Spicy Dim Posto Curry

Posto or poppy seeds are a favorite and common cooking ingredients for Bengalis. Bengalis use this posto or poppy seeds in many recipes and I can bet, you will love all the recipes that includes this amazing seeds. Though Dim Posto is not a common or regular item, but this will definitely make your breakfast or lunch great and delicious. You can have Spicy Dim Posto Curry with steamed rice, chapatti, roti and even with parathas. In this recipe my mother use sesame seeds paste, though it is optional.

SPICY DIM POSTO CURRY

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Eggs (Dim) – 4 

Turmeric powder – 1 tbsp

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Kashmiri Red Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Green Chilli – 4 to 5

Dry Whole Red Chilli – 2

Cardamom – 5

Cloves – 4

Cinnamon stick – 1” size

Salt – for marinate (1/2 tbsp) and for cooking (as per taste)

Poppy seeds – 3 to 4 tbsp, soaked in hot water for 30 to 40 minutes

Onion – ¾ th cup or 1 medium, chopped

Ginger / Garlic paste – 1 and half tbsp.

Mustard Oil – 4 tbsp

Preparation:

Take poppy seeds and green chilli in a bowl and soak them with warm water for 30 to 40 minutes.

Grind the poppy seeds and green chilli with the help of Stone Grinder as shown in my photo to make a smooth psate. Keep it aside.

Boil the eggs, peel and cut into half. Marinate the egg pieces for 15 minutes by rubbing with turmeric powder (1/2 tbsp) and salt (1/2 tbsp) evenly all around the eggs.

Onion needs to be chopped and keep aside.

Take some oil (2 tbsp) and place the eggs with yolk side down, fry for few seconds and turn the other side of the egg pieces and fry till it becomes golden brown. Once it is done remove the egg pieces and keep them aside.

Add more oil (1 tbsp), heat the oil, then add dry whole red chilli, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick. Fry all the whole spices for a minute.

Add chopped onion, sauté for 2 to 3 minutes till the onion becomes soft.

Add ginger/garlic paste and sauté for another 30 seconds.

Then add chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder and again fry the spices for few seconds.

Add water (as per requirement of gravy, but don’t add too much of water as the gravy needs to thick), stir continuously for few minutes (3 to 4 minutes) and allow the gravy to boil.

Add poppy seeds paste, mix it with the gravy in medium flame and wait till the gravy reaches it’s desired consistency.

Place the fried eggs with yolk side up and cook for few minutes in low flame.

Finally add raw mustard oil (1 tbsp) all around the gravy, cover the lid and cook for few minutes in low flame.

Switch off the oven and transfer it to serving bowl.

Serve this Spicy Dim Posto Curry with steamed rice, chapatti, roti or even with parathas.

Homemade Guava Jelly

Jelly, for me it is all time favorite and loved by kids on toast and thus we can classify it as unique recipe for kids. Today I have learnt how to make a very simple and easy Guava jelly recipe from my mother and this recipe hardly requires any ingredients. The main ingredient to prepare this jelly is ripe guava. Moreover my mother doesn’t use any preservative into it, but still you can preserve it for 5 to 6 months if it is properly refrigerated.

If you increase or decrease the quantity of guava, accordingly you should increase or decrease the quantity of other ingredients mentioned below.

HOMEMADE GUAVA JELLY

Ingedients:

Ripe Guava - 10, medium size

Water - 5 cups or as required to cover the fruits

Sugar - 1 cup of sugar for 1 cup of juice

Fresh Lime or lemon juice - 1 tbsp juice for 1 cup of juice

Preparation:

Cut guavas in big cubes.

In a pan put all the guava pieces and pour water so that water covers the guava pieces.

Cook the guavas till they become tender and soft. 

Switch off the oven.

Cool the guava mixture.

Take a muslin cloth and cover a big bowl with the cloth, pour the guava mixture in the middle of the cloth. The liquid will pass through the cloth and the guava pieces will remain on the cloth. Now bring together all the four sides of the cloth and tie a knot and start squeezing the cloth to get maximum juice out of it.  

Put aside the residue from the cloth. 

Once the juice is collected, take the measurement of the juice as this is important to measure other ingredients.

In my case, for 10 guavas, my mother extracted 3 cups of juices. So, she used 3 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice.

Measurement is – for 1 cup of juice, add 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Now put the mixture of juice, sugar and lemon juice in a pan and start boiling till the liquid becomes very thick. You can also take some liquid on a spoon and test with your fingers, if you feel it sticky, means it is done.

Remove it from the oven and wait for half an hour.

The Guava Jelly is ready. Take a sterilized jar pour the jelly into it when it is slightly warm.

Cover the jar with the lid tightly. To keep the jelly for longer time you can put it in the refrigerator when it is completely cool. 

Idli with Gun Powder

Whenever we think about South Indian food, what comes into our mind... It's nothing but Idli, Dhosa, Sambar and Vada. Today I will talk about, Idli Recipe, i.e how to prepare Idlis. It is very easy to prepare and also safe to eat as it is steamed. I can eat Idlis at anytime a day because it can easily be digested. 

