Misti Cholar Dal

Today is Janmasthami - lord Krishna’s birthday, almost every part of India celebrate this auspicious day with lots of wishes and some mouthwatering dishes. For hindus lord Krishna is symbol of intelligence and we all believe that lord Krishna is a small kid and try to make him happy with our puja and prasad. 

Today I prepared few of the authentic Bengali dishes to celebrate JANMASTAMI, and among them one of my favorite dish is MISTI CHOLAR DAL or SWEET CHANA DAL. This one is a signature dish of Bengal and a perfect breakfast item. With LUCHI or PURI this dal just makes your breakfast perfect. My MAA made this with lots of love so I wanted to share my mother’s love with all of you.

Ingredients:
1.Cholar Dal or Chana Dal or Bengal Gram: One small cup.
2.One inch crushed ginger.
3.Few raisins.
4.Few cashew nuts.
5.One bay leave.
6.One dry red chili.
7.Few cumin seeds.
8.One small cinnamon stick.
9.Turmeric powder: 1 tea spoon.
10.Cumin Powder: Half tea spoon.
11.Bhaja Masla: ½ tea spoon (few cumin seeds, 2 dry red chili and  few coriander seeds, dry roast them and grind them). Garam Masla : ½ tea spoon.
12.Shreded coconut: 1 table spoon..
13.Chopped coconut (small bite size): one tea spoon.
14.Mustard oil for cooking.
15.Few drop of ghee.
16.Salt and sugar as per taste.

Process:

Boil the dal in a pressure cooker with some salt around 3 to 4 weasel (don’t over boil the dal).

Now take one heavy bottomed vessel and add the mustard oil, after the oil become hot add the cumin seeds, bay leave, cinnamon stick and the dry red chili, stir for few seconds.

Now reduce the heat and add the raisins and the cashew nuts and fry for few seconds.

Now add the crushed ginger, turmeric powder and cumin powder and stir for few seconds.

Now add the shredded coconut stir for few seconds, then add the boiled dal with the water and add some salt and sugar.

Cook with a lid in medium flame till the dal boil completely and a nice gravy come out with the water which we added while adding the boiling dal. Now add the garam masala and mix well.

Now in a separate vessel add the ghee and fry the chopped coconut till they turn little brownish.

Now serve the dal in a bowl and sprinkle the bhaja masla on top and garnish with fried chopped coconut. Enjoy this hot dal with some Luchi or Puri.

Chaler Payes or Kheer or Rice Pudding

Today is Janmasthami the lord krishna’s birthday, almost every part of India celebrate this auspicious day with lots of wishes and some mouthwatering dishes. For hindus lord Krishna is symbol of intelligence  and we all believe that lord Krishna is a small kid and try to make him happy with our puja and prasad. 
  

From the childhood days I saw my MAA to celebrate this day with lots of different Prasad. And I love to follow my mother's footsteps and after my marriage every year I tried to do something in KRISHNAASTAMI. Today I made few things and among them the most authentic dish is PAYES or RICE PUDDING. Bengali style payes is really a delicious dish which is made with lots of milk, rice and dry fruits. My husband loves payes a lot so I thought to share my MAA's payes recipe with all of you.

Ingredients:
1.Milk:1 Litter.
2.Gobindobhog rice: A hands full or two table spoon.
3.Sugar: 5 table spoon.
4.Raisins: 10 to 12.
5.Cashew nuts: 10 to 12.
6.Few Chopped pistachios:
7.Few Chopped almonds.
8.Cardamom: 2 piece.
9.Half tea spoon ghee.

Process:

Add the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel in medium flame and cook till the milk become half in quantity (stir in between).

Now add the cardamom pieces, cashew nuts and raisins.

Wash and clean the rice, now add the ghee on the rice and mixed it well.

Now add the rice in the boiling milk and cook till the rice boil (add the rice after the milk is reduced in quantity so that the rice will not over boil till it finish and while eating you can understand that rice is there). Now cook this in very low flame.

Now add the sugar and cook till the milk become thick. 

