Khejur Gurer Sandesh (Sandesh made out of Date jaggary)

Khejur Gurer Sandesh (Sandesh made out of Date jaggary)

Ingredients:
Full fat milk: 2 liter
Juice of  a lemon
Gur: 6 tbsp
Method
First you need to boil the milk and then pour the lemon juice. Mix and stir. The milk will curdle, keep on boiling till a clear whey separated from the cheese.
Pour this in a muslin cloth and wash under running water to get rid of the lemon smell.
Tie the loose ends of the cloth and hang to drain all the water. Keep the cottage cheese on a flat surface and keep something heavy on top to drain out water completely.
After a hour take this cheese in a flat plate. And start kneading with  your palm. Once the cheese becomes smooth (approx 5 minutes) Add the jaggery and  kneading the dough for another couple of minutes.
Take this in a non-stick pan and on very low heat cook this for 5 minutes. Do this by stirring the dough continuously. Don’t panic if you find the dough  little soft, it will harden as it cools.
To give shape to the sandesh use the stone or terracotta moulds. Press a little bit  to transfer the design.

Notun gur or Khajur gur (Date jaggary) payesh.

Notun gur or Khajur gur (Date jaggary) payesh.
This jaggary is produce only  in Bengal. It is also called “Noton Gur” in Bengal or “New Jaggery” and is only extracted from the date trees during the Winter months.
This is a Bengali Special Sweet dish Recipe . What makes it  special is the use of date Jaggary or Notun gur as sweetener instead of sugar. And is made most in winters as the juice from the date tree is extracted only in the winter months and made in to date jaggary or Notun gur.
Ingredients
1 liter milk
1 cup grated date jaggary or add according to the sweetness
1/2 cup gobindo bhog rice or broken basmati rice
2 tbsp rasins
2 tbsp broken Kaju
2 green cardomon crushed
2 bay leaves
A pinch of salt for balancing the sweetness.
Method
Wash and dry the rice. Boil the milk with bay leaves for 10 minutes on a slow flame. Now add the rice and cook it for 10 minutes stirring it periodically. Now add a pinch of salt, raisins, crushed green cardamom and Kaju and boil it till the rice has cooked and the milk consistency has become thick. Now add the grated date jaggary according to the sweetness required. Keep on stirring on a slow flame till the jaggary has dissolved. Garnish it with grated jaggary from top.  It is ready to be served  hot or cold.

Bitter gourd vegetable ( Karele ki Sabji)

Bitter gourd vegetable (Karele ki  Sabji)
I had got this recipe from my friend long time back. It is a very tasty recipe which can be had with rice or chappati.
Ingredients
500 grams bitter gourd thinly sliced
1 big onion sliced
1 big tomato chopped
4 to 5 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilli
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp jaggary
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp oil
Chopped coriander for garnished
Method
Take a pan and add oil. As the oil heats up add curry leaves, red chillies and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackles then add the sliced onions. Saute the onions for 5 minutes. Add the thinly sliced bitter gourd. Saute it for 5 minutes. Add salt and  cook it till the bitter gourds are half cooked stirring it periodically. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and cumin powder. Cover the pan and cook it on a slow flame stirring  the vegetables in between till the bitter gourds are cooked. Now add jaggary and tamarind paste and cook it for 5 minutes more. To serve garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Banana kheer with date jaggary and desiccated coconut

No cooking instant healthy sweet dish....

Banana kheer with date jaggary and desiccated coconut
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas mashed
1 ripe banana finely chopped
1 Dabur coconut milk pack
1 pinch of salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp date jaggary or put according to the desired sweetness
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 dry figs chopped
2 seedless dates chopped
1 tsp broken Kajus
1 tsp raisins
2 pinch of cardamom powder
1 tbsp date syrup ( jhola gur known in Bengal) ( optional ) for garnishing

Method
Take a bowl and add the mashed and chopped bananas and coconut milk. Mix it well. Add the jaggary, honey and salt. Mix well and then keep adding the remaining ingredients except for the date syrup one at a time while mixing. Mix it well. Cool the kheer or have it as it is. Garnish it with date syrup. Enjoy the healthy sweet dish after any meal.

Fish bread with fish filling

Fish bread with fish filling

For the fish filling
Ingredients
500 grams basa or any boneless fish
2 onions sliced finely
1/2 tsp garlic
1 green chilli chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 potato boiled and grated
1 tsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method
Steam the fish and mash it. Take a pan and  add the oil. Add garlic and onions and sauté it till the onions changes it's colour. Add chopped chillies, salt and pepper to taste, garam masala powder, boiled grated potatoes and fish. Stir fry it and combine all the ingredients well. Add lime juice and mix it. Keep it aside.

For the bread
3 cups of wheat flour
Salt to taste
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp oil
Luke warm water

Method
Take  wheat flour, yeast and salt and kneading the dough with Luke warm water forming a soft dough. Add oil to the dough and knead again and keep for rising till it doubles.

For Assembling
Ingredients
Fish filling
Dough

Method
Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.
Knead the dough again and make balls, take one ball and roll it out. Cut the sides,  keeping space in the centre for the filling.  Put the filling in the centre. Then start braiding, over lapping each strip over each other.  For the eyes put pepper corn. Spray water and oil mix on the fish.  Keep it for 10 to 15  minutes covered. Apply egg spread and bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.