Mourola fish as it is called in bengali is a very small and tasty fish.This is a very simple dish which consists of mainly frying the fish till its crispy.Goes well as a starter for any event provided you are a fish fan :) Ingredients- mourola fish onion garlic green chilly salt turmeric powder red chilly powder mustard oil Method- Chop the onion and garlic finely. Wash and clean the fish properly. Marinate it with salt and haldi powder for 1-2 hours. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the fish lightly. Once done keep the fish on one side of the pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute. Mix the onion garlic with the dried fish and fry. Add chilly powder and slitted green chillies. Adjust salt as per taste. Serve hot mourola fish as a crispy starter :)
This paneer bhurji is a very easy way of including paneer in your kids diet.Specially if you are a vegetarian, paneer is a very good source of protein.A tasty and yummy version for fussy kids instead of the normal paneer subzi..give it a try :) Ingredients- cottage cheese/paneer onion tomato turmeric powder red chilly powder salt coriander leaves(optional) oil/butter Method- Chop onion and tomato finely. Heat oil or butter in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion and saute. Then add tomato, haldi, mirchi powder and salt to taste.You can add green chillies for spice, since this was for my toddler I have avoided it. After it cooks add the paneer/cottage cheese to it. I use home made paneer but you can also use the store one. Adjust salt and garnish with coriander leaves. Serving hot bhurji with bread toast or just as is, will make a healthy snack or breakfast for your kids :-)
I was supposed to post this a week back..sorry for the delay.Wheat flour cookies (or thekua as they are well known as) are one of the most famous dishes prepared during Chhath Puja in Bihar.I had them the first time at one of my Bihari neighbour's house and I just fell in love with these delicious home made cookies.They are very healthy as they are made up of wheat flour.Easy to prepare and the best part is you can store them for 2-3 weeks, so they make up a healthy and handy snack :) Ingredients- whole wheat flour/atta(4cups) sugar(1.5cups) water(1cup) ghee(3/4thcup) fennel seeds/saunf(1tspn) crushed/powdered cashew nuts Method- Take atta in a mixing bowl. Heat water in a pan and add sugar to it.No need to melt the sugar completely. Add saunf, crushed cashew nuts to the flour. Now slowly add the sugar water to the flour and knead it. The dough should be dry and not soft. Make balls out of the dough. Mould them with your hand or use a cookie cutter to get desired shape of cookies. Deep fry the cookies or thekuas till golden brown. You can store them in an air-tight container for weeks. Enjoy home made cookies at tea time :)
Ghugni as it is called in eastern India mainly Bengal,Orissa,Bihar and Assam.It is dried yellow peas/matar cooked with gravy.This is a very famous evening snack in Kolkata which is served with puffed rice/kurmura(hindi)/muri(bengali).Be it on the streets or at home you will hardly find any bengali who would refuse it :) The recipe I have posted here is a vegetarian version which means there is no use of onion and garlic to it.This niramish(veg in bengali) ghugni is one of the common dishes you will find on the MahaAshtami eve of Durga Puja.
Ingredients- dried yellow peas/matar coconut potatoes ginger green chillies garam masala - dalchini, cloves, elaichi, tej patta tomato dhaniya powder jeera powder turmeric powder red chilly powder jeera/cumin seeds salt sugar oil water Method- Wash and soak the peas in water for 5-6 hours or overnight. Pressure cook them with some salt till soft. Make a paste of ginger and all the garam masala. Chop the tomato, potato and green chillies finely. Chop a fresh coconut into small pieces. Heat oil in a non-stick kadai. Fry the coconut pieces till golden brown. Remove them once done. In the same oil add tej patta and some cumin seeds. Add the ground masala,chillies,tomatoes and poatatoes. Add salt,pinch of sugar and all the powders - haldi, mirchi, dhaniya and jeera. Let it cook till the oil separates out. After about 5-8min add the boiled peas. Cook for sometime without adding water so that all the masala gets coated over the peas. Add water for it to cook.Adjust the salt as per taste. Once the potatoes are cooked turn off the heat. Garnish with fresh corinader leaves. While serving sprinkle some masala over it.This is a home made masala which my mom uses - Dry heat the coriander and cumin seeds and then grind them to a powder.This is optional but it tastes heavenly. You can also have onion and lemon wedges as an accompaniment with the peas curry.
