Chicken Cutlets

Autumn invokes warmth and the familiarity associated with festivity. With harvest festival Halloween end of this month in western hemisphere and in other part of the hemisphere Navaratri and Deepawali in tows, autumn season has become even more happening and beautiful.

Next four days are very busy for every Bengali as its Durga Pujo.

Let me wish everyone Shubh Navaratri and Happy Durga Pujo. Enjoy and celebrate with good food in good company.

These chicken cutlets have turned out delicious and you can try out making them. These are great as starters and makes great accompaniment with Pulao and Korma.
More Durga Pujo recipes over Here.

Now to the recipe

Chicken Cutlets

Recipe Requirements

• Roasted chicken- ( recipe link )300 gms
• 1 big purple onion
• 5-6 green chillies
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped coriander leaves
• Spices and seasoning
• 2 tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp of cumin powder
•  1 tsp of garam masala
• ½ tsp of cinnamon powder
•  2 tsp of red pepper powder
• 2 tsp of freshly grounded black pepper
• ½ tsp of ajwain (carom) seeds
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
•  2-3 tbs of cooking oil for pan frying

Method

• Chop onion, garlic and green chillies.
• Take roasted chicken in a bowl. Add all of the chopped onions, garlic and green chillies into it.
• Add salt, red pepper powder, coriander powder, garam masala and freshly grounded black pepper, cinnamon powder and cumin powder. Add in finely chopped coriander leaves.Mix them well with hands.
• Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour so that the mixture gets firmer and it will be easy to shape up patties. Divide the mixture into 5-6 portions and shape them like patties.
• Put a non-stick tava/skillet on flame at medium flame.
• Drop about a tsp of oil. Tava fry them for about 3-4 mints at medium flame have a nice dark brown crust.
• Take out and serve.

Happy Cooking Friends. And Sobaike Sharodiya Shubecha-  শারদীয়া শুভেচ্ছা  ও প্রীতি সবাইকে। পুজো খুব ভালো কাটোগ সবাইকার। Happy Durga Pujo !! 

Mint Alfalfa sprouts Cherry tomato and Roasted Chicken Salad

A healthy snack can be a salad as well. This mint, alfalfa sprouts and roasted chicken salad fits in to this category perfectly. If you have some-left over chicken you can use up in this salad as well. Alfalfa sprouts are considered rich in minerals and have multiple health benefits. Mint leaves gives a nice aromatic flavour to this salad. This salad can be paired up with Mexican Burritos as sides or you can make them as main dish as well, just increase roasted chicken pieces to add lean proteins in to this salad.

Here is how you can assemble the salad

Mint Alfalfa sprouts Cherry tomato and Roasted Chicken salad

Serves- 2-3

Recipe requirements

• 5-6 mint twigs
• About half cup of alfalfa sprouts
• About quarter cup of garlic sprouts
• 1 cup of cherry tomato or 12-15 cherry tomatoes cut into half
• 1 cup of roasted chicken small bite-size pieces

Method

• Take out fresh leaves from mint twigs. Clean mint leaves, alfalfa and garlic sprouts well in water.
• Chop mint leaves finely. Chop roasted chicken in to bite size pieces (I have used chicken breast portions from  this  roasted chicken recipe).
• In a big mixing bowl, add in mint leaves, alfalfa and garlic sprouts.
• Add in cherry tomatoes cut in to half to the above.
• Add in roasted chicken and mix well all.
• Adjust seasoning with salt.
• Add in 1 tsp of olive oil and toss well.
• Serve and enjoy with some burritos or quesadillas as sides.

Happy Cooking Friends 

Home-made pizza recipe

The colourful autumn season is upon us and this brings such vibrancy to our monotonous routine over here. A leisure stroll into the parks and you are surrounded with such vibrant and colorful display. Sometimes, all you need is these little moments, moments where you can rejuvenate yourselves.

Time to bounce back to activity as with fall season, many recipes need to be tried and tasted. Baking and then of course soup preparations are all lined up these past days in our home. How about your home? What recipes you have been cooking this fall season?

It’s almost weekend so thought of posting a home-made pizza recipe. This pizza recipe had been our escape-route, when ever we don’t feel like going for the take-away pizza. And in due course of time, we have almost stopped doing pizza take-always these days. But, then when you have this craving for cheesy pizza, mid-week or weakened is just an excuse, right?

