CRAB CURRY

INGREDIENTS

Crabs - 2 large
Onions - 2 large
Garlic - 6-7 flakes
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 1
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1-2 tsp
Sunflower or mustard oil - half cup

PROCEDURE

First cut off the legs of the crab. Tap lightly on the thicker legs to crack them a little. Cut off the narrow ends of the thinner legs. Now tap at the center of the body to crack the shell at the center. Remove the shell of the body. There is some fat inside the shell. Scoop it out and keep aside. Now remove the feathery shaped things from the body. Remove away all other parts such as eyes, which need not be cooked. Wash the legs and body well. Smear them 1 tsp salt and half tsp turmeric powder. Keep on a colander for 30 minutes.
Heat 4 tsp oil in a wok. When oil smokes shift in the crabs to the wok. Stir well and fry for 2-4 minutes on high flame. Remove the fried crabs in a bowl. Make a paste of the onion, garlic and tomato. Heat 6 tsp of oil in the wok. When oil smokes add the paste of onion, garlic and tomato. Add the cumin, coriander and half tsp turmeric powder. Add half tsp salt and the fat that was kapt aside. Add the ginger paste last of all. Fry all till light brown. Now add 2 cups of water. When it boils add the fried crabs. Let boil on high flame. Stir till gravy thickens and almost clings to the crab. You can also add boiled potatoes or shredded and boiled cabbage with the crab curry.
Your crab curry is ready.

Posted by Keya

MOGLAI PARATHA

moglai paratha
INGREDIENTS

Flour - 250 + 50 grams
Sunflower oil - 1 cup
Eggs - 4
Onion - 3 medium sized (chopped finely)
Green chilies - 2-3 (chopped finely)
Minced meat - 50 grams
Salt - 1-2 tsp

PROCEDURE

Mix 1 tsp salt and 5 tsp oil in the 250 grams flour. Using water little by little knead into a hard dough. Divide the dough into egg sized portions. Shape them into balls slightly flattened. Dust the rolling board , pin and dough ball with flour. Roll out into very thin rounds ( about 12 inch in diameter) . Put a large frying pan on high flame. Put the rolled round on the frying pan. After 1 minute turn over and heat the other side of the rolled round for 30 seconds. In this way roll as many as rounds and heat them in same way. Keep them aside.
Chop the onions and chilies. Break 1 egg and beat it with 1 pinch of salt. Heat 2 tsp of oil in the frying pan. When oil just smokes put over a rolled round and lower the flame. Pour the beaten egg in the center of the round. Spread the egg a little by using a spoon. Sprinkle 1 tsp of minced meat in the egg. Sprinkle a tsp of salt too. Now sprinkle 2 tsp of chopped onion and a pinch of chopped chilies. Now slowly fold in the 4 sides of the round one by one such that the round now resembles a square shape. Let cook on slow fire till the egg is done. Slowly and carefully turn over to the other side. Raise flame and add 1 tsp or more of oil. Lower flame. Cook till both sides are golden brown. In this way cook all the parathas.
Your muglai paratha is ready. This is mainly served as a snack but can also be used as a main dish. It is very easy and quick to prepare. It is sure to linger in ones memory.

Posted by Keya

GRAM FLOUR STICKS CURRY

INGREDIENTS

Gram flour - 100 grams + 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Dry red chillies - 1
Saunf - half tsp
Salt - half tsp
Curd - 100 grams
Curry leaves - a small handful
Green chili - 2
Oil - 2 tsp

PROCEDURE

Roast the cumin seeds and dry red chilli . Grind them to a powder. Grind the saunf to a powder too. Mix the powdered cumin seeds and dry red chillies , saunf powder and half tsp salt with the gram flour. Knead them into a hard dough by mixing water little by little. Now roll out the dough into sticks of one fourth inch diameter. Cut them into one inch size lengthwise. Let water boil in a wok. Shift the gram flour sticks in, while water is fast boiling. Let boil in high flame for 10 minutes. Now take out the sticks using a slotted spoon. Empty the wok. Dry it .
Heat 2 tsp of oil in the wok. Chop the chilies (if you want the curry hot) and the curry leaves. Add the chilies and the curry leaves when the oil smokes. Beat the curd with 2 tsp of gram flour. Lower the flame and slowly add the beaten curd and gram flour paste. Go on stirring. Add 1 tsp salt. While it just starts (slightly) to boil add the gram flour sticks. Stir and shut off the heat. If you want the gravy thicker add a little more gram flour paste. Check the salt.
Your gram flour sticks curry is ready. Serve with rice, roti or puri.

Posted by Keya

POTATO CURRY

INGREDIENTS

Potato - 250 grams
Salt - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1
Turmeric - one fourth tsp
Green chili - 2-4
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Asafotadia - one fourth tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

PROCEDURE

Peel and dice the potatoes into half inch cubes. Heat the oil. When the oil smokes add the cumin seeds and asafotadia. When cumin seeds start making a splattering sound slit and add the green chilies now, if you want the curry hot. Add the chopped tomato after 30 seconds. Add the salt. When the tomato is soft add the turmeric powder. Add the potatoes now. Stir for 2 minutes. Transfer in a pressure cooker. Add water to just barely cover the potatoes. Add the whole chilies now if you do not want the curry to be hot. Close the lid tightly. Put on high flame. When the pressure cooker whistles or comes to full pressure put the flame off. Let the cooker open automatically. Your tasty potato curry is ready. Serve with rotis or kachoris.

