side dish – Batter Up With Sujata

Chicken Rezala

Chicken rezala. A mughlai dish which is very famous in Bengal. Chicken rezala is a yogurt based fragrant rich creamy curry. Yogurt, whole spices and Kewra water made the dish aromatic and delicious.

First time I tasted famous rezala of Sabir in Kolkata with my elder sister Chhobidi and brother in law long years ago. But still remember the taste. Chhobidi and brother in-law were left for heavenly abode. But I am dedicating this post to their younger daughter and my lovely niece Ellora Roy.

I have shared some more chicken recipes on this blog. Click on the name below for recipe.

1. Chicken chaap

2. Chicken clear soup

3. Chicken dak bungalow

4. Zafrani chicken

5. Chicken kosha

6. Sikkimese chicken curry

7. Hariyali chicken

8. Easy spicy pressure cooker chicken

9. Andhra chicken curry

Monday again and this week its time for dahi/curd or yogurt. 294 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Dahi Dhamal suggested by Priya Vijaykrishnan who blog at Sweet Spicy Tasty. Priya has amazing collection of authentic South Indian recipes with different types of continental recipes. I have to try her Bean corn Quesadilla and Keerai sambhar soon.

To make this chicken rezala you have to marinate the chicken pieces in yogurt or curd/dahi and some spices for atleast an hour. You can marinate the chicken for overnight in refrigerator. Make a smooth paste of poppy seeds and cashew nuts. For easy grinding soak poppy seeds and cashew nuts in hot water. Or you can dry grind the poppy seeds first. I always store some dry ground poppy seeds. Just add little water with dry ground poppy seeds and grind for a few seconds. You will get perfectly ground smooth paste for your curry. For better result cook chicken rezala with ghee or clarified butter. But if you don’t want to use ghee use any vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon ghee. I have used 1 tablespoon Mustard oil in marination and refined white oil with ghee for cooking. You can also marinate with the chicken with ghee or any white oil.

Recipe

Chicken – 500 gram

Curd/dahi oryogurt – 1/2 cup

Ginger garlic paste – 1&1/2 tablespoon

Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil – 4 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon

Ghee – 1 tablespoon

Onion – 2 large

Green chilli – 5 – 6 or to taste

Cashew nuts – 12

Poppy seeds – 2 tablespoon

Bay leaf – 2

Dry red chilli – 5

Black cardamom – 1

Green cardamom – 4

Cinnamon – 1&1/2 inch piece

Cloves – 4

Saffron – a pinch

Milk – 1/4 cup

Water – 1&1/2 cup

Kewra water – 2- 3 drops

Method

1. Clean and wash the chicken well. Drain the water completely. Marinate with curd, black pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and 1 tablespoon oil or ghee. I have used mustard oil in marination but you can use any oil. Mix well, cover and keep in refrigerator for an hour. You can keep the marinated chicken overnight in refrigerator. But if you don’t have time marinate the chicken at least 30 minutes to one hour.

2. Soak the cashew nuts and poppy seeds in hot water. This time I have used dry ground poppy seeds so soaked only cashew nuts in little hot water till cashew nuts becomes soft. Soaking will make your grinding easy. You can dry grind the poppy seeds or khas khas into a fine powder and store in an airtight container in refrigerator to make your cooking easy. Grind the cashew nuts, poppy seeds and green chilli into a smooth paste and keep aside.

3. Also grind the onion into smooth paste separately.

4. Lightly crush the green cardamom in a mortar pestle. Soak saffron in 1/4 cup hot milk.

5..Heat oil and ghee or clarified butter in a pan or wok. You can use only ghee if you like or skip ghee and make with oil only. But for better taste use little ghee. I have used only 1 tablespoon. You can use any refined vegetable oil.

6. Now add bay leaves, crushed green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and dry red chilli. Fry for a few seconds or until whole spices becomes fragrant. Spices shouldn’t be burnt. Add onion paste and saute till oil leaves the sides.

7. Take out the chicken from marinated mixture and mix with sauteed onion paste. Add salt. Be careful while adding salt. We already used salt in marination. Stir well. Cover and stir in between.

8. Cook till chicken dried up and oil floats on top. Don’t forget to check and stir in regular interval to avoid sticking to the bottom. Add cashew nuts, poppy seeds and green chilli paste. Saute and till oil leaves the sides.

9. Add soaked saffron and water.Add warm water as require to make gravy. I have used 1 cup first and added 1/2 cup more warm water because chicken was about to dried up and still little uncooked.

10. Cover and cook till chicken becomes soft. Timing depends on the quality of chicken. So keep an eye and check in between.

11. Taste and adjust the salt. Add Kewra water mix and remove from heat. Garnish with saffron and fried dry red chilli and serve with steamed rice, pulao, rumali roti, naan, tandoori roti, paratha or simple fulka roti or any Indian flat bread.

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.

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Eggplant Or Brinjal Chutney

Eggplant/brinjal or baigan chutney. A lipsmackingly delicious chutney with very simple ingredients. Eggplant/aubergine or baigan haters will also enjoy this chutney without recognizing eggplant or brinjal in it.