For us when it’s a pizza day, that means it’s a family day as we all work together, kneading the dough, chopping the vegetables and choosing the toppings. My dear husband and dear daughter- duo also equally share responsibility in making the pizza that day.Ok that’s another excuse for a laid –back time off for me.

This recipe has worked well for us many times. This has been worked and tweaked many times, as with the use of making with white bread flour, whole wheat; plain-flour etc, all resulted in different types of pizza dough recipes. But what worked best is the use of self raising flour mixed with fine semolina flour. I really liked the tip of adding semolina to the pizza dough as suggested by Jamie Oliver in his website as this gives a brilliant texture to the usual pizza dough. But from then onwards this pizza dough recipe has been modified with self raising flour. I am sure with bread flour it will be little different.

Anyways, this is our recipe now as we only make the pizza dough with self raising and semolina flour mixture but the toppings keeps on changing, even the flavouring part as well. Some days it’s chicken tikka flavor, and some days it has Caribbean influence.And even some days we see ourselves having veggie pizza with mushroom,bell peppers, onion and even asparagus.

Here is how we made the pizza dough recipe

Home-Made Pizza with Caribbean Flavour

Recipe Requirements

12 oz or 1 and ½ cups of self raising flour

4 oz or ½ cup of fine semolina

½ tsp of salt or as per taste

2 tsp of oil

2 tsp of sugar

3 tsp of active dried yeast

Lukewarm water about a cup or as per needed for kneading

For the toppings of the pizza

1 cup of sliced Jamaican Jerk Chicken pieces- recipe is Over Here

About 1 cup of chopped mushroom

½ cup of chopped onions

2-3 West Indian red pepper sliced

Any other vegetables of your choice

3-4 heaped tbs of any pasta sauce

 2 cups of mozzarella cheese or pizza cheese

Method

In a big mixing bowl – mix in self raising flour+fine semolina. Make a well in the centre and now we will add salt, sugar and oil. Add in active dry yeast and mix well. No need to prepare the yeast separately.

Now with the help of Luke-warm water, start mixing in the dry ingredients and knead till it starts to come together well.

Keep this dough covered with a damp cloth for about 2-3 hrs to rise and puff up. Don’t worry if it turns out sticky or very soft.

After about 3 hrs when you see the dough has puffed up well or technically have risen well.

Then on clean and spacious surface sprinkle enough self raising flour, start kneading the dough on this, about 15-20 mints. The hands motion should be going outside while pressing the dough to flatten it and then roll back the dough. Repeat the process and keep on kneading this way. If required sprinkle more flour so that it doesn't gets sticky.

After a while of kneading the pizza dough, you will see the dough starts to collect well and the stickiness is gone, also the dough turned soft and smooth. Now press a finger tip over the dough, it should feel soft and smooth, the pizza dough is almost ready.

Keep this further resting for about 1 hr. Now divide this into two equal portions.You can increase the flour quantity to make 4 portions as well.

Now while the dough is resting, cut and chop the desired vegetable as toppings.

Roll the dough at least about at the time when you are ready to eat it about half an hour just before that. As the baking time is roughly 15 mints and also the preparation time is 10-12 mints.

Roll out into a flat sphere considering the width you want for your pizza base and smear pasta sauce; any pasta sauce. Place chopped vegetables over it. I have used West Indian red pepper which has a very fiery hot flavor as toppings for that Caribbean influence.

Now preheat an oven at 190 deg C. Bake the pizza for about 6-7 mints. Take it out and sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella cheese over it and again bake it for 7-8 mints. Take out and have it.

You can even make the dough in bulk and store in deep fridge. And when you are ready to eat, then take it out and allow it thaw for about 1-2 hrs, then roll and add your preferred toppings and bake.

Enjoy your weekend with home-made pizza recipe.

Happy Cooking Friends

Spinach Mushroom Onion Baked Frittata- " Nonta Cake"

I find myself often puzzled when I need to make breakfast on early mornings and that too on Sunday. Now usually it’s chirer pulao/poha  or upma-“the nonta suji ” most of the times or many times banana pancake, or some blueberry banana muffins and oh!  How can I forget chocolate muffin, without that the world would crumble like Adele’s sky fall. And then sometimes a frittata is also made out of blue. As we the grown-ups are little averse of eating so many eggs and cheese together, but it’s for our dear daughter who likes these new kinds of recipes a lot. 

