Whole Wheat Broccoli, Sprouts and Almond Bundt Cake with Almond Yogurt Frosting

I love naked cakes.. which are rustic and easy to make and delicious too... This is a very healthy cake which is an experiment from Su's Kitchen.. it is amazing in taste... as it is eatten it is gooey and has a mild  flavour of  broccoli and spouts. 

For the Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour 
• 1 cup of Sugarfree 
• 1 medium size Broccoli florets 
• 1 small cup Mix Sprouts 
• 2 tbsp Curd
• 1/4 cup Milk 
• 2 tbsp Butter 
• 1 tsp Baking powder 
• 1 tsp Soda bicarbonate
• Few drops of Almond essence 
• 2 tbsp of Almond flakes

Method

Par boil the broccoli florets  and mix sprouts. Strain the water out. Take a blender add the broccoli florets and the mix sprouts. Blend it till it becomes a puree, add butter, Sugarfree and almond essence. Blend it once more. Mix the curd and milk together in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate into the blender, now add the milk and blend it. The consistency should be thick dropping consistency. Add the almond flakes and fold the batter with a spatula. Grease a bundt cake mould, add the batter. Bake it at 180 degrees celcius for 35 minutes in a preheated oven. Cool the cake completely before frosting.

For the Yogurt Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 cup Hung Yogurt 
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 1/4 cup Sugarfree 
• Few drops of Almond essence 
• 1 tbsp Almond flakes

Method

Take a bowl, add the hung Yogurt, milk, Sugarfree and essence. Whip it, add the milk and whip it. It is a thick dropping consistency frosting. Drizzel the frosting on the cake. Sprinkle almond flakes on top.

Bread Charlotte... A French Dessert

Bread Charlotte
Charlotte russe is a dessert invented by the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême (1784–1833), who named it in honor of his former employer George IV's only child, Princess Charlotte and his current, Russian employer Czar Alexander I (russe being the French word for "Russian").  Charlotte russe was also a dessert or on-the-go treat popular during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
A charlotte is a type of dessert or trifle that can be served hot or cold. It can also be known as an "ice-box cake". Bread, sponge cake or biscuits/cookies are used to line a mold, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. It can also be made using layers of breadcrumbs. Classically, stale bread dipped in butter was used as the lining, but sponge cake or ladyfingers may be used today. The filling may be covered with a thin layer of similarly flavoured gelatin. Due to the simple preparation of charlottes, many different varieties have developed. Most charlottes are served cool, so they are more common in warmer seasons. Fruit charlottes usually combine a fruit purée or preserve with a custard filling or whipped cream. Some flavors include strawberry, raspberry, apple, pear and banana. Other types do not include fruits, but use a custard or Bavarian cream. Chocolate charlotte uses a mousse filling within the layers. A citrus curd is a more contemporary choice.
There is a lot of doubt surrounding the origins of the name charlotte. Despite the fact that charlottes are served across Europe, one etymology suggests it is a corruption of the Old English word charlyt meaning "a dish of custard". In another, meat dishes that were known as charlets were popular in the 15th century. Other historians say that this sweet dish took its name from Queen Charlotte (1744–1818), wife of George III of the United Kingdom.It is possible that the dessert takes its name from Alexander I's sister-in-law, Charlotte of Prussia.
Information source Net

My version of the Charlotte
For the Bread
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup + 1 tsp Sugar free Diet Sugar
1  tsp Dry Yeast
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2  cup lukewarm Milk
1/4 cup Milk
2 tbsp Butter
1 Egg

Method

Take 1/2 cup Milk.  Make it lukewarm,  add 2 tsp sugar free diet sugar and yeast. Mix it and let it rise. Take a mixing bowl, add APF, Whole Wheat Flour, salt and remaining sugar. Mix it. Take a another bowl, add the remaining 1/4 cup milk and 1 tbsp of melted butter and egg. Beat it. Now take the dry ingredients and mix it with the wet ingredients, mix it to form a soft dough. Knead it.. add 1/2 tsp butter and knead it for 5 to 10 minutes. Apply the remaining butter on the dough and let it rise. Punch the dough. Take a baking tin. Grease it with butter. Roll the dough to the side of the tin and 1/4 thickness. Spread the roll dough in the tin. Prick the dough with a fork. With the remaining dough, roll the dough out in a circle the size of a glass bowl rim in which charlotte will be set. Bake the bread at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes till done. Cool the bread completely.

For the Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup Strawberry pulp
1 cup Sugarfree Diet sugar
1 tsp Lime juice

Method
Mix all the above ingredients in a pan and cook it on a low flame till the pulp reduces and become a bit thick.

For the Custard Filling
Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Cream
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Sugarfree Diet Sugar
1/4 tbsp Gelatine
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
1 sliced Banana

Method
Take the egg yolks and beat it. In a pan, heat the cream, milk, vanilla essence  and Sugarfree. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. Add the beaten eggs little at a time whisking the cream continuously. Put the pan back on a low flame. Keep on whisking till the custard thickens. Take it off the flame and continue to whisk till it cools downs a bit. Take the gelatine and 2 tbsp hot water. Mix the gelatine till it dissolves. Add the gelatine to the custard and mix it. Add the banana in the custard and mix it.

To Assemble the Charlotte
Take the bread from the tin and cut it into 2 parts. Apply the strawberry sauce on one part of the bread. Cover it with the other  part. Cut it into square or rectangular  pieces. Take the glass bowl. Line the glass bowl with cling flim. Arrange the bread pieces on the sides of the  glass bowl leaving no gap in between. Fill in the centre with the custard filling.  Cover the top with the round bread. Cover the whole bowl with the cling flim. Let it set in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours.  Remove the cling flim. Place a plate upside-down on top of the bowl, then invert the bowl so the charlotte can rests on the plate. Gently lift the bowl up, and peel the cling flim from the top of the charlotte.

Baked Strawberry Custard Pudding With Sugarfree...

Baked Strawberry Custard Pudding
With Sugarfree...
For the Strawberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup Strawberry pulp
1 cup Sugarfree Diet sugar
1 tsp Lime juice

Method
Mix all the above ingredients in a pan and cook it on a low flame till the pulp reduces and becomes thick.

For the Custard
Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
1 cup Cream
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Sugarfree Diet Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

Method
Take the egg yolks and beat it. In a pan, heat the cream, milk, vanilla essence  and Sugarfree. Let it simmer for 2 minutes. Add the beaten eggs little at a time whisking the cream continuously. Put the pan back on a low flame. Keep on whisking till the custard thickens. Take it off the flame and continue to whisk till it cools downs a bit.

