Since time forgotten, Sundays have a different significance in our lives. It's the only day of a seven days week, when we can take a break from our regular routine works. In our childhood, it used to be a very special day for all of us. Being a special day, it is used to be spent in a special manner.My father was a government employee and so , it was used to be his holiday too. Waking up little late in the morning, me and my brother waited for some special breakfast from Maa's kitchen. Most of the days we enjoyed our breakfast with Luchi and Alur tarkari( Indian deep fried flat bread ,puri and potato curry). Sometimes,in breakfast,Maa prepared something different for us also. But the lunch menu was always the same :Spicy Chicken Curry , Steaming hot Rice and Chutney. It was something which we lavishly enjoyed and without this we couldn't think of a single Sunday.
She made this chicken curry in a very simple way with few ingredients which are available in each and every Bengali kitchen but the taste was something which we never ate anywhere.This chicken curry usually had a thin gravy and a thick layer of oil on the top for which we called it , "tel bheshe otha" ( oil floating on the top) chicken curry also. It is a traditional recipe in our family since a long time. I heard from Maa that she learned it from her mom ,my didama,(maternal grandmother/nani).
After my marriage,since last seven years, I terribly miss those days.So after my baby was born I tried to bring the same ambiance at my present home on Sundays. But I failed (yes simply failed) to prepare that awesome chicken curry which my mom prepared for us during those days or even now when we go to visit our native place. So many times, I tried to follow her each and every direction but somehow the curry which I made was not exactly like her. But this repeated trial and error method helped me to bring the almost similar taste nowadays.
Today,I am going to describe the detail process of making this chicken curry.
Ingredients:
- Chicken:500 gm.
- Potato: 2 large(diced)
- Onion: 4/5 (make a smooth paste)
- Tomato:2 medium( chopped or diced)
- Ginger: 2" (make a fine paste)
- Garlic:2 tsp.
- Vinegar:2 tsp.
- Black Pepper Powder:1 tsp.
- Dry Kashmiri Red Chilli:4/5 (make a smooth paste with little water)
- Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp( you may avoid it too)
- Turmeric Powder:2 tsp.
- Salt: As per taste
- Sugar: 1/2 tsp.
- Mustard Oil:3/4th Cup (though that time maa used almost 11/4 th cup oil )
- Water: 2 Cups
- Whole Garam Masala: 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, 3 cardamoms( make a smooth paste with little water).
Process:
- Wash the chicken pieces with hot water and pat them dry with a tissue paper. Then marinate for 30 mins to 1 hour with 4 tbsp of oil, black pepper powder, 1 tsp. of garlic paste, 1 tsp. of turmeric powder and 2 tsp of vinegar. Don't add salt while marinating the chicken and always wash chicken with hot/warm water.
- Heat little oil in a deep bottomed vessel and fry the diced potato with little salt and turmeric powder until golden yellow. Keep them aside.
- Now in the same deep bottomed vessel heat rest of the mustard oil .Add the sugar and let it fry till brown. Now add the garlic paste. While aroma starts to release and the garlic becomes brown also add the chopped tomato and sprinkle little salt. Quickly the tomatoes will become mushy.
- Then add the onion paste,turmeric powder,kashmiri red chili paste, red chili powder and mix well.On medium flame cook for few minutes and then add the ginger paste. Mix thoroughly and cook for another few minutes. When the raw smells goes off add the fried potatoes and the marinated chicken.
- Mix very well. On medium flame cook until oil starts to release from the sides. At this time you will find a very spicy oily thick gravy is made which coats the chicken pieces.
- After few minutes the gravy tends to release from the vessel. Now add salt and mix. Add water ,cover the vessel and cook on medium flame. Cook until the potatoes and chicken pieces are cooked well.
- Uncover,increase the flame and adjust the gravy according to your choice.If required you may add little hot water into it and increasing flame just give it a boil.
- Taste the seasoning. Add more salt or sugar if required.
- Now pour the garam masala paste( you may use garam masala powder too. but don't forget to dissolve it in water for few minutes).
- Cover the vessel again for a few minutes so that the aroma of the garam masala paste can be captured by the curry.
- After few minutes when you uncover the vessel you will find a beautiful thick layer of oil on the top of the curry.
- Now your Spicy Chicken Curry/Sunday Special Chicken Curry /Chicken Curry with floating oil on the top /Tel bheshe otha Mangsho is ready to serve.
