Pudina/Mint Chicken

This is one of those recipes which I made during lockdown in India, possibly April-May 2020. Our worlds started changing and everything around us came crashing down due to the covid pandemic. We were locked in our homes and had to manage with whatever grocery we had at our disposal. One day we got to know from some friends Swiggy had started delivering chicken. We ordered some immediately and in came the much awaited packet. Now the problem at hand was, what should we prepare it with. With grocery stores around us closed all we could do was manage and figure out with whatever we had at our disposal. This experiment turned out to be rather tasty and hence this finds a place in my recipe blog.

Ingredients:

- Chicken - 500gms

- Salt - As per taste

- Sugar - 1/2 tsp

- Lemon - 1/2

- Lemon Zest - of 1 lemon

- Mint leaves -  a handful

- Onion - finely chopped

- Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp

- Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

- Chicken 65 Masala (I used Banne Nawab brand. You can use brand of your choice.) - 2 heaped tbsp

Method:

- Heat the oil in a pan.

- Add cumin seeds and let it splutter.

- Add the chicken pieces, onion, salt and chicken 65 masala.

- Fry till chicken is completely cooked.

- When the chicken is soft, add lemon zest, mint leaves and sugar. Let it cook for 2 mins. 

- Add lemon juice from half a lemon just before turning the stove off.

Serve smoking hot with parathas or phulkas. 

Ilish Macher Shorshe Diye Jhal / Hilsa Fish in Mustard Gravy

What better than Ilish Mach for Sunday's lunch. Ilish or Hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh and is popular in almost all parts of India specially West Bengal and Orissa. This fish is full of tiny bones and requires trained hands for eating. It is a sea fish which comes to the river to lay eggs and thats when the fishermen catch them in their nets. Padda'r Ilish from Bangladesh is known to be the best and most expensive of its kind. In bengali culture it is a custom to buy two Ilish fishes (Jora Ilish) on some auspicious occasions. The recipe I am sharing today is of  Shorshe Ilish.

Ingredients:
- Ilish Mach ( washed and cleaned 2 pieces)
- Mustard Paste ( 1 tbsp)
- Tomatoes (optinal 1/2 cut into small pieces)
- Green chilli (2)
- Salt (1 tsp)
- Turmeric Powder (1/2 tsp)
- Kala Jeera / Onion Seeds (a pinch)
- Mustard Oil ( 2 tbsp)
- Water (1/2 cup)

Preparation :
- Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric for about 30 mins.
- Heat oil in a skillet.
- When the oil is smoking hot add the fish pieces.
- When the fish is fried keep it aside and add slit green chillies and kala jeera to the hot oil.
- When the jeera splutters add mustard paste and tomatoes.
- When the mustard paste starts leaving oil it means it is cooked. Add water to the paste.
- When the water boils add the fish and let it cook for sometime.
- Serve hot with rice.



This is my entry for:
Spotlight Curries/Gravies at Cuisine Delights.

Prawn in Coconut milk Gravy

Mother - She is the person who loves you all through your life without asking for anything in return. Mother , Ma, Mom, Mummy, Mamma  - these are all different words but raise the same feeling in your heart every time you say it. Today is my Ma's birthday. This post is dedicated to her.

My Ma is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in life. Whatever I am today I owe it to her.I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her. She is an independent woman who has the ability to balance her work and personal life smoothly. All through my childhood she never let us feel she was busy or did not have time for us. Somehow she managed to find time for her family. I cherish each and every moment I have spent with her. She is the best mother in the world.
She has sacrificed a lot for us, for her family. "Ma if you are reading this I just want to wish you a very Happy Birthday. I want you to know that me and Arnab love you more than anything else on earth. Thanks for everything you did for us. We love you."

On my birthday she used to bake a lovely cake every year without fail. I am not very good at baking so today I tried making some Prawn curry for her. Prawns are her favourite. So I just thought of sharing the recipe with you guys.

