Back with a Bang!..No wait…another recipe.

Oh I know, its been ages since I blogged. It wasn’t ‘coz I wasn’t cooking! Au contraire, I even cooked my first ever Pongal (The Tamil harvest festival) day meal for my in-laws complete with two types of Pongal, gothsu, vada, vazhakkai podimaas, and rasam!Did I just hear a “Hallelujah!”, sistah?

I am back to blogging at the behest of some friends (you know who you are 🙂 )and encouragement (read nagging!) from hubby dear. Life had been hectic last year with some unfortunate things going on for me…so I decided to take a “sabbatical” from my virtual kitchen.  But here I am, back to writing about some of my adventures (and misadventures) in the exotic world of food. What better way to restart this journey than with one of my all-time favorite dishes-appalapoo kootu (mini dried lentil chips deep fried and simmered in lentil sauce). As most of y’all might have guessed (or known) by now, me and the Mister (!) don’t exactly meet eye to eye on lots of dishes (like many other things) and this ranks in the top 10. That’s ‘coz he likes his appalams crispy while I like them in any form!

I make this dish whenever I miss my mom. Whenever I had a rough day at school or wasn’t feeling up to it, it was like she somehow sensed it without me having to tell her. That evening a piping hot appalapoo kootu used to await on the table to lift up my mood! Mothers, I tell ya!! This dish is made using mini appalams and that’s why the name appalapoo (mini appalam).

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you - The most amazing comfort food ever -Appalapoo Kootu

Appalapoo  – 8-10 nos (if using appalam, 3-4 would be sufficient)

saunf (fennel seeds) – 1.5 tsp

onion, small, finely chopped – 1/2 no

garlic, medium – 2 pods (optional)

toor daal-1/2 cup

turmeric-1/4 tsp

salt-as per taste

Water – 1.5 cups

Oil- for frying

For the tadka:

Mustard seeds-1 tbsp

red chillies, dried-2

hing-1/4 tsp

curry leaves-7-8 nos

Oil-2 tsps

Pressure cook the toor dal with garlic and turmeric in 1 cup water. Mash and keep aside. Fry the appalams/appalapoo in oil. In case of appalams, crush them to get bite-size pieces.Crush the fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle to bring out the oils.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, hing, saunf and onions. Add the curry leaves and red cillies as well. Saute till the onions turn translucent. Now add the toor daal along with salt followed by the appalapoo. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Serve hot with rice and rasam or some spicy tamarind-based curry. N hear yourself say “Ha..life’s good!”.

On an aside, I baked this cake for some friends and they assumed it was store bought. I hate blowing my own trumpet (yeah right!) but just couldn’t resist it this time!

Our friends couldn't see the back of the cake..now you know why they refused to believe!

It was a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting based on Ina Garten’s recipe.

5 Minute home-made pizza-Deliciozo!!

I love hosting dinners and lunches at home. The feeling of having your friends surround you, hearing stories about home, talking about home is just precious. Everytime we have friends over, I try to come up with atleast one new dish. Well, in a sense, apart from hubby dearest, they too become guinea pigs to some of my culinary adventures. Till a few weeks ago, we met up with our friends every weekend incessantly. Just like the soaring temperatures in the month of Kathiri (the hottest period in Summer in TamilNadu), our ‘eating-out’ expenses soared sky-high! So we decided to have them over for a weekend to work on a cultural event. As usual I decided to come up with something…I decided on the 5 minute home-made pizza slices as a evening snack. This was something I saw on Sandra Lee’s show.

Although I am not a major fan of making something out of processed food, I don’t mind it on such occasions as it reduces the time of preparation and allows more time to spend with friends. But sadly, our friends left soon after lunch that afternoon(after having been subjected to the horror of 3 meals at my hands!). So the following week, I decided to try the dish on my favorite (‘coz most of the times, the good man that he is rarely complains!) guinea pig…hubby dearest. His reaction was a smack of the lips and followed by a “Bellissimo!”.

Here goes the recipe for this easy-breezy, lip-smacking snack.

