Poppy Seeds / Posto is considered to be one of the most essential spices in a Bengali Kitchen. Well, in that case for me, it is something which helps me to survive in each and every situation. Those days, when I feel very energetic to cook something very special I decide to prepare at least one dish with "Posto" and the other days when I simply don't remain in the mood of cooking at all I again look for "Posto". Yes, we the bong people even love to eat the raw pappy seed paste with steaming hot rice. I don't know whether my Non Bengali friends have ever tried this or not but sometime I must share how I like to eat a lavish lunch or dinner with rice and "Posto Bata" (poppy seed paste) .
Anyway, today I am going to share a simple poppy seed recipe where potato and pointed gourd are cooked in the gravy of poppy seed paste. Though I am not a big fan of pointed gourd but whenever anything cooked with poppy seed paste, I never say a "no".
Here is the process of making Alu Potol Posto:
Ingredients:
- Potato:2 (Medium, diced)
- Pointed Gourd: 4-6 (Peeled and diced)
- Poppy Seed Paste: 4 tbsp.
- Mustard Oil: 2-3 tbsp.
- Turmeric Powder:1 tsp.
- Chilli Powder:1/2 tsp.( Adjust according to your taste)
- Green Chilli: 2
- Salt: As per taste
- Water: 1 Cup.
Process:
- First peel off the skin of the Potol and snip off both the ends.
- Cut each one half lengthwise.
- Peel off the potatoes and cut in medium wedges.
- Heat mustard oil in a kadhai or deep bottomed vessel. Here I want to mention that for cooking something with the poppy seed paste mustard oil is the must for me. But those,who cant eat mustard oil due to its heady pungent taste may use any other oil also.
- When the oil becomes smoky and very hot add the Potato wedges and the pointed gourd.
- Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder and on medium flame slightly fry them for few minutes. But don't fry them too much.
- Now add the poppy seed paste, chilli powder and mix the paste with the potato and the pointed gourd.
- Stir it for another 4-5 minutes on medium to low flame.
- Then add water,give a nice stir and cover it.
- Cook until the potato and pointed gourd pieces become soft or boil.
- Uncover and increase the flame ,taste the seasoning, add salt if needed and adjust the gravy increasing the flame slightly.
- Add the green chilli ( you may add the green chilli at first also) and sprinkle one teaspoon of mustard oil on the top of the curry.
- Turn off the flame and serve with daal (yellow or red lentil) and steaming hot rice.
Enjoy Your Food..!!
Chicken Cutlets ,specially those which are made with minced chicken (chicken keema), reminds me of my college canteen, which was truly famous for the chicken cutlets and egg devils. During our college days, at the leisure periods, very often, we used to go to the canteen either for the cutlet or for the devil. I should mention that with this loads of sweet memories are coming to my mind. All the Lovely College memories, the PJ's, teasing friends with their crushes, some fights and making new friends, the gossiping, chatting, class bunking and loads and loads of other beautiful memories which are stored in my mind like a treasure.
Anyway, after a long time, rather after many years to recapitulate those sweet memories , I prepared this at home and tried to make a beautiful evening with my beloved ones.
This time I made it in such a way that the youngest and the little member of your family could easily enjoy it .
Here is the process of making Chicken Cutlet.
Ingredients:
- Minced Chicken:250gm.
- Onion:2 Medium (chopped)
- Garlic: 7-8 cloves (Finely Chopped)
- Ginger: 1" (Chopped finely or grated)
- Bell Peppers: Red, Yellow and Green, 1/2 cup chopped.
- Lemon Juice/Vinegar :2 tbsp.
- Turmeric Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Chilli Powder:1 tsp. (adjust according to your taste)
- Salt: As per taste
- Garam Masala Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Oil: 2 tbsp. (for marinate and cook chicken) and 1/2 cup for deep frying
- Water(optional): 2 tbsp. or less
- Bread Crumbs:1 cup
- Eggs:2 ( to bind the chicken) + 1 .
Process:
- Wash the minced chicken properly and make sure to drain all the water from it.
- Marinate the chicken with lime juice (or vinegar) , salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder ,little oil and all the chopped ingredients like chopped onion, ginger, garlic and bell peppers and keep it for half an hour to 1 hour.
- Now heat two tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the marinated chicken . On a low to medium flame cook the chicken until the oil comes out from the sides and the chicken becomes tender. At this time you may sprinkle little water on it and cook it covered for another few minutes.But be careful so that the minced chicken could not be over fried.
- Turn the gas off and let it cool for sometimes.
