Bajra/Millet flour-Spring Onion Paratha, Mete'r Jhal(Goat Liver Spicy Preparation), Aloo Phulkopi Koraishutir Torkari( Aloo/Gobhi/Matar Ki Sabzi) and Boondi Raita

Last week we were relishing this South Indian Platter. Now it’s time to head towards northern part of India.
This is a mixed platter – aloo gobhi ki sabzi  or aloo phulkopr torkari in Bengali, and Met'er jhal or Spicy goat liver preparation accompanied by bajra da paratha- Millet Flour paratha with green spring onions and last but not the least is boondi raita.A complete satisfying meal in itself.
So let’s hop on to this delectable platter.




Aloo- gobhi ki sabzi - Aloo phulkopir Torkari – one quintessential Bengali preparation with cauliflower. This is the niramish way of preparing the phulkopir torkari with ginger and cumin tempering.

Aloo- Gobhi matar Ki sabzi- Aloo Phulkopi koraishuti'r torkari - Potato /cauliflowers stir/fry

Recipe requirements (serves3-4)
 Half portion cauliflower head
 2 medium size potatoes
1 cup of fresh green peas
1 inch ginger root
Seasonings
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of hot red pepper powder
4 tsp of dhania/coriander powder
1 tsp of cumin powder
 ½ tsp of cumin seeds
2-3 bay leaves
1 large juicy tomato
Salt as per taste
3-4 tbs of cooking oil
Method
Take out the green peas from fresh pods.This time my daughter also helped me, de-shelling green peas.

Take out small cauliflower florets from the dense middle part with the help of your hand. Wash them in water and make them dry with the help of kitchen towel, otherwise small florets will splutter oil while frying.
Now chop potatoes in cubes- in Bengali we call it chop like”dumo-dumo”.
Grate the ginger with the help of mandolin/kadokus.
Heat up a saucepan, add cooking oil, and temper it with cumin seeds and bay leaf. Add in grated ginger.
Now add in potato and cauliflower florets. Keep on frying them for 4-5 mints at med- high flame.
Now add in all the dry moshla- turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander-cumin powder and salt.
Sprinkle little bit of water so that the moshla/dry masala don’t get burnt.
Add in finely chopped tomato.Add in fresh green peas. Put the flame to medium and keep on frying the masala.
Soon you will see vegetables’ releasing water and the masala/moshla is evenly coated all over the chopped vegetable.
Cover the saucepan and put the flame to low-med. Keep on cooking further 6-7 mints or till the potatoes and cauliflower is cooked but hasn’t turn soggy.
At the time of taking it off, sprinkle freshly churned garam masala ( please find recipe below ) and ghee and sprinkle little bit of sugar.

Mete’r Jhal (Goat liver stir/fry- a spicy preparation)
Recipe requirements (serves- 3-4 people) another recipe- Mutton Liver Preparation
About 250 Gms of goat liver
2 medium size white onions
3 fat clove of garlic
2 tsp of grated ginger
1 medium size tomato
Seasoning
½ tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red pepper powder
3-4 green chilies
2 tsp of coriander powder
Fresh garam masala
Salt as per taste
3-4 tbs of cooking oil
Method
Wash the goat liver well in water. Drain the water as much you can from the liver pieces.
Now heat up a saucepan, add cooking oil, and temper it with cumin seeds.
Add in chopped garlic, grated ginger and onions. Keep the frying for 4 mints or till the rawness is gone.
Add in the liver pieces. Add in all dry masala powder- turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander powder and salt. Sprinkle little bit of water.
Prepare the garam masala- dry roast – 2 cardamoms, 3 cloves, half inch cinnamon and 1 large black cardamom over iron skillet, when they start becoming slightly brown. Take them off from the flame and with the help of the roller, crush them coarsely. Reserve this to add at the end.
Now add in chopped tomato. Cover the pan and cook the liver with all the masala for about 8-10 mints roughly.No need o add water, as the juice will come out from tomato and onions.
Now add in freshly prepared garam masala.Cover the pan and let the liver absorb the flavor.

