Spices n Secrets

This recipe is dedicated to my Ma because she loves chutney. She is diabetic but when it comes to pineapple chutney she really does not bother to care about diabetes.

Ingredients:

1. 1 pineapple (grated with spoon or grater)
2. 2 red chillies
3. 8-10 cashews
4. 8-10 raisins
5. 1 tbsp. mustard oil
6. 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
7. 1/2 tsp. panchphoran
8. 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
9. 1/4 tsp. salt
10. sugar as per taste

Method:

Heat oil in a kadhai.
Temper panchphoron and dry red chillies for 4-5 seconds.
Add the grated pineapple.
Saute for 15-20 minutes in low heat.
Add salt, turmeric powder, cashews and raisins.
Cook for another 10 minutes.
Sprinkle cumin powder and switch off the heat.
Refrigerate in an air-tight container for atleast 2 hours.
Serve chilled.

It was husband's birthday. Thought of going out for some Bengali food joints. But unfortunately,  I did not find any restaurant in my locality as I already mentioned that I am staying outside Kolkata, that is Bangalore.

Therefore, with no option left but still had to treat him, I made this dish.

Ingredients for 6 Servings:

1. 500gms prawns
2. 4 green chillies slit
3. 1/2 cup chopped onions
4. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
5. 6 tbsp. mustard oil
6. 4 tbsp. mustard seed paste
7. 3 tbsp. sour yogurt
8. 2 tbsp. poppy seed paste
9. 2 tbsp. milk cream
10. 2 tbsp. fresh coriander leaves
11. 1 tbsp. refined vegetable oil
12. 1+1/2 tsp. sugar
13. 1 tsp. haldi
14. 1 tsp. kashmiri chilly powder
15. 1/2 tsp. black cumin seeds or kalongi
16. 1/2 tsp. red chilly powder
17. salt to taste

Method:

Smear little salt and haldi on the prawns.
Shallow fry them.
Keep aside for later use.
meanwhile, prepare a mixture of mustard seed paste, poppy seed paste, yogurt, milk cream, haldi, red chilly powder, kashmiri chilly powder, sugar and salt.
Add 2 tsp. mustard oil to it as well.
Keep aside.
Now heat a kadhai and add mustard oil and refined vegetable oil.
Temper black cumin seeds and green chillies.
Add onions and saute till golden in color.
Add tomatoes and cook till tomato softens.
Pour the prepared mixture of mustard and poppy.
Stir for 15 minutes on low heat.
When oil begins to surface on top, add the previously fried prawns.
Stir for sometime.
Add coriander leaves.
You can add water as per requirement.
Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.
Finish off with a teaspoon of mustard oil and serve with plain steam rice. 

My love for baking is not limited to cakes. I also do bread making from time to time. In these quarantine months when I have so much leisure time, I wanted to bake something that does not involve too much fat and sugar, and utilizes the available ingredients at home.

I do not have yeast and yet was able to bake bread, which I think is really commendable. After my second attempt, this recipe is now perfect for sharing.

When I say no yeast, it does make one wonder that how will the bread rise and develop the chewiness that is no quintessential to a bread. And while I do not promise the same degree of bread-feel to this Oat Bread recipe, it is amazingly delicious and goes perfectly with butter, jam, as a toast with fried egg ... basically anything!
So, how will the bread rise?

Well, the answer is that Oat Bread uses the same technique in which a cake is baked. The same raising agents (baking powder & baking soda) are used. You can even refer to this recipe as a savory cake.

What also sets apart this recipe from other yeast bread recipes, is the usage of oats.

Up until now I have come across oat bread recipes that never really uses oats. The amount of oats used is reduced to minimum and the major ingredient is wheat flour.

But I was intent on using oats if not majorly, atleast in 50-50 ratio.

So, anytime you are bored of eating oats with milk, just put the same ingredients with some other ones and give yourself a gourmet bread experience.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup plain oats (any variety will do) (click to buy oats)
2. 1 cup wholewheat flour (can use all-purpose flour/maida)
3. 1/2 cup sour yogurt
4. 1/2 cup milk
5. 1 egg
6. 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
7. 2 tbsp. sugar
8. 1 tbsp. honey (click to buy Honey)
9. 2 tsp. baking powder
10. 1 tsp. salt
11. 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Method:

In a bowl, add oats, milk, yogurt, egg, oil, honey and sugar.
Mix well and keep aside for 45 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
Grease and flour a baking loaf pan. (click to buy loaf pan)
Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
To the softened oats, add the flour mixture.
Stir gently with a spoon till all the ingredients mix.
Do not over whisk.
The batter will be sticky and soft, so do not use hands for kneading.
Pour the sticky bread dough into the prepared loaf pan.
Flatten the edges.
Sprinkle some dry oats on top for decoration.
Bake for 30 minutes on 180 degree celcius heat or till the bread rises and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Do not overbake as it will dry out the bread and make its exterior hard to chew.
Cool and cut into slices.




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Coconut chutney is one of my favorite dishes. I can take this even without Dosa or Idli. As this is my favorite and I am also staying in Bangalore, so for this reason I learnt how to prepare it from one of my South Indian friends.

Ingredients for 8 servings:

1. 1 cup grated coconut
2. 1 cup roasted bengal gram or chana dal
3. 1/4 cup chopped onions
4. 8-10 garlic cloves
5. 3 green chillies
6. 2 dry red chillies
7. 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
8. 1+1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
9. 1 tbsp. chopped curry leaves
10. 1/2 tbsp. sugar 
11. 1+1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds
12. 1 tsp. zeera whole
13. 1 tsp. urad dal
14. 1 tsp. ginger paste
15. 1/2 tsp. kashmiri chilly powder
16. 1/2 tsp. red chilly powder
17. 1/2 tsp. haldi
18. 1 pinch hing
19. salt to taste

Method:

In a bowl, mix coconut, bengal gram, ginger paste, garlic, onion, green chillies, kashmiri chilly powder, red chilly powder, haldi, curry leaves, lemon juice, hing, sugar and salt.
Now in a mixer-grinder, add the mixture with some water.
Grind the mixture into a smooth paste.
In a non-stick pan, heat some oil and temper dry red chillies, mustard seeds, zeera and urad dal.
Roast them in low flame.

Turn off the heat.
Pour the tarka on the prepared paste.
Store in air-tight container in fridge.
Serve chilled with idli, dosa, uttapam or paddu.

Debottoma Chatterjee Debnath

Hi! Myself Debottoma. Little bit introvert but I love to cook or you can say cooking is my passion. Whatever is my mood be it happy, be is sad or angry - I love to do cooking as it helps me to relax. Previously, I was working with IT sector as Admin & HR executive and now I am working with child care sector as Centre Head.

Relive the golden days by reading about an ordinary life in India, wherein hopes are simpler, demands are less and moments are cherished.


Soumen Saha
Cooking is not only one of my hobbies but is my passion. I love to eat very much. According to me cooking is an art. If you have patience and you love cooking then there is no doubt that dishes made by you will be liked and appreciated. And I think this is the most important payback and reward for each and every cook. 
You will be surprised to know that basically I am a Civil Engineer and always dealing with bricks and stones but my love for eating has always helped and inspired me to cook different dishes, to experiment, to improve and give my touch to it. Other than this I love listening to music and singing, playing badminton, writing short stories, songs and poems.

There are many people who are strictly vegetarian, means for them onion and garlic are non-vegetarian vegetables. So, I thought of making this recipe only for those people who love to eat but due to this restriction they are ignoring this preparation.