- Serve it with steaming hot rice with a slice of aromatic lemon and enjoy your Sunday lunch.
Enjoy Your Food...!
Butter Chicken Masala or Murgh Makhani is an authentic dish from Punjab. It's among the most popular chicken delicacies in India and it is very famous all over the world even. It is a tomato and cashew nuts based gravy garnished with cream and butter. It goes marvelous when served with tandoori roti or butter naan or simply with plain chapati . I make this dish at home often as it's my daughter's most favourite chicken preparation. Honestly speaking, it gives me an extreme pleasure when I cook something to fulfil my little one's desire.
I was thinking of sharing the recipe in my blog since past few months. But somehow it wouldn't work as most of the time I prepared this in hurry and couldn't manage to click photos. Anyway, this time, I didn't forget to take the images while cooking this dish and here goes the detail step by step recipe of Restaurant Style Chicken Butter Masala:
Ingredients:
- Chicken: 250-300gm boneless breast cut in small to medium piece.
- Hung Curd: 1-2 tsp.
- Salt:1 tsp.
- Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Tandoori Masala Powder:1 tsp.
- Tandoori Color:1/4 tsp (optional,I didn't use)
- Onion: 2 tbsp Paste
- Garlic:11/2 Paste
- Butter: 2 tbs.
- Tomato: 4/5 (blanched,peeled and pureed)
- Tomato Ketchup: 1 tbsp.
- Green Chilli: 1/2 or 1( I didn't use)
- Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Turmeric Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Cumin Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Salt:1 tsp or as per taste.
- Sugar:1/2 tsp.
- Milk:1/2 Cup
- Water :1/4 Cup
- Cream: 2 tbsp
- Cashewnuts:10 (soaked in warm milk or water for 30 min to 1 hour)
- Dried Fenugreek Leaves: 1 tsp (crushed)
- Coriander Leaves: For garnishing.
Process:
- At first wash and pat the chicken pieces dry. Now take a big bowl . Add all the spices (mentioned in the marinate heading) and mixed thoroughly with the chicken pieces. Cover and keep it aside for 2-3 hrs.
- Meanwhile make the cashew nut paste and the tomato puree. To save time and fuss you may use the store bought tomato puree also.
- Now take a pan and add little butter. Add the chicken pieces and shallow fry them carefully on medium flame. Don't overcook or over fry them. It will make the chicken very stiff and hard. Fry it in such a way slowly and carefully so that the chicken pieces are cooked ,fried yet remain soft.
- Now heat a deep bottomed vessel and add the butter. Immediately add the garlic paste.Then add the onion paste. (Here I want to mention that in many places butter chicken is cooked without onion , but I always used to add onion and believe me it enhances the taste even. So it's upto you,whether you want to add onion or not. Either process is equally good and authentic .) When the color of the onion becomes transparent add the sliced green chili( I didn't use because my daughter can't eat hot) , cumin powder, kashmiri red chilli powder and salt.Add 1 tbsp of water and mix well.
- Now add the tomato puree and cook very well until the oil starts to release from sides.
- Lower the flame and add the cashew nut paste.Stir continuously.
- Then add the tomato ketchup,sugar and 1/4 cup of water.
- When it starts to boil add the fried chicken pieces. Give a very good stir and cover the vessel. Increase the flame slightly and cook it for just 2-3 minutes. As the chicken pieces are fried previously,it won't take much time to make the chicken pieces very soft,
- Uncover and lower the flame again, add the milk, cook for another 1/2 minutes,
- Add the cream and mix very well.
- Sprinkle garam masala powder and add the crushed fenugreek leaves.
- Now your butter chicken or murgh makhani is ready to serve.
- Serve it with Naan or Tandoori Roti,garnished with fresh coriander leaves and a good swirl of fresh cream.
- Authentic Murgh Makhani is rich in calorie but taste is absolutely heavenly.
Khejur Gurer Kalakand/ Milk Cake with Date Jaggery..! I know it sounds little weird. Even I haven't tasted it before. But the other day, I was just in a mood of doing something different with my date jaggery.
So, after making chena,(cottage cheese) I started experimenting and made this milk cake. Believe me, the cakes were extremely delicious.
So, here goes the process of making Kalakand with Date Jaggery..!
Ingredients:
- Milk: 2 lit.
