Suruttai Poli - Indian Cooking Challenge, Feb 2011

Suruttai poli, a traditional sweet preparation of South India, was chosen by Srivalli as the recipe for Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of February, 2011. This recipe is suggested by Nithya of 4th sense cooking, who stated her mother�s traditional, tried & tested recipe.

I had never heard about this dish so it was a real challenge to attempt. When I searched the net for pictures, I came across Pavithra's recipe on how the final dish will look.

Suruttai means rolled up and poli, generally refers to the sweet poli. It somehow resembled patisapta (a traditional sweet / savoury preparation in Bengali), stuffed with fillings of khoya & kheer / grated coconut, mixed with jaggery and rolled tightly.

Here the outer covering should be thin, like a papad. It came out nicely and everyone enjoyed this delicious sweet treat. The only addition I made, I added some raisins in the filling mixture�.

Ingredients:

For filling:

• Roasted gram: 1 cup
• Sugar: 1 cup
• Cashews, chopped: 3-4 tbsp
• Raisins: 3-4 tbsp
• Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
• Coconut, grated: 2 tbsp
• Ghee: 1 tsp

For dough:

• All purpose flour: 1 cup
• Salt, a pinch
• Water, to knead dough
• Oil, for frying polis

For garnishing:

• Sugar, powdered: � cup
• Cashews, chopped: 5-6
• Raisins: 10-12

Preparations:

Method for filling:

1. Dry roast the gram and powder the roasted gram and sugar together in a mixer.
2. Heat ghee and roast the chopped cashew, add grated coconut and saut� them till golden brown. mix well.
3. Add the powdered gram & sugar mixture, mix thoroughly by stirring continuously and switch off flame. Pour the mixture in a bowl and keep aside.

Method to prepare dough for Polis:

1. Sift flour and salt in a bowl, add a little water and knead to prepare a soft dough (like chaapati consistency). Ccover and set it aside for 10-15 mins.
2. Powder sugar, sprinkle on a plate and keep aside.
3. Make small balls from the dough, flour the rolling surface and roll the dough into very thin circles. (like papad consistency) (You can prick the rolled dough with fork on the surface to prevent them from puffing while frying). After rolling, keep aside for 10 mins.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Gently release the rolled dough in the oil. Turn and lightly fry on both sides and ensure that it do not change colour (It should be flexible and should not turn brown or crispy).
5. Drain oil and place the fried poli on the plate, coated with the powdered sugar. Carefully and immediately add 2-3 spoon fulls of filling on one side and roll tightly to form suruttai poli.
6. Keep aside face down in a flat surface. (The polis should be soft when hot but once they cool down they will become crispy).
7. Repeat with all the dough balls and prepare a whole batch of suruttai poli.

For serving, arrange the polis on a serving plate. Sprinkle some powdered sugar, garnish with cashews and raisins and serve.

Khandvi, Indian Cooking Challenge, Dec 2010

Gujarati cuisine mainly consists of vegetarian recipe and have unique culinary traditions of India. Gujarati cuisine is also distinctive in its wide variety of Farsans or side dishes served with the main meal. Some Farsan are eaten as snacks / light meals.

Gujarati food mainly comprise of 4 major regions, North Gujarat, Kathiawad, Kachchh and South Gujarat. North Gujarat is popular for its traditional Gujarati thali consisting of rice, dal, curry, vegetables, sprouted beans, farsan, pickles, chutney and raita. Some of the popular farsans, popular for their tastes are Pathara, Khaman Dhokla and Khandvi.

Khandvi is a delicious savoury made with gram flour (beasn) and curd, tempered with sesame seeds and mustard seeds and served with fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Srivalli chose Khandvi as the recipe for the Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of December. Preparing Khandvi is an art by itself and requires lot of practice to perfect the dish. I have never prepared Khandvi before and had to try 2-3 times, before I got a perfect rolled Khandvi.

Srivalli provided two recipes for khandvi, I followed Lataji�s recipe, only difference is that, I used only mustard seeds for tempering�

Ingredients:

• Gram flour / Besan: 1/3 cup (heaped)
• Sour Curd / Yogurt: 1/3 cup
• Water: 1 cup
• Ginger & Green Chilli paste: 2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Cooking Oil: 3 tbsp

For tempering:

• Cooking Oil: 2 tsps
• Mustard seed: 1 tsp

For Garnishing:

• Grated Coconut: 2 tbsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Grease a flat plate and keep it ready before proceeding to cook Khandvi.
2. Beat curd and keep aside. In a bowl, add gram flour, salt, ginger-chilli paste, beaten curd, turmeric powder, asafoetisa and water and mix well to form a smooth batter (Ensure that the batter is thin and free of lumps).
3. Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and add batter. Stir the batter continuously till well cooked. (You will know that the batter is ready, when the batter take a light brown tinge & glaze from the oil and do not stick to the walls of the kadhai).
4. The batter should still be in a semi liquid state, tipping more towards solid state (Over cooking will result in a solidified mass which will not spread evenly).
5. Transfer the cooked batter onto the greased plate and spread uniformly into a thin sheet over the flat surface with a ladle. (Do this quickly or else the batter will thicken as it cools and become difficult to spread.)
6. Using a knife, make strip marks on the sheet. Carefully roll each strip into spirals and place the khandvi rolls on a serving platter.
7. Heat the rest of the oil in another kadhai, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Pour the tempering over the rolled khandvis.
8. Garnish the Khandvis with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo, Indian Cooking Challenge, Nov 2010

Traditional Kashmiri cuisine is characterized by the use of curds in the gravies, which gives the dishes a creamy consistency.

