Eastern Aroma

Rasmalai /Pujor Charte Din - Nostalgia

2014-10-01T04:35:00.003-07:00

Pujo is a time that screams HOME , nothing like the smell of notun jama (new clothes) , the cacophony of the honking cars, claustophobic mad queues and accidental meeting of the 'unknown' inquisitive dada boudi (acquaintances)gang...the stuff that I had been complaining for years at my ma baba's place is what I'm crazily longing for now in my phoren land .

The Pujo days are almost identical. .as far as my memory goes. ..they have always been the same ..just feels so out of reach now.

Ma would scream at me for dipping my hand in the cookie jar before the Anjali, almost bully me to get inside the bathroom with my crisp new clothes so that I can hurry up and go to the pandal with her. By the time I managed to pull my that dressed up look together, Ma would've had set with the breakfast table with Luchi Alur Chorchori and Payesh.Something to look forward to right after the Anjali. ..I know the food nostalgia is sweeping me away ..how I wish I could be a part of the chaos and cacophony , and now if the fate allows, I promise to be right on time for Anjali, albeit in my notun jama and make up dabbed avatar totally set for the Instragram selfies. Wishful thinking!

Oh well I know I cant replicate the pujor gondho and alhad , or compete with the talent and aromas of my mom's kitchen , I can certainly make an humble attempt to recreate the rasmalai . The family favorite dish we cook year on year...

There are maestros who have posted step by step recipes with techniques, so I have lazily skipped that step. You can take a look at Garima's blog here

Rasmalai :

Ras Malai consists of two main steps , First : make the sponge cheese patty and then second step is to prepare the the saffron-and-cardamom-infused sweet creamy milk to soak the patty.

Step 1: Prepare paneer by curdling the milk with lime juice, once curdled, remove from heat immediately . know knead till it leaves the fat. Now prepare the sugar syrup with a ratio of 4:1 water:sugar.

Then b) divide into 10-12 portions. and now roll each portion into a ball and flatten it gently between your palms. Your patty will increase in its size after cooking.

Now once your sugar syrup is boiling , drop the patty one by one. I make in a pressure cooker. I pressure cook on high for one whistle. Then 7 minutes on medium heat and 2 minutes without heat. Then open the lip by pouring cold water on cooker. Now take the patty out and drop them one by one in water.

Step 2 is preparing the Saffron and Cardamom infused milk . I used 1 litre milk and boiled it in a saucepan on medium heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduced to half . Now add the 1 cup of saffron soaked warm and crushed cardamoms and pistachios. Finally add 1/4 cup sugar . Cook for 5 more minutes. You are set , adjust to taste. Once cooled add the water soaked patty (after draining out the water) and chill for a few hours. Enjoy!!

Buckwheat or Kuutu ka Atta Cookies for the Navrat Fasting Community

2014-09-28T21:06:00.001-07:00

Cookies are indeed an indulgence. Something which needs to be abstained during the fasting days . Isn't that what fasts are all about ? but then there are folks like me , secretly (and unashamedly ) salivating for a bite to to dip into their morning cuppa. For those who are wondering why am I talking about all the feasting permutations and combinations during the fast days - well its the Indian way of rewarding the gods and goddesses (and oneself if I may add ) with all the purest ingredients in all its grandeur.

So how come Cookies were never mentioned in our fasting Navratra platter? Well you see our grandmas were too busy creating the most delicate and intricate dishes with the most holistic ingredients to bother about dipping their cookies in chai (tea). The westernization of the Indian fasting platter was frowned upon, but the times are changing, with the Five Star restaurants like Sheraton introducing a Chinese fasting platter replete with Buckwheat noodles and Fried wontons made of Chestnut flour, why should I be ashamed of salivating for a humble cookie. So here's how this humble cookie came into being .. not great pics as I repeat , I'm not a photographer. I manage to click whatever the iphone allows. But hey! don't be bothered with all that. Just mix and bake, its gluten free cookie nirvana on a plate.

Buckwheat Cookies (Fasting,Vegan, Gluten free)

These Buckwheat Cookies are grain-free, egg-free, naturally sweet and vegan-friendly!

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat or Kuttu Ka Atta

1cup Almond flour

1 cup butter or coconut oil for vegans

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 C

In a baking bowl cream the honey and butter. Now add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Once the batter is ready , you can drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet. l

Bake at 170C for around 9 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.The allow to cool on the pan. Bite when you can wait no longer!!

The 'Whittle the Middle' Chocolate Cake

2014-06-19T18:57:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have been reading me (not that I’m claiming to be a superstar blogger in any case!) Know that I have also been battling with some sort of weighty issues on and off. Whenever the anxiety gets better of me, I resort to diet, and on good days stick to what I do best- cook and eat.

For the uninitiated, I’ll let you know what the problem is - there’s this bong waistline sticking to me in its all glorified version for as long as I know myself. Now bong waistline is definitely not any other undistinguished thick waist you need to cry aloud about. It’s different. It’s the ambrosial factors that contribute to its making. Think Rosogollas, Think Bhapa Mishti doi or even a plain jane Luchi can claim its share of fame in the making of a bong waist.

I said enough is enough, I give up the luxuries of a bong treat in an attempt to Un-bong the adage clinging to my cleavage. However the sweet tooth refuses to leave and the low carb sweet less avatar of me is least appealing especially to the onlookers or people on the receiving end of phone line (god save the souls of cold calling sales staff of Australia!).

Heck! A bit of browsing and some scanning of the kitchen pantry post office and daycare pickup hours led me to this wonderful creation. Perfect for on its way-to-whittle the bong belly phase of my life.

I’m not a claim to fame photographer and lil S’s patience came to a screeching halt as soon as the freshly baked , still warm from the oven ooey gooey chocolate cake was dusted with sugar. Need I say more on why I have only one lame picture sitting here?

Time to know what went into its making, its adapted from the iFood recipe :

The 'whittle the middle' Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients

2 large eggs

3/4 cup applesauce/or any fruit puree/pumpkin puree which you may have at hand

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your baking tray.

In a bowl, whisk all the liquids including eggs.

In another medium bowl, mix the dry bits now carefully add the dry to the wet. Only mix til its non- lumpy .

Transfer to the baking dish. This is a moist and sticky cake, so a springform works best. You can also try a regular baking dish with a butter paper lined base

Bake 40-45 mins at 180, till a toothpick comes clean.

Skip the ganache or icing if you too dream skinny (like me:))

Aam Dal/Raw Mango Lentil Soup - Summer Comfort Food for the Bong Soul

2014-06-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I’m back! It was nice to take a break from blogging and blog reading ..but WAIT…the world didn't pause itself to wait for me…so why am I apologising ..?

Anyways, I’ll catch you up on what’s new and exciting. For starters the week has stated with a bang and also on a bit puzzling note. Big decisions have been raising the roof for my verdict and, as usual, my mind is facing the usual conflict situations. I like options. Cutting down the possibilities makes me panicky. So nervous that I find myself browsing the aisles of Target for sale options , rummaging through the local thrift store for exciting bits or reaching out for that last cookie in the jar and licking the chips packet clean. All done in an attempt to divert my floozy mind. Escapist, am I?

The escapist in me has more than one form of venting out. Like? While window shopping or browsing the aisles of supermarket and speaking to my Lil in a word or two in Bengali, I have often come across probashi Bengalis. The escapist in me starts a heart-to-heart almost instantly..

And Maybe I’m not the only one…this is perhaps how the story of Bengalis in a foreign land often starts:

‘bah Apnio bangali/Wow you too are Bengali’ and then ‘Kothay bari ? From where? At this point I’m probably trying to assess if they from India or Bangaladesh or perhaps a Ghoti or Bangal. Being Ghoti or Bangal, has no relevance whatsoever to a person thousand miles away from Bangal , but it does give a faint sort of relief to me looking for some familiarity.

