Bangladesh Meat Dishes

Kalia

Ingredients

• Meat 2 lbs
• Oil 1/2 cup
• Onion paste 1/4 cup
• Ginger paste 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste 2 tsp
• Turmeric paste 2 tsp
• Chili paste 1 tsp
• Cumin paste 2 tsp
• Coriander paste 2 tbsp
• Ground pepper 1 tsp
• Cinnamon 3 1" sticks
• Cardamom 3
• Bay leaf 1
• Potatoes 1 lb

Directions

Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Mix all the ingredients except potatoes with the meat and half of the oil. Cover the meat with an equal amounts of water and cook under medium heat. When the water has evaporated, stir fry the meat for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, and cut them into large pieces. Fry the potatoes in the rest of the oil until they start turning brown. Add the potatoes to the meat and stir fry them a bit longer, making sure that the potatoes and meat do not start breaking apart. After about 15 minutes, add a bit more water to dissolve the spices that may be sticking to the pot and cook covered in medium heat for another 10-15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, keep covered on low heat for another few minutes.

Prawn Curry

Ingredients

• 1 lb prawns
• 5 green chilies, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 small bunch spring onion leaves, cilantro leaves
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste

Directions

Clean the prawns in salt water to avoid the smell of the prawns (if it bothers you..) Heat oil in a pan. Add green chilies, onions and fry until brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, spring onion leaves, cilantro and fry for some more minutes. Then add tomatoes, prawns and cook until they are done. Add salt, chili powder, garam masala and fry for 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Makher Taukari
(Fish Curry)

Ingredients

• Fish 1 lb
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
• Turmeric 1 tsp
• Garlic 1 tsp
• Oil 1/4 cup
• Onion, diced 1/4 cup
• Green chili 2 or 3
• Salt 1 tsp
• Tomatoes Optional
• Cilantro, (chopped) Optional

Directions

Sitr fry onion in oil until translucent. Add garlic and stir fry until the garlic starts to turn brown. Add all the spices and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add the fish and carefully fry each side for a 2-3 minutes. Add enough water to just barely cover the fish. Put in the green chili and tomatoes. Cook covered in medium heat until done. Add the chopped cilantro and keep covered for 5 minutes before serving.

Fish Dopeeaja

Ingredients

• Fish (preferably small, cut into small pieces)  1 cup
• Sliced onions: 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder/paste (red) 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder/paste 1 tsp
• Onion paste 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste 1/8 tsp
• Pepper paste 1/4 tsp
• Shredded dhania leaves (cilantro) personal taste
• Onion leaves 2 tbsp
• Oil 1/3 cup
• Salt 1 tsp
• Tomato (tomatoe for Dan Quayle) 2 medium

Directions

Works best with small fish. Out here in the land of non- Bangladeshi fish, try shrimp or any fresh-water fish cut into very small pieces. After heating the oil add all the powder/paste spices and fry for a couple of minutes. You might add a little bit of water if you are using powders only. Make sure you don't burn the spices. (Include the onion paste) Add the shredded onions and the fish. Add 1/2 cup of water and the salt. Cover the dish and cook at medium-hi heat. When the water has almost evaporated, add tomatoes, cilantro, and the onion leaves. Heat under low-medium heat till the oil starts to float.
You are done, now eat. :-)

Bhapa Ilish Patey
(Fish)

Ingredients

• Hilsa Fish - 600 gms
• Turmeric Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard Seed Paste - 40 gms
• Green Chilli Paste - 20 gms
• Green Chilli Slit - 4 nos
• Cream - 25 ml
• Mustard Oil - 75 gms

Directions

Cut the hilsa fish into darnes and wash well in cold water.
Apply turmeric and salt on the fish and set aside for 20 minutes.
Blend together freshly ground fine mustard paste, green chilli paste, oil, cream and turmeric powder (1 tsp).
Dip the pieces of marinated fish in this masala and put in the steaming casserole of the pressure cooker.
Pour four cups of water in the cooker and bring to a boil. Adjust the steamer casserole and steam under simmering temperature for 8 minutes. Take off the fire and release the steam.
Serve hot with boiled rice garnished with slit green chillies.
(Serves - 4) Serves: 4
Preparation time: 1 hour

Fish in Mustard Oil

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg fish, sliced
• 3 potatoes, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• 100 gms mustard oil, heated and cooled
• Salt to taste

Directions

Mix the onions, potatoes, chilies, turmeric and salt with the fish. Put all these in a pan with the mustard oil and just enough water. Cook on a low heat, stirring carefully without breaking the potatoes and the fish slices. Cook gently until the fish is cooked and browned and when done, remove from heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Reshmi Kabab

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless chicken
• 4 medium sized onions
• 2" ginger
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1 tsp cummin (jeera) seeds
• white pepper to taste (1 tsp.)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 eggs
• salt to taste
• for garnish: lemon and spring onions

Directions

Mince the chicken. Grind all ingredients together except eggs and salt. Mix in the eggs and salt. Shape into sausages, put on skewers and cook over charcoal fire or in rotisserie until tender. Garnish with onions and lemon.

