Steamed Shrimp Curry/ Bhapa Chingri

Shrimp/Prawns/Chingri whatever you call it, they are our (Bengali's) all time favorites. We can use it in each and every vegetable, you just name it and with the blink of eye we are ready with the dish. Moreover there are number of recipes that can be made out of it. Such is the love of Bengali's for "Chingri".

One of the most popular recipe cooked with Shrimp is Chingri Malaikari (recipe here) which is a signature bong delicacy. 

The recipe which I'm sharing today is a quintessential recipe of Bengali Cuisine i.e Bhapa Chingri or Steamed Shrimp in Mustard and Coconut Gravy. I still remembered my Mom cooking this delectable recipe in a pressure cooker and as soon as it's done I use to run to the kitchen and open the cooker to get the whiff of this flavorful dish.

Bhapa Chingri is cooked in mustard paste with coconut milk and a generous amount of mustard oil and slit chillies. Some recipe calls for poppy seed paste but I like it this way. This recipe is very similar to another very popular recipe i.e Ilish Bhapa (recipe here). Just replace the Ilish/Hilsa fish with Chingri/Shrimp.

Traditionally this recipe is prepared using a pressure cooker. All the ingredients are mixed together and placed in a steel container with airtight lid. This container is then placed in the pressure cooker and steamed for 8-10 mins. But, I have used microwave method for preparing this recipe. 

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

Buffalo Style Chicken Wings......And Our Love For Buffalo Wild Wings

If anybody asks me what I miss most about USA then my one and only answer will be BUFFALO WILD WINGS!!!! It's an American casual dining restaurant cum Sports Bar which specializes in Chicken Wings and their 16 finger licking sauces.

You get fried Chicken Wings coated with their wide variety of sauces along with 6 different dippings to choose from. You can enjoy them with carrots and celery on the side. As I said they are specialized in Chicken Wings but you also check out their Burgers, Sandwiches, Quesadillas, Fries etc.... 

I have many memories linked with that restaurant: we celebrated our first weekend dining there, our first New Year and so many similar events. We were so much fond of that restaurant that we ate there than any other restaurant in Portland. 

They have their line in America, Canada, Mexico and Philippines. Unfortunately we don't have B-Dubs (that's a nick name given to Buffalo Wild Wings) in India. As I always rave that being a foodie is a blessing and a curse too. I crave for Buffalo style Chicken Wings so much in India that it enforced me to look for a recipe of it. Finally after many trials and errors I can say that I'm able to somewhat recreate that taste.

If you're living in USA then you can get their sauces readily available in their restaurants. You just have to make the wings and coat them with the sauces. Otherwise follow the recipe to enjoy Buffalo Style Wings at the comfort of your home.

I had grilled the wings in the microwave by just brushing them with little bit of oil. It's much healthier option than frying the wings. If you want you can deep fry them too. So let's start with the recipe:

Vanilla Cupcakes/Muffins

Sometimes it's okay to behave childish and demand for some childish things. For me last week was like that. I had been bugging my husband to get me Vanilla Cupcakes. There are many cake/bakery shops near our home but to be very frank I don't like the amount of frosting they put on their cakes/cupcakes/pastries. 

I'm a total cupcake girl. Since, we don't like chocolate flavor, I always prefer to bake vanilla cupcakes. I wonder why didn't I give these pretty looking cakes a place on my blog. 

As I say "Being a Foodie is a boon and a curse too" because the urge of eating random things at the odd hours is not good at all. What do you say? So, to satisfy my craving for cupcakes I have to do something. As a die hard foodie and a food blogger I jumped into my apron and looked for my baking tools.

I think making cupcakes is the easiest thing to bake. Just mix all the ingredients, pour the batter into cupcake moulds and bake it for 15-20 mins.  Ta-Da!!!! your cupcakes are ready :)

I know cupcakes do have frosting on them otherwise it's better to call them Muffins. But as they came out so perfect and I have made a very big batch this time (you know my craving) so I gave up my idea of frosting and took the pics without frosting/icing on them. But, if you want you can do the frosting too. For the recipe of Vanilla Buttercream frosting please Click Here

So, try your hands on these fluffy, moist and perfectly baked Vanilla Cupcakes/ Muffins. 

Khaman Dhokla in Microwave

Few days back my Sister-In-Law who happens to be the first follower on my Facebook page requested me for the recipe of Dhokla. Since we are in the mid of winter so I did not get chance to make the batter and ferment it. So I came up with this no ferment and instant recipe which can be made with just a blink of your eye. 

Dhokla is a soft, fluffy melt in mouth savory cake made from Gram flour (Besan). It is a very popular snack which originated in the western state of India i.e. Gujarat. However these days it can be found across India.

It is a dish which has undergone many disasters in my kitchen. But soon I realized making a perfect dhokla is not a rocket science. All you need to have is the right proportions of the ingredients and VOILA you are ready with one of the softest food items ever.

My Mom makes the best dhokla I have ever had. She's also known as "Dhokla Aunty" in her neighborhood. The texture and flavors she gets every time is  just incredible. 

There are many variations of dhokla. The traditional recipe calls for rice and urad daal (lentil). But here I'm going to share an instant version made with gram flour (besan). It is perfect for your tea time or when you have unexpected guests at your home.

So let's get started: