Aloo Dum- low calorie version

When I was a school going kid, my tiffin was regularly hauled by my friends. Usually my Mom would pack me Parantha's of all possible fillings. On other days my tiffin beamed of sabzi and plain Parantha and on those fortunate lucky days I carried my treasured tiffin of my Mom's absolute lipsmacking Aloo Dum. My friends would finish it off even before the lunch bell rang, hiding beneath the desks and sneaking it while the teacher explained some boring subject on the blackboard. Yes, that was the magic of tiffin time that we all still cherish. 

I, on the other hand, loved my friends Puri sabzi and that addictive unstoppable fried goodness called Bhujiya. I just loved it so much. I was happy to trade my tiffin with their box of goodness. 

Whenever my friends came home, their was only one collective demand 'Aloo Dum'. My mom loved to plate it with generous dollops of tamarind chutney and some chopped fresh coriander leaves. She would put a toothpick on each making it easier for us to pick our's and relish it. 

With Kolkata Food Bloggers ongoing event on Street Food, I could think of nothing better than my Mom's Aloo Dum. Although now mommy makes a healthier version with the Airfryer so that the deep frying part is avoided. 

Make it and enjoy it as much as my friends always did. 

Ingredients : 

• 500 gms baby potatoes, parboiled
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 cup curd
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• fresh coriander, chopped
• green chillies, chopped
• Tamarind chutney

Procedure : 

Peel potatoes and make holes with a fork in 3-4 places. 

Take a bowl and add salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric powder and little refined oil. Coat the potatoes in it. Put this in the Airfryer for 10 minutes at 200 degree. Remember to turn the potatoes after 5 minute mark.

(If you do not have the Air fryer, deep fry the potatoes)

Take 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan, add chopped onions. Cook for 2 minutes and then add ginger garlic paste (once onions start browning on the edges)

Cook for another 2 minutes or till the mixture leaves oil.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them till they are soft and mashed. Add the tomato puree and cook till the mixture leaves oil.

Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. 

Lower the flame and add the lightly beaten curd. 

Mix the potatoes.

Garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies and top with spoonfuls of tamarind chutney before serving.

This recipe is part of Kolkata Food Bloggers ongoing event Street Food Expedition where Moumita Ghosh is the featured blogger of the week who blogs from Peek'n'Cook

Happy healthy binging

Amrita

Palak Raita

Come Winter and my list of must have's spring out from my recipe diary. My little kitchen bustles with a variety of bakes with seasonal fruits and dishes with vegetables. I start the long list with one ingredient at a time and think of various ways to use it. The fruits end up in cakes, tarts etc and the vegetables get experimented in a variety of sabzi's, soups or eaten just like that, boiled and sauteed in a little butter.
My favourite way to eat spinach leaves, raw and fresh, is in this recipe of Palak Raita. The idea came from someone who shared a salad recipe on the same lines. Since then, it is a winter ritual to have this raita at least once. 
The sight of fresh bright green Spinach leaves in the vegetable patch of our house in Allahabad made me share this simple and humble recipe. Vanya, my daughter, and me have been enjoying ourselves feasting on fresh produce from the garden.
When making be careful to choose baby spinach leaves, tender and fresh. Wash them well and just roll them, a few at a time, and very finely slice them. Do not skip the roasted cumin powder as it gives a very distinct and important flavour to the humble raita. I like my raita with a little dash of sugar to balance the taste. Skip it if you do not like. 

Spinach leaves/Palak in the vegetable patch

Ingredients : No measurements here. All ingredients are as per your taste and requirement

• Curd 
• handful of baby spinach leaves
• roasted cumin seed/jeera powder
• red chilly powder
• rock salt
• sugar

Procedure : 

Wash spinach leaves well. Take care to choose the small baby leaves. Roll the leaves and slice them as fine as possible.

Beat curd with a fork and add sugar, salt and red chilly powder. If curd is thick add milk/water to thin it.

Add spinach leaves and mix.

Roast cumin seeds on a hot griddle and then grind them. Sprinkle it on curd and mix.

Garnish with some spinach leaves and with a sprinkle of red chilly and roasted cumin powder.

Happy Palak relishing

Amrita

Roasted Beetroot Chaas

Summers is not really my favourite month but Summers have a lot of sweet memory attached to it and remind me of the fun filled and careless childhood days. Summers then meant packing up our bags and traveling by the Sleeper class for 2 nights and reach our heaven haven in Punjab. The Summer vacations was spent running out and playing in the scorching sun and enjoying yummy delicacies made by Nani and Masi's. In those days we had no distraction from the television or the internet and enjoyed our silly games with all cousins. Summer Vacations will truly be the best days of my life!

