EGGLESS DATE CUP CAKE

Over the weekends I try my hands at simple bakes which are quick and hassle free. My junior loves simply baked, plain cakes. He is having summer holidays, so I need to stock more of "tukitaki", meaning titbits for him. If its cake, then it goes well as our week end tea time snack too. The past few days had been too busy for different reasons, and the coming week too will be. Hence, I am really in short of time to concentrate, sit and write a recipe nicely. It is the start of a weekend, I thought of sharing an easy and quick cup cake recipe that I made with dates which usually I store for making chutney mainly. These Eggless Date Cup Cakes were made a couple of weeks back. I was browsing through cup cake recipes at All Recipes.com and came across a simple date cup cake recipe. The basic idea is drawn from there but I have done it my own way, further simplifying the process. Let us do the very simple Eggless Date Cup Cake together.

INGREDIENTS :

Refined Flour : 1big cup [alternatively wholewheat]
Baking Soda : 1/4 tsp

Baking Powder : 1/2 tsp
Dates : 10-12[deseeded]
Plain Yogurt : 1 small cup

Milk : 1 small cup
Oil : 5-6 tbsp
Butter : 2tbsp [optional]
Sugar : 3-4 tbsp
Vanilla Essence : 1tsp
Vinegar : 1 tsp

METHOD :

I preheated my convection mode oven to 160*C, placing the low height wired stool inside.

Wash, deseed the dates. In a bowl, take the refined flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix well.

In the blender, take the dates, sugar, butter and oil, yogurt, milk and blend for 2-3 minutes.

Add the paste and the vanilla essence to the flour mix and whisk slowly. 

Our batter is ready. Initially, I skipped the milk but latter I required to add it.

Now we will pour the batter into the aluminium foil cups or in the cup cake tin directly greasing lightly with oil. 

I baked it at 160*C for 15-16minutes. 

You have to select a time depending on the machine. I would suggest to check inserting a fork after 15- 16 minutes. It should be done in 20 minutes.

Enjoy the cup cakes with your choice of beverage.

PANEER HARA BHARA CURRY

Paneer keeps happening at this home, I need to get variations in it. I made this Paneer Hara Bhara Curry last week. I remember it was quite late in the evening, a pretty hot weather. Naturally I wished to stir up something quickly. There was a dal and a chicken, the family wished for home made breads, so I planned for a paneer curry as a vegetarian side. Since I am not that fond of chicken and not allowed to have much of carb..... I depend on dal, veggies and salads to satisfy my body's needs. This is at this point where I have an imaginary conversation with the Almighty... why did He had to gift diabetes to someone who loved to have carbs and fats... all kinds of..... Its been ages I did not have pakoras made of mutton fat / fish fat / fish roe with rice accompanied by a green chilli. Those who had / have it.... it will sound heavenly.... to me it definitely is. Coming to The Paneer Hara Bhara Curry, it was done simply using coriander and fresh mint paste. I thought if we can have a chutney with this paste or use it in a non vegetarian curry, let us see how it works with paneer. This quick paneer curry with few ingredients did taste well and goes very well with the Indian breads. Let us do this Paneer Hara Bhara Curry together. I definitely had been inspired from some North Indian dish for this, they are used to cooking paneer, chicken this way, buy I cooked it simply.

INGREDIENTS :

Paneer : 250-300 gm [ I used store bought]
Fresh Coriander Leaves : 2 sprig
Mint Leaves : 6-8
Garlic Cloves : 2
Green Chilli : 3-4
Black Peppercorn : 6-8
Plain Yogurt : 2tbsp
Onion [sliced] : 1medium
Bayleaf : 1
Salt : As Required
Oil : 2-3tbsp

METHOD :

Cut the paneer into smaller cubes and marinate with a little of salt for 15 minutes.

Prepare a paste with the washed coriander leaves, mint leaves, peeled garlic cloves, green chillies in the blender adding a little of water.

Peel, wash and slice the onion. Beat the yogurt.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with a bayleaf and the black peppercorns.

Add the sliced onions and fry till translucent.

Add the green paste and saute for a minute. Add the beaten yogurt and saute for one more minute.

Add one medium cup of water and let boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the paneer pieces, stir and let cook for a minute. Add the salt as required. Stir well. Its done.

The gravy will be little thick. Serve hot with chapati / paratha / poori or have with jeera rice.

