La Al Burto

I am not a professional cook or a qualified chef, but I like to cook. I like it because I like to eat food. After eating only I would pass a judgment if it was up to my taste or not. I never call any food as bad. What I may not like someone else might like. It’s matter of individual taste. There are few other possibilities; someone may not have done a right job. The method and ingredients might not have been right. So why blame the food? Cooking is now my passion, and I encourage everyone to try to it out, even to those who hate cooking. I have a friend in USA who does not cook for an excuse that I could never imagine in my life. The only excuse she does not cook is that the carpets in her house absorb the fumes and the house stinks. What an excuse and what a word to use for aroma of the food. Some use a very common excuse of paucity of time. But if one plans well cooking can be over in few minutes. Well everyone has some reasons to hate cooking and I never challenge them. It’s the way they think and they have the right. We all are different, someone listens to music to sooth the nerves, someone smokes to relieve the tension, someone is at feet of some Baba to restore lost confidence there are thousands of way to find solace. I find it when I cook. During my two months holiday in USA in 2000, I travelled through USA only by surface transport, rail and road. Met large number of friends across the country, Enjoyed their hospitality. All of them went out of the way to make my stay comfortable. I had to offer something from side and what I offered in return was cooking my signature dishes with available ingredients for them. I would ask them to shelve their plans to take me out for a dinner and in return I would prepare my signature dishes for them and their friends. It was very satisfying and soothing. Not everybody can do it or should do it. I did because I liked it.

Spicy boiled and mashed potatoes

My job took me entire India and to very large number of countries around the world. I would never miss an opportunity to learn local cuisine wherever I went be it a roadside vendor making Litti in Patna or Cajun Style Dirty Rice from a Chef in leading Restaurant in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. I would even teach Indian dishes to the chefs of the hotels where I stayed abroad. It started in 1985 when I taught Upama and basic curry to the Chef of Hotel Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. Indian restaurants had not mushroomed in that era as they are today. Another lesson was to my Bangladeshi friend, Manzoor’s wife Maya, who was fond of Dasa and wanted to learn the same. In return I got a recipe from each one of them. Let’s see what Maya taught me. It’s very simple, fast to make and healthy dish. I consume it as a snack while it’s an accompaniment for rice for Bengalis and for rotis or Litti for Bangladeshi Biharis.

Aloo Bhurta Bangali Style

Let’s see how it’s made. Take 3 or 5, medium or small size potatoes; if you are in US then you can take one large size Russet potato. Prick with fork or a knife at few places. This helps to release the steam that gets generated within when it’s been microwaved. Cover potatoes with plastic wrap and microwave on high for four minutes. I would suggest turning over once after about two minutes. Press a potato gently with thumb; if it’s soft then it’s done. If you feel it is still uncooked then micro for another minute or so. Generally four to six minutes are enough. Be careful when you press the hot potato, you may dip your thumb in cold water before you press the potato. Do it your way but be careful.  Allow to cool for a while. In case if you don’t want to use microwave then you can boil the potatoes (of course without plastic wrap), but it takes longer time. Peel the potato and mash. Be careful when you handle a hot potato. You can do it as stupidly as your boss does it when you get pixxxd off or you can do it as wisely when your subordinates are unreasonable with you. Joke apart, be careful. Chop few coriander leaves, about one tablespoon of chopped leaves are fine. Keep aside. In small yoke or a kadhai heat about 30 ml or two tablespoon of Mustard oil. Yes, mustard oil. Don’t raise your eyebrows. The mustard seeds are a source of this oil. The same seeds are used to make mustard sauce that you have when you buy a sandwich in fast food joint. Source and caloric values are same. Once oil is heated add about quarter teaspoon mustard seeds, let splatter, switch off the gas, add one fourth teaspoon of turmeric powder, haldi. Pour this over the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle one sachet of red chili flakes that you might have in stock when you got your last pizza, else you can use chili powder or flakes to your taste. Add salt as needed. Mix well with a spoon as the tempered oil must be hot. Garnish with coriander leaves. Bengalis like it in a shape of ball (God knows why?). You may or may not do that. I take this stuff for my evening snacking. Remember baked potatoes are very healthy and you don’t have to worry about carbs. Try out. It takes less than 10 minutes by watch and is done by the time you download two songs (of course legal downloading). Enjoy.

Ingredients for Aloo Bhurta

I have made variation of the above recipe. I call it La Al Burto. A name with Spanish touch as this recipe will be appreciated in Mexico also. There is no oil, no tempering in this variation. All that you have to do is to add a teaspoonful of your favourite pickle in the mashed potatoes, along with chopped coriander leaves, chili flakes and salt, which you will have to adjust as the pickle that you are adding has already some extra salt. Mix well and give any shape that you desire and enjoy. This goes very well with white wine or white rum, though I don’t recommend alcoholic beverages. Good recipe when you want to save on gas and use microwave only.

PS: If the bhurta is little dry, as it depends how long the potatoes had taken shelter in your or grocer’s shelf, as that affects the moisture contents. You may thus sprinkle small quantity of water or add oil as per your taste to make the bhurta moist. Enjoy.