Bajra/Millet flour and spring onion paratha
Recipe requirements
2 cups of whole wheat flour/atta
1 large cup of bajra/millet flour
½ tsp of salt
2 tbs of buttermilk (not mandatory)
2 tsp of kitchen king masala
Pinch of hing ( asfoetida)
½ tsp of red pepper powder
2 cups of chopped spring onions
Method
Mix in all the dry ingredients- bajra flour, whole wheat flour, red pepper powder, salt, kitchen king masala, hing.Make a well in the centre, add in buttermilk or use plain water as per requirements.
Knead well all the above into dough. Now divide the dough into small portions.
Generously put/sprinkle flour on the working area, now start rolling the small portions into small disc to large disc shape, in between sprinkling generous amount of flour.Bajra dough tends to become soft easily , so it's essential to sprinkle generous amount of flour while rolling the dough.
Put the iron skillet to heat, now place the rolled disc over the iron skillet, and toast them well both the sides.
Smear 1 tsp of cooking oil and little bit more on both the sides. Keep on pressing with spatula to cook the paratha evenly.
Serve along with aloo-gobhi sabzi and liver spicy stir/fry.

Boondi Raita
Recipe requirements
1 cup of ready-made boondi
2 cups of Greek yogurt
½ cup of water (just to dilute the thick yogurt)
1 tsp of cumin powder
½ tsp of red pepper powder
½ tsp of salt
chopped coriander leaves (optional)
Method
Mix the entire above very well and keep refridgerated. Serve chilled along with the North-Indian platter.

Sending above picture to Susan's,  Black and White Wednesday , guest hosted at Divine Food and Art.

And to  Cooking With Whole Grains, guest hosted here on Spice and Curry, initiated by Priya's Versatile Recipes.

Sending this across to Jagruti's Know Your Flour Series- Millet, guest hosted by Torview.

and to Cooking With Seeds( CWS) an event by Priya's Versatile Recipe ,this month theme is-  Rye-Millet and guest hosted at Briciole.

Happy Cooking Friends

Just Another Penne Pasta Recipe- Vegetarian This Time

Oh! Yeah it’s Wednesday today, two more days to the next weekend, but why I need to keep saying that, you already know this. Don’t you? You know, it has become almost a habit of me, trying to assess in the mid of the week, how many days are left for the next weekend. Is it just me or you are with me there in the line?
We patiently wait for the weekend almost the entire week. And the moment when we finally arrive, even before it starts, it almost gets finished, gone. Like chocolate pieces, which tends to melt in your mouth in a moment? You put the chocolate pieces in mouth, and it starts to hit the palette, and before you can realize, it’s all gone. Why good thing always come to end in short span of time?

Leave it.Ok then there are days when I, as a legend goes with me and DH, happen to spill tea over anything and everything (There goes my lil secret out in net) my mobile, books, you name it and I have spilled it over everything. Last weekend, while becoming way too much excited, watching and listening to an old song on YouTube, where else? You know kind of “bhule-bisre-geet-types” I spilled the half drunk cup of tea over the laptop early in the morning. And what a great way to start the weekend on that note, isn't? Well hearing me going crazy over it, DH from the other room, who was attending a conference call, asked did you again spilled a cup of tea? And listening to all this commotion, my DD came running leaving aside her important work of sketching and painting and asked “Ma! And you tell me to drink my cup of milk away from the laptop, and now look at you, what have you done?"  DH also joined in with her later on and then my hours in "sat-sang" started, both started giving me instructions on how to or better how not to handle a hot cup of tea especially near the laptop.Hell yeah! It isn't  a rocket science or the escape velocity whatever.But when your own words start to bounce back at you, you know you have finally arrived, nirvana stage! And you don’t even know what to do with, eat it or drink it!! The eternal Bengali Confusion.( PS - The wine glass is not having wine in it , its a red grape juice and yeah this time I stayed away from all mobiles, books and all electronic devices)

Well this penne pasta recipe, is I am sure nothing special or as the title says just another vegetarian penne pasta recipe, but yes if you put the amount of love that goes in making it , am sure it’s going to taste heaven no matter what may come.I have earlier told that most of the time, on weekend I tend to cook many pasta recipes and with many vegetables. I really don’t know if beans or mushroom goes well with penne pasta or any pasta for that matter, but provided if you tend to think innovative ways this works fine. I happen to have some baby spinach, not much which also did go into making this.

