Mutton Nalli Nihari

Mutton Nalli Nihari

Nalli Nihari  is a National Dish of our neighbor Pakistan. Do you why the recipe calls Nalli Nihari? The word Nihari is derived from the term 'Nihar' which means 'morning after sunrise'. The term ‘Nihari’ is used as a prefix to denote that the curry is usually served as a meal after the Muslim sunrise (Fajr) prayers which is followed by a long rest before going off to the afternoon (Zhuhr) prayers. Traditionally Nihari was cooked overnight and then served to the Kings of Delhi in breakfast after the morning prayers during the Mughal times. Nihari was prepared with either beef or mutton although the leg of lamb is more popularly served today.
Ingredients

Lamb Leg Pieces 750 grams
Nihari Masala 2 tablespoons
Onions sliced 2 medium
Fried onions 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Lamb stock 2 cup
Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 tablespoons
Lemon juice 1 teaspoon
Ginger cut into thin strips 1/2 inch piece
Fresh coriander leaves chopped 2 tablespoons for garnishing (optional)

Nihari masala

Nihari masala is nothing but roasted spices(In Bengali it’s call Bhaja Masal- is a unique Bengali spice blend).  To make the nihari masala, dry roast cumin seeds, green and black cardamom, cloves, mace, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, red chillies, cinnamon, poppy seeds, nutmeg, ginger powder and bay leaf in a non-stick pan and Grind the roasted spices along with roasted chana dal powder.

Method

Step 1

Heat the ghee in a deep non-stick pan. Add the onions and sauté till well browned. Add the lamb and two tablespoons nihari masala and sauté for minimum 10 minutes. Add water 8 cups or as required, fried onions and salt. Cook for minimum forty five minutes or till the lamb is soft. Add the mutton stock and the remaining nihari masala and mix well.

Step 2

Mix whole wheat flour with water in a small bowl, ensuring that there are no lumps. Add this to the lamb and continue to simmer till the gravy thickens. Sprinkle the lemon juice, garnish with the ginger strips and coriander leaves and serve hot.

Beal Panna

Beal Panna

    গরমে শরীর ঠান্ডা রাখতে, পেট ভাল রাখতে, সুস্থ থাকতে খেতে পারেন সুস্বাদু বেলের পানা।

Bel or wood apple is considered as an ancient or divine fruit in India. This fruit is very famous during Maha Shivratri time (A Hindu festival).

Summer special - Bael Fruit/Wood Apple squash/juice. Bael is very well known all over the India for its amazing health benefits, medicinal benefits. Bel contains protein, vitamin C and B complex and tannin. The Bael fruit, in actuality, is an herb with the botanical name of Limonia acidissima

Ingredients

1 big ripe bel fruit (wood apple)

Sugar or grated jiggery to taste (here used jiggery)

½ liter milk or Curd

½ tsp of elaichi powder

3 cups of water

A pinch of salt

Preparation method

First break the hard cover of the bel fruit now scoop the flesh of the fruits in a bowl. Now add water and soak it for 15 – 20 minutes than slowly mash it by using your palms gather and squish the pulp to separate the seeds and juice the pulp. Then slowly smash it with smooth hands.

Now Add a pinch of salt, elaichi powder, curd or milk (Here I used curd) and jiggery. Run the juice in a mixer but make sure it is completely de seeded. Otherwise use your hand to blend it.

The consistency of bael panna is bit thick then the regular drink but if you want the consistency to be lighter add more water and jiggery / sugar according to your choice.

Chicken Haleem

                                         

Chicken Haleem

 

Ingredients

Chicken mince/ keema 250-300 grm

Broken Wheat

Green cardamoms 3-4

Cloves 5-6

Cinnamon 1 inch stick

Javitri - 1/2 teaspoon

Bay leaves 2

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon

Onions sliced 3 medium

Ginger paste 2 tablespoon

Garlic paste 2 tablespoon

Split green gram with skin (chilkewali moong dal),soaked 100 grm

Split Bengal gram (chana dal) soaked 100 grm

Broken wheat (dalia/lapsi) soaked 100 grm

Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon

Black peper  1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste & Sugar 1 teaspoon

Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon

Fresh coriander leaves chopped 2-3 tablespoons

Fresh mint leaves hand torn 10-12

Ghee- 250 gm

 

Method

First boil all the grains together with lots of water, add salt. When the grains become tender and mushy switch off the woven and blend it with hand blender.

