Veg Shammi Kabab with green Chutney

Shammi Kabab and Veg!!! 

Even I raised my brows as I read the name of the dish in Bongcomb’s blog, but I should say that the whole recipe was indeed appealing.  It was on my mind to make some chatpata  veg starter and what best it could be than trying out these veg kababs!!!

The ingredients of this dish are quiet simple and almost available at home, readily I decided to make it last night. The outcome is a healthy and tasty dish, loved by all including R. Moreover, I did not have to spend more than 15 minutes to complete the dish.

For all those you want the original recipe here it is

http://bongcomb.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/meat-kebabs-wait-these-are-vegetarian-kebabs/

I have made some very minor changes. Here is my version:

Ingredients

Soya granules 1 cup
2 tablespoon of besan ( chickpea flour)
Ginger paste 1 table spoon
Garlic Paste 1 table spoon
Salt to taste
½  teaspoon turmeric
½  teaspoon Red chilli powder
½  teaspoon jeera ( cumin ) powder
½  tablespoon plain yoghurt
1 ½  teaspoon Everest Tandoori Chicken Masala powder*
½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 tablespoon oil

Method                                                                                                                               

Soak the soya granules in 1 cup of warm water for about half an hour. Check if they are soft in texture.

Drain out the excess water. Do not squeeze out the water from the granules.

In a bowl with the soya granules mix all the ingredients one by one other than the oil.

At the time of mixing all the ingredients

Make small balls out of the mix and flatten it with your palm to give it the shape of the Kabab.

Heat a tawa or flat skillet, brush it with oil and shallow fry the kebabs on both sides till the color turns golden.  

Kababs on the Tawa (not a good picture though!!!)

Serve hot with green chutney and onions.

The final thing...

This time I made some variation with the chutney as well. For the chutney:

1 Bunch of coriander washed and roughly chopped.
1 green chili
1 table spoon yoghurt
Salt to taste

Blend or grind all the ingredients in a blender or chutney grinder till smooth.

Mixed Veg Tofu Cutlet with Green Chutnee

This recipe was in my inbox for a long time. Finally, it saw the daylight.  Thanks to me!!!

It was late in the afternoon on one weekend, when S said that an old friend of ours is coming to visit us along with his wife.

Though they said that major is the adda, as we will be meeting after a long time so a cup of tea will be enough. S added, we will order something.   As it was on a weekend, so I could spend some time in the kitchen, and I thought of this cutlet with green chutney.

This was for the first time I made it and it came out well. There are many versions of cutlet, but this one is easy and tasty. If you can spend an hour in the kitchen any day then you can go for it.

Ingredients

Vegetables of your choice (I used the following)
1 carrot roughly chopped
1 big capsicum roughly chopped
French beans roughly chopped
1 large Potato boiled and mashed
Tofu 250 gms
Green chilies (as per your tolerance)
1 Big onion fine sliced
Ginger paste 1 table spoon
Garlic Paste 1 table spoon
Salt as per taste
Roasted jeera, dhaniya, lalmirch Powder*
Any vegetable oil 4-5 table soon
Breadcrumbs

Method                                                                                                                               

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon of oil.

Add the chopped onion and the vegetables.

To it add salt and cover.

When the vegetables are almost cooked add the tofu.

Dry up the released water and add the boiled mashed potato. Now add the roasted spice powder and stir.

When the mix releases oil, it is ready.

Cover it and give some time to cool.

Divide the mix into small portions and make small balls out of it and flatten it.

Coat the cutlets with breadcrumbs. See that both the sides are well coated.

Now shallow fry the cutlets and serve with the green chutney.

For Chutney:

5-6 sprigs of dhaniya patta
2-3 green chilies or as per tolerance
2-3 garlic cloves
½ table spoon oil (optional)
Salt and lemon juice  as per taste

Mix 1, 2 and 3 in a mixture. To it add ½ table spoon oil, salt and lemon juice.

For Roasted Spice

Heat a flat bottom pan and add whole cumin, coriander seeds and Red Chili. Roast till the ingredients turn brown. Cool and ground it. You can store it in a air tight container for future use.

Tofu/ Soya meat, Red Bell pepper, Corn and Mushroom Soup

Feeding R is the toughest job as yet. The day she eats properly at least once or twice, I really feel great. One can compare this achievement with that of conquering Mt. Everest.