Now to the recipe
Just Another Penne Pasta  Recipe - a Vegetarian's Delight
Serves-3-4
Recipe requirements
About quarter packet of penne pasta or roughly 250 grams
For the sauce
2 tomatoes
4 cups of chopped mushroom
2 cups of chopped green beans
1 cup of baby spinach
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium size onion
2 heaped tbs of pasta sauce jarred
Seasoning
1 tsp of red pepper powder (optional)
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of salt
3-4 tbs of olive oil
Method
Put a big saucepan with enough water on boil. Add pinch of salt and little bit of oil, not much. Now add in the penne pasta. Cook al dente I mean cooked and firm but not hard. Drain excess water.
Meanwhile the penne pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce
Heat up a saucepan, add in olive oil in a saucepan, and now fry the chopped garlic to a nice brown hue. Now add in chopped onions. Fry further 3-4 mints.
Now add in all the chopped vegetables- tomato, mushroom, green beans and baby spinach. Although, no need to chop baby spinach.Tip-For crispier spinach leaves, leave them covered within cooked penne pasta saucepan.This way leaves cook just enough retaining the green colour which looks so refreshing.
Now keep on frying further 4-5 mints at med-high flame. Add in jarred pasta sauce. Add about a cup of water. Cover the saucepan and let it simmer till all the vegetables are bare minimum cooked. Personally I don’t like overcooked vegetables with pasta recipes. Vegetables should be crunchy and yet not over cooked as for the correct texture is concerned.
Adjust the seasonings-red pepper powder, add it to give nice kick to the recipe, otherwise skip it.
Add in salt, and dried oregano. If you wish you may add just a tsp of butter to further make a smooth sauce.
Add this prepared sauce to the cooked penne pasta. Mix well. At the time of serving add in crumbled cheese or paneer or the mozzarella cheese.Sometimes I do like to sprinkle red chilly flakes and extra dried herbs for even more added flavours.

Updated on 03/05/12  to send this across for Susan's  Black and White Wednesday's, and more details here , guest hosted for this week  by Siri....

Serve and Enjoy.......

Happy Cooking Friends

Petite Cinnamon Puff- Black and White Wednesday

When I was making these, elephant ears or palmier was on my mind. But I end up making small replica of palmiers as I used half of the puff sheet and also cut wise I have left the pieces little fat.Anyways the end result was gone in one day, thanks to a very picky eater who loves to gorge on these fast foods. She is my DD and has demanded another batch....

Kids I tell you are so unpredictable. What goes in their mind who knows? She even helped me, sprinkling cinnamon powder and caster sugar over the pastry. And also in melting chocolates in M/W.

More of a play thing for her than some serious stuff. We made these way back when DD had long winter holidays.

These are quick to make and a great way to engage your child if one has nothing to do any positive or creative work or some challenging brain sensitizing stuff.

Now to the recipe-

Petite Cinnamon Puffs

Recipe requirements

• 1 package puff pastry
• 3-4 tbs of cinnamon powder
• 3-5 tbs of caster sugar
• For the glaze
• ½ cup of milk
• 2 tbs of double cream
• 3-4 tbs of icing sugar

Method

• Line up a baking tray with grease proof paper.
• Preheat oven at 175 deg C.
• Cut the sheet into half.Roll out little bit to spread it out. Sprinkle generously cinnamon powder+caster sugar.
• From one end start rolling the sheet towards middle. When you have reached to the middle, start working from the opposite end coming towards the middle of the sheet. The shape will look elephant ears.
• Now you can refrigerate it for half an hour to firm up the shape. I didn’t this time.
• Bake the petite puffs for 20 mints or just barely golden. Take out and let them cool a bit.
• Now make the glaze
• Mix in milk,cream and icing sugar very well.

• Drizzle this over the cooled petite palmiers.If you wish you can drizzle chocolate as well.
• I happen to put some chocolate shavings this time.
• Serve as snacks or breakfast accompaniment what ever way you prefer.

Sending the picture below to Susan's Black and White Wednesday......... at The Well Seasoned Cook.

Happy Cooking Friends

Sweet Corn Khasta Kachori and Black and White Wednesday

It’s generally simple roti/chappati for us on most of the nights as part of our dinner menu.And occasionally some parathas especially aloo, or gobhi or methi or gajar etc as winter has started in our neck of woods. And even once in a while keema paratha.I have seen my ma and ma-in-law making enormous efforts during winter to make koraishutir kachori/green peas kachoris.So, every winter when we do get fresh green peas pods, we have seen many afternoons being spent shelling peas together amidst some gossip and tea.

But with fast paced life, everything has become so instant. Instant mashed potato, dissolve warm water and it’s ready. Instant coffee, dissolve warm water and a cup of cappuccino is ready. Put frozen potato bites in oven and it’s ready in minutes. Green vegetables all neatly chopped and cut and sealed in a bag, ready to be eaten or stir/fried.
You need mango in winter, no problem, get back home canned and sliced mango or use a can of pureed mango, all available entire year. And if I have to list frozen food, my lists will never going to end. You need green peas, and then go to a supermarket and come back home with packaged frozen green peas or for that matter sweet corn.

.
Well, it does save time and our efforts in kitchen so that we can juggle our professional life and family time and do things which almost a decade ago was never heard off. Read here blogging and social networking. But with every milestone there comes some prices to pay.
When I try to recall some memories from past, I do miss those healthy interactions with family members, a little chit-chat, some neighborhood gossip while shelling peas, you know when all the kakimas, jethimas or mashimaas, cousins, nieces etc would gather around a table and start shelling peas amidst all the talking.
Then somebody would come up with hot fried onion fritters and tea. Or even sometimes would be healthy sibling rivalry where one would compete with brothers and sisters about piling up heaps of shelled peas at a stretch.

Small Pleasures, but it did give us great happiness; and I am sure which a frozen packet of green peas or sweet corn can’t bring along with it.
This time, I didn’t have options, so end up using frozen sweet corn for these Khasta Kachoris.

( "Kachoris" are kind of a pastry stuffed with any dry filling mainly vegetables and then deep fried in oil.Although the shape is different but it's quite similar like a Mexican Empanadas is or perhaps a Italian Calzone is  , but it's then deep fried and not baked.)


You can make it and pack it when you are traveling in trains or by car.And even give them in your kid’s lunch-box as once -in –a- while- savoury treat.

Sweet corn khasta kachuri/kachori 
Recipe requirements
For The stuffing of kachuri

Roughly 3-4 cups of frozen sweet corn
1 inch ginger
1 tsp of cumin powder
2-3 green chilies
1 large onion (optional)
1 tsp of red pepper powder
¼ tsp of grounded turmeric
2 tsp of dried oregano or carom seeds powder (Ajvain in Hindi, Jowan in Bengali)
½ tsp of salt
Pinch of hing/asafetida

For the dough
3-4 cups of whole wheat flour/atta
1/2 tsp of baking soda
salt
1-2 tsp of cooking oil (moyen )

