Yummy Pancake

After getting up every morning, the first thing that hits and confuses my mind is making a unique and healthy breakfast, especially for the young ones before they start for school. This probably the very usual and common problem between all homemakers. This problem becomes bigger during weekends when my family's subtle demand is that breakfast should be something special. The one breakfast item which I usually make for my family and they pretty much like it is the pancake. It doesn't require much of preparation, is pretty fast and comes out very tasty.

Ingredients:

2 Cups All purpose Flour (Maida)

2 Eggs

1 Large onion (Finely chopped)

1 carrot (grated)

1 small capsicum (finely chopped)

2 green chilli (chopped)

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp. garam masala powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

Oil

Coriander leaves (chopped)

Method:

1. Mix Flour and beaten eggs in a bowl to get a smooth paste. Add 1 cup of water, Turmeric powder, Red chili powder, Garam masala powder, Salt and sugar to it and mix thoroughly so as to get a smooth batter. Now add chopped onion, chillis, carrot, capsicum and coriander leaves and mix it well.The batter must be thick enough to spread well on non-stick pan. Keep the batter for about 30 minutes.

2. Heat a small amount of oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Now scoop pancake batter into the in about 1/4Th cup portions and spread it uniformly. Try to keep the pancake as thin as possible. Let it cook for sometime until edges are dry and bubbles are popping up and bottoms are nicely browned(about 2 to 3 minutes). Now turn it and cook the other side until browned and crisp.

Serve it with any chutney or tomato sauce.

Sweet Mango chutney

Mangoes are my all time favourite fruit and is considered as 'King of Fruits' in Bengal. I am particularly fond of fresh ripe mangoes as well as sweet, tangy and spicy mango chutney. Chutney is a very common dish served before dessert in most Bengali occasions, mostly made out of mangoes during mango seasons. I love to eat it any time especially after having meals. Chutney is prepared from ripe mangoes either sweet or sour but I always prefer sour one which gives a tangy taste to the chutney. It can also be prepared from raw mangoes which is available most of the time.

Ingredients:
2 nos. Raw or ripe mangoes
3 tblsp. sugar (depending on the sweetness of mango you can change the amount of sugar added.)
1 tsp. Salt (or as per taste)
6 to 8 Red chilli s
2 tsp. Fennel seed (sauf)
1/2 tsp. methi seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp. red chilli powder
2 slitted green chili
1 tsp. oil

Method:
1 Wash mangoes and peel off the skin and cut them into long slices. If you want you can discard the seed.

2. Heat a pan and add 3 red chilis, 1 tsp. methi seed and 1 tsp. fennel seed (sauf). Roast them for a couple of minutes and then grind them in a grinder to make powder.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add 3 to 4 red chillis, fennel seeds and mustard seeds. When mustard starts spluttering add mango slices. Stirr for a minute and add turmeric powder and salt. Stirr again for a couple of minutes and add 2 cups of water. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for about 10to 15 minutes with occasional stirring.

4. When the mango slices gets softer, reduce the flame and add sugar. stirr again and try to mash some of slices to get a chutney of thick consistency. Cook for another 5 to 6 minutes until the chutney becomes thick.

5. Remove from fire and set aside to cool. When it become cool serve it in a bowl or pour it into a jar and refrigerate it. It can be stored for long time in refrigerator.

Prawn Cabbage (Bandhakopi Chingrir ghonto)

Hello friends!! I have re-entered in my blogging world again. First of all I want to apologize for absconding so suddenly. I was really missing all my reader friends. Actually I went for a long pending and much needed vacation and spent some memorable time in my native. Now Iam back with lots of memories and most importantly loads of various new recipes from my super cook mother and mother in law which I would definitely like to share with all of you in due course of time. Here you go with the first one....