Pillsbury crescent roll-1 pack

Pasta sauce-1/2 cup

Black Olives, sliced – 3-4 nos

Roasted/Fresh red bell pepper-1 no

Mozzarella Cheese, grated-1/4 cup

salt-as per taste

red chilli flakes-as per taste

oil-1 tsp

Heat oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or just a dab of cooking spray. Thaw the crescent rolls as per instruction. Separate the individual rolls and lay them out on the baking sheet in their triangular shape. Spread a few drops of oil on the crust. Then spread a spoonful of the pasta sauce followed by the grated cheese. Lay the vegetables on the sauce. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or till the crust turn golden. Garnish with chilli flakes. Serve hot.

Pilsbury Reduced fat Crescent roll-$3.40, pasta sauce-$3.49, Part Skim shredded mozzarella cheese-$5.49, Expressions on your hubby's face after the first bite-Priceless 🙂

Low fat black bean soup

As most of you might have guessed, my husband and I are gourmands which is great for our taste buds but not so wonderful for our waist line! 😦 But since our families back home are extremely health-conscious, we sometimes feel the guilt of not following their lead. Those are times when we try our ‘diet-foods’. But sadly, these bodhi-esque moments don’t last too long! And our taste buds are back to having a PAARTAY!

One such moment happened to me sometime ago. That’s when I decided to get inspired by my BIL who has lost loads of inches and looks absolutely fab! All you single girlz out there–watch out ;). We started out on a week’s diet of soups for  lunch and dinner, much to the chagrin of hubby dearest! And finding soups that are low in cal is not too difficult. The previous week, a friend of mine had a black bean soup at a nearby sandwich chain. Since I was in no mood to eat (which doesn’t happen very often), I skipped even tasting it. So I decided to make my own version of the black bean soup. We discovered to our utter delight that its a simple, extremely low cal and amazingly comforting dish.

For four large servings:

Black beans-1/2 cup

onion, medium, chopped-1/2 no

tomatoes, medium, chopped-1 no

corn-1/4 cup

green chillies, chopped-2 nos

cilnatro, chopped-7-8 sprigs

cumin powder-2 tsps

chilli powder-1/2 tsp

salt-to taste

Soak the black beans in water for atleast 8 hours(preferably overnight). Pressure cook all the ingredients except the cumin, chilli powder and salt. Once cooked, add the powders, salt and water (if the consistency is too thick). Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or till it comes to a boil.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt (I substituted it for the sour cream that was served in the restaurant) and fresh mint leaves.

Apart from the nutritional value of this dish, the flavor of this dish is so simple, mild and refreshing.

Chatti Masiyal/Peerkangai Masiyal(Bottle gourd in tangy sauce)

Peerkangai (bottle gourd) has never been on the top of my favorites list. My mother had to tempt me to eat this rather bland veggie using different dishes or just good combos that go well with this dish(so that she can coax me into eating this masked by the other nicer dishes around). Some of these dishes were kootu, thogayal(with the skin) or an occasional(oh by that I mean, once or twice a year!) deep fry with bengal gram.

Soon after my wedding, one morning my mother-in-law announced that she was making a dish with this vegetable.  I neither wanted to eat this vegetable nor tell her I didn’t like it , for the fear of hurting her feelings. So I decide to gulp it and put on a smiling face – till she served it on my plate. Boy oh boy, was this dish great or WAT! I was so completely in love with peerkangai from then on! But sadly, I forgot to get the recipe or even the name of the dish, during that trip.

Recently, when I started finding good(oh yeah, they are mostly in their stale dried best!) peerkangai in the nearby Indian grocery store, I decide to make this delightful dish. I thought I had to first ask for the name of the dish from my hubby before asking my MIL for the recipe for ‘that dish with peerkangai which was heavenly’! The name was-brace yourselves- ‘Chatti Masiyal'(Paste in a pot!). After a few mins of good laugh, I called my MIL and asked her for the recipe.