Isn’t it true that familiarity is what we yearn when it comes to cooking home food. Otherwise why else would I want to cook an Aam Daal in winter. Yes its cold in my part of the continent, and aam daal is supposed to be a cooling dish, preferred with rice of hot summers of India.

Without digressing from the Recipe further, I shall start.

Aam Dal/Raw Mango Lentil Soup

Raw Mango (cut into small cubes) – 1

Onion– 1

Green Chillies – 2

Masoor Dal/Red Daal – 1/2 cup

Refined Oil – 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Sugar – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – a few

Asafoetida – a pinch

Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add all the seasoning , green chillies, chopped onions and now add the mangoes here and sautee them for 2 minutes.

Then add the washed red dal and salt and sugar, and add around 4 cups water.

Pressure cook for 4 whistles.

Maybe we Bengalis long for common things among the uncommon, and share a common palate which goes beyond the common songs and singers!!

Bites Morsels and Reflections 2013 and Welcome 2014 !!

2014-01-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

2013 had been very kind to me..albeit busy enough to keep me on toes and prevent me from visiting this little food space...but if you were to go by this catalogue raisonnée,you will know of the raisons (reasons) that kept me away from Eastern Aroma for too-many-days-to-count.

Yes, it was a year of travel and yumminess....and there are far too many reasons to keep me away from you. Each and every place visited had its own distinct flavor that has taught me a thing or two about experimenting with the traditional Bengali palate.

Like who would have known that me and my 2 year something would be so smitten by the Japanese flavours..Sushi Sashimi Inari...or for that matter with Wasabi coated bites ...its just amazing to see and experience how the texture and technique varies with distance yet there is a faint resemblance of flavors with identical staples of fish and rice between Japanese and the Bengali cuisine.

The food journey does not end at this...it begins.Think sharing a tropical fruit and ice cream platter with mom and bro in India to savoring a coveted dish of Tasmanian freshly harvested oysters with a dash of lime in Hobart to having warm pancakes with farm-fresh raspberry compote , in Deloraine, a small Tasmanian village...Yes, life's all about stories of little morsels from all over...

Here's hoping the good times keep rolling for you and me, and our life be full of these luscious morsels.

Right now taking a pause just to recollect and connect ...ramble about the days gone by and be starry eyed about the days to come. All I want to do is spend time with family and friends,kick up a notch at work and do some real de-toxing of my mind body and soul...

But that's another day..for now let's say Cheers to a bright new year..Welcome 2014.

Happy New Year!! Let's say it with some Kalakand.

2014-01-06T12:54:00.001-08:00

Here's Wishing all a Very Happy New Year ...hope the new year comes knocking at your door with heaps of happiness, truckloads of love....and all that you've ever wished and dreamed of.

Kalakand/Milk Dessert

Agree, Its been my longest hiatus--- ever since this little food nook of mine came into being.
A lot has happened since my last post, and those of you who have been reading me here and wondering whether I really disparaged into the great amazons to look for the perfect bride for my brother, will be relived to know that the answer is a very non-adventurous NO :P...In reality I did move continents...packed...unpacked...and now slowly inching towards a 'settled' mode.

I have practically cooked non-stop in these past few months...ate at perhaps even more athletic speed. My newly acquired double digit dress size is perhaps the lone witness..Nevertheless, there are diets and there are these new year resolutions. Arent't they??

In-line with the diet resolutions and the fact that we always begin a new year with a sweet something, let me present a famous Kalakand recipe...This easy peasy microwave Kalakand recipe happens to be my mashi's specialty and I'm just so proud to attempt and share.

Microwave Kalakand recipe :

Ingredients for the KalaKand :

2 cups full cream milk powder

I cup heavy cream

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup grated or chopped skinless pistachios

Method :

Mix all the ingredients for the Kalakand (omit pistachios here) in a microwave safe bowl and keep whisking till the consistency is very smooth.

Now set the microwave on high (this High setting suggestion is for a 900-watt microwave) for about 7 minutes and run it, but remember to keep an hawk’s eye on the dish to keep the milk from boiling over. If you see the mixture rising then stop, whisk and start again.

Once the 7 minutes are over in the oven, whisk the Kalakand briskly to break all lumps and set in the microwave for 7 more minutes. Break lumps, but by now the milk solids will be little soft and grainy in texture. Spread on a deep dish or plate and sprinkle with pistachios. Cut to shape when cooled.

Serve at room temperature.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do...

The Great Indian Bride Hunt – with a Side of Sponge Cake.

2013-04-29T06:09:00.001-07:00

No don’t get me wrong. A sponge cake has almost nothing to do with a bride hunt of any kind whatsoever. Although I must add that it does have a HUGE role in keeping my senses intact and energy levels up and running while I’m participating in this bride hunting circus quite actively.

So the bride in question is my brother’s significant other – and I’m assigned a rather huge responsibility to sniff that right match out from a bevy of matrimonial portals. The groom to be is totally in sync, but completely perplexed by the complexity of the internet diaspora and rather confused of with the manner the online marriage psyche goes.

To begin the great Indian bride hunt, we (me and my brother) made his matrimonial profile, ceremoniously loaded it with all the indispensable details, added our parental blessings to it and put it up online for the prospective brides to view. All well so far, just that there were no real matches (like from girls who might be interested in us) to choose from! Disappointed with the results, I relied on the Web’s creativity to bail me out, and there I hit upon a facial feature search, in which if I like a girl (perhaps purely for her looks) I can ask the web to do a similar search and if will hunt all the similarly looking girls and line up for us to choose. I tried, and I had five 25 year old with a dimpled chin gazing at me from my computer screen. Whoa, it can’t get more hilarious that this!

Now if you are thinking that by now the match is already fixed and my brother is gleefully exchanging numbers and meeting women, you can’t be far from wrong.

Why Not? You ask. SO, as far as the online matrimonial dynamics go (or what I understand of it), the bride and the groom come in the second round of screening. My brother is mightily miffed, but has grudgingly accepted the fact that if he were to start calling the prospective brides, he will run the risk of being seen as a ’no values’ guy. As it’s not really a US speed dating in an Indian Avatar. It’s truly an ‘ancient traditions weds Web 2.0’ circus come alive.

The current modus operandi for us is that the elders of my family (even I fall into this category now as I have been assigned the task-remember?) do the first round, where the ideal matches are sorted out, spoken with and moved to the second round only after getting the affirmative nods.

Interestingly, most of these searches are done on a weekend, which is why I’m here talking about it. So today our entire family gathered online, communally wracked their brains on the perfect matches and participated in the exercise of mailing the doe eyed brides. Now, we practically have nothing to do expect for to wait and watch.

And what I do during these in between times on a semi –idle weekend is bake a cake, And nothing' better than a light and airy Sponge Cake to lift the spirits up. I certainly can’t do it better than Smitten Kitchen. My only adaptation was to to leave out the cognac and lemon combination for the lack of both in my pantry.

Airy Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

1 3/4th cups (226 gms) butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking powder
Salt
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar

Method :
Do the usual cake dance, like the dry together and wet together. The only trick is to fluff the eggs like feather and sifts the flour fine. Once done, Mix it and bake it.

The sweeter side of the bride hunting madness.

Got Guilt Mommy? Pause.Have some Chocolate Truffles.

2013-04-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a frantic call from a friend; her toddler is my daughter’s classmate at the playgroup. We all met up at the time of admission and bonded well while our kids were adjusting to the new school environs.

Now If I have to sum up the purpose of the call in a word then I’d call it GUILT. C’mon let’s admit which one of us has not faced it, especially the working moms. Gosh we are smothered with it.