TANDOORI GOBI / GRILLED CAULIFLOWER

I love Cauliflower in all forms; curry, batter fried, grilled. I think it is an universally accepted and loved vegetable. With it's availability throughout the year nowadays, it is a regular in our home. My personal favourite is a humble meal of rice, dal and batter fried cauliflower pakoras. Remembering childhood days, cauliflower was available only during the winter.... the white beauty hidden within the long green leaves. So lovely was it's taste that I cannot equate it with it's taste now. Each part of a cauliflower was eaten in our family, even the leaves. In those days, cauliflower was rarely available during the summers, mom used to get them at a high price during the special occasions...... during any pooja at home, also if there were guests. Perhaps so they tasted even better in the off season. I often prepare this Tandoori Gobi / Grilled Cauliflower and serve it as a vegetarian starter. I never did try it with a whole cauliflower as it does not work for me, I prefer to cut it into pieces, marinate it with the spices and plain yogurt and then grill. This grilled vegetarian starter with cauliflower is loved by the family and our guests too. If we leave the marination period, it is quick to do and hassle free. Let us do this Tandoori Gobi / Grilled Cauliflower together.

INGREDIENTS : 

Cauliflower : 1medium
Plain Yogurt : 1 medium cup
Tandoori Masala : 2tbsp [ I use Everest's]
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp

Lemon Juice : 3-4 tbsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/2tsp [optional]
Oil : 3-4tbsp

METHOD :

Cut the cauliflower into florets and wash thoroughly. Soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes and drain the water. Apply salt and turmeric, keep aside for another 10-15 minutes.

Rub chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder, tandoori masala, beaten yogurt, oil to the florets. Keep marinated in a covered container for 2-3 hours.

It is better to beat together all of the spices, oil, yogurt and rub on the cauliflower florets.

I do not have an OTG but a convection mode microwave. So I grilled the marinated cauliflower florets one side for 10-13 minutes, turned to the other side, grilled for another 8-10 minutes.

The cooking time may vary in each machine.

Serve hot with your choice of sauce or dips.

YAM CURRY / OLER DALNA

In our community, Yam is quite a favourite. We have all the varieties of it and perhaps cook all the parts of it, leaves, stems and what not. The leaves are usually used to do steamed stuffs, say spiced fish or veggies wrapped in it's leaves and steamed. We make a bharta of the leaves too! We prepare yam items either with fish head or small prawns or at times just keep it as a vegetarian side. The place I stay now, has all the variety of yam in offer as people here too love it. I love to have their steamed yam cakes topped with a unique sweet n chilli sauce. I never tried to make it at home though. My favourite of all the yam dishes is this simple curry with our regular spices. They say eating yam is good for health as it purifies the blood. I do not know how much truth is there in it, I have it just for the love of it. I have seen my mother adding small prawns to this curry at times. I preferred to keep this curry a vegetarian one this time. We call it Oler Dalna. Let us prepare this all vegetarian Yam Curry / Oler Dalna together. Ol is the Suran / Elephant Foot Yam variety!

INGREDIENTS :

Ol [Suran /Elephant Foot Yam] : 250gm
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Cinnamon Powder : 2pinches
Cardamom Powder : A pinch
Cloves Powder : A pinch
Cumin Seed : 1/4 tsp
Salt : As Required

Sugar : 1 tsp
Bayleaf : 1
Ghee : 1tsp
Oil : 2tsp

METHOD :

Peel and cut the big chunk of yum into smaller cubes. Wash them and rub with salt and turmeric.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the yam pieces in batches. Keep aside.

Temper the same oil with a bayleaf and cumin seeds. Add the ginger paste and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add the cumin powder, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder. Saute for 1/2 a minute. Add the fried pieces of yum. Fold in well and stir for a minute.

Add a cup of water. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Add the sugar, slitted green chillies, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves powder, ghee and cook for another 1 minute.

Serve hot with steamed rice or Indian breads.

LYCHEE ICE-CREAM

Another weekend passed away, a nice one watching a good movie in good company. Monday again, and throughout the week I wait for another Friday, going out, watching a good movie or show, a lunch or a dinner. I am still not out of the hangover of the movie we watched last Saturday evening.... Dhanak... meaning The Rainbow.... journey of two little kids through all odds, the people they met on the way, how they helped them to reach their destination. 