Your PAYES or KHEER or PAYESAM or RICE PUDDING is ready garnish with the chopped pistachios and almonds, serve hot or cold. 

Dry Fruit Sandesh With Kheer

As a foodie when you’re eager to eat something you just can’t stop yourself to make it. Most of the times it happened with me, every month I thought this month no sweet dish for me because it has lots of calories. But in my home my husband needs some dessert after dinner so do I. 

I made some easy dry fruit sandesh with kheer on top. They were so delicious and perfect that you cant resist yourself to finish them as soon as you can. Sometime just think about your tummy nothing else which makes you feel happy.

Ingredients:

1.Chana/Paneer/ Inidan Cottage Cheese: 100 gm.
2.Sugar: 3 table spoon.
3.Chopped cashew nuts: ½  tea spoon.
4.Chopped pistachios: ½  tea spoon.
5.Chopped almonds: ½ tea spoon.
6.Khoya or Malk Powder: 2 Table spoon.
7.Few saffron strands.
8.Milk Maid: 1 table spoon.
9.Milk: ½ cup.
10.Freshly crushed cardamom.
11.Few drop of ghee.

Process:

How to make chana or Paneer click on the Paneer or Chana and go through the link.

Now knead the chana with your palm tightly, so that no lamb is there.

Now take on heavy bottomed vessel and add few drop of ghee, now add the chana and sugar and stir continuously till the sugar melt.

Now add the khoya and mix well. Now add the freshly crushed cardamom and all chopped dry fruits nad mix well till the mixture become dry remove from heat.

Now in a plate spread the chana mixture in square shape and keep thin fridge for 30 mints.

Now make the kheer, for making kheer in a heavy bottomed vessel and the milk. When the milk start boiling adds the milk maid and the saffron strands and keep stirring till the mixture become thick. 

Now take out the chana mixture from the fridge and spread the kheer on top of the chana mixture.

Keep it in fridge for 30 mints just to settle down the kheer on top.

Now cut the sandesh in square shape and garnish with some pistachios. Your easy dry fruit sandesh is ready serve and enjoy.

Homemade Paneer or Indian Cottage Cheese or Chana

Paneer or Indian Cottage cheese is a tasty and healthy for all of us. There is so many  Paneer preparation which we all love to have. But after shifted in Canada i am really not that fortunate to find good quality paneer (now i know from where i can get it), so i started making paneer at home. First or second time the result was not that good.But slowly i am able to make fine quality Paneer like shop. And sometime my husband don't even understand that the Paneer is home made or from shop. Few of my friends are asking for Home made paneer recipe so my this recipe for them.

Preparation time: 10 mints.
U need 4 to 5 hr to get good quality paneer.

Ingredients:
1.Heavy creamy Milk (i use 3.5%): 1 liter.
2.Half cup Vinegar.
3.Half cup water.
4.One cheese cloth.

Process:

Put Milk in a heavy bottomed vessel, when it starts boiling adds the Lime juice. Slowly the milk 
turn into chena.(when the water turn into green colour).

Drain the cheana in a cotton or cheese cloth. Wash the chena under running cold water so the flavor of lime juice will goes off.

Now squeeze the water and tightly make a knot and hang the chena for 2 to 3 hr. And after that put something heavy on top of the cloth wrapped Paneer for another 2  hr.

Now slowly open the knot and cut the Paneer in any shape.

Stuffed Alur Dam

We may get bored with all other vegetables but never feel bore to have POTATO. The love towards potato will never end. And especially we Bengali’s just can’t think any curry without potato. Same for my husband, he also loves potato very much, if I ever ask him what vegetable  you want to have with Roti or Chapati his answer always the same any potato curry. That’s why I want to make potato curry in different style.

In Biye Bari or Wedding party a very famous dish is stuffed potato curry and one of my favorite items. Once I tried this at home long time before so I thought to share the recipe with all of you. There are so many recipes in the web but I cooked it in my own process. Potato is something which makes a dish perfect and tasty so you can’t stop yourself to make this dish.

