Chatpata Soya

I have had a soft spot for the Soya Chunk Curry from the time I was a little girl. All my life I heard my mom call them Nutella. This was synonymous with the brand that was making them. Back in those days, several of my South Indian friends would refuse to even try this thinking it was meat.

 I simply love the juicy chunks specially when it oozes out the tasty gravy when you bite into them. I am partial to the spongy texture of the Soya chunks. And its a good source of protein. Though as a hard-core meat person, I don't have to resort to Soya chucks for my source of protein :-) .

I eat it simply because I love it...

So here is how I make it.

You need the following ingredients :-

• Soya Nuggets :- 250 Grms
• Onion :- 1 big. Chopped.
• Garlic :- 4 to 5 pods. Crushed
• Tomatoes :- 2 small or 1 big
• Ginger :- 1" piece. Grated.
• Garlic :- 3 to 4 pods. Crushed.
• Turmeric Pd:- 1/2 Tsp.
• Cumin Pd :- 1 tsp
• Chilli Pd :- 1 tsp.
• Garam Masala Pd :- 1 Tsp
• Pepper Pd :- 1 Tsp
•  Salt :- As per taste
• Sugar (Optional) :- 1/2 tsp
• Coriandar Leaves :- 2 Tsp Chopped

Preparation Method :-

1. Soak the soya chunks in hot water for a couple of hours. Drain the water and squeeze the water out of the chunks. Keep it aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a kadai and add the chopped onions and till translucent.
3. Add the ginger and garlic. Continue frying.
4. Add the tomatoes and try till they are mushy.
5. Add turmeric pd, Chilli pd, Cumin powder and the Garam Masala pd.  
6. Stir well. Add a few spoons of water in case the Masala is burning.
7. Once the Masala is well fried, add the Soya Chunks and mix it well with the Masala.
8. Add the pepper powder and Salt. Mix well.
9. Add 1 cup of warm water and cook for a few 5 minutes. 
10. Add the Sugar and mix well. 
11. Garnish with coirandar leaves. 

Gurer Payesh

Winter is the perfect time in Kolkata for indulging in food. Nolen Gur (Freshly made date Jaggery) is awaited with bated breath and along with it comes a wide array of Misti’s ( Sweets ) to tantalize your taste buds. The Probashi ( Non-resident Bengali’s ) Bengali’s like me wait for our quota of the Patali Gur ( solidified date Jaggery ) which typically is bought back by friends visiting Kolkata during the winter months.  

I got lucky this year. Thanks to a colleague from Kolkata and courtesy the FedEx network, a nicely packed box of the golden slabs made its way to my kitchen.

A Birthday celebration is incomplete without the traditional Payesh in a Bengali household and it is a ritual to feed the birthday boy or the girl with a bowl of the traditional Chaler (Rice) Payesh.  The Gur had arrived just in time for Mr. J’s birthday and made it possible for a Birthday breakfast of Luchi and Payesh.

 

You need the following to make Payesh :- 

• High fat milk      :- 1 Litre
• Bay Leaves        :- 3 No.'s
• Cardamom        :- 5 No's, powdered.
• Dry Fruits          :- 1/2 Cup ( Mixture of Cashenuts, Raisins, Almonds)
• Patali Gur          :- As per your taste.
• Rice                  :- 1/2 Cup. I have used Gobindo bhog variant from Kolkata

Method :-

1. Boil the milk is a heavy bottomed vessel. Keep stirring at occasionally to make sure that the milk does not burn at the bottom.
2. Add the cardamom and the bay leaves. Continue boiling.
3. Once the volume of the milk is reduced to almost 3/4 of the original volume, add the rice. I have used Gobindo Bhog rice which has a beautiful aroma. In case I run out of stock, I resort to using Jeera rice ( found in Bangalore )
4. Add the dry fruits.
5. Keep stirring occasionally.
6. Cook slowly till the rice boils.
7. Once the rice boils completely, add the Jaggery. the amount will depend on your taste.
8. Mix well. Boil till it thickens a little more.
9. Garnish will sliced almonds.