Here it goes:

Peerkangai, meduim, diced-2 nos

Bengal gram(kadalai paruppu)-2 tbsps

coriander seeds(dhania)-2 tsps

red chillies-4 nos

tamarind pulp-1/4 cup

turmeric-1 tsp

salt-as per taste

For tempering(thadka):

Oil-1/2 tsp

mustard seeds-1/4 tsp

curry leaves-5-6 nos

Asofoetida-a few dashes

Dry roast the bengal gram, coriander seeds and red chillies. Allow it to cool and grind it to a smooth powder. Pressure cook the peerkangai along with turmeric in some water till tender. Mash the vegetable a little. Add the ground powder along with salt and tamarind pulp and some water to get the consistency of thick sambar or pancake batter. Allow the sauce to simmer on medium heat. Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Add the tadka to the sauce and serve with rice and appalum.

A pukka tamilian meal complete with rice, masiyal, poriyal and appalum

P.S: For all ya sistah out there with an absolute distaste for this veggie, try this dish with the red chillies and tamarind turned up a notch than what’s given in the recipe – oh I can already hear you gushin’ about it!

Vegetable Puffs – The round-the-corner bakery delicacy

Evenings in Chennai were always  special. They marked hots days coming to an end welcoming the cool, gentle breeze from the sea. The hustle-bustle of kids coming back from school, men/women returning home to their family after a long day’s work, the sweet smell of freshly tied malli-poo(jasmine flowers), freshly brewed filter coffee(my neighbors ground and brewed coffee every evening at the stroke of 4!) and piping hot tea were a few things that made the evenings so memorable. Another distinct aroma that wafted through the crowded streets was that from the little bakery that was situated at almost every other street corner. Each served wonderful little cakes, pastries and these savory treats called vegetables puffs. We had one such ‘ginger bread house’ (my friend and I christened it so as they serve some amazing masala bread with a powerful ginger flavor) close to our house.

During my first year of undergraduation, my friend and I, went to this ginger bread house almost every evening and shared a puff. The reason was simple, we got off our college bus at 5.30 p.m , right in front of the bakery and that was when the baker pulled out a fresh batch of puffs from the oven every evening. Who could resist those crispy, flaky, tasty little bites..we didn’t have that kinda will power then (I still don’t!)?!

A few years ago, I discovered that we could make this perennial favorite snack right at home. And it turns out to be a hit every time I serve it. Its simple and superb and a party favorite! Need I say more? 🙂

To make 9 small puffs:

Pepperidge farm frozen pastry sheets, thawed – 1 sheet (of 1 pkg)

For the stuffing:

Potatoes, large, diced-1

ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp

carrots, diced-1

peas, shelled-1/4 cup

onion, medium, chopped-1/2

chilli powder-1.5 tsp

garam masala-1/4 tsp

besan(chickpea flour)-1 tsp

salt-as per taste

Oil-1/2 tsp

Preheat the over to 400F.

Heat oil in a pan. Saute the onions with the ginger-garlic paste. When the turn translucent, add the besan and saute for a couple of minutes on low heat.

Now add the potatoes, carrots and peas. Cover and allow it to cook. Now add the salt, chilli powder and garam masala.Add water if the mixture is too dry. Cover for 2-3 minutes. Mash the vegetables a little till the mixture becomes a little ‘pasty’.

Lay out the puff pastry sheet and cut it twice along the folds (breadth wise) to get three strips. Cut each strip into three divisions(each piece almost forms a square). Place a little stuffing at the center of each pastry piece. Dab the edges of the piece with water and seal either forming a triangle (like a samosa) or a rectangle.

Place the puffs on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Serve these delectable snacks with tomato ketchup. All that you will hear, after serving these would be, ‘mmmmmmmmm’s!

Make it, serve it, flip you hair and go “Idhu eppadi irukku?”! (‘Howzzaat’-A dialogue made famous by the popular south Indian actor Rajnikanth.)

Kathirikkai Masala(Eggplant in gravy)

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. How do I like it served, you ask? Any which way, of course!I can eat it in the form of poriyal or sambar, kuzhambu, gothsu, stir fry, eggplant parmigiana or even baba ganoush! Now, if only the same applied to my better-half…life would be just perfect! Sigh, that’s not to be. So I gotta make the amazing vegetable such that he too eats it without a grimace. Thats why I started making this great dish.

