Nalen Gurer Sabudana Payesh for Poush Sankranti Special (Tapioca Pudding With Date Palm Jaggery)

Makara Sankranti is one of the most auspicious occasions for the Hindus. This is known as Makar Sankranti or Poush Sankranti in West Bengal, as it is celebrated in the last day of Bengali month of Poush. It is called by different names in all over India – Magh Bihu, Makar Shankranti, Pongal, Uttarayan etc. are just a few to mention. To celebrate this harvest festival, in all bengali homes, mothers and grandmothers get busy making a special kind of sweet named 'Pithe', which is made with rice flour. Another special thing is needed is Palm Jaggery (khejurer Gur), which is only available in winter season. Once you taste this, you will never forget the taste of this special sweet. There are many kinds of Pithe, namely Puli Pithe, Gokul Pithe, Dudh Puli, Patishapta and many more.

Sabudana kheer is a traditional Indian pudding which prepared with sago pearl, milk and palm jaggery and garnish with nuts. I love its creamy and chewing taste. 

Ingredients :

Sabudana (sago pearl) - 1 cup

Milk - 1 ltr

Palm jaggery as per taste

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

A handful cashew nuts and raisin

Method :

Wash and soak the sabudana in enough water for 30 minutes in a thick bottom pan. 

In a pan, add ghee when hot, add cashew nuts to it. When it almost roasted then add raisin, remove them both and set aside.

In a heavy bottom pan boil milk. When the milk is boiling then add sabudana and cook in low flame till the sago is cooked and turns soft. 

Now add palm jaggery and make sure all the solid chunks get dissolves. 

Now payesh is ready to serve. Eat it hot or cold, get the taste and smell of gur. 

Luchi ar Aloo Sabzi (Fried Indian Flat Bread & Potato Curry)

Luchi is deep fried flat bread which is a very famous as a Bengali breakfast. However, it is the same recipe which is known as 'Puri' across India. Luchi mainly made with maida i.e. all purpose flour. Aloo curry made with minimum ingredients with it. This potato curry is one of the easy and flavorful recipe. I saw this in a Bengali paper. This is a perfect Bengali breakfast combo by adding some Bengali sweet.

Ingredients :

For Luchi / Puri ~

All purpose flour/ Maida - 2 up
Ghee - 2 tbsp (for moyan)
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Warm water to make the dough
Refine oil for deep frying

Method ~

Take a large bowl, add maida, ghee, sugar, salt, mix well. The mixture should be crumbly. Now add warm water to the mixture but not too much water at a time. Now gradually add water and knead them with hand very well to make a smooth and soft dough.

Divide the dough into small equal balls. Using rolling pin make small circle, to avoid sticking use little oil while rolling them.

Meanwhile add refine oil in a kadai and heat it very well. Once oil is heated properly then add luhi one by one and press them little with spetula.

When one side of the luchi turns golden brown then turn it and fry other side well. Repeat this process with the rest of the balls.

For Aloo Sabzi (Potato Curry)

Potato - 2 medium
Green chilli - 1
Panch phoron - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green peas - a handful
Bhaja Masala - 1 tsp (Dry roast 1/2 tsp panh phoron and dry red chilli and make a powder)
Salt and sugar as per taste
Oil (White/Mustard) - 2 tbsp

Method :

Wash, peel and cut the potato in small cubes.

Heat oil in a kadai, add green chilli and panch phoron for tempering. When it starts to splutters then add potato, green peas, salt and turmeric powder, mix well on medium heat saute few minutes.

Add water, salt and sugar,  cover and cook until the potato becomes soft. Adjust the gravy and turn off the flame. Sprinkle bhaja masala over the potato curry.

Serve hot with Fulko Luchi / Puri.

Sending this to Srivalli's "Cooking From Cookbook Challenge"

Celebrating 3rd Blog Anniversary With Rasgulla

It's time to celebrate, Yes!!!! My blog has been successfully completed 3 years since I started the blog. Blogging has become an important of my life. Planing, cooking, clicking, writing and then posting each activity excites me and gives me full satisfaction when I post a recipe. I have learnt so many things after I started the blog. Blogging has become our way of life and I enjoy every bit of it, learning new technique, new cuisine and new joy. I want to thank to all my readers, blogger friends for the tremendous support and love. All of you who have tried my recipes and love it. 

I thought of making something special to celebrate this occasion and make Bengali famous dessert Rasgulla. It is regarded as the 'King of all Indian Sweets' which is soft, juicy and spongy made from paneer using milk and the most popular sweet in Calcutta as well as rest of India and the World. Here we go with the recipe..

