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Bengali cuisine is an eminent part of the Indian culinary culture. From spicy Machher Jhol to the simple Begun Bhaja, Bengali cuisine is diverse and elegant in its own way. The reason behind this diversity in the regional cuisine is the influence of various legends who were as passionate about food as they were for their area of work. From the colonial rulers to the regional phenomenons, every person has been fascinated by Bengali cuisine and tried to recreate their versions of the same dishes.
One such phenomenal influence has been that of Shri Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore, a great food connoisseur, brought menu cards of all the places he used to travel to experiment with those dishes by adding an Indian zaika. One such dish is the famous ‘Thakurbarir Keema’r Doi Bora’. As mentioned in the exercise book ‘Thakur Barir Ranna’ by Purnima Devi, Keema’s Doi Bora is usually a dish made by replacing the regular vadas in dahi vada with minced meatballs.
Here's how you can make the simple delicacy at home:
INGREDIENTS
• 400 grams minced meat, without the fat (beef/mutton/chicken)
• 100 grams onions, chopped
• 100 grams boiled potatoes, peeled
• 5-6 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 ½ tsp shahi garam masala powder
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• Salt, according to taste
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp tamarind chutney
• 1 tbsp mint chutney
• 3-4 mint leaves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp Bengali roasted masala
• ½ tsp sugar
• Oil, for frying
Image source: The Kolkata Buzz/Facebook
1. Add yogurt, mint leaves, roasted masala, salt and sugar to a bowl and mix to combine well. Keep it in the refrigerator before preparing the meatballs.
2. Heat a pan and add some oil to it. Add half of the onions and green chillies and saute till the onions are golden brown.
3. Next, add the minced meat and the shahi garam masala along with salt and pepper powder and stir well to combine. Don’t forget to break the meat lumps.
4. Cook the meat on medium heat till its tender.
5. Once the meat is dry, transfer it to a bowl and allow it to cool.
6. Transfer the meat mixture to a grinder jar and blitz until the mixture is completely smooth.
7. Add the minced meat, boiled potato, the beaten egg and the rest of the onions and green chillies to a bowl and bring it to a dough-like consistency.
8. Divide the dough into medium-sized balls and deep fry them until they are crispy.
9. Place the meatballs in your serving bowl and top them with the chilled yogurt followed by the chutneys before serving.
If you are a vegetarian, you can add soybean chunks instead of meat to make the dish. You can also drizzle some ghee before adding the yogurt mixture to the final dish to add more flavours to it.