Red lentil/Masur is one of the very nutritious dals rich in protein.Tonak in konkani means a spicy side dish, so this is a goan recipe which is very easy to prepare specially when you are running short of veggies in your pantry :) Ingredients- red lentil/masur freshly grated coconut tamarind onion oil Spices - coriander seeds-dhaniya (1/2 tspn) black pepper seeds-kali mirch (1/2 tsp) cinnamon - dalchini(1 med stick) cloves -laung (3-4) dry red chillies (4-5) cumin seeds -jeera (1/4 tspn)
Method- Wash and soak the lentil in water for 2-3 hours. Chop the onions roughly. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Roast the spices and coconut lightly. Allow it to cool, then grind it a paste with some tamarind pulp. In the same pan fry the chopped onions. Add the lentil and water so that it boils. Red lentil becomes soft after soaking in water for 2-3 hours, so you do not need to pressure cook it. When the masur is cooked, add the ground paste. Add salt as per taste and let it cook for another 2-3 min. Hot masur masala is ready to serve with rotis or steamed rice :)
Oats are a very good source of fibre and hence very nutritious.This is a nice savoury version of oats as compared to the normal sweet version with milk.If you are not an oats fan then try this one so that you will start loving them :) Ingredients- Quaker oats(1cup) onion(1big) tomato(1medium) green chillies(2-3) coriander leaves(2tbspn) water curd(2tspn) salt oil Method- Grind the oats to a fine powder. Add sufficient water and curd to them. Chop the onions,tomatoes,chillies and coriander leaves finely. Add these and salt to the above oats batter. Heat a non-stick pan.Drizzle some oil. Pour a laddle of batter on the pan. Fry on both sides till golden brown. Delicious uttapam are ready to serve with tomato ketchup:-)
Custard is one of the hot favourite in our house.This dessert really takes no time and the ingredients are always available in every home.So the next time you have planned a party this dessert is a must :P Ingredients- 500ml milk(1packet) 2 eggs marie biscuits(8) sugar vanilla essence
Method- Boil the milk and let it cool. Beat the eggs well. You can blend together the eggs,milk,sugar and marie biscuits. Add essence and mix. Heat a container in which you will make the pudding. Add 1-2 tspn of sugar to it. When the sugar starts melting, this is the caramel. Now transfer the milk-egg mixture to this container. Put some water in a pressure cooker. Place the container inside it. Let it cook for 5-6 whistles. You can check if the pudding is done by putting on knife in the center.If it comes out clean it is fine or else let it cook for some more time. Serve the pudding chilled :-)
Chicken soup is one of the best home made remedies for everyone right from children to adults in case of common cold or congestion.It is a very delicious soup which all will definitely love to have may it be on a rainy day or winters or when you have cold.I had prepared this soup for my toddler when he was down with cold and he enjoyed it to the fullest :)
Ingredients- chicken pieces(2-3) onion(1medium) garlic(2-3 cloves) potatoes(1medium) black pepper powder bay leaf(1) green cardamom(elaichi)(2-3) salt butter oil
Method- Wash the chicken well. Chop onion and garlic finely. Heat a non stick kadai. Add some butter and oil.Adding oil to the butter will take care that the butter does not get burnt. Add the bay leaf and elaichi. Now put in the chopped onion and garlic and saute. After a while add the chicken pieces,potato cubes and let it cook.Add salt as per taste. Cover and cook for some 5-7 minutes. Now add plenty of water so that the chicken and potatoes get well cooked. Remove the leaf and elaichi before serving.Add a pinch of pepper powder and butter if required Hot chicken soup is ready to serve :)
Idli sambar is one of the most famous south Indian cuisines around the globe.It's a very healthy breakfast option for all of us right from kids to elders.Although there are many ways of preparing sambar the above recipe is very similar to the one you would get in authentic south Indian restaurants.