For the Pudding
Ingredients
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs beaten
1/2 or more Bread Loaf
Custard
Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients
Cut the bread pieces into strips. Mix the Custard, milk and eggs together. Take a glass square  tray, add the bread strips and fill up half the tray,  pour the milk and the sauce on the top of the bread strips. Lay the remaining bread strips on top, repeat the process and at the end add more bread strips on top. Bake the pudding at 180 degrees celcius for 20 to 25 minutes in a pre heated oven till the top becomes brown in colour.

P.S. I have used Sugarfree Diet Sugar. If required we can increase the sugar quantity according to the taste.  Regular sugar can be added in the same quantity instead of diet Sugar.

Sarson ka Saag Makki Di Roti with Jhatpat Mooli ka Achar

Sarson ka Saag Makki Di Roti with Jhatpat Mooli ka Achar 

Ingredients
1 bunch Green Mustard leaves chopped and cleaned
3 Tomatoes chopped
3 Green chillies
1 small Ginger piece
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Makka flour
2 tbsp Ghee

Method
Make tomato, ginger and green chillies paste.
Take a cooker and add the chopped leaves and add 1 cup of water and pressure cook it. After 2 whistles take it off the gas and let the pressure release.  Once  the leaves cool down, blend it in a blender into a fine paste. Take a wok, add 1 tbsp ghee, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida, let the cumin seeds crackle. Add the corn flour and roast it till light brown, add the tomato paste, turmeric and salt, saute and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mustard leaves paste and a cup of water.  Stir the gravy, After gravy comes to boil, simmer and  cook it on a low flame till it is in semi liquid form, add the rest of the ghee and serve hot with Makki Di roti and Jhatpat Mooli ki Achar..

P.S. 1/2 bunch of Spinach and 1/4 bunch of Dill  leaves can be added along with Mustard leaves while boiling. Chopped onion and 1/2 tsp chopped garlic also can be added while sauté.

Makki Di Roti

Ingredients
500 grams  Makka Flour
Salt to taste
Warm Water
Butter / Ghee

Method
Take Makka Flour in a vessel. Add salt and mix the flour. Knead dough just before preparing. Knead the flour with warm water. Heat the skillet.  Take a small portion of dough and knead it again with hands until soft. Take a portion of the dough and roll into a ball. Apply water on the palm and flatten the dough with palms and make circles round of 5-6” in diameter.
Place it on hot skillet,  turn when one side is done. When other side is also cooked, with the help of a tong cook directly on the flame,  turning around until both sides are done. Add ghee before serving.

Jhatpat Mooli ka Achar
Ingredients
3 Radish (Mooli)  washed and  cut in to big pieces
1/2 cup Radish leaves stem washed and  chopped
6 Green Chillies
1 small Garlic Pod cleaned
1/4 cup Vinegar
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Carom seeds
1 tbsp Feaugreek split dal
2 tbsp  Mustard split dal
2 tbsp Red Chilli powder
Sea Salt to taste
2 Pinch Asafoetida
1/4 cup Mustard oil

Method
Take a chopper, add the radish, radish stem, green chillies, garlic, vinegar, turmeric, carom seeds, Feaugreek dal, mustard dal, chilli powder and salt. Coarsely grind the ingredients together. Take a pan, heat oil, add the asafoetida. Add the ground ingredients in the oil, cook it till the water from the ingredients have dried up and only the oil should remain. This pickle can be had instantly after it cools down, store it in a dry glass bottle and refrigerate it. It remains till 3 months.

Stuffed Paneer Batura and Pickled Carrot

Stuffed Paneer Batura
Sita Ram Diwan Chand in Paharganj, is the place once long time back I had this Stuffed Paneer Batura; Chana and Carrot pickle with sliced onions. The shop I believe is since 1948. Suddenly the other day while surfing, one of the food channels on television was telecasting Delhi street food and this shop was shown. I with great interest started to watch as I had already been to the place. Then what... I want to make this.. I had the carrot pickle at home and here is the recipe..

For the Batura Dough
Ingredients
3 cups of All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Curd
1 tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

Method
Take the curd and mix sugar and salt. Add the curd in the flour, oil and add little water at a time as much required to make a soft dough. Cover and keep for 30 minutes

For the Paneer Stuffing
Ingredients
250 grams Paneer crumbs
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1/4 tsp Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Green Chilli minced
1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
1/2 tbsp Mint leaves chopped

Method
Mix all the above ingredients together.

To make the Batura
Divide the dough into equal big lemon size balls. Take one portion and fill in the suffering. Roll the dough and shallow fry it in oil. Serve it with Chana and Pickle  Carrot..

Pickled Carrot
Ingredients
2 Carrot cut into strips
Few Chillies slit
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds crushed

Method
Mix all the above ingredients and store in a glass bottle for 2 day and have it.

Sprouted Moong and Corn Butter Masala Chaat

Sprouted  Moong and Corn Butter Masala Chaat

While my stay in Bandra and a stroll at Bandstand, I remember the Chana masala chaat vendor.. I use to enjoy the hot, spicy chana masala chaat he use to make... Special chana masala chaat had butter in it. It had green chana which was boiled and then sautéed in butter with onions, tomatoes and chaat masala... Lime juice and coriander leaves was sprinkled before serving and it was served in disposable eco friendly bowl with a thick paper cutting used as spoon...
Ingredients
1 cup Sprouted Moong
1 cup Corn
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Tomato chopped
1 small size Cucumber chopped
2 Green Chillies chopped
1/2 tbsp Raw Mango finely chopped
1/2 tbsp Nutralite / Butter
1/2 tsp roasted Cumin seed powder
Chat Masala to taste
Black Salt to taste
1 tsp Lime juice
Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Take a pan, add butter, add onion and chillies. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sauté it for another 3 minutes. Add the sprouted moong and corns. Sauté it for 5 minutes stirring it continuously. Add the cucumber, raw mango, roasted cumin powder.  Stir it and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the chat masala and black salt and stir it. Add lime juice and coriander leaves before serving.

Egg and Prawn Fried Rice served with Sweet and Sour Prawns

Egg and Prawn Fried Rice served with Sweet and Sour Prawns

For making Fried Prawns
Ingredients
2 cups medium shelled Prawns
1/2 cup Corn starch
1 Egg
1 tbsp Garlic minced
1/4 tsp Chilli minced
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
Oil for frying

Method
Take the Prawns in a bowl, mix in all the above ingredients except oil. Mix it well. Heat the wok. Add oil for frying. Heat it. Add the prawns and fry it till light brown, drain the oil and keep it on a absorbent paper.

