at 23:27

Bengali Vegetable Chop / Beetroot Croquette /Healthy snacks for toddler/Kolkata Street food-Vegetable Chop /Kolkata Veg Chop: Must Eat Festive Bites during Durga Puja 1

Pujo is almost here. In just a couple of days,  Bengalis across the globe will be celebrating Durga Puja a five-day festival worshiping of Goddess Durga and celebrates her win against the evil demon ‘Asur’. Durga Puja is all about  getting dressed in new puja look , ‘adda’  and visiting Puja pandals across the town with friends and  family and most importantly, gorging on splendid food…

In London too, I can feel Durga puja. Today in the office all I could think about is coming home to open the suitcases to bring out the new sarees that I got from Kolkata to wear during the puja. Bringing out the cute little festive cloths that I got N and show them off to her.

I didn’t still bring my suitcase out, but decided instead to cook some festive food, some gorgeous festive food from the streets Kolkata without which Puja is incomplete.

First of the series is Vegetable chop!

Ingredients:

2 Beetroots

2 Carrots

2 Potatoes

1/2 tsp Chili Powder (optional)

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1 cup Bread Crumbs

2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts (chopped)

2 tbsp grated coconut

1 teaspoon Bengali Bhaja Masala

1 Egg

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Ingredient for Bhaja Masala: You can store this spice mix for later use as well

1teaspoon cumin seed

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon coriander seed

2 Bay leaf

1inch cinnamon stick

2/3 cardamom

Method of making Bhaja Masala

·       Dry roast all the ingredient on frying pan

·       Let them cool down a bit

·       Grind dry roasted in blender or coffee grinder

·       Store in air tight container for long term use

Method for making the vegetable Chop:

·       Wash and  Pill the vegetable

·       Boil all the vegetables and let them cool, Smash the vegetables and add salt.

·       Add ginger paste, cumin powder, chili powder, grated coconut, Bhaja Masala

·       Fry the peanuts 

·       Now turn off the flame and add fried peanuts to the above mashed vegetable.

·       Make oblong shaped chop out of this mixture.

Frying Method One: Toddler friendly healthy snack:

·       Heat little oil in a frying pan

·       Beat an egg

·       Take a vegetable chop and dunk it in the beaten egg

·       Now fry

·       This method takes very little oil hence very healthy. The taste is not like the chop one might be used to eating. But the main taste remains the same.

Frying Method Two: Again a healthier option which takes very little oil but somewhat taste the same:

·       Heat oil in a deep bottom pan

·       Take a vegetable chop and coat with the bread crumbs and place onto a plate

·       Now dunk the bread crumb coated vegetable chop in beaten egg

·       Fry them

·       In this method the bread crumb is somewhat washed by the egg hence takes less oil then usual but still retains original taste. also it is healthier than the original option

Frying method three: The actual method used in shops or the taste most of us are accustomed with

·       Beat the egg

·       Now dip each of the above-made balls in the beaten egg

·        Afterwards coat each ball with the bread crumbs and place onto a plate

·       Repeat the process for all the balls and then place them in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer.

·       Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry each ball till golden brown.

·       Serve the vegetable chop with some Kasundi ( Bengali Mustard sauce)  and onion or vegetable chop and muri 

at 20:59

Rava Upma/Rawa Upma / Suji Upma/ Semolina Upma-Quick and healthy Breakfast Recipes/Healthy Breakfast recipe for children

According to Wiki “ Upma or Uppuma or Uppittu is a common South Indian, Maharashtrian and Sri Lankan Tamils breakfast dish, cooked as a thick porridge from dry roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. Various seasonings and/or vegetables are often added during the cooking, depending on individual preferences. These days, it is popular in most parts of India and is prepared in various ways”

However I must add that it is also cooked in Bengali household with a little variation in the cooking method. It also brings back memories of Delhi University PGW hostel days when we used to eagerly wait for weekend for some good food and Upma was one of them in the breakfast.

I usually cook this almost every second weekend for my daughter as she can easily self-feed this breakfast. It is healthy, easy to make without much fuss, adults can eat it too.  I don’t know why I didn’t think about sharing the recipe before till someone requested the recipe.

