Fondant cake with a fondant topper

Kanthola Aur Aloo ke Achari Karare Spiny Gourd and Potato Achari Crispy Fry

Kanthola Aur Aloo ke Achari Karare
Spiny Gourd and Potato Achari Crispy Fry

For Frying the Vegetables
Ingredients
250 grams Spiny Gourd cut into 4 pieces lengthwise
2 Potatoes cut into small thick strips
1/4 cup Besan / Gram flour
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method
Take the spiny gourd and Potato strips in a mixing bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder and gram flour. Mix it well. Take oil in a wok. Fry the vegetables till golden brown. Remove it and drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel. Keep it aside.

For the Achari Powder
Ingredients
1/4 Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Carom seeds
1/4 tsp Coriander seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Red Dry Chillies
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder

Method
Roast all the seeds and the red chillies  in a pan. When it cools down, then add the turmeric powder and dry mango powder. Grind it into a fine powder.

For Seasoning
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2 Green chillies slit
Few Curry leaves
1 tbsp Oil

Method
Take oil in a pan. Add the oil. Let it heat. Add the mustard seeds. Let it crackle. Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds. Add the fried spiny gourd and potatoes. Toss it well. Add the Achari powder and toss it well together. Serve with Chappati.

Mattappoo Thoran ( Pumpkin flower Thoran )

Mattappoo Thoran

These Pumpkin flowers had grown in my balcony garden today morning. Normally I dip it in the batter (Bengal gram flour, kalonji, chillies chopped, poppy seeds) and fry them. Today I thought of doing something different. So prepared the pumpkin flowers in Kerela style. The dish is called --   Thoran

Ingredients: 

Pumpkin flowers and tender leaves of pumpkin.

1/2 cup coconut grated

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

2 green chillies

1/2 tsp turmeric pd.

4 to 5 garlic

Some curry leaves

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 dry chilli

Curry leaves

2 tbsp coconut oil or any normal oil.

Method: 

Chop the pumpkin flowers and leaves. Roughly grind coconut, salt, turmeric, cumin seeds, curry leaves, onion and garlic and keep it aside. Take a vessel add oil and let it heat. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry chilli. As it starts to splatter add the chopped pumpkin flowers and leaves. Saute it for some time and add the paste. Cook the vegetable on slow fire until dry. Serve it with hot rice.

 For non vegetarians: 

You can add small prawns or any small fish. Just fry it and add to the vegetable.

Shor Bhaja

Shor Bhaja
Shor Bhaja is a traditional Bengali sweet dish. It was first made in Krishna Nagar West Bengal. It is made  only from cream of the milk. The process is bit tedious and it needs gentle handling, but the outcome is worth the try.

For the Sugar syrup
Ingredients
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp Lime juice
Pinch of Cardamom powder
Few drops of Rose essence

Method
Add water and sugar in a pot. Let it boil. Add cardomom powder and rose essence. Let it simmer till 1 string. Add lime juice and keep it aside.

For the Shor Bhaji
Ingredients
2 liters Full Cream Milk
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp All purpose flour
Few Almond and Pistachio chopped for garnishing
Ghee for shallow frying

Method
Boil the milk, then simmer the milk on low flame,  the cream will start to form on top of the milk. Wait till the cream settles in properly. Take the cream out from the milk very gently and keep collecting  it on a plate layer by layer. Sprinkle sugar on top of the cream when we reach to half point.  Repeat the process of collecting the cream over the sugar till the  last point. Press the cream and remove all the milk from the cream if any. Cut the cream pieces into square pieces. Sprinkle little flour on the cream. Leave it for some time. Heat the ghee in a fry pan. Take some flour on a plate. Take a square at a time. Gently apply flour all around and reshape  it. Add the square cream pieces 2 at a time in the ghee. Fry it on medium-high flame on both the side until golden brown in colour.  Put the sugar syrup back on fire on a low flame. Add the fried cream pieces into the hot sugar syrup. Let it simmer for 1 minutes. Switch off the flame. Let the Shor bhaja be in the sugar syrup for 10 minutes until it soaks some sugar syrup. Remove it and keep it on a serving plate. Decorate with chopped  almond and  pistachio. Serve it and Enjoy.....

Macher Kofta Curry / Fish Kofta Curry

Macher Kofta Curry / Fish Kofta Curry
For Fish Kofta
Ingredients
1 cup Fish  - Any fish  Bhetki, Rahu or Katla (Boiled and de boned)
1 Onion chopped
1 green Chillies chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
Salt to taste
1/4  tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder
3 tbsp All purpose flour
1 tsp oil

Method
Take all the above ingredients and mix it well. All the ingredients should bind well. Make medium size balls. Take a non stick  paniyaram pan. Put the kofta ball in each cavity. Cover and cook till it becomes crispy and brown. Keep it aside.

For the Gravy
Ingredients
1 Onion paste
1 small Onion chopped
1 Tomato paste
1 Green chilli slit
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tbsp Ghee
Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Take a pan and add Ghee. Let it heat. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let it crackle. Add the chopped onion and green  chilli. Sauté it till the onions are translucent. Add the onion paste, tomato paste, ginger paste and garlic paste. Sauté it for 2 minutes.  Add turmeric powder , salt, garam masala powder, sugar, coriander powder, cumin powder and chilli powder. Sauté It for 2 minutes more. Add 2 cups of water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the koftas. Boil for another 1 minute. Add chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice and chapatti.