Kasoori Methi Chicken Curry (Fenugreek Flavoured Chicken)

Winters are setting in. So, I finally get in the mood to blog again. this week I made the Kasoori methi Chicken curry that is a big favorite in my house. It's pretty easy to make and taste so yummy with bread/ rotis.

Kasoori methi is none other than dried fenugreek leaves that are easily available all over India in grocery stores and Indian stores overseas. Even a paste of fenugreek leaves can be used instead. If you do not find kasoori methi at all, just make this chicken curry without it. However, I love adding this spice for the lovely aroma.

Also, this gravy is white in color. So, no turmeric.

Ingredients:

Chicken: 500 gm (cut into medium size pieces)

Curd/Dahi/Yoghurt: 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 teaspoon

Crushed black pepper: 1 teaspoon

Shukno lonka/dry red chilli: 1

Kasoori methi: 1 and a half teaspoon

Salt to taste

Chilli powder/ cayenne pepper powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Onion (chopped): 3 medium ones

Tomato (chopped): 1 (optional)

White oil (any refined oil): 1 tablespoon

Milk: 1 cup

Ghee/butter: 1 teaspoon

Procedure:

1. Take the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the curd, half teaspoon ginger garlic paste, crushed black pepper, salt. Mix well and keep the marinated chicken in the fridge for 2 hours.

2. After 2 hours take out the chicken and let it come to room temperature. Heat oil in a wok/kadahi. When oil is hot, add the red chili and kasuri methi. Once you get a lovely aroma of the methi, add the chopped onions and stir fry. The onions should become transparent. Do not over-fry. Add chopped tomatoes (if using) and half teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a minute.

3. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade. Just dunk everything into the wok.

4. Mix well and add chilli powder + salt to taste.

5. Add milk and let the gravy come to boil. Make sure that you do not add any turmeric because this is a white gravy.

6. Now keep on low flame and cook covered. Occasionally, open the cover and stir the gravy so that the meat does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add some more water/milk if needed.

7. Once the chicken is cooked and tender turn off the gas. Garnish with a teaspoon of ghee and a teaspoon of kasoori methi. Serve not with rotis/ parathas. :)

Mutton Curry in a Hurry!

So refreshing to write a blog post again. It's been such a long time that I have opening the Drafts to write a recipe again. Feeling delighted!

This weekend, we were in a festive mood. My daughter got an award at her school. So, on Sunday morning, the hubby-man casually remarks that today I will be cooking the mutton curry for lunch. Helllooo! I had so many tasks and zero time to cook this dish.

By the time, it was 12.30 pm I was jumping about like a headless chicken folding clothes and doing a hundred tasks around the house. By the time, the mutton was not even marinated!!!


Finally, I decided to make the mutton using this easy and fast recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:

Mutton: 500 gms

Curd: 3 tablespoons

Onion paste: 2 tablespoons

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 teaspoon

MDH meat masala: 2 heaped tablespoons

Mustard oil: 2 tablespoons

Ghee: 2 teaspoons

Haldi powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Onions: 2 medium (chopped fine)

Potatoes: 3-4 (peeled and cut in half)

Tomatoes: 2-3 medium sized chopped

For the mutton stock:

One inch piece of ginger, one onion cut in half, 3-4 cloves of garlic, small piece stick of cinnamon, 2-3 green elaichi, 1 big elaichi, and 2-3 cloves.

Process:

1. Place the mutton pieces in the pressure cooker along with the other ingredients for the mutton stock. Pour enough water to cover the mutton. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles. Let the steam escape on its own. Remove the steamed mutton pieces and keep the stock aside.

2. In a wok/kadhai, heat mustard oil. When the oil is smoking hot, add a teaspoon of sugar. Now fry the potatoes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and keep aside. 

3. Add a handful of whole garam masala (cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves) to the oil. Now fry the onions. Keep some fried onions aside.

4. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. In a bowl, add the curd, meat masala, onion paste, turmeric powder, and chilli powder.

5. Add the wet paste to the kadhai and fry the masala till oil separates.

6. Now add the steamed mutton pieces and fry some more. Add slight amount of mutton stock so that the masala does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. Repeat this step. Keep adding the mutton stock and frying the meat till it turns red in color. this will take much less time since the meat is pre-cooked.

8. Once the meat takes on a red color, add the remaining mutton stock till the meat pieces are submerged. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cover the kadhai and let it boil for 7-8 minutes.

9. Take off the gas and add ghee on top.

10. Serve hot with hot rice.

This is not a typical way of mutton preparation but you can try it out if in a hurry! :)

The No-Grind Bombay Chutney

(Adapted from VysyasRecipes: Bombay Chutney)

I have been missing in action for nearly six months now. My laptop conked off and since then I have hardly been  posting recipes.

Today was an exception. I got a lovely chutney recipe from the net. I simply had to make it at home and blog about it. This recipe is simple to make, all the ingredients are readily available at home...and whats more...it does not involve any grinding at all.

This versatile chutney can be eaten as a side dish with poori/paratha/dosa and of course with idli too.

I found the original recipe here.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Besan flour - 2  tbsp

Green chillies - 2.

chilli powder - 3/4 tsp.

salt - to taste.

turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp.

onions - 2. (cut lengthwise)

tomato - 1 (chopped medium).

ginger - 1/2 inch

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp,

curry leaves: 3-4

chana dal - 1 tsp.

curry leaves - few

white oil: 1 and half teaspoon

Process:

1. First mix the besan with some water to form a thick, lump-free mix.

2. Next, heat oil. Add all the ingredient for tempering and green chillis. When the mustard seeds start spluttering add chopped onions and fry for a minute.

3. Add the tomatoes. Also add salt, turmeric, and chilli powder. Fry for some time. The tomatoes will turn mushy.

4. At this point, add the besan mixture. Keep stirring till the besan does not have a raw smell.

5. The mixture will become thick.

6. Take off the gas and serve. 

I served it with rava idlis that I made at home. Enjoy!

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.

Rava Idli A Healthy Start to the Day

The summers are on in full swing in Kolkata. Hot and humid days really affect us all. The palate craves for soft, bland food. Deep fried and spicy food is a big no-no.

Little S has her swimming classes on Saturday morning. So, I need to give her a nutritious and hearty breakfast in the mornings. Plus, Saturday is also our vegetarian day so that puts up a further challenge.

This Rava Idli recipe is one such breakfast. I often make it on Saturday mornings. It is healthy and quite filling. Also, you do not need to buy any ready mixes for this. All the ingredients are found at home. I generally serve it with coconut chutney.

Here is how I make it

Recipe

Ingredients

Rava / Sooji / Cream of wheat: 1 and a 1/4 th cup

Curd/Yoghurt: 1/4 th cup

Rice flour: 2 tablespoon
Eno (fruit salt) / Baking soda: 1 teaspoon

Black mustard seeds: a pinch

Curry leaves: 8 to 10

Toor dal or Bengal gram: a pinch

White oil: 1 teaspoon

Red chilli: 1

Salt to taste

Process

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add 1 red chilli, toor dal, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Add the dry rava in the pan. Dry roast the rava. Make sure that the rava does not turn brown. Take off the pan and spread it in a plate to cool.

2. Once the rava mixture is cool enough to touch, add curd, salt, baking soda, and rice flour, Add just enough water to make a thick batter.

3. Grease the idli molds. Add the idli batter a spoonful in each mold. Steam on simmer flame for 12 minutes. Turn off the gas but don't open the steamer. Wait for 5 minutes and then de-mold the idlis.

