Easy peasy Mishti Doi (Kolkata styled sweetened yogurt in a jiffy)

Hi friends!! I am back after a long gap of more than 1 year. I had joined a job and was completely busy in settling myself in the big, bad corporate world. However, I’m kind of settled down now and would, once again, continue to share lip-smacking recipes in my blog. I’m back with a new & improved look of my blog site. Stay tuned with my blog for more interesting recipes.

What would be a more auspicious day to start a new lease of blogging life than Poila Boisakh, the 1^st day of Bengali Lunar Calendar? And, what would be a better choice of food than Mishti Doi (Kolkata styled Sweetened Yogurt), a quintessential Bengali sweet delicacy? Wish you all Shubho Noboborsho!

I never thought I could prepare Mishti Doi at my house and that also in such a jiffy and minimum effort, till I met Bipasha di, my sister-in-law in Dubai a couple of weeks back. She has been preparing this at home for many months and has received lots of appreciation from friends. She has been kind enough to share this recipe with me and here I am, sharing this with my readers. Thank you, Bipasha Di

Ingredients

Full cream yogurt – 1 kg

Condensed Milk – 600 gm

Brown Sugar – 2 tsp – you can use white sugar too, but brown sugar gives a very good flavor

Red food color – 2 drops – optional, in case you want to give it some color

Saffron – 4 to 5 strands – optional, in case you love the kesariya taste & flavor

Method

Drain excess water from the yogurt. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with a hand blender till it becomes a smooth mixture. Pour the mix in a microwave proof bowl

If you are using any color or flavor like saffron or vanilla, mix it now. Put the bowl inside the microwave and put it in high for 6 minutes

After 6 minutes, get the bowl out and rest it outside for around 1 hour till it cools down. Refrigerate it for minimum 2 hours and enjoy chilled Mishti Doi, Kolkata styled, made in a jiffy at home!!

Maachher Puli Pithe (Makar Shankranti Special)

Hello my dear friends, wish you all a very happy Sankranthi. As you all have noticed, I had been out of blogging for the last few months since I was taking some time to get settled in my new career. But trust me, I was also missing the blogging world and you all very badly. So I thought what best can be to resume my blogging than a post on Sankranthi day. This year I felt myself quite fortunate to have my mother on Shankranthi. She has prepared almost all types of pithe and we enjoyed relishing those. Here I am sharing one of those which is my most favorite one.

This particular recipe (Maachher Puli Pithe) is one of my mother's innovation and she only inspired me to go with this excellent snacks. This is a regular pithe with fish as the stuffing. It tastes very good and I suggest you all fish lovers to try this out.

Maachher Puli Pithe

Ingredients:

For stuffing

Fish(Catla/Rohu)                    250 gms
Green peas                            100 gms
Ginger garlic paste                  1 tbsp
Onion(Chopped)                    2large
Tomato(chopped)                  1 Medium
Turmericpowder                    1 tsp
Cumin powder                       1/2tsp
Coriander powder                  1/2 tsp
Garam masala                        1 tsp
Red chili powder                    1 tsp
Salt                                     
Sugar                                     1/2 tsp
Corinader leaver                     1 bunch

For coating:
Rice flour                                2 cups
All purpose flour                      1 cup
Baking powder                        1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Boil the fish pieces  for about 10 minutes until it becomes soft, Remove all the spines and mash it coarsely. Boil green peas and keep aside.
   
   
2. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion and fry for couple of minuites. Add ginger garlic paste and again saute for another minute.
   
   
3. Add turmeric powder,cumin powder, corianderpowder amd salt. Fry the spices for a couple of minute  and then add boiled peas and chopped tomatoes. Saute for a minute and add fish. Add garam masala powder and stir fry for 4 to 5 minutes.
   
   
4. Add chopped coriander and mix properly. Turn off the flame.Your stuffing is ready to pour into the puli.
   
   
5. To make puli. Mix rice flour, All purpose flour, and baking powder. Add 2 tablespoon of oil and mix with it. Now add water gradually so as to make a soft dough.
   
   
6. Make small balls from the dough and make tit flat with hand and stuff the stuffing mixture into it. Fold and seal the edges properly.
   
   
7. Heat oil in a pan, Add pulis oneby one and deep fry themuntil it becomes golden yellow and crisp outside.

Serve hot with chutney and enjoy this wonderful puli pithe as snacks.

A good news with my Chocolate Cupcakes

Friends, I have a wonderful news to share with you. After a long break I have restarted my career in IT from where I stopped three years back. I must say, I was very worried and concerned whether I will be able to back in this corporate world again. I passed many sleepless nights before the joining day. Now after successful one week in my new company I am slowly regaining the old confidence.

I might not be able to frequently make posts as I used to do earlier due to my full time engagement in my job. But definitely I wont disappoint my followers who had been supporting me all these years. I will continue posting as and when I am able to and will also drop by at your blogs regularly. Friends, I will need your best wishes and continued support in this juncture of my life

Chocolate Cupcakes

As all of you know I have tried my hand on only few baking preparations. I  am totally a beginner in this field but when it comes to my kid's favorite food I actually never compromise. I want to fulfill her wish always and so this time when she asked for chocolate muffins I tried making these simple chocolate cupcakes for my kiddo who is a great fan of cupcakes and believe me, what has come out is really surprising for me too. Wow, I can do it too!!

