SWEET TOMATO CHUTNEY

Indian chutneys have gained world wide popularity owing to their taste. Tomato  chutney here stands as no exception. Tomato chutney in the present recipe would taste of course sweet but with a twist of sourness of lemon and a surprise element of hotness from chillies. The chutney  can be stored in a refrigerator for  long term usage.

GOES WELL WITH: Peas Pulav, Naan, Pita Bread, Roti, Mutigrain Bread, vanilla ice cream.

TIME TAKEN: 20 mins approx

POINTER:
When dealing with lemon juice (in order to make the food tad sour) always turn off the heat and then add the juice, else the heat will kill the sourness of the fruit.

INGREDIENTS:

1.  1/2 Kg Tomato
2.  1 tsp Oil
3.  1 green Chilli
4.  100 gms Sugar
5.  1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
6.  1 Dry chilli
7.  1/2 tsp salt
8.  Juice of 1 lemon

METHOD
1.   Cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.
2.   Heat the oil in a wok, add mustard seeds and break the dry chilli into the hot oil, let them crackle.
3.  Add the tomatoes and salt, cover with  lid for next 10 mins.
4.   Open the lid, the tomatoes should slightly come out of their skins and must have partially cooked.
5.   Add chillies and sugar. Cook until the sugar has melted itself into the chutney.
6.   Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and cover.
7.  Try the chutney in room temperature, of course it tastes divine  when served cold.

INDIAN POTATO EGG MASH

Everyone loves mash potato salad. The soft cloudy texture combined with creamy and subtle  flavours are favourite among old and young alike. The recipe below is a twist to the traditional Indian version of potato salad. At my home we eat this with rice and dal or use it as a sandwich filling or even just like that.

GOES WELL WITH: Steamed or Jeera Rice, Dal, White bread sandwich, Rotis or Nan.

WHAT TO DRINK: Any cola Drink in healthier version cranberry juice tastes divine with this.

TIME TAKEN : 10 - 15 mins.

INGREDIENTS:
1.  150 gms Potato
2.  4 fresh Eggs
3.  1/2 tsp  vegetable Oil
4.  Few Curry leaves
5.  1/2 tsp  mustard seeds
6.  Salt to taste

POINTERS:
1. If you are a  working person then a quick fix can be, just boiling and refrigerating potatoes. You can use them  as per your dish requirement and a stock of boiled potatoes is a neat way of keeping a potential home cooked meal almost ready.
2. While boiling egg and potatoes together, bear  in mind that once you are done with boiling and you have released the steam of the pressure cooker, immediately transfer the eggs into cold water. This is done to stop the cooking process.

METHOD:
1.  Peel potatoes, place them along with the eggs in a pressure cooker, add a pinch of salt and close the lid and let the potatoes and eggs get cooked.
2.  Once they are done, place the eggs into cold water and potatoes in a mesh and drain out excess water.
3.  Peel the eggs and mash the potatoes and eggs roughly in a bowl (we want the bits of the eggs and potato, and not paste of them). Preferably mash them with hand.
4.  In a Ladle, pour in the oil and  place the curry leaves and mustard seeds and place it on fire.
5. Once the mustard and the curry leaves start to crackle turn off the heat and turn over the contents of the ladle into the mix of potatoes and eggs already in the bowl. Add salt and mix well.
6.  Enjoy the dish hot with roti or nan, place a slice of cheese on bread and then make a sandwich with this filling and with rice try eating this beauty at room temperature.

POTATO POSTO

A classic Bengali Comfort food. A semi dry poppy seed and  potato curry. Of course the traditional version of the curry is time consuming and the recipe below reduces the cooking time to half. After a hectic day this comfort food is the best thing that one can think of. "Posto" in Bengali means Poppy seeds and the name reflects the fact that the base of the dish will be the humble poppy seeds. East and West Bengal have their own respective versions. However, my version is more of East Bengal than the West. My recipe is a healthier version since instead of frying the potato I have  pressure cooked it and used only 2 tsp of oil including the garnish.

GOES WELL WITH: Steamed Rice, Yellow lentil soup / Dal.

WHAT TO  DRINK: Any Wine or Bombay Sapphire any other soft drink of your choice.

TIME TAKEN: 15-20 mins.

INGREDIENTS:
1.  250 gms Potato
2.  2.5 tbsp Poppy seeds
3.  1 tsp Oil
4.  1/2 tsp Turmeric
5.  1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
6.  1 Green Chilli
7.  Salt to taste
8.  1/2 tsp Sugar
9.  1 tsp Mustard Oil

 POINTERS
1.  Whenever you are dealing with potatoes, always try to cut them uniformly and keep them in water, else the vegetable will become brown.
2.  Soak the poppy seeds in warm water this will make the seeds soft fast and easy to work with.
3.  If you want to cook West Bengal version of the  Dish, then go light on the chillies and heavy on the sugar. West Bengal vegetarian cuisine is comparatively more sweeter on palate than the East Bengal cuisine.

