R's concert and Karaishuti-r Kacahuri, Niramish Alur Dam and Enchorer tarkari (Peas Kachauri, Dam aloo without onion Garlic and Raw jackfruit curry)

R had a concert this Sunday. Friday and Saturday were dress rehearsal days. On Friday she went to the auditorium in her school bus. Usually, R is accompanied by her papa to school. So she was quite excited of this first time experience. So much that when I said that ‘you will be dropped by your school bus’ she started clapping and dancing. Kids, unlike us become so happy with little-little things!

Saturday she had to wear her dance costume and go with full make up. My little one was dancing on the Goan song ‘ya ya maya ya’. Here’s the picture of her dress rehearsal.

On Saturday I dropped her to the auditorium. There is a big ground and all the kids were arranged there according to their class. My darling went to her respective place and chose a corner to sit.

Somehow she’s very calm and quiet, when she’s at school. Whenever I met her teacher, she said that R loves to be alone than in a group. This Saturday I witnessed that. I stood there for some time. She waved her hand and blew a kiss to me. Something was there on her face which made me feel that she was missing me.  I felt my eyes wet.

That morning she asked for blue colored luchis/puri J. As this is the end of winter and also the season of fresh peas, I thought of making Peas Kachauri or Karaishutir Kachuri. Traditionally, Karaishutir Kachuri is accompanied with niramish alur dam (dam alu without onion and garlic) and some sweets. As there were some guests as well, I thought of making one more vegetable. Raw jackfruit was there. So, this Saturday dinner was grand with Karaishuti-r Kacahuri, Niramish Alur Dam and Enchorer tarkari (Peas Kachauri, Dam aloo without onion Garlic and Raw jackfruit curry). I had not made any sweet dish, instead S brought Jalebis.

Here are the recipes.

Raw jackfruit curry/ Enchorer tarkari

Ingredients

1 raw Jackfruit 1.5 Kg

2 potatoes Medium

1 Tomato small

2 green chilly

1 onion medium

1 tbsp Turmeric

1 tbsp jeera powder

1 tbsp dhaniya powder

1 tbsp red chily powder

1 tbsp ginger paste

½ tbsp garlic paste

Salt as per taste

Sugar as per taste

2 tbsp Mustard oil

Jeera/Whole Cumin seeds and Bayleaves/ tejpatta for seasoning

½ tsp garam masala

Few drops of ghee

2-3 cups of water

Preparation:

Cut the Jackfruit into small pieces.

If you are doing it for the first time, take help of your mother (which I did) or check this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Me3Ohq_NaY

Cut the potatoes into medium cubes

Chop tomatoes and onions.

Slit the green chilies

Cooking

Steam the jackfruit. Do not overcook. Remove the pressure cooker from heat after a single whistle.

Open the pressure cooker, after it cools down and pour the steamed jackfruit in a sieve to drain the water.

Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot enough fry the potatoes with ½ tsp of salt and turmeric. When the potatoes turn golden remove them from the oil.

Next, fry the steamed jackfruit till it is golden in colour.

Now in the same oil put ½ tsp of Whole Cumin seeds and Bay leaves. Add the chopped onion and tomato and fry till it is soft.

In the meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix all the spices and the ginger, garlic paste with half cup of water.

Add this paste when the onion gets light brown in colour. Add ½ tsp of sugar and continue to cook till the water dries up and oil releases.

Add the fried potatoes and jackfruit and continue to cook again. These should be cooked well in the spice mixture to be seasoned.

Now add 2 cups of water. The gravy should not be too runny.

When both potato and jackfruit get cooked add ½ tsp of garam masala and Ghee and switch off the flame.

  

Niramish Alur Dam (Dam Aloo without onion and garlic)

Ingredients

Baby Potato 20

1 medium tomato finely chopped

Green chilies (as per your tolerance)

Finely chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing

1 tbsp Jeera/ Cumin powder

1 tbsp Dhaniya/ Corriander powder,

 Lalmirch/ Red chili powder as per tolerance

½ tsp Kashmiri Red chili powder

½ tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder

Salt as per taste

Whole jeera/cumin seed, whole dry red chili and tejpata

Mustard oil or any white oil

2-3 cups of water

Method                                                                                                                               

Wash the potatoes and boil. Add some salt while boiling. Do not overcook.

