Dessert of the Desert: Lauki ki Kheer

This Sunday, a little of Rajasthan on my platter...a very common yet easy dessert recipe from the land of deserts...So here we go with the Lauki ki Kheer recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Lauki (bottle gourd): 250 gm, finely grated
2. Milk: 8 to 10 large cups
3. Khoaa Kheer: 100 gm
4. Sugar: as per requirement
5. Ghee: 2 to 3 tablespoons
6. Powdered Rice : 5 to 6 tablespoons
8. Rosewater: 2 tablespoons
9. Cashew and Almond for garnishing

Method:

1. Soak powdered rice in a little water.
2. Meanwhile, boil the grated bottlegourd in 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Drain the remaining water and keep the   boiled bottle gourd aside.
3. Heat ghee in a pan and stir in the soaked powdered rice for a few minutes.
4. Now add boiled bottle gourd and milk and stir continuously keeping on low flame. Keep on stirring till all ingredients mix well and the bottle gourd becomes tender enough.
5. Now add Khoaa Kheer and sugar and mix well. Stir for a few more minutes.
6.  Sprinkle rosewater and remove from flame.
7. Garnish with dried fruits and rose petals (though I missed out on the latter)to bring that royal flavor.

PS: Serve it chilled in a plain earthen bowl to relish the raw effect of the Desert from the Land of the Rajas :) :P

Makhone Mohito Murgi...the Utterly Butter-ly Chicken :P :P

This one is somewhat a modified Butter Chicken dish...but pampered with loads and loads of butter to give the chicken a silky touch as it melts in your mouth...so here we go :) :)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 kg

2. Cashew - 50 gm

3. Milk - 1n 1/2 cup

4. Butter - 75 gm...more if you like :)

5. Onion - 4 medium to large (1 chopped and 3 made into a paste)

6. Tomato - 1 large chopped

7. Ginger paste - 1 tsp

8. Garlic paste - 2 tsp

9. Red Chili powder - 2 tsp

10.Cinnamon - 2" stick

11.Green Cardamom - 3 pods

12.Clove - 3 to 4

13.Black pepper corn - 4 to 5

14.Coriander leaves chopped

15.Salt to taste 

16.Sugar to taste

17.Oil

 

Method:

1. Mix milk, cashew, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper corns and cloves in a blender with a little butter to make   a frothy smooth batter.

2. Heat oil and butter in a pan and add the dried red chilies and wait till they crackle.

3. Now add chopped onion slices and stir fry till they become transparent.

4. Add onion, ginger and garlic paste and saute till the colour turns golden.

5. Add chopped tomato pieces and stir till oil separates.

6. Add the chicken pieces and fry till they show a golden tinge.

7. Add the previously made milk batter and chili powder and stir well so that all ingredients get mixed well.

8.Add salt and sugar to taste and a little water and mix well.

9.Bring the entire thing to boil.

10.Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and more butter on top and serve hot with roti or paratha. 

PS: To have a creamier, thicker gravy, you can add fresh cream to the milk batter and blend well.

Sorshe-Posto Dim (Egg in Mustard - Poppy Seed Curry)

Posto or poppy seed is a very common and favored ingredient in a Bong kitchen. It's especially a must-have element in Bong dishes in the summer months as posto is considered to cool your tummy and is yummy too :) :)...and the Bong fetish for sorshe bata or mustard paste is almost a global phenomena!! So here I present an egg curry made with two of the very 'priyo moshla'  of a Bong 'grihini' :P :P


Ingredients:


1. Egg - 8 to 10 hard boiled
2. Mustard Seeds - 3 tsp
3. Poppy seeds (Posto) - 4 tbsp
4. Green chilies - 3 to 4 or as per your heat tolerance!!
5. Onion - 2 medium sized finely chopped
6. Red chili powder - 1 to 2 tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Mustard oil
10 Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped




Method:


1. Heat oil in a kadhai.Fry chopped onion till a golden brown tinge appears.Now strain oil from the fried onion and keep it aside.


2. Fry the boiled eggs in the onion-fried oil till the colour turns brownish.Keep aside the fried eggs.


3. Meanwhile, grind poppy seeds, mustard seeds and green chilies in a blender to form a paste. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to this paste and mix well with a little water.


4. Add this paste to the heated oil and keep on stirring till oil separates from the spice paste.


5. Now add the fried eggs and most of the fried onions. Mix well with the spice paste by stirring carefully.


6. You can also add some warm water if you want an ample amount of gravy and stir.


7. Check for salt seasoning and garnish with the remaining fried onion, chopped coriander leaves and green chilies.Serve with steamed rice.

Chicken Rezala- the simple way!!

