HOW TO COOK SWEET AND SOUR SHOL FISH

INGREDIENTS :-
(SERVING TWO)

1. Shol Fish - 200 gms (cleaned and washed )
2. Mustard Oil - 2 table spoon
3. Bay Leaf - 2
4. Cumin seeds -1/2 teaspoon
5. Kashniri Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon
6. Ginger paste - 1 tea spoon
7. Dhania-Jira (coriander-cumin) paste - 2 tablespoon
8. Tomato puree - 1 tea spoon
9. Hung curd - 50 gms
10. Turmeric powder - 2 tea spoon
11. Tamarind pulp - 1-2 tea spoon ( to taste )
12. Sugar - 1 tea spoon ( to taste )
13. Lemon juice - 2 tea spoon
14. Green pea - half cup
15. Salt to taste
16. Water - 1-2 cup
17. Garam masala - 1 tea spoon
18. Green chili for garnishing

DIRECTIONS :-

• Marinate shol fish with lemon juice , turmeric powder and salt for fifteen minutes .
• Take mustard oil in a frying pan and light fry the fish and put them aside .
• Add bay leaf and cumin seeds to the oil .
• Add ginger paste and dhania-Jira (coriander-cumin) paste and saute for two minutes .
• Add kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric powder and saute for two minutes more .
• Add tomato puree and hung curd to it and saute till the oil releases. 
• Add green pea and fold in the mixture. 
• Add salt to taste.
• Add water and let it come to boil .
• Add shol fish in the gravy .
• Add tamarind pulp and sugar in the gravy .
• Cover the frying pan with a lid and boil for five minutes more .
• Add garam masala and garnish with green chili .
• Serve hot with steamed rice .

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN DHANIA

Ingredients (Serving Two)

1. CHICKEN 500 gm. (half boiled and boneless) washed ,cleaned and cut into medium size pieces.

2. Mustard oil (2 tablespoons).

3. Bay leaf (2).

4. Cumin seeds (1/2 teaspoon).

5. Red chili (2).

6. Garlic (5 cloves).

7. Onion 2 (medium to big size).

8. Ginger (1 inch).

9. Dhania-Jira (coriander-cumin)  2 tablespoon.

10.Potato  (1 medium size diced and half boiled).

11. Tomato (1 medium size).

12. Roasted power of Dhania-Jira 1 tablespoon.

13.Chicken stock half cup.

14.Fresh coriander leaves (two bunches).

15.Salt to taste.

Directions:

1. 1.Make a paste of Dhania-Jira (coriander-cumin) , fresh coriander leaves (one bunch ) , one onion , ginger and tomato and put it aside.
2. Heat mustard oil in a pan or Kadai (oak)
3. Once it is hot add  bay leaves , red chili , crushed garlic cloves and cumin seeds and saute for one minute.
4. Add one sliced onion and saute for one minute.
5. Add the mixed paste and saute for one minute.
6. Add half boiled chicken and potato and fry for 8-10 minutes till the masala leaves oil.
7. Add chicken stock and mix it well.
8. Add salt to taste and let the chicken thicken.
9. Add roasted power of Dhania-Jira .
10. Add fresh coriander leaves.
11. Serve hot with roti or nun or kulcha.
12. Enjoy.

HOW TO COOK MUTTON IN WHITE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:-
(SERVING THREE)

• Mutton:400 gms.(washed and half boiled)
• Mustard Oil: 2 table Spoon,
• Hung curd : 2 table Spoon,
• Cashew nut paste :2 table Spoon,
• Poppy seed paste:2 table Spoon,
• Onion: 2 (sliced )
• Garlic: 10 cloves (crushed )
• Red Chili powder:1 tea spoon
• Roasted masala powder :3 tea spoon.
• Mutton stock:2 cups
• Milk :half cup
• Cashew nut :(crushed for garnish)
• Salt to taste.

Note:- Roasted masala is a mixture of 2 bay leaves,2 green cardamom pods ,1 brown cardamom pod,1 tea spoon of shajira(white cumin) ,1 table spoon of shamarich (white pepper),1 dried javitri flower (mace),1 star anise,10-12 black pepper 1 inch length cinnamon stick,3 cloves.

DIRECTIONS:-

Put a frying pan on the oven and heat mustard oil .
Add sliced onion , crushed garlic saute for 2 minutes .
Add Hung curd , Cashew nut paste and Poppy seed paste , Red chili powder and saute for 4-5 minutes .
Add half boiled mutton and mix well with the spice.
Add salt to taste .
Add the stock and mix well and put a lid and cook in low flame for five minutes .
Add the roasted masala and mix well .
Add milk and cook in low flame till the mutton is soft.
Garnish with Cashew nuts .
Serve hot with rice or nun .
Enjoy ..........


Note :- One may add fresh cream in place milk and add one tea spoon of ghee at the end.
            The same recipe may be tried with chicken too.

HOW TO PREPARE SALTED PATISAPTA

Patisapta is a very common Bengali pithe .Actually a sweet pancake roll with sweet tasted stuffing inside Patisata is normally sweet in taste but if anyone want to make a salted one ,it can be made salted too .Here is the recipe of the salted patisapta . 

