PANEER STUFFED BREAD ROLLS

Weekend evenings call for some snacking with tea if we are at home. A late lunch, lazy late afternoon nap and then.... ohh we are not going out, then let me prepare something. I do the planning in the morning as soon as we get sure we have no invitations, that we would not be going out and just relax at home. The lazy team finally have their tea and snacks around 7:30 pm. Then comes the final verdict.... we will not have dinner. 

The uber cool, crazy family have their music system and television on together. The quieter lady of the house  urges if we can play one at a time. The junior takes advantage of the situation and skips his studies. In a whole, these are the moments that are making memories, beautiful ones. The lady loves weaving memories..... had there been enough vocabulary, she would have penned down a memoir.

I had some paneer and thought let me do something else with it instead of a curry. I found bread roll as a nice option. I wasn't comfortable with the shaping and giving them a smooth finish. I wished to be relaxed while cooking. The preparation time was not that long and the snack was yummy that much I can assure you. It was done with the ingredients we have in our kitchen all the time. I have roughly captured the  steps involved in the preparation. Let us do it. This middle class lady retained the bread slice borders to saute with veggies and have it, she does not serve this to her men though. She loves to flaunt what she believes in.

INGREDIENTS :[for the filling]

Paneer : 150g [crumbled]
Potato : 2 [boiled and mashed]
Green Chilli : 3 [chopped]
Onion : 1[sliced]
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Powder : 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seed : 1/4 tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 1 tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the coverage and frying]

Bread Slices : 6-7 [borders cut]
Water : A bowl full of
Oil : 200-250 ml [left overs can be used later]
Tissue Paper : To soak the excess of oil from the fries

METHOD :

Let us prepare the filling at first. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and temper with the cumin seeds. As they splutter, add the sliced onions. Fry until golden brown. Add the mashed potato, sprinkle some salt, mix well. Stir for 2 minutes.

I perhaps had to use less amount of potato & more amount of paneer, sorry folks!

Add the crumbled paneer. Fold in well. Add the chopped green chillies, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and turmeric powders, sugar and a little of salt.

Mix and stir well for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Take the bread slices and water in different bowls. Soak each bread slice in water and squeeze the excess water. Place some filling on the middle of a bread slice. Carefully bring together to shape like a roll. 

I could not do full justice to the shaping part.

Heat the oil in a wok. Deep fry the rolls in batches. 

Place them onto the tissue papers to soak the excess of oil before serving. 

Serve hot with a choice of your sauce, chutney, salad.

SEMOLINA COCONUT BARFI

Holi... the festival of colours is approaching, it is the time for merry making and indulge ourselves into having a lot of sweets. Yes, the diabetic self is saying this because at times we need to set loose, and be a part of the celebration. Though, I have never played Holi in my growing up years. Our neighbourhood's atmosphere was not congenial and our mom never allowed me to go out. For long, Holi remained as a scary memory of drunkards banging the neighbourhood doors. At the same time, I must mention these same people came for our help whenever our father got bedridden with arthritis. It is never easy or required to judge who is good, who is not.... what is right or what is wrong....

After marriage, I felt a strong urge to play Holi, the Bollywood way with my man... God, once I splashed some colour on him, he scolded me hard. I was in tears never knowing what went wrong. His skin is averse to colours. The same person spends sleepless nights when I am unwell, sailed through the rough seas to keep me well, made sacrifices to keep the family well. I always look up to him with respect. I actually was transferred from our mother's lap to the husband's, hence I never learnt to face any adversity in life. My son, following his father's footsteps doesn't want to play Holi these days. As a child he loved to play though and used to go out with his paternal grandparents.

