Baked Sautéed Achari Vegetables.....

This dish can be served as a side dish or a meal by itself. This dish is an Indo -Wester fusion dish. 

I have used Indian spices in the baked vegetable dish and given it a twist. This is an experiment in my kitchen. The cheese has well combined with the Indian spices. It gives a sharp taste of the achari spices as well as the creamy texture the cheese. Instead of using all purpose flour, I have used sattu. Do try it and experience it yourself. 

For the Spice powder 

Ingredients

1 tbsp Coriander seeds 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds 

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds 

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 

1/2 tsp Carom seeds 

1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder

8 Red Dry Chillies

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients in to a powder. This powder can be stored in a clean glass bottle and can be used to make pickles or any achari vegetables or meat. 

For the Sautéed Achari Vegetables

Ingredients 

8 Mushrooms cut into 4 pieces 

1 big size Onions cut into cubes 

1 Green Capsicum cut into cubes 

1 medium size Brinjal cut into medium size cubes 

1 small size Broccoli cut into small florets 

1 small size Carrot cut into thick strips 

1 mediumsize Sweet Potato cut into wedges 

8 Garlic cloves crushed 

1 tbsp AcharI Masala powder 

1/2 tsp Mustard powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

Salt to taste 

2 tbsp Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take a pan. Add oil. Let it heat. Add the garlic. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the sweet potato, carrot and onion. Sauté it. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, stirring it occasionally.  then add the brinjal, capsicum, broccoli and mushrooms. Stir fry the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook  till the vegetables are done. Add the salt, mustard powder and achari masala. Stir it. Switch off the flame. Keep it aside. 

For the Cheesy Sattu Sauce 

Ingredients 

1 cup Processed Cheese grated 

3 tbsp Sattu / Roasted Chickpea flour 

3 tbsp Butter 

1 cup Milk 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp coarsely ground Fennel seed powder 

1/2 tsp Mustard powder 

Method 

Take a pan and add butter. Let the butter melt. Add the Sattu and roast it for few seconds on low flame. Gradually add the milk... stirring it continuously. As the sauce thickens, add the cheese. Stir it for few seconds. Switch off the flame. Add salt, mustard powder and fennel seed powder. 

P. S. If the sauce has thickened up add 1/2 of milk and heat it up once more. 

To Assemble

Take a baking tray. Add the vegetables and pour the sauce from top. Sprinkle some more cheese from top and sprinkle with coarsely ground fennel powder. Bake it in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celcius. Remove it and serve it hot. 

Paan Chocolate Cake Truffles..

If you are a paan lover, and want to enjoy dessert with an Indian touch, then this is an ideal Diwali sweets for you after a sumptuous meal. This is made with chocolate cake sponge and the ingredients of the paan are added into the cake crumbs. It is mixed and kneaded into a dough. The dough is then divided into small balls which are dipped into melted chocolate and garnished with sweet fennel balls. Just pop one and you will pop in another... Sinfully delicious..... 🎊✨🎉💥😃

To prepare Paan Chocolate Cake Balls

Ingredients 

15 small Betel leaves cut into pieces 

1 1/2 cup of Chocolate Cake crumbs

2 tbsp Gulkand 

3 tbsp Chocolate Ganache

1 tbsp Sugar coated Fennel seeds mukhwas 

1 tsp chopped Glazed Cherries 

1/2 Paan masala ( pinch of Nutmeg powder, pinch of Cinnamon powder, pinch of cloves powder , pinch of Cardamom  powder and pinch of fennel powder )

1 tbsp of each  dried Rose petals and Desiccated Coconut  ( I did not use )

Method 

Take a grinder, add the cake crumbs, chocolate ganache, gulkand and betel leaves. Grind it into a paste. 

Or 

Add the cake crumbs into a grinder and grind it into a finer crumbs. Remove it into a mixing bowl add the chopped betel leaves, gulkand and chocolate ganache and follow the rest of the process. 

Add the paan masala, chopped glazed cherries, sugar coated fennel seeds mukhwas, rose petals and desiccated coconut. Knead it into a dough. Make small balls from the dough.

To make the Truffles 

Ingredients 

1/4 packet of Pure Dark Chocolate 

2 tbsp Sugar coated Fennel seeds 

Paan Chocolate Cake Balls 

Method 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave and cool it down to room temperature. Dip a cake ball into the melted chocolate. Remove it and keep it on a chocolate / small cupcake liner or a parchment paper. Sprinkle some sugar coated fennel seeds. Repeat the same process. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Serve it. 

Paan Bahar Sandesh....

I have betel plant growing wild in my balcony. I love the flavor of the betel leaves with gulkand and sweet fennel mukhwas. My experiment with Sandesh continues. I have infused betel leaves and gulkand with paneer. Have it at the end of a meal. As you eat it, first taste is of the sandesh and then the flavour of the paan.. 

Ingredients 

10 small size Betel Leaves finely chopped 

200 grams Paneer / Cottage cheese

3 tbsp Condensed Milk 

3 tbsp Dessicated Coconut 

2 tbsp Gulkand 

1 tbsp of Sweet Fennel Mukhwas 

1 tbsp of Sweet Mix Mukhwas

Few Cherries cut into pieces 

Method 

Take the paneer and blend it in a blender. Take a wok, add the paneer, Betel leaves, dessicated coconut, gulkand and condensed milk. Keep stirring it continuously and cook on low flame till all the ingredients combines together and forms a dough. To check, take a small portion of the dough and roll it with your fingers. Remove it from the wok and keep it on a plate. As it cools down a bit. Knead it for a minute and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Mix the 2 types of sweet mukhwas together. Take a portion. Roll it into a ball and slightly flatten it. Create a dent in the centre. Fill up the centre with the mukhwas and add a cherry piece on top. 