Now heat ghee in a deep pan. Add green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin seeds Javitri and onions and sauté till light brown.

Add ginger paste, garlic paste and continue to sauté. Add chana dal, moong dal and dalia and stir.

Add turmeric powder and red chili powder and mix. Add half a cup of water and sauté for two to three minutes. Add chicken Minch/ keema and salt and stir it till oil come out. Add four cups water and let it come to a boil. Add garam masala powder, coriander leaves and mint leaves.

Stir and cover. Cook on medium heat till done. Remove the bay leaves. Blend it lightly using a hand blender and garnish with fried onion and serve hot with paratha or any flavored rice.

Chicken Chaap

                                                   

Chicken Chaap

Ingredients:

750 gms chicken meat

½  cup oil
200 grms  Hung Curd

1 tsp Grated Ginger

3 tblsp curshed garlic  

1 ½ tsp Mace Powder

1 tsp Black pepper powder

3 tblsp green chillies paste
1 tbsp Red Chili powder

Saffron strand 8-10, rubbed and dissolve in 2-3 tbsp of warm milk

1-2 tsp Lime Juice

½ cup Poppy seeds

Salt to taste

1/3  cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Garam Masala Powder (Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves)

¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg & Mess Powder (Joyetree,Jaifal)

1 Teaspoon Kewra Water

2-3 Drops Mitha Attar

 Methods:

Marination:

At first, clean the Chicken and then make some Slits (a long narrow cut) on it.

Then marinate the chicken with all the Marinated items listed above for at least 3-4 hours in refrigerator.

Cooking: Heat a cooking pan in medium flame and put Ghee, Vegetable Oil. Add fried onion Paste (see notes), Ginger & Garlic Paste, stir them well for 5 mins.

Then put some salt, sugar, red chili powder, turmeric powder and mix them well.

Now add the marinated chicken along with the extra marinated mixture into the pan and cook for 5 mins.

Reduce the flame to low-medium and let the chicken be slow cooked for another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so that the bottom part doesn't get burned.

Once the chicken is cooked, add ¼ Teaspoon Garam Masala powder,1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg & Mess powder,1 Teaspoon Kewra Water,1/4 Teaspoon Rose Water, and at last 2-3 drops of Mitha Attar.

Now your yummy and spicy “Chicken Chaap” is ready, serve it with Biriyani/Pulao/Naan or you can also serve it with plain white rice.

Notes

Fried Onion Paste - Cut the Onion in dice shape and fry it in oil with low-medium heat. Once they are transparent blend them in the mixture to make a paste.

This recipe would require more oil/ghee, you can drain excess oil at the end.

Use only ghee to make this more tasty.

Aam Kalakand

 

Aam Kalakand

Mango is the king of fruits and it can be used to make various dishes and one of them is mango kalakand. Mango kalakand is very delicious and can be prepared and served in any festival and especially Bangalore is the best place to get various type of mango in whole South India. 

This is very well know recipe for all, but today I made it in my way with simple three main (Chenna, condensed milk, mango  pulp) ingredients – Aam Kalakand!  Let try for it.

Ingredients:
2 cup (approx 200 gms) homemade paneer/chenna (procedure included for 1 ltr full cream milk)

200 grams sweetened condensed milk

Mango pulp 1 cup (without threads)

2 cup sugar

100 grm milk powder

1 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 tbsp ghee for greasing

Silver warq 1 sheet

Procedure for homemade panner / Chenna:
Boil 1 ltr full cream milk and curdle it with 1 tbsp vinegar or 1/2 tbsp lemon . Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid and hold the chenna in a muslin cloth. Lightly wash the chenna with drinking water to do away with the smell of vinegar or lemon. Now tightly tie the muslin cloth and strain the excess water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Procedure:
Take the chenna or paneer and milk powder and  mix well with your hands till the mixture is well blended and the chenna is completely crumbled. Now transfer the same mixture to a nonstick pan and add the mango pulp, sugar and condensed milk on medium flame and Cook the mixture till it gets thick and looks like mawa and till the mixture reaches the consistency of making a burfee. Now add the cardamom powder and stir for 2-3 more minutes. 