The love between the siblings takes me long back.... when I was an over protective elder sister. All the viewers absolutely loved the kids delivering pretty well. At the end of the movie, we were lucky enough to be present in an interactive session with the director who told how cooperative the kids were throughout the entire shooting period, bearing the burnt of the heat in Rajasthan is not an easy task. I dedicate this Lychee Ice-cream to those kids and look forward to watch more such amazing performance from them. The men at home are not deprived though.... a good option to have this after a pizza or burger session, specially in a tropical environment.

I love lychee, my memory of lychee goes back to the late 70s and 80s. The summer vacation was spent in maternal grandparent's house, nearby there was a lychee garden.... comprising of acres of land. So buying lychee was straight from the garden in bulk. Later, I remember it was sold and how mercilessly the trees were cut, a new locality of housing was grown. Here I buy the green variety of lychee which they say comes from China. At home, the men are not fond of having lychee as a fruit, I thought of preparing this Lychee Ice-cream for them. Let us prepare this summer cooler together with few ingredients.

INGREDIENTS :

Lychee : 10-12
Fresh Cream : 170ml [I used Nestle]
Milk Powder : 2 tbsp

Sugar : 3-4 tbsp

METHOD :

Peel and deseed the lychees. Wash them thoroughly. Blend together the lychees, fresh cream, sugar and the milk powder. 

Pour into a bowl & cover it, freeze for 2 hours.

Take out and blend for 2-3 minutes. You can cut some lychees into smaller pieces and add to the mix. Stir, pour in a bowl with lid and freeze again for 5-6 hours. Enjoy!

KONKANI EGG CURRY

The lady who loved cooking and compiling them in her blog is suddenly in a 'no mood' mode. Everything seems to be boring sort of. When passion seems to be boring, perhaps it is time to take a break. Priorities keep changing and we definitely need to prioritise things. With the only son in the high school, my mind gets extremely bothered with his studies, specially when it is the last thing in his to do list. A long summer holiday and he is doing anything except for studying, that bothers me a lot. To that, the news back home that the mother is not doing well with uncontrolled sugar level does make one sad. A caring and responsible brother and sister-in-law do not let you go crazy though. Hence, I sat with the computer early morning to concentrate on writing a recipe, at least that can deviate the mind. This is A Konkani Egg Curry. Preparing an egg curry is a regular at home. I was going through google for a different kind of egg curry recipe and came across a number of Konkani egg curry recipes. I specifically liked this recipe by Shwetha Shanbag of curryaffairs.com, which has a simplistic approach. I drew the inspiration from her recipe with my inputs. Like I added cumin and coriander which is not there in the original recipe. Let us prepare my version of Konkani Egg Curry together.

Recipe Inspiration : curryaffairs.com

INGREDIENTS :

Egg : 5-6
Onion : 1medium [sliced]
Shredded Coconut : 1/2small cup
Black Pepper : 8-10
Cinnamon : 1one inch stick
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cloves : 2-3
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp + 2pinches
Coriander Seed : 1/4tsp
Red Chilli : 4-5
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As required
Tamarind : 1/2tsp[deseeded]
Oil : 3-4tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the eggs carefully and boil in enough water. Let cool, take out the shell. Wash again and slit little on both the sides. Apply a little of salt on them.

Dry roast 1/4tsp cumin seed, coriander seed, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, red chillies for 2 minutes. Put in to a grinder.

Add the shredded coconut and tamarind also to the grinder. Add a little of water for a smooth paste. Grind to a paste pausing at regular intervals.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with cumin seeds. Add the sliced onions and fry till golden brown.

Add the spice paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Fry for a minute or two.

Add a cup of water and let boil for 3-4 minutes at low heat.

Add the boiled eggs and cook  for another 2 minutes. It is done.

Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!

PALAK / SPINACH KOFTA CURRY

Had it been not for my love for mutton and hilsa [ilish], I would have turned into a vegetarian. Had my parents have seen this, they would have been in utter disbelief. The girl who they had to pester for eating veggies is saying this. There is truth in the fact that I have developed a love kind of for vegetarian dishes but not for all of them. They have to appeal to my taste buds. I cannot have broccoli or carrot tossed in minimal oil, however healthy they are. I love typical Bengali / Indian veggies laced with spices. My men would be happy to skip them and gorge on their regular dose of fish or meat. I do not allow them that and had given the ultimatum.... fish and meat will come with veggies and dal as a package. The duo do accept this, unwillingly though. This palak / spinach kofta curry was made the day before yesterday as a vegetarian side. I prefer not to fry the kofta these days, instead I cook the kofta mix well enough and refrigerate the balls for quite sometime, before adding the curry to them. No they do not break and given some time, the gravy is well incorporated in the koftas. For kofta, I always need help of boiled potatoes and refined flour or gram flour to bind. Let us prepare these palak / spinach kofta curry together.