You can cut them into halves if you wish.

Peel the boiled potatoes

Heat a pan with 2 table spoon mustard oil.

Fry the potatoes with ½ tbsp of turmeric. Fry till they have a golden colour. Remove the potatoes.

Next temper the oil with some whole jeera/cumin seed, 2 whole dry red chili and 2 tejpata

Add the finely chopped tomato.

This should be cooked in a low flame.

Now in a small bowl make a paste with 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1tbsp jeera, dhania and ½ tbsp lal mirch powder, salt turmeric and half cup of water.

Add this to the cooked onion and tomato mix and fry. You can add a pinch of sugar at this time. I add this as a part of traditional Bengali cuisine. This doesn’t make the dish sweet but adds to the taste and flavor.

When the mix releases oil add the potatoes and let them be cooked in the spices for sometimes. After they are well cooked in the spices, add 2 cups of water and increase the flame.

Cook in a high flame for some time. The gravy will not be too runny. Cook till your desired consistency.

Now add the chopped coriander leaves and mix it well and switch off the gas.

Karaishuti-r Kachuri (peas/matar kachauri)

Ingredients

For Filling

Shelled Green peas 100-150 gms (6-7 people)

1 inch ginger

2 green chilies (optional)

½ tbsp Jeera/ Cumin powder

½ tbsp Dhaniya/ Corriander powder,

½ tsp Kashmiri Red chili powder

½ tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder

¼ tsp Asafoetida

¼ tsp Aniseeds (saunf)

Salt as per taste

1 tbsp white oil

For Kachuri

1 cup whole wheat

¼ cup refined flour

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp ghee melted

Water to knead the dough

Oil to fry the kachuris

Preparation

Sift the whole wheat with the refined flour and salt

Add 2 tbsp of ghee and knead

Add little amount of water each time and knead the dough, till it is soft

Cover the dough with wet cloth

Grind the peas, ginger, green chilies and aniseeds to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan

Fry the asafoetida till light brown.

Add the peas paste.

Add all the spices and salt

Sprinkle a little amount of water

Fry well till the paste is cooked.

Take off from heat up and let it cool.

Divide the dough into 20 balls.

Press each ball in the centre and fill it with the pea mixture.

Close the opening well and flatten.

Roll out as for puris.

Heat up oil in a deep bottomed pan.

Deep fry the puris on low heat up till golden brown.

Remove and serve hot.

Patishapta 'Paṭishapta' (with Kheer)

It is cold here now. Cold wind blows throughout the day time and night’s temperature has come down to 6 degrees. Every now and then I’m tempted to have black coffee. S is moving around with a jacket and a muffler (actually you do not need that). He tried the same with the little one but my daughter’s reply was ‘papa baal kharab ho jata hai’. I just laughed.

My memories of winter are related with food too. A season, when you can actually have some rich foods!!!

There were certain dishes that Ma used to make especially in the winter. Now winter was the time when one used to get those fresh green peas, date palm jaggery/ nolen gur, notun alu/potatoes etc. Thus, karaishuntir kochuri/green peas kachori or patishapta were made frequently at that time. For me, I make both the dishes anytime of the year depending on my time availability.

Last Saturday was Patishapta day. There was enough time, the weather was perfect. In Bangla we call it Patishapta Pithe/ Paṭi shapta, a fried pancake, made of rice flour or all purpose flour and semolina and stuffed with coconut or kheer.

I have used only all purpose flour and semolina to make the pan cakes and stuffed with kheer. In Bengali, kheer is the process of thickening milk in low flame, reducing its volume to less than half and sweetening it. 