For the coconut chutney

Ingredients

Scraped coconut: 1 cup

Garlic: 2-3 cloves

Ginger: a small piece

Curry leaves: 2-3

Green chilli: 1

Curd 1 tablespoon

For the tempering/tadka: 

A teaspoon of white oil

Black mustard seeds: a pinch

Curry leaves: 2-3

Green chilli: 1

Process

1. In a mixer, grind coconut, garlic, ginger, and curry leaves and green chilli together with a tablespoon of curd. Add water if required to make a thick paste.

2. In a pan, heat oil and add all the ingredients for the tempering. 

3. When the mustard seeds start to crackle, pour this tadka over the chutney and mix well. Add salt to taste.

Serve the hot fluffy idlis with coconut chutney.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event at Kolkata Food Bloggers, "Summer" for all summer related recipes.

Watermelon Smoothie Breakfast

(Adapted from a recipe by my Hubby man)

Kolkata is burning hot! Hot blazing days are followed sweltering nights. During such a heat wave, the digestive system goes for a toss and the appetite is low. 

My hubby man makes this wonderful smoothie using watermelon. A glass of this chilled smoothie, acts like a breakfast if you are not in a mood to have any cooked breakfast per se. This smoothie can be savoured at any part of the day.

Just look at this lovely light pink color.

Here is how he makes it:

Ingredients:

Chopped watermelon: 1 medium bowl full

Yoghurt/curd: 1 cup

Glucon D or Tang (Orange Flavor) powder: 2 tablespoons

A pinch of salt

Sugar: 2 teaspoon

Crushed ice (optional)

Cumin (Jeera) powder: 1/2 teaspoon

For garnish: Mint leaves (optional)

Process:

1. Take a medium bowl full of watermelon and de-seed the pieces.

2. Take the Glucon D powder and watermelon in a big bowl.

 3. Add chilled curd and mix well with a spatula. Also add salt, sugar, and cumin powder.

 4. Blend the mixture using a hand blender. You can also add crushed ice and mix in a mixer.

Voila! Your chilled smoothie is ready. You can also keep it in the fridge for a few minutes before consuming.

I am sending this recipe to the Kolkata Food Bloggers event "Summer Splash: Coolers" for this week.

Quick Rabri in Ten Minutes (Noboborsho Special)

(Adapted from Instant Rabdi: Tarla Dalal)

Noboborsho is just round the corner. On this day, the "bhojonroshik" Bengali likes to indulge in gastronomical delights. A lavish lunch is usually on the cards. 

A great meal needs to be completed with a delicious dessert. So, at the start of the Bengali New Year (Poila Boishak), I present the queen of all desserts...Rabri. This is a quick recipe that needs just ten minutes of cooking time.

Yes...you heard me right! Only ten minutes. I got this easy-peasy recipe from Tarla Dalal's website. You can find her recipe here.

Just check out this sumptuous beauty!

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Milk: 2 cups (I used toned milk but full cream is fine too!)
Condensed milk: 1/4th cup
Sugar: 2 tablespoons
Bread: 2 slices
Elaichi powder (green cardamom): 1/4th teaspoon
Saffron: few strands (optional)

Process:

1. First, discard the brown side crusts of the bread slices. Tear into pieces and dry grind the bread pieces in a mixer to get fine bread crumbs.

2. Gather all the ingredients.

3. Now boil the milk. Once the milk has boiled, reduce the flame.

4. Add the sugar, condensed milk, and bread crumbs.

5. Now keep stirring the milk for ten minutes in a medium flame. Do not stop stirring or else the milk may burn.

6. You will see the milk turning thicker. The breadcrumbs will lend a creamy consistency to milk.

7. After ten minutes, turn off the flame and add elaichi powder and saffron.(I did not use saffron)

8. Cool to room temperature and set in the fridge for 2 hours. I decorated the Rabri with some tutti fruiti.

Your delicious creamy Rabri is ready!