- Then mix the cooked minced chicken with 2 beaten eggs and 2-3 table spoon of bread crumbs to bind the chicken tightly.
- Now make oval or rectangular shaped cutlets from the chicken .Using your palms give them a flat shape.
- Then beat an another egg with a pinch of salt in a bowl and spread the rest of the bread crumbs in a flat plate.
- Dip each of the cutlet into the beaten egg and coat them with the bread crumbs very well.
- Now heat enough oil in a pan and then deep fry the bread coated cutlet until crisp.
- Soak the excess oil from the fried cutlets using a kitchen towel or tissue paper.
- Serve them with your favourite sauce and salad.
Enjoy Your Food...!
Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry was very famous and popular during the period of the British rule in India. Dak Bungalow is an inn or house for the travellers along a dak-route. Dak means "mail" in hindi. The British Officers used Dak Bungalow to collect taxes.
Duk Bungalow was equipped with a kitchen, bath with hammam ,bedroom. Its kitchen had a furnace(bhatti) made of clay to burn wood. Bhatti allowed the Khansama ( A male servant who cooks and often is also responsible for taking care of the house and organising other servants) to cook while standing up.
While the British Officers visited these dak bungalows the khansama made various non veg foods for them. Usually , in the morning , fresh water fish from local pond was fried in a skillet and served with hard boiled eggs. Otherwise chicken was butchered. The chicken curry was made according to local practice known to the khansama. With time the chicken curry became very famous and known as Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry.
It was a thick onion-ginger-garlic-tomato based gravy which was made with chicken on bone, whole eggs and potato with garam masala.
But to be very honest, I didn't have any idea of the recipe before I saw my dearest friend and sister Sanchita's post. Though I collected all the informations about this dish from here and there but the entire recipe I got from her only. I did some minimum variations of her recipe but the result was absolutely heavenly.
Ingredients:
- Chicken:750-800 gm.
- Potato:2 Large ( large dice)
- Egg: 3 ( Hard Boiled)
- Whole Garam Masala: Cinnamon Stick(1), Cloves(3-4), Green Cardamoms(3-4).
- Bay Leaves:2
- Onion: 4+1 (Medium size, 4 for making normal paste with ginger and garlic and 1 for making paste separately after frying)
- Ginger: 11/2"
- Garlic:7-8 cloves
- Turmeric Powder:2 tsp.
- Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder:2 tsp.
- Cumin Powder:1 tbsp.
- Coriander Powder:1 tbsp.
- Green Chilli: 2 (chopped or paste),(Optional)
- Tomato:2 medium sized (paste or finely chopped)
- Sugar:1 tsp.
- Salt: As per taste
- Garam Masala Powder: 1 tbsp.
- Unsweetened Yoghurt: 1/2 Cup (whisked in 2 tbsp. of water)
- Oil:5-6 tbsp.(preferably mustard oil, in absence you may use vegetable or sunflower oil.
- Ghee (Clarified Butter): 1 tbsp.
- Warm Water: 1/2 cup(optional)
Process:
- At first peel and dice the potatoes. Fry them until golden yellow in color with salt , turmeric powder and little oil.
- Hard boil the eggs. Shell them and fry until yellow with salt, turmeric powder and little oil.
- Now make a smooth paste with 4 onions, ginger and garlic and keep them aside.
- Then finely slice the remaining one onion and fry them with little oil until brown. Make an another paste of the fried onions.
- Now wash the chicken properly and mix it with half of the onion-ginger-garlic paste , salt , turmeric powder , 2 tbsp. of yoghurt, 2 tbsp. of oil and little garam masala powder and marinate it for atleast 1 hour.
- Now heat the remaining oil in a deep bottomed vessel or kadhai.
- Add the whole garam masala first. When nice aroma comes out add the sugar and fry it until brown.
- Add the rest of the onion-ginger-garlic paste and fry it for 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile make a smooth paste of the coriander, cumin and red chilli powder and the turmeric powder with 2 tbsp. of water.
- Add this spice paste into the kadhai now and stir .Cook until the oil comes out from the sides.
- Then add the chopped tomato and salt. Cook until the tomato become mushy and oil starts to release from sides.
- Now beat the yoghurt properly and add to the kadhai.
- Now add the marinated chicken ,cover the kadhai and cook it on a medium flame.
- Cook it atleast for 10 minutes and then uncover it. This time add the fried onion paste.
- Mix well and add the fried potato.
- Usually you don't need to add water as the yoghurt itself contains water and helps to cook the chicken and potato but still I added 1/2 cup of warm water at this time to make it little fast.
