Mochar Chop......Banana Blossom Croquette

We all are familiar with Banana: nature's own energy rich food but did you know you can eat its flower too? You might be wondering how, right? This question is very obvious for the one who hasn't tasted it. The flower of Banana is known as Mocha(in Bengali) or Banana Blossom(in English).

Mocha or Banana Blossom is used as a nutritious food item in Southeast Asia. It has a lot of medicinal values like blood purification, curing stomach ulcers, constipation, menstrual disorders etc. Since they are rich in fiber content they help in increasing the hemoglobin level of our blood.

Banana trees are very common in India and especially in West Bengal. We Bengalis utilize each and every part of Banana tree. The stem a.k.a "Thor", the leaves are used to serve food or used in wrapping and cooking, the flower a.k.a "Mocha" and of course the fruit "Banana". These trees also have religious values. They are used in pooja and wedding ceremonies.

Enough of rambling now coming back to our "Mochar Chop". 

Rasgulla/Rosogolla

Rasgulla or Rosogolla.....Do I need to tell you what it is? Rosogolla and Bengalis are synonyms. You cannot imagine one without the other. It doesn't need any introduction in the Indian subcontinent. But for those who don't know what it is then let me introduce them with this signature Bengali sweet. Rosogollas are homemade cheese balls cooked and soaked in sugar syrup.

Bengali's love for Rosogolla is endless. They can eat it at breakfast, at lunch and can even finish their dinner with it. My love for Rosogolla has a short story behind it. As a child I was not a big fan of sweets and needless to say I had never tasted Rosogolla. My parents used to tell me you are missing such a big thing in your life. But one day my Mesho (Maternal Uncle) insisted me much to have a bite of it but I was not ready and then he took one Rosogolla and put it in my mouth and I realized how delicious it is and what I was missing all that while. From that day onward I can eat Rosogolla at any time of the day.

This time I made Rosogolla on Diwali. I posted its picture even on my Facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flavors-Of-My-Plate/737185573034586?ref=hl 

 Since I was busy with Diwali chores I was unable to post its recipe before. So now here I am with its recipe. Hope you all will like it.

Dahi Vada

The taste of Indian street food is so addictive that it's irresistible. It leaves your taste buds tingling even after the dish is finished. The spicy and tangy flavor of the food always ask you for "Thoda Aur"(little more). Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla is an Indian Chaat (snack) to be more precise a North Indian street food but now its taste has spread in the entire world and can be found easily in many Indian restaurants around the globe.

Dahi Vada is deep fried lentil dumplings made from Urad daal (split black gram), soaked in beaten yogurt and topped with flavored chutneys, spices and garnished with Sev or Boondi. It is making me drool even when I'm writing this post. It's taste is just inexplicable. So, without any further ado I'm sharing it's recipe:

Langcha

As Diwali is around the corner its time to indulge yourself into the sweetness of the sweets without having the guilt of those extra pounds gained from them. Diwali or Deepawali is a festival of lights. It signifies the victory of light over the darkness, good over the evil. On Diwali night people dress up their best and decorate their home with Diyas and workship Lakshmi: the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. The Puja is followed by fireworks and the grand feast including sweets. So, I thought of sharing a very popular Bengali sweet "Langcha" on this festive occasion.

Langcha is a Bengali dessert that originated in Shaktigarh in the Burdwan district of West Bengal, India. But now you can find it in any sweet shop of Kolkata. Moreover some of the well known brands also sell them in cans. 

Langcha is made up of sweetened cottage cheese (chena), khoa (reduced solidified milk), and flour. There is another form of Langcha which is known as Pantua. Basically the difference between Langcha and Pantua is in their shape. Langcha is cylindrical shaped while the other one is round.

Cottage cheese is widely used in many Indian sweets. You can use store-bought cottage cheese or make it very easily at home. However, I would suggest you to make cheese at home to ensure its purity. Any adulterated or inferior cheese can ruin your Langcha or Pantua.

Punjabi Chole/ Chana Masala

Nobody makes Chole the way Punjabis do. It is a very popular Punjabi dish. Chole is usually accompanied with Bhature (a fried bread made of flour). Chole-Bhature is a breakfast invented in Delhi after partition and now a days, it is a popular breakfast around Northern India and other parts of the country.

Chole-Bhature is one of my favorite dishes. I had spent 8 years of my childhood in Punjab. We were a family of three; me and my parents. Sundays used to be very special, we would go for an outing and eat those gigantic Bhature with Chole in restaurant. They usually serve them with a pickle made of carrots and cauliflower. 

I wish I could go back in time but you know no one really can. So, here is what I thought, I will give Chole-Bhature a try at home. But somewhere I was not sure whether I can recreate that flavor on my plate or not. After few trials I was able to do so and came up with a recipe which reminds me of my childhood days. Happy to share it with you.

Narkel Nadu/ Coconut Ladoo

Narkel Nadu or Coconut Ladoo don't need any introduction in Bengali households. But for the people who are wondering what it is then let me introduce you to this. Narkel Nadu or Coconut Ladoo is a sweet dish from West Bengal which are made during the festivals specially during the Durga Puja and Lokkhi Pujo/ Lakhmi Pujo. 

The Nadu or Ladoo are of two kinds "Gure'r Nadu" made with Jaggery and are deep brown in color and "Chini'r Nadu" made with Sugar and are pristine white in color. My personal liking is the Chini'r Nadu (the one made with Sugar) and that is what I am sharing with you all.

As the name suggests it is made up of Coconut, Whole Milk (you can also use Evaporated Milk to reduce the time and effort), Sugar and Cardamom to add some flavor to the Nadu (Ladoo).