Ingredients :

Milk - 1/2 ltr
Lemon juice/ vinegar - 1/4 cup
Ice cubes - 4-5
Sugar - 2 cup
Water - 3 and 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Saffron - a pinch (optinal)

Method :

In a heavy bottom pan, put milk and bring to boil. When it starts boiling add lemon juice and stir continuously until water clears and the milk curdles completely. Add ice cubes, switch off the flames and allow it to melt completely.

Take a muslin cloth and pour the curdle milk and hang it under the sink. When water filter completely and wash it well in running cold water to remove the lemon smell. Squeeze the excess water and hang it aside for 30 mins without disturbing it.

When the water is completely drained, remove the paneer from the cloth and take it in a bowl. Now rub it well using well your hands to form a smooth mixture. If the paneer is too dry then add few drops water. you have to rub it long time to make really smooth. Make form them into smooth lemon size ball and keep aside.

Heat water in a wide bottomed vessel, then add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron and keep stirring till sugar dissolves completely. When the sugar syrup boils and start boiling then add the balls slowly one by one and simmer it in 5 mins. They will expand to about double their size while cooking in the syrup. Close the heat and wait for few minutes before you open the lid. The rasgullas should be little spongy. 

Tomorrow announce 3rd blog anniversary event & giveaway.....................

 

 

Palang Shaak Borir Ghonto / Spinach & Lentil Dumpling Medley

Ghonto usually means a mix of some things cook together. Palang shaaker ghonto, Muri ghonto, Mochar ghonto, Mulor ghonto and so on  cooked by my mother. This palang shaak borir ghonto is one of such preparation my mother cooked in winter. I saw this recipe in bengali magazine. I want to share this simple and easy Bengali traditional shaak recipe.

Ingredients :

Palang shaak - 1 bunch
Bori (Lentils dumpling) - a handful
Green peas - a handful
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Panch phoron - 1 tsp
Salt and sugar to taste

Method :

Clean and wash the leaved in running water for about 2-3 minutes. Finely chopped and keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in kadai, add bori, fry then till golden brown. Keep aside.

In the same oil add panch phoron, when seeds splutter then add palang shaak, peas, salt and turmeric powder, cover and cook till the saag is cooked properly. Remove the lid add sugar and mix well.

Garnish with fried bori and serve hot with hot steamed rice.

Sending this to Srivalli's "Cooking from Cookbook Challenge"

Bengali's Alur Chop / Potato Fritters Kolkata Style

Alur chop is a very popular street evening snacks in Kolkata. There are many in Kolkata whose evening not completed without lip smacking snacks like 'alur chop', 'Beguni', 'fuluri' 'egg devil' and pakoras of different varieties of 'Tele bhaja' or deep fried snacks. Tele bhaja or Alur chop is very important part of "Bengalis adda". There are so many small shops in roadside in Kolkata. It's a winter evening here and thought to make some 'alur chop' at home on the memory of those happy days at kolkata. The beautiful smell of the freshly fried chops and give the final touch to add sprinkling of  rock salt was truly divine.

Ingredients :

Potato - 2, large (boiled and mashed)
Onion - 1, medium
Green chilli - 2
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tumeric powder -  1 tsp
Roasted cumin-coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Vegetable oil for deep frying

For batter :

Besan / Gram flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
Salt to taste
Water for mixing

Method :

Making the potato stuffing ~ Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry chopped onion until it becomes pinkish then add ginger-garlic paste to it, fry until row smell goes off.

Now add mashed potato, turmeric powder, roasted cumin-coriander powder, green chilli, salt and stir continuously until mix properly. Finally add chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

Make a batter ~ In the mean time make a smooth batter with batter ingredients. 

When potato mixture comes down to room temperature, using your hands make small balls out of it and flatten the balls pressing by palm.

Take each flatten potato balls dip in batter and deep fry both sides till golden brown.

Serve hot along with puffed rice or muri and a cup of tea.

Fulkopi die Rui Macher Jhol (Light Fish Curry with Vegetable)

Fish curry is very popular in Bengali. We Bengalees can't imagine a meal without fish. Many of my friends are Bengali and I have relished the Bengali cuisine at their home. Fish (rui/ katla/ Aar) and cooked in a ginger and tomato based curry usually served with white rice.  