What not I do to feed her!!! Watching Cartoon Shows to Bal Ganesh to Chkini Chameli, playing with water, adding new flavors to everyday’s dish and what not!  Still my daughter’s prompt reaction to her plate is ‘R khabe na’ (R will not eat). Imagine! After your day long tiring sessions you come back and try to prepare the tastiest dish, with high hopes you serve and the little devil says that she’ll not eat. Anyway, I’m the mother. I place her on my lap and sit in front of the TV or the laptop with any of the shows that she has not watched for at least few days or start creating stories of all imaginary creatures. As she’s amused with either of the things I start feeding her. There are some days when things go smoothly and she finishes her plate without any tantrums. Then there are few days when she’s adamant and nothing can make her eat.

Last night was one such when she finished her dalia with Tofu/ Soya meat, Red Bell pepper, Corn and Mushroom Soup. To my surprise she had even asked for another helping of the soup.

The recipe is very easy and it takes hardly 30 to 40 minutes to make it.

Corn Kernel

Tofu

Ingredients

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Capsicum150 gms Tofu1 Onion4-5 button mushroom50 gms corn kernel4-5 garlic clovesSalt as per taste1 table spoon olive oil/ Sunflower oil10 cups of water1 tea spoon white or any vinegar1 tea spoon soya sauce

Cooking

Finely slice all the vegetables including the garlic cloves.

Chop the Tofu and the mushrooms.

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon olive oil/ Sunflower oil.

Saute the onions. Add the vegetables and the corn kernels. Cook in a medium flame for 5 minutes.

Add tofu, water, salt, white vinegar and soya sauce at this time and cook for a few minutes until it is boiling. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot.

Cook the soup for at least 20 minutes and serve.

Jamaishashti Special

Jamai-shashthi is an occasion in Bengal where the mother-in-law prays for long life and well being of her son-in-law or Jamai.  Shasthi-ma is considered to be the goddess who takes care of the children and mothers worship her keeping a morning fast.

Courtsey: http://gobindaroy.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/jamai-sasthi.jpg

In my place Jamai-shashthi was never celebrated with any such fervor. There was no jamai in our family, as I have no pishi (father’s sister). We used to get new clothes. Ma used to tie a yellow thread and distribute fruits after her morning puja. That is what dida (father’s ma) taught her.

My mother did not know much about jamai-shashthi as she hails from Barishal, a place surrounded by rivers in East Bengal, now in Bangladesh. Barishali’s don’t have Jamai-shashthi.  It usually falls in June or the month of Jaishtha, which is the beginning of the monsoon.  Barishal by its geographical position is subject to devastating cyclones, originating over the Bay of Bengal. In those days small boats were the only means of transport. Often accompanied by surging waves, these storms would cause great damage and loss of life. This was the reason why Jamai-shashthi got banned in Barishal. 

However, we used to gather in mamabadi (mother’s place) if Jamai-shashthi was on Sunday or the immediate Sunday following. It was a grand feast day.  Breakfast was essentially luchi, alurdam with bonde/boondi and often accompanied by various sweets brought by mashis and mamas (mother’s sisters and brothers). Lunch was plain masoor dal, with jiri jiri alubhaja (fried shredded potato), fried fish, any leafy vegetable, patal/or any other curried vegetable, mutton, aamer chatni (mango chatni), doi, and mishti. After this grand lunch the only thing you can do is a sound sleep.

Gone are those days…

I was in Kolkata on this day in the first year of our marriage. Ma celebrated it with extra excitements. After the feast S was like- no eating for atleast a week. Anyway he never did that.

Now shashthi means a phone call from ma. I know her eyes are wet. Though she never says but wants us sometimes to be with her on such special days. May be sometimes we’ll be ma.

Not feeling to do anything today; blame it on monsoon moodswings. A story book and a blanket or some old friends, adda and coffee would be enough to make myself satisfied. But!!!!

So, returned to recipes to turn on my mood. Today I’ll give two special recipes of ma. I will not be able to make any of these today. Satisfying my taste buds remembering ma’s dish.