INGREDIENTS :[for the kofta]

Palak / Spinach : A bunch 
Potato : 1big [boiled]
Onion : 1small [sliced]
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped]
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 2 pinch
Cumin Seed : 2-3 pinch
Salt : As Required
Refined Flour : 1tbsp
Oil : 3tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the curry]

Tomato Paste : 1/2small cup
Plain Yogurt : 2tbsp
Onion Paste : 2tbsp
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Garlic Paste : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2tsp
Melon Seed : 1/2tsp
Sugar : 1/2tsp[optional]
Salt : As Required
Cumin Seed : 2 pinch
Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 2-3 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash and roughly chop the spinach discarding the root end and microwave in enough water at high for 5 minutes. Let cool and mash with hand.

Peel, wash and boil the potato. Mash it adding a little of salt.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with cumin seeds.

Add the sliced onions and cook till golden brown. Add the chopped green chillies and stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add the mashed spinach, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add the mashed potato, fold in well. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the refined flour. Mix well.

Transfer the mixture to a plate. Let cool. Shape into kofta and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Let us prepare the curry now.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with a bayleaf and cumin seeds.

Add the onion paste and stir for 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and let cook for 2 minutes. Make a paste with melon seeds and yogurt, add to the wok. Stir for a minute.

Add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Fold in well and add a cup of water.

Let boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the garam masala powder and sugar.

Let cook for a minute.

Take out the koftas and arrange in a bowl. Pour in the gravy over them. Let stand for sometime before serving.

Enjoy with rice or Indian breads. We had some rice & lentil cheese bake, tempura fish, salad on the side.

PAKORA / TELEBHAJA / FRIES N FRITTERS

Pakora or Fries n Fritters or Telebhaja; who doesn't love? Most of us do and there is nothing wrong in indulging ourselves into what we love to eat once in a while, though not always. May be this is a frustrated diabetic who loves food to the hilt is speaking, but life need not be calculative at all times. Definitely we should eat right, but we need not deprive ourselves entirely from what we love. My tagline is.... Eat in Moderation. If you are craving for something you know may not be beneficial for your health, have it once or twice a month. I do it that way.... eat ice cream to pakora, everything I love in moderation.

Pakora or fritters are called telebhaja among us. We love to have it as an evening tea time snacks or as an accompaniment with steamed rice and dal [lentil curry]. We prepare pakora / telebhaja / fries and fritters with a number of vegetables. The basic batter consist of gram flour, rice flour, salt, turmeric powder, little red chilli powder with a dash of sugar. To it we can make some additions for a particular pakora, like nigella seeds for some or chopped green chillies for the others. I have compiled here three kinds of pakora among a number of we usually have at home. One is with sliced onions, one with chopped malabar spinach leaves and the other with thinly sliced egg plants. Let us prepare some of our much loved pakora / fries n fritters / telebhaja together.

I have made separate blogposts for each of the batter fries!

THE ONION FRITTERS @ BENGALI PYAZI

THE MALABAR SPINACH FRITTERS PUI PATAR BORA

THE EGGPLANT FRITTERS @ BEGUNI

INGREDIENTS : [for the batter]

Gram flour : 1big cup
Rice Flour : 1 small cup
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 2-3[chopped]
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp
Nigella Seeds [kalonji / kalo jeera] : 1/2tsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the pakoras]

Egg Plant : 1big sized
Malabar Spinach : 1 bunch [leaves only]
Onion : 2 big [sliced]
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Oil : As required to deep fry

METHOD :

Let us prepare the basic batter first. Take the gram flour and rice flour in a bowl. Add the salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, sugar, nigella seeds to it. Add water little by little to the flour mix until it becomes a paste like consistency. It will look as below.

LET US PREPARE THE ONION FRITTERS / PYAZI AT FIRST!

Peel, wash and slice the onions.

For the onion fritters, we will add some nigella seeds and chopped green chillies to the batter.

Add the onion slices to the batter. Mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok. Take some battered sliced onion mix, shape into flat or round pakora and drop in to the oil. Deep fry on both the sides in batches.