For the Egg and Prawn Fried Rice
Ingredients
3 cups Rice cooked
1 cup fried Prawns
1 tbsp Garlic minced
1/4 tbsp Ginger minced
1/4 tbsp Chilli minced
1/4 cup Carrot and Capsicum minced
2 tbsp Spring Onion finely chopped
2 Eggs beaten
2 tbsp Soya sauce
1 tbsp Vinegar
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
2 1/2  tbsp Oil

Method
Take a wok, add 1/2 tbsp oil. Heat it, add the beaten eggs, sprinkle salt. Stir the eggs, make scramble eggs, take it out from the wok and  keep it aside. Add the remaining oil, heat till the smoking point. Add the garlic,ginger and chilli minced. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and capsicum minced. Sauté it for 2 minutes more. Add vinegar, soya sauce, salt and pepper powder. Stir it, Add the rice, keep on stirring for 2 to 3 minutes till the sauce and the rice had incorporated well. Add the fried prawns, eggs and spring onions before serving.

Sweet and Sour Prawns
Ingredients
1 cup Fried Prawns
1 cup Pineapple cubed
1 tbsp Garlic Minced
1/2 tsp Chilli minced
1 tsp Ginger minced
1 tbsp Spring Onions finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 tbsp Soya sauce
1 tbsp Hot Basil Stir-Fry Sauce (optional)
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Corn Starch
1 tbsp Roasted Seseam seeds
2 tbsp Sesame seed Oil

Method
Take a bowl, add the corn starch, vinegar, soya sauce, basil sauce, honey,pepper, salt and 1 cup water. Mix the sauce and keep it aside. Take a pan, add the oil. Heat it.Add the Garlic, Ginger and chilli minced, sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the pineapple and the prawns, saute it for 2 minutes more. Add the sauce mix. Stir it. Let it simmer  on a full flame till the gravy thickens a bit. Sprinkle spring onions and roasted sesame seeds. Serve it hot.

Piach Pata Aloo Begun diye Chingri Mach (Spring Onion with Potatoes Brinjal and Prawns)

Piach Pata Aloo Begun diye Chingri Mach
(Spring Onion with Potatoes Brinjal and Prawns)
Ingredients
1 small bowl of Medium size Chingri (Prawns)
1 bunch of Spring Onions cut into 1 inch size
2 Potatoes cut into medium size cubes
1 big Brinjal cut into medium size cubes
1 small size Tomato chopped
2 Green chillies slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds
1 tbsp Mustard oil

Method
Take a pan, add oil and heat it. Add nigella seeds and chillies. Sauté it for 2 minutes, add the potatoes and stir cook for 3 minutes. Add the brinjals, prawns and the tomato. Stir cook for 3 minutes more. Add the spring onions, tomato, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt . Stir and cover the pan. Stirring it occasionally on low flame cook till the potatoes and brinjals are cooked. Don't add water while cooking,  it cooks in it's own juices.

Goiabada

Goiabada
Goiabada is a popular dessert throughout the Portuguese-speaking countries of the world, dating back to the colonial days in Brazil, where guavas were used as a substitute for the quinces used to make marmelada (quince cheese). An abundance of sugar and slave labour were crucial for its confection, in large cauldrons cooking over a slow fire. It is a conserve made of guava and sugar. It is still commonly made at home for family use or by home industry outlets (traditional recipes) or as processed food. It is known as guava paste or guava cheese throughout the English-speaking Americas, especially the Caribbean and pasta de guayaba or guayabate in Spanish-speaking Americas. It is commercially available, most often packaged in flat, metal cans. It is called Perad in Goa, an old Portuguese colony. In Brazil, goiabada is usually eaten with Minas cheese. This combination is referred to as "Romeo and Juliet." It is particularly popular spread on toast at breakfast, or served hot with cheese inside an empada pastry, as a kind of miniature pie. In Portugal, it is used as the filling of the popular bolo de rosas (rose cake) in which a layer of pastry is covered with goiabada, then rolled and cut into pieces that resemble roses. This same cake is called rocambole in Brazil, and also uses a layer of pastry covered with goiabada, then rolled and served, as a Swiss roll. Another popular dessert is the bolo de rolo. The many different kinds of goiabada depend on the type of guava, and with slightly different textures and flavors. In Brazil, the most widely accepted to be the best (for "Romeo and Juliet") is called goiabada cascão (with fragments of guava in the paste)
Information source Net....

Goiabada is made from ripe Guavas, peeled and cut into pieces; blended onto smooth pulp, strained and cooked with sugar; adding some of the peels into the pulp back. Set for 4 hours and then eaten.

This is my version; I made it from remaining pulp while making Guava jelly... and followed the same process.

The actual recipe of Goiabada

Ingredients
12 ripe Guavas
3 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Water

Method

Wash and peel the guava fruits, reserving the peels.Cut the guavas into pieces place in a blender at medium speed until it reaches a smooth and even consistency.
Pass it through a sieve and set aside. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring and let it boil for 3-4 minutes.
Add the puree and a quarter of the reserved peel. Stir until the mixture thickens and you can see the bottom of the pan when stirring. Remove from the heat.
Add the guava paste to a serving dish and let cool in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
Once cooled, unmold from the serving dish and slice into pieces to serve.

My version of Goiabada
Ingredients
15 ripe red Guavas
3 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Water
1 tbsp Lime juice
Pinch of Salt

Method
Cut the guavas into pieces. Take a pot, add the guavas and water just above the level of the guavas. Boil the guavas till it is cooked. Cool the guavas and blend it in a blender into a smooth pulp. Strain the pulp and throw away the remaining left on the strainer.. it will be the seeds of the guavas. Strain it again. Take the pulp left in the strainer and keep it in a pot. Keep staining 2 times more, add little water at the time of straining, the liquid will collect in a vessel and collect the pulp remaining in the strainer in a pot. The liquid which is collected will be used to make guava jelly and the pulp will be used to make Goiabada. Take a pot; add sugar. Boil the sugar till it dissolves. Add the pulp to the boiled sugar syrup. Cook the pulp on a low flame stirring occasionally. Add salt and lime juice when half done. Stir until the mixture thickens and you can see the bottom of the pan when stirring. Remove from the heat. Stir until the mixture thickens and you can see the bottom of the pan when stirring.  Add the guava paste to a serving dish and let cool in the refrigerator till it sets. Once cooled, unmold from the serving dish and slice into pieces to serve.

Strawberry Cashew Mawa Barfi

Strawberry Cashew Mawa Barfi 

This is my Chef's Special Choice winning recipe for the Sugar free contest 

Ingredients
250 grams Mawa
250 grams Cottage cheese  (Paneer )
1/2 cup Cashewnut powder
1/2 Sugar free powder
1/2 Strawberry pulp
Few drops of Strawberry essence
Few Pistachio chopped for garnishing
Method
Take a plate and make crumbs of Mawa and paneer. Take a heavy bottom pan, add the mawa and paneer and stirring it continuously cook it for 10 minutes till the liquid in it dry up a bit. Divide the mixture in to two parts. Take one part in a pan, add the cashewnut powder and 1/4 cup Sugarfree in it. Stir and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more till the mixture forms almost like a dough. Take it out and spread the mixture on a greased plate. Take the next mixture in a pan, add the strawberry pulp, 1/4 cup Sugarfree powder and few drops of Strawberry essence. Stir and cook till the mixture forms almost like a dough. Take it out and spread the mixture on the cashewnut barfi. Let it cool. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Cut and serve it in
pieces.