Kucho chingrir bada (small prawn pakoda)

Ingredients

1. Kucho chingdi/small prawns 500 gms
2. Fresh ginger paste
3. Jeera powder 2 tea spoon
4. Green chili paste as per taste
5. Red chili  powder as per taste
6. Salt as per taste
7. Turmeric powder 1 tea spoon
8. Besan/ Gram flour
9. Oil to fry

 Process

Put the prawns in hot water with salt. This will help to clean them easily. Wash them and remove the shells. 

Once cleaned put them in a mixer grinder. Roughly ground the prawns.

Now in a pan heat some oil. Add the ground prawns and all the above mentioned spices one by one. Cook till the mix dries up and releases oil.

Let the mix cool.

In the mean time add salt, turmeric, ajwain, little oil to the besan flour. To it add water in small amount of water constantly stirring the besan. The besan will not be too runny.

Now make small balls out of the prawn mix. Dip them in besan and deep fry.

Let me know if you loved it or not

Mutton ma’r mato (Mutton ma’s style)

Ingredients

1. Mutton 1 kg
2. 3 big Onion
3. 1 Tomato
4. 2 big potato
5. Fresh ginger paste
6. Fresh garlic paste
7. 2-3 garlic cloves
8. 2-3 green chili
9. Turmeric Powder 1 tea spoon
10. Red chili  powder as per taste
11. Salt as per taste
12. Tejpata
13. Cumin seeds/jeera
14. 2 table spoon lemon juice
15. Mustard oil
16. Fresh garam masala (Grind black and green cardamom pods, cinnamon and cloves in a mortar and pestle with little water )
17. 1 table spoon Ghee

Process

Wash and clean the mutton in luke warm water. 

Cut onions and the tomato into 4 big pieces. Slit the chilies.

Keep mutton in a big bowl. Add onion, tomato, chilies, salt, turmeric, lemon juice, red chili Powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, tejpata and 1 table spoon mustard oil. Mix all the ingredients well and marinate for atleast 30 minutes.

Now cut potatoes into 4 equal pieces breadthwise.

In a deep-bottomed pan heat 2 table spoon of mustard oil. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric and fry the potatoes in medium flame till they are half cooked.

Remove the potatoes and to that oil add jeera powder and crushed garlic cloves. I love this smell. To this add the marinated mutton and cover and cook and occasionally stir. 

Remember the essence of the dish is this part. The more time you cover and cook it in a low flame more tasty it will be. You will get the smell of the cooked mutton. At this time ma used to give me two pieces to taste whether it is cooked, whether something more is needed to add etc. I used to wait for this moment. 

Check whether the mutton is cooked or not. When it is half cooked and had released oil transfer the whole thing in a pressure cooker. Add the fried potatoes and hot water. The amount of the water depends on how much curry you want to keep. Mutton will also release water; so keep the amount less than whatever you need. Keep the flame low. After a whistle remove the pressure cooker from heat. 

Do not hurry to open it.  After it opens naturally add fresh garam masala and ghee and close the lid again. 

After 5 minutes open and serve the mutton with steamed rice.

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.

Doi-roshun-kanchalanka murgi or chicken marinated in curd, garlic and green chili paste

I have surprised my family and friends a lot by starting a cooking blog. :)  This was quite expected. Actually it is quite unusual to me as well. :) :)  But I'm enjoying this new job totally and what  is making me more happy is when my friends are asking me for recipes ;)

These days I really think seriously about what to cook at dinner and way back to home in the evening I'm occupied only with those thoughts- what should it be, it should be of low oil, should be tasty so that S likes it and etc etc.

Last night it was- Doi-roshun-kanchalanka murgi or chicken marinated in curd, garlic and green chili paste. Believe me it was really tasty. 

At midnight when Papia, my friend pinged me and asked about a chicken recipe I thought of giving this one to her. Papia this is exclusively for you. Cook and let me know. Sorry for posting  delay :) and hurriedly i am not able to upload the pic of the cooked dish. But I have a pic while marinating the chicken. Will upload the pic of the final cooked dish soon.

Ingredients

Chicken 1 kg (with bone)

Curd 3-4 table spoon

Garlic clove 12-15

Green chilies 8-10 (or as per your tolerance)

1 Big onion

Salt as per taste

Turmeric

Any vegetable oil 1 table soon

Tejpata 2-3

Methi seeds

Kasauri methi 1 tea spoon/ Tandoori Chicken masala Powder (optional)

Coriander leaves chopped

1 slit green chili

 Preparation

Make a fine paste of the garlic and the green chilies

Chop the onion

Clean the chicken and marinate.

