Saturday 23 January 2016
Maharashtrian cuisine ...... Kandachi Pat takun Zunka, Bajri chi Bhakri and Kolambi Bhat
Wednesday 13 January 2016
Khandeshi Thali
Tuesday 12 January 2016
Konkani Thali
Konkani Thali
Tur chi Dal
Papdi chi Bhaji
Surmai Machi Fry
served with Chappati and Rice...
Daali Thoy / Tur chi Dal
Ingredients
1 cup Toor Dal
2 Green Chillies
1 inch piece Ginger grated
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Few Curry leaves
1 Dry Red Chilli broken
2 Pinch of Asafoetida
Few Coriander leaves chopped
2 tsp Ghee
Method
Cook dal in pressure cooker with a turmeric, salt, green chillies and ginger. Heat ghee. Add mustard. When mustard starts to crackle, add curry leaves, red chilli and asafoetida. Pour this seasoning to the cooked dal. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add coriander leaves and if you want pout more ghee on the dal. Serve with hot rice.
Flat Beans Bhaji (Papdi chi Bhaji)
For the Ground Masala
Ingredients
1/2 cup Coconut
2-3 Red Chillies
1/2 tbsp Tamarind paste
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Jaggery
Method
Add all the above ingredients in a grinder and grind the ingredients into a paste.
For the Vegetable
Ingredients
1/2 kg chopped Flat Beans
2 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
3 Green chillies cut into pieces
Few Curry leaves
Wet Masala
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped
Method
Add oil in the pan. Heat it. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add Curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the tomato. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the flat beans. Sauté it for few minutes more. Add salt,turmeric powder and wet masala. Stir and cook it 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and cover and cook till the flat beans have become tender. Garnish it with coriander leaves.
Surmai Machi Fry
Ingredients
6 pieces of sliced Surmai
1 tsp Tamarind paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Konkani Masala
1/2 Chilli powder
1/2 cup Samolina
Oil for Shallow frying
Method
Marinate the fish with Tamarind paste,
Salt,Turmeric powder,Konkani masala and
Chilli powder for 15 minutes. Coat the fish with Samolina. Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the fish till golden brown from both the sides. Serve hot.
Saturday 24 October 2015
Bengali Thali
Information Net source....
From below Left to Right
Korola Begun Bhaja (Bitter Gourd and Brinjal fry)
Kocho Chingri Bhaja (Small shrimps Fried with Onions)
Shokto (Mix Vegetable gravy)
Mangshor Jhol (Mutton Gravy)
Misthi Doi (Sweet Curd )
Malai Chamcham
Sandesh
Kher Kadam
Aam Chutney
Pan
Sweets are from Sweet Bengal..
Ingredients
2 Bitter Gourd cut into small pieces
2 Brinjals cut into cubes
1 Green Chillies slit
1 Red Dry Chilli
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Mustard oil
Take a wok. Add oil and heat it. Add red chilli. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the bitter gourd and stir and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the brinjals, chillies, turmeric powder and salt. Stir occasionally and cook till the bitter gourd and brinjals have cooked.
Ingredients
1 cup small Shrimps cleaned
2 Onions sliced
1 Tomato cut into to strips
2 Green Chillies slit
6 Garlic cloves whole
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Mustard oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped
Take a pan. Add oil. Heat it. Add the onions, garlic and chillies. Fry the onions till brown in colour. Add the shrimps, tomato, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté on medium flame till the shrimps are stirred fried. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Ingredients
Mix Vegetables
02 medium sized Potato cut into 4 pieces length wise
2 medium sized Brinjals cut into 4 pieces lengthwise
1 Drumstick cut into pieces
1/2 Radish cut into pieces length wise
4 to 5 Flat green Beans cut into 2 pieces
1 small Bitter Gourd cut into pieces fried
1 tsp Ginger Paste
Few piece of Boris fried
1/4 tsp Panch Paran roasted and ground
1/4 tsp Panch Paran
1 Bay leaf
1 Red Dry Chilli
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Poppy seeds
1/2 tsp Celery seeds
4 tbsp Milk
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Ghee
Sunday 18 October 2015
Panta Bhat served with Ilish Mach Bhaja, Murgir Bharta, Aloo Bhaja, DalBhate & Aam Tel
It has been described in documents from 17th century.During the Mughal Era, members of socio-cultural organizations performed open air concerts, the audience listening to the concert preferred eating traditional food, particularly Panta bhat. Friar Sebastian Manrique a Portuguese Catholic priest of the Augustinian Order reported from his visit of Bengal in 17th century that the people of all communities, according to Manrique, were contented then with the daily meal of rice, often panta bhat, salt and green vegetable (shak). The better-off elements of the society consumed gh, butter, milk and sweetmeats.