Ingredients :

Rui fish - 4 piees
Potato - 2 medium, ubed
Cauliflower (fulkopi) - 5-6 florets
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 1 big
Green chilli - 2, slited
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leave - 1
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard oil - 4 tbsp
Water as needed
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

Peel the potato and cut into cubed. Wash the cauliflower in running water and soak in salted water for 10 mins.

Clean the fish pieces and marinate with 1/2 turmeric powder and salt. Then heat the oil in a kadai and fry fish pieces till golden brown.

In the remaining oil add cauliflower and potato pieces with little salt and turmeric powder, fry till golden brown, keep aside.

In the same oil add bay leave and cumin seeds,when the seeds are splutter then add chopped onion, fry till golden brown. Add chopped tomato with little salt.

Now add ginger paste. spice powder, salt and sugar, fry on low flame till oil start to separated at the side. Add water, fried vegetables, slited green chillis and cover, let it boil.

 Once the vegetables are cooked add fish pieces, cover again and check the seasoning.

Finally sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Sending this to Merry Tummy's "Cook With Red Event"

Saffron Rice Pudding (Kesar Rice Kheer)

Diwali is just few days away and I am sure most of you would be busy preparing various sweets to distribute among family and friends. Today I am posting the recipe of Kesar Rice Kheer is an traditional, rich, creamy dessert. Made with milk, rice and sugar, it is a complete meal in itself. And when add cardamom powder, Saffron and nuts to it just amazing...

.
Ingredients :

Milk - 1 liter
Gobindo bhog Rice (Short grain basmati rice) - 200 gms (washed and soaked for 1 hour)
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cup more if needed
Cardamom powder - 1/4th tsp
Saffron - 2 tbsp
Cashew nuts and raisin - a handful

Method :

Take a thick bottom pan, add milk to it. After it comes to boil then add rice. Short grain rice are better for use in kheer as they get mixed uniformly resulting in a thick kheer.

Soak saffron strands in a quarter up of warm milk. Heat ghee in a pan, roast the nuts remove and keep aside.

After giving rice and milk mixture a boil reduce the flames to low. It taste much better in this way and there is less chance of it sticking to the bottom of the pan, keep on stirring in between.

After half an hour the kheer will be thick and rie would be very soft then add sugar, mix well. Taste the kheer and adjust the sweetness according to your taste. After 5 minutes switch off the flame. Finally add ardamom powder, saffron milk and roasted nuts, stir well. Let the kheer cool. 

You an serve it both ways- Hot & Cold. If you want to serve it cold keep it in fridge for 2 to 3 hours. I personally like cold kheer.

Sending this to Recipe Junction's "Spotlight - Festive Treats" hosted by me, Gayathri's "Diwali Special", Vardhini's "Diwali Bash" event

Triangular Nimki (Teen Kona Nimki)

Diwali is almost here and it has been a busy time with so much happening at home. I made some salty crunchy teen kona nimki for diwali. Nimki is one of the famous snacks in Bengali delicacy. Nimki is a crispy deep fried snacks that made with all purpose flour and flavor of kalonji added to it. 

Ingredients :

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
Kalonji seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - a pinch
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Refine / white oil - 1 tbsp
Water to knead the dough
Oil for frying

Method :

Take maida in a bowl, add kalonji seeds, sugar, salt, baking soda, 1 tbsp refine oil, run with hand to mix together. Then add little water at a time to make it into a tight dough. Covver and keep aside for half an hour. Divide the dough and make equal size balls.

Using a rolling pin, roll out thin puris. Fold into half 2 times consecutively giving it the shape of a trikon / triangle.Press a cloves in the middle of the triangle. Follow the same process for the remaining dough.

Heat oil in a kadai. Drop the preparing nimki into hot oil in small batches and fry on low flame. Frequently turning them and fry until golden brown. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel and let them cool.

A very delicious snacks that can be stored away in a tight container for a long time. 

Brinjal Bhindi Mustard Curry

Brinjal bhindi mustard curry is a pure vegetarian side dish. I have made bhindi mustard curry a few times in the past but this time I decided some twist to add in brinjal. The brinjal gets a little mushy and coats itself over the bhindi and potatoes. Mustard curry gives nice aroma and texture in this dish. It is goes well with hot rice and one bowl of dal. I am sending this to Viji's SYS-W series , an very interesting event where Viji will give you some hidden ingredients, you can choose your own ingredients. I have chosen 2 & 4 and my hidden ingredients are eggplant (bringal) & Ladies finger (bhindi). 

