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.

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.

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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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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Mishti / Ranga Alur Pithe

Mishti / Ranga Alur Pithe

শুভ পৌষ সংক্রান্তি উপল্খে সবাইকে আন্তরীক শুভেচ্ছা....

Sankranti is a harvest festival celebrated all over in India on the 14th or 15th of January and since this is a harvest festival, different parts of India make various delicacies with seasonal produce.

Bengalis celebrate the winter harvest of rice with a festival called Nabanna (new rice) or Poush Parban where special pithe(sweets) made with the rice, jiggery, milk, cream, sweet potatoes and coconut in different combination. Traditionally pithe is eaten on Posh or Makar Sankranti, the last day of the Poush month. The variety, art and creativity in pithey making is truly incredible and has a rich heritage in both Bengals (East & West).

This is Ranga aloor pithe (sweet potato balls / dumpling) one of my favorite pithe made with sweet potato, coconut, flour, sugar and  fried and then dunked into a sugar syrup which has been flavored with cardamoms powder.

Ingredients:

2 - 3 medium sized Sweet Potatoes (1 cup when boiled and mashed)

2 - 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour / Maida

1 tbsp Rice Flour

1 cup Grated Fresh Coconut

1/3 cup Powdered sugar

 For the Syrup:

6 tbsp Sugar / 6 tbsp Jaggery, powdered

1 1/2 cups Water

1/8 tsp Cardamom Powder

Method:

Boil the sweet potatoes until soft. Peel and mash them until smooth.

Add the rice flour and maida to the mashed sweet potatoes and knead it well to form a smooth dough. The dough should be soft and non sticky.

Divide the dough into equal small balls (Gulab jamun shape) and set aside. Repeat with remaining dough. Until you deep fry the stuffed dough, keep them covered to avoid drying.

To make the syrup, combine the sugar / jaggery and water in a vessel and stir until sugar / jaggery dissolves completely.

Add the cardamom powder and let it boil on a low-medium flame for 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep the syrup warm.

The syrup should not be too hot or cold when you add the fried sweet potatoes to it.

Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Deep fry the stuffed pulis over a medium flame until golden brown color.

Remove from the oil and immediately drop them into the warm syrup. Let them soak in the warm syrup for 20 minutes or sometime. Serve warm or cold.
Author : Manna Majumder
Recipe By : Tapasi Dhar
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Mushroom Butter Mashala

                                            


Mushroom Butter Mashala

Ingredients:

250grms Mushroom (boild & golden Fry)
medium Onions, finely chopped (optional)

1½ teaspoons chopped Ginger

3-4 Garlic Cloves (optional)

 3 medium Tomatoes

 6-8 Cashew Nuts, soaked in water for 15 minutes

 1 small piece of Bay Leaf

 2 Green Chillies, slit lengthwise

 1/2 cup Full Fat Milk

 2 teaspoons Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder

 1 teaspoon or to taste Red Chili Powder

 2 tablespoons Fresh Cream (or homemade malai)

 2 tablespoons Butter

 2 tablespoons Oil

Salt to taste.

Method3-4 Garlic Cloves
3 medium Tomatoes
6-8 Cashew Nuts, soaked in water for 15 minutes
1 small piece of Bay Leaf
2 Green Chillies, slit lengthwise
1/2 cup Full Fat Milk
2 teaspoons Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon or to taste Red Chili Powder
2 tablespoons Fresh Cream (or homemade malai)
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Oil
Salt to taste.
3-4 Garlic Cloves
3 medium Tomatoes
6-8 Cashew Nuts, soaked in water for 15 minutes
1 small piece of Bay Leaf
2 Green Chillies, slit lengthwise
1/2 cup Full Fat Milk
2 teaspoons Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon or to taste Red Chili Powder
2 tablespoons Fresh Cream (or homemade malai)
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Oil
Salt to taste.
Grind onion, ginger and garlic in a grinder and make onion paste. Grind soaked cashew nuts with 2 tablespoons water to make cashew nut paste. Blanch the tomatoes and blend them to prepare tomato puree.
Heat cooking oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium flame. Add onion paste and bay leaf and sauté until onion paste turns light brown for approx. 4-5 minutes.
Add green chilli and red chili powder and sauté for 30-40 seconds. Add cashew nut paste.Stir and cook for 2-minutes.
Add tomato puree and cook until oil starts to separate from the puree, it will take around 3-4 minutes.
Add coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water and salt; mix and cook until oil comes on the surface or for approx. 4-5 minutes.Add fried mushrooms, kasuri methi and cook for approx 2-minutes or until you get the desired consistency of gravy.
Add fresh cream.Mix properly and turn off the flame.