Ingredients:
- Medium sized Prawns (10-12)
- Coconut milk (1 cup)
- Bay Leaves (2)
- Green Chilli (2-3)
- Salt (Acc to taste)
- Sugar (1/2 tsp)
- Onion paste (1 tbsp)
                                                      - Cinnamon (1 stick)
                                                      - Turmeric (1/2 tsp)
                                                      - Sunflower Oil (2 tbsp)


Method:
- Marinate the prawns with 1 tsp salt for about 1/2 an hour.
- Heat oil in a wok.
- Fry the prawns till they are cooked on both sides. drain on paper towel.
- In the same oil left in the wok add bay leaves and cinnamon.
- When it leaves a nice smell add in the onion paste, slit green chilli and turmeric powder.
- When the onion turns golden brown add coconut milk and prawns.
- Add salt and sugar and bring to boil.
- Serve hot with white rice. :)


This is my entry for :
WTML at Sizzling Veggies which is originally Gayathri's event

and

Srav's Culinary Concept:Mom's Recipe      

 

Pabda Machher Jhal

We bengalis can cook fish in thousand and one or may be even more ways. Bengalis are ardent food lovers and fish and sweets tops their list of favourite food. Bengal is a part of India with hundreds of ponds and rivers where you get hundreds of types of fishes. There is also a saying in Bengali " Machhe Bhaate bangali" which means a bengali is by fish and rice.
English name for pabda is pabo catfish. It is a sweet water fish and is found in rivers. It is a one bone fish with slightly slippery body but firm to touch. This is one fish curry which is often prepared when family comes together for an occassion. I love this fish curry and hope rest of the world will also like the traditional tastes of bengal.

Ingredients:

- Pabda Fish (4 washed and cleaned)
- Onion paste and ginger paste (2 tbsp)
- Green chilli (2 slit from the middle)
- Salt (acc to taste)
- Kalo Jeera / Nigella (1/2 tsp)
- Bori (6-7)
- Red chilli powder (1/2 tsp)
- Coriander Powder (1 tsp)
- Cumin powder ( 1 tsp)
- Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
- Mustard oil ( 1 cup)

Bori is nothing but small lentil paste cakes that we get in Bengal.

Method:
- Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder for half a hour.
- In a wok fry the fishes and keep aside.
- In the same oil add bori and fry it till it turns brown.
- In the same oil add the nigella seeds and green chillies.

- When they splutter add the onion ginger paste.
- Fry the paste till golden and then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder.If the masala sticks to the wok add little water about 1 tbsp.
- When the masala is fried add 1 cup water and let it come to boil.
- Add the fish and bori to it and let it cook in low flame for another 2-3 mins.
- Serve hot with rice.
You can garnish with coriander leaves.

Rui Do Pyaza - Another Fish Curry

I am  a true bengali as far as love for fish is concerned. I love "FISH", any kind, any preparation.
Today I had thought of preparing Chicken Do Pyaza as a side dish for lunch. It was very late when I realized there is no chicken in my freezer. So I ended up preparing Rui Do Pyaza.It turned out really well.
So I am sharing it with you guys.

Ingredients :

- Fish (2 pieces)
- Mustard Oil (1 cup)
- Dry Red chilli (2 in number)
- Bay Leaves(2 in number)
- Ginger paste (1 tsp)
- Garlic Paste (1 tsp)
- Onion Paste (2 tsp)
- Cinnamon Pieces (2 )
- Turmeric powder(2 tbsp)
- Coriander powder ( 1 tsp)
- Cumin Powder(1 tsp)
- Salt (according to taste)
- Sugar (according to taste)
- Onions(1 Julienned )
- Black Pepper Powder ( 1/2 tsp)
- Green chilli (1 chopped)
- Tomato (1 chopped)
- Garam Masala Powder(1 pinch)


Method:

