FAMILY WINTER TIME VEGETABLES RICE

SHAAM HONE KO HAI, I AM IN MOOD TO WRAP MYSELF WITH BED SPREAD, WATCH ANYTHING OF INTEREST!

"Shaam hone ko hai", it's time for sundown! I wish to watch thriller, whatever interests me! There's no winter season in this island, between October & February its monsoon, feels cool, dry! I wonder why we experience drier skin, winter symptom! I like almost everything about this island, not climate! I got burnt totally, not in habit of applying creams on skin! A little over a decade back my skin was soft & supple! They say Thyroid medication destroys skin! I ain't multitasker, today I have decided to play Kishore Kumar's hits; "Sagar Kinare dil ye Pukare" to "Leena o Leena Dil Tune Cheena" to "Dil Kya Karen Jab Kisisse Kisi Ko Pyar Ho Jaye"! I remember all of fuss, rules made with regards to movie Julie! In this context, I think of how South Asian women suffer if caught up in such situation! We look at West, see how society, celebrities flaunt their unwed parental status! I am strict about not commenting on such things! Every country has its rule book, we can't compare those with others! I need an in-depth study of sociology, do post doctorate, then comment whats right, wrong for us! The kind of person I am, I vote for certain kind of restraints, even if it causes us pain, a compromise with our happiness! In a multicultural, multi linguistic society as in India, we can't let chaos set in! The man, son are liberated souls, mumma constantly keeps warning, asks them to follow culture! I have asked son to mingle carefully! Anyway, my job is to get you good food, so I do! Else thought of son staying alone in an unknown land kills me!

IT FEELS GOOD TO BE ABLE TO SHARE FAMILY BENGALI RECIPE MAXIMUM IN WORLD CAN HAVE!

Most of time, what I get as family recipes are rustic, majority may not understand! As of Regional Cuisines, beyond a geographical boundary, people can't identify! What acts as barrier is availability of ingredients, tastebuds! We are middle class Bengali, recipes for daily consumption had been normal vegetables, fish, meat curries; never restaurant style! Usually Bengali Homes don't cook restaurant style food regular! Our mother keeps cooking authentic, homely Bengali Food even though rest in the family want rice and chicken! I plan to cook rustic Bengali less but cook them every Saturday! It's like preserving our food culture! You take or don't, my blog should have recipe of "maan kochu bata" or "pui metuli bhaja" or "ruti, suji o shada aloor chocchori"! We eat normal, Indian Food daily, my lunch was "thin porota, peyazkoli-aloo bhaja, aloo-potol er dalna, achar"!

WHAT IS FAMILY WINTER VEGETABLES RICE?

This rice bowl our mother used to do every winter few times! In those days; cauliflower, green peas, carrots were available in winter, their taste unmatched! In present day, we get most of vegetables throughout year, taste is compromised! This rice dish is in true sense a "khichuri" / hotchpotch dish! Our mother used "polao er chal", rice meant for pulao but the dish was/is not cooked how polao is meant to be cooked! Fried rice is cooked draining water after cooking, then stir frying but pilaf is cooked together with water, rice-water 1:2 cups! Bengali Pulao uses dry fruits, sugar! This vegan, gluten-free vegetable rice dish; FAMILY WINTER TIME VEGETABLES RICE is stir fried but uses sugar in it specific vegetables! It uses French Beans too, I forgot to get! We used to enjoy it with light chicken curry for Sunday lunch! Fried rice / pulao are eaten with dry curry, veg/non-veg! It hurts you know; I am unable to feed my son all these stuffs he loves! In his country of, I have seen The Stop & Shop, Roche Brothers, Trader's Joe selling oriental fried rice hot & fresh! I ask him to get, but such shops are not frequent in neighbourhoods as here, in Kolkata! I am more worried during winter what he says he likes! Our mother used mix of ghee, oil for this recipe, I used only oil to keep it vegan! That is compromise on flavour part!

INGREDIENTS :

FRAGRANT RICE [KALIJEERA / CHINIGURA / GOBINDA BHOG] : 1 1/2 COFFEE MUG

CAULIFLOWER: 1 SMALL

GREEN PEA: 1 SMALL BOWL

CARROT : 1

CASHEW NUT : 1 TBSP

BAYLEAF : 2-3

CINNAMON STICK : 3-4 HALF INCH SIZED

CLOVE : 4-5

GREEN CARDAMOM : 4-5

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 OR 2 PINCH

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 2 TSP

OIL : 1 SMALL TEA CUP [I USED ALL PURPOSE OLIVE OIL]

THE FAMILY USES GHEE TOO FOR FLAVOUR

PROCEDURE :

Wash rice, cook in good amount of boiling water until 70% done! Pour on colander, let all of water drain!