Ingredients- suji/rava - 2cups urad dal - 1cup salt baking soda - pinch water
toor dal - 1cup onions tomatoes potatoes carrots brinjal chana dal - 1tspn urad dal - 1tspn red chillies coconut tamarind pulp turmeric powder sambar powder water salt sugar mustard seeds curry leaves/kadipatta
Method- Wash the urad dal and soak it in water for 7-8 hours. Grind the dal with minimum water. Now mix the ground dal with rava.Add some water if required. The batter should be of medium consistency(not very thin or thick). Keep the batter covered outside the fridge for the entire night for fermentation. Next day morning add salt and soda to the batter. Grease the idli stand with some oil/ghee. Pour small scoops of batter into the idli moulds and steam them in a pressure cooker. Hot idlis are ready.
To prepare the sambar -
Pressure cook the toor dal with salt and haldi powder till soft.You can add some vegetables along with the dal like carrots, potatoes. Heat some oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute. Then add chopped tomatoes and let it cook till soft. Once done add the cooked dal and veggies. Separately dry roast some urad dal,chana dal,toor dal,red chillies and freshly grated coconut. Grind all these to a fine paste. Add this paste to the above cooked dal. Add water to get the desired consistency of sambar. Add tamarind pulp to adjust the tanginess and sambar powder. Add salt as per taste and a pinch of sugar. Finally five a tadka of mustard seeds,curry leaves and red chillies to it. Serve hot idlis with sambar :-)
This fish is known as 'Parshe' in bengali, 'shevte' in konkani and 'shemot' in english.This is one of the mouth-watering bengali recipes which is a must have on the menu for special occasions like weddings/parties.It's a favourite in every bengali home..so if you have not yet tasted this preparation you are definitely losing on something precious :)
Ingredients- fish - parshe/shevte/shemot mustard seeds poppy seeds green chillies tomato red chilly powder kala jeera/kalonji turmeric/haldi powder mustard oil salt water
Method- Wash and clean the fish well. Apply salt and turmeric powder and marinate for 2-3hours. Freshly make a paste of mustard seeds, poppy seeds and green chillies. You can also use ready made mustard powder which is available in the market, but I prefer to make a paste since the taste always enhances in the latter. Heat some oil in a non-stick kadai. Fry the fish lightly. Now, remove the fish and add some kalonji to the oil. Add roughly chopped tomato and the ground paste.Add some chilly powder, haldi powder and salt as per taste. Fry till the paste and masala is cooked. Add some water and cook. Add the fried fish and cook for 2min. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot machher jhal with steamed rice :)
Moong dal is very nutritious as we all know.This is another way of including it in your diet apart from the normal rice-dal.So if you have never had before try and enjoy these crispy moong flavoured dosas.. :) Ingredients- moong dal(1 cup) urad dal(1/2 cup) green chillies(2-3) coriander leaves/dhaniya patta salt cumin seeds/jeera oil Method- Wash the dals and soak them overnight or for 4-5 hours. Grind the dals to a fine paste with little water. Add salt,jeera,chopped green chillies and coriander leaves. Heat a non-stick tawa. Drizzle few drops of oil. Take a laddle full of batter and prepare dosas. When it becomes light brown turn it. Serve hot dosas with chutney/sauce of your choice.