METHOD

1.  Cut the potatoes in 1 inch cube and keep them in water.
2.  In a pressure cooker put water and add a pinch of salt to bring down the boiling point and add to it the   potatoes and lid it and cook it till the potatoes are done.
3.  Soak the poppy seeds in warm water for around 10 minutes and then make a fine paste.  keep aside.
4.  In a cup add the turmeric and chilli powder and add 1/2 a cup of water, let the spices soak in it.
4.  In a wok  heat a tea spoon of oil and once the oil is hot enough add the turmeric-chilli powder- water paste in it. let the  water dry and  paste fry in the oil until the mixture leaves oil from the side.
5.  Add the green chillies (straight split from the centre) to the wok.
6.  Add the boiled potatoes along with some water from the pressure cooker along with salt and bring the curry to a boil.
7.  Once the curry starts boiling add the poppy seed paste and let the curry boil for next 2 minutes.
8.  When the curry will start to thicken up add the mustard oil and immediately  turn off the heat.
9.  Enjoy it hot or cold. It tastes great all the time!!

Egg/Paneer Biryani in Minutes

Biryani is a dish that is loved by all. The aroma and presentation of the dish if mastered becomes an instant heart-throb at home and in parties alike. However, the problem with the dish is that  it is very time consuming and people who don't eat non vegetarian food are restricted to relish a good  biryani. Here is a recipe of Egg biryani that can be made within no time.  For my veggie Friends u can alter the egg with Panner and the dish becomes  much better and tastier and my non vegetarian readers can enjoy this divergent version of Biryani.

GOES WELL WITH: veg Korma, Bhuna gosht, raita.

WHAT TO DRINK: Khus Sherbat, Buttermilk, Fresh lime water or White Wine or Bombay Sapphire.

TIME TAKEN: preparation 20 mins; arrangement and cooking: 8 mins preheat time and cooking time  (microwave version) 10  mins (stove version)

INGREDIENTS:
1.  1 cup Biryani rice/ Mogra rice/ Basmati rice
2.  3 boiled Eggs/ 250 gms  Paneer
3.  2 medium sized potato
4.  2 tomato
5.  50mls  milk
6.  few strands of Saffron
7.  1 tsp cumin powder
8.  1 tsp chilli powder
9.  1 tsp garam masala powder
10.  1 tbsp cardamom powder
11.  1 tbsp Kewra water
12.  2tbsp Oil
13.  1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
13.  salt to taste

POINTERS
1.  Cut the Paneer  pieces into thin stripes of 2 inches length. soak them in luke warm water.
2.  Hard boil the eggs and immediately put the shelled eggs into cold water. This will make slicing easier.
3.  If u dont have garam masala then take whole spices like cumin seeds (1 tsp), Corriander seeds (1 tsp), Nutmeg, Mace (1 tsp), cloves(2), star anise (1), Cinnamon (1 2 inches stick). Take all the  spices and roast them slightly so that they start releasing their oil. keep aside and bring them to room temperature  and grind them into powder.
4. Make a paste of the spice powder in water. Doing so will make the spices tender and will increase their flavour and colour.
5.  If you are making this dish for an occasion then add few fried/roasted Almonds and Cashew to the top layer of the biryani

METHOD:
1.  Soak the saffron in the warm milk. Keep aside.
2.  Make a paste by adding all the masala or spice powders together with water. Keep aside.
3.  Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. add to this cumin seeds. Once they start crackling add the ginger garlic paste and the finely sliced onions. Let these fry.
4.  Add finely sliced tomatoes to the onions and fry it till the oils leaves from the sides. At this point add the masala  paste.
5.  By the time the Masala fries and the oil starts leaving from the side, take the soaked rice and put it in the pressure cooker, add 1 tsp of oil and the kewra water to it and 2 cups of water and cook the rice.
6.  once the masala is done add the Egg / Paneer to it. Season it with salt cinnamon powder and immediately turn the heat off.
7.  Microwave Version: take a flat bowl with higher edges. first place a layer of the rice and  then the layer of Egg/ Paneer. Bear in mind that the final layer must be of  the rice. Top it with the saffron milk. Pre heat the oven for 4 mins and then place the bowl into it for another 4 minutes.
8.  Stove Version: take a flat bottomed utensil and start layering up first rice and then the Egg/ Paneer mix. Bear in mind that the final layer must be of the Rice. Top it with saffron milk. Now place a Tava / skillet on the stove and let it become hot. Then place the Biryani utensil over it and cover it with a lid and place something heavy like a stone over it. let it cook for 10 mins in the indirect heat.
9.  Enjoy the Biryani while its still hot.
 