Her “nonta cake” as she calls it fondly, has been made couple of times now with obviously her choice of vegetables. Actually this was being one of the reasons I started to make frittata to develop her interest in eating vegetables. She was not into eating spinach and some of the vegetables, so told her about “Popeye” and his spinach eating antics. She said, “Are you joking Ma!!”  I am not going to eat spinach puree-yuck! And who eats that gooey green puree these days, it’s just the cartoon character and the fictional story, seriously? Kids I tell you are way much advanced than we were as kids and the conversation stopped there. Although couple of days ago when I made palak-paneer, it was all gone- two picky eaters that I have in our home, finished their share quickly, helping themselves for second times. And I told dear daughter, “Hey! Hey! I see with my eyes, somebody eating spinach puree just like Popeye does”. To that she told me, “I know but I don’t mind eating spinach puree as long as it has paneer with it, the white paneer, not the fried -panner which you generally tend to add in palak gravy!! Even Popeye can eat palak paneer sometimes for a change, and I think it can be much better option than the canned spinach puree”. Well I can only imagine “Popeye’ eating Palak paneer with kulcha or naan and drinking a glass full of lassi in a famous Punjabi dhaba for the time being, then smile and be happy for it.

Coming back to frittata recipe, well spinach leaves, mostly the baby spinach leaves is what I like to use in this frittata recipe, along with some chopped fresh coriander leaves, mushroom, onions, cherry tomatoes, some times even zucchini. So mix and match of the vegetables is the motto here but the base recipe remains the same. Someday try this “nonta cake” for a change as breakfast or brunch whatever suits your time.

Now to the recipe

 Spinach Mushroom Onion Frittata- 

Recipe requirements

• 100 Gms of baby spinach leaves or 1bunch of tender spinach leaves
• About 2 cups of chopped mushroom
•  1 medium size onion
• 10-12 sweet cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup of shredded cabbage 
• 1/2 cup of chopped spring onions
• 1/2 cup of chopped coriander leaves
• 1 cup of mild cheddar cheese preferably grated
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp of crushed red chilly flakes
• 1 tsp of dried oregano 
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• 4-5 free range large eggs
• ¼ cup of self raising flour
• ¼ cup of milk
• ½ cup of cooking oil

Method

• Preheat an oven at 175 deg C.
• Chop mushroom, onions,cabbage, coriander leaves,spring onions and tomatoes roughly . Heat up a saucepan, add cooking oil just enough to sauté the vegetables. Stir/fry the vegetables for 4-5 mints .Season them with salt and red pepper powder,crushed red chilly flakes and dried oregano. Add in spinach leaves, now no need to fry them along with other vegetables, they will tend to get cooked with the heat stir/fried vegetables has. Take off the fry pan now.
• In a large mixing bowl, add in self raising flour, half of the cheese. Now whisk in eggs one by one with a spoon gently. Do not beat them. Many times I also add ricotta cheese when I am short of cheddar cheese or use both in combination.
• Now fold in the fried vegetables and eggs flour cheese mixture gently. At this time if it becomes sticky, then add milk just enough so that you can mix well all.
• Now prepare a rectangular baking pan or any deep dish suitable for oven baking, grease some oil over it now transfer the entire contents of vegetable flour eggs cheese mixture to baking pan.
• Sprinkle generous amount of left-over cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese what ever cheese you like on top.
• Bake it for 25-30 mints or till a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in to the middle of this frittata or the frittata is well set.Please check your own oven settings and make of the oven for proper baking.

Note-

Usually in spongy and  light frittata recipes, flour is not added but I tend to add flour to it, to make it even more filling and dense. This has been part of our weekend brunch menu for quite a long time; vegetables do keep on changing though, many times only made with onions and potatoes. Many times I don’t saute the vegetables if I am running short of time and patience.

Generally in breakfast other than eggs we don’t eat meat or chicken, but grilled chicken pieces or chicken kebabs or if  people who like meat, then meat pieces can also be added to make it even more filling and delicious. It can be made as part of dinner menu as well or can even be divided into edible portions and served as starters in get-together also. Options to make frittata remain limitless, and this can be a great way of incorporating any left-over recipes as well.

Other Breakfast recipes/ideas  here-

Eggles Walnut Dates Bread

Pear Pancake

Matar Kachori and Chana ki sabzi

Yogurt and Cereal

Banana pancake

Porota and aloor torkari

Happy Cooking Friends

Chicken Chick Pea and Sweet Corn Pulao

The onset of autumn invokes a sudden gush of chill inside, kind of making you awake from your slumber and prepares you for the winter ahead. Couple of weeks ago, I took out our winter clothes. I had seen my parents how earnestly every autumn, they would take out all woolies, blankets and quilts/rajai/lep, from store room or attic and then they would sun-bathed them for the entire day out on the terrace of our home.

