Tel Koi

Preparation time : 15 mins

Cooking time         : 30 mins

Serves                      : 2-3

Ingredients:

• Koi maach                   - 4-5
• Onion                           - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomato                        - 1 large
• Ginger                          - 1/2 inch
• Green chilli                 - 4
• Turmeric powder      - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder      - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder           - 1 tsp
• Kalojire                        - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves      - a handful, chopped
• Mustard Oil               - 4 Tbsp
• Salt                               - to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste of tomato, green chilli and ginger. 

2. Wash the fishes properly. Pat them dry using kitchen towel. Smear them with half the turmeric powder and little salt. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

3. Heat oil  in a pan. When hot put the fish. Fry till done from each side.

4. Remove from pan and keep aside.

5. Temper the remaining oil with kalojire.
6. Add the chopped onion and cook till translucent.

7. Add the tomato paste and cook till tomato is cooked and no raw smell exists.

8. Add remaining turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder. Mix well and saute for another minute.

9. Add a cup of water and mix well. Cover and let the gravy come to a boil.
10. Add the fried fish. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

11. Add chopped coriander and mix well. Remove from stove and serve with rice.

Jhinge Aloo Posto

Ingredients:

• Jhinge(Ridge gourd)          - 2 big ones
• Potato                                      - 1 big, peeled, cut into long pieces
• Green chilli                           - 3, slit lengthwise
• Posto(Poppy seeds)            - 2 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds                     - 1 Tbsp
• Kalo jeera(Nigella seeds) - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder                - 1/2 tsp
• Salt                                            - to taste
• Oil                                             - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak posto and mustard in half cup water for 30 mins. Then make a smooth paste of it along with a green chilli.

2. Peel the ridge gourd. Cut in long pieces.

3. Heat oil in pan. Temper with kalo jeera.

4. Add potato. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add ridge gourd. Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.

6. Cook till potato and ridge gourd are almost done.

7. Add green chilli.
8. Add Posto paste and mix well. 

9. Cook for another 4-5 minutes till the everything is tender and cooked well.

10. Serve hot with rice.

Omelette curry

Ingredients:

For Omelette - 

• Eggs                           - 3
• Onion                        - 1 medium, finely chopped.
• Green chilli              - 1, chopped
• Cilantro                    - 1 Tbsp chopped
• Salt                            - to taste
• Turmeric powder   - 1/3 tsp
• Oil                             - 1 tsp

For gravy - 

• Onion                         - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomato                      - 1 large, chopped
• Potato                        - 1 large, peeled, cut into long pieces
• Green chilli               - 3, chopped
• Turmeric powder    - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder    - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder         - 1 tsp
• Garam masala          - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste  - 1 tsp
• Whole cumin           - 1 tsp
• Salt                             - to taste
• Oil                              - 1 Tbsp

Method:
1. First make the omelette. To make it - in a bowl break in the eggs. Add onion, green chilli, cilantro, salt and turmeric powder and mix well.
2. Heat oil in a pan and pour the mixture, spread evenly and cover with a lid.
3. After a few minutes when the bottom side is done flip the omelette and let the other side cook. When done remove from pan and cut into 6 pieces.

4. To proceed with the gravy, add oil in the same pan. Temper with cumin seeds.
5. When cumin starts spluttering add the potato. Cook for 4-5 minutes till potato turns brownish and is half cooked.
6. Add the chopped onion and green chilli. Cook till onion turns translucent.
7. Add chopped tomatoes. Cook for another few minutes till tomato turns mushy and is cooked.
8. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and ginger garlic paste. Mix well and cook till masala is cooked and oil separates from the masala.

9. Add a cup of water and cover the pan with a lid. Cook on high heat till the gravy comes to a boil.

10. Sprinkle garam masala and mix well. Add the omelette pieces.

11. Cover and cook for another few minutes till potato is fully cooked.
12. Let the gravy thicken a bit and then remove from stove.

13. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot omelette curry with plain rice.

Blueberry Cream cheese loaf

This blueberry loaf was an awesome one. The cake is smooth and moist and just melts in your mouth. The best part was the layer of cream cheese in between and the flavor that the orange zest adds. Try it at home and you surely will fall in love with this.