Going back to her call –This friend of mine quit work when she had a baby and now (after a good two and a half years later) thinking of joining the workforce back. That’s HUGEE, so I congratulated her and then I hear her whimpered voice, asking if she is making the right decision. She wanted to know if the daycare my daughter goes, is good enough for her child too. Will they love her and feed her milk the way she is used to having at home. I wish I could answer a loud Yes, but I guess no establishment in the world can replace the mommy care. Right? I wish I could sum up my experiences in one single phone call and somehow explain that inspite of all odds it’s still all right to go back to work.

I have experienced it first-hand that being a working mom of a young kid is the hardest thing ever. I wish I could convince this harried and hesitant mom who is being so hard on herself that it’s all going to be okay, and that someday we would laugh about it all, even the tough days. There are no yardsticks and no measuring tape …just like there is NO perfect mother . We are one of those moms who come home late. We work really hard, and like everyone else come home to put away the scattered toys and cook the family favorite and inspite of all odds we will read that bedtime story and kiss the bruises goodbye. We will sometimes wear an unmatched earrings or an un-ironed shirt to work, just to trade off that time for baking every little ones favorite chocolate balls.

Now scoot mom. Enjoy the mommy time. Bake this with your little one and bite. Since our world is so covered with guilt , at least these chocolate truffles make you forget abstinence and denial for once. And I promise that these Chocolate Truffles have half the calories and 75 percent less fat compared to regular truffles. Hallejullah!

Guilt Free Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

½ can black beans- rinsed and drained

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup mixed nuts

3 tbsp honey

½ cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white flour

2 tbs chia seeds (optional)

To Coat

2 tbsp cocoa and 1tbs powdered sugar.

Method

Combine all ingredients in preferably a processor and give it a whirr till it forms a smooth dough. The dough will be moist and sticky so chill it for a few hours before forming the balls.

Once its chilled, roll it into small balls and generously dust the balls in cocoa powder and refined sugar mixture. Freeze for a firmer truffle. Enjoy!

Weight Watching with Sabu'r Paayesh/Tapioca Pudding with Mangoes

2013-04-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make.

I have a serious problem. Seasonal ? yes, you can say that.

The season is SPRING. It’s upon me, and of course, I have to look the part. So I started this week by ceremoniously showing some sun to all my pretty, girlie, flowery and short wearable’s, which had been put away for the winter and stacked them back into my regular wardrobe. With only a step short of stepping into them and hop scotching my way into the market, with a bright tote dangling from my shoulder…I realized that the’ only step’ is the pigheaded winter weight.

It’s not that I did not try (err shedding it) before pouring it all out here. I religiously clicked on ALL the health newsletters that popped into my mailbox , with their eye catching headers ranging anything from ‘be bikini ready in 10 days’ to ‘get ready for the summer shorts’, but somehow all this reading up did nothing for my winter waistline.

I was about to try the detox juice diet for the navratras , started and gave it up by the evening. I convinced myself that I’m a mother and need more calories than Miranda Kerr to sustain herself. Low carb makes me feel dizzy and high protein plays with my entire digestive system (how else could I delicately frame pukish).

If by now you are thinking about shaking the booty, you are right. Gym’s a great option for people my shape. So finally ,today I rubbed clean my dusty membership card along with chiding my willpower and decided to run a few kilometers on the treadmill. After huffing and puffing for a few minutes I felt that my legs have started resembling toothpicks, and I needed some food. I started thinking of all the healthy post workout meals and rushed to the attached food court. There the salad looked stale and way too less for the growling stomach .

I return home (in a listless state!) to a cup full of soaked tapioca seeds and some mangoes in my refrigerator. Fully aware that my spring wardrobe is still waiting.I turn on my thinking cap.What do I do with my oh-so healthy tapioca and fruits , in a precarious self-induced fasting mode? Of course turn it to a feast.

The delicious part is that Sabu'r Paayesh or Tapioca Pudding with Mangoes is the best post workout meal one can have, high on carbs with added nutrients in the form of mango; it almost makes it feel like a plate of warm yellow gold. It’s great for kids and is a go-to meal during the fasting days. I'm so In love with this new mango infusion.

Sabu'r Paayesh/Tapioca Pudding with Mangoes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tapioca/Sabu/sabudana
1 cup hot water
1 large fresh mangoes ( cut to bite size pieces)
1 large mango puree
3 cups milk (you can substitute with coconut, soy or almond milk)
Sugar to taste (I substituted with 2 tbsp splenda)

Method:
Soak the tapioca/sabudana in hot water for an hour. One they are swollen and springy in texture, wash then with running cold water and set aside.

Heat the milk till its reduced to 11/2 cups, now add the tapioca, and mix well. Add sugar and cook till its of a desired consistency. Add the mango puree and let it cool. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve chilled, topped with a few slices of mangoes.

You can also serve in a glass by adding one scoop of cooked tapioca in milk , then add a scoop of mango puree in glass and serve..

A tale of warm Friday Fries

2013-04-19T22:05:00.002-07:00

Daily life is boring. In so many years of togetherness, I have learnt that it’s me who is the undisputed kitchen and grocery minister of the house. A post which I have to accept with abandon, and to keep up I have to earn the 'good votes' on a daily basis. Not easy to keep up - I warn you.To survive the position, I get off from work early and set the kitchen fire, of course I have to make it up by working late into the nights (ah well somedays I blog at this hour with a side of red), so I can’t really be complaining, and to top it – I like cooking, so this mumbo jumbo just comes from a lack of direction and plan.

You know, its fun when I have an inspiration and ingredients, and absolute agony when I have the office laptop on the kitchen counter, where an undone presentation is open, and I have a demanding toddler sitting beside it while I’m wiping off the onion tears! Even though I cover the basics by asking the ' what do ya for dinner' question routinely ,but its almost always answered by blank stares like I've asked a life philosophy and on days when I get an answer, it’s the ‘fries/pakoras on the side’ please. So much for inspiration, but that’s how it is.

You now where it’s all going. Don’t you?

When you cook keeping the moods and days of the week in mind, it not only increases the happiness quotient of the house, it benefits the wallet, shaves off the restaurant trans-fat & in general creates a festive mood . Fresh and simple ingredients force your skin to say thank you too. This simple selection of summer fries or the more popularly known term pakoras, is usually a stable for long and elaborate bong lunches, add a side of salad and dip and you have introduced it to the evening bar gang. Tastes best when the vegetables are picked fresh from the market and the oil is fresh, pungent and mustardy. Very sophisticated , yet so rustic.

The Friday Fries/Pakoras (Assorted Vegetables Fried in Chickpea Batter)

Ingredients :
1 cup Chickpea flour (besan/garbanzo bean flour)

1 medium Cauliflower (cut into florets) 3/4 cup water

1 Potato (thickly cut lengthwise)

1 Bell Pepper (de-seeded and cut lengthwise)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp choice of seasoning (Garlic, Onion, roasted cumin, Parsley, garam masala) or other spices of choice)

Chat masala to taste

Mustard oil to deep fry (or any other vegetable oil of choice)

Method:
In a bowl mix all ingredients (except vegetables and mix well till its turns into a smooth and thick batter).
Dip the vegetable florets in the batter and deep fry.

You can also choose to grill/bake. All you need to do is brush a little oil on batter dipped vegetables and the baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes at 175 C.

If frying , deep fry till the vegetables are cooked well.

Serve hot and sprinkle some chat masala before serving.

Shubho Nobo Borsho with Gurer Sondesh.

2013-04-15T01:38:00.001-07:00

Traditions are nostalgic, and nostalgia makes us want to relive those moments’ real bad, making us do things which turns the plain vanilla days --Festive.