We would say that “ro-od poano” in Bengali and in the night we would then snuggle up, with the warmth of that sun-bathed quilt or blanket. Trying to relive those moments, I did put the winter coats and jackets on hangers and placed them on drying lines and put them near the balcony window of our apartment. Now as a small knit society building, we are not allowed to hang clothes outside in our balcony. But thankfully there are couple of windows in our apartment and the one giant balcony door from where sun-rays stream in, striking beautifully against the wooden floor. All this winter season provided if it's sunny and shiny,I have decided whenever I will see the opportunity to do this, will do it again.

Anyhow, and no matter how hard I try layering up myself with warm clothes and clinging on to the old monkey cap I have, whenever I see barren trees and branches, I start to feel the cold even more. Oh it’s the Bengali in side me who is afraid of winter nothing else!! Jokes apart but to be honest winter is the most glamorous season also. You know when you see a lady or a gentleman wearing classic coat with matching scarf and gloves, you know it will fathom a lot of attention. All eyes glued to it, gives you kind of a Casa Blanca moment, blown away. Anyhow glamorize or to de-glamorize yourself is a personal choice and one should always follow ones heart even if the outside world feels the other way, but at the same time maintaining a sense of decency.

Somebody told me couple of years ago “Cooking is also an art” just like dressing up oneself !! The way you choose the freshest of all ingredients, carefully chop and cut it, then stir/fry it at appropriate temperature and then choosing the cutlery to serve it...It all conjour upto the grand finale or the product that you are making or cooking for.”

And sometimes when you want to quickly finish doing your “piece of art” and also do not want to compromise on creating healthy meal, which should also satisfy the artist inside you, then one-pot meals are the best. Don’t know about you, but for an everyday cook like me “pieces of art” means edible food or a normal meal you can cook in comfy of your home with the freshest ingredients available in your panty. I wouldn’t say I don’t like to explore, making exotic cuisine but to me a one pot meal or a dal with warm cooked rice is far better than those exotic ingredients which creates a dish never heard of.

I have always liked one-pot meal , once made then served quickly and ready to be eaten, from saucepan direct to serving bowl or plate. This chicken, chick peas and sweet corn pulao is one such one-pot meal.

Now to the recipe

Chicken Chick peas and Sweet corn pulao

Recipe requirements( Serves 4-5 )

• 1 and half cup of basmati rice/gobindo bhog chal/sona masoori
•  2 cups of Roasted chicken breast or niblets pieces- Recipe here
• 1 can of chick peas or 2 cups of pre-cooked chick peas
• 1 cup of sweet corn
• 1 medium size tomato
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic
• 1 tsp of ginger grated
• For seasonings and tempering
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• ½ tsp of cardamom powder
• ½ tsp of cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 2-3 dry red pepper
• 2 tej patta or bay leaf
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 cardamoms whole
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 2-3 tbs of cooking oil/sada tel

Method

• Soak the rice in water for 10 mints then wash it properly with water about two to three times. Drain the excess water.
• Chop tomato, onion, garlic and ginger. Pre- cook chick peas in pressure cooker for two whistles or you may use chick pea from cans. Put the sweet-corn kernels with enough water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at high for 2 mints or till they turn soft.
• Now heat up a saucepan, add in cooking oil, add in dry red pepper and tej patta, cloves and cardamom and star anise.
• Add in chopped onions, garlic and ginger.Fry till the rawness is gone about 4-5 mints at med-high flame.
• Now add in chick peas, chicken roast pieces – (For the recipe of roast chicken, you can find details Heree ) and sweet corn. Add all the seasonings- red pepper powder, cardamom, cinnamon powder, salt and sugar.
• Now add in tomato and keep on frying till tomatoes turn soft and pulpable.If required splash some water over it.
• Now add in rice and coat well this mixture over rice. Do not stir/fry vigorously, use a gentle hand and try to stir just few times otherwise rice grains will tend to break.
• When the rice grains become shiny and all the masala is coated well. Add in about 2 cups of water or put the level of water at least two fingers high above the rice mixture level.
• Let it cook for about 10-12 mints or till the water is absorbed. When the rice has swelled up absorbing the flavor and water, switch off the gas/turn off the hob and transfer the saucepan to cool off. Let it sit there for half an hour and then open the saucepan lid. Sprinkle a tsp of lemon juice now and mix well.
• Transfer this saucepan to the dinning table now. You can even make this pulao beforehand and reserve it to serve later on. Just reheat this in oven at 175 deg for 10 mints, covered or microwave it for 3-4 mints. I would suggest oven reheat method is better than microwave reheat method for pulao.
• Any raita or a gravy based curry like Shahi Korma , makes it even more filling and great meal accompaniments.

