Babar Rannaghor

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐢 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲
𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒉. 𝑽𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒕𝒚. 𝑼𝒏𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒊.
Baba’s totka. My kitchen. Our recipe.

𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

🦐 Prawns — 300g, deveined and cleaned
🟡 Turmeric powder
🧂 Salt
🧅 1 large onion — blitzed to a fine paste
🌶️ Green chillies — to taste, blitzed with onion
🫚 Ginger paste
🟡 Turmeric powder — for the gravy
🌶️ Red chilli powder
🌶️ Kashmiri red chilli powder — for colour
🥛 Coconut milk — 250ml, divided into 3 parts
🥛 Yogurt — 100g, beaten smooth
🫙 Mustard oil
🫙 Ghee — for tempering and finishing
🍬 Sugar — a pinch
🌿 Garam masala — to finish
𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
Dried red chillies · Bay leaf · Cardamom · Cloves · Cinnamon

RECIPE
1. Clean and devein the prawns. Coat with salt and turmeric. Set aside.
2. Blitz one large onion and green chillies to a fine paste. Beat the yogurt until completely lump free. Divide coconut milk into 3 equal parts.
3. Heat mustard oil on medium flame. Once it smokes, lower the prawns in gently. Fry for about 1 minute only — no more. Remove immediately and keep aside. Do not discard the plate — the juices matter.
4. Add ghee to the same oil. Temper with dried red chillies, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.
5. Add the onion paste and sugar. Fry on medium for 7–8 minutes until the onion turns brown and the raw smell is completely gone.
6. Add ginger paste. Fry for 2–3 minutes. Add turmeric, red chilli powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder. Stir intermittently so the spices don’t catch the bottom.
7. Add the first part of coconut milk. Stir, cover and cook until oil separates.
8. Add the second part of coconut milk. Stir, cover and cook until oil separates again. Drop the heat. Add the beaten yogurt and stir vigorously — keep stirring so it doesn’t split. Cover and cook until oil separates once more.
9. Add the fried prawns along with all the juices from the plate. Let everything bubble together. Add the third and final part of coconut milk. Cover and cook for 4–5 minutes.
10. Finish with garam masala and a spoon of ghee. Switch off the gas.
Serve with steamed rice.

𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝. 🥘

This is the kind of food that makes you want to eat with your hands.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 — 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒
𝑽𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 — 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈
🥔 Potatoes — 2
🫑 Pointed gourd (potol) — 5
🍆 Small eggplant (begun) — 2
🫘 Beans (borboti)
🧅 1 large onion — julienned

𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒂 (𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍)
Besan, kalonji, chilli powder, turmeric, salt, baking soda — mixed with water to a thick paste

𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆
Kalonji — 1 tbsp
Hing — pinch
🌶️ Green chillies — 3, slit
🫚 Ginger garlic paste — 1 tbsp
🟡 Turmeric — 1.5 tsp
🌶️ Chilli powder — 1 tsp
🌀 Cumin powder — 1 tbsp
🫙 Mustard oil

𝑻𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉
Bhaja masala · Fresh coriander · Bengali ghee

PART 2 — RECIPE
1. Make the bora first. Mix besan, kalonji, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and baking soda with water into a thick paste. Shallow fry in mustard oil until golden and crisp on both sides. Keep aside. Use the same oil for the chocchori.
2. In the same mustard oil on medium heat, add kalonji and let it splutter. Add slit green chillies. Add julienned onion and sauté until soft. Add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes.
3. Add vegetables one by one — hardest to softest. Potol first, then potato, then begun, then borboti. After each addition, cover and cook for 4–5 minutes on medium flame before adding the next.
4. Once all vegetables are in, add turmeric, chilli powder and cumin powder. Mix well.
5. Add warm water based on how much gravy you want. Potato absorbs a lot — always add a little more than you think you need. Cover and cook on medium until everything is fully done.
6. Add the bora, bhaja masala and fresh coriander. Add Bengali ghee generously. Cover and cook on low for a final 2–3 minutes.
Serve with freshly cooked hot rice. Gorom gorom bhaat. That is the only way.

𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭 — fry prawns in mustard oil with turmeric, red chilli and salt. Add them in with the bora at the end. Same dish, completely different level.

𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚. 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭. 🩷

Niramish, quick, and genuinely one of my favourite things to make when I want something simple but not boring.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 — 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒
For 7–8 parathas
🩷 1 medium beetroot — pre-cooked, diced
🥔 2 small potatoes — boiled and mashed
🧅 Onion — raw, chopped
🌿 Fresh coriander — chopped
🫚 1 inch ginger
🌶️ Green chillies — to taste
🌱 Kaalo jeere
🤏 Hing — a pinch
🫙 Vegetable oil
🧂 Salt
Dough
Protein atta + maida — 3:1 ratio
A little oil
To serve
Yogurt + mint coriander chutney

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐 — 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐄
1. Dice pre-cooked beetroot. Sauté with ginger and green chillies in a little oil. Cool completely then blend to a smooth purée.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add kaalo jeere and a pinch of hing. Add the beetroot purée and reduce on medium heat until mostly dry but still slightly moist — you’ll need that moisture for the dough.
3. In a bowl combine protein atta and maida in a 3:1 ratio with a little oil and salt. Add the beetroot purée, boiled mashed potato, raw chopped onion and fresh coriander. Knead into a soft dough — don’t make it tight.
4. Divide into equal portions. Roll thin — thinner than a regular paratha. Cook on a hot tawa with oil. Flip when golden spots appear. Cook both sides.
5. Serve hot with cold yogurt and mint coriander chutney.
The contrast of warm spiced paratha against cold yogurt is the whole meal. Simple, filling, completely vegetarian.