Notes :-

• Add the Jaggery only after the rice cooks completely. Adding Jaggery will arrest the boiling of the rice.
• The Jaggery is tested before use else it might curdle the milk and spoil the dish. To test, simple take a few spoons of the boiling milk into a small bowl and add a little bit of the Jaggery. Mix it and leave it for a few minutes. Check if the milk has curdled.

Kamranga ( Star Fruit ) Chutney

As a kid I loved any thing sour. We lived in a township admist with all kinds of flora and I remember a neighbor having a star fruit tree which would constantly get raided by us kids. Looking back I don't know how I managed to bite through this juicy and sour fruit ( We wouldn't exactly wait for it to ripe you see...)

Like many other fruits this has also become a rarity in Bangalore. Thanks to my mom's neighbor we managed to get some of these star fruits, fresh from their farm.  I can no longer dare to bite into them like I used to...hence decided to make a traditional chutney out of it.

Chutney is a very summery menu in a Bong household. A typical watery and sugary affair is a definite entity in my mom's kitchen during the summer.

But I have chutney through the year....

You Need :- 

1. Kamranga ( Star fruit ) :- 4 No.
2. Oil :- 3 tbsp ( I have used mustard oil)
3. Dried red Chilli :- 2 No.'s
4. Panch Phoron :- 1 tsp
5. Salt :- 1/4 tsp
6. Fennel Seed :- 2 tsp (dry fried)
7. Sugar :- as per taste
8. Turmeric Powder :- 1/4 tsp
9. Lemon Juice :- 1 tsp

Preparation Method :-

1. Heat the mustard oil in a Kadai.
2. Once the oil is hot and smoky, add the panch phoron and dried red chilli. Fry for a few minutes
3. Add the diced Kamranga and the turmeric powder and the salt. Fry for 5-10 minutes. Cover the           kadai and cook till the Kamranga is well cooked. Add a little water of necessary.
4. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Cook till the sugar is completely melted and the chutney starts       to thicken.
5. Add the fired fennel seeds and the cutney is ready to serve.

Spinach (Palak) Soup

My day is incomplete without my early morning bowl of Spinach Soup.......

 Unlike thousands of people across the globe, I was never addicted to coffee or tea. My morning would begin with a glass of warm water and the rest of the day was filled with some arbitrary binge. Needless to say that I was over weight ( I still have a few more kilos to shed )  and just about did any thing any one would say that would help me loose a few pounds. Aerobics, walking, gyming and dieting...I tried it all. some were more successful that the others but unfortunately did not last for long. Promptly I gained back the pounds that I lost within a short period of time. 

I had almost resigned to my fate of carrying my extra pound when I chanced upon a colleague at work who seemed to have have lost about 40 kilos and was looking quite trim when compared to his earlier rolly polly self. He set me up with his dietitian who changed the way I think of food.

This soup is one of her magic potions which I luckily fell in love this. I cannot imagine starting the day without my dose of spinach soup.

Preparation Method

You Need..

1. Spinach ::- 1 bunch ( 500 Grms )
2. Onion :- 1 Big
3. Tomato :- 1 Big
4. Black Pepper :- 10 - 12 No's
5. Garlic :- 10 Pods
6. Cinnamon :- 1 Inch
7. Cloves ;- 5-6 No's
8. Lime :- 1/2
9. Salt :- To Taste

Method :- 

1. Clean the spinach thoroughly and put in the cooker. You need not chop the spinach.
2. Roughly cut the onion and tomato and add to to spinach.
3. Add the pepper, salt, garlic, Cinnamon and cloves to the spinach.
4. Add 2 cups of water and boil. 1 whistle is good enough.
5. Once the pressure is released, remove the boiled spinach and the vegetables and grind to a paste using a mixer grinder. Keep the vegetable broth aside.
6. In a kadai, add ground spinach, the vegetable broth, 3 to 4 cups of warm water and boil.
7. Squeeze in the lime.
8. Adjust the salt and you are done.

Tit Bits :- 

1. This is an absolute diet food and is made without oil or butter.

2. you can add an extra dash of lime and ground pepper before serving.