Ingredients for the pancake

The ratio of semolina, all purpose flour and sugar is 1:1: ½. I took approximately 100gs of semolina and 100gs of flour. That made the dry ingredients of 250 gs of which I made 12 medium sized pancakes.

1 cup semolina

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup sugar (50g approximately)

2 cups of milk (warm)

Pinch of salt

Oil to fry

Ingredients for the khowa/kheer

1 ½ litre full cream milk

1 cup sugar

2-3 cardamom pods (optional)

Preparation

Pan cake

In a big bowl mix all the dry ingredients one by one. Add milk slowly to make the batter. This batter should not be too dry or runny. The consistency is same as of a dosa batter or any other pancake. You can add some water if you want. While adding the milk continuously mix semolina and the flour with your hand to avoid any lump formation. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Kheer

Boil the full cream milk. Once it is boiled put it into simmer and let the volume reduce to half. You will have to stir now continuously. Add sugar and the cardamom pods and stir. After the sugar melts, remove it from heat.

Method  

Brush a non stick pan with oil.

Pour a ladleful of batter into the pan and spread it with the help of the ladle to evenly distribute the batter in a circle. This should be done very quickly before the batter sets.

Flip over after one side is cooked.

When the other side is done remove it on a plate and stuff khoya lengthwise and fold it.

Garnish with cherry or condensed milk or both. You can also thicken and sweeten milk and spread over patishapta. I do not do that. I have just garnished with cherry. You can also go without garnishing.

Patishapta, traditionally is made of fresh coconut. For making the coconut stuffing take fresh grated coconut and mix it with sugar. Put it on heat and mix. The flame should be on low during the whole process. After the sugar melts add some condensed milk or thicken milk. Stir continuously still the mix is sticky. Now remove it from heat. The mix should not be very dry as when it will cool down it will become hard.

Mocha ghanto/Banana Blossom Dish

Few days back, while doing my weekly sabji bazaar I noticed these Banana Blossoms. There were only two left.  Banana Blossom is not that uncommon here, but those available, are the unsweetened variety, which has a bitter taste. These blossoms are comparatively small in size and look similar to the one we find in Kolkata. To be sure, I asked the mausi who was selling and there was a positive reply. Without thinking twice, I grabbed the two.

The mausi who was selling is from Ranaghat, a place in 24 Parganas, in West Bengal. There are few the vendors in this market who belong to this place and because of them sometimes I can give a change to my taste buds with some of the typical vegetables of Bengal, like, Kalmi Shak/ water spinach, Dhenki shak/ edible fern, kankrol/teasel gourd etc. Along with the native vegetables, the other incentive that I get is to speak and listen to a different variety of Bangla. These are the reasons why I come to buy vegetables from this market. This place is not very far from where I stay and the market is not a sophisticated one. I love to buy from such markets- may be developed this liking while accompanying Baba to bazaar in school days.

Those were not the supermarket days. The vendors used to sit with their stock in the ground. There was an effective communication between the buyer and the seller- from bargaining to personal info. Then there was an option of choosing your pick from several vendors to several varieties- the best option for a finicky buyer like my Baba. The truth is this that even I’m choosy and so I love to move through the whole market before picking up anything. This takes more time than usual but I enjoy. S helps me in this work by doing the babysitting throughout.

To make a Banana Blossom dish you should have enough time in your hand. A lot of time and effort are needed for the preparation of the dish. As it was a Saturday, so my job was easy. I took one of the blossoms, cut it and soaked overnight in turmeric water. The next day I prepared this dish Mocha ghanto.

Ingredients

1 blossom of 800 grams

2 potatoes Medium

1 Tomato small

2 green chilly

1 inch fresh ginger

2 tbsp Turmeric

1 tbsp jeera powder

1 tbsp dhaniya powder

1 tbsp red chily powder

Salt as per taste

Sugar as per taste

2 tbsp Mustard oil

Jeera/Whole Cumin seeds and Bayleaves/ tejpatta for seasoning

½ tsp garam masala

Few drops of ghee

Cleaning the Blossom:

Cleaning the blossom is time consuming. Moreover, you need to know which parts you need to discard. Coat your hands with oil. Open the petals one by one. Each petals have a group of long yellow coloured flowers attached with it. Remove those flowers from the petals and keep on a plate. Discard the used petal. The size of the petal decreases gradually. Repeat this process until you finish with all the dark coloured petals and reach the pale yellow coloured moist inner petals. Chop these petals.

