BENGALI SOUR JUJUBE SWEET SPICY PICKLE

FINALLY, TODAY I HAVE DECIDED TO GET THIS FAMILY PICKLE RECIPE TO THE BLOG!

Actually, the Sour Jujube / Ber / Tok Kul season is going off for a year. If I do not get it to the blog now, I have to wait for another year. I am finding it difficult to keep track of the clicked pictures, I am a forgetful self. Since my childhood, I had seen the mother to prepare jam, jelly, achar / pickle at home. And those pickles were sweet with a hint of sour. Jaggery was the sweetening agent, which means they were Bengali style pickle. Way later in life, may be sometime in 2007, I learnt about the Aam Chunda pickle which is not a Bengali Recipe but is sweet. My new neighbouring aunty then, who lived in Mumbai for 42 years before retiring in Kolkata, told me. Until then, I did not know much about the food of the other Indian states except for idli, dosa, naan, tandoori roti, butter chicken, mutton rogan josh, kulcha. The aunty, Kakima travelled many places with her man, Kaku. I have learnt about many things from her. She has three daughters all of whom stay in the United States. Not for a single day she or Kaku have complained about her daughters not staying with or near them, she does not even after her husband's demise. At some point, the kids would empty the nest, we would feel lonely, it's obvious. We need not complain unless we are severely neglected, that they do not call us or visit us at intervals. I believe firmly our weird boy would call us regular after he settles down with a job. You cannot blame him, the man puts his phone to the silence mode, does not pick up when his parents call. No, I am not saying this happily, he is a dutiful son to an extent only few other sons & daughters can match but he wouldn't talk. This I consider "ek litre dudh e ektu khani chona". I plead why being such dutiful he has to behave like this, he would keep seeping Whisky, Beer with his eyes fixed on the television screen. But he gets upset when his son does not take the call.

HELLO, I MADE A LOVELY CHICKEN SOUP LAST NIGHT!

Yesterday night, I cooked a light chicken soup, had it with toasted bread & cheese. I dislike cheese slices but this Amul's cheese slices do I find tasty, cannot have regular. We definitely do love clear chicken soups, the man and his mother & sister; also our mother & Bidisha. Our son definitely did enjoy Oriental soups outside of home when he stayed with us. I wish he has it often now. My brother hates perhaps, the father & the father-in-law too may be. The mother says Bidisha makes good soups, though not regular. But we cannot have clear vegetable soups, in that case, I have to make it spicy & thick. 

I am against buying readymade soup packets, the parents anyway were against much of outside food. I ask the mother to have soups & chapati at night. For dinner, she cannot have non-vegetarian food, neither one or two vegetarian side dishes, fries she would not eat much. I or the brother or Bidisha dislike it that she would have only dal-rice-salad for dinner and a little of rice with milk. The maternal grandmother had rice with milk to end her lunches and out mother eats it regular too. She cooks this and that vegetables & a non-vegetarian curry; 3-4-5 dishes each day, cannot eat at night. I do not believe only dal protein helps. I prefer having a meal with at least three items. We are paratha lovers in the entire family. My father & brother are not fond of roti, their choice of breads had been luchi & porota everyday. Us in this family, the son, man, I and Cristine love roti too! The entire pandemic period we had mostly roti. Today is a paratha day and the son is not around. 

I got to be a good paratha maker, today it was a purely wholewheat made. These days, instead of a spoon, I use a brush, that way you consume lesser amount of oil. My first meals are pretty big. I do not even try to eat less.

WHAT IS A BENGALI SOUR JUJUBE SWEET SPICY PICKLE?

Before I share this family condiment recipe with Ber / Tok Kul / Boroi, let me tell you this morning I made a fresh batch of Dates-Tamarind Chutney after few years. Like the last time, I followed Tarla Dalal's recipe of it ditto, only added one thing more, that is Dry Mango Powder. Although, we are more of Sanjeev Kapoor fans, when it comes to the Dates-Tamarind Chutney, I prefer Tarla Dalal's recipe. I do not do it regular as it requires a lot of jaggery. Then, some days I wish to make Bhelpuri or Chaats at home, in that case, this chutney is a must. 

