Some Awards & Tags

Thanks to Pinky , Shanthi & Jyoti for these Lovely Awards and Tags ... I really can't express my feelings & happiness to get these ...









Now here are the answers for the tags ...

1. What is your current obsession?

A. Cooking , Blogging and Reading .

2. What are you wearing today?

A. Long Skirt - Top

3. What's for dinner?

A. I am doing diet so for me salad & for my dear hubby Chapatti & Egg Tarka .

4. What is the last thing you brought?

A. 3 T-shirts for my hubby & 2 long skirt for me .

5. What are you listening to right now?

A. Rabindra Sangeet.

6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?

A. All of them are great & enthusiastic cook with beautiful hearts.

7. If you have a house totally paid for,fully furnished any where in the world,where would you like it to be?

A. My home town Kolkata , West Bengal .

8. What are your must have pieces for summer?

A. Sunscreen lotion,sunglass , Perfume & face wash .

9. Which language you want to learn?

A. Arabic , Freanch & Italian .

10. Who do u want to meet now?

A. My parents & my brother , sister in law & In-laws .

11. What is your favourite colour?

A. white or Black or Blue .I love these 3 colours can't choose any one of them .

12. What do you try to cook when you have cooking blues(when you feel real lazy to cook something)?

A. Maggi or some chat ( I loved them ) .

13. What are the cosmetics/make-up/perfumes that you can't live without?

A. Sunscreen , Face wash , Eyeliner & Perfumes.

14. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?

A. Sarees & Long or short skirts ( not too short ).

15. What is your favourite magazine?

A. Any kind of magazines, I love reading .

16. If you had $100 now,what would you spend it on?

A. I will save that money , I don't buy things if its not necessary .

17. Who are your style icons?

A. I am my own style icon , as I think style is all about feeling confortable .

18. Describe your personal style?

A. Dress up as per place or occasion.

19. What are your favourite movies?

A. Any old bengali movies .

20. Give us three styling tips that always work for you?

A. Be Simple , Elegent and Confident.

21.Coffee or tea?

A. Tea.

22. What inspires you?

A. Any inspirable work which helps people .

23. Which other blogs you love visiting?

A. Each and Every Food blog , too many to list .

24. Favourite dessert/sweet?

A. Misti Doi & Icecream , you can say I am an icecreamholic .

25. Favourite season?

A. Winter and spring.

26. Which is your dream destination?

A. Too many but mostly Kerala , Kashmir , USA , London & Switzerland .

27. Which is your favourite international cuisine?

A. Arabic , Chinese & Italian .

28. What is your favorite line?

A. Alaways be Positive & happy , you will achive your goal .

29. What is the meaning of your name?

A. Dolon is actually a Latin word its means A Trojan spy & in another way in bengali its meaning the round of a pendulam .

30. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?

A. Some special bengali cuisine .

31. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?

A. Start working or cooking or Listen to music or talk to my parents/hubby.

32. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?

A. Never happened .

33. What are you going to do after this?

A. Cook dinner .

34. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?

A. Wearing clothes that don’t suit you & doing too much cosmetices

35. What is your dream job?

A. I want to start a buissness of my own , so no dream job .

36. My Adding question is :

In which God do You Trust?
Kali Mata.


The rules are:
Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention,and add one more question of your own. Then tag eight or ten other people.



Thanks to Shanthi for these lovely tag & I really loved doing it .

Now the rules are :

1) Link the person who tagged you .
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share the ABC'S of you.
4) Tag 4 people at the end of the post by linking their blogs.
5) Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by you.
6) Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people,so that there is a big network of bloggers doing the tag.


1. A – Available/Single? Married

2. B – Best friend? My husband & My parents .

3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake

4. D – Drink of choice? Water .

5. E – Essential item you use every day? My Laptop , Mobile & Car .

6. F – Favorite color? Black

7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Bears .

8. H – Hometown? Kolkata,West Bengal .

9. I – Indulgence? Savouries chaats and chips .

10. J – January or February? January .

11. K – Kids & their names? Not yet

12. L – Life is incomplete without? Love & respect

13. M – Marriage date? 24th January ,2005

14. N – Number of siblings? One elder brother

15. O – Oranges or Apples? Oranges

16. P – Phobias/Fears? Lizards

17. Q – Quote for today? Alaways be Positive & happy .

18. R – Reason to smile? When my husband try to make to smile & my nephew's behaviour ( 1.5 year old )

19. S – Season? Winter & Spring.

20. T – Tag 4 People? Names are at the bottom of this post .

21. U – Unknown fact about me? I keep everything secret .

22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Bhindi .

23. W – Worst habit? Short tempered & talkative

24. X – X-rays you've had? Never

25. Y – Your favorite food? Any chat or panjabi food.

26. Z – Zodiac sign? Gemini

Now I am passing these awards & tag to the following people Rajeswari, Mythreyi Dilip , Smitha & Tulip ,

I Am Back With A Sweet Dish

First of all I wish all my dear foodies Happy Ganesh Chaturthi .Now before you guys ask me why I disappeared from this blog let me clear it first. Last couple of weeks I was too buzy with my office , so I could not get any time to post any new recipes . I didnot visit to other blogs either . But now I am here again with some new recipes .
Last week during janmastami I made some authentic bengali sweet dish called "Mungsamali" & I thought to share it with you guys .



Ingredients :-

1. 2C coconut grated .
2. 3C sugar
3. 1C milk
4. 1C flour.
5. 1C yellow moong dal .
6. 1 tsp cardamom powder .
7. 1C water .
8. Oil for Frying .



