Chaanar Borar Dalna

About this Recipe...

We all know that Bengalis are famous for their fish eating habits, but there are so many such recipes which are pure vegetarian and prepared on some special occasions like Pujas or festivals. In most of the Bengali houses, there is one particular day in the week, when pure vegetarian foods are prepared without onion and garlic because we believe that onion and garlic are non-veg.

So back to today's recipe, it is a very common recipe in every Bengali household and I prepared it very often and everybody loves it. It is called 'Chaanar Borar Dalna' or Cottage cheese dumplings curry. Here fresh homemade paneer or chaana is used to make this dumplings or bora and then the gravy is cooked with potato, cauliflower and minimum spices. Adding cauliflower is optional you can only use potato in this curry.

These dumplings are very tasty and you can even serve it as a appetizer or side dish with some green chutney, it will disappear in no time. Don't compare this curry with Malai Kofta because both are completely different in taste and texture wise. Whereas malai kofta is having a rich gravy with cream and cashew paste, this Bengali style curry is mild and having a complete different taste. So try this recipe at home and you will definitely love it and use only homemade paneer. Don't even try it with store bought paneer, you will not get the perfect taste. So give it a try and enjoy this special and simple curry with rice or paratha.

Ingredients

For the Chaanar Bora or Dumplings

• 1 Cup Fresh homemade chaana or paneer
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1 Tbsp All purpose flour for binding
• Oil for frying the bora

For the Curry

• 1 Medium size potato cut into length wise
• 1 Cup Cauliflower florets
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Dry red chili
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Piece Cinnamon stick
• 2 Green cardamom
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp Ginger-green chili paste
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Cup Tomato puree
• Water as required for making the gravy
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp Ghee or clarified butter

Directions

1. To make the chaanar bora or cottage cheese dumplings, take the chaana in a plate and add salt, sugar, red chili powder and all purpose flour for binding.
   
2. Mix everything and knead it very well. Make cracks free small patty shape balls or in Bengali we call it 'bora'.
   
3. Now heat oil in a pan and fry the bora in oil till it gets golden color from all the sides.
   
4. Remove it from the pan and keep it in a absorbent paper towel.
5. Now on the same pan fry the potato and cauliflower and keep it aside.
   
6. In the same pan heat some more oil if required and add bay leaf, dried red chili, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and cumin seeds for tempering.
   
7. Fry it for few seconds and then add ginger-green chili paste and all the dry spices with little water and fry it for 1-2 minutes.
   
8. Next add the tomato purée to it and mix it well with the spices.
   
9. Cover the pan and cook it for 3-4 minutes.
10. After 3-4 minutes remove the lid from the pan and add required amount of water for the gravy.
11. Cover it and let the gravy comes to a boil.
12. When the gravy will start boiling, add salt to taste and fried potato and cauliflower to it.
    
13. Simmer it for few minutes till the vegetables get cooked properly.
14. Now add the chaanar bora to it and cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
    
15. Finally sprinkle some garam masala powder and ghee to it and switch off the flame.
16. Your Chaanar Borar Dalna is ready, serve it with hot steamed rice and enjoy.
    

Green Chicken Curry

About this Recipe...

This green chicken curry flavored with mint and coriander leaves tastes refreshing and wonderful. I love to use mint in my recipes especially curries and any kind of drinks, it always adds a very fresh flavor to all the recipes. Recently I started growing mint in my small kitchen garden so whenever I like to use it I have the fresh leaves. Along with mint I have used coriander/cilantro leaves also in this curry.

If you have a bunch of coriander and mint leaves and you don't know how to utilize it, then go ahead and make this curry. You will understand the difference in taste and the beautiful aromatic flavor it will add to the curry. At the finishing I added lemon juice and garam masala powder and my entire home is smelling awesome. Everyone loves this special green chicken curry in my home and I hope you will also like it.