Ingredients:

For the loaf batter - 

• All purpose flour          - 1 and 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp for dusting the berries
• Butter                             - 1/2 cup, at room temperature
• Sugar                              - 1/2 cup
• Eggs                                - 2
• Vanilla extract              - 1 tsp
• Baking powder             - 1 tsp
• Salt                                  - 1/4 tsp
• Milk                                - 1/3 cup 
• Blueberries                   - 1 and 1/2 cups

For the filling - 

• Cream cheese             - 8 Oz
• Sugar                            - 1/2 cup
• Orange zest                 - 1 tsp
• Egg                                - 1
• All purpose flour        - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. To prepare the filling take all the ingredients in a bowl. Beat using an electric beater till smooth and peaks formed. Keep aside.

2. Preheat the oven at 350F.
3. To prepare the batter - in a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. 
4. Break in the eggs in the mixture. Add salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
5. In a separate bowl add flour and baking powder and mix well.
6. Add in the flour mixture and milk alternately to the egg mixture and beat till smooth batter in formed.
7. Coat blueberries with flour and add them in batter. Fold them in gently.

8. Grease the loaf pan with butter and dust with flour.
9. Pour half the batter in the loaf pan.
10. Add the layer of filling over the batter.
11. Add the remaining batter on top.

12. Bake for 50-60 minutes till toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Patishapta

Poush Sankranti or Makar Sankranti is a special occasion celebrated all over India for the fresh harvest of the season. Bengalis celebrate this mainly by preparing pithey, a type of dessert made of rice powder, date jaggery, milk and coconut, typically.
This day brings back my childhood memories of the chilled mornings of Poush month(a month of Indian calender). That morning used to be an exciting one looking at the plate mom used to serve with varieties of pithey and my favorite was always kheerer patishapta(patishapta having a filling of thickened sweetened milk). That morning my mom used to do it in earthen oven using woods. We all siblings would flock around her to get the warmth of fire and also to get the pithey served hot from the griddle. And now it seems more than the warmth of fire it was the warmth of the mother that used to make us flock around. Good old childhood! 

"Koi lauta de mere beetey huye din".

Ingredients:

For batter

• All purpose flour                - 1 cup
• Rice flour                             - 1/3 cup
• Semolina(sooji)                  - 1/4 cup
• Sugar                                    - 2 Tbsp
• Milk                                      - 1 and 1/2 cup(or a little more if needed)

For filling

• Grated coconut                    - 2 cups
• Condensed milk                  - 1 can
• Green cardamom                - 3, (crushed and powdered, only seeds)

(Traditionally we use khoya which is prepared by thickening the milk over a long time. But I used condensed milk which "almost" serves the same purpose.)

Method:

1. To prepare the filling mix grated coconut and condensed milk in a pan. Put it on medium low heat.

2. Add cardamom powder and cook stirring continuously till it thickens. Remove from pan and keep aside.

3. In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, semolina, rice powder, sugar and mix well. Add milk gradually and keep mixing till a batter of pouring consistency is formed. The batter should not be very thick, it should be thin enough to spread easily in the griddle. Adjust the milk accordingly. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
4. Heat a heavy bottomed pan or griddle.
5. Brush the pan with a little ghee.
6. Take a deep round ladle full of batter and pour it in pan. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the mixture and to get a circular shape. 
(Be quick with this step as the mixture tends to set real quick.)
7. When the top is cooked put filling lengthwise.
8. Fold the crepe from one end and roll till it is fully folded.

9. Remove from pan. Serve with a drizzle of thickened sweetened milk(kheer in Bengali).

Kasuri Methi Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken                     - 2 Lbs
• Ginger paste             - 1 tsp
• Garlic paste              - 1 tsp
• Yogurt                        - 4 Tbsp
• Turmeric powder    - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder    - 2 tsp(adjust according to your level)
• Cumin powder         - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder   - 1/2 tsp
• Onion                         - 2 medium sized, chopped
• Tomato                      - 2 medium sized, chopped
• Methi seeds              - 1 tsp
• Dry red chilli            - 3
• Black pepper            - 1 tsp
• Kasuri methi            - 1 Tbsp
• Mustard oil               - 3 Tbsp
• Salt                             - to taste

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken with ginger paste, garlic paste, yogurt, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and 2 tsp oil. Keep aside for 2-3 hours.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a pan. 