Method :-

1. Wash the dal properly & cook in a pressure cooker till done . It should be cooked properly but don't make it smashy .
2. Once it cool, drain the water completely & keep aside .
3. In a kadai add the grated coconut & keep stairing till it becomes light brown in colour .
4. Now add the sugar in it & let it cook for another 10min .
5. now add the milk & let it cook till all the milk evaporate .
6. Cook for another 10 more min . Take it out of the heat & let it cool .
7. In a bowl add the cooked dal & the flour . knead it properly to make a chapati like dough .
8. Make small balls from the dough, spread each ball with hand and stuff the coconut sugar mixture into it. Fold it and seal the edges so that filling doesnt come out to get the shape of 'Puli' as in the picture .
9. In another pan heat water & add sugar . Boil it for some time to make sugar syrup . Now add cardamom powder. cook for a couple of minutes.
10. Now heat oil in a kadai & fry the pulies till golden brown on low heat . Remove from oil & add the pulies to the syrup slowly. Let till cool & serve .

Hearty Dinner - Bengali Pulao with Lauki Kofta

The days are very long nowadays, the sky being bright till almost 7o’clock. This is the summer time & outside is really very hot. This time I always try to make the meal very mild , as well as tasty . My husband was asking for some kofta for quite a while now . They are not something that I make very often .
Last time when I visited India , my mom given me some Gobindobhog Rice ( one kind of basmati rice ) , which I normally use for Payesh or for Pulao . Its quite a long time now , that I brought them ,So I thought to make some Lauki Kofta ( Lau-er kofta ) & Bengali Pulao last week .

So here is the recipe :





Ingredients for lauki kofta :-

1. 1 medium size lauki .
2. 4 tbsp besan .
3. 1 small onion chopped finely .
4. 2 small tomato .
5. 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste .
6. salt to taste .
7. 2 tsp red chilli powder .
8. 4 tsp coriender powder .
9. 1 tsp garam masala powder .
10. whole garam masala ( 1 bay leaf ,2 green cardamom ,1" piece cinnamon , 2 laung ) .
11 2 tsp of dahi / yoghut .
12 green chillies chopped finely .
13 Handful of chopped coriender .
14 Oil .
15. 2 tsp fresh cream ( optional ) .



Method for kofta :-

1. Grate the lauki in a foo processor & mix some salt . Keep it for 5 min .
2. Now squeeze the extra water from it & add besan in the grated lauki, mix it well with hands preferably .
3. Take 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and add the besan lauki paste to it .Mix the paste well in the kadai till it becomes dry .
4. Now remove it from heat & mix chopped onion , chopped green chilli , chopped coriender leave , salt ,red chilli powder & dhaniya powder .
5. Make small kofta balls from the mix . Keep these balls aside .
6. Now heat oil in a kadai & fry these balls till golden brown . Now remove from the heat & keep in a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil .
7. In a food processor grind the onion , tomato, ginger-gerlic paste , dahi into a paste & keep aside .
8. Take 2 tbsp of oil and add whole garam masala in it , once the masala start crackle add the onion paste to it 7 fry till raw smell disappear .
9. Once it turns golden brown , add red chilli powder , dhaniya, garam masala and salt to it.
10. Fry the masala till the paste leaves oil , now add the cream .
11. Fry for another 2-3 min & add 1/2 cup water . Once the gravy start boiling add the koftas & garam masala powder .
12. Boil for another 2 min & remove from the heat . Sprinkle some chopped
green coriender .



Ingredients for Pulao :-

1. 1 cup basmati rice ( I used gobindobhog rice ).
2. 2 green chilli finely chopped .
3. 1" piece of fresh ginger cut into juilions .
4. 1 carrot chopped into small pieces .
5. 1/2 cup green peas .
6. 1 tsp turmeric powder .
7. Whole garam masala ( 1 bay leaf ,2 green cardamom ,1" piece cinnamon , 2 laung , 2 black cardamom , 4 black peppercorn ) .
8. Salt
9. 5-6 tsp sugar ( you can adjust as per your taste ) .
10. 4 tsp ghee & 4 tsp of oil .
11. 1/2 cup cashew nuts & raisins .
12. 3-4 stands of saffron , soaked in milk ( optional ).

Method :-

1. Wash the rice & soak it in water for 30 min .
2. Now in a pressue cooker add the oil+ghee .
3. Now add all the ingredients & mix properly . Add 2 1/2cups of water & close the lid .
4. put the pressure cooker in the gas & cook it on slow heat till 3 whistle .
5. Remove from the heat & let it cool till the pressure release completely . Now bengali pulao is ready to serve .

We had ours with lauki kofta . It taste great .

Note :- We bengalis like sweetness . But if you want you can use the suger less .

Another Award - Kreative Blogger Award

I thank Shanti & EC who passed me this kreative blogger award & I am really very happy that you considered me for this .This is my second award & It means a lot to me .

Now the rules for this award are :

1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

Now 7 facts about me :-



1. I am a very caring & family oriented person . I love my family very much & if something happened ( feeling ill or something ) , i become very tensed .

2. I love to shop for my home ( like furniture , home furnishing , electronics etc ) , more than for my own things .

3. I love to read books . It can be any book like cooking , novels , friction , magazine anything . If I started reading a book & I don't left that till I finish . Sometimes this habit create some serious problem in my life .

4. I love to cook & eat also . You can say I am a reall foodie . My husband is my food critic & he love to try new recipes , so i love to cook different types of cuisines .

5. I like to do everything by myself only . I don't like other person is helping me to do my work .

6. I want to open a resturent in India & I will do that in future for sure .

7. I want to go back to India as soon as I can & to stay near my parents .
it doesnot mean that I don't like this place but I want my parents should be alaways near to me .

Now the next rule is , this has to be passed only to 7 bloggers . I want to pass it to all my dear fellow bloggers but I have to follow the rule . So I am nominating the following blogger friends .

1. Bong Mom's Cookbook
2. Saffron Apron
3. Delectable Vegetarian Recipes
4. ESHO-BOSHO-AAHARE
5. Indian cuisine
6. Mysoorean
7. Raks Kitchen

Hope you liked it . Take Care .