With Vaanya, my daughter, growing up and soon to join a school, I look forward to give Vaanya a truly wonderful and memorable Summer vacation experience. I hope when she grows up, she will fondly recollect her best days of life with equal enthusiasm.

Summers are also synonymous with cool drinks. Being a Sikh, Lassi was a drink that was always ready at home. My grandmother would ensure that she uses enough milk to set homemade curd which was used generously in Summers. While I always loved my Lassi sweet and thick, others at home loved to gulp down a salty and thin version along with lunch. My grandmothers 'Madhani' was always ready to churn up a yummy cooling Lassi. 

My grandmother also made homemade white butter which now my mother continues to make very diligently. The top layer on milk called 'Malai' collected for a few days was churned to get the pristine white unsalted butter. The water remaining while churning butter was used in her salty lassi which I learnt later is called 'Chaas' in Hindi. Extremely popular esp in the northern part of the country because of its scorching heat in Summers, Chaas is a drink that is not only loved for its taste but for its health benefits too as it cools the body.

This chaas is normally made with boiled beetroot puree but the Baker in me made me experiment with a roasted beetroot version.

Recipe source : Adapted from GoodFood magazine 

Ingredients : For 3-4 servings

• 1 small beetroot, peeled and quartered
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup curd (I used homemade)
• 2 cups water (or more)
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• few curry leaves 8-10
• 1/4 tsp grated ginger
• 1 green chilly chopped (optional)
• salt to taste

Procedure : 

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Take a baking tray and line it with aluminium foil. 

Toss the quartered beetroots with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Place on the baking tray and loosely cover with the foil. Let the beetroots roast for 30 minutes. 

Take them out carefully and allow to cool.

When they have cooled down, pulse them in the mixer to make a smooth paste.

Whisk curd and water in a bowl to make a thin chaas. 

Add the beetroot paste to it and mix it well.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. As they splutter, add curry leaves, grated ginger and chopped green chilly. Cook for a minute and then add this to the chaas.

Refrigerate the chaas and serve chilled. 

Notes : 

• You can use buttermilk in place of curd and water.
• You may boil the beetroot in boiling water or pressure cook it, peel the skin and puree it. 

This recipe is part of the exciting ongoing event at Kolkata Food Bloggers called 'Beat the Heat'.

 Enjoy Summers
Amrita 

Kamalika's Bhapa Baigun (Microwave version)/ Steamed brinjals in coconut gravy

It comes across as a surprise to most that being a Sikh, our family is more of a vegetarian. As a child I remember my Grandfather was the one who was more excited about any meat. He would bring it home for my Grandmother to cook who happened to be a strict vegetarian. She kept separate vessels to cook any kind of meat. In fact, she would keep a different pan for frying eggs too.

Therefore when my grandparents shifted to my Aunt's place to stay with her, non-vegetarian food at home  became extinct. My father had no liking towards meat and preferred homemade simple vegetarian meals. I guess he had gone on my grandmother. So naturally, food at home also was a simple affair. When people asked me whether I am a vegetarian or  a non-vegetarian eater, I would simple say I am both but more of the first. 

Kolkata Food Bloggers has been the most amazing group I have been blessed to find. All kudos to the spirit of this incredible person Kamalika Chakrabarty who envisioned this group and formed it. It has been over a year and within this time I have found not only an enthusiastic leader in her but a very simple, homely and extremely humble person in her. It is very rare to find someone so dedicated towards her group where day in and out she is thinking and planning about the up gradation. It is only because of her efforts that today Kolkata Food Bloggers is a visible face in the culinary world. 

Kamalika is a great friend and a very giving person. Once when we got together at home she prepared an incredible and lip-smacking spread for me from Chingri Malaikari, Yogurt Chicken and Bhapa Baigun amongst other yummies. Being a vegetarian lover, I fell for the delectable flavours of the Bhapa Baigun more than the prawn and the chicken dishes. 

When Kolkata Food Bloggers announced their new event to celebrate Poila Boishakh with vegetarian dishes from Bengal, I knew this recipe needed a place in the blog. Extremely simple yet so yummy, this recipe has now become our weekend favourite. 

This recipe has no ginger, garlic, onions or tomatoes, the pillars of our Punjabi cooking and yet you will relish it and crave for more. Moreoever this recipe is a quick and modern one where the Microwave method is used. The use of mustard powder further reduces the tedious process of grinding. The recipe calls for a dash of sugar which I almost forgot the first time I made, so do be careful to add that bit as it makes a huge difference to the taste. 

