Rava - Oats Pongal

 Venn Pongal also known as Khara Pongal is an easy and healthy South Indian savoury dish made with dal and rice…  served for breakfast with sambar and coconut chutney. 

Here I have used semolina and oats instead of rice. 

Rava - Oats  Pongal 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Moong Dal

3/4 cup Oats 

3/4 cup Rava 

1 small piece of Ginger grated 

Few Curry leaves 

2 to 3 Green Chillies chopped 

2 Red Dried Chillies 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp Pepper Cashew nuts

Handful of broken Cashews 

Salt to taste 

3 tbsp Ghee

2 cups Water

Method 

Take a pressure cooker, add the Moong Dal and dry roast the Dal until a roasted aroma release, don’t over roast the dal, add water and wash the 2 to 3 times, add water and boil the Dal, the dal should remain whole but cooked…switch of the flame and keep the dal aside.  Take another pot, add 1 1/2 tbsp ghee, add cumin seeds, let it crackle, add the cashew nuts, fry until light brown in colour. Add the whole red chillies, pepper corns, curry leaves, ginger and  green chillies, sauté for a minute, add the semolina and oats, stir all ingredients together for a minute. Add salt, continue to fry all the ingredients until light brown in colour. Add 2 cups water gradually and stir all the ingredients on low flame until the water has reduced. Add the dal and continue to stir, add the remaining ghee and stir, once done switch of the flame. Serve the Pongal hot with coconut chutney. 

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Aamer Bhapa Sandwich Sandesh

For a Bengali the day begins with sweets and ends with sweets… with every meal a piece of sweet is required and  “shesh pate misti chai”… at the end of the meal, a piece of sweet is savoured. But now the times have changed… eating sweets everyday doesn’t happen any more…  only on occasions… There are many types of sweets people enjoy… Sandesh is one of them… 

Sandesh is a type of sweet made with Channa / Paneer, that has originated in Bengal… and it’s the popular sweet of Bengal. Varieties of Sandesh are available at the mistano bhandar / sweet shops…. Rose Sandesh, kacha gola, jol bhora, kodapak, chocolate sandesh, malai sandesh etc. 

Here we will make Sandesh with Mango.. 

Summer means Mangoes in any form… be it icecream, barfi, laddu or Sandesh… 

Here we have taken full cream milk and have curdled the milk… to make the chana… at home…full cream paneer from the milk dairy  can be also used. The middle layer of the Sandesh is homemade mango Jam… and fresh homemade mango pulp is used on the top layer.. 

Condensed milk should be used less as we will also use mango jam… that will make the sandesh sweet. 

The end result will be delicious creamy  Sandesh with mango.. 

Ingredients 

250 grams or a cup of homemade Channa / paneer 

1/4 cup or as per the sweetness required Condensed Milk 

1/2 packet of  Amul Fresh Cream 

4 tbsp of Mango Jam

2 tbsp Mango pulp 

1/4 tsp of Ghee

Method 

Take a blender, add the paneer, condensed milk and cream. Blend the ingredients into a smooth paste, the paste should be of thick dropping consistency. Take a steel container, grease the container with ghee. Take half portion of the paste and spread the paste with the help of a spoon. Close the lid of the container and steam the container for 10 minutes. Once cool remove the container and open the lid. Now spread the jam on the first layer of the sandesh. Add the remaining paste over the jam and gently spread the paste.. add  blobs of  mango pulp on top of the paste.. with a help of a toothpick or a stick, spread the mango pulp. Close the lid and steam the sandesh for 20 to 25 minutes. Switch off the flame and cool the container, open the container and check. Keep the container in the fridge for an hour, to remove the sandesh from the container, slightly warm the base of the container, take a knife and run around the sides, cover the container with a plate, turn the plate, tap the container 2 to 3 times, the sandesh will be on the plate, take another plate and turn the sandesh, so that the top part of the sandesh will be on the top, cut the sandesh into square pieces.. enjoy  

 

Shahi Murg Korma

 

This dish is a Mugal dish, it’s made in a rich creamy gravy with nuts and raisins and hence the name Shahi… this dish goes well with Paratha or Pulao. 