- Vinegar :2 tbsp.
- Milk Powder: 4/5 tbsp.
- Cardamom Powder:1 tsp.
- Ghee: 1 tsp.
- Date Jaggery (liquid) : 1/2 Cup ( Adjust according to your choice)
- Chopped Almonds,Pistachios and Cashews: 2 tbsp ( Optional)
Process:
How to make Chena:
- Boil the milk at low temperature.
- While boiling add the vinegar and stir it .
- Your milk will start to curdle and chena (chena) will be formed after few minutes.
- When you will see a greenish diluted water which is easily separating from chena, then it's done.
- Now using a muslin cloth drain the water and wash the chena under the running tap water .If you are using lime juice to prepare chena, this wash will remove all the lemony taste or smell.
- Now tied the two ends of the muslin cloth tightly and let it drain all the excess water for at least 15-20 minutes. And at this time you may put a heavy weight on the muslin cloth for better draining.
How to make the sweet:
- Now mash the chena well using your hands and mix the liquid jaggery with it. Once it is mixed properly heat a nonstick pan in the oven.
- Add 1/2 tsp of ghee(clarified butter ) into the pan and add the cottage cheese and jaggery mixture and continuously stir it for few minutes.
- Then add the milk powder and mix well. After few minutes the mixture will become more thick and tend to release from the sides of the pan. Be careful so that the mixture can't be overcooked and burnt.
- Sprinkle the cardamom powder on the mixture and turn off the flame.
- Now take a flat plate or tray. Grease it with the remaining ghee and spread the prepared hot sweet on to it evenly,keeping it about 1/2" thick.
- Cool it inside the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.Your Kalakand is ready now. Cut it in square and serve garnished with chopped almonds, cashews and pistachios.
Enjoy Your Food..!
Well, I am here again with a new recipe and new topic. Today's recipe is Fish Curry following my Maa's process. But before that let me ask you one thing. What do you cook generally when you don't want to put much effort in your cooking yet want to prepare something delicious ? I know all of you have your own choices & now you are gonna ask me what do I do when I cook lunch for my family on a lazy saturday or on any other holiday. I usually opt for this simple and easiest Fish Curry, generally which is prepared with Rohu or Katla fish. The taste is something heavenly when it is served with steaming hot fluffy white rice and a slice of Aromatic Lemon ( Gandhoraaj Lebu).This combination is not only mine but also my family's Soul Food.
Now I am directly moving to the point , the Recipe. So here it goes.............
Ingredients:
- Katla Fish Pieces: 4/6
- Potatoes: 2 Large (Cut in wedges)
- Tomato: 1 large (chopped)
- Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp for temperaing and 2 tsp for making paste with little water.)
- Green Chilli:2/3 (slitted,)
- Coriander Seeds:2 tsp ( make a paste with little water, otherwise you may use coriander powder too)
- Turmeric Powder: 2 tsp.
- Chilli Powder: 1 tsp, I use kashmiri red chilli powder which has a beautiful red colour yet this is not so hot. (but adjust the amount of chilli powder according to your capacity ;) )
- Ginger Paste: 11/2 tsp.
- Salt: As Per Taste
- Sugar: 1/4 tsp.
- Water : 1 Cup hot water.
- Oil : 4 tbsp.( 2 tbsp. for frying fish and 2 tbsp for cooking. One more thing I would like to say that for authentic taste of the bengali fish curry always use mustard oil but in absence of that white oil can also be used)
Process:
- At first wash the fish and marinate them with a tsp of turmeric powder and salt and keep them aside. I always marinate fish with a tsp of mustard oil or white oil. It will prevent you to avoid the terrible splattering.( actually they do not always terribly splatter, but I am really scared of this) .
- Wash and peel of the potatoes and cut in wedges.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep bottomed vessel and fry the pieces of the marinated fish and set them aside.
- On the same oil fry the potato wedges till golden yellow with salt and turmeric powder and keep separately.
- Now discard the fried oil and heat 2 tbsp of fresh oil in the same pan.
- Add the cumin seeds and splitted green chilli. They will start to splatter immediately. Once you feel the aroma of the cumin seeds, add the tomato pieces into the oil. Sprinkle little salt on them. It will help to make the tomatoes mushy very quickly.
- Now add the ginger paste, coriander ,cumin paste, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
- On medium flame mix thoroughly all the masala and cook for few minutes until oil starts to release from sides.