That feeling is infectious indeed. It comes in all forms, sometimes it’s a religious rite, a certain aroma you wake up to on a given day every year, It even comes in the form of some awkward family ritual that you are forced to perform every year, no matter how much you cringe and groan silently, all these bits and pieces of traditions bind us and makes us feel like a family.

We miss it, when it’s gone.

And then perhaps comes the cycle of recreating it for our next generation, so that once they are as grow up as us , they feel all warm and fuzzy thinking about it. Just the way I’m musing over it all today.

My fuzzy feeling nuzzles peacefully in the form of this freshly made Gurer Sondesh. Using up all the last bits of patali gur (palm jaggery ) preserved carefully for the nobo borsho celebration, before we bid adieu to the patali till the onset of winters. During my childhood days, all we had to do was to touch the feet of all the elders around we were rewarded with this family favorite (did I mention home cooked?) sweet.

For me , It’s time again to relive those memories.No feets nearby, but blessing are much awaited.Ma are you reading?

Gurer Sondesh

Ingredients
2 litres full cream milk
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup Patali gur (palm jaggery ) or ¾ cup Sugar
Moulds

How to’s

Bring the milk to boil and while it’s boiling add the lime juice. Lower the heat. The milk will curdle and separate from the whey (a greenish coloured liquid ). Let it sit for a bit and then strain the whey . Rinse the channa /cottage cheese under running water to get rid of the lemony taste. Now tie the channa /cottage cheese in a fine cloth and weigh it down with a heavy substance (like the mortar and pestle) for a few hours. This will drain out any excess liquid.

After a few hours , you should knead the chhana with the gur , till it mixes well. You can heat the jaggery in a microwave for a few seconds so that it’s soft enough to knead. The heel of your hand is your best kneading bet here! Once you are done, the channa with start to resemble like a smooth ball of dough in pale brown or white, depending on your choice of sweetener.

Take the dough and cook on a very low heat. Say 5-6 minutes is enough. Once done, switch off the heat and straightaway contour the chana with molds or just toss into balls. They are ready for the celebration.

Going nuts on Holi - Boiled Peanut Salad

2013-03-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Holi is a synonym for spring to me. A time for family and friends, flowers , colors, gujias, gulab-jamuns and endorphin rushing songs that only get played ‘on a loudspeaker mode’ just this time of the year.

I love the spirit of the festival- and I don’t even play with colours. I run the risk of sounding like a snooty auntie who sniggers at the colors and hauls the holiday hullabaloo. That’s sincerely not me. I’m plain shy. Just one of those people who will stand in one corner of the apartment bacony , careful enough not to be seen, yet seizing the colourful moments from the tiny curtain opening. Once its all done, I’ll go and reward myself with a Gujiya .

Do you think that there is anything that echoes with Holi, more than the abundant servings of Gujiya, Sewain kheer or a desi celebratory salad? Yes of course , it’s the hip gyrating holi numbers in Amitabh Bacchans throaty baritone blaring from the society loudspeakers. Maybe for me the Holi magic comes from these catchy once-a-year wonders that stick in your head and feel good, perhaps only while taking a big mouthful of the freshly made spiced peanut salad with a spoon that’s a bit stained with gulal.

Bura na mano Holi hai.

No, I’m not about to present a festival sweet recipe. Today is a shortcut day. Spring cleaning for guests has taken most of my time. So it’s a short cut colourful savory and oh so healthy peanut salad day. Are you game?

Boiled Peanut Salad

Ingredients:

1.5 cups boiled peanuts

1 cucumber diced

1 fresh tomato diced

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

2-3 green chillies

2-3 sprigs coriander leaves

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

t tbsb lemon juice(to serve)

Method:

Pressure cook the peanuts in salted water till soft but firm , not mushy. Cool to room temperature. Next toss all the other ingredients(except lemon juice) together. I sometimes add dried prunes or raisins, but that's optional. just before serving add freshly squeezed lemon juice. As simple as it can get.

First Few Steps - with Steamed Yogurt /Bhapa Doi

2013-03-25T03:23:00.000-07:00

"You must take the first step. The first steps will take some effort, maybe pain. But after that, everything that has to be done is real-life movement."

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I just put my daughter to a new playschool. It does make me happy to select a nice playschool, with a loving daycare, however it’s not one the most pleasing times for my little one. Changes like these, which calls for a goodbye to her mommy and daddy are painful. She is doing her bit to make the world around her know it by howling and crying with her full might. It does not please me a lot to see her crying either, but as they say, it must be done.

To make up for the advent of the unhappy hours in her day, I have tried to do atleast one happy hour for her, and NO it’s not the Mc Donald variety. My happy hour begins with picking her up and hers begin shortly after that, when I slowly inch our way towards home explaining the surprise I have planned for her.

I don’t think it’s a new concept though. It’s perhaps same as what my mother did for me in school, only difference being that back then she was oblivious to the concept of happy hours, and more of a happy day believer. Welcome to the life and times of a working mom, Ahem! And I don’t mind my taking a shortcut to happiness. After all, it’s all about celebration of the fact that we ‘mother daughter duo’ could laze around playing under the dull spring sun, for about for an hour (or two) after work, enjoying some ridiculously creamy and decadent steamed yogurt (bhapa doi) or crisp parathas and sometimes a far simpler version of yogurt in a little glass of summery lassi, all the while decoding the Doremon puzzles!

Of course, being as busy as I perhaps sound here, I will not go beyond basic pantry ingredients. So, I am proud to report that I have whistled away any cooking inertia and successfully turned around bowls after bowls of spring favorite toddler friendly food this week. So my happy week continues. Would you like to a spoonful?

Bhapa Doi or Steamed Yogurt

Ingredients

250 g plain yogurt

250gm condensed milk (sweet)

2-3 green cardamom (crushed fine )

A few strands of saffron (soaked in a tbsp. milk)

1 tbsp milk

How I did it :

Whisk the yogurt and condensed milk together till its of a smooth and creamy consistency, now flavor with the powdered cardamoms.

Heat an oven at 180 degree C. Put the above mixture in a pie dish or baking cups. Place those cups is a large baking dish filled with sufficient hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking cups. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes.

Lastly add a dollop of the saffron infused milk over each cup and bake for 5-6 minutes , until it appears to be set. Cool and then refrigerate till chilled. Serve it chilled.

Go Fish ( Fingers) and have some fun with Math

2013-03-21T00:48:00.002-07:00

I was thinking about this a few days back but never had the time to write …it’s about a celebration day called the Pi day. I now can’t really remember the exact day – but hey, I’d rather not remember it.

Pi Day – are you serious?! For a moment I thought I might be reading it all wrong and they probably meant it to be the ‘Pie’ (I mean the eating variety and not the mathematical one) day. I was so wrong, they really meant the ‘pi’ as in the (3/14) day.

I don’t think the day makes me want to celebrate in any way. The numbers haunted me when I first learnt about them and they continue to haunt me even now. It’s such a setback to my honest bong genes.
When I was first introduced to these peculiarly named set of numbers, I was flummoxed. My father – who used to teach me math in school was furious and my mother turned to faith and food. She firmly believed that perhaps I’m too small for all these complexities and one day I will grow up to be like my father and grandfather, and be a math pro atleast if not a genius. It was a lot of pressure for a ten year old ‘with highly ordinary’ math skills.

After faith, or maybe along with faith, my mom adopted the food route to make me math whiz. She latched onto fish. She is not alone in this; almost 90% of the fish eating bong believes that fish consumption is somehow directly proportional to the intelligence of a human being. So along with increasing the portions of this super power dish in my diet, she also increased the frequency. Introducing various snack recipes for me to savor with my morning and evening milk.

I have to admit that I relished those ‘super power’ meals, I frankly don’t know what it did to my brain power as I’m still scared of numbers , however it did its bit to my waist line. And I do regret that I should not have overdone it, but then I was just a 10 year old!