Grind onion, ginger and garlic in a grinder and make onion paste. Grind soaked cashew nuts with 2 tablespoons water to make cashew nut paste. Blanch the tomatoes and blend them to prepare tomato puree.

 Heat cooking oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium flame. Add onion paste and bay leaf and sauté until onion paste turns light brown for approx. 4-5 minutes.

 Add green chilli and red chili powder and sauté for 30-40 seconds. Add cashew nut paste.Stir and cook for 2-minutes.

 Add tomato puree and cook until oil starts to separate from the puree, it will take around 3-4 minutes.

 Add coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well.

 Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water and salt; mix and cook until oil comes on the surface or for approx. 4-5 minutes. Add fried mushrooms, kasuri methi and cook for approx 2-minutes or until you get the desired consistency of gravy.

 Add fresh cream and mix properly and turn off the flame. Serve with Polao, plain rice or paratha.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
You can vist FB page - https://www.facebook.com/bengalikadai
Grind onion, ginger and garlic in a grinder and make onion paste. Grind soaked cashew nuts with 2 tablespoons water to make cashew nut paste. Blanch the tomatoes and blend them to prepare tomato puree.
Heat cooking oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium flame. Add onion paste and bay leaf and sauté until onion paste turns light brown for approx. 4-5 minutes.
Add green chilli and red chili powder and sauté for 30-40 seconds. Add cashew nut paste.Stir and cook for 2-minutes.
Add tomato puree and cook until oil starts to separate from the puree, it will take around 3-4 minutes.
Add coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water and salt; mix and cook until oil comes on the surface or for approx. 4-5 minutes.Add fried mushrooms, kasuri methi and cook for approx 2-minutes or until you get the desired consistency of gravy.
Add fresh cream.Mix properly and turn off the flame

Posto Bada /Bora



Posto Bada /Bora

Posto Bada (poppy seed balls) is one of the many types of bora in Bengali cuisine. It can be served both as a snack or with a full meal. It can be prepared very easily with readily ingredients such as poppy seeds, coconut & rice flour making it healthy & delicious

Ingredients

Posto (poppy seeds) : 200 gm

Coconut : ½ cup (grated)

Potato: 2 midium size (Boiled)

Rice / Bengal gram flour : 2 tbsp

Salt : to taste

Sugar : to taste

Green chilli chopped/ paste : 1 tbsp

Oil : for frying

Method

Mash the boiled potato.

Mix potato mash, post(popy seeds)o, grated coconut, rice flour, salt, sugar, chopped green chilli in a bowl.

Take 2 tbsp of the Posto mixture & press by palms & keep aside. Like this give all the mixture pakora shape.

Heat oil in a wok.

Deep fry the pakoras till golden brown.

Take out from the oil & serve with steamed rice.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Crab Curry-bengali-style (Kakra Jhal /কাঁকড়া ঝাল)

Kakra Jhal /কাঁকড়া ঝাল

Ingredients:

Fresh, big-sized blue crabs: 2

Onion paste: ½ cup
Ginger paste:2 tbsp

Chopped onions: ½ cup

Crushed garlic: 4 tbsp

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Tomato puree: ½ cup

Mint paste: 1 tbsp

Whole one-inch cinnamon sticks: 2

Green cardamoms: 2

Black peppercorns: 4

Cloves: 4

Bay leaf: 1

Cumin seeds: ¼ tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: ¾ tsp

Red or green chillies (optional): 4

Vegetable oil: 2.5 tbsp

Salt: 1.5 tsp

Water: 4 cups

Method:

