Chicken and Vegetable Stew...

This is a chicken stew with roasted tomatoes, chillies and garlic. It is cooked for an hour in a cast iron pot. I have seasoned the Stew with  curry powder and pepper powder. It is served hot with bread. Absolutely comfort food for the winters.. 

Ingredients 

750 grams Chicken pieces 

1 medium size Sweet Potato cut into big

pieces 

1 Onion cut into cubes 

10 to 12 pieces of Whole French Beans 

4 to 5 Cauliflower florets 

1 Carrot cut into circle 

10 Mushrooms cut into 2 pieces 

4 to 5 Broccoli florets 

2 Tomatoes cut into half 

1 whole Garlic pod

1 Spring Rose Mary 

2 Dry Red Chillies 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Pepper powder 

2 tsp Curry powder 

2 Chicken cubes

2 cups Chicken stock 

3 tbsp Butter 

Method 

Add salt and 1/2 tsp pepper powder to the chicken and mix it . Keep it aside . Roast the tomatoes , dry chillies and garlic. Add them into a grinder and add little water to make a paste. Keep it aside. 

Take a cast iron pot . Add the butter. Let it melt. Add the chicken pieces and cook it for 2 minutes. Remove it and keep it aside. In the same butter , add the roasted paste , chicken stock , 6 cups of water, chicken cubes , salt , pepper powder and curry powder.Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces,  rose mary, sweet potato, carrot, cauliflower, onion and carrot. Stir and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Add the broccoli , peas and mushrooms. Cover the lid and cook for 30 minutes. Once done, open the lid and serve it hot with bread. 

Eggless Orange Caramel Pudding...

This dessert is made with pure orange juice. 

This is my variation of making this eggless pudding.Though eggless.. It taste awesome. 

For Caramelising the Sugar 

Ingredients 

3 tbsp Sugar 

2 tbsp Water 

1/2 tsp Butter 

Method 

Take a baking bowl. Grease the bowl  with butter. Heat sugar and water in pot and cook on low flame till it is golden brown. Pour this into a greased baking bowl and spread evenly. Keep it aside.

For the Pudding 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Fresh Orange juice 

1 tsp Orange Candy Peel chopped into pieces

5 tbsp Condensed Milk 

1 1/2 cup full fat Milk 

1/2 tsp Vanilla essence 

2 tbsp Sugar or more as per your requirements 

2 tbsp Custard Powder 

1 1/2  tsp Veg Gelatine or Agar Agar powder 

Method 

Take a pot, add a cup of milk. On a low flame, let the  milk simmer. Add sugar, condensed milk and  vaniĺla essence. Stir and mix it. Take 1/4 cup milk,  mix the custard powder in it. Add the custard milk in the milk. Stir it continuously so that no lumps form. As it thickens, switch off the flame immediately. Keep on stirring till it cools down a bit. Heat the remaining milk, add the veg gelatine or agar  agar powder and mix it and let the powder dissolve in the milk, add this agar agar mixture into the custard milk. Stir it. Let the mixture cool down a bit. Add the orange juice and orange candy peel. Mix it. Pour the mixture in the caramelised bowl. Cover the bowl with a foil. Take a steamer. Add water. Place the tin into the steamer. Cover the steamer. Steam it for 30 minutes. Take the bowl out of the steamer. Let it chilli for an hour or more in the fridge.  To unmould it, very light heat the base of the baking bowl. Run a knife around the edges. Turn the pudding on a plate. Serve it.

The elegant cutlery I have used is from Awkenox.

Mangsher Bhuna Khichudi....

This dish is a popular dish of Bangladesh. It is a richer variation of Khichudi cooked with Mutton.  Khichudi or Khichadi know all over India is normally is cooked with vegetables, rice, dal and spices. The cooking style varies depending upon the state. This is a one pot meal... very easy to make.

Ingredients 

200 grams Mutton pieces 

1 cup Rice 

1/4 cup Moong Dal 

1/4 cup Masoor Dal

1 Onion sliced 

1 Tomato chopped 

6 to 7 French Beans cut into big pieces 

6 to 8  Cauliflower florets 

1 big size Potato cut into cubes 

1 Carrot cut into long thick pieces 

2 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste 

2 Bay Leaves 

2 Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 Cinnamon stick 

 6 Pepper corns 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tsp Coriander powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Sugar 

1 tbsp Ghee

3 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method 

Take a pan, add the rice and dal. Roast it till it is light brown in colour. Wash the rice and dal. Soak it in water and keep it aside. 