Since I ate so much of it, that I have now completely eliminated it from my diet. Fish still continues to remind me of maths!!! and It’s been 10 years or so. I wouldn’t have had given this much of a thought , until I met a fellow bong mom at my daughters play school (incidentally on the pi day) who commented on how important it is to introduce fish to my daughters diet, now that she has started to go to school. This time I just smiled, I knew I have fallen for that ‘fish is must for your brain’ trap. Maybe it has something to do with being Mommy brained.

Anyways, my mind is working fast thinking of an easy fish recipe for my little one to have and C'mon, what can be easier and tastier than fish fingers. After all it’s the pi day. One day she will have to understand the complexities of the math world. Let the fish carry the day for her.

Fish Fingers

Ingredients:
10 pieces any boneless fish cut in finger shape
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp white pepper powder
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg (for wash)
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method:
Douse fish fingers with salt, pepper powder and lemon juice, and keep then aside well covered in fridge for around 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Now prepare the fish by dipping them in beaten egg and roll in your palm to coat the crumbs uniformly.

Heat oil and deep fry the fingers until fish fingers are light golden and cooked. Alternatively, you can shallow fry them and serve with your choice of sauce.I served mine with creamy mustard sauce.

Of weddings, Family, Food and some Fish in Mustard Sauce.

2013-03-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

Today while browsing an old album, I came across this picture of a prized wedding fish on its way to the bride to be’s family . It was a part of the Gai Holud ceremony.I can still almost taste the delicious lunch that followed the ceremony. Oh dear Fish.

Growing up in a lose knit Bengali family, weddings were a cause of major celebrations, for me it meant: Phamily and Phood , especially Pheesh (Bong babu’s way of pronouncing things, pun intended) ! It meant waking up to the robust smell of fish slices being friend in sharp mustard oil. Fried fish is definitely not a breakfast food, now even for us bongs. The early preparation was perhaps the cooks way of ensuring that the food is done in time for lunch. You see, we bongs have a huge appetite for food, especially on festive gatherings like wedding.

Actually the food or more importantly the fish fetish has a lot bigger role to play during weddings than just being the family favorite dish. In traditional Bengali wedding’s the bride walks in to her new home with a live fish in hand. As the folklore goes, it signifies harmony and healthy children.

Nowadays people make is easier on the new bride by making her carry a dead fish but, that’s only if you allow the bending of rituals and traditions. I generally don’t , and perhaps it’s not me speaking but my grandmother’s spirit who is peeping at my post from the heaven above is making me write it. She was so focused on these traditions, right from the symbolism of these rituals to how these fishes should be cooked and served in a correct order, that I now feel it’s my personal responsibility to see that the traditional lineage continues. Afterall they come with a promise of good fortune and prosperity. Greedy me!

Who can deny.

Now that we are in the topic of traditions, presenting a traditional dish of Fish in Mustard sauce or Sorse Maach. I have tried to be as authentic as possible, but feel free reason out what proportions will actually make for the best Sorse Maach, which suits your family's taste buds.

Fish in Bengali Mustard Sauce or Sorse Mach

Ingredients

Fish pieces/fillets around 4-5 pieces

Yellow mustard seeds (soaked for a few hours in water) 4-5 tbsp

Green chilies as per taste

Ginger paste 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Salt and sugar to taste

Mustard oil 2-3 tbsp (Plus 1 tbsp more for drizzling) (you can substitute with other oils if you want)

Cilantro for garnish

Method:

Clean the fish pieces and rub the turmeric and salt over it. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Now grind the soaked mustard seeds with a few green chilies in mortar and pestle, or a mixer to a smooth and creamy paste.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat the mustard oil and fry the fish pieces till they are golden brown in color. Keep the fish pieces aside. Now temper the oil with ginger paste and a little salt. Now add the mustard paste and fry on low heat. Add the whole green chilies along with salt and sugar. Adjust according to taste. Add the fish pieces along with half a cup of water and let it cook for few more minutes. The consistency is creamy and thick, not runny. So adjust the liquid accordingly.

Once done, garnish with cilantro and drizzle fresh mustard oil on top.

Serve the fish in mustard sauce over bed of rice.

Quick Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting : Celebrating Twos

2013-03-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

Two is a magical age.

(But I’m also getting the hang of what it means by the word troublesome twos.)
My little Miss S has started talking non-stop…with all her words clear as a day…and my days are always so full answering her inane curiosities.

Oh how she loves everything around her, whether it’s the garbage man ringing the doorbell in the morning or the loud whoosh of the incoming bikes in our society in the evening. She welcomes one and all with a warm hello. She’ll laugh at all playful stupid antics (and sometimes the non-deliberate ones too, when you do actually fall or hit your head accidentally) and the silly tickling sessions, dance at the most mellow hint of music and never stop looking, gazing and breathing it all in.

Birthdays are her latest fascination. We whole heartedly give in, considering it is her birthday month. She claps at the sight of a cake, and all she wants is a knife and a candle. Of course she offers me bite once she is done with the role play of being the birthday girl, but what enthralls me more is the glint in her eye when she is in front of the cake, and in my world it indeed calls for a party.

Party we did. That too three times over. I’ll not get into the details of chronicling those, expect for sharing the joy we felt looking at her cream stained lips and having leftover bites of her freshly cut cake.
She is our little cakelet …and by the time you read this, she will be two years old.

I know, I’m not alone in this… you too must love your little one(s) with this muchness.

Here’s the Butter cake with Chocolate Ganache recipe which, I baked for her. I’m certainly not a baker and neither great at decorating cakes – but I still feel that these were the only moments in my life where I felt the cakes came alive. Yes, my little S’s grin vouched for it.

Quick Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting

Ingredients for Quick Yellow Cake

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for the Choclate Ganache

250 gms chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons flavored liqueur (purely optional)

Method for the cake :

Mix all the dry ingredients together, all I did was to whirr for 30 sec to mix and aerate.
Then all the wet ones, which includes the eggs, plus any extracts (such as vanilla) go into another bowl and lightly whisked.

Mix both until well blended.

Pour all into whatever well greased pan you are baking in, and bake for around 35 min or until done.

Method for the Choclate Ganache

Heat heavy cream on medium high till it reaches the boiling point, then remove cream from heat and pour the cream on the chocolate and still until the chocolate melts and mixes evenly and is glossy to look . Allow the Choclate Ganache to cool before pouring over cakes as a glaze.

I cooled my cake before glazing. Then covered with sprinkles and added a kit kat boundry.Tied with a satin ribbon.

Done!!

The Rainy Rishikesh and some Bengali Tomato Chutney

2013-02-26T03:51:00.002-08:00

I have been conspicuous by my absence, haven’t I? But the reality is that every now and then, I had this inexplicable itch to come to this virtual world of mine and share these teeny meeny details of life…of what’s making me uber happy…or something that making me cringe”. But then, I kept fighting my feelings and waited. (Perhaps I’m not alone in this, ask any blogger and they’d tell you how overwhelming this desire to blog about everything around us is)

I waited for a glorious noon like today, for my daughter to take a slightly longer nap so that I could give you a tip toed visit.

And tell you that over the last few weeks I have been:-

Out and about camping with little S and lots of lovely crazy family in the rainy Rishikesh.

Id-eating my little S’s 2nd B’day party

Spending a few lush weeks with my best bud. My mom

Looking for a new play school for little S

Almost forgetting that I have an office to go to,

Reluctantly getting work ready.

Let’s start with my camping trip. So we went to Rishikesh to a secluded beach camp. Our rafting and other adventurous sport plans were marred as it kept raining throughout. Still it was kind of relaxing to be huddled with close family, away from all electronics and modern trappings which sidetrack us away from the business of being a family.