- Cover it again and cook until the chicken and the potatoes are done.
- Uncover and add the hard boiled eggs and check the seasoning. If required add little salt or sugar.
- Cook it for another few minutes until the gravy becomes thick .
- Turn off the flame and fry the garam masala with the ghee in a separate pan and pour it into the curry.
- No doubt it's a very delicious curry which is usually served with steaming hot rice, naan, paratha, luchi or roti.
Enjoy Your Food...!
Before I start to write the recipe I have a question to my those friends who have a toddler or a little pre school goer at home. How do you deal with them while feeding? uffff...sometimes I just become tired and exhausted with my 4 year old. In this world she loves only few foods with which I have strong objections. She loves pasta, noodles, pizza, burgers and all the fried stuffs. OMG..! Sometimes I just fail to control her. Therefore I have made some rules at my home just because of her health . I only give her such type foods once or twice in a week. But honestly,on that particular day, I really love to see her gleeful face.
This week, I thought of making Chicken Arrabiata Pasta which she loves very much specially in Pizza Hut. I took a chance to make it at home this time. To be frank, it was not a big deal and it came out wonderful .
Here comes the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Pasta (Penne works Best):250 gm
- Olive Oil:2-3 tsp.
- Boneless Chicken:200 gm.(chopped into bite size pieces)
- Onion:1 Medium (finely chopped)
- Garlic:4-5 cloves (Finely diced)
- Tomatoes:5 (chopped)
- Tomato Puree:1 tbsp.
- Chilli Flakes: A good pinch
- Chilli:1 (deseeded and chopped) (optional,I didn't use)
- Fresh Basil Leaves: Few
- Black Pepper: A Pinch
For the Béchamel Sauce:
- Cold Milk:1 Cup
- Plain Flour:2 tbsp.
- Parmesan Cheese: 2 tbsp. Grated.
- Salted Butter:2 tbsp.
Process:
- How to make the Béchamel Sauce:
- First melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. When it's done it should be turned into light or medium brown color.
- Slowly add the milk and whisk constantly. The mixture should thicken.
- When it becomes ready, take off the heat
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir continuously.
Ready to Bake
After Baking
- At first boil the pasta (penne) according to the instruction written on the back side of the packet. Generally pasta should be cooked with enough water and little salt with in 10 minutes.
- Strain the excess water and wash them under the running tap water and sprinkle little oil on the boiled pasta. It helps to keep the pasta non sticky and separated from each other.
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and chilli flakes (and fresh chilli if using).
- Add the chicken and when the chicken pieces turns into brown add the onion.
- When almost cooked add the tomatoes and tomato puree and simmer until thickened.
- Add the basil at the last moment and season with black pepper to taste.
- Mix the chicken and tomato sauce with the pasta and place in an ovenproof bowl.
- Pour the béchamel sauce over the top and cook at around 180c until the béchamel sauce is golden and crispy.
- When done, take it out of the oven mix the golden béchamel with all the pasta and serve.
Enjoy Your Food..!
Prawns.....Coconut ....Mustard seeds....!! Aren't these words bringing water in your mouth? Awwwww ! My heart breaths music with these words... hahahaha... ! Joking apart, today I am going to share a beautiful ,easy ,simple prawn recipe which is delectably good and can be prepared with in no time almost. This time I made this in the microwave oven. In absence you may prepare it in pressure cooker also.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Prawns:250 gm.
- Mustard Seed Paste:4 tbsp.
- Yoghurt:2 tbsp.
- Mustard Oil:4-5 tbsp.
- Coconut Milk/Coconut Cream/Scrapped Coconut(either one): 1/2 Cup
- Salt: As per taste
- Turmeric Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Green Chilli:2 (slit from middle)
Process:
- Clean and devein the prawns and mix it with all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and marinate it for just 10-15 minutes.
- On full power heat it covered (I used a borosil microwave cookware with lid) on the microwave oven just for 8-10 minutes.
- Take it out from the microwave and check whether the prawns are done or not. If needed heat it for another 2-3 minutes only but not more than that. Excess heating may turn the prawns very hard.
- Serve hot with steaming hot rice.
- It tastes heavenly....!
Enjoy Your Food..!
