Saturday, June 27, 2015

Dates and Raisin Sweet Loaf

(Source: A TV programme)


I often watch cookery shows on TV but hardly get around to re-creating them at home. I saw this recipe on a TV program and it was so simple that I loved it.

This bread has chopped raisins and dates. So its a real nutritious bread. The bread is sweet and aromatic. Kids love it!





Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Chopped and de-seeded dates: 1/2 cup
Chopped raisins and cashews: 1/4th cup
Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
All purpose flour: 2 cups
Instant yeast: 1 and a half teaspoon
Sugar: 1/4th cup
Salt: 1 teaspoon
White oil: 1 tablespoon
Lukewarm water: 3/4th cup + 1/2 cup

Process:

1. First take the lukewarm water in a bowl and add the sugar.
Next add the yeast and keep undisturbed for 10 minutes.
2. Now take the APF and whole wheat flour in a pan. Add salt and mix well. Add the chopped dates, cashews, and raisins.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mix. Add oil.
4. Now knead a dough for about ten minutes. Use more lukewarm water if required.
5. The dough should be smooth and firm to touch. It should spring back if pressed. Dunk the dough in a greased deep bottom pan.
6. Cover with a kitchen towel and keep in a warm, dry place for one and a half hours. The dough will double up in size.
7. Take the dough out. Press lightly to release all the trapped air.
8. Shape into a log shape. To learn how to shape the bread dough, view this video here. Place inside a greased loaf tin.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Place the loaf inside the oven. You can cover the loaf with foil to prevent hardening of crust. Bake for about 40 minutes.
10. Take the loaf out of the oven. Brush with butter.

11. Let the loaf cool completely till room temperature. Slice and have direct or slathered with butter/jam.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

A Mango Surpise: Mangoccasion

(Adapted from a recipe given by the Hubby man)


This week the Kolkata Food Bloggers are displaying various recipes made from the king of fruits a.k.a Mango!

So, this week I present an easy dessert that is often made by my hubby dearest.

The mango milkshake is a staple in many households. This recipe has mango pulp and milk too but it is not milkshake.

Just see how gorgeous it looks


My little S named this dish Mangoccasion. You really don't need an occasion to have it!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Mango pulp from 3 medium size mangoes
Milk: 1 and a 3/4th cup
Sugar: 2 tablepsoon
Crushed ice (optional)
A handful of cashews, raisins, almonds, and tutti- fruiti to decorate.

Process:

1. First gather all the ingredients. Make sure that the mango pulp is also chilled. If you use, powdered sugar you will have a smoother dessert.

2. Pour all the ingredients in a bowl.

3. Now use a hand blender to mix everything well.

4. Do not add so much milk that it becomes a milk shake. The addition  of milk should be less. The consistency should be like thick batter.

5. Pour into glass bowls and decorate with tutti - fruiti, chopped cashews, raisins, and a sliver of almonds.

Set in the fridge for 2 hours. Serve chilled.

I am sending this recipe to the Mango Festival on the Kolkata Food Bloggers.


Sunday, June 7, 2015

Mocha Chingri (Banana Flowers with Shrimps)

(Adapted from Sens Kitchen: Mocha Chingrir Ghonto)


This week I present a quintessential Bengali recipe: Mocha Chingri. We Bengalis are awfully in love with the Banana plant. So, along with being an auspicious part of all our celebrations, we also eat almost every part of it. I mean literally! We eat the banana blossoms, the fruit, and even the stem (known as Thor).

No pooja celebration is complete if the community meals are not eaten on banana leaves.....


So now for the recipe.

I was not too fond of Mocha (pronounced mo - chaa) since childhood. But with time my tastes have changed and I have started liking the taste of banana blossoms. So, this Sunday I finally made the Mocha Chingri. This delicate dish of banana blossoms cooked with some potatoes and shrimps is really yummy and simple to make. 



I got a really simple recipe from the Sens Kitchen website. You can view the original recipe here

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Banana blossom / Mocha: 1 cup
Shrimp - 100 grams, small peeled and de-veined
Potato - 1 medium (100 grams), diced in very small cubes (approx 1 cm)
Whole cumin/ Jeera seeds - 1/4 tsp
Bayleaf - 1 medium
Cinnamon - 2 inch, broken in 2-3 pieces
Green cardamom (choto elaichi) - 4 broken
Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 slit
Ghee - 1 tsp
Oil - as indicated


Process:

1. First you need to clean and cut the banana blossoms. This is quite a tedious process. You can watch this video here to view the process of cleaning and cutting the banana blossoms.

Watch video.

2. Bring to boil 2 cups water with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Add the chopped blossoms and cook covered for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can steam the chopped mocha in a pressure cooker for two whistles on a high flame.

3. Chop the potatoes and clean and de-vein the shrimps. Gather all the ingredients together.



4. Dust the potato pieces with turmeric. Now heat oil and fry the potato pieces. 

5. Now take out the potato pieces with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

6. Now fry the shrimps pieces which you have already dusted with salt and turmeric.


7. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot add cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. Let the cumin seed become dark in colour.

8. Add a mixture of ginger paste, turmeric powder, and cumin powder mixed with 3 tablespoon of water. I also added 1/4th teaspoon of chilli powder. Fry for a minute.

9. Add the chopped mocha and mixed well. Fry for 2 minutes on medium heat.

10. Add the fried potatoes, shrimps, salt, and sugar. Mix well. Also add 1/4th cup of water. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes till almost all the water evaporates.The dish should not be too dry.

11. Add the green chillies and ghee. Take off the flame.

Serve hot with rice.