About this super simple yummy homemade sweet, I learnt it from my friend Ipsita, who believes in following a strict diet, a degree holder in Hotel Management. She is not a part of the blogging world, does a lot of fusion cooking and loves to have my Bengali dishes that are simple and authentic. She got me this sweet on the Saraswati Pujo / Vasant Panchami day. I loved them so much so that I went ahead doing it with some changes. I wished to keep the semolina a little undercooked, so that it remains a bit crunchy. Hence, I used less amount of milk than recommended. Let us do it to celebrate the occasion of Holi.

INGREDIENTS :

Semolina : 1cup
Shredded Coconut : 1/2cup
Milk : 1small cup
Condensed Milk : 1/4 small cup
Sugar : 2tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Saffron : 10-12 strands[optional]
Pistachios : 1tsp[chopped] [optional]
Raisins : 1 for each barfi to garnish
Ghee : 2tbsp

METHOD :

Heat a wok. Toast the coconut for 3-4 minutes and keep aside. Warm the milk and soak the saffron strands in it.

Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the semolina. Keep stirring at low heat until it turns golden yellow and gives a nice roasted aroma. Add 2tbsp sugar. Stir for a minute.

Add the milk little by little and keep stirring. The semolina will be 70-75% cooked. Add the toasted  coconut. Stir well for 2 minutes.

Add the condensed milk and the green cardamom powder. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Let cool and cut into your desired shape.

Garnish each of the sweets with saffron strands, raisins and pistachios or whichever way you wish to. You can refrigerate the sweet up to 2-4 days.

MALVANI CHICKEN CURRY

Malvani Cuisine is that of the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa and some parts of the West Karnataka. Malvan happens to be a town in the west coast of Maharashtra. Being a coastal area in Konkan, Malvani cuisine uses a lot of coconut in it's cooking..... be it grated, dry grated, fried, coconut paste and milk. Besides, they use spices like dry red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, cardamom, ginger, garlic, other garam masalas. Kokum, dried kokum, tamarind and raw mango are commonly used in their cuisine. 

Fish dishes dominates the Malvani cuisine being a coastal region. Once I  got to know that their cuisine is hot and spicy, I wished to explore more about their dishes.... the fish ones definitely.... in the future may be.... At this moment, I am not really satisfied with the informations provided by the wiki.... willing to read more about the place, it's culture and cuisine. Hence, I am including this too in my long wish list, let me proceed with the recipe.

My pick today is Chef Aditya Bal's Malvani Chicken. I just came across his recipe the other day and loved the varied spices he used. At a glance, I understood it will be extremely flavourful and tasty, spicy too.

 

                              

                                                

It definitely was. Just use less amount of dry red chillies if you do not want it hot. I did follow his recipe but did not keep the iPad open once I proceeded with it. I feel that spoils the food and the mood. Let us cook with a stress free mind always. As long as I am not claiming the authenticity of a dish, how does it matter if I forget to add one spice or include one new? What is more important is how much love and care I am putting into it, so that the outcome is tasty.

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 500 gm
Shredded Coconut : 1/2 small cup 
Green Chilli : 2
Ginger : 1tbsp small cut
Garlic : 6-7 cloves
Bayleaf : 1
Cinnamon Stick : 2 two inch
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Black Peppercorns : 8-10
Nutmeg : 1/2 
Cloves : 4-5
Coriander Seeds : 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli : 4
Onion Paste : 2-3 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As required
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp [my inclusion]
Oil : 4-5 tbsp

Chopped Coriander to garnish, I ran out of it 

METHOD :

Wash the chicken pieces and marinate with lemon juice, salt and half tsp turmeric powder for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Dry roast the bayleaf, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander and cumin seeds, dry red chilliies and dry grind to a coarse powder.

Prepare a paste of ginger, garlic, shredded coconut and the green chillies adding a little of water.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the onion paste and stir for 2 minutes. Add the spice paste and stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add the freshly spice powder and stir for a minute or two. Add the turmeric powder and stir. Add the chicken pieces without the marinade. Stir at high heat for 3-4 minutes. 