Hope you all had a lovely Thanks Giving Day and today hopefully you all in US are gearing up for the "Black Friday".Enjoy this weekend...

And thank you all for being part of my small world and encouraging me to write more with your kind words here.

Happy Cooking 

Curried Pasta with Green Beans

Weather is nice and sun is shinning in this part of the world, many say it’s unusual for them in the month of March here. But who really cares about that as long as we get to enjoy this rare and nice weather. That leaves me astonished; I never took weather seriously back home, except just for the entertainment pur se when DD Doordarshan would broadcast the weather updates. But here I do follow weather and check the daily temperatures and especially on weekends.

On Monday, generally I don’t feel like cooking up storms in my kitchen, the weekend laid back attitude find its way up to Monday evening. With DD and DH in school and in office, I do tend to become lazy bones. Many a times I do make quick one-pot meals like a simple vegetable pulao, and sometimes even experimenting with other cuisines. Even better if I happen to have some left over stuff, left from the previous night meal, is sufficient for me. Sunday night is most of the times “pasta night” for us. All sorts of pastas and made in many different ways.

This pasta recipes is not exotic, but a very basic recipe made with Indian spices. Many will like to call it fusion cooking. Italian pasta cooked with Indian spices-like apna desi style… does this reminds you a famous celebrity/political marriage!!

Curried Pasta with Green Beans
Recipe requirements
About 2-3 large cups of cooked pasta
For the curry which forms the sauce for this pasta recipe
Green beans about 2 cups chopped roughly
1 medium size onions
2 medium size tomatos
2 garlic pods
½ tsp of ginger grated
Vegetables as per your choice about 1 cup
2-3 tbs of cooking oil /olive oil/canola oil/corn oil
Seasonings
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of red pepper powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp of cumin seeds

Method
Cook pasta according to package directions. Run some cold tap water over cooked pasta or drizzle some oil over it, pastas will tend to loosen up and will not become soggy.
Now put saucepan/fry pan over stove-top. Add cooking oil; temper it with cumin seeds. Now add in chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Keep on frying them till onions become little translucent.
Now add chopped beans, tomato and vegetables as per your choice. Many times I do add broccoli, sweet corn and carrots. If you want more gravy then add one more tomato. I also like to add about ½ cup of finely chopped coriander leaves at this time.
Now add the seasonings- turmeric powder, red pepper powder, coriander powder, salt.
Fry all the above for 6-7 mints at med-high or till all vegetables are cooked.
Now add in cooked pasta, toss and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with some cheese if you prefer that way.

Happy Cooking Friends

Mini Naan Pizza with Mushroom and Red Bell Pepper

What would I say? There are recipes which won’t go wrong even if you carelessly put the ingredients and toss it in hurry. And then you will find that you have become habitual of doing it even with closed eyes. Little bit exaggeration, I know , but trust me this mini naan pizza is what I was referring to.And I don’t need to do take-away for pizza during weekends and that is where this recipe scores.So, DH and DD always do a "Farmaish" every weekend for these cute and lip-smacking mini naan pizza.

Left-over naan is used as base for the pizza. And I would say I hardly noticed any difference between the boxed pizza and this fresh home –made pizza. My two cents - this home-made fresh pizza tastes way better than those boxed pizzas.
And plus point is that you know what toppings you want to add and how much to add. So, make it vegetarian or non-vegetarian, choices and possibilities are endless. All you need is to open your fridge door and see what fresh vegetables you have in stock. Take out and chop it the way you prefer it and pop it in oven and within half an hour your quick dinner or appetizer is ready.
Even if you want to entertain your guest and is tired of serving the same chicken tikka or panner tikka as starters/appetizers, I would say serve these as a new addition to your party menu.Mini Nan pizza is just awesome. What more I need to add to that.....