INGREDIENTS:- 

• Flour - 3 tablespoons
• Rice Powdered :- 2 tablespoons.
• Suji (semolina) :- 2 tablespoons
• Red chilli powder quarter teaspoon
• White oil :- 2 tablespoons
• Potato :- 1 (cut in very small cubes )
• Cauliflower :- half (cut in very small pieces 
• Sweet pea -half cup
• Green chili - 1 (cut in small pieces)
• Coriander leaves - half cup
• salt to taste 
• Water according to need

DIRECTIONS :-

Preparation of stuffing :-

Heat one tablespoon of white oil in a frying pan .

Add potato , cauliflower and saute for 2- 3 minutes 

Add sweet peas and chili and saute for 1 minute

Add salt to taste .

Sprinkle a few drops of water and cover with a lid.

Cook till the mixture softens and let it cool.

Preparation of batter :-

Mix rice powder , flour and suji (semolina) in a big bowl .(The ratio of the three items as mentioned above should be followed )

Add water to it to make a batter of medium thickness .

Add salt to taste .

Preparation of Patisapta :-

Take a frying pan and grease it well with white oil.

Sprinkle a few drops of water in the pan and clean the frying pan.

Pour a full table spoon of batter in the pan and give it a round shape with the back of your spoon .

Place stuffing in a line in the middle of the round shape pancake .

Fold it from both side and press a little bit on the top.

Place it in another plate. Patisapta is ready.

Repeat the process again to make another patisapta.

Note :-

Before making each Patisapta the frying pan must be cleaned and greased and sprinkled with water otherwise the batter might stick to the pan and there might be problem to make patisapta.

HOW TO PREARE CHOLAR DALER BORFI

INGREDIENTS :-
(SERVING FIVE)

• Cholar dal(BENGAL GRAM LENTIL) - 250 gms.
• khoa (mawa) - 50 gms
• Green Cardamom - 5
• White oil - 250 gms.
• Sugar - 250 gms. or to taste.
• Flour -2 table spoons

DIRECTIONS :-

Preparation of borfi 

Make very small balls of khoa and put them aside .

Wash the cholar dal (Bengal gram lentil) and put it in pressure cooker 

Add two cups of water and close the lid.

Give just one whistle and wait for two minutes .

Release the pressure of the cooker and open the lid.

Drain the water and make a paste of the gram .

Add flour to it .

Make little balls out of the mixture .

Take a gram ball and put a small khoa ball inside it and give the shape of a borfi ot square .

When all the gram balls are given square shape then heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry them .

After deep frying them put them straight to the warm sugar syrup.

Wait till the sugar syrup pours inside the gram borfis .

Preparation of sugar syrup

To make syrup put another pan on oven and take water in it 

Next add sugar to water in the second pan and let it boil .

Stir the syrup from time to time .

When the sugar melts add green cardamoms to the syrup.

Make a light sugar syrup.

Let the syrup cool down .

Enjoy .....

KALAIDALER BHAPA NONTA PITHE

INGREDIENTS:-
(SERVING TWO)

• Kalaidal powder :- 3 table spoons
• Rice :- 3 table spoons
• Salt to taste
• Red chili powder - quarter teaspoon
• Water :- 1 cup
• White oil :- 1 table spoon
• Asafoetida :- 1 pinch
• Red Chili :- 2
• Mustard seeds :- half teaspoon
• Curry leaves(Botanical name -Murraya koenigii Spreng) :-  8-10 fresh leaves 
• Black salt - 1-2 pinches

DIRECTIONS :-

Mix kalai (biuli) dal and rice powder in a bowl.

Add salt to taste .

Add red chili powder .

Add water to the mixture.

Pour the mixture in a flat tray .

Put the tray to a steamer and steam till it sets . 

Let the tray cool down .

Cut the solid set mixture into squares.

Heat a frying pan and pour white oil in it .

Add asafoetida ,whole red chili ,mustard seeds and curry leaves 

Add the the squares of the steamed mixture and saute for 2-3 minutes .

Sprinkle black salt. 

Salted kalaidaler bhapa pithe is ready to serve. 

BEETROOT HALWA

INGREDIENTS :-
(SERVING FOUR)

• Beetroot - 4 (grated)
• Sugar - half cup or according to taste
• Milk 2 cups
• Condensed milk - half cup
• Ghee - one table spoon
• Cashew nut / Almonds / Pistachio - 5 gms.(chopped)
• Roasted Magaz (melon seeds) - one tra spoon
• Salt- quarter tea spoon
• Cardamom(green) - 2
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cardamom powder - half tea spoon 
• Rose water - one tea spoon

DIRECTIONS:-

Heat ghee in a frying pan.

Fry cashew nuts (or any other nut) and put them aside.

Add bay leaf and cardamom to the ghee .

Add grated beet roots and saute for five minutes .

Add milk and mix well with the beet root .

Add condensed milk to it and fold well .

Add sugar to taste.

Add a pinch of salt and mix everything well.

Add half of the fried nuts and roasted magaz and mix well.

Add cardamom powder and rose water .

Pour in a bowl and let it cool down .

Garnish beetroot halwa with the rest of cashew nuts and magaz .

Enjoy .