Back home, my MIL makes a similar dish that’s as divine as this one, the only difference being, her’s is a dry dish(the masala is stuffed into the eggplants and then cooked).  This is close to the famous Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan. The only other time I have had this wonderful dish was at a Hyderabadi friend’s place (can it get more authentic than than!). It was her first time cooking for a large group (of 6) and her first time as a bride inviting friends and husband’s colleagues over to her place. But she amazed us all not just with her food(and the variety) but also her composure. I would have been a nervous wreck! You go gurl!

Recently we had friends over and I wanted to make something south Indian(and not the usual fare of sambar, rasam etc) so I decided to make this yummy dish (only to realise later that of all the 6 people gathered, 4 disliked eggplant!). I was glad atleast, they had the gravy to relish!

I love Kkkkkk...kathirikai masala(a la SRK in Darr, you silly!)

Eggplants, small, stem removed, slit in four-5-6 nos

coriander seeds-1 tbsp

channa dal-1.5 tsps

cumin seeds-1 tsp

Fennel seeds(saunf)-1/4 tsp

red chillies-4-5 nos

fenugreek seeds-5-6 nos

sesame seeds-1 tbsp

peanuts-1 tbsp (I used roasted salted ones)

ginger, chopped-1.5 tsp

garlic, chopped-1.5 tsp

onion, medium, chopped-1/2 no

curry leaves-6-7 nos

tamarind pulp-1/2 cup

turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Salt-as per taste

Oil-2 tbsp

water-as required

Heat a few drops of oil in a pan. Roast the corianded seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, red chillies, fenugreek seed(add this at the end as it darkens soon) and saunf. Allow it to cool down. In the same pan, roast the sesame seeds and peanuts(if they are raw). Add this to the coriander seed mixture and grind to a smooth powder. In the same pan, in a few drops of oil, saute the ginger, garlic and onion. Once this cooks and cools down, add it to the ground powder and grind into a smooth paste.

In the rest of the oil, saute the curry leaves and eggplants till they are almost cooked/tender. Add the ground paste to the pan along with turmeric powder and salt. Add water to loosen the paste and cover, allowing the eggplants to cook completely. Now add the tamarind pulp and bring to a boil.

Sambar, avial, kathirikkai masala and saadam make a superb southern Indian platter, doesn't it?

P.S: Sometimes I add a clove and a 1/4″ cinnamon to the masala to be ground. It just add to the ‘masala’esqu flavor of the curry. You can also add a little jaggery while adding the tamarind pulp to give it the edge!

The Veggie Masaman curry

Thai food is something both my husband and I are addicted to. As a matter of fact, I am yet to come across someone who doesn’t like this wonderful cuisine. The only problem we have with the cuisine is the addition of the fish sauce in most dishes. I try to make some of the dishes we enjoy the most at home to avoid a big hole in the pocket as well 🙂 . The Masaman curry turned out pretty good. Duh! Its got coconut milk, peanuts, potatoes and lots more delicious flavors make any dish..hmm…dishy;) ! So here goes the recipe for the ever-so-loved Masaman curry.

Mmm..looking at the picture make me long for some thai food rite now!

Potatoes, cubed-2 nos

capsicum, julienne-1

galangal/ ordinary ginger- 1.5 inch

garlic, big-3 cloves

turmeric powder-1 tsp

onion, medium, chopped-1/2

coriander seeds-2 tbsp

peppercorn-1 tsp

red chillies-1 no(add 2 more for a hot masaman curry!)

cumin seeds-1 tsp

Soy sauce-1 tbsp

coconut milk-1 cup

water-1/2 cup

peanuts, crushed-2 tbsps

Oil-1 tsp

Scallions-to garnish

In a heavy bottomed pan, saute the coriander and cumin seeds. Add the peppercorn and the red chillies and keep sauteing for a couple of minutes. While this cools down, saute the ginger, garlic and onions in few drops of oil. Grind all of the above ingredients with turmeric powder and little water into a fine paste.

In the remaining oil, saute the onion, capsicum. When the vegetables are almost done, add the ground paste and saute for about 5 minutes on medium heat(to prevent burning). Add the soy sauce and water. Allow it to come to a boil. Now add the coconut milk and crushed peanuts. Bring it to a boil. Garnish with scallions.