My version of chicken rezala is a simple-to-cook time-saving dish...i didn't use the entire array of ingredients those are typically listed in the traditional rezala recipe...mine is a shortcut way to treat the taste buds as well as the soul :P

 Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 kg, pieces slightly slitted for spice absorption
2. Curd - 3/4th of a cup
3. Onion - 2 medium sized
4. Black pepper corns - 2 tsp
5. Cardamom- 5 to 6
6. Cinnamon - 3 to 4 1-inch sticks
7. Cloves - 3 to 4
8. Dried Red Chilies - 2
9. Bay leaves - 2
10.Salt to taste
11.Red chili powder - 1 to 2 tsp
12.Rose water - 1 tsp
13.Keora water- 1 tsp optional

 Method:

1. Grind onion and pepper corns and mix with curd, chili powder and salt in a blender to make a smooth marinade.
2. Marinate the chicken pieces with the marinade for two hours.
3. Crush ingredients 5 to 7 into a coarse powder.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add dried red chilies, bay leaves and the crushed spices. Stir till the spices crackle.
5. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and stir fry till oil oozes out.
6. Now cover and cook in low flame till the chicken becomes tender.
7. Check for seasoning and add a little hot water to make the gravy a bit thinner.
8. Finally, when the dish is done, sprinkle rose water and keora water and serve hot with roti or rice.

Egg Upma

This one is a deviation from your everyday mundane Upma...great for a weekday brunch or light lunch :) :)...and easy to make too :) :)

Method:

1. Dry roast suji in a pan and keep aside. 

2. Heat oil in the pan and add mustard seeds, 1 or 2 shukno lonka (dry red chilies) and a few curry leaves and stir till u feel the aroma.

 3. Now stir in chopped onion, capsicum, peas, carrot, green chilies and sauté for few minutes.

 4. Make a batter of egg, salt, black pepper powder and red chili powder and add this batter to the sautéed veggies and fry the egg in a scrambled form. 

5. Now add the roasted suji and mix well with all the ingredients. 

6. Add water and salt and keep stirring till the suji is fully cooked. 

7. Garnish with ghee, chopped chilies and curry leaves. Also add more and more scrambled egg pieces on top if you are a voracious egg-lover like my hubby n me...happy cooking :) :)

You can also top it up with shredded paneer to add to the taste quotient...and a tinge of lemon juice would be just as good to make your first hour meal exotic!!

My impromptu Lemon-Ginger Chicken!!

Last weekend I made some fried rice with veggies. As for the side dish, I was unsure what to make out of the chicken pieces in the fridge!! Just took them out and started cooking by mixing ingredients randomly as they came to mind!! And finally, the outcome was fabulous which I christened the 'impromptu' lemon-ginger chicken as it contained lots and lots of lemon juice and shredded ginger :) :)...Just give it a try and I assure you, you would be a happier soul once it goes inside you ;P :D

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 1 kg

2. Onion – 3 medium sized made into a paste, 1 large finely chopped

3. Garlic – 6 to 7 cloves

4. Ginger – 1 inch piece made into a paste, 1 inch paste shredded

5. Tomato – 1 chopped

6. Soya Sauce – 3 tbsp

7. Vinegar – 2 tbsp

8. Tomato Sauce or Puree – 2 tsp

9. Salt

10. Red chili flakes

11. Lemon – 1 large (I used Gandharaj Lebu, you can also use ordinary lemon if you can’t get hold of    one)

12. Oil (any white oil, mustard oil a No-No for this dish)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and fry till the colour turns brownish.

2. Add onion-garlic-ginger paste and stir till oil separates.

3. Add chopped tomato and sauté till the water evaporates.

4. Add well-cleaned chicken pieces and mix well with the spices. Keep on stirring till the pieces release oil and take a brownish tinge. Don’t add water add this stage as the water released from the chicken itself is sufficient for tendering the meat.

5. Add vinegar, soya sauce, tomato sauce or puree and salt and mix well all the ingredients. Keep on stirring till the spicy reddish oil separates…in other words, more the maangsho koshano,  better the outcome!!  ;)

6. Once your hand starts paining of continuous stirring :P, add a little warm water and stir a little. Quantity of water depends on your gravy needs. Ideally, a thicker gravy would suit this dish, I feel.

7. Check for seasoning if more salt is needed. 

8. Add most of the shredded ginger and lemon juice and stir a little. Be sure to turn the heat on a low flame once you reach this step.

9. Also add red chili flakes to heat up the dish!!

10. Remove from heat and garnish with the remaining ginger shreds and lemon pieces.

Monsoon Special Egg Akuri!!

Just tired of the mundane Roti-Sabzi for dinner?? Why not try something chatpata for a change...Egg Akuri is a super-easy yet yummy dish which would just spice up your monsoon meal...so here we go with the recipe...

