MICROWAVE BEETROOT DHOKLA

Well this more or less correct avatar of a MICROWAVE BEETROOT DHOKLA, steamed gram flour and beetroot juice cake is my fifth attempt at it. Oh God! I was making the same old mistake each time. On the fourth day of my failed attempt were invited three of my friends over an evening tea party! We belong to different age groups, but it never came in our way of sitting together and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee! The four of us were little sister Debarathi, dear friend Ipsita, I and the veteran Padma! Padma Murali is the mother of two adult daughters... one is an engineer and the other is in the university studying public relations, a yoga teacher too! Padma is helpful, an expert in Tamil recipes and is a published cook book author in the island. She does social service.... teaches English language for free in the temples of this island. 

I like Padma but do not sit together often. Ask me why? Our ways are different, I cannot engage myself in religious books or in temple talks all the time. I attended few Gita classes with her and Ipsita, thereafter felt too bored. However, our lunch date at the MTR joint post the Gita class was too tempting. You see, I got a Gita from the Rama Krishna Mission during the Durga Pooja and I will read it as a novel lying on my couch accompanied by snacks and tea / coffee, that snack includes maacher bora and chicken fritter too! I simplify things according to my convenience! I have created a boundary wall around me so that I do not get to mingle too much with anyone, I fear relationships getting sour and bitter! I have seen people kissing each other in a party and then tearing apart each other once they leave the venue, I find no logic in it! Doing this yummy vegetarian snack MICROWAVE BEETROOT DHOKLA is easier than being a part of all these!

You may ask why do I attempt at a Microwave made Dhokla or Idli. The men will not touch them unless there is some meat or fish stuffed in them. I was like them years back, now that I have developed a fondness for Indian Vegetarian Snacks following Mani, I do them but do not wish to spend much time on them. Mani got me to taste dhokla first, the brother will never touch and the father always preferred "muri-chirey-khoier moya, aam dudh kola, naru-nimki" to these. The major mistake I was doing while attempting at this MICROWAVE BEETROOT DHOKLA was that I was forgetting to place it on a water filled bowl and so it was turning hard. All of my three friends told me that they liked it but it was hard. I did have a short discussion with Debarathi whether to blog about it. Then I decided that no, I must rectify my fault, set it right and then go ahead to make it public. After I come back from Kolkata, I will call these girls again and feed them the correct one! At this moment, I am busy shopping for the family! The brother wants simple things but in more variety. The husband's sister does not ask for anything directly but S di must get.... she never joined hands with her mother to make life impossible for me. I have got a Southern Indian style cotton saree for my beloved Iva Dutta Miss .... she has given us the best lessons of life and feeds me "Bagbazaarer Telebhaja... khete bhari moja" whenever I visit her home! The husband never accompanies me, he perhaps thinks that she always loved me more than him, many times she has asked me to get him along! 

Then there is another kind who refuses any gift from me in the first instance saying that her daughter-in-laws get her everything. My expression each time is like "I know your daughter-in-laws are Angels".... but I have no connection with that... I believe in one to one relationships in certain cases. I gobble any hurt with a glass of water in cases where it is unintentional, so thinking of playing this prank this time .... "use this anti-wrinkle cream or that lotion or soap and your kids will be surprised to see you on their next visit, haha!" I force few things on her each year, a humble saree, a little of this, that. The two old ladies at home are to get two electronic gadgets they are unable to use properly! "Boromami" gets a soft & supple Korean Silk Saree and one suitcase is already full. Each time S.Airlines stops us... and you know what kind of choicest words are showered on me by the husband in public. Smiling faces are worth my trouble... I believe! I am yet to buy Cristine's x-mas gift.... so there is a lot of shopping to be done this week.... The husband is not bothered about what I am doing until he has to transfer any extra amount to my account, even digests the embarrassment he faces at the airport. Your intents matter, he knows that his wife will never buy anything secretly for her mother leaving his! 

I love gifting people but staying within my limits! What will come back with me?.... a couple of things including10-12 sarees, kurtis from Westside, Pantaloons, a mandatory visit and buy from the Government Emporiums housed in Uttarapan if not Dakshinapan.... I visit that happening part of Kolkata may be once for that secret meet. "Logon ko North Kolkata se South jana parta hai yaar.... social ladder ke top mein rehna jo hai.... hum theherey janglee, non-pedigreed".... However, South Kolkata is a newer development, Kolkata's history lies in the North, the best of food too".... We live perhaps in the remote outskirts of Kolkata, but the biggest outlet of Haldiram within 1/2 a kilometre of our home sells the best quality Dhokla... I love it! However, you get that softness and near taste in this MICROWAVE BEETROOT DHOKLA! Juice of two standard sized beetroot was used to prepare Beetroot Malpua & Beet Aloo Gajor er Pur Bhora Porota  and this steamed snack.... great... isn't it? Teatime snack is an important part of my life...

