SABUDANE (TAPIOCA) KI KHICHDI

Easy breakfast recipe for enjoying anytime. "Feast while you fast"...this can be a delectable fasting meal option with your friends and family.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Tapioca or Sabudana (big one)
Handful of Peanuts
1 boiled and peeled Potato
2-3 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
1/3 tsp Cumin seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
2 tbsps Green Peas (Frozen)
1 roasted dry red chilli & 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds (coarsely pounded)
1 tbsp grated fresh Coconut
1 tbsp finely chopped Cilantro
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsps Lemon juice
2 tbsps clarified butter (Ghee)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash the sabudana in enough water for a couple of minutes, drain the water completely. Cover the sago and let it remain for overnight. If possible, keep mixing it time to time and sprinkle little water on it, so that sago will be spongy and not completely dried.

Dry roast peanuts, and crush coarsely.

Cut the potato into small cubes. Mix potatoes with half portion of crushed peanuts, salt and sugar. Keep aside.

Heat clarified butter in a non-stick frying pan. Add cumin seeds. When it starts to crackle, add grated ginger, asafoetida, green chillies and curry leaves.

Now add potatoes and green peas. Stir well till potatoes are slightly brown in colour. Add sabudana and remaining portion of crushed peanuts. Mix well. Fry 8-10 minutes on medium heat till sago is crisp. Now add roasted dry chilli-cumin powder and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly.

Remove from heat. Garnish with grated coconut and chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with yogurt.

TIPS: Green peas are optional. Generally we use black salt in fasting meals, choice is 
           yours.     
           If it is not for fasting days and like little more spicy, may add garlic chutney at the   
           time of frying potatoes.
          Instead of mixing crushed peanuts with potatoes, you may add it fully with soaked sago.

          But I like peanuts little crunchy, so i need to fry half portion of it with potatoes.

Linking to: Nithubala's healthy-food-for-healthy-kids-event @ Latha's A Peek into My Kitchen

DOI MAACH / FISH IN YOGHURT GRAVY

Doi maach is a very typical but highly popular dish of Bengalis. Very easy to prepare, tastes simply delicious. This dish is best done with thick steaks of Rohu or any fresh water Carp. Buffalo Carp, Salmon or Mahi mahi also can be used for this.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Rohu fish (5-6 steaks)
1 cup Yoghurt
3/4 cup sliced Onion
1 tsp grated Ginger
3-4 flakes of Garlic
2 Green chillies cut in slits
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp peppercorns
3 Green cardamoms
3 Cloves
2" Cinnamon stick
2 Bay leaves
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup Mustard oil
1 tsp Clarified butter (Ghee)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
First de-scale, clean and wash the fish steaks. Marinate all fish steaks with turmeric powder and little salt. Keep aside.

Grind onions, ginger and garlic. Keep aside. Meanwhile, coarsely pound cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and cardamoms. keep it in a bowl.

Mix yoghurt, sugar and little salt. Beat well until the yoghurt is smooth.

Heat oil to smoking. Lighly fry the fish steaks and keep aside.

Now add bay leaves and coarsely pounded cloves, cinnamons, peppercorns and cardamoms in it. When nice aroma comes out add ginger-garlic-onion paste, little turmeric powder in it and fry till the spices are browned.

Now it is the time to add yoghurt in it. But we must careful while adding yoghurt. Add 1 tbsp beaten yoghurt with this spice, mix throughly. Again add 1tbsp yoghurt and mix well with the spices. Accordingly mix all the yoghurt with the spices slowly. Now add 1 1/2 cup warm water in it.

When it begins to boil, add fried fish pieces and green chillies. Cover the lid. Let it cook on high heat till the oil seperates and floats on the top. Add Clarified butter and taking off from heat.

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro. Serve with steamed rice.

CHINGRI MACHER MALAI CURRY / SHRIMPS IN COCONUT GRAVY

This is another delicious and mouth watering dish from Bengali cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Shrimps medium to large sized (cleaned and washed)
1 Onion ground to paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 flakes of Garlic (coarsely chopped)
1 1/2 cups Coconut milk
2 bay leaves
4 Green chillies cut in slits
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 nos Green cardamoms
2-3 nos Cloves
1" Cinnamon stick
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Sugar
3 tbsps Mustard oil
1 tsp Clarified butter (Ghee)
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (for garnishing)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Marinate the shrimps with turmeric powder, little red chilli powder, salt and lemon juice for atleast 45 mins to 1 hour.


Heat oil in frying pan. Add marinated shrimps and fry for 2 minutes till it turns golden. Drain on a paper towel.


In the remaining oil, add garlic flakes, stir for a 30-40 seconds, take out the garlic from oil. Now this oil becomes garlic flavoured, but no garlic will remain in gravy.


Now add bay leaves, coarsely pound cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms in it. Saute briefly. Add onion paste in it. stir fry till it looks light brown. Now add ginger paste, sugar and red chilli powder in it. Fry till the spices leaves oil.