You need very simple ingredients to make this chutney. For best result always use seedless brinjal or eggplant. And you can customize the recipe according to your taste. I have used dry coconut in the chutney. You can use fresh coconut pieces if you want. You can also use hot variety red chilli powder instead of Kashmiri red chilli powder for more spicy chutney. Usually same amount of eggplant and tomato used to make this chutney but I like more tomatoes and less eggplant in my chutney. So I used a small eggplant and three tomatoes. Tomatoes and tamarind both will make your chutney tangy and tasty. I have used eggplant, tomatoes, dry coconut pieces, green chilli, curry leaves, mustard seeds, ginger, roasted peanuts, dry red chilli, cilantro or coriander leaves, tamarind paste with some spices.

You may like some more chutney recipes on this blog. Click on the name below for recipe.

. Almond walnut chutney with mango ginger or amada

. Olive chutney

. Tomato oambal or chutney

. Ginger chutney

. Mango sesame chutney

. Date raisins jaggery chutney with mango bar

. Water chestnut or singhara chutney

. Onion tomato chutney

. Mango raisins chutney

. Peanut chutney

. Gur aam

293 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Tiffin Side Dish suggested by Priya Iyer who blog at The World Through My Eyes. You can get many chutney recipes on her space. I recently bookmarked her delicious Vegetarian pad thai noodles to try soon. And her Gujarati kanda Kairi recipe is also in my list to try.

I like my chutney tangy and spicy. Hotness depends on the green chilli you are using. You can taste and adjust the seasoning according to your taste. You have to roughly chop the ginger and green chilli. You can also serve it without blending as a side dish with roti, paratha or any Indian flatbread. I used roasted peanut but if you don’t have roasted peanut then you can dry roast the peanut separately or fry the peanut with ginger, green chilli and coconut. If you are using seedless eggplant, then its impossible to recognize the taste of eggplant or brinjal/baigan in the chutney.

Recipe

Eggplant/aubergine or brinjal (baigan) – 1 small

Tomato – 3, chopped

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece, peeled and chopped

Green chilli – 3-4 or to taste

Dry coconut – 2 tablespoon, chopped into small pieces

Salt to taste

Cumin/jeera powder – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric/haldi powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard seeds/rai – 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves – 8-10 leaves

Dry red chilli – 1

Cilantro or coriander leaves – handful, chopped

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Tamarind or imli paste – 1/2 tablespoon or to taste

Roasted peanut – 1 tablespoon

Oil – 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

Method

1..Chop the eggplant or brinjal in cubes. Immerse the eggplant pieces in sufficient water to avoid discoloring.

2. Chop ginger and green chilli roughly.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add half of the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds starts to splutter add 4-5 chopped curry leaves, chopped ginger, green chilli and coconut pieces. You can also add a few chopped garlic cloves if you want. I didn’t.

4. Fry till coconut pieces becomes light brown. Now add eggplant or brinjal, salt, cumin powder, turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder. Mix well and cover.

5. Cook till eggplant becomes soft. Stir in between to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add chopped tomato, cilantro or coriander leaves and roasted peanut.

6. Mix and cook covered till tomato becomes mushy. Add tamarind paste, mix and remove from heat. Taste and add more salt or tamarind paste if required. I added 2 teaspoon more tamarind paste because I like my chutney tangy. It will be delicious. You can enjoy it with roti, paratha or Indian flatbread.

7. Let it cool down. Blend the mixture in your mixer grinder.

Tempering

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small pan or wok. Add remaining mustard seeds and 4-5 curry leaves. When seeds starts to splutter pour the tempering on the chutney. Your chutney is ready to serve. Serve with idli, dosa or any meal.

Notes

1. You can use roasted eggplant to make this chutney if you like smoky flavour.

2. If you want your chutney more spicy, then add some more green chilli or you can also use some red chilli powder with other spices.

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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Andhra Chicken Curry

Andhra style chicken curry. A hot spicy and lipsmackingly delicious chicken curry from Andhra cuisine. Freshly ground dry roasted whole spices, chillies and aromatic spices made this curry so special and mouthwatering.

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You may like some more chicken recipes on this blog.

1. Chicken chaap

2. Chicken clear soup

3. Chicken dak bungalow

4. Zafrani chicken

5. Chicken kosha

6. Sikkimese chicken curry

7. No oil hariyali chicken

8. Easy spicy pressure cooker chicken

This week’s #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Curries From The South suggested by Narmadha who blog at Nams Corner. If you love authentic dishes then do visit her space. Narmadha has amazing collection of authentic and innovative recipes. I have bookmarked her Baked chicken nuggets recipe to try. I also love her different kinds of soup and rasam recipes.

Now coming to the recipe. You can also make this chicken curry in pressure cooker to make it in less time. You have to dry roast Poppy seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, whole peppercorn and a small piece of star anise. Star anise is optional, if you don’t have it then you can skip it.

These dry roasted spices will make your curry flavorful. Always marinate the chicken at least for 30 minutes. You can cover and keep the marinated chicken overnight in refrigerator. And onion, curry leaves, tomato will give a wonderful taste to the curry. I always use mustard oil to marinate the chicken but you can skip it if you want.