In Kashmir, potato is called 'Oluv' (Singular), and potatoes are called 'Olav' (Plural). 'Dama Oluv' is a poular North Indian cusine, having its origin in Kashmir.

Better known as Kashmiri Dum Aloo, it is an all time favourite and mouth watering potato based curry recipe, prepared with whole / diced baby potatoes simmered in a rich and creamy gravy.

The credit for the mouth watering and unique taste goes to the use of exquisite spices and ingredients. Dum means anything cooked under pressure. Here the aloo / potatoes are cooked under pressure in their own juices.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo recipe is generally flavored with Kashmiri chillies and it uses typical Kashmiri spices like fennel / aniseed and ginger powder. Kashmiri Dum Aloo is particularly served with naan or roomali roti.

Srivalli choose this dish as the recipe for Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of November. She choose the recipe of Kashmiri Aloo Dum from Indian food.

Ingredients:

• Baby potatoes / small potatoes - 1 kg (round and uniform size)


• Cumin seeds, roasted and powdered: 1 tsp


• Kashmiri red chillies, roasted and powdered: 3-4


• Curd / yogurt: 2 1/2 cups (must not be sour)


• Ginger powder: 1 tsp


• Fennel / aniseed powder: 1 tbsp


• Cloves, roasted and powdered: 6


• Mustard oil: 4 tbsp


• Garam Masala: 1 tsp


• Mixed powders (Black cardamom, Cinnamon and Black Pepper): 1 tsp


• Asafoetida: a pinch


• White oil to deep fry potatoes


• Salt to taste


• Firm dough made from wheat flour and water Chopped coriander leaves: 1 tbsp

Method to prepare:

1. Wash the potatoes well, peel, and prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Then soak in salted water for 15-20 mins.


2. Heat white oil in a kadhai and fry the potatoes on medium flame on all sides till golden brown. Drain excess oil and keep aside.


3. Make a paste of curd / yogurt, chilli powder, ginger powder and fennel powder. Add the potatoes and marinate for about an hour.


4. Heat mustard oil in another kadhai, add the clove powder and asafoetida and mix well. Add a half cup of hot water with a little salt and bring to a boil.


5. Slowly add the marinated potatoes and the yogurt mix and thoroughly stir to mix the spices.


6. Cover with a lid, seal the edges with the dough for the �dum� so that steam do not escape. Cook in a low flame for 10-15 mins.


7. When the gravy thickens and the oil begins to separate, turn off the flame.


8. Add garam masala, roasted cumin seeds powder and the mixture of cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper powders. Turn gently with a spatula so that all the spices are mixed well.


9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Naan / Roomali Rotis / Chapatis.

Varo (Indian Praline with Mixed Nuts), Indian Cooking Challenge, Oct 2010

Praline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup. Originally inspired in France at the Ch�teau of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the cook of the 17th-century sugar industrialist, Marshal du Plessis-Praslin (1598�1675), early pralines were prepared with whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar, as against dark nougat, where a sheet of caramelized sugar covers many nuts.

Pralines have a creamy consistency, similar to fudge. They are usually prepared by combining sugar, butter and cream / buttermilk on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, till most of the water evaporates and they reach a thick texture with a brown color. They are then dropped by spoonfuls on a greased flat surface and left to cool to solidify into a crispy candy.

Alka suggested Sri for choosing Varo to be the recipe of Indian Cooking Challenge (ICC) for the month of October.


Varo is a kind of Indian praline with mixed nuts. Varo is a part of Sindhi cuisine, where Sindhi people make this as a Diwali special treat.

In West Bengal, we are used to Badam Chakti (Peanut Chikki / Brittle), which is a sweet preparation made from broken peanuts and jaggery. In Varo, sugar syrup is used instead of jaggery.

Sri chose two recipes for Varo, one is from Simply Sindhi Recipes and the second one is from Madhvi's Foolproof Recipes.

This was a new preparation for me. I tried the recipe from Simply sindhi recipes.

Ingredients:

• Mixed Nuts (Almonds, Pistachios, Cashew nuts), sliced: 1 cup
• Dry Coconut slices: 2 tbsp
• Poppy Seeds / Khus Khus: 2 tsp
• Black Cardamoms, crushed: 4 -5
• Sugar: 1 cup
• Clarified Butter: 1 tbsp

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, add butter and sugar and cook in a low flame till the sugar melts.
2. When the sugar is caramelized to a light brown color, add the sliced mixed nuts, poppy seeds and crushed cardamoms. Stir and mix well till all the nuts are coated with the caramelized sugar evenly.
3. Pour this mixture onto the back of a greased plate / rolling board.
4. Flatten the mixture by using a rolling pin very quickly or else the mixture will harden as soon as it removed from heat.
5. Score lines before the mixture begins to set, as this will make it easier to break and get uniform pieces of Varo.
6. Leave the Varo to set for some time. Break into pieces and store in air tight containers.

Punjabi Kadi with Pakora (Dahi Besan Kadi)

For the month of September, Srivalli announced a delicious dish, Punjabi Kadhi for the Indian Cooking Challenge. Thanks to Srivalli for choosing this yummy Punjabi kadi and Simran for the awesome recipe.

Kadhi / karhi is an Indian dish, specially a part of Gujarati and Punjabi cuisine, basically made up of vegetable fritters (pakodas) simmered in a spicy yogurt-based gravy containing chickpea flour (besan / gram flour) with tempering of black mustard seeds, cumin, asafoetida, dried chili peppers, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves in oil / ghee and eaten with steamed rice and roti / phulkas.