Ingredients:

1.Two large potato.
2.Paneer or Indian cottage cheese: 100 gm.
3.Ten to Twelve chopped cashew nuts.
4.Eight to ten chopped raisin.
5.One table spoon smashed khoya or Milk Powder, One tea spoon corn flour.
6.One large sliced onion.
7.Two to three clove garlic.
8.One inch ginger.
9.Two chopped green chilies.
10.One medium chopped tomato. Chopped coriander leaves: A hands full.
11.Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (Half tea spoon of each item).
12. Pinch of Garam Masala.
13.One bay leave, Few clove, Few cardamom, Few cumin seeds, One dry red chili. 
14.One tea spoon curd.
15.One table spoon fresh cream.
16.Salt and sugar as per taste.
17.Sunflower oil for cooking.
18.Half tea spoon ghee.

Process:

Pill and boil the potatoes. Let it cool now smashed it with your hand and keep it in refrigerator for 30 mints (just to dry the smashed potatoes).

Now in a bowl add the paneer, khoya, chopped raisin and cashew nuts, pinch of salt, pinch of cumin powder and chopped green chilies. Now mix them all and make soft dough.

Now take out the smashed potato from the refrigerator and add pinch of salt and corn flour, and mix well. Now make small balls with the smashed potatoes, in each ball make a hole in the middle and add some paneer mixture on it and join the edges and make a stuffed ball.

Now add Ghee or Sunflower oil in a vessel and fry the stuffed potato balls in high flame till they turn little brown and remove from the heat.

Now for gravy, make a paste with onion, tomato, garlic and ginger with some water.
Now in a vessel and some oil, and slowly add the whole garam masala, now add the onion paste and stir for some time.

Now in a bowl whisked the curd with all the spices powder and mix well with some salt and sugar.

Now add the curd mixture in to the vessel and cook this in medium heat with a lid for 8 to 10 mints or till the oil came out.

Now add some water and chopped coriander leaves and again cook this with a lid for 5 mints.

Now your gravy is almost ready, add the fresh cream and the fried potato balls and sprinkle some ghee and cover with a lid for 3 to 4 mints.

Your Stuffed potato curry is ready. Slowly take out the stuffed balls from the gravy and serve hot with Plain Paratha or NAAN.

Pita Bread, Pan Fried Falafel and Tahini Sauce: A Mediterranean Platter

While eating out one of our favorite stops is Mediterranean  Restaurant. Me my husband we both love to eat Mediterranean food, specially the Pita bread and the lovely sauce they serve with the platter. He always asked me to make some Mediterranean food for him at home, and I am not sure that I can make something like that. But if you never try, you may always feel the same.

Sunday night means something special at home and with a big dilemma I made up a Mediterranean Platter, PITA BREAD, FALAFEL AND TAHINI with some deshi style tandoori chicken. Everything turned out just awesome. Thanks to Google who helped me to find out some easy and delicious recipe but i change few things in my convinient. We had a wonderful dinner with a glass of French wine.

PITA BREAD:

Ingredients:
1.All-purpose flour: 2 cup.
2.Dry yeast: One table spoon.
3.Sugar: One tea spoon.
4.Salt: ¾ spoon.
5.Olive Oil: One tea spoon.
6.Vegetable oil: One Tea spoon.

Process:

Take half cup of warm water now add the sugar and mix well, then add the dry yeast and mix well. Keep it aside for 10 mints or waits till it rises.

Now take one bowl and pour the flour and salt mix well. Now in the middle add the olive oil and the dry yeast mixture and mix well with a spatula till it become soft dough.

Now knead the dough with your palm in a floury surface still the dough become smooth and soft.

Now keep the dough in a bowl, rub the vegetable oil on it and cover with a plastic sheet and keep this in warm place for 30 mints.

After 30 mints the dough become double in size, now take out the dough and place it in a floury surface and make it flat.

Now with a knife cut it from the middle, then again make some small pieces with dough. Now take each piece and make some round shape balls. Now keep the dough balls in a bowl and cover it with a plastic sheet for 10 mints.