Recipe

For marination

Chicken- 500 gram

Curd- 4 tablespoon

Lemon juice- 2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder- 1 tablespoon

Black pepper powder- 1 teaspoon

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tablespoon

Salt- 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard oil- 1 tablespoon

Spices to dry roast

Poppy seeds- 1&1/2 tablespoon

Green cardamom- 4

Cinnamon- 1&1/2 inch piece

Cloves-4

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds- 1 tablespoon

Black peppercorn- 4

Star anise- a small piece, optional

For gravy

Onion-3 medium, finely chopped

Green chilli- 5-6 chopped

Curry leaves -1 spring

Tomato- 1 chopped

Cilantro or coriander leaves – handful

Oil- 3-4 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Water- 1&1/2 cup or as required

Method

1. Clean and wash the chicken well. Drain and keep aside.

2. In a bowl mix curd, lemon juice, mustard oil, ginger garlic paste, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Add chicken pieces and mix well. Marinate for 30 minutes or an hour. I like to use little mustard oil in marination. But you can skip it if you want. You can marinate the chicken without any oil.

3. In a pan dry roast poppy seeds lightly and transfer the seeds on a plate. In the same pan dry roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Star anise is absolutely optional if you don’t have, skip it. I like the flavour so I used a small piece. Grind the roasted poppy seeds and all the whole spices when cool.

4. Heat oil in a pan or wok. Add chopped onion, curry leaves and green chilli. Add green chilli according to your spice tolerance. I have used 4 chopped green chilli and 2 slit green chilli. Fry till onion becomes light brown.

5. You can also make it in pressure cooker. See notes for pressure cooker method.

6. Add chopped tomato, cilantro or coriander leaves and salt. Saute till tomato becomes mushy and oil leaves the sides.

7. Now add chicken pieces and fry till chicken pieces change it’s colour and oil leaves the sides.

8. Add dry roasted and ground spices and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add 1&1/2 cup water and remaining marination. Mix and cover.

9. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Check and stir in between.

10. After 15 minutes my chicken was still slightly uncooked so added 1 cup water more and cooked covered for 10 minutes on low heat.

11. Add water as require to get your desired consistency. Add water and when its starts to rolling boil cover and cook on simmer for 10-15 minutes more or till chicken becomes soft. Timing depends on the quality of chicken. Sometimes chicken cooked perfectly in 10 minutes. You can also make this curry semi dry or dry. Add water accordingly.

12. Remove from heat. Your spicy delicious Andhra style chicken is ready.

13. Garnish with cilantro or coriander leaves and slit green chili. You can also use lemon wedges for garnishing. Serve with steamed rice, pulao, jeera rice, roti, paratha, naan or any bread.

Notes

1. You can also make this curry in pressure cooker. After adding water pressure cook for three whistle. For pressure cooker add only 1 or 1&1/2 cup water or as you like your gravy.

2. You can add more chillies to make your curry more spicy or use less chillies if you are making for kids.

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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Easy Spicy Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry

Easy spicy pressure cooker chicken with red Jalapeno or large size fresh red chilli. A very flavourful and delicious chicken curry to serve with any type of rice or bread.

I have bought some large size red Chillies. Seller said its red Jalapeno. When used we loved the quiet different taste. The chillies are not hot at all and taste is mildly sweet with a lovely flavour. So I used these chillies in my stir fry, salad and other savoury dishes.

Normally I like to marinate the chicken before cooking but this time I have made in a hurry. So didn’t marinate and the chicken curry was absolutely delicious. So here is a super easy quick and lipsmacking chicken curry recipe for you. And I used some aromatic spices to make this curry flavorful.

Here are some more chicken recipes.

1. Hariyali chicken

2. Sikkimese chicken curry

3. Chicken kosha

4. Zafrani chicken

5. Chicken dak bungalow

6. Chicken clear soup

7. Chicken chaap

I have ground all the whole spices because I like my gravy smooth. But you can use these whole spices for tempering. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, javitri or mace, Kababchini or cubeb and star anise in the hot oil before adding onion ginger garlic paste. Curry is flavorful because of all the ground whole spice. Green chilli, red chilli powder and pepper powder made the curry spicy but if you like less spicy reduce the amount of green chilli and use Kashmiri red chilli powder instead of hot variety red chilli powder.

Recipe

Chicken – 500 gram

Black cardamom – 1

Green cardamom – 3 – 4

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Cloves – 3-4

Javitri or mace – 2 strands

Start anise – a small piece

Kababchini or cubeb – 4, optional

Green chilli – 5-6 or to taste

Garlic- 13 – 14 Cloves

Ginger- 1&1/2 Inch piece

Onion – 3, chopped

Curd – 1/2 cup, well beaten

Tomato -3, chopped

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Red chilli powder- 2 teaspoon

Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon or to taste

Cilantro or coriander leaves – 2-3 tablespoon

Oil – 4 – 5 tablespoon

Fresh large red chilli or Jalapeno – 2, optional

Nutmeg powder- 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Water – 1 cup

Ghee or clarified butter – 1 tablespoon, optional

Bengali garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon, optional

Method

1. Peel the black cardamom and take out the seeds.

2..Grind onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, seeds of black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, Kababchini, star anise and mace or javitri. Make a smooth paste.