Without much ado, the recipe.

Rava Upma/ Suji Upma/ Semolina Upma-Quick and healthy Breakfast Recipes/Healthy Breakfast recipe for children

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serve: 4

Level Of Cooking: Moderate

Ingredients for Vegetable Upma Recipe

1 1/2 cups Semolina (rava/suji)

1 medium Carrot cut into ¼ inch cubes

6-8 French beans, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1/2 cup Green peas

1 medium Green capsicum

1 medium Onion (optional)

2 Green chillies (optional)

1 inch piece Ginger

2 tablespoons olive oil (or less if you do not fry the veggies or the cashew nut)

1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds

10 Curry leaves

1 teaspoons Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal)

1 tea spoon split Bengal gram

1 tablespoon coconut

10 cashew nut (optional)

2 cup water

Salt to taste

Method:

1.     Dry roast the Suji/rava in a fry pan till they are slightly goldish (not too much not too much)   and there is a nutty flavour. Then keep them aside

2.     Wash and cut all the vegetables. You can actually use as many and as much veggie as you want

3.     Give oil in the fry pan and warm

4.     Add mustard seed

5.     When it starts popping add the Urad dal and Bengal gram, fry till they are lightly golden (1mins maybe or less!!)

6.     Add curry leave, onion and the cashew nut and fry till onions are translucent, by this time nuts should be fried too.

7.     Add veggies and sauté a little

8.     Add warm water

9.     Add the rava or suji.

10.  Add salt as per taste and add green chili ( if using)

11.   Cook till water is reduced and the upma is thick in consistency

12.  Garnish with coconut and serve with coconut chutney or coconut tomato chutney

at 12:23

Bengali Macher Chop/Maacher Chop or Fish Croquette and a week with my daughter

I made this chops two weeks back and have been meaning to upload them. Well I was on holiday this whole week and I had made this huge to do list. Uploading this one on the blog was one of them. I didn’t achieve much from the lists. No regrets as I got to spend a lot of time with my daughter whom I don’t get to see much during the weeks. She has a very busy life.

Being two and half is not easy. It is a hard life.

Her usual day start with getting up 6 am in the morning, getting dressed and then going to her child minders. It doesn’t stop at that. They she goes for school drops, then to children centre, have lunch, go to sleep and then school pick up. In between lots of running around after a cat named chocolate and dinner. From five her wait starts; waiting for mumma to pick her up at 6.30ish.  Then she comes back home, take a bath, play with mumma, and maybe eat something. Then its bed time with some story.

That’s a lot of work for a day. That is also lots of time without mumma!!!!!!!!!!

This week was about being with my favourite person in the world. My heart outside by body. Neelormi Bhuiyan Chatterjee. We call her Neemi apart from many other names.

Our day started with some ‘gyada gyadi’ (a Bengali term with no English translation) in bed. I have taught her butterfly kiss (a kiss where you flutter your eye lids on the cheek). We keep kissing each other and my dotty breaks into such giggle that it melts my heart (by the way a mother’s heart’s melting point is very low). This is the time I cherish the most as she voluntarily spends so much time so close to me. Rest of the time she is like a fish, constantly moving around.

We make my tea together. She is an expert in making tea. She knows when to give water, tea and milk. ‘ no more water bas bas’ ‘get milk now’ ‘I do it’  and ‘here you go’ ‘tea’ and my tea is ready. I am set for the day. She makes her tea too but it’s from the blue bottle. ‘waterrrrrr please’ no more bas bas. Mumma I told you bas bas!

We sit in our balcony with our tea. Now it’s time to play with some bubbles. We make bubbles and look at them flying to the sky together. ‘Mummy look’ and I look at her proudly for making the biggest bubble in the wholestttt world! I can see the rainbow on my daughter’s face. As I keep looking for the ninth wonder my daughter is making with simple soapy water, my face lights up with pride. And my daughter seems brighter then the sun. We exchange our secret look and break into giggle.

Ahhh life is bliss!

