Spinach Corn and Egg Casserole....

Spinach Corn and Egg Casserole....

Microwave recipe
Ingredients
6 Eggs
1 cup Corn
1 cup Spinach chopped
2 tbsp Garlic, Ginger and Fresh Chilli minced
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
3 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Milk
1 tbsp Nutralite Spread
1/2 cup grated Cheddar and  Mozzarella cheese

Method
Take the corn in a microwave bowl, add 1 cup of water and cook the corn for 5 minutes. Remove it from the microwave, drain the water and keep it aside. Take the spinach, add 1/2 cup water and  microwave it for 2 minutes. Take it out. Beat the eggs, add salt and pepper. Take a glass baking dish, add nutralite spread, put the dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take it out. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli mince, stir it. Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring it at the interval of 30 seconds. Take it out. Add the whole wheat into the dish, stir it. Microwave it for 2 minutes, stirring in between every 30 seconds. Take it out, add the milk and whisk the flour with the milk. Put it back for 3 minutes, whisking it every 30 seconds. Take it out, add the beaten eggs to the white sauce, whisk it. Take 1/2 cup corn and crush it. Add the whole corn, crushed corn and spinach to the beaten eggs and white sauce. Microwave it for 4 minutes. Take it out. Sprinkle the cheese and microwave  it for 6 minutes more. Serve it with bread toast.

Konkani Kolmi Pulau with Kolmi Rassa

Konkani Kolmi Pulau with Kolmi Rassa

For the Konkani Masala
1 cup Dry Bedagi chilli
1 cup Dry Sankeshwari Chilli
1/4 cup Coriander seeds
1/4 cup Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Caraway seeds (Shahi jeera)
1/2 cup Fennel seeds
1/4 cup Mustard seeds
2 tbsp Poppy seeds
4 big stick Cinnamon
8 pieces Black Cardamoms
6 pieces Green Cardamoms
3 tbsp Cloves
3 tbsp Black pepper corns
10 pieces Star anise
3 tbsp Cobra saffron/ Cassia buds
1 tbsp Stone flower
2 tbsp Mace
10 Bay leaves
1 tsp Asafetida
2 tbsp Turmeric powder

Method
Roast all the above ingredients except Asafetida and Turmeric. Cool the roasted spices and grind all the above ingredients along with Asafetida and Turmeric into a fine powder. Store it in a dry air tight container and it stays fresh for more than 6 months. This Masala can be used for any gravy dishes.

Kolmi Pulau and Kolmi Rassa

For the Marination
Ingredients
2 cups clean medium size Prawns
2 tbsp Roasted Grated Coconut
6 Garlic cloves
1 small Piece of Ginger
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Lime juice

Method
Take all the ingredients except the prawns and grind the wet masala by adding 3 tbsp or more water to the paste. Add the wet masala to the prawns, marinate it for 30 minutes.

For the Rice
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes
2 cloves
1 Green Cardamom
1 small stick Cinnamon
1 Bay Leaf
1 Star anise
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Oil

Method
Take a pot. Add oil, let it heat. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, star anise. Sauté it for 1 minute. Add sugar, stir for 30 seconds. Add the rice, stir the rice for 2 minutes. Add salt and 3 cups of water. Cook the rice. Keep the cooked rice aside.

For the Kolmi (Prawns)
Ingredients
Marinated Prawns
2 Onions sliced
1 Tomato sliced
Few Curry Leaves
1 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
4 Kokam pieces
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Konkani Masala
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander and Mint leaves chopped for garnishing

Method
Take a wok, add oil. Heat it, add the ginger and garlic paste. Sauté it for a minute, add the onions and curry leaves. Stir the onions and fry it till light golden brown. Add the marinated prawns, stir fry the prawns for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and Konkani masala, stir and mix the masala. Add 4 cups of water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. While the gravy is simmering, take the prawns and 2 ladle of the gravy out. Switch of the gas and strain the rest of the gravy out. Take the masala remaining on the strainer and add it to the prawns. Keep the strain gravy ( Rassa ) aside. 

Take the prawns and add it back into the wok. Add the cooked rice and mix it well with the prawns.Cover the wok and for 2 minutes keep the wok on low flame. Take it off the gas and sprinkle mint and coriander leaves on the Kolmi Palau and sprinkle few chopped coriander leaves on the Rassa. Serve the hot Konkani Kolmi Palau with Kolmi Rassa and Salad.

Khatte Baingan

Khatte Baingan
Khatte Baingan Masala Powder
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1 inch Cinnamon stick
3 Green Cardamom
2 Cloves
2 Kashmiri Red Chillies
1 small piece of Dry Ginger

Method
Add all the ingredients in the grinder and grind it into a powder.