- Marinate the fish with turmeric powder and salt for about 30-40 min.
- Heat oil in  a wok for deep frying the fish.
- When the oil is hot add the fish and fry till it turns brown.Take them off and keep aside.
- To the same oil add the cinnamon sticks and Bay leaves. When they begin to splutter add onion paste and fry till it turns translucent.
- Add tomato and stir cook till tomatoes soften. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for few seconds. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin & coriander powder, salt & sugar. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup water and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, in another pan, fry the julienned onions till they change color to brown.
- Into the gravy, slide in the fried fish pieces. Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala powder & black pepper powder on top. Add the fried julienned onions. Stir in to mix.Serve hot with white rice.

Trust me this tastes too good and is a must try for all fish lovers.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

I had no idea that Thai food tasted so good before I tasted Thai green curry and Red curry.
This is of course Thai green curry (my version).
I don't really know when this dish became a regular in my kitchen. Me and my hubby just love this dish.
I came to know about this recipe from my sister in law. It is pretty similar to bengali cuisine as you add coconut milk and sugar while preparing it.
This is for Payel, my friend who tasted it once at my place and has been asking for the recipe ever since on fb.So here you go..

Ingredients :

 For the green curry :
- Green chilli (2-3)
- Lemongrass
- Coriander Seeds (2 tsp)
- Garlic (4-5 cloves)
- Fish Sauce (3 tbsp)
- Sunfllower oil (3 tbsp)
- Kaffir lime leaves (2-3)
- Salt (acc to taste)
- Sugar (acc to taste)
- White Vinegar (2-3 tsp)
- Lime juice (2-3 tsp)

Add all this in a mixer grinder , add water and prepare the paste

OR

Get the paste from any supermarket (like I do some times)


For the Chicken preparation :
- Coconut Milk (1 cup)
- Onion (1/2 ground to paste)
- Olive oil (2 tbsp)
- Green chillies (1 slit)
- Small Brinjals / Aubergines (2-3)
- Salt (acc to taste)
- Sugar (acc to taste)
 

Method:

- Marinate the chicken with salt and onion paste for about 1 hour.
- Add olive oil in a pan. Pan fry the chicken and aubergines. I avoid aubergines(brinjal) as my husband simply hates them.
- Add the green curry to it and stir for about 3 mins.
- When the chicken is fully cooked add sugar and the coconut milk.
- Add a little water if you want and let it boil.
- Serve hot with white rice.

:) :) :) :)

This is my entry for Spotlight Continental

Chinese Hakka Noodles & Chilli Egg - Indian Ishhhtyllleee.. :)

We Indians love to have every Cuisine but it should be cooked in Indian Style... Am I right folks?
India is a country of flavours and colours, so why not add little bit of Indian flavour to the Chinese Cuisine.. :)

Today after giving a lot of thought to what I should prepare for dinner, I finally ended up preparing Chinese Hakka noodles and Chilli Eggs....Yes Chilli Eggs.. Hearing it for the first time? Don't worry it tastes good :)

I'll start with the noodles. So here it goes...


Noodles
Ingredients:

- Oil (6tsp)
- Noodles (boiled)
- Onion (1 cut into thin pieces)
- Garlic (5 cloves cut into smallest pieces possible)
- Carrot (2 Cut into thin long strips. If you cant cut it into very thin pieces, grate it)
- Cabbage (depending on the size of the cabbage decide how much you want to put. I have put 1/4th cabbage as it was a small one)
- Capsicum (1 cut into thin long pieces)
- Soy Sauce (2 tbsp)
- Vinegar (1 tbsp)
- salt (according to taste)
- White pepper powder (3 tbsp)

Try to cut all the veggies into thin long pieces so that it looks uniform.
Noodles tend to stick to each other when boiled. To avoid this after boiling the noodles put it in some cold water. This will drain out the extra starch and it will not stick.

How I prepared it?

