Coconut Magic Truffle

Coconut Magic 

Truffle

Choco Marble Lollipop

Choco Marble Lollipop

Uncultivated Forest Foods

Meen Mouli: Fish as major ingredient

Meen  Mouli

Background: Meen Mouli is a traditional non-vegetarian dish of East-Bengal (modern Bangladesh). However, the creative beauty and taste of this item didn’t reach to many Indians. 

Ingredients:

          750 gms  Rohu or Katla Fish

·         Chopped onion: 250 gms

·         Ginger paste: 2 table spoon

·         Salt to taste

·         Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon

·         Coriander powder: 2 table spoon

·         Cumin seeds: I teaspoon

·         Mustard Oil: 6table spoon                           

·         Chopped Green chili: 1table spoon

·         Cinnamon  powder: 1tea spoon

·         Bay & curry leaves

·         Dried red chilli : 2

·         Milk: 1 & 1/2 cup

·         Whole wheat flour: 1 table spoon

·         Whole green chilli 4/6 to garnish 

Method:

• Take a medium size Katla fish. If Katla is not available, Rohu would be the best alternative. Cut the fish into little big size and clean properly.
• Marinate the fish for ten minutes through turmeric powder and salt. Fry the marinated fish in a low flame
• Take a non-stick pan and heat at least 4 table spoons oil and put the cumin seeds, bay leaves and red chillies. Let them splutter and add the chopped onions. We must remember not to fry onion for a long time. It is better to keep the original colour of onion intact. 
• Add the whole wheat flour with fried onion. Stir again in a low flame for around two minutes. Add the ginger paste and green chilli paste and fry for a while and add coriander powder. Sprinkle some water and stir the whole preparation for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Now we need to add the cold milk to it. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for few minutes and add the fried fish one by one. 
• Sprinkle the cinnamon powder and cover it. Keep it covered for another five minutes on low flame. After five minutes we will add the salt according to taste. 
• Serve the Meen Mouli on a flat plate with gravy. Sprinkle some mustard oil from the top and garnish it with green chillies and Curry leaves.  It goes very well with hot steamed rice.

Zee Khana Khazana Show

http://youtu.be/3mU64OARCL8

Patishapta (Stuffed Pan Cake)

Patishapta (Stuffed Pan Cake)

Patishapta (Stuffed Pan Cake)

Ingredients for the Pan Cake

1.      Basmoti rice flour -2 cups

2.      Maida -2 table spoons

3.      Sugar- 2 table spoons

4.      Water- 2 cups

5.      White oil to fry

Ingredients for the Stuffing 

1.      Fresh grated coconut-1cup

2.      Grated jaggary -1 cup

3.      Khoya- 1/2 cup

4.      Cardamon powder-1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Step 1: Take all of the above mentioned ingredients of the pan cake batter and make a smooth batter of pouring consistency.

Step 2: Now mix all the ingredients of the stuffing and make a homogeneous stuff. Take a heavy bottom pan cook the stuffing ingredients for 7 to 8 minutes. When it will start to leave the sides of the pan and becomes little bit sticky then switch off the gas. Cool it down for few minutes.

Step 3: Now take a flat dosa making pan. Heat the pan and coat the surface of the pan with little oil. Apply oil through a piece of cotton.

Step 4: Pour the batter about 5 table spoons on the hot pan and spread the mix on the pan till it gets a circular shape like small size Dosa.

Step 5: Add 2 table spoons stuffing over the pancake . Now roll the pan cake along with stuffing; after 20 to 25 seconds. Keep the rolls over the pan and flip sides every 5 to 8 seconds till it gets brown.

Presentation: Serve Patishapta hot or in normal room temperature. 

Gurer Payesh: A Bengal Delicacy

Gurer Payesh

Gurer Payesh

Ingredients 

1. Gobindo Bhog Rice or small grained flavored basmati rice 100 gms

2. Milk 1 liter

3. Ghee 1 table spoon

4. Cashew nuts 8 to 10 pieces    

5. Bay leaves 2-3 pieces 

6. Cardamon 2 to 4

7.  Grated Khejur Gur (dates flavored jaggery) 1 cup

8. Milkmaid 1/4^th Cup

Method:

Step 1: Soak the rice in water for half an hour and drain the water.

Step 2: Add one table spoon of ghee and mix with the rice uniformly

Step 3: Take a heavy bottom pan and boil the milk with bay leaves and cardamon for 10 minutes

Step 4: Add rice to boiled milk and cook till rice gets soft.

Step 5: Add milk maid and mix it uniformly

Step 6: Now, it is time to add the grated jagerry with desired quantity. Switch off the gas immediately. 

Otherwise the kheer may get curdle. Cover the kheer with a lid. The jaggery will melt automatically. Garnish the kheer with some cashew nuts.

Presentation: 

The aroma of jaggery is the speciality of this traditional Indian Khir. However, the aroma will be subdued if you serve it hot. That is why, it is always advised to serve at room temperature or after keeping it in a fridge for some time. 

