Shorshe dim (egg curry in a mustard sauce)

About the food:

 A Long time ago, I was adventurous to try a new recipe of chicken curry with mustard sauce. The result was devastating. But not without a cause. During that time,I was a new bride, trying to impress my in-laws with my passion and expertise in cooking. Passionate I was about cooking, but that could not overcome my naivete. The measurement of the white and black mustard seeds went horribly wrong ( during that time there was no access to internet to seek advice), and the effect of heat from the dish found my guests either in tears or hiccuping or panting or rushing to the washroom. Since that shock, I stayed far away from the mustard sauce. But the other day, when I was absolutely bored with the mundane daily cooking, I thought of trying this recipe, but was extremely cautious about the proportions of mustard seeds. And to my delight, it turned out to be absolutely delicious, and definitely it would be in the table for my next round of guests.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4-6 medium or large eggs.
1 small bowl onion paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/2 tablespoon garlic paste
3-4 green chillies, slitted in half from the middle (if you like it hot)
1 pinch of turmeric powder
vegetable oil
5 tablespoon white mustard seed
3 tablespoon of black mustard seed ( you can vary the proportions of black and white mustard seeds, depending on how much heat you want. Remember, the black mustard seeds are much hotter that the white ones)
1/2 cup double cream
salt to taste


Method:

1. Hard boil the eggs and take the shells off. Heat 2-3 tablespoon of oil in a pan, and fry the eggs, until lightly golden. It would take about 2-3 minutes. Put them aside.

2. Mix the mustard seeds, mix a little water to it and grind them to a thick paste. You can also dry grind them to a powder, and mix water, little at a time, to make the paste. put a pinch of salt, and set it aside for about 10minutes. 

3. In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoon of oils, and once the oil is hot, add the green chillies, and the onion paste, and keep on cooking on a medium flame. Stir often, as the onion might stick to the pan. This part takes long, about 12 minutes or more, until the onions are brown and the oil separates out. You might add some more oil if the the onion become very dry. Add the ginger and garlic pastes after 5 minutes of adding the onion paste. Add turmeric powder and salt.

4. Once the paste separates out, add the mustard paste. Add 1 cup of water, mix and  gently bring it to simmer. The sauce should be a little thick. Add the double cream and mix well. Add the eggs to the pan, simmer for 1 minute, and pour in serving bowl.

4. Best served with hot plain rice.

Stuffed mushroom

About the food:

This food is a  part of continental cuisine, and is a versatile and excellent starter for a variety of occasions: be it a tea party, coctail party, light snacks for an evening or a sumptuous food for the vegetarians. I made this first time under the instructions of a foodie friend, as part of our christmas dinner. This dish is very easy to make, and with the crispiness of mushroom, flavour of parsley, aroma of garlic and smoothness of cheese, it is truly divine in taste. I simply loved this dish.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 big bowl of medium size cup mushrooms ( about 14-16 pieces)
2 tablespoon of black pepper powder
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 of bread crumbs
1 cup of medium cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup of chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
 salt, according to taste


Method:
1. Wash the mushrooms carefully in a bowl of hot water.

2. Cut out the mushroom sticks to give them a shape of small bowls. Reserve the sticks. In a bowl mix the olive oil, salt and black pepper, and rub them in the mushrooms.

3. Mix the breadcrumbs,cheese, the mushroom sticks, 2 tablespoon of olive oil, black pepper, salt and parsley leaves together. Blend then in a food processor or a mixer to form a fine mixture. Mix the chopped garlic with the mixture by hand.

4. Make small balls of the mixture and fill in the mushroom bowls, making them as smooth as possible by using  fingers.


5.Preheat an oven for 15 mins at 190 F. Arrange the mushrooms in a oven proof plate and bake it for about 20 minutes at 190F. Lots of water would come out the mushroom and they will shrink in size, and the crust would brown and become crispy.

6. Serve hot with tea or cocktails and enjoy!

Dal Tarka with egg

About the food:

This is a traditional North Indian dish, and is extremely popular. In any North Indian dhaba, you would be sure to find varieties of tarka served with roti or paratha (varieties of Indian style flat breads). A typical tarka is very hot and spicy, sprinkled with generous amount of chopped chillies and chopped coriander leaves. The marvel of this dish is that you can regulate the spices and make it milder or stronger according to your taste. You can also prepare it without eggs if you like.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 medium cups of green moong dal
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/2 tablespoon garlic paste
3-4 tablespoon vegetable oil
5/6 green chillies,chopped
3 medium eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon whole jeera (cumin) seeds
1 tablespoon jeera (cumin) powder
1 tablespoon dhania (coriander) powder
1 tablespoon garam masala powder ( a blend of cloves, cinnamon and cardamon)
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
1/2 bowl fresh coriander leaves chopped
1 tablespoon dried and crushed methi leaves
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons butter (optional)

salt, according to taste


Method:

1. Wash the moong dal 2-3 times with plain water and soak it in  hot water for about 2 hours. If you can plan ahead, soak it overnight.