Let us come to the Recipe!

INGREDIENTS :

GRAM FLOUR : 1 1/4COFFEE MUG
BEET ROOT JUICE : 1SMALL TEA CUP OR AS IS REQUIRED FOR A THICK BATTER
PLAIN YOGURT : 1/3SMALL TEA CUP
GINGER EXTRACT : 1TSP
FRUIT SALT : 1TSP [I USE ENO]
PLAIN SALT : AS REQUIRED
CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2-3TBSP
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1TBSP
SHREDDED COCONUT : 2TBSP
CURRY LEAF : 8-10
BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 1/4TSP
A FRESH SYRUP MADE OF 1/2 SMALL TEACUP OF LEMON JUICE AND 1TSP SUGAR!

PROCEDURE :

Take the gram flour  in a bowl and add the plain yogurt to it. Mix well and add the beet root juice little by little to it to form a lump free, smooth, thick batter. 

Add the ginger extract, the normal salt and Eno salt now. Mix well and keep aside covered for 15-20 minutes.

Add the chopped and washed fresh coriander and green chillies to the batter.

Mix it very well again.

Transfer the entire content to a microwave proof bowl. Fill another microwave proof bowl, a little bigger in size with water so that half of the batter filled bowl is immersed in it. 

Now cover the bowl with a microwave proof lid!

Thereafter I forgot to click the rest of the steps. I was simultaneously busy with the Beet Root Malpua because my loves has to have something they love. That is not an excuse though.

Now place it inside the microwave and microwave at high for 5-6 minutes.... Please do check with your machine's power... it differs.

Rest it for sometime and then take it out. Meanwhile we have tempered 1tsp of heated oil with black mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour it evenly on the dhokla / steamed gram flour & beetroot cake. 

Pour the lemon and sugar syrup all over, 1tsp at a time. Garnish with shredded coconut. Enjoy with your tea and coffee!

ROSHOGOLLA [COTTAGE CHEESE BALLS IN SUGAR SYRUP]

I keep wondering that I have a PAN FLAVOURED RASMALAI, GOLAP BHOG, NOTUN GURER ROSHOGOLLA, BAKED ROSHOGOLLA WITH MANGO .... all these recipes shared in this blog but not the basic ROSHOGOLLA [COTTAGE CHEESE BALLS IN SUGAR SYRUP] share till date! How come? Roshogolla or cottage cheese balls in sugary syrup does not happen on a regular basis at this home. As a kid I was not a fan of ROSHOGOLLA [COTTAGE CHEESE BALLS IN SUGAR SYRUP], I always love fried sweets ... prefer a pantua to langcha or a chitrakut.... Roshogolla was force fed as the parents considered it a healthier dessert option! The son however tasted an ice-cream and roshogolla when he was three months old.... there after Roshogolla was his evening food for a couple of years.... till date he loves it, we are a dessert loving family which includes ice-cream! Once away from home, he has to eat those tinned ones unless he gets an Indian girl friend who loves to cook way too much and makes our son her guinea pig..... Yes, mothers are like that.... they want their son-in-law to carry their daughter on his lap and the daughter-in-law to cook at least 3-4 dishes every day for her son and serve the biggest piece of fish or meat to him..... forgetting that the girl also may wish to have the best once in a while.

I am not in my best spirit, yesterday we were at a party and I had some 41/2-5 glasses of red wine which I should not have given the amount of food intake.... one should not eat too much and too fast while boozing.... back home what happened was inevitable.... the toilet had to be cleaned, a shower had to be taken.... yet the hangover persists. Daughter like Cristine is serving lemon water and I told her that we need to disinfect the toilet together once I am done with the post. Do not worry lah, I will be fine by the afternoon.... ask me why? I got "aar maach and mrigel pona" fresh at the Bangladeshi mart yesterday and young "peyazkoli" too... I am very fond of "aar maacher matha" that is not smelly and I am going to prepare a family recipe with it which requires egg plant and fresh coriander. Now that I got to be free of the burden of counting the number of blog visits, you will get to see all the family recipes in the coming days. However, I did enjoy the Halal Oriental food spread yesterday, abalone, prawn, scallop, braised fish, fish maw and the sago-mango-pomelo dessert! I forgot to click the chicken soup and noodles....

