SORSHE UCHHE ( BITTER GOURD IN MUSTARD PASTE )

INGREDIENTS:-

1. Uchhe (Bitter Gourd) -2-3( cut into thick round slices )
2. Mustard Oil -1 table soon .
3. Turmeric powder -1 tea spoon
4. Salt to taste
5. Sugar to taste .
6. Mustard paste -2 tea spoons
7. Kalo jira ( Nigella sativa seed ) - half tea spoon

DIRECTION:-

• Blanch the pieces of bitter gourd or uchhe and put it aside .
• Heat mustard oil in a pan and add kalo jira ( Nigella sativa seed )   .
• Add blanched bitter gourd pieces in it .
• Add salt to taste and saute for three to four minutes .
• Add turmeric powder to it and saute for four to five minutes more.
• Add mustard paste to it and fold well with the bitter gourd and saute till light smell of mustard comes out .
• Add a pinch sugar ( or according to taste ) to it and mix well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and cook it in low flame for two minutes .
• Sorshe Uchhe is ready to serve with rice .

LEMON RICE

INGREDIENTS:- 

1. Boiled Rice for Serving two
2. White Oil -1 Table spoon
3. Green chili - 2/3 cut into small pieces 
4. Lemon juice - 2 tea spoons
5. Lemon zest 
6. Salt to taste.
7. Cumin seed -half tea spoon
8. Fresh coriander leaf - 1 bunch ( washed  and cleaned )

DIRECTION :-

• Heat white oil in a pan .
• Add cumin seeds and green chili and saute well.
• Add rice to it and add salt to taste.
• Squeeze fresh lemon in the rice or add bottled lemon juice and mix well.
• Add fresh coriander leaf and lemon zest .
• Lemon rice is ready ....so please Enjoy.

NOTE -
One may add dry fruits or fresh citrus fruits in it .

MAN KOCHU BAATA

     In Bengalee cuisine baata plays an important role .Baata means any sort of paste made of any seasonal vegetable or leaf .It is normally served at the beginning of the meal .Man kochu baata is a typical Bengalee cuisine which is served with hot boiled rice.


INGREDIENTS:-
(SERVING FOUR)

1. Taro root - 250 gms.
2. Coconut - 1 cup (grated )
3. Mustard paste - 2 tea spoons
4. Green Chili - 5
5. Mustard Oil - 1 table soon
6. Salt to taste .
7. Raisin for garnishing. 

DIRECTION:-

• Thickly peel off the man kochu (Alocasia macrorrhizos ) and cut into small cubes and wash it thoroughly.
• Make a fine paste of mustard  with two green chilis and a pinch of salt and put it aside .
• Put man kochu , grated coconut and mustard paste in a blender and blend well .
• Pour the mixture in a bowl and add salt to taste .
• Add mustard oil to the mixture and mix with the paste .
• Garnish with green chili and raisin.
• Serve with hot rice.

NOTE:-

Any variety of kochu (Colocasia esculenta) often cause an itching sensation in throat and mouth if not cooked properly. It happens due to the presence of oxalic acid which forms raphides. It is reduced to safe levels by steeping cubed taro roots in cold water overnight and disposing of the water. Calcium oxalate is highly insoluble and contributes to kidney stones. It has been recommended to consume milk or other calcium-rich foods together with taro .But it is normally found that MAN KOCHU or BHOG MANA (Alocasia macrorrhizos ) does not cause itching .Still I prefer to put the piece of MAN KOCHU the sun for a whole day before cooking it .One may add tamarind or lemon juice to avoid itching sensation .

MUSHROOM CURRY

INGREDIENTS:-

1. Mushroom-200gms (washed ,dried and cut into halves )
2. Capsicum-1 (cut in cubes)
3. Tomato-1 (cut in cubes)
4. Carrot-1(cut in cubes)
5. Cucumber-1 (cut in cubes)
6. Garlic paste -1 tea spoon
7. Onion paste - 1 tea spoon
8. Ginger paste-half tea spoon
9. Green chili paste -1 tea spoon
10. Ajwain (Carom seed) - half tea spoon
11. Char Magaj (Water melon seeds) - 1 tea spoon
12. Corn Flour -1 table spoon
13. Dark Soya-sauce-2 tea spoons
14. Tomato sauce-1 tea spoon
15. White Oil -2 table spoons
16. Salt and sugar to taste
17. Water for making batter.
18. Fresh Green Chili -2 (for garnishing )

Direction :-

• Make a batter with cornflour ,1 tea spoon of saya sauce and water .
• Add salt to taste to the batted .
• Put the mushrooms in the batter .
• Heat white oil in a pan and fry the mushroom pieces one by one and put them aside..
• Add Ajwain to the oil .
• Add Garlic paste ,Onion paste,Ginger paste and Green chili paste one by one and saute for three to four minutes .
• Add Tomato and Char Magaj and saute for two minutes 
• Add Capsicum,Carrot and Cucumber cubes and saute for three to four minutes .
• Add the fried mushroom pieces and saute .
• Add salt and sugar to taste .
• Add rest of the saya sauce and tomato sauce  and mix well .
• Add a little water if needed and cover the frying pan and cook in low flame for three minutes .
• Garnish with fresh green chili .
• Mushroom Curry is ready to serve with rice ot roti.