Pakoda is a common Indian snack like onion pakoda, potato pakoda, eggplant, cauliflower or chopped spinach or chilies, prepared by dipping the ingredients in batter and fried into crunchy pakodas.
Punjabi kadhi is a typical North Indian recipe made up of pakodas simmered in a thick yogurt gravy.


Ingredients:
For Pakodas:

• Gram flour: � cup
• Onions, sliced: 2 medium
• Red Chilli Powder: � tsp (as per taste)
• Baking Powder: � tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Water, for batter
• White oil, for deep frying pakodas

For Kadi

• Curd / Yogurt: 1 cup
• Chickpea flour / Besan: � cup
• Onion, chopped: 1 large
• Mustard Seeds / Sorse: 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds / Jeera: 1 tsp
• Carom seeds / Ajwain: � tsp
• Fenugreek seeds / Methi: 1 tsp
• Curry leaves: 5-6
• Dry red chillies: 2 whole
• Turmeric powder: � tsp
• Red Chili powder: � tsp
• Garam Masala powder - � tsp
• Asafetida / Hing: a pinch
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Preparation
Pakora:

1. Take slice onions in a bowl, crush them a little to separate the slices.
2. Add besan and all the other ingredients except water and oil to the bowl. Mix well. Slowly add water and make a batter of semi thick consistency.
3. Heat oil in a deep bottomed kadhai. Add a little oil in the batter and mix again.
4. Take small amount of batter coated onions, form a round shape and slowly release the balls in the hot oil.
5. Deep fry the pakodas, turn and cook both sides until crispy and golden brown.
6. Drain oil and take out the pakodas, put on a paper towel to soak the extra oil. Keep aside.

Kadhi:

1. Blend yogurt, besan and water with a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder to make a thin batter / buttermilk (lassi) mixture consistency. Keep it aside for half an hour before starting to make kadi.
2. Heat oil in a kadhai, add the dry spices (mustard seeds, cumin seeds, carom seeds and fenugreek seeds) and let them splutter. Add curry leaves and dry red chilli to tadka (frying mixture).
3. Add chopped onions and saut� them until light brown. Add the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, salt and saut� a little more.
4. Add the yogurt / besan (kadhi mixture) to the tadka. Keep stirring the gravy, as it may stick to the bottom. First keep it on a medium flame, bring it to a boil, reduce flame and simmer on low flame for 20-30 mins.
5. Keep stirring occasionally, check if the gravy is thick enough (add little water if required) and release the pakodas in the kadhi.
6. Boil for 2-3 mins more and turn off gas. Garnish with chopped coriander, serve hot with steamed rice or chapati.

Mishti Bhaat (Sweet Rice)

Mishti Bhaat (Sweet Rice) / Mishti Pulao is an authentic Bengali Cuisin, where "gobindobhog" chal (rice / chawal) is used. You can substitute with long grained basmati rice. Very simple and easy to cook, a perfect rice recipe to serve guests, if you want something different other than plain rice / pulao.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (400 gms) gobindobhog rice
• 5 cups water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 50 gms cashew nuts / kaju
• 50 gms raisins / kishmish
• 4 tbsp white oil
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 1 inch cinnamon stick / dalchini
• 2 green cardamom / chhoti elaichi
• 4 cloves / laung

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins. Drain and put the rice on a muslin cloth to completely dry the water.
2. Soak the raisins in water. Split the cashew nuts.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and slightly saute the raisins and cashew nuts (till light brown). Drain oil and keep aside.
4. Add the bay leaf, whole spices and stir fry. Reduce the flame, add the rice and stir fry for 2 mins on low flame.
5. Add sugar and salt and mix well. Then add the fried cashewnuts & raisins, mix well and stir fry for 2 more mins. Add water, cover the cooker and let the steam come out.
6. Put the lid and cook till 2 whistles. Melt ghee and sprinkle over the rice. Mix from the bottom and transfer rice to a serving plate. Serve hot.
   

This is going to the Let's go Nuts - Cashew Nuts event, hosted by Poornima of Tasty Treats and started by and to Aquadaze.

This is also going to the CFK - Rice Event, hosted by Trupti and an event started by Sharmi.

I am also sending these entries to the CFK-Rice event.

Jeera Peas Rice

Vegetable Pulao

Biuli Daal (Bengali Kalai Daal)

Sometimes back I wrote about Aloo Posto (Potatoes cooked in poppy seeds paste). It is served as a side dish with Biuli Daal (Urad Daal or Kalai Daal as known in Bengali). There are many ways of preparing this daal, but most famous is the simple & aromatic recipe stated below.

Ingredients:

• � cup (100 gms) urad dal (kalai dal / biuli dal)
• water (ratio 1 cup dal = 3 cups of water)
• � inch ginger
• 2 tsp aniseed (fennel / saunf / mouri)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 green chilli
• salt (to taste)
• 1 tbsp oil, for tempering

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak the daal for 10 mins. Drain and keep aside.
2. Place the aniseed and ginger in a bowl and add hot water. Keep covered for 30 mins. Drain water and blend them together to form a smooth paste. (add a little water, if required). Keep aside.
3. Boil water in a pressure cooker and release the daal. Add salt and mix well. Place the cover with the lid and give one whistle. Simmer and cook daal for 10-15 mins or until moderately soft. (ensure that the grains are visible and daal is not mushy).
4. Heat oil in a kadhai, add the bay leaf, green chillies and aniseed-ginger paste. Saute and stir a little (don�t fry too much or the paste will have a burnt smell & taste).
5. Pour the tempering over the daal. Adjust the seasoning. (the daal should not be too thick. Add a little water, if necessary and give one boil). Serve hot with rice.