When it comes to this vegan, gluten-free pickle, a condiment with the Indian Sub-Continent's sour variety of Jujube, BENGALI SOUR JUJUBE SWEET SPICY PICKLE; I blindly follow the mother's recipe. The father required a little of spicy sweet pickle / jhal mishti achar with his rice meals. The few varieties the mother prepared were the sweet & spicy pickles with mango, elephant apple, sour jujube and two partly sour varieties with sugar, salt, raw mango in one case & with sugar, salt, sour jujube. She would prepare in large quantities to be used throughout the year. I never had a sour tooth, neither a sweet tooth. Bengali girls grew up in those days loving raw fruits with salt & red chilli mix, spicy sour pickle. I had no fascination for these, the only sour thing I loved was the sour fish curry. I developed fondness for chaats, spicy & sour pickles when I was carrying our monkey, started loving sweets after being diagnosed with diabetes. I remember the pickle vendors standing in front of the Kolkata schools & colleges, our parents never did let us eat from there. Whilst in college, I did not even wish to buy a pickle from a vendor, I was conditioned not to. But I tasted from the friends who used to buy in one or two occasions. What makes Bengali Pickles distinct in taste & flavour are the ground mixed spice varieties.

Few other condiment recipes to try from my blog are these; PINEAPPLE JAM WITH CHILLI FLAKES, PEPPERY MANGO JAM, AAM SHORSHE KANCHALANKAR CHUTNEY, CHALTAR ACHAR.

INGREDIENTS :

TOK KUL / SOUR JUJUBE / BER / BOROI : 250-300 GM

JAGGERY : 100GM

SUGAR : 2-3 TBSP

SALT : 1/2 TSP

BENGALI PANCHPHORON / FIVE SPICES : 2 TBSP [an equal amount of fenugreek, fennel, cumin, ajmod / radhuni, nigella seeds mixed together]

DRY RED CHILLI : 5-6

WATER : AS REQUIRED

PROCEDURE :

My family prepares sour jujube sweet & spicy pickle with the ripened, brown fruits. I bought those green coloured as available, washed, kept on a tray open under the sun & the fan. In few days, they turned brown.

Once ready, I smashed them a bit and marinated with salt for about 10-12 minutes.

I took the jaggery and 1 medium tea cup of water in a wok and put it for boil. As it came to a boil, I simmered it for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously.

Thereafter, I added the smashed & salt marinated ripened sour jujubes & the sugar. I gave a stir, reduced the heat to the minimal and let it simmer.

After some 7-8 minutes of simmering, I continuously kept stirring until sticky and semi-dry.

I transferred it to a bowl, let it cool. I kept it under the Sun in the day time & under the fan at the night time for the next one week.

Thereafter, I dry roasted all the spices and ground to a coarse powder. I added it to the pickle and folded in well.

We will give the pickle sun bath for another couple of days, then transfer to a sterilised bottle. Bengali Homes do not refrigerate their pickles, I do. 

BENGALI ONION STALK POTATO FISH STIR FRY

 THE ONION STALK SEASON IS ALMOST GONE; THE JUJUBE SEASON IS STILL THERE!

I say this in the context of India! Anyway, this island does not sell sour jujube which is special among the Bengalis and some Indians, Bangladeshis; how Pakistan eats it I do not know. Why the internet does not speak about a specific tiny variety grown in the desert regions of Rajasthan, I do not get. I and the mother ate too much of it on our tour of Rajasthan in 1996 and got stomach upset then and there. The brother as a child almost met with death and a jujube seed has a major role in it, that real life story I would talk about when I blog about the pickle next! I have mentioned about it in one blogpost I think. If the onion stalk season is going off for a year, let me blog about this non-veg stir fry recipe today. Anyway, we get it only in the Bangladeshi shops in this island. In West Bengal too, it is going to be off the market, young pointed gourds would appear now. My love with regards to shopping for the raw materials / bazaar-haat comes from the mother's side. I do not know why she does not let the brother to shop post the pandemic, he does it pretty well. Under my tutelage, Cristine has learnt a lot about Bengali Food. She shaped those Bori / sun-dried lentil balls.