Mini Naan pizza with Mushroom and Red Bell pepper
Recipe requirements
(Serves -3-4)

• Small naan-6- recipe Here
• For the topping
• 1 cup of chopped mushroom
• 1 bell pepper chopped in rings
• 1 onion cut into rings
•  Mozzarella cheese  
• Seasonings
• 1 tsp of crushed red chilly flakes
• 1 tsp of mixed herb
• 3-4 tbs of pasta sauce
• Salt as per taste

Method

• Preheat oven at 180 deg C.
• Now line up a baking tray with foil or grease proof paper.
• Place the mini naan in baking tray.
• Spread the pasta sauce generously.
• Now spread chopped vegetables accordingly.
• Adjust the seasonings with salt, mixed herb and red chilly flakes. If making this for kids avoid red chilly flakes. But I would say encourage them to add at the serving table. Red chilly flakes do add great flavors to hot pizzas.
• Now bake it for 10 mints.
• Take out and spread mozzarella cheese or any pizza cheese generously.
• Transfer again in oven and bake further 15-20 mints or the cheese melts and is browned a little bit.
• Serve with cola.

Note-

• Toppings can be any thing depending on the choices you make. Use leftover chicken tikka/grilled fish/grilled paneer etc.
• Mini Naan pizza is great way to entertain your guest even. Prepare it before your guest arrive and reheat it for 5-7 mints at 180 deg C and serve immediately.
• This can be included in party menu for Holi this week.

Happy Cooking Friends

The Year That Was- Bye-Bye 2011- Welcome 2012

Another fabulous year coming to end soon. And as a customary for the past years or so like in  2008, and in 2009 and last in  2010 , just thought of posting a recap of recipes this year as well. Sending this post to Srivalli's Best of the year-2011 food event  .One food event I really look forward to.

In case you have missed any post, this is perfect time to catch up with those missed post.Also my food blog turned 5 this year.So, many things have happened and I tried many new things, many new meal ideas and cuisine.