The toddlers in the group got all the adult attention they could dream of …they did act goofy , got into silly fights , but they gotta be themselves. We gossiped and guffawed, visited the regular touristy spots, rested well and ate even better and came back halfheartedly to the usual humdrum of regular lives.

Disbelievingly I’m already on a countdown for the next smallish trip. I don’t know where I might be heading to next, but I’m impatient for it to be planned. Sometimes I think my life’s so much like these bright firm red ripe tomatoes. Bittersweet, but you want to do away with the odds and hold onto all that's bright red and beautiful, and that’s when I turn to the kitchen to cook and seal the happiness in a jar. If you are anything like the, you too would perhaps head to your kitchen right away and make a pot of Tomato chutney. Once done,be patient enough to cool it and then have a large dollop of it with your rice and lentil curry, or anything else you might want to care to add it to… Making it is easy. You’ll be happy you did!

And I didn't tell any of it any sooner than today as I didn't want my family with all the extended versions of it… tell me one day that “oh – she forgot to talk to us, as she was so busy chronicling about how happy she was in our presence!!”

Tomato Chutney or Tomator Chaatni

Ingredients for Tomato Chutney

3-4, ripe tomatoes
1 Tbsp ginger julienne
2 green chilies, deseeded
2 tbsp raisins
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 tablespoons sugar or palm jaggery
Salt

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. once it smokes, temper the oil with de-seeded green chillies,fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaves and lastly add the raisins. Let them all cook together for around 30 seconds, and now add the coarsely chopped pieces of tomatoes and the grated ginger. Mix all of till till mushy.

Add the sugar and salt once its all in a juicy mush. lick -check the spices, as its predominantly sweet.Cook well till most juices are soaked up and consistency is chutney like. Remove from heat. Cool and enjoy with whatever you please.I love mine with rice and dal.

Picnic Fried Chicken at the Zoo

2013-02-09T09:16:00.001-08:00

These cranes are sharing secrets. “I love our new little guest, don’t you?” “She loves our long beaks I guess, with which we pick our fish?” “She’s human, and is here to visit us today.” “Ah, ok, I hope she says hello to the deer next door.” “She looks like, she would”...She would definitely dear crane, the mommy will ensure she does what you want.

The day turned out real beautiful, with the sun rhyming in rhapsody. Oh how my little S loved the zoo trip. Why not, she was accompanied by her grandma- her favorite in the whole wide world…and her cute questions made us laugh all the way…” Oh, look at beautiful birdy! Can she eat chips? Where are her teeth?” And even if you don’t have any teeth, I still I love you dear crane .Thank you for the vanity oblige for one pretty picture.

Certainly not like the lazy giraffe who founds it too much an effort to move his long neck. Or the white tiger that preferred to sunbathe and get some color on his pale coat instead of one sly glance at us. No problem, keep your distance. We’ll go and coax the deer to smile for us.

Little feet are aching now, time to hop on to a train. Bye Bye...

Honk Honk here we come......our train trip is done and we are ready for our picnic lunch...today the Kosha Mangsho aar Luchi has replaced the Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Potatoes and Pea dressing and some desserts.We too adapt with time, don't we little one , but then...

Food is how I remember those days. And those were the days.

Picnic Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1 chicken (900 gms), cut into chunky pieces

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cups flour (maida)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 cup buttermilk

vegetable oil to fy

Directions

Wash and pat dry the chicken. Now mix the salt, flour, ground black pepper, and garam masala in a large, big bowl. Thoroughly coat the chicken in the flour mixture, dusting off the excess. Keep it aside for a few minutes and then pour the buttermilk into a second bowl. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then back to the flour and spice mixture.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan(about 360° F to be precise) then place the chicken in the oil, one by one.Fry the its golden brown in color. Check once done by piercing the the fried chicken. Its done once you see the juices run clear.

Soak the excess in a paper towel and devour . I tried mine with potatoes and peas in Greek yogurt dressing.

My picnic table can fire up your valentine's too. Why not try it once.

The Quintessential Shukto - Mixed Vegetables Bengali style

2013-02-07T03:36:00.000-08:00

I have been avoiding sharing the Shukto recipe -a quintessential Bengali delicacy as long as I could, mostly for various fears. The fear of organization skill it requires, fear of labor that goes behind having all the vegetables in exact proportions and chopped to the precise guidelines and lastly the fear of shaking off my lazy hibernation mode.

Now if you have never heard of Shukto – don’t be put off by my Hyperboles. It’s just the bitter Bengali cousin of the southern Avial or the Indian version of the French Ratatouille. You got the drift – it’s a medley of all vegetables with a hint of bitterness.

Long long time ago when my,mama (maternal uncle ) got married and they were coming home for their post wedding reception, my mother happened to be sitting next to the bride and heard her mumble and memorize the Shukto spices. 30 years have passed since then, and my mami has proven to be a good cook, the story still goes around in my family. So you know, the importance of Shukto does not stop at it being a classic lunch menu, its much beyond that. A well-made Shukto is considered by many to be the hallmark of a good cook—If you can spice the Shukto correctly, you have made the culinary grade and of course welcomed as a perfect bride, in this case.

Although in every bong house, the Shukto has its own version. You can certainly adapt the spices and the quantities based on your family’s liking.

Shukto

Ingredients
1 white Radish
1 green Banana (plantains)
4-5 broad Beans
1 small bitter Gourd
2 long thin Brinjal, unpeeled
1 sweet Potato
½+ ½ cup water, 2 tbsp milk
Spices, condiments and Oil

To paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Mustard paste
1 tsp Poppy seed

Dry spices

1 tsp roasted and coarsely ground Panch Phoron (fenugreek, kalonji, cumin seed, radhuni or celery seed and fennel seed in equal parts)
2 bay leaves

Oils
3 tbsp Mustard oil
1/2 tsp ghee (optional)

For garnish
Salt to taste
A handful fried dal bori (dried lentils nuggets)

Method:
Peel and cut all the vegetables lengthwise around 2 inch long ( sweet potatoes, white radish, plantains, broad beans, small bitter gourd and brinjal)

Heat the mustard oil to smoke in a deep dish. Temper with the bay leaf and panch phoron. Now add the vegetables and sauté in low heat. Take care to add the brinjals in the end. Add salt to taste and add ½ cup water, and then cover and cook until the vegetables are done.

Once done and the vegetables are cooked, add the ginger paste, black mustard paste and poppy seed paste mixed in the 1/2 cup water. Finally top it with the fried boris and the ghee, cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the milk, cover and remove from heat.

Serve at room temperature. Sprinkle a pinch of , roasted panch phoron powder on it just before serving.

Curried Omelette /Omeletter Dalna for Hurried Days

2013-02-03T09:48:00.005-08:00

There are days when I come back home late, totally ignorant of the refrigerators inhabitants only to be stopped short and quizzed by the. Husband with “what’s for dinner?” type of question. Then begins the panic attack. This query follows the law of Murphy to T , hence almost always asked on the days when there is hardly anything in the kitchen. Ask anyone who has gone through this situation, they’ll tell you that it feels like solving a math problem with time bomb ticking away. Since my numerical abilities are rather questionable, you can imagine the predicament.

Now if you ask why do I run out of grocery Mid-week that too on a frequent basis, then I’ll tell you that cooking is a twice daily affair in my house and for that I need a meticulous weekly plan of grocery and lists, I need to find things in colossal quantities and hodge-podges to run through a week of happily fed family… And as obvious we don’t really follow the rules of a NORMAL eating family of five, I often falter here.