Add the marinade and fold in well. Lower the heat to the minimum and cover. Remove the cover and stir every 3-4 minutes. Once all of the water dries up, add a cup of water. Let cook for 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and shredded coconut [I skipped].

                     

DAHIWALI GOBI / CAULIFLOWER IN YOGURT SAUCE

Though cauliflower is available round the year now, it is essentially a winter vegetable. It has an enhanced taste in winter, though nothing equates the taste of the ones that were once grown without the chemical fertilisers. Though we get the organic ones as alternatives; looking at their price tags, I do not buy them. During this period of the year, I usually prepare this vegetable the most, rest of the year in turns. We get a variety of Taiwan cauliflower here in the wet markets which gives me a taste of it we had in our growing up years.

I remember if there had any celebration or prayer / pooja at home mid year, mom would search for cauliflower throughout the market, the purpose may be to impress the God Family or the guests. Rice Pulao with Cauliflower curry was a preferred choice at home. 

Ever since I have started blogging, I can see cauliflower is universally loved. My love for it matches with many and there are many ways of cooking it. This cauliflower in yogurt sauce is cooked in different parts of India, I have done it in my own way. I boiled the cauliflower pieces a little and then cooked them in the curry without frying them. So the use of oil was less. This dish has been done in way less oil. Let us do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Cauliflower : 1big
Plain Yogurt : 150-200gm
Onion : 1big[sliced]
Melon Seed : 1/2tsp

Cashew Nut : 5-6

White Sesame Seed : 1/2 tsp
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1tsp
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cinnamon Stick : 1 two inch stick
Clove : 3-4
Cumin Seeds : 2pinches
Bayleaf : 1

Dry Red Chilli : 2-3
Salt : As required
Oil : 2tbsp + 1tbsp

METHOD :

Cut the cauliflower into medium florets. Wash them thoroughly. Marinate with some salt. Put them in a microwave safe bowl, add water and microwave at high for 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool.

Drain the water. Marinate the cauliflower pieces with a little of salt and 1tbsp oil. Grease a baking tray and place the pieces on it in one layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 250*C in a pre- heated oven. They will be light brown in colour.

Prepare a paste of the melon seeds, white sesame seeds, cashew nuts, adding 1-2 tbsp yogurt. Add it to the rest of the yogurt and beat well. Keep the ginger paste and other spices ready.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper the oil with bayleaf, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves, cumin seeds, dry red chillies. As they splutter, add the sliced onions. Fry them till golden brown.

Add the ginger paste and fry for a minute. Add the yogurt mix. Stir for 1- 2 minutes. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander and red chilli powders. Saute for 1/2 a minute and add 1big cup water.

Cover and let it boil for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower pieces, cover again and boil at low heat for 3-4 minutes. Uncover and add the garam masala. Stir and boil for another minute. It should be done.

A VEGETARIAN PLATTER WITH TADKA DAL, CHOLE AND NO YEAST BHATURE

This is a North Indian platter done in a Bengali kitchen. During my journey of life, I came across many a people of different states in India, the foodie in me adapted a taste for different kinds of cuisine. Besides, staying in Kolkata and not loving and tasting the variety of food there is not possible. The people there love food and will not think twice to taste them.... from the streets to the fine dining. I think this applies to entire India. My tasting of different food, other than Bengali started at a quite young age when I used to go out with mom for shopping and she would buy me them. This Chole and Bhature thing is popular in Kolkata. My brother loves it. Northern India featured in our Bengali kitchen quite often. Now, my sis-in-law too loves it, the combo feature in their lunch boxes on a regular basis. I had the best "tadke wale dal" perhaps in the dhabas while touring Rajasthan by road. Way before that we have started buying "tadka dal" from the Punjabi Dhabi's in our DumDum neighbourhood. Our parents were fond of Dhaba Food. The Dhabas perhaps make the best tandoori roti. I compiled the three recipes together because I felt they make a good vegetarian platter. My strictly non vegetarian men love to have them too.  Let us do them together.