3. This can be refrigerated and stored for 3 to 4 days.

4. The nutrient value of Spinach is innumerable and spinach make a great diet food.

Honey Walnut cookies

Baking can be therapeutic. I truly believe it. And you can seldom go wrong with cookies. Today I was in a mood for some really nice and chewy cookies and hence the traditional old fashioned Honey walnut cookies.

I am a weight watcher and careful about what I eat. This makes me constantly look for  treats are a slightly low in calories. These cookies do not contain butter and eggs. Though you cannot totally avoid sugar since it will not give you the desired result.

Since honey adds moisture, the cookies will tend to be soft and chewy after baking. The walnuts add a wonderful fragrance. In combination with honey, it is indeed a treat.

And what more...with just a few ingredients and a few minutes you will be ready with a batch of cookies.

Ingredients :- 

All purpose floor ( Maida ) :- 1 Cup
Demera Sugar :- 1/4 Cup
Honey :- 1/3 Cup
Baking Powder :- 1 tsp
Baking Soda :- 1/2 tsp
Salt :- a Pinch
Pure Vanila Extract:- 1 tsp
Vegetable Oil :- 1/4 Cup
Walnuts :- 1/3 cup, Roasted and Chopped

Baking Method :- 

1. In a mixing bowl add the flour, baking Soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk thoroughly such that all the ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, honey and vanilla essence.
3.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and whisk. 
4. Add the walnuts and mix well so that the nuts are well distributed. 
5. Make small round balls, flatten slightly and place them on a baking tray lined with butter paper.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C and bake the cookies for about 12 minutes.

Prawn Gassi

Gassi's are traditional Mangalorean dish.Though a part of Karnataka, Mangalore boasts of distinct and diverse cuisine which is quite different from the other regions of Karnataka. Though I have lived in Bangalore all my life, I had very limited exposure to mangalorean cuisine. It is thanks to my number of colleagues  from Mangalore in the recent few years that I was exposed to some of the traditional dishes.

I have mostly tried the non vegetarian dishes and I love the spicy, flavorful outcome. The curry leaves and the coconut milk leaves  a lovely aroma that is sure to tingle your senses.


Cooking Method :-

You Need :- 

 

Prawns :- 1/2 Kg. De-shelled and deveined
Mustard :- 1 tsp
Curry Leaves :- 1 sprig
Cumin Seeds :- 1/2 tsp.
Tamarind Paste :- 1 Tbsp.
Onion :- 2, 1 Sliced and 1 Chopped
Turmeric Pd :- 1 tsp
Pepper :- 8 - 10 No.'s
Coriander Seeds :- 2 Tb sp
Dried Red Chillis :- 5 No's
Dried Kashmiri Chilli ( Byadige ) :- 5 No's
Garlic :- 10 -12 Pods.
Ginger :- 1" Piece.Diced
Green chillis :- 2 No's
Coconut :- 1/2 No.Grated
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation :-

1. Marinate the prawns with salt, turmeric pd and lime juice and keep aside for about 1/2 hour.
2. Keep a pan and dry roast red chillis ( both varieties ) , coriander and cumin seeds and pepper.
3.  Transfer the roasted items to the mixie and add the grated coconut, sliced onion and garlic. Blend with a little bit of water.
4.  Heat a spoon of oil in a wok and add the curry leaves and the mustard seeds.
5. Add the diced onions and fry well. 
6. Once the onions are translucent, add the ginger and the green chillies.Saute
7. Add the ground paste and the tamarind paste. Fry well till the oil separates.
8. Add a cup of warm water to form the gravy.The gravy should be of thick consistency.
9. Add the prawns and let it simmer for a few minutes for the prawns to cook.

Tit Bits   

• This dish goes well with Rice or the traditional Neer Dosa.

• Prawns tend to become stiff if over cooked

Spicy South Indian Chicken Curry

Kerala cuisines are a great favorite with my husband. So when ever we have non south Indian guests, he insists that I make some keralite cuisine.His argument is to feed them sometime different. 

Over the years a lot of people have told me about the number of similarities that exits between the Mallu's and the Bong's. The love for fish and food ball, leftist government, wavy hair etc etc. This comparability does not extend to the cuisines for sure. I love swinging between both the worlds...

