Indian Style Spicy Mashed Potatoes (Aloo Bharta)

This is a popular vegetarian dish from Indian cuisine.

Total time: 15 min     Prep time: 5 min

Ingredients:

4 large Potatoes (boiled)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tsp kalonji seeds

2 whole Dry Red Chilies

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 /2 cup finely chopped green chili

Salt - To taste

Preparation:

1.      Heat oil in a pan add dry whole red chilies and kalonji seeds. Allow this to sizzle for 45 seconds. (Don't let it burn.).When they begin to sizzle add thinly sliced onion and sauté this. Add green chill, ginger and garlic paste.

2.      Now add boiled potatoes ,salt and mix it gently. Stir well about 4/5 minutes or until potatoes is thoroughly cooked.

3.      Garnish with green chills. Serve hot with rice or rotis. Enjoy!

Moong dal with Veggies (Moong dal soup with Veggies)

Moong dal is a Bengali delicacy. The dal course is usually the most substantial course, especially in West Bengal. The split moong dal is roasted in a frying pan till it turns deep golden (not brown) and gives a nutty aroma. Sometimes it is dry roasted as well. It is then cooked and tempered with spices which only enhance the flavor. It's perfect for holidays, Hindu festival or weekend lunches. This dish is served hot with steamed white basmati rice accompanied with potatoes fries (like French fries, or shredded and fried), pickles, or a salad.

Total time: 30 min     Prep time: 5 min

Ingredients:

3 cups Moong Dal

1/2 tsp Panch Phoron

2 whole Dry Red Chilies

1 tsp Ginger (finely chopped)

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp Red Chili powder

1/4 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Sugar

Salt - To taste

2 tbsp Ghee

2 tbsp White Oil

6 pieces Green Chili (slit)

Vegetables:

2 Potatoes (halved)

½ cup Cauliflowers, (dices)

½ cup Carrot (dices)

Green beans - 6, cut into pieces

½ cup Green peas

 

Preparation:
1.      Cook the dal in pressure cooker.
2.      Heat a cooking pan. Put oil, add panch phoran, and whole dry red chilies, wait till it crackles.
3.      Add ginger; keep stirring till it turns light brown.
4.      To this add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.
5.      Sauté it for half a minute.
6.      Add vegetables and keep stirring cook till the vegetables turn tender.
7.      Add the boiled dal and salt to taste.
8.      Add 2 cups water, garam- masala and ghee.
9.      Bring to boil on low heat and remove. Serve hot garnish with green chili.

Salami sandwich with egg oil poach

This sandwich is easy to make, typically taken to work, school, or picnics to be eaten as part of a packed lunch.

Total time: 10 min     Prep time: 5 min

Ingredients:

4 slices sweet French bread or sourdough bread

2 tbsp Mayonnaise

8 to 10 slices Italian salami

2 slices ripe Roma tomato

2 or 3 Romaine leaves, torn to fit bread

2 cheeses slices (optional)

Preparation:

1.      Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Toast French bread on grill. Brush grill pan with oil and grill Italian salami until cooked through.

2.      Layer tomato, Italian salami, cheese slices and Romaine leaves on bottom half of bread and spread mayonnaise with top half of bread.

Ingredients for egg oil poach:

1tbsp Vegetable oil

1 egg

2 to 3 grinds black pepper

Salt to taste

Preparation for egg oil poach:

1.      Crack an egg into a small bowl (Don't break the yolk when cracking the egg) Heat the oil a pan, add the egg (Do this gently) and wait for

half min then season with salt and black pepper. Cook this for 3-5 min.

2.   Serve this with salami sandwich

Spicy chicken with mixed rice (Chicken kasha and Palou)

Chicken kasha and Palou, is a common delicacy in Bengali cuisine.
It is a very well known Bengali side-dish almost prepared at every Bengali households.

Total time: 45 min     Prep time: 10 min 


Ingredients for Spicy chicken/ chicken kasha :

1 whole Chicken(cut into medium pieces)

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1 bay leaf

1tsp whole garam masala.

1 large onion sliced thinly

1 large onion paste

1 large tomato (cut in a dice)

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

2tbspVegetable oil

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.      First clean the chicken very well, let it be under running tap water for at least 5mins. Take the chicken in bowl and then add the yogurt, ginger, garlic paste, red chili powder, onion paste and salt. Keep it aside for 30mins.

2.      Heat the oil in a pan add bay leaf, whole garam masala and chopped onions sauté this. Now add the rest of garlic, ginger paste and tomato into the sauté and just fry for a minute or so. Add the marinated chicken into the pan, mix it well on high heat. Cover it and cook for few minutes on low heat.

3.      Check it after 5/6mins whether the chicken has become got cooked. If it still seems to be stiff, add little warm water and cook for sometime more.

4.      A great smell will fill up your kitchen when it’s cooked. Turn off the stove. Put the cooked chicken in a bowl and garnish it with the green chili.