I had no tofu at home, so skipped this amazing ingredient. If you have some at home, feel free to cube them and add them along with the paste.

Serve with some hot basil fried rice.

Served with some thai basil fried rice(made with jasmine rice)

American Chopsuey-A truly desi dish with a firangi(foreign) name

American chopsuey is probably one of the most ordered Indo-chinese dishes in India, after manchurians, hakka noodles and fried rice. Its crunchy texture mixed with the sweet-tangy sauce must make this dish an absolute favorite among the masses. There was a phase when everytime I stepped out for Chinese with friends/family in India , I would order this dish or convince another member in the group to order it and grab a few spoonfuls!

Surprisingly this dish isn’t available in America….how weird is that! I for one think the name could have been something like Cantonese Chopsuey or Indian chopsuey. There are an almost similar dish served in some restaurants across the U.S with a crisy noodle base with sauce on top but nothing compares to the American chopsuey thats served back home.

My mom once made this dish at home and it turned out great. I have been wanting to try this dish by myself  for a while now. And that’s what I did.

For the noodles:

Chang’s Veg noodles-2 packs

Cooking spray/Oil

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking tray(cookie sheet) with aluminium foil. Break up the noodles and spread it on the cookie sheet. Drizzle/spray oil on the noodles and toss well to cover all the noodles with oil. Bake the noodles for 5 minutes, remove from oven and toss the noodles again to bring the ones at the bottom to the top and bake for 5 more minutes or till slightly golden/browned. Keep aside.

For the vegetables:

Carrots, julienned-2 nos

Green Beans, an inch long pieces-1/2 cup

capsicum/bell pepper, medium, cut lengthwise-1 no

mushrooms, sliced-6-7 nos

cabbage,medium ,cut lengthwise-1/s no.

Garlic, chopped-2 nos

spring onion/scallions-5-6 nos

oil-1/2 tsp

salt-as per taste

pepper-2 tsps

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic and the white ends of the scallions. Add the carrots, beans, mushroom and capsicum. Saute for a few mins till they are cooked but still crunchy. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper. Stir and keep covered for a minute. Turn off the heat and keep aside. Reserve the green ends to garnish the chopsuey after assembly.

For the sauce:

Tomato ketchup-1/4 cup

soy sauce-2 tbsps

garlic chilli sauce-1 tbsp

garam masala powder-2 tsps

cornstarch/cornflour-2 tbsps

water-2 cups

In a pan, combine all the sauces, garam masala and water. Bring it to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in little water and add it to the mixture just as it starts to boil.

To serve, place the noodles in bowl, top with the vegetables and sauce. Garnish with the green end of the scallions.

Kathirikkai gothsu-The soulmate of Venn Pongal

Venn(white) Pongal is one of the most sought after breakfast items in most Tamilian homes. Nothing beats a breakfast of hot delicious venn pongal with hmm..chutney..yeah, alrite, sambar..uhh..okkay, what about gothsu? Oh yeah! Truly, pongal and gothsu is a divine combo. When my now-husband-then-fiance moved to the place I lived in, he had asked for the Pongal-gothsu combo for breakfast! When I served him his favorite breakfast that morning, a silence had descended over the table. There was a tension in the room-me with my fingers crossed about how he liked the food and my roommates standing behind the kitchen wall waiting for the final verdict. And at last, after 5 whole nail biting moments came the “Rombo nalla irukku”(its very good). A Wheh! escaped my mouth while a chorus of girlie giggles and “Ooooohos, Aaahaas”(an exclamation of praise but in this case said just to embarass the two of us!) emanated from behind the kitchen wall.

Anyhow, this winning combo has been served for years at home. It always evokes many fond memories about home and about dear ones. Here goes the recipe for what gives venn pongal its spunk 🙂

Awww...such a heavenly union, don't ya agree?