Here goes a simple Kerala Chicken Curry. This various is without the coconut milk -

You Need :- 

Chicken :- 1 Kg

Curry Leaves :- 1 sprig

Onions :- 2 Large 

Ginger :- 1.5 inch

Garlic :- 20 cloves

Flannel Seeds :- 1 tsp. 

Cardamom :- 4 No's

Cloves :- 4 No's

Cinnamon :- 1 inch

Regular Red chilli Pd :- 1.5 tsp

Kashmiri Red Chilli Pd :- 2 tsp

Coriander Pd :- 1 tsp heaped.

Turmeric Pd :- 1/2 spoon

Pepper Pd :- 2 tsp

Garam Masala :- 1tsp

Tomatos :- 2 No's

Whole Chilli :- 2 No.

Mustard Seeds:- 1 tsp

Tamarind Pulp :- 1 Tb sp

Salt :- As per taste

 

Preparation Method :-

1. Marinade the chicken with Salt, both variety of Chilli Pd, Coriander powder, Flannel Pd ( Dry Roast the flannel seeds and powder), Garam Masala. Keep it aside for 2 hours.

2. In a kadai, add 2 tb sp of oil and heat. Add curry leaves, Red Chillies, Mustard seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.

3. Fry for a few minutes and add finely chopped onions. Fry till the onions are translucent.

3. Add grated ginger and garlic. Fry well.

4. Add the diced tomatoes and pepper powder. Fry till the tomatoes are mushy.

5. At this stage add the marinated chicken and mix it well with the masala. Do not add any water.

6. Add the tamarind paste/pulp.

6. Continue stirring. Check on the salt. If needed add more salt. The chicken will release some water as it cooks.

7. Cover and cook till the chicken is done.

Titbits

1. You can cook it in the pressure cooker if you want to reduce gas consumption. But it is tastier cooked in the kadai.

2. Can be served with Rice, Chappatis, Appam.

3. I prefer it dry. You can add a cup of warm water while cooking the chicken, if you like more gravy.

Chettinad Fish Curry

I simply love fish. Any type.. any size. It's in my DNA. I happen to find really fresh white Pomfrets this weekend and I simply couldn't resist buying them.

Fish has been an integral part of my growing up years. Mom ran a typical Bengali Kitchen where no meal is complete without some form of fish dish.

I have of course expanded my horizon and cook all kinds of fish curry with no regional bias. I like spicy food and Chettinad cuisine has a special place in my heart...

You need :-

1. Fish ( Pomfret ) :- 1/2 Kg
2. Onion :- 2 Medium sized
3. Tomato :- 2 No.
4. Curry Leaves:- 1 twig
5. Green Chillis :- 2 no. slit.
6. Garlic :- 8 pods. finely chopped.
7. Mustard seeds :- 1 tsp
8. Red chilli Pd :- 1 tsp
9. Turmeric Pd :- 1/2 tsp
10. Tamarind paste :- 1 Tb Sp
11. Cooking oil :- 4 tb sp
12. Salt :- as per taste

 For Grinding:- 

 

1. Coriander seeds :- 2 tsp

2. Cumin seeds :- 1 Tsp

3. Fennel Seeds :- 1 Tsp

4. Pepper :- 10 No.s

5. Fenugreek Seeds :- 1/2 Tsp

6. 2 Dried Kashmiri Chillies :- 3 No.s

Preparation Method :-

• Clean the fish. Wash thoroughly. Add salt and turmeric powder and marinate it for about 1 minutes.
• Chop the tomatoes, Onions and Garlic and keep it aside.
• Dry Roast the masalas for grinding and then powder them.
• Heat Oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add the fenugreek seeds followed by mustard seed.
• Add Curry leaves and onions. Fry till the onion turns light brown in color.
• Add garlic, followed by the ground masala powder . Fry for a few minutes.
• Add the chopped tomato and tamarind paste and cook till the tomatoes become mushy.
• Add a cup of hot water to make some gravy. Add salt.
• Once the gravy is boiling, add the fish, cover the vessel and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or till the fish is cooked.