Without much ado, the recipe for the Bengali Macher Chop/Maacher Chop or   Fish Chop Croquette. There are several variety for the process. Most of the chop available in market have very thick coat of breadcrumb and very little fish. I will give that recipe for that some other day. This one taste little different as it has light coat of bread crumb and more of fish and needs less oil to fry. I personally like this one more as it’s fishier in taste, healthier without compromise on the taste. But of course it is not up to the mark to meet nostalgia for many who grew up in Kolkata.

Give it a try and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Cooking time: 30mins

Preparation time: 30 mins (including boiling potatoes)

Difficulty level: Easy

Category: Snacks, first course of main meal

Ingredients:

 4 fillet of bone less Tilapia/Basa/ any white fish like Rohu etc

2 big potatoes

1 big onion

2 table spoon of lime juice

1 table spoon ginger paste

1 table spoon garlic paste (optional)

1 green chilli cut into small pieces (optional)

1 teaspoon chili powder (as per taste)

1/2 tablespoon garam masala (I used sunrise Shahi garam masala from Kolkata)

Bunch of fresh coriander (as per taste)

Salt as per taste

1 cup bread crumb

1 egg for egg wash

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1.      Take the skin off the potatoes, wash and boil them. Keep aside to cool

2.      Meanwhile slice onion into thin slices

3.      Heat oil on a frying pan and fry the onions till little brownish

4.      Add ginger and garlic ( if using) and fry till oil separates

5.      Add fish fillets ( pre washed) and fry  for 2/3mins

6.      Add salt, chilli powder and half the garam masala

7.      Fry the fish thoroughly and then keep aside

8.      Meanwhile mash the potatoes

9.      Add lemon juice , rest of the garam masala, fried fish, coriander, green chili ( if using) and mash properly

10.   Meanwhile spread the bread crumb on a plate

11.   Break the egg and beat in

12.   Divide the mixture into small or medium shaped round patties.

13.   Heat oil in a shallow frying pan.

14.   Coat each patty with breadcrumb and then soak into egg

15.   Immediate place them on hot oil and fry till brown

16.   Serve hot along  with Kasundi and onion or ketchup   

at 14:20

Mogo Tikki (Cassava Tikki) by Leena: An unsung Superstar Tikki

 Leena is a friend and life saver. I have known her for over six years now. From my days of being a student at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), paper submissions, endless night readings to the birth of my child, she has been with us thick and thin. Our weekends are better because of her Aloo paratha, her animated conversation, and endless suggestion of how to keep the home clean and tidy. Her knowledge of which product is sale in Wilkinson to where is the best place to shop cloths are as wide as her culinary skill.  Her recipes are also very different from a Bengali kitchen which attracts me a lot as I get to eat very unusual, unsung Gujrati home cuisine.  

Here is one of Leena’s best dishes that I have had: Mogo Tikki (Cassava Tikki)

What is Mogo or Cassava: From Wiki “The cassava root is long and tapered, with a firm, homogeneous flesh encased in a detachable rind, about 1 mm thick, rough and brown on the outside. Commercial varieties can be 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) in diameter at the top, and around 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) long. A woody vascular bundle runs along the root's axis. The flesh can be chalk-white or yellowish. Cassava roots are very rich in starch and contain significant amounts of calcium (50 mg/100g), phosphorus (40 mg/100g) and vitamin C (25 mg/100g). However, they are poor in protein and other nutrients.”

The Mogo picture attached is not my photo. I have taken it from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava

Makes: 10 depending on size of the tikka number can vary

Time: 1 hours including preparation

Level: very easy  

Ingredients

500gm cassava or Mogo

500gm yoghurt

2/3table spoon lime/lemon juice

1 bunch fresh coriander

3 Green chill (or more if you like it hot)  

1inch ginger’s paste

1 onion diced into small pieces

Salt and paper as per taste

2 teaspoon chat masala

Sev for garnishing

Tomato garnishing

Oil for frying the tikka

4/5 tablespoon Corn flower

Ingredients for coriander Chutney

1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 green chili

1 or 2 tsp lemon juice

½ sugar (optional)