Misti Doi ( sweetened Dahi ) - A Bengali Dessert

No account of bengali food is complete without sweet dish . We bengalis are famous for our sweet preparations and Misti Doi is among the most well known dessert.This is one of the most famous bengali dish , it tastes great but is amazingly simple to make!
Sometimes back one of my foodie friend "Aruna" asked me for misti doi (dahi) recipe . I made Misti doi previously also at home , but that time I never thought to open a food blog . So I never taken any picture of them & I made it at home once again . It came perfect in colour & taste great . So here is the recipe :





Ingredients :-

1. 1 ltr full cream milk .
2. 1 1/2 cup sugar .
3. 2-3 tbsp water .
4. 3/4 tbsp curds .
5. 2-3 pods of green cardamom / 1/2tsp of cardamom powder .




Method :-

1. Bring the milk to boil with 1 cup sugar & continue boiling for 10-12 min.
2. Meanwhile put remaining sugar in a heavy saucepan. Heat on high stirring continuously . Once it will become brown like caramel, add water and stir well till boil is resumed.
3. Add it to the boiling milk and also add the cardamom powder . Stir well so that it mix properly .
4. Boil the mixture for a further 10-15 min.
5. Now once it cool, add curd and stir well.
6. Now pour into individual cups or a single vessel & cover with lids / aluminium foil .
7. Keep in a warm & dry place( in a kitchen cupboard /hot microwave oven ) till set.
8. Once set place it in the refrigerator for another 2-4 hrs & serve chilled as a dessert .

Tea Time & Some Snack - Vegetable Chop

This is a very hectic week for me ... Lots of work in the office & at home also .But today is last day of the week , now 2 days off for weekend . That means again my normal weekend routine . but last week when I got continious 3days off I made some delicious recipes . I already post one in my earlier poat & I promised to all of you that i wil post those recipes one by one . So today I am posting one snack recipe , called Vegetable Chop .
So here is the recipe .





Ingredients:-


1. 1 medium potato .
2. 2 medium size carrot .
3. 2-3 medium size beetroot .
4. 1 tsp ginger paste
5. 3 tsp peanuts .
6. 3-4 tsp bhaja masala .
7. 1/2 tsp sugar .
8. Salt .
9. 4-5 tbsp besan .
10. 1/2 cup bread crumbs .
11. 1 cup white oil (for deep frying) .

Ingredients for bhaja masala :-

1. 2 tbsp cumin seeds .
2. 6 dry red chillies .


Method :-

1. Roast cumin seeds & dry red chillies on low heat till jeera turns brown and chillies dark red. Do not char. Remove from heat and grind in a grinder. You can preserved it for long periods and used for different preparations also .
2. Cut potato , carrot & beetroot into 2-3" size big chunks. Pressure cook on high heat for 2 steams. Drain the water & mash the vegetables coarsely & mix 2-3 tsp bread crumbs .
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in kadai. Fry the peanuts & remove from the heat .
4. Now add ginger, fry for 2 min . Add the roughly mashed vegetables, salt and sugar. Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium high heat.
5. Add bhaja masala and mix . Remove the vegetables from heat and let it cool.
6. Make a besan mix by adding 1/4th cup water. The mix should not be too thick or too watery . Make chop-size dumplings of the vegetable mixture using your hands & dip in besan mix to form a thin layer, coat with bread crumbs and keep aside.
7. Pour the oit in a deep bottom pan & fry them till golden brown. Remove from heat and keep on paper towel to drain excess oil before serving.
8. Now serve them with some tomato sauce .

Another Bengali Delicacy - Mutton Chaap

After a long weekend we have started another week , that means another hetrick schedule . We enjoyed this long weekend very much (doing nothing) . I wake up at 11 o'oclok every day & by the time I realise the weekend was over . But I made some delicious recipes over this time .Those will come one by one in each posts . One of them was Mutton Chaap .
This is a traditional bengali recipe , spicy & very delicious .



Ingredients:-

1. 750 gm Mutton or lamb .
2. 250 gms Onions chopped .
3. 2 -3 tsp ginger-gerlic paste .
4. 1 tsp turmeric powder .
5. 5-6 green chili paste (use as per your taste).
6. 2 tsp rose water .
7. 2 tsp Keora water .
8. 5-6 tsp oil .
9. 200gm char magog paste / poppy seed paste .
10. Salt .
11. Sugar .
12. 2 bay leaf .

Ingredients for masala powder :-

1. 5 green cardamom
2. 5 black cardamom .
3. 3 stick of cinnamon
4. 10-12 black cardamom ,
5. 4 aniseed ,
6. 4 bay leaf,
7. 7-8 cloves ,
8. 1 tsp shahi jeera
9. 4 red chillis



Method :-

1. In a kadai add the Ingredients of masala powder . Roast them & make a powder in a blender .
2. Clean the mutton & mix salt, green chilli paste , ginger-gerlic paste. Keep it for 2-3 hours.
3. Now heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add bay-leaves and one teaspoon sugar. When sugar become caramalized add the onions .
4. Fry the onions till soft & raw smell go . Add the marinated mutton. Do not add water.
5. Fry for 10 min till the mutton pieces well coated with the masala .
6. Now add char mogog paste & fry for another 5 min .
7. When oil start leaving the sides of the cooker , close the lead . Steam for 8 minutes.
8. After that open the cooker and add the masala powder , rose water and keora water. Cook for another 5 min . Remove from the heat , cover and let it simmer for another 5 min . Now delicious mutton chaap is ready & serve hot with some roti or naan .