Egg Curry or Dimer Jhol is something which always survives me in those situations whenever I feel lethargic to cook or want to cook something very quickly without any difficulty. But still sometimes it becomes so boring to prepare the usual Egg and Potato curry. Thanks to one of my dearest friend, who posted her wonderful Egg Cap Mushroom recipe in her food community,where she gave a twist to the egg curry with the use of capsicum and mushroom instead of potatoes. The recipe was simple yet very nice and something different which I liked very much. Immediately, I tried that but as mushrooms were not there in my veg basket, I made it with only green bell peppers (capsicum) and potato. The result was indeed good . Capsicums gave the curry a different but beautiful taste. I loved it simply.
Here comes the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Egg: 4 (Hard boiled)
- Potato: 2 (diced)
- Capsicums: 2 (Cut in large pieces)
- Tomato: 1 Medium pc.
- Onion: 1 (Large)
- Ginger: 1"
- Garlic: 4-5 (cloves)
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp.
- Salt: As per Taste
- Sugar: 1/2 tsp.
- Chilli Powder: 1 tsp.(Or as per your choice)
- Bay Leaves: 1pc.
- Whole Garam Masala: 1 cinnamon stick, 2-3 cloves, 2-3 cardamoms
- Water: 1 cup (little warm water is preferable)
- Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 tsp.(optional)
- Oil:3-4 tbsp. (mustard or any other cooking oil)
Process:
- Hard boil the eggs and peel off the hard shell. Then fry them until golden with little oil ,salt and turmeric powder.
- Now heat little oil in a wok or kadhai and fry the diced potatoes and capsicum with salt and turmeric powder for few minutes.
- Meanwhile make a paste of onion, ginger, garlic and tomato.
- Then heat little more oil in the same kadhai.
- Add the sugar and the bay leaves .Fry the sugar till brown.
- Add the whole garam masala and wait until the nice aroma comes out.
- Now add the onion, ginger, garlic and tomato paste, salt and chilli powder.
- Stir well and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the fried potatoes and capsicums and cook until oil starts to release from sides.
- Add the warm water and make a stir.
- Cover and cook until the potatoes become soft.
- Uncover , taste the seasoning, add little more sugar or salt if needed.
- Add the previously fried eggs and cook for another 4-5 minutes. You may prick the fried eggs before adding them into the gravy.
- Adjust the gravy according to your choice. If needed add little more warm water and cook for only 2-3 minutes.
- Dry roast the garam masala powder and sprinkle on it and cover for just a minute so that the aroma gets captured by the curry.
- Turn off the flame and your Egg Capsicum Curry is now ready to serve.
- Serve it with steaming hot rice, roti or parathas.
Enjoy Your Food..!!
Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world, and is prepared as food in a wide variety of ways, varying by region and culture. It is the only meat which can be prepared very easily even. Onion Chicken is one of the most easy recipes which has a great taste . I have come to know about this preparation, from one of my very good friends, Juin di. I did few variations of her recipe but needless to say that it turned out awesome.
Here comes the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Chicken:1 kg
- Red Onion:5/6 large(thin sliced)
- Ginger:112 " (Paste)
- Garlic:12-15 Cloves(Crushed/Paste)
- Yoghurt:4 Tbsp.
- Chilli :2-4 Table Spoon Paste or as much as you want(I used only 1/2 tsp. as my daughter cant eat very spicy and hot food)
- Whole Garam Masala:1 Cinnamon Stick, 3-4 Cloves and 4-5 green cardamoms.
- Salt: As per taste
- Sugar:1 tsp.
- Turmeric Powder:1 tsp.
- Mustard Oil: 5-6 tbsp. ( in absence any other cooking oil is ok also)
Process:
- Heat oil in a deep bottomed vessel and then fry the onion slices with little oil until brown.
- Take them out of the vessel and soak the excess oil with the use of a kitchen napkin.
- Make a paste of the more than half of the friend onion then.
- Now take a big mixing bowl and mix the chicken with the friend onion paste, yoghurt, ginger, garlic paste, chilli paste and turmeric powder .
- Marinate it for about 1-2 hours.
- Then heat mustard oil again in the vessel and add the sugar first and fry it until brown. Then add the whole garam masala. Wait until you feel the frangrance and then add the rest of the fried onions and the marinated chicken and braise it on high flame for few minutes. Add salt and mix well.
- Lower the flame and cover it and cook until the chicken is done.
- Once the chicken becomes soft and tender uncover it and stir the chicken well with all the spices. Then garnish it with little more fried onions. Your Onion Chicken is now ready to serve.
- Keep in mind that this chicken preparation is a little dry dish having a less gravy which only covers the chicken pieces . So you don't need to add water.
- It's best when served with roti, naan or paratha.
Enjoy Your Food..!