Cube, wash cauliflower. Cut carrot strip wise; wash, also green peas! Soak  cauliflower florets in hot water! 

Carrot, cauliflower, we will add to oil at different times!

Drain water after 10 minutes; add salt, turmeric, mix well! 

Warm oil, fry cashew nuts, take out! Heat oil & add whole spices, stir! Add cauliflower sans marinade!

Mind it, we would fry cauliflower florets at medium heat, not at low, so it fries well, do not get soggy!

We may add carrot strips, green peas when cauliflowers are half done!

We would add cooked rice, fold in well! 

We will add sugar, salt, fold in well! 

We would stir cook at medium heat using light strokes with ladle for 5-6 minutes! 

Do not let rice grains break! Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with fried cashew nuts!

You can have it with any vegetarian or non-vegetarian sides or just with papad & pickle!

RIPE MANGO TART

SUNDAYS ARE NOT MEANT TO WRITE A BLOGPOST!

In the first half of the day, we were watching a movie "Doctor G", starring a couple of my favourite actors; Shefali Chaya Shah, Ayushmann Khurrana! Also this Rakul Preet I consider a fresh flavour in Bollywood! Now we are watching a Netflix series "Khaki; The Bihar Chapter"! In between, I did what I was required to do on a Sunday! For us it is just another day & I do not have any complain about it, so long I get to talk to my son, I feel okay! At this stage in life, it is not about us but more about how our child is doing there alone; if he is feeling lonely or spending  a good time with his friends on such a special day! My happiness was cooking "aloo paratha" for the two of us! 

Cristine cooked & carried food today for her friends, the reasons are obvious! The cake I baked for them did not turn out well! I wish I could cook a meal for the son & his friends! We could have gone there at this time but the weather I feared! With this mind, we hardly would want to party; better is to share a yummy, doable recipe for my readers! We spent beautifully such days with our little son, we wish he spends equally beautiful moments on such days now on!

THE SERIES THAT IS NOW TELECASTING THE TELEVISION IS QUITE CAPTIVATING!

"KHAKI, THE BIHAR CHAPTER" is based on true incidents and my mind is there! In a way it is good! I cannot stay merry, always I worry about the son, the movies & series help us spend good time! We have a set household here; a help 24/7, a television to entertain, a market, a mall, bus interchange & train station within 300 meter! The son is alone and has to fetch everything by himself in this heavy snow, storm, cold; this thought kills me! Mumma wants to talk everyday & take details but beta does not wish to share! I cooked yesterday quite a few dishes, yet made those aloo paratha to engage myself! At night, we would have rice meal! But to match the occasion, I have decided on a fruit tart share today! Fruit Tarts & Pies do not come naturally to me, I cook predominantly Indian! You can see, I have improved a lot in the area of making stuffed flatbreads! I do not understand why video making & editing is not going into my head! I wish to make nice food videos, I have a lot of time to engage in all these activities! I cannot multitask, but at this time I am watching the series & writing the blogpost at the same time!

WHAT IS THIS MANGO TART?

Mango comes to my home almost throughout the year, Bengal's most loved fruit! I am okay with a mango as long as it is sweet, so is the son! T like a typical Bengali of Bengal have specifications, eats the local varieties but not with great amount of love! I am not the kind who would prepare a tart, that too in the absence of the son! I had some ripe mangoes & all of a sudden this idea came to my mind, I have seen how beautifully others do the biscuit base but I did not even try to be perfect! I have used 500 gm packet of Marie biscuit & about 50-60 gm of butter! Actually, I did not consult any recipe, so measurements may not have been that accurate! But this vegetarian fruit dessert RIPE MANGO TART was extremely tasty to have!

INGREDIENTS :

BISCUIT : 500 GM [I USED MARIE BISCUIT]

FRESH RIPE MANGO PULP : 2 COFFEE MUG

SUGAR : 2 TBSP

EDIBLE YELLOW COLOUR : 2 DROPS [OPTIONAL]

CORN FLOUR : 2-3 TBSP

BUTTER : 60-70 GM

I USED POMEGRANATE KERNELS, BLUEBERRIES & MINT LEAVES TO GARNISH!

PROCEDURE :

I used powdered Marie Biscuit & melted Butter mix as the base!

I have powdered the biscuit adding butter at room temperature in a blender!