After 10 mints take each ball, make a flat round shape roti with the help of a rolling pin.
Pre heat the oven in 250F.

Place the Pita Breads in an oven proof tray and bake the breads for 5 mints or till they puffed up. Now take out the breads from the oven.

Your Home Made Pita Bread is ready.

FALAFEL:

Ingredients:
1.Chickpeas: 1 cup.
2.One medium sliced onion.
3.Chopped Parsley: A handful.
4.Chopped Coriander: A handful.
5.Few cumin seeds.
6.Pinch of cumin powder, Pinch of coriander powder.
7.One clove garlic.
10.All-purpose flour: one table spoon.
11.Baking powder: 1 tea spoon.
12.Salt as per taste.
13.Sunflower oil for frying.

Process:

Soak the chickpeas overnight, or you can use some canned chickpeas also.

In food processor add the chickpeas, sliced onion, chopped parsley, chopped coriander and garlic and blend till it for 30 seconds.

Now in the food processor add the salt, baking powder, cumin seeds, cumin powder and coriander powder and blend it for 10 seconds.

Now take out the mixture from and add the flour and mix well. Make some flat balls with the mixture and keep them in refrigerator for 30 mints.

Just avoid extra oil I just fry them in a pan with very less oil, but usually you need to deep fry them. Fry till they turn brown all the sides. Remove from pan and soak the extra oil in a paper towel.

Your hot and easy FALAFEL is ready.

TAHINI SAUCE:

Ingredients:
1.Two table spoon sesame seeds paste or Tahini.
2.One table spoon plain yogurt.
3.One clove garlic paste.
4.One tea spoon olive oil.
5.One tea spoon lemon juice.
6.Pinch of salt.
7.Pinch of red chili powder.
8.Pinch of parsley flakes.

Process:

In a bowl whisked together the sesame seeds paste, garlic paste yogurt olive oil. Then add the salt, lemon juice, red chili powder, parsley flakes and mix well nicely.

Now keep this mixture in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before serve. 

So easily you can make a Lebanese Platter for you and your family.

Peppery Cheese Bread

Making bread is a very good learning process for me. Every time I learnt through my experience. I love to watch cookery shows, there is always something new which makes me excited. Just like today, I learnt a very easy way of making bread, and this bread is not a normal bread. The taste and the look were really awesome. This is the first time I tried making something like that, and they turned out just perfect. 

I never thought before that this way also we can make bread. This is just perfect for kid’s lunch box as well as a good breakfast for elders also. My daughter likes it so much so as my husband. Feeling great when my family gives me a big smile and I become charged up for my next venture.

Preparation time: 15 mints.
Baking time: 40 to 45 mints.

Ingredients:
1.All-purpose flour: 1 cup.
2.Sugar: 1 table spoon.
3.Salt: ¾ tea spoon.
4.Baking powder: 1 tea spoon.
5.Baking soda: ½ tea spoon.
6.Coarsely ground black pepper: ½ tea spoon.
7.One egg.
8.Plain yogurt: ½ cup.
9.Canola oil: ¼ cup.
10.Milk: ¼ cup.
11.Spicy brown mustard sauce: 1 tea spoon.
12.Shredded cheddar cheese: ½ cup.
13.Two green onions thinly sliced.
14.Little butter and flour for greasing the loaf pan.

Process:

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg first, and then add the yogurt, canola oil and mustard sauce and mix well.

Now add the mixture into the dry ingredients mixture and mix well.

Now add the cheese and green onions and mix all slowly.

Now pre heat the oven in 350 degree F.

Grease one loaf pan with little butter and flour, now pour the mixture into the pan.

Bake it for 40 to 45 mints or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool it for 10 mints, then take out the bread from the pan and place it in a cool rack.

Your easy cheesy bread is ready, serve with a cup of coffee and enjoy.

Kolkata Style Chicken Cutlet: A Simple One.

