Stuffed Coconut Ladoos

As peeps.........hope you all are doing good and geared up for the festive season. We Kolkatans are ready to welcome the most-awaited and biggest festival of the year......The Durga Pujo. As the monsoon bids adieu, the days become shorter, the morning air feels cooler and the sky is full of wooly clouds. This marks the beginning of Pujo-Pujo feeling. But definitely, this year festivals will be quite different from the other years. 

Nariyal Ladoo or Coconut Ladoo don't need any introduction in Indian households. We as Bengalis have great significance for Narkel er Nadu (Nariyal/Coconut Ladoos). These small coconut balls are made are usually made during the festivals, especially during the Ganesh Puja/Durga Puja/ Diwali/ Lokkhi Pujo/ Lakhmi Puja. 

As the name suggests it is made up of Coconut, Milk, Sugar, and Cardamom to add some flavor to the Ladoo. The Ladoos are of two kinds one made with Jaggery or Gur and are deep brown in color and the other made with Sugar and are pristine white in color. My personal liking is the later one (the one made with Sugar). I have already shared the recipe of Traditional Coconut Ladoos during my early phase of blogging (I think that was my first post). 

This recipe of Coconut Ladoos is a bit different from the traditional ones as I have stuffed them with Khowa/ Mawa. This tastes a bit different from the traditional ones but really tastes awesome. Moreover, I have added condensed milk to the Coconut mixture which uplifts the flavor of these Ladoos. So, this festive season make these Stuffed Coconut Ladoos and enjoy them with your friends and family.

So, let's begin with the recipe:

Aam Panna.....How to preserve for 2-3 months

Hello, my foodie friends......Summers are going on in a full swing in many parts of the country and we always find ourselves opening the refrigerator and searching for some cold and refreshing drinks. Until now you might be knowing that I always prefer homemade food and of course, drinks are no different too.

Anything homemade is always healthier and more hygienic than the store-bought one. I would suggest you to keep 2-3 different varieties of homemade fruit juices in your refrigerator. They will not only refresh you but have great health benefits too. I have already posted few summer cooler recipes on my blog:

• Mango Lassi
• Mango Kulfi
• Mango Icecream
• Pinacolada
• Cucumber Lime Mojito
• Virgin Watermelon Sangria

Aam-Panna is a very popular summer drink that rejuvenates you immediately. It is prepared from raw green mangoes and it's sweet and tangy flavor is enjoyed by all. It not only helps in fighting the summer heat but also helps in digestion. A glass full of this chilled cooler makes you feel relaxed and gives you instant energy. Try this nourishing cooler this summer and believe me your family will thank you for this refreshing drink. Moreover, I have also shared some tips to store the Aam Panna concentrate for 2-3 months.

So, without any further ado let's begin with the recipe:

Soft & Spongy Rasgulla

Hello, my foodie friends hope you all are doing fine. Being a Bengali we all have a sweet tooth. We Bengalis can start our day with sweets and end it too with a sweet dish. Today's post is all about Rasgullas or Rosogolla (as we Bengalis say). This post is very special to me as I made these Rasgullas on our wedding anniversary. 

Rasgullas are so commonly found in Kolkata that we never think of making them at home but due to the current situation, we are avoiding all the store-bought food items as much as possible. So, to make the anniversary special I thought of making Rasgullas at home. 

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. 

You can already find a recipe for Rasgulla on my blog but over the years I have got a number of questions so I thought of making a full proof recipe and share it again. This recipe of Rasgulla is a no-fail recipe. So, let's begin:

Raw Banana Kofta Curry

Hello, my dear friends, I hope you all are doing fine and staying at home following the lockdown guidelines. I know it's a long time since we all are stuck at home but believe me we shall together overcome this situation. YES, one thing we need to understand and follow religiously and i.e. social distancing for the next couple of months or more. We need to adapt ourselves to this Corona situation. 

Anyway, the thing which is keeping us happy in this situation is nothing but the food. This time I prepared Raw Banana Kofta Curry. Usually, we buy riped bananas from the market, peel it and gulp it down but do you know what amazing health benefits are hidden in raw bananas? They are not just good for making banana chips but they have numerous nutritional values too.

