Shrewsbury biscuits

Shrewsbury biscuits....

Shrewsbury biscuits
Ingredients
150 gram flour
120 gram butter
75 grams sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
Method
Beat the butter well then add sugar and beat it again until the butter becomes fluffy. Add baking powder, flour and milk and beat the batter. At this stage the dough is very soft so keep it for 20 to 45 minutes.( If the climate is hot then keep it for 15 minutes in the freeze and 15 minutes out). After 20 to 45 minutes take the dough and make equal balls and keep the balls at a distance on the baking tray. If you have the mold then use the mold and stamp the balls so you will have Shrewsbury stamped on the balls. If not just flatten the balls with your hand. In a preheated oven bake if for 15 to 20 minutes at 160 to 170 degrees depending on your oven. Please keep checking after 15 minutes and turn the tray to keep browning. Keep the biscuits in the same tray till it cools.

Lasuni Tadka Dal

Lasuni Tadka Dal
Ingredients
2 Cups Whole Moong washed and soaked for 3-4 hours
1 big Onion chopped
1 big Tomato chopped
6 Garlic clove minced
Few Curry leaves
2 Green chillies slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Curry powder
Salt to taste
1 Whole Dry Red Chilli
1/2 Cumin seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida
2 tbsp Ghee
Method
Take a pressure cooker. Add the soaked dal. Add 2 1/2 cups water. Keep 1 tbsp Onion and 1 tsp Garlic aside for seasoning.  Add 1 green chilli, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and  curry powder in the cooker. Cover the cooker and cook the dal till tender. Let the pressure releases. Open the cooker, if the water has dried up then add more water according to the consistency required.  Take a pan. Add ghee. Heat the ghee. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add curry leaves, red chilli, 1 tbsp Onion and 1/2 tsp Garlic.  Sauté it for few seconds. Add asafoetida and add the seasoning to the dal. Simmer the dal for 10 minutes. Serve it hot with Rice or Chappati.

Telapia Macher Tak Posto ( Telapia cooked in Poppy and Tamarind gravy)

Telapia Macher Tak Posto  ( Telapia cooked in  Poppy and Tamarind gravy)
Ingredients
6 to 8 pieces of medium size Telapia fish
2 Green Chillies slit
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds 
1 Whole Dry Red Chilli
3 tbsp Poppy seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar 
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Tamarind paste
Mustard oil to fry and cook the fish

Method
Take Poppy seeds, mustard seeds, 1 Green chilli and tamarind paste. Add 1/4 cup water and make a paste. Keep it aside.
Take oil in a pan, heat the oil and fry the fish until golden brown from both sides. Keep them aside. Take 2 tbsp oil in a pan,  heat  it. Add nigella seeds,  when it  crackles add green chilli and add poppy seed paste,  turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Stir for 2 minutes , add 1 1/2 cup of water. Stir it. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Add the fish pieces. Cover and cook till the fish is tender and the gravy has  thicken up a bit. Drizzle with mustard oil and serve hot with rice.

Dharosh - Aloor Bhaja Tarkari ( Lady finger and Potato Fried Sabji)

Dharosh - Aloor Bhaja Tarkari ( Lady finger and Potato Fried Sabji)
Ingredients
250 grams medium size lady finger  washed and cut length wise into 2
2 Onion cut into half and slices
2 Potatoes  cut into thick strips
1 Tomato cut into thick strips
2 Green chillies slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
2 1/2 tbsp  Oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped finely for garnishing

Method
Take 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan. Heat it, add the potatoes and sauté and cook it on high heat till tender stirring it occasionally. Take it out from the pan and keep it aside. Add 1 tbsp oil in a pan, heat it and saute and cook the lady fingers. Take it out from the pan and keep it aside. Add the remaining  oil, heat it and add the cumin seeds. Let it crackle,  add the onions and green chillies. Fry the onion till brown. Add the potatoes, lady fingers and tomatoes. Stir it for 1 minute on high flame. Add salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Stir and cover the pan. Cook it on low flame for 3 minutes. Take it off the flame, garnish with coriander leaves.

Luchi, Alur dom and Begun Bhaja

Luchi, Alur dom and Begun Bhaja

Luchi
Ingredients:
2 cup Flour (Maida)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
warm water as needed
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix the flour, salt  in a bowl. Add a bit of oil and water and knead to a firm dough. Cover the dough and keep it for some time.  Knead the dough again for a bit. Make small balls. Take one ball of the dough and dip one side of it into the oil and roll in out into a 4 inch flat circle. Repeat for the remaining balls. Heat the oil in a kadai till its quite hot. Add the luchis to the hot oil and make sure that is it covered in oil. Flip it over and let it cook on the other side till its golden brown. Serve hot alur dom and begun bhaja.

Alur dom
Ingredients
8 potatoes cut in to half and boiled and peeled
1 tomato finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp chilli paste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/2 turmeric powder
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp curd
1 tsp bhaja masala ( coriander seeds, pepper, cumin seeds, red chillies - all roasted and powdered)
Method
Take oil and heat it well. Add potatoes and stir it well and take the potatoes out and keep it aside. Now add cumin seeds and after few minutes   add  chilli paste, ginger paste and tomatoes and saute it. Add curd , turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and sugar.Mix the gravy well on a slow flame for some time.. Add 1/2 cup water and boil the gravy well and now add the potatoes. Stir the potatoes well and cook it for some time till the potatoes mixes with the gravy. Add ghee and sprinkle bhaja masala on top. Serve hot with luchi.

Begun bhaja
Ingredients
2 big brinjals cut in to big pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Mustard oil for frying
Method
Apply salt and turmeric powder on the brinjal.  Heat the mustard oil and fry the brinjals.