3. Chop the Jalapeno or large red chilli.

4. Separately grind the tomatoes.

4. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the paste of onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli and all the whole spices. Fry till ground spices starts to change it’s colour and oil leaves the sides.

5. Add tomato paste and saute again till oil leaves the sides. Now add cleaned and rinsed chicken pieces. Mix well.

6. Saute till chicken fried well and dried up. Add salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, nutmeg powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and red chilli powder. If you want less spicy used Kashmiri red chilli powder. Saute for 1 – 2 minute.

7. Add well beaten curd, Jalapeno pieces and chopped cilantro or coriander leaves. Keep stirring. Saute till oil leaves the sides.

8. Add water and mix. Pressure cook for 3 – 4 whistle or until chicken pieces becomes soft. Timing depends on the quality of chicken.

9..Let the pressure settle down on its own. Open the lid, taste and adjust the seasoning. If you want thick gravy cook for a few minutes more or until you get your desired consistency. I had slightly reduced the gravy after clicking the pictures.

10. Add ghee or clarified butter 1/2 teaspoon Bengali garam masala. You can use 1- 2 teaspoon ghee instead of 1 tablespoon if you want. Or skip the ghee completely.

11. Garnish with cilantro or coriander leaves and red chilli pieces. Serve hot with jeera rice pulao, roti, paratha, puri or any bread.

Notes

1. Use Chillies according to your taste. To make more spicy add some more green chilli. And to make less spicy use Kashmiri red chilli powder instead of hot variety red chilli powder.

2. You can also make this curry with mutton but mutton will take some more time to cook.

3. You can use the whole spices for tempering if you want.

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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Dim Kosha Or Spicy Egg Curry With Thick Gravy

Dim kosha or spicy flavorful egg curry from Bengali cuisine. A rich and thick curry, best accompany with steamed rice pulao, puri, naan or any bread. Easy to make and delectable taste.

Posting after a short break. Hope you will like the recipe. Earlier shared Chicken kosha Kosha means bhuna or frying the spices well. For delectable taste you have to fry the spices on low flame for a long time. I had served this delicious dim kosha or spicy egg curry with Saffron rice .

Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high-quality protein. More than half the protein of an egg is found in the egg white, which also includes vitamin B2 and lower amounts of fat than the yolk. Eggs are rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper. A study published in Paediatrics magazine has suggested that giving young children just one egg a day for six months, alongside a diet with reduced sugar-sweetened foods, may help them achieve a healthy height and prevent stunting. Source

You may like some more dishes with eggs on this blog. Click on the name below for recipe.

1. Piperade-with-indian-spices

2. Soya-loaf

3. Kerala-egg-roast-with-potato

4. Egg korma with almond and coconut milk

5. Eggs in mustard and poppy seeds

6. Egg in yogurt sauce

7. Spicy egg or masala egg

8. Egg pulao

9. Potato stuffed egg enchilada

10. Tomato cilantro egg drop soup

11. Dimer chop or deviled egg

12. Chicken-dak-bungalow

Happy to post for our bloghop group again after more than a month. This week 273 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is My Family Favorite recipe suggested by Priya Vijaykrishnan who blog at Sweet Spicy Tasty. A perfect blog name. You can get many wonderful savoury, sweet, spicy, healthy, authentic, innovative and mouthwatering recipes on her blog. I have bookmarked her different types of lipsmacking chutneys and Date coconut microwave laddu to try.

As I mentioned above recipe is very easy to make. Fry the salt, turmeric powder marinated hard boiled and peeled eggs. Don’t forget to make a few slit on the eggs. I had used mustard oil, you can use any oil but this curry taste best with mustard oil. If you don’t like to use green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, then you can use 1 teaspoon panch phoran for tempering. To make panch phoran or five spice mix 1 tablespoon each nigella seed or kalonji, cumin seeds or jeera, mustard seeds or sarso, fennel seeds or sounf and 1/2 tablespoon fenugreek seeds or methi. I also make dim kosha with panch phoran for a change. But this dim kosha with crushed whole spices is aromatic and more delicious.

Recipe

Eggs – 4, boiled and peeled

Onion – 1 large, thinly sliced

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon

Tomato – 1 ,finely chopped

Great chilli – 2 – 3, slit

Green cardamom – 3

Cloves – 3

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch piece

Dry red chilli – 1

Bay leaf – 1

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 2 teaspoon

Garam masala powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon or to taste, optional

Salt to taste

Tomato ketchup – 1/2 tablespoon

Mustard oil – 3 – 4 tablespoon

Water – 1 cup

Method

1. Make some slit on the hard boiled eggs. Marinate the eggs with little salt and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder. You can also add little red chilli powder. I didn’t.

2. Crush green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in a mortar pestle.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the eggs till golden brown from all the sides.

4. Remove the eggs from oil and place on a plate.

5. Add bay leaf, dry red chilli and crushed cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in the same oil.

6. Now add sliced onion. Fry till onion starts to change it’s colour.

7. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add chopped tomato, salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric

8. Now add tomato sauce and stir. Add water and mix well. When water starts to boil add the eggs and slit green chili. Add sugar if using. Mix well.

9. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook on simmer for 7 – 8 minutes. Remove the cover and cook on high heat until gravy becomes thick. Add garam masala and mix. Taste and adjust the salt. Mix and remove from heat.

10. Garnish with cilantro or coriander leaves. Serve with roti, puri, naan, paratha, steamed rice, jeera rice or pulao.

Notes

1. You can add peeled, cubed and fried potato in curry if you want.

2. Use chilli according to your taste.

3. You can also use 1 teaspoon panch phoran instead of crushed whole spices for tempering or tadka.

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

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Panch Phoran Dal / Red Lentil With Five Spice

Panch phoran dal or red lentil/masoor dal with Bengali five spice. A flavorful and delicious dal to serve with steamed rice or bread. Aroma of roasted and ground panch phoran made this dal delectable.

You don’t need much ingredients to make this dal. You need only onion, tomato, chilli, some dry spices and panch phoran. Panch phoran consists of fenugreek seeds or methi, Nigella seed or kalaunji, cumin seed or jeera, mustard seed or sarso and fennel seed or sounf. To make panch phoran or five spice mix 1 tablespoon each nigella seed or kalonji, cumin seeds or jeera, mustard seeds or sarso, fennel seeds or sounf and 1/2 tablespoon fenugreek seeds or methi. Used less methi because of it’s bitterness. You can use equal amounts methi if you like. And for roasted panch phoran powder dry roast panch phoran till light brown and fragrant. Be careful seeds shouldn’t be burned. Let the roasted panch phoran cool down. Grind the roasted spices into fine powder. Store in airtight container. Use in chutney or curries.

You may like some recipes with panch phoran.

1. Panch phoran tarkari

2. Olive chutney with jaggery and panch phoran

3. Gur aam or instant sweet mango pickle

4. Tender drumstick potato dry curry

5. Kumro chokka or pumpkin stir fry

6. Sukto or Bengali mixed vegetable

Masoor dal is power-packed with nutrients and has immeasurable benefits. A mere cup of masoor dal has 230 calories, about 15 grams of dietary fibre and about 17 grams of proteins. Here are some other dietary and health benefits of masoor dal. Here are some other dietary and health benefits of masoor dal:

1.Helps Stabilise Blood Sugar Level.

2. Keeps The Heart Healthy by Lowering Cholesterol.

3. Effective Remedy Against Weight Loss.

4. Anti-Ageing Properties.

5. Nourishes Teeth and Bones.

6. Helpful In Maintaining A Healthy Vision.

7. Beneficial For A Glowing And Radiating Skin.

Read more about health benefits of red lentil or masoor dal here.

Here are some more dal or lentil recipes below. Click on the name to get recipe.

1. Beetroot dal

2. Whole masoor dal

3. Mediterranean green lentil soup

4. Dal rasam

5. Dal makhani

6. Red lentil soup

7. Lebanese lentil lemon soup

8. Goan dal curry

9. Dal kanda or dry chana dal fry

10. Dal palak

11. Egg dal tadka

12. Green gram carrot spinach soup

This post is my contribution to 267 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Luscious Lentils suggested by Poonam Bachhav who blog at Annapurna. Poonam has a wonderful blog with many healthy and mouthwatering recipes including thali. I have to try her delicious and nutritious different types of quinoa recipes like Curd quinoa and Mexican one pot quinoa . Do visit her space for many more traditional, fusion and baked recipes.

This dal or lentil recipe is very easy to make. If you don’t have panch phoran make it at home as mentioned above. You can store these mix spices in a airtight container for later use. I always store two jars, one of panch phoran and one dry roasted and ground panch phoran.

Recipe

Masoor dal or red lentil – 1/2 cup

Panch phoran or five spices – 1 teaspoon (mixture of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin, mustard seeds and fennel seeds)

Dry red chilli – 1

Onion – 1 finely chopped

Green chilli – 1 – 2 , chopped

Tomato – 2 medium, finely chopped

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece, grated

Oil – 1 & 1/2 tablespoon

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Dry roasted and ground panch phoran – 1 teaspoon

Cilantro or coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Water – 2 cup

Method

1. Rinse the dal or red lentil well. In a pressure cooker add 2 cup water and dal. Close the lid cook on high heat. When hissing sound starts immediately reduce the heat. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Let the pressure settle down on its own.

2. Dry roast panch phone in a pan till light brown and fragrant. Seeds shouldn’t be burned. Grind the spices into fine powder when cool. Store the roasted and ground panch phoran in a airtight container.

3. Heat oil in a pan or wok. Add 1 teaspoon panch phoran and dry red chilli.

4. When the seeds starts to splutter add chopped onion and green chilli. Fry till onion becomes light brown.

5. Add grated ginger and tomatoes. Add salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli and chopped cilantro or coriander leaves. Saute till tomato becomes mushy and oil leaves the sides.

6. Add boiled red lentil with water of boiled dal. Mix well.

7. When dal starts to rolling boil reduce the heat. Cook on low heat for 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in between. I like it thick but if you like thin dal then you can add more water

8. Now cook dal on high heat for 1 – 2 minutes or until you get your desired consistency. Add dry roasted and ground panch phoran. Mix well and switch off the heat.

