Gota kalara Bhaja / Stuffed Bittergourd / Bharwan Karela

This is the one of the easiest way to prepare stuffed bittergourd. After so many years I got my eyes on small varieties of karela in my grocery store and at once I bought those little green beauties.

Ingredients:
12 bittergourd
1 Medium sized boiled Potato
1 Onion
1 Tbsp MDH Tava Fry Masala
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to sprinke on Karela to release water
Olive Oil for Shallow Frying

Sprinkle Salt on peeled Karela and leave it for 15 minutes. Then Squeeze the water and keep it aside.

Mash the boiled Potatoes.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil add chopped onion and fry till translucent.

Now add the tawa fry masala.

Add the mashed potatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

Now the stuffing is ready.

Stuff the karelas.

Tie a thread around so that the stuffing doesnot come out.

Use White thread,If you use colour threads there may be some coloured karelas too.

Now shallow fry these stuffed karelas.

Now Enjoy these green beauties with steamed white Rice.

Kasoori methi Luchi

Luchi is a fried bread popular in Bengal and odisha and being one of my favourites most of the time in our dining table.This time I have tried to add Kasoori methi to the normal Luchi dough and the flavour of kasoori Methi is awesome. Just give it a try for any of your parties and I am sure it is crowd pleasure.

Ingredients:
1 cup Maida / All purpose flour
2 Tbsp Kasoori Methi
1/2 Tsp Nigella seeds
Salt
1 Tsp Oil
Oil for Deep Frying

Mix Maida, Methi, Nigella seeds, salt and oil to make a pliable dough. Roll into circular discs and fry till it is golden colour. I enjoyed these beauties with Paneer Capsicum sabji which I will be posting soon.

Chenna Jhili : Odia Desert

One who has visited Odisha must have tasted different kinds of deserts and most them being prepared from fresh cottage cheese. Chenna Jhili is also a very famous odia desert made from fresh cottage cheese balls fried and soaked in light sugar syrup.
In Odisha ther is a place Nimapara which is famous for its chena jhili and one of my first demand whenever my father used to visit that place.Although you can get it all over the state somehow I crave for the taste of Nimapara Chena Jhili.

Ingredients:
Whole Milk - 1 Litre
Sour Curd - 2-3 Tbsp
Powdered Sugar - 2 Tsp
Maida / All Purpose Flour - 1 Tsp
Sugar -2 Cups
Water - 2 Cups
Cardamom Pods - 2
Oil / Ghee For Deep Frying or Shallow Frying(In this recipe I have shallow fried the cheese balls,but authentic recipe calls for deep frying)

To prepare Chena :
Boil milk and add the sour curd to the boiling milk and till all the milk solids separate from the whey.
You can add more curd if you dont get a clear coloured whey. let it boil for a minute or two.
Strain the chena using a muslin cloth and squeeze out excess water.

To prepare Sugar Syrup:
Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar together. Add crushed Cardamom and let it boil for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl take chena , maida, powdered sugar and knead to get soft dough. It will take about 5 minutes. Make small balls out of the dough and shallow fry till golden brown on both sides.
Once the balls are fried , put them into sugar syrup.

Rajma Tikki

If you have read my previous posts you must have known how much I love the cutlets. This one is my all time favourite as its really easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
1 Can Rajma/Kidney beans
2 medium Size Potatoes (boiled)
1 small onion chopped
1 green chillies chopped
1 Tbsp Roasted nuts coarsely  powdered(optional)
2 Tbsp Bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying

Mix everything except oil and make pattie shapes. Shallow fry both sides till golden brown.

Enjoy with tomato ketchup.

Aloo Matar Paneer Paratha

Aloo Matar Paneer is a popular curry  for vegetarians but how about Aloo Matar Paneer Paratha...I Came up with making a paratha as my Little one is now more interested to have dried stuffs than gravies. So thought of making a stuffed paratha . Addition of Kasoori Methi enhances the taste.
It is a delicious Paratha and will be in my menu more often.

Ingredients:

1 medium Onion chopped
1 Big boiled Potato
1/2 cup Green Peas Frozen or fresh
1 Cup Grated Paneer
1 Tsp Kasoori Methi
1 Green Chillies Chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Curry Powder
1 Tbsp oil
Butter

For Dough:
2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
Salt
Water

Mix everything for dough and make a pliable dough. cover and keep aside.

In a pan heat oil , add onion to it fry till translucent . Now add green chillies, peas, Kasoori methi to it.
Now add turmeric and curry powder. Add grated paneer , mashed potato and salt to it and cook for 5 minutes.

Now the stuffing is ready.
Make small ball out of prepared dough and stuff the stuffing mixture and make parathas and  cook both sides on tawa. Apply butter to both sides.

Kele ka Malpua : Banana Malpua : Diwali Special

I had relished these Banana Malpuas as a kid a lot. My Mom used to prepare these and before even it went inside sugar syrup , it went to tummy of three of us. As Diwali is on our doorstep so thought of preparing this really special desert.  This recipe is from my Mom's kitchen.

Ingredients:
3-4 Ripe Bananas
1 cup Whole wheat Flour
1 cup Plain Flour
1Tsp Saunf/ Fennel seeds
2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
Oil for shallow frying

For Sugar syrup:
2 cups Sugar
2 cups water
1 Tsp Crushed Cardamom

Take a pan boil sugar , water and cardamom powder together. cook till 1 string consistency. Switch off the flame.