Marination 

Ingredients 

1/2 kg Chicken pieces boneless or with bones as desired 

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste 

1 small Onion Sliced,  Fried and paste 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

3 tbsp Curd

Method 

Mix all the ingredients together and keep it aside for an hour or more. 

For the Wet paste 

Ingredients 

5 to 6 Almonds soaked and peeled 

5 to 6 Cashews soaked in water 

6 Raisins 

2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut 

2 tbsp Fresh Cream

1/4 cup Milk 

Few drops of Kewra essence (optional) 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients into a paste.

 

For the Gravy 

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken 

Wet paste 

1 small Onion Paste 

1/2 tsp Ginger - Garlic paste 

1 Bay leaf

2 Cloves 

2 Green Cardamom 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1/2 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste ( if required )

1/4 cup Curd beaten 

2 tbsp Cream 

3 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Add the ghee into a wok. Once the ghee heats up, reduce the flame, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, sauté until the spices crackles. Add onion paste, ginger - garlic paste and sugar. Sauté until light brown in colour, add the marinate chicken. Cook on medium low flame until the oil releases. Add the wet paste, cover and cook on low flame, stirring the chicken occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the curd and cream, continue to cook, until the chicken has cooked. If required add salt as per required. Serve the chicken with Pulao or Paratha. 

Fish Tikki

 

Fish Tikki - 

One of the easy recipes for starters or snacks - enjoy with Chutney - Sauce or Salad 

Any boneless fish will do like ravas, basa, tuna or ghol fish 

Ingredients 

300 grams  Fish fillets

1 big size Potato boiled and mashed 

1 Egg 

2 Garlic cloves 

1 small piece of Ginger 

1 or 2 Green Chillies 

1 tbsp Coriander leaves  

1 tsp Lemon juice 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/4 cup All Purpose flour 

Oil for shallow frying

Method

Add the fish, potato, garlic, ginger, chillies, lemon juice, coriander leaves, cumin powder, salt and egg in a chopper, mix and blend it well. Remove the mixture in a bowl, mix it well into a soft dough… take lemon size portion of the mixture and shape them in to a tikki. Lightly coat the fish tikki with the flour.. Dust the excess flour and keep the tikkis in the fridge for 15 minutes. Take a pan, pour oil, after the oil is hot, reduce the flame and shallow fry the tikkis until golden brown in colour. Serve the fish tikkis with the sauce or chutney of your choice.

Badami Tandoori Cauliflower and Sweet Potato with Beetroot Chutney

 One of the dish at Fisherman’s Wharf was Badami Broccoli with Beetroot Chutney and Green Chutney… we loved it…. 

Coming back home… wanted to try and make my version of the dish… 

I didn’t have broccoli at home.. hence used cauliflower and sweet potatoes… it’s healthy as no oil has been used…and the cheese can be skipped.

 The Beetroot Chutney is also so very delicious… super easy to make… this Chutney can be served with any fried dish or eaten as a spread on bread… it’s a vegetarian dish… 

For the Badami Tandoori Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes 

Ingredients 

1 medium size Cauliflower cut into medium size florets 

2 to 3 medium size Sweet Potatoes peeled and cut into medium size cubes

2 Green Chillies 

5 to 6 Garlic cloves 

1 small piece of Ginger 

2 Cheese cubes 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

1/2 cup Almonds soaked and peeled 

1/2 cup Curd 

1/2 cup whole milk

Method 

Par boil the cauliflower and sweet potatoes together with little salt.. once done, strain the water out from the vegetables. Take a grinder, add almonds, curd, milk, 1 cheese cube, green chillies, garlic, ginger, salt to taste, pepper and cardamom powder. Grind all the ingredients together. Once done add the paste to the parboiled vegetables. Keep it aside for an hour. Grate the remaining cheese over the vegetables. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes in a preheated oven. 

Beetroot Chutney 

Ingredients 

2 Medium size Beetroot boiled

2 Garlic cloves

2 Green Chillies 

1 tsp Tamarind pulp

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Sugar 

Method 

Take a grinder, add the boiled beetroot, tamarind pulp, garlic, chillies, sugar and salt. Grind all the ingredients together. The Chutney is ready..