Veg Thin Curst Whole Wheat Pizza

Veg Thin Curst Whole Wheat Pizza
With Corn, Capsicum, Onion, Tomato, Black Olives, Pickled Red Chillies and Cottage Cheese

Pizza Dough
Ingredients
500 grams Whole Wheat Flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Dry Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup Lukewarm Water
2 tbsp Olive oil

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Mix Flour and Salt. Take Lukewarm water. Add sugar and yeast. Let it rise. Add the yeast water and extra water little at a time to make a dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Add 1 tbsp oil and stretch the dough while kneading. Apply oil on the dough and let it rise double in size. Punch the dough and make 2 equal portion of the dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

For A Quick Garliky Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
6 Ripe Tomatoes cut in to big cubes and seeds removed
1 Garlic pod minced
1 Onion minced
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
1/2 tsp Dry Orageno
1 cup Tomato purée
1 tbsp Olive oil

Method
Take tomato purée, tomatoes, salt and sugar. Coarsely grind the tomatoes into purée. Take a pan. Add the oil, Add the garlic minced and the onion minced, saute it for 3 minutes, add the tomato puree,let it simmer on low flame till the sauce reduces a bit and becomes thick and all the ingredients has incorporated well. Add the dry Orageno. Mix it. Switch of the flame and keep it aside.

For the Pizza Filling
Ingredients
Pizza dough
2 Onion finely sliced
3 Tomatoes finely sliced
1/2 of each Green, Yellow and Red Capsicum finely sliced
1/2 cup Boiled Corns
1/2 cup grated Cottage cheese
Pizza Sauce
2 tbsp Black Olives chopped
2 tbsp Picked Red chilli chopped
2 Cup or more grated Mozzarella and Cheddar. Equal portion of Mozzarella, Cheddar to be taken.

Method
Grease the baking tray. Take one portion of the dough and with the help of the fingers, start spreading the dough on the baking tray. Cover the baking tray with the dough, the dough should be 1/4 inch or less in thickness. With a help of a fork prick few time on the dough. Add and spread the pizza sauce on the dough. Then add the grated  cheese. Then add the vegetables, cottage cheese, olives and pickled chilli one by one. Add the cheese again and bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes till the cheese has melted and the pizza bread has cooked in an preheated oven. Serve hot with chilli flakes and dry oregano (Optional)

Shokhno Alur dom (Dry Alur Dom Bengali style)

Shokhno Alur dom (Dry Alur Dom Bengali style)
Ingredients
1/2 kg Small size whole Potatoes boiled and peeled
1 big size Tomato paste
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/4 tsp Chilli paste
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
Salt to taste
1/2 Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Mustard Oil
1/4 tsp Ghee for garnishing
1 tsp Bhaja masala ( coriander seeds, pepper, cumin seeds, red chillies - all roasted and powdered)

Method
Take oil in a pan and heat it well. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Add potatoes and stir it well for 2 minutes. Now add  chilli paste, ginger paste and tomatoes and saute it. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and sugar. Mix and stir well on a slow flame for some time.. Add 1/4 cup water and cover the pan for 2 minutes and stir the potatoes well till the potatoes mixes well with the gravy. Sprinkle ghee and bhaja masala on top. Serve hot.

Dhonepatar Patar Chutney / Coriander Chutney

Dhonepatar Patar Chutney / Coriander Chutney
This Coriander Chutney has a different preparation... Normally the ingredients are ground raw and the chutney is ready. I remember one of the cook at my Aunt's place use to make this in Kolkatta. She use to called it Dhonepatar Bhorta and it was had with hot rice. This chutney is cooked with mustard oil and has a sweetly, tangy, spicy taste and can be preserved for 3 to 4 months. This chutney can be used to have on bread or can be used for cooking with fish or chicken.
Ingredients
1 big bunch Coriander Leaves cleaned and chopped with stems
10 Green chillies or More as per taste
1 big Lime Juice
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Sugar
1 cup Mustard oil

Method
Take all the ingredients in a grinder except oil, grind the ingredients into a paste. Take a pan, add 1/2 cup mustard oil, heat it. Add the coriander paste, on a low flame cook the coriander paste, for 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup mustard oil in between. Cook the coriander paste till all the water has almost dried up, add the remaining oil. Keep cooking till no water remains in the paste and the oil starts to leave from the paste. Switch of the flame and cool it. Store it in a dry bottle and refrigerate it. Use when require. It stay well for 4 months. Always use a dry spoon while taking the chutney out.

Chettinad Mutton Gravy

Chettinad Mutton Gravy

For Chettinad Masala Powder
Ingredients
10 Dry Red Chillies
2 tsp Cumin seeds
3 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 1/2 tbsp Fennel seeds
1 tbsp Poppy seeds
2 medium sticks Cinnamon
6 Green Cardamom
1 tbsp Peppercorns
1 Star Anise

Method
Dry roast the spices and when cool, grind it into fine powder. Store it in a air tight container, in dry cool place.

For Wet Coconut Paste
Ingredients
1/4cup Fresh Coconut (grated)
1tsp Fennel seeds

Method
Grind the coconut and fennel seeds into a wet paste and keep it aside.

For the Mutton Gravy
Ingredients
500 grams Mutton pieces
2 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Chettinad Masala powder
Salt to taste
1 small stick Cinnamon
2 Cloves
2 Cardamoms
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
2 tbsp Oil
2tbsp Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Heat the pressure cooker and add oil. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel and curry leaves, saute it for a minute, add the ginger garlic paste and stir for few minutes.Add the chopped onions and cook it till light brown in colour, add the tomatoes, turmeric, salt and tamarind. Stir it and let it cook for 5 minutes, add the mutton pieces. Stir and cook the mutton pieces for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups of water, pressure cook until 5 whistles. Let the pressure release, open the cooker
and add the coconut paste, adjust the gravy according to the taste by adding water and masala powder if required. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish the with chopped coriander leaves.

