Roasted Vegetable Soup

I generally cook on Sundays as thats when am free and up in the morning last Sunday I had made Soup. All those who know me will tell you Sunday and no chicken...SURPRISE...!!! Well thats a funny little story.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownie

I decided to make something sweet, a sweet way to say sorry to my blog - BUON APPETITO.

Bruleed Lauki Halwa

Cooking can be great fun when we get to enhance our knowledge. Last few weeks thats what I did, I experimented with a lot of ingredients and cusines. I even recreated a few famous dishes from all around the world.Surprisingly the experiments were no failure and I had loads of fun creating all those new dishes.

Black Chicken

Today, I am not sharing anything I tried in Shillong but its a dish I saw in a cookery show called Poh's Kitchen. Well in the show they used some ingredients that I didn't get here and they used beef which I don't eat....so why did I still try out the dish. The answer is in what attracted me....well I was attracted with the name Nasi Kandar aka Black Beef, I mean a black looking dish and appealing...hmmmm.... didn't seem to be very possible at the first shot and I just had to give it a try.

Creamy Egg and Potato Curry

As it has been planned for me, again I am alone with the same routine life and the only real fun time is when I am blogging. As I was alone and not in a very good mood, so I didn't feel like shopping or cooking anything special. So last Sunday was perfect for a easy , simple curry and the Creamy Egg and Potato Curry was part of the menu.

Celebration with Fish in Spinach and Mustard Gravy

The news of my leave being approved is something worth celebrating and today I partied with Fish in Spinach and Mustard Gravy. I consider it to be a very festive dish as its part of my families party food and is created during very special occasions. The last time I had it was when I went to my ancestral home for my aunt's wedding and that was some 10 years back approximately.

Paneer and Pepper Quiche

We all read about food and try to learn new dish for any place avaliable, some recipes sound so interesting that it just gets us thinking....the same happened with me when I read about quiche some years back. My love for eggs is no secret and this dish has eggs as the main ingredient so exciting right . But I didn't know of any place in Bangalore where I could get them and I didn't have oven at that time so I didn't try making it.

Murgh Musallam with Padina Pulav

Since the last 2 weeks the feeling is so intense that I just wanna eat only dishes that remind me of home.. :) . Last weekend I made Bhapa Dim again and this weekend Murgh Musallam. I know that's not a typical Bengali dish but as I have told my mom is a great cook and she makes several types of dishes and this dish is also from her list of creations.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

My liking for broccoli is very recent, in most of the movies they show that no one likes them ; this had an affect on me, I never bought them fearing that I wont like it and it would be a waste.

Florentine Mac and Cheese

My love for pasta is no secret but off late I have been trying out the lighter versions without cheese so today I was up for some indulgence. I baked the dish as I love those crunchy bites of cheese, then it looked very pale and I wanted some color in my plate thats when Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach came into picture.

Orange Cake with Orange Icing

Mangoes mark the start of Summer and Oranges mark the onset of Winter. Shillong has abandace of Oranges, every house has at least 2 orange trees. And in the chill weather, having oranges after lunch is a different feeling all together.

1st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH 'SALAD RICE WITH SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN'

It’s been more than a month that I wrote anything. Did I lose the excitement......No way; rather I was caught in the hands of faith. I met with an accident and was in bed-rest all this time. Sadly I missed a lot of important and fun occasions in the process --- I missed to celebrate my blog's birthday, SORRY BUON APPETITO :( , I missed the new year celebration and I even spent my birthday lying in bed. Well no use crying over spilt milk, today I started cooking and I decided to making something that celebrates my cooking experiments and it’s my way of saying sorry to my blog for missing out on her birthday :)

DHANIA CHICKEN / CHICKEN IN CILANTRO SAUCE

Every dish that we make always have a story associated. Some kindles those childhood memories that gets hidden over years and others are those we picked up over the life from some books or resturants or even television... :) . Restaurants and television are the major places from where I collect my inspirations. The recipe I am sharing today has several stories to it as well.

GAJAR HALWA KA PATISHAPTA / SWEET EGGLESS CREPES STUFFED WITH CARROT PUDDING

Diwali is very special for me - I get to be a kid for a day . It’s been 7-8 years that I celebrate Diwali away from my family and with my friends. Although I miss my family but I always enjoy this festival. I start planning from morning, there is shopping for lights to be done and the last minute cracker to purchase. I love decorating my house with diyas and lighting and this is something I do every year, these small diyas always bring a lot of smile.