Mughlai Paratha - Kolkata Resturent Style

Last week when I made Dum aloo I thought to make something new to serve with it & made "Moglai Parota" , one of my favouriote food in Kolkata . This is some kind of stuffed paratha which normally served with dum aloo , salad & some sauces . Whenever I go to Kolkata , I make sure I eat them atleast 5 times . My mom always tell my brother to bring it at home often . But still I miss them here. So last week i thought instead of missing them I will try to make them at home . I made them & it was like resturent type .
So here is the recipe :



Ingredients for dum aloo :-

1. 3-4 Big potatoes .
2. 3 medium red onion .
3. 4 green chilles .
4. 2 Tomatoes pureed .
5. 3 tsp ginger-garlic paste .
6. 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
7. 1 tsp garam masala .
8. 1 tsp turmeric .
9. 1 tsp coriender powder .
10. salt to taste
11. 3 tsp Oil
12. 1/2c water
13. handful Coriender leaf
14. 1 tsp sugar ( optional )

Method :-

1. Clean & cut the potato in half .Now pressure cook the potato pieces with some salt . Make sure that the potatoes are not over cooked .

2. Peel the potatoes & keep aside .

3. In a heavy bottom vessel add oil . When oil become hot add the sugar .
Now add onion & Saute until onions gets soft.Add ginger-garlic paste & fry till raw smell goes .

4. Now add the tomato puree , turmeric powder , chilli powder . Fry in slow heat with occassional Stir to avoid from sticking to the bottom .

5. when oil start leaving add the potatoes . fry for another 5 min .

6. Now add salt & 1/2 cup water . Bring it to boil .

7. Once the gravy remove from heat . Garnish with some fresh chopped coriender & keep aside .



Ingredients for moglai paratha :-

1. 1 1/2 cups white refined flour .
2. 2 medium size onion chopped finely
3. 2-3 green chilli slit .
4. 2 tsps ghee for kneading .
5. Water.
6. 1 tsp salt .
7. 3 egg .
8. 4 tsp breadcrumb .
9. 1/2 cup dum aloo .
10. Oil for frying .

Method :-

1. In a bowl take the egg & add salt in it .
2. In a separate bowl take some dum aloo sabji , smash it properly with a smasher & add the bread crumb , mix onion , green chilli with it .
3. Now sieve the flour and salt together . Now mix the ghee with the flour & knead well until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
4. Cover it with a wet cloth and keep aside for two hours.
5. Make small balls and roll them into 12" dia .
6. Pour the egg mixture in the central part of that & spread the mixture in the central part in a square shape.
7. Now place a part of the sabji mixture & spread that in the central part in a square shape.
8. Now fold the sides of the round chapatti in a square shape (from the four corners) that the batter inside is fully covered.
9. Wet your finger with water and press the corners and edges of the paratha with little pressure to ensure the folds will not open while frying.
10 Now in a frying pan add some oil .
11.Once the oil is hot place the paratha & fry from both the sides till crispy & golden brown . Remove it from the pan & serve hot with some dum aloo , salad & tomato sauce .

Lets Try Kadai Paneer With Some New Idea

Paneer is one of the all time favourite food at our house ( specialy for hubby ). We make various types of dishes with it & alaways tastes great . Last week I made this kadai paneer for dinner . I add some ingredients which normally I don't use in kadai paneer . But it was so good that I thought to stick in this recipe . I added capsicum & onion pieces & made it like how I normally make manchurian . But it was not like manchurian . So I thought to share this recipe with all of you & here is my version of Kadai paneer ....





Ingredients :-

1. 300 gm paneer cut into small pieces & shallow fried .
2. 2 medium size onion chopped finely & 1 onion chopped into 1" size pieces .
3. 2-3 green chilli slit .
4. 2 medium size tomatoes finely chopped / pureed .
5. 1 tsp ginger paste .
6. 1 tsp gerlic paste .
7. 2 capsicum cut into 1" size pieces .
8. 1 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder .
9. 1 tsp Turmeric powder .
10.2 tsp red chili powder .
11. 1 tsp garam masala powder .
12. Whole garam masala ( cumin , 1" Cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf ) .
13. Sugar ( optional ).
14. Salt to taste .
15. Oil .


Method :-

1. Heat oil in a kadai and add the Sugar till caramelized . Now add whole garam masala .

2. Once they start splutter, add the chopped onions and saute till it caramalized.

3. Once onion become soft add the ginger-gerlic paste & saute for 5 min .

4. Once raw smell goes add the tomato pieces/puree and saute well.Now add the red chili powder ,Coriander powder , Turmeric powder & saute for another 2 min .

5. Now add the capsicum , onion pieces & slit green chillies . Fry for 5 min till they become soft (not smashy).

6. Now add salt and 1/2 cup water . Allow it to boil .

7. Now add the fried paneer pieces & cook it till the gravy become thick . At last add the garam masala powder & stair once . Serve hot with roti , paratha or even hot rice .

Note : I used packed paneer . But if you want you can make paneer at home . Home made paneer taste great .

A Weekend Breakfast Chole Bhature

This weekend the weather was nice .. Not that much hot . Normally june to august is the hottest seasons over here .After that weather starts changing & weather becomes nice & cold . But yesterday it was little cold & hazzy weather . I normally make something special for breakfast every weekend insted of cake / bread , milk- cornflakes . & this time when my dear hubby wanted to have chole - bhature I thought why not make as per his request .

So here is the recipe :-





Ingredients :-

1. 5 cups white refined flour .
2. 1 cup yogurt .
3. 1 tsp salt .
4. 2 tsps ghee for kneading & extra for frying bhatures .
5. 1 tsps sugar .
6. 1/2 tsp yeast .
7. Water.

Method :-

1. Mix the yeast with half a cup of luke warm water and keep aside for ten minutes.
2. Now sieve the flour and salt together .
3. Mix the ghee and the sugar with the flour.
4. Add the yogurt and dissolved yeast .
5. Add little more luke warm if necessary.
6. Knead well until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
7. Cover it with a wet cloth and keep aside for two hours.
8. Heat the ghee in a kadai .
9. Make small balls and roll them , spread a little with your palms to make it bit elongated ( tear shaped) and fry in hot ghee until golden brown.
10.Served these bhature with some spicy chole .


They came out very nice & tasty . I am sending this recipe to dear Divya , who is hosting the event called "Show me your Breakfast!" .