Moong Dal and Dill Leaves Bhaji

Moong Dal and Dill Leaves Bhaji
Very simple and rustic, it taste awesome.. Once you acquire the taste for dill leaves, how ever it is cooked, it taste simply awesome....
Ingredients
1 bunch Dill leaves chopped
1/2 cup small Size Moong dal soaked for an hour
10 Garlic cloves minced
2 fresh Chillies minced
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp a Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp Oil

Method
Thane a wok, add oil. Let it heat, add the garlic and chilli minced. Stir fry for a minute. Add the chopped dill leaves, salt and turmeric. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Add the Moong dal and 1/4 cup water, stir it, cover and cook till the water dry up completely. Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Piragi (Latvian Buns)

Piragi (Latvian Buns)
A pīrāgs -  plural - pīrāgi is an oblong or crescent-shaped baked Latvian bread roll or pastry, often containing a filling of finely chopped bacon cubes and onion. Pīrāgi range from 5 centimetres in length to 13 centimetres, depending on if they are intended as a snack or a more substantial meal. Smaller pīrāgi are often prized for their daintiness and are considered the work of a skilled cook. As with many national dishes, Latvian families often have their own unique recipe for the dish, resulting in many variations of pīrāgi. Due to the amount of work involved to make pīrāgi, they are usually made only for special occasions.
Other common pīrāgs fillings include fatty bacon, fatback (speķis), mixtures of ground or finely chopped meats (ground beef, ham and chicken with or without bacon), fish, cabbage and pressed cottage cheese. Pīrāgi come in two main varieties: plain bread pīrāgi and brothor soup pīrāgi (zupas or buljona pīrāgi). Bread pīrāgi come with a larger variety of fillings and are made using a yeast dough. Broth pīrāgi are made from a flaky pastry butter dough, often a sour cream dough, and are usually filled with boiled beef or sometimes cooked fish. These are intended to be eaten with a cup or bowl of good broth.
Information source Net

My version of Pīrāgi
Suffing
1 cup Cottage chesse finely minced
1 cup Red Cabbage finely minced
2 Onions, finely minced
1 tsp Garlic finely minced
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Oil

Method
In a heavy non stick pan, add the oil. Sauté the onions, garlic, red cabbage and cottage cheese until the onions are translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Keep the stuffing aside to cool completely.

Pīrāgi
Ingredients
3 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tbsp dry Yeast
1/4 cup Warm Water
2 tbsp Sugar
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Butter
Salt to taste
Stuffing
2 tbsp Milk + 2 tbsp butter

Method
Place yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl, put aside for the yeast to activate atleast 10 minutes. In a small saucepan add butter, milk, salt. Warm over a low heat until butter has melted. When milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm stir in the yeast. Place two cups of the flour in a large bowl, pour liquid over and stir to combine. Once combined add the remaining flour. Mix until all ingredients have come together, then leave to rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Once rested turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and soft, about 5 – 10 minutes. Place dough back in to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Leave dough to raise, around 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Once dough is ready, divide the dough into  lime size portions. Take a portion and roll the dough in to a ball and stretch it to a circle. Place a tablespoon of stuffing, and bring the edges of the dough together. Seal the bun in a oval shape and pull the 2 points outwards. Place formed buns on a baking tray that has been greased. The seal edge has to be facing down.  Mix the milk and melted butter to make wash. Brush it on the buns.  Place buns in a preheated oven of 180 degrees celcius  and bake for approximately 25 minutes,brushing the milk and butter in between 2 times, bake until golden brown.

Spinach Corn and Egg Casserole....

Spinach Corn and Egg Casserole....

Microwave recipe
Ingredients
6 Eggs
1 cup Corn
1 cup Spinach chopped
2 tbsp Garlic, Ginger and Fresh Chilli minced
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
3 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Milk
1 tbsp Nutralite Spread
1/2 cup grated Cheddar and  Mozzarella cheese

Method
Take the corn in a microwave bowl, add 1 cup of water and cook the corn for 5 minutes. Remove it from the microwave, drain the water and keep it aside. Take the spinach, add 1/2 cup water and  microwave it for 2 minutes. Take it out. Beat the eggs, add salt and pepper. Take a glass baking dish, add nutralite spread, put the dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take it out. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli mince, stir it. Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring it at the interval of 30 seconds. Take it out. Add the whole wheat into the dish, stir it. Microwave it for 2 minutes, stirring in between every 30 seconds. Take it out, add the milk and whisk the flour with the milk. Put it back for 3 minutes, whisking it every 30 seconds. Take it out, add the beaten eggs to the white sauce, whisk it. Take 1/2 cup corn and crush it. Add the whole corn, crushed corn and spinach to the beaten eggs and white sauce. Microwave it for 4 minutes. Take it out. Sprinkle the cheese and microwave  it for 6 minutes more. Serve it with bread toast.

Konkani Kolmi Pulau with Kolmi Rassa

Konkani Kolmi Pulau with Kolmi Rassa

For the Konkani Masala
1 cup Dry Bedagi chilli
1 cup Dry Sankeshwari Chilli
1/4 cup Coriander seeds
1/4 cup Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Caraway seeds (Shahi jeera)
1/2 cup Fennel seeds
1/4 cup Mustard seeds
2 tbsp Poppy seeds
4 big stick Cinnamon
8 pieces Black Cardamoms
6 pieces Green Cardamoms
3 tbsp Cloves
3 tbsp Black pepper corns
10 pieces Star anise
3 tbsp Cobra saffron/ Cassia buds
1 tbsp Stone flower
2 tbsp Mace
10 Bay leaves
1 tsp Asafetida
2 tbsp Turmeric powder

Method
Roast all the above ingredients except Asafetida and Turmeric. Cool the roasted spices and grind all the above ingredients along with Asafetida and Turmeric into a fine powder. Store it in a dry air tight container and it stays fresh for more than 6 months. This Masala can be used for any gravy dishes.

Kolmi Pulau and Kolmi Rassa

For the Marination
Ingredients
2 cups clean medium size Prawns
2 tbsp Roasted Grated Coconut
6 Garlic cloves
1 small Piece of Ginger
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Lime juice

Method
Take all the ingredients except the prawns and grind the wet masala by adding 3 tbsp or more water to the paste. Add the wet masala to the prawns, marinate it for 30 minutes.

For the Rice
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes
2 cloves
1 Green Cardamom
1 small stick Cinnamon
1 Bay Leaf
1 Star anise
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Oil

Method
Take a pot. Add oil, let it heat. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, star anise. Sauté it for 1 minute. Add sugar, stir for 30 seconds. Add the rice, stir the rice for 2 minutes. Add salt and 3 cups of water. Cook the rice. Keep the cooked rice aside.

For the Kolmi (Prawns)
Ingredients
Marinated Prawns
2 Onions sliced
1 Tomato sliced
Few Curry Leaves
1 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
4 Kokam pieces
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Konkani Masala
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander and Mint leaves chopped for garnishing

Method
Take a wok, add oil. Heat it, add the ginger and garlic paste. Sauté it for a minute, add the onions and curry leaves. Stir the onions and fry it till light golden brown. Add the marinated prawns, stir fry the prawns for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and Konkani masala, stir and mix the masala. Add 4 cups of water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. While the gravy is simmering, take the prawns and 2 ladle of the gravy out. Switch of the gas and strain the rest of the gravy out. Take the masala remaining on the strainer and add it to the prawns. Keep the strain gravy ( Rassa ) aside. 

