MATAR SEDDHO / COOKED YELLOW PEAS

 

This is a no-oil recipe, very popular Bengali snack, not only in Bengal but eastern India is influenced by this terrific healthy snack recipe. It is served as breakfast with toasted bread/luchi or evening snacks with a piping hot cup of tea. Boiled yellow peas with gravy, is goes very well with samosa or chat. Here after cooked, yellow peas retain their shape and nicely soaked in all flavorful spices.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Dry Yellow Peas (Matar)
1 medium Potato, cut in cubes
1 Tomato (chopped)
1/2 medium Onion
1 small Cucumber
2 tbsps finely chopped Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
2 Hard Boiled Eggs, each cut in 4 slices
A pinch of Baking Soda
3-4 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/3 tsp Ginger paste
2 tbsps fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin & roasted Dry red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Chaat Masala
1/3 tsp dry Mint leaves (coarsely pounded)
Salt to taste 

METHOD:

Wash yellow peas and soak in water for overnight.

Take yellow peas, potato and 2 1/2 cup of water in a pressure pan. Add chopped tomato, coriander leaves, baking soda, chopped green chillies, ginger paste, dry mint leaves and salt in it. Pressure cook it till 10 whistles. Let it cool naturally. Add roasted cumin and dry red chilli powder in it. Fold well.

Finely chop onion and cucumber. Set aside.

Now divide cooked yellow peas in two bowls equally.

Spread onion and cucumber on the top.

Garnish with sliced eggs and sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice on the top.

Nutritious cooked yellow peas is now ready to serve.

TIPS: If you are purely vegetarian, just omit eggs, then also it is excellent in taste.

Linking to: Spotlight : Healthy Snacks @ Cuisine Delights & Recipe Junction

PUMPKIN BHARTA / MASHED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

This is an authentic Bengali recipe. Tastes absolutely delicious, just try it. It is a great twist with very different flavor. Mustard oil is widely used as a cooking oil in eastern region of India, you may substitute with any other oil or butter, but the taste will be very different. This is not only a comfort food, but a unforgettable flavor makes it very interesting.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb / 227 gm Pumpkin
1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
2-3 Green chillies (finely chopped)
1&1/2 tbsp fresh Lemon juice
1/4 tsp Sugar (for taste)
1 tbsp Kasundi / 1 tbsp Mustard paste
1 tbsp finely chopped Coriander Leaves
2 tbsps Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash and peel pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut in large pieces.

Pressure cook it for 1-2 whistle. Let it cool naturally.

Then drain and smash pumpkin. Add onion, green chilli, lemon juice, sugar, kasundi/mustard paste, coriander leaves, mustard oil and salt in it. Mix thoroughly.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

TIPS: Mustard oil is essential for this dish. If any case, mustard oil is not available, use olive oil or
          butter in it.

PUI SHAAG CHINGRI / MALABAR SPINACH WITH SHRIMP

This Pui Shaag Chochori is very simple and can be cooked easilly. The scientific name of Pui Shaag is Basella alba, well known as Malabar spinach, red vine spinach, creeping or climbing spinach. It grows very fast. This is a typical but traditional dish of Bengal - a less spicy but titillating vegetable medley.

INGREDIENTS:
20 OZ Malabar Spinach / Pui Shaag
8 OZ Pumpkin, cut in medium cubes
2 Potatoes, cut in medium cubes
1 medium Eggplant, cut in medium cubes
1 Radish, cut in 1" long thin slices
8 OZ medium Shrimp (cleaned and washed)
1 tbsp Mustard paste
1 tsp Paach Phoron (mustard, cumin, nigella, fennel & fenugreek seeds)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
3-4 Green Chillies, cut in slits
1 tsp Sugar 
3 tbsps Mustard Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Cut and clean the malabar spinach first. Cut leaves and finely chop them. Then cut the tender stalk in 1&1/2" length. Wash them in running water. Drain all the water from it. Keep aside.

Marinate shrimp with little turmeric powder, little red chilli powder and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add marinated shrimp in it. Fry both sides for 2 minutes. Remove shrimp from the wok by using a slotted spoon. Keep aside.

Add panch phoron in the same oil. When it starts to splutter, add potato, pumpkin, eggplant, radish and green chilli in it. Fold well. Cover and fry for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.  Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, sugar and salt in it. Saute for another 2 minutes.

Add malabar spinach in it. Mix nicely. Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. At this time add fried shrimp and mustard paste in it. Fold well. Cover and cook on low heat till vegetables get tender. Remove from heat. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve hot, eat and get the taste of it with warm steamed rice.

TIPS: If you like to make this a vegetarian dish, just omit shrimp. It will be delectable
          one without shrimp also. 
          May add ridge gourd and arbi in this medley.

VEGETABLE HAKKA NOODLES

Prepare the 'veg hakka noodles' at home is very easy and simple, though it looks every elaborate. I like the smoky flavour, when I toss the vegetables. This is one of my favourite menu, because my mom prepared noodles with lots of veggies and I seldom carried it with my lunch box in school or college days.  It is a whole some meal, can be relished by everyone and kids also love it. Sometimes attractive presentation and appearance do act as a main catalyst. Thin sliced veggies gives a nice texture to the noodles.

INGREDIENTS:
100 gm Noodles
2 Shallots (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp Chopped Green onions
4 Green Beans (chopped)
3 florets of Cauliflower, cut in small pieces.
2 tbsps thinly sliced Carrot
1/4 Green Bell Peppers, cut in small cubes
1 tbsp thinly sliced Cabbage
Handful of Green Peas
1 pod of Garlic (chopped)
1/2 tsp Garlic Pepper
1 Maggie cube (crushed)
1 tbsps dark Soya Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1/3 tsp Ajinomoto
2 tbsps Olive Oil + 1 tsp Olive Oil

METHOD:
Heat 4 cups of water in a pan. When water starts to boil, add noodles, 1 tsp oil and pinch of salt in it. Cook for 3-4 minutes, don't overcook it. Drain water and pour cold water in it. Drain all excess water, so that the noodles will not be sticky. Set  aside.