9. Garnish with cilantro or coriander leaves. You can also garnish with ginger julienne and lemon wedges. Serve hot with steamed rice, roti, paratha or any bread.

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.

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Soya Nuggets Curry With Poppy Seeds, Coconut And Sweet Corn

Soya nuggets curry with poppy seeds, coconut and sweet corn. A delicious and flavorful curry with protein rich soya nuggets. Different aromatic spices, almonds and poppy seeds made this curry rich and absolutely delicious. A perfect accompany with naan, paratha, roti or any type of rice. You can also make this delectable curry with chicken, eggs or any non vegetarian dishes.

You may like some more recipes with soya nuggets, chunks or granules on this blog. Click on the name below for recipe.

1. Soya loaf

2. Soya nugget korma

3. Protein rich soya nuggets

4. Spinach curry with corn and soya chunks

5. Soya egg shami Kabab

6. Soya paneer lollipop

7. Soya kofta balls in gravy

8. Oats soya green gram toast

9. Veg calzone

To make this curry you will need onion, garlic, poppy seeds, almonds fresh coconut, sweet corn and some aromatic spice powder. I have used paste of poppy seeds, ginger, garlic, coconut and almond to make thick and rich gravy. Cubed tomatoes made the curry attractive. You can also make this gravy with eggs, chicken or any non vegetarian dishes.

Recipe

Soya nuggets – 1 & 1/2 cup

Fresh coconut – 1/3 cup, grated or finely chopped

Sweet corn – 1/2 cup

Tomato – 2, cubed

Onion – 1, chopped

Ginger paste – 1/2 tablespoon

Garlic paste – 1/2 tablespoon

Green chilli – 2 – 3 or to taste

Poppy seeds or khaskhas – 2 tablespoon

Almond – 2 tablespoon

Cinnamon powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Clove powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 2 teaspoon

Black pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Yogurt or curd – 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tablespoon

Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Bay leaf – 1

Water – 1 & 1/2 cup

Method

1. Boil the soya nuggets with 3 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt. Let it cool down. When it cool down drain the water. Rinse 2 times with fresh water. Drain and squeeze well.

2. Cut the tomatoes in cubes.

3. Soak the almond in hot water. Peel the almonds when cool.

4. Grind the poppy seeds. When it becomes powder add soaked and peeled almonds, fresh coconut and 1 – 2 green chilli. Add 3 – 4 tablespoon water and make a smooth paste.

5. In a bowl mix yogurt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, clove powder, cinnamon powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder. Whisk well.

6. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan or wok. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. When cumin seeds starts to splutter add chopped onion and fry till onion becomes translucent.

7. Add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes out and onion becomes brown.

8. Reduce the heat to low and add spices mixed yogurt. Saute till oil leaves the sides. Stir continuously.

9. Now add poppy seeds, coconut, green chilli and almond paste. Saute till the mixture dried up.

10. Add cubed tomatoes. Saute for a minute. We don’t want the tomatoes mushy.

11. Add squeezed soya nuggets, sweet corn and salt. Mix well and saute till soya nuggets coated with spices.

12. Add water and 2 – 3 green chilli. When it starts to rolling boil reduce the heat. Cover and cook on simmer for 15 minutes. If you want thick gravy add 1 cup water only.

12. Remove the cover add remaining 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder, mix and switch off the heat. You can add 1-2 tablespoon fresh cream I didn’t.

13. Garnish with sliced tomato, almond and coconut pieces. You can also garnish with cilantro or coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, pulao, jeera rice, roti, paratha, puri naan or any bread.

Notes

1. Cashew nuts can be used instead of almond.

2. Add chilli according to your taste.

3. You can also make this gravy with eggs, chicken or fish instead of soya nuggets.

4. Fresh cream can be used at the end.

This post is my contribution to A to Z monthly challenge. Wherein a group of bloggers come together and we choose key ingredients alphabetically to cook and post a dish every month. This month’s alphabet is letter P. And my star ingredient is poppy seeds.

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.

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Crispy Bitter Gourd And Potato Or Aloo Karela / Less Oil Recipe

Crispy bitter gourd and potato or aloo karela. Crispy but cooked with only one teaspoon oil in halogen oven. You can also use your microwave or OTG to bake or grill the karela and potato in the same way. Or use your air fryer to fry with less oil. An easy to make yet delicious no onion garlic bitter gourd recipe.

Bitter gourd has numerous health benefits.

Bitter gourd is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It contains iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins like A and C. It contains twice the calcium of spinach and beta-carotene of broccoli. Various anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are present in bitter gourd.
It also helps in lowering the bad cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. That’s not all. It strengthens the immune system, improves respiratory health, boosts skin health and contains anti-ageing properties. Source

You may like some more bitter gourd recipes on this blog.

1. Bitter gourd dopyaza

2. Gujarati bitter gourd stir fry

3. Bitter gourd with tomato

4. Sukto

And some more recipes using halogen oven.

1. Cauliflower corn butter masala

2. Olive Jalapeno savoury cornbread

3. Greek pizza

4. Beetroot dip

5. Moong dal bhaja pithe

6. Grilled potatoes

7. Piperade with Indian spices

8. Baked egg burger

9. Cooking in halogen oven

This week our 262 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Bitter But Good suggested by Sasmita who blog at First Timer Cook. You will definitely love her mouthwatering recipes. I would love to try her Dalgona muffins and also visit her YouTube channel for beautiful and heavenly Layered coffee panna cotta and many more.