Grease a serving plate with ghee and transfer the mixture onto the plate. With the help of a knife or spatula, smoothen out the mixture to form a square shape of 1/2" thickness. Cut the square into equal sized smaller squares. This is just to make the marks for easier serving later on. Garnish each small square with chopped pistachios or raisin and let it cool at least for 2 hour to set it and decorate with silver warq before serving.

Dhakai Dum Polao / Bini Chaler Polao

Dhakai Dum Polao

Ingredients:

500 gm – Bini Chal (Glutinous rice)

2 -Bay Leaf

30 gm - Raisins

14 – Cashew nuts

6 - Cloves

6 - Cardamoms

2 inch piece - Cinnamon

½ tsp Black pepper seeds

1 tsp – Chopped Ginger

1/2 tsp - Sugar

Salt to taste

4 cups - hot water

Saffron - 3 strands, soaked in a tbsp of coconut milk

200 gm – Ghee

 

   Procedure:

  Clean, wash and drain rice. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add bay leaves and onion slices. Fry till golden brown. 
Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, Black pepper seeds, cashews, fine chopped ginger and finely chopped carrot. Fry till light brown.
Add rice, salt and sugar. Stir fry for a 8-10 minutes. Add raisins and saffron-coconut milk mixture and mix. Add 4 cups or as required of hot water and mix.
 Finally cover the lid with dough and seal it and cook for a period of 10-15 minutes till rice is done. Garnish with nuts and fried onions and serve with pigeon meat curry.

Tangy Kadhai Chicken

Tangy Kadhai Chicken

Ingredients:

750grms Chiken
1Tbsp black peppercorns
1 Tbsp fennel (Saunf)
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup oil
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp pepper-fennel powder
3 1/2 Tbsp kokam (kudampuli) / Tamarind extract. – I used kudampuli extract.
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp jiggery / Sugar
Salt, to taste
6 small whole onion / 1 big onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 green chilli
Spring onions with greens, to garnish
Ginger, julienne to garnish
Lemon juice, to top

Methods:

Clean, skin, wash and cut chicken into medium sized pieces. Now dry roast black peppercorns, fennel and cinnamon. Grind and pestle.
For the marinade:
In a pan add 2 tsp oil and 2 Tbsp spice paste. Sauté and turn off  the heat. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, turmeric powder, pepper-fennel powder, kudampuli extract, Juice of 1/2 lemon and jiggery. Marinate the chicken with this marinade for   ½  hour.
Now for the stir fry in a pan add oil and add onions, bell peppers and green chili. Sauté for 2 minutes and keep aside.
Again add oil in a pan and sear the marinated chicken from both sides. Add 1-1 1/2 cup water. Cover the pan and cook the chicken for 25-30 minutes. Add the stir fried vegetables. Stir well for 10 minutes and cook for some time and turn off  the heat. Now garnish with spring onions, julienne ginger and lemon juice. Serve with steamed rice or paranthas

Nolen Gurer Kalakand

Nolen Gurer Kalakand

As I said in my earlier post (Jhola gurer (Liquid Dates Jaggery) Pudding) Nolen Gur or date palm jaggery is a delicacy of any Bengali household food in winter. You will get lots of verities of Gur’s sweet any sweet shop in Bengal and as always I am very much passionate to make experiments about food spl in Bengali cuisines.

Today I made one of the easiest recipes and most loved Indian sweet with simple three ingredients – the KALAKAND. This is made from dates palm jaggery instead of sugar which makes it really different. Let try for Nolen Gurer Kalakand!

Ingredients:
2 cup (approx 200 gms) homemade paneer/chenna (procedure included for 1 ltr full cream milk)

200 grams sweetened condensed milk

5 tbsp Jhola gur() / grated Nolen Gur

100 grm milk powder

1 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 tbsp ghee for greasing

Procedure for homemade panner / Chenna:
Boil 1 ltr full cream milk and curdle it with 1 tbsp vinegar or 1/2 tbsp lemon . Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid and hold the chenna in a muslin cloth. Lightly wash the chenna with drinking water to do away with the smell of vinegar or lemon. Now tightly tie the muslin cloth and strain the excess water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Procedure:
Take the chenna or paneer and jaggery or jhola gur and milk powder and  mix well with your hands till the mixture is well blended and the chenna is completely crumbled. Now transfer the same mixture to a nonstick pan and add the condensed milk on medium flame and Cook the mixture till it gets thick and looks like mawa and till the mixture reaches the consistency of making a burfee. Now add the cardamom powder and stir for 2-3 more minutes. 