They should be brown but not burnt. We need to adjust the heat accordingly.

Take out and place on tissue paper to get rid of the excess oil.

Serve it hot with chutney accompanied by tea.

LET US NOW PREPARE THE MALABAR SPINACH FRITTERS / PUI PATAR BORA!

Take out the leaves, roughly chop them and wash.

Add little salt to them and keep aside for 3-5 minutes. Add to the batter and mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok. Shape the mix into pakoras and deep fry on both sides. Take out and place on tissue papers.

Serve hot with sauce / chutney accompanied by tea.

NOW COMES THE EGGPLANT FRITTERS / BEGUNI!

Wash and cut half the egg plant. Cut further into thin slices. Add little salt and turmeric and keep aside.

Dip the egg plant slices in to the batter and coat well with it. This batter need not have chopped green chillies.

Heat enough oil in a wok. Deep fry each side pretty well. Take out and place on a tissue paper.

Serve hot with chutney and tea.

KASURI METHI MALAI PANEER

Paneer is an absolute love besides fish and meat. Since I do not get fish of my choice here, the frequency of preparing paneer has increased. I first tasted it way back in the late 80's or in the early 90's may be when it was made available in the Kolkata markets for the first time. Almost all of the neighbourhood sweet shops used to sell it. Even when I was in my 20's, I hated vegetables. Mom had to take a lot of trouble to feed me veggies and had to think about alternatives. My brother food altogether at that time, he wanted to play and only play all day. 

Thursday was a full vegetarian day in our home, not at any cost non vegetarian food was cooked on that day. I loved the taste of paneer and accepted it wholeheartedly. The same tradition continues. My junior hates veggies and loves paneer. So, there is no reason why I will not prepare it often at home. I must say the senior is not much of a paneer lover unless you serve it with handmade breads or as a dry appetiser.

I do not always get fresh Methi leaves[fenugreek] in the local market, so I keep a packet of kasuri methi [dried fenugreek leaves] at home. They impart a distinct flavour to a dish. This Kasuri Methi Malai Paneer was flavoured with a spice powder I prepared with Kasuri Methi and few other spices in small quantity. Garnished with some plain yogurt, the paneer curry turned out to be flavourful and creamy. You can use fresh cream instead. Let us prepare this Kasuri Methi Malai Paneer together.

INGREDIENTS :[for the dry spiced powder]

Kasuri Methi Leaves[dried fenugreek leaves] : 1tsp
Black Peppercorns : 8-10
Cumin Seeds : 1/4tsp
Coriander Seeds : 1/2tsp
Fennel Seeds : 1/4tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 1

INGREDIENTS : [ for the paneer curry]

Paneer : 250gm
Tomato Paste : 1/2small cup
Onion Paste : 2 tbsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 1/2tsp
Cumin Seed : 2pinches
Bayleaf : 1
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/2tsp [optional]
Fresh Cream : 1tbsp [I used plain yogurt]
Oil : 2tbsp

METHOD :

Dry roast the kasuri methi leaves, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and dry red chilli for a minute and dry grind them to a powder once cool.

Rub a little of salt to the paneer. Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with bayleaf and cumin seeds.

Add the onion paste and fry till golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the freshly made spice powder, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Saute for a minute.

Add a cup of water and let the gravy boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the paneer pieces and let boil for 2 minutes.

Add the garam masala powder, sugar and stir well. Let cook for a minute.

Switch off and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Add the fresh cream [I used plain yogurt]. Enjoy with your choice of bread, fried rice or jeera rice!

MILK BARFI / FUDGE IN MICROWAVE

The fat, old lady is growing older and lazier, always looking for quick kitchen solutions these days. Its a pretty long time I have not prepared a sweet, which had been a must do every week. I do them and end up eating them too which I am not supposed to. Then, I thought when did I become this selfish which I never was. The growing up teen very much needs different kinds of tit bits stored in the refrigerator. What is necessary is self control and not deprive the loved ones. Hence, yesterday morning I thought its weekend, let us prepare a sweet, an easy barfi / fudge kind of . My idea of preparing the milk  barfi / fudge in the microwave was to save time, energy and the curiosity to see how it turns up. Otherwise I use that wonder box only for heating and simple bakes. Oh! I now remember I do have a book on microwave cooking and I need to explore it . Well, that is a proof enough I am growing old and lazy, but as long as it happens gracefully, it should not be a problem. The main ingredient in this preparation is milk and sugar. Let us prepare this easy to do Milk Barfi / Fudge together in a microwave.

