Nolen Gurer Cake (Date Palm Jaggery Cake)

Come winters and in Kolkata we begin our wait for the season’s gem-Nolen/Notun/Patali Gur. It is a special kind of jaggery collected from Palm trees where the sap collectors climb the tree and make cuts in them and then tie earthen pots below it for the sap to collect. The same sap is then boiled in shallow vessels to turn them into the ‘Nolen Gur’. This year, I thought of experiment with ‘Nolen Gur’ and share the recipe to my blog. ‘Nolen Gurer Cake’ was an experimented for a sweet friend who was in Kolkata for a short visit. The…

Kundri Bhaji (Ivy Gourd Stir Fry)

‘Kundri’ or ivy gourd is one vegetable that I hate most. But few days back Maa prepared this simple ‘bhaji’ or stir fry and served with handmade roti in breakfast. It was wonderful! The flavour of curry patta with mustard seeds gives very nice flavour to this ‘bhaji’. You can serve sprinkling some grated coconut on it with roti or paratha or simple stir fry like this as a side dish with steamed rice and dal.

Bhapa Dhokar Dalna (Steamed Lentil Fritters with Gravy)

We all know that ‘Dhokar Dalna’ is one of the most popular Bengali dishes, where lentil paste is cooked with spices and then cut into lentil fritter/cakes. Then these cakes are deep fried and then cooked in a gravy. It is a lengthy and a bit difficult process. In this process sometimes the lentil cake or ‘Dhoka’s are broke if the lentil paste is not cooked properly. So this time I instead of cooking the lentil paste with spices, I steamed it. Later cut them in diamond shapes and then fried like a fritter. After that cooked in a gravy…

Matar Dal Vada (Split Yellow Pea Fritter)

‘Matar Dal Vada’ is another type of fritter that Maa often makes for our snack. She makes the crispiest and yummy ‘Matar Dal Vada’ I have ever tasted. It needs a little preparation. You need to soak the ‘matar dal’ or yellow split peas over night or for atleast 6 hours. Next day make a coarse paste grinding the ‘dal’ in a grinder. This ‘vadas’ tastes better if there are some ‘dals’ are found whole in the paste. These ‘vadas’ tastes better it you add some chopped onion, ginger, green chilli and coriander in the batter. Beat the batter very…

Peyaj-Aloo Pakora (Onion-Potato Fritter)

‘Pakoras’ (fritter) are the most popular snack prepared in Indian homes. There are different types of ‘pakoras’ can be prepared. As ‘Telebhaja’ is popular amongst Bengalis, ‘pakoras’ are popular amongst other communities. The recipe varies from person to person on their personal taste. ‘Pakoras’ are small fritters where chopped vegetables are used with other spices and ‘besan’ and deep fried in oil. These ‘pakoras’ are best served hot with a hot cup of tea or coffee!

Restaurant Style Gobi Masala (Spicy Cauliflower Curry)

Winter is the season of vegetables. When I get into the vegetable market I get confused what to buy and what not to buy! The freshness and the bright colours of the vegetables turn me into an impulsive buyer. The most common vegetable of winter is ‘Fulkopi/Fulgobi’ or Cauliflower. In my house sometimes I find it is very difficult to serve a different, easy yet tasty dish with Cauliflower. I am sure you have faced the same problem in your house too that family members of invitees don’t like to eat simple cauliflower curry. I have had many different varieties…

Matar Paratha or Koraishutir Porota (Green Peas Stuffed Bread)

Koraishutir Kochuri or Peas Kochuri is a typical breakfast item on winter days in Bengali household. Here it is proof that we Bengalis love anything which is deep fried in oil, no matter what time of day we are munching it! Personally I do not prefer fried or oily food on breakfast or early morning. So when it comes to ‘Korashutir Kochuri’, ‘Hing er Radhaballavi’ or ‘Aloo Paratha’ I simply push my breakfast time a little further so that I can skip my lunch and simply have my Brunch! My mother always prefers to make ‘Koraishutir Kochuri’ in dinner as…

Tutti Frutti Cake

Every year I bake a Fruit Cake for Christmas following my Mom’s recipe. But this year for a change I bake a very simple Tutti Frutti Cake, Chocolate and Apple Muffin and Orange and Chocolate Two-in-One Muffin. Though I thought that these will last for atleast 3-4 days but when I checked the cake container today, I found very few piece are there! Yes again two of my cousins came yesterday and probably they have finished most of my Christmas bakes! That means for Christmas will bake something new again. I am not at all unhappy with that as I…

Punjabi Aloo Gobi (Stir Fried Potatoes and Cauliflowers with Indian Spices)

With the change in season, the food that graces our table has also changed. I always love to cook with seasonal vegetables. One such simple recipe with aromatic flavour combination is the popular ‘Punjabi Aloo Gobi’ recipe. ‘Aloo Gobi’ is a simple dry stir fried curry of potatoes and cauliflowers sautéed with a combination of aromatic spices. Every cook in India has their own version of ‘Aloo Gobi’ and here is my take on this classic recipe. Simple, quick to make and absolutely delightful! So here is my recipe of the classic Punjabi Aloo Gobi recipe.

Ragda Vada Chaat (Lentil Fritter with Dried Yellow Pea Curry)

‘Chaat’, perhaps the most mouth watering term in Indian food dictionary! For people who are unaware, ‘Chaat’ is not one single dish but a type of street food snack that is very famous in India. It is a mishmash of several things that have the ability to hit the entire flavor note, sweet, salty, sour and savory. It has the texture, the crunch, a combination of chutney and sour yogurt to cool off the heat. It may look like quite a task to build a plate of ‘chaat’ and to tell you the truth, I had best ‘chaat’ during my…

Prawn Ghee Rice

This is one of the easiest Prawn Rice that I cook. It is very light and mild sweet in taste. This rice goes very well with any non vegetarian dishes. All you need is very fresh prawn / shrimp for this recipe.You may not use vegetables in this recipe but I like to add colours in my rice so I have added some carrots and beans in the rice. Vegetables give nice flavour and crunch to the rice.

Chicken Tit-Bit

Christmas and New Year is around. So why not to try some finger foods for the party! This Chicken Tit-Bit is like mini Chicken Keema Cutlets. Only I have used some coriander and mint paste in it. This is very easy to prepare and super yummy and tasty. You can prepare it in advance, so that when your guests arrive you can fry and serve hot! Here I have used Chicken Keema (minced) you can use mutton or any meat of your choice. Only the marination time will vary depending on the type of meat you are using. Serve with…