Blogging Marathon - Day Two - Instant Dahi Vada

Today is Raksha Bandhan and my cousins are coming over to my place for the celebrations. Being just 2 sisters we never really had much of Raksha Bandhan Celebrations as a kid. But as we grew up we started sharing a special bond with the cousins and they filled in that space. They are all so special and I have such great memories of this day.Choosing the right kind of Rakhis for them(it better be those decent ones or else friends would make fun at school) or buying little gifts for them and of course the festival food...mostly sweets. But that one dish that we really enjoyed used to be Dahi Vadas. Maa would very diligently remember to soak the dals,make the imli /pudina chutneys and make the most delicious fluffy soft melt in your mouth dahi vadas. And there is nothing better than home made stuff. I always seem to have a problem with the store bought ones...either the dahi mix is too sour or too spicy..that little sweetness would always be missing. I however wish that I could be half as diligent and dedicated as my Maa is! 
Nevertheless I decided to make them at home and because I forgot to soak in the dals I fell back on my trick of making Instant Dahi Vadas. All you need is a packet of the instant Vada mix , some yoghurt and a dry roasted spice mix that I always keep handy(sharing the recipe of same along with this post)! I had bought some dhania and tomato flavoured bhujiyas the other day and added them to my Dahi Vadas for that perfect crunch!

Ingredients:

Instant Vada Mix - 1 packet ( I used MTR's)

Refined oil - for frying the vadas

Curd /Dahi - 500 gms

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 5 tsp

Bhujiya - a handful to add some crunch to the dish

Tamarind sauce / Imli sauce - 3-4 tbsp ( easily available in the markets now)

For the dahi vada masala:

Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp
Dry red chillies - 4-5 nos

Dry roast the above spices in a pan lightly and grind into a smooth powder. Keep this spice mix in an air tight jar and use as needed. This goes very well into the raitas too.

Method: 

Make the instant vada mix as per instruction on the packet. Make sure that the mix is not too runny and has a little thick consistency.

In a non stick pan , heat some refined oil. Keep on low flame.
Pour a spoonful of the vada batter into hot oil. 
Fry till slightly brown in colour. Fry all the vadas in similar manner.

 Take it out and drop into a bowl of cold water. 

This step is very important as it will remove all oil from the vadas. After 5 mins, gently squeeze the vadas between your palm and take out the excess water. Do this gently so that the vadas don't break.Keep aside on a plate will we make the curd mix.

For the curd mix. Take the 500 gms dahi and add a little water to adjust the consistency.
Now add the sugar , salt to taste , 3-4 tbsp of the spice mix and mix well.

Arrange the vadas on a serving dish and slowly add the curd/dahi mix on top.It is best served cold.So refrigerate for half and hour.
Garnish with tamarind/imli sauce and bhujia before serving.

#Also sharing below the original vada recipe for your use.
Soak a cup each of urad dal and moong dal overnight. Next morning grind them into a smooth paste. Mix well , add salt to taste and follow the rest of the steps as above. 

Blogging Marathon -Day One- Herbed Focaccia

So we at Kolkata Food Bloggers have decided to blog more frequently..every alternate day to be precise! This is primarily to clear out our draft folders where so many recipes are waiting to be shared with everyone. Its a good push for all of us to get on to our feet and dole out delicious dishes and blog about it. Believe me its a lot of hard work! When this event was proposed by a very talented and seasoned blogger friend of ours we simply jumped at the idea. I even confessed to everyone that I don't have a single post in the draft but nevertheless will take up the challenge and create a new post every other day.
I will however continue to keep up with the spirit of sharing easy recipes that every single one of you can try making at home.
Now coming to today's post..bread baking is such an exhilarating process.The smell of fresh bread filling your home is just so yummy.Focaccia is one of the easiest breads that I have been baking of late. The variations that you can do it is also extensive. The one I baked today is not too fancy and without any topping. Usually one can do a topping of caramelised onions,cherry tomatoes, cheese,mushrooms...the list goes on.Presenting my version of a Herbed Focaccia made with some dried herbs(easily available in the supermarkets) and olive oil.

