Salmon Do pyaza

I am one of those rare Bengalis who does not have an inborn love for fish. Most Bengalis I know can live, eat and sleep fish such is their love for this aquatic species. In recent years, I have actually started liking it, thanks to 'acquired taste' phenomenon and gradually proving myself to be an 'authentic bangali' ! Almost unbelievable for people who have seen me grow up and know how I used to detest it.

Recently a friend shared her salmon do pyaza recipe with a few of us. Another friend tried the same recipe with chicken that very day but with her own twist and shared hers. Then I made mine blending both of theirs with a touch of my own. That is how recipe flows right? And it is the best part of cooking.. One has a given set of guidelines but you play with your creativity as much as you want!

This was my first time making salmon and I was skeptical. The smell when I cooked took all my tension away, superactivated  my olfactory nerves and brought me back sweet memories of my mother's repeated requests ''Please try my fish curry once..''! I could not wait to sit down for our dinner.

Try it.  Be creative, play with the spices and see it for yourself.. And yes, do not forget to share your thoughts on this with us.

Ingredients :

• Salmon 1 lb (Replace it with chicken, any other kind of fish or even veggies of your choice)
• Lemon juice (2 -3 tbsp)
• Cumin powder (1 tbsp)
• Onion- 1 large (1/2 of it chopped)
• Ginger paste (2tsp)
• Garlic paste (2tsp)
• Tomato- 1 medium sized
• Green chillies (2-3)
• Coriander seeds (1/2 tsp)
• Cumin seeds (1/2 tsp)
• Ghee (1tsp)
• Mustard oil (1 tsp)
• Turmeric powder(1 tsp)
• Cayenne  powder(1 tsp)
• Roasted cumin and coriander powder (2 tsp)

Method :

• Marinade medium sized pieces of salmon with lemon juice and cumin powder for ~25 mins.
• In the meantime, blend tomato, onion (1/2), ginger, garlic and green chillies to make a paste.
• Heat ghee and oil together and fry other half of the onion till its brown.
• Add corinader and cumin seeds and let it splutter.
• Add the paste and fry for sometime ( ~3-4 minutes).
• Add turmeric, cayenne and roasted cumin and coriander powder. Mix well.
• Add the marinaded fish and let it cook for 15 mins in medium flame. You might have to check in between as fish cooks relatively faster and cooking time depends on stove kind and heat.
• Remove from heat and keep covered for 2-3 minutes.
• Serve with rice or chapati or couscous or quinoa.

Salmon do Pyaza served with brown rice

Enjoy :)

Ajanta from Walnut Creek

Chicken in Cashew Nut Sauce

Cashews have always been my favorite ! Raw, roasted, toasted, in food :)  My mom used to hide cashews from me in the top shelves where I could not reach I remember .... Memories !! Recently when deciding to make a new dish,  found this recipe in  an Indian cookbook borrowed from our local library. I can never follow exact instructions aside baking recipes almost every time...Some creativity depending on mood and time brings in a little innovation for better or worse in my food :P This turned out perfect for a weekend indulgence dinner !! Yes, this is a rich dish...

Cashew chicken served on rice

Prep Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Serves : 4 -5

Ingredients :

• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 2 cups sliced onions (1 large one)
• 4 ounces finely ground unsalted cashews ( I used roasted)
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp finely grated garlic
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
•  1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
•  1 lb chicken ( I used thighs with bone )
• 1/2 cup whole or low fat yogurt whisked and at room temperature
• salt to taste ( 1-2 tsp)

Method :

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in the medium skillet and fry the onion till well browned. Cool slightly and grind the onion with 1/4 cup of water, cashews,ginger, garlic and cayenne until it forms a smooth thick paste.
• In a large saucepan, heat another tbsp oil and the butter.
• Add cashew-onion paste and stir constantly over medium heat , stirring till sauce turns brown. This takes around 7 mins.
• Thin out the sauce with the 1/2 cup water and stir in salt.
• Add in chicken and turn to coat well with the sauce.
• Simmer, covered over low heat for around 30 mins till cooked.
• Add whisked yogurt .
• Serve with hot rice or chapati .

Enjoy :)

Ajanta from Walnut Creek

Tri-colored Potato subzi

Most people I know love the tuber more than any other vegetable, including my own sister. Not me- I detest potatoes! While I was in school, I stopped eating potatoes all together for months, and I was very happy in my potato free world until Mom coerced me to eat them because she was running out of lunch pack ideas without potatoes :) While I do still eat them, I rarely make any potato dishes at home.