Mexican Crispy Tortilla Bowl.....

This recipe is excellent for any dinner party and can be served as a starter. The tortilla bowl is made out of whole wheat flour. The bowl is served with vegetables and kidney beans salsa. It is topped with cheese sauce and garnished with grated cheese. 

For making the Whole wheat Tortilla Bowl

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour 

3 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste 

Method 

Add oil and salt to the flour. Mix it well. Add water to make a semi hard dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. Take a big mixing bowl. Grease the outer side of the bowl with oil and keep it upside down. Apply oil to the dough and roll out a big circle. Gently pick up the rolled dough and place it on the bowl properly. Cut the extra dough off. Place the bowl on the lower rack of the oven. Bake it at 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes in a preheated oven. Remove the bowl from the oven. Switch on the gas. On medium flame, hold the bowl at one end with a napkin and cook the outer covering of the tortilla from all the sides. This will give a roasted effect. Reduce the temperature to 150 degrees celcius and bake it till it becomes crispy and brown for  approximately 15 minutes . Remove it from the oven.  

P.S. You can use the remaining dough to make another small bowl. 

 

For the easy quick Cheese Sauce

Ingredients 

1 or 2 Cheddar Cheese cube grated 

1 1/4 cup  Milk 

1 tbsp All Purpose Flour 

2 tbsp Butter 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

Method

Take a pan, add the butter. Let the butter melt. Add flour, stir and cook the flour until light pink in colour. Add milk and keep stirring it continuously. Add salt and pepper powder

 Stir it and cook the sauce till it thickens a bit. Keep it aside. 

For the Vegetable Salsa

Ingredients 

1 cup boiled Kidney beans 

1/4 cup of each Vegetable chopped mentioned below......

Red, Yellow and Green Capsicum 

Cucumber 

Red Cabbage 

Onion

Spring Onions 

Tomato 

2 Green chillies chopped 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

1 tbsp Chilli Mango sauce (Optional )

1 tsp Lime juice 

1 tbsp Olive oil 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add all the above ingredients and mix it well. 

To Assemble 

Ingredients 

Tortilla Bowl 

Vegetable Salsa 

Cheese  sauce 

Few Drizzle of Chilli Mango sauce ( Optional ) 

2 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese for garnishing 

Method 

Take the tortilla bowl. Add the vegetable salsa in the bowl. Drizzle few drops of the chill mango sauce. Pour the warm cheese sauce on top and garnish it with grated cheese. Serve it.

Maccher Dopiaza / Fish Dopiaza....

Dopiaza means 2 onions. It is a  South-Asian Curry dish. This dish was accidentally innovated in the kitchen of Mugal Emperor Akbar. This dish is very popular in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and is adapted as per the communities living in that place. 

The onions are used in two stages. It is prepared with a large amount of onions, once caramelised and another with onion paste. This dish is usually made with non vegetarian ingredients mainly meat,but now a days vegetarian Dopiaza is also made. A souring agent is added to the dish.The other ingredients which are used are meat, onions, ginger and garlic paste, whole spices and powder spices. 

Here I have made Fish Dopiaza in Bangladeshi style. I have used Katla Fish. Any other fish like Rui, Prawns,Telapia,Bhetki can be used to make this dish. I have used tomatoes, but it can be replaced with curd or both can be used in equal proportion. 

Ingredients

8 pieces of Katla Fish marinated with 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and Salt. 

1 tbsp Ginger - Garlic and Green Chilli paste 

1 small Onion paste

3 medium size Onions cut into thick sliced 

2 medium size Tomatoes cut into thick sliced or 1/2 cup Curd or 1 Tomato and 1/4 cup Curd 

2 Green Chillies silt

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

1/4 tsp or more Red Chilli powder as required

1/2 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste 

2 Cloves

1 Green Cardomom

1 small stick Cinnamon 

5 to 6 Peppercorn 

2 Bay leaves 

Mustard Oil for Frying the Fish 

4 tbsp Oil taken from the same oil in which the fish was fried 

or Ghee for the Gravy 

Method 

Take a pan, add oil and heat it till the smoking point. Reduce the heat. Fry the fish pieces till light golden brown in colour. Remove the fish pieces and keep it aside. Remove the excess oil from the pan leaving 3 tbsp of the oil or ghee can also be used. Add the cardomom, cinnamon, cloves and pepper corn. Sauté it till it crackles. Add the green chillies and bay leaves. Sauté it for another few seconds. Add the sliced onions, sauté it for a minute, add the sugar. Sauté it till the onions become pink in colour. Add the onion paste and ginger - garlic - chilli paste. Sauté it for 2 minutes till the masalas starts to separate from the oil. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder,coriander powder, pepper powder, garam masala powder and salt. Stir and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes or curd, stir and cook for 2 minutes till the tomatoes become mushy. Add a cup of water and let the gravy simmer for a minute. Arrange and place the fried fish in the gravy. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the fish pieces and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve it hot with hot steam rice or paratha.