My readers believe it or not, I thoroughly enjoy roaming in the wet markets. Just that the fish markets here with a lot of sea-fish varieties do not make me happy. 

IN THE PAST TWO DAYS, I WASN'T COOKING AT ALL!

I have no place in the refrigerator to stock food. Even I am having kind of a guilt feeding my family stale food beyond five days. We usually finish off the Saturday cooking by the next Thursday or Friday. No cooking over the weekend means more of boredom for me. How long can you watch a movie & series? We do that but I enjoy cooking in between. The man wants to relax at home. And seriously we do not want to go for small tours around. At this time, we  would prefer to visit the son every alternate year, I absolutely do not expect the man to be a superman. Growing up in a middle class Bengali household, my expectations are in control. I do not even feel like buying a Hilsa for 50$ or a Clinique product. Given that the son is wanting to study more, getting us good grades; we cannot have much of complaints in life. Mumma never demanded him to score the highest in his class, I only ask him not to settle for less than what is in his capability. She keeps pleading not to buy the ready to eat food packets, they are carcinogenic. Mumma cooks flatbreads and thinks of him who loves breads a lot.

I made those easy parathas last night. I took no hassle to make them round or triangular, just made an elongated shape. A mixture of Refined Flour+Whole Wheat Flour dough gives the best tasted parathas. Yesterday for lunch, I air fried the potato slices.

Trust me, they were crisp & yum. I just have to buy a good, single function potato slicer. Mumma would work on the cooking menu on her next visit to the son, she would cook kofta curry, paneer curry, Bengali curries with chicken, prawn, fish steaks, eggs, cauliflower; stir fry cabbage; not too rustic Bengali Food. I wouldn't be there to prove what level of a Bengali I am but be there to feed the son some home cooked food; roam around. The man is an excellent tour guide, companion on the road. I lack his energy level.

WHAT IS THIS ONION STALK POTATO CATFISH STIR FRY?

Onion Stalks & Potato Stir Fry is a common winter dish among the Bengalis. Our mother would add cauliflowers, carrot & green peas to it and serve either with roti or on our rice plate. This was the scenario every year all throughout the winter. I much loved this fry with dal, rice & fish curry or with ruti-porota. I had been such an ardent fish lover that I would not skip my share of the fish even when having Bengali curd-rice or milk-rice for dinners during the summers. I used to have "macher jhol" even with chapati on certain nights. Today, I do not get my choice of fish, yet I am not willing to go back to Kolkata sooner. I enjoy my roti-prata plates, chirer polao, Bengali style noodle, idli-dosa, many more alternatives are there. I just cannot have high protein, weight loss diets; like two boiled eggs, chicken roast, salad meals are not for me. I am not a right wing supporter but enjoy the satwik meals these days, cannot turn a full vegetarian. My first meal today was this.

Did I ever imagine one day I would enjoy roti with bitter gourd fries? I really did love. I was trying to prepare rumali roti today but failed. I had two giant rotis. I insist I make "nolen gurer sandesh" taste like in a Bengali sweet shop, with more of purity. Anyway, I cannot remember if the grandmother or mother ever used Tyangra Fish / Small Cat Fish in a stir fried onion stalk dish. Even if they had, they were not regularly doing it. I came across this dish in the different Bengali Food Groups and in some Bengali Bloggers' spaces. I did them my way. Though any day I would prefer a vegetarian version with Onion Stalks, we also liked this non-vegetarian, gluten-free Bengali dish BENGALI ONION STALK POTATO FISH STIR FRY. Any day, I would love more the version done with deep fried tiny "kechki mach" / Indian River Sprat Fish! I prefer to cook curries with a Tyangra fish, I rarely get them fresh here.

