PRAWN CHA-CHADI

It is a day to day Bengali prawn curry in simple way. Last week I saw this delectable Bengali dish at COOKING AND RECIPES and decided to cook it like Ushnish da. I think everyone who is related with cooking blogosphere (Indian) is surely known about Ushnish Ghosh. He cooks everyday wonderful recipes in his Delhi kitchen for our 'BOUDI' (his wife). He is not only a great chef, but he has extreme knowledge regarding any food matter. I admire his enthuism and passion for cooking. So, today I dedicate my easy and simple but toothsome prawn recipe to USHNISH DA. I made little variation in this recipe, though I can't have much spicy, so I added spice less. If you like, may add more green chilli and red chilli powder. Adding coriander leaves in it, is my choice, and it added more flavor and aroma to this luscious dish. 

INGREDIENTS:
0.5 lb / 200 gm dressed and cleaned shrimps
1 Large Potato
1 Medium Onion
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder (according to taste)
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
2-3 Green Chillies (optional, if like enough hot)
3-4 tbsps Mustard Oil
1 tsp fresh Lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

FOR TEMPERING:
1/3 tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
5-6 freshly crushed black peppercorns
3 Green Chillies, cut in slits

METHOD:
Marinate shrimps with salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Cut potato in thin long pieces. Cut onion into thin slices. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok. Add all ingredients for tempering. Saute till green chilli changes its colour.

Following that add onions in it. Fry till the onion turns translucent.

Add sliced potato now and fry for 2 minutes.

Now add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder and kashmiri chilli powder in it. Fry for another 2 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup water in it. Mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.

At this time add shrimps in it. Fold nicely. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes on high heat. Add green chillies now. The mixture almost dry within 3-4 minutes. Don't overcook, then shrimps will becoming chewy and and little hard.

Add Coriander leaves and lemon juice in it, fold nicely again. Remove from heat.

Serve immediately with piping hot steamed rice.

May prepare this luscious dish within 20 minutes only. Enjoy your lunch table with this toothsome Bengali delicacy. 

Sending to: Cook Like a Celebrity Chef

INSTANT BREAD UPMA

Bread Upma is a simple yet flavourful quick breakfast recipe, which can be made in minutes.

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: www.sanjeevkapoor.com

INGREDIENTS:
8 slices White Bread (preferably 1/2 days old bread)
1 Potato (peeled & parboiled)
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
10 Curry Leaves
2 tbsps finely chopped Coriander Leaves
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/3 tsp Red Chilli powder (optional)
2 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/3 tsp minced Ginger
1 tsp Split White Lentil (Urad Dal)
1 tsp Bengal Gram Lentil (Chana Dal)
2 tsps Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
4 tbsps Oil

METHOD:
Break bread slices in small pieces with the crust by using your hand. Set aside.

Cut parboiled potato in small cubes and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds in it. Saute for 30-40 seconds, till mustard seed crackles and cumin changes its colour. Now add asafoetida white lentil, bengal gram lentil and curry leaves in it. Saute for another 30 seconds. A nice aroma comes out.

At this point, add onion, green chillies, minced ginger, red chilli powder and turmeric powder in it. Fry till onions turn golden.

Now add potato cubes. Mix well and fry for another 2 minues, followed by adding bread and salt in it. Mix nicely.

Keep stirring for another 3-4 minutes. Add coriander leaves and lemon juice in it. Fold well. Switch off the heat now.

Serve immediately as a breakfast palate or evening afterschool snack.

Tips: Wheat bread can be used for a healthier version
         Vegetables like green beans, peas or carrot may use in it.
         Potato can be skipped. May add tomato ketchup for making it more tasty.

Sending to: Cook Like a Celebrity Chef

PLAIN RAITA - A COOLING SIDE DISH

Always I love the protein rich thick yogurt, which offers very minimal calories. I have tried so many different varieties of raita. Here I added cucumber, onion, coriander leaves and mint leaves to make a plain raita. But you can add more to enrich the flavorand taste, as per your taste buds call for....

INGREDIENTS:
250 gm Curd / plain yogurt
2 Cucumbers (approx 200 gm )
2 tbsps finely chopped Onion
Handful of Coriander Leaves
2-3 Mint leaves chopped (preferably)
2-3 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds (powdered)
1/3 tsp black salt
1/4 tsp Chaat masala
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Whisk curd with salt, black salt and chaat masala. Keep it aside.