Hot Weekend Lunch - Lamb/Mutton Dhansak

Its summer time & the days are long & very hot here . Summer time is the worst time in Dubai . Getting out is very difficult in the afternoon & its applicable for weekend days alos . But from September onwards the weather will become very pleasant . So now in this hot weather I don't want to go out for lunch , & I thought to make something new to enjoy our lunch at home . So I made Lamb dhansak .
Lamb Dhansak is a popular Parsi recipe in which lamb is cooked along with lentil and should be medium to hot in spiciness . We loved the blend of hot spices, sour flavours and lentils & make the dhansak a popular curry at our home .So here is the recipe ...



Ingredients for dhansak :-

1. 500 gm boneless lamb, diced into large chunks .
2. 2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped .
3. 2 medium onions, roughly chopped .
4. 1 lemon .
5. 2 tbsp oil .
6. Salt to taste .

For lentil mixture :-

1. 1/2 cup toor dal .
2. 1/2 cup masoor dal .
3. 1/2 cup urad dal .
4. 1 small aubergine, chopped .
5. 1 small sweet potato, chopped .
6. 1/2 small pumpkin , chopped .
7. 2 onion, roughly chopped .
8. Handful of coriander .
9. 1 tsp turmeric powder .
10.2 tsp oil .
11. 2 cup water

For masala paste

1. 3 tsp ginger- gerlic paste .
2. 2 tsp red chilli powder .
3. 1 tsp cumin powder .
4. 1 tsp coriander powder .
5. Whole garam masala (1"cinnamon ,4 green cardamoms ,4 whole black pepper , 1 star anise , )
6. 1 tbsp kasoori methi .
7. Handful coriander leave .
8. Salt .
9. 1 tsp nutmeg powder .




Method :-

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker & fry the onion till soft & brown . Now put water , salt & all the ingredients for the lentil mixture . Cook for 5 whistles and then simmer for 15 -20 minutes . Uncover and mash the dal mixture to get a semi-smooth mixture.

2. Grind all the paste ingredients in a blender to make a smooth masala paste .

3. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker . Now add the chopped onions & fry until pale brown. Add the spice paste and the tomatoes and fry for ten minutes, stirring regularly so that it won't stick to the bottom .

4. Then add the lamb and fry until they are brown all over and well coated in the masalas. Fry for 10 min & then put the dal mixture into it and pressure cook again for about 15 minutes.

5. Now open the pressure cooker, mix in the lemon juice & add salt . Let it simmer for another 10 min & serve hot with white rice , salad & fried papad .

Note :- If you don’t have a pressure cooker, just cook it in a kadai .
Don't make the lentil mixture too much smashy .
It is meant to be hot, sweet and sour. so use as much chilli (fresh green and dry red chilli ) you want .

My First Award

Hi All,
Hope you all are doing great...I would like to thank Jyoti of " Food Seasons " , http://www.foodseasons.com/ for this wonderful award... This is my first award & you just made my day dear .. Thanks for all the love and encouragement ...

Till then have a nice & bright weekend to all . Have fun & do take care of yourself .

Chicken Tikka Roll For Easy Dinner Idea

Couple of days back I was reading a report that nowdays heart attack can be occur at the age of 22 also . Because of our lifestyle , food habits & stress in our personal & professional life . We indians eat oily & spicy food . So our risk for heart attack is most . So I thought to make something for which I don't need to use more oil & made chicken tikka . Later I thought to use them to make roll for our dinner .
So I made delicious chicken tikka roll .

Here is the recipe .





Ingredients for chicken tikka :-

1. 250 gm boneless chicken pieces cut into 2" chunks .
2. 4 tsp hang curd / yoghurt / dahi .
3. 2 tsp ginger - gerlic paste .
4. 1 tsp roasted cumin powder .
5. 2 tsp Chilly powder .
6. Juice of 1 lemon .
7. 1 tsp Garam masala .
8. 1 tsp coriender powder .
9. 1 tsp Chaat masala .
10. 1 tsp black pepper powder
11. 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder / red food colour ( optional for colour ).
12. Salt to taste .
13. Butter / olive oil .
14. Wooden skewers to hold the chicken pieces .


Method :-

1. In a small bowl mix all the ingredients except butter .
2. Marinate the chicken pieces for at lest 8 hours in the refrigerator .
3. In a bowl take some water & place the wooden stick for 2 hours .
4. Thread the chicken onto skewers and keep ready .
5. Now preheat the oven or grill to a medium high temperature & grill it for 15 mins each sides . Place the skewers on the grill racks in your oven with a tray underneath to catch drippings.
6. Remove from the microwave . Now roast open in the gas oven till the chicken is browned on all sides and tender.
7. Remove from skewers and put the chicken in a plate.






Ingredients for roll :-

1. 2 cup Whole wheat flour .
2. 1 tsp Olive oil for kneading + 2 tsp for frying .
3. Salt to taste
4. Water .
6. 4 Eggs .


Method:-

1. In a bowl mix flour, salt and oil well.
2. Add water slowly and make chapati type dough.Now cover with a moslin cloth & keep it aside for half an hour.
3. Divide the dough into balls & spread each ball into thin circles .
4. Now Heat a pan/tawa over medium heat.Grease the pan with little oil, place one chapati and cook for few seconds on one side until it starts to puff up. Flip over to the other side and continue this process until both sides have golden brown spots.
5. Remove from pan .
6. In a small bowl take the egg , add salt & beat well .
7. Now add 1 tsp oil in the hot tawa/pan & pour the egg mixture .Place the paratha at the top of it & press it gently so that the egg spead all over the paratha evenly .Cook for 30 sec each sides .


Ingredients for assamble :-

1. 2 cucumber finely chopped .
2. 1 tomato finely chopped .
3. 1 medium size onion finely chopped .
4. 2 green chilli finely chopped .
5. Lemon juice .
6. Tomato sause .
7. Chilli Sauce .