Posted by Keya

GREEN PEAS KACHORI

INGREDIENTS

Shelled fresh green peas - 250 grams
Flour - 500 grams
Green chillies (optional) - 2
Ginger paste - 2 tsp (1 inch cube piece)
Saunf seeds - 1 tsp
Asefotadia - half tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Sunflower oil - 2 cups

PROCEDURE

Roast the cumin seeds and dry red chillies and grind them to a powder. Keep aside.
First, grind the saunf seeds to a powder. Now , alongwith the saunf powder grind the green peas, green chillies and ginger to a paste.
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a wok. When oil smokes add the asafotadia. After 30 seconds add the paste of green peas, green chillies, ginger and saunf powder. Add 1 tsp of salt. Go on stirring fast and continuously, on high flame till the mixture has a dough like appearance. Add the roasted dry chillies and cumin seeds powder- stir and shut off the heat. The mixture should feel like a soft dough.
Take the flour. Add 1 tsp of salt and half cup oil. Mix well. Now add water little and knead into soft dough. Knead well. Divide and make into lime sized balls. On the other hand make marble sized balls out of the peas mixture.
Take a lime sized flour dough ball. Press with a finger right in the center of the ball. Increase the size of this hole by patting with thumb and fingers. Pat the center with the thumb and the outer part with fingers. When the hole is quite large enough, put a green peas ball inside the hole. Press, pat and pull the flour ball to cover the green peas ball completely and neatly. In this way make as many balls as you can. It is natural that either some flour dough or some green peas mixture would be left over.
Now take some oil and grease the rolling board and pin. Press lightly and roll out each ball (green peas ball covered by flour dough) flat into one eighth inch thickness. Grease the ball too before rolling. You stop rolling further if the green peas mixture bursts out. You should roll in such a way that the green peas mixture does not leak out of the flour dough. Roll out all the balls in this way. Keep them aside without touching each other.
Mean while, heat the rest of the oil in a wok. When oil smokes, slide one rolled dough slowly inside the oil. Press very lightly with a ladle or slotted spoon on the rolled dough when it is fluffing (puffing) up. After 10 seconds turn it over and press in the same way. Wait for 10 seconds or until it has light brown specs. Shift it away, sliding on the side of the wok with a slotted spoon, to drain out oil. Fry all in the same way. You can roll out the dough and fry them at the same time. It would save your time.
Your green peas kachoris are ready. My daughter loves these very much and calls them green kachoris.

Posted by Keya

CHICKEN KOFTA

INGREDIENTS

Chicken minced meat - 250 grams
Gramflour or cornflour - 50 grams
Green chillies - 4
Onion - 3 medium sized
Garlic - 6-7 flakes
Ginger - half inch cube
Coriander leaves - a small bunch(25 grams)
Tomato puree - 50 grams
Garam masala powder (Mixture of black and green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, mace, jayatri, white pepper corns and white cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
Salt - 1-2 tsp
Oil - 1 cup
Cumin and coriander powder - 1 tsp

PROCEDURE


Put chicken minced in wok and cover in water. Boil on high flame for 10 minutes or till the water dries up. Drain out water if any by putting boiled minced meat on a colander. When cool enough, mix with the meat - half tsp salt, 1 chopped green chilly, 1 chopped onion, 2 flakes of garlic and 2 tbsp of gramflour or cornflour. Shape into lime sized balls. Roll the balls evenly in gramflour or cornflour. Heat the oil in a wok. Shift in oil as many balls as possible when oil smokes. Fry on high flame till light brown. Keep fried balls on a tissue.

Drain away most of the oil from the wok leaving behind only 4-5 tsp of oil. Grind the 2 onions, 4 garlic flakes and ginger into a paste. Heat the oil in the wok. When oil smokes add the slit green chillies. Now add the paste of ginger, garlic and onion. Add the tomato puree too. Fry all on high flame stirring continuously till light brown in color. Add 1 cup of water. When it boils add the chopped coriander leaves,the garam masala and last of all the koftas. Shut off the heat. If you want a thicker gravy add 1 tsp or more of gramflour paste to the boiling gravy. Your chicken koftas are ready.
Serve hot with rice or roti. This is a delicious side dish.

Posted by Keya

Lassi With Rose Syrup

INGREDIENTS

Curd - 500 grams
Sugar - 100 grams or more according to taste
Salt - one fourth tsp
Ice cubes - 1 cup
Water - 500 ml
Rose syrup - 6-7 tsp or according to taste

PROCEDURE

In a mixer beat the curd, sugar, salt and rose syrup at high speed for 2 minutes. Add the water and ice cubes and beat for 3-4 minutes. Your lassi (butter-milk shake) is ready.

This is a popular Indian soft drink specially suited for the hot summers.
*Rose syrup is red in colour and available in bottles under branded names like Rallis, Ru Afza.

Posted by Keya

POTATOES WITH POPPY SEEDS

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes - 250 grams
Poppy seeds - 5 tsp
Green chillies - 2-4
Mustard oil - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

PROCEDURE


Peel potatoes. Cut into about one third inch cubes. Let water boil in a vessel. Wash the potatoes well. When water starts to boil add potatoes, salt and green chillies. The water should be just to cover the potatoes. Cover the vessel. Lower the flame. Now dry grind the poppy seeds and then add water and grind to a course paste. When potatoes are done add poppy paste. Raise the flame. Add the mustard oil after a minute. Shut off the heat. The potatoes with poppy seeds or allu posto (aloo or alu means potato in Bengali) is ready. Serve hot with rice.

This is an Indian side dish specially popular in Bengal. It is very easy to cook.

Posted by Keya