Now, for the small bunch of flowers: there is a long thin stalk (the stamina) with a black dot below and a feathery papery layer. Remove those from each flower. Chop the remaining flower.

Method

Mix 1 tbsp of turmeric in normal water. Soak the chopped blossom in the water for atleast 8 to 10 hrs. This is to get rid of the bitter taste.

After 8 to 10 hrs remove chopped blossom from the turmeric water. Discard the water. In a pressure cooker add the soaked blossom with 1 and ½ cup of fresh water and ½ tbsp turmeric and salt. After 5-6 whistles remove from heat.

Make paste of the ginger.

Next cut the potatoes into medium cubes.

Chop tomatoes. Slit the green chilies

Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot enough fry the potatoes with ½ tsp of salt and turmeric. When the potatoes turn golden remove them from the oil.

Open the pressure cooker, add all the spices- ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chily powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar one by one and mash the steamed blossom finely.

Now in the same oil put ½ tsp of Whole Cumin seeds and Bay leaves. Add the tomatoes and fry till it is soft. Add the mashed blossom and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and continue to cook again.

After 10 minutes the water should dry. Check whether the potatoes are cooked or not.

Add ½ tsp of garam masala and Ghee and switch off the flame.

Serve with steamed rice.

Simple Cabbage recipe/ Bandhakopi-r Chenchki

While in hostel, I promised of not having certain things for at least 5 years. Cabbage topped the list. Cabbage was a regular candidate in atleast one of our meal menu. Anyway, though I try to avoid cabbage now, still I cannot totally escape from it.

In my childhood days, cabbage was not available throughout the year. This was true for other vegetables also. So, there was a clear cut distinction between summer vegetables like parwal/stripe gourd, raw Jackfruit and winter vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower. The taste of cabbage and cauliflower of those days makes me nostalgic now. Throughout my life I’ll really remember the taste of cabbage with the green peas- a  dish with very simple ingredients, little hot and little sweet- ahhh will never taste that heavenly dish made by dida again!

Dida, my father’s mother, and the best cook I had ever seen. She knew simple yet innovative and tasty recipes, different variations of cooking of the same vegetable.

Few days back, there was a post in FB, wherein somebody wanted to know about some different recipes of cabbage other than the usual ones. Within an hour, the post was flooded with answers- from Cabbage Manchurian to South Indian style cabbage- but there was one mention about Bandhakopir Chenchki. Thanks to that post. It reminded me the taste of chenchki that dida used to prepare and after a long time, actually for the first time, I prepared it.

Chenchki, as called in Bangla, is usually a dish where you cut any vegetable either raddish or cabbage or potato into small pieces, season with paanchporon, or kalo jeera and cooked without any ground spices, only with salt and turmeric.

Here’s the full preparation.

Ingredients

500 grams cabbage

2 potatoes Medium

2 Tbsp Mustard oil

2 green chilly

Salt as per taste

Turmeric

Sugar as per taste

Red chili powder (optional)

Kalojeera for seasoning

Preparation 

Wash the cabbage and the potatoes.

Cut the cabbage into very small pieces. I then wash it again and put into hot boiled water with a pinch of salt. This is for the smell and also a precaution against the insecticides.

Next cut the potatoes into medium cubes.

Cooking  

Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot enough fry the potatoes with ½ tsp of salt and turmeric. When the potatoes turn golden remove them from the oil.

Now in the same oil put ½ tsp of kalojeera and slit green chillies. You’ll sense the sweet aroma of this combination. Do not let the chilies burn. Now add the cabbage. Add salt and turmeric as per taste and cover and cook in medium flame.

