Alu Parwal Recipe(The Bengali Way) || Pointed gourds and Potato in a gravy

             Parwals or pointed gourds are a very common summer vegetable in North India.It is had in different preparations  including fish curries where it is added to the curry .In some states of eastern India ,leave alone the fruit ,even the leaves of this plant are equally relished.

Here I am sharing the step by step recipe of alu parwal,or the parwal prepares with potatoes.this is a very common item during the summer months in many of the states of Northern India.



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Dahi parval

Alu Methi 

In this recipe the potatoes are added before adding the parvals and shallow fried for sometime .This gives a very different taste to the potatoes ,which cannot be attained if the potatoes and the parvals are added together.At the end of the cooking process you might have noticed that little wheat flour is added by mixing it in water.The wheat flour acts  as a thickening agent in this recipe as this recipe is only based on few spices .In this recipe the flavour of the garam masala and the ghee is subtle yet adding them is absolutely compulsory for the right taste

Dhania Tamater Chutney Recipe( Coriander and tomato chutney )

  There are many variations of the dhania chutney.The coriander leaves or dhania as called in Hindi has the best flavors in the winters ,and so I always prefer making this in the winters.This one is again one of my moms recipe which she had learnt from one of the neighborhood aunts.Many of my childhood memories weave around this chutney or dip which my mother used to make specially on days we had a very bland taste side dish with the chapatis for dinner.
  The coriander mint chutney is best done when it is very smooth, on the other hand this chutney tastes best when little coarse ground .As my mother says that this is best done in the sil batta (the grinding stone). Since we longer have the time for the grinding stone and most homes do not posses one any longer,we can prepare a quick version in the mixer grinder itself.
With very few ingredients,this hot spicy and little tangy chutney or dip is best enjoyed with parathas. I personally love this with the aloo and gobi ka parathas.


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  RELATED SEARCHES
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The tangy tamarind chutney
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 Ingredients


 Coriander leaves(handful) -washed and with stem
Tomato-one(medium)-Roast on open fire
Garlic cloves-3 to 4
Green chili-1 or as per taste
Salt -as per taste




 METHOD
Wash well and squeeze out the water from the coriander leaves
Roast one tomato on the open flame of the gas oven.The tomato should turn black completely
On cooling peel out the charred skin.
The tomato should not lose much of its juice ,since the moisture in the preparation comes from the tomato mainly.
Now,put all the ingredients and run the mixer well.
It should have a thick consistency
If too watery ,add few more of the coriander leaves and adjust the seasoning.
One should be careful not to add too much of the coriander ,as the taste won't be the same if the tomato is less compared to the coriander.
Do not add water

The ingredients

Put all of the above ingredients and run the grinder well.

Ready

 

Rice Payesh,Payasam or Kheer (With few useful tips ) |Rice pudding for Indian festivals

   
         Diwali is round the corner,so it is time for some festivities.I feel that the Payasam or payesh as we call it in Bengali is that recipe which has  a very important place in the traditional cuisine of any state in india.Though prepared with a host of ingredients, the rice payesh also called kheer in places in Northern India is the most popular.

     Amongst us in the state of West Bengal the payesh is taken as  an auspicious  symbol and is prepared on all special occasions.Birthdays ,marriages or religious festivals are considered to be incompletewithout this all time favourite payesh.


    I am sure this is  a soul food for many,and reserves a place in our hearts which no other fancy fast food can ever fill.Moreover, for many of us ,this particular item reminds us of unforgettable memories related to our mothers and grandmothers.



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    The payesh is prepared by different kinds of rice,in various places.in West Bengal ,this is best done with the Govinda Bhog Rice variety.Many even prepare it with good variety of Basmati rice.I always prepare it with the Jeera rice variety which is available easily in Bangalore and is  a close cousin of the Govinda bhog type.The Jeera Rice actually leaves out an aroma when cooked and adds to the flavour of the preparation.
You might find the rice quantity to be too less ,but this variety of rice actually doubles up when cooked



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 Ingredients
1-Jeera rice-1 cup about 150 gm
2-milk(full cream variety)-2 litres
3-sugar -2 cups or as per taste
4 -ghee -1 teaspoon
5-dry fruits--handful or as per taste.