The ONLY potato preparation I liked was a potato bhaji that my maternal grandma made with thinly sliced potatoes, with the skin intact. I called it 'chhilka walu shaak' ie potato subzi with skin intact. Here's my twist on that recipe using much more interesting tri-colored fingerling potatoes - Purple, Red and Yellow.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

8-9 medium sized potatoes (I used 3 purple, 3 red and 3 yellow); washed thoroughly

2 tbsp Canola or any white oil

1 dried red chilli

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt (to taste)

11/2 tbsp Coriander powder

1/2 tbsp   Cumin powder

1 tbsp red Chilli powder

Method:

• Slice the potatoes very thin, about 1/8th of an inch. You might want to soak the sliced potatoes in a bowl of water to prevent browning, its purely optional, though.
• In a medium fry pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Once the popping subsides, add dried red chilli, bay leaf and ginger and fry for a minute or so.
• Add the sliced potatoes. If soaked in water, squeeze gently to remove excess water before adding to oil.
• Toss gently till the tempering coats most potato slices, and then add turmeric and salt. Cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Once the potatoes are slightly translucent, add the remaining spices - coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Toss gently to avoid breaking the thin slices.
• Cook uncovered in medium-low heat till the potatoes are done, and some are crispy golden brown.
• Serve hot with paratha or roti.

Bon Appetit!

Hetal from Houston

Patishapta for Makar Sankranti

Winter time is especially busy for the sweet shops in Kolkata, with a plethora of 'nolen gur' or 'first harvest jaggery' sandesh and rossogollas. While in law school, couple of my friends and I would often walk to the nearest sweet shop after dinner and devour freshly prepared 'notun gur-er rossogollas' for dessert. We frequented the shop so much, that the server stopped asking for our order, and would simply bring out plates full of warm rossogollas. Ah! Those 'mishti dates' are long gone...

During the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti, the sweet shops would sell 'patishapta' - sweet crepes filled with coconut-jaggery inside. This year, having just returned from India, we simply could not sit and crave for the sweets that are synonymous with Makar Sankranti. So, one of my friends and I decided to make some patishapta, even though it was bang in the middle of the week. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

Crepe batter:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina/ suji
1/2 cup milk plus more to get desired consistency
1/4 cup jaggery or sugar

Filling:
1 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 cup grated jaggery
1/2 cup khoya ie dried whole milk(optional)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds powered
1 tbsp ghee

Khoya gravy for dipping/ garnishing (optional)
1/4 cup khoya grated
4 tsp sugar
pinch of cardomom seeds, powdered
dash of milk

Method:

Filling:

• Heat ghee in a medium fry pan. Add cardamom powder and grated coconut in quick succession.
• Saute for a few minutes till the coconut is light brown in color. 
• Add jaggery and sugar and mix well. 
• Continue to cook till the mixture is evenly cooked and the jaggery/ sugar is completely incorporated. Set aside to cool. 

Alternatively, you could go the shortcut method, and crush some home-made coconut - jaggery laddoos brought from India, add some khoya, and warm it with some milk and call it a filling. That's what we did. :)

Crepe batter:

• Whisk the all purpose flour and semolina in a medium bowl. 
• Add milk gradually and mix together for a very thin batter. 
• In a small bowl, mix jaggery/ sugar and two tablespoons of milk and microwave for 15 seconds, till the jaggery/ sugar melts completely. Add to the batter and mix well. 

Khoya gravy

• In a small pan, heat the khoya, sugar and milk together until well incorporated. 
• Add cardomom seed powder and set aside. The gravy thickens as it cools, so you might have to add more milk or warm it up while garnishing.

Making the patishapta:

• Once all the preparation is done, heat a non-stick tawa or flat bottomed skillet to medium heat. 
• Brush on a little bit of ghee or oil, and pour a small ladle full of batter. Rotate the pan to spread the batter in a thin layer. Cook till slightly golden brown in color.
• Gently place a tablespoon of the filling on one edge of the crepe. Roll it like a frankie and gently pat it to spread the filling evenly inside the crepe. Repeat process with remaining batter.
• To serve, place the patishapta in a plate, and gently drizzle the Khoya gravy on top. 

Bon Appetit!

Hetal from Houston

Beetroot Halva

As a child I relished the sweet taste of steamed beets and loved the magenta hue much more! It was my 'lipstick' - would often pester Mom or Baa to cut a slice of beetroot such that I could hold it between my little fingers like a real 'lipstick' and paint my face all over. :)
I know now that beetroots are a wonderful source of potassium, magnesium, folic acid and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C.
I made a super simple beetroot halva for some friends after a Biryani dinner. Enjoy it with little less guilt, coz also good for you! ;) Here it goes.


Serves: 6-8 persons
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins


Ingredients
3 large beetroots, grated (about 3 cups)
14 oz. sweetened low fat condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed
1 tbsp clarified butter/ ghee
1/2 cup chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios etc)
1/2 cup raisins


Method

• Heat a large thick bottomed skillet, add ghee. Once warm, add cardamom seeds to infuse the aromatic flavor of the cardamom throughout the halva.
• Add grated beetroots and saute till softened.

Grated beetroots sautéed in ghee

• Add condensed milk and stir occasionally till the beets cook completely and turn slightly glossy - about 25-30 minutes. Most of the moisture would have evaporated by then. Note - The halva will thicken further as it cools.
• Fold in the raisins and nuts. 
• Garnish with nuts and serve. It can be served hot or chilled. 