Recipe is very easy to make. Slice the potato and bitter gourd and boil with salted water till fork tender. Drain the water completely and marinate with salt and spices. I have used coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and little garam masala with salt. You can use any spices of your choice. I don’t like bitter gourd dishes hot so used Kashmiri red chilli powder for colour. You can use hot variety red chilli powder or black pepper powder if you like. You can also add amchur or dry mango powder if you want. And use very little oil to spray over marinated potato and bitter gourd before baking. You can use olive oil or any other oil of your choice.

Recipe

Karela or bitter gourd – 1 large

Potato – 1

Salt to taste

Coriander or dhania powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Oil – 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Peel and chop the potato into round slices.

2. Discard the both tips and chop the bitter gourd or karela into round slices.

3. Wash well and drain the water.

4. Boil the karela and potato slices with 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 4 minutes or till fork tender. Don’t make mushy. Check with a knife or fork.

5. Drain the water and let it cool down. Marinate karela and potato slices with little salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder.

6. Spread the slices on a baking sheet. Spray little oil all over it.

7. Press the speed up button. Set temperature at 200° and set the timer for 5 minutes. Keep an eye if the slices becomes golden brown switch off the oven.

8. Turn the slices upside down and cook again at 200° temperature for 4 minutes or till golden brown. If require cook for a few minutes more.

9. If you are using microwave convection mode or OTG follow the same method. Sprinkle little chaat masala powder before serving if you like. Serve with rice or roti as a side dish.

Notes

1. You can use any spices of your choice.

2. Red chilli powder or black pepper powder can be used instead of Kashmiri red chilli powder.

3. You can use any oven to make this crispy bitter gourd.

4. You can use chaat masala or amchur/ dry mango powder if you like your karela little tangy.

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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Doi Potol Or Pointed Gourd / Parwal In Yogurt Gravy

Doi potol or pointed guard/parwal in yogurt gravy. A no onion garlic delicious and flavorful parwal curry from Bengali cuisine made with a blend of aromatic spices and yogurt.

Soft whole parwal or pointed gourd in spices infused rich aromatic gravy is best accompany with steamed rice, pulao, jeera rice, roti, paratha, puri or any bread. All the spices, yogurt or curd, poppy seeds, melon seeds and cashew nuts will make your parwal curry rich and mouthwatering. You may like some more parwal or pointed gourd recipes on this blog. Click on the name below for recipe.

1. Stuffed pointed gourd or potol dolma

2. Pointed gourd with poppy seeds and coconut

3. Paneer stuffed parwal mithai

4. Pointed gourd with poppy seeds

Sending this post to Facebook group Healthy Wealthy Cuisine for Satwik Treat theme suggested by Ruchi Shah who blog at Ruchis Veg kitchen. I love her vast collection of recipes. I recently bookmarked her Pinwheel samosa and Pressure cooker khandvi recipe to try. Do visit her space for many more wonderful recipes.

Check out the recipes of my fellow bloggers on this theme.

Bhindi kadhi by Preethi

Creamy pine nuts pasta by Shalu

Coconut rice by Jayashree

Satvik paneer butter masala by Poonam

Moong dal dosa by Ruchi

I have used cashew nuts in the recipe. But you can use almonds if you want. Any unsweetened thick yogurt can be used to make this parwal or pointed gourd curry. I have used homemade curd. To grind poppy seeds easily first dry grind the poppy seeds and then add other ingredients to grind. Or soak the poppy seeds in hot water for 15 minutes or microwave for 1 minutes to make smooth paste.

Recipe

Parwal or pointed gourd – 10 – 12

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece

Green chilli – 2 – 3 or to taste

Curd or yogurt – 4 tablespoon

Poppy seeds or khaskhas – 2 tablespoon

Cashew nuts – 1 tablespoon

Melon seeds – 1 tablespoon

Cumin or jeera powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander or dhania powder – 1 tablespoon

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon

Green cardamom – 3

Cloves – 3

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch piece

Bay leaf – 1

Salt to taste

Sugar – 1/2 to 1 teaspoon or to taste

Mustard oil – 3 tablespoon

Ghee or clarified butter – 2 teaspoon

Method

1. Wash the pointed gourd or parwal well. Cut off both the ends. Peel in strips. Make slits on both sides. Parwal should be intact.

2. Rinse again and drain the water. Marinate the parwal with 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and little salt. Keep aside.

3. Soak the melon seeds and cashew nuts in hot water. Grind the poppy seeds to make powder or you can also soak the poppy seeds in hot water or microwave for 1 minute.

4. Now grind ginger, green chilli, soaked cashew nuts and melon seeds with poppy seeds. Add little water to make smooth paste. You can also grind ginger and 1 – 2 green chilli separately.