IDLI WITH GUN POWDER

Servings: 6, considering 5 ildis each person
Ingredients:

Urad Dal (split black lentils) - 1 cup
Parboiled rice  (Siddha Chal) - 3 cups
Fenugreek seeds (methi) - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Refined oil - for greasing

Preparation:

Soak Urad dal and fenugreek seeds in a bowl and rice in another bowl for 3 to 4 hours in water. After 3 to 4 hours drain the water.

In a blender put urad dal and fenugreek seeds together and blend them to make a smooth paste adding water little by little. Keep the paste aside.
In the same blender add rice and make the smooth paste out of it. Keep it aside.
When this is done, pour the paste mixtures in a bigger bowl for fermentation inside the micro oven for overnight (minimum 8 hours).

Once fermented there will be bubbles in the pastes, which will make the idlis soft. Add salt to the batter and mix. Don't mix them too much. Mix it once or twice.

Grease the idli maker with oil and add spoonfuls of idli batter into the moulds.
Can add chopped veggies, coconut chutney, gun powder either on top or at the bottom of the ildi and steam for 15 to 20 minutes.


Tips:
How to make Gun Powder

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - 35 to 40 leaves
Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Parboiled rice - 1 tbsp
Chana Dal - 2 tbsp
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
peppercorn - 1 tbsp
Whole Red Chilli - 25 to 30 
Asafetida  (hing) - a pinch 
Salt - as per taste
Coconut powder - 1 tbsp

Dry roast  dry whole red chilli, peppercorn, chana dal, urad dal – roast them for 4/5 minutes in low flame. 
Add rice, seseme seeds and roast for another 4/5 minutes till the rice changes it's color.
Add curry leaves, hing, salt and coconut powder. 
Cook for a minute and put them all in a blender to make the Gun Powder.
Serve this powder with Idli and Dhosa

   

Stuffed Methi Aloo Parathas

Stuffed Methi Aloo Parathas are very popular breakfast recipe in the rural area of Punjab, but now it has become popular in all parts of India. This recipe requires finely chopped fresh Fenugreek Leaves (also called Methi Leaves) along with mashed potatoes and few other spices. Methi leaves has its own flavor which enhances the stuffed parathas more tasty and delightful. I sometimes use leftover potato vegetables to make this recipe.  

STUFFED METHI ALOO PARATHAS

Makes: 6 parathas

Ingredients:

For Dough

Whole Wheat Flour – 1 and half cup

White Oil – 3 tbsp

Sugar – ½ tbsp

Salt – as per taste

Water – as per requirement to make a soft dough

For Stuffing

Fresh Fenugreek Leaves – 1 cup, finely chopped

Potatoes – 2 medium size, boiled and mashed
Onion - 1 small, finely chopped

Cumin Seeds – ½ tbsp

Ginger paste – ½ tbsp

Green Chiili paste – 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ th tbsp

Coriander powder – ½ tbsp

Cumin powder – ½ tbsp.

Dried Mango powder (amchur) – 1 tbsp

Oil – for preparation of stuffing and to fry parathas

Salt – as per taste

Preparation:

To make the dough combine whole wheat flour, oil, salt, sugar and mix well. Then slowly add water to make a soft dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for 30 minutes and again knead the dough more soft.

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions or divide as per the thickness of the parathas you want. Keep them aside.

Pealed the potatoes, cut into big pieces and boil them in water. Allow it to cool and mashed the potaoes. Keep it aside.

In a pan and add the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds start crackling, add the chopped fenugreek leaves and sauté for few minutes.

Add the ginger paste, green chilli paste, chopped onions, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dried mango powder and salt, mix well and cook for 1 minute.

Then add mashed potatoes, mix well with masala mixture and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes, switch off the oven and wait till the potato masala mixture becomes completely cool.

Divide the potato stuffing into 6 equal portions.

Now take one portion of dough, roll out to make a small circle of 3” diameter and place one portion of potato mixture in the centre of it.

Cover the potato mixture from all the sides and seal tightly and roll out this into a round paratha shape of at least 5” to 6” diameter using flour.

Add little oil on a non-stick pan or on a griddle. When the oil becomes hot, place the paratha and cook until both sides of the paratha turns to light golden brown.

The same process to be followed for the remaining dough.

Serve hot with raita, pickles, vegetable curries, spicy egg curries, meat masala etc.

Spicy Indian Red Lentil Soup

Red Lentils are the seeds from legume plants and cook very fast. Particularly in Indian food it is commonly used to prepare Dal, Soup etc. It is nutritious and also a high source of protein. Lentil also helps improving your health and weight loss. This Spicy Indian Red Lentil Soup is a great soup recipe which is really refreshing. Have this soup with bread toast, parathas and roti.