Wash and peel cucumbers. Chop cucumbers and coriander leaves finely. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine cucumber, coriander leaves, mint leaves, onion, green chillies with whisked curd. Mix thoroughly.

Garnish with roasted cumin powder.

Serve chill. It tastes specially good with stuffed parathas and biryani or pulao dish.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO - BEGUN TOMATO PORA

We call it 'Begun', the bengali name of aubergine, eggplant or brinjal. As per me, it is king of vegetables. Here, I roasted or broiled eggplant, discarded peels and then mashed with a little twist. It came out truely delectable. 'Begun Pora' or roasted eggplant is a very common everyday bengali dish. My mother in law added roasted tomato in it and it becomes more flavorful and tasty then. So, this is how we prepare roasted eggplant in our home....

INGREDIENTS:
500 gm / 2 medium sized Eggplants (brinjals)
1 large / 100 gm Tomato 
1 Medium Onion
2-3 Raw Red Chillies
1 small bunch of Coriander Leaves
1 tsp + 1 tbsp Mustard Oil (preferably)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash the eggplants and tomato and pat dry completely. 

Take the eggplants and cut slits into it with the tip of a knife. Rub tomato and eggplants with salt and 1 tsp of mustard oil. 

Put a eggplant on a chapatti roasted net on the direct gas flame rotate the eggplant after every couple of minutes. The skin will gradually dark and a nice smokey aroma comes out from the eggplant. 

When the skin completely charred, remove the eggplant from the flame and allow it to cool naturally. Follow the same process for rest of eggplant. 

Roast greased tomato following on a chapathi roasted net, flip time to time.

When outer skin is totally black, remove it from the flame and allow it to cool normally.( If you want to roast it in oven, preheat it in broil mode, then put eggplants inside the oven upper rack on a alluminium foil and roast it for 40-50 minutes.)

When every thing becoming cool, discard the skins of eggplant and  tomato now. Chop everything with knife.

Chop onion, coriander leaves and green chillies finely.Take a large bowl, combine roasted chopped eggplants, roasted tomato, onion, coriander leaves, green chillies, 1 tbsp mustard oil and salt in it. 

Mash everything nicely with a fork. 

Serve hot with steamed rice or warm chapattis and enjoy!!!

RUNNER BEANS (SHIM) BHARTA

Runner Beans or Shim, are a popular garden vegetable, stronger in flavor and coarser in texture than green beans. Nutritional value of this bean is too high, very low in fat and high in carbohydrate and protein, very rich in vitamin B1, potassium and calcium. They are therefore an important part of most vegetarian diet. This is one of my favourite green vegetable and this tasty scrumptious recipe I inherit from my mother-in-law. Just try and taste this bharta with boiled rice or plain roti, surely you will say yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
500 gm Runner Beans
2 Medium Onions
6-7 Pods of Garlic
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/3 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Garam masala powder
1 Medium Tomato (finely chopped)
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Nigella Seeds (kalonji)
A pinch of Asafoetida
3 Green Chillies
2 tbsps finely chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves
1/2 tsp Sugar (for flavor only)
3 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash all runner beans nicely.

Trim each of the runner bean from its top and tail part and make a cut in the middle with your knife edge.

Now boil all the runner beans for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool down naturally. Then drain all excess water from it. Now mash it nicely and keep aside.

Chop onions finely. Mince garlic and green chillies. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok. Add bay leaf, nigella seeds and asafoetida in it. Saute for 20-30 seconds. Now add chopped onion, minced garlic and green chilli in it.

Fry till onion turns golden brown. Add ginger paste, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder in it. Fry for another 2 minutes.

Now add chopped tomato and salt in it. Fry for another 4-5 minutes till tomatoes get mushy.

Then add mashed runner beans and sugar in it. Fold nicely. Let all the excess water evaporate from it. Keep stirring occassionally. (It will take approximately 10 minutes on medium heat)

Now add chopped coriander leaves in it. Keep stirring for another 2-3 minutes and switch off the heat.

Serve hot with steamed rice or any Indian flat bread, a toothsome and scrumptious side dish.

Linking to: Favorite Recipes Event: Lentil/ Legume/Beans recipes