Ingredients:

1. Egg - 4

2. Onion - 1 large/ 2 medium

3. Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves

4. Capsicum - 1 large

5. Tomato - 1 medium

6. Green chilies - 3 to 4

7. Fresh coriander leaves

8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

9. Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

10.Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

11. Salt to taste

12. Oil

13. Butter 

 Method:

1. Finely chop onion, garlic, capsicum, tomato and green chilies.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes and then add chopped garlic and stir fry.Now add capsicum pieces and saute for few more minutes.Add tomato and green chilies and saute till oil oozes out.

3. Meanwhile break the eggs to form a batter. Add turmeric powder, salt and red chili powder to the batter and mix well.

4. Add the batter to the sauted spices and veggies and mix well. Keep on stirring till the egg gets totally scrambled.

5. Add lots and lots of butter if you are not that much of a health-freak.

6.Finally sprinkle some black pepper powder and coriander leaves and serve hot with bread or rotis.

PS: You can also add carrot, beans, peas or any other vegetable of your choice to the dish if you like. 

The Great Bong Doi Maachh (Rohu Fish in Yogurt Curry)

Hubby reached Maachher Bajaar (fish market) late...till then all the good Ilish (Hilsa) disappeared from the market!! The poor lad returns home, his hands empty, face grumpy and soul sinking :( :(...So I made some spicy Doi Maachh to lift up his spirits :P :P

Ingredients:

1. Rohu fish – 8 to 10 pieces
2. Onion- 1 medium sized chopped and four medium sized made into a paste.
3. Ginger – 1 inch made into a paste
4. Curd – ½ cup
5. Turmeric powder to marinate fish
6. Red chili powder
7. Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
8. Cardamom – 4 to 5
9. Cloves – 4 to 5
10. Black pepper corns – 5 to 6
11. Bay Leaves – 2
12. Dried red chilies - 2
13. Salt to taste
14. Sugar to taste
15. Oil
16. Ghee
17. Green chilies
18. Raisins optional

Method:

1. Marinate the fish pieces with turmeric powder and salt.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish. Drain oil and keep aside.
3. Crush the whole spices (ingredients 7 to 10) in a coarse form. Add this, dry red chilies and the bay leaves to the heated oil and sauté till the spices crackle and the aroma comes out.
4. Now add chopped onion and sauté till it becomes transparent.
5. Now add the onion- ginger paste and keep stirring till the oil separates.
6. Meanwhile mix curd, red chili powder, salt and sugar with a little water and blend well to form a smooth batter.
7. Add the batter to the sautéed spices and mix well. Add more water as per your gravy needs.
8.  Now bring the whole thing to boil.
9.  Once boiling starts, add the fried fish pieces and stir a little keeping in mind not to break the fish pieces.
10. Let the water dry down a little so that a moderately thick gravy remains.
11. Add a little ghee and raisins and stir.
12. Garnish with slitted green chilies and serve hot with steaming hot rice.

Chicken Vindaloo - Bong Style

Chicken vindaloo is a traditional Goan recipe. However I modified the recipe a bit to give it a Bengali feel by introducing some typical Bong ingredients and omitting some ingredients from the original vindaloo. Kept my fingers crossed as i was wondering about the outcome of this Goan-Bong fusion!! However, the result was mouthwatering (as complimented by my hubby :P :P...and hope you would like it too :):)

Ingredients:

1. chicken - 1 kg cleaned and slightly slitted 

2. onions- 4 medium sized

3. garlic - 2 whole heads

4. ginger - 1 inch piece

5.green chilies - 7 to 10 as per your heat tolerance :P

6. vinegar- 3 tablespoons

7. curd - 4 to 5 tablespoons

8. mustard seeds - 2 teaspoons soaked in water for about 10 mins

9.poppy seeds (posto) - 3 tablespoons soaked in water for about 10 mins

10. cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon

11.turmeric powder - 1/4 th teaspoon optional

12. chili powder - 1 to 2 teaspoons

13. bay leaves - 2 

14. cinnamon - 1 inch

15.green cardamom - 3 to 4

16.dried red chilies - 3 to 4

17. fresh curry leaves

18. oil or/ and ghee as per requirement

19. salt to taste

Method:

1. Take 3 onions and mix them well with ingredients no. 3 to 12 in a blender and make a smoooth marinade.Also add salt to this paste.

2. Mix this paste with the chicken pieces and marinate overnight/ for 8 hours. You can keep it in the fridge.

3. Heat oil/ ghee in a kadhai till smoking. Crush ingredients 13 to 16 coarsely and add them to the heated oil. Saute till they crackle.

4. Now take the 4th onion finely chopped and add to the oil and saute till they are transparent.Also add some curry leaves and saute along with the onion till you feel the smell of curry leaves.

5. Add the marinated chicken and the marinade and keep on stirring till oil separates and the water evaporates.

6. Once you see oil oozing out, add warm water as per your gravy requirement, cover and cook in low flame till the chicken is tender.

 7. Check the seasoning in case you need more salt. Garnish with curry leaves and serve with steaming hot rice or rotis.