Like when I was young, during the Poush Pabon season my Ma and Mashi(aunt) would flood the house with puli and pethe, and hide it in all hard to reach cupboards, that very instant me and my brother’s six food sense would kick in and we would hunt it down and we'd make it vanish in our bellies overnight. Desserts never survive us. Curries are conquered. These in-born skills are still intact. Now I have a like-minded Husband and mother –in-law. Just so you know.

This is why I’m lamenting over empty pantries mid-week. I’m certainly not complaining over us Loving food. how can you blame us? it’s the genetics.

And almost always the answer to the “what’s for dinner?” question in my house is the Curried Omelette /Omelet-er Dalna. Every Bong Mom’s solution to empty pantry days and busy evenings.

Ingredients

For Omelette
2-3 eggs
1 boiled and cubed potato
1 Onion finely chopped

Make a paste of:
1 Tomato
1 onion
2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
2 Green chilies (optional)

Spices:
2 tsp powdered Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil and water as needed

Preparation

Starts with making the omelette for this curry. Break the eggs into a medium bowl. Whisk all the ingredients under Omelette section. Heat oil in a flat pan and pour the mixture, cook till firm. Flip to the other side and cook till firm. Cut the Omelet as you would like in your curry, I prefer long rectangles.

For the Curry

Heat the oil in deep bottomed dish.Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, followed by coriander powder and all the ingredients under the spices and paste section and mix it well. Add some salt and let it cook on medium for a few minutes, till all the spices are mixed well.

Add 1/2 cup water and boil for 2 minutes and now add the cubed omelets. Top it with cilantro and mix it very well.Serve with rice or roti.

S-I-X and Counting years, and Bengali Mutton Biryani

2013-01-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

Life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The first time I met the. Husband. He came across as a hermit. He’d think a lot before speaking. During our dates, he’d just nod in agreement at whatever I wanted to order, even if it meant fiddling with food for him. Once, he came to meet me from Portugal and got a small souvenir from there as a gift– he never gave me that present lest I hate it. He was shy and reticent and nowhere near the ‘Happy –go-Lucky’ attitude I sported. Then the oddity happened, the journey of the opposites began.

I continued being me, just the spirited social soirees were re-scheduled for the day and the nights were reserved for the happy home cooking. It was frowned at but tolerated well. Year after year, city after city. Then, almost six years later I’m practically running the risk of sounding like him. It amazes me how we’ve changed almost effortlessly over the years, it’s cozy to share a life with someone who enjoys watching Little S patiently as I work at my home office or whose idea for a great weekend is selecting the best thriller movies and waiting for me to watch it with him. I know the.husband has come a long way since the day I first met him, when for the New Year’s night he offered to party at chic nightCLUB while I was happy just huddling with my fellas at home.

Of course my daily life is not all that musical as it sounds now.

We have our rough rides every now and then, still in the middle of all the daily chaos and chunks of months that moves in almost a clockwork fashion, I have to admit that I have now started longing for these quiet days at home, with nothingness on the mind and where the only agenda be laughing nonstop with our daughter and cooking a one pot meal before settling in with a movie to watch together—and as I rush to seize these moments, I pray that they will become less rare and more a way of life.

That’s just the beginning of how we've been tied together in time.

Somewhere I suspect, this Bengali version of Mutton Biriyani has a major role to play too. When the extent of our marital disharmony revolved around the debate of Who’s from a better Biriyani place -The Hyderabad vs The Lucknow, this Bengali Mutton Biryani version entered the kitchen to save our souls.

Bengali Mutton Biriyani

Ingredients

1 kg Mutton/ lamb meat (marinated overnight in raw papaya paste, can use any other tenderizer)
500 gm. of basmati rice(washed and soked for an hour)
3 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
2-3 potatoes cut into big cubes
1 large onion finely chopped
1 cup plain yogurt/dahi
2 tsp. red Chili powder
Kewra essence few drop
Few strands of saffron soaked in 1 tsp warm milk
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Biryani Masala

Biryani Masala (powder roast the masala, or you can use the readymade Biriyani Masala from Store)
7-8 Cloves
3-4 green Cardamom
A pinch of grated Nutmeg
1/2" Mace
1 tsp. Cumin
1tsp of white Peppercorn
2" Cinnamon stick

PROCEDURE
Cook the rice in a deep bottomed pan spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Cook till done, but not mushy, drain the water, add a tsp of ghee and keep aside.

Take oil in a heavy bottom pan or in a pressure pan and once the oil is hot, add chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown. Add the meat pieces sauté on high heat. Now add the ginger, garlic paste and sauté with the meat pieces. Now add yogurt and red chilies powder and add 3 tsp. of the Biryani Masala. Finally add the potato halves add the salt and sugar, and fry all of them together with the meat and spices. Cook in the pressure pan until the meat is tender.Once done, assemble the biryani.

In the serving pan add a layer of rice, then meat and gravy, add the saffron infused milk, then a few drops of Kewra. Repeat the process. Till all the rice is exhausted.This is the easy way out without the dum and cuts my time in half! Let it stand and heat well before serving.

Friday Musings with a cuppa Masala Tea

2013-01-25T10:06:00.003-08:00

Voila. It’s Friday already. I’m so raring to pack my bags and take that coveted break this weekend to a historical 17th century art deco fort tucked away in a nondescript corner of Rajasthan . So naturally I lack the patience to talk about things that I naturally would. As you would have realized, that talking those characteristic long winded sentences take a lot of soul digging and I’m so unable to concentrate now.

So what shall I talk – or shall I rather tell you things you’d never hear me say?

And those are:

“This is such a glaring red.”

“I have too many books already, I don’t need more”

“I can never spend so much on a Hush Puppy shoe ”

“I’m tired sleeping”

“Parking here is easy, C’mon let me do it for you”

“I’ll pass the book reading session by John Grisham”

“I’ve been craving a Chivas Regal!!”

“Another Fort Holiday- Not again!”

“I cannot tread Anita Nair and her brood again”

“One more cookbook for my birthday, Oh man , sucks.!”

“Tea again? Shall Pass”

So, okay, not to sound like a librarian and I’m rounding off to books again and again, but I heart ektu cha(Tea) and Books, add to it a historically enriched holiday and I’m all yours.

Although there no upper limit to tea consumption, I’m certainly partial to the Darjeeling tea variety.I’m sure you've had a sip of Masala Tea with your favorite book too. If not , this is the time . You’ll thank me after your taste buds explode into the gates of heaven upon craving for more, trust me. (Also trust me not to say random things about what I’d rather not say – but excitement has its own version).

Happy Sipping.

Masala Cha (makes 2 cups)

Ingredients

11/2 cups water
½ cup milk
1 tsp. tea of your choice
1.5 tsp. Masala cha spice Mix*
Boil all the above. Then keep on low heat for 2-3 Minutes.
Strain, add sugar to taste and drink.

Masala Cha Spice Mix*
Makes around ¼ cup (stores well)

Ingredients
3/4 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
3 (1-inch) cinnamon sticks, broken
15 whole cloves
15 green cardamom pods
4 teaspoons ground ginger

Method
1. Grind all the spices in a spice grinder, and grind to a fine powder.
2. Now add the ginger to the above mix and stir well.
3. Store in an airtight container.

Try it. This Masala Chai may sound unusual in a Bong home, but it's so wonderful it could be a stand-in for dessert, and of course a perfect accompaniment to my Friday mood.

A Busy Cooks Guide to - Chanar Paayesh (Bengali Style Cottage Cheese and Milk Pudding)

2013-01-22T09:06:00.004-08:00

Today I was chatting up with an old friend after a long time.

He casually asked me “how are you? “ and then added a disclaimer – “tell me something other than “I’m very very busy, but life’s good”.