For Marination

Now in a large bowl put the chicken and add one by one

Curd 3-4 table spoon heaped

Salt as per taste (This is one time that I add salt to this dish)

Chili Garlic paste

Turmeric 1/2 teaspoon

Refrigerate the marinated chicken for 30 minutes.

Chicken to marinate

Cooking                                                                                                                               

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon of oil.

Temper with tejpata and methi seeds

Add the chopped onion. As it is light brown add the chicken, simmer the gas and cover the pan.

After 15 minutes open the lid and stir. The chicken has released lot of water by now. Continue to cook the chicken at simmer with frequent stirring; by 15-20 minutes the chicken will be cooked. If you see the water quantity is still more then increase the flame and let the water dry. This gravy will be medium dry. Add 1 tea spoon kasuri methi or tandoori chicken masala powder now. Once the gravy reaches its expected consistency, switch off the gas.

Garnish with slit green chilies and chopped coriander leave.

Serve with roti or paratha

Paneer aar Alu Parwal/Parval/Patoler Dalna (Paneer with Potato and Pointed Gourd)

Patol/Parwal/Parval/Pointed Gourd is one very common summer vegetable. As a result in my childhood I have seen this vegetable almost everyday at least for one meal.  It would range from a simple bhaja (fried patol with salt and turmeric) to alu patoler tarkari (gravy with alu and patol) or it would be patol posto (patol made with poppy seed paste), patol chacchari (patol in mustard paste) and so many to name a few. The gravy version of patol also had so many variations.

Here, we do not get such fresh patols as that of Kolkata's but I try to bring it every week. So, this time to bring a variety I added some Paneer to the traditional Alu Patoler Dalna. It was simple and all of us loved it.

Ingredients:

Patol/ Parwal:  10-12
Potato:  2 medium
Paneer: 200 gms
1 tomato  medium
vegetable oil 3-4 table spoons
2 slit green chilies
1 tea spoon garam masala

For tempering:

1 tea spoonwhole jeera
2-3 tejpata
2 lal mirch (whole)
2-3 cloves
2-3 cardamoms
3-4 black pepper

For Spice paste

Ginger paste 1 table spoon
salt as per
turmeric
jeera powder
red chili powder
1/2 tea spoon sugar

Preparation

Cut the parwals from both the ends and then scrape the skin. Breadthwise chop the parwals into half.

scraped parwals

Peel the potatoes. First make it half lengthwise then give another cut lengthwise. Now cut into small pieces keeping a size and shape similarity with the parwals.
Cut the paneer into pieces. Boil water and a little milk. Keep paneer in this solution for 10 minutes.
Chop tomatoes in small pieces

Method

Take a deep Fry Pan. Heat 3 table spoons of oil. Add parwals with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Reduce the flame and cover the pan; Let the parwals get fried nicely.
After 5 minutes open the lid and add the potatoes and stir; cover again. It will take  8-10 minutes for frying both parwal and potato and you will have to reduce and increase the flame time to time.
Once fried nicely remove alu and parwal from the pan and keep aside.

Temper the oil with 1 tea spoonwhole jeera, 2-3 tejpata, 2 lal mirch (whole), 2-3 cloves, 2-3 cardamoms and 3-4 black pepper

When the spices starts to splatter add the chopped tomato.Let it be cooked for 2-3 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the spice paste.: In a small bowl take 1 tea spoon of ginger paste, 1 table spoon of jeera powder, 1/2 tea spoon of  turmeric, salt to taste, 1/2 tea spoon of sugar; to this add some water and make a smooth paste.
After the tomato is cooked add this paste and stir. When you see that oil is coming out from the spices add the potatoes and the parwals. Mix them well in the spice for 5 minutes.

Now add water (the quantity is as per the curry you want).  I have added 1 and half medium glass of water. Remember the curry will neither be too runny nor too dry. Now cover the pan and you can rest for 10 minutes. :)

After the 10 minutes come back and open the lid. Add the paneer.

After 2-3 minutes switch off the gas and add the slit green chilies and 1 tea spoon of garam masala.

paneer alu patol-er dalna

Your  Paneer alu patoler dalna is ready. Close the lid and keep it for sometime then serve with roti, chawal, daliya whatever.