Tit Bits :-

1. This gravy can be cooked with fish of your choice. I have used White Pomfret.
2. My gravy was medium spicy. Add more red chilli if you want it more spicy.
3. This dish is best eaten with rice but can be a good accompaniment for idli, Dosa or appam.

Prawn Sukkha

Prawn is a sure shot hit at home. Hence I experiment with different types of Prawn recipes and you can seldom go wrong with prawns.

It was a busy Sunday and I wanted to cook something quick and nice and I thought of Prawn Sukkha. This is a traditional Mangalorean dish. Thanks to my several Mangalorean colleagues, I have been exposed to all kinds of traditional cuisine of the land and have taken a liking to it as well. I love the aroma of the spices and the coconut flavour

You Need :-

1. Prawns :- 250 grms. Shelled, cleaned and de-veined.
2. Coconut :- 1/2. Coarsely grated.
3. Dried Red chilies :- 7
4. Garlic :- 6 Pods
5.Oinion :- 1 No. Finely chopped.
6. Coriander Seeds :- 1 tsp
7. Jeera Seeds :- 1 tsp
8. Tamarind Paste :- 1 tsp
9. Turmeric Pd :- 1 tsp
10. Red Chilli Pd :- 1 tsp
11. Mustard seeds :- 1 tsp
12. Curry Leaves :- 1 twig
13. Lemon Juice :- 1 tbsp.

Method :-

• Wash the prawns and marinade them with salt and lime juice for about 15 minutes.
•  
• Dry roast about 5 dried red chillies, cumin and coriander seeds in a kadai and grind them to a  powder. Keep aside.
• Heat oil and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry for a few minutes.
• Add the diced onions and garlic and fry till the onions are cooked.
• Add the powered masala and continue frying.
• Add the grated coconut and fry for a few minutes.
• Add the tamarind paste and fry
• Once the masala is well fried, add the prawns and salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

 

Tit Bits :-

 

1. Do not over cook the prawns as they tend to become stiff.

2. Use fresh coconut. The flavor of fresh coconut is unparalleled.

Shorshe Maach ( Fish in Mustard Gravy)

Some friends were jamming up for a pot luck dinner on a regular work day in honor of a friend who was visiting us from the US.  I hate cooking and socializing in the middle of the week  but I couldn't get out of this commitment. So I had to dish up something typically Bangali such that it fitted in with the theme of giving a typical home coming meal to our NRI Bangali.

After some deliberation I decided that nothing to beat Shorshe Maach. Simple to cook and absolutely traditional and needless to say, it was a good decision.

Shorshe Maach is a very traditional Bengali dish. This is an acquired taste. Over the years I have seen several of my non- bengali friends relishing this dish and several other who found the overwhelming taste of mustard quite unpalatable.
 

You Need :-

1. Fish :- 1 Kg ( I have used the Rohu fish)
2. Black Mustard :- 5 Tbsp. Ground to a paste
3. Fenugreek(Methi) Seeds :- 1 tsp
4. Green Chilli :- 4 ( slitted )
5. Turmeric Pd :- 2 tsp
6. Dried Raw Mango ( Optional) :- 4 to 5 pieces
7. Kalonji ( Onion seeds) :- 1/2 tsp
8. Mustard Oil :- 2 tbsp
9. Tomato :- 1 No. Chopped
10. Salt :- To taste
11. Coriander Leaves :- one fist full for garnishing
12. Cooking Oil

Cooking Method:-

1. Clean and cut the fish to slices.
2. Thoroughly wash the Fish and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
3. Soak the mustard seeds for 30 minutes in about 4 tbsp of water. Grind the soaked mustard and 2 green chilli's to a fine paste.
4. Add 1tsp of turmeric and a little salt. Smear the fish slices well with this and keep for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and fry the fish.The fish should slightly fried and not well done. Keep aside.
6. In a wok, heat oil and add the methi seeds and kalonji. Let it sizzled for a few seconds.
7. Add the ground mustard paste and 1 tsp of turmeric. Fry for a few minutes and add the chopped tomato and the dried raw mango. 
8. Once the tomatoes are well cooked, add a glass of water and let the gravy boil. 
9. Add the slices of the fish to the gravy. Add salt and let it cook for 10 minutes.
10. Once the gravy thickens, add the mustard oil and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.
11. Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Tit Bits

• Traditionally this dish is made with sweet water fish but I have tried this with sea fishes like pomfret and sear.
  
