The month of ORANGE with Kanchkola-r kofta

This is the month of Orange. It is nothing like any of the other months of a "normal" calendar. It has nothing to do with the wind or the sun or the flowers..its just "in the air". As I look outside my window , its ORANGE. As orange as can be.

I look inside the room and the orange is there too.........

Yes, football is in the air. As the European cup continues, there are mixed discussions around--some animated, some indifferent, some definitely interesting. Honestly I do not have much "feel" or "understanding" or "passion" for the game itself but I have started enjoying the "ambience" it generates. During the month of Orange, the way houses are decorated here, the way people (offcourse the football fans!) dress themselves , the way even small school children (who cannot even spell football) "discuss" the game --is amazing. Its like everyone is in a festive mood, the football festival!
I started this post when Holland was still very much in the game. The excitement brushed on to me and I started writing this post. However, the speed of the post decreased somewhat afterwards due to the fact that I spent most of my blog-writing time watching football. After a few ups and downs in my football-family-life, I picked up the pen again. But during this time, lot of things have changed in our lives.

• The Orange team has "dropped out" of the European cup.

• We have had three evenings of mourning at home. Shock followed by sadness followed by silence!

• The little boy is hopelessly lost in the logic of "How can a team who had reached World Cup finals not reach European Cup QUARTER FINALS?"

• The orange T-shirt has gone to the washing machine and no one in the house is asking about it anymore.

• The little boy ( dil pe pathhar rakh ke :With a stone on his heart) has decided to support Germany, yes, GERMANY! (ssshhhhh).

• I have more time to blog!

I also had more time to cook.

 "Kanchkolar Kofta" 
Koftas are quite common all over India. However, this version of kanchkolar kofta is typically part of the bengali cuisine.  Most of the elaborate "niramish" (vegetarian) Bengali dishes are quite time and energy consuming, this being one of them. The preparation time is actually orders of magnitude longer than the actual cooking time. But the delicious final product makes up for all the hard work. So give it a try......

You need:
Kanchkola: 4       (Raw banana--unripe)
Potatoes:    1  (for kofta)
Potatoes:  2 (cubed for the curry)
Tomatoes: 1  (chopped)
Onion     : 1 small finely chopped (optional)
Ginger paste:  1 tsp
Green chillies : 2 (finely chopped)
Flour : 1 tbs (for binding)
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
Bayleaves: 2
Oil (for cooking)
Ghee ( for flavour) : 1 tsp (optional)

Boil the bananas and the potatoes. Its easy to peel them after boiling.
Mash them together, and mix the onions, half spoon of ginger paste, green chillies and salt. Add a spoonful of flour.Make small balls and deep fry them till they are golder brown in colour.
Keep aside.

In a non stick pan, put the oil and let it heat up. Add  2 bay leaves and 1 tsp whole cumin and a pinch of asafoetida. Add the cubed potatoes and fry for 2 mins. Then add the ginger paste, chopped tomatoes and garam  masala powder. Add salt, turmeric and one tsp of sugar. Cook for a while and pour 2-3 cups of water. Let it cook for a while till potatoes are nicely cooked but there should be enough water in the curry.(the reason is that the koftas absorb a lot of water). Add the ghee and switch off the heat.
Now arrange the koftas in the serving plate (preferably a shallow bowl) and gently pour the curry on top.
Enjoy with rice.