Chhanar koptakari

Bong Eats’ chhanar koptakari places raisin-centred chhana koftas in a ginger-and-cumin-spiced gravy. The publisher describes the Bengali dumplings as light and fluffy, soaking up the sauce.

In this selected from-scratch version, vinegar is stirred into milk as bubbles begin appearing at the pan’s edges. The pan is taken off the heat, covered and left to stand before the separated curds are strained.

Salt, sugar, cumin, coriander, turmeric, gorom moshla, chopped green chillies, ghee and maida are mixed into the same curds. Each portion encloses a raisin, is flattened into a disc and fries brown in mustard oil.

A retained portion of the same frying oil is tempered with whole spices for the gravy. Potato cubes fry golden with part of the gravy salt, tomato softens, and a separate ground-spice slurry cooks before ginger paste and gorom moshla follow.

Hot water forms the gravy, followed by its remaining salt and sugar. The same koftas are lowered gently into the boiling sauce and simmered without vigorous stirring, then finished with ghee and gorom moshla.