Potato Kulcha

Kulcha is a north Indian bread that is usually stuffed with either cottage cheese or mutton or mashed potato. It is an amazing soul food especially in winters. Kulcha is crisp on outside while soft n mushy  from the inside. Although many people consider it to be a food at leisure but with time management one can make it in no time.

GOES WELL WITH: Shahi paneer, rogan josh, dum mutton, or you may eat it just like that.

WHAT TO DRINK: Try Red Chateau Wine to go with the Kulcha or else buttermilk with cumin works like magic.

TIME TAKEN: preparation 15-20 mins; rest period 1/2 hour; cooking period 5 mins; Finish in no time.

INGREDIENTS
1.  2 cups Maida/ Refined Flour
2.  1.5  cup buttermilk
3.  1 tsp sugar
4.  1/2 tsp salt
5.  2 tbsp ghee
6.  ghee or oil to fry
for filling
1.  2 medium size potato
2.  2 tbsp coriander
3.  1 chilli
4.  Salt to taste 

POINTERS
1.  It is important to remember that your hands must be cold will kneading the dough.
2.  Do not knead the dough too much the dough must be extremely soft, wet and sticky.
3.  The consistency of the filling must be that of the mash potato salad.

METHOD
filling:
1.  Boil the potatoes and mash them to a smooth no chunk consistency.
2.  Add the finely chopped coriander and chopped chillies, salt to the potato paste.
3.  Keep aside
dough:
1.  Put the maida in a deep base bowl, add sugar salt ghee and buttermilk. Do not knead  much and keep it on rest  after covering the bowl with a cling wrap. Give the dough rest for 30 mins in a  refrigerator.
2.  Take out the dough make balls out of it with a diameter of 5 cms each.
3.  Fill the ball with a scoop of the filling and close the ball and start rolling. Instead of using a rolling pin try flattening the dough ball with your fingers.
4.  Place the flattened bread on Tava or skillet and let it cook from either side.  Once almost done brush the kulcha with ghee or oil and let it fry and get a bit dry on the tava.
5.  The kulcha is ready to be devoured. 

SHAHI PANEER

Shahi Paneer is an all time veggie delight. I am starting my post with this dish since most of us now a days are working women and we end up at home all tired and exhausted in the evening, but, the family demands some gastronomic delight. Shahi Paneer, as explained here is  simple and easy on pocket too. My version is comparatively light on stomach and of lower calorie. Hope that you enjoy making it the way I  did. A reminder Shahi Paneer is tad sweet on the palate.

Goes well with: Kulcha, Paratha, Peas Pulav.

What to drink: If you enjoy wine with food then pick white wine with this dish; in case u enjoy non alcoholic beverage then you can try pineapple juice or cola drink with this white satin delight.

Time taken :  20 mins

Ingredients
1.  1/2 Kg Paneer/ Cottage Cheese
2.  2 small Onions
3.  1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4.  1 tsp Cumin seed
5.  1/2 cup peanuts roasted and skinned
6.  3 tbsp sugar
7.  250 ml milk
8.  1 tsp cumin powder
9.  2 tbsp refined oil/ ghee
10.  salt to taste

Pointers
1.   To get perfectly succulent and soft Paneer soak the cut paneer cubes in warm water. If you want to fry the Paneer then immediately immerse the Paneer pieces in luke warm water.
2.  Soak the roasted and skinned peanuts in a mixture of water and milk in 2:1 ratio.

Method
1.  Cut the onions in small cubes set aside.
2.  Pour 2 tbsp oil in a kadhaai or a wok. once the oil gets hot add the cumin seeds and let it pop. add onion and ginger garlic paste to the hot oil and saute it well. once the onion turns translucent then add dash of cumin powder and let the mixture fry till oil comes out of it from the side.
3.  While the mixture is frying, grind a fine paste out of the peanut and milk mix.
4.  Once the onion is fried add  the Peanut paste to it and immediate add a bit of water to it. bring it to boil and reduce it.
5.  At this point add the remaining milk, sugar and salt to the wok.
6.  Once the mix comes to a boil add the paneer cubes straight out of the water after straining them.
7.  Immediately after the first boil after adding  the paneer cubes turn off the heat.
8.  Serve the dish hot or semi  hot...it just tastes great.