Take a pressure cooker. Add the oil. Heat the oil to a smoking point. Reduce the flame,  add the whole garam masala and bay leaves. Let it crackle. Add the green chillies. Let it sauté for few seconds. Add the onion and stir fry till light brown in colour. Add the vegetables except tomato. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic - ginger - chilli paste and sugar. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the mutton, stir and cook it for 3 to 4  minutes. Drain the dal and rice. Add it into the cooker. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the salt and dry spice powder. Stir and cook for a minute. Add 3 cups of water. Close the lid and give 4 whistles. Once the pressure releases then open the lid. Stir it. Add 1/2 cup of water and ghee. Stir and serve hot. 

Doi Maach...

This is a fishy delicacy from Bengal. This dish is prepared during occasions. It's a bit sweet and sour in taste. Spiciness is adjusted as per requirement. This dish is served with hot steamed plain rice or polau.

For Marnating and Frying the Fish...

Ingredients 

1 kg Ruhi or Katla pieces preferably cut from a big size fish

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder

Mustard Oil for deep frying the Fish

Method 

Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder and let it stand for 15 minutes.Heat mustard oil in a wok till smoking point. Reduce the heat and fry the fish till light brown in colour from both the sides. Remove the fish and keep it aside while the gravy is prepared.

To Make the Doi Mach...

Ingredients 

Fried Fish

1 tbsp Ginger paste

1 tbsp Garlic paste 

1/2 tbsp Chilli paste 

1 medium size Onion paste 

3 Green Chillies slit

1 cup Curd 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1 tsp Sugar to taste

Salt to taste 

2 Bay Leaves

3 Cloves 

1 small stick Cinnamon 

2 Green Cardomom 

Mustard Oil (Use the same Fish Fry Oil) 

Few Coriander Leaves chopped for garnishing

Method

Take the same wok in which the fish was fried. Reduce the oil to 4 tbsp. Heat the oil. Add cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom. Let the spices crackle. Add the bay leaves and green chillies. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste and chilli paste. Sauté it for 3 to 4 minutes till the rawness of paste is gone. Meanwhile add the turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, sugar and salt in the curd and beat it. Add the beaten curd into the wok. Sauté it for another 3 minutes. Add the fried fish into the curd gravy. Let it simmer for a minute. Add a cup of water. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish it with coriander leaves before serving. 

Malvani Surmai Curry

Malvan is a town in Sindhudurg District, it lies in the southern most district of Maharashtra. Since it is on the coastal belt, the main occupation is fishing. It has its own style of cooking. The staple diet of the local people is fish curry and rice.

Coconut is used in abundant in various forms as grated, dry grated,fried, coconut paste and coconut milk.

Some of the spices like dried red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin, cardamom, ginger, garlic, etc. are used in the paste. Kokum, dried kokam,tamarind, and raw mango are used to give a sour flavour to the curry. Malvani masala powder is made with 15 to 16 types of dry spices. This masala is grounded into powder and stored in jars to be used when required.

For the Coconut Paste

Ingredients

2 small Coconut grated

2 Onion chopped

8 Garlic Cloves

4 small Ginger pieces

6 Byadagi Chillies

6 Degi Chillies

1/2 tsp Pepper Corn

1 Cinnamon stick

4 Cloves

4 Green Cardomom

1 tbsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Mustard seeds

2 tbsp Poppy seeds

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1 Star Anise

1/2 tsp Turmeric

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Method

Take a pan, add oil. Heat the oil. Add the 1/2 tsp Pepper Corn, Cinnamon stick, Cloves, Green Cardomom, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, Star Anise and Fennel seeds. Sauté it till it crackles. Add the garlic. Sauté till it lightly changes its colour. Add the onions, sauté it till light pink in colour. Add the chilies, sauté it for a minute. Add the poppy seeds and sauté it for another minute. Add the coconut and sauté it till it light golden in colour. Switch the flame off. Cool it. Add the ingredients in the grinder, add water and grind it. Open the grinder lid and add salt and turmeric powder. Grind it further to a smooth paste.

For the Malvani Curry

Ingredients

1 kg Surmai fish cut into pieces

Wet paste

6 garlic crushed

4 Green chillies cut into 2 pieces

6 Kokam pieces

1 tsp Mustard seeds

2 Spring Curry leaves

1 Star Anise

3 tbsp Mavani Masala powder

Salt to taste

1/4 cup Oil

Method

Take a flat base pot or pan. Add oil, let it heat. Add the mustard seeds and star anise. Let it crackle. Add the garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté it for a minute. Add the wet paste. Sauté and cook it till the oil starts to separate out from the paste. Add the salt and Malvani masala. Stir and cook for another minute. Add 1 liter water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the Kokam and let it simmer for another minute. Add the fish pieces and let it cook for 10 minutes or till the fish is cooked. Switch of the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot steaming rice.