The green banana is eaten either cooked or boiled but you can fry it too. They are good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and contain starch that may help control blood sugar, manage weight, and lower blood cholesterol levels.

So, considering all those nutritional values in mind, I thought of posting a recipe with Raw Bananas. With that said, why not make Koftas from them. They are incredibly delicious and go well with rice or any kind of parathas or chapatis.

Let's begin with the recipe:

Egg Biryani

          

Hello, my foodie friends..........I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and preparing and relishing the cakes, cookies, and a variety of desserts. What are your plans for the new year party? Do share them with me. If you ask me then ma and family like to enjoy the holiday season in a bit traditional way. Apart from indulging ourselves in cakes and desserts we also make some traditional Indian dishes. 

If you and your family are like us then we have got you sorted. If you have some guests coming your way then you can go completely traditional and some delectable Indian dishes. There are a number of such dishes up on the blog. You can check them here (click here).

Today in this blog post I'm sharing a Biryani recipe. This is I have prepared Biryani with Eggs. Biryani is a very popular Indian dish that is made or served on special occasions. Usually, Biryani is made from Chicken or Mutton but there are veg variations of Biryani too like Paneer Biryani, Veg Biryani, Soya Biryani. Today we're going to make Egg Biryani which is loved by the people who don't eat Chicken or Mutton.

So, let's begin with the recipe:

Egg Devil

                

Hello Peeps.....Hope you all are doing great and relishing upon the Chaats and Bhajiyas this Monsoon time. Kolkata is yet to receive Monsoon in full swing; nevertheless we're still waiting for it and relishing upon those delicacies in hope of the Monsoon, I think that's how the foodies are always!!!

Chaats, Bhajiyas, Pakodas are all synonyms to Monsoon. We can't even imagine Monsoon with my Elaichi wali Chai and a bowl full of Pakodas. It's so comforting and relaxing to enjoy your evening time with your cuppa and some Pakodas.

Today in this post I'm going to share one of the very famous Pakoda from the hub of Indian Street Foods i.e. Egg Devil. Kolkata is very popular for its street food Egg Devil is one of them. Egg Devils or Egg Pakodas are made by coating the boiled eggs with a spicy potato mixture and then dipping in corn flour slurry, coating in breadcrumbs and finally deep fried until golden brown.

Making Egg Devils is a bit tedious task as it has few steps involved:

1. Boiling Eggs & Potatoes
2. Preparing the Potato mixture
3. Coating the Eggs with the Potato mixture
4. Preparing the outer layer of the Pakoda
5. Deep Frying

Believe me if you're a Pakoda lover like me then believe me these 5 steps are nothing when you know the end result. They are enjoyed with some salad, mustard sauce (Kasundi) and piping hot cup of Tea. 

I would like to make a special mention here about the Mustard Sauce (Kasundi). Kasundi is a spicy and tangy sauce prepared from raw mangoes and mustard seeds and is very popular dipping sauce here in Kolkata. You can get it in any local grocery shop but outside Kolkata I don't know whether it is available or not. But availability or non-availability of Kasundi should not stop you from enjoying this delectable Egg Devil. You can still relish it with Tomato Ketchup & salad.

So, without doing any further ado let's begin with the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

1. Boiled Potatoes (medium size): 3

2. Onion (finely chopped): 1/2 cup

3. Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp

4. Coriander Leaves: 1/4 cup

5. Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

6. Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp

7. Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp

8. Coriander Powder: 1/2 tsp

9. Green Chilies: 2-3

10. Salt to taste

11. Oil for cooking

For the Egg Devils/ Egg Pakodas:

1. Boiled Eggs: 3

2. Salt to taste

3. Breadcrumbs: 1 cup

4. Corn Flour: 3 tbsp

5. Oil for frying

Method:

1. Cut the boiled eggs into halves and season it with salt. Keep them aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the finely chopped onions. Fry it until it becomes soft.

3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry it until the raw flavor is gone.

