Pur bhora kumroni
Bangali has always been cliched with “maach bhat”(fish rice). But, beyond maach bhaat, there are such wonderful “ma thakumar niramish ranna” which are classics of Bengali cuisine. Shukto, dhokar dalna, aloo posto, chhanar dalna, chochoris, batas are to name a few. Then off-course there is beguni, kumroni and many more quintessential Bengali fritters. Today’s Bengali cuisine has gradually evolved from what it was earlier. Some of the modernization of the classic dishes have proved to be even better than the original. Pur bhora kumroni is a result of one such evolution which I came across during the last “onusthan bari” I attended in Jalpaiguri. The stuffing of paneer and posto elevates the kumroni to another level. Hence, thought of replicating the dish from my memory and relying on my taste buds. But, I must say that the kumroni I prepared was similar to what I had tasted. Here goes the recipe!!!
Some tips and tricks to prepare and serve the best kumroni
When you prepare such fritters as kumroni, care must be taken to slice the kumros as thin as possible. Remember, not to stuff the kumroni a lot, else they might open up while frying. Do, not prepare a very thin batter else there might be no besan sticking on the surface of kumro while frying. And off-course the most important point, serve them hot. They, like any other fritter loses their crispiness once they become cold.
Cuisine: (Bengali)Indian
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Servings: 12 pieces
Ingredients
- 24 pieces of thinly sliced kumro
- 100g of chenna
- 1 ½ tablespoons of posto or poppy seeds soaked in water
- ½ teaspoon of poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of kalojeera/nigella seeds
- 2 green chilies
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup of besan
- 1 tablespoon of corn flour
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon of red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
- Oil for frying
Directions
- Mash the chenna with your hands till it becomes smooth.
- Make a paste of the posto and the green chilies and keep them aside.
- In a kadai add about 2 tablespoons of oil. As the oil heats up add the kalojeera to the kadai.
- Now add the posto bata to the kadai and keep stirring continuously.
- Add salt to the kadai and continue cooking the posto on medium flame till most of the water has evaporated.
- Now, add the chenna to the kadai and cook everything together for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool. This is the filling of the kumroni.
- Mean while cut the kumro in thin slices and keep it aside.
- In a bowl, take the besan, cornflour, turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of poppy seeds. Now add water to the bowl to make a uniform, lump free batter. The batter should not be thin, else it will not coat the kumro. I added about ½ cup of water.
- Now, take on slice of kumro and spread the filling evenly. Do not add a lot.
- Now, take another slice of the kumro and gently press the slice on top of the other slice.
- Prepare all the kumro this way. Your kumronis are ready to fry.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Now, take the prepared kumronis, coat it with the batter and gently drop the kumronis in hot oil.
- Fry the kumronis on medium low flame.
- Once, one side of the kumroni is fried, gently flip the kumroni on the other side.
- After the kumroni is fried properly on both the sides, remove it from the oil and keep it aside.
- Similarly, fry all the kumronis and serve the kumronis hot with kasundi.
Notes
- Donot cook the chenna for a long time else the chenna will turn hard.
- Do not add a lot of the filling else the kumroni will open up while frying.
Step by step instructions to prepare pur bhora kumroni
Mash the chenna with your hands till it becomes smooth.
Make a paste of the posto and the green chilies and keep them aside.
In a kadai add about 2 tablespoons of oil. As the oil heats up add the kalojeera to the kadai.
Now add the posto bata to the kadai and keep stirring continuously. Add salt to the kadai and continue cooking the posto on medium flame till most of the water has evaporated.
Now, add the chenna to the kadai and cook everything together for 3-4 minutes.
Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool. This is the filling of the kumroni.
Mean while cut the kumro in thin slices and keep it aside.
In a bowl, take the besan, cornflour, turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of poppy seeds.
Now add water to the bowl to make a uniform, lump free batter. The batter should not be thin, else it will not coat the kumro. I added about ½ cup of water.
Now, take on slice of kumro and spread the filling evenly. Do not add a lot. Now, take another slice of the kumro and gently press the slice on top of the other slice. Prepare all the kumro this way. Your kumronis are ready to fry.
Heat oil in a pan. Now, take the prepared kumronis, coat it with the batter and gently drop the kumronis in hot oil.
Fry the kumronis on medium low flame. Once, one side of the kumroni is fried, gently flip the kumroni on the other side.
After the kumroni is fried properly on both the sides, remove it from the oil and keep it aside. Similarly, fry all the kumronis and serve the kumronis hot with kasundi.
Thank you for stopping by. If you like the recipe do not forget to hit like. If you prepare this dish and publish your photos on Facebook and Instagram do tag #theepicureanfeast. Also for queries, you can mail me epicureanfeast2019@gmail.com