Ingredients:

Flour - 2 cups + a little more for dusting

Instant dry yeast - 1 tbsp

Luke warm water - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 4 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Red chilli flakes -1 tsp

Rosemary - 1 tsp

Thyme - 1 tsp

Method:

In a cup take the lukewarm water , add the sugar and the instant yeast and let it rest for 7-10 mins till the mix becomes frothy. Generally with instant yeast one doesn't need to proof it but I always do it to be doubly sure that the yeast is active.

In a bowl , take the flour. Add the salt , red chilli flakes , thyme and rosemary and mix well.

Gradually start adding the yeast mix and form into a soft dough. 
Transfer into a floured surface , add 2 tbsp of the olive oil and knead it into a smooth spongy dough. Knead well as that makes your bread soft.

Grease a bowl with some olive oil and keep the dough in that to rise for about an hour in a warm place. I usually just keep it inside my microwave.

After an hour or so the dough will become double its size.

Take the dough out on a floured surface and knead it out again softly. This is to knock down the air bubbles.
Next roll out the dough into desired shape and place it into a greased baking dish.

With your fingers make small indents into the surface of the rolled out dough.

 Sprinkle some red chilli flakes, rosemary and thyme on top. Also drizzle some olive oil on top.
Bake in a pre heated oven for 30 mins at 180 deg C.

Serve hot with condiments of your choice . Or just enjoy by itself. 

#Also attaching a pic of another variation that I had baked a few days ago. Focaccia with caramelised onions and cherry tomatoes.

BTW check out my super talented blogger friends who are a part of the Blogging Marathon below:

Sayantani's @ http://www.ahomemakersdiary.com/ 
Kamalika's @ http://silencesings.blogspot.in/
Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/
Sarani's @  http://cocoawind.blogspot.in/
Indrani's @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/

http://kolkatafoodbloggers.blogspot.in/2014/01/yeasty-feasty-bread-making-online-event.html

A Riot of Colours - Kadahi Paneer

This post is my little effort to make something based on the Independence Day theme week that we are celebrating at Kolkata Food Bloggers. For me Independence essentially means to be myself. Even though my role as a wife , as a mom, as a daughter or as a sister continue to rule my life...somehow I can never let go of the woman that I am. Someone who believes that freedom gives us the wings to a better person but stay connected to our roots. Someone who believes that love can fix almost everything in this world! It is with this values that I continue to lead my life...instilling these values in my little boy too. It is love that keeps this passion of cooking and sharing going for me. Today's recipe is as usual a very easy one.Why i chose this dish is because of the riot of colours in it. The paneer and the bell peppers along with the spices make it a very rich dish just like our country is! Everyday ingredients and a little bit of love is what makes good food. Kadahi Paneer  is fast to cook and yummy to eat.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 gms ( cut into strips)

Yellow bell pepper - half ( cut into thin strips)

Green bell pepper - half (cut into thin strips)

Onion - 1 medium ( sliced)

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tomatoes - 2 medium ( finely chopped)

Dry red chillies - 3 nos

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp ( crushed)

Cinnamon - 2-3 nos

Cloves - 2-3 nos

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste


Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Keep all the ingredients at hand as this dish doesn"t need too much of cooking time.

In a non stick pan add the oil . Splutter in the cinnamon , cloves , red chillies and half of the crushed coriander seeds. 
Once a nice aroma emanates add the slices onions and fry till light brown in colour.

Next add in the chopped tomatoes and the rest of the dry spices - turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder.

Fry the mix well. Add a little water if the spices tend to burn.

Once the masala starts to leave oil on the sides, add the sliced bell peppers and the paneer.

Mix well , add the remaining crushed coriander and half a cup of water.

Cover and let it simmer for 5 mins. There, your Kadahi Paneer is ready.

Italian on my plate - Mushroom and Chicken Risotto

For a long long time Italian for me meant just Pizza and Pasta. Now when I think about it I feel such a fool that I have been. Risotto is something that I ate by chance and fell in love with. We would frequent the Sunday brunch in one of our favourite restaurants in Kolkata and just gorge on the thin crust pizzas.The steward there was the one who insisted that I try the risotto and it was then I realised that I had been missing out on a gem of a dish of Italian cuisine.I have been meaning to cook this dish for sometime now. However it kind of never worked out.The other day I made a conscious effort to put all the ingredients together and make it.There are many many variations of the risotto and just about anything can be added to it...seafood,veggies etc. I made it with chicken and mushroom as it brings out the flavours beautifully. The most essential ingredient here being the quality of the Arborio rice. The good news is it is easily available in the supermarkets. Rest of the stuffs are easily available at home...what is however crucial is patience! You need loads to it to be able to make the most delicious creamy risotto. I gave it a shot and it turned out great. Here's my recipe of Mushroom and Chicken Risotto