Mash bananas, add flours ,saunf, sugar and water to make a thick batter.
Now Shallow fry the batter by pouring 1-2 Spoons of batter into oil. Cook both sides till golden brown.
Take it out and put in the prepared sugar syrup.

Enjoy warm Malpuas with rabdi  or on its own.

Chena Tarkari

I Just love all chena Preparations. Chena is nothing but homemade cottage cheese.You can find the recipe how to prepare chena at home here . As much as I love sweets made of chena, I also love the savoury ones. One of my most favourite being chena tarkari which is served mostly with thunga puri in Odissa. This is similar to bengali Chanar Dalna.
You will just love the soft mushy taste of home made cottage cheese.

Ingredients:

For Chena kofta:
1 Cup Chena
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
1 Tbsp Maida(All Purpose Flour)

Knead everything together till smooth. Make small balls out of it and shallow fry till golden Colour.

For Gravy:
2 Tbsp Onion Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Kasoori Methi
Salt to taste
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
2 Small Potatoes cubed (Boiled and Shallow fried)(optional)
Oil for shallow frying
1 Tbsp Oil

Heat oil in a wok add onion ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes. Add tomato paste, kasoori methi , Salt ,turmeric and curry powder. Fry till the masala is well cooked. Now add the potatoes and add one cup of water. once the water starts to boil cook it for 5mins and add the fried chena to it and switch off the flame.
Enjoy with Puri, Luchi, Roti Or Rice.

Mango & Cranberry Muffins : Eggless

Just love both Mango and Cranberries so thought of using both together in my muffins and the result was awesome. If you have a can of Mango pulp and some dried Cranberries you should definitely give this a try. Yummilicious...will not stay for long. 

Ingredients:

2 Cups All Purpose flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
3/4 cup Room Temperature Milk
1 Tsp Vinegar
3/4 Cup Butter
1 cup Mango Pulp
1/2 cup Cranberries
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
2 Tbsp flaked Almonds

Line Muffin cups into muffin tray.Mix vinegar into milk. Sieve flour and baking soda. Mix all the wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Scoop the mixture into muffin cups and bake in an pre heated oven for 18 minutes at 180c or till the skewer comes out clean.

Cheesy Corn Patties

This a super hit dish for kids as it has cheese and corn and its hit for adults as well like me. Although I am using Mozarella Cheese but you can use parmesan or any other cheese of your choice.

Ingredients:

1 cup grated Mozarella
1/2 cup corn
1 1/2 cups boiled potatoes mashed
2 chopped green chillies
1  Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup bread crumbs.
Salt to taste
Oil for Shallow frying

Mix everything and make cutlets out of it.
Shallow fry till both the sides are golden brown.
Enjoy with Tomato ketchup or Green Chutney.

Sprouted Moong Cutlets

Sprouted Moong are protein rich and a lot more healthy than moong dal. As cutlets are my favourite I prepared these lovely golden beauties. I think cutlets are favourite among kids so you can sneak the veggies they dislike. Try out these cutlets for evening snacks.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Boiled Potatoes

1 cup Sprouted Moong

1small Onion chopped

2 Green chillies chopped

1 tbsp Cornflour/ Gramflour

Salt to taste

Oil for Shallow frying

Mix everything together except oil. Make tikki shape and shallow fry in oil.

Serve with your choice of chutney or Tomato Ketchup.

Mango and Strawberry Lassi

Mangoes are in season and My DH's most favourite rather I think its everyones favourite. This Lassi is a great combi of mangoes and strawberries, one of the best drink during summer.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Mango Pulp
5 Strawberries
2 Cups Yoghurt
1 Tbsp Rose Syrup (optional)
Sugar if needed

I have not used Sugar as my mango pulp was too sweet.

Blend all the above ingredients and enjoy a refreshing summer Lassi.

Watermelon and Walnut Salad

A simple refreshing summer salad....thats what this is for me. Watermelon has lots of water content in it almost 90 percent  and great for summer days when we dehydrate a lot. The natural sweetness of watermelon, Mild taste of mozarella and nutty taste of walnut goes together really well.

This is a really easy and simple salad to gather together and enjoy on a hot summer afternoon. With only three ingredients it can be served in jiffy.

INGREDIENTS:

Few Cubes of WaterMelon
Few Torn Pieces of Mozarella cheese or any cheese of your choice.
5 - 6 Toasted Walnuts

Mix everything and serve.
You can also add few basil leaves or mint leaves.

Posto Bora / Poppy Seed Fritters

Although I just love any kind of cutlets anytime of the day but this Posto Bora is one of my childhood favourites. I can have it every day without any complain.
Poppy seeds are used extensively in preparing gravies but this can also be used as a dish on its own and soooo delicious.

The sweetness and lightness of these posto bora will always tempt you to have one more.
Adding less salt to Posto is always recommendable as it has a mild flavour and tends to get salty.

Ingredients:

1 cup posto (poppy seeds) soaked for 2-3 hours
1 onion chopped
1 green chillies chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying


Make a paste of posto. Mix everything except oil.

Now make tikkis of it and shallow fry.

Turn each side till it is golden brown.

Fry both sides till done.

  Enjoy with Steamed rice or on its own with your choice of sauces.