NUTTY MUTTON AND CRISPY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH RICE

Anyways let get back to the dish , for my final course I decided to make a lamb dish. Every family has some tradition going on for ever and so do we. Since my childhood I have heard that on the Dashmi day , we should not have chicken and we have to make meat(lamb/mutton) only. Although my dad cannot eat meat(lamb/mutton) due to his health condition this tradition is still followed , and so I thought of sticking to it.

CILANTRO RICE WITH TANGY GRAVY AND SPICY FRIED FISH

People say Bengali cuisine is generally related to fish and sweet---actually they are not wrong :D . Being from a Bengali Family, we ate fish everyday. Infact my Baba(daddy) cannot enjoy his food without it even if there are 5-6 courses still he would need a fish dish :) .

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP WITH TOASTED BREAD AND PEA PESTO

OCTOBER.....this is the most festive month of the year. There are endless number for festival from all around the world and I have decided to celebrate them all-----HOW??? With food for sure. :) .

VANILLA SOAKED FRENCH TOAST WITH POACHED PLUMS

All my life the one meal I have skipped is Breakfast....I know it the most important meal of the day and all, but somehow I rarely feel like eating in the morning. One glass of milk is more than enough for me. I have been advised against this by so many people but somehow I just could not .

SPAGHETTI IN SOYABALL SAUCE

Pasta is an ingredient which is always available in my kitchen. Although I have quite recently (4 years now) started making pasta , I immensely enjoy it. A little effort that can bring total satisfaction :) .

CHEESY CAKE

Has it ever happened to you that even after a good dinner your sleep is disturbed late night due to the huge craving for something sweet.....hehehe.....this happened to me last Sunday..... :D

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP


Last week my net connection was down so you can imagine the suffering ;) , the worst part in it was that I could not post to my blog when I had promised I would have something up  every week  :( . Well I also believe that every cloud has a silver lining,  this week was my movie time so I didnt get time to cook still I can talk to you about a new dish.


I generally cook on Sundays as thats when am free and up in the morning :) last Sunday I had made Soup. All those who know me will tell you Sunday and no chicken...SURPRISE...!!! Well thats a funny little story. I wanted to make chicken and had asked the butcher on Friday itself to keep one ready for me by Saturday evening. When I went on Saturday he said its over so I told him to keep one by Sunday morning. I went to the shop 5 times on Sunday and he could not get chicken. Can u believe a butcher shop without meat or chicken :) .


Genarally its said we should get the ingredients available and then decide on the dish..... there's where i totally differ, I always plan what I wanna make and then go shopping. I have faced this problem of changing my plans at the end moment several time but it never happened that I didnt get the main ingredient. Anyways failing to get any chicken I was so sad and needed something comforting and easy to cook....so my Roasted Vegetable Soup was created

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FOR SOUP
Potatoes 2 number
Carrot 3 number
Parsnip 2 number
Pumpkin1/4 of a medium sized
Cauliflower1/2 of a large one
Milk2 cups
Ginger, grated2 teaspoon
Mint leavesA few handful
Oil2 tablespoon
SaltA per taste
PepperA per taste

     SOUP :-
  1. Preheat oven to 160C. 
  2. Peel and cut the vegetables in large cubes. Arrange them in a tray . Drizzle a bit of oil on the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Cover the vegetables in the tray with a foil. Roast the vegatables in the oven till they are done.
  4. Heat one tablespoon oil in a large saucepan; add the vegetables and cook during the process keep mashing the vegetables.
  5. Add the milk on the saucepan and stire the vegetables to it. Add salt and pepper and keep stiring.
  6. Blend the soup till smooth and keep cooking till the desired consistancy is reached.
  7. In a different pan heat one tablespoon oil, add the grated ginger and fry for 5 min. Add the mint leaves and fry for 1 min and add it to the soup.
  8. The soup is ready to be served.

I served it with crunchy grilled cheese sandwich...it did comfort me :) .



Priyanka

Sunday, November 11, 2012

FUDGY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE


Finally after ages I decided to cook for my blog. Its not that I ever stopped enjoying cooking but cooking for blog is totally different.....try something new then look for the right dish and setting and finally the photo shoots. I cannot blame my long break on anyone or anything just that my head was filled with a lot of stuffs and I wanted out of everything. Now that I am back from home everything feeling better. Visiting everyone made me realize that there are people who believe in my cooking so I am back :) .