3. When hot add the methi and saute till brownish. Once brown remove the methi seeds from oil. 

(This step is just to get the fragrance of methi in oil)

4. In the same oil add dry red chilli.
5. Add onions and cook till translucent and are cooked.

6. Add tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes turn mushy and are cooked.

7. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. Cook on medium heat.

8. When chicken becomes tender add a cup of water.

9. Crush the kasuri methi on your palm and add in. Mix well.

10. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

11. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Lau Chingri - Shrimp with bottle gourd

Bottle gourd is a very useful vegetable and has so many benefits. It keeps your body cool and helps in better digestion.
This is a very simple preparation of bottle gourd with a subtle flavor of shrimp that makes it more palatable. Very simple in flavor and soothing in taste.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp(small ones)      - 300 grams
• Bottle gourd(Lau)         - 1 medium sized(around 500 grams)
• Green chilli                     - 4-5, chopped
• Ginger                              - 1/2 inch, grated
• Coriander leaves            - 2 Tbsp, chopped
• Dry red chilli                  - 2
• Cumin (Jeera)                -  1 tsp
• Bay leaf                            - 1
• Cumin powder               - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder          - 1 tsp
• Mustard oil                     - 1 Tbsp
• Salt                                   - to taste

Method:
1. peel the bottle gourd and cut into small thin pieces.
2. Mix shrimps with a little turmeric powder and salt.
3. Heat half the oil in a pan. When hot add the shrimps and fry them till little brownish.

4. Remove shrimps from pan and keep aside.

5. In the same pan add the remaining oil.
6. When hot temper with cumin seeds, bay leaf and red chilli.
7. Add the grated ginger and saute for 30 seconds.
8. Add the chopped bottle gourd and green chilli.

9. Add salt and turmeric powder, mix well. Cover and cook till bottle gourd is cooked. Give a few good stirs in between. If there is excess water put the heat to high and cook uncovered till no more watery.
10. When bottle gourd is cooked add fried shrimps and chopped coriander and mix well. 
11. Sprinkle a little water and cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

12. Remove from pan and serve hot with rice.

Mutton Handi

This is a great dish of mutton although experimental. It seems every meat lover should have this dish at least once in their lifetime. :)

Ingredients:

• Mutton                             - 1 kg
• Yougurt                            - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder           - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder           - 1/2 tsp(adjust according to your level)
• Cumin powder                - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder          - 1 tsp
• Onion                               - 2 large, chopped
• Tomato                            - 1 large, chopped
• Green Chilli                    - 4-6, chopped
• Garlic cloves                   - 6 fat ones
• Ginger                              - 1 inch, chopped
• Dry red chilli                  - 3
• Cinnamon stick             - 1 inch
• Green cardamom         - 3
• Cloves                             - 8
• Black pepper corns      - 10
• Bay leaf                           - 1
• Mustard oil                    - 3 Tbsp
• Salt                                  - to taste

Method:

1. Marinate the mutton with yogurt, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and 1 Tbsp mustard oil. Keep it for 4-5 hours or overnight.

2. Add 1 Tbsp oil in a pan. When hot temper with bay leaf, green cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper corn, clove and red chilli.

3. When whole spices release aroma add chopped onion and green chilli. Saute till onions are cooked.

4. Add tomatoes, garlic and ginger and cook till tomatoes are cooked and turns mushy.

5. Remove the mix from pan and allow it to cool. Then make a smooth paste of the mix. Add little water if needed.
6. Heat the remaining oil in pan. 
7. When hot add the paste in oil and saute for few minutes.

8. Add the marinated mutton and mix well. Cook till oil separates from masala.

9. Add 1 cup water, mix well. Cover and cook on low heat till mutton is cooked well. Give a good stir few times in between.
(It might take around 45 minutes to 1 hour)

10. Serve hot with rice or naan or roti.