I had greased the tart tin with a little of butter and transferred the mixture to the greased tart tin & levelled! 

I extracted the mango pulp & blended it to a paste & then put it to simmer adding the sugar!

To a half medium sized glass of water, I added the the corn flour & mixed it well!

I added the corn flour mix to the simmering mango paste, also few drops of edible colour!

The most important part is to keep beating the paste while simmering! This I did  for 8-9 minutes!

I had let it cool a bit & poured it in the middle of the tart pan, levelled!

We can garnish the top with our choice of fruits!

 

CINNAMON SPICED BANANA BLUEBERRY CAKE

ANY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO BAKE A CAKE BUT THIS SEASON HAS A SPECIAL CONNECT WITH IT!

Until the day I live, this season would remain the most comfortable time of the year to me & this day is the best day of my life, it cannot be otherwise!Mumma sincerely wished to take to the blog a recipe & that of a cake!I baked it on the stovetop last midweek, the simplest way!What we needed to clean after the job was the blender & a spoon! I would tell you later in the post what one ingredient made my job super simple! The son is present around 24/7, yet there are some days I/we miss him more!My worries multiply reading about the cold weather there, the snowfall!The son does not care at all; last October he was wearing a t-shirt alone outside of his home!Blame it on his young blood or his nature, he was not listening to our warnings!What he is doing in our absence I have no idea!I wish to sit beside him today and feed him a fresh bake, his favourite flavoured milk and SHEMAI ER PAYESH, for a couple of years now he does not favour rice pudding! I however cooked it for him there, he did not say if he had eaten it!

A SPECIAL SUNDAY AS THIS WAS SPENT JUST AS ANOTHER DAY!

I was busy today!I went to the market to buy an electric kettle,I bought a cheap one this time to check it's longevity!In our twelve years of stay here, we already used two; a Philips lasting for seven years, then a Tefal that lasted for five years!If this one does not last,I would buy again a branded one!Back home,I cooked rice & we had a vegetarian lunch! T perhaps found it difficult to have but I loved it thoroughly with"Beulir Dal, Aloo Chechki, Dhonepata Bata Sheem, Ol Kopi Stir Fry"! Our families do not eat Ol Kopi / German Turnip / Kohlrabi, here I got it one day & quite enjoyed a stir fry! I think this is the season of it! In Kolkata too it is available in season, do not know why the family never got! I find it's taste similar to radish! This is the day we used to have the best food we enjoy at home & outside! The missing family member was also there in those days!Now the bird has grown big enough to fly out of the home! I am learning to live with the memories, it is tough!

WHAT IS THIS CINNAMON SPICED BANANA BLUEBERRY CAKE?

It is perhaps the most comfortable to prepare cake I have ever made! I was clueless about it's success when I planned to cook it!I casually got a self raising flour after a long time! Not that I do not know the ratio of the baking powder:baking soda:flour used in a cake, just that I am a lazy self, not a perfectionist to an extreme!I casually took in hand this project because I had 4-5 bananas in the refrigerator, some blueberries!I wished to try a cake with these few ingredients without leaving much of cleaning for Cristine! Thus this vegan stovetop cake,CINNAMON SPICED BANANA BLUEBERRY CAKE happened!I enjoy baking simplistic, vegetarian cakes on the stovetop!

INGREDIENTS : 

SELF RAISING FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

BANANA : 2-3 STANDARD SIZED [I USED 5 SMALL SIZED]

BLUEBERRY : 12-15

BROWN SUGAR : 1 SMALL TEA CUP [I USED JAGGERY]

OIL : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

CINNAMON POWDER : 1 1/2 TSP

VINEGAR : 1 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

The use of self-raising flour made things easier for me!I blended together the bananas, jaggery, oil, cinnamon powder, vinegar into a smooth paste!

Thereafter, I added the self-raising flour to the paste like mixture & blended to a smooth batter!

While blending, we should pause & blend, that puts less of pressure on the blades I believe!

I had poured the batter to a foiled cake tin & tapped on the kitchen counter; so the batter is evenly spread!

I had arranged the blueberries on top & sprinkled sugar all over!

I had placed an iron wired stand atop a wok on the gas burner top, heated it for 2-3 minutes!

I had placed the batter filled cake tin atop it, let sit it properly & cover cooked it at low heat for 55 minutes to 1 hour!

And there is our easy-peasy Blueberry-Banana Cake with Cinnamon Flavours!

It would taste the best when warm! However, I needed to refrigerate it! Do take out an hour before having in that case!