  
  
  

Lauki ( Bottle Gaurd) Kofta Curry

I have been asking my sister Sonali to start a food blog for quite a while. But she is so busy cooking and entertaining her plethora of friends that she does not have the time to commence a food blog. After a certain amount to coaxing and cajoling she decided to contribute a recipe to my blog and I am hoping that she will be a regular contributor.



Lauki Kofta Curry



  

This recipe is contributed by Sonali Nimbagiri

Ingredients :-

For Kofta 

1. Bottle gourd/Lauki: 1 no (Peeled, seeded and grated)
2. Besan/Chickpea flour: 5 tbsp or more if required
3. Bread Crumbs – ½ cup (Use this if you think your mix is too soggy)
4.Onion :- 1 Cup finely chopped
5. Ginger Paste:- 1 tsp 
6. Garlic paste :- 1 tsp
7. Salt :- As per taste
8. Green chilli ::- 5 no's
9. Coriander leaves:- 2 tbsp ( Chopped)

For Gravy

1. Cloves :- 3 no's
2. Cinnamon :- 1 inch Piece
3. Cardamom :-3 no's
4. Bay leaf :- 1 no
5. Cashews :-1 tbsp
6. Onion :- 1 no
7. Green chilies :- 2 No's
8. Tomato :- 2 No's
9. Salt :- To taste
10. Red chili powder :- 1 tsp
11. Cumin powder :-1 tsp
12. Fennel Powder :- ¼ tsp
13. Coriander powder :- 1 tbsp
14. Turmeric :- ¼ tsp
15. Poppy seeds :- 1 tsp
16. Kasoori Methi:-1 tsp
17. Whipped Cream :- 1 tbsp
18. Water 

Preparation Method :-

Kofta - 

• Peel and grate the bottle gourd and let it stand for sometime. Squeeze out the water of the gourd as much as possible.
• Mix in the chopped onions, Ginger & Garlic Paste, chopped green chillis, salt and coriander leaves.
• Add the besan and mix well into a dough. Add bread crumbs if required if your dough is soggy and needs to be stiffened up a bit. Make small balls from the dough and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok and fry the lauki till it is crisp and golden brown.
• Your Koftas are ready. Keep aside and start on the gravy. 




Lauki Koftas

Gravy

• Heat oil in a pan, add the Cinnamon & Cardamom, chopped onions, chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chilies. Fry till the onions become translucent or change color.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become soft. Cool this mixture and grind to a paste and keep aside.
• Heat oil in the same pan and add bay leaf and the ground paste. Add turmeric pd, chili pd, cumin pd, fennel pd, coriander powder, salt. Cook till the masala is well fried.
• Add about 1 ½ cup of water.
• Cook till the gravy thickens. 
• Add crushed Kasoori methi & whipped cream and cook for another 2 mts.
• Your gravy is done.

 Serving Instruction

• Place the Koftas in a serving dish.
• Pour the gravy on the koftas such that the koftas are covered in the gravy
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.



Home Style MicroovenTandoori Chicken

From the time immemorial Tandoori Chicken has held a firm position in my list of favorite comfort food. Innumerable days have seen me indulging in Tandoori Chicken and a glass of red wine with a movie for dinner. I even judge most North Indian restaurants by the quality of the Tandoori Chicken they are able to dish out.

The juicy chicken with the aroma of several spices and slight burnt flavour will never go out of fashion for me...

Last weekend out of the blue my "not so enthused about Tandoori Chicken " husband had a craving for the same. And he made himself very handy around in the kitchen ( Lucky Me !!!!). Thank fully he let me handle the marination and I let him do the grilling. And I must say that a successful joint venture it was .... 