Tikya Kabab

Ingredients

• 1 oz (25 g) channa dhal, split
• 8 oz (225 g) fatless stewing steak
• 1 brown cardamom, ground
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, chopped&
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper,
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ghee or oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or parsley
• fine breadcrumbs

Directions

Soak the dhal overnight, then boil in twice its volume of water. Strain off any excess water. Put the meat, onion, ginger, garlic and spices through a mincer. Mix well and add salt to taste. Add the dhal to the mixture, and fry in a little ghee for 20 minutes. Add a *little* water if it dries up too much. Leave aside for about 3 hours or overnight to thicken and dry. The next day, or when ready, add the egg yolk, and, if it doesn't hold together, add gram flour to thicken or water to thin. Add fresh coriander or parsley. For Seekh Kebabs roll mixture in breadcrumbs to sausage shapes. Skewer them and cook over charcoal (best), under the grill, or fry in a frying pan. For Shami Kebabs, roll into balls, coat in breadcrumbs and deep-fry.

Vindaloo

Ingredients

• Meat 1 lb
• Vinegar 2 tbsp
• Coriander paste 1 tsp
• Cumin paste 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric 1 tsp
• Mustard 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder 2 tsp
• Black pepper 1/2 tsp
• Diced onions 1/4 cup
• Diced garlic 1 tsp
• Green chili 3
• Salt 1 tsp
• Oil 1/4 cup

Directions

In hot oil, stir fry the onions and garlic. Add the spices and vinegar and stir fry for 5 minutes in medium-high heat. Add the meat and cooked covered in medium heat until meat is tender. You might wish to evaporate excess water.

Chicken Makhani

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of (bony) chicken
• 1 cup yogurt (dahi)
• 1" piece of ginger
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 4" stick of cinnamon
• 8 cloves
• 8 cardamoms
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 tbs oil
• 2 1/4 pounds tomatoes
• 1 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
• 1 tbs. white pepper powder (essential)
• 1 ounce cream (optional but recommended for a touch of class)
• 1 !!pound!! butter. You can get away with 0.6 lb if 1 lb is too much.
• salt to taste if you use yellow butter, then scale down the salt accordingly. If you use white butter, then you will need more salt.
• coriander (cilantro): optional topping.

Directions

1.clean chicken and remove the skin
2.make a smooth paste of yogurt, garlic, ginger, lime juice, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, peppercorns and the oil. Marinate the chicken in this for 6 hours.
3.Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 250 F (130 C). Put it aside. It kind of makes sense to finish steps 1-3 before starting step 4.
4.We need to get a tomato sauce. Cut tomatoes, put 'em in a pan (no water) and boil. When the quantity has dropped by half, strain through a fine sieve. What comes out of the sieve is the tomato sauce. (This is hard work with a clumsy sieve).
5.Take a pan, start heating the sauce, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the white pepper powder, salt, fenugreek leaves and cream.
6.Mix the chicken pieces into this sauce. You may like chopped coriander (cilantro) as topping. Serve hot. This works best with good rice (i.e. basmati). CommentsIf you don't like struggling with chicken bones, this recipe works perfectly with boneless chicken. You need to estimate how much boneless chicken to use: I guess 2 pounds of chicken is around 1.25 pounds of boneless chicken.

Fish Do-peAjA

Ingredients

• Fish (preferably small, cut into small pieces) 1 cup if
• Sliced onions: 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder/paste (red) 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder/paste 1 tsp
• Onion paste 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste 1/8 tsp
• Pepper paste 1/4 tsp
• Shredded dhania leaves (cilantro) personal taste
• Onion leaves 2 tbsp
• Oil 1/3 cup
• Salt 1 tsp
• Tomato (tomatoe for republicans) 2 medium

Directions

Works best with small fish. Out here in the land of non- Bangladeshi fish, try shrimp or any fresh-water fish cut into very small pieces. After heating the oil add all the powder/paste spices and fry for a couple of minutes. You might add a little bit of water if you are using powders only. Make sure you don't burn the spices. (Include the onion pastes) Add the shredded onions and the fish. Add 1/2 cup of water and the salt. Cover the dish and medium-hi heat. When the water has almost evaporated, add tomatoes, cilantero, and the onion leaves. Heat under low-medium heat till the oil starts to float. You are done, now eat. :-)

Comments
Among the fishes available in a typical grocery store, catfish is best suited for Do-peAjA. Shrimp is great too.

Rezala

Ingredients

• 750 g lamb/mutton/beef
• 500 g yoghurt
• 100 g ghee
• 100 g sliced onions
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Directions

Heat ghee in a pan, add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamoms, and sauté.
Add sliced onion and fry for a few minutes, add garlic paste and chilli powder and sauté.
Add mutton and fry for a few minutes.
Add salt and sugar to taste.
Gradually stir the yoghurt.
Put the lid on and leave to cook.
If water dries up add a little water.
Cook till water dries up and ghee comes on top
Serve hot with rice or parota.
Great with polao, salad and/or porata.