Youtube Link: http://youtu.be/3mU64OARCL8

Paneer Mushroom Wrap with Pineapple Salsa & Mango Yoghurt Dip

Paneer Mushroom Wrap with Pineapple Salsa

Paneer Mushroom Wrap with Pineapple Salsa & Mango Yoghurt Dip

Ingredients for the Cutlet:

•    Finely chopped onion: ½ cup
•    Ginger garlic paste: 1 tea spoon
•    Coriander powder: 1 tea spoon
•    Garam masala: 1 tea spoon
•    Amchoor powder: 1 tea spoon
•    Red chilli powder: ½ tea spoon
•    White oil: 4 table spoon
•     Finely Chopped Mushroom: 1/4^th cup
•    Grated paneer: ½ cup
•       Lime juice: 1 tea spoon
•    Boiled  & smashed potato; 1 cup
•    Boiled & smashed  green peas: ½ cup
•    Black pepper: ½ tea spoon
•       Bread crumb: ½ cup
•    Flour: 4 table spoon
•    Salt to taste
•      Tortilla: 2
•       Mayonnaise: 2 table spoon
• 
  
• Ingredients for the Salsa:
• .     Chopped   tinned  Pineapple: ½ cup
•    Chopped onion: 1/4^th cup
•        Lime juice: 1 tea spoon
•     Mustard sauce: 1 tea spoon
•    Sweet red chilli sauce: 1 tea spoon
•    Salt to taste
• Ingredients for the Dip
•  Mango pulp: ½ cup
•  Yoghurt: ½ cup
•   Black mustard: ½ tea spoon
•  Dry red Chilli: 1
• Sugar: 1 tea spoon
• Salt to taste 

Methods

1.      Take a frying pan and heat 2 table spoon of oil. Add chopped onion and fry for one minute and further add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another two minutes. Add the coriander,  red chilli, garam masala, and  amchoor powder

2.       Add mushroom and fry for five minutes and add grated paneer and fry for another two  minutes. Put the lime juice and salt to taste

3.       Mix all ingredients (mentioned in 1 & 2) properly and keep them aside.

4.       Take a bowl and the smashed potato, smashed green peas, black pepper, salt, two table spoons flour and mix all ingredients into a semi-soft dough.  

5.       Take a small portion of the dough and flatten on your hand palm, put paneer and mushroom filling to it and close it.

6.       Give the cylindrical shape of a cutlet and dip the cutlet in beaten egg or a flour paste.

7.       Roll each cutlet piece in bread crumbs and shallow fry the cutlets till it turns to golden brown.

8.       Now we should start preparing the salsa. Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl and keep in to the fridge for 15 minutes.

9.       Next step would be to prepare the dip. Take the mango pulp, yoghurt, sugar, salt & red chilli powder in a blender. Blend them properly and add the lime juice to it.

10.   Heat one tea spoon oil in a small pan add the mustard and red chilli and let them splutter. Temper the dip through this mustard and chilli mixture.  Keep the dip into the fridge for 20 minutes.

11.   The final step would be to make the wrap. Place the tortilla on a plate, put one cutlet on it. Add one table spoon mayonnaise on it and spread two table spoon salsa mix and wrap it.

12.   Grill the wrap on a griller for 4 minutes. If you don’t have griller then you can toast the wrap on a frying pan.

Serve the Paneer Mushroom Wrap with Pineapple salsa along with mango yoghurt dip and garnish it with mango, pineapple slice, and bit of fresh mint leaf (see the photograph).  

This preparation adds immense nutritional value because of mushroom and yoghurt enriched with Calcium and Vitamin D. Today, women of developing countries lack these two nutrients uniformly.

Eggless Pumpkin Cake under the shadow of Litchi

Eggless Pumpkin Cake under the shadow of Litchi

Ingredients for the sponge cake:

1.       All-purpose  flour: 1 cup

2.       Milkmaid: ½ tin

3.       Butter: 70gms

4.       Butter Milk: 1cup

5.       Baking powder:1 tea spoon

6.       Baking soda: ½ tea spoon

7.       Vanilla essence: 1 tea spoon

Ingredients for the Pumpkin jam and candid pumpkin:

1.       250 gms pumpkin

2.       250 gms sugar

3.       One table spoon lime juice

4.       ½ tea spoon cinnamon powder

5.       ½ tea spoon fresh ginger peel

Ingredients for assembling & designing the cake  

1.       Chopped Litchi

2.       Whipped cream  

3.       tinned cherry

Method:

I have followed three distinct phases to complete this item. Phase 1, I made a sponge cake and in phase 2, I made pumpkin jam and candid pumpkin; and in the final phase, I assembled all and given a shape for presentation.

Phase I: Preparing a sponge cake

·         Take the butter and milkmaid in a bowl and beat them for five minutes,  add the butter milk and the vanilla essence.

·         Sieve the flour with baking powder and baking soda. Mix the flour mixture gradually with the butter mixture through the cut and fold method. Beat the mixture until you reach the ribbon consistency.

·         Pre heat the oven. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes at 170 degree Celsius or till done.

·         Cool the cake on a wire rack.

Phase II:  Pumpkin jam and candid pumpkin:

·        Take 250 grams red pumpkin and cut them in thin slices. Wash the pumpkin and mix with 250 grms sugar and leave for the whole night.

·         Next morning boil the sugar and pumpkin mixture for 20 minutes and let it cool.

·         Add one table spoon lime juice, ½ tea spoon cinnamon powder and little bit of ginger peel. Pick the pumpkin slices from the syrup. Keep few slices for garnishing and put the rest in a blender and make a puree.

Phase III: Assemble the cake and give final design

·         Take the sponge cake and cut it horizontally and make two halves. First take one half of the cake and spread the pumpkin jam over it. Take some whipped cream add some chopped litchi to it and spread the cream mixture over the jam mixture

·         Keep the other part of the cake over the first part. Cover the whole cake through whipped cream and decorate the cake through a piping bag from top along with some fresh litchi, tinned cherry and candid pumpkin.

·         Now, we need to make litchi and lime syrup. Take thick sugar syrup in which we earlier boiled the pumpkin slices. Add 2 table spoons of fresh litchi juice and 1 table spoon of lime juice and boil those five minutes. Cool it down and drizzle this thick syrup over the cake from top to give it a final touch.

Use slices of candid pumpkin and fresh litchi and cherry to decorate the cake. You can write something for adding the reality.