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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

PALAK FRITTERS/ SPINACH FRITTERS



PALAK FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS


Fresh palak/ spinach leaves
Besan/ chickpea
Rice flour
Salt
Sugar
Red chilli powder(optional)
Chat masala or black/rock salt
Oil for frying.

PROCEDURE

This is a very easy dish to prepare . Less time consuming , yet very tasty dish. These fritters can be enjoyed as a snack with tea or coffee or as a side dish with dal chawal or even khichdi on a rainy day.
It is very important to choose the leaves which are crunchy and fresh. Wash them nicely. Now in a bowl , make a very thick batter with besan/chickpea, rice flour (one fourth of besan), salt (according to taste) and sugar (very little). To make it spicy you can add red chilli powder too. Allow the batter to rest for 5-10 minutes and beat it again nice and smooth. Heat the oil to a deep frying temperature. Lower the flame. Nicely coat each leaf with the thick batter and deep fry them on a medium to low flame, two to three leaves at a time. Drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel . 
Before serving, arrange the fritters on a platter and sprinkle some chat masala or black/ rock salt on them.

Spinach greens are supposed to be highly nutritious with great health benefits. Deep frying them is not that healthy as this process will definitely lower the nutrition quotient of vitamin K and iron by several degrees. But, once in a while it is all right to give in to your food cravings and allow yourself an occasional indulgence. Happy snacking !!

MY RECIPE, MY STYLE

KHICHUDI AND LABDA/LABRA WITH BEGUNI ( KHICHDI AND MIXED VEGETABLE WITH BRINJAL FRITTERS)





KHICHUDI/ KHICHDI

INGREDIENTS

one cup gobindobhog rice (gowindabhog)
one cup +1/4th mug (moong) dal
veggies like potatoes, cauliflower, broad beans , cowpea, green peas, carrots ( I like)  etc.
mustard oil
ghee
salt
haldi powder
sugar (optional, but most Bengalis add)
tomato+ginger+green chilli paste
bay leaves for tempering
dried red chillies for tempering
jeera / cumin for tempering
jeera powder or paste

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour atleast. Roast and soak the daal as well. Bring water to boil in a deep bottomed pan or handi. Add the rice followed by the daal. Add salt and turmeric and let it boil.
IN another kadhai heat mustard oil , temper with tejpatta, whole cumin and dried red chillies. Add tomato +ginger+ chilli paste, cook for a while. At this stage you may add cumin paste/ jeere bata or jeera powder.  Then add salt, haldi, sugar, veggies and fry them nicely with the masala.
Now assemble the tempered and fried veggies and rice and dal and let it cook on a medium flame. After one good boil adjust the seasoning. Add ghee. Once done sprinkle jeera powder (freshly roasted and ground). Cover the pan. Allow atleast 15minutes of standing time.
Some like their khichdi runny/ watery,  some like it thick . Some with a generous amount of ghee or butter, some like it light. When it comes to serving and taste , I always say, "TO EACH HIS/ HER OWN". 


LABDA/ LABRA (MIXED VEGETABLE)


INGREDIENTS

Mustard oil
Panch phoran
Dried red chillies (Shukno lonka)
Ginger paste
Green chilli paste
Salt
Turmeric
Sugar
Ghee
Roasted and ground panch phoran (bhaja moshla)
Veggies like potatoes, cabbage,banana stem, brinjal, parwal, beans, broad beans, pumpkin, raddish, carrots.. 

In nicely heated mustard oil add panchforan, dried red chillies, little bit of ginger and green chilli paste , all the veggies , salt, haldi, sugar, fry on a high flame for  few minutes then cover the kadhai with a heavy lid and cook on a low flame till done and the water has dried up. Once done add ghee and ground panch phoran and keep it covered till served.

NOTE:-
You may cut the veggies as per your liking but traditionally, potatoes, pumpkins, raw banana, brinjals are cut into cubes. Whereas the others like carrots, raddish parwals are cut lengthwise. Banana stem is cut into smaller pieces compared to other vegetables.

BEGUNI (BRINJAL FRITTERS)

INGREDIENTS

Brinjals , thinly sliced , length wise or round
Besan ( chickpea), rice flour (one fourth of besan), salt, haldi, kalo jeere/ kalounji/ nigella seeds ( few)
Chat masala or black salt (to sprinkle on the fritters while serving)

Slice the brinjal and smear the slices with very little salt+haldi+sugar and keep aside. For the batter mix all the ingredients nicely with water. The batter should not be very thin, the consistency should be such that you are able to coat each slice nicely .
The last step is to fry the eggplant slices nice and crispy.
Always make sure that you have smoked the oil properly before frying. turn off the flame and reheat the oil, keep it on a medium flame while frying the fritters. It helps if a little hot oil ( about a tablespoon) is added to the batter and mixed well before dunking the slices. This trick works for almost all types of deep fried food.


MY RECIPE, MY STYLE

Monday, February 20, 2017

NIGELLA (SEEDS) CHICKEN/ KALOJEERE MURGI..