Starting in reverse order from the very first post in the year 2011,

1. Lentil soup with Bengali touch- a simple urid dal /korai’er dal with a soupy texture. A perfect bowl of soup to warm up the cold evening.Recipe Link
2. Creamed Spinach tomato and Chestnut soup- a  healthy soup to warm up a cold evening with toasted chestnut for a change.Recipe link
3. Traditional pati sapta- Pati sapta made from scratch with basmati rice. If you are little experimental then can check kheer patisapta recipe as well.Recipe Link
4. Mungfali ki chikki/badam chakti/peanut brittle- Well these are quick snack preparations in case a hunger pangs strike you at odd hours of the day. Give it to your lil ones lunch box as sweet treat or pack it in your travel bag, where ever you go these will remain with you ready to be eaten.Recipe Link
5. Runner beans cooked in mustard sauce- shorshe runner beans, an easy side dish to make in hurry.Recipe Link
6. Aloo Marrow’er Ghaint- Marrow is a kind of vegetable belonging to squash family I guess, so the texture this end up is kind of very mushy in any sabzi.Marrow ki sabzi or ghaint in Bengali is one flavorful recipe that can be very well paired up with luchi or paratha.Recipe Link
7. Vegetarian oats aloo ki tikki- Oats are a healthy option, a very basic aloo ki tikki is enhanced and made healthier by adding quick oats to it. And who doesn’t love tikki chaat right? Recipe Link
8. Eggless Banana Chocolate Muffin- this is one of my DD‘s favorite muffins and is eggless too.Recipe Link
9. Poha ladoo/rice flakes ladoo- When some cravings suddenly creep up, have this healthy crunchy poha ladoo.Recipe Link
10. Oven baked tilapia in coconut milk and tomato sauce- a very quick fish curry with coconut milk and tomato sauce.Recipe Link
11. Mango flavored sponge cake- a simple vanilla sponge cake is made more flavorful by adding mango puree to it.Recipe Link
12. Cream of chicken and mushroom soup- a classic soup made in comfy of a relaxed home environment, a soup to fill your heart with much warmth in the cold season.Recipe Link
13. Gajar halwa- I don’t think I need to add any write up to it!! Recipe Link
14. Pineapple banana coconut coffee cake- one of the best cakes I have ever made in my entire life.So you can guess about that cake.Recipe Link
15. Sea bass with cauliflower- an experimental take on traditional bhetki phulkopir torkari as the texture of sea bass is quite similar to our very own bhekti fish.Recipe Link
16. Fish keema curry- Mach’er keema with loads of spices and flavors.Recipe Link
17. Fish shammi kababs- a classic kabab recipe with fish as the main ingredient.Recipe Link
18. Banana blueberry walnut loaf- very delicious breakfast bread.Recipe Link
19. Keema kofta curry- Chicken mince balls in spicy and tangy sauce.Recipe Link
20. Spicy sea bass and lentil curry- Masoor dal fritters and sea bass fish curry with tomato, a perfect way to brighten your lunch table with warm cooked rice.Recipe Link
21. Choto aloor dom- Baby potatoes in spicy tomato gravy.Recipe Link
22. Wheat bulgur pilaf with chick peas- inspired by Turkish cuisine.Recipe Link
23. Bori sojne data diye pona mach’er jhaal- Fish curry with wadis and drumsticks.Recipe Link
24. Lobia curry- black eye bean in spicy gravy.Recipe Link
25. Koi mach’er jhaal- To me Koi fish is quite exotic as we don’t get fresh supply of this fish back home, but we do get it easily here.Recipe Link
26. Paka amer ambol- ripened mango sweet sour chutney.Recipe Link
27. Mach’er dim ‘er jhal- fish roe curry a very flavorful recipe.Recipe Link
28. Tartar sauce- made with Indian touch, can be a great dip with shammi kababs .Recipe Link
29. Curried mushroom tortilla wrap- When in no mood to cook, these wraps saves my day. .Recipe Link  
30. Carrot soup- a healthy soup to brighten our day.Recipe Link
31. Fried rice with yellow peas and carrots- left –over rice is used in a very innovative way of frying and spicing it up with yellow peas and carrots.Recipe link
32. Tomato chicken- a very tangy and flavorful chicken curry in spicy tomato gravy.Recipe link
33. Wheat flour ladoo- Atta ladoo a healthy alternative to besan ladoos in case you wish to try it out.Recipe link
34. Apple pear oats smoothie- a request and a cute one from my DD and the result was this smoothie.Recipe link
35. Sea bream fish curry- never made anything with sea bream before i tried making thisSo, was not sure how it will end up but to my surprise this was something a really great discovery for us, the fish and the curry which it goes with it.Now a frequent in our menu plans.Recipe link . also completed five years in food blogging.
36. Dal chicken pilaf- This recipe is inspired by kedgeree where fish is used with lentils and rice. Instead of fish I have used left over pieces of roasted chicken and dal.Recipe link
37. Egg curry made easy- dim’er jhal a classic Bengali recipe with absolutely no fry method.Recipe link
38. Sweet corn stuffed paratha- paratha with spicy sweet corn, an easy paratha for dinner or breakfast whatever way you prefer.Recipe link
39. Sweet corn kasta kachuri- traditional Upean nashta/breakfast recipe with sweet corn.Recipe link
40. Pan fried spiced haddock sandwich- a very filling lunch with haddock fish and Italian herbed cheese bread. A flavorful sandwich when you run out of options and are looking for some experimental recipe Recipe link .
41. Pearl barley soup- a very healthy and easy breezy soup for a very cold evening.Recipe link
42. Kolkata biryani and kosha murgi- my take on this very famous meal combo.Recipe link
43. Salmon fish curry- salmon fish curry with potato and red bell pepper.Recipe link
44. Chocolate chip muffin- an easy muffin recipe for any festive season.Recipe link
45. Christmas fruit cake- a non-alcoholic and kid friendly recipe for the traditional Christmas fruit cake recipe.Recipe link

I have finally created the much awaited sticky page – my food blog list. You can check it here
If you also want to be included to the food blog list just let me know, I will update the page.

All said and done, be safe in this New Year eve. Be responsible, do not mix alcohol and driving; remember some one is waiting for you in home.

Wish you and yours a very happy, prosperous, healthy and appetizing new year.

Happy Cooking Friends

Dal Chicken Rice Pulao/Pilaf - A Recipe With Left-Over Food

I am sure just like me; you all have different means of using the left-over food. If not, then perhaps there are times you wish you had clues how to use the left-over dal, left-over sabzis or anything related to our daily Indian cooking.
I have inherited this trait of never wasting food in any possible way or form. Have seen my Ma and my MIL putting the left-over food as some sort of a treasure in refrigerator so that they can consume it next day without wasting the food or "Anna" in Bengali. May be in the due process I tried to imbibe this trait from them. Well, these are sort of trade secrets passed from one generation to other may be. And I am still trying to build up the other possible ways to use up our left-over food.