Some similar recipes from my Blog can be these : MIXED VEG ONION STALK STIR FRY & DAL, KECHKI MACH DIYE ALOO PEYAZKOLI, CHUNO MACH DIYE ALOO PEPE

INGREDIENTS :

ONION STALK : 250-300 GM

POTATO : 1 BIG

TANGRA MACH / SMALL CAT FISH : 100-150 GM [USE ANY SMALL FISH]

GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEERE / KALONJI : 1/4 TSP

BAY LEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 2

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1/2 TSP

OIL : 3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

If possible ask your fish vendor to clean the fishes. It is a fresh water fish with no scales. Cristine cuts them for me.

After cleaning, wash the fishes thoroughly under the running water. Drain any excess water, marinate with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt.

Chopping the spring onion stalks is supremely easy. Just discard the two ends and chop them, about 1/2 inch in length. Wash, marinate with a little of turmeric powder & salt.

Peel, wash & cube the potato. Marinate with salt & turmeric. Wash & slit the green chillies.

In a wok, heat the oil and deep fry the fishes, take out.

Temper the remaining oil with the nigella seeds, bay leaf & the halved dry red chillies. Give a stir and add the potatoes. Fry them brown and add the onion stalks. Fold in well and let cook at low heat covered for 5 minutes.

Remove the cover, add the sugar, give a stir. Add the fried fishes, stir cook for 3-4 minutes, take down.

Serve hot with steamed rice & lentil curry. I cooked dried Bombay Duck fish bharta & Eggplant fries too on that day.

CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA

I MUST SAY OUR TASTEBUDS KEEP CHANGING! 

I did not even imagine few years back that I would ever enjoy having an avocado. I remember how I made fun about it on my social media posts. Guava still remains my preference over an Avocado. But I must admit I do enjoy an avocado these days, I even thought of throwing a seed in one of my tubs. Some day, I may prepare kebabs out of it. With two ovens in hand, I enjoy grilling and baking! The thing is the chefs and the Muslim world may not approve of my kebabs. My point of a debate and argument with them can be this that in the process, I use way less amount of oil! That is important, consuming less of oil. However, I dislike arguments, any noise in fact. I cannot cook oil-free stuffs, food without the right taste is not for me! I am trying to use less of oil & sugar in my cooking. I may not go sugar-free but after I am done with the blog updates, sweets would be done at low frequency at this home. I must do them during the date palm jaggery season, "pithe-puli" making season, on the occasion of the special prayer meets at home. I mean, once or twice a month, desserts & sweets I have to make. I cannot stop taking pride in my cooking abilities & interest altogether and start cooking minimal, be on the phone, chat unlimited, sleep or watch television all day! I do not even work, at least I should adapt to some healthy habits. I have started going for walks early morning, all the local school students reach the school before the sunrise, their school starts at 7 am. 

I think I am in that stage in life where we get caught up in the memory and nostalgia every now and then. Aging makes you miss the young you, accepting the greying procedure is not easy. Amidst this, the son's academic moves, some good watches on the OTT Platforms surely get us pleasure.

YESTERDAY WAS A SUNDAY I DID NOT COOK ANYTHING!

Not only we were watching an interesting thriller, a prequel; I also wished to have and serve the man the dried fish & eggplant bharta. Okay, I did grill the two giant chicken leg pieces for our lunch yesterday, the marination was the simplest; mixed Italian herbs, a seasoning mix, crushed black pepper, salt, oil.

The thing is all of the dried fish lovers would agree with me when there is a dried fish item on the plate, we do not want anything else, not even mutton, Hilsa. Dried Fish has an unique taste, it has an overpowering effect on the tongue that makes everything else on the plate seem bland. Instead of the meaty chicken leg, a light chicken curry on bone or some pakoras with the dal would have suited me. If there is no choice of fish available to me, I would prefer boneless chicken pakora, kebab, breaded fish fries, egg "paturi" or "chop" on our plates! Anyway, I would prefer a veg pakora over an egg pakora. Cooking a choice of vegetable bowl is not an issue, we get here all of the vegetables cooked in Bengali Homes. Last night, we had butter toasts with the lobia-minced chicken curry.

On a Saturday and Sunday, I keep eating snacks in between the meals. The stubborn fat layers in my body are not at fault. The amount of hard work and dieting a body requires to get fit and fab, I cannot ever do. I get tired after a 6 km walk, mindful eating is not my thing. I only can follow certain healthy rules, like cooking idli and dosa with an oats, urad dal, beaten rice batter.

