Healthy Oats Upma

It’s been more than 45 days since I had uploaded my last blog post. And, what a terribly hectic period this has been! There was immense work pressure in the office. To add to the woes, my elder daughter’s school too scheduled their exams in this period.

Well, daughter’s exams have got finished and work pressure in the office, too has kind of eased off. The biggest casualty in this period was cooking. I would virtually fix dinner with whatever I could get near me at that time.

And for the breakfast, it was Oats, Oats & Oats. Blame it on the quick & non-fussy way it gets cooked or the healthy-lots of fibre-low calorie tag associated with that. The last Sunday, I said enough is enough. I need to make a breakfast which my kids & hubby would love to have.

For some reasons, my mind was so clouded with Oats, I wondered if I could make something interesting out of Oats only. Thus was born Oats Upma. Try this out, I bet you’ll love it.

Ingredients

Oats – 200 gms

Onion – 1 Large, chopped

Carrot – 1 medium, grated

Green peas – ¼ cup (optional)

Green chilli –  3 to 4, chopped

Peanut – 2 Tbsp

Chana daal – 1 Tbsp

Curry leaves – 8 to 10

Mustard – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves – 1 bunch, chopped

Sugar – ½ tsp

Salt as per taste

Method

Heat a pan and dry roast the oats for 3 to 4 minutes with constant stirring so as to avoid burning of the oats. Remove it and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add peanut and fry for 2 minutes. Add Chana daal in that and stir fry for half a minute. Add Mustard and Curry leaves. When it starts spluttering, add onion & green chili and fry for some time. 

Add grated carrot and peas and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and mix well.

Now add roasted oats and mix well. Reduce the flame and sprinkle  water slowly, little at a time so that it doesn't become sticky. Cover with a lid and cook it for a minute and   then add some more water continue to stir with spatual till the oats become soft but not sticky. Add 1/2 tsp of Sugar, fried peanuts & roasted chana daal and mix well

Finally add chopped coriander. Switch off the flame and keep it covered for few minutes.

Oats Upma is ready to serve for a healthy yet tasty breakfast.

Chhanar Jilipi / Chhena Jalebi - Fried sweetmeat made of cottage cheese drunken with sugar syrup

This post is late by more than a week. It was supposed to be uploaded immediately after 14^th June’13, the day of Jamai Shoshthi. I had made this quintessential Bengali sweet for the first time that day and had dared to try because the day was so special to my hubby.

Jamai Shoshthi is a traditional Bengali ritual with a slight religious touch where the son-in-law is pampered and fed by his mother-in-law. In our decade long married life, my mother has managed to be with us during this occasion a couple of times. Needless to say, both the times, she took excellent care of my hubby.

In her absence, this great responsibility, very naturally comes upon me. I, being a passionately-foodie and love-to-cook type person, welcome this opportunity to cook up a delectable spread, which my whole family relish.

This time, though I had cooked a range of mutton, fish and typical Bengali shaak-shukto, I wanted to make something sweet for him and zeroed in on Chhanar Jilipi or Chhena Jalebi.  This is a jalebi, but unlike the traditional fermented besan made one, it is made with Chhana (cottage cheese) mixed with Khoya (dried up milk).

Ingredients

For Jilipis:

Paneer(Chana) – freshly prepared  from 2 litres of milk
Khoya – ½ cup
Maida – 4 tbsp
Sooji (semolina) – 2 tbsp

Baking powder – ½ tsp
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Oil for frying

For sugar syrup:

Sugar 3 cup
Water 3 cup

Cardamom powder – 1tsp

Method

Prepare chhana freshly at  home adding a Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar in boiling milk. Drain the excess water and run tap water through the chhana to get the smell of lemon/vinegar from it. Try to get out all excess water out of it.

Take chhana and khoya in a flat bottomed vessel and mix well. Rub it continuously with your palm and knead it for quite sometime till it becomes a soft & smooth dough without any lump and doesn’t stick in hand.

Add maida , semolina and cardamom powder and baking powder and knead it well to form a soft and smooth dough.

Keep the dough  in a bowl covered by a moist cloth or cling film. Put the bowl in room temperature for 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Divide the dough into  equal sized round balls . Now roll each balls with your palm into a long thick  rope. Coil the rope into  one and half turn leaving small space in between, as shown in the picture.

Heat oil in a pan and when it’s smoking hot, put the flame in low. Slowly drop the jilipis in oil and deep fry till they turn golden yellow.