I almost died. I mean that’s true of course, but how come I never realized that this is what I've been telling almost everyone who do mean a lot to me, just that I don't just have the time for a leisurely chat. This sounds such a push off statement, and I have been maintaining this frenzy pace for god knows how many years now. No wonder there are just a handful of folks I can chat with – when I have the luxury of TIME.

Shame on me – and with my head hung low I decide on a few new rules to make peace with this marathon schedule of my daily life. Say no to those who deserve to hear NO and embrace those who are a part of life. Cook the beautiful family favorite dessert and learn to take a break to be able to savor it. Dump the soap for a walk in the park and fill the day with peals of laughter.

Having downloaded all my morose memoirs unkindly on you, I think you deserve a treat from me for listening through. Yes, this happens to be my slow down dessert – don’t I deserve a little Pat-on-the-back for being nice this one time?!

Chanar Paayesh (Bengali Style Cottage Cheese and Milk Pudding)

Ingredients for Chanar Paayesh:

Homemade cottage cheese / ricotta cheese- 1 cup. (the steps of making this are listed below)
1 liter full fat Milk
1/ 2 cup Condensed Milk
4 tbsp Sugar
A few nuts for the garnish
1/2 tsp powdered green cardamom

Method:

Reduce the full fat 1 liter milk in a heave bottomed pan, and lower the flame when it reduces to half. Now add the condensed milk and keep stirring till it reaches the desired thickness.

Once done add in the chana or the cottage cheese gently and one teaspoon at a time. Keep stirring constantly. Just remember that there should be enough liquid as the chana/cottage cheese will soak up a lot of the liquid once refrigerated. The consistency of the Chanar Paayesh should not be runny or dry. So adjust the milk accordingly.

Once done, sprinkle pounded powdered green cardamom and mix.

Cool the Chanar Paayesh and top it with slivered nuts and serve

If making a cup of cottage Cheese or Chana from scratch
Heat one liter milk in a deep bottomed vessel. Once it starts to boil pour in 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Reduce the flame to low and stir gently. The milk will curdle and the greenish whey will separate. Wash under the running cold water and now strain the cheese and tie in a clean cotton cloth to strain the liquid.

I’ll leave you with the words of Osamu Nakamura, an amazing cook and traveler: “Doing nothing all day — it’s difficult at first. Being busy is a habit, and a hard one to break.”

Straight-from-my-heart Chewy Oats Cookies

2013-01-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Valentine is just round the corner. And here I’m sitting and pondering about love.

Not the sweet mushy sort of love though (and if that's what you came looking for here - this is NOT for you. Rest- Read on)

B--ut the morbid fear of this artificially manufactured day of Love called Valentines, I once had. Not that I need to worry about singledom anymore and thankfully (even when I was a single person pushing mid-twenties) I never really felt the pressure to be accompanied at any other time of the year. You know - being single is the least of the single person’s worry – it’s the parents woe in the country I live in. Ha! Still in my 20s the anxiety of an onrushing V day was just too much.

I never had the grief of celebrating this holiday in my teens as this concept of dedicating a day to love was still taking roots in India. A decade later was when it hit me hard. Cookies, cakes, coffee shops with love sorbets and shakes. All I wanted was to sit in one of those celebrating love cafes and gaze deep into the eyes of my so-called valentine, being serenaded by chocolates or roses. None of it would actually happen. I hated the day with all my might. I hated the fact that it would make a repeated appearance year after year, taking the couples to dizzying levels of love, but me. I had been patient with it. Fast forward a few years and I thought all my problems were solved with our marriage.

Looks like the Richard Gere of pretty Woman (who visibly turned my life upside down)had no telltale effect on my husband. In his dictionary Valentine’s is just another day.

My dreams went kaput.

Year on year I tried to coach him with heavy doses of the chicklits. No avail.

Enough is enough. This year on – I decide to serenade myself. I have promised to bake love potions and foods which captures my heart and makes it flutter.

Add to it a gift that my credit card can bear without cringing.

And I’m set.

Somewhere along the line I think this s quote from the movie ‘Love Actually’ too did its bit to help me survive "Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinions starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there -- fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends."

Yes, I’m a romantic at heart, and waiting for the day when these movies cause a change of heart for my husband. Till then- there are these Chewy oats cookies.

My preparations start now. A huge classic oat cookie is the first to arrive. Hearts sure are missing as I baked and took pictures last Christmas, but who says I cannot do it again for the love of me.

C’mon wear your aprons and bake some love for yourself.

Chewy Oats Cookie (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins
1/2 cup walnuts (65 grams), chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter the sugar, the egg and vanilla. Now mix the flour salt and soda in another bowl. Now add the oats and walnuts. Mix all of it together.

Chill the dough for an hour and then scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. If you are impatient like me, you can sure bake them right away. Whatever you choose to do, you need to first heat oven to 175°C or 350 F then put them in for 20-25 minutes.

I like mine super thick so I doubled the dough for each one and covered each with a parchment paper.
Once they are out they’ll look like indulgence.

Just my way to celebrate the season of love !!

A Nourished Friendship and some Chirer Pulao (Beaten Rice Savory Snack)

2013-01-16T00:31:00.001-08:00

Around my 21st Birthday few awesome things happened to positively change the outlook of my life:

1. I joined a boring office
2. Quit it.

I had high aspirations for myself. But somehow winded up in a really boring office doing even more lackluster job. Of course that is not awesome.

Well the awesome part is: that this small office was where I met this girl let me call her H, and we stuck together ever since. Now the office was so boring and job so worthless, that we conspired every day at work about ways to get out of that rut.

In came college. We decided to get our masters together.

College was fun. New Delhi was not as notorious back then, and to us it felt like living a leash free life with a promise of better tomorrow. Or maybe I’m just recalling it through a young adult’s eye. If that’s true, then I hope I never wake up to reality.

H is the reason I enjoyed college; On dull days her friendly face would light it up, on free days we’d be scurrying from movie to movie catching all the Friday first releases and later share all the scandals and gossip and whispers, she introduced me into the world of the South Indian delicacies and was someone who was always happy to invite me to any ‘family only ’celebrations when no one else would.

H is spiciness of South, warmth of a sister, delicate’ but never proud’ nose, whispered gossips and shared life logic all along.

Like soul sisters we too had our high and low moments, nonetheless every time our lives fell back into same old rhythm of yesterday.

Last November, H reached a *milestone* of motherhood. I recently went to meet the little one, and my heart was alight with love for the baby princess. Secretly I dreamt of our two little girls to be friends and carry the story forward.This thought made me want to celebrate the day in the simplest of manner and get her stuff she would really like and use. Uh – I know post motherhood all she’s been lamenting about is weight, but there’s nothing in the world that I can do to make her the Sandra Bullock of Miss Congeniality. Can I?

So here’s what I can do. Make a frugal meal of the past, something which talks to her about that 'small office' in wordless ways and is of course is in tune with her 'weighty' issues of today . And even though I know this is not a magic wand to get her into skinny jeans right away, this will certainly not ruin her chances.

{And I’ll not lie -: I’m pretty sure I’d like to be that Sandra Bullock too if given a choice again. }

Chirer Pulao (Beaten Rice Savory Snack)

Ingredients for Chirer Pulao

2 cups Beaten Rice/Poha (washed and drained)
1 Onion sliced fine
1 Potato
Green Peas (optional)
1/2 cup Peanuts (roasted or fried)

Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Lemon juice

Spices for tempering
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 slit green Chilly
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp Bengal gram
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Cooking procedure:

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and temper with the Mustard seeds, once they start to splutter add all the other spices for tempering and the onions. Fry until it turns pale brown.

Then add the peas, potato,salt and sugar. Cook covered till the potatoes are soft. Now add the drained and dry Poha to the Spice mix. Cook for two minutes while it blends well with all other ingredients.Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice.Top it with the peanuts and its ready to serve.

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