Khatte Baingan
Ingredients
1/2 kg medium size long  Brinjals cut into half
2 Onions sliced
1 Tomato sliced
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
2 tbsp Khatte Baingan Masala Powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of Lime Juice
2 tbsp Mustard  Oil
Few Coriander Leaves to Garnish

Method
In a wok, add mustard oil, let it heat. Add fennel seeds, asafoetida, onions and brinjals. Fry it till the onions and brinjals are light brown in colour. Add the Khatte Baingan Masala Powder, salt to taste and turmeric powder. Stir the spice powder into the brinjals. Add 1/4 cup water and tomato. Cover and cook, stirring it occasionally till the brinjals are tender. Sprinkle some coriander leaves and lime juice.

Macher Jhal-Pherchi

Macher Jhal-Pherchi
This recipe is taken  from “Thakur Barir Ranna” (Recipes from Tagore's Kitchen) written by Purnima Tagore, in the occassion of 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, this book was published with  variety of recipes listed in the book. These recipes are collection of recipes from a book handed down to her by her aunt, Indira Devi Choudhurani. Indira Devi, the favorite niece of Rabindranath Tagore, she had never cooked on a regular basis. But whenever she liked a dish, she would make it a point to collect the recipe from the cook and note it down in her book. The author has also included some of her own recipes in the book. It is not that all the recipes are from Jorsanko Thakurbari, but they are from Tagore's kitchen.
This recipe is prepared in a different way for the regular Bengali cuisine. The taste is awesome.....

For the Rosted Spice powder
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Caraway seeds
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Green Cardomom powder
1 small Cardomom sticks
2 Cloves
2 Red Dry Chillies

Method
Dry roast the spices and grind it.

For the Fish
Ingredients
6 pieces of Rahu Fish Or 12 pieces of big size Prawns
1 small Onion chopped
1 small Onion paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 Whole Fresh Chilli slit
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
Rosted Spice powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Lime juice
2 tbsp of Ghee

Method
Take the fish pieces and par boil the fish pieces in 2 cups of water. Take the fish pieces out from the water and keep it aside. Keep the fish stock. Take a wok. Add the ghee, fry the chopped onion till golden brown, take it out and keep it aside. In the same ghee add the ginger, onion paste, turmeric powder and sugar. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the salt and fish pieces. On a low flame let the fish pieces cook for a minute on both the sides. Add the fish stock. Let it simmer for 10 minutes till the gravy becomes a bit thick. Add the fresh chilli, roasted spice powder and lime juice, mix it with the gravy. Let it cook for 2 minutes more, serve it hot with rice.

Kheerer Perakhi

Kheerer Perakhi 

My Ma was an excellent cook during her era. I remember my Ma making many types of sweet dishes during the festive season. One of the dish she prepared was Kheerer Perakhi.  My Ma passed away 2 years back. This Diwali I thought of celebrating in her rememberence. This sweet dish is not seen much in the shops now a days. 

Perakhi in other places outside Kolkatta is called Mawa Kachori / Candrakala/ Suryakala. The ingredients for the Perakhi and Kachori is more or less the same except in Mawa Kochuri / Candrakala / Suryakala  stuffing,  coconut, semolina and poppy seeds are added in some places. Kheerer Singara / Samosa Ingredients and the method is the same except for the shape is different. Perakhi is made with khoya stuffing filled in between the 2 rolled dough and then it is fried and dipped  into the sugar syrup. 

For the Stuffing 

Ingredients 

250 grams Khoya 

3 tbsp Sugar or as required 

2 tbsp Mixed Dry Fruit flakes (Almond and Pistachio)

1/2 tbsp Raisins 

2 Pinch of Cardamom powder 

Method 

Take a pan , heat it.  Add khoya and on low flame stir the khoya till it turns light brown & soft. Add sugar, stir it. Then mix  the dry fruit flakes, cardomom powder and raisins with the khoya. Keep it aside. 

For the Dough

3 cups All Purpose Flour 

3 tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste 

Cold Milk or Water to knead the dough 

Method 

Mix APF, salt and ghee, mix it. Add milk or water little at a time. Knead into a firm dough, cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes. 

For Sugar Syrup

11/2  cups of Sugar

2 cups of water 

Method 

Mix the sugar and water in a pot. On a low flame cook the sugar syrup till 2 string consistency. 

For the Kheerer Perakhi 

Ingredients 

Stuffing 

Dough 

Sugar syrup 

For garnishing Pistacho flakes 

Ghee for frying 

Method 

Take the dough. Divide the dough into equal small lime size portions. To make the Perakhi, take 2 dough balls  and appy a drop of ghee on the rolling board. Roll the dough balls out into small size pooris. Place one spoon of filling in the middle of one poori and close the stuffing by placing  another poori. Now pinch and fold the edges inwards. Repeat the process to make other perakhis.  Deep fry the perakhis in the hot ghee over a low flame till it turns golden brown in colour. Drain on absorbent paper. Dip the perakhis in the hot sugar syrup. Let it soak for 5 minutes.  Take it out from the sugar syrup on a plate. Garnished it with  pistachios. Serve after it cools down.