After 10 minutes, add the potatoes. At this point add red chili powder and sugar as per taste. Cover and cook.

Check if the dish needs water or not. Usually you do not need to add extra water for cabbage; but if you see that the cabbage or the potatoes are not cooked yet, and there’s a little water left, then you can sprinkle water from the top. Continue to cook again.

Remove it from heat when both cabbage and potatoes are cooked and water had dried up.

Serve with steamed rice.

Mudighanto/Fried Fish head dish

In my earlier post I mentioned that I will post the recipes of all the dishes that I had made for Bhaiphonta. As per my promise, today I’ll write the recipe for Mudighanto.

From my work load to R’s different sort of tantrums to R’s health issues to  husband’s work schedule to maid’s mood swings- there are too many excuses for not being late for this post- but then better late than never!!!

Mudighanto is a hardcore Bengali dish made of fish. ‘Mudi’ or ‘muro’ is what the head of the fish is called in Bangla and ghanto is actually a semi gravy curry mixed with different spices. This is one of my favourite but cannot make too often. First, I’m the only one to eat this because my non-Bong Husband man can eat fishes but not the head part. Second, reason is the time. You need a preparation and more time than usual to cook this dish. Also you need to cross your legs, sit and relish this well-cooked dish forgetting about time.  

This Bhaiphonta was the perfect day to cook this dish. I had my cousin’s company and it was a holiday, so a leisurely afternoon to spend with the fish…

Ingredients

Head of Rohu/Katla fish (2.0-2.5 kg of weight) : 2
Basmati rice or Govind Bhog/Gobindo Bhog : 50-75 grams
Potato- 2 medium
Onion- 2 medium chopped
4-5 green chilly slitted (optional )
Ginger 3 inch grated
Salt to taste
Turmeric 2 Tsp
Jeera powder 2 Tsp
Red Chily Powder 1 Tsp
Sugar to taste
Whole jeera / Cumin seeds
 Tejpata/Bay leaves 3-4 small
3-4 green cardamom crushed
1 inch cinnamon crushed
2-3 cloves crushed
Mustard oil
Ghee (optional)
Plain water
Garam masala Powder

Preparation

Wash the head pieces and season with salt and 1 tsp turmeric. The amount of turmeric used is little more than usual to fishy smell less.

Wash the  Basmati/ Gobindo bhog rice and soak for an hour in a cup of water. After an hour drain the water and keep the rice and the soaked water aside.

Cut the potatoes in medium cube size. It means, first make a half of the potato length wise, this will give you 2 pieces. Then make another half of those 2 pieces breadth wise which will give you 4 pieces.

Cooking

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the rice to the oil and fry till white (max 1-2 minutes).

Add 3 tbsp oil, heat and fry potatoes till golden brown. Keep aside.

Saute fry heads, it should turn light brown. Remove this oil since it cannot be used for further cooking.

Heat 3 tbsp fresh mustard oil

(fresh) in a pan. Temper with bay leaves, whole jeera/cumin seeds cardamon, cinnamon and cloves and fry for a few seconds.

Add chopped onions and fry for 4-5 min till onions are soft.

To this add, the masala paste made out of the grated ginger, jeera powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and water. Add the fried rice. Fry till oil separates out. If the masala sticks to the bottom of the pan then sprinkle some water.

Add 2 cups of water (inclusive the rice water), salt, sugar and bring to boil.

Add fried potatoes and simmer for 10 min without cover.

Add the fried fish heads. Simmer on low heat till potatoes and rice are cooked.

Add ghee, pinch of garam masala and  green chillies and remove from heat.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

Steamed Bhetki Fish or Bhetki Mach-er Bhanpe

October and November are the true festive months of India.  Dussera or Durga puja is usually on October followed by Kalipuja/Diwali and Bhaiphota or Bhaiduj. I, the lazy soul, didn’t prepare a single dish on Durga puja on the account of depression from being far from home. From saptami, lunch was bhog at the durga mandap. Bhog is the food offered to the Goddess which is generally a combination of: khichudi (the main dish), accompanied either by the famous Bengali beguni or begunbhaja (fried eggplant in besan) or a vegetable dish like labra or mixed vegetable or the both, chatni and payesh or a sweet or both.  Dinner for 5 days, starting from Panchami to Dashami was different so called Kolkata preparations at different stalls in different mandaps.