4. Now add the chopped green chilies and cook the mixture for a minute.

5. Add powdered spices and cook the mixture for another minute.

6. Finally add chopped coriander leaves and let the stuffing cool down.

7. Once the stuffing is at room temp take a small portion and flatten it on your palms.

8. Place an egg on it and cover it properly with the potato stuffing. Try to keep the shape of the egg intact so that the Egg Pakora resembles an egg.

9. Dip the egg devil into the prepared corn flour slurry and then coat it nicely with bread crumbs.

10. Heat oil in a pan and add the egg devils one by one. Fry them on medium-high heat until golden brown from all the sides. This will take roughly around 6-7 mins.  

11. Once done take them out on a plate.

12. Serve the Egg Devils or Egg Pakodas with salad, mustard sauce (kasundi) and some elaichi wali chai. Enjoy!!

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Vegetable Pulao in Rice Cooker

           

Hello my Foodie Friends.....Hope you'll are doing great. By the way how's summer treating you in your place? For us, it's still yet to come in full swing, so we kinda dwelling in between.

Coming on to today's post let me first ask you: are you a Roti/Paratha/Naan lover or a Rice lover? If you ask me hands down for Rice, anytime. I have shared quite a few rice recipes on the blog, you can check them out here (click here).

Today's recipe is Veg Pulao in a Rice Cooker. I have already shared the recipe of Bengali style Veg Pulao in a Pan. You can check it out here (click here). This time it is a bit hassle free way to cook Pulao. Pulao is a very popular main course dish in India and its subcontinents. We can also find this Pulao in many marriage ceremonies menu card too. 

This recipe is very easy to prepare and can be made by beginners and bachelors as well.  I have made this Pulao in Rice Cooker. You can make this in Pressure Cooker or Pan too.

Rice Cooker comes handy when you have some guests coming your way or you want to go out of the house. Just add in the rice and water, plug in the rice cooker and forget about it. Your rice will be ready within 30-40 mins depending upon the brand of Rice Cooker you're using. I use mine to cook from Steamed Plain Rice to Pulao and Biryani too. 

For this post I'm cooking Veg Pulao in which I'm using the vegetables which was available to me in my refrigerator but you can use any veggies of your choice. Moreover, I'm cooking this Pulao in Vegetable Oil but you can use Ghee (clarified butter) too or a mixture of both depending upon your preference.

So, without doing any further ado let's begin with the recipe:

Mango Phirni

             

As we all know Eid is just around the corner so something special dedicated to Eid has to be there on the blog. What's better than celebrating a special occasion with a dessert. I have already shared many dessert recipes on the blog. You may check them out here (click here).

Phirni or Firni is a kind of rice pudding which is very popular in North Indian and Mughlai cuisine. This pudding is also prepared during the holy month of Ramzan and to celebrate festivals like Holi, Diwali etc.....

It's a very easy and quick dessert which needs very few ingredients. It's very similar to Rice Kheer but the difference lies in the kind of rice being used. Phirni is prepared from ground rice while the later is prepared from whole rice. 

So, let's celebrate this Eid with your friends, family members and Mango Phirni. 

Egg Tadka Daal (Dimer Torka)

Hello my foodie friends......hope you'll are doing good. "Torka- Ruti" (Egg Tadka Daal with Chapatis) is one of my go to food whenever I'm in India. In Kolkata it's a very common scene to come across various roadside carts selling Dimer Torka (Egg Tadka Daal) and Ruti (Chapatis) in evening. 

Even I used to buy that whenever I was not in the mood of cooking. Even the price is so reasonable that it won't hurt your pockets. But, the guilt of having the roadside food laded with all the dust and unhygienic things won't allow me to enjoy the deliciousness of this very popular food.

So, the foodie inside me woke up again and yelled at me to try this recipe at home. Egg Tadka Daal is nothing but Whole Green Moong Daal topped with scrambled egg. There is another version where the egg is beaten and added into the daal while it's cooking. I like the former one so, I'll be sharing that recipe here.