Prepare the sugar syrup with putting sugar and water in given ratio and by boiling the syrup till the sugar gets melted completely with the consistency is near to one string. Put some crushed cardamom in the syrup.

Take out the fried jilipis from the pan and drop into the warm syrup and keep them fully immersed in it for 3 to 4 hours.

Juicy Chhanar Jilipis are ready to be served as sweet ending to a sumptuous meal.

Chicken Bharta Roll – deep fried shredded chicken pancake roll

As I was mentioning in my last blog post, children become hyper active during summer vacation. They would be running, jumping and playing all day, as a result of which they would feel hungry every now and then.

The most common request my daughters would put to me as soon as I return from office in the evening, is to make some snacks for them. It’s a challenge for me to think out something new and innovative every time.

That day, confronted with a similar request, I was at my wit’s end to make something attractively delicious. Then I remembered that I had got some boneless chicken in my freezer, which I had got last night. It was meant for making something for the dinner but for some reason, I couldn’t make it.

Like a lightning bolt, this idea came to my mind. It’s a fusion of Chinese Spring Roll and typical Bong chops. I must say, the end result came out to be so crisp and yummy that the plate was finished within a little time. As I had to shred the chicken to make this dish, I named it Chicken Bharta Roll.

Ingredients

Filling:

Chicken Boneless – 250 gms

Onion – 2 Large, finely chopped

Ginger – 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Garlic – 6 cloves, finely chopped

Green chilli – 3 to 4, finely chopped

Green peas – ¼ cup, boiled

Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Salt as per taste

Chopped coriander leaves

Coating & batter:

Flour – 1 cup

Egg – 2 nos

Chilli powder – ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Corn flour – 2 Tbsp

Salt as per taste

Bread crumbs for coating

Method

Wash the chicken pieces and boil them in a pressure cooker with little salt. Take the pieces in a mixing bowl and shred them into fine pieces. Keep the bowl aside.

Heat  little oil in a pan, add chopped onion and fry them until they become softer. Add grated ginger, garlic and chopped green chilli. Fry them in high flame for 2–3 minutes and then add turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt.

Add chicken and boiled green peas. Mix them well, sauté on high flame for 3–4 minutes. Add chopped coriander and mix well. Filling is ready. Take it in a bowl and let it cool.

Now take a mixing bowl and add flour, salt, chilli powder, cumin powder and 1 egg and finally add some water. Beat the mixture nicely to make a thin batter.

Take and flat bottom nonstick pan and heat it.   Pour some batter and spread it over the surface. Once it is cooked it will look like a thin pancake. Take it out and keep in a plate. 

Pour some chicken filling over the pancake and roll it in the way shown in the photo. Repeat the process to make more rolls.

In a bowl, beat another egg and mix with 2 tbsp of cornflour and salt. Dip the rolls in the  batter and coat them evenly with bread crumb spread on a plate. Once they are coated well, they would be ready to fry.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the rolls till they turn golden brown in color and crispy.

Take them out in paper towel to remove the excess oil. Chicken Bharta rolls are now ready to be served with your choice of sauce.

Cheesy Veggie Quesadillas - as easy as a child's play

All through the year, kids look forward to their summer vacation. When it comes, they become so happy that they become hyper active and tend to go out of bounds. As a working mom, my job to keep them engaged with studies, activities & games, is getting tougher day by day.

My elder daughter Kuhu, who is normally a well-behaved 8 year old, keeps on jumping on her toes during these days, as if her feet are tied on spring boards. One of her new found passion this vacation has been spending time in kitchen with me. She would watch me intently and try to help me by running errands.

The other day, she came running to me saying that she had just watched a cookery program in TV where they showed how to cook Quesadillas. She was very excited and almost forced me to agree to her demand that we would prepare Quesadillas at home and …………….………she would help me in cooking actively.

Well, it turned out to be a really enjoyable experience. Except for cutting and frying, she did all the hard work including kneading dough, cutting in shapes, making the parcels and sealing them at the ends. The Quesadillas were fabulous and both my daughters enjoyed eating them as evening snacks.

Ingredients

Onion (finely chopped) – 1 no

Tomato (finely chopped) – 1 no

Capsicum (finely diced) – 1 no

Corn kernel (boiled) – ½ cup

Green chili (chopped) – 1 no

All purpose flour – 1 ½  cup

Shredded mozzarella cheese – 1 cup

Coriander leaves (chopped) – 1 sprig

Crushed black pepper – ½ tsp

Cooking oil – 2 Tbsp

Salt – as per taste

Method

Wash vegetables separately and keep them in a strainer so that water drains off completely.