Then that cream cheese filled toast I got from the local bakery cannot be low caloric, yum but!

WHAT IS THIS CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA?

Avocado is something I am interested about these days. Although, it cannot take a place in my favourite fruit recipes. Neither I can eat it as a dessert in milk as they eat it in Philippines, as Cristine says. Yet, I have to admit I do not find it lame anymore. Though tasteless, I have seen I enjoy few dishes with it, like preparing a no-cook dip or chutney in addition to fresh chopped coriander or it's paste, green chilli, onion & few other spices. I do not know why I chose this recipe with Avocado to be in the blog, may be I wanted this Bengali style bharta with Avocado fruit to stay documented and spread among people like wild fire. Leave it, the simple reason is I loved having this vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian Bengali mash, chutney, condiment, side dish; CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA, hence documented it. It is a healthy dish if you can excuse the amount of oil drizzled on the top. No exaggeration, I enjoyed a vegetarian meal with it in the forefront on that day.

I cooked the platter on the 18th of December, 2023. I would want to convey a message to our son and his likes that this spiced up avocado mash takes way less time to prepare than a cheese filled sandwich. Skip the mustard oil and use it on a toast instead of cheese daily or have it with rice like us, boil aloo & lentils, egg.

Some usual mash recipes from a Bengali Kitchen you may want to try can be these; LOTEY SHUTKIR BHARTA, GATHI KOCHU CHINGRIR BHARTA, BENGALI ROASTED EGGPLANT MASH & PEANUT MINT CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS :

AVOCADO : 2-3 [60-70% RIPE]

SLICED ONION : 2 TBSP

CHOPPED ONION : 1 TSP

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI / KALOJEERE : 1/4 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1 SMALL SIZED

SALT : AS REQUIRED

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP [OPTIONAL]

LEMON JUICE : 2 TSP

OIL : 1 TBSP + 1 TBSP [I USED MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

Wash the avocado fruits well, discard the seeds and skins. Mash with a fork taking in a bowl. Earlier, I did the mistake of using a blender. Cristine taught me a lot about an avocado.

Thereafter, Cristine peeled, washed & sliced the onions, chopped and washed the green chillies and a onion too.

Then, I heated 1 tbsp oil in a small sized pan, tempered it with a bayleaf, nigella seeds & the red chillies. I gave a stir and added the sliced onions to it.

I got fried the onions until light brown, added the turmeric and salt, gave a stir.

I poured them in a bowl along with the tempered oil. I had mashed the fried red chillies and onions a bit, added to the mashed avocado and folded in well.

In the next round, I added the chopped onion and chillies, lemon juice; folded in well. 

Then I drizzled some raw mustard oil on the top and we enjoyed it fresh with steamed rice, it can be had with roti I believe. 

If we refrigerate it, the colour darkens. I think we need not worry, the inside remains the same green. Students of Botany, Chemistry may know the reason.

SPICY VEGETABLES AND CHICKEN SOUP

I COOKED AND DID THIS FEATURE SOME TWO YEARS BACK!

Thereafter, I kept sharing this and that, getting this spicy soup recipe to the blog wasn't happening. It is CNY celebrations approaching in this island, this share should be appropriate. Thereafter, I can get something for our Saraswati Puja. Also, I believe to prove a point, we need not insult someone sitting right beside, specially if that someone is clueless about your tricks and plans. We need not hurt people without any valid reason. If you do that, I do not take it kindly. Anyway, we can take the liberty of preparing soups as per our taste buds, I do not get the energy to. I remember, though Cristine had cut all of the vegetables, washed them and also the chicken, I found the process pretty time consuming. You may laugh at it, because you have seen me cooking way more time consuming recipes. I think about two aspects; the purpose of my blog, the motto of my life. Yet, I have deviated much from that purpose, I blog about curry puffs, breads, etc. Cake baking, making of jam & jelly were always there in the family; I am baking cakes since the end of the 80's, our mother had been making jam & jelly since the early or mid 80's. At this home, we would never get away with the Bengali Cooking, as long as I am alive. Besides, I would be cooking recipes that attract me. I learnt to cook a variety because I was bringing up our boy on whose plate I wished to serve a variety of colourful food. I think I did a fair job, our mother too did a lot of cooking for us. The only difference is that our parents did not allow us a bit of outside food, I did not   apply such restrictions in our son's life. Ever since he went to the college, no such titbits / snacks come to our home on a regular basis. Last month, when he came I did get but he wasn't having them much.