MIXED VEGETABLE WITH CHEESE AND EGG

INGREDIENTS :-
( SERVING FOUR )

1. Potato-1(cut in cube)
2. Tomato-1(cut in cube)
3. Capsicum-1(cut in cube)
4. Cucumber-1(cut in cube)
5. Potol (Pointed gours/Parwal/Parval/Trichosanthes Dioica) - 1(cut in cube)
6. Jhinga (Ribbed Gourd)-1(cut in cube)
7. White Oil - 2 Table Spoons
8. Besan( gram flour )- 2 tea spoons
9. Atta (Whole wheat flour)- 2 tea spoons 
10. Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves ) - 1 tea spoon
11. Salt to taste
12. Sugar -1 tea spoon
13. Ajwain(Carom seeds )-1 tea spoon
14. White til (sesame without husk)- 1 tea spoon
15. Red Chili - 1
16. Green Chili - 2
17. Ginger-  1 tea spoon (fine Julianne )
18. Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
19. Char Magaj (Water melon seeds) - 1 table spoon
20. Tomato sauce - 1 table spoon
21. Cheese cube - 1
22. Egg - 1

Directions - 

Process of making fritters  ;-

• Mix bason and atta in a bowl .
• Add salt and sugar to taste .
• Add kasuri methi in it.
• Add little water (half cup)and make a mixture for fritters.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry fritters with the mixture and put them aside .

Half boil all the vegetables except tomato.Put them aside.

Process of making vegetable:-

• Heat white oil in a frying pan.
• Put bay leaf , ajwain , sesame seeds and red chili and saute for one minute .
• Add tomato and saute .
• Add turmeric powder ,salt and sugar to taste and saute for few minutes till tomato becomes soft.
• Add all the vegetables and saute for two to three minutes . 
• Add early fried fritters and char magaj to the vegetables and mix well .
• Add green chili and ginger and saute for two minutes .
• Add tomato sauce and cheese and wait till the cheese melts with the vegetable .
• Beat an egg lightly in a separate bowl till the yolk and the white are combined .
• Pour the beaten egg at the corner of the frying pan .When the egg takes colour then mix it with the vegetables.
• Cheesy mixed vegetable with egg is ready to serve with rice or roti.
• Enjoy.

MALAI RICE ( JANMASTAMI SPECIAL RECIPE)

INGREDIENTS :-
( SERVING TWO )

1. Basmati Rice - 100 gms.
2. Condensed Milk - 2 table spoons
3. water - 1 cup 
4. Sugar - 2 tea spoons 
5. Salt to taste
6. Saffron - 1 pinch
7. Mitha Atar - 2 drops
8. Cinnamon powder - half tea spoon
9. Cardamom  powder -1 tea spoon
10. Garam Masala powder - 2 tea spoons 
11. Raisin (10 gm.).
12. Cashew-nut (10 gm.).
13. Pistachio - (10 gm)
14. Akhrot (Walnut) - (10 gm )
15. Dry Coconut slice (small) - 1 table spoon
16. Cherry - (50 gm)
17. White Oil - 1 table spoon
18. Bay leaf - 2

DIRECTION:

• Heat oil in a frying pan and fry Cashew-nut ,  Pistachio, Akhrot (Walnut) , Dry Coconut slice and Raisin and put them aside.

The Process Of Making Rice -

• Wash rice and cook it with water and bring it to boil.
• When almost boiled then drain out the water and spread it in a serving plate so that it never sticks with each other.
• Take a karahi or frying pan and put water and bring it to boil. 
• Add condensed milk to it.
• Add sugar and salt to taste.
• Add Saffron ,Mitha Atar ,Bay leaf , Cinnamon powder and Cardamom  powder one by one and let the milk thicken a bit.
• Let the mixture cool down.
• Add the dried boiled rice to the mixture.
• Add garam masala powder.
• At last add all the fried dry fruits in the rice. 
• Garnish with cherry.
• Malai Rice is ready to serve.

HOW TO MAKE SALTED HOLI DOUBLE DECKER

INGREDIENTS :-
( SERVING TWO )

• Flour - 200 gms 
• White Oil - 1 tea spoon (to add to the flour )
• Sodium Bicarbonate - quarter tea spoon
• Cumin Seed - half tea soon 
• Potato - 1 (washed and cut into very small cubes )
• Paneer - 50 gms .
• Carrot - 2  (one carrot washed and cut into very small cubes and the other one made paste )
• Tomato - 1  (washed and cut into very small cubes )
• Beet - 1  (quarter part washed and cut into cubes/ circle and the rest made paste )
• Ginger - half inch (crushed )
• Onion - 1 (sliced )
• Green Chili - 1 (washed and cut into very small pieces )
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish .
• Salt to taste 
• Chat Masala or Black salt - a few pinches 

DIRECTIONS:-

        

 Process of making the staffing :-

• Heat oil in a frying pan .
• Add onion and a pinch of salt to it .
• Add potato and fry for 3-4 minutes .
• Add paneer and saute for two minutes 
• Add carrots , tomato , ginger and green chili and saute well and cook in low flame till it is soft .
• Add salt to taste .
• Put the stuffing aside and let it cool down .

         

Process of making the dough :-

• Take flour in a bowl and add a pinch of salt ,cumin seeds and sodium bicarbonate and 1-2 tea spoon of oil and mix well with the flour .
• divide the flour mixture into two parts .
• Add beetroot paste into one and make a dough and put it aside . (sprinkle water if needed )
• Add carrot paste into the other mixture and make a dough .(sprinkle water if needed )
• Put it in refrigerator for half an hour .
• Divide the dough into ten little balls (five from each) and roll them one by one into round shape

Process of making the Salted Holi Double Decker :-

.

• Put one tea spoon of stuffing into the middle of one circle each and fold from both sides .
• Put one red folded on a carrot coloured folded circle in crisscross position .and fold wrapping the other colour to give it a rectangular shape .
• Deep fry and garnish with coriander leaves and salad .
• Sprinkle black salt or chat masala just before serving .
• Serve hot and enjoy with tea or coffee .

Note :-

One may use sweet stuffing to make this item also.