Mix together Flour, salt and 1 tbsp of oil in a large bowl. Add water slowly, mixing with hand to make a soft dough. 

Knead a few minutes on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Lubricate top with oil, put back in bowl and let it rest, covered for 10 minutes.

Spread the dough on a floured surface and roll it out into a big size and thickness you prefer. Take a cookie cutter or a stainless steel bowl with sharp edges and cut out small tortillas out of it (as shown in the photo).

Take one tortilla and spread 1 tsp shredded cheese on it and then add chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves and diced capsicum on top of that and finally, sprinkle some salt and pepper.

Take another tortilla. Wet the edges with water and cover the tortilla with vegetable with it. Seal the edges by pressing with a fork. Repeat the process with some more tortillas. Your Quesadillas are ready to fry.

Heat oil in a pan with around ½ inch depth.  Fry the Quesadillas, turning over occasionally, until they turn golden yellow. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel to drain off extra oil.

To make Salsa, take the left over chopped onion, tomato & coriander leaves in a mixing bowl and add one chopped green chili. Add little bit chilli sauce (I didn’t add much as I was making them for my kids), tomato ketchup and sprinkle a little pepper powder and salt to taste. Mix it well. You can make this beforehand and refrigerate for an hour.

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Enjoy your evening with smoking hot Quesadilla served with Salsa.

Maachher Dimer Bora/ Fish Roe Fritters

It is said that, Bengalis are so avid fish-eater that they eat each & every part of fish. Apart from the fish, it’s oil and the head, the biggest delicacy Bengalis look forward to, is the eggs or roe of fish.

Internationally, the two most sought after fish roe are Tobiko (Japanese for Flying Fish roe, the crispy little things which they use in some variants of sushi) and of course, Caviar (Sturgeon fish roe, mainly found in Caspian Sea). Unlike those, which are mainly eaten after curing and seasoning in presevatives, Bengalis love their fish roe fresh & as fried into fritters.

Though, the more regal & hyped roe comes from Hilsa or Ilish fish, fritters or Boras are made from Rohu/Katla, the fish from the Carp family. It’s highly recommended that only fresh fish roe are used to make this preparation.

Ingredients

Fish Egg/roe –  250 gms (I used Rohu fish eggs)

Onion – 1 large (Chopped)

Garlic –  5 to 6 cloves (finely Chopped)

Green chili – 3 to 4 (chopped)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Chili powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves – finely chopped

Salt – As per taste

Oil for frying

Method

Clean the roe by washing thoroughly under running water. Take it in a large pan and add 3 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt.

Boil the fish egg in water for 10 to 15 minutes in low flame till it becomes hard and slightly pink in color. Check the water level in between as eggs soak water and increase in volume.

Remove the eggs and drain off the water completely. 

Take it in a mixing bowl and crumble it into fine pieces. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, green chili, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, chopped coriander leaves.

Mix it well and and if needed, add some water to it to make it a thick gooey mixture. Make small balls out of it and flatten them.

Heat 1 cup of oil in a pan and drop the flattened balls in it. Fry them in medium flame until they become golden brown in color.

Take them out in a paper towel to remove excess oil. Maacher dimer bora or Fish Roe fritters taste heavenly when served with steamed rice and Musur Daal (Red lentils). This is an excellent evening snacks too.

Beetroot Cabbage Sprouted Moong Thoran

Despite the fact that deep in my heart I’m a pure unadulterated Bong, I have an ever-growing curiosity to try out food from various cuisines around the world. Ever since my marriage, I have been staying in the Southern part of India, first Hyderabad and now for the last 9-10 years, in Bangalore. I never get tired of picking up recipes from my southern friends & neighbours and try those at my house.

The one cuisine of South India, that particularly never ceases to amaze me because of its richness and variety, is the Malabari or Keralite cuisine. During Onam, the Malayalis prepare an array of vegetarian dishes which they call as Sadya. Of all the Sadya dishes, the one which I’m very fond of is the Thoran. Thoran is prepared with mainly cabbage (there are variants which use other veggies too!), cooked with coconut, onion & garlic in very little oil.

Here I am, with my own version of Thoran where I have used Beetroot (no prize for guessing….me being a beetroot fan-a-tic) along with cabbage and sprouted moong. It's absolutely easy to cook and a very healthy food.