IT IS A SUNDAY EVENING, I WOULD REMAIN OCCUPIED TOMORROW EVENING!

Yes, we can have dinner dates on a Monday evening. In this island, commuting is not an issue. To sit somewhere outside of your home, after the office is not a big deal. I do not even work, neither do I have a school going child at home. I have also learnt from our mother that once the kids are back from the school, mothers should not be loitering outside. They are to sit near their studying kids. Though a friendly person with a non-stop chatting ability and a love for it, our father would come straight home from the office. Only that, on Sundays, instead of taking us out, he would go here and there to play the bridge game. Neither I, nor my brother had much of complain about it. My only complain is that he never did dream big for his children, neither worked towards it, nor guided us towards it. You have to inspire your kids to surpass you. The warm, good, honest, a man of character is no more with us! Deviating from his happy go lucky nature, I expect our son to be an achiever, also be a nice human being like his maternal grandfather, have a meticulous, skilful mind like his paternal grandfather! Breads our father did not like, do not know if he would want soup with roti had he been alive. The mother enjoys soups, so does the mother-in-law. Though the father stayed in Kolkata since his college life, he could never belong to the city, Bangladesh ruled his heart forever. Our father's side and my mother-in-law's side carry Bangladesh in their hearts! He however loved various paratha / roti / tandoori roti with meat kebabs & tarka dal. I had to leave my family behind for a better future for our son. The son too left home to explore the world, we cannot expect him be around always. He does not talk regular to us is my hurt.

WHAT IS THIS SPICY VEGETABLES AND CHICKEN SOUP?

I do enjoy chicken clear soups with a dash of crushed black pepper. On that evening, I wished to prepare a desi style soup with the regular spice powders we use in the kitchen. Of course, it suited my taste bud, the rest in the family loved it too. I want the son to prepare this and eat with toasted bread. My readers would not believe that we are not clear about his regular intakes. I had a feeling on his last visit that he does not eat much of rice and curry, for a mother who loves to cook for the family, you know it is heart breaking. I fear what years of eating out would do to his health. Anyway, this non-vegetarian, thick bowl of SPICY VEGETABLES AND CHICKEN SOUP is sure to catch your fancy if you are fond of desi curries. In a case otherwise, adjust the amount of spices.

Few other similar recipes from my Blog you may like can be these; TOMATO EGG DROP SOUP, BENGALI STYLE CHICKEN STEW, PEPE BATA DIYE PATHAR JHOL

INGREDIENTS :

SHREDDED CHICKEN : ONE COFFEE MUG

CELERY STALK : 2-3

CHOPPED LETTUCE : ONE COFFEE MUG

SLICED CARROT : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

SLICED ONION : 2-3 TBSP + 1 SMALL TEA CUP

CUBED POTATO : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

CUBED TOMATO : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

SKINLESS GARLIC CLOVE : 4-5

CUMIN POWDER : 1 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1/2 TSP

GINGER PASTE : 2 TSP

BUTTER : 1 TBSP

REFINED FLOUR : 2 TBSP [CORNFLOUR WOULD DO ALSO]

SALT : AS REQUIRED

TOMATO KETCHUP : 2-3 TBSP

OIL : 2-3 TBSP

METHOD :

It was a good idea to take vivid pictures of the steps of the making this soup. 

I had some chicken ribs lying in the freezer! I washed them well, took in a saucepan, added 2 coffee mugs of water and a little of salt. I had put the ribs for boil.

Once the chicken meat got tender, I took it down and let it cool. I had strained it to get the chicken stock.

