Acchari Broccoli/ Broccoli in pickle masala

I know everyone at some point will find mango pickle masala swimming in a pool of left over pickle oil from the mango pickle,and I have never ever run short of ideas to make good use of it and create some very yummy ,"masaledaar " treats. Thanks to mom dear who I had always watched while she would create magic with left over stuff :)
I have used this oil & masala to make mathhis, then I make paranthas with this,sometimes I will add this to the acchari Ghosht or the achhari paneer for that extra kick. So you know this masala is bursting with versatility,just let your culinary imagination go rampant and you will find this masala can come in handy to liven up even the most insipid dishes with robust flavors,oh yes-even the left over daals can be seasoned with this oil and masala when consumed the next day.

For now I have come up with this very scrummy appetizer,which you will love as an evening snack,or serve it as hor'duerves or even serve as a side dish.Whatever way you decide to eat this,you can take my word-You will make this over and over again,it is quick and packed with all the nutrients and yummy to the core.

Here is what you will need to make this:

Broccoli Flowerettes: 15-20
Masala without oil  left over from the mango pickle: 2 tsp
Hung yogurt: 2 tbsp
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
kalonji: 1tsp
Lime Juice: 1 tsp
salt: to your taste or Chaat masala if you want to spike it up further
Oil for spraying on the foil


Wash the broccoli flowerettes and dry them on a paper towel.
Take all the ingredients except broccoli and mix these well.
Now add the broccoli flowerettes to this and marinate for 15- 20 minutes.


Choose the broil option on your oven and heat it to 400 d Fahrenheit. remove the tray and line it with aluminium foil and spray some oil on it,now spread the flowerettes on this foil and put this on the rack below the broil flame for 7-10 minutes (turn it once) and Viola- Acchari broccoli is ready to enjoy :)!!!

We enjoyed this with Caesar salad and some ciabatta  for lunch and it tasted great !!!

Bread Dahi Bhalla and A Very Happy & Joyous Diwali !!!

The new bloggers interface is so dandy and impressive and many friends have commented on how good it looks,but there are also many who are having trouble finding the followers tab :( Come to think of it-I have still  not figured it out myself,so to cut a long story short I will switch back to the earlier interface.

My Indian blogger friends are posting sweets and desserts which is the norm around this time of the year,with Diwali just two days  from now. I have enjoyed and drooled over all the yummy treats and honestly there is never enough of sweets,we are all mostly born with a sweet tooth,or it could be the serotonin a chemical in the brain which induces a happy and content state. Eating sugar increases the absorption of tryptophan which is used by our body to make serotonin. Whatever the reason- Sweets  have the power to uplift the grumpiest of moods too :)!!!

That said,let us not forget the  response of, "no I cannot have any more" when someone offers us more of  sweets on those Diwali days when all that  we have done is  sleep,walk and talk sweets. I have always felt like having something savory after all those sweets. This Bread Dhai Bhalla is so light on the stomach and instantly satiates your desire for something,"chatpata"  It is also very simple to make and as you will see there is no frying and no oil used to make this excellent savory dish. So it is a healthier version of the regular dahi bhalla fair,without compromising the chatpata quotient.

My sisters daughter in law made this for breakfast along with kutchi Dhabheli,and they just flew away  from the table in no time,but more kept coming till we were all ready to explode and could eat no more.Mmm...mmmm that was some good breakfast !!!!

This is what you will need to make this super tasty,melt in your mouth bread dahi bhalla :

Ingredients:


White bread slices: 8 
Beaten curd: 2 cups
Sugar: 5-6 tsp 
Sounth: 4 tsp (tamarind & jaggery Chutney with garam masala)
Bhuna Jeera: 1 tsp
Chaat Masala: 1/4 tsp
Patla sev: 1/4 cup


Optional:
Mint cilantro chutney


Method:

Take the bread slice and cut this in round shapes with a sharp object. I used a metal measuring cup 
  
You can make two rounds with one slice of bread,I have used a multigrain bread here, but these dahi bhallas taste best with white bread.


Arrange 8 circles on a plate which you will use to serve.


Mix the sugar with the curd and beat it well, till it is smooth and creamy. 


Now pour half the curd on these circles,when they are covered well in the curd. Take the remaining 8 circles and pile one on each circle that is covered in curd.


Now pour the remaining curd on these rounds. They should be covered well in the curd.


When you are  ready to serve,sprinkle some bhuna hua jeera(roasted & ground cumin) along with chaat masala and some red pepper. Now pour the sounth and sprinkle some patla sev. 