Ingredients

Beet root(thinly sliced) – 1 cup

Sprouted Moong daal – ½ cup

Cabbage (chopped) – 1 cup

Onion (thinly sliced) – ½ cup

Garlic (finely grated) – 5 to 6 cloves

Coconut(grated) – 1 cup

Green chili (chopped) – 3 nos

Red chilis – 2 to 3

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 7 to 8

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Cooking oil – 2 Tbsp

Salt – as per taste

Method

Wash vegetables separately and keep them in a strainer so that water drains off completely.

 Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and red chilli. Add curry leaves and after few seconds add chopped garlic and onion. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until onion become soft. Add sprout and mix well.

Add Beetroot and stir fry for some time and then add chopped green chilli, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Lower the flame, cover it and let it cook for 7 to 8 minutes with stirring occasionally.

When the vegetable becomes little soft add finely chopped cabbage and mix again. The idea of cabbage being added at a later stage is to keep it little crunchy. Cover the lid and cook it for another 6 to 8 minutes.

Now add grated coconut and mix it well with the vegetables. Cover it and cook for a couple of minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander and your healthy Beetroot Cabbage Sprouted Moong Thoran is ready to eat with smoking hot steamed rice.

No-oil Murg Malai Tikka

It’s official!!! There’s no denial that both me and my hubby are die-hard fans of kebabs and tikkas. We literally gorge like greedy gluttons as soon as a kebab platter hits our table in the restaurant.

Though we like virtually all types of kebabs, it’s the Awadhi & the ones having their roots in the North-West frontier region, are our most favorite. Of these, I’m particularly fond of the fair-complexioned Murg Malai Tikka.

No over-powering tandoor spices, no artificial color…….only pure, aromatic & succulent pieces of chicken, which melt in the mouth so easily. To make it more guilt-free and healthy, I tried out this version which is absolutely oil-free. The credit for this recipe goes to Santanu da, my brother-in-law from Dubai, who keeps on re-inventing recipes. Thank you Dada for this wonderful version of malai tikka.

In case, you overlooked the last sentence, let me take the privilege of introducing a complete no-oil Murg Malai Tikka, which is no less in taste & flavor. In fact, when I tell this fact to my guests after they have had a couple of tikkas, they find it so hard to believe that you can actually make  such a tasty kebab without using a single drop of oil.

Ingredients
Chicken thigh – 750 gms, boneless cut into 1.5 inch pieces

For 1^st marination
Lemon juice – 2 tsp
White pepper – 1 tsp

For 2^nd marination

Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Fresh/canned cream – 350 gm
Mozzarella cheese – 150 gms, crumbled or shredded
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Coriander leaves – 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
Green chilli – 1 to 2 chilies, finely chopped

Method
Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towel. Prick them with a fork so that the marinade can go deep inside.

Marinate the pieces with the 1^st marinade items and keep it covered for around 15-20 minutes. Afterwards, mix all the items of 2^nd marinade with the chicken, cover it and keep it refrigerated for at least 1.5 - 2 hours.

Pre-heat the oven in 360 ^o F or 180 ^o C temperature. Line up the base of a oven proof flat container with 2 folds of aluminium foil. Put the marinated chicken pieces on the foil, neatly separated from each other so that they don’t overlap with each other.

Cook the chicken in grill mode for around 15-16 minutes, turning them with a tong after 10 minutes. Put the oven in broil mode and cook it for another 4-5 minutes for getting the nice burnt color.

Enjoy deliciously succulent pieces of Murgh Malai Tikka with your favorite dip and salad.

Crispy Beetroot Cutlet

Why Beetroot? As a mother of two growing daughters, I have the daunting task of making tasty yet healthy snacks for them every evening. Those who are on the same situation as me, would definitely agree with me that how difficult it is to combine taste & health in a nice way.

Very few veggie can match the nutritional value of the humble beetroot. Beetroot contains potassium, magnesium & iron as well as vitamins A, B6 & C and Folic Acid. It also contains carbohydrates, proteins, powerful antioxidants and soluble fiber. Not only is beetroot great for boosting stamina and making muscles work harder, but also can help in reducing blood pressure as well as its associated risks such as heart attacks & strokes.

If the above info is too technical to digest, don’t worry too much. You’ll find beetroot cutlet, made as per the recipe given in this blog, to be a nice & tasty evening snacks, which would bowl over your loved ones.