5.      Enjoy it with rice, chapatti or paratha.

Ingredients for mixed rice (Pulou) :

1/4 cup cooking oil

2 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

2 cinnamon sticks

2 black cardamom pods

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 carrots, peeled and cut into dice

1 cup frozen green peas

4 cups basmati rice, rinsed

2 eggs

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Salt to taste

6 1/2 cups water

Preparation:

1.      Break 2 eggs into a non-stick pan with vegetable oil and scramble it till cooked and keep aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet; fry the cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and cumin seeds in the hot oil until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, and rice; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour the water over the mixture and season with salt; gently mix to incorporate.
3. Bring the mixture to a full boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook on low until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and cook another 15 minutes. Add the scramble eggs and raisins. Stir gently before serving.

Egg Poach with Veggi

Typically an egg is poached just to the point where the white is no longer runny and the yolk is beginning to harden around the edges. . For this reason, it is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum, which will also preserve the flavor of the food.

Total time: 8 min     Prep time: 5 min 

Ingredients: 
1 egg
1/2 tsp chopped tomato (sauté the tomato for 2mins, it will give nice aroma)
1/2 tsp chopped onion
1/2 tsp chopped green chili
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp white vinegar or Lemon juice
 Salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper 

Preparation:

1.       Take a pan, add the water and bring to a gentle boil, add white vinegar (It's not essential but it improves the egg's appearance because the vinegar coagulates the egg white).

2.       Crack an egg into a small bowl (Don't break the yolk when cracking the egg) .Spin the simmering water to cool down the water .before drop in the egg.

3.      Now add the egg (Do this gently) and wait for ½ min then add the chopped onion, tomato green chili and sprinkle the salt and black pepper. Cook this for 3-5 min.

4.      Serve this with hot toast or enjoy this dish with sausage /hot dog

Ghugni bengali recipe (dried white peas with gravy)

Ghugni is an evening snack in Eastern India (Bengal,Orissa,Assam).Black-gram (Kala Chana) or dried yellow-peas or dried white peas is cooked with gravy, in the traditional eastern Indian style.

           Total time: 30 min     Prep time: 10 min

     Ingredients for ghugni:

      2 cups dry white peas

      2 boiled potatoes (cut in a dice)

      1 tsp cumin seeds

      1 bay leaf

      1 large onion sliced thinly

      1 large tomato (cut in a dice)

      1 tbsp garlic paste

      1 tbsp ginger paste

      1 tsp coriander powder

      1 tsp cumin powder

      1/2 tsp turmeric powder

      1/2 tsp red chili powder

      1 tsp garam masala powder

      1/2 tsp chat masala powder

      1/2 cup chopped cilantro

      1 tbsp vegetable oil

      Salt to taste

Ghugni Preparation:

1.      Soak dry peas overnight. In the morning pressure cook it on sim for half an hour. Take a heavy bottomed vessel, add oil, splutter cumin seeds then add cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaf fry for a few seconds.

2.      Then add garlic, ginger, tomato, green chillies fry for a minute and then add onions and fry.

3.      After the onions turn brown add the tomatoes and tamarind paste and saute for a minute.When the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy add chili powder ,garam masala powder, chat masala powder and salt.

4.      Also add the cooked dry peas and boiled potatoes .Simmer for 10 minutes.Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or chappatis.

Koraishutir Kochuri Recipe (Deep-fried flatbread with stuffed peas)

Koraishutir kochuri  is a spicy snack popular in various parts India including Uttar-Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bengal and Orissa. This is the most popular bengali breakfast dish. The usual Bengali way which uses less masala.... that gives the actual flavor of the fresh peas.
.
Total time: 30 min     Prep time: 10 min

Ingredients:

 1 cup all-purpose flour (Maida)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Butter/Melted Ghee (optional)
1/2 cup Warm Water or as needed
For stuffing
1/4 kg Peas (shelled)
1 inch Ginger
4 small Green Chili
4 tsp Aniseeds (saunf)
1/4 tsp Asafetida
Salt to taste
Vegetable Oil /Ghee for deep frying

Preparation:

1.    Take a large bowl to blend the flour with melted ghee, salt and sugar. Use enough water to make stiff but pliable dough. Cover this dough with wet cloth and keep aside.
2.    Grind the peas, ginger, green chili and aniseeds to a fine paste. Fry the asafetida till light brown. Mix in the peas paste and salt. Fry well till the paste is cooked. Take off from heat up and let it cool.
3.     Now knead dough a little again. Make small balls of the dough and cover them with damp cloth for 5 minutes. Press each ball in the center and fill it with the pea mixture. Close the opening well and flatten.
4.    Take one ball of dough and dip a corner of ball in melted ghee or oil and roll it out into 5 inches round. Repeat the same process to roll out all round dough.
5.    Heat plenty of oil in a pan/kadhai until very hot. Put in round dough and immediately start flickering hot oil over the top of it with a spatula so that it will swell up like a ball.
6.    This should take only a few seconds. Flip the round dough over and cook the other side until golden brown.
7.    Serve hot with vegetables curries or ghugni.