However, end of the day I am a girl from the ROSHOGOLLA [COTTAGE CHEESE BALLS IN SUGAR SYRUP] land who got big roshogollas in academics and basks in the husband's glory. I am not someone to follow but the Bengali dessert retains its glory at this home. I do not follow too much of do's and don'ts in my kitchen.... if you are like me, you will try my recipe without any hesitation! This time I did not use semolina or baking powder as it was done to prepare a pan flavoured rasmalai.... which does not require the sweet to double in size. Only chena / paneer / cottage cheese made at home does work. I am not a roshogolla expert but they are just right, healthy, edible.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE COTTAGE CHEESE / CHENA / PANEER BALLS :

FRESH MILK : 1LITRE
LEMON JUICE : 3-4TBSP
ICE CUBE : 4-5

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP :

SUGAR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
WATER : 3-4 COFFEE MUGS
GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4
THIS HOME GOT USED TO LESS SUGARY SWEETS, SO ADJUST THE AMOUNT

FINAL ASSORTMENT:

THE COTTAGE CHEESE / CHENA / PANEER BALLS
THE LIGHT SUGAR SYRUP

PROCEDURE :

I never can manage a roshogolla with tetra packed milk, so I will always recommend fresh milk for it. There is no "dudh kakur khatal" as in DumDum here, neither a "jhumri mashir khatal" as in Barrackpore.... so I buy fresh milk bottles coming from New Zealand or Australia. I actually use Meiji Milk for my sweets & even a good quality powdered milk!

Take the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and put for boil. Once it comes to boil, add the lemon juice mixed with some water. Add 1tbsp at a time and keep stirring with another hand constantly.

As you see the milk getting curdled, switch off the gas oven and add the ice-cubes.

Pour the entire amount on a clean, white cloth placed over a bowl. the whey water can be used in curries and dough. Till date, I do not possess a Dhakai Muslin Saree, unlikely to buy a muslin cloth for the kitchen. Dadur Dhuti Chera works the best!

Tie the cloth on to your kitchen tap and let the excess water drain. This may take an hour or so.

Once the water has drained, take down and transfer the content to a plate. We need to knead it for about 10-12 minutes to get a smooth texture. If it feels sticky... go for a sandesh because roshogolla will not happen with a sticky dough.

Now, make table tennis sized balls out of the dough. I have heard about some very good TT Players, however, I did not have decent clothes or looks to be in the venue.... I have full trust in the hear say though!

Cristine makes better shapes always!

While kneading the dough, we will simultaneously prepare the sugar syrup which can never be allowed to get sticky.

Take the sugar and the water in a deep bottomed vessel and bring to boil.

When it has boiled for 3-4 minutes, add the paneer / chena / cottage cheese balls & the green cardamom.

Cover cook at medium heat for 20 minutes.... they should be done and ready to eat.

Transfer them to a serving bowl and enjoy! They can be refrigerated too but take out at least an hour before  you consume!

NAAN ..... SIMPLIFIED O BEGUN DHONEPATA BATA

Aha! When my expert friends had been taking pride in preparing five to six dishes from scratch without any help, I would not hesitate saying that this humble platter of NAAN .. SIMPLIFIED O BEGUN DHONEPATA BATA was done from the scratch, then plated and clicked all by me without any help sometime during Diwali... Cristine was on leave does not mean there was no home cooked food for us. I do not know photography, I never take any credit in this matter... so far the taste is concerned.... you can place your trust on me ..... in fact, on us .... food bloggers who tirelessly try to gift you doable recipes .... no problem.... try us in turns! I can speak like this because I am a laid back character, never competitive. One should not set me as an example.... one who does not compete, cannot excel. 

It is only a lazy & laid back who all of a sudden can stop promoting her recipes.... she is neither a popular food blogger that people will visit her blog in flocks just like that .... For obvious reasons, her visits have come down to 1/10th of what it had been in the past 3 years... However, she feels emancipated now, anytime she goes out of her house to take the feel of life, to smell "matir shoda gondho"... Her areas of interest has to get priority. Like at age 16 she felt she need not do height increaser & get slimmer exercises, why? The "aloo kabli wala" outside our college gate seemed more attractive to me.... I did not know then I would be a food blogger some day, else  I would have asked him "kon brand er lonkar gura dyan kaku".... All those pain of my mistakes can be lessened only by eating what I love .... look at how self-destructive one can be... she had her diabetic medicine in the morning... thereafter having "gur narkol with chirey" with her morning tea... May be this is the reason why I like that obese girl of Kolkata.... but I should not... "bor-bou miley kheye jacchey shomaney ... bacchar katha bhabchey na".... 