A Royal Repast: Mutton Rezala and Khameeri Roti

(Adapted from: Mutton Rezala recipe by Zeeshan Sidque (iFood.tv) and Khameeri Roti: Passionate About Baking)

Mutton rezala...aaaaahhhhhhh! That is the general exclamation in our family. We all love this dish unanimously..including my little one. This Sunday, we planned to eat out at Aminia. The palate was craving this delicate white gravy and soft tandoori rotis.

Suddenly, the hubby man said..."Why don't you make Mutton Rezala at home? I will get you all the ingredients."

At first, I panicked. Will I be able to do full justice to this authentic recipe? I searched high and low for a fairly simple recipe. I got a wonderful recipe from here.

The Rezala is a Mughlai dish. It a delicate dish with fragrant white gravy. The best Mutton Rezala I have tasted in Kolkata is at Sabir's in Chadni Chowk Market.

I planned to serve the Rezala with Khameeri rotis. I was introduced to Khameeri roti by reading a wonderful blog post from Pakistan forwarded to me by one my friends. I am ever grateful to him for sharing these wonderful food posts with me.

Check out the wonderful Rezala and Khameeri rotis:

Here are the recipes, I made.

Ingredients:

For the Rezala:

Lamb/Goat meat: 450 gm (Ribs Favorable)
Onion: 1 Medium, made into paste
Black cardamom: 3, crushed
Yogurt: 3 Tablespoons
Garlic paste: 2 Tablespoons
Ginger paste: 1 and a 1⁄2 Tablespoons
Cashew nut: 2 Tablespoons, grounded to paste
Saffron:1⁄4 Teaspoon 

Cardamom: 4 ,crushed
Cream: 2 Tablespoon (Not Sweet)
Mace: 1 Teaspoon
Red chili: 4 (Kept Whole)
Green chili: 3, slit (optional)
Salt:To Taste
Sugar:1 Teaspoon
Milk: 2 Tablespoons
Kewra water: 1 Teaspoon
Ghee: 5 Tablespoons

Process:

Don't get frightened by the long process of this recipe.

The recipe can be divided into three basic parts:

1. Marinating the mutton 

2. Stir-frying the mutton

3. Pressure-cooking the mutton to tenderize the meat

Marinating the mutton:

1. First gather all the ingredients for the marinade. Take the mutton in a deep-bottom bowl. Also take onion paste, curd, cashew nut paste, ginger garlic paste, a paste of mace, black cardamom , and green cardamom.
2. Now add the ingredients of the marinade, salt, and sugar. Mix well and keep aside for 2 hours.

Stir-frying the mutton:

1. Heat ghee in a wok. Squeeze each mutton piece to remove the excess marinade. Add to the wok.
2. Stir-fry the mutton pieces for a few minutes on a high flame. Now add all the marinade to the wok. Add chilli powder and whole red chillies. Mix and bring it to boil.
3. Now reduce heat and keep covered.
4. The mutton will cook on low heat for a long time. At regular intervals, remove the lid and stir the mutton to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. If the mutton sticks to the bottom of the pan, add 1/4 cup water and stir well.
6. Repeat this process till the meat changes color.

Pressure-cooking the meat:

1. Now pour the contents of the wok into a pressure cooker. Close the lid of the cooker and place on medium flame.
2. Now let the meat get cooked for 3-4 whistles. I had to give 5-6 whistles to cook the mutton well.
3. Turn off the gas. Do not open the lid till the steam has released on it's own. Now turn on the gas.
4. Mix the saffron in milk and add to the meat. Let the meat boil.
5. Add fresh cream and bring to a boil. 
6. After 1-2 minutes, turn off the gas and add ghee and kewra water (optional). Garnish with slit green chillies.

For the Khameeri Roti


Khameeri roti is an Indian flatbread that is made using yeast (khameer). It is similar to Naan. But not exactly the same.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour: 2 cups

Instant yeast: 1 teaspoon (level)

Salt: 1 teaspoon

Oil: 2 tablespoons

You can refer to the recipe here. I followed this recipe to the tee.

