Masala Gobi/Aloo Phulkopir Dum (Spicy Cauliflower)

Cauliflower is such a vegetable which you add in any dish, it will taste great. That's why, how much we are bored with cauliflower, we have to have this beautiful flower in our home. This is the most favorite recipe made of cauliflower and I make it quite often. It is very easy to make and goes well with anything, like roti or paratha or simple plain rice.
If you want to know some facts, nutritional properties and health benefits of cauliflower, then go to Paajaka recipes by Mythreyee, who is hosting JFI:Cauliflower this month.


Ingredients :

Cauliflower : 1
Potato : 2
Green Peas : 1/2 cup
Onion : 1 (medium-grated)
Ginger : 1 tsp.(minced)
Garlic : 3 cloves(minced)
Green chillies : 2
Tomato : 1 (medium-chopped)
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Chilli powder : 2 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Coriander powder : 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds : 2 tsp.
Cashew nuts : 8-9 (broken into pieces)
Curd/yoghurt : 1/2 cup
Oil : 3-4 tblsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Cut the cauliflower in big florets. Take salted water in a bowl and soak the cauliflower pieces for 1/2 an hour. Drain and keep them aside. Cut the potatoes in medium size pieces and boil them. Keep them aside.
  
• Grind poppy seeds and cashew nuts into a paste in a coffee grinder. Make a smooth paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies.
• Heat Oil in a pan, sprinkle little salt and turmeric powder over the cauliflower pieces and fry until they are golden brown. take them out and in the same oil, add onions and fry till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes. Dilute turmeric, chilli(add according to your taste), cumin and coriander powder with 3 tblsp. water and add into the paste. Stir and cook till tomatoes are pulpy.
  
• Add little yoghurt time to time and blend well with the masalas until whole yoghurt is used. Stir fry till oil shows seperately. Add cauliflower and potatoes. Fry for about 2-3 minutes turning on all sides to coat the masala well.
  
• Lastly add poppy seed paste and mix well with the masala. Add green peas now. Add 1/2 cup water to make a thick gravy. Check the seasoning and cover and cook on low flame for 5 minutes. When the gravy thickens, take it out of heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
  

Serve hot with roti, paratha, rice or pulao.........enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Sending this yummylicious dish to Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes who is hosting JFI : Cauliflower this month, which is originally started by Indira of Mahanadi.
Also sending this masala gobi to Siri's event "Recipe for rest of us : Dinner" , which is initiated by Ramki of One page Cookbook.

Garlic Flavoured Masoor Dal

Masoor dal is simply a comfort food. For bengalis, specially. After a long vacation, when you're tired eating outside food and you crave for something home-made, this dal with hot rice with mashed potato, ummmmmmm. Today I would like to share a recipe which is my mom's invention. She used to make this dal specially with roti-sabji. This is an one of a kind recipe which I never heard of anyone making or never ate anywhere. This is my favorite dal recipe and became favorite to my daughter, too. BTW, she is not a dal fan. I always need to struggle a lot to make her eat dal, but this dal is her favorite. Thank you, mom, you & your recipe rocks................

Ingredients :
Red masoor dal : 1 cup
Dry red chilli : 1(break into 2)
Onion : 1 (medium)
Garlic : 4 cloves (big, if small use 6-7)
Tomato : 1 (small)
Green chilli : 2 (chopped)
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder : 2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Oil : 2 tbsp.
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Boil the dal in pressure cooker upto 2 whistle. Masoor dal cooks very fast. Open the cooker when it cools and put the cooker on heat, add 1 cup water and mash dal with a spoon and add salt and turmeric powder. Cook for 2 minutes and set aside.
• Slice onion lengthwise, grated garlic cloves and chop the tomatoes in small pieces.
  
• Now for tempering, heat oil in a pan, when oil is really hot, add dry red chilli and cumin seeds. When they change color, add onions and tomatoes. Fry until onions get brown, then add grated garlic. Stir for a minute or two, when you can get the flavor of garlic, add mashed dal to it.
• Check the seasoning and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Take pan out of heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Enjoy this mouth-watering dal with chapati, paratha and with hot plain rice ..............

Two Bengali Yummy fry recipe

1. Lau-er Khosa Bhaja (The skin of White Gourd Fry)
As you all know, a lot of nutrients are stored in the skin or first layer of all vegetables or fruits. So this fry is made from the skin of white gourd. I'm sure not all the vegetable skin won't taste good. But, this fry is so yummy, you'll want it more and more...can have this as a side dish with dal-chawal (lentil and rice). My mom, whenever she made any white gourd curry, she won't throw the skin of it and made this delicious fry. In Bengali cuisine, there is one dish which is made of all sorts of vegetable skins together and steamed with mustard paste(named Bati Charchari), it tastes yummy, too.


Ingredients :
Skin of white gourd : 1 Cup
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp.
Dry red chilli : 1 (break into 2)
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp.
Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Oil : 1 tbsp.

Method :

• Do not peel the skin. Use a sharp knife to cut the skin of white gourd. When cutting, peel the skin with little flesh with it to taste the fries good. If you just peel the skin, it won't taste good.
  
• After you get the skins, cut in a thin long pieces shown in the picture.

• Heat oil in a pan, temper with dry red chilli first, when it turns dark, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add the veges. Put little salt to taste and turmeric and chilli powder over it.
  
• Lower the heat to medium and fry until the veges are tender and they turn crispy(in bengali, we call kurkure) .

Obviously, serve them hot, hot , hot & enjoy...................

2. Palong-saag Bhaja posto diye (Spinach & green veg. fry w/poppy seed)

This is my grand mother's recipe. This fry also absolutely taste great with dal-chawal(lentil and rice) or as a starter with rice. I made little variation adding some more green vegetables with spinach and the interesting ingredient in this fry recipe, i.e. poppy seed. The fried flavour of poppy seed makes this dish taste so yummy.