You need :-

1. Skinless Chicken :- 600 grms ( I have used only the breast peices )
2. Yogurt :- 3 tb sp
3. Lemon Juice :- 2 tb sp
4. Kashmiri Chilli Pd :- 1 tbsp
5. Garlic Paste :- 1 tsp
6. Ginger Paster :- 2 tsp
7. Cumin Seeds :- 1 tbsp. Dry fried and coarsely ground
8. Coriander Powder :- 1 tsp
9. Garam Masala :- 1 tbsp
10. Ghee ( Clarified butter ) :- 1tbsp
11. Kasuri Methi ( Dried Fenugreek leaves ) :- 1 tbsp
12. Chilli Pd :- 2 tsp
13. Salt :- As per taste
14. Chat Masala :- 1 tsp

Method :-

• Throughly wash and chicken and trim the fat.
• Using a sharp knife cut slashes across the chicken

1st Marinade

• Apply and mixture of yogurt, Kashmiri chilli pd and lemon juice to the chicken and marinade the same for 15 to 30 minutes.

 2nd Marinade

• Add the ingredites 5 to 13 one by one to the chicken peices. Smear it well and marinade from atleast an hour. Over night marinations works best.

   

Marinated Chicken



Cooking Method :-

• Place the marinaded tandoori chicken on the the grill tray ( normally given with the microoven startup kit ).
• Choose the combination of Convection+grill and cook for 10 minutes. Turn once after 5 minutes.
• Cook in grill for 20 minutes. Turn after every five minutes. Brush oil and sprinkle a pinch of chat  masala while turning the food.
• Serve hot with green chutney, sliced cucumber & onions and lime wedges.

Tit Bits :-

• You can use food color for the restruant like look. I prefer the Kashmiri Mirch which lends a nice red color.

Simple Banoffee Pie



Banoffee Pie



I discovered Banoffee pie quite by chance and in one of the most unlikely of places.

Keeping up with the typical bong trait of being experimental with food and that too street food , we frequent the mosque road in Bangalore every year during the month of Ramadan to try the various delicacies of the Indian Muslim community.

The mosque road comes alive with food stalls buzzing with activities along the entire stretch of the road ( about a kilometer ). The smoke thickened air, the aroma of the various meat delicacies and the mass of people feeding themselves like the end of the world is here, is an experience in itself.

You will find foodies ( specially meat lovers ) from all walks of life flocking the street during Ramadan. The sheek Kebabs with idiappams, Haleem and Pather Gosht are some of my personal favorites.

No meal is completed for a Bong without a dessert. So after we had our fill of the Kebabs and a few other delicacies, we went on a quest to find the traditional Phirni and the Rabri.

We managed to stumble upon just the place to appease our sweet tooth. We started off with the Matka Rabri and the traditional Phirni. They had several other visual delights on the offering. Curiosity turned to greed ( I had an instantaneous amnesia in regard to my diet regime) and we elbowed our way to the front of the stall,inveigled the attention of the cute little fellow (probably the owner's grandson) who was more than happy to let us have whatever our fingers pointed to.

One of the visual delights turned out to be the legendary Bonaffee Pie ( who would have dream t of discovering the legendary English desert in the streets of Mosque Road !!!!)

We simply loved it and I had to try my hand at making it...

Easy Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

1. Sweetened Condensed Milk :- 1 Tin ( I used the Nestle 400 g tin)
2. Ripe Bananas :- 2 No.s Big Bananas( Should not be overly ripe )
3. Fresh Cream :- 300 ml ( I used the Amul Fresh Cream )
4. Unsalted melted Butter:- 100 Grms
5. Digestive Biscuits ( Crushed ) :- 250 Grms ( I used the Marie Biscuits )
6. Sugar ( Powdered ) :- 1 tbsp
7. Grated Chocolate :- 2 tbsp

To Make the Base

• In a bowl, nicely mix the biscuit crumbs and the melted butter to form a coarse mixture.
• Spread the mixture in a pie tray and firmly press it with a spoon to make a pie shell. You can use a loose bottom baking dish as well. I do not have one and hence used the standard Pyrex pie stray instead.  
• Bake it for about 6 to 7 minutes at 190 C.
• Your Pie shell is ready.