Check the pictures:

You basically need to knead the dough, allow the dough to double in size. Next, release the trapped air in the dough and divide into round ball. Roll out the rotis. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C for 10 minutes. Bake the rotis on a greased tray for 5 mniutes. Grill the rotis on Grill mode for 5 minutes at the same temperature. Remove from the oven and slather with butter/ghee.


Enjoy the succulent meat with hot rotis right out of the oven. Heavenly delight!

Healthy Carrot and Pumpkin Soup

(Adapted from Creamy Carrot and Pumpkin Soup: Antypasti)

This spring in the air has led to lot of cough, cold, and fever in most households. Are you suffering from cold too? I am. And so is my little one.

Coughing, sneezing, and sore throat made sure that I spent Valentines Day in bed with a muffler around my throat and Vicks vaporub as my date. Highly unromantic to say the least!

The little one has also become jittery and whiny and refuses to eat most things. "Give me something soft and warm Maa", she said.

And I started hunting for some easy soup recipes. I found a very simple, nutritious soup on Antara's blog.


This soup combines the goodness of carrots and pumpkin, two vegetables rich in Vitamin A.
Since Antara was the Star Blogger of the Week for this week so I hit the proverbial "two birds with one stone" by making this recipe. Antara's blog has an interesting collection of food and travel related posts. Her writing style is easy and each blog post has a relaxed pace. It is truly refreshing to read her posts.

This soup recipe can be called soul food. I was able to rustle it up after getting home from work.

You can check Antara's original recipe from here.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Pumpkin: 150 grams, diced

Carrot: one, chopped roughly

Butter: 1 tablespoon

Dried mixed herbs: 1 and a 1/4 teaspoon

Garlic: 2 to 3 pods, crushed 

Fresh cream: a teaspoon for garnishing

Process:

1. Steam the vegetables in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.

2. Remove the steamed veggies from the pressure cooker and do not throw away the vegetable stock. Puree the vegetables in a mixer and keep aside.

3. In a pan, heat butter along with a teaspoon of white oil.

4. Add garlic and dried herbs.
5. Fry for a few seconds. Next, add the pureed vegetables.
6. Mix well. Add some of the vegetable stock if the soup is too thick.
7. Add salt to taste. Finally, add fresh cream and take off the gas.
8. Serve the steaming soup with toasted bread.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event in KFB called "Know Your Blogger".

Robibarer Maangsher Jhol (The Sunday Mutton Curry)

This time Poush Sankranti went by and I was....not able to make anything. The scenario at the office was so chaotic that I just did not get any time at all.

This extended weekend came as a breather and the hubby-man proposed that I should cook something delicious and typically Bengali. So what better than the Robibarer Maangsher jhol.

This maangsher jhol evokes memories of my childhood. In those days, Sunday breakfast was always luchi torkari and the star attraction of lunch had to be the quintessential mutton curry. My mom use to cook it lovingly and while it was being cooked our house would be filled with the fragrance of this aromatic jhol. Me and my grand-dad used to watch an episode of Star Trek and wait with bated breath for the call for lunch.

This mutton curry with steaming hot rice and a slice of lime was pure heaven.....mmmmm! After this sumptuous lunch the elders would retire for the cursory post-lunch nap and I would curl up with a story book. As years went by, this lovely mutton jhol was banished from our house because my grandma stopped eating mutton and so did my Dad because of cholesterol problems. Though my mom used to whip up a lovely chicken curry instead...but Maangsher jhol is Maangsher jhol as every Bengali knows.

My hubby-man, however, relishes mutton no end. After having the mutton curry with rice, he loves to have a bowl-ful of just the "jhol"! So post-marriage, I took all the pains to learn to cook mutton. And whip up a mean koshano maangsher jhol! 

