My last Kolkata trip was just like a food safari. Enjoyed a lot. Street food to famous restaurant everything was awesome.
But loved one home made dish too. Its pointed gourd or parwal with poppy seeds and coconut. Just finger licking taste.
Didn’t know the recipe. Tried but didn’t find the exact taste. My niece Aditee Ray gave me the recipe on phone from Kolkata. Thanks dear.
And her recipe is perfect. Got the same finger licking taste. Very simple recipe. You don’t need any spices except coconut, poppy seeds, oil, sugar and salt. Even turmeric powder is absent. Yet the taste is awesome.
Here is the recipe of potol posto or pointed gourd with poppy seeds and coconut.
Recipe
Parwal – 10-12
Coconut – little more than 1/2 cup, grated
Poppy seeds or khaskhas – 4 tbsp
Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
Green chilli – 1-2
Curd – 2 tbsp
Salt and sugar to taste
Method
Scrap the parwal or pointed gourd. Chop off both the ends. Now peel stripes in alternate. Make slits in both ends. Parwal should be intact.
Wash and drain them. Toss them with salt and keep aside.
Soak poppy seeds or khaskhas in hot water for 2 hour or microwave for 2 minutes and let it cool.
Grind poppy seeds, grated coconut and green chilli. Make a fine paste. Paste should be thick. Don’t add much water while grinding.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the parwal till becomes light brown. Remove from the oil and keep aside. If there is not enough oil in the pan add 1 tsp more.
Add masala paste. Fry well. Add well beaten curd. Saute. Then add the fried parwal, salt and sugar. Mix well. Add water as much you need for thick gravy.
Let it boil. Cover and cook on medium low flame for 3-4 minutes. Don’t dried up completely. You will love it’s thick gravy. Now its ready.
Check the seasoning. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy the less spicy yet delicious potol posto or pointed gourd aka parwal in khaskhas or poppy seeds gravy.
Made this one pot meal for lunch.
You can call it egg biryani or egg pulao. You can omit egg to make a delicious veg biryani or pulao.
Very easy to make and delicious.
I wanted to add mint and green peas but I haven’t. Added potatoes and French beans. You can add cauliflower, carrot or any other vegetables of your choice.
Everyone loved this aromatic delicious rice.
You can serve this with any raita but I like it with fruit raita with mild sweetness. You can enjoy it without any side dish too
I used 1 tsp ghee or clarified butter with oil but you can cook with only ghee or half ghee half oil.
Recipe
Rice – 1 and 1/2 cup
Water – 2 cups and 1/4 cup. If you want soft rice like me then add 2 cups and 1/2 cups
Bay leaf – 1
Cardamom – 4-5
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Cloves – 3-4
Mace or javitri – 1 string
Jawa peppercorn/ Tailed pepper or kabab chini – 4 -5
Star anise – 1/2 piece and 1 for garnishing
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Biryani masala – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Curd – 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 and 1/2 tsp
Onions – 2 chopped
Tomatoes – 2 chopped
Green chilli – 2 chopped
Coriander leaves chopped – handful
You can add mint too ( I didn’t)
Potatoes – 2 chopped in cubes
French beans – 150 gram, chopped in 1 inch piece
Eggs
Oil – 3 tbsp
Cashew nuts – 4 tsp
Clarified butter or ghee – 1 tsp
Curd – 2 tbsp
Method
Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 an hour. Drain and keep aside. Boil the eggs. Peel them. Finely chop one egg to mix in the spices.
Prick the remaining eggs with a knife or fork for 2-3 times. Marinate with little salt and biryani masala. Keep aside.
Lightly crush the cardamom cinnamon cloves, kabab chini and star anise ( don’t grind).
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the cashew nuts, potatoes and French beans one by one and keep aside.
Add clarified butter or ghee. Add bay leaf, mace and crushed whole spices. Then add the chopped onion. Fry and when onions start to changes colour.
Add ginger garlic paste. Saute well. When raw smell goes away add chopped green chilli and chopped tomatoes.
Fry till the tomatoes get mushy. Add 1 finely chopped egg. Saute again and add salt and all the spices. Add well beaten curd.
Saute till the spices dried up. Add the fried vegetables and chopped coriander leaves. Add mint if you want. Mix and add rice. Fluff gently. Add water, eggs and fried cashew nuts.
