Paan Bahar Sandesh....

I have betel plant growing wild in my balcony. I love the flavor of the betel leaves with gulkand and sweet fennel mukhwas. My experiment with Sandesh continues. I have infused betel leaves and gulkand with paneer. Have it at the end of a meal. As you eat it, first taste is of the sandesh and then the flavour of the paan.. 

Ingredients 

10 small size Betel Leaves finely chopped 

200 grams Paneer / Cottage cheese

3 tbsp Condensed Milk 

3 tbsp Dessicated Coconut 

2 tbsp Gulkand 

1 tbsp of Sweet Fennel Mukhwas 

1 tbsp of Sweet Mix Mukhwas

Few Cherries cut into pieces 

Method 

Take the paneer and blend it in a blender. Take a wok, add the paneer, Betel leaves, dessicated coconut, gulkand and condensed milk. Keep stirring it continuously and cook on low flame till all the ingredients combines together and forms a dough. To check, take a small portion of the dough and roll it with your fingers. Remove it from the wok and keep it on a plate. As it cools down a bit. Knead it for a minute and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Mix the 2 types of sweet mukhwas together. Take a portion. Roll it into a ball and slightly flatten it. Create a dent in the centre. Fill up the centre with the mukhwas and add a cherry piece on top. 

Mexican Crispy Tortilla Bowl.....

This recipe is excellent for any dinner party and can be served as a starter. The tortilla bowl is made out of whole wheat flour. The bowl is served with vegetables and kidney beans salsa. It is topped with cheese sauce and garnished with grated cheese. 

For making the Whole wheat Tortilla Bowl

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour 

3 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste 

Method 

Add oil and salt to the flour. Mix it well. Add water to make a semi hard dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. Take a big mixing bowl. Grease the outer side of the bowl with oil and keep it upside down. Apply oil to the dough and roll out a big circle. Gently pick up the rolled dough and place it on the bowl properly. Cut the extra dough off. Place the bowl on the lower rack of the oven. Bake it at 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes in a preheated oven. Remove the bowl from the oven. Switch on the gas. On medium flame, hold the bowl at one end with a napkin and cook the outer covering of the tortilla from all the sides. This will give a roasted effect. Reduce the temperature to 150 degrees celcius and bake it till it becomes crispy and brown for  approximately 15 minutes . Remove it from the oven.  

P.S. You can use the remaining dough to make another small bowl. 

 

For the easy quick Cheese Sauce

Ingredients 

1 or 2 Cheddar Cheese cube grated 

1 1/4 cup  Milk 

1 tbsp All Purpose Flour 

2 tbsp Butter 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

Method

Take a pan, add the butter. Let the butter melt. Add flour, stir and cook the flour until light pink in colour. Add milk and keep stirring it continuously. Add salt and pepper powder

 Stir it and cook the sauce till it thickens a bit. Keep it aside. 

For the Vegetable Salsa

Ingredients 

1 cup boiled Kidney beans 

1/4 cup of each Vegetable chopped mentioned below......

Red, Yellow and Green Capsicum 

Cucumber 

Red Cabbage 

Onion

Spring Onions 

Tomato 

2 Green chillies chopped 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

1 tbsp Chilli Mango sauce (Optional )

1 tsp Lime juice 

1 tbsp Olive oil 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add all the above ingredients and mix it well. 

To Assemble 

Ingredients 

Tortilla Bowl 

Vegetable Salsa 

Cheese  sauce 

Few Drizzle of Chilli Mango sauce ( Optional ) 

2 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese for garnishing 

Method 

Take the tortilla bowl. Add the vegetable salsa in the bowl. Drizzle few drops of the chill mango sauce. Pour the warm cheese sauce on top and garnish it with grated cheese. Serve it.

Maccher Dopiaza / Fish Dopiaza....

Dopiaza means 2 onions. It is a  South-Asian Curry dish. This dish was accidentally innovated in the kitchen of Mugal Emperor Akbar. This dish is very popular in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and is adapted as per the communities living in that place. 

The onions are used in two stages. It is prepared with a large amount of onions, once caramelised and another with onion paste. This dish is usually made with non vegetarian ingredients mainly meat,but now a days vegetarian Dopiaza is also made. A souring agent is added to the dish.The other ingredients which are used are meat, onions, ginger and garlic paste, whole spices and powder spices. 

Here I have made Fish Dopiaza in Bangladeshi style. I have used Katla Fish. Any other fish like Rui, Prawns,Telapia,Bhetki can be used to make this dish. I have used tomatoes, but it can be replaced with curd or both can be used in equal proportion. 

Ingredients

8 pieces of Katla Fish marinated with 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and Salt. 