Crab Curry

CRABS....."You cannot teach a crab to walk straight". 
Whenever we hear the word Crab, we can think of exotic dishes made from it but the real deal is in cleaning them. The thought of cleaning crab gives me goosebumps. It's so scary dealing with live crabs and this was the main reason I couldn't relish crab at home.

Whenever I visited our local Asian store I couldn't stop myself in gazing those live crabs. I never gathered the courage of handling them at home on my kitchen top. So whenever we thought of enjoying crabs we would go to some restaurants and dig a hole in our wallets (Mind you....eating crabs in restaurants is quite expensive). Of course I tried to search online and like always I got thousand of ideas on HOW TO CLEAN CRABS? But still I was not very confident about myself.

Finally, one day I saw huge KING CRAB LEGS lying down the display case in my nearby grocery store along with many seafoods. I couldn't stop my excitement and I shouted YES; NOW I CAN RELISH THEM AND MAKE SOME EXOTIC DISHES FROM CRAB AT HOME.

So, here I'm penning down our family's favorite Crab Curry recipe which we like to enjoy with steamed rice and salad. Hope you'll like it.

Rasgulla Pudding aka Rasgulla Payesh

 Hello fellas.......as the festival of Nolen Gur or Date Palm Jaggery is coming to an end let us all indulge ourselves in some of the delicacies prepared from Nolen Gur. The Harvest festival which is popularly known as "Makar Sankranti" in Hindi and "Poush Sankranti" in Bengali had just passed by and all the desserts prepared had Nolen Gur in them in some way or the other.

I have some recipes posted on my blog which are traditionally prepared by my Mom and Mom-in-law on the auspicious occasion of Poush Sankranti with Nolen Gur. You can click the link below to have a look:

• Gurer Paayesh/ Rice Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery
• Patishapta/ Crepes with coconut filing
• Nolen Gurer Sandesh/ Date Palm Jaggery Fudge

This time I thought of making something which doesn't require that much of arm workout and well, it's scrumptious too. The recipe which I'm trying to pen down is Rasgulla Pudding. If some guests are coming your way don't worry you can prepare it instantly; you just need to have Rasgullas handy and you're sorted.

I prepared this recipe with some homemade Rasgullas. You can find the recipe here . So, let's get started:

Nolen Gurer Sandesh......Date Palm Jaggery Fudge (Revisited)

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous NEW YEAR 2017. May this year brings lot of happiness in your life. Hope you all had enjoyed the festive season and the new year celebrations with your friends and families and of course with lot of food. 

For Indians, the festivities are not over yet. It's that time when we all celebrate the Harvest festival which is known as "Makar Sankranti" in India. We Bengalis called this festival as "Poush Sankranti" as this festival marks the ending of Bengali month called "Poush". This festival is also known for the reason of making "Pithes" so another name for this festival is "Pithe Parbon".

To embark this festival of "Pithes" I thought of making Gurer Sandesh with our favorite Nolen Gur or Date Palm Jaggery. Since, my parents came to visit us from India they had brought few beautiful molds which are used to shape these sandesh. This recipe is very simple to prepare, you just need to keep an eye so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. 

Let's begin with the recipe:

Date Palm Jaggery Fudge/ Gurer Sandesh

The name of Nolen Gur (Date Palm Jaggery) is enough to make any Bengali nostalgic. Date Palm Jaggery or Nolen Gur can only be found in some parts of India including West Bengal and few North Eastern states. However, the downside of this jaggery is that you can get this only during winters.

In order to enjoy flavors of Nolen Gur all year around, I usually stock up enough jaggery for the entire year in refrigerator and use it whenever I wish to. In that way you can enjoy the flavors all year long.

Few posts back I promised to post few recipes which I decided to post during the entire winter season here in India. I think I was able to keep that promise and posted each and every recipe except Gurer Rosogolla. 

In order to compensate that I thought of preparing Gurer Sandesh which is equally enjoyed in each and every Bengali household during the entire winter season. Though I prefer Gurer Rosogolla over Gurer Sandesh but both of them have their own delicacies.