Clean the crabs (broken into medium-sized pieces) and plunge the pieces into four cups of boiling water with 1 tsp salt. Boil for 20 min. Strain the water (crab stock) and keep the boiled crabs aside. Cover both to prevent the escaping of the delectable “crab” aroma.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the boiled crabs for few minutes and keep aside. Now again heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaf, cumin seeds, whole cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and cardamoms. When the cumin seeds turn brown, add the onion and ginger paste and sauté for 7 min on medium flame. Add the garlic and the chopped onion now and sauté for five more minutes. Sprinkle turmeric powder and ½ tsp salt and mix well. Cover over a slow flame for about 3 min. Open and check if the chopped onions can be broken easily with the ladle. If not, continue to cook by sprinkling a little crab stock and covering for three more min, till the desired softness is reached.

Add coriander and cumin powders dissolved in 4 tbsp crab stock. Mix well. Continue to fry this mixture till oil separates from this and the mixture turns almost dry. This should take around 15 min on a low flame (preferred). Add the mint paste, chillies and tomato puree now. Cover and cook further for five more minutes.

Add the boiled crabs to this and mix everything well. Cook on a medium flame till the crabs get coated with the curry evenly and the whole thing becomes a little dry. Now add the whole crab stock and cook on a medium flame, covering the pan. The contents should boil for 15 min. Before serving, add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve this with rice, roti, paratha or naan.
Recipe By : Manna Majumder
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Dahi Karela (Bitter Gourd with Curd)

Dahi Karela (Bitter Gourd with Curd)

Ingredients:

1 large bitter gourd

5 tbsp curd

Salt to taste.

3 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp methi seeds

2 Tej pata (Bay leaf)

Pinch hing

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

3 pieces half silted green chili

Method:  

Wash and cut the gourds into roundels.

 Wash and squeeze out the water.

 Marinate with salt, and black pepper for about 30 minutes.

Now these are ready to be made into the desired dish

Heat ghee.

Add the bay leaf, methi seeds (fenugreek Seeds) and hing.

Add the gourds and turmeric powder (optional) sauté till the moisture is absorbed from these.

Add the beaten curd , salt  and mix it well Once the curd are mixed, add 1/2 cup water and let the gourds cook till tender.

You might need more or less water depending on how thick the gourd slice is, also depending on the quality of the gourd.

The Japanese gourds are very tender and cook fast, but may be in India I would need to add more water and cook longer and it semi thick gravy and serve with white rice .




Author : Manna Majumder
Recipe By : Dipti Rani Nandi Majumder
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Chal Kumro pata -r Shidol Bora (fermented fish wrap)

           


Shidol  Bora (fermented fish wrap)

                           

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin leaves: 6-8 medium pieces (should be soft ones)

10 small Shidol shutki (fermented fish)

3 big onions chopped

15 garlic cloves

Salt as needed

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

7-8 green chillies, chopped

Method:

Wash the leaves and soak into salt water for couple of minutes to become soft. Remove and keep aside. Take care not to tear them.

Now wash and clean the fermented fish (Shidol) properly. Cut the big onion into thin slices or chopped. Set a small pan on high heat and add the mustard oil. When the oil begins to sizzle, add the sliced onions and crushed garlic cloves and fry until turn slightly brown. Add the shutki and fry on high heat.

As the shutki gets fried, crush the garlic cloves in a mortar using a pestle. When the shutki turns soft, add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Stir well and little water. Finally add the chopped green chili and stir for a few minutes. Cover the pan with its lid on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Now spread pumpkin leaves on a tray and place little amount of shidol cutney in it. Fold from all sides and cover. 

Now if you want can be dip into the thin batter to bind the pokora / bora (optional)  and make shallow fry  the pokora in hot oil until golden brown.

Serving suggestion

It is usually eaten with plain white rice.
Author : Manna Majumder
Recipe By : Tapasi Dhar
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