Method

• Take sweet corn in M/W safe dish and Microwave at high for 1-2 mints till they turn soft.
• Let it cool a little bit, transfer sweet corn in the mixer jar, and add in ginger, green chillies, onion, red pepper powder, grounded turmeric, cumin powder.TIP- you can add in freshly toasted cumin seeds if you wish to get a nice aroma of cumin. Many a times I do like to add whole black pepper when I am not using green chilies. That addition of black pepper gives a different flavor. Pulse through till they turn out little coarse. I do generally like to make a coarse paste rather than smooth paste as it leaves some crunchy bites after the kachori is fried. If you do wish to make niramish (vegetarian kachuri during one of the festive season, then skip adding onions)
• Now add 2-3 tbs of cooking oil, add the above made coarse paste. Add hing as well.
• Now fry the paste for 8-10 mints till it becomes dry and leaves oil by the side. If you need to add more oil then do so.
• Take out when it’s almost dry and have become quite dark. It will take 10-15 mints at med-high flame. Check in between if they do not get stuck.
• Now knead the dough for the kachori.Take about 4-5 cups of whole wheat flour or atta. Generally a Bengali kachori is made with refined flour, but I have always seen in my Upean friend’s home, they do like to use atta/whole wheat flour for making kachori. I end up using atta in this case.
• Add in about ½ tsp of baking soda and salt to make the kachoris all crunchy and kasta.If you think you want a soft kachori then do not use baking soda but knead the dough very well up to a palpileable consistency.
• Add 1-2 tbs of oil (moyen ) and knead well with splashing little bit of water in between. Set aside and cover it. Let it sit for 2-4 hrs before you start making kachori.
• Divide the kneaded dough into small balls, size of a golf ball. Roll one small ball with rolling pin, place the stuffing in middle and seal the sides working with your palms. Again roll while dusting with some flour, into small disc.
• Ok, now after that, heat up a saucepan, add oil up to half. I do not have any kadai or wok, so end up using flat saucepan. However, I would strongly suggest using kadai/deep bottom pan or wok for frying kachoris, as this gives ample space to kachoris and they do fry well.
• Now take out when both the sides have become golden to light brown. Place them over tissue paper so that it soaks up extra oil. Keep on frying rest of the kachoris.Serve warm with some chutney or aloo ki sabzi.

Sweet Corn Khasta Kachuri and hot tea, heaven !!

( "Kachoris" are kind of a pastry stuffed with any dry filling mainly vegetables and then deep fried in oil.Although the shape is different but it's quite similar like a Mexican Empanadas is or perhaps a Italian Calzone is  , but it's then deep fried and not baked.)

and kachoris in B/W mode.Today is wednesday so sending this to Susan's Black and White Wednesday.....

Happy Cooking Friends

Black and White Wednesday- Steamed

Well, it’s another Wednesday and time for a new Black and White Wednesday.

Steamed foods are healthy and nutritious. These are steamed ridge gourd. I just loved the steam coming out from this hot, steamed ridge gourd bringing alive the food. With bare minimum ingredients-A dash of salt, mustard oil for the kick and this taste heaven –crunchy-munchy and healthy.

and this is the colour version

Sending this to Susan’s Black and White Wednesday.........


Happy Cooking

Black and White Wednesday - Vegetable Market

We were visiting Cardiff , capital of Wales, for the first time about a year ago. There we came across Cardiff Market .Being a foodie and a food blogger; these fresh vegetables caught my eyes. If you happen to visit Cardiff, don’t forget to check this market which sells fresh vegetables and local food at reasonable price.

and this is the colour version of the same picture

Sending this to Susan’s Black and White Wednesday ............

Happy Cooking Friends

Black and White Wednesday - Carrot Soup

I have tried to capture black and white photos rarely but whenever I did I was amazed how it changes the basic mood of the picture.

Below photo was taken in colored mode but changed into black and white thro Windows picture editing software.And I never knew carrot soup can look so elegant in black and white mode.

I do not own a professional camera or DSLR, so hopefully I have tried my best to do full justice in capturing this picture.

Sending this photo to Susan’s lovely food event details Here , which is a very popular food event  in food blogging world.

Recipe Coming Soon ....

Happy Cooking Friends