Ingredients : For 2-3 servings

• 6 medium sized brinjals
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tbsp curd
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• sugar to taste
• salt to taste
• oil for shallow frying

Procedure : 

Wash, wipe and cut brinjals vertically in two halves.

Take oil in a pan and shallow fry the brinjal halves.

Drain them on a tissue paper and arrange in a microwave safe vessel.

Soak mustard powder in little warm water for 5 minutes.

Beat curd to remove any lumps.

Take a bowl and add soaked mustard powder, curd, coconut milk, salt, turmeric powder and sugar. Mix well.

Pour this mixture over the brinjals. 
Drizzle some mustard oil on top.

Put the vessel with brinjals in the microwave and switch on for 5 minutes on normal microwave mode.

Check and adjust seasoning.

Microwave for another 10 minutes in 5 minute batch till the mixture thickens.

Serve with boiled rice and plain dal. 

Notes : 

• You may use fresh mustard seeds paste instead of mustard powder.
• I have used canned coconut milk, but you may also use fresh coconut milk. 
• If you like a more sour taste, add more curd.
• Add green chillies if you love spicy food. 

This recipe is part of Kolkata Food Bloggers new event to celebrate Poila Boishakh where we are sharing Vegetarian Bengali dishes.

Happy vegetarian relishing

Amrita

Mutton Pasanda-Amma's recipe

As a result of the unprecedented advancement in the information technology the availability of recipes and culinary information through the internet has brought about a new wave of food related interest, hobbies, readership and profession that could have never been imagined before. With a simple click of a mouse you have all the information about your food subject at your fingertips. The current generation has witnessed a new trend of 'foodology' through blogs, restaurant reviews, online courses etc. In fact, you can book a table in a restaurant through the internet through a simple click. It is hard to imagine our world today without the internet.

Our mothers and grand parents, however, never had the luxury of the internet world as we enjoy today. For them it was a painstaking effort, without any short cuts, to figure out and prepare dishes that have become more or less the signature dish of our families. They also didn't have the luxury of microwaves and other appliance to make cooking a little more convenient. It is majorly because of this that our mothers and grandparents are the true masters of the traditional cuisines and our source of inspiration. One secret ingredient was that all the dishes were made with a lot of love. 

Amrita and I have been so blessed to have the years of experience of our mother(s) at our disposal. We often spend a lot of time in the kitchen together which also strengthens our bonding. 

This simple mutton pasanda recipe has been handed down by Amma in Allahabad to my wonderful wife Amrita. Amma has also handed down to Amrita a big fat register filled with family recipes that she has personally handwritten herself. Its a priceless treasure filled with compilation of decades of tried and tested recipes.  In Amma's cooking there is always a sense of simplicity to everything genius she creates. We decided to give it a try at our Kolkata Food Bloggers 1st Birthday Party celebrations which was enjoyed by everyone.

           

Ingredients : Serves 2-3

• 1/2 kg Mutton Parcha from Raan (Ask your meat vendor to make parcha or thin strips from the meat. Ensure that there are no fat portions in the meat. Parcha is made by beating up the strip of meat)
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 50 gms thick curd
• 2 tbsp grated raw papaya
• 4 medium sized onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp besan/gram flour
• salt to taste

Masala:

• 3-4 laung/cloves
• 2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
• 2 dried red chillies, deseeded
• 1" piece of dalchini/cinnamon stick
• 4-5 golmirch/black peppercorn

Garnish:

• mint leaves 
• onion rings

Procedure : 

Dry roast all the ingredients under the masala section and grind them finely. 

Wash the mutton and marinate with curd, grated raw papaya, ginger garlic paste, salt and the ground masala. Keep it aside for 1-2 hours or as long as possible(even overnight).

Peel and cut the onion in half. Slice them in cross section as shown below. This helps the sliced onions to break up easily for frying. 

Heat oil in a karahi/deep pan and fry the sliced onions until their are golden brown. Drain on a paper napkin and keep aside.

Heat oil in the same vessel and add the marinated mutton. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the fried onions.

Cover and cook in medium heat for 15-20 minutes or till the meat is done. 

Dry roast besan in another pan and add to the mutton and mix well.

Garnish with onion rings and mint leaves.

Served best with plain rice or chapati/parantha.

Happy relishing

Vishal

Ganga Kinare wale Aloo/Potatoes in curd

Simple is Humble !

Simple things in life are truly so humble that they never really gain that much of attention. We tend to take them for granted and forget their importance but they always remain close to our heart. 