I decided to make something sweet, a sweet way to say sorry to my blog - BUON APPETITO. Among all the possible sweet dishes I picked Brownie. I have had a lot of brownie over time and have been planning to make one soon and finally today seemed to be a good day :) . The fact that they're incredibly easy to make is an added bonus. All you need is one bowl , one spatula and one pan. No mixers or any fancy techiques yet the outcome is very rewarding....a perfect dish.


Do you think there is anything called Perfect Brownie ??? I kind of doubt that. Some like it with dry fruits - nuts and raisins , some like it with chocolate chips and yet others like it with icing. Not that I am against any of those brownies but I am a fan of the warm fudgy one. So when I decided to make my very first Brownie I wanted to my favourite kind so I made Fudgy Chocolate Brownie inspired by Donna Hay's recipe.

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FOR BROWNIE
Milk 1/2 cup
Dark Chocolate,chopped 1 cup
Butter  3 tablespoons
Demerara sugar1/2 cup
Fine White Sugar1 cup
Eggs4 number
Cocoa Flour1/2 cup
Plain Flour1 cup

     BROWNIE :-
  1. Preheat oven to 160C. Butter and flour the sides of a square shaped cake tin and set it aside.
  2. Pour milk in a saucepan over low heat and let it get warm. See that it does not boil.
  3. Add the chocolate and butter to the same saucepan and stir until smooth. Allow this mixture to cool down slightly.
  4. In a bowl, whisk eggs and the 2 sugars till the sugar dissolves.
  5. Add the cocoa and flour in a bowl and mix well but not heavily. 
  6. Finally add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. 
  7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 160C or till a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before slicing.

Enjoy the dish with Warm Milk or Coffee, that makes a good combinations.



Priyanka

Saturday, June 30, 2012

BRULEED LAUKI/BOTTLE GOURD HALWA


Cooking can be great fun when we get to enhance our knowledge. Last few weeks thats what I did, I experimented with a lot of ingredients and cusines. I even recreated a few famous dishes from all around the world.Surprisingly the experiments were no failure :) and I had loads of fun creating all those new dishes.

The dish I am about to share today is part of my experiment series :). The main ingredient of this dish is Lauki/Bottle Gourd. The bottle gourd has various name calabash or opo squash or long melon or dudhi but its commonly known as Lauki in Hindi and Bottle Gourd in English. Have read about the healthy benefits of Bottle Gourd in a few sites so I have summarized them and decided to share it with all.
HEALTH BENEFITS :
--> Bottle Gourd has attracted a lot of attention due to its importance in treatment of Blood Pressure and Heart disease.
--> Bottle gourd is very valuable in treating urinary disorders.
--> This vegetable is very good for balancing liver function. It is often recommended by ayurvedic physicians when the liver is inflamed.
--> Ayurveda suggests Bottle gourd juice once daily in the early morning for treating Graying Hair.
--> Mixture of bottle gourd juice a sesame oil acts as an effective medicine for insomnia.
--> The bitter variety is prescribed as a cardiac tonic, as an antidote to poisoning and for alleviating bronchitis, cough, asthma affections.
--> The dietary fiber present in the bottle gourd makes it a very useful vegetable in preventing digestive disorders such as constipation, flatulence, and piles.
--> Bottle gourd juice is also considered to be beneficial in insanity, epilepsy, and other nervous diseases.


I heard about this dish from a friend, he said that in his family this dish is a must have for Diwali. Although he promised me in the year 2010 that he would treat me, that didnt happen till now :P . Finally I decided to give it a try on my own. Unaware of the ingredients and procedure, I googled it, but somehow I didnt enjoy the recipes so I created a version inspired by my Mom. And then I took a step further by topping it with caramel.

Let me not bore you with long talks and share with you my version of Bruleed Lauki Halwa....hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

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FOR LAUKI HALWA 
Lauki/Bottle Gourd 1 soft, large sized
Ghee 2 tablespoons
Milk 3 cups
Condensed Milk1/2 cup
Cardamom powder1/2 teaspoon
Sugar5-6 tablespoon


FOR TOPPING 
Sugar 3 tablespoon
Water 2-3 teaspoon


     LAUKI/BOTTLE GOURD HALWA :-
  1. Peel and grate the bottle gourd finely. 
  2. Par-boil the bottle gourd and then spread it over paper so the water is slightly soaked.
  3. Heat ghee in a kadhai, add the soften lauki and fry till its cooked properly. It took me 20 min to reach the proper stage.
  4. Mix-condensed milk with milk and pour over the cooked lauki.
  5. When the milk is 75% reduced add the cardamom powder and mix well.
  6. Finally add sugar and mix it with the halwa. Keep on stirring and cook the halwa for some more time.
  7. Pour the halwa in a serving bowl and let it cool down slightly.