Don't be judgemental by the reddish colour of this jhol. Though the original recipe calls for a paste of green chillies but I opted out of it because my seven-year-old was supposed to have it. This beautiful color of the jhol is due to the presence of tomatoes and the fact that the masala has been stir-fried for a long time. In Bengali, this is known as "koshano". This stir-frying technique takes a good part of an hour but brings out the true flavour of the mutton and lends this lovely reddish-brown color.

Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

(Recipe for four people)

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Mutton: 450 grams (Cut into cubes)

Onions: 2 (chopped into long slices)

Onion paste: 3 tablespoon

Tomatoes: 2 (cut into pieces)

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 teaspoons

Green chilli paste: 1 teaspoon (optional)

Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder: 1/4th teaspoon

Curd/yoghurt: 1/4 th cup

Mustard oil: 3 tablespoon

Potatoes: 3 big (peeled and cut into half)

Sugar: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt: to taste

For tempering:

Bay leaf: 1

Whole garam masala (two cloves, two green elaichis, a stick of cardamom): ground to dry powder

Process:

1. First you need to do the preparation. Chop the onions, tomatoes and potatoes. Next, heat mustard oil in a wok and fry the potatoes till they have reddish brown specks on them. Drain and keep aside. In a big bowl, take the mutton pieces, curd, onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, salt and 2 teaspoon of mustard oil. You can also add a teaspoon of green chilli paste to this marinade (optional). Mix well and keep the meat marinated for 1 and half hours.

2. Now, heat mustard oil in a pan (about 3 tablespoons) and add the powdered whole garam masala and bay leaf and sugar. Add the chopped onions and fry till the onions turn pink. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry some more. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder. Add the meat along with the marinade and the fried potatoes. Fry and mix the masala with the meat.

3. Keep a pan of hot water ready because you need to use it for stir-frying the masala. 

4. Now add 2 ladle-full of hot water to the meat in the wok and stir-fry. Cover and keep to simmer over medium heat.

5. After 2-3 minutes, remove the cover and check the meat. The masala will stick to the bottom of the pan. Don't panic. Add two more ladles of hot water to the meat and fry some more.

6. Repeat this process of stir-frying and adding hot water till the meat takes on a dark-brown colour. This will take the better part of an hour so be patient. Your aromatic meat will be worth the effort.

7. Once the meat turns dark-brown, remove the wok from the flame. Pour the entire contents into a pressure cooker and pour enough hot water to cover the meat. Attach the cover of the pressure cooker and let the steam build to one whistle. (After adding the hot water in the pressure cooker, add more salt to taste, if desired.)

8. After one whistle, lower the flame to simmer. Let the meat be on simmer for next 20 minutes.

9. Turn off the gas and let the steam escape on its own.

10. Open the pressure cooker. Your steaming hot, aromatic mutton curry is ready. Pour the entire contents into a large bowl and garnish with a teaspoon of ghee.

Serve hot with steamed white rice. Here is the beauty!

Butter Naan @ Home

(Adapted from Garlic Naan Recipe: Veg Recipes of India)

My little S is not much of a rice person. Unlike typical Bengalis, she loves anything that is related to rotis. So she is always clamoring for roti, paratha, kulcha, pita bread, bread....etc etc. This is too much for a bhaat-maach loving Bong like me. But what can I do? Once a mother...etc etc.

Last month, we were lunching at Aminia restaurant, where S fell in love with soft, spongy Butter Naans. Since then she has been pestering me to make them at home. Last Sunday, I decided to plunge right in and try making the Naans at home.

Naan is a type of Indian flatbread that is flat but also leavened. There are ways to achieve this leavening process without yeast too. But since I am great friends with yeast, why not give it a try?

I referred to a very nice and easy recipe that I got from my friend Dassana's blog. You can find her recipe here.

Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups all purpose flour (APF)/maida 

2 tsp sugar

1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1 and a half teaspoon active dry yeast

1.5 or 2 tsp lemon juice or 3 to 4 tsp yogurt

4 tbsp oil or butter

¾ cup lukewarm water... add more if required

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic (optional)

1 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji

1 to 1.5 tsp salt or as required

extra oil or ghee for frying or smearing on the naan (optional)

Process:

1. Take 3/4th cup luke warm water and dissolve the sugar in it. Now add yeast to the water. Keep undisturbed in a warm dry place for 10 minutes.