Method
1-Put the milk to boil in a heavy bottomed pan
2-Wash the rice in water ,strain out the water and keep ready
3-In a separate pan add the ghee and let it heat
4-Add the rice in the ghee  and stir for 1 minute,and remove before it changes colour
5-Keep boiling the milk and scraping the base of the pan at the same time ,as the milk should not start burning at the base of the pan.If required ,put on medium or low flame
6-Reduce the milk to less then three fourth of its quantity
7-Now add in the rice 
8-boil in high flame ,but keep stirring the base
9-If you cannot stir the base continuously then reduce the flame to medium
10-Keep boiling till the rice is about three fourth cooked
11-Now add the sugar and boil till the rice is cooked completely but remains firm
12-The milk should also have thickened by now and taken a consistency where one can have it with a spoon
13-Switch off the flame
14- Add in the raisins and the other dry fruits now
15-Serve cold


Important tips
1-A thick bottomed pan is essential because as milk thickens ,it can easily start getting burnt from the base of the pan
2-When on high heat constant stirring and scraping the base of the pan is essential ,as burnt milk can give a very bad smell to the preparation and ruin its taste completely
3- You might have noticed that i insisted on frying the raw rice in ghee before adding it to the milk,this has been done to avoid the rice grains from breaking in the milk
4-The sugar has to be added only when the rice is almost done ,as if the sugar is added earlier the rice stops cooking
5 - The dry fruits can be added earlier except the raisins which must be added only after the flame is switched off,since the sourness of the raisins can make the milk curdle
6-If you feel that you do not have the time to constantly stir the milk ,you can alternatively reduce the milk in a microwave  and then start cooking on a heavy bottomed pan on the gas stove
7-In case jeera rice is not available ,you can prepare the same with good quality basmati rice
 8-you might have noticed that I have not added any cardamom (elaichi) to this ,this is so because elaichi would dominate the aroma of the rice
9-The  consistency of this preparation thickens after it cools,so it should be kept in mind while thickening the milk at the last stage

Rice Payesh,Payasam or Kheer (with few useful tips )

      Diwali is round the corner,so it is time for some festivities.I feel that the Payasam or payesh as we call it in Bengali is that recipe which has  a very important place in the traditional cuisine of any state in india.Though prepared with a host of ingredients, the rice payesh also called kheer in places in Northern India is the most popular.

     Amongst us in the state of West Bengal the payesh is taken as  an auspicious  symbol and is prepared on all special occasions.Birthdays ,marriages or religious festivals are considered to be incompletewithout this all time favourite payesh.


    I am sure this is  a soul food for many,and reserves a place in our hearts which no other fancy fast food can ever fill.Moreover, for many of us ,this particular item reminds us of unforgettable memories related to our mothers and grandmothers.

Mochar Ghonto Recipe----The Banana Flower preparation (The Bengali style)

     
     Hi folks ,I am back with a very traditional recipe from West Bengal.This time it is the Mochar ghonto,or the banana flower preparation.The preparation calls for  a little hard work ,as the cleaning of the banana flower takes some time and patience .but the result is rewarding .The banana flower has a good texture which becomes more pronounced with the crunch of the coconut added to it. Moreover the banana flower is  an iron rich vegetable with a very high fibre content.

 In this blog have not shown the cleaning process of the banana flower.I have used the cleaned cut and then cooked banana flower.

Mustard Paste ----- How to make the perfect mustard paste used in Bengali cuisine

    

         Today I am sharing a very essential ingredient used in Bengali cuisine,the mustard paste.It would not be wrong to say that Bengali cuisine is incomplete without the quintessential mustard paste.Apart from the distinctive pungency that it imparts to the gravy,the mustard paste gravy has reasons to be popular. Once you had enough practice,you will find that the mustard gravy items are very fast to cook.

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Though the mustard gravy is easy to make,it can  turn out to be  bitter and give a very bitter taste to the gravy if not ground and cooked in the correct way.

The mustard seed paste gravy in Bengali cuisine is generally cooked with green chilies,so the green chilies for the gravy are added together and ground with the mustard.It also stops the paste from being bitter. If you wish to reduce the pungency of mustard,you can add some poppy seed paste with the mustard paste. Some people even use a paste of ground sesame seeds for the same purpose.

Cabbage or bandhakopi (The Bengali way) Recipe

Badhakopi Or Cabbage the Bengali way

The cabbage is one of those veggies which can be cooked very fast,I always see to it that I have a cabbage or at least a portion of it in my fridge.A slice of cabbage can be your saving grace in many situations.Be it a quick Maggie or chowmein,,it is an option for many preparations.

Today I am sharing The Bengali style cabbage ,this is a no onion garlic recipe

,very common as an accompaniment with the Bengali khichuri served as bhog in festivals.

You might also like-Mixed veg with palak(palang saker chorchori)..Winter Special

Lemon Rice Recipe (South Indian Lunch Box Menu) || Flavoured Rice with a tempering of spices

Today I am going to share a very common south Indian breakfast recipe .This recipe is also known as chitranna at places in southern India.I am particularly fond of this recipe because it tastes equally good when not warm .So it is the perfect menu to pack in the lunch boxes .
It is also  are a recipe which can be made with very few ingredients and is great when a big quantity is to be prepared .