    SWEET TOPPING :-
  1. Combine four parts granulated white sugar with one part water in a sturdy, thick-bottomed cooking pot.
  2. Turn the stovetop to medium-high and stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar begins to dissolve.
  3. Bring the sugar and water to a boil and stop stirring the mixture.
  4. Reduce heat to medium.Boil for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Distribute the amber color throughout the mixture by gently lifting up the handle of the pot and swirling the mixture.
  6. Wait till the mixture until it reaches a uniform rich, brown color.
  7. Pour the caramelized sugar over the cooled halwa and let the dish cool down completely.

Enjoy the dish when its cold, cracking the caramelized topping and combining with the halwa it turns out to be great .



Priyanka

Sunday, May 27, 2012

BLACK CHICKEN


When I think of the time I enjoyed Chinese food the most, all my thoughts are of Shillong. I am born and brought-up in Shillong, capital of Meghalaya, a beautiful hill station of North East of India. Meghalaya is one of the smallest state of India and has three major tribes - Khasi, Jaintia & Garo. Shillong, the home of Khasis mainly, is a small town with very simple lifestyle - no big shopping malls or fancy restaurants but its very clean & beautiful. Shillong has rolling hills around the town, its said that those hills reminded the European settlers of Scotland. Hence, Shillong is also known as "Scotland of the East"...!!!

The cuisine available in most of the restaurants there, other then the local cuisine, is CHINESE. Whether its some special occasion or just wanted to spend time with friends we would always visit a nearby Chinese restaurant...and all of them had excellent food. Among all of them I had 2 favourite - I don't really remember the names however one was near my school and the other in the heart of the main market. Both of them provided huge portions and impossible for one person to finish yet I would finish everything that I ordered....all of the items were really yummy :P . The dishes never looked too fancy however they all had something special in them that everyone enjoyed....and would look for the next excuse to come back to the resturant again.


After I came out of Shillong, I tried Chinese in several restaurants. You must have guessed what I am about to say, its true.....its nothing compared to what I had in Shillong. Now that I have not been home since 3 years slowly my liking for Chinese is also vanishing, largely due to the food. Not that its anything bad with other places, its just not the way I liked it :) . People who know me would disagree cause even now at times I get Chinese as take away, but for someone who used to have Chinese 2 times a week now I get it ones in a month and that too half is wasted. I am just waiting to go home and get back to my kind of Chinese :) .


Today, I am not sharing anything I tried in Shillong but its a dish I saw in a cookery show called Poh's Kitchen. Well in the show they used some ingredients that I didn't get here and they used beef which I don't eat....so why did I still try out the dish. The answer is in what attracted me....well I was  attracted with the name Nasi Kandar aka Black Beef, I mean a black looking dish and appealing...hmmmm.... didn't seem to be very possible at the first shot and I just had to give it a try :) . Surprisingly it worked and I enjoyed something new. 


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Chicken pieces with bones 250 gms - cut in small cubes
Egg 1 number
Red Bell Pepper1 number
Onion1 number
Garlic cloves3 numbers
Red Chilli2 numbers
Tomato Puree 2 tablespoons
Dark Soya Sauce 2 tablespoons
White Vinegar1 tablespoon
Brown Sugar1 tablespoon
Red Chilli powder1/2 tablespoon
Cornflour1 tablespoon
Oil 2-3 tablespoons 
Salt As per taste


      To marinate :-
  1. In a bowl take the chicken cubes and add egg, salt, 1 tbs tomato puree ,1 tbs dark soya sauce and Red Chilli powder.
  2. Mix them all properly. Then add the cornflour and mix again such that every chicken piece is well coated.
  3. Let it stand for 30 min.
     For Black Chicken  :-
  1. Cut the red bell pepper in small cubes. And chop the onion, garlic and red chilli finely.
  2. Add 3 tbs oil in a wok and let it heat.
  3. Fry the marinated chicken cubes till they are done and the coating is turns dark and crispy.
  4. Remove the fried chicken cubes in a paper towel and set aside.
  5. In the same oil add the chopped onion, garlic and red chilli and fry till the onion starts to carmalize.
  6. Add the cubed red bell pepper and fry for 6-7 min or till the pepper soften.
  7. In a separate bowl. whisk together the left over tomato puree, dark soya sauce, white vinegar and brown sugar.Add the sauce in the wok and cook.
  8. Add the fried chicken pieces in the wok and mix again till everything is well coated with the sauce.
  9. Cook for 5 -6 min more. And the dish is ready. 