Ingredients

For Marinating the Chicken

• 1 lb Whole Chicken cut into medium size pieces
• 1/2 Cup Plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp Garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder

Green paste

• 1/2 Cup Chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 Cup Chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
• 4-5 green chilies chopped

For the Curry

• 4 Tbsp Mustard oil
• 2 One inch long cinnamon stick
• 2 Green cardamom
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1 Tbsp Lime juice

Directions

1. For marinating the chicken in a mixing bowl, add all the chicken pieces, salt, turmeric powder, yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and mix everything well.
2. Keep it inside the refrigerator for 1-2 hours for marination.
3. To make the green paste in a blender, add the mint leaves, coriander/cilantro leaves and green chilies.
4. Add little water and grind it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
5. Now to make the curry heat mustard oil or any other oil of your choice in a pan.
6. When oil becomes hot, add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and cloves for tempering.
7. Sauté them for few seconds and then add chopped onions to it and fry it till it gets transparent.
8. Now add the marinated chicken pieces and cook it with onion.
9. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for around 30 minutes and check it in between.
10. After 30 minutes of cooking, when chicken are half done, add cumin-coriander powder and mix it.
11. Next add the prepared green paste and mix it well with the chicken.
12. Add water for the gravy if required, cover the pan and cook it for another 8-10 minutes.
13. Now check the chicken and the seasoning, if everything is alright, add garam masala powder and lime juice to it, give it a final mix and turn off the flame.
14. Your green refreshing chicken curry is ready to serve, enjoy it with rice or roti.
    

Eggless Wholewheat Chocolate & Dates Cake

About this Recipe...

Who doesn't love cake? I love cakes and love to bake. But nowadays everyone is looking for healthier option, so if you are also in the same boat, then this cake recipe is perfect for your sweet cravings.

I have used here whole wheat flour and very less all purpose flour and instead of refined sugar I have used brown sugar. If you want you can make it completely with whole wheat flour and instead of brown sugar you can use jaggery or artificial sweetener. The cake is very soft, moist and the taste is awesome. The combination of chocolates and dates created a magic here with whole wheat flour.

So overall all the healthy ingredients are used to make this cake. Some people think that if they want to eat healthy, then they need to compromise with their taste buds. But I want to state that this is not necessary always, some foods are tasty as well as healthy and you can always enjoy them guilt free. This cake is the perfect example of this, a good option for weight watchers and diabetic people and one can enjoy it anytime specially with their evening cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Milk
• 8-10 Seedless dates
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 4 Tbsp Melted butter
• 1/4 Cup Plain yogurt
• 1 Cup Whole wheat flour
• 1/2 Cup All purpose flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking soda
• 2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Few seedless dates chopped

Directions

1. Soak the seedless dates in 1 cup milk for at least half an hour.
2. After half an hour transfer the milk and dates in a blender, add brown sugar to it and blend it to a smooth mixture.
3. Now in a mixing bowl, take melted butter and add yogurt to it. Mix both the thing nicely.
4. Next add all the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix it.
5. Slowly add the milk and date mixture to it and make a smooth lumps free batter.
6. Now add the vanilla extract and chopped dates to it and stir it well.
7. Now grease a cake pan with little butter and flour and pour the batter on the pan.
8. Bake the cake in a 350F preheated oven for 30 minutes.
9. After 30 minutes remove the cake from the oven and insert a tooth pick, if it comes clean, it means the cake is ready.
10. Enjoy this delicious healthy cake with your evening cup of tea or coffee.
    

Dahi Murgh

About this Recipe...

Dahi Murgh or chicken cooked in yogurt gravy is a spicy, aromatic and very flavorful chicken dish. This is my way of making this curry, I have used here all the fresh spices along with the yogurt, cashew and poppy seed paste. The combination of all these ingredients gives a very royal taste to this dish and it is completely different from the other chicken recipes. The curry is very hot and spicy and the tangy flavor of yogurt gives a very unique taste to this dish.

