PABDA TEL BORI JHOL (LENTIL DUMPLINGS IN PABO CATFISH CURRY)

Today I am here with mouthwatering Bengali fish curry. 'Pabda' is one of the popular fishes in West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. It is popularly known in english 'Pabo Catfish', a very soft and delicate fish. Very simple and nutritious, hope I am able to do justice to the traditional form of cooking of this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm / 2 Pabo Catfishes (pabda mach), cut in halves
1 Tomato (chopped)
1/3 tsp Nigella Seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
8 Lentil Dumplings (daler bori)
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
2-3 Green Chillies, cut into slits
1 tbsp + 4 tbsps Oil
1 tbsps Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Marinate fish pieces with little salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a griddle, add lentil dumplings in it. fried both side till it turns golden. Set aside.

Heat 4 tbsps oil in a pan or wok. Fry fish till it turns golden from both sides. Drain oil and remove fishes.

Temper with nigella seeds and green chillies in the same oil. Add all other ingredients except fish and fried lentil dumplings. Fry till spices leave oil from the side of the wok or pan.

Add 3/4 cup water. Mix nicely.

When it starts to boil, add fried fishes and bori (fried lentil dumplings) in it. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat now.

Serve immediately with steamed rice, garnishing with chopped coriander leaves on the top.

Sending to: Taste of the Tropics @ ESHO-BOSHO-AAHARE

EGGLESS VANILLA CUSTARD CAKE

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food
A delicious eggless vanilla cake made with all purpose flour and custard powder.   First time I made cake with custard powder, trust me it tastes fabulous!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
3/4 Cup Vanilla Custard Powder
3/4 Cup Sugar (powdered)
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Water
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

METHOD:
Sieve All purpose flour, vanilla custard powder and baking powder. Set aside.

Now take sugar in a bowl, add oil in it. Mix well. Add water and beat well again.

Add flour, curtard powder, baking powder little by little. Mix well till it well combined.

Add vanilla essence. Mix nicely.

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F for 10 minutes. Dust a greased baking tray with flour. Pour the cake mixture on it. 

Keep it in oven and bake for 35 mins, till a toothpick inserts and comes out clean.

Serve and enjoy!!!

Sending to: Homely Food Event / Giveaway

ALOO KACHORI (FRIED PATTICE WITH POTATO FILLING)

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food.
Kachori means a small, crisp golden poori, stuffed by a dry spicy filling. Kachori originated in Rajasthan, but now very popular to all over India. Though, it is a street food, but a great tea-time snack too. Yummy and delicious kachoris are always mouth-melting.

INGREDIENTS:
FOR OUTER COVER:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
4 tbsps Oil
A Pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Carom Seeds (optional)
Salt to taste

FOR FILLING:
2 Potatoes (boiled & peeled)
2 Green Chillies (chopped)
1/2 " Ginger (minced)
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 tbsp Chopped Mint Leaves
3/4 tsp Dried Mango Power (amchur)
2 tsp Roasted Coriander Seeds (pounded)
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Oil for deep frying

METHOD:
Mash potatoes nicely. Add salt and other masalas, including mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix nicely. Set it aside.

Take all purpose flour, carom seeds, salt, 4 tbsps oil and asafoetida. Make a dough by adding little water in it. Keep it aside.

Make small balls of dough for making poori. 

Roll out a little like small poori, stuff 1 tbsp potato mixture in it. 

Seal the edges carefully.

Once sealed flatten it slightly. Do the same process for the remaining balls.

In a wok, heat oil for frying on medium heat. Deep fry the kachoris, till they are golden brown in colour. Remove and put them on a papper towel to drain off excess oil. Kachoris are ready, serve with Sweet Tamarind Chutney. These kachoris can be stored in air-tight container upto a week. Just warm in microwave and serve, a great tea-time snack!

Sending to: Homely Food Event / Giveaway

Jagruti's Mom's event- Food She Loved

RAVA KESARI

Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food
'Rava Kesari' is an easy, basic and flavoursome Indian sweet dish. If you have unexpected guests, do this quick fix dessert, it is really mouth-melting.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Semolina (sooji/rava)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1&1/2 Cup Water
A pinch of Orange Food Colour
1/3 Cup Clarified Butter (ghee)
6-7 Strands of Saffron
1 tsp Cardamom Powder
Dry Fruits for Garnishing

METHOD:
Boil the water and add the food colour in it. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp clarified butter, slightly fry the dry fruits and keep aside. Heat 3 tbsps clarified butter in the same pan, add semolina in it. Fry for few minutes, till it changes slight colour.

Add boiled water little by little and stirring the semolina same time, there should not be any lumps.

Add sugar now, keep stirring continuously. Add little clarified butter this time, sugar melts and semolina leaves the side of the pan.

Finally, add saffron and cardamom powder, fold nicely.

Serve garnished with dry fruits.

Sending to: Homely Food Event / Giveaway; Jagruti's Mom's event- Food She Loved; Authentic Indian Sweets @ Nivedhanam

TOMATO SOUP PULAO

Recipe Source & Acknowledment: Homely Food

An absolutely delcious rice dish, if you have leftover soup or instant tomato soup, try out this yummilicious recipe. Surely you will love it. Thanks Meenu, my family and my mom relished this flavorful pulao a lot. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Kalo Jeera Rice or Basmati Rice (washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes)
1 Cup Tomato Soup
Mixed Vegetables (I used 1 potato, 5-6 florets cauliflower, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 carrot and hand full of green peas)

1 Onion (sliced)
1" Cinnamom
3 Cloves
2 Green Cardamoms (broken)
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
3/4 cup + 1 Cup Water

METHOD:
In a wok or pan, heat 1 tbsp clarified butter. Add cumin seeds, once it splutters, add onion in it. Saute till onion turns pink.

Add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, saute for a minute. Pour mix vegetables in it. Add salt, stir for 2-3 minutes.

Pour 3/4 cup water in it. Cover and cook them for 10 minutes on medium heat, or till all vegetables are tender.

Add red chilli powder and garam masala in it. Fry for a minute or two.

It should be dry, not watery. Set is aside.

I prepared 1 cup of  instant 'Knorr' tomato soup.

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp clarified butter. Add rice and salt in it. Fry for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

Add tomato soup and 1 cup of water in it. Fold nicely. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and cover the lid. Cook exactly 15 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Pour cooked vegetables to rice. Cover the lid and shake well, so that rice and vegetables are incorporated well.

Your tomato soup pulao is ready now. Serve hot with boondi raita.

Sending to: Homely Food Event / Giveaway