Grease a serving plate with ghee and transfer the mixture onto the plate. With the help of a knife or spatula, smoothen out the mixture to form a square shape of 1/2" thickness. Cut the square into equal sized smaller squares. This is just to make the marks for easier serving later on. Garnish each small square with chopped pistachios or raisin and let it cool at least for 2 hour to set it completely before serving.


Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Chakhwi - Bamboo Shoot Curry

Chakhwi - Bamboo Shoot Curry

Chakhwi is one of the very traditional and very delicious and healthy preparations of the Tripuri cuisines. The people whoever had tasted once to some of the preparation they could not but tested it for life. Some of the Tripuri dishes have become a regular feature in non-Tripuri family also. One of the most important ingredient of Tripuri cuisine is Berma and Pork , Berma is basically fermented dried puthi fish. The flavor of the Berma is not very pleasant, but when cooked its flavor is mouthwatering and appetizer for Tripuri people. But this recipe is purely VEG. Main ingredients of the veg chakhwi is Bamboo Shoot, Green Papaya and verities of lentil.

Large number of Tripuri cuisine is prepared without oil. In that health point of view it is very good even for those who are restricted to take fatty and oily food. Some of the Tripuri cuisine are listed below: Awandru, Bwtwi, Chakhwi, Chakhwtwi, Chakhwtwi Kwthwng, Thokni Chakhwi, Berma bwtwi, Chatang, Mosodeng, Deng, Gudok,  Bhangui, Muitru, Hontali, Muhr, Mwkhwi, Napek, Peng, Rabra, Ruk, Ser, Sok, Yohk, Yaksapik . But most of the Tripuri household serves genuine Bengali Food too.

Ingredients:
Bamboo shoots: 500 gm.
Jack fruit seed :100 gm.
Green papaya:100 gm.

Drumstick Leaf 1 bunch

12 types of lentil – total 200 grm
Backing soda:2 tea spoon full.
Green chili:10 no.
Ginger:50gm.

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp.
Fresh Lemon leaves:12 no.
Rice flour: 2 tsp (30-40 gm.)

Ghee – 4 tbsp

Red chili- 1 or two pieces

Black pepper powder as per test

Salt as per test

Preparation:
Peel off the bamboo shoots, cut the tender part of shoots into small piece of 1-2 cm. each. Take the skin of he green papaya, cut into small piece of 3-4 cm. Peel of the skin of the jack fruit seeds, soak it in water for 15 minutes, remove the red covering of the seeds, cut it longitudinally into two half. Soak all the lentil in water for 3-4 hours, Make the ginger to finely chopped, tear of the lemon leaves into two parts. Prepare liquid paste of the rice flour in a small bowl and keep it aside. split the chili remove the seeds.
Procedure:
1. Take 2Ltr of water in a big pan/karaih. Add two spoon of baking soda, bring it to boil for 5 minutes. Remove the foam slowly by serving spoon that is formed.
2. Add salt to taste, one spoon of turmeric continue to boil, add splitted green chili and chopped ginger, allow it to boil for 3 minutes.
3. Add the bamboo shoot , all lentil, jackfruit seeds and salt. Keep the burner medium to high flame. Boil it for another 15 minutes.
4. Pour papaya and fresh drumstick leaf in the pan continue to cook for 20 minutes, cover with lid.
5. Bring down the flame to simmer, add the rice flour paste in the pan, slowly stir the curry simultaneously. Cover with lid, keep it for 5 minutes.
6. Add the torn fresh lemon leaves and black pepper powder. Mix it properly in the curry, cover with lid, keep for 2-3 minutes.
7. Remove from the fire, transfer to a serving bowl and 4 tbsp Ghee, serve warm with rice.

 

Note: If you want to make Non-veg CHAKHWI than add pork medium pieces instead of papaya.


Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Jhola gurer (Liquid Dates Jaggery) Pudding



Jhola gurer (Liquid Dates Jaggery) Pudding

Nolen Gur or date palm jaggery (slightly smoky in colour) is a delicacy of any Bengali household food in winter.  Visit any sweet shop in Bengal in the winter season and you will get variety of lip-smacking delicacies made with this jaggery, like - Moyas, Rasogollas, Sandesh, Jalbhora, Kanchagolla and many. But today I made egg pudding with liquid dates palm jaggery.