Method :-

1. Now take the paratha , add the tikkas & above ingrediants in the middle of the paratha and roll tightly from end to make the roll .
2. You can wrap a aluminium foil or the paper at the bottom of the roll to hold it .

Some Aloo Tikki Chat For My Taste Buds .......

Kolkata is famous for its foods & that too for snacks & chats . That can be "Phuchka" , "Jhalmuri" ,"Alu kabli" ,"Moglai" or so on .....
But here in Dubai I don't feel the tastes of the chats like Kolkata . There are few chat corners are here but I don't get them that easily . I don't want to go for 30 min ride to get some good chat . So Last weekend when I was curving for some snacks I thought to make it by myself . At least to give it a try . So I made Aloo Tikka chat & surprisingly it tastes great .

Here is the recipe :




Ingredients for Tikki :-

1. 3 - 4 medium size potatoes
2. 1 onion finely chopped
3. 1 tbsp grated ginger
4. 1 green chilli finely chopped
5. 3 - 4 tbsp bread crumbs
6. 1 - 2 tsp garam masala
7. 1 - 2 tsp jeera powder
8. 1 - 2 tsp red chilli powder
9. Oil for cooking
10. salt as per taste
11. Handful chopped coriander leaves .


Method :-

1. Pressure cook the potatoes and mash them well . Mix all the above ingredients properly , except oil .

2. Now make small balls of the mixture by placing in between your palms, & press it to flatten a bit .

3. Heat a non-sick pan and drizzle some oil. Place the tikki and cook it on medium flame till light brown . Once brown, flip it to cook on the other side. Add some oil if needed.



Ingredients for Chole :-

1. 3 canned chickpea drained & washed properly
2. 3 medium size onion chopped finely
3. 2-3 green chilli chopped finely
4. 2 medium size tomatoes finely chopped
5. 1 tsp ginger paste
6. 1 tsp gerlic paste
7. 2 -3 tsp red chili powder
8. 1 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
9. 1 tsp Turmeric powder
10. Whole garam masala ( cumin , cloves ,1" Cinnamon stick, black peppercorns , green cardamom , black cardamom )
11. Oil
12. Salt to taste
13. Sugar ( optional )
14. 1 cup water

Method :-

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the Sugar till caramelized . Now add whole garam masala .

2. Once they start splutter, add the chopped onions, green chillies and saute well.

3. Once onion become soft add the ginger paste & saute for 2 min .

4. Now add the red chili powder ,Coriander powder , Turmeric powder & saute for another 2 min .

5. Once aroma of the spices is released, add the tomato pieces and saute well.

6. Now add the chickpeas , salt and water . Allow it to boil till the gravy become thick .

Now in a plate put the aloo tikkis , add some chole over it . Drizzle of yogurt , tamarind date chutney , chopped cilantro , chopped onion , black salt & enjoy .

I am sending this post to Served With Love who is hosting this month's RCI "Mumbai Street Food" , originally hosted by dear fellower Lakshmi of " Veggie Cuisine " & also sending this to Simple Indian Food for WYF Fried snack event .

Happy Father's Day & A Sweet Dish

I have seen now days we celebrate Valentine day , Mother's day , Woman's Day & so on .... But we don't celebrate Father's day with that much enthusiasm . I don't know why . But I think for every child their parents are very special . So I want to say everybody to celebrate Father's day with same motivation & love . Express your love towards your father . Not only this particular day , but also the whole life . & express them how special they are ( express also your mother , In laws & others ) .

So here is a sweet dish for this special occasion :-





Ingredients :-

1. 250 gm Semolina / Suzi .
2. 200 gm sugar
3. 2 1/2 cup milk
4. 4-5 tsp ghee
5. 1tsp cardamom powder
6. 3-4 saffron
7. 1 cup water ( optional , you can add milk instead of water )
8. Chopped nuts ( cashew nuts , almonds , pistachio )


Method :-

1. In a heavy bottom pan add the ghee & semolina . Fry till it start becoming light brown in colour & your kitchen full with nice aroma .

2. Now add 2 cup milk , sugar & cardamom powder .

3. Let it boil & stair continuously .

4. Add some more milk if needed . Once it start leaving the sides of the pan add the saffron .

5. When it become thick remove from the heat & garnish with chopped nuts .

6. Let it cool & serve with some paratha or by itself .

Bombay Biriyani & My First Post For Event

Couple of days back when I visited Nags food blog , I came to know that she is hosting Meeta's Monthly Mingle Event : Ravishing Rice . Since this is a new blog & I never send any recipe for any event .I thought to send one recipe for this event . So this weekend I made Bombay Biriyani . Biriyani is all time favourite food at our home & is alaways hit .

& at the meantime I came to know that in Viki's kitchen also one event is going on " The Potluck - Chicken " . So I am sending this recipe to Viki's Kitchen also .


Here is the recipe :-



Ingrediants :

1. 500-750gms Chicken , small cubes with bones .
2. 500gms Basmati Rice washed & soacked for 30 mins .
3. 3 tsp ginger-gerlic paste .
4. 5 medium onion finely sliced .
5. 3 Medium tomatoes chopped .
6. 3 medium potatoes peeled & halfed
7. 1 cup plain youghut
8. 3 tsp ghee
9. 5 tsp oil
10. 5 tsp biriyani masala ( homemade / Shan / Mehran / any other )
11. Handful coriender leave
12. Handful pudina leave
13. Handful cashew nuts
14. 2 tsp rose water
15. 2 tsp kewra water
16. 4 Green chillis slited
17. Whole garam masala ( cinnamon , green cardamom , black cardamom , aniseed , bay leaf, cloves , shahi jeera ).
18. Salt
19. 4 tsp milk
20. pinch of saffron
21. 3 tsp lemon juice



Method :

1. Fry the onions in oil until golden . Keep them separate .

2. Now in a heavy bottom pan add the whole garam masala . Now add the onion & potatoes, fry till golden brown .

3. Add tomatoes & fry till the oil separates .

4. Add meat , ginger , gerlic , youghut & the biriyani masala . Fry for 15min .

5. Now add 2 cups water & cook on low heat until meat is tender . Then increase the heat & stir fry until oil separates from the gravy .