I am hereby starting a new series of ultra simple recipes which have been made over and over in my kitchen and which are a part of our everyday simple meals. It was a thought that came to me after realizing that all my recent recipes have been on my fetish-Baking. Simple everyday food is something that I have ignored on my blog since the beginning. Therefore, this is just an attempt to share everyday super simple silly food.

This recipe is for that super perfect lazy day where you do not want to spend too much time in the kitchen. It is also ridiculously simple with no garlic, onions or tomatoes and yet is so yummy. We pair it with Atte ki Puri and a khatti meethi chutney. It can also be devoured with plain boiled rice. 

Recipe Source: Mummy dear

Ingredients : 

• 400 gm boiled potatoes(around 8-9 medium sized)
• 4-5 tbsp curd
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp panchphoron(fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed in equal parts)
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2-3 green chillies, slit
• 4 tbsp oil
• chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Procedure : 

Peel the boiled potatoes and mash them roughly so that you have some chunks. 

Heat oil in a pan. Meanwhile take a small bowl and add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Add enough water to dilute and make a runny paste.

Add panchphoron to the oil and let it splutter.

Add the diluted masala to the oil and cook for around 2-3 minutes till the masala leaves oil on the sides.

Add the slit green chillies and the mashed potatoes. Add amchur powder and about a cup of water and let it boil. 

Mash some pieces of potatoes very well as this will make the gravy thick. 

Add curd and mix. Sprinkle garam masala powder and remove from flame. 

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and a dollop of curd.

Served best with hot puris and khata meetha aam ka achaar or Amla khata meetha achaar 

Happy Simple Food Enjoying
Amrita

A Fruity Cheesecake

 “I'm not a vegetarian! I'm a dessertarian!” 

Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

 

 I Love Desserts and have confessed so a zillion times!! Blame it to my 'staying in Bengal' genes. I am the kind who eyes the dessert menu before moving to the main course. There is a kind of magnetic pull that makes me hunt for them. I make a mental note of the available varieties and keep my appetite adjusted to devour them in the end. Yes, I like to eat them very slow, enjoying and relishing every minute fraction of the sweet beauty!! And as much as I love eating them, I love to make desserts at home. My little diary is heaped up with dessert recipes and I long for reasons(or none) to try them. 
Apart from the sinful Chocolate recipes, I love to make desserts which incorporate fruits. Seasonal fruits are awaited every year to be turned into easy and simple desserts. Last year I made batches of the yummy Mango Mousse, Mango Cheesecake and Mango Banana Gelato. 
This time I wanted to reinvent the Mango cheesecake and incorporate chunks of the fruit in it. While planning I stumbled upon the idea of using chunks of different coloured fruits. And Voila! here it is my Fruity Cheesecake experiment.
What I loved the most was the attractive colour combination of the fresh and seasonal fruits. You may try any other fruit combination. I always like to use local available ingredients and so my cheesecake has hung curd and Paneer in it. You may use Cream cheese, if easily available at your part of the world. Together with the soft and fresh cheesecake, it surely is now one of my favorite Dessert.

Ingredients : For a 5" round cheesecake

• 4-5 digestive biscuits
• 2 tbsp melted/softened butter
• 1/2 cup hung curd, preferably overnight
• 1/2 cup Paneer, crumbled
• 1/2 cup cream (I used Amul)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp gelatin
• 2 tbsp cold water(to soak the gelatin)
• chopped fruits-I used Mango, Papaya and Kiwi fruit

 

Procedure:
Place the biscuits in a kitchen towel/cloth and crush them with a rolling pin. Gather in a bowl.
Add melted/softened butter and mix well. 
Line a 5" round tin and press the biscuit mixture evenly on the base. Refrigerate to set for 1/2 hour.
(Check here to see details to line a round tin for the cheesecake instead of a springform pan.)
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let it sit for 5 mins till it gets spongy.
Take hung curd, paneer, cream and sugar in a mixer bowl and churn till it gets mixed well.
Pour this mixture in a pan and warm it over low heat. Take care not to boil.
Mix the gelatin and remove from flame.
Mix well so that the gelatin gets dissolved.
Add chopped fruits(reserving some for garnishing)
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit layer.
Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or till set. 

To remove the cheesecake from tin, heat little water in a wide pan(do not boil). Place the tin in it for a count of ten and remove. Now carefully invert and tap from bottom taking care not to crack the cheesecake. As it begins to loosen, use the hanging liners to pull the cheesecake out(see here)

Garnish with chopped fruits. I used a heart mould in the center and placed the fruits in it to get a heart arrangement of fruits.

