BADAM KA KHEER

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Almond (Badam)
2 cups Milk
3 tblsp Sugar
5 crushed Cardamoms
a pinch of Saffron (Kesar), soaked in lukewarm milk

How to make Badam Kheer:

• Boil half a litre of water in a sauce pan . add the almonds when the water is boiling and cook for 2 minutes. remove from the flame and drain.
• Remove the skin of the almonds and grind to a fine paste.
• Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. When the milk begins to boil add the almond paste and the sugar and cook for 5 minutes over a low flame stirring continuously.
• Remove from the flame and add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamoms.
• Allow to cool and serve chilled.

Achari Chicken

  

Serves 6 people

 Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 (700-800gms), cut into pieces
• Onions - 3 / sliced fine
• Tomatoes - 3 / chopped fine
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
• Yogurt (curd) - 3 tbsp/thick
• Kalonji - 1 tsp (Nigella seeds)
• Methi dana - 1/2 tsp (Fenugreek seeds)
• Whole Zeera - 1 tsp (Cumin Seeds)
• Saunf - 1 tsp (Fennel seeds)
• Bhuna Zeera Powder - 1 tsp (Roasted Cumin Powder)
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Haldi - 1/2 tsp (Turmeric Powder)
• Green chilies - 2-3/ to taste
• Lemon Juice - of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Fresh Coriander (Hara Dhania) to garnish

Directions

1. Slit the green chilies and soak them in thelemon juice. Keep aside.
2. Heat about 4-5 tbsps of oil in a nice big wok (kadhai), and fry the onions till brown.
3. Add the kalonji + methi dana + Whole Zeera + Saunf. Mix well.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste and haldi...roast well.
5. Now put in the chicken pieces and roast on high flame till well browned.
6. On high flame, add yogurt and fry well, but gently...don't want to debone the chicken!
7. Once it leaves oil, add the red chilli powder + roasted zeera powder + tomatoes..and roast well once again on high flame.
8. Once this also leaves oil around the edges. add about 1/2 a cup of water + salt to taste...and cook covered, on simmer for about 30 mins. Stir once in a while.
9. Once the chicken is tender, put in the chilies with the lemon juice and fresh coriander, and simmer for 5-7 minutes to enhance the flavours!
10. Serve with naan roti or basmati rice, and a veggie side-dish.

Holi Special ---Sweet Deserts

Mango Khulfi

Ingredients :
2 cup Alphonso mango pulp or mango syrup
1 cup Condensed milk
1 ltr Milk
1/2 cup Milk powder
1/2 cup Sugar

Method :

1.In a non-stick pan, add all the ingredients except mango pulp and mix well.    
2.Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickens.
3.Allow to cool completely and mix well the mango pulp.
4.Pour the mixture into individual kulfi moulds and freeze until set.
5.Unmould and serve chilled.

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Kheer

Ingredients
Milk - 2 ltr
Uncooked Rice - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tsp
Cardamon powder - 1 tsp
A few strands of saffron
Almonds and pistachios (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

Preparation
Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy and broad bottomed pan. Add the washed rice and ghee. Cook on a low flame until the rice is cooked. Keep stirring so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Then add the sugar, Cook on a low flame until the sugar dissolves. Dissolve the saffron in a little milk and add it to the above mixture along with the cardamon powder.

Mix well. Garnish with the almonds and pistachios. Serve hot/cold.

Bengali Cushine

Mitha or misti Cholar dal, along with begun bhaja (fried eggplant) and luchi or Puri is very common in Bengali Custom.

 

For Cholar Dal:

Cholar dal/Chana Dal/ Bengal gram: 1cup
Bay leaf:2
Cinnamon: 1inch sticks 2-3
Cardamom: 3-4
Cloves:5-6
Dry red chilies: 2-3
Shah jeera/black cumin: 1/2tsp
Grated ginger:1tsp
Turmeric powder:1/2tsp
Cashew nuts:1tbsp
Raisins:1tbsp
Coconut (cut into thin strips): 1tbsp
Salt to taste
Sugar:3tsp
Ghee: 1tsp
Oil

 Method

1.Wash and soak chana dal in water for 30 minutes.

2.Drain water and pressure-cook it with 1-cup water, turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 3-liter capacity steel pressure cooker for 4-whistles over medium flame. Turn off flame and let it stand for 15-20 minutes to release the pressure inside cooker (Do not open the lid of pressure cooker immediately as it may burn with piping hot steam). After pressure releases, open the lid and keep cooked dal aside.

3.Heat oil and ghee together in a small pan over low flame. Add sliced coconut, raisins and cashew nuts and shallow fry them until coconut slices turn light brown. Drain excess oil and transfer them to a plate.

4.Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, grated ginger and dry red chilli in the same pan and sauté for 20-30 seconds.

5.Add cooked dal, slit green chilli, fried coconut slices, fried raisins and fried cashew nuts.

6.Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium flame.

7.Add 1/2 cup water and sugar.

8.Mix properly and cook until medium thick consistency for approx. 5-6 minutes. Stir in between occasionally to prevent sticking. Taste for salt at this stage and add more if required.

9.Turn off flame and transfer prepared dal to serving bowl. Authentic Bengali cholar dal is ready.

For Luchi or Puri

1 cup all-purpose flour
 2 - 4 small pieces (roughly 1/4-inch squares) of butter
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 2 teaspoons water
 1/2 quart sunflower oil or any refined oil (for deep frying)

Method

In a large mixing bowl, put the flour, and put the butter and the salt.

Mix the flour and butter by hand for a minute or so till the butter is incorporated

Add the water a little at a time, kneading the flour till a firm, smooth, pliant dough is obtained.

Let the dough sit for 30 minute.

Make a small round circular roll and little oil and roll it to make it flat on a roti  platter

In a deep fry pan take oil and start deep fry  the small flat type roti .It will Bulge up.

Baingan Bhaja recipe

1 big eggplant (baingan/brinjal), sliced;

1        tsp garam masala;

      1 tbsp coriander powder;pinch of red chilli powder (as per taste);

¼ tsp turmeric powder;

1 tsp amchur/mango powder;

salt as per taste;

rice flour/gram flour(besan);

mustard oil./refined oil

Method

1. Start by washing and slicing the eggplant. For a better flavor, soak the eggplant in water with salt for 10 minutes. Then rinse the eggplant in plenty of water to remove the salt, and pat with paper towels to make sure eggplant is dry.
2. Into a bowl mix all the spices and salt. Cover the eggplant slices with this powder mixture. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
3. Put some rice or besan/gram flour into a plate and keep aside.
4. Into a frying pan heat mustard oil, on medium flame. Take each eggplant slice and coat it with the flour, on both sides. Then fry the eggplant (baingan) slices on both sides till they turn crisp and golden-brown in color.
5. Once fried, place the fried eggplant slices on kitchen paper towels, to absorb excess oil.