Pressure cook for one whistle.
Its ready. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and star anise.
You can garnish with fried onion slices too.
Serve hot.
Rice kheer or pudding. Thick creamy rice kheer taste devine. Little salted butter will make your kheer absolutely delicious. Try once and you will know the difference in taste because of salted butter.
Little rice with thickened milk, dry fruits and cardamom made this kheer or pudding heavenly. Sometimes I also use little rose water with cardamom powder to make the kheer more aromatic.
Celebrating Raksha Bandhan today.
Raksha bandhan is a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters.
It is called Rakhi in many parts of India.
The festival falls on the full moon day of the Shravan month. On this day sisters tie a rakhi ( sacred thread) on her brother’s wrist. This symbolizes the sisters love and prayer for her brother’s well-being and the brother’s lifelong vow to protect her.
So on this auspicious day we have to make some sweet dish.
Sharing my brother’s favourite rice pudding or rice kheer today.
A rich creamy dessert made of rice and milk. To make rich creamy texture don’t add too much rice. Very little rice cooked with milk till milk thickened and rice should be mixed well. Keep stirring to get smooth creamy texture. Saffron is optional, you can skip it. You can also add little rose water or kewra water if you like the flavour. And salted butter will make your kheer heavenly.
Recipe
Full cream milk – 7 cup
Rice – 3 tablespoon
Salted butter – 1 teaspoon
Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon
Cashew nuts – 2 tablespoon
Raisins – 2 tablespoon
Saffron – a small pinch, optional
Sugar – 1/4 cup or to taste
Method
1. Rinse the rice properly. Drain and marinate with salted butter. Keep aside.
2.Soak the raisins in water.
3. Cut the cashew nuts into half.
4. Heat milk and let it boil.
5. When it starts to rolling boil add rice. Also add saffron if using. Mix well.
6. Reduce the heat. Let it cook on simmer. Stir in-between and scrape the sides of the pan. Keep stirring to get smooth creamy texture.
7. Cook on low flame till the milk thicken. Now add the sugar. If you like your kheer lightly sweetened add 1 tablespoon less sugar. Stir well.
8. Add cashew nuts and raisins. Taste and add 1 tablespoon sugar if require.
When the kheer get rich creamy texture switch off the flame. Kheer should be thick but flowing. It will becomes more thick when cool.
9. Add cardamom powder. Mix well.
Let it cool down.
10. Garnish with saffron strands, cashew nuts and raisins. You can also sprinkle shredded almonds.
11. Serve rich creamy rice pudding or kheer chilled or room temperature. Enjoy the divine taste.
Notes
1. You can use rose or kewra water with cardamom powder if you like the flavour.
2. You can use any dry fruits of your choice.
If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hashtag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.
I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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Straight out from oven. Freshly baked nankhatai. Delicious and melt in mouth.
After taste it you never satisfy with store bought. These home made are much better than store bought. These nankhatai or shortbread cookies are altime favourite amongst my family and friends. I have adopted the recipe from Zee Bangla rannaghar. Loved it too much so sharing it here 😊
Recipe
APF flour or maida -1 cup
Gram flour/chickpea flour or besan – 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar – 1 cup
Clarified butter or ghee – 1 cup melted
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
Chopped cashew nut
Method
Cream together sugar and ghee. Add flour along with baking powder, soda and cardamom powder.
Knead to a smooth dough. Make small balls and fill with cashew pieces.
Arrange in the greased tray. Bake at 180° in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Allow the nankhatai to cool before eating.
Enjoy the mouth melting and yummy nankhatai with your tea or coffee.
Oats whole wheat chocolate cake. A very soft moist and delicious eggless cake with chocolaty flavour. Updating a very old post with a video recipe and some new pictures.
Tried a cake with oats and very happy with the result. Its super soft and moist. Taste is awesome. Believe me texture is much better than all purpose flour or maida cake.
As I mentioned above Its an old post. Made a video recipe so updating the post with some new pictures and text. Earlier I had used cashew nuts and this time used walnut. You can use whatever you like. And also used 3/4 cup sugar instead of 1 cup to make the cake mildly sweet.
So its eggless butter less refined flour less yet absolutely delicious cake. A perfect tea time cake and perfect for kiddos too.
I will try to share same cake without refined sugar to make it completely guilt free. So stay tuned.