Stir Fried Bhindi

Lady's finger (also known as Okra / Bhindi / Dharosh) is not a favourite vegetable of a lot of people. But knowing how to cook it in a proper way, can turn it into delicious side dishes. Here is the recipe of Stir Fried Bhindi, a crispy stir fry and a side dish preparation of lady's finger and onions and can be served with both rice and chapattis.

Ingredients:

• 50 gms lady's finger / bhindi / okra
• 3 onions, finely choped
• 6 tbsp oil

Powdered Masala:

• 4 tsp coriander / dhania powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp amchoor / dried mango powder
• 1-1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

Spices for garnishing:

• 1 tsp aniseed / saunf / mouri
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 1 tsp coriander seeds / saboot dhania

Procedure:

1. Crush aniseed, jeera and saboot dhania to form a powder. Keep aside.
2. Wash and dry the lady's fingers. Slice the top and bottom end of each lady's finger.
3. Finely chop to small pieces (You can slit lengthwise also).
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add the chopped onions and saute till light brown. Add the powdered masala, mix and stir fry.
5. Add the chopped lady's finger, mix well with the masala and stir fry for 3-4 mins.
6. Simmer, cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove the cover and cook till the lady's finger are crisp and completely cooked.
7. Add the powdered aniseed, jeera & dhania powdered mixture over the dhania. Serve hot.

Note:
Another version, you can add 2 bsp of beaten curd towards the end of the cooking. Keep stiring on medium heat till the curd is completely blended with the bhindi.

Tips:

1. Always choose young and tender bhindi. You can check whether the bhindis are young or not by snapping. The best ones will get easily snapped when you bend the tail end of the pod.
2. Make sure to dry the bhindi completely after washing them in water or the bhindis will become slimy. Use dry chopping board and knife.
3. Use a little extra oil than other dishes and cook on high heat. After that you can lower heat and cook covered as necessary.

Navratan Korma

Navratan Korma is a delicious curry (Mughlai cuisine) with nine ingredients including vegetables, nuts and paneer / cottage cheese (hence the name navratan / nine jewels). You can add vegetables of your choice. This is generally served as a side dish with hot Naans / Kulchas / Paranthas.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups vegetables (potatoes, carrots, green peas, french beans, cauliflower and capsicum)
• 1 cup paneer cubes
• 1/4 cup dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisins)
• 3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
• 6 tbsp white oil
• 1 & 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 1 & 1/2 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander/ dhania powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera powder
• 1& 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (to taste)
• 2 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp whipped cream
• 2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a non-stick kadhai / frying pan and slightly saut� the raisins and cashew nuts on on medium heat. Drain & keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Reduce flame, add ginger-garlic paste and saut� a little. Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry for 2 mins.
3. Add turmeric powder, salt, sugar, red chilli powder, coriander & cumin seeds powder. Mix well and stir for another 2 mins. (Ensure that the masala doesn't stick to the bottom of the kadhai / frying pan).
4. Add the vegetables, dry fruits and mix well with the fried masala.
5. Lower the heat. Add milk while stirring constantly. Increase heat and bring it to boil.
6. Now simmer and cook for 10 mins / until the vegetables are tender and the gravy becomes thick.
7. Add paneer and cook for 2 mins (so that the paneer absorbs the gravy). Add a little water, if required.
8. Transfer navratan korma into a serving bowl. Add the whipped cream and sprinkle garam masala. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

This recipe is going to WYF -Side dishes by EC of Simple Indian Food and FIC-Red & Green event, hosted by Neha of Tasty Recipes, an event started by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers.

Aloo Posto

Aloo Posto (Potato cooked in poppy seed paste) is a delicious & popular Bengali recipe generally eaten as a dry accompaniment with a meal of steamed rice and daal. This recipe finds a place with biulir daal (urad daal) in every other Sunday afternoon lunch at our home.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium sized potatoes
• 4 tbsp poppy seeds / posto / khuskhus
• � cup water (to make poppy seeds paste)
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp panchphoron
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 3 green chillies
• � tsp red chilli powder
• � cup water
• salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Wash, peel and dice the potatoes into one inch sized cubes.
2. Take a pan, boil water and steam the potatoes a little (ensure that the potatoes do not become too mushy). Keep aside.
3. Soak poppy seeds in 1 cup of boiled water for 30 mins. Drain and put poppy seeds in a blender. Add 1 green chilli, � tsp salt and � cup water and blend to form a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add bay leaf & panchphoron and let them splutter.
5. Reduce the flame. Add the poppy paste, 2 green chillies, red chili powder and salt and stir fry for 3-4 mins.
6. Add the semi-cooked potatoes to the poppy paste, mix well and again stir fry for 2-3 mins.
7. Add water and cook till the water evaporates and the potatoes are done.
8. Transfer in a serving bowl and serve hot with rice and daal.

Tip:

Instead of steaming the potatoes, you can directly cook them with the poppy paste with enough water to cook the potatoes until tender.

Jeera Peas Rice

Yday it was very hot and humid. Thought of making plain rice and chicken curry for dinner. But on second thought wanted to prepare either jeera rice or peas pulao. But somehow ended up making a jeera peas rice, a tasty variation on plain boiled rice, with jeera and peas. Here is the recipe�

Ingredients:

• 2 cups / 400 gms basmati rice (long grain rice)
• 4 cups water (ratio 1 cup rice = 2 cups water)
• 1-1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 1 cup / 100 gms shelled peas
• 2 tbsp white oil
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 bunch chopped coriander leaves, for garnishing
• cucumber slices, for garnishing
• 4-5 green chillies, for garnishing

Procedure:

1. Wash the Basmati rice well in running water. Soak in water for 30 mins. Drain water in a strainer / colander and keep aside.
2. Take a nonstick pressure cooker (ordinary cooker will also do, but give a little bit more oil), heat oil. Add jeera let them splutter. Reduce the flame, add the peas and saut� for 2 mins.
3. Add the rice and salt and stir a little. Add water and mix well.
4. Place the cover on the pressure cooker and let the rice come to a boil. Place the lid on the cooker and pressure cook till 2 whistles. Switch off the gas.
5. Apply ghee on the rice and mix well from the bottom. Transfer the jeera peas rice on a serving tray.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, cucumber slices and chillies. Serve hot with raita, paneer dish or any chicken preparation.

