Safflower Leaves Bhaji

Safflower Leaves also known as Kardai in Marathi...

The flower from the seeds of this plant are used as medicine.

Safflower seed is also used to treat fever, tumors, coughs, breathing problems, clotting conditions, pain, heart disease, chest pain, and traumatic injuries. Safflower seed oil is used as a cooking oil. The tender leaves of the plant are use for cooking. This vegetable is available in the winter.

Ingredients
1 Bunch Safflower Leaves chopped
1 big size Onion chopped
2 Tomato chopped
1 tbsp  Garlic minced
1  Dry Red Chill broken
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2  tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp  Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

  Method
Take a pot, add 4 cups water, add the safflower leaves. Let it boil for 3 minutes or the leaves are cooked. Drain the water out and keep the leaves aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and dry red chilli. Let the cumin seed crackle. Add the garlic and onion and fry it till it becomes light brown in colour. Add the tomato, turmeric powder, red chilli powder,coriander powder and stir well, cover and cook until tomato are tender. Add the cooked safflower leaves and stir well.Cook on medium heat until all water dries up and it starts to leave oil from the sides. Once done serve hot with steamed rice.

Potal Maach Doi Shorshe Diye Pointed Gourd and Rahu Fish in Mustard and Curd

Potal Maach Doi Shorshe Diye
Pointed Gourd and Rahu Fish in Mustard and Curd

For the Fish
Ingredients
6 Rahu Fish pieces
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 cup Mustard Oil to fry the fish

Method
Marinate the fish for 15 minutes with turmeric and salt. Take oil in a pan, heat it. Fry the fish till brown on both the sides.

For the Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
3 tbsp of Mustard seeds soaked in water
2 tbsp Poppy seeds
2 Green Chillies
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Curd

Method
Drain the water from the mustard seeds, add all the above ingredients into the blender. Blend and make a smooth paste.

For the Gravy
Ingredients
6 Fried Fish
1/2 kg Pointed Gourd peeled roughly... Some peels should remain on the vegetable, cut vertically into half.
Mustard Sauce
2 Green or Red Chillies slit
1 /2 tsp Kalonji / Nigella seeds
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
Few coriander leaves chopped for garnishing

Method
Take 2 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok, heat it. Add Nigella seeds and chillies. Let the seed crackle. Add the pointed gourd. Stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes, add the mustard sauce and 1 cup water, cover and cook till the pointed gourds are tender. Add fish, simmer for 2 minutes more, drizzle the remaining mustard oil on top. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Rui Macher Dimmer Bora

Rui Macher Dimmer Bora
Fish Eggs Pakoda
Ingredients
1 cup Fish Eggs
1 Onion finely chopped
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
2 Green Chillies chopped
2 Garlic cloves chopped
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Nigella seeds
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Gram flour
Oil to fry

Method
Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl, except oil. Mix it well. Cover and keep for 15 minutes. Add oil in a pan, heat the oil. Put 1 tsp of the batter in the oil, repeat the process. Fry it till crispy golden brown. Have it with hot rice.

Forest Green served with Boiled Rice Noodles..

Forest Green served with Boiled Rice Noodles..
A medley of green vegetables with leafy vegetable cooked together and serve on the bed of Rice Noodles..... Green vegetable and leafy vegetables are cooked in Garlicky Green Sorrel Sauce.... This is an experiment from my Kitchen....

For the Garlicky Green Sorrel Sauce
Ingredients
1 Bunch Green Sorrel / Ambat Chuka chopped and blanched
1 Garlic pod cleaned and minced
2 tbsp Chilli sauce
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Honey
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method
Take a wok, take sesame oil, heat it. Add garlic, saute it for 2 minutes. Add green sorrel, stir and cook it for 2 minutes. Add chilli sauce, soya sauce, oyster sauce, honey, salt and pepper powder. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

For the Forest Green
Ingredients
2 cups medium size Broccoli florets
1 Red Capsicum cut into cubes
1 Yellow Capsicum cut into cubes
1 packet of medium size Mushroom  cut into 2 halves
2 red chillies chopped
1 Onion cut into cubes
2 cups of Garlic leaves chopped
2 cups of Spring Onions chopped
Garlicky Green Sorrel Sauce
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method
Take oil in a wok, heat oil, add chopped chillies and onion, sauté it on high flame. One by one add the vegetables, add broccoli first, stir fry for 2 minutes, add yellow and red capsicum. Stir fry for a minute, add the mushrooms, spring onions and garlic leaves. Stir fry for 2 minutes, add the garlicky green sorrel sauce. Add salt if required. Stir and cook for 5 minutes..... Serve it on the rice noodles and enjoy the goodness of the veggies...

Eggless Chocolate and Cranberry Marble Bundt Cake and Cupcakes

Chocolate and Cranberry Marble Bundt Cake and Cupcakes
Ingredients
4 cups All PurposeFlour
2 tbsp Cocoa powder
1/4 cup Chocolate chips
2 tsp Soda bicarbonate
2 tsp Baking powder
2 cups Butter
2  1/2 cup Caster Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla essence
1/2 cup Curd
1 cup + 2 tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Dried Cranberries

It yielded 1 Bundt Cake and 12 cup cakes.

Method
Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy. Mix in the vanilla essences and curd. Beat it. Add the flour and milk little a time and beat it. Divide the batter into two bowls. Fold the chocolate chipes and coco powder into one bowl and dried cranberries into the other. Grease the bundt pan. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.Take 2 piping bag and add the batter into piping bags and pipe in the batter in the pan. Fill the pan till 3/4 of the pan. Bake it for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan a bit. Remove the cake on the wire rack and cool it completely before cutting....
For the cupcakes bake at 180 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.