Meanwhile, Cristine did cut and wash the vegetables, put them all in the pressure cooker; added 2 coffee mugs of water, the cumin+coriander+red chilli+turmeric powders, the ginger paste & some salt.

I pressure cooked it up to 4-5 whistles keeping the heat at the minimal. Once cool, I blended it in batches.

Listen folks, I am not in the habit of cooking soups regular, did not have the idea that the vegetables would release a lot of water. So, when you pressure cook them, add less of water.

I heated 2-3 tbsp of oil in a wok, added & fried 1 small tea cup of the onions.

I had shredded the boiled chicken and added to the wok. I had stir cooked for 3-4 minutes, added some crushed black pepper & the tomato ketchup. I stir cooked for another 1-2 minutes.

I had added the pureed vegetables to the shredded chicken stir fry and folded in well. 

Thereafter, I added the refined flour to the chicken stock, beaten well and added to the soup thats simmering. 

We would give a stir and adjust the salt only if required. I had let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes! 

Thereafter, I added the butter, gave a stir and took it down.

You may serve and have it hot with toasted bread or chapati.

UPSIDE DOWN MIXED FRUIT CAKE

 IT WAS ON THE 1st OF JANUARY I WROTE A BLOGPOST & THEN IT IS TODAY!

It may be normal for others but for me, it is not! I enjoy writing a blogpost given I have nothing much to do! Others do it as a hobby, they have their office & a home to handle! I have nothing much to do besides the cooking that is my passion! I do not like much of cleaning the utensils & mopping the floors regular! If the man takes me to the Europe or North America for a change, this unwillingness may not be an issue given the market place & the bus or train station should be a 10-12 minutes of walk! I am absolutely not fond of living in a quiet neighbourhood with houses far apart! Although I am not a mingling type, the noise around has to be there! The neighbourhood cannot feel ghostly. Cristine is more than willing to travel to the west with us but there is a huge amount of levy involved in the process! The most important part is the man wanting to take a leap, at this age it is risky to be adventurous, our child is studying and the parents have set his education as a priority! I am not a practical person, I dream like the main characters in a Yash Chopra movie without thinking of the pros & cons! We stay in one of the world's most secured nation but it is too strict about the foreigners' do's & dont's, and it is an island nation! Had I have been confident about the English language like Sharmila & Tiger Pataudi's younger daughter, my first choice of profession would have been to write & earn from it, the second choice would have been to be a teacher, the third would have been to deliver food to different homes! I insist that one should know about their passions whilst in college and go ahead with their higher studies accordingly! I did not even realise in my 20's that I love literature this much, cooking too!

I PROMISED TO MYSELF I WOULD NOT COOK ANYTHING ON SUNDAY BUT I COULD NOT KEEP MY PROMISE! 

The Tagore-Pataudi household's younger daughter may be good in English but she cannot cook at all! The thing is cooking is not considered as a high skill! It hurts and I do not care at all, I would untiringly keep cooking as long as I can! Till date, our mother cannot think of hiring a cook, neither she likes anyone cutting the vegetables! She has no qualms about cooking meals, though my brother & Bidisha asked her to keep a cook! She gets angry when Bhai most of the days would order food from outside without informing her! I have suggested her to cook recipes like chicken or mutton, fish curries of their choice, rajma, chana, kofta, dal, greens stir fry, bhartas instead of too rustic Bengali veggies, she would not listen! I too cannot stop cooking authentic Bengali vegetables, I am happy the man wouldn't say no to the maximum, neither the son! Because the duo do not trouble me much, I would respect their food choices! They have listened to me when I told beef & pork would not enter this home! Only that last month the son told he wants me to cook "beef biryani", when I told that cannot happen, he told he would smear beef on my face! That is a young blood speaking who enjoys making fun of and irritating his mumma! Our son loves his "dimma & thamma", his grandmothers! The man has reached an age wherein he would not get into arguments in all matters! In the son's absence, we sit together on a lonelier Sunday to watch a movie, series with a bowlful of "jhal muri"! I would however call it "chanachur-badam muri" because the two important ingredients, cucumber & coconut slices are missing! I like boiled potatoes in it but it's addition kills the crispiness of the puffed rice!