I wanted to cook this curry in a different way and to give some different kind of flavor to it, apart from the usual yogurt flavor, so my hubby likes it. After all the planning to makes it like this, we really enjoyed it a lot. I served this curry with plain rice but it will go extremely well with naan, paratha or pulao. So my Sunday special simple lunch was a hit and overall a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken cut into medium size pieces
• 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp Garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp Green chili paste
• 4 Tbsp Oil
• 4-5 black pepper corn
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 Green cardamom
• 2 One inch long cinnamon stick
• 2/3 Cup Chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 2 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Fennel powder
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Cup Beaten yogurt
• 1/2 Cup Cashew nut and poppy seed paste
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves crushed

Directions

1. First of all marinade the chicken with ginger-garlic-green chili paste and keep it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. Now heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick, cardamom, pepper corn and cloves for tempering.
3. Sauté them for few seconds till you get the nice aroma from the spices.
4. Now add the chopped onion to it and sauté it till it gets translucent.
5. Next add all the dry spices to it and fry it till the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan.
6. Now add the marinated chicken to the pan and fry them for few minutes.
7. Cover and cook the chicken and check in between so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. When the chicken will almost cooked, add salt and half cup of water for the gravy, mix it well and let it come to a boil.
9. When the gravy will start boiling, add the beaten yogurt to it and mix it well with the gravy.
10. Cook it for 2-3 minutes and then add the cashew and poppy seed paste and mix it gently.
11. Cook it for another few minutes and then add garam masala powder and crushed dried fenugreek leaves and mix it.
12. Switch off the flame and your Dahi Murgh is ready to serve. Enjoy it with paratha, naan or rice.

Chirer Pulao

About this Recipe...

Today I am posting another favorite Bengali snack recipe of mine Chirer Polao. 'Chire' or 'Chira' is flattened rice or poha in Hindi. It's a quick recipe n gets ready in no time if all the ingredients are ready. So whenever I am out of idea and want to eat something quickly, I made this quick recipe of chirer Polao. Don't surprise by the name Polao, it's not like the rice Polao which is eaten in lunch or dinner with curry, it's a simple snack which can be eaten in breakfast or snack and the taste is little sweet, salty and spicy.

The recipe of chirer Polao is bit similar with batata poha. In batata poha only potatoes are added, but in chirer Polao other vegetables are also added apart from potato which makes it more tasty and healthy. There are various ways of making it, everyone's recipe is slight different from others. But I make it in a very simply way and it tastes really great.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Chire/Poha or Flattened rice
• 1 Small potato cut into small cubes
• 1/2 Carrot cut into small cubes
• 1/4 Cup Small Cauliflower florets
• 1/3 Cup Frozen green peas
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Medium size onion sliced
• 2 Green chilles finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp peanuts
• 2 Tbsp Cashew nuts
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt and sugar to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the Chire in cold running water, drain all the water and let it sit for sometime.
2. Now heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry all the vegetables like potato, carrot, cauliflower and green peas till its done completely. (You can parboiled the veggies before frying)
3. Take it out from the pan and keep it aside.
4. On the same pan, add some more oil and add sliced onion and green chilies, sauté them till it gets translucent.
5. Now add peanuts and cashew nuts to it and fry it.
6. Next add turmeric powder to it and mix well.
7. Now add all the fried veggies, Chire, salt and sugar to taste and gently mix them altogether. (Chirer Polao will be little sweeter so add the sugar accordingly)
8. Switch off the flame, your quick snack is ready, serve it in a plate and enjoy it with a cup of tea.

Jhal Muri

About this Recipe...

Jhal Muri is a famous street food in Kolkata, just like Bhel Puri in Mumbai, so is Jhal Muri to Kolkata. Everybody loves to munch this street food. In Kolkata you will find everywhere there is a Jhal Muri wala who is selling it, either it's in local train, any park or roadside. People are eating this and enjoying it in any time of the day.

Preparing Jhal Muri is very easy and it takes very less time. Just you need to assemble all the ingredients together and your Jhal Muri is ready to enjoy. It's a spicy snack, as the name tells everything. Jhal means anything which is spicy though the level of spiciness is depend on your taste bud how much spice you want to add. Muri is puffed rice, so altogether it's a filling snack.