- Take oil in a wok
- When the oil is hot add onion, garlic, cabbage, carrots and toss. You have to be very careful that you don't overcook the veggies. Coz if you do overcook them it will lose the crispness.
- Add capsicum and the boiled noodles.
- Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar and white pepper powder and salt.Toss.
- If you are unable to toss, no problem you can take 2 spoons and mix it. Initially I used to find it very difficult to toss the veggies in the wok but you can master this technique through practice.
- If you want to add some colour to your noodles add yellow and red capsicum also. You can add all sorts of veggies that you want to.

 Chilli Egg:

Ingredients:

- Oil (4 tsp)
- Carrots(1 cut into diagonally thin pieces and 1 grated)
- Corn Flour( 3 tbsp)
- Flour(2 tbsp)
- Capsicum (diced into cubes)
- Green Chilli (2 cut into diagonal long pieces and 1 chopped finely)
- Onion (1 chopped finely and 1 diced into cubes)
- Salt (according to taste)
- Soy sauce(2 tbsp)
- Tomato ketchup(2 tbsp)
- Vinegar(1 tbsp)
- Eggs (1)


In order to make chilli eggs first we shall prepare a pancake.
- Prepare a batter with 1 egg, flour, cornflour, finely chopped onions, green chili, carrots, soy sauce and little salt. Make sure the batter is not too watery as you have to make a pancake with that.
- Take a frying pan and put 2 tsp oil in it and let the oil heat up.
- Once the oil is hot put the batter in it in a circular fashion similar to how you prepare "Dosa".
- Cook both sides of the pancake.
- Once its done dice it into any shape of your choice. I personally prefer the diamond shape. :)


Now for making the gravy,
- Take 1 tsp cornflour and mix it with water.
- Take two tbsp oil in a wok.
- Add diced onions, carrots, capsicum and green chilli.
- Stir for 2 mins.
- Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar, salt to it and mix.Add 1/4 cup water.
- When it starts boiling add the cornflour.
- It will get a starchy look after some time. Thats when you should add your diced and cooked egg pancake and mix it well.

You can garnish it with Green Onion or slit green chillies.
One thing we should keep in mind while cooking Chinese is "Always cook it on high flame", even if it is the Indian version.

So guys happy cooking and healthy eating.... :)

Time for some Bengali Fish Curry!!!!

"Shorshe Rui"... Yes that is what it is called. It is one of the tastiest and easy to prepare bengali fish curries.

I used to hate fish as a kid...It was in college when I had to stay in Kolkata for a long 3 years when I fell in love with all sorts of fish curries.... The pic u can  see above is how shorshe rui looks. I have taken it from the web. Shall post my shorshe rui pic once I prepare it next time....

This is also one of the first fish curries I ever tried preparing... So here it is for you - 

Ingredients:

- Fish (4 pieces washed and cleaned)

-Green Chilli (3 or according to taste)

-Mustard(2 tsp)

-Turmeric powder(2tsp)

-Red Chilli Powder(1tsp)

-Salt(As per taste  / 2tsp)

-Yoghurt(1/2 cup)

-Mustard Oil(1/2 cup)

-Vinegar (1 tsp). This is optional.

Method of preparing Mustard paste:

- Soak the mustard in water for an hour. Then grind the mustard in the grinder with one tsp vinegar and a green chilli.

Method:

- Marinate the fish with 1tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp salt for 30 mins.

- Put 1/2 cup mustard oil in a wok and let it heat.

- Fry the fishes in mustard oil in low flame until it turns brown. Keep aside.

- In the oil remaining in the wok add slit green chillies and a pinch of mustard seeds.

- When the mustard seeds start to splutter add mustard paste, remaining turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and water. Fry till the oil separates.

- Add salt and yoghurt.

- Add water and let it boil.

- Add fish and cover the wok.

For garnishing add slit green chillies and coriander leaves. Your Shorshe Maach is ready for serving. It goes well with hot basmati rice or normal rice.