Yesterday, for dinner I made those "ragi-maida" flatbreads and had with self-made mixed-vegetable pickle & Bengali cabbage sabzi! Though the man does not believe in having millets, he ate; just made a little fun of millets in denial of their benefits! I love millet made roti!

I finally managed a sour jujube pickle sitting far off from Bengal. Off course, I would blog about it! I am thankful to the Rajdhani Stores for getting me the sour variety; the sweet jujube / narkeli kul is easily available in the season!

The sight of a jujube takes me to the maternal grandparent's home in Krishnanagar, Nadia, WestBengal! There had a big Jujube tree in their courtyard that bore both the varieties, the sour & sweet! I do not know about the Botanics involved in it! Our life is like that; a mix of sweet & sour experiences, be careful about the amount of spices you add to it!

WHAT IS THIS UPSIDE DOWN MIXED FRUIT CAKE?

I always give a shoutout about a refined flour cake! When it comes to baking one, I end up with a vegan & gluten-free one! May be I want to serve a slice on each one of your plates; after all it is the celebration time in both sides of the family! I would call this UPSIDE DOWN MIXED FRUIT CAKE a dessert in fact! On tasting it, I felt a scoop of ice-cream atop a slice would have suited the best! I skipped the ice-cream part as I had a bowlful of "sabudana khichdi" too for my first meal on a Monday! I love my carb intakes and cannot change my food pattern & bowls totally! I can get some moderations! After an 18 hours of fasting, I cannot think of having a small bowl of oats porridge, a bowl of fruits and then eagerly wait for a vegetables & chicken soup for the dinner with toasts! I must show off my cooking skills, I must get to live happily which includes eating merrily! I named it a mixed fruit cake because besides the apple, banana & orange play an important role in this vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian cake! I am done with the first meal of the day, it was the Maharashtra style "Shabudana Khichdi" and the cake I am blogging about today! Full of starch or carb, I like the Marathi tiffin and a "Marathi Manus" would do it the best! 

Few other cake & snack recipes you may try from my blog can be these; VEGETARIAN GLASS CAKE, BANANA FRITTER, DRY FRUITS AND READYMADE FLOUR IDLI, SEMOLINA VEGETABLES FINGER

INGREDIENTS :

APPLE : 1 BIG SIZED

BANANA : 1 BIG SIZED

ORANGE : 1 BIG SIZED

OATS : 1/2 COFFEE MUG + 2 TBSP

RICE FLOUR : 1/4 COFFEE MUG

CORN FLOUR : 2 TBSP

BAKING POWDER : 1/3 TSP

BAKING SODA : 1/4 TSP

SUGAR : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP [I USED BROWN SUGAR]

OIL : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

ORANGE PEEL : OF ONE ORANGE [PLEASE CHECK IF IT BITTER OR NOT, ALTERNATIVELY USE 1 TSP VANILLA ESSENCE]

I have seen themodernnonna.com website owner to blend the orange peel together with the other ingredients, but the bitter peel varieties would not work!

METHOD :

I took the oats, rice flour, corn flour, baking soda & baking powder in a blender; got a powder of them!

Thereafter, I added the oil, brown sugar, banana, orange segments to the blender and blended to a paste!

At this point, I kept aside the vanilla essence & tasted a bit of the orange peel! It did not feel bitter and I blended together the peel to get a fine paste!

To make the process easier for me, I used an aluminium foiled cake tin!

I did not even peel the apple but we should! Cristine sliced the apple as thin possible, it could be thinner but we are unable to! 

I washed the apple slices again & added some brown sugar to them, mixed well! Cristine arranged them at the bottom of the foiled cake tin! She added the batter and levelled it!

Mine is a convection mode microwave oven. I had placed the low wired stool inside and preheated it at 160*C.

I had placed the batter filled cake tin atop the stool and baked the cake at 160*C for 20 minutes!

Every machine's baking time may vary, you have be careful!

I had to use a smaller cake tin, but the cake was moist & tasty, that makes me happy!