Durga puja Bhog

 5 days continuously eating outside at odd hours of night was truly too much for me. My taste buds became numb. Slowly I geared up myself. And after a fortnight I have really made some dishes which I have never made before. All these dishes include mocha ganto or a Bengali preparation of banana flower, cholar dal-er bara diye peNpe (Raw papaya curry with chanaa dal or Bengal gram pakoris) and a steamed Banana cake just prior to Diwali and mudighanto (a Bengali preparation with fish head) and Bhetki mach bhape or steamed Bhetki on Bhaiphota.  On Diwali I have made dahi vada or doi bada, Semai-er payesh (a dessert made of vermicelli) and chicken in red chilly and vinegar which I have made many times. Gradually, I will put all the recipes on my blog but for today it is only the Bhaiphonta or bhaiduj special.
 

Bhaiduj or Bhaiphonta is an occasion which takes place generally 2 days after Kalipuja. Bhaiphonta is always a grand affair at my mamabadi (maternal uncle’s place). Now, for the last 5 years I miss Bhaiphonta. This time, when I came to know that N, my cousin, is in Mumbai, I asked him to come for Diwali and Phonta. He also promptly accepted. He is a bachelor, a foodie but does not cook- altogether a genuine one who misses ghar ka khana or the Bong combinations. I thought of making fish. From my personal experiences I know even though you get mutton or chicken outside but Bengali fish dishes are not available. 

My bhaiphonta menu was very simple: Steamed rice with patla musur dal (masoor dal with with panchphoron  , onion, tomato and coriander), begunbhaja, Mudighanto, Bhetki mach Bhape and semai-er payesh. The Bhetki recipe is the one which I am going to give today.

Ingredients

Bhetki fish (choice of weight and pieces are yours. I had taken a fish of 2 kg and cut it into round pieces)

Bhetki fish

Dahi or curd

Mustard paste or Mustard powder 

Plain water

Mustard oil

2-3 green chilly

Salt

Turmeric

Preparation:

Wash the pieces of the fish and season with salt and turmeric.

Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot enough lightly fry the fishes, turning both the sides.

Make a mustard paste by grinding mustard seeds on a mortar and pestle along with green chilly, pinch of salt and turmeric (to avoid the bitter taste)or  Mix 4 teaspoons of mustard powder and a pinch of salt together in half cup luke warm water.

To the Mustard paste add 3 table spoons of curd, salt and turmeric and make a smooth paste. If you have already added salt and turmeric while making the mustard paste then you just add the curd.

Now in a microwave proof bowl put the fishes covered with the paste. Drop 2-3 drops of mustard oil and slit green chilies.

Cook the fish for 5 minutes in microwave plus convection mode. After 5 minutes take out the fish, turn them and cook for another 1 minute. Be careful while turning, as this is a very soft fish and tend to break.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

 

Rashogolla

After one week of Rakhi, it is Janmashtami.  The day before was a traditional day for R and she was curious about why she was wearing the color dress. Anything whatever is new in the schedule has to be explained to her. So, I said that it is Nandalala’s birthday and that is why she will wear a salwar kurta to school instead of her regular uniform. Now, my little one asked ‘where’s the cake Mamma?’ A valid question, truly. ‘Not a cake this time my dear, but Mamma will make rashogolla for Nandalala and you’.

Rashogolla, (rasgulla) as I prefer to call it as a proper Bangla pronunciation, is not a dish that you can make regularly or any day as you wish. It needs enough time and patience. It was a holiday for R on Janmashtami and I took a day off. So, making of the Rashogollas was possible. I was very excited to see those white, hot, sugar-syrup dipped sweets for the first time after opening the pressure cooker. I cooled one, and served R. She asked for another one.