- Now add the fried potato wedges and mix them with all the spices.
- When you can see that all the masalas are mixed up with the potato wedges and it tends to release from the bottom of the pan add salt and sugar and mix well. Cook for another few minutes.
- Add a cup of hot water . Give a good stir. When the water starts to boil add the fried pieces of fish and cover the pan. Cook on medium flame until the pieces of the potatoes and fishes become soft .
- Uncover and adjust the gravy by increasing the flame according to your choice.
- Taste the seasoning and add more salt or sugar if required.
- Garnish with Coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with steamingly hot fluffy white rice along with a slice of yellow or aromatic green lemon.
Enjoy Your Food....!
I am a self proclaimed tea lover. Even I don't hesitate to declare that I am just addicted to it since my college days. It's such a refreshing drink which survives me in my most miserable moment even. Every morning, a cup of hot tea just recharges me and keeps me on for the whole day. Similarly, almost at the end of the day, when I am fully exhausted, it soothes me completely .In my family not only me, my husband is also very much fascinated to this drink. I generally store different types of flavored tea in my kitchen pantry and keep on experimenting with those with my one and only tea partner , my hubby dear. That is the reason I am going to create a different section in my food blog, where I will be posting various tea recipes.
As an Indian I am starting this with the recipe of Indian Masala Tea, Masala Chai. It is basically black tea, brewed with spices and milk. Even there are different types of Indian Tea masala. I don't like to use any store bought ready made spice mix rather I make it in my own way. Moreover I am very choosy in the matter of selecting milk and tea leaves for my tea. Instead of liquid milk I prefer to use powder milk for my tea. "Nestle EveryDay Dairy Whitener" is my most favourite milk powder brand and "Tata Tea Gold" is my most favourite tea leaves brand.
Here is the process of making my version of Indian Masala Chai.
Ingredients:
For two Cups of Tea:
- Water: 2- 2 1/2 Cups
- Milk Powder: 2 tbsp.
- Tea Leaves: 11/2 - 2 tsp.
- Ginger Paste: 1/4 tsp.
- Cardamom Powder: 2 pinches
- Sugar: 2 tsp ( adjust according to your taste)
- Saffron Strands: A Few.
Process:
- At first boil the milk in a deep bottomed pan. When it starts boiling take out 1/2 cup of boiling water separately.
- Add 2 tbsp of milk powder in the water taken out separately and dissolve properly
- Now add the tea leaves and sugar into the boiling water and brew very well.Add the ginger paste and mix well.
- Pour the prepared milk into the liquor. Mix thoroughly. Add the cardamom powder, Cover the pan and keep the flame low and simmer for few more minutes.
- Strain the prepared tea with a strainer into the cups and add few saffron strands and serve hot.
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# Note: If you are using liquid cow milk, then take 11/2 cups of water and 1/2 cups of milk to make 2 cups of tea.
Enjoy Your Tea.....!
Cookies are my family's one of the most favourite baking stuffs but to be very frank, I don't like to make cookies with egg all the time. This is the only thing which refrains me from making them. Therefore I was looking for a good recipe with which I can make crispy, soft and delicious cookies but it should be without egg.After my different searches here and there, finally, I got one and with that basic recipe I made an effort to make Eggless Choco Chip Cookies. I didn't think that my cookies would be so soft, crunchy, crispy and delicious without egg even.
Here is the recipe for my Eggless Choco Chip Cookies:
Ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour : 1 Cup
- Rice Flour: 2 tbsp.
- Caster Sugar: 4 tbsp.
- Butter: 60 gm.( Keep the butter in room temperature)
- Vanilla Extract:1/2 tsp.
- Milk: 2 tbsp.
- Baking Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Chocochips:1/2 Cup
Process:
- Preheat the oven in 160 degree C or 320 degree F for at least 10 minutes.
- Beat the butter and sugar very well with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the vanilla essence,milk and beat again.
- Sieve the flour. rice flour and baking powder very well.
- Gently mix in the flour and chocolate chips with butter using a spoon to get a soft dough.
- Shape into small rounds .Flatten slightly.
- Cover the back of a baking tray with aluminium foil and grease it with butter.
- Place cookies 1/2" apart. Bake in the preheated oven art 160 degree C / 320 degree F for 30 minutes.
Enjoy Your Food...!