                               TADKA DAL

INGREDIENTS :

Skin On Green Moong Dal : 1/2 small cup

Skin On Black Gram Dal : 1/2 small Cup
Tomato : A big
Onion : 1 big [sliced]
Green Chilli : 3-4 [slitted]
Minced Garlic : 1tbsp
Minced Ginger : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder :  1tsp
Garam Masala : 1tsp
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 2-3 tbsp

METHOD :

Soak the two dal varieties in enough of hot water for 2 hours. Drain the water, take both of the dal varieties in a pressure cooker, add enough water. Pressure cook up to one whistle adding a little of turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Let cool. The black gram dal takes longer time to cook but I boiled them together.

Heat the oil in a wok, temper it with the cumin seeds. Add the minced garlic and ginger and fry for a minute. 

Add the sliced onions and fry until brown. Wash, chop & add the tomatoes and stir cook until it melts.

Add the slitted green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt. Give a stir, add the boiled dal. 

Thereafter, add a cup of water. Let simmer at minimal heat for 8-10 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

                                CHOLE

INGREDIENTS :

Chickpea : 100-150 gm
Tomato : 2 [chopped]
Onion : 1big [sliced]
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 2tsp
Green Chilli : 3-4 [slitted]
Coriander leaves : 2sprigs [chopped]
Chole Masala : 1tbsp [ I used a store bought]

Garam Masala : 1 tsp

Tea Liquor : 1 cup [no sugar, no milk]
Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As required
Oil : 3-4 tbsp.

METHOD : 

Soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight. Next morning, drain the water, wash and pressure cook them in enough water up to 3 or 4 whistles adding a little of salt and turmeric. Let cool.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the cumin seeds. Add the garlic paste and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the sliced onions. Fry until brown. Add the ginger paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes. Salute for 2 minutes.

Now add the turmeric, the red chilli and chole masala powders, salt and stir for a minute. Add the slitted green chillies and the boiled chickpeas. Fold in well. Add the cup of tea liquor.  Cover cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the coriander leaves, stir, switch off the gas stove.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

                                     NO YEAST BHATURE

The Bhature I made back in 2016 was like the above ones, these days they tend to become yellow. I love the white Naan-Poori of Kolkata.

INGREDIENTS :

Self Rising Flour : 1&1/2 cup
Semolina : 1/2cup
Plain Yogurt : 150gm
Salt : As required
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 150ml + 2tbsp

METHOD :

Take the self rising flour, semolina, salt, sugar in a bowl and mix together well. Add the oil and rub well for 2 minutes.

Beat the yogurt. Add to the flour little by little and knead well till a soft dough is formed. Cover with a moist cloth and keep for an hour.

Remove the cover, again knead for 3-4 minutes. Make medium sized balls. With rolling pin and the base, roll and shape them.

Heat 150 ml oil in a wok. Fry the poori one at a time. Do adjust  the heat constantly while frying.

Isn't that a nice vegetarian platter when served with some salad?

LABRA .... A MEDLEY OF ASSORTED VEGGIES

Labra, Khichhuri[khichdi], Chutney, Payesh... that is a complete BHOG [offering to the God Family] platter on the occasion of Saraswati Puja [Goddess of Education]. Usually held in the month of February, it is also jokingly called Bengal's Valentine's Day. Yellow is the colour theme of this puja perhaps signifying the onset of spring. To me, the best part of this puja was that we did not have to study on that day. One more attraction was getting to wear mom's saree, a yellow one. 

On that day mom allowed me to go out with the friends alone for pandal hopping. Bhai too managed the permission. It was then the Valentine things happened, pairs of eyes met, exchange of few words happened. Is it the same today? I do not have any idea. By the time we went to the junior college, we earned some freedom. Yet mom deployed my senior to escort me for the day. Him, me with few other friends would attend the prayer at our respective home, have prasad, then start pandal hopping and finally sat down for a movie. So beautiful were the days, all stored in my memory card.