Heat 2 tbsps oil in a non-stick pan. Add chopped garlic in it. Saute for 30-40 seconds. Now add sliced shallot, green beans, carrot, cabbage, green bell pepper, cauliflower and green peas in it. Fry for 4 minutes on high.

Add soya sauce, oyster sauce in it. Fry for another a minute. Now add cooked noodles, ajinomoto, garlic pepper, Maggi crushed cube in it. Fold well. Now add green onion and mix well. Fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with manchurian or as such with sauce.

 Linking to: Fast Food : Noodles - @ Easy 2 Cook Recipes

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

Sending to: "Favorite Recipes Event: Pasta or Noodle Dishes" @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen.



KASHA MANGSHO / SEMI DRIED MUTTON CURRY

A very easy to cook, kasha mangsho (Bengali mutton curry) is a traditional Bengali dish. Generally, it get cooked on Sunday lunch or dinner menu in most of the houses of Bengali communities. It is truely spicy, delicious and mouthwatering. This dish has an amazing simplicity, even though come off with a scrumptious, decent and lipsmacking preparation.

INGREDIENTS:
20 OZ or 600 gm Mutton/Goat meat (cleaned & washed)
2 large Potato, each cut in 4 pieces
2 medium sized Onion (paste)
1 medium Onion (chopped)
3-4 chopped Green chillies
2 tbsps Garlic paste
2 tbsps Ginger paste
1/2 cup Tomato Puree
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (thick)
1 tsp Sugar
2 Bay leaves
2 Green Cardamoms + 1" Cinnamon + 2 Cloves + 6-8 Peppercorns
1/2 tsps freshly pounded Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin powder
1&1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1&1/3 cup Warm Water
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (ghee)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Marinate the mutton pieces with onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and yogurt. Keep the marinated mutton in refrigerator for overnight.

Heat oil in a wok. Fry the potato pieces till it turns golden brown. Take out from oil by a slotted spoon. Keep aside. Add sugar in the same oil. Let it melt and turn reddish colour, then add cinnamon, cardamom, clove, peppercorns and bay leaves in it. Saute for 40-50 seconds. Now add onions in it. Fry the onion till it turns light brown.

Now add marinated mutton in it. Mix well. Cover and cook till spices leaves oil. Stir occasionally. Add tomato puree, green chilli and salt in it.

Keep stirring for 3 minutes followed by adding warm water and fried potatoes in it. Cover and cook on medium low heat about an hour, till mutton gets tender.

Add pounded garam masala, clarified butter and roasted cumin powder in it. Stir to mix up thoroughly. Remove from heat.

Serve hot with steamed rice, pulao, roti, naan or paratha.

TIPS: Typically kasha mangsho may be cooked in mustard oil. But I prefer to cook it in
          olive oil or normal vegetable oil.

Linking to: Pari's 'Only'-Recipes From The Royal Kitchens @ Divya's culinary journey

Linking to: Virtual Eid Potluck party @ My culinary adventures

MULO SAAG BHAJA / RADISH GREEN FRY

This is a traditional Bengali dish, eaten as a second course in Bengali lunch. I always save these greens and make it into a simple dish. A nutty touch makes it simply delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cup chopped Radish Leaves
1/3 cup finely chopped Radish
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 Whole Dry Red Chillies
2 pods of crushed Garlic
!/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp roasted sliced Peanuts
2 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash the radish leaves very nicely. Make it pat dry.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds in it. When it starts to splutter, add crushed garlic and crushed dry red chilli in it. Saute for 40 seconds. Add chopped radish in it. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Now add chopped radish leaves, turmeric powder and salt in it. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes on medium heat. Stir occasionally.

Maximum water from this leave evaporates and the leaves changed its colour, add roasted peanuts in it. Dry up all the water.

Serve with hot steamed rice or roti.

PAKA KOLAR MITHA BORA / RIPE BANANA FRITTERS

If ripe bananas are lying in my house, either I make banana bread or banana fritters. Today I made delicious banana fritters. It is a tasty treat for anytime, morning, noon, evening or night as a great snacks or as dessert. And it is a great way of kid's to take fruits. I recall my Ma making this treat for us, when bananas were at it's ripest. Everyone enjoyed this classic dessert.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Ripe Bananas
1 cup Rice Flour
3 tbsps All Purpose Flour
1/3 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Sugar / Molasses (I used sugar here)
3 tbsps Powdered Milk
3 tbsps chopped Almonds
1 tbsps Raisins
1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder
2 tbsps grated Coconut
Oil for deep frying

METHOD:
Combine ripe bananas, rice flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, sugar and powdered milk in a large bowl.

Mash all the above ingredients well. There should not any lump. Mix thoroughly by your hands to make a homegenous mixture. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

Add grated coconut, raisins and chopped almonds in it. Mix nicely.

Heat oil in a pan. Take a tablespoon of mixture from it and pour in hot oil causiously.

Follow the same process for rest of the fritters. Deep fry till it turns golden brown. Remove fritters from the oil by using a slotted spatula. Keep on Kitchen paper towel for absorbing extra oil from it.

Serve hot with piping hot tea or coffee. A delicious tasty treat!

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

Linking to: Jagruti's 'Know your Flours - Rice flour' Guest hosted @ Nithu's Kitchen