Sorse Rui (Rohu in Mustard Gravy)

A traditional Bengali lunch is not complete without a fish curry where hot steaming rice is served with daal, fried vegetables and finally with a fish preparation. Here is the recipe for Sorse Rui (Rohu in Mustard Gravy) ideal to have with rice during lunch time.

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces rui (rohu)
• 2 tbsp black mustard seeds (sorse)
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds (posto)
• 2 green chiili (for mustard paste)
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2-4 tbsp mustard oil (as required), to fry fish
• 3-4 chilli (slit lengthwise) to decorate
• 1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the fish pieces and sprinkle 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and a 1/2 tsp salt on the pieces and rub on all sides. Keep aside for 10 mins.
2. Grind the mustard and poppy seeds with 2 green chillies in a blender to form a smooth paste. Add a little water while making the paste. (Do not overgrind, as mustard paste may get bitter).
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and shallow fry the fish in 2 tbsp mustard oil. Flip to the other and fry till light brown (Ensure even frying on both the sides).
4. Heat the oil in the kadhai (left after frying fish), add 1 tsp turmeric powder, mustard paste (diluted with a little water), red chilli powder and salt. Mix well. Add 1/2 cup water (as per gravy).
5. Release the fried fish in the mustard gravy and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for about 5-6 min till gravy thickens a little.
6. Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish with green chlli. Serve with hot steaming rice.

Saag Aloo Mattar (Peas & Potato in Spinach Gravy)

Thought of making Saag-Aloo (a nutritious dish made of spinach & potatoes) dish for tonight�s dinner. While preparing I found out there was no coriander leaves (which I generally use for spinach gravy recipes) but a handful bunch of mint leaves were available. Well wary at first of the taste, substituted coriander leaves with the mint leaves and voila...the final dish was also delicious with the typical smell of mint.
A few bunch of mint leaves were extra so I prepared mint, cucumber & yogurt raita and instead of plain roti made pudina parantha to have a whole course "minty" menu for tonight's dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
• 4 medium sized potatoes, peeled & diced
• 1 cup shelled peas
• 2 bunch mint leaves
• 2 large onions, finely chopped / grated
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• � tsp garam masala powder
• � tsp red chili powder
• 1-2 green chilli (as per taste)
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil
• a few mint leaves, for garnishing
• 1 tbsp roasted cumin seeds / jeera powder

Procedure:

1. Wash the palak thoroughly. Pressure cook the palak in a little water. Add 2 garlic cloves and a little salt (spinach do not absorb salt, so be careful while adding salt to water).
2. Give 2 whistles, remove from fire and let the cooker come down to normal temperature.
3. Wash & peel the potatoes and dice to small cubes. Wash the shelled peas.
4. Boil water in a pan, add a little salt and steam the diced potatoes and peas till tender but not too mushy. Remove from flame, drain the boiled vegetables and keep aside.
5. Meanwhile put the pressure cooked palak (ensure the palak is cooled thoroughly), 2 bunch of mint leaves and green chilli in a mixie and blend to form a smooth puree.
6. Take a non stick pan, heat oil and saute the chopped / grated onions till light brown. Add the ginger & garlic paste and fry for 2 mins.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes and spinach puree and cook till the tomatoes are mixed thoroughly and the palak starts to bubble.
8. Reduce the flame and add the boiled potato cubes & peas, salt, red chili powder & garam masala and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
9. Transfer in a serving dish. Garnish with mint leaves and roasted jeera powder and serve hot with roti / paranthas.

Missi Roti

Missi Roti is a Rajasthani speciality and a type of chappati / parantha. If you all remember my post on Chillah (another Rajasthani recipe), where I used besan, atta and maida with a variety of vegetables. Well missi roti is prepared with wheat flour and gram flour.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms wheat flour / atta
• 200 gms gram flour / besan
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera a pinch of asafoetida / hing
• 2 tbsp kasoori methi powder1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp red chili powder (to taste)white oil, for frying
• �-1 cup warm water (for making dough)

Procedure:

1. Sieve atta to remove the husk. Take the sieved atta & besan in a mixing bowl. Add cumin seeds, kasoori methi powder, salt & red chili powder and mix well.
2. Add a little oil and gradually add water and knead to form a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for 30 mins. Make 10-12 small round shaped balls.
3. Take a ball, press to form a flat shaped dough and roll into a slightly thick roti / chappati than usual.
4. Heat a non stick frying pan / tawa and place a rolled out roti / chappati.
5. Flip to the other side after you notice the colour change and when spots appear on the lower side of the chappati.
6. Apply 1 tsp oil on the outer edge of the roti and ensure even frying on both the sides.
7. Serve missi roti hot with pickles, green salad, raita and chicken / mutton curry.

Tips:
You can add a pinch of turmeric while making the dough.

This roti can also be made in a Tandoor. When made in Tandoor, apply ghee and serve immediately.