It’s a busy middle of the week, most of the afternoon’s I spend with my daughter in her play school. Same as today, it’s a kind of exercise for me just running behind her all the day. While coming from her play school I and one of her friend's mother - we both went to a new grocery store in our locality. And I found some nice sliced CHICKEN FILLET exactly perfect for CUTLET.  So I just grabbed few chicken fillets from the store and made some KOLKATA STYLE CHICKEN CUTLET.

 Today while making the CUTLETS I went to my college days when we all friends used to go to a special shop in COLLEGE STREET just to have the CHICKEN CUTLETS. 

Ingredients: 
1.Chicken fillets: 4 pieces.
2.Onion juice: 3 table spoon.
3.Ginger juice: 1 tea spoon.
4.Garlic juice: 1 tea spoon.
5.Lemon juice: 1 tea spoon.
6.Pinch of Black pepper powder.
7.Pinch of Red chili powder.
8.Pinch of Chaat masala.
9.One grated green chili.
10.Salt as per taste.
11.One beaten egg.
12.One table spoon all-purpose flour.
13.Two table spoon bread crumb.

Process:

Marinate the chicken fillets with the ingredients no 2 to 10 for 4 to 5 hours.

Now take each fillets rub some flour on them, next dip the fillets into the beaten eggs and finally roll them into the bread crumbs.

Now keep the fillets in refrigerator for 30 mints.

Now fry them in medium heat till both the side turn golden brown. Remove from heat and soak the extra oil in a paper towel.

The CHICKEN CUTLET’S are ready, serve hot with Salad, Mustard sauce and tomato ketchup. Enjoy your CHICKEN CUTLETS.

KHAJA: Puri Special.

From today morning I felt like to have some sweets, because it’s being a long time I didn't prepare any sweet dish. But didn’t want to make some cottage cheese sweet. So I thought to make some Bhaja Misti. While entering the kitchen my husband asked me did you ever try KHAJA exactly like PURI BEACH (ORISSA). And I thought let’s give a try because KHAJA is one of my favorite sweets too. I went PURI 5 to 6 times and every time we ate as well as bought for home lots of KHAJA.

And while making them I just went back to my childhood days. Previously I thought making KHAJA will be a very tough job, but it was not that tough at all. I never thought they will turn out that good. Recipe courtesy my grand maa but my Maa actually described me the full procedure over phone. Thanks is not the enough words for that. 

Preparation time: 15 mints.
Cooking time: 20 mints.

Ingredients: 
1.All-purpose flour: 1 cup.
2.Samolina or Suji: one table spoon.
3.Baking powder: one tea spoon.
4.Pinch of salt.
5.Ghee: Four table spoon.
6.Sugar: Two cup.
7.Water: Two cup.
8.Rice Flour: one table spoon.
9.Cardamom: Two.
10.sunflower oil.

Process:

Take a big bowl and slowly add the flour, semolina, baking powder, salt and three table spoon ghee (for moyam), now make soft and shiny dough with some water.

Now divide the flour dough into 4 equal size balls. Now use a rolling pin and make four round shape roti with the flour dough and keep it aside.

Now add one table spoon ghee and rice flour in a bowl and mix it well.

Now place one roti first and spread some ghee and rice flour mixture on top, now place one more roti on top and spread the rice flour and ghee mixture on top this way place all four roti one after one.

Now fold them together from one corner and fold it on the same side then flip it and do the same and repeat the same till it fold completely like the photo.

Now with a knife cut it from the middle and from each side make some small pieces. 

Now take one piece and join the edges, and flat the pieces with a rolling pin. Repeat the same with all the pieces.

Now deep fry the KHAJA’s till both the side turn golden, soak the extra oil in a paper towel.

Now add 2 cup of water, 2 cup of sugar, few cardamom and make a thick sugar syrup. The syrup should be that thick like liquid gum.

Now add the fried KHAJA’S into the sugar syrup and soak it for few mints. Now remove the KHAJA’S from the sugar syrup. 

Enjoy the KHAJA with your family member; my husband couldn't believe his eyes that actually I made this for him.