KALOJEERE MURGI





INGREDIENTS

Boneless chicken- 250gms
Butter- 4tsp
nigella/ kalojeere/kalounji paste- 1/2 tsp
gg paste/aada-roshun bata-1 tspn
green chillies/knachalanka-2-3pc
criander paste/dhonepatabata-1tspn
curds/tokdoi- 4/5 tsp
APF/maida/moida- a pinch
red chilli powder/lanka gnuro-1 tspn
salt and sugar/ labon-chini- as per taste
lemon juice/lebur rosh-1/2 tspn

Beat the curds with a pinch of maida nice and smooth. In a bowl smear the chicken properly with all the masalas, curds , lemon juice and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. In a deep bottomed pan/wok, heat the butter and add the chicken with all the marinade. Keep stirring and cooking on low to medium flame till done. For increasing the gravy you may add a little milk. Best had with rumali rotis or paranthas. A must try dish.


 Doi ta maida diye bhalo kore phentiye nitey hobe. Tarpor Chicken e bhalo kore shob moshla makhiye,1 theke du ghonta fridge e rekhe ditey hobey. Akta kodai ba pan e makhon ta gawrom kore mangsho ta koshiye nitey hobey..proyojon e ektu dudh ditey hobe..gravyr jonno. Gas off kore kichhukkhon rekhe diye,gorom gorom rumaali ruti ba pawrotar sathe poribeshon...

RECIPE COURTESY- Nilanjana Das (TPA/FB)
PICTURE- MINE



GHEE ROAST CHICKEN

GHEE ROAST CHICKEN









Chicken - 500gms
Ghee-  100 -150 ml.
Onions- 2 (medium)
Ginger- 1 inch
Garlic- 50gms
Green chillies- acc to taste
Yogurt- 2tbspn
Salt- acc to taste
Sugar - 1/4 tspn
Turmeric- 1/2 tspn
Cumin powder- 1tspn
Coriander powder- 1/2 tspn
Black pepper powder- 1/2 tspn
Red chilli powder- acc to taste

Asfoetida, dried chillies, bay leaf and fennel seeds for tempering.

Marinate the chicken pieces with ogg paste, green chilli paste, salt, sugar, haldi ,cumin and coriander powder and yogurt.
Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

IN a wok or pan add ghee and let it heat properly. Now temper it with dried red chillies, bay leaves, asfoetida and fennel seeds.
Add the marinated chicken and cook it covered on a low flame .
You have to be vigilant . Please
keep turning the chicken pieces every 3-4 minutes till cooked.
Check the dish and adjust the seasoning before turning off the flame.

Serve with your choice of breads or just as a starter.

- MY RECIPE, MY STYLE






Friday, February 17, 2017

HUES / प्रकृति के रंग.....

Delicate hues with a strong message...
I do not know much about anger management nor do I know the art and science of analyzing or controlling child behaviour, especially a teenager's behaviour.
I take each day as it comes, dealing with situations on case by case basis and trying to figure out the solutions.
The counseling sessions are held periodically between father and son mostly as the prerequisites like calmness and patience are not my forte when a discussion involves an argumentative (logical most of the time) teenager.
A situation arose a few days ago when we had to impose a limit on our son's cell phone usage. This also meant limiting his interactions with his friends over whatsapp and hike etc.
Our son was compliant enough but angry. But this time we did not care , for a change.
But, children often prove you wrong , often surprise you with their behaviour and actions which are contrary to your apprehensions.
Our son, taught us a lesson in anger management and I say this with great pride. I also think that he belongs to some other planet..
Well , he channeled his anger towards something as positive as gardening and tending to his flowers and herbs. Our tiny balcony now looks beautiful and everytime I look at the hues of nature I feel proud that my child has grown up and is well equipped to handle his emotions. I also reckon that he knows that we love him unconditionally and will never be embarrassed of him or stop fighting for him... AND LET HIM BE.









Thursday, February 16, 2017

BACHPAN/ बचपन

Hai na
Bilkul zinda
Saans leta hua
Mera bachpan
Zahan mein, dil mein
Har saans ke saath
Dhadakta hua
Sundar sa bachpan...

Hai na
Ek bachpan aur bhi
Chai bechta hua
Gari saaf karta hua
Bartan maanjta hua
Bheekh mangta hua
Chori karta hua
Bandook chalata hua
Khud ko bechta hua....

Par
Saans leta hua
Dhadakta hua
Bilkul mere aur
Tumhare bachpan ki tarah.....

है न
बिलकुल ज़िंदा
सांस लेता हुआ
मेरा बचपन
ज़हन में, दिल में
हर साँस के साथ
धड़कता हुआ
सुन्दर सा बचपन।

है न
एक बचपन और भी
चाय बेचता हुआ
गाड़ी साफ़ करता हुआ
बर्तन माँजता हुआ
भीख माँगता हुआ
चोरी करता हुआ
बन्दूक चलाता हुआ
खुद को बेचता हुआ....

पर
साँस लेता हुआ
धड़कता हुआ
बिलकुल मेरे और
तुम्हारे बचपन की तरह....

#14thNovember

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