'Lau chingri' means Prawn and bottle gourd is considered to be one great combination among bengalis but this time I came to know from my mother that prawn and Cabbage is an excellent combination. The dish was so delicious that I immediately thought of putting it as my 'come back' post. This dish again is very healthy as it doesn't require any spice.
Ingredients:

250 gms Prawn (Each peeled and cut in two halves)
500 gms Cabbage (Finely chopped)
1 potato (Diced into small cubes)
1 Onion (Chopped)
1 tsp ginger paste
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Black Cumin (Kala jeera or Kalaunji)
2 tsp. turmeric powder
3 to 4 slitted green chillis
Salt
Sugar
Coriander (finely chopped)

Method:

1. Pressure cook chopped Cabbage with little salt until it becomes tender.
2. Mix turmeric powder and salt with the prawn pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the potatoes till golden brown , keep aside. Now fry the prawn pieces and keep aside.
4. Heat the remaining oil and fry Bay leaves and Kalaunji. Now add Chopped onion and grated ginger and fry for 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add Cabbage, Green chillies turmeric powder and Salt. Stir continuously for 4 to 5 minutes so that it gets mixed throughly.
6. Add fried prawn pieces and potato pieces and mix throughly. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir occasionally.Now add half tsp.of sugar and stir.
7. Add Chopped Coriander leaves and remove from fire.

Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve Hot with steamed rice.

Dahi Vada

The name Dahivada itself is enough to bring water in mouth... In this Hot summer days, it is one of the few chaat which is served chilled.This is Absolutely lip smacking snack and as you bite into a soft, melt-in-the-mouth, delicious vada, it gives a immense pleasure to your mouth and stimulate your appetite for more. It can be served as a great starter or a cold appetizer. Dahi vadas are lentil (urad dal) based savory balls which are covered with frothy fresh curds and sprinkled with spices like chili pwd, roasted cumin pwd, chaat masala, black salt and garnished with Sweet Tamarind chutney.

Ingredients:

1 cup Urad Daal (Black lentil without skin)

2 cups Fresh Yogurt(curd) (Should be sour)

1 tblsp. red chilli powder.

1 tsp. roasted cumin powder

1 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp chaat masala powder

1 tsp black salt

salt to taste

Oil for frying

Tamarind chutney:

100 gms tamarind (remove seeds)16px
50 gms dates (pitted)
100 gms jaggery
2 cups water
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (roasted)
1 tsp salt
Red chilli powder as per taste

Method:

1.Soak the urad daal in a bowl of water overnight. Grind it into a paste the next morning. Add 1 tsp salt and mix well.

2. Heat oil in a pan.Now take about a tablespoon of urad daal batter and give it the shape of vada (Doughnut shape or round). Drop the vadas slowly into hot oil and deep fry them in medium heat and then high flame until it becomes golden yellow. Take out the vadas in a large container having salt water and let it soaked until required.

3. Take the curd in a container and beat it well till becomes frothy. Now add red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala powder, sugar and black salt and mix it well.

4. For making tamarind chutney, 16pxPut tamarind, dates, jaggery and water in a saucepan and cook on a medium flame till the dates and tamarind are soft. Using a food processor or hand blender t blend mixture together into a smooth paste. Put paste back into the saucepan and onto a medium flame and add fennel seed powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and black salt. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off. Allow it to cool.

5. Take out the vadas from water and Squeeze so as to remove the excess water from it. Arrange them in a serving bowl and pour the curd mixture evenly so that all the vadas get covered completely.

6. Chill the vadas before serving. At the time of serving place 3 or 4 vadas in a small plate and garnish withe red chili powder, chaat masala powder, fresh coriander leaves and finally tamarind chutney.

"This entry goes for "Meals on Wheels" event hosted by LG of Taste of Mysore. Congrates for conducting this nice event.

Spinach cauliflower (Palak Gobi sabji)

In this season we can get lots of fresh vegetables like cauliflower, spinach, carrot which has high nutritional value. When we include a mixed veg item in our daily meal, then we can have a complete balanced diet that includes essential vitamins and minerals in our body. Spinach cauliflower sabji is mix veg which my mother used to make regularly in our child days and I still like it very much. It is cooked in bengali style using mustard oil. It is one of the healthiest dish in our regular diet as it doesn't require any spices and very less oil.