Now add coconut milk, salt and green chillies. Keep it on medium heat. When coconut milk starts bubbling, add shrimps. Simmer the heat and Cook for another 5 minutes. Switched off the oven. Add clarified butter in it and mix well.


Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Chingri macher malai curry is now ready to serve.


Serve with steamed rice or pulao.

JEERA RICE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup long grained Rice (Basmati rice)
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 1/2 tbsps Caraway seeds (Shah-jeera)
2 tbsps chopped Coriander leaves
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsps Clarified butter (Ghee)
2 Green cardamoms
1" Cinnamon
2 Cloves
4 black peppercorns

METHOD:
Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the sliced onions and mix well. Heat oil in a wok. Add 1 tbsp of clarified butter. Fry onion slices on medium heat till they are golden brown. Drain on paper towel and keep aside for the garnish.

Put 2 cups of water to boil on medium heat.

Heat a flat frying pan by adding the remaining clarified butter. Add green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and caraway seeds. When the seeds start crackling, add chopped coriander leaves. It will give a nice aroma. Now add the rice in it and stirring for 5-6 minutes.

Add hot water and salt. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Now cover the lid and simmer the flame. Please dont keep opening the lid from time to time. It will be perfect in 15 minutes.

Now uncover it and place on the serving bowl by garnishing with fried onions.

Serve hot with any spicy curry or raita.

TIPS: You may use cumin seeds instead of caraway seeds.
          If you want to avoid onions, rice will be looking very nice white colour.

Linking to: Spotlight: Rice/Rotis @ Cuisine Delights & Recipe Junction

PALANG SHAKER GHONTO / SPINACH VEGETABLES MEDLEY

INGREDIENTS:
2 bunches of Spinach
2 Potatoes
1 Red Radish
1 medium sized Eggplant
1 Tomato
1 Bay leaf
2 flakes of Garlic (optional)
1 tsp Panch Phoron (A combination of cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion seeds and carom seeds)
1 1/2 tbsps Ginger paste
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp of dry roasted Cumin seeds (powdered)
2 Green Chillies (chopped finely)
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp Mustard oil
1 tsp Clarified butter (ghee)
A pinch of Garam masala
Fried Bori (optional)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash spinach thoroughly and chop. Now cut potatoes, eggplant and tomatoes into dices.
Cut radish into 1" long thin slices.

Heat mustard oil in wok. Add panch phoron, bay leaf and crushed garlic. Saute for 30 seconds. Add potatoes and radish, fry a little and cover the lid for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally till potatoes get half cook. Now add eggplant, cover the lid and fry for a little.

Add ginger paste, coriander powder, cumin powder and chopped green chillies. After frying for a minute add tomatoes in it. Cook till all spices leaves oil. Add spinach,  fried bori, salt and sugar now. Cook 15-20 minutes over medium flame.

Now add roasted cumin powder, garam masala and clarified butter in it. Mix well.

It is now ready to serve with steamed rice.

TIPS: My mom didn't put fried bori with the vegetables. She roughly crushed fried bori and sprinkled on the top of Ghonto.

BEGUN BHAJA / FRIED EGGPLANT

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium sized eggplant (Brinjal)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
2 tsps Corn flour
2 tbsps Lemon juice
2 pinches of Sugar
1/2 cup  Mustard Oil 
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Chop eggplant in thick rounds/half rounds or cut vertically. Wash and pat dry.

Marinate the pieces of eggplant with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, corn flour, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Apply this marinade on the both sides of all eggplant slices. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Heat mustard oil to smoking. Slide gently the eggplant slices into hot oil and fry till crunchy and Golden brown on low heat.

Take out from oil and drain on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve hot with daal and rice.

TIPS: As we marinated with little corn flour, so eggplant will be crunchy and not absorb much oil at the time of frying.

VEGETABLE CHEESE OMELETTE & PICKLE CREAM

INGREDIENTS:
2 Eggs
1 tsp chopped Tomato
1 tsp chopped Green Bell Pepper
1 tsp chopped Red Bell Pepper
2 tsps finely chopped Onion
1 tsp grated Carrot
1 Green chilli (finely chopped)
1 tsp finely chopped Cilantro
1 tbsp Milk
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsps Cheddar cheese
A pinch of black pepper powder
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Beat eggs, milk, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, onions, cilantro, salt, black pepper powder and green chilli in a bowl. Beat till it foamed.

Heat oil in a non-stick fry pan and pour the mixture. Simmer till it firmed. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on the top.

After a minute, fold the omelette and give it a semi circular shape. Press from the both side.

Now your omelette is ready, cut it by pizza cutter by 3-4 pieces and serve with pickle cream.


FOR PICKLE CREAM DIP
Take 1 tsp of any mixed pickle puree and 1 tbsp of yoghurt. Blend together smoothly. Pour in a small bowl and serve with omelette.