I tried the dish with simple garlic noodles.        











Priyanka

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

CARDAMOM FLAVOURED ICED TEA GRANITA --- Guest Post by Lubna Karim @ Yummy Food

The blogging world gifted me a few lovely and talented friends and one of them is Lubna Karim . I am sure you all know her...her recipes seem so delicious and inviting......and the pictures are stunning. I keep staring at her shots everytime I visit her blog.

Lubna from Yummy Food lives in Bangalore with her family. She is so down to earth and a wonderful person.....she will always great you with a smile. You can see her passion and love for cooking and photography in every post or click.

Each photograph clicked by her tells a story on its own , they also portray her eye for detail. She also educate us on the art of photography....she makes it seem so easy. 



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Necessity is the mother of invasion of many new things…..this applies in cooking too….Those where the days when my womb was burning hot baking out a cute little baby inside…..Summer was on full swing and every time I wanted to have something cool to indulge…..There were only very few or say next to no carvings during my pregnancy. 

Only thing which tempted me or more I carved for was ice tea and that too in the form of granita….it may sound little bizzard  but…I had this carving in the initial days of my pregnancy…...Granita is nothing but semi frozen dessert made out of sugar, water and various flavourings. 


To satisfy this urge…one day I made very light tea decoction and left it in the freezer for an hour….scarped it and got myself indulged in it…..there was very peculiar feeling of gratification in my senses…..I loved it …. And so a new recipe is born and from then till now I make it very often….When I served them to my friends at one of the summer noon party…they loved it a lot….so now this is one of the regular granita, I make during summers….So here is the twist to taste recipe…an whole new very chill makeover to your ice tea.


Cardamom Flavoured Iced Tea Granita :

INGREDIENTS:
½ tbsp. Tea powder (I used Taj Mahal brand)
1 ½ tbsp. Sugar
1 no. Cardamom, crushed lightly
1 cup Water


PREPERATION:
Bring water to boil by adding tea powder, sugar and cardamom. Simmer for 1-2 minutes and turn off the flame. Leave it to cool.
Once the decoction gets cool, pour it into a flat container with edges or into a rectangular baking dish. Cover it with a thin plastic foil and leave it in the freezer for around 1 hour.
After 1 hour, run the fork along the sides of the container and break up into small chunks…. Freeze again.
Repeat this process for 2-3 times until you get flaky ice without any liquid remaining. Transfer this into serving bowls and serve immediately. 
Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY' :P



VARIATIONS:
You can create as many of variations of your choice….apart from cardamom, I love making mint flavoured iced tea granita, lemon flavoured iced tea granita and also with fresh ginger iced tea granita….You can even make green tea or herbal tea granita….


Thank you Priyanka for the invitation to write on your blog. It was really fun doing it for you dear….


Priyanka

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

CREAMY EGG AND POTATO CURRY


Life always has its own plans for us and sadly we can never alter these plans. Three weeks earlier I was all excited to met my parents and enjoy my long awaited vacation.....but. Its true I spent three weeks with my parents but I never want to spend those days again.......shocked.
Well my Baba(father) is very ill and was here for check-up, he had been suffering since many years but he never told anyone.....its only when Mamoni(mother) saw all the visible symptoms that I got to know about it. After his check-up we were told of all the physical aliment he is suffering from.....now he has loads of medicine through out the day....I am still shocked with his attitude toward himself. Parents get worried when we neglect about ourself or we don't tell them about our problems, I don't know why they don't realize that we feel the same.....even we are worried about them and if they fall ill it affects us so much. I hope now my parents understand that they should just tell me everything directly.

                                                                                                                            very old pic of my parents

Anyway,the changing of my plans by life didn't stop with this, I planned for my parents to stay with me for a month so that both of them can rest and relax a bit as doctors said he needs a lot of rest. And even that plan could not work out.....why? Well life planned something more horrible.....one of my uncle, my Baba's sister's husband, expired and I knew that Baba had to go else that would hurt him more. So he left and I know when he goes home he will start his routine and wont get the most required rest....all this worries me, then again that's what life has planned and I can just play my part in it.