Take the prawns and add it back into the wok. Add the cooked rice and mix it well with the prawns.Cover the wok and for 2 minutes keep the wok on low flame. Take it off the gas and sprinkle mint and coriander leaves on the Kolmi Palau and sprinkle few chopped coriander leaves on the Rassa. Serve the hot Konkani Kolmi Palau with Kolmi Rassa and Salad.

Khatte Baingan

Khatte Baingan
Khatte Baingan Masala Powder
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1 inch Cinnamon stick
3 Green Cardamom
2 Cloves
2 Kashmiri Red Chillies
1 small piece of Dry Ginger

Method
Add all the ingredients in the grinder and grind it into a powder.

Khatte Baingan
Ingredients
1/2 kg medium size long  Brinjals cut into half
2 Onions sliced
1 Tomato sliced
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
2 tbsp Khatte Baingan Masala Powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of Lime Juice
2 tbsp Mustard  Oil
Few Coriander Leaves to Garnish

Method
In a wok, add mustard oil, let it heat. Add fennel seeds, asafoetida, onions and brinjals. Fry it till the onions and brinjals are light brown in colour. Add the Khatte Baingan Masala Powder, salt to taste and turmeric powder. Stir the spice powder into the brinjals. Add 1/4 cup water and tomato. Cover and cook, stirring it occasionally till the brinjals are tender. Sprinkle some coriander leaves and lime juice.

Macher Jhal-Pherchi

Macher Jhal-Pherchi
This recipe is taken  from “Thakur Barir Ranna” (Recipes from Tagore's Kitchen) written by Purnima Tagore, in the occassion of 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, this book was published with  variety of recipes listed in the book. These recipes are collection of recipes from a book handed down to her by her aunt, Indira Devi Choudhurani. Indira Devi, the favorite niece of Rabindranath Tagore, she had never cooked on a regular basis. But whenever she liked a dish, she would make it a point to collect the recipe from the cook and note it down in her book. The author has also included some of her own recipes in the book. It is not that all the recipes are from Jorsanko Thakurbari, but they are from Tagore's kitchen.
This recipe is prepared in a different way for the regular Bengali cuisine. The taste is awesome.....

For the Rosted Spice powder
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Caraway seeds
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Green Cardomom powder
1 small Cardomom sticks
2 Cloves
2 Red Dry Chillies

Method
Dry roast the spices and grind it.

For the Fish
Ingredients
6 pieces of Rahu Fish Or 12 pieces of big size Prawns
1 small Onion chopped
1 small Onion paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 Whole Fresh Chilli slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
Rosted Spice powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Lime juice
2 tbsp of Ghee

Method
Take the fish pieces and par boil the fish pieces in 2 cups of water. Take the fish pieces out from the water and keep it aside. Keep the fish stock. Take a wok. Add the ghee, fry the chopped onion till golden brown, take it out and keep it aside. In the same ghee add the ginger, onion paste, turmeric powder and sugar. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the salt and fish pieces. On a low flame let the fish pieces cook for a minute on both the sides. Add the fish stock. Let it simmer for 10 minutes till the gravy becomes a bit thick. Add the fresh chilli, roasted spice powder and lime juice, mix it with the gravy. Let it cook for 2 minutes more, serve it hot with rice.

Kheerer Perakhi

Kheerer Perakhi 

My Ma was an excellent cook during her era. I remember my Ma making many types of sweet dishes during the festive season. One of the dish she prepared was Kheerer Perakhi.  My Ma passed away 2 years back. This Diwali I thought of celebrating in her rememberence. This sweet dish is not seen much in the shops now a days. 

Perakhi in other places outside Kolkatta is called Mawa Kachori / Candrakala/ Suryakala. The ingredients for the Perakhi and Kachori is more or less the same except in Mawa Kochuri / Candrakala / Suryakala  stuffing,  coconut, semolina and poppy seeds are added in some places. Kheerer Singara / Samosa Ingredients and the method is the same except for the shape is different. Perakhi is made with khoya stuffing filled in between the 2 rolled dough and then it is fried and dipped  into the sugar syrup. 

For the Stuffing 

Ingredients 

250 grams Khoya 

3 tbsp Sugar or as required 

2 tbsp Mixed Dry Fruit flakes (Almond and Pistachio)

1/2 tbsp Raisins 

2 Pinch of Cardamom powder 

Method 

Take a pan , heat it.  Add khoya and on low flame stir the khoya till it turns light brown & soft. Add sugar, stir it. Then mix  the dry fruit flakes, cardomom powder and raisins with the khoya. Keep it aside. 

For the Dough

3 cups All Purpose Flour 

3 tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste 

Cold Milk or Water to knead the dough 

Method 

Mix APF, salt and ghee, mix it. Add milk or water little at a time. Knead into a firm dough, cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes. 

For Sugar Syrup

11/2  cups of Sugar

2 cups of water 

Method 

Mix the sugar and water in a pot. On a low flame cook the sugar syrup till 2 string consistency. 

For the Kheerer Perakhi 

Ingredients 

Stuffing 

Dough 

Sugar syrup 

For garnishing Pistacho flakes 

Ghee for frying 

Method 

Take the dough. Divide the dough into equal small lime size portions. To make the Perakhi, take 2 dough balls  and appy a drop of ghee on the rolling board. Roll the dough balls out into small size pooris. Place one spoon of filling in the middle of one poori and close the stuffing by placing  another poori. Now pinch and fold the edges inwards. Repeat the process to make other perakhis.  Deep fry the perakhis in the hot ghee over a low flame till it turns golden brown in colour. Drain on absorbent paper. Dip the perakhis in the hot sugar syrup. Let it soak for 5 minutes.  Take it out from the sugar syrup on a plate. Garnished it with  pistachios. Serve after it cools down.

Gurner Narkel Naru (Jaggary Coconut Ladu)

Gurner Narkel Naru (Jaggary Coconut Ladu)
These Coconut Laddus are made in a Bengali Traditional way.....In my Gandma's house in Kolkatta, they would make these laddoos for Puja or on a daily basis, stock it up in a glass jar during my growing up years as a kid. I remember my Ma making it too. I remember my cousin and me quietly vanishing the laddoos from the jar kept in my Grandma’s room while she was fast asleep in the late afternoons and sneaked under her cot to eat it and giggled away to glory. Another very distinct memory of my childhood is the visit to Mumbai Ramkrishna Mission in Mumbai with my Parents... Those day my father use to regularly take us to the Mission, specially on a Sunday and we knew many Swamijis there. As we visited the visiting room in the mission and met the Swamijis, one of the Swamiji use to take out 2 Narus out of the jar for me to gobble it up.