In Bangladesh, it is a part of the Pohela Boishakh (Bengali new year festival) festivities. On that day it is consumed as breakfast by urban people. Panta is also served at high-end eateries in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Among Hindu Bengalis, it is consumed during the Ranna-Puja (Bengali cooking festival). In Assam, offering Dudh Panta(milk with stale water-soaked rice) is a part of the marital ritual. In Northeast India, there is a belief that taking painta or panta bhat gives the strength of a tiger.
Panta Ilish - a traditional platter of Panta bhat with fried Ilish slice, supplemented with dried fish (Shutki), pickles (Achar), dal bhate, green chillies and onion - is a popular serving for the Pohela Boishakh festival.
Information from the Net...
Ilish Mach Bhaja (Hilsa Fry)
Murgir Bharta (Chicken Bharta)
Aloo Bhaja (Potato Fry)
Dal Bhate (Mashed Dal)
Aam Tel (Mango Pickle)
Sliced Onions
Green chillies
Kagaji Lebu
Ingredients
Leftover Rice
Water
Salt to taste
Drizzle of Mustard Oil
Take a earthen pot or any vessel. Add the rice and water. Cover with a thin cloth and leave it over night to ferment. While serving add salt and drizzle with mustard oil.
Ingredients
2 Pieces of Hilsa
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Mustard Oil to fry
Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Heat the mustard oil till smoking point, reduce the flame and fry the fish till brown on both the sides.
Ingredients
1/2 cup fine Chicken minced
1 big size Onion sliced
2 to 4 Green chillies minced
4 to 5 Garlic cloves minced
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Mustard Oil
Take a wok, add oil, heat it. Add the onion slices, garlic and green chillies. Sauté the onion till translucent. Add the chicken minced, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté and stir the chicken occasionally. Cook till the chicken is done.
Ingredients
2 Potatoes cut into small strips
1 big size Onion sliced
2 to 4 Green chillies slit
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 to 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
Take a wok, add oil, heat it. Add the onion slices and green chillies. Sauté the onion till translucent. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté and stir the potatoes occasionally. Cook on medium high flame till the potatoes are done.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Massor dal
1 Green Chilli chopped
1/2 Onion sliced
Salt to taste
Few drops of mustard oil
Wash and boil the dal with very less water. Once the dal is boiled and if any water remains then drain the water and boil till all the water dries up, take it off the gas. Add onions, green chilli, salt and mustard oil. Make it into a ball.
This is a mango and spiced flavoured oil, that is used in Bengali Cuisine. This oil is used for mashes vegetables that we call bhate or used to flavour puffed rice that is eaten for snack.
Ingredients for the Powder Masala
1 tsp Panch Phoran
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
2 Red Dry Chilli
Method
Roast all the ingredients together and let it cool, dry grind the ingredients into powder.
Ingredients for Aam Tel
1 medium size Raw Mango washed, dried and cut into medium size cubes.
1/2 tsp Panch Phoran Roasted
4 Whole Red Dry Chilli Roasted
Dry spice powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 cup Mustard oil, heated and cooled down
Method
Take the mango pieces, add turmeric and 1 tsp salt, rub the mangoes well, spread the mango pieces on a clean cloth and dry it for 2 to 4 hours under the sun. Take all the ingredients and the mango pieces in a bottle. Keep it in the sun for few day. It’s ready to be used.
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Durga Utsab and Feasting..... Vegetarian Platter
Durga Puja (Worship of Goddess Durga ) also called Durgotsab. It is a popular festival of Bengal. It is celebrated in the eastern region of India and now celebrated world wide. The main days of Durga puja according to the traditional Hindu Calander are Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami which is within the 9 nights and 10 days of Navaratri.The word Navaratri means nine nights in Sanskrit, Nava meaning nine and Ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The 10th day is Vijayadashami or Dussehra. This fortnight is called Devi Pokkho (Fortnight of the Goddess). The fortnight ends on Kojagori Laxmi Puja “Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night.
From left to Right...
Saag Bhaja usually spinach leaves are stirred fried with salt and turmeric powder. I have fried Dill leaves.
Muger Dal Bata
Kasundi diye Pholkopir Roast
Gandharaj Lebu ar Dhonepata diye Chana
Curd
Kacha Kolar Bora (Raw Banana Kofta)
Pineapple and Khejurgurer (Date Jaggary) Baked Sandesh
For the Paste
1/4 Cup Coconut grated
1 tbsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tbsp Poppy seeds
1 Or 2 Green Chiilies
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard Oil
Method
Blend all the above ingredients into a thick paste. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.