6. Separately in 10 glasses of hot water add whole garam masala & salt . Now add the soak rice . When the rice 3/4 cooked , remove from heat & throughly drain the water .

7. In a cup mix milk & saffron , keep for 30 min .

8. Now in a heavy bottom vessel spread the cooked meat & curry . Put thr rice over it & make layers . In between every layers add fried onion , chopped coriender , chopped pudina , cashew nut , rose water , kewra water , saffron , slited green chilles & lemon juice .

9. Cover the pot with the aluminium foil or with the lid .

10. Let it cook on slow heat for 30min . Remove from the heat & your delicious "Bombay Biriyani" is ready to serve . We had ours with fried Papad , raita & salad .


Note : If you will close the layered pot with lid then place the atta dough around the ild . It helps biriyani to cook properly & make more delicious .
Make the dough as you make for chapati .

Paneer Stuffed Aloo Dum & Venice Trip ....

No .... Don't think that I am going to Venice or came back from Venice . Last weekend we went to the "Festival City" in Dubai . I really surprised when I saw the canals like Venice & was thinking how romantic it is ...
Dubai is well known for their amazing architectual buildings . but this was really new for me . Here is the picture :








I thought to make something special , since my husband took me some special place to visit . He loves paneer . So I made Paneer paratha , Paneer stuffed Aloo Dum & Some sweet dish .Here is the recipe of Paneer stuffed Aloo dum ......

Ingredients :-

1. 3-4 Big potatoes .
2. 300gm Paneer
3. 1" piece of ginger
4. 3 medium red onion
5. 5 pod garlic
6. 4 green chilles
7. 2 Tomatoes pureed
8. 1 tsp turmeric
9. 12-15 cashew nuts paste
10.3 tsp youghut
11. 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
12. 1" piece of cinnamon
13. 2 Bay leave
14. 1 tsp garam masala
15. salt to taste
16. 1/2c water
17. 3 tsp Oil
18. handful Coriender leaf
19. 1 tsp sugar ( optional )



Method :-

1. Clean & cut the potato in half .Now pressure cook the potato pieces with some salt . Make sure that the potatoes are not over cooked .

2. Peel the potatoes & keep aside .

3. Now in a small bowl mix paneer , 1 finely chopped onion , 2 green chillies , finely chopped coriender , salt & 1 tsp garam masala powder .

4. Once potatoes become cool take a spoon & scoop the potatoes carefully to make a hole in the middle of the potato . For this you need patience so that the potatoes don't break otherwise you can't stuff them .

5. Now put the paneer mixture in the scooped potatoes & keep aside .

6. Grind ginger , garlic in a food processor till smooth . Separately grind onion .

7. In a heavy bottom vessel add oil . When oil become hot add the sugar . Now add the cinnamon piece & bay leaves .

8. When the masala crackle add onion & Saute until onions gets soft.Add ginger-garlic paste & fry till raw smell goes .

9. Now add the tomato puree , turmeric powder , chilli powder . Fry in slow heat with occassional Stir to avoid from sticking to the bottom .

10. when oil start leaving add the cashew nut paste & youghut . At this point add salt

11. Now add 1/2 cup water & bring it to boil .

12. Once the gravy become slightly thick add the potatoes carefully so that it won't break . Let it cook for 7-10 min each sides . If needed add some more water . When gravy become thick remove from heat .

13. Garnish with some fresh chopped coriender & serve hot with some paratha or even rice & fresh salad .


Note : Handle the potatoes very carefully when you will place them in the gravy , or else it will break or stuffing will come out .
& when you will scoop the potatoes make sure the outoer wall of the potatoes should be thick enough to hold the stuffing .

A Dinner Invitation & Some Chinese Food ....

I love Chinese food & I think most of the people also love it . Couple of days back one of my friend came to our house . She have a 4 year old cute little baby girl . She loves chinese . She don't like to eat rice or dal or vegetables . She loves chinese . Her mom have to make chinese food every time she cooks . So when they came to our house for dinner I have to make sure that I cooked chinese food . At least one dish . So I made Gobi Manchurian . This is my husband's one of the favourite food also . So here is the recipe :-






Ingredients :-

1. 1 Medium size cauliflower .
2. 1" piece of ginger
3. 5 pod garlic
4. 1 medium red onion
5. 1-2 capsicum
6. 3-4 green chilles
7. 3 tsp tomato sauce
8. 3 tsp saya sauce
9. 3 tsp flour
10.3 tsp cornflour
11. 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
12. salt to taste
13. 1/2c water
14. 3 tsp Oil
15. 1 tsp aginamoto ( optional )

Method :-

1. Cut the cauliflower into small size flourets .Cut the onion & capsicum in small size pieces .

2. Now grind ginger , garlic in a food processor till smooth .

3. In another pot mix flour ,cornflour, salt & red chilli powder . Add little water & make a smooth batter .

4. Now put the cauliflower pieces in the batter & coat properly .

5. In a heavy bottom vessel add oil . When oil become hot add the cauliflower pieces & fry them till brown . Remove from the oil & place them in a paper towel to sock the excess oil .

6. In that same oil add ginger-garlic paste , fry for 2 min .

7. Now add the onion & capsicum . Fry in slow heat with occassional Stir to avoid from sticking to the bottom . Add the tomatoes .

7. Once onion & capsicum start caramalise add tomato sauce & soya sauce . Fry for another 3-4 min . Add aginamoto & salt .

8. Now add 1/2 cup water & bring it to boil .

9. Once start boiling add the cauliflower pieces .When gravy become thick remove from heat & serve hot with some fried rice & fresh salad .


Note : If you feel the gravy is too watery , mix 1tsp cornflour in the gravy .The gravy will become thick .