Here are some more oats cake from this blog. Click on the name below for recipe.
Whole wheat flour or atta – Used whole wheat flour or atta which we normally use to make roti or chapati.
Oats – Used rolled oats and grind to make fine powder. If you have oatmeal then you can use it. No need to grind.
Powdered sugar – Confectionery sugar or powdered sugar used to sweetened the cake. If you like your cake mildly sweet use 3/4 cup and if you want your cake more sweet use 1 cup.
Oil – Used peanut oil instead of butter. You can use olive oil or any flavorless vegetable oil to make this cake.
Milk and vinegar – This cake is eggless so vinegar mixed milk used as buttermilk to make the cake soft.
Cocoa powder – Cocoa powder used for chocolate flavour.
Baking powder and soda – Baking powder and soda used as leavening agent. Baking powder and soda will help the cake to rise and make the cake fluffy and light.
Vanilla essence – Vanilla essence will give a lovely aroma with chocolate.
Walnut – Earlier I had sprinkle cashew nuts in the greased baking pan to make upside down cake. This time used chopped walnut in the batter. You can use any nuts according to your choice.
To make oats powder simply grind the oats in your mixer grinder. You can use olive oil or any flavorless oil to make this cake. If you like your cake mildly sweet like me use 3/4 cup powdered sugar
And if want your cake more sweet use 1 cup sugar. Use sugar according to your taste
Use cashew nuts or walnut whatever you like. Or you can use both if you want.
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Recipe video of this delicious eggless cake
Recipe
Whole wheat flour or atta – 1 cup
Ground oats – 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar – 3/4 cup
Oil – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1 cup
1. Preheat the microwave convection or hot blast mode at 160°. For OTG preheat at 180° for 10 minutes.
2. Mix vinegar in milk and keep aside.
3. Grease a cake pan and dust with flour. You can use loaf pan or any cake pan. If you are using nonstick pan grease lightly with oil only.
4. Sprinkle cashew nuts pieces or tutti fruity or whatever your kids like. This step is optional. This time I skipped it and added chopped walnut in the batter.
5. In a bowl mix whole wheat flour, oats powder, baking powder, soda and cocoa powder. You can sieve these dry ingredients if you want. Add chopped walnut in the dry ingredients and mix.
6. In a large bowl add oil and sugar whisk well. Add vanilla and milk mixed vinegar and whisk again.
7. Add half of the dry ingredients. Mix well. Now add remaining dry ingredients and mix well so that it really blend together. Make a lump free smooth batter.
8. Pour the batter into the baking pan. And tap the pan on your kitchen counter to remove the air bubbles.
9. Place in oven and bake for 28-30 minutes in microwave hot blast or convection mode and 35-40 in OTG. Or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Insert a toothpick in the middle to check.
10. Every oven takes different time so keep an eye after 28 minutes.
11. Invert the cake on a plate or cooling rack. Let it cool down before slicing.
Enjoy……
Notes
1. You can use any nuts of your choice. Or you can also make it without any nuts.
2. Add powdered sugar 3/4 to 1 cup according to your taste. If you like your cake mildly sweet use 3/4 cup.
3. You can also use any gluten free flour instead of whole wheat flour or atta.
4. Olive oil or any flavorless vegetable oil can be used to make this cake.
If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hashtag, #batterupwithsujata. I would love to see your creations. I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment. Please visit my facebook page and hit the like button to get the latest update
Yes our very own potato but in a different way. And its my own way quick, easy yet yummy.
It’s spicy but I didn’t use normal spices like cumin, coriander, etc. And didn’t use onion and garlic too.
Sometimes we love the usual vegetables in different taste.
RECIPE
Potatoes – 4-5 medium
Tomato – 1 large
Green chilli – 2-3 or as your spice tolerance
Grated coconut – 2-3 tsp
Mustard powder – 2 tsp
Panch phoran -( a mix of fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, mustard seed and fennel seed in iqual part.but I prefer to use smaller proportion of fenugreek seeds because of it’s mildly bitter taste) – 1 tsp
Dry red chilli – 1
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp chopped
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
METHOD
Soak mustard powder in little water.
Make a paste of tomato, green chilli and grated coconut. You can add small piece of ginger too ( I didn’t ).
Peel off the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
Heat oil in a pan.Add panch phoran. Let it crackle, add dry red chilli.