Ingredients:

Arborio Rice - 1 cup

Butter - 2 tbsp

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Red onion - 1 medium (very finely chopped)

Mushrooms - 1 cup ( sliced)

Boneless chicken - 1/2 cup ( chopped into tiny bits)

White wine - 1/4 th cup

Chicken/Veg stock - 2 cups

Cream - 2 tbsp ( I used Amul )

Parmesan cheese - for garnish

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Basil leaves - for garnish 

and loads of patience!

Method:

In a non stick pan add the butter and olive oil. Tip in the chopped chicken bits and saute till it changes its colour. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In the same pan saute the sliced mushrooms and keep aside.

Next tip in the finely chopped onions and saute till they turn pink. Now add the arborio rice.

Saute the rice for 2 mins and add the white wine. Once the wine cooks out add a ladle of the stock. The real process of cooking a good risotto starts now. We need to keep a constant eye on it. Adding a little of the stock every time the rice dries out. Gradually the creaminess of the rice will come by. 

By the time we finish adding 2 cups of the stock the rice will get cooked. It should not become mushy and must have a bite to it. Now add the sauteed chicken and the mushrooms. Also add the cream and give it a gentle mix.
At this stage check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as per your taste.

Serve immediately and enjoy and think of me!

PS : A few things to remember while making a risotto.
#Cook on low heat and stir constantly so that the starch released from the rice mixes well with all the ingredients to lend the required creaminess. 
#Most of the risotto recipes use celery.I didn't get it here and used red onions and it worked beautifully.The flavours were just awesome.
#Keep a constant eye and every time the water evaporates add a little more stock till the rice is al-dente so as to prevent sticking. 





 

Traditional Bengali Recipe - Bori diye Macher Jhol ( Light fish curry with lentil dumplings)

After a foodilicious( not sure if that is a valid English word) Eid weekend all that I craved for today was a light fish curry and rice - translated in bengali as we say 'patla macher jhol and bhaat'. Of course with some gondhoraj  lebu. We Bengalis love our fish, that everyone knows but what we also love are these light fragrant fish or chicken curries that cleanses up the palate as well as our minds. I am however very finicky when it comes to fish and there are just a few variety of fishes that I cook and eat. Rohu/Rui/Rou are the different names given to one fish that I like. It belongs to the carp family and is the non oily white fish. Staying in Assam all my life I have eaten the best quality of this fish always. And it is something I love. It tastes best when made into a non-spicy light curry.In my family it is made with cauliflower - potato or many a times with bori - dried lentil dumplings. The dumplings lends a very unique taste to the gravy and is best devoured with rice.We all have our version of the fish curry..here is my super super easy recipe of Bori diye patla macher jhol.

Ingredients:

Rohu fish - 6 pieces

Potato - 1 medium (cut lengthwise)

Tomato - 1 medium (cut lengthwise)

Bori ( dried lentil dumpling) - a handful ( i used the urad dal bori here)

Mustard oil - 2 tbsp for frying + 1 tsp for the curry

Nigella seeds (kalojeera/kalonji) - a pinch

Cumin paste (Jeera) - 1 big tbsp (soak whole jeera seeds in warm water and then grind into a fine paste)

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( i use it mainly for the colour)

Salt - to taste

Warm water - 2 cups

Green chillies - 8-10 nos 

Method:

Wash and clean the fish pieces . Smear with turmeric and salt and keep aside.

In a pan heat 2 tbsp mustard oil. Once the oil heats up, add the boris (lentil dumplings) and fry till light brown in colour. Keep aside.

In the same oil , fry the fish and keep aside.

In the same pan add the remaining mustard oil. Once the oil reaches smoking point , reduce the heat and add the nigella(kalojeera) seeds.Once it splutters add the cut potatoes and tomato. 

Fry till the potatoes turn light brown in colour. Next add the ginger paste , cumin paste , turmeric , red chilli powder and salt.

Mix well and roast the masala mixture well adding some warm water in between.

Once the masalas are fried add 2 cups warm water, cover the pan and let it simmer for 10 mins till the potatoes are cooked through.

Next add the fried boris, fish pieces and the green chillies and mix well into the gravy.

Give it a quick simmer and remove from heat.

Serve with hot rice and some lemon wedges.

Traditional Bengali Sweet - Kancha Golla (Cottage Cheese Sweet)

I had promised to come up with easy recipes and this cant get any easier. So many times we crave for something sweet and fresh.I almost instantly start dreaming of the fresh chenna sweets we get in those sweet shops in Kolkata..Sen Mahashay is my favourite. They make this wide variety of chenna sandesh that are just the melt in your mouth kinds. This recipe today would be extremely helpful for all my friends settled outside Joletta and who crave for fresh sandesh. Kancha Golla is a chenna (cottage cheese) dumpling mixed with some sugar. Many a times we have a lot of left over milk from the previous day..this is a perfect recipe to use that up. Making cottage cheese at home is very easy too. You just need around a litre of milk and 1 tbsp of white vinegar.
So go ahead friends and enjoy this delicacy, making which is just a breeze.

Ingredients :

Milk - 1 litre ( preferably full cream)

White vinegar - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 4 tbsp (powdered)

Raisins - for garnish

Method:

The first step is to make the chenna (cottage cheese).

For that put the milk on heat , once it starts to boil , reduce the heat and add 1 tbsp of vinegar.

Put  it off the heat and let it rest for 5 mins. You will see the whey separate. Drain the chenna well and keep aside.

To make the gollas(sandesh)

Take the chenna in a wide bowl , mix the sugar and knead very well till you get a smooth consistency and the sugar has been mixed well.

Divide the mixture into equal portions and roll into little balls.

Garnish with raisins and serve fresh!

PS - A few of my blogger friends have done different versions of this sandesh. When you scroll on my blog page you will find a list of blogs that I follow and they are all my friends. Check those pages for some interesting variations of the Sandesh.

Bhetki Maacher Jhaal and Kishore Kumar The Legend

This is a dedication for the legend the Kishore Kumar. When i got a chance to be on radio celebrating Kishore Kumar's birthday, talking about the food he loved, I jumped with joy.It is an absolute privilege to be doing such a thing. The first thing to do was to research on the kind of food he loved and all the articles off the net suggested he loved fish.Well no surprise there! A Bengali will love his fish! He loved Prawn , Iilish and Bhetki the most.
Almost immediately I decided to make Bhetki Maacher Jhaal . There easy dish again. It has a lot of variations. Many add kalo jeera phoron , many add mustard paste and so on. I decided to do none. Sometimes its best to keep things simple.Not use too many spices , very little oil and let the flavours of the fish come out.

Ingredients:



Bhetki Fish - 500 gms - cut into big pieces

Onion paste - 5 tbsp ( need 2 medium onions for this)

Curd - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Mustard oil - 4 tbsp for frying + 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 6-8 whole green chillies

Method:

Wash and clean the bhetki pieces. Smear with some turmeric and salt.
Heat some mustard oil in a pan (non-stick preferably).
Fry the fish pieces till done well.
Keep aside.

Now we make the gravy.
In a pan add 1 tbsp mustard oil.
Once the oil heats up , add the onion paste.
Roast the mixture very well till it browns up. Make sure this is cooked well and there is no pungent smell.
Next add the curd, red chilli powder,turmeric and salt to taste. 
Add a little water and roast the spices.
Once the water dries up add another cup of water and let the gravy simmer.
We don't want a watery gravy so let it simmer for a while.

Next add the fried fish pieces and the green chillies. Let the fish soak up the gravy.
Serve with hot plain rice.

Since this a post dedicated to a legend I have to share one of my favourite songs with you all. Its an impossible task to choose one from all the beautiful songs that he has sung . This is one song that I go back to all the time and every time i rediscover it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFRAFHtU-PE 

This recipe has been featured on Arvind's Kitchen on 94.3 Radio One #Kolkatas only 100% Retro Station.
Tune into Arvind's Kitchen every Wednesdays and Fridays between 3 -4 pm to listen to members of Kolkata Food Bloggers share their food stories!