We all know caramel egg or creamy pudding is a classic French dessert made of simple ingredients like milk, egg and sugar and it’s very common recipe for all. Today I prepared egg pudding with Liquid Dates Jaggery(Nolen gur / Jhola gur) which is something different form the regular pudding recipe or any nolen gur recipes. I hope your kids are going to fall in love with this proteins and calcium rich dessert.

Ingredients

1 ltr mik

4 eggs

100 ml Jhola / nolen gur (Liquid Dates Jaggery)

Minced dates

1 tsp Melted Butter.

Nolen / Jhola Gur

Method

 Boil 1 ltr of milk in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame and reduce it to around ½ ltr.  Then cool it down to room temperature.

Now add eggs, nolen gur and milk in your blender and blend it to make a smooth mixture (you can also use a hand mixture to make the mixture). Now grease the baking pan with butter. Then pour the egg mixture in the baking pan

You can make your pudding in two ways, on your burner or in your oven. I made it in the oven. Making on the burner: Take a saucepan large enough to fit your pudding pan. Take some boiling water in the saucepan (take such an amount of water so that  when you will place your pudding pan in the saucepan, half of the pan will be under the water and the pan will not float in the water. You can use a stand to keep the pan steady). Now place the pudding pan in the saucepan and cover with foil both the pan and then keep it in medium heat for around 40-45 minutes (occasionally check the water of saucepan; add more water if needed).

Making on the oven: If you want to make the pudding in your oven, preheat your oven to 350  F, then in a large baking dish, pour 1-2 inches of water and place the  pudding pan in it. Cover with foil your pudding pan and then place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake it for around 45- 60 minutes.

Check your pudding with a knife or toothpick. Insert it into the pudding; if it comes out clean then your pudding is done. If it seems still liquid or sticky, keep it on burner or in oven for another 5-10 minutes and check again.

When pudding is done keep it to cool down. Then carefully run a knife along the edges of the pan, place a plate on the top of the pan and flip the pan to take out the pudding on the plate.

Your pudding is ready.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Niramish Pathar Jhol ( Veg Mutton Curry)

                      

Niramish Mutton Kasha ( Veg Mutton Curry)

The story of mutton that was cooked without onion and garlic and that is call NIRAMISH MANGSHO (Veg Mutton Curry) in Bengal. The name of the dish is bit funny. Is it not?

Basically the concept of the dish came when an animal is sacrificed in front of Goddess Kali or Durga, or in the name of any deity, it becomes Prasad and therefore any non-veg items like onion and garlic can't be used (Don’t be surprised. Bengalis do consider onion and garlic as non-veg items, not  goat / lamb or any animal after sacrificed) J

 Ingredients:

750 gms Mutton -Patha (small male goat) / Khashir mangsho:
7-8 tblsp oil (mustard oil)
2 & ½  tblsp turmeric powder
1 & ½ tsp red chili powder
1  tblsp Cumin Powder
2  tblsp Coriander Powder
1 cup hung curd
½ cup raw papaya paste
2 &  ½  tblsp ginger paste
Black pepper 8 ( optional) 
Cardamom-3-4 whole pieces
Cinnamon-2-3 small pieces
Bay leaf – 3 pic
Salt to taste
Methods:
Clean  and  wash the mutton pieces. Marinade the mutton with hung curd, ginger and papaya  paste, turmeric, coriander and Cumin powder with the 1 tblsp raw mustard oil and salt for 2 hour.
Peel the skin of the potato and cut the potato in two pieces. Rub the potato with turmeric and salt. Now fry the potato and keep it aside.
Heat up oil in a pan and add bay leaf and dry chili and stir it for some time than add  ginger paste, coriander powder, chili powder, green chili and black pepper and stir it for 3-4 munites. Now add the  marinated mutton pieces and stir fry on a high flame heat up for 8-10 minutes or stir well till mutton becomes absolutely dry and the oil separates (kashano in Bengali), it will also change color to a darker shade of brown. Add the dried up mutton in a pressure cooker and pour in 3cups of water, close the lid and wait for 2 whistle  open the lid and put in the potatoes and again allow 2 more whistles. Add the cardamom / cinnamon powder 10 minutes before the mutton is served.

The dish should have fairly thick gravy when done.  Serve with hot chapatti (Indian flatbread), Naans (tandoor-baked Indian flatbread), sweet polao or plain boiled  rice.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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