Ingredients
1 Cup Moong Dal
Paste
1 Or 2 Chilli Chopped
Salt to taste
Few Coriander leaves Chopped
1/4 tsp Mustard Oil
Soak the dal for 15 minutes. Remove the water from the dal. Grind the dal into a coarse paste, while grinding avoid adding water. Take a Malmal cloth, add the dal paste on the Malmal cloth, tie the cloth tightly, steam the dal till cooked. Once cooled, take the dal out of the cloth in a mixing bowl, add the chopped chillies, paste, salt to taste, mustard oil and few chopped coriander leaves. Mix it well. For garnishing add few drops of Mustard oil and chopped coriander leaves.
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 small Raw Green Mango pieces
3 Green chillies
3 Garlic cloves (optional)
1tbsp Black Mustard seeds
1tbsp Yellow Mustard seeds
Rock Salt to taste
Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp of Mustard Oil
Blend all the ingredients in a blender except for the mustard oil into a paste. Add little water to get a thick paste and blend it again. Now add mustard oil little at a time while blending. Store it into a glass bottle in the fridge. Let it stand for a day.
Ingredients
1 big Cauliflower cut into medium size florets
1 big Tomato cut into pieces
2 Capsicum cut into medium pieces
1/4 tsp Ginger paste
1/4 tsp Chilli paste
2 tbsp Curd
2 to 3 tbsp Kasundi
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seed powder
1 tbsp Mustard Oil
Few Coriander Leaves chopped
Boil the Cauliflower florets and in 2 cups of water, adding salt to the water for 5 minutes. Drain the water out. In a mixing bowl add the ginger paste, chilli paste, curd, salt to taste, oil, turmeric powder and cumin seed powder and mix it. Add the cauliflower florets, capsicum and tomato pieces in the paste, mix it well and add the vegetables a glass baking tray, roast the vegetables for 45 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius in a pre heated oven. In between at a interval of 15 minutes, take the baking tray out of the oven and stir the vegetables. After the vegetables are cooked, take it out of the oven and garnish it with coriander leaves.
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Mustard Oil
1 Cup Coriander Leaves
1 or 2 Green Chillies
1 small piece of Ginger
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Dates Or 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tspTurmeric powder
1 Gandharaj Lemon Juice
Before taking out the Juice of the Gandharaj lemon, remove the zest of the lemon. Blend all the above ingredients in a blender into a paste.
Ingredients
500 grams Cottage Cheese cut into pieces
1 Tomato cut into strip
2 Green Or Red Chilli slit
Coriander paste
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Mustard Oil
For Garnishing
Few Coriander leaves chopped
Zest of Gandharaj Lemon
Take a wok, add oil. Let it heat. Add the tomatoes and the chillies. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the paste, stir and simmer for 2 minutes, add the Cottage cheese cubes and the salt, stir and cook for another 2 minutes, add 1/4 cup water and salt. Stir, cover and let it simmer till the gravy has incorporated well with the Cottage Cheese. Before serving, garnish with coriander leaves, lemon zest and few drops of Mustard Oil.
Ingredients
1 cup Cottage Cheese
1/4 cup grated Khajurgur ( Date Jaggary)
2 tbsp Pineapple paste or chopped finely
Take a mixing bowl, mix the cottage cheese and the Jaggary well. Take a pan, add the cottage cheese mix with the Jaggary. On low flame cook the mixture well, add the pineapple paste, mix it well. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes till the ingredients has incoperated well. Take a small lose base tart tins. Add the Sandesh mixture in the tins. Bake the Sandesh at 180 degrees for 25 minutes in a preheated oven till the top has browned.
Wednesday 19 August 2015
Brown Rice, Dhasak, Masala Pomfret Fry, Salli Boti
Brown Rice, Dhasak, Masala Pomfret Fry, Salli Boti and Nimboo Pani
Ingredients
1 cup Basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 large onion sliced
4 Cloves
3 Cardamoms
1 small piece Cinnamon
4 Pepper corns
1 tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
Take oil in a pot. Heat it, add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and Peppercorn. Sauté it for 2 seconds. Add the onion and fry. While the onion is frying.. Caramelised the sugar, add 1/4 cup water in the sugar. Once the onions are brown in colour. Add the caramelised sugar water, 2 cup more water and salt. Let the water boil once. Add the rice and cooked till done.