Ingredients
4 cups fresh grated Coconut
2 1/2 cups Jaggary Or Date Jaggary grated
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Cardomom powder
A small pinch of Camphor for flavouring

Method
Take a non stick pan, add the coconut. Stir it for 2 minutes, add the Jaggary. Cook it on low flame, stirring it continuously. Sprinkle the salt... It helps to balance the sweetness and Cardomom powder. Keep on cooking it on low flame till all the jaggery melts and is well incorporated into the coconut. When it starts to form a dough, Switch off the gas.to check, take a small portion and roll it with the help of the fingers. It will form into a ball. Sprinkle the Camphor and mix it. Make the desire size balls while it it still warm. Serve and store it in a jar when it cools down completely ....

P.S. The colour of the laddoos depends on the Jaggary... You can melt and boil the Jaggary first to get a dark colour laddoos..

Kesar Pista Kaju Chakli

How about celebrating Diwali with
Kesar Pista Kaju Chakli ✨✨
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Cashew flour /powder
1 1/2 cups Pistacho flour / powder
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
2 pinch Saffron 
Ghee for greasing
Pistacho flakes
1 tsp Saffron syrup

Method
Place a thick bottomed pan on a medium flame;  add sugar and water. Let the sugar dissolve in the wate. The syrup should  be in between 1 and 2 string consistency. Divided the sugar syrup into 2 parts. Take 1 part of the sugar syrup; add saffron and  powdered cashews to the sugar syrup. Lower the flame and keep on stirring the cashew paste till it  thickens and  becomes a soft dough. Switch of the gas. To check if it is ready to be rolled, just roll a small pinch of the dough in between your fore finger and thumb. Similarly repeat the same process with the powdered Pistacho at the same time.  If it does not stick to your fingers then that means it is ready to be rolled. Apply little ghee on the the palms.  Roll the two doughs into cylindrical long rope of the same size together. Cut the dough into equal portions. Take a portion. Apply ghee on the platform. Place the dough on the platform. With the help of the palm; roll the dough gently into a long thick rope shape around 4 inch. Give the rope a spiral shape. Repeat it with other portions. Garnish with pistachio flakes and a touch of saffron syrup in the center...

Healthy Crispy Baked MultiGrain Chakli

Healthy Crispy Baked MultiGrain Chakli
Ingredients
1/4 cup of each
Jowari Flour
Sattu Flour
Ragi Flour
Water chestnut Flour
Bajri Flour
1 cup Sago Flour
1 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tbsp Roasted Sesame seeds
Salt to taste
4 tbsp Oil
Oil Spray

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Sieve all the flours together. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and roasted sesame seeds.  Mix all the ingredients together. Add oil. Mix the flour and the oil well. Pour  hot water little at a time and mix it. Knead to make a soft dough. Take the Chakli maker and add dough into it. Press the handle and give the Chakli round shape. Make rest of the Chaklies. Grease a baking tray. Arrange the Chaklies on a baking tray. Spray oil on the Chaklies. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 45 minutes, turning the Chaklies in between after 15 minutes till golden brown in colour. Crispy Baked Chaklies are ready to eat. Once cool completely then store it in an air tight container.

Sukhi Aloo Bhaji

Sukhi Aloo Bhaji
Ingredients
2 big Potatoes dice
2 Green chillies slit
Few Curry leaves
Pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp split Bengal gram (Chana Dal)
1/4 tsp split Black lentil  (Urid Dal)
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Ghee
Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Boil the potatoes.  Take a wok. Add ghee. Heat it. Add the Urid dal and chana dal. Sauté it for 30 seconds. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the chilli and curry leaves. Add the boiled potatoes and salt. Stir it and let it cook for 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Hannah Glasse’s Butter Chicken (1774)

Hannah Glasse’s Butter Chicken (1774)

This  recipe is from Hannah Glasse’s Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, was first published in 1747. Her book was very famous for its time and was a major reference for home cooks in England and its colonies for more than 50 years after the publication. It was revised several times during her lifetime, but to avoid bankruptcy she had to sell the copyright.  This recipe for the chicken curry was added in a later edition of the book published in 1774.

The recipe from the book is...

To make a curry the Indian way.
TAKE two small chickens, skin them and cut them as for a fricassee, wash them
clean, and stew them in about a quart of water for about five minutes, then strain
off the liquor and put the chickens in a clean dish; take three large onions, chop
them small, and fry them in about two ounces of butter, then put in the chickens and
fry them in about two ounces of butter, then put in the chickens and fry them together
till they are brown, take a quarter of an ounce of turmerick, and a large spoonful of
ginger and beaten pepper together, and a little salt to your palate and strew all these
ingredients over the chickens whilst it is frying, then pour in the liquor, and let it
stew about half an hour, then put in a quarter of a pint of cream and the juice of two
lemons, and serve it up. The ginger, pepper, and turmerick must be beat very fine.

Information source Net...

My recreated recipe is as follows....

Hannah Glasse’s Butter Chicken (1774)

Ingredients
1 kg Chicken , cut into pieces
2 Onions chopped
1 tbsp of grated Ginger
1 tbsp Fresh pound Pepper powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
4 tbsp of Butter
1 cup Fresh  Cream
Juice of 1/2 fresh Lemon

Method
Add 3 cups of water and cleaned, washed chicken in a pot and boil it for 5 minutes. Strain the stock and keep it aside. In the same pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter, add the chicken and sauté it for 5 minutes. Take the chicken out and keep it aside. Add the remaining butter and fry the onions till translucent. Add the chicken back and fry both together till golden brown. Take ginger, pepper powder, salt and turmeric powder in a bowl, add 1/4 cup of the stock. Mix it. Add the paste to the chicken. Stir the chicken and sauté it for 2 minutes. Pour the remaining stock and cook till the chicken is tender. Add the cream. Mix it and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame. Add lemon juice. Serve hot with Rice.

Mochar Ghonto

Mochar Ghonto   
"Mochar Ghonto" is a Bengali dish made from the banana flowers.

Ingredients
1 Banana Flower                                             
1 Potato cut into medium size cubes
1 Green Chilli slit
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/4 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp  Grated coconut         
1 tbsp Ghee
1/4 cup Fried Moong dal Boris or fresh Moong dal bora ( soak the moong dal for 30 minutes, drain the water out, grind the moong dal with salt, nigella seeds and green chillies. Take 1/2 tsp of the paste and drop it in hot oil and the boras are ready)

Method
To clean the banana flower; Rub little cooking oil in the finger and palm to avoid the dark stains. After peeling  of the purple leaf, there are yellow coloured blossoms underneath. Separate the blossoms from the purple leaf and collect the blodsoms and discard the purple leaves. After removing the layers of purple leaves, there will be a stage where the leaves  are light yellow in colour and it can’t be peeled.
Finely chop that Conical portion and keep it in bowl of water. To clean the Blossoms, you need to clean each of them one by one.Remove the transparent casing and the stick like stigma from each flower. Boil the chopped conical portion and the flowers in salt water till tender. Discard the water and mash it. Heat ghee in a pan, add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and green chilli. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the ginger paste. Saute it for few seconds and add the potatoes; stir fry the potatoes for 2 minutes and add the  mashed banana flower. Add turmeric powder, salt, sugar and cumin powder.  Stir it and cover the pan with a lid, and  cook on a slow flame stirring it occasionally.  Cook it till all the  have incorporated well. Add the boras or boris. Cook for few minutes more. Add the grated coconut. Finally, add the garam masala mix and add 1/4 tsp ghee from top. Serve with hot rice.