This lip-smacking paratha is a better option if you are not in a mood to have deep fried kachoris :) What I mean to say is with the same inside stuffing of peas, you can have stuffed puris/kachoris or parathas.Not much ingredients required and yet you can enjoy this unique stuffed paratha.. Ingredients - For the dough : atta/wheat flour salt oil water
For the stuffing : green peas/matar green chillies ginger ghee asafoetida/hing roasted masala(coriander and cumin/dhaniya,jeera) salt sugar
Method - Knead the flour with some salt, oil and water. Keep the dough aside covered. Grind the peas with some green chillies and ginger to a paste. Do not add water, let it be dry. Dry roast some dhaniya and jeera seeds and grind them to a powder. Heat a non-stick pan. Add ghee. Once hot add hing. Now add the ground paste and stir. Add the freshly ground masala, salt as per taste and a pinch of sugar. Let it cook for some more time. Once done, remove it from flame and let it cool. Make balls out of the dough. Add stuffing inside each ball. Roll into a roti with the help of a rolling pin. Heat a tawa and fry the paratha on both sides with ghee. Serve hot parathas with dum aloo or any sabji of your choice :-)
Soup is something which all of us desire to have specially in winters or during cough/cold.It is a very healthy option even for babies.My son loved it for the taste and colour, and I loved it since he had such a nutritious meal with no fuss :P
Method- Wash the carrot and beetroot thoroughly. Peel the skin and chop them roughly. Boil/pressure cook them till soft.Do not throw the water. Chop the onion and garlic finely. Heat butter in a non-stick pan.Add few drops of oil so that the butter does not burn. Put in the chopped onion and garlic. Saute it for about 2min and turn off the gas. Let it cool, then add it to the boiled carrot and beet and grind to a paste in a mixi. Now put the paste in the same pan and add the water(in which carrot and beetroot were boiled). Add salt as per taste.I did not add any pepper since it was for my toddler. Once it comes to a boil turn off the gas and add few drops of milk. Serve the delicious soup hot :-)
Cake is a favourite amongst everyone in our home specially home-made cake.This cake apart from being tasty is also healthy as it has atta and apples.So go for this easy and delicious recipe instead of the calorie rich cream cakes :)
Ingredients- wheat flour/atta(2cups) all purpose flour/maida(2cups) baking powder(1tbspn) eggs(4) brown sugar(3cups) melted butter(1cup) vanilla essence(1tspn) apple(1)
Method- Beat the eggs together.Add sugar to the eggs and mix well. I have used brown sugar but you can use normal sugar also.You can blend the egg-sugar mixture for less time. Mix the atta, maida and baking powder. Start adding butter little by little and knead the dough simultaneously. Now add this dough to the egg-sugar mix. Sprinkle some drops of vanilla and mix well so that the batter is consistent and smooth. Peel one apple and slice it finely.Add these chopped pieces to the batter. Preheat the oven. Grease a baking dish and bake it in microwave(convection option) for 40min. Healthy atta cake is ready :)
This is one dish which is present in almost every restaurant menu.But somehow both of us never prefer to have paneer dishes outside because we dont like the taste of paneer.So while preparing this recipe I was sceptical whether at all we would like it or not.But to prove me wrong, this recipe turned out simple delicious and I could not believe myself that YES-palak paneer is indeed very tasty when cooked with the right ingredients and ofcourse the home-made touch is always there :)
Ingredients- paneer(1cup) spinach/palak(14-15leaves) onion(1big) garlic(1small piece) ginger(6-7 cloves) green chillies(2-3) tomato(1small) turmeric/haldi powder red chilly/mirchi powder coriander/dhaniya powder cumin/jeera powder Fresh cream(1tbspn) salt sugar oil
Method- Wash the palak leaves thoroughly. Add some water and blanch them. ie- either boil the leaves or pressure cook them for one whistle. Keep it aside till it cools. Once done grind the blanched leaves in a mixer to a fine paste. Cut the paneer into small cubes. I have used home-made paneer as it is much more tasty as compared to the store brought one. Chop the onion,green chillies,tomato fine. Make a paste of ginger and garlic.Again you can use ready-made ginger-garlic paste, but home ground paste is always my choice. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the paneer cubes till golden brown. Remove the cubes, now add the chopped onion. Saute the onion, then add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Fry for about 2 min, then add chopped tomato. Add the masalas -haldi,mirchi,dhaniya,jeera and salt. Let the masalas cook.Add a pinch of sugar for taste. Add the palak paste,fried paneer cubes and cook for about 2-3min more. Just before turning off the flame, add fresh cream and give it a stir. This is optional, but since I regularly make ghee so I always have it ready and believe me it gives a nice-creamy texture :) Thats it ! serve hot palak-paneer with phulkas or roti :)
This is a dessert/sweet wishing everyone a very Happy New Year !! We had this paratha once at "Not Just Parathas" Gurgaon and fell in love with it. I could not believe myself that such a lip-smacking paratha with the kalakand melting... could be made at home with such ease :)You just need to get kalakand from a sweet/mithai shop and have this unique dessert at home.Try it once and am sure you would not forget it ever :)
Ingredients- wheat flour/atta salt water kalakand
Method- Knead the flour with a pinch of salt and water and prepare the dough. Refrigerate the kalakand for half an hour. Make equal sized balls out of the dough. Place the kalakand stuffing inside each one of them. Roll out and make parathas. Fry on both sides with ghee. Serve delicious kalakand parathas hot :)
