Aloor Chop / Potato Fritters Bengali Style

Aloor Chop / Potato Fritters Bengali Style 

Aloor Chop is a famous street food of Kolkatta. It is found in any Tele Bhaja shop (Shop which sales fried food) in any corner of the street. It is normally had in the evening with garm... garm.. chai ( hot... hot.... tea) and served with Muri (Puffed Rice).

For Stuffing.. 

Ingredients 

2 large Potatoes boiled and mashed

1 tsp Green chillies chopped

1/4 tsp Ginger paste 

1 tbsp Bhaja Masala (Roast Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds in equal portion and 1  Red Dry Chilli and ground it) 

2 Pinches of Garam Masala 

Salt to taste

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Method 

Mixed all the above ingredients together properly. Divide the mashed potatoes into equal proportions. Make balls of each portion and flatten it. Keep it aside while the batter is made.

For the Batter and frying 

Ingredients 

1 cup Gram flour  (Besan)

2 tbsp Rice flour 

1/4 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste 

2 Pinch of Soda bicarbonate 

Oil for frying

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients, except oil. Add water little at a time to make a thick batter. Heat the oil in a wok. Take the potato chop one at a time, dip it into the batter. Add the chop into the hot oil and fry till golden brown in colour. Serve hot with Muri (Puffed Rice)...

Muri (Puffed Rice)

Ingredients 

2 cups Puffed Rice

2 tbsp Fried Peanuts or Roasted Peanuts 

2 tbsp Chana chur / Bengali Mix Chewda (Optional)

1 Green Chilli chopped 

1 tbsp Aam Tel Or Mustard oil

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Murir Masala

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl together.

Murir Masala 

Ingredients 

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds roasted

1/4 tsp Coriander seeds roasted

1 Red Dry Chilli roasted

2 Pinches of Dry Ginger powder

1 cloves

2 Pepper corn

1small stick Cinnamon 

1/4 tsp Amchoor powder / Dry Mango Powder 

Rock Salt as per taste

Method 

Ground all the above ingredients together.

Aam Tel

It is made in summers, the raw mangoes are cut into pieces and sun dried with turmeric and salt. Mustard oil is heated up.... Asafoetida, Panch Phoran,ginger paste and mustard paste is add to the hot oil. Then the mangoes are added and then it is bottled up and keep in the hot sun for a week. It stays for a year.

Vermicelli Upma

Vermicelli Upma

Ingredients
Half Packet of Rice Vermicelli
1 Onion chopped
1/4 cup Carrot chopped
1/4 cup Green Peas
2 to 3 Green chillies chopped
Few Curry Leaves
Juice of half Lime
3 tbsp Peanuts
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Bengal Gram / Chana dal
1/4 tsp Split Black Gram / Urid Dal
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves for garnish
2 tbsp Grated Coconut or desiccated coconut. 

Method
Take a big pot,add water and salt, bring water to a boil. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cook on medium high for a few minutes, until it is cooked. When done, immediately remove from the heat and drain the water out.Rinse in cold water and drizzle some oil, so they do not stick together. Take a wok, add oil, let it heat. Add Bengal gram and spilt black gram, saute it for few seconds, add the mustard seeds, let it crackle, add the peanuts. Saute it till brown in colour. Add chopped chillies and curry leaves, saute it for a few seconds. Add the onion, fry till translucent.add the green peas, saute for a minute, add the carrots and continue to saute for another minute. Add 1/4 cup water, simmer it on low heat. Add the salt, sugar and turmeric Powder, stir it and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add the vermicelli and stir it well and cook for 2 minutes till all the spices are mixed well. Add lime juice and stir again. Remove it from the heat, garnish with coriander leaves and coconut.

Frozen Strawberry and Mint Chocolate Crust Pie

Frozen Strawberry and Mint Chocolate Crust Pie 

To make the Chocolate Crust

Ingredients 

1 bowl of Chocolate Cookie 

3 tbsp Melted Butter 

Method 

Add the chocolate cookies and the butter in a grinder and grind it into powder. Add the crumbs  into bottom of a 9" pie tin. Spread and press the crumbs evenly. Bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees celcius in a preheated oven. Let cool. Add the pie filling.

For the Pie filling 

Ingredients

10 Strawberries cut into slices

5 whole Strawberries cleaned 

Few Mint leaves 
 2 cups Cottage Cheese Crumbs 

1/4 cup Cream

1/2 cup Condensed Milk 

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence 

1/2 kg Vanilla Icecream  

Method 

In a blender, add the cottage cheese, vanilla essence, cream, whole strawberries and condensed milk. Blend it till smooth. Pour the mixture on the crust and spread it evenly. Scoop the vanilla Icecream on the top of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread it evenly. Decorated the top with sliced strawberries and mint leaves. Chill it in the freezer for 4 hours. Before cutting keep it out for 2 minutes. 

Chicken Meat and Veggies Stuffed Buns...

Chicken Meat and Veggies Stuffed Buns...

Chicken Meat  Stuffing 

Ingredients 

150 grams Chicken minced

1 Egg

1 Onion chopped finely 

1 tsp Garlic chopped finely 

1 tsp Green chillies chopped finely

1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped 

1/4 cup Spring Onions chopped finely

3 tbsp each Yellow and Red Capsicum chopped finely 

2 tbsp Carrot chopped finely 

1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese grated

Salt to taste 

1 / 4 tsp Pepper powder 

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Method 

Take a mixing bowl and mix all the above ingredients. Knead it very well for 5 minutes till all the fats incorporates well. Keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Buns 

Ingredients 

400 grams  All purpose flour 

1 1/2 tbsp Dry Yeast

2 tbsp Sugar 

1/4 Cup Lukewarm Milk 

1 Cup  Lukewarm Water

2 tbsp Melted Butter

Salt to taste

Egg wash 

Chicken stuffing

2 tbsp Mozzarella grated 

Italian seasoning for sprinkling 

Method

Take a mixing bowl. Add flour and salt. Mix it. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add sugar, yeast and 1/4 cup lukewarm milk + 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Stir it with out disturbing the surrounding flour. Cover and let it rise. After it rises. Start mixing the flour... Add water little at a time to make a soft dough. Add 1/2 tbsp melted butter, Knead the dough for 5 minutes adding 1/2 tbsp melted butter in between. Rub some butter on top, cover and keep for rising double in size. Rub some butter on the palms. Sprinkle some flour on the platform, take the dough, punch it and knead it again for sometime. Divide the dough into equal proportions. Grease the baking tray.  Rub some butter on the palms. Take one portion of the dough. Roll the dough giving it a round shape. Flatten the dough and take a portion of the stuffing in the centre of the dough, close the edges and give it a round shape. Repeat the process with other buns. Place each buns on the baking tray at some distance. Cover with soft Malmal cloth till it rises double in size. Brush it with egg wash. Bake it in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning from top. Bake for another 5 minutes more at 160 degrees celcius till brown on top. Cool the buns a bit and remove it from the tray. 

Vegetable Soup with Crispy Rice

Vegetable  Soup with Crispy Rice

A hot bowl of soup is always welcomed on any day. Tried, sick or dieting. In this recipe I have made a very simple vegetable soup which is delectable and easy to make. It is a soul food. I have attached a video to show the steps. Please do encourage me as this is my first self made video.... Thank you....
Ingredients
2 tbsps of each Vegetable minced
Onion
Garlic
Capsicum
Cabbage
Carrot
Broccoli
French Beans
Spring Onion
1 tsp Ginger minced
1/2 tsp Green chilli minced
2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp Light Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Lemongrass sauce
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Corn flour
2 tbsp Sesame seed oil 

Method 

Take a deep bottom pan, add oil. Add the garlic, ginger, green chilli. Saute it for a minute, add the onion and capsicum, saute it for a minute. Add rest of the vegetables one after the other, saute it for 2 minutes. Add the salt, rice wine vinegar,  light soya sauce and lemongrass sauce, stir it. Add 4 cups of water and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of water in the corn flour, mix it. Add the corn flour into the soup. Let it simmer till it thickens. Serve the hot soup with some chopped spring onions and  crispy rice. 

To make Crispy Rice
Take cooked rice, add in hot oil and fry it.