Brinjal, small, quatered-5-6 nos

Moong dal-1/4 cup

onion, medium, chopped-1/2 no

tomato, medium, chopped-1 no

green chilli, slit-1 no

curry leaves-5-6 nos

tamarind pulp-1/4 cup

sambar powder-1/2 tbsp

tumeric powder-1/4 tsp

mustard seeds-1 tsp

channa dal-1/4 tsp

hing-a pinch

salt-as per taste

oil-1 tsp

cilantro-few sprigs for garnishing

Cook moong dal in 3/4th cup water and a pinch of turmeric. Mash and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds, add the channa dal, hing and green chillies. A minute later, add the onions. Saute them with a pinch of salt till they turn translucent. Now add the tomatoes and chopped brinjals and saute for a couple of minutes. Now add the sambar powder and tamarind pulp. Add water and cover for a few minutes.

Finally add the mashed moong dal. Boil for 2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with pongal.

P.S: Chopping the brinjal just before sauteing is good. Also, keeping the chopped brinjal in bowl of water stops them from darkening.

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian, fried rice, hakka noodles are probably some of the most sought after and extremely popular Indo-chinese dishes. In chennai, other than the specialty Chinese restaurants even the specialty restaurants in Southern Cuisine/ Northern Cuisine serve these dishes . As a kid, we rarely went to a Chinese restaurant or ordered chinese foods, thanks to the ajinotomo(MSG)-is-carcinogenic rumor of the 90’s in India. My mom insisted on making these dishes at home than having them at any restaurant so that she can control what goes into the dishes. Once in a while, when a cousin visited from abroad, all of us cousins would sneak out to Rangis or Dynasty(these were some of the very few specialty Chinese restaurants in the city in the early 90s) for a yummy Chinese Meal.

A couple of weeks ago, we were inviting some friends over for dinner and I decided I was going with a Asian-cuisine(Ind0-chinese and Thai) fare. The menu included Tofu-lettuce wraps,vegetable fried rice, gobi manchurian,thai spicy peanut noodles,green curry with veggies and tofu,sticky rice with mangoes and a non-alcoholic mangotini(mango martini). Food apart, the meal turned out be so much fun. I should admit that the mess in my kitchen seemed staggering but thanks to my hubby everything was set straight in the matter of minutes(or what seemed like minutes to me 😀 ). Although I came up with the menu, a dear friend helped me so much with the cooking(she made the fried rice and lent a hand in almost everything I made that evening). Thanks M…you are just amazing, girl!

Today I thought I shall post the recipe for gobi manchurian, although thousands of recipes for this dish have been posted, shown on TV, written in books-I felt I should share my version.

The time-tested tasty gobi manchurian

Cauliflower, medium sized, broken into individual florets -1

corn flour-1 cup

maida-3 tbsp

salt to taste

ginger garlic paste-1.5 tsps

kashmiri red chilli powder-2 tsps

Oil-3 tbsp

water-1/4 cup

Cook cauliflower florets in a pan filled with water. Sprinkle a tsp of salt in the boiling water. Drain and keep aside.

In a small, slightly deep pan heat oil(small,deep pans require less oil but of course take a longer time!). Mix all the above ingredients, except the cooked cauliflower, with 1/4 cup water to make a slightly thick batter(the consistency should be watery than that for bajji). Dip the florets in the batter and fry. Keep these aside.

For the gravy:

Garlic, chopped-3 nos

Green chillies, chopped-2 nos.

ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp

soy sauce-2 tbsps

tomato ketchup-3 tbsps

chiili sauce(Sriracha does a great job)-2 tbsps

water-1 cup

cornstarch-2 tsps

spring onion(scallions), chopped-3 nos

oil-1 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic, green chillies, white end of the scallions. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute  for a minute. Now add all the sauces and water. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tbsp water. Add this mixture to the sauces. Just as it starts thickening, add the fried florets. Garnish with the chopped, green end of the scallions. Serve with plain or fried rice.

P.S: Thanks SJ for the pictures, I didn’t even have to use Picassa to edit them. I think you are soooo ready for a SLR!

The green spring onions against the orange manchurian and the placemat make a beautiful pic, doesn't it?

On an aside, I found some interesting titbit about the origin of the Mighty Manchurian. It was the ingenious brainchild of the father of Indo-Chinese food, Mr. Nelson Wang(who runs an restaurant called China Garden in Mumbai). This dish supposedly came into existence in the mid 70’s in Kolkota. Read more about it here.