Ingredients :

Spinach : few stalks
Green beans : 1/2 cup
Broccoli florets : 1/2 cup
Green peas : 1/2 cup
Dry Red chilli : 1(break into 2)
Poppy Seeds : 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp.
Green chilli : 1 (chopped)
Salt to taste
Oil : 2 tbsp.

Method :

• Wash all the vegetables and cut broccoli in small florets, beans and spinach in 1" pieces.
  
• Heat about 11/2 tbsp. oil in a pan, firstly add green beans and broccoli an dfry them in medium flame. When they are half done, add spinach and lastly add green peas. Fry them until done with turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside.
  
• In the same pan, add rest of the oil. temper with dey red chilli. When they turn dark red, add green chillies and poppy seeds, wait for few seconds, when seeds are just changing to brown and you get the fried aroma of poppy seeds, add all the fried vegetables over it. Mix them well and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Take it out of flame and serve hot.

I served this spinach fry as a side dish with dal-roti and it was great. Try it out soon..................
Aloor Khosa Bhaja(potato skin fry) : You can make this fry same way with poppy seeds. Cut the skins with little flesh on. Temper oil with poppy seeds and fry them until crispy. I will post the pic. soon.

Dimer Jhol ( Bengali egg curry)

This is an authentic bengali egg curry recipe which is good with rice as as well as roti or paratha and can have anytime, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients :

Eggs : 2-4
Potatoes : 2 (medium)
Onion : 1(big)
Ginger : 1"
Garlic : 4 cloves (medium)
Tomato : 1 (medium)
Green chilli : 1
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp(as per taste)
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp.
Bay leaf :1
Cardamom & cloves : 3 of each(coarsely crushed)
Cinnamon : 1 (1" stick)(coarsely crushed)
Garam masala powder : 1 tsp.(powder mixture of cinnamon, cardamom & cloves)
*Mustard Oil : 4 tbsp.
Ghee : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Sugar : 1/4 tsp.
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Boil eggs for 10-12 minutes or the eggs get hard-boiled. Cut the potatoes in big chunks and boil them until half done. Keep aside.
• Make 2 to 3 slits with a sharp knife on boiled eggs. Apply little salt and turmeric powder on boiled eggs and potatoes. Fry them golden brown seperately and keep aside.
• Other prep. :Make a masala paste of turmeric, chilli, cumin and coriander powder in 3 tbsp. water. Slice onion very thin, make a paste of ginger-garlic-green chilli and chop the tomato.
  
• Now for the curry, heat a pan with rest of the oil, add the sugar and heat until sugar starts to turn light brown. Then add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom & cloves and then add sliced onions, fry them until golden. Then add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and fry them on a minute or two. Then add masala paste and stir for another 2 minutes in medium heat.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and fry until oil seperates. Now throw fried potatoes and mix well with the masala. Add salt and about 1 cup of water ( **see note below). Add fried eggs and close the lid. Simmer and let it cook until potat oes are done. Check the seasoning.
  ** Note : The gravy for this preperation can be thick or semi-thick. Adjust the water as per your need.
• When potaoes are done, sprinkle garam masala powder and ghee over the curry. wait for a minute and remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

* Note : I prefer making non-veg dish specially in mustard oil as it gives a good taste to the curry. If you're using mustard oil, then you may use little less oil, as it is thick and wait before you add something in oil until smoke goes off. Otherwise you'll get a raw smell in your curry.

Serve hot and enjoy.............................
Did I tell you, I made this egg curry with Bengali pulao on the V'day for my hubby dear, as he wanted a very simple lunch And he is an absolute egg-lover. As I made this curry with lotssssssssssss of love, so sending this to Priyanka's fun event "Cooking with Luv for Luv" .
Also sending this post to Alka of Sindhi Rasoi who is hosting an fun event "Just for You"



And to Siri who is hosting a nice event "Recipes for rest of us : Dinner" which is initiated by Ramki Of One page cookbook.







My dear freind Arundhuti of Gourmet Affair has passed me this Lemonade Award....Thanks, Arundhuti..thanks for thinking of me.
I am passing this award to these truly deserved blooger freinds,
to Sharmila, Soma, Sowmya, LG , Priyanka and Priya

Vegetable Masala Idli for All Ages

My 10 years old daughter is an absolute Idli-fan. At least 3-4 times a week she'll ask me to make idlis. So this time I thought, why not make it a little healthier? So I tried to add some vegetables and it absolutely came out very tasty and yummy. She loved it and she said, "mom, from now on you have to make idli this way only". So my experiment was a great success.


Ingredients :

Idli Batter
Carrot : 1/2 cup
Capsicum : 1/2 cup (all colours)
Green beans : 1/4 cup
Onion : 1(small)
Ginger : 1/2 inch
Green chillies : 1 or 2
Coriander leaves : 1/2 cup(chopped)
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp.
Curry Leaves : 5-6 nos.
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method :

• Cut all vegetables in very small pieces. Blanch ginger and green chillies. If your child can't tolerate green chillies, avoid it.
• In a pan, heat oil. Temper with curry leaves,mustard seeds and urad dal, when seeds start to crackle, pour it in the idli batter. In the same pan, add ginger and green chillies and all the vegetables, fry for 2-3 minutes with a pinch of salt and add them too in the batter.
• Lastly add coriander leaves and onions and mix the batter with a spoon vigorously for a minute or two.
• Your idli batter is ready. Mow grease your idli stand, pour the batter on each mould and steam in the idli cooker.
• Serve them with hot sambar.

I am sending this post to Alka of Sindhi Rasoi who is hosting an fun event "Just for You" and this cute little masala idlis are just for my cute little princess.