As it has been planned for me,  again I am alone with the same routine life and the only real fun time is when I am blogging. As I was alone and not in a very good mood, so I didn't feel like shopping or cooking anything special. So last Sunday was perfect for a easy , simple curry and the Creamy Egg & Potato Curry was part of the menu.

Gravies are often the star of any Indian meals and a good creamy gravy can make the meal a perfect one. This is an awesome gravy......full of flavors with all the simple spices and coconut cream. Its a perfect dish that goes well with rice, chapati and paratha. Great for those lazy days..!!!


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Eggs 6 numbers
Potato 2 medium sized
Onion1large
Ginger-garlic paste1 tablespoon
Green Chilly2 numbers
Tomato2 numbers
Coconut milk 100 ml
Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilly powder1/2 teaspoon
Roasted Cumin powder1/2 teaspoon
Oil2-3 tablespoons
SaltAs per taste
PepperAs per taste
Cilantro Leaves1 cup

  1. Hard boil the eggs and remove the covering. Marinate the eggs with little salt, tumeric powder & red chilly powder.
  2. Cut the potato lengthwise like the wedges. Soak it in water with some salt.
  3. Cut the onion in large blocks. Place the cut onions in a baking dish and drizzle slight oil on top. 
  4. Season with some salt, pepper and give it a mix. Roast it at 180C for about 15 minutes.
  5. When the onions are done, let it cool and then blend it to a smooth paste.
  6. Blanch tomotoes in hot water and let it boil till they get soften. Remove the skin and blend that to a smooth paste to make tomato puree.
  7. Heat little oil in a kadhai and fry the eggs and potatoes separetely. Remove them and set aside separately.
  8. In the same kadhai, add ginger-garlic paste fry for some time and then add the roasted onion paste.
  9. Fry the mixture for 5-6 min. Then add tomato puree and cook under cover and low flames till the oil separetes out.
  10. Mix the spices - tumeric powder, red chilly powder and roasted cumin powder with little water till it forms a paste.
  11. Add the spice mixture to the kadhai and mix all the cooking ingredients together.
  12. Then add the fried potatoes and eggs to the kadhai and cook for 6-7 min.
  13. Mix the coconut milk with 1/2 cup of warm milk and pour in the kadhai.
  14. Cook the dish in low flame and under cover till the water is soaked.
  15. Finally garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

I tried the dish with rice and paratha and enjoyed it with both. 











Priyanka

Saturday, April 7, 2012

CELEBRATION WITH FISH IN SPINACH & MUSTARD GRAVY


Celebrating what you may ask....well am finally going home. Yahoo..!!!! am all set for fun filled 2 weeks, just counting the days now :) . Since the last 2 weeks I was at a fix cause there was a high chance that my leave would be rejected and I spent most of the time shedding tears. Its been 3 years that I have visited my home so you can imagine how I was feeling when nothing seemed to be working. Finally by the end of this week I got the great news and I have been thrilled since then , of course fingers are crossed as we never know when things can change :) .

I am so excited to be with my family....enjoy 'direct' talks with Mom, spend time bugging Dad...which is super fun, share stories with cousins and definitely relax and enjoy all those lovely home cooked meals. My ever growing to-do list is ready, well not just to-do ---- there are to-eat list , to-shop list , to-visit list....and many many more.


The news of my leave being approved is something worth celebrating and today I partied with Fish in Spinach & Mustard Gravy. I consider it to be a very festive dish as its part of my families party food and is created  during very special occasions. The last time I had it was when I went to my ancestral home for my aunt's wedding and that was some 10 years back approximately.


The fish used for this dish is 'Boal' commonly known as Wallago in English, I could not get the fish here so I used Rohu......I know the 2 fishes taste totally different but as its said Necessity is the Mother of Invention :P . Also the original version uses 'Lai Pata' (not sure of the English name) its a very loved green leafy vegetable in North-Eastern India, I have not seen it anywhere else so I could not find 'Lai Pata' as well so I used Spinach. As expected the flavour of my variation is way too different from the original however it was not bad and I enjoyed the day.


I promise to come back with loads of new stories and recipes. When I am back, will share more on  the beauty of my hometown through my eyes...keep waiting, hope you would love them :) .