Misti Singhara (Sweet Samosa)

Misti singhara (or sweet samosa) is one of my favourite sweet dish. Very easy to prepare also. The process of making sweet samosa is similar to that of the popular samosa (filled with fried vegetable stuffing) only here the stuffing is of khoya / kheer and the final samosas are dipped in the sugar syrup.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms (2 cups) plain flour / maida
• 200 gms (2 cups) khoya kheer / mawa
• � tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 tsp saunf (mouri / aniseed)
• � cup boiling water (as required)
• 1- � tbsp white oil (for kneading dough)
• white oil / ghee, for frying

Sugar Syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 4-5 green cardamom (chhoti elaichi)
• few strands of saffron

Making sugar syrup:

1. To make the hot sugar syrup, take a deep pan, mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. (ratio is 1 part of sugar to 2 parts of water) and bring to a boil.
2. Add 4-5 cardamom pods (crushed) and saffron.
3. Mix with a spoon until all the sugar is dissolved in water. Boil the syrup and then simmer to reduce the water by half.
4. Check the consistency by pouring a little syrup from the ladle. Clear the syrup by removing the scum formed on the top and transfer the hot syrup into a serving dish.

Kheer Filling:

1. Crumple the khoya kheer / mawa with hand.
2. Take a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, add the crumpled khoya kheer / mawa, add nutmeg powder, saunf and stir on low flame for 3-4 mins.
3. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Preparing the samosas:

1. Take a bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add 1 tsp white oil and boiling water.
2. Mix well and knead to form a soft dough (but not too loose). Keep aside covered for 30 mins. Divide the dough into 6-8 round balls.
3. Take a rolling board and roll out one ball into round thin pancakes (like we do for puri / luchi). Cut it into half (semicircle shape)
4. Take a semicircle shaped pancake in the left hand (with the straight edge on the top).
5. Take a bowl with little water. Dip index finger of your right hand in water and apply on the straight edge of the semi circle.
6. Place your left thumb in the middle of the pancake and fold the right side of the semicircle. Overlap the other half on the straight edge, making a cone. Press the straight edge and seal properly.
7. Invert the cone and place in your left hand so that it looks like a funnel and stuff 1 tbsp of the khoya kheer / mawa filling inside the cone.
8. Now press the open edge in a straight line and seal properly (seal towards the sealed conical edge) to form a samosa.
9. Repeat the process to prepare all the samosas and cover with a moist cloth (If the samosas become dry, the dough may crack during frying)

Frying:

1. Heat oil in deep bottomed kadhai / pan. Lower flame.
2. Slowly release the prepared samosas to oil and fry on slow heat.
3. Flip to other side and fry till even light brown. Remove from fire and drain excess oil by keeping the fried samosas on a paper towel / tissue paper.

Coating in sugar syrup:

1. After frying, dip the fried samosas immediately in the sugar syrup (use a strainer) to ensure even coating on all sides.
2. Remove from sugar syrup and refrigerate. Serve cold / warm as per taste.

Sending this post to the Event - Holi Hai!!! hosted by Purva of Purva's Dawat.

Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

I am back with a delicious Biryani recipe. I had Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani, first time during my stay in Bangalore. What surprised me that they serve a gravy with the biryani dish along with raita / green salads. So when I prepared the recipe at home, I kept the gravy and served it along with the biryani.

Ingredients:

• 350 gms mutton, cut into cubes
• 200 gms basmati rice
• 2 large onions
• 4 medim sized tomatoes
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• 6-7 green chillies
• 4 tbsp white oil
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
• 1-2 cups boiled water (as required for gravy)
• 4-5 strands saffron
• 2 tbsp milk

Whole Spices:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 green cardamoms, slit
• 3 black cardamoms, slit
• 4-5 cloves
• 1 1/2" cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves

Garnish:

• 2 large onions, sliced & fried
• 10-12 pieces, kashewnuts, fried
• 1 bunch corinader leaves, chopped
• 1 boiled egg, sliced

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the mutton cubes. Keep aside.
2. Wash basmati rice and soak in 2 cups of water for atleast 1/2 an hour.
3. In a bowl, add curd, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, a pinch of turmeric & red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and salt and mix well. Marinade the mutton cubes in the curd mixture for 2 hours.
4. Peel and wash the onions. Slice 2 onions and finely chop the remaining 2 onions. Chop tomatoes and green chillies.
5. Heat white oil and ghee in a kadhai and fry the sliced onions till brown. Drain and keep aside.
6. In the same oil, add the whole spices, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the chopped onions and saute till light brown.
7. Add the remaining (1 tsp) ginger-garlic paste, chopped tomatoes, coriander, cumin & turmeric powder and sliced green chillies.
8. Take out the marinated meat cubes, add to the kadhai and saute well. Add the curd mixture (in which mutton was marinated), mint leaves, boiled water and cook till mutton is half done.
9. While the mutton is cooking, prepare the biryani rice. Par boil rice with 1-1/2 cup of water with a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer on low heat till half done. Drain the water.
10. Dissolve saffron in 2 tbsp of milk and add to a portion of the semi-cooked rice and mix gently. Keep aside.
11. Take a handi, place about half of semi-cooked rice in it. Next, layer half of mutton cubes on the rice. (Keep the gravy aside for serving).
12. Top with another layer of rice and remaining mutton and finally make a layer with the saffron mixed rice. Add the fried onion slices and kashewnuts.
13. Lid the vessel and make it airtight (put a layer of atta dough round the vessel top).
14. Put on high flame for 5 min and then reduce to low flame. Wait for 2-3 min, turn the vessel (ensure that you do not shake the handi) and keep rotating the vessel every 2-3 min for about 15-20 min.
15. Put off the flame and wait for about 10 min before opening. Before serving, mix the biryani from the bottom.
16. Garnish with boiled egg halves & chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with mutton gravy, raita, green chutney and green salads.