Ingredients:

1. 200gms paneer/cottage cheese
2. 2 medium size potatoes cut into small pieces
3. 1 tomato cut into halves
4. 2 green chillies slit
5. 1-2 bay leaves
6. 4 tbsp. refined oil
7. 4 tbsp. mustard oil
8. 3 tbsp. sour yogurt/curd
9. 2 tbsp. fresh cream/milk cream/malai
10. 2 tbsp. milk
11. 1 tbsp. ginger paste
12. 1 tbsp. fresh dhania patta chopped
13. 1/2 tbsp. dhania
14. 1/2 tbsp. haldi
15. 1/2 tbsp. kashmiri mirch powder
16. 1/2 tbsp. zeera powder
17. 1 tsp. sugar
18. 1/2 tsp. zeera seeds
19. 1/2 tsp. amchur
20. 1/2 tsp. teekha red chilly powder
21. 1/2 tsp. garam masala
22. salt to taste

Method:

Make a slurry of the dry powder spices, milk, cream, salt and ginger paste.
Keep aside for later usage.
Heat a kadhai and add both types of oil for cooking.
Add a pinch of salt.
Fry the potatoes till golden brown.
Take it out in a bowl.
In the same oil, fry the paneer pieces.
Keep it in the bowl with fried potatoes.
Now in the remaining oil, temper zeera, bay leaves and green chillies.
Stir on low heat for 10-20 seconds.
Add tomatoes and cook till the tomato softens.
Now pour the milk-spice solution.
Stir for 5 minutes or till the oil begins to separate.
Add the fried potatoes to the masala.
On medium heat, saute for 15 minutes.
Add water as per required for preparing a thick gravy.
Add little sugar and fried paneer.
Stir gently.
Sprinkle garam masala and dhania patta.
Switch off the heat.
Serve hot with rice, roti, puri or paratha.


Debottoma Chatterjee Debnath

Hi! Myself Debottoma. Little bit introvert but I love to cook or you can say cooking is my passion. Whatever is my mood be it happy, be is sad or angry - I love to do cooking as it helps me to relax. Previously, I was working with IT sector as Admin & HR executive and now I am working with child care sector as Centre Head.

I like this recipe simply because it is very easy to cook, very tasty and can be enjoyed with chapati, rice or just as a snack.

I first ate this dish few years back when one of my Maharashtrian college friend brought it in his tiffin. I insisted him to get the recipe from his mother and since then I am making it at home for my family.

This dish happens to be one of the most popular and favorite dishes in Maharashtra.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup gram flour/besan (click to buy Besan)
2. 150 gms finely chopped green onion leaves
3.  3-4 green chillies (adjust according to taste)
4. 2 tbsp. refined oil 
5. 2 tbsp. lemon juice
6. 1 tbsp. coriander leaves/dhania
7. 1 tbsp. cumin seeds/jeera
8. 1 tbsp. coriander powder/ dhaniya
9. 1/2 tbsp. turmeric power/haldi
10. 1/2 tbsp. kashmiri red chilly powder/degi mirch
11. 1/2 tbsp. cumin powder
12. 1 tsp. ginger
13. 1/4 tsp. asafoetida /hing
14. salt to taste 

Method:

Prepare a smooth paste of ginger and green chillies.
Heat some oil in a deep non-stick pan and temper the cumin seeds.
As soon as the seeds develop light brown color add asafoetida and the ginger-chilly paste.
Saute for no more than 30 seconds.
Add the green onion leaves and salt.
Saute for 2 minutes on medium heat.
Now add the spices - coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric and red chilly powder.
(optional step - Add 1/4 tbsp. sugar to balance the taste)
Cook till the vegetable softens and the spices emit a nice aroma.
Add besan and lemon juice.
Gently stir.
If needed, sprinkle 2-3 tbsp. water.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Serve warm.

Soumen Saha
Cooking is not only one of my hobbies but is my passion. I love to eat very much. According to me cooking is an art. If you have patience and you love cooking then there is no doubt that dishes made by you will be liked and appreciated. And I think this is the most important payback and reward for each and every cook. 
You will be surprised to know that basically I am a Civil Engineer and always dealing with bricks and stones but my love for eating has always helped and inspired me to cook different dishes, to experiment, to improve and give my touch to it. Other than this I love listening to music and singing, playing badminton, writing short stories, songs and poems.







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