I can write pages on the memories of this particular occasion, but I am too lazy to put them into words, or may be I have limited vocabulary. In short, we woke up early in the morning, mom applied a paste made of fresh turmeric, neem leaves, mustard oil all over our bodies. After taking shower, I helped mom a little bit with the arrangement of puja. Once it was over by 12pm, we had the bhog, then we were free to roam with the friends until the evening. I cannot ever forget the joy of buying the idol the previous evening. Mom always used to take me with her as I was too choosy about the selection. This labra with khichuri, payesh and chutney was a staple on this day. I try to follow the tradition till date. Sharing the recipe of labra with all of you as is done in our family.... Khichuri recipe I already have compiled earlier, skipping this time.

INGREDIENTS :

Pumpkin : I/2 of a small one.
Spinach[Malabar] : A bunch
Sweet Potato : 3-4
Long Beans : 5-6
Radish : 2small
Banana Plaintain Stem : about 500 gm in weight
Green Chilli : 4-5[slitted]
Egg Plant : 1big
Turmeric Powder : 2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Bengali Panchphoron : 1/2tsp[ an equal amount of fennel, cumin, nigella, radhuni / ajmod and fenugreek seeds taken together]
Dry Red Chillies : 2-3[halved]
Bayleaf : 2
Sugar : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required

METHOD :

All the vegetables needs to be cut and kept separately to be added at different stages of the cooking. Peel and cut the pumpkin into medium cubes. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise after been halved. Roughly chop the spinach.

Peel and half the radish and then cut lengthwise. Eggplants are to be cut into smaller cubes. Cut the long beans inchwise. We need to throw the outer cover of the banana stem and take the younger part only. Cut both the ends and make smaller and thinner cubes. Remove the fibres as you cut each layer.

Wash and keep all the veggies separately. Rub them with salt and turmeric. Keep aside for few minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the bayleaves, halved dry red chillies and the panchphoron / Bengali five spices. Add the radish and banana stem pieces first. Stir, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add the pumpkin pieces,  sweet potato and long bean pieces. Let cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach and the eggplant pieces. Add the green chillies, red chilli powder, cumin powder. Stir all and cover cook for 4-5 minutes stirring every 1 minute.

Add the sugar and little salt if required. Fold in well and cook for another minute until all of the water released dries up.

We do not need to add water to it as it is cooked in the water released by the vegetables themselves.

Serve it with Khichuri / Khichdi / Rice & Lentil HothchPotch, Rice Pudding / Kheer / Payesh and chutney.

A SPICY AFFAIR WITH FISH AND VEGETARIAN FRIED RICE

This is something I love doing and can do it with confidence. I feel what we love to eat, we love to cook too and tend to do it perfectly. We have grown up having humble bowls of curry and rice, I am comfortable  doing it putting in all my heart into it. My problem is with my not that fish loving son who wants chicken every day at every meal. The typical Bengali in me cannot accept it. The problem of this generation kids is that they want everything ready and easy on a platter. He will have fish only when it is boneless, fried or in a slightly differently done curry. If accompanied by a fried rice, my men will love it more. This way my time and energy is also saved. If accompanied by a serving of salad it becomes a complete meal but unfortunately my men skips the salad part. I could not give any particular name to this fish curry because I did not follow any particular recipe or cuisine doing it. I wished to prepare a Thai curry, discovered I am running out of the lemon grass, even the galangal, kaffir lime leaves, etc. Hence, I preferred going ahead with whatever was available in my kitchen. The curry was flavourful, a bit rich.... Let us cook the combo together.

I have updated this Blogpost on the 17th of June, 2024!

INGREDIENTS :[for the fried rice]

Basmati Rice : 1big cup
Carrot : 1small
Green Peas : 1/2 small tea cup
Sweet Corn : 1/4small tea cup
Green Chilli : 2
Cashews : 8-10
Cinnamon stick : 2 two inch length 
Green Cardamom : 4-5
Cloves : 4-5
Bayleaf : 2-3
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp [optional]

Oil : 2-3 tbsp

INGREDIENTS :[for the fish curry]

Any White Boneless Fish : 500gm 
Tomato : 2
Onion : 2
Coconut Milk : 1medium tea cup
Curry Leaves : 8-10
Garlic Paste : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder : 1tsp [adds colour only]
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1tsp
Fennel Seed : 2pinch
Mustard Seed : 2pinch
Fenugreek Seed : 2 pinches
Salt : As Required
Gram  Flour : 2 tbsp
Oil : 4-5tbsp

METHOD :

Let us do the fried rice at first. Wash and soak the rice for an hour. Drain the water. Boil enough water and cook the rice in it till 60% done. Drain the water and spread the rice on a paper sheet placed on the table top.

Cut the carrots into small pieces, wash, apply salt. Wash and apply salt to the peas n corns. Wash and chop the green chillies.

Crush the cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom with a rolling pin.

Heat the oil in the wok. Add the crushed spices and the bayleaves. Add the cashew nuts and lightly stir. Add the carrots and stir till it softens.

Now add the green peas, corns and chopped green chillies. Stir for a minute. Add the rice and stir first at high heat. Add the salt and sugar. Fold in well and stir for another 3-4 minutes. It is done.

For the fish curry, cut the fillets into smaller pieces. Add the salt and turmeric and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Drain the water that has been released. Add the gram flour and mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the coated fish pieces lightly. Keep aside. Temper the oil with the fennel, fenugreek and mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves. Stir for a minute and take out to be added later.

Peel, wash and slice the onions. Wash and chop the tomatoes. Add the garlic paste to the oil and saute till the raw smell goes. Add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes.

Once the tomato pieces melt; add the turmeric, salt, coriander and chilli powders. Saute for a minute. Add the coconut milk. Let boil for 3-4 minutes.

Add the fish pieces, fried curry leaves and the garam masala powder to the wok. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. If required add half a small cup of water.

Enjoy your meal with a serving of salad.

STRAWBERRY BREAD PUDDING

I was up to preparing something else and landed into this. It is not a cake, more of a pudding! Actually, I was attempting at bread cups with a strawberry filling which did not satisfy me on the midway of its preparation. This impatient self attempted for a quicker something and trust me.... you will like this quick fix dessert for sure. Valentine's Day was never a part of our culture, neither do I believe in any one day of celebrating love. Isn't it a life long celebration? The senior at home jokingly says it started as a sales promotion strategy of Archie's in our country. He has the same view about Dhanteras... the jewellery shops' sales promotion. Anyway, I thought if people of other cultures can stop by and show interest in my regional recipes, I should also wish them with something they can identify with... We will use fresh strawberry paste, bread, a little of agar agar, egg, yogurt, sugar, a bit of food colour & vanilla essence in this recipe. It goes without saying that the son of this house is growing up enjoying the different varieties of desserts mumma makes at home!

INGREDIENTS :

Bread : 4-6 slices
Strawberry : 7-8
Plain Yogurt : 1/2 medium cup
Sugar : 1/2 small tea cup
Agar Agar : 2 tsp
Egg : 2

Edible Food Colour [Red] : A few drops [I used Strawberry Icing Colour]

Butter [Melted] : 3-4 tbsp

Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp

METHOD :

Cut the sides of the bread slices. Wash and chop the strawberries.

In a blender, put together bread pieces, chopped strawberries, eggs, yogurt, sugar, butter. Prepare a fine paste.

In a small bowl, take 4tbsp water, add the agar agar powder to it and mix well. Microwave for 30 seconds- 1minutes stirring every ten seconds till it becomes little sticky.

Add it to the paste along with the vanilla essence, blend again for half a minute!