For those of you who like it spicy,you can choose to add the coriander & mint chutney. 


These measurements are approximate and altering them to your taste is perfectly alright & a matter of personal choice.


8 bread slices will yield 4 plates with two bread dahi bhallas on each plate. You can take more bread and increase the quantity for curd and other ingredients.


Enjoy this super quick sweet& savory bread Dahi Bhallas & wish I everyone a very Happy & joyous Diwali :)!!!!

Khaas seekh/Best combination of cottage cheese and minced chicken

I have so far tried various seekh/skewers but this one looked like a piece of art when I looked at the pictures on sanjeev kapoor's recipes. I was a little reluctant to try these as they looked very time consuming,and I had quite a lot of cooking to do for the over due gathering in my house. The adage- A picture is worth a  thousand words definitely  applied here & it was hard to turn this recipe down,the fact that I had all the ingredients made it a little  less cumbersome to start with :) I hope the pictures I have taken for this will do justice to this mouth watering Khaas seekh that I finally did prepare and realized that they were not as time consuming as I initially thought they would be. These have hands down become my favorite seekh now and I will be doing these more often as they are delicious and are ready in 20 minutes once you thread them onto the skewers :) These were a instant hit and everyone kept asking for more and they were  all over in a jiffy:)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
cooking Time: 20 minutes
serves: 4
This is a sanjeev Kapoor recipe and I have for the first time I think made no changes:)

Ingredients:
Cottage Cheese: 1 cup
Minced Chicken: 600 gms
Green Cardamom powder: 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 1 tbsp
Mint leaves chopped: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
egg: 1
White pepper powder: 1 tsp
Olive Oil: To baste
Chaat Masala: 1 tsp
satay sticks

Method:
Soak the satay stick in the water for some time. preheat oven to 425 d degree f on mark 7 Take  the paneer in a bowl and add half the cardamom powder,half the garam masala powder,mint leaves and mash with your hands. Take  a portion of this mixture and press it around the satay stick till it is a thin layer.

Press the ends firmly.Now take the minced chicken in another bowl and break an egg and mix in this along with salt,remaining cardamom powder,white pepper powder & garam masala powder and mix well along with salt. Now  take a portion of this mix and spread it over the paneer mixture. You can keep the prepared sticks in the refrigerator for some time before you bake them in the oven.

Stick these in the pre heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes basting them with oil in between till they are done. Serve them with mint and cilantro chutney as hor 'dourves or enjoy them for a meal with naan :)

Chicken 65

I want to share some very interesting material I found for chicken 65 on Wiki. I always wondered about where the dish got its name chicken 65,since a numerical name for a dish is quite unusual . I am so amused at how the dishes get their names (most of the time) This makes the dish even more interesting for me. So here is what I found on Wiki ;


While the name "Chicken 65" is universally used to refer to the dish, there are many different stories for how the name came about.^[1] It is generally acknowledged that no one knows which (if any) of these anecdotal theories are true:

• The 65 represents the 65 separate ingredients in the chicken
• The first price of this dish was 65 rupees.
• Weight of each piece is 65 gm.
• The 65 in the Chicken 65 represents the year it was introduced by the famous hotel in Chennai called "BUHARI". Hence the name "Chicken 65". They also serve Chicken 78, Chicken 82, Chicken 90 which are all introduced in those years. The number 65 is variously said to be the number of days taken to prepare the marinade or the year of the dish's creation. (However, 65 days of marination would mean that the chicken would start to decompose or if it was frozen then it would lose its taste and freshness). One account claims that the dish emerged as a simple meal solution for Indian soldiers in 1965. Others accounts claim that an enterprising hotelier targeted macho diners with a 65-chilli recipe and named the dish accordingly. It is also told that the name Chicken 65 is evolved from the age of the chicken used to prepare this dish. The original recipe called for Chicken 65 was prepared using chickens which were 65 days or roughly over 2 months old. Since this is a bar-snack, young and tender fried chicken goes as a good starter with wine. (Skeptics of this origin argue that typically a young tender chicken is just 25-35 days old and not 65 days. At 65 days the chicken would be old and fat.)
• The name Chicken 65 relates to the number of pieces the whole chicken is cut up into before cooking. (However, it has been suggested humorously that cutting a whole chicken into 65 pieces would make it a Minced Chicken and not chicken 65.)
• Another interesting story about the origin of the name stems from Indian Army soldiers from the northern states of India who were posted in Madras (now Chennai) would go out to the city for leisure. One of the restaurants popular with the soldiers had its menus in the local language. As a consequence the non locals who couldn't read the menu could not say names but would indicate their choice by referring to the number of the entree in the menu (in this case, the recipe correlated to the number 65) when placing their orders. It is said that the popularity of this dish spread amongst the soldiers when one tried, liked it and told his fellow service men about it. They were simply told to go get item 65 which soon was called simply as Chicken 65 and in time this became its official name for the entree.