2. Now take the W.W flour (Atta) and mix with the APF. Add salt, lemon juice, and butter. Rub the butter nicely into the flour till the flour resembles breadcrumbs. Now add the water containing yeast to the flour and start kneading with your hands. Add more lukewarm water depending on the stickiness of the flour.

3. The dough should be soft and pliable, yet firm and should spring back if touched.

4. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and keep in a warm place for nearly one and a half to two hours. The dough will double up in size.

5. Make medium-sized balls of the dough and keep aside for a further 20 minutes.

6. On a board take some Nigella seeds. Press each ball on the nigella seeds and then roll out into a chapati of moderate thickness. Optionally, you can also add crushed garlic and celery to this mixture and add it to the dough balls.

7. Heat a tava or frying pan. Place each Naan on the hot tava and roast till each side is evenly browned.

8. Next, you can add oil directly in the tava and fry it like a paratha. But I roasted it further on the open flame like a roti/phulka.

Oven recipe:

If you want to bake the Naan in an oven, pre-heat the oven at 300 degrees C for 20 minutes. The maximum temperature in my oven is 250 degrees so I use that temperature. Next, place the rolled Naan on a greased tray in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes using both the filaments on middle rack.

9. Smear the Naans with a dollop of butter and serve it with any side-dish. We had it with chicken curry and some mixed vegetable curry.

Yummy on a winter evening!

Akoori: A Parsi Delicacy

(Adapted from Akoori: Let's Talk Food)

The winters are here in Kolkata...at last! Soft, sunshiny days melt into deliciously chilly nights. You just want to snuggle into the warm quilt and sip a warm cuppa coffee while watching your favourite movie.

No bitterly cold, raw mornings when you would hardly want to venture out of your home. The winters in Kolkata are associated with many exhibitions and fairs so you can make it a picnic with your family on every weekend. For me, I love Kolkata winters because of the Puli Pitha, that get made on Poush Sankranti. And of course, the eternal favourite Book Fair that is held at the end of January.

Winter is also the time when you can eat with good cheer. In summers, we hardly feel like eating. Just cool salads or daal soup is what the system craves for. In monsoons, my appetite goes for a toss. But winters...aah! Just bring it on.

Every weekend I get a new list of food requests from my family!!!

This week on KFB, Know Your Blogger - Week 3, the star of the week was Priyadarshini Chatterjeee. 

Priyadarshini has a varied number of recipes on her blog. She excels in all kinds of fusion recipes. Do have a look at her blog here. I am a big fan of her writing style which is easy and conversational. Her food photography is par excellence.

I selected an egg dish called Akoori. Akoori is the Parsi style scrambled eggs. I served this dish with home-made butter naans. Super hit!

You can read the original recipe here.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Eggs: 4

Milk: 1/4th cup

Turmeric powder: a pinch

Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

Onions: 1/4 cup (chopped fine)

Tomatoes: 4 tbsp (chopped fine)

Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup (chopped fine)

Green chillies: 2 (chopped)
Grated ginger: 1 tsp
Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

1. First break four eggs in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and milk. Whisk till the mixture is frothy.

2. Now chop the onions, tomatoes, and green chillies. Gather all the ingredients together.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped green chillies and ginger, Fry for a few seconds and then add the onions. Once the onions turn pinkish, add the tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves, and the cumin powder. you can also add red-chilli powder. When the tomatoes turn mushy, add the egg mixture. Add more salt if required.

4. Fry and scramble the eggs. You can keep the dish soft and creamy. I stir-fried it some more.

5. Garnish with some more coriander leaves and serve hot.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event on KFB, "Know Your Blogger - Week 3".