2. Put double the amount of water to the dal, salt to taste and turmeric powder, and pressure cook for about 20 minutes. A pressure cooker is highly recommended, however, if you are not using a pressure cooker, then let the dal simmer in a pot over a low flame for about 45 minutes. Take care the dal does not stick to the base of the pot or burn. Add water if necessary. The dal when cooked would be very soft and could be mashed easily.

3. Heat a pan. Add the oil, and once it is heated, add the whole cumin. Let it crackle. Then add the onion and continue cooking until it is translucent. Add the ginger paste, and garlic paste and saute a little.Then add the chopped tomato, cook until a soft paste is formed. Add the cumin and coriander powder, red chilli powder,if using.

4. when the oil separates out from the pan, slowly add the boiled dal to the pan. Mix well. Season with salt. Pour the beaten eggs to the dal mix over a low flame, and mix well. It will thicken the dal. Add the methi leaves and garam masasla powder to the dal and mix well. 

5. Sprinkle chopped green chillies and mix well. Pour the dal in the serving bowl, put 2 tablespoon of butter and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve it hot with roti or paratha.

Muri Ghonto

About the food: 

Bengalis are crazy about fishes, specially sweet river fishes, and can not tolerate any part of a fish being wasted. Fish heads are often very difficult to eat, being very bony and dry, so the Bengalis had to invent some way to relish them. That gave birth to this delicious and novel dish, loved to bits by any fish lovers. Though being a Bengali, I am not a true fan of fishes, which is a shame even to admit. And living outside India for about a decade now, I have access to river fishes in frozen form only. Usually I would ask  the fishmongers to take the fish head off, and would secretly feel guilty about wasting it. Last month, when I had my in-laws from India visiting us, I thought of trying this dish, as I knew they would love it. Preparing this dish is a little messy, and you could smell very  fishy. After cooking this dish you might want to take a good shower. Muri ghonto is best with the head of a Rohu fish. This was my first try, and believe me or not, it had come up truly delicious.  

Preparation time: 15mins

Cooking time: 30 mins. 

Ingredients: (serves 4) 

1 head of a Rohu fish, broken in several pieces.

1 big onion, chopped.

2 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

4-5 green chillies, slit through the middle (or according to taste)

Mustard oil for shallow frying. (this gives the best taste, but sunflower/vegetable oil could                                     also be used)

seeds of 3-4 cardamom pods

4 cloves

2 inches cinnamon stick

1 bayleaf

1/2 tablespoon cumin power

1/2 tablespoon coriander power

1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder

1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder(mix of cloves, cinammon and cardamon)

2-3 potatoes, chopped in small cubes

1 tomato, chopped.

1/2 cup of basmati rice, washed and drained.

1 cup of water 

salt to taste

Method

1. Deep fry the chopped potatoes until golden and put it aside.

 2.Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder on the broken fish head and shallow fry in batches until golden brown. Make sure to turn the pieces on all sides.Remove from the pan.

3.Filter out the oil, and clean the pan. Heat the pan and add 2 tablespoon of the same oil. Add the whole cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bayleafs. Let them crackle and add the chopped onions and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the green chillies, tomatoes,  ginger paste,  garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste and mix well, stirring for about 2 mins. 

4. Break the fried fish heads with a fork, does not matter it becomes mushy.  Add them to the pan and mix well.

5. Add the the rice, and the water. The water has to be just the double of the rice, and this measure is very important. Lower the flame, cover the pan, and cook for about 12mins. Take care that the food does not stick to the pan or get burned. Sprinkle some water in needed.

6. when the water has dried up and the rice is cooked, remove in a serving dish. Sprinkle the garam masala powder and serve it warm.

Paneer and mix vegetables Polau-rice

About the food:  
I made this polau-rice after quite a bit of experimentation with the ingredients and the flavours. This one turned out to be absolutely brilliant, and I am absolutely happy with it. For sure, there are no fixed recipe for polau-rice, and it could be made in variety of ways. You can definitely play around with the recipe, and I would love to hear about any variations or alterations made. This recipe is really simple, and I hope you enjoy this.

Preparation time: 15 mins. 

Cooking time: 30 mins.


Ingredients: (serves 4) 

For Pilau-masala: (powdered spice)
5-6 cloves
5-6 cardamon pods
2 inches cinnamon stick
1/2 nutmeg
4-5 mace florets
4-5 black pepper seeds
1/2 teaspoon shah jeera (optional)
1/2 teaspoon shah marich (optional)

For Pilau-rice:
2 medium size cups of Basmati rice 4 cups of water 1/2 cup of green peas, fresh or frozen 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 cup of cauliflower florets, chopped in small pieces
1/3 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds 1 bayleaf (optional)
150 grams of paneer (cottage cheese), diced in1 inch squares salt to taste

 Method: 
For the Pilau-masala:
Dry roast all the spices, until they start to crackle, but do not over-roast. Grind the spices to a powder, and store in an airtight container. It could be kept for several months.
For the Pilau-rice:
1. Measure the rice in a pan and rinse it 2-3 times with plain water. Add the measured cups of water in the rice ( it is double the quantity of rice), and soak it for 20 mins. The measure of the water is absolutely critical for cooking a pilau rice, so take care while measuring.


2. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Fry the paneer pieces lightly until light golden brown. Take them out from the pan and put them in a bowl of cold water for a couple of minutes. Drain the water and reserve.

3. If using frozen peas, defrost the peas, and dry it by spreading on a kitchen tissue.

4. Put the cauliflower florets in a pan of boiling water, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Drain and reserve.

5. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle, but take care not to burn them. Add the chopped onions, and saute over a medium flame until they are translucent. Add the green peas and cauliflower and continue to fry for about 5 mins. Add the garlic and ginger paste, and the bell peppers, continue to fry for about 2 minutes. Add the rice with the water, and mix it well in the pan. Add salt to taste. 

6. Cover the pan and let it come to boil. Uncover the pan, put the flame to medium, and let the rice simmer, turning it occasionally with a flat spatula, taking care not to break the rice. Also take care that the rice does not burn or stick to the base of the pan. Mix the paneer pieces with the rice when it is done.

5. When the water had dried up, put the flames off. Lay one layer of the rice immediately in a rice plate or a flat serving bowl, and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of the pilau spice. Put another layer of rice on top and repeat the sprinkling of spices. Serve hot. Best with any Indian style curries.

Italian style poached white fish and vegetables in white wine

About the food:  


This dish is cooked in Italian style and tastes and smells delicious. I got the idea of this recipe from a friend, on which I experimented and elaborated in my own style. The taste and smell of white wine,
tangy lemon, fresh parley, basil and garlic makes this food a heavenly treat.

Preparation time: 15 mins. 

Cooking time: 15 mins.

Ingredients: (serves 2) 

2 white fish fillets, defrosted if frozen
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inches squares
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2 inches squares

1 cup of mushroom, sliced in small pieces 6-8 cherry tomatoes 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup green olives
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
2 tablespoon peppercorn powder
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh/dried parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh/dried basil leaves
150ml white wine 
2-3 sliced pieces of lemon
salt to taste

 Method: 

1. Sprinkle the fish fillet with black pepper powder and salt and keep it aside for 15mins. Heat olive oil in a flat pan, and lightly fry the fish for about 1minutes each side, taking care not to break the fish, and take the fish out of the pan.

2.  Put a little more olive oil if needed in the same pan, add the whole peppercorns and chopped garlic. After 1 minute, add the bell peppers, mushroom and tomatoes and lemon wedges. Continue to fry over medium flame, for about 6-7 minutes, or until the tomato skin splits and the bell peppers soften. Add the wine, and season with salt.

3. Carefully place the fish in the pan, cover and simmer for about 6 minutes. The fish would be cooked by then. Open the lid and simmer for a little while, to make the gravy thick and saucy, if necessary.

4. Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley and basil and serve hot. Best served with garlic bread and a glass of red wine. Enjoy!

Peas Pulao-rice

                                              

About the food:  

Peas Pilau-rice is a very popular Indian dish and also very easy to make.  It tastes delicious and aromatic infused with all the Indian spices and makes a very good lunch or dinner.  It is particularly very favourite among children.  Below is my recipe, however, there are many variations of this, and in time, the reader could also experiment with the flavours and ingredients and can come up of a new variety. 

Preparation time: 15 mins. 

Cooking time: 30 mins.

Ingredients: (serves 4) 

For Pilau-masala: (powdered spice)

5-6 cloves
5-6 cardamon pods
2 inches cinnamon stick
1/2 nutmeg
4-5 mace florets
4-5 black pepper seeds
1/2 teaspoon shah jeera (optional)
1/2 teaspoon shah marich (optional)

For Pilau-rice:

2 medium size cups of Basmati rice
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of green peas, fresh or frozen
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 bayleaf (optional)
salt to taste


 Method: 

For the Pilau-masala:

Dry roast all the spices, until they start to crackle, but do not over-roast. Grind the spices to a powder, and store in an airtight container. It could be kept for several months.

For the Pilau-rice:

1. Measure the rice in a pan and rinse it 2-3 times with plain water. Add the measured cups of water in the rice ( it is double the quantity of rice), and soak it for 20 mins. The measure of the water is absolutely critical for cooking a pilau rice, so take care while measuring.

2. If using frozen peas, defrost the peas, and dry it by spreading on a kitchen tissue.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle, but take care not to burn them. Add the chopped onions, and saute over a medium flame until they are translucent. Add the green peas, and continue to cook for about 5 mins. Add the rice with the water, and mix it well in the pan. Add salt to taste. 

4. Cover the pan and let it come to boil. Uncover the pan, put the flame to medium, and let the rice simmer, turning it occasionally with a flat spatula, taking care not to break the rice. Also take care that the rice does not burn or stick to the base of the pan.

5. When the water had dried up, put the flames off. Lay one layer of the rice immediately in a rice plate or a flat serving bowl, and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of the pilau spice. Put another layer of rice on top and repeat the sprinkling of spices. Serve hot. Best with any Indian style curries.