I promise I will have a fruit bowl for lunch today after a swimming session.... Yes, I have nailed it under the guidance of an excellent coach Joe.... who wished us on Diwali.... I hate going to the gym, hence I had to learn it at this age... it does not help you lose weight either if you eat so unhealthy like me!

"Woh Mumbaiwala admi bhi khata rehta hai sara din, photu bhi dalta hai.... fame ke liye kya kuch nehi karna parta hai logo ko!".... I do not have fame or name .... I feel free to do what I like the entire day, Cristine is back and I do not need to stay put at home all day... the junior of the men too comes late.... most of the days he has extra classes! I went for a brisk walk after a long time yesterday. I have a bad habit of stealing fruits and flowers on my way... I love guavas at this stage, come on over ripe guavas are for jams and spreads. Do not be me, wash the fruits and vegetables before consuming!

I went back to that guava tree after about 2 months I think. You know that I love going back to old, known places and ask "how are you doing?".... This particular kind of homes do attract me... who not only take care of their home & garden but also of the exteriors. You will see our mother cleaning the community drain attached to her fencing wall with a bamboo regularly.... She says never to feel ashamed of cleaning your own corners. Look, how this home takes care of their exteriors. We have very little green in this tiny island, people do not waste a bit of an available piece of land.

Buying one such property is beyond our reach, we cannot even think of renting one! The "bahargaon walas" may think I am jealous... not really but I keep wondering about few things.... confused rather.... I see they have tea sessions in a plush garden, pose for clicks in a balcony of our flat size... a kitchen triple our size.... here arises a question "era roj ghar moche kina shandeho hocchey, baccha boro holei era Cristine ke bari pathiye dei...".... please do not curse an OCD... we are not bad.... do clean your homes with wipers dipped in Dettol early morning before going out .... haha! 

When the entire world walks towards the moon, I am busy cleaning underneath my dining table.... else the NAAN .. SIMPLIFIED O BEGUN DHONEPATA BATA plate will not be placed on it! By the way, just after the "no fence" boundary of your homes, starts a "jhau bon ba maple er jongol.... raatey ghum hoy? raatey okhan diye kijey dheye ashbey... maago".... Excuse me considering the above as good jokes, but ghosts are not easy things for me but this dumpling soup and sugar free tea is easy on my stomach after a walk. Well, I do not digest all the words of the Indian Health Experts, to be on top one has to promote & listen to the people in power.... haha! I do not have fame or name, I do what I wish to and okay, compromise a bit for my loves... get a Sushi for my boy to have back from the school.

Lazy, jobless brats talk non-sense like me... I do all the talking here because I am not a good speaker. This "begun-dhonepata bata" is again a recipe from my parental home... I paired it with this two ingredient naan thinking of the mother. On her tours, she hated to have rice meals because they were not authentic Bengali... she preferred naan, tandoori roti with aloo matar, paneer at roadside dhabas always or idli-dosa.... Back home, she would immediately run to "DumDum Bazaar" and buy fish... do a favourite "maacher jhol"... that we craved for after a 12-15 days of tour. 

If you are travelling with "Kundu Special" kinds... you get Bengali food. Now that the father is not there, I need to talk to the brother on how to arrange a tour per year for the mother with such travel groups. Till then, let us enjoy this easy to make naan with this eggplant & fresh coriander dip, chutney whatever you call it! NAAN .. SIMPLIFIED O BEGUN DHONEPATA BATA had to be shared today so that my friends can enjoy it with a dal or kebab ..... because it is good to see master chefs can look happening too... haha! Yeah, I am naughty ..... because that girl has to be dragged out of Biryani joints and made to eat a bit healthy..... because the saree of the maestro chef's wife is catching my eyes..... because I am happy as Jayeeta Dasgupta is custom making my Madhubani Paint Saree on a tusser base. Have a smaller kid at home? Add some more butter and sugar atop the naan and see them giving you heavenly smiles!

That achar / pickle is made at home that I wish to blog about sometime later...

INGREDIENTS : [for the naan]

Self Rising Flour : 2coffee mug
Plain Yogurt : 150gm 

Oil : 2-3 tbsp
Salt : 1/4 tsp
Black Sesame Seed : 1 tsp
Butter to garnish!