Ingredients
1/4 cup yellow lentils
3 tbsp split Bengal Gram
3 tbsp split Green Gram
3 tbsp split Egyptian Lentils
1/2 cup Pumpkin-peeled and diced
1/2 cup Egg plant diced
1 Potato peeled and diced
1 cup fenugreek leaves washed and chopped
1 Onions grated
1 Tomato grated
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp Dhansak masala
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Lemon juice
Take a pressure cooker. Add all the soaked dals, vegetables, salt and turmeric powder. Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook it. After the pressure releases, blend the dal with a blender. Take a wok. Add oil and heat it. Saute onions, garlic and ginger, till they turn light brown in colour. Add the tomatoes and dhansak masala and saute it till 2 minutes. Add the seasoning to the dal, then simmer the for 5 minutes. Shut the flame and add lemon juice. Serve hot.
Ingredients
4 medium size Pomfret fish
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tbsp Lime juice
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Simolina
Oil for shallow frying
Apply all the powder masala, salt, Garlic paste and lime juice on the pomfrets. Marinate and keep it for an hour. Sprinkle Simolina on the fish. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish till golden brown in colour. Serve it hot with sliced onions and lime..
Ingredients
500 grams Chicken or Mutton cubes
6 Dry Apricotes
1 Onions finely chopped
1 Tomato finely chopped
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Red chillies powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Vinegar
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
Salli or Potato chips, for garnishing
Take a bowl and marinate the meat with ginger, garlic and salt for 3 hours. Heat oil in a large pan and add the chopped onions. Fry to a light brown. Add the marinated meat into the pan, sprinkle the dry powder spices and sugar, sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add few tbsp of water to avoid burning. Add the tomatoes, apricots and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook tiĺl the meat is tender. Add vinegar and chopped coriander, simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Add the Salli on top of the meat. Serve hot with rice.
Saturday 1 August 2015
Neem leaves, potatoes and brinjals stirred fried in mustard oil, Ash gourd ( Petha) Tarkari , Sponge gourd ( Turai) and potato Postor Tarkari, Karai Dal (Urid)
Brinjal, Pumpkin and potato dipped in gram flour batter and fried in hot oil, Neem leaves, potatoes and brinjals stirred fried in mustard oil, Ash gourd ( Petha) Tarkari , Sponge gourd ( Turai) and potato Postor Tarkari, Karai Dal (Urid), Ammer Chutney, Dahi, gondharaj lime and chill served from my balcony garden.....
Few tender Neem leaves
1 cup brinjal cubed
1 potato cubed
1 green chilli slit
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste
Take oil. Heat the oil well. Add all the above ingredients and stir it well. Cover and cook on low flame stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables have become tender take it of the gas. Serve it with hot rice....
Ingredients
1/4 cup Bori fried
1 cup Ash gourd grated and some water squeezed out
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 dry red chilli
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp grated ginger
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
Method
Take a kadai. Add and heat the ghee. Add cumin seeds, red chilli and bay leaf. As the cumin seeds crackles add grated ginger. Sauté for few minutes. Add the grated Ash gourd, sugar, salt, green chilli, garam masala powder and cook it till the water has dried up and the Ash gourd has become tender. Take it of the gas. Add coconut, sprinkle garam masala powder, few drops of ghee and fried crushed Bori for garnishing.
Ingredients
4 Sponge gourd cubed
2 potatoes cubed
1 green chilli
1 3/4 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste
1/2 turmeric powder
3 tbsp poppy seeds soaked in water and make paste with 1 green chilli
Take a kadai, add 1 1/2 mustard oil. Heat the oil well. Add potatoes and sponge gourd , stir well and cooked till half fried. Add salt and turmeric powder. Add poppy seed paste , and cook with the lid on till the vegetables have become tender and vegetables have dried up. Add few drops of mustard oil for flavour from top. Serve with hot rice.
Postor Tarkari can be made with only potatoes or onions, snake gourd , Parwal can be added.....
Ingredients
1/2 cup Urid dal soaked in water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 whole red chilli
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp panch phoran
1 pinch hing
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp sauf ( fennel ) seed powder
1 green chilli
Take a cooker. Add oil and heat it. Add panch phoran, hing , red chilli and bay leaf. As panch phoran crackles add the dal and 1 1/2 cup water, salt, turmeric powder, ginger, green chilli and fennel seed powder. Cook the dal till tender. Add water according to the thickness required and boil again with out the lid for 10 minutes..... Serve it with hot rice and Postor Tarkari...