Thor Chhechhki

Banana pith (known as thor in bengali) is an useful part of the banana tree (stem) which is believed to remove kidney stones.

In previous days, a typical menu in bengali cuisine served during lunch time will have delicious recipes made from various parts of the banana plant like banana stem (thor chhechhki) and banana flowers (mochar ghonto). Cooking thor recipe is easy but the cutting takes a little time and patience.

Because of our busy and hectic schedules, it becomes difficult to prepare these recipes on daily basis unlike other vegetables. But if you know the proper technique and have enough time in your hand, you can definitely give this recipe of Thor Chhechhki a try.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 thor (banana pith)
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar (to taste)

Procedure:

1. Remove the outer covering to get the core inner portion known as the pith.
2. Cut the thor / banana pith into circular slices and keep on removing the intervening fibers (oil your hand otherwise it may feel sticky).
3. Soak the slices immediately in water to avoid browning.
4. Cut the slices to fine pieces and again soak in water for 5-10 mins. Drain the excess water. (Press with hand to squeeze all the remaining water).
5. Take a kadhai / frying pan and heat oil. Put mustard seeds and slit green chillies and let them splutter.
6. Add the sliced onions and saut� till light brown (If you want a strictly vegetarian dish, omit the onions).
7. Slowly release the finely sliced thor in the kadhai. Stir fry for 2-3 mins.
8. Add sugar and salt. Add a little water if required.
9. Cover and cook till the thor is tender and cooked thoroughly. Remove from fire.
10. Transfer to a serving bowl / plate. Serve hot with plain rice and daal.

Calcutta Chicken Roll

Kolkata is famous for roadside eateries and roll corners. There are varieties of rolls like egg roll, chicken roll, egg - chicken roll, chicken tikka roll, combination of the above mentioned ingredients, the list is endless, even vegetarian roll like paneer roll is available these days.

Chicken Roll originated in Kolkata (Calcutta) and is often known as the Calcutta Kati Roll where spicy & cooked chicken cubes are placed & wrapped in parantha. A perfect recipe to enjoy in a get-together of family & friends. I prepare the chicken cubes beforehand. So when guests arrive, I only assemble the rolls and serve hot.

Here is the recipe for chicken (tandoori) roll. Though the recipe may look lengthy, it is really easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 500 gms boneless chicken, skinned & cut into 2" cubes
• 250 gms (2 cups) yogurt / curd
• 3 tbsp tandoori chicken masala
• � tsp nutmeg powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp mustard oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Paranthas:

• 1 � cup plain flour (maida)
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• � cup water (as required, for kneading dough)
• 3 eggs
• white oil, to fry the paranthas

Assembling:

• 2 large onions, finely sliced (lengthwise)
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• tomato sauce
• chat masala
• 1 lemon, halved

Procedure:

Chicken stuffing:

1. Wash the chicken cubes and beat a little with a kitchen knife.
2. Sprinkle salt, lime juice and mustard oil over the chicken pieces and rub altogether.
3. Add tandoori chicken masala and the nutmeg powder.
4. Whip the yogurt & pour over the chicken cubes, add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Take a non-stick pan and melt butter. Take out the chicken cubes from the marinade and fry them till tender and cooked thoroughly.

Making paranthas (for roll):

1. Beat the eggs well with a little salt and keep aside.
2. Sift the flour, add salt and oil and knead to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into roundels (the roundels will be slightly bigger than those for making roti / chapatti).
3. Take a rolling board, and roll out a circular parantha (a little thicker than ordinary roti / chapati).
4. Heat tawa / griddle and place the parantha on the heated tawa / gridldle. Cook one side then flip to cook the other side.
5. Pour 1 tsp oil on the tawa / griddle and coat the parantha with the oil. Keep aside.
6. Add 1 tsp of oil again on the tawa / griddle and pour a little portion of beaten egg on the tawa / griddle. Quickly put a parantha on the egg and allow the egg to set.
7. Flip the parantha over to the other side (egg side up) and cook till both sides are evenly fried.
8. Remove the fried parantha from tawa / griddle. Keep aside.

Assembling the roll:

1. Place the parantha (egg side up) on a serving plate and lay a portion of the cooked chicken pieces in a straight line in the middle of the parantha.
2. Place sliced onions, chopped green chillies on the chicken cubes, add tomato sauce and sprinkle chat masala. Finally squeeze the lemon on the chicken cubes.
3. Roll the parantha with the chicken stuffing firmly so that the chicken cubes do not fall.
4. Wrap the roll in a tissue paper and serve hot with tomato sauce / chilli sauce.

Lobongo Lotika (50th Blog Post)

Thanks all for your support. Writing the 50th food entry in my blog.
Today is International Women�s Day. A day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. This day can also be stated as a day to celebrate the life of a woman who faces hardships with her inner strength.
Here�s wishing you all a Happy Women�s Day.

So how about some �mishti mukh� as known to Bengalis for taking sweets�
Lobongo Lotika, a traditional Bengali dessert, made of flour, filled with mouth watering khoya / mawa mixture and soaked in sugar syrup. A clove is inserted on top of the sweet, hence the name lobongo lotika (clove as known in Bengali).

My grandmother used to make these sweets whenever we went to our grandparent�s place during durga puja (this sweet is generally eaten at bijoya dashami, the 10th day when the idol of Devi Durga is immersed in water).