Easy Breezy Chicken Curry

For last 3-4 days it was too much busy . So Cooking became a side part of my life . But on Saturday I made this easy chicken curry for our lunch . That was my birthday so we went for dinner with some of our close friends .
Though in my house we both like mutton most but due to the health consciousness we normally make chicken . It is very simple recipe to make but really delicious .
Now here is the recipe :-



Ingredients :-

1. 750 gms Chicken without skin & cut into pieces .
2. 1" piece of ginger
3. 5 pod garlic
4. 2 medium red onion
5. 1 tsp cumin seeds
6. Whole Garam Masala ( 1" cinnamon stick , 2 Bay leaf ,5 small cardamom )
7. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
8. salt to taste
9. 3 tsp Oil
10. 6 whole red chilli
11. 1/2c water
12. 1 tsp Sugar ( optional )





Method :-

1. Clean the chicken pieces properly .

2. Now grind ginger , garlic & whole red chillies in a food processor till smooth .

3. In a pressure cooker add oil . When oil is become hot add sugar . wait till it caramelized . Keep an eye so that sugar don't burn .

4. Then add the whole cumin seeds & whole garam masala . When the masala crackle add onion & Saute until aromatic and onions gets soft.

5. Then add ginger-garlic-red chilli paste & turmeric powder , fry for 2 min .

6. Now add the chicken pieces . Fry in slow heat with occassional Stir to avoid from sticking to the bottom .

7. Once nice aroma start coming add water & salt , close the lid and wait till 4 whistle .

8. Now add the lentil mixture, reduce the heat to simmer, add salt close the lid and slow cook for 20 min.

9. Once the pressure release serve hot with some rice & fresh salad .

Thia is very easy recipe , whenever I don't have much time I make this dish . This is really a very tasty dish .

A Birthday Of A Girl & Some Pictures

On Friday night at 12 o'clock a mobile ringing . It was a call to wish happy birthday to a girl . Yes it was my friend Hina who called to wish me " Happy Birthday " . Soon she & her husband came with a big surprise for me - A birthday cake at 12.30Am at night & also got call from India ( from my paraents & In laws ) .
I feel like I born today only . So I cut the cake & clebrated by birthday at 12.30 am at night . On saturday I gave a small treat to them .
& yes I got a nice surprise gift from my husband too , a diamond ring .....
Thanks to all my well wishers & friends for making my birthday so special .

Here are some pictures :




So now its time to say bye . Will come with some more pictures & recipes .
Have a great start of the new week to you all .

Ilish Maach Bhapa - A Bengali Delight

I love to eat fish .... mostly ilish maach & chingri maach ( Shrimps ) .
We bengalis eat them by frying with Kichuri or Hilsa paturi ( cooked in a banana leaf with some spices ) or hilsa jhol or hilsa bhapa .But my fabourite one is my mom's version of Hilsa Bhapa ....It was one of my favourite food from my moms place . Here in Dubai , I sometimes get those ilish maach . & yesterday when I got some of them I quickly grab them .So I made some ilish bhapa for dinner . Here is the recipe :



Ingredients :

1. Ilish Maach - 750 gms ( approx 5-6 pcs )
2. 3 tsp Mustard Seeds
3. 4-5 green chillies
4. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5. 3 tsp Poppy Seeds
6. salt to taste
7. 3-4 tsp Mustard Oil
8. 3-4 tsp water






Method :

1. First make a paste with poppy seed , Mustard Seeds & 3 green chillies.
2. clean & wash the ilish maach pieces properly .
3. In a stainless steel tiffin box or small pot with lid put the fish pieces , the masala paste , salt , turmeric , oil , 2 slit green chillis & water( don't put much water otherwise it will become more watery ) .
4. now close the lid of the container .
5. In a heavy bottom vessel/kadai add some water & place the container in the middle of the pot . Make sure that the water should not reach till the container lid .
6. Put the gas on low & let it bring to the boil . Let it boil for 20-25min .
7. Put the gas off & carefully take out the stainless steel tiffin box /container out from the kadai ( as the stainless steel tiffin box /container will be hot ) .
8. let it be for 5 min for simmer & serve warm with hot rice .

Dal Makhani - A Punjabi Delight

We all like panjabi food ( guess ) .So we are & that's why yesterday I made this delicious panjabi food dal makhani .I don't like this dish much but my husband likes a lot & this can be made very quickly . So why not give a treat with panjabi food .....




Here is the recipe :


Ingredients :

1. 1 cup whole black Urad dal
2. 1/4 cup Kidney beans
3. 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4. 1 tsp cumin seeds
5. 1-2 tsp green chillies, sliced thinly
6. 1 tsp cumin powder
7. 1 tsp ccoriander powder
8. 2 medium red onion
9. 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
10. 4 tbsp butter
11. wholeGaram Masala ( 2-3 cloves , 1" cinnamon stick , 2 Bay leaf ,5 Pepercorn ,5 small cardamom )
12. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
13. 1 cup tomato puree / 2 Big Tomato finely chopped
14. salt to taste
15. 3 tsp Oil
16. 3 tsp fresh cream ( optional )



Method

1. Soak the whole black Urad dal and kidney beans overnight. Cook until cooked, almost mushy. In a nonsteak kadai , add oil-butter along with whole garam masala cumin .

2. When the masala crackle add onion & Saute until aromatic and onions gets soft.

3. Then add ginger-garlic paste,fry for 1 min .

4. Now add turmeric powder , cumin powder , coriander powder ,slit green chillies .

5. Once aromatic add the tomato puree or finely chopped tomatoes , close the lid and cook for 8 min until the raw tomato smell leaves.

6. Now add the lentil mixture, reduce the heat to simmer, add salt close the lid and slow cook for 20 min. Stir occassionally to avoid the lentils from sticking to the bottom.

7 .Add the fenugreek leaves , stir and then add the cream.I don't have that so i didn't added .

8. Cook for 2 more minutes and serve hot with Roti .