Grease a cake tin with butter. Pour the mix into it.

Preheat the oven at 160*C. Place a bigger pan filled 1/4 with water.

Place the cake tin atop it. I baked it at 160* for 45 minutes on my mini toaster oven. 

Let it cool. Loosen the sides with a knife and take out carefully.

Do the topping as you wish. I topped it with freshly chopped & washed strawberries!

Serve it after refrigeration.

KALAJAMUN / KALOJAM

I was thinking of preparing a sweet that is hassle free, related to my origin, Bengal / Kolkata, yet people elsewhere can identify with it. This is Kalajamun or Kalojam which belongs to the Gulabjamun family. Though not as popular as gulabjamun, I love it a lot because of my love for the fried sweets. I remember our mom used to scold me for this. In our home, the preferred sweet option had always been the Rasgulla / Roshogolla. Roshogolla was considered a healthier choice. I loved the kalajamun, gulabjamun, jilipi, chanar jilipi, langcha varieties. I enjoy going back to those sweet old memories.

It may be after relocating to this island that I started enjoying the roshogolla like the parents & the brother! Our son had been eating roshogolla since his rice feeding ceremony. For few years, each day evening, two roshogollas were allowed for him! T not only loves the roshogolla but is too particular about it's quality! T's family are sweet connoisseur and welcomed a variety of sweets in their home, but of good quality from the known shops! Our parents only allowed roshogolla & few sandesh varieties, the rest of the pithe, naru, moya were prepared by the mother! I craved for the fried sweets, though I was not a sweet lover as such!

My reason for choosing this sweet is that I loved it a lot once upon a time. I thought let me give it a try and see how the home made ones taste. I think I have done justice, it came out just like the shop ones; it was a bit hard outside and soft and juicy inside. I came across some Bangladeshi sites and saw this sweet is popular there. I went through similar recipes of Rownak, Siddika Kabir, Khadija who are popular chefs from there. I opted for Khadija's way of doing it because I had all the ingredients at home that were required in the recipe. I have provided a stepwise picture for it. Let us do it.

INGREDIENTS :[for the balls]

Milk Powder : 1/3 coffee mug + 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Refined Flour : 1/4 coffee mug
Semolina : 1tbsp
Ghee[clarified butter] : 1tbsp
Baking Powder : 1/2tsp
Baking Soda : A pinch or two
Yellow Food Colour : A pinch or two
Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Milk : 1/2small tea cup
Oil : 150-200 ml [for frying]

INGREDIENTS :[for the syrup]

Sugar : 1 small tea cup
Water : 1 1/2 coffee mug
Green Cardamom : 3-4

METHOD :

In a large bowl; take the milk powder, flour, semolina, baking powder & soda. Mix well.

Add the ghee to it and rub well for 2-3 minutes. 

Add the green cardamom powder, mix well!

I prepared the milk adding 1tbsp milk to half a small cup of warm water, you can use cow milk! Add the yellow food colour to the milk, mix well! Add it little by little and knead well until it becomes a dough not too hard neither soft. It will look as below.

Let it stand for 5-6 minutes covered with a soft cloth. If it seems dry, add a little more of milk & knead again, then shape!

Pour the water, sugar in a heavy bottomed vessel. When it comes to a boil, add the green cardamoms. Let it simmer till it gets  a light sticky consistency.

Simultaneously, we have to prepare small round balls from the dough and fry them at low heat until dark in colour. Cristine shaped them!

We would keep the fried balls onto a tissue paper for few minutes, before adding to the boiling sugar syrup! We would boil them for 3-4 minutes & switch off the gas stove, rest them for a while before taking out!

Take together a tbsp of milk powder and a tsp of ghee, mix together! Arrange the sweets in a serving bowl, pour the sugar syrup on them. Sprinkle the milk powder & ghee / clarified butter mix on each of them!

Or sprinkle with mewa / mawa / khoya!

They taste best when had warm!