For the Filling

•  You need to make the Dulce de Leche by placing an unopened tin of Condensed milk in a tub of boiling water. Leave it to boil for an hour. Open the tin after it has cooled down. You will have a thick, golden, squidgy caramel. 
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•  Spread the caramel evenly into the pie crust.
•  Slice the banana's and make a layer  above   the caramel

• Add sugar to the cream and whip lightly.
• Layer the banana's with the whipped cream .
• Sprinkle the grated chocolate for decoration.
• Refrigerate, cut into wedges and serve.

Tit Bits

•  Banoffee  Pie is an English dessert which was created in 1872 at the Hungry Monk restaurant in East Sussex.
• The name Banoffee Pie is a portmanteau of Banana and Toffee.

Chingri Chalkumrar Ghonto ( Ashgourd with Prawn )

"Ghonto" is a traditional Bengali form of cooking which is mostly made of one or sometimes two vegetables ( and sometimes fish). Very less oil is used and the vegetable are well diced so that it can cook in its own juices and results in a mushy  juicy dish. Ghonto's can be made as a pure vegetarian dish or shrimps / parts of fish can be thrown in to cater to the carnivorous palate such as mine. 

Vegetables like gourds were never a hot favorite of mine ( and my little Sis's). Dad is a firm believer of " Shob Kichu Khete Hoy" ( You should eat all kinds of food ). Hence a handful of shrimps was my Mom's way of making us eat the otherwise boring gourds.

Ingredients

1. Chal Kumra ( Ashgourd) :- 500 grms
2. Shrimps ( small sized ) :- 200 grms
3. Cumin Seeds ( Jeera ):- 1 tsp
4. Green Chilli :- 2 or 3 No's depending on your taste
5. Red Chilli :- 1 No.
6. Ginger Paste :- 1/2 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder ( Haldi ) :- 1 tsp
8. Salt :- As per taste
9. Coriander leaves :- About 3 to 4 twigs for garnishing

Cooking Method

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a Kadai ( Wok ) and shallow fry the shrimps ( cleaned and deveined ) with a pinch of salt and turmeric pd. Keep aside.
• Shallow fry the prawns ( cleaned and deveined ) with a 1/2 tsp of oil for about 2 minutes. Keep aside. Please note that prawns cook very quickly and overcooked prawns tends to become stiffer.
• Diced the ash gourd and boil it with a pinch of salt.
•  Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds and the red chilli and let it splatter.
•  Add the ginger paste, turmeric powder and slit green chillies and fry for sometime.
•  Add the Ashgourd and cook till the water content dries up and the vegetable becomes slightly mushy.
• Add Salt and mix well.
•  Add the sauted shrimps and cook for a couple of minutes
•  Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tit Bits

• This is a traditional dish of East Bengal and is a typical winter dish.
• Best served with hot steamed rice.

Banana Raisin Cake





Banana Raisin Cake

I was all set to vacation with a girl friend sans the husband that too on the long weekend of the Independence day. So I had to make sure that the husband is appeased and what better way to do it than trying the stomach route (lucky me that I have a foodie husband !!!!).

I needed to concoct something quickly and what better than banana Cake !!! It is quick, simple , yummy and you can seldom go wrong. So here it is ....

Ingredients:-

• Butter :- 125 Grams
• Caster Sugar :- ¾ Cup
• Vanilla Essence :- 1 tsp
• Egg :- 1 No.
• Ripe Bananas :- 2 Nos
• Raisins :- ¾ Cup
• All purpose flour ( Maida ) :- 1½ Cup
• Baking Powder :- 1 tsp
• Milk :- ¼ Cup   

Method :-

 1. Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the vanilla essence once the butter and sugar has melted.

 2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bananas ( well mashed) and mix well using a spatula or hand blender.

 3. Beat the egg separately and add it to the above mixture. Mix well.

 4. Stir in the flour, baking powder and add the milk. Add the raisins. Mix well using a blender

 5. Grease a cake tin with butter and pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

 6. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes.

And your Banana Raisin Cake is ready. The entire process takes about a hour only. This is a nice moist cake and is better when served warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened cream.

Tit Bits :-

• You can use almonds or walnuts instead of raisins.
• You can replace Flour + Baking powder with self rising flour.
• Use a toothpick to check if the cake is well baked.