Ingredient:
1 Cauliflower (Cut in to medium size pieces)
200 gms Spinach (chopped)
2 carrot (cut into medium size pieces)
1 brinjal (cut into medium size pieces)
1 potato (cut into medium size pieces)
1 tsp. Kalaunji (kala jeera or black cumin)
2 whole red chili
2 green chili (slitted)
2 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt
Sugar
1 bunch coriander leaver (chopped)

Method:
1. Wash and cut all the vegetables. Drain water and keep aside.

2.Heat 2 tbsp. of Mustard oil in a pan. Add red chili and kalaunji. when chili turned black add all the vegetables. Saute for sometime in high flame. Now add turmeric powder, salt and slitted green chili. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes in high flame. Now reduce the flame, cover it and let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

3. when the vegetable becomes soft, add 1 tsp sugar and stir again in high flame so the excess water gets evaporated . Now add chopped coriander leaves. Cover it again. turn off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Egg Malai Curry

'Malai Curry' is a very common word among Bengali's. Its a  very special recipe  where coconut milk is the main ingredient. Malaicurry can be prepared with prawn, chicken as well as with egg. It can also be prepared with vegatables like cauliflower, parwal, potatoes etc. The preparation is almost same for both veg and nonveg. Here is the recipe for the most common form of malaicurry 'Egg Malaicurry' as egg is one of the most common nonveg item regarding its availability at home. It  taste so good that it always becomes the most delicious dish in all occasions.

Ingredients:

6 to 8 Egg (Or as required)

1 coconut ( Grate and squeeze out milk) Or 200ml ready made coconut milk.

1 onion 

10 gms ginger

2 green chilli

2 clove garlic.

1 tsp turmeric powder.

1 tsp. coriander powder.

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp.garam masala powder

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. whole garam masala (cardamom, cinnamon, clove)

salt 

sugar

Oil

Method:

1 Boil egg fully and then peel it off. Mix turmeric powder and salt with it and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan.  Put the boiled egg  and deep fry them until becomes golden yellow.

3. Blend onion,  ginger, chili and garlicin a blender to make a fine paste.

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add whole garam masala and bay leaves. when clove splutters, add the onion ginger garlic paste and fry them  for a couple of minute. Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and a little bit of water. Fry the masala until the oil get separated  from it. Add coconut milk and salt. Stirr the gravy until it gets reduced . Add fried eggs, garam masala and 1/2 tsp. sugar. Stirr it and cover  the pan and let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes in low flame. turn off the heat when the gravy becomes thick oil starts coming out of the gravy.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Chicken Biriyani

This time  my post is a very common and popular dish "Chicken Biriyani" but prepared in my own way. This is the first time I am trying something like this without knowing the conventional method of doing this. Again here I tried to make it in a easiest way, less spicy and with less oil. Try this. I am sure You will enjoy it.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice

500gms Chicken (Chicken with bone also can be used)

1 Large Onion (grated)

1 large onion (diced)

2 tbsp.grated ginger

2 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp.cumin powder

1tsp. coriander powder

2 tsp. red chilli powder

1 tsp. garam masala powder

5 to 6 cloves

4 to 5 cardamom

3 cinnamon sticks

2 Bay leaves

 10 gms cashewnut

Salt

Sugar

20 gms mint leaves

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add onion ginger and garlic paste. Fry them for a couple of minute, then add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Fry the masala and add  chicken pieces to it. Saute till the chicken is half cooked and the oil gets separates from it.

2. Wash  basmati rice properly, strain the excess water and keep aside.

3 Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and clove. Stir fry for few seconds . Add diced onion grated ginger and garlic paste. Fry them until onion becomes golden. Now add rice, garam masala, cashewnut pieces, salt(as required) and 1/2 tsp sugar. Stir properly and finally  add cooked chicken along with masala and then chopped mint leaves. Mix it properly and add water (water should be added upto the rice level just to cover the rice and chicken). Close the lid and pressure cook it it low flame until 3 whistles comes. Turn off the flame keep it aside and let the pressure comes out. Open the lid and serve hot with raita.