Murg Moti Pulao

The name Moti which is in Hindi means Pearl, is basically tiny meat or paneer balls cooked with rice and is covered in silver varq - edible silver leaves. 

This recipe is very easy to make and flavorful. I have not fried the meat ball, instead boiled them and then cooked it with rice.I personally don't like silver varq, since it is not good for health. Hence I have just applied little varq for show. 

For Murg Moti

Ingredients

250 grams of ground Chicken mince

1 Onion paste

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Method

To make the moti balls, in a mixing bowl add the ground chicken,onion, ginger - garlic - chilli paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli power, turmeric powder and salt. Mix all the ingredients very well till the fat releases from the meat. Make small size balls, keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Boil 3 cups of water, add the chicken balls and let it cook for 10 minutes. Remove the balls and keep it aside. Retain the chicken stock for cooking.

For Pulao

Ingredients

250 grams Basmati Rice washed and soaked in water

Chicken meat balls

1 medium size Onion sliced

1 medium size Tomato sliced

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped

1 tbsp Mint Leaves chopped

1 cup Curd

2 Bay leaves

2 Cloves

2 Cardamom

1 small piece Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder

2 1/2 cup Chicken stock

Salt to taste

1/4 cup Ghee

Silver Varq 

Method

Take a pot, add ghee. Let it melt. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves. Let it crackle. Add the ginger - garlic and chilli paste, sauté it for a minute. Add the onion and sauté it till the onion is changes its colour. Add the curd and stir it for some time. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup Water and cook till the oil releases. Add the tomato coriander leaves and mint leaves. Stir and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water from the rice. Add the rice, stir for a minute and then add chicken stock. Cover and cook till the rice is almost 80 percent done. Add the  moti balls and keep 6 to 8 moti balls aside for garnishing. Stir, cover and cook further till done. Garnish with the remaining moti balls and mint leaves. Apply little silver varq on the balls. Serve it hot.

Chingri / Prawns Maacher Malai Curry

This dish is an authentic Bengali delicacy and is made for occasions. It's a gravy dish. You can enjoy this dish with hot steaming rice. Big size prawns / Galda Chingri are cooked in coconut gravy. 

Ingredients 

8 pieces Chingri Maach / Big size Prawns

( Cleaned,  deveined and marinated with Salt and 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder for 10 minutes )

1 1/2 cup Coconut Milk 

( Take 1 1/2 cup grated Coconut and add 1 cup water, grind it. Strain and squeeze the milk out from the coconut paste ) 

1 small Onion paste

1 Tomato paste

1 tbsp Garlic - Ginger paste  ( 2 Garlic and a small piece of Ginger )

2 Green Chillies slit

1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

3/4 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

2 Cloves 

2 Green Cardamom 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

2 Bay leaves

2 tbsp Curd

1/4 cup Water

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

1 1/2 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Take oil in a wok, heat it up to a smoking point. Reduce the flame. Add the prawns and sauté them for a minute. Remove them and keep it aside. In the same oil, add a tbsp of ghee. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom. Let it crackle. Add the ginger - garlic paste, stir for a minute. Add the onion paste, continue to stir, add the sugar. Sauté the onion till it changes it's colour. Add the tomato paste, stir and add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder and green chillies.  Continue to sauté. Add the curd. Stir it. Add salt and sauté it till the oil releases from the paste. Add water, stir it. Add the prawns, stir and cover the wok. Cook it for a minute. Add the coconut milk, cover the wok and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ghee and sprinkle the garam masala powder. Switch of the flame. Serve it hot with hot steaming rice. 

Pişi / Hamur Kizartmas

It's a fried Turkish bread or dough and it's normally eaten for breakfast or snacks. The bread dough is stuffed with a stuffing and is then fried in oil. Normally the dough is stuffed with chopped parsley and feta cheese. I have substituted it with spinach and cottage cheese. There are no spices add to the stuffing, but if you wish you can add some chillies or pepper powder to make it spicy.

For the Stuffing

Ingredients

2 cups Spinach chopped

1 cup Cottage Cheese crumbled

3 Garlic Cloves minced

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

Method

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sauté it for a minute. Add the spinach and salt, stir well till the water dries up. Add the cottage cheese and stir again for another 2 minutes, remove it from the flame and keep it aside.

For the Pişi

Ingredients

2 cups of All Pourpose Flour

7 grams of Instant Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Curd

Stuffing

1 1/2 cup of Lukewarm Water

1 1/2 tbsp Oil for the Dough

Oil for frying

Method

Add the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix it. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast, sugar and half cup of lukewarm water, mix well and keep it aside till it rises. Add the beaten curd and a tbsp of oil. Begin to mix the flour, keep adding little water at a time to form a soft dough. Apply oil on the dough. Cover it and keep it aside to rise. Knead the dough for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into medium lime size portions. Roll out each portion into a disc, place a tbsp of the stuffing on one half of the disc and fold the other half over the stuffing. Seal the edges. Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the Pişis until golden brown from all the sides on a low flame. Serve it hot with a cup of tea.

Kache Papaye Che Modak

Ganapati Bappa Morya.

Wish you all a happy Ganesh Chaturthi. 

Modaks have a special significance during Ganesh festival,  as it is believed to be the favourite food of Lord Ganesha, due to which he is called Moniker Modakapriya (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit.  Originally in some parts of Indian Modaks are made with rice flour and jaggary coconut stuffing  which are steamed. There are fried Modaks too. Now a days there are different varieties of Modaks available like Mava, Chocolate, Cake, Dry fruit Modak etc.

Today I have made raw papaya Modak for Ganesha... 

A recipe with love from my Kitchen. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Raw Papaya cut into cubes 

100 grams Khoya

1/2 cup Cashew / Almond powder

3 tbsp Hot Milk

2 pinches of Saffron 

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder 

Pinch of Salt

1/2 cup Sugar 

2 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Take a pot. 

Add 2 cups of water and papaya cubes into the pot. 

Simmer it for 2 minutes. 

Drain the water out. 

Add saffron into the hot milk and keep it aside. 

Blend the papayas in a blender into a paste. 

Add a tbsp of ghee into a pan or a pot. 

Add the papaya paste, stir it on a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add the cashew or almond powder. Continue to stir occasionally. 

Add salt, cardamom powder and khoya. Keep stirring on low flame till the khoya incorporates well with the other ingredients. 

Add the saffron milk and sugar. 

Stir and cook the mixture on a low flame until it starts to form a dough. 

To check, take a small portion and roll it. It should form into a ball. 

Switch off the flame.

Let it cool a bit.

Take a modak mould.

Apply ghee into the mould. 

Take a big lime size portion.

Place it into the mould to give it a shape.

Repeat the same process to make the other modaks.

Take few strand of saffron to garnish the modaks.

Pepper Plastic Chutney....

As chutney is a part of a Bengali meal, here is an unique type of Bengali chutney which is served in functions and ceremonies with papad bhaja. 

  It's a very easy and simple recipe with the two main ingredients - green raw papaya and sugar. It's called plastic chutney because of it's looks. The papaya after cooking in sugar syrup turns translucent and looks like plastic. 

Ingredients

2 cups Kacha Peppe / Raw Papaya sliced into small thin pieces like chips

1 tbsp Raisins

3/4 cup Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

2 tsp Lime juice

1 1/2 cup Water

Method

Take a pot or a pan.

Add water and the papaya chips.

Let it simmer on low - medium flame for 10 minutes.

Add salt and sugar.

Let it continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the raisins.

Let till continue to simmer till the papaya chips become translucent and the syrup thickens.

Add the lime juice and simmer it for another minute.

Switch of the flame.

It's ready to be served.