Ingredients:

Butter                                        100 gms

Caster sugar  (powdered sugar) ½ cups

Eggs                                           2

All purpose flour                       1 cup

Baking powder                          1 tsp

Cocoa powder                           2 tsp

Method:

1. Cream together butter and sugar by mixing with a hand mixer in a mixing bowl. Mix in eggs also. Now add all purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold it gently into the batter.
   
2. Grease 6 cups in a muffin cups . Spoon batter into muffin cups filling it ¾ of the cup.
   
3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
   
4.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and decorate it .

Kids delight- Mango custard

In this season when you can see the king of fruits everywhere, "Mango Custard" can be one of scrumptious dessert you can opt for your li'l one. I usually prepare it in the morning and keep it in refrigerator and when my kid comes back from school, she gets delighted finding a big bowl of her favorite custard with a cherry on top.

Ingredients:

Mango                         1
Milk                             2 cups
Vanilla custard powder 2 tbsp
Sugar                          3 tbsp
Powdered sugar           1 tbsp
Fresh cream (optional)  1/2 cup
Dry fruits (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the mango and squeeze out the pulp from it. Take the pulp in a blender and make a puree of it.
2. Take 1/4 cup of cold milk in and cup and add custard powder. Mix it well so as to avoid formation of lumps.
3. Beat fresh cream in a bowl  with powdered sugar to make soft peak. keep it aside.
4. Heat a pan and add remaining milk. When the milks boils add sugar and stir for a couple of minutes. Now add milk mixed with custard powder and stir again for few seconds. Finally add  mango puree and stir for a minute. When the consistency of custard becomes thick . add 2 tbsp of  fresh cream (you can make this preparation without adding fresh cream also).you can now add some dry fruits  like chopped almond, cashew, raisins.

Pour it in a bowl and add some fresh cream on top. Now keep it in refrigerator  so that custard becomes thick. Serve it chilled.

Potol Aloor Malay Curry/ Stripe Gourd Curry with Coconut Milk

Malai curry is a traditional bengali dish  which can be prepared in both veg and non veg versions. The most common ingredient in all versions of this dish is coconut milk. So the basic curry is made with coconut milk in which vegetables or non veg like egg, chicken and being added. Here I made it using veggies like Stripe gourd and potato. It can prepared with other  types of vegetables also.

Ingredients:

Potol (stripe gourd) 300 gms Potato (diced)       300 gms Coconut milk           2 cups Onion (grated) 1 Ginger  (grated) 1 tbsp Turmeric powder   1 tsp Cumin powder   1 tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Green chili paste 2 tbsp Methi (fenugreek seeds) 1 tsp Garam masala 1 tsp Salt (as per taste) Sugar   1 tsp Oil

Method:

1. Peel stripe gourd and potato and cut into medium sized pieces . Heat oil in a pan and add those pieces and fry for a couple of minute. Add turmeric powder and salt and again fry for 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pan and add methi seeds. when it splutters add grated ginger, onion and fry for a couple of minute and add green chili paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder, Cumin powder, and salt.
3. Fry the masala for sometime and when it separate oil  add coconut milk. Stir for a couple of minute and add fried stripe gourd and potato pieces and saute for 5 to 6 minutes.
4. When the potato and the gourd pieces becomes tender, and the gravy become semi thick, add garam masala and sugar and cover it for  few minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy this flavor of Bengal with your family and friends.

Awards time again!!

Friends, Today I am very happy  as I have been showered with a bunch of wonderful awards from my dear friend Babli. She is an amazing cook, a very talented blogger and a great photographer. She is having an amazing blog  with drool-worthy photos of varieties of recipes. Thanks a ton dear for your generosity. Really it feels great to get recognised and motivated by you.

I would love to pass those awards to all these well deserved blog. Happy blogging!!
Ambreen
Mary
Jay
Priya
Arundhuti
Cook from Doha
Melange
Food and taste
Julie
Sensible Vegetarian
Ria
Aarthi
Radhika
Deepthy

Sooji upma/Nonta Suji

Semolina or sooji upma is a  common breakfast item that I usually make during weekend when we get bored of eating roti sabji and bread omlete . This is a very easy preparation and I made it a healthy one too by adding vegetables like carrot and capsicum.

Ingredients:

Sooji/Semolina	2 cup
Carrot (chopped finely)	1/2 cup
Capsicum (chippes finely)	1/2 cup
Ginger (grated)	1 tbsp
Green chillis (chopped)	2pc
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1tsp
Bay leaves	2
Roasted peanut	2 tbsp
Turmeric powder	1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Sugar	1 tsp
Ghee
Chopped coriander for garnishing

Method:

1. In a pan, add little ghee and roast sooji  in medium flame for about 5 minutes. Keep it aside.
   
2. In a pan heat 1 tbp of ghee and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and bay leaves. When mustard splutters, add grated ginger and green chili. Fry for a few seconds and add chopped vegetables (carrot and capsicum) and fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and roasted peanut, salt and sugar and stir well.
   
4. Now add roasted sooji and mix it well. Pur 4 cups of water (double the amount of sooji added)to that. Stir continuously in low flame for 5 minutes.
   
5. Remove it  add some ghee adn garnish with chopped coriander.

      Serve hot as a wonderful breakfast item.