         To begin with,my recipe does not have 65 ingredients :(  nevertheless it does taste very authentic and I
         made this for Diwali and served it as an appetizer,trust me -It just flew off the table in a matter of
        seconds . I have not deep fried the chicken . You have that option,I prefer not to,as I realized that
        this not make the dish taste any different,try it for yourself .

Serves : 7 as appetizer
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

  Ingredients:
  Chicken : 1 pound cut into 1 inch pieces (boneless)
  Tomato Ketchup: 10 tbsp
  Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp
  Salt: to taste
 Yogurt: 1/2 cup
 Oil: 10 tbsp
 Mustard seed : 1 tsp for seasoning ( do not grind these)
 Black peppercorn: 1 tbsp
 Coriander Seeds: 2 tbsp
 Rice powder: 2 tbsp or rice grains
 red chilli whole: 2 or kashmiri chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric: tip of the tsp
Curry leaves: dried or fresh 20 in number
Ginger: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tsp

 

         Method:
    Take all the dry spices roast them and grind them to a powder and marinate the chicken in this along with yogurt,curry leaves,lime and 4 tbsp of oil  for an hour.

Now take a kadai and heat oil ,add mustard seeds ,when they start to splutter add the marinated  chicken pieces  and fry them in two batches,till the chicken is cooked and the masala clings to the chicken and you see the oil on the edges of the kadai. The Chicken 65 is ready to be enjoyed as a snack /appetizer or a side dish .

Dahi Bhalla

I have not yet come across an Indian who does not dote on Chaat.

Dahi Bhallas,sevpuri dahipuri,samosas,bhel ,aloo tikki,chaat Papri  all are classified under the family of chaat which  is essentially a street food of India. The trend is changing with hygiene becoming the primary concern of one and all . Now people enjoy chaat in the luxury and comfort of five stars and top notch restaurants. You might still find some very authentic chaat walas still selling chaat the old traditional way from the carts and you will find them using Aquafina in place of tap water and mostly they will wear gloves.I wonder if they ever  discard the gloves after every use or continue with one pair ;)

North of India has some very popular chaat places. The one that instantly comes to my mind is," The Chaat " in Kanpur/India. It started as a very tiny place/shack but while we were there in the year 1999 it had already taken over a large space . What I distinctly remember is they would start to sell the chaat at 4 in the evening and by 8 in the night they were completely sold out. I used to love The Chaat's dahi bhallas, they would just melt in your mouth and the curd was beaten so well and had just the right amount of sweetness.Their dahi bhalla was fried with a cashew and a raisin in the centre. It is so funny,I would  quickly  take big bites to  get to the centre to check if by any chance they had failed to fry it with the cashew & the raisin,but they never did. This recipe I will share with my readers is inspired by ,"The Chaat".

Ingredients:
Urad Dhuli Hui/ Split black Gram hulled(washed): 1 cup
Curd: 3 cups
Sugar: 3 tbsp
cashews: 10 in number
Salt: 1/4 of  a tsp
Ajwain/carom seeds: 1/4 tsp
Fruit salt/Eno : 1/4 tsp
juice of lemon: 1 tsp
Oil: to deep fry in a pan

garnish: 1/4 tsp roasted jeera powder,1/4 tsp chaat masala,2 tbsp patla sev, 3 tbsp tamarind date chutney

Method:
Soak the daal for 5 -6 hours. Grind the daal to a fine paste with very little water, about 2 tbsp. Add salt,ajwain/carom,fruit salt/eno,lemon juice and run the mixer for a couple minutes more. Transfer the contents from the mixer to a bowl.

Take a frying pan and heat the oil,make golf sized balls with a cashew in the centre and fry them till golden brown. remove from the pan and put them in a big bowl with warm water. let them sit in the water till they are soft to the touch. Remove from water and press between the palms to remove excess water. Arrange them on a plate.