Print Page
Rohu Fish pieces 4 numbers
Spinach 1 bunch
Mustard seeds2 tablespoon
Sesame seeds (optional)1 tablespoon
Green Chilly1 numbers
Fresh Red Chilly2 numbers
Nigella seeds 1 teaspoon
Dry Red Chilly 2 numbers
Turmeric powder1/2 teaspoon
Mustard Oil2-3 tablespoons
SaltAs per taste

  1. Roughly chop the spinach and set aside.
  2. Soak the mustard seeds and sesame seeds in luke warm water. 
  3. Marinate the fish pieces with a little turmeric powder , salt and a few drops of oil.
  4. Blend the mustard seeds , sesame seeds and one green chilly with little water till it forms a smooth paste.
  5. Heat oil in a kadhai(a cooking utensil that resembles a wok), and shallow fry the fish pieces. They should not be over done.
  6. Remove the fish in a paper towel. The oil in the kadhai is used for the gravy.
  7. In the kadhai, add nigella seed and dried red chilly, as it start spattering add the smooth paste and cook.
  8. As the oil start separating out, add warm water , fresh red chilly and chopped spinach. Cover and cook in low flame.
  9. After 5 min, add the fried fish pieces. Add salt as per taste and cover again. Cook for 7-8 min.
  10. Uncover and cook for 10 min more so that excess water is evaporated.

I had a great celebration with a dish that reminds of home, now time to start packing the bags .













Priyanka

Saturday, March 24, 2012

PANEER & PEPPER QUICHE


We all read about food and try to learn new dish for any place avaliable, some recipes sound so interesting that it just gets us thinking....the same happened with me when I read about quiche some years back. My love for eggs is no secret and this dish has eggs as the main ingredient so exciting right :) . But I didn't know of any place in Bangalore where I could get them and I didn't have oven at that time so I didn't try making it.

I have been introduced to a lot of dish by my elder sister-Kankana and I tasted my very first quiche with her. Before my sister was leaving Bangalore, we used to spend every weekend together, so one Sunday she took me out for dinner to a beautiful resturant. She ordered a lot of yummy dishes including a creamy chicken quiche. When I saw the quiche I was not sure if I would like it coz it didnt look very appeling to me, but my sister said I should try it before I make up my mind and when I did I was lost in the flavour. The chicken filling was creamy and juicy and the crust was crunchy......honestly I ordered another slice of the quiche, I just could not leave with one :) .


Since the last Tuesday I was not well, I was surviving on cornflakes and milk so Friday morning as I was feeling a little better I decided to make some tasty and quick and definately savoury brunch. When I saw the eggs the very first thing that came to my head was Quiche....simple, easy and filling.


Quiche can be with a pastry crust or without it, I went for the crustless one. I didnt have any readymade crust available and I wanted a quick brunch so had no plans in making the crust. As for the filling, I had pepper, paneer, onion and beans so I ended up with Paneer & Pepper Quiche. The best part was that the food was ready in 30 min and I had a satisfying brunch :) .


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FOR QUICHE
Eggs 4 numbers
Red Bell Pepper 1 number
Paneer200 gms
Beans6 numbers
Green Chilly2 numbers
Onion, big 1 number
Garlic cloves 3 numbers
Milk1 cup
Dried Thyme1 tablespoon
Oil2 tablespoons
SaltAs per taste
Black Pepper1 teaspoon


    Paneer & Pepper Quiche:-
  1. Chop the onion, red bell pepper and pepper separately into small cubes. Cut the chilly very finely.
  2. Blanch the beans for about 5 min and then, shock them in ice water. Keep them aside.
  3. Pre heat the oven at 140 C for 10 min.
  4. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan and add the garlic, fry till the garlic turn brown.
  5. Add onion and pepper to the pan and saute them till the vegetables are soften.
  6. Then add the paneer and green chilly and fry for 10 min.
  7. In a big bowl, whip the eggs with milk, dried thyme, salt & pepper.
  8. Add the cooked vegetables and paneer to the bowl and mix them properly.
  9. Grease a baking pan with some oil and pour the egg mixture to the baking pan.
  10. Arrange the bean on top of the egg mixture on the baking pan
  11. Bake it at 180 C for 30 to 35 mins.
  12. Quiche is ready to be served.

I had a great start for the weekend and have planned to have a very relaxing one :) .