Ingredients
For Filling
Beetroot – 2 Large size, grated
Carrot – 1 large, grated
Potato – 1 Large
Green peas – 1/2 cup, optional
Peanut – 2 tbsp, roasted and peeled
Raisins – 1 tbsp, soaked
Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Green chilli – 3 Chopped
Fennel seed – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Spices – Cumin, Coriander, Fennel seeds in equal amount
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – As per taste
For Coating
Cornflour – 1 tbsp
Flour – 1 tbsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Egg Beaten – 1 no, optional if we are not making it pure vegetarian
 Oil for Frying

Method

Boil potato and mash it slowly with hand. Keep it aside. Dry roast Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel Seed and then grind into fine powder.

Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds. Add Ginger paste and chopped green chillis. Fry for some time and then add grated vegetables and sauté for few minutes. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt and cook till veggies become soft. Add mashed potato and stir again.

Add boiled Peas and roasted peanut and roasted spices. Mix well with the veggies.
Cook till veggies get mixed completely. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool for some time. Take a small portion of the mixture in you palm and roll it and then press to give the shape of a round cutlet.

Take a bowl and add cornflour, plain flour and pinch of salt and water to make a batter of medium consistency.  Beaten egg (optional) can also be used. Take another bowl and pour some breadcrumb and spread it.

Dip each cutlet in the batter and then roll them into breadcrumb and make sure the cutlet is coated well with that. Coat all cutlets like this and keep them refrigerated for an hour. Your cutlets are ready for frying.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the cutlet in medium flame until it turns golden brown.
Serve hot along with your favorite sauce/dip.

Healthy Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken or Murg Makhani is, undoubtedly India's best culinary export to the world. There are not many Indian restaurants around the globe which don't serve Butter Chicken. It is a thick yoghurt-tomato based gravy preparation of chicken, best enjoyed with either Roti, Naan or Pulao.The origin of this dish is credited to a  certain Kundan Lal Gujral, who had started preparing this in his Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshwar of pre-independent India. After partition, he shifted to Delhi and opened Moti Mahal there. This preparation was particularly popular with the Sikh/Punjabi community who is said to have made it popular through their diaspora in UK, USA, Canada et al

Though Butter Chicken is known to be a high-calorie dish, I have tried to reduce some calories by giving it a healthy twist. Instead of frying the chicken pieces, we would be  grilling them in the oven and also using very little oil & butter during cooking

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg, either boneless or with bone cut into cubes

Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Onion paste - 2 tsp

Tomato –  2 nos, made into puree

Oil – 3 to 4 tsp

Yogurt - 1/2 cup, beaten

Fresh cream -1/2 cup

Cloves - 2

Cardamom - 4 to 5

Cinnamon sticks - 1 piece of 1” size

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi) - 1 Tbsp

Salt - according to taste

Sugar – ½ tsp

Butter - an 1" size cube

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Marinade

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Red chili powder- 1 tbsp

Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Hung yogurt – 2 tsp
Garam Masala powder – ½ tsp

Salt- according to taste

Ginger paste- 1 tsp

Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 2 tbsp

Salt- according to taste

Oil- 2 tsp

Method

Clean and wash chicken pieces and drain out excess water completely

In a bowl add chicken and all the marinade ingredients together. Mix well and let it marinate for minimum 5 – 6 hours or overnight

Pre-heat the oven in 425^o F/200^o C. Put an aluminium foil on a tray, put the marinated chicken pieces on that. Place the tray on the top rack and grill for 18-20 minutes. Half way through, baste the chicken pieces with oil and turn them around

In case you don't have an oven, you can pan fry the chicken. Spread very little oil in a non-stick frying pan and put the chicken pieces, brown both sides by quickly turning in high flame. Reduce the flame, cover the pan with a lid and cook for around 7-8 minutes, turning the chicken pieces in between, to evenly cook them

In a heavy bottomed wok, add oil and heat. Now add whole cardamom, cinnamon stick and clove to the hot oil

Add ginger-garlic paste and onion paste. Fry till it turns golden yellow. Now add chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and Cumin powder. Add a little water and fry till oils start separating from it. Now add tomato puree and again stir for couple of minute in high flame

Reduce the flame and add beaten yogurt  Stir a little and add salt and sugar as per taste. Stir the thick creamy gravy and then add grilled chicken pieces slowly. Wrap the chicken pieces with the thick gravy and add half 1 cup of water with garam masala powder. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes

Now add fresh cream(optional, used to make the gravy richer) and Kasoori methi and stir slowly. Cover it again and cook for a couple of minutes

Garnish it with Coriander leaves and the cube of butter. Serve hot with Roti or Naan