So here stating the recipe as learned from my grandmother in her memory���

Ingredients:

• 200 gms (2 cups) plain flour / maida
• 200 gms (2 cups) khoya kheer / mawa
• � tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 tsp saunf (mouri / aniseed)
• � cup boiling water (as required)
• 6-8 cloves (one for each piece)
• 1- � tbsp white oil (for kneading dough)
• white oil / ghee, for frying

Sugar Syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 4-5 green cardamom (chhoti elaichi)

Procedure:

Preparing sugar syrup:

1. The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm.
2. To make the hot sugar syrup, take a deep pan, mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. (ratio is 1 part of sugar to 2 parts of water) and bring to a boil.
3. Add 4-5 crushed cardamom pods.
4. Mix with a spoon until all the sugar is dissolved in water. (Do not overheat, or else sugar will get caramelized / hard).
5. Boil the syrup and then simmer to reduce the water by half.
6. Check the consistency by pouring a little syrup from the ladle. (Remember not to put your hand in the warm syrup to test consistency).
7. If the syrup takes times to pour, it means syrup is ready.
8. Clear the syrup by removing the scum formed on the top and transfer the hot syrup into a serving dish.

Kheer Filling:

1. Crumple the khoya kheer / mawa with hand.
2. Take a heavy bottomed kadhai / pan, add the crumpled khoya kheer / mawa and stir on low flame.
3. Add nutmeg powder & saunf and stir on low flame for 3-4 mins.
4. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Preparing the dough:

1. Take a bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add 1 tsp white oil and boiling water.
2. Mix well and knead to form a soft dough (but not too loose). Keep aside covered for 30 mins.
3. Divide the dough into 6-8 round balls.

Preparing lobongo lotika:

1. Take a rolling board and roll out one ball into round thin pancakes (like we do for puri / luchi, only slightly bigger).
2. Put 1 tsp of the khoya kheer / mawa filling onto the center of the rolled out pancake.
3. Fold the two sides so that they overlap and form a rectangular shaped pancake.
4. Flip the rectangular shaped pancake over to the other side and fold the remaining open sides back ways so that they partially overlap on one anther.
5. Stick a clove in the centre of the 2 folds to seal the folds and it will look like a square shaped pancake.

Frying:

1. Heat oil in deep bottomed kadhai / pan and reduce flame.
2. Slowly release the prepared lobongo lotika to oil and fry on slow heat.
3. Flip to other side and fry till even light brown.
4. Remove from fire and drain the excess oil by keeping the fried lobongo lotikas on a paper towel / tissue paper.

Coating in sugar syrup:

1. Dip the fried lobongo lotikas in the sugar syrup and stir constantly to ensure even coating on all sides.
2. Remove from sugar syrup and refrigerate.
3. Serve cold / warm (microwave for 30 secs) as per taste.

You can catch the recipe for other desserts / sweet dishes.

• Gulab Jamun
• Malpua

Parantha

Parantha (Paratha / Parota) is a popular food item that can be eaten at breakfast / lunch / dinner. Paranthas are basically of two main types: 1) Stuffed Paranthas and 2) Plain Paranthas.
Each State of India have some special way of preparing these paranthas, the basic methodology remaining the same (The difference is only in the way each stuffing is prepared and in the rolling process).

Paranthas are mostly a North Indian speciality incluidng some mouth watering paranthas from Gujarat and Rajasthan as well. Rice being the staple food for Eastern India (Bengalis), paranthas have become a delicacy which are prepared on special occasions like festivals / rituals etc.

Non-stuffed paranthas are usually made from wheat flour / chappati flour (flour made from whole wheat) and normally layered. The dough is rolled out and brushed with ghee, folded and brushed with ghee again and folded several times to get the requisite shape (triangular / square / spiral). The final rolled out dough is palced on a hot tawa / griddle. As the parantha is cooked, the steam puffs up separating the layers. (This technique is used in making puff pastry patties, known as flakiness).

Here is the recipe for Plain Parantha (Triangular shaped)

Ingredients:

• 1 � cups wheat flour (atta)
• 1 cup plain flour (maida)
• 1 � cups water (as required)
• 1 tbsp white oil (for dough)
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 cup wheat flour (for dusting to roll out dough)
• white oil, for frying

Preparing the dough:

1. Take a flat bottomed utensil and sift wheat flour & plain flour. Add a little salt. Mix well.
2. Add white oil. Slowly add water, mixing after each addition.
3. Knead the flour thoroughly to form a smooth dough. Add 2-3 drops of oil if required (Stop adding water or else dough will become wet & sticky).
4. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 1 hour.

Rolling out the dough:

1. To make triangular-shaped paranthas, divide the dough into small round balls (the balls will be slightly thicker than balls made for ordinary chapati / roti).
2. Take a rolling broad and dust the board with a little flour.
3. With a rolling pin, roll out one of the small ball to form a circular shaped parantha (similar to rolling out a chapati / roti).
4. Fold in half to from a crescent shape.
5. Dust the parantha with wheat flour and again fold to form a triangle shape. Press the corner with fingers and seal the edges well.
6. Roll the triangular shaped dough into a large, flat triangular shaped parantha.
7. Roll out evenly with the edges slightly thinner to ensure uniform cooking.

Method of cooking the rolled out dough:

1. Preheat a tawa / griddle over medium heat (Don�t place the parantha on a cold tawa, or else it will stick).
2. Place the triangular rolled out dough on tawa.
3. When the color changes on the top, flip to the other side.
4. Apply 1 tsp of white oil, coat the paratntha and flip over.
5. Repeat the process of brushing the parantha with oil on the other side.
6. Keep flipping it over till both sides are evenly browned and spots appear on the parantha (Do not fry too much or the parantha will blackened patches).
7. Serve hot with curries and pickles. (To keep the final paranthas warm, place them in a towel lined casserole and fold over the sides of the towel).