Black salt or rock salt or sea salt as required

Ingredients for Dates and Tamarind Chutney

½ cup Tamarind

½ cup seedless dates

½ jaggary

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ cumin powder

½ red chilli powder (optional)

Black salt or rock salt or sea salt as required

Method :

1  1  Cut and clean  the Mogo in to small pieces and boil
2.      Meanwhile take all the ingredient for coriander chutney in a blender and mix it well. Keep aside. The consistency will be thick liquid
3.       Take all the ingredient for Date and tamarind chutney in blender and mix well. It will be liquid  in consistency
4.      Now the Mogo should be boiled. Mash them like potato
5.      Add salt, paper, ginger paste, green chilli, lime/lemon  juice, chat masala and mix well with the mashed Mogo
6.      Divide the mixture into small or medium shaped patties. Rub corn flower on both the sides of the tikki
7.      Heat oil in a tava or a shallow frying pan. Gently place the Mogo tikki and pan fry them. You can also deep fry them
8.      When one side of tikki becomes golden and crisp, turn over and fry the other side of tikki.
9.      Gently flip for a couple of times till the mogo tikki are golden and crisp evenly.
10.   Once done, then drain the Mogo  tikki on paper towels to remove excess oil.
11.    Arrange the tikka in a shallow deep plate
12.   Mix the yogurt with little water/milk  and pour over the arranged tikkis and let it soak for 5 mins
13.   Pour the coriander chutney and date tamarind chutney over the youghurt soaked tikkis
14.   Garnish with tomato, diced onion, fresh chopped coriander, sev and chat masala
15.   What are you waiting for? Dive in 

at 01:25

Chettinad Chicken Roast

Chettinad Chicken Roast

I was looking for a recipe that is easy to make. Now what is an easy recipe? Easy to make or takes less time or hassle free ingredients? What? What actually is easy for me!!!! What is it I am looking for? Hmmm! Good question! 

I am a mother of a toddler, I have an office that is madness, and I have a home that is a battle ground with small shoes, lego, blogs, pencils papers, baby cornflakes and bla bla da da things all over floor. Among all these madness of this thing called life…. I have an urge to cook. Cooking is my stress buster. But I need sometime easy. Something which can be whisked up just like that.  Something that I can make in between attending to my ever to active toddler and baking two, double barrel cake.

Hence is this recipe. Connotation of various recipes from the internet.  I made a so called Chettinad spice that can be stored and used at a later time making the cooking very easy, less time taking and can be made with very few ingredients that might already be in your pantry.

Ingredients for the Chettinad Spice/Masala  

5 dried Kashmiri Chili (go on use red chili if you like your dish hot!!!!)

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cm cinnamon stick

2 cardamom

2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoon urad dal

Ingredient for the cooking the chicken

1 kg chicken (I used legs and breast mixed. You can use whatever you like)

2 tablespoon oil (any oil, I used Olivio )

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon urad dal

Some curry leaves

2 onions, sliced

2 green chillies (optional I didn’t use as my toddler eats the same food as us)  

2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

3 tablespoon shredded coconut (fresh or frozen)

Salt as per taste

Method:

·       

Dry roast all the dry ingredient for Chettinad masala till there is a sharp aroma and grind to a fine powder in a blender. You can now store this masala in an air tight bottle to be used at a later time as well.
Wash the chicken
Marinate for 10 mins with salt, ginger and garlic paste
Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and let the mustard seeds splutter. Add the urad dal and curry leaves  
Add the onions and fry till golden brown.

• 

Add the marinated chicken. Add green chili if using
Pan roast the chicken till they are lightly cooked and burned on sides

Add shredded coconut and fry for another 5/10 mins

• 
  
• 
  

Add in the ground masala  with chicken and fry 

Add a cup of hot water and cover the chicken till tender and water have reduced. 

• 
  

Now I made it little gravy kind to eat with rice. You can also dry is totally to eat with roti


Remove from heat and serve hot with rice or roti or as starter
( if making as starter then I suggest dry the chicken) 

·       

• ( if making as starter then I suggest dry the chicken)