What do you think a trifle can possibly be? If you have any portion of chocolate cake left and nobody in your home is in great mood to have that final portion of cake anymore. How would you like to use it, if not thinking of eating it all by yourself? Make Chocolate trifles, layer of a cake slice, then a berry fruit filling (which is nothing special- chop up some seasonal berries and make it sweetened with dash of packed brown sugar) then a layer of whipping cream or home-made thick custard and then top it up with chocolate shavings and viola, you are ready with a home-made instant chocolate trifle in just 10 mints to please your family and your guest sweet taste bud.

But this was very western way of utilizing left-over food, when I do talk about left-over food; I mean to say our everyday recipes like a dal, rice, sabzi or chicken pieces, kababs and paneer pieces etc.

From this post onwards, I will try to include more these types of recipes where one can use the left-over food with new innovative ways. I would say this practice of saving starts from the very basic level, you save a penny and that makes a pound one day. So, don’t take things lightly when you can really whip up some great food with whatever you have in your pantry for that particular day. In these days of recession, uncertainties and slow economy anything which you are saving will definitely going to reap benefits someday in future.

There are many occasions when we have left-over rice and is still not used as part of our dinner menu – you can check a recipe utilizing left-over rice Here) I would then meticulously pack it and refrigerate it in the night, so that next day when I make rice again, I can add that portion when the rice is bubbling or ready to be sieved. And I still do cook the rice by sieve the starch/water method, this way more flavor and rice feels very light, except when we crave for pulaos which is a different game here-then the slow/simmer method of cooking.

But I find that there are some times where I don’t know how to use the left-over food in any possible way. I had some left over chicken kababs and a large bowl of cooked masoor dal.This recipe is the outcome of that serious urge never to waste food .This is an amalgamation of some left-over food from our weekend cooking. So, I end up making this dal chicken pulao, a one pot meal for our Monday lunch. I would say this pulao has its very unique flavor due to masoor dal and chicken kababs.

Dal Chicken Rice Pulao/ Pilaf with left -over food
Serves-2-3 people
Recipe requirements
About 1 cup of Tandoori Chicken Kabab or 1 breast fillet or left over portions from this Roasted Baby Chicken
about 1 cup or 1 and a half cup of rice
1 and half cup of cooked masoor dal
Vegetables of your choice- I used green capsicum
1 medium onion
2 large pods of garlic
½ inch of ginger chopped
1 small tomato
2-3 tbs of yogurt
Seasonings
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp of red pepper powder
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of sugar
2-3 tbs of cooking oil

Method

• (Marinate the chicken pieces with little bit of turmeric, red pepper powder and salt. Leave aside for 10-15 mints.) or you can refer this Roasted Baby Chicken  recipe.Well I had made chicken pieces just like this the other day, so used the left-over portions.
• Meanwhile chop all the necessary vegetable for the dal chicken pulao.Clean the rice three-four times in clear water. Soak it up in water not more than 10 mints. Too much soaking in water can break the rice at frying time. Generally I like to soak up the rice at the initial most stage, meanwhile I prepare other things for pulao.It simply makes sufficient time for absorbing the water and then a last wash with water before adding rice for frying up.
• Chop onion, garlic and little bit of ginger.
• Add cooking oil, add in onions, garlic and ginger .Fry well for another 5-6 mints at high.
• Then add the vegetables you wish to add. I had green peas and green capsicum/bell pepper for a nice flavour.Then add in chopped tomato.
• Now add in soaked rice, fry well till the moisture dries up and rice turns out shining. Make sure you don’t break the rice grains while frying.Add in yogurt and all the seasonings.
• Add salt and sugar to adjust the taste.
• Now add 1 and half cup of cooked masoor dal.Here I have used the left-over masoor dal, left from yesterday night meal.
• Add the fried chicken pieces or use the left over kababs or portions left from roasted chicken pieces.You can use grilled portions of chicken breast pieces or paneer/tofu as well.
• Cover and cook at low till all the dal water is absorbed and rice is cooked well. Take off the pot over the flame.
• Let it sit for about 10-12 mints before you start serving. Serve along side some Raita and Salad. A perfect Monday lunch made in easy breezy way.
• Vegetarians can use Paneer/Tofu/ or other vegetables.

Happy Cooking Friends