Then add the washed and drained potatoes.Fry on medium flame till it turns light golden brown and little soft. Add salt and turmeric powder while frying.
Now add the paste, soaked mustard powder and red chilli powder.
Fry well. Add water and cover the pan. Cook for some time till potatoes completely done. Don’t dried up. We need thick gravy in it.
Add chopped coriander leaves. Stir well.
I ‘ve added 1/2 tsp mustard oil because I like it’s raw taste. But you can omit it.
Its ready. garnish with slit green chilli, chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut.
Serve hot with poori, paratha, naan or enjoy it with simple crisp butter toast.
Pinwheel cookies straight out from my oven. My kitchen is filled with the lovely aroma of the cookies.
Recipe Courtesy: Nita Mehta’s cookbook.
Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
240 gm or 2 1/2 cups All purpose flour or Maida
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
1 tsp Baking powder
1/8 tsp Salt
Slightly less than 3/4 cup Butter ( I used home made white butter)
Slightly less than 1 cup powdered Sugar
3 tbsp Milk
3 tbsp Cocoa powder
Method
Sieve flour, baking powder & salt together.
Cream butter & powdered sugar till light & fluffy.
Add the flour, vanilla & milk. Mix gently to make a stiff dough.
Divide the mixture into two parts and blend cocoa powder in one.
Thinly roll out both the halves 1/8″ thick into equal sized pieces.
Place the chocolate piece on top of the white one. Roll the two tightly together as for Swiss rolls and allow to stand in a cool place for 20-30 minutes.
Cut into 1/4″ thick slices and place on a well greased baking tray.
Bake at 180° for about 10-15 minutes.
Your Pinwheel Cookies are ready to be cooled and relished.
Malai Kofta. Soft delicious mouth melting Kofta in no onion garlic rich creamy gravy. Kofta fried in appe pan so you don’t need much oil to fry the Kofta. Also sharing the deep fried version.
Malai Kofta fried in just two spoon of oil. Fried the kofte in appe pan but if you don’t have this pan you can fry it in a non-stick pan or if you want you can deep fry it. A healthy as well as tasty pure vegetarian recipe.
You can serve this malai kofta with roti, naan, paratha, fried rice, pulao, jeera rice etc. I have served this delicious malai kofta with roti and aam kathal.
This no onion garlic curry taste scrumptious. You can serve it as a party side dish. I have used homemade paneer or cottage cheese. To get the recipe of making paneer click here. Subscribe with your mail address to get all the recipes straight to your mailbox immediately after publishing.
Video recipe of this lipsmackingly delicious malai kofta 👇
Everyone love the taste of a no garlic and no onion pure vegetarian dish. So it’s not difficult to make pure veg dishes.
And when non-veg eating people say that the taste is finger-licking you can imagine how it must be tasting in real.
Here is such a no garlic, no onion dish for you all “Aloo Paneer,” a potato and cottage cheese recipe.
Aaloo Paneer
Ingredients
Potatoes – 2-3 large chopped in cubes
Paneer or Cottage Cheese – 1 cup cubesTomato – 2
Bay leaf – 1
Cardamom – 2-3 broken
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Cloves – 3
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Green chilli – 1-2
Khuskhus or Poppy seeds – 2 tsp
Melon seeds – 2 tsp
Cumin seed – 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder – 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Oil – 2 -3 tbsp
Ghee or Clarified Butter – 1 tsp optional
Cream or Malai – 2 tsp
Method
Soak the khuskhus in hot water or microwave for 2 minutes with water.
Soak the melon seeds and keep aside for some time.
Grind both the khuskhus and melon seeds to make a fine paste. Add in green chilli, chopped ginger and chopped tomatoes to the paste. Grind them altogether. Keep aside.
Fry the potatoes and paneer cubes. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seed. Let it crackle now add broken cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf. Now add the ground masala paste. Fry well.
Add all the spices. Saute and when oil leaves the sides add fried potatoes, salt and sugar. Saute again.
Add cream or malai, mix well. Saute for some more time. When completely dried up add water as much gravy you a want.
Add paneer cubes. Let it boil. Cover and cook on low medium flame till the potatoes done. Add a spoonful ghee and its ready.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves or green chilli. Serve hot with steamed rice, roti, paratha or poori.
Batter Up With Sujata 