Servings: 6 to 7

Ingredients:

SPICY INDIAN RED LENTIL SOUP

Lentils – 250 g

Vegetable Stock – 8 to 9 cups

Tomato – 2 medium, crushed

Garlic – 2 cloves, diced

Ginger – 2 tbsp, minced

Onion – 2 small, diced

Curry powder – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tbsp

Dried Fenugreek – 1 tbsp

Curry Leaves – 4/5, diced

Jalapeno – 1 diced
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped

Salt – as per taste

Sugar – 1 and half tbsp.

Pepper powder – as per taste

Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation: 

Heat oil in a pan, sauté the diced onion, garlic, curry leaves and minced ginger in medium flame until they turn translucent.

JALAPENO

Add the diced jalapenos and sauté for 10 minutes.

INDIAN LENTILS

Wash and clean the lentils thoroughly until the water runs clear.

DRIED FENUGREEK

Now add all of your dry spices like curry powder, turmeric powder, dried fenugreek and mix them well.

The curry leaves may be discarded and add crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar.

Add the vegetable stock and also washed lentils. Turn up heat and allow the lentil mixture to boil. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes so that the soup becomes thick and the lentils are tender. Finally add pepper powder as per your taste and chopped coriander. 

Switch off the oven.

Serve Spicy Indian Lentil Soup hot.

Parse Fish Masala with Cumin paste & Yogurt

Parse fish is widely available and also a very common and popular fish in West Bengal. This recipe is for the people who don't like using Red Chilli Powder in their cooking. I've used Green Chilli paste as well as Pepper Powder instead of Red Chilli powder to make it slightlt hot. I've also used fresh homemade Tomato Puree and Yogurt to make the recipe more tasty and delicious. 

PARSE FISH MASALA WITH CUMIN PASTE & YOGURT

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

Parse Fish – 10 pieces

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tbsp

Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 tbsp

Garlic paste – 1 and 1/2  tbsp

Green Cardamom – 10 to 12, crushed

Pepper – 15 to 20 or 1/2 tbsp, crushed

Fresh Tomato Puree – 3 tbsp

Smooth Cumin paste – 2 tbsp 

Green Chilli paste – 1 tbsp

Yogurt – 4 tbsp, beaten

Water – as per requirement of your gravy

Salt – as per taste

Mustard Oil – 4 tbsp

Preparation:

PARSE FISH

Wash and clean the fish pieces. Marinate fish with turmeric powder and salt for 15 to 20 minutes.

Then heat oil in a pan, shallow fry the fish pieces and keep aside.

In the same oil, add ghee. After ghee melts completely, add garlic paste, crushed green cardamom, crushed pepper. Sauté a little bit.

Then add tomato puree. Cook for a minute. Add little water. Mix them well.

After the mixture is cooked, add cumin paste. Now you need to cook it well for a minute.

Add turmeric powder (1/2 tbsp), and beaten yogurt, add very less water in the mixture.

Keeping the flame low, add salt, mix them and then place the fishes one by one. Coat the fishes with the gravy.

Finally add very little ghee (1/2 tbsp) on the top of the fish gravy.

Cover the lid and let it cook in low flame for another 5 minutes so that the masala goes inside the fishes.

Switch off the flame, don’t open the lid and keep it as it is for 5 minutes more.

Serve this Parse Fish Masala with Yogurt and Cumin paste with steamed rice, pulao and any other rice preparation.     

Sweet Amla Jam Recipe

In winter season, Amla is largely available in the market. Amla is high in Vitamin C and Iron, which is very much essential for our body. As Amla is bitter in taste, many people do not prefer eating it, specially kids. If you make jam, instead of taking raw, kids can enjoy it with breads, parathas, rice etc. Sweet Amla Jam Recipe is very simple easy to make and requires very less ingredients. 

SWEET AMLA JAM RECIPE

Ingredients:

Amla (Indian Gooseberry) - 500 gms
Sugar - 500 gms
Green Cardamom powder - 1/4 th tbsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/8 th tbsp
Salt - a pinch

Preparation:

First you need to put the amla in a bowl and add only 1 cup of water. and boil them for 12 to 15 minutes. Don't add much water.

Check to see if the amla has become soft by pressing with your fingers. Once it becomes soft, take out the amlas and put them in a separate bowl. 

Let it cool down and remove the seeds either using your hands or a knife.

Put the flesh of the amlas in a blender to make a thick paste. Don't add water.

Turn on the gas. Put the amla paste in a pan made of steel. Add sugar slowly and mix with the paste. Stir continuously.

Now cook the mixture until it becomes thick. Do stir at regular intervals to avoid jam from sticking at the bottom.

Keep cooking the jam till it becomes thick and changes the colour. To check the thickness, put one drop in a bowl and now place it between your fingers, press it, if you feel sticky, that means it is done.

Finally add green cardamom powder, cinnamon powder and very little salt. Mix them well. 

Remove the Sweet Amla Jam from the pan and keep it in a bowl, allow it to cool down.

When the jam becomes cool completely, keep it in a glass container and can store upto 5 to 6 months.