𝑃𝑟𝑒－𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒．𝐼𝑓 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑎𝑤 — 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜．



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𝐏𝐚𝐛𝐝𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐡𝐨𝐥. 🐟

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 — 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒
🐟 Pabda fish — cleaned and cut
🟡 Turmeric powder
🌶️ Red chilli powder
🌀 Cumin powder
🫚 Mustard oil
🌱 Kaalo jeere (nigella seeds)
🌶️ Green chillies — slit
🫚 Ginger paste
⚫🟡 Black + yellow mustard seeds — soaked 30–60 mins in warm water, ground and sieved
🥔 Potato — cut long
🍆 Brinjal — cut long
🫘 Dal er bori
🌿 Fresh coriander

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐 — 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐄
1. Marinate pabda with turmeric and salt. Set aside.
2. Soak black and yellow mustard seeds in warm water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Grind to a fine paste. Sieve it — keep only the smooth liquid. This keeps the jhol runny and light.
3. Heat mustard oil until smoking. Lower heat. Fry bori until golden — keep aside. Fry potato until lightly done — keep aside. Fry brinjal until just coloured — keep aside. Fry pabda gently, one minute each side — keep aside. All in the same oil.
4. In the same oil, add kaalo jeere. Let it splutter. Add slit green chillies, then ginger paste. Add the spice powder mix — turmeric, cumin powder, red chilli. Add a splash of warm water so the masala doesn’t burn. Cook on medium until the oil separates.
5. Add the sieved mustard paste(baba’s secret). Stir and cook for a minute. Add fried potato, brinjal and bori. Pour in warm water for the jhol. Add salt as per taste.
6. Gently lower the pabda into the jhol one by one. Do not stir. Boil on medium for 10–12 minutes. Watch for the jhol to turn bright yellow — that’s when you know the turmeric has cooked through.
7. Turn off the heat. Finish with fresh coriander.
Serve with plain white rice. That’s it. That’s the meal. 🐟

𝑷𝒂𝒃𝒅𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒃 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒉𝒐𝒍 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌.



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𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. 🍛

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 — 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒊 𝑫𝒊𝒚𝒆

🫘 Moong dal — 2 fistfuls
🫚 Mustard oil
🫚 Ginger paste — half inch
🟡 Turmeric, red chilli powder, jeera powder — 1 tsp each
🥦 Cauliflower, 🥕 carrot, 🟢 peas
🥥 Grated coconut — 2 tbsp
🍅 Half tomato — chopped
🌶️ 2 slit green chillies
🟤 Whole garam masala — cinnamon, cardamom, cloves
🍃 Tej pata + 2 dry red chillies
〇 1 tsp whole jeera
🫙 Ghee + fresh coriander to finish

𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔
🥔 Potatoes — thinly sliced
Turmeric, red chilli, salt, mustard oil

𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝑫𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒂
🫘 Masoor dal — soaked 2 hours
Green chilli, ginger, chopped onion, coriander, besan, kalonji, hing, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, hot mustard oil

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐 — 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐄

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒍
Dry roast moong dal until colour changes. Wash. Pressure cook 3–4 whistles — soft, not dissolved. Make a slurry with ginger paste, turmeric, red chilli and jeera powder. Sauté cauliflower, carrot and peas in mustard oil. Keep aside. Bloom whole garam masala, tej pata, dry red chillies, green chillies and jeera in oil. Add coconut, stir until colour changes. Add slurry and tomato — cook until oil separates. Add vegetables and dal. Boil, then medium heat for 10 minutes. Finish with Bengali ghee and coriander. Low heat, 5 more minutes.

𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔
Thinly slice potatoes. Marinate with turmeric, red chilli, salt and mustard oil. Air fry at 170° for 7 minutes.

𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝑫𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒂
Grind soaked masoor dal with green chilli and ginger — thick consistency. Mix in chopped onion, coriander, besan, kalonji, hing, turmeric, red chilli, salt and a little hot mustard oil. Shallow fry or air fry until golden.

Serve with rice. Eat slowly. Then sleep. 😴
This one is my father’s. Some recipes you don’t change — you just keep making them

In most homes, it's Maa in the kitchen. In ours, it is Baba.
Babar Rannaghor is not just a recipe page. It is a conversation between a father and his daughter, told through food.
Baba spent his career in a transferable job — which meant Maa held the kitchen and the family together, across cities and years. He always loved food. But the kitchen was her domain. Then he retired. And unlike many retired men who find their days in adda and afternoon naps — Baba walked into the kitchen and never left. He started learning from Maa. Slowly, seriously, joyfully.
This page is my attempt to document that journey. His slow-cooked Bengali classics meet my air fryer and busy weeknights. My modern shortcuts meet his decades of instinct and love. We are, in the best possible way, teaching each other.
Some recipes here are old Bengali classics. Some are dishes from other parts of India that found their way into our home. All of them carry Baba's touch — a pinch of curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and an enormous amount of love.
From Baba's Rannaghor to mine. His kitchen to my air fryer. His wisdom to my weeknights. His love passed forward, one recipe at a time. 🍲