INGREDIENTS :

Full Cream Milk : 1litre
Powdered Sugar : 1/2 small tea cup
Milk Powder : 3tbsp
Rice Flour : 1tbsp
Rose Water : 2 tsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4 tsp
Pistachios[chopped] : 1tbsp[optional]
Ghee[clarified butter] : 1tsp

METHOD :

Take the milk in a microwave proof deep bottomed big bowl. We will microwave the milk at high for 20 minutes, pausing every 5 minutes.

At each interval, we will stir the milk and scrape the sides. In the last lap we will add the powdered sugar and cardamom powder, stir and microwave for another 5 minutes.

Thereafter, we will switch off the microwave, let stand the bowl for few minutes. We will take out and let cool further, transfer to a greased plate. It will still be little soft.

We will add the essence, rice powder, milk powder, roasted & chopped pistachios, fold in well and knead for 6-10 minutes. We will grease a squared or rectangular box with little ghee and transfer the dough in it, level. We will cover it and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

We will take it out & turn it upside down on a plate, it will come out easily. Then, we would cut it into shape of our choice.

It can be stored refrigerated for 3-4 days. The best idea is to have it fresh.

NO ONION NO GARLIC MUTTON CURRY / MAA ER PRASHADI MANGSHO

Yes,  one of our thirty three million Gods and Goddesses does love to have non vegetarian in her offerings. She is Goddess Kali. Each time I prepare this, I remember how I loved to read the stories of the Bengal Robbers / Dacoits who worshipped the Goddess Kali. It is then I came to know about this preparation. They used to offer a goat to Goddess Kali and after the successful loot cooked it without onion and garlic, offered to her and finally feasted on it. Everything was done in their hideouts in the woods. I loved everything about those stories, how they used to hide their loots which used to be big pots filled with "mohor"[gold coins] and the adventures associated with them. 

Though I love mutton, this killing part which was / is called "patha boli" disturbed me mentally. Now rules got stricter, no killing is legal in the festival venue. To keep in tune with the ritual, the organisers offer a vegetable to the Goddess and then get the mutton from the market. If you are lucky enough and have the patience of standing in a long queue, you may get a small piece of prasadam. In a number of zaminder families too the ritual is still followed. I cannot go further with it as it requires a lot of research which I do not do. There may be other opinions about the origin of it. Bengal did have a number of ferocious and famous robbers some of whom were kind of Robin Hood. I have watched the movie "Debi Choudhurani" a couple of times, a movie based on a dacoit queen, the character made immortal by Suchitra Sen.

This No Onion No Garlic Mutton Curry which we call "Maa er Prashadi Mangsho" is done with normal spices that are used in a normal Bengali household. The amount of Bengali Garam Masala that is a mix of cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom powder used is a bit more in this curry as we are not using garlic or onion paste in this dish. I have used lemon juice for the marination though I doubt whether it was used in the original recipe or not. Let us do this No Onion No Garlic Mutton Curry together.

INGREDIENTS :

Mutton : 1kg
Ginger Paste : 2tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 2-3tsp[authentically paste]
Cumin Powder : 1tsp[authentically paste]
Coriander Powder : 1tsp[authentically paste]
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Cinnamon Powder : 1/4tsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp
Cloves Powder : A pinch or two
Bayleaf : 2small
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Oil : 4tbsp + 2tbsp[authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Wash the mutton thoroughly discarding the skin and any residual hair. Marinate with half of the chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, lemon juice and 2tbsp of mustard oil. Rub well for 2-3 minutes and refrigerate for at least 4-5 hrs or overnight in a closed container.

Take out the mutton an hour before cooking. Heat 4tbsp oil in a wok. Temper the oil with bay leaves. Add the ginger paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt as required. Stir at low heat for a minute. Add the marinated mutton with the marinade and fold in well.

Stir the mutton at high heat for 5 minute. Reduce the heat to minimum and cover. Open cover at short intervals and stir, cover again. A lot of water will be released which will take about 45-55 minutes to dry.

At this stage, add 2 medium cups of warm water. Stir and cover cook for another 10-15 minutes. Open cover and add the cinnamon, green cardamom and cloves powder. Stir and let cook for another 3-4 minutes. Its done.

Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with piping hot steamed rice.