My first attempt to make Rashogolla was a success. It was soft enough, sweet and adequately dipped in sugar-syrup. Here is the step by step recipe of Rashogolla.

Ingredients

1 L whole cream milk

Juice of 1 big  lemon

3 cups of sugar

4 cups of water (1.5l approx)

2-3 elichi pods (optional)

Nakuldana/ramdana/sugarcandies

Making the gollas

 Boil the milk.

When it starts boiling add the juice of 1 big lemon. Switch off the gas and stir. Within a few minutes the milk will be curdled. You can use any other curdling agent if you wish. Ensure that the milk should be coagulated fully. I have used curd to make the paneer or chana. I have taken full cream milk 2 liter and 6 big table spoon of curd.

Drain the water and keep the paneer aside. If you have used lemon juice you can just run it once under cold water.

After the water gets drained place the paneer on a plain cloth, tie it tightly and hang for 30-40 mnts or till the water gets drained fully.

Now knead the paneer well using your hands. This is the most important part of the whole recipe and the secret for soft rashogollas. Knead the paneer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Make balls from the kneaded paneer. The balls should be smaller from the desired size as the size will get increased atleast two times when they are dipped in sugar syrap. Approximately you can make 15 gollas from 1L of milk. Place the nakuldana inside the balls.

The sugar syrap or the Ras

 While you are making the gollas prepare the ras. In a deep bottomed pan mix 3 cups of water and two cups of sugar and bring to boil. Add some cardamom pods if you like, for flavor. When the sugar gets dissolved add the 4^th cup of water. Add  from the side of the pan so that the temperature does not gets decreased.

The flame should be in high all through.

Carefully slide the gollas into the syrap. As the size of the gollas increase after being dipped in the syrap take a pan which can provide enough room to the rashogollas.

You can pressure cook the rasogollas. I did that. In a high flame I cooked the rasagollas till one whistle and switched off the gas. If you don’t want to pressure cook then cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Do not overcook.

You can refrigerate them or serve hot as you like.

Patol/ Parwal Kasha

During the summer and monsoon Parwal/patol is quiet available here. Parwal is one of the vegetable that both S and I prefer. There are many variations of parwal that I make. This time it is patol/parwal kasha. 

‘Kasha’ is a type of preparation where you fry and cook the ingredient with spices in a low heat for a long time, so that the all the spices go inside it to make soft and seasoned.  The gravy can be thick or dry being ideal to have with paratha or nun. The most enjoyed ‘kasha’ dish according to me is mutton/chicken kasha. The other kasha recipes are dim (egg) kasha, kasha alur dom (dam-aloo) and patol kasha.

Ingredients 

Patol/ Parwal:  10-12

2 Onions Medium

1 Tomato  Medium

2  green chilies (or as per your choice)

Ginger paste 1 table spoon

Garlic paste 1 table spoon

salt as per taste

turmeric powder ½ tea spoon

jeera powder 1 table spoon

red chili powder  ½  or 1 teaspoon

½  tea spoon sugar

½ tea spoon garam masala

½ tea spoon ghee

Bay leaves and whole jeera for tempering

Mustard oil/Sunflower oil 3 table spoons

Preparation

Cut the parwal from both the ends and scrape.

Wash them and with a fork pierce for two or three times. This will give good result while seasoning.

Chop finely both the onions and tomato.

Cooking

Heat a pan with 2 table spoon of oil.

Fry the parwals with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Reduce the flame and cover. Open the lid after 5 minutes. Turn the parwals to the other side and fry well. Parwals may discharge water. In that case increase the flame and fry. Do not cover now. Remove them from flame when both the sides are light brown and the parwal is soft.

The total time of frying the parwals will be some 10 minutes.

Now, you may need to add a table spoon of oil to the existing one. Once the oil is hot enough temper it with whole jeera and bay leaves.

Add the chopped onions and tomato.