Take  the curd and beat till smooth and creamy.Add sugar and mix well. Pour this on the dahi Bhalla's. Then garnish the dahi bhalla's with chaat masala,roasted cumin powder and patla sev and top it with tamarind date chutney. Refrigerate for some time. Enjoy with family & friends.They are sure to be a hit.Mine just fly away from the table just seconds after I put them on the table :)

Bhalla's frying in the pan

remove from water & press them

Add curd and garnish

Batter

Bhalla's in soaking in the water

Macher Chops/Tuna Chops

Fish Chops/Macher Chops

Ingredients For Macher Chops:
Tuna Canned: 2 cans of 7 OZ each of Chunk Light Tuna
Onions: 1 medium sized chopped very fine
Garlic & Ginger : 1 tbsp each
Green chili: 2 chopped very fine
Grated Nutmeg: A pinch
salt : 1 tsp
Garam Masala: 8-10 peppercorns,3-4 cloves, green cardamoms 2-4,Cinnamon Stick 1 inch. Roast all these and pound them or grind in a coffee grinder.
Egg: 1 small sized egg
Bread crumbs: 1 small bowl 

Method:

Take the tuna out of the can and discard the water and take the fish in a mixing bowl.
Add all the above ingredients and mix them well with a spoon or use hands.
Make golf sized balls and flatten them a little between your palms and coat them with bread crumbs.

You have two options:

Healthy : You can shallow fry these on a griddle.
Deep frying: You can deep fry them .

Note: I have tried both and I prefer the shallow fried ones.they taste equally good,so I avoid the deep frying. I serve them with green chutney or tamarind date chutney.

Macher Chops with Khichdi & tomato Chutney

Tuna Mixture for Macher Chops/Fish chops

Macher Chop/Tuna Fish Chop

I was barely 8 and had already lived in 4 cities. Now the mole on the sole of my foot makes complete sense, I vividly remember lying on a jute mat in my neighbor's veranda in Kota/Rajasthan, my mom relaxing on the same mat and our neighbor auntie sitting right across from me with my feet just an arm's length from her gaze and she went for my right foot out of the blue and said," you will never stay too long in one place" and she pointed out to the mole on my foot to my mom. I wonder if it had anything do with the mole on my foot but whatever Laddah auntie said, did turn out to be true.

My dad probably changed cities because I had a mole on my foot. The funny part is my husband moved cities even more than my father did , because he has a mole on his foot too and even funnier is the fact that our daughter has a mole on her foot as well. So in a nutshell you can nickname us,"mole-on-the-foot-family" We have finally spent the longest time in this country so I guess the mole's effectiveness is wearing off :) I am looking at my mole and reminiscing about my first move after marriage.

 I was carrying and in my 7th month, we move to Haldia/West Bengal. My husband switched jobs. Our house was set up on these beautiful 4 acres along with 22 other houses of people who were working for the same company as my husband, so basically it was a small community set-up with 22 houses, a badminton court and a club house for official parties. That was all  to Haldia apart from 1 main grocery store where we could shop for some decent groceries and a thatched roof hut which sold fresh vegetables.

 

 A market called," Babur Bazaar" which was a narrow lane and was lined with huts/shops on both ends of the street. I ventured bravely with my local help to Babur bazaar to shop for some quaint knick knacks.

There were cycle rickshaws going to and fro (very common in west Bengal then) and the Rickshaw wala shouting in Bengali and calling out to prospective." savari's .The languid and disinterested shop owners who have just emerged from their afternoon siesta’s are basically involved in small talk  and suddenly there was  a big commotion. Someone nearby just got tramped by the cycle rickshaw's wheel, there was a array of onlookers who instantly got involved in animated arguments and the languid shop owners suddenly sprang to life. The scene had changed in a matter of seconds and then there were party slogans apparently the man who was hit turned out to be some union leader and lo and behold, the boring street with people generally frittering aimlessly now had a aim.

 I was now witnessing a maddening frenzy which was being translated to me by my help who was a local and could speak a little Hindi, the language I understood. I gestured Rita that we need to hurry back to our 4 acre cocoon. She caught hold of my hand and made her way through the crowd and got us both out.

So this was a very tiny glimpse of my first impression of Haldia. My very first move after marriage ,and my first trip to makhan Babur bazaar :)

 Yet-Haldia holds a very special place in my heart because with very little or nothing to do outside the colony,we developed some very strong bonds within the colony.There was a established Ladies club apart from the formal & informal parties we had very frequently. The club ,was a meeting venue for everyone to share and learn new skills viz: cooking,baking,crafts gardening & so on. In fact I did pick up most of my cooking & baking skills in Haldia.

 Thanks to all the ladies who were married longer than I was and were much more experienced at cooking. They shared their skills with the rest who were just starting a married life. I owe it all to them :)

I tried some of the most authentic egg rolls - each for Rupee 1 ( about 2 cents) sold on carts in makhan Babur bazaar and