Ingredients :

Eggplant / Brinjal - 1, big
Ladies Finger / Bhindi - 10 pcs
Potato / Aloo - 2, medium
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 2
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method :

Wash and cut brinjal and potato. Wash the bhindi in running water, pat dry and cut in long.

Make a paste of mustard seeds, poppy seeds and green chilli with enough water. 

Heat oil in a kadai add chopped vegetables, salt and turmeric powder, mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame until semi-fry.

Then add mustard paste, mix well with veggies. When masala gives nice aroma then add little water on it. Cook veggies till tender. Remove from the heat.

Serve with plain rice and a bowl of dal.

Jhal Potol (Spicy Pointed Gourd)

Debipoksho begin today on Mahalaya. It start with 

" Yaa devi sarbabhuteshu, shakti rupena samsthithaa !

  Namatasyie namatasyie namatasyie namoo namah !    

Shubho Mahalaya is an auspicious occasion observed seven days before the biggest celebration of Bengalis - Durgapuja. Mahalaya mostly is a day of nostalgic and joy. Remembering the past and relishing the
countdown to durgapuja. 

         To celebrate this occasion I prepared is one of my mother's speciality dish "Jhal Potol" but I have done little modification. This is very simple and delicious Bengali dish. Potol (Pointed Gourd) is very common in Bengali kitchen during summer. Potol can be cooked verious way from fried, curry, even sweet also "Potol Misti".

Ingredients :

Potol - 6
Posto (Poppy seeds) paste - 1 tbsp
Mustard paste - 1 tbsp
Green chilli - 2
Turmeric powder -  1 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil for cooking
Chopped green and red chilli for garnishing

 Method : 

Take potol cut both ends. Peel off the skin alternately. Wash and clean the potol.

Make a paste of poppy seeds. To make a smooth paste either you can dry grind the seeds then add water to it.

Make a paste of both the mustard seeds. Soak the seeds at least for 30 minutes and add a green chilli and a pinch of salt while grinding the mustard seeds.

Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder, fry till tender. Keep the fried potol aside.

Add mustard seeds to the remaining oil. When seeds are splutter then add poppy seeds paste, stir well until golden on low flame.

Then add fried potol, remaining green chillies, salt, turmeric powder, mix with posto. 

Next add the mustard paste you made. Mix well till the vegetables get coated with the paste. Reduce the heat and cover it. The moisture from the wet ground ingredients will help soften the potols. 

Once the potol has cooked then uncovered till the extra moisture evaporates and the spices on the top of potols.

Add a little mustard oil. Garnishing with chopped chillies.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Sending this to Recipe Juntion's "Spotlight : Festive Treats", Cooking 4 all season's "Side Dish Mela", Nupur's "Festive collection-Navratri recipes", Guru's "Vegan Special'13"

Tal'er Bora (Asian Palm Fruit Fritters)

Tomorrow, on the eve of Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. Thus it is evident that Janmashtami is celebrated in every Hindu family in India with great passion and honour. Not only the Temples but even at their respective home devotees observes the birth day of Lord Krishna. A celebration just cannot be complete without a sweet treat. Especially the Bengalis commemorate this day by preparing various sweet dishes like 'Malpua', 'Tal er Bora', 'Tal er Kheer' etc. 

Taler Bora is one of the famous Bengali homemade sweets. The 'Tal or Asian Palm' fruit is available in the monsoon seasons; so in Bengali homes Taler Bora  is prepared on Janmashtami day and offered to Lord Krishna as bhog (offering made to the Gods), "Tal er bora kheye Nondo Nache re!!" are famous lines in Bangla that roughly translate means " Lord Krishna dances in hapiness as He pops Palm Fritters. in His mouth!!" My mother and mother-in-law will always religiously make different sweet dishes out of this palm fruit during this season. I learnt this recipe from my mother and the taste of this fritters are scrumptious...

Happy Janmashtami to all my blogger friends and my readers also.......

Ingredients : 

Tal / Asian palm fruit pulp : 2 cups 
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Semolina - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch
Canola oil for deep frying

Method :

Firstly, take out the top portion. Now split out the ripened fibrous outer layer of the palm fruit. 

Take out the pulp of the fruit using the help of grater in a big bowl.

Mix all together and rest the mixture for 15-20 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai or deep frying pan. Then make a small ball from the mixture and fry till golden brown. Soak the excess oil in tissue paper.

Gorgeous, Flavorful and Divine tasting Tal'er Bora is ready......