 

Slice and serve. Dip knife in warm water to get clean and neat slices.

 

This Fruity Cheesecake is a modern reminder of the amazing, classic and famous dessert Fruit cream.

A perfect summer desert.

Happy Fruity Cheesecake Eating

Amrita

GulabJamun No Bake Cheesecake

 ''A new year is unfolding like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.'' 

- Unknown 

New Year !!
It is the regional New Year time all over India. Celebrated with different names, it basically marks the beginning of the harvest season and arrival of Spring.
It is called Vaisakhi in Punjab which  also marks the birth of Khalsa and is celebrated with lot of fervor. 
Poila Boishakh is celebrated in West Bengal which literally means first day of the first month. An auspicious time for marriages and beginning of all business activities, it is celebrated with traditional dressing and food. 
Vishu is celebrated in Kerala and is marked with Vishukanni which literally means"the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after waking up".
Ugadi is celebrated as New Year's Day in Karnataka and Andhra pradesh. The name Ugadi is derived from the name "Yuga Adi", which means 'the beginning of a new age'

Chaitti in Himachal Pradesh, Mahavishuva Sankrant in Orissa, Navreh in Kashmir, Cheiraoba in Manipur, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Rongali Bihu in Assam are all names of the New Year Celebrations in the different regions of India. 

Unity in Diversity is such an apt example which describes  India's varied cultures.

Recipe Adapted from:Divine Taste suggested by Swetha

Ingredients:For a 5" inch round cheesecake

Crust

• 3-4 Digestive biscuits
• 2-3 tbsp melted butter

Filling

• 8-10 Gulab jamuns, medium sized, drained and slightly squeezed to remove extra syrup
• 1/2 cup Hung curd
• 1 cup Paneer/cottage cheese
• 2-3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Gelatin/1 tbsp China grass

Caramel Glaze

• 2 almonds(soaked in water for 2 hours,peeled and slivered finely)
• 2-3 tbsp sugar

Preparation :

Tin: 

Since I wanted to make a smaller quantity, I chose a 5" round tin instead of a Springform tin.

Cut 4 long strips of butter/parchment paper 1" wide. Fold them lengthwise to make them 1/2 " wide. Lay them as shown in Fig.1 and staple from the center. Place it in the tin(Fig 2). These will be used to pull the set cheesecake from the tin.

Cut a 5" circle butter paper for the base and a side strip.

Grease the tin lightly and place the prepared butter paper in the base and sides of tin(Fig 3)

Hung Curd:

Take 1 cup curd and put it in a muslin/cheesecloth. Tie the ends and allow it to hang overnight in the refrigerator(You may try tying it to a spatula and  placing over a bowl)

This will give you roughly 1/2 cup thick curd.

Procedure:

Crust:

Crush biscuits (placed in a kitchen towel/Ziplock)with the help of a rolling pin.

Add melted butter and mix well.

Press onto the base of the prepared tin with the help of the back of a spoon. (Fig 4)

Keep in the refrigerator to set for atleast 1/2 hour.

Filling:

Take 2 tbsp cold water and sprinkle gelatin over it for 5-10 mins or till it gets spongy.

Take hung curd, paneer and sugar in a mixer jar and process till smooth.

Transfer it to a pan and heat it very lightly over low heat. Do not let it boil.(Alternatively, microwave for 10-15 secs) As soon as the mixture is just warm to touch, remove from heat and add the gelatin. Stir well to dissolve the gelatin. 

If using china grass, break it into small pieces and soak in 1/4 cup water for 10 mins till it gets soft. Place it in a pan over low heat and let it dissolve for 5-6 mins, stirring well. Do not let it boil.

Add this to the warm curd and paneer mixture and stir well.

Place 7 pieces of gulabjamuns on the crust(Fig 5)

Pour the cheesecake mixture on the gulabjamuns.

Cut 2 gulabjamuns in half and place them inverted on the top.

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours to set.

Caramel Glaze:

Take sugar in a pan over low heat and let it cook and dissolve, stirring well. Soon you will notice it will leave water and begin to change colour. Keep stirring and when it dissolves completely becoming brownish in colour, remove from heat and add the slivered almonds. Pour onto the set cheesecake before it gets cold and hardens. Place some almond pieces on the gulab jamuns.

Slice up and serve this yummy 'very Indian' Cheesecake!!

Five days left for our 1st Anniversary and 3 Giveaways to end!!

Sending this recipe to Tangy Minds celebrate 1st Anniversary

 MJ Delights

Hearty and Healthy

Soul Food Show

Happy New Year to all of you!!
Amrita