Beetroot Halva

Notes: Condensed milk can be substituted by milk and sugar to taste. To make it richer, cashew paste or  khoya could also be added. 


Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Eggs in Rich Moghlai Sauce

I found this recipe in a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook which I had recently borrowed from our town library. Very rarely do I have all the ingredients at home ; this time I did, so customizing was not required ... and the outcome ?!?!  A recipe totally worth sharing with all of you! Here it goes...

Serves: 4 people
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Lengthwise cut eggs

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2-3/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil  (or groundnut oil)

1 medium sized onion finely chopped

1 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp tomato puree

1 cup chicken stock

180 ml single cream 

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

5-7 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise in half

Freshly ground black pepper
Method:

• Mix the cayenne, cumin, garam masala, coriander, lemon juice, salt and some black pepper with 1 tbsp of water to make a smooth paste and set aside.
•  Heat oil in frying pan and set it over a medium high heat.When hot add the onion and stir fry until it turns brown at the edges. Add the ginger and stir for 10-15 seconds.
• Add pre-made paste and stir for a minute.
• Stir in tomato puree, chicken stock, cream  and fresh coriander and bring to simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
• Lay the egg halves in the sauce in a single layer and spoon the sauce over the top. Cover and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
• Serve with any Indian bread or rice.

Eggs in Moghlai Gravy

You can always try this recipe by replacing eggs with paneer or chicken.

Enjoy !! 

Ajanta from Amherst

'Doi Potol' aka 'Dahi Parwal'

Potol or parwal was never a childhood favorite but since last few years the scarcity of this particular veggie in this part of the world makes me crave for it ! Changes in life keep surprising me :)


Here is a simple Bengali recipe I inherited from my in-laws family for potol or parwal cooked with yoghurt.


Serves: 3 to 5
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins


Ingredients:

Peeled and sliced parwal

• Parwal / Potol/ Pointed gourd ( 1 lb) - longitudinally and  alternately peeled  and sliced in halves
• Oil for deep frying - I mixed mustard oil and olive oil (You can use any oil)
• Whole cumin seeds (1 tsp)
• Green chillies 
• Bay leaves (2-3)
• Cumin powder (1tsp)
• Coriander powder (1 tsp)
• Turmeric (1/2 tsp)
• Yoghurt (1 cup) - Well beaten
• Ginger paste (1 tsp)
• Sugar and salt to taste
• Garam Masala 1 tsp
• Ghee (1/2 tsp) : Optional 

Method:

Fried parwal

Yoghurt Gravy

• Cut parwal longitudinally after alternately peeling ( it gets very soft  with complete peeling) .
• Fry well and drain off excess oil . 
• Separately fry whole cumin, bay leaves and a green chilli .
• Make a paste of coriander, turmeric and cumin and add it.
• Then add ginger paste and yoghurt.
• Now add fried parwal and rest of the chillies.
• Add sugar and salt .
•  Cook well in low flame.
•  Before turning off flame add ghee and garam masala .



Doi Potol

You can also substitute parwal with veggies of your choice like baigan / eggplant.
Enjoy !


Ajanta from Amherst

A Quick meal : Quinoa with veggies Indian style

We all have days when we are really tired, looking at the empty refrigerator with no leftovers, not knowing what to cook for our immediate meal but yet restrain from ordering pizza or chinese takeaway to avoid their consequences. On one such day, I digged out quinoa from our pantry and cooked a one course dinner by adding some vegetable cooked the Indian way.  It was a quite easy, quick and tasty meal for two!
Serves: 2- 3 persons
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 20-25 mins mins


Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 tsp margarine (Butter of course is a tastier choice)
Canola Oil   (Any oil should be good)
1 Onion sliced longitudinally
1 red pepper sliced longitudinally
Ginger paste (1 tsp)
Garlic paste (1 tsp)
Pre-cut mixed veggies (Carrot, beans, green peas)
Tomato puree (2 tbsp)
Cumin powder (1/2 tsp)
Coriander powder (1/2 tsp)
Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
Chilli powder (1/2 tsp); you can use green chillies instead
Salt to taste


Method:

                                       Different Stages of Quinoa Meal

• Cook quinoa separately - Boil 1 cup of water with margarine and pinch of salt and add quinoa. Simmer for 2 mins. Remove from heat and keep covered.
• In a non stick pan heat oil and fry onion and red peppers for 3 minutes.
• Add ginger -garlic and fry for 2 minutes
• Add tomato and saute well and then add veggies.
• Add cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder.
• Add sugar and salt to taste.
• Simmer for 10 mins or veggies are cooked.
• Add quinoa with cooked veggies.
• Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy your 'fatafat' meal :)

Final Meal : Quinoa with mixed veggies

Substitute quinoa with rice or couscous according to taste and availability.


Ajanta from Amherst