The ingredients are also very simple and easily available in my pantry always. So whenever I am hungry and not in a mood to cook anything, this Jhal Muri came as my rescue. Make it before serving and gulp it immediately because if you will keep it for longer time, it becomes soggy. So guys make this Jhal Muri at home and serve it in a newspaper made cone and enjoy this famous street food from Kolkata.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Muri or puffed rice
• 1/4 Cup Fried or roasted peanuts
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tbsp Mustard oil
• 1/4 Cup Finely chopped onion
• 2 Green chilies finely chopped
• 1/4 Cup Finely chopped cucumber
• 1/4 Cup Finely chopped tomato
• 1 Tbsp Any pickle oil (optional)
• 1/4 Cup Sev or bhujia
• Finely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Roasted cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp Chaat masala powder
• 1 Tbsp Lime juice
• 1 Tbsp Date and tamarind chutney
• Few thinly slices of coconut for garnishing

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, add chopped onion, cucumber, tomato, green chillies and cilantro.
2. Now add peanuts, sev, salt, all the dry spices, mustard oil or oil from pickle, date-tamarind chutney and lime juice.
3. Mix everything well and add the Muri or puffed rice to it.
4. Toss and mix it nicely, garnish it with coconut slices and serve it in a bowl or paper cone.

Kochi Pathar Jhol "Tender Mutton Curry"

About this Recipe...

Kochi pathar Jhol or tender mutton curry in Bengali style is another delicacy from the Bengali cuisine where tender goat meat is cooked with potato, onion and other spices. The gravy is a thin, runny and spicy and goes very well with rice.

This is a speciality of Sunday lunch menu in most of the Bengali household. Many prepare this curry and others prepare the Bengali style Chicken curry for lunch. Sunday lunch are always special and if you ask any bong that what they had for lunch, the 90% answer will be 'mangsho bhat'.

It's very easy to prepare and one can have the whole meal with this one curry. Though it takes some time to prepare but the hard work behind this is worth it when you eat this curry. Many people cook it in pressure cooker which saves their time but I love to make it in wok. It's my personal assumption that if I cook it in wok then it will be more tasty and flavorful rather than cooking this curry in cooker. But it's definitely your choice, if you are in hurry then you can make it in cooker and it will cook fast. Me and my husband love this curry a lot, so whenever we brought mutton I definitely made this curry and we all enjoy it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Mutton cut into medium pieces
• 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp Garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp Green chilli paste
• 1/4 Cup Yogurt
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• 4 Tbsp Mustard oil
• 1 potato cut into big cubes
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 2 Bay leaf
• 2 One inch long cinnamon stick
• 3 Green cardamom
• 4-5 Cloves
• 4-5 black pepper corn
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Cup Tomato puree
• Water as required for making the gravy
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1 tsp Ghee or clarified butter

Directions

1. Marinate the mutton with ginger-garlic-green chili paste, yogurt, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder and black pepper powder.
2. Mix everything well and keep it in refrigerator for couple of hours.
3. Now heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the potato cubes.
4. When done, take it out from the pan and keep it aside.
5. Now on the same pan, if required then add some more oil and add the whole garam spices with little sugar.
6. Let the sugar caramelized, it will give a nice color to this curry.
7. Now add the chopped onion and sauté it till it gets translucent.
8. Add turmeric powder to it and mix well.
9. Next add the marinated mutton to the pan and sauté it in low flame.
10. Cover the pan and cook it, stir in between so it doesn't get burn or stick to the pan.
11. This process of frying or 'koshano in bengali' will take 30-40 minutes.
12. When the mutton is 80% done then add salt to taste and tomato purée to it.
13. Cook the mutton with tomato purée till the raw smell of tomato goes away.
14. Now add fried potato cubes and water for the gravy.
15. Stir it well and cover the pan. Let the gravy comes to a boil.
16. When the gravy starts boiling, add garam masala powder and clarified butter to it.
    
17. Give a gentle mix and switch off the flame.
18. Your bengali style kochi Pathar Jhol is ready to serve with steam rice.