1 tbsp Ginger - Garlic and Green Chilli paste 

1 small Onion paste

3 medium size Onions cut into thick sliced 

2 medium size Tomatoes cut into thick sliced or 1/2 cup Curd or 1 Tomato and 1/4 cup Curd 

2 Green Chillies silt

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

1/4 tsp or more Red Chilli powder as required

1/2 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste 

2 Cloves

1 Green Cardomom

1 small stick Cinnamon 

5 to 6 Peppercorn 

2 Bay leaves 

Mustard Oil for Frying the Fish 

4 tbsp Oil taken from the same oil in which the fish was fried 

or Ghee for the Gravy 

Method 

Take a pan, add oil and heat it till the smoking point. Reduce the heat. Fry the fish pieces till light golden brown in colour. Remove the fish pieces and keep it aside. Remove the excess oil from the pan leaving 3 tbsp of the oil or ghee can also be used. Add the cardomom, cinnamon, cloves and pepper corn. Sauté it till it crackles. Add the green chillies and bay leaves. Sauté it for another few seconds. Add the sliced onions, sauté it for a minute, add the sugar. Sauté it till the onions become pink in colour. Add the onion paste and ginger - garlic - chilli paste. Sauté it for 2 minutes till the masalas starts to separate from the oil. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder,coriander powder, pepper powder, garam masala powder and salt. Stir and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes or curd, stir and cook for 2 minutes till the tomatoes become mushy. Add a cup of water and let the gravy simmer for a minute. Arrange and place the fried fish in the gravy. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the fish pieces and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve it hot with hot steam rice or paratha. 

Kesari Badam Bahar Sandesh Roll...

Sandesh is a sweet delicacy of Bengal. There are different types of Sandesh which are made with the key ingredient Chana / Cottage cheese. This recipe here is an experiment in my kitchen. The outer covering is made with cottage cheese while the inner roll is made with almond powder which is infused with saffron and saffron colour. You get 2 different taste which is the chana / cottage cheese taste from the outer covering and the kesari badam barfi taste from the inner roll and 2 put together the taste is divine. This sweet can be served to friends and family during festive season and since Diwali is next in line, do try it and have a joyous and sparkling Diwali.... 

For the Kesari Badam Bahar Barfi / Inner Roll

Ingredients 

100 grams Almond powder

2 tbsp Milk masala ( 1 tbsp Pistacho powder, 1 tbsp Almond powder, 1/4 tsp Cardomom powder, 2 pinch of Saffron crushed )

6 tbsp Sugar 

2 pinch of Saffron colour 

1/4 tsp Saffron 

1/4 cup Mava / Khoya 

6 tbsp Milk 

Method 

Take a non stick pan, add khoya, stir it continuously for 2 minutes on low flame. Add sugar and stirring it continuously, cook till the sugar dissolves. Add the almond powder, stir and cook for a minute, add 2 tbsp of milk and mix it. Add another 2 tbsp of milk, saffron, saffron colour and milk masala. Stir it and cook it for a minute. Add the remaining milk and cook it till it forms a soft dough. If required add a spoon or 2 of milk. To check, take a little portion and try to roll it. It should form a ball. Take it out, cover and keep it aside. 

For the Sandesh / Outer Roll 

Ingredients 

Home made Cottage cheese made from 1 1/2  litre Milk ( whey has to be completely drained out ) 

6 to 8 tbsp Sugar 

Method 

Mash the cottage cheese well. No lumps should remain. Take a non stick pan, add sugar, stir it on low flame for few seconds. Add the cottage cheese, keep stirring and cooking for 5 to 7 minutes till the sugar and cottage cheese combines well and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Remove it, cool the mixture a bit and add it in a grinder and pulse it 3 to 4 times. It will be come a smooth soft dough. 

To Assemble

Method 

Take a plastic sheet, put the cottage cheese dough on the sheet. Cover the dough with another plastic sheet. Roll the dough into a disc. Remove the top plastic sheet. Take the inner stuffing and shape it into a long cylindrical roll. Place the roll on the edge of the cottage cheese disc. With the help of the plastic sheet, start rolling the cottage cheese disc around the inner stuffing. It will become a cylindrical roll. Keep the roll in the fridge for an hour. Remove it and cut it into disc. Decorate it with edible sliver foil / chandi ka warq

 ( optional ). 

Tomato Khejur Aamshottor Chutney.....

Sweet chutney is a must have Bengali delicacy enjoyed at the last course of the meal with papad. There are various types of chutneys which are served for meals during celebrations and festivals. Tomato, date and dry mango pulp chutney is one of them. It can be kept for approximately 2 months in the refrigerator in a glass bottle. It is so scrumptious that it can be enjoyed with paratha, roti, luchi or just eaten like that. It is aways better to make it a day before as the taste enhances as it is stored. 

For the Spice Powder 

Ingredients 

2 tsp Panch Phoran ( Equal portion of Nigella seeds, Celery seeds, Feaugreek seeds, Fennel seeds and Cumin seeds) 

Method 

The seeds are dry roasted and ground to powder. 

For the Chutney 

Ingredients 

250 grams Ripe Tomatoes cut into pieces

1 tsp Ginger minced or paste 

1 cup of Dry Mango pulp / Aam Papad pieces 

1 cup of Dates / Khejur cut into pieces 

1/2 cup of Raisins / Kishmish

1/2 cup or more Sugar as per taste

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Salt 

1/2 tsp Panch Phoran 

2 Dry Red Chillies 

2 Bay Leaves 

2 tbsp Mustard oil 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil and heat it well. Add the Panch phoren. Let it crackle. Add the dry red chillies, bay leaves and ginger paste. Sauté it for a minute. Add the tomatoes. Stir it, add salt and turmeric powder. Stir it, add the dry mango pulp, dates and raisins. Stir it and cook it for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water, stir, cover and cook till all the ingredients combines together and it becomes mushy. Add the panch phoran powder. Mix it well. Let it cool. Serve it with any meal.