Add the green chilies and the garlic paste

Let it be cooked for 5 minutes.

In the mean time you can make the spices ready.

For the spices: In a small bowl put ginger paste,  jeera powder, red chili powder, turmeric, salt to taste and 3-4 table spoon of water.  

Mix the spices thoroughly and add it to the chopped onion and tomato. Let it be cooked for some more time.  The mixture will release oil. At this point add a little bit of sugar.

Now put the parwals and reduce the flame and cook for some time.  You may sprinkle little water to avoid the parwals getting burnt from bottom.  Let it be cooked for 10 minutes, covered with a lid. The parwals will get absorbed in the spices.

Now   add ghee and garam masala powder and switch off the gas. Keep it covered for more 10 minutes.

Serve it with roti or paratha.

Rangin Palak or Colorful Spinach

These days the word ‘bored’ is too frequent in use. This boredom makes us cranky, depressed. The other day one of my friend was saying that she gets depressed after going back home. So she prefers to be at her work place for long hours. Then again she gets bored; After all how long can you occupy yourself with net browsing, online games, shopping and etc etc!!! This depression level was so high that she had to be under medication. So, we were suggesting her why don’t you do something creative.

Yes, I think creativity is something that is missing from most of our life now. With advanced technologies and stressful lifestyle we have bid a goodbye to creativity. Creativity does not mean you have to be a poet or an artist essentially.

Creativity is something where you nurture your finer qualities, your imaginations. I have a friend who is software professional by profession and he spends his free time with any type of machines- be it an advanced non-functioning toy car or a real one or a food processor- makes them function. He gets his resources from his home, friends and neighbors and actually he is better known as a mechanicJ. I never heard him saying that he is bored. Another friend of mine designs photo albums after scanning the photos. In this way she goes back to old days as well as preserves the old photos. The basic thing is this that we need to keep ourselves busy; we need to give time to us.

R is quite choosy when it comes for food. My 2 yrs old do not love repetition of foods. Then I cannot blame her. Like mother like daughterJ. I have done this enough to my mother. In my tiffin she used to give new and unique items regularly and most of the time it was consumed by my dear friends with lot of appreciation.

Anyway I was talking about R’s choice of food. She loves green leafy vegetables and mostly palak or spinach. But I have to alter the recipes frequently. This Sunday I had cooked spinach with coriander, carrots, paneer and green peas. When she saw it on her plate she said ‘Mamma iddhi (Riddhi) ongin (rongin) bhatu khabe (Riddhi will eat the colorful rice)’. So, this dish is named by her.

chopped carrot and green peas

Ingredients

Palak  1 large bunch

2 carrots small

Green peas

1 tomato

Paneer 200 gms

Coriander leaves 1 small bunch

Salt as per taste

Turmeric

Any vegetable oil 1 table soon

panchphoran

1-2  slit green chili

Fresh cream/ milk/butter 1table spoon

Preparation

Roughly chop  palak and  coriander leaves and blanch them

Dice paneer into small medium pieces. In case if you are using frozen paneer boil water with salt and keep  paneer in it for 10-15 minutes.

Chop carrots and the tomato into small pieces

Diced paneer

blanched spinach and coriander 

Cooking                                                                                                                                

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon of oil.

Temper with panch phoran. If you don’t get it you can also use jeera or cumin seeds. I just love the aroma of panch phoran so I prefer it.

Add carrots, tomato and the green peas. When the vegetable gets tender (as they are cut into small pieces it would hardly take 5-7 minutes) add the blanched palak and coriander leaves and simmer the gas. Now add salt and turmeric and cover the lid.

Open the lid after 5-7 minutes. You can see that the vegetables have released water. Stir and check whether all the vegetables are cooked or not. If they are already cooked increase the flame and let the water dry and add the paneer. Don’t overcook the paneer.  As the water dries up add a spoon of fresh cream/milk or butter.

The dish is ready to serve.

 

rangin palak

 Note: You can also add any other vegetables as per your choice.