5. In a bowl mix cumin powder, coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder with 3 tablespoon water.

6. Crush the green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a mortar pestle.

7. Heat mustard oil in a pan or wok. Fry the marinated parwal from all the sides till light brown. Remove from oil.

8. In the same oil add bay leaf and crushed green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

9. Stir and add mixture of cumin, coriander, turmeric and Kashmiri red chilli powder. Fry the spices on low heat for 2 – 3 minutes or till oil leaves the sides.

10. Now add all the ground mixture and saute for 2 -3 minutes again. Add fried parwal, salt and sugar. Mix well. Saute till parwal coated with spices. Add 1 cup water and cover the pan. I have made thick gravy but you can add more water to make thin gravy. I sometime do so. You can add 2 – 3 slit green chilli if you want.

11. Cover and cook on low medium heat for 5 – 6 minutes or till the parwal becomes soft. But be careful parwal should be intact.

12. Whisk the curd well. Add well beaten curd in the curry. Remember to keep the flame low while adding curd. Mix well. Cook on low heat for 3 – 4 minutes. You can add little more water if required to make thick gravy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

13. Add ghee or clarified butter and switch off the heat.

14. Serve with steamed rice, pulao, jeera rice, roti, paratha, puri or any bread.

Notes

1. Add green chilli according to your taste.

2. Almond can be used instead of cashews.

3. Ghee or clarified butter is optional. If you don’t like skip it.

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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Chhanar Paturi Or Steamed Cottage Cheese/Paneer

Chhanar paturi or steamed cottage cheese. An easy to make paneer or cottage cheese dish from Bengali cuisine. You can make paturi with fish, eggs or any vegetable following this recipe. Just marinate the mashed paneer wrap with banana leaf and steam and your delicious paneer is ready. Serve this no onion garlic side dish steamed paneer or chhanar paturi with hot steamed rice and lemon wedges.

Now you can ask what is paturi. Literally meaning of paturi is wrapped in leaves. And leaves should be edible. You can use banana leaf or pumpkin leaf etc. Paturi can be made with fishes like hilsa or ilish, bhetki etc, eggs or make niramish paturi with chhana or paneer/cottage cheese, cauliflower, broad beans or any other vegetable following this recipe. You can also shallow fry these paturi instead of steaming. After wrapping with banana leaves shallow fry with mustard oil till leaves becomes brown. Earlier shared broad beans paturi in a different way. I have stuffed the broad beans before steaming. Click on the name for recipe. Stuffed steamed broad beans

And if you want the similar taste without steaming or wrapping with leaves check out my Cauliflower paturi

Sending this post to Facebook group Shhhhh Cooking Secretly challenge. Shhhhh Cooking Secretly a group started by Priya of Priya’s Versatile Recipes, is where every month food bloggers are paired up and give each other 2 secret ingredients to cook with according to the theme chosen. Theme of this month is steamed food suggested by Anu Kollon. Do check out her recipe of Kerala style steamed rice for this theme. This month my partner is Priya Vijaykrishnan. Priya gave me poppy seeds and curd and I gave her hing or asafoetida and ginger. And she made delicious Amiri khaman with these ingredients.

This chhanar paturi or steamed cottage cheese/paneer is very easy to make. Just marinate the mashed paneer, wrap with banana leaves and steam in steamer or pressure cooker. I have used my rice cooker to steam. If you don’t have steamer then you can use pressure cooker or pour sufficient water in a pot place a stand on the middle. Arrange paturi on a plate and place on the stand. Cover and steam till done. Or shallow fry the paturi on a pan with mustard oil. You can double the ingredients if require.

Recipe

Paneer or cottage cheese – 1 cup

Mustard powder – 1 tablespoon

Poppy seeds or khaskhas – 2 tablespoon

Green chilli – 3 – 4 or to taste

Coconut – 1/4 cup, grated or finely chopped

Mustard oil – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Thick curd or yogurt – 1 tablespoon

Cashew nuts to garnish, optional

Banana leaf – 1

Cotton thread as required

Method

1. Wash the banana leaf from both sides. Wipe with a kitchen towel. Heat a pan and place the banana leaf over it. Heat the leaf from both sides. Leaf shouldn’t be burned. Just heat to make the leaf little soft.

2. Mash the paneer or cottage cheese well to make smooth.

3. Grind the poppy seeds. Add coconut and 1 – 2 green chilli. Use very little water if require to make smooth paste.

4. Mix the paste in mashed paneer. Add salt, mustard oil, curd or yogurt, turmeric powder and mustard powder. Mix well. Mash again to make smooth.

5. Cut the banana leaf into two pieces. I have made two paturi. You can make small sized 4 paturi. Cut the banana leaf accordingly.

6. Grease the banana leaf pieces with mustard oil if you want. I didn’t. Gently shape the paneer mixture into square or rectangular. Place on banana leaf pieces. Place 1 slit green chilli and cashew nuts over it.

7. Wrap the leaf and make like an envelop.Tie with a cotton thread.

8. Boil the water in steamer. Place the envelopes on steamer. Cover and steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

9. Open the envelopes and serve delicious paturi with steamed rice and lemon wedges.

Notes

1. Use green chilli according to your spice tolerance.

2. Instead of steaming you can also shallow fry these paturi in a pan. Fry till the banana leaf becomes brown.

3. Lemon juice can be used instead of curd or yogurt.

4. You can also use 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice in the marination with curd.

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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