INGREDIENT : [for the begun-dhonepata chutney or eggplant chutney]

Eggplant : 1 or 2
Fresh Coriander Leaf : 1small cup [discard root, chop, wash]
Onion : 1small [peel, discard two ends, wash and slice]
Garlic Clove : 1or 2 [peeled, washed]
Green Chilli : 2-3 [discard stem end, wash]
Salt : As Required

Mustard Oil : 1tbsp [Optional]

PROCEDURE :

For the naan, take the self rising flour and the salt in a wide mouthed big bowl. Mix well.

Beat the yogurt and add slowly to the flour, little at a time. Add 2tbsp oil & knead it to a smooth dough that will take some 7-8 minutes.

Cover and keep aside for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the cover of the dough. Knead for 2 more minutes and tear off tennis sized balls. Smoothen each between your palms. 

Take water in one bowl and some plain refined flour in another for dusting.

Roll out oval shapes with help of your base and rolling pin. Sprinkle some black sesame seed & press!

Heat the tawa / pan well. Splash water onto it! Place the naan atop the water.

You will see bubble forming on the top side. Hold & turn over the pan and roast the other side well until brown patches are seen!

Garnish with some butter before serving.

For the begun-dhonepata bata / eggplant chutney, wash the eggplant and pat dry. Grease the skin with few drops of oil.

Switch on the gas oven and place the eggplant on it. Roast at low flame turning all sides to get done evenly. When water releases and the skin is burnt, we are done. Feel free to curse me while cleaning your gas stove... a primitive tongue did bake it once in oven and said "rokkhe koro maa, khaitarina itan"...

Store in a plate to cool down completely. Discard the skin. Throw away the stem end.

Take the flesh in a blender. To it add the washed fresh coriander, garlic clove, green chilli, onion.

Blend at high for 2-3 minutes at intervals. Do not add water. Take down, transfer to a bowl & add the salt & mustard oil, mix well!

Enjoy with the sides, take some pickle and salad alongside! For smaller kids, add more of butter and sugar and serve.

CHALKUMROR PUR BHAJA [BATTER FRIED STUFFED WINTER MELON]

Cristine is back to her second home; an extremely good news to be shared with all! This time however I have decided not to sit all day in my favourite corner, become more of couched potato! Yesterday, I wore a jumper at a couple friend's place, looked kind of over grown frog unable to hop! Only a saree is able to hide my defects but I feel lethargic to wear it.... Cristine says I have lost may be one or two kilos, I do not see it... the weight machine lies dormant under our bed! My knees are ready now to go for walk...

India visit means putting on more of weight.... I cannot sacrifice "nolen gurer sandesh"..... and this time I am planning to visit Manjilat's to taste Begum Manjilat's authentic food.... that she is the great great grand daughter of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is what attracting me towards her... else there is Shiraj, Aminia, Arsalan within 50-200 metres from our home there... Before I go to India, start cleaning up my Kolkata home, I had to settle my present home first.... That is our Cristine and I told her how exactly my green corner should be cleaned! I had earthworms kissing my feet while cleaning hedge last week... God! I am still alive!

It is a beautiful, sunny morning here but you never know when it will start raining! On my walks, I almost get into people's home to have a glimpse of their garden. The husband did water the tiny green corner in Cristine's absence, neither did he spare me saying that I am inviting dengue to this home. I have something to say in this regards before I share the recipe of this stuffed, batter fried Bengali fritter CHALKUMROR PUR BHAJA [BATTER FRIED STUFFED WINTER MELON].... Why in Kolkata has dengue become a terror in recent years?.... Without getting political, I would say not to blame the government alone, we should maintain personal hygiene ourselves.... this is what our mother has taught us in bygone years.... to keep our own corners squeaky clean.... Kolkata is getting dirtier.... India in fact, we do not value the need of cleanliness.... I feel sorry to say the locality with Indian majority in this island is messy.... I justify the local government's action of evaluating and restricting  who they give a permanent residency status... 

I laugh, smile, crack jokes but I am actually in a tight situation ..... I did not allow husband to apply for PR when we came in as I didn't want son to go for two years of rigorous military training after his 12th.... now that he wishes to flee from my lap too early..... I shout at husband each day.... why do you want to send him to a land where school going kids possess guns.... I have a mental illness everyone knows around, so all sorts of negative, weird thoughts concerning our boy is taking a toll on my health. I cook to de stress.... I cook often what our boy loves ... who knows what he gets to eat when he is away from home! It was beyond my imagination that he will eat CHALKUMROR PUR BHAJA [BATTER FRIED STUFFED WINTER MELON]!