Sandesh means Fudge. You can get numerous flavors in Sandesh throughout Kolkata but among all Nolen Gur is my favorite. Making Sandesh or Fudge at home is a child's play. You just need to have Cottage Cheese and the choice of flavor.....that's all!!!

So, let's begin with the recipe:

Peas Kachori/Koraishutir Kochuri

Hello my dear foodies, it's been a long time since I posted anything on my blog. Actually lot of things happened on my side; lot of friends and families visited our place, family functions and I suffered from cold and flu too. 

Since so many things happened so, I was not in the mood of blogging anything. Even this post was lying in my drafts folder from long time so I decided to complete and publish this post. In that way I can think what to blog next. Believe me I don't have any ideas what to 
blog next, can you provide me some ideas?

Anyway, this post is about one of the most popular winter delicacies in West Bengal and i.e. Peas Kachori or Koraishutir Kochuri (as we Bengalis call it). In Kolkata, January is the month of Picnics. People organize lot of picnics with their friends, families, office colleagues, schoolmates, college mates, commutation mates etc......Whomsoever you picnic with the breakfast (in Picnic) begins with Koraishutir Kochuri and Aalur Dom (Dum Aaloo). This delectable dish is also a common affair in Sunday Breakfast in most of the Bengali households.

This palatable dish is mostly enjoyed in winters as Peas are available in abundance during this time but thanks to the supermarkets where you can find frozen peas year long. 

Koraishutir Kochuri is generally enjoyed with Aalur Dom but you can also have it as it is. I enjoy it with stuffed green chilli pickle. So, without any further babbling let's begin with the recipe:

Patishapta.......Crepes with Coconut Filling

Last week we all celebrated the Harvest festival which is known as "Makar Sankranti" in India. As India is a very diversified country this festival is known by many names; Bhogali Bihu, Pongal, Magha Sajji, Suggi, Sankrat to name a few. We Bengalis called this festival as "Poush Sankranti" as this festival marks an ending of Bengali month called "Poush".

For us this festival is known for the reason of making "Pithes" so another name for this festival is "Pithe Parbon". I still remember the tradition of making Pithe-Paayesh in my family. My Mom along with my Grand Mother used to make lots of Pithes to celebrate this festival.

To keep the spirit alive I too make some Pithes which I learnt from my Mom. I have posted few recipes of Pithes here. You can have a look here:

Golap Pithe/ Edible Rose Garden

Hridoy Horon Pithe/ Heart Shape Pithe

Malpua/ Sweet Indian Pancakes

Gajorer Patishapta/ Carrot Crepes

Gurer Paayesh/ Rice Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery

As these days Nolen Gur (Date Palm Jaggery) is widely available in West Bengal, so I wanted to combine the goodness of Nolen Gur with the awesomeness of Patishapata. So, let's begin with the recipe:

Gurer Paayesh....Rice Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous NEW YEAR 2016. May this year brings lot of happiness in your life. Hope you all had enjoyed the festive season and the new year celebrations with your friends and families and of course with lot of food.  

In every bengali household Rice Pudding embarks auspicious occasions and no party is complete without this. There are two ways of preparing rice pudding one with Sugar and the other one with date palm jaggery. 

Date palm jaggery a.k.a Nolen Gur in Bengali, is very special and every Bong's favorite.  It is the first extract of the palm juice. The juice is boiled, a little salt is added to it to act as a preservative, so the jaggery does not taste too sweet. It is then cooled and poured into a long cone made of palm leaves. The cone is then wrapped in rice straws and preserved. At the time of use, the cone is finely sliced, so that the jaggery is cut into a disc with a palm ribbon around the edge. Unfortunately, you get Nolen gur only in winters in West Bengal, Bangladesh and some parts of Southern India.  

As this is the season of Palm Jaggery I thought of preparing this Rice Pudding with Nolen Gur. We Bengalis like to prepare rice puddings with a special kind of rice called as "Gobindo Bhog Rice". Many people prepares it with Basmati Rice too but I believe using Gobindo Bhog Rice takes this pudding to a new level. 

This recipe is very simple to prepare, you just need to keep an eye so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Without any further a let's begin with the recipe: