it will still taste good.
When your chicken looks golden, with a lot of yummy gravy, add the lime juice and chilli pepper. Depending on your spice tolerance, you can go for a whole chilli, or split if you want to bring the heat. The dominant flavours would be slightly sweet and buttery, with just a hint of tang from the lime. This is a good time to toss in the almond paste and raisins if you want to be fancy. Add the rosewater and saffron, give it a good stir, and turn off the heat. Keep the cover on while it’s still hot, so that the chicken is cooked through.
Time-saving Tikias
Kababs are very versatile. You can have them by themselves, with biriyani, between two pieces of bread the next day, or even chappatis when you’re hungry or hungover. This next recipe is so easy you can actually make it when you’re hung over. (Please don’t)
Ingredients :
½ kg minced chicken or beef (keema)
4 tbsp Shaan kabab masala
2 cups caramelized onion
2 tbsp ginger paste
A few sprigs of mint leaves
Process:
When you’re buying the keema, go for the kind that has a little bit of fat in it. Mix all the ingredients well, and add salt only if you like it extra salty; usually, the kabab masala itself is salty enough. Scoop bits of the mixture and hand roll them into flat saucer shapes (although you could get creative and do fancy shapes if you feel like experimenting).
In shallow oil fry them till the meat is cooked through. For best result dust or singe flour on the raw kabab and then fry or bake.
Shahi TukraTurtleboo style
This delectable treat is not for the faint of heart. The shahi dessert to end all desserts…and diets.
Ingredients:
Ghee on full volume
6 slices white bread cut in any shape you want
1 can condensed milk
1 ltr milk
Tiny pinch of saffron
Pine nuts, pistachio and raisins depending on your desired level of fanciness
Process:
Simmer milk and condensed milk. When it becomes thicker, remove from heat and add saffron.
Fry the sliced bread in copious amounts of ghee, until it turns golden and crispy. Arrange the sliced crispy bread in a dish, pour the sweet milk mixture on top, and add the nuts and raisins to garnish.