This dish with ash gourd / winter melon, coconut-mustard-chilli paste, thick batter of rice-flour, gram-flour is from my side of family, it cooks a variety of rustic recipes..... Our mother's routine was like this..... getting up at 5am in morning... cooking a minimal "charaponar jhol aar shak" for the two office goers... the maternal grandfather, our father. Bhai was taken to school at 7am by father. Around 11am she took me to school and got my brother back... in between continued with her cooking, doing household chores with a part time help.... including a "muriwala" who used to come from Joynagar with urea free muri / puffed rice because the office goes had to have "muri-chirey narkol" in evening! In the afternoon, I had to come alone from school to the home stationed in a notorious neighbourhood! The mother did arrange a school bus for me, I used to puke everyday, so preferred walking... at times with friends .... 

In a middle class home with two kids ... it was a luxury to take a rickshaw everyday.... The mother's afternoons were busy taking brother to swimming, cricket, painting classes. He got medals in sports, now piling up unnecessary fat everywhere in his 5'6" frame.... too unhappy I am! Anyway, I saw the tired mother teaching brother, simultaneously doing CHALKUMROR PUR BHAJA [BATTER FRIED STUFFED WINTER MELON] or its likes for dinner.... before retiring to bed around 10:30pm.... 

I am nowhere near mother but picked up certain family recipes, habits from her! I will soon share a winter dal recipe, having which my father-in-law did say that his mother used to do it when he was young. No, he did not take this liberty often, no one wants to die an unnatural death, haha. The few years we stayed together, I served variety of breakfasts from idli, upma to noodles to luchi-porota! When separated for second time, they mostly had bread-butter-jam, eggs for breakfast! Now, there is a cook, we are relieved! I missed calling them yesterday.... have to today! 

The husband smokes a lot... it worries but no hiding the fact. He loves his beer and wine, more when in company, I love vodka & gin, more plateful of dal, rice and CHALKUMROR PUR BHAJA [BATTERFRIED STUFFED WINTER MELON] ... that my men would love this fritter was beyond my imagination! They had it besides their favourite meat curry! "Narkol-Muri" do I love having often!

Let us come to easy recipe now.... it is hassle free but requires patience... it takes time to cook it. Besides a dal, you can try my FULKOPI ALOOR DALNA too with it! For me, I only need an onion & green chilli for this kinds!

INGREDIENTS :

ASH GOURD / WINTER MELON / CHALKUMRO : 1STANDARD SIZE [YOUNG PREFERRED]
SHREDDED COCONUT : 4TBSP
BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 2-3TBSP
GREEN CHILLI : 4-5
RICE FLOUR : 5-6TBSP
GRAM FLOUR : 2-3TBSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4tsp + 1/2TSP
SUGAR : 1/2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
ICE CUBE : 2-3
OIL : 2-3TBSP

PROCEDURE :

It is recommended to use younger winter melon for this recipe! We will cook slow in way less oil.

Peel off skin of ash gourd, discard both ends. Cut in roundel of 3-4 inch of thickness.

Wash thoroughly, apply turmeric & salt or only salt. Rub well, keep aside for 1 to 1&1/2 hours covered. It softens them.

Soak black mustard seeds for 1/2 an hour after washing them taken in strainer.

Grind to paste adding salt, green chillies, 2-3 ice-cubes.

Transfer to bowl, add shredded coconut, 1/4tsp turmeric powder. Mix well.

Discard marinade from winter melon roundels. Take one piece. Top it with stuffing of black mustard-chilli-coconut paste. Place another roundel atop it.

For batter, take rice flour, gram flour together. Add water little by little to prepare a paste like batter. Add sugar, salt, 1/2tsp turmeric, red chilli powder. Mix well.

Keep aside for 5-6 minutes before we start coating & frying stuffed winter melon pieces.

Heat oil in pan, not to smoking point. Coat winter melon pieces well but it should not be thickly coated. The gourd pieces have to cook well in slow heat.

Place them gently in heated oil. Slow cook at minimal heat, do not hurry, the stuffing may spill. Do not worry either if they spill a bit!

Cover cook for about 20-25 minutes for one side to be done. Turn over carefully using 2 spoons. Cover cook for another 20 minutes until done.

Trust me you get soft ash gourd pieces with a yum stuffing, crisp outer coverage! Have it with rice or just like that!