Mix Sprouts Curry

Mix Sprouts Curry

For the Masala paste
1/4 cup Roasted grated Coconut
6 Garlic cloves
1 Red Dry Chillies
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Sambar powder Or Curry powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Jaggery
1 tbsp Tamarind pulp

Method
Grind all the above ingredients into a smooth paste and keep it aside.

For the Mix Sprout Curry
Ingredients
2 cups of Mix sprouts
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Few Curry leaves
1 Red Dry Chilli
Pinch of Asafoetida
Masala paste
1 tbsp Coconut oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Add the mix sprouts and 3 to 4 cups of water and pressure cook it. Give 4 whistles. After the pressure releases add the masala paste to the boiled sprouts. Add more water if required. Mix it and let it simmer on medium low flame. Let ot simmer for 15 minutes. Take another pan, add oil. Let the oil heat. Add the mustard seeds and red chilli. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. Add the seasoning to the curry. Let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Grilled Garlicky Herbed Gondharaj Sole fish with Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Grilled Garlicky Herbed Gondharaj  Sole fish with Baked Sweet Potatoes.

For the Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
1 medium sweet potato, unpeeled, cut into thick wedges
1 tsp Melted Butter
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degree Celcius.  Put the sweet potato wedges on a baking tray and toss through 1tsp of melted butter, salt and pepper powder. Bake  in the oven for 45 minutes turning occasionally or until golden and tender. Keep it aside till the fish is ready. Keep the baking tray on top of the hot oven, so the sweet potatoes remain hot.

For the Sole Fish
Ingredients
4 pieces of Sole fish fillets
1 whole Pod of Garlic peeled
Few fresh Sage
1 small stem of RoseMary
2 Gongharaj Lemon Leaves
1 tbsp Gondharaj Lemon juice
1 tbsp Melted Butter
Salt to taste
Garnish with chopped Chives and Gandharaj Lemon slices

Method
Take a chopper, add  garlic cloves, Rose Mary, lemon leaves, lemon juice, melted butter and salt. Chop and mince all the ingredients together. Apply the minced ingredients on the fish. Marinate it for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Grill the fish for 25 minutes, turning the fish occasionally. Serve the fish with sweet potatoes and sliced lemon, sprinkle chopped chives.

P.S. Any lemon can be used if Gandharaj lemon is not available and any fish fillets can be used.

Southekayi Palya (Madras Cucumber Stir Fry)

Southekayi Palya (Madras Cucumber Stir Fry)

Ingredients

1 Medium Sized Madras Cucumber cut into small cubes

4 Green Chillies Slit

Few Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Bengal gram dal (Chana dal)

1/4 tsp Split Black Dal (Urid dal)

1/2 Turmeric Powder

1/2 Coriander Powder 

1/4 Jaggary 

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Coconut oil 

1 tbsp Grated Coconut 

Method

Take a big wok and add the oil, add Mustard Seeds,cumin seeds, urid dal and chana dal, let the mustard seeds crackle. Add green chillies and curry leaves and sauté for 30 seconds. Add Madras cucumber, turmeric powder, coriander powder, Jaggary and salt, sprinkle some water, stir the vegetable. Cover the lid and cook, stirring it occasionally.Turn of the heat when all the water is evaporated and  cucumber becomes tender. Sprinkle grated coconut. Serve it with hot rice.

Cucumber and Coriander Health Drink

Cucumber and Coriander Health Drink
Ingredients
1/2 Cucumber or 1 small Cucumber cut into pieces
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Dry Wheat Grass powder (Optional)
1 tbsp Lime juice
Rock Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder

Method
Take a blender add cucumber, coriander leaves, lime juice, coriander seeds, wheat grass powder ( Optional ) and rock salt. Add 1/2 cup water and blend it. Moist the rim of the glass with some juice.  Apply pepper powder on the rim. Pour in the juice in the glass. Garnish with coriander leaves and cucumber stick.

Drink it in the morning  an empty stomach. It detoxifies, reduces acidity and helps in digestion, cools your body during summer, antioxidant, reduces the risk of cancer, helps in weight reduction, protects your heart if drank every day.

Egg Ghee Roast

Egg Ghee Roast
It is a very famous egg dish from Mangalore.
Easy to make, it is completely cooked in ghee.

For the Ghee Roast Wet Masala
Ingredients
2 Kashmiri chillies
2 Green Chillies
8 Garlic cloves
1 small piece Ginger
1/2 tsp Tumeric powder
6 Whole peppercorns
2 Cloves
1 small Cinnamon sticks
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp Tamarind pulp

Method
Grind all the above ingredients into paste, add little water while grinding.  

For the Ghee Roast
Ingredients
6 Hard Boiled Eggs
1 big Size Onions finely chopped
Few Curry leaves
4 tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste
Ghee Roast Wet Masala
Few Coriander leaves chopped to Garnish 

Method
Take a pan, add ghee; add onions and  curry leaves. Fry the chopped onions till brown. Add the paste. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water. Simmer for few . Add the eggs. Stir it. Cook the eggs in the masala till the eggs are well coated with the masala. Garnish it with coriander leaves.  Serve hot.

Huli Avalakki / Spicy and Sour Flat Beaten Rice

Huli Avalakki / Spicy and Sour Flat Beaten Rice
The other day I was at my friend's place... I had this lovely dish. Could not satisfy my taste buds... so made it today.  This is a Mangalorean recipe.

For Grinding
1/4 cup Grated Coconut or Desiccated Coconut
1 tbsp Jaggery
1/2 Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Dry Red Chillies
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method
Make a paste of the above ingredients.

To make Huli Avalakki
Ingredients
3 cups Beaten Rice / Poha washed
Few Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp split Black lentil / Urid Dal
Few split Bengal Gram / Chana dal
Few Penuts
1 Dry chill
Pinch of Asafoetida
Wet paste
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp  Tamarind juice
Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Heat the pan and add oil in it. Add red chilli, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, peanut and  curry leaves in to it. When it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida. Add Tamarind paste and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for a minute, add the paste. Simmer for another few minutes. Add the poha. Mix it well. Sprinkle coriander leaves. Serve it hot.