Priyanka

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

MURGH MUSALLAM WITH PADINA PULAV


Every human likes to experiment with food. Either we try a new restaurant or we cook something different. We like to try different ingredients or different cooking techniques or even different cuisines. In spite of all this we all long for a perfect home cooked meal....by home cooked I mean anything from Mom's kitchen....can anything top that...NO WAY :) . Remember those days when we would run home after school and waiting for us in the table would be some delicious and yummy food made by Mom.

As you know I cannot imagine Sunday lunch without Chicken. Well this is a hereditary thing I suppose, my Dad says on ever Sunday my grandfather would come back home from his work location with lots of fishes and chicken and there would be a feast so you get my point :) . Even Dad gets Chicken on every Sunday and now that he is retired he even cooks the Chicken.....and let me tell you this.....its delicious and healthy, he never uses too much of spices or oil yet its YUMMY....sadly I can never re-create his dish....this time I will note down all the steps he follows and try again.....TRY TRY AGAIN right.

I miss my Mom everyday and just talking to her over phone is not enough but now that I am counting my days to go home I am just waiting to try all of my Mom's creations. Since the last 2 weeks the feeling is so intense that I just wanna eat only dishes that remind me of home.. :) . Last weekend I made Bhapa Dim again and this weekend Murgh Musallam. I know that's not a typical Bengali dish but as I have told my mom is a great cook and she makes several types of dishes and this dish is also from her list of creations. I had made it for the first time some 5 - 6 years back for my birthday party......ya I know I had to cook on my birthday....NO COMMENTS. :( . Anyways this Sunday I decided to try to re-create this dish with my own twist.


Murgh Musallam is part of both Lahori Cuisine & Awadhi Cuisine. The Awadhi Cuisine is from Lucknow capital of Uttar Pradesh,India. Awadhi Cuisine has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques, and this bears similarities to those of Persia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad.

However as far as this dish goes , in Lahori style the chicken is stuffed with rice and dry fruits where as in the Awadhi style the dry fruits are part of the gravy. I selected the Awadhi style for no special reason, just that my Mom made it that way. Serve it with Padina Pulav and it make a great combination.

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FOR MURGH MUSALLAM
Chicken , curry cut 750 gms
Yoghurt 3 tablespoon
Onion, red ones 2 medium sized
Ginger-garlic paste 3 teaspoons
Lemon juice 1 number
Tomatoes 2 numbers
Green Chilly 2 numbers
Almonds5 numbers
Cashew Nuts5 numbers
Raisin1/4 cup
Turmeric powder1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder2 teaspoons
Garam Masala1 tablespoon
Bay Leaf2 leaves
Whole Dried Red Chilli2 numbers
SaltJust a pinch
Ground-Nut Oil1/2 cup


FOR PADINA PULAV 
Long grain rice 1 cup
Whole Cumin Seeds 1 teaspoon
Whole Red Chilli 2 numbers
Turmeric Powder 1/2 teaspoon
Green Chilly 2 numbers
Mint 1 cup


     MURGH MUSALLAM :-
  1. In a large bowl, mix together ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and lemon juice.To the mixture add the yoghurt and mix well. 
  2. Make small slits on the chicken flesh and add the Chicken to the mixture and let it stand for 2 hrs.
  3. Make a wet paste of almonds, cashew nuts, raisins and green chilli.
  4. Chop the onion lengthwise as finely as possible. Blanch the tomatoes for 10 min , then remove the skin and puree it.
  5. Heat oil in a large pan, add the bay leaf and whole dried red chilli.
  6. As the aroma is released, add the onion julienne to the pan with salt and fry the onion till its translucent. Add the dry fruit paste and cook till the oil is released
  7. Add the chicken with the marinate to the pan with salt and cook over low flame with lid for 15 - 20 min or till the chicken is done.
  8. Add the tomato puree to the cooking chicken and cook for 5 min. 
  9. Finally add the garam masala and cook till the oil separates out. 

    PADINA PULAV :-
  1. Soak the rice in water for 2 hrs.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and whole dried red chilli.As it start to spatter, add the soften rice and fry.
  3. Mix the turmeric powder with little water and add it to the rice and fry well.
  4. Chop the mint leaves roughly. Chop the green chilli to small size.Add them to the frying rice.
  5. Fry till the minty smell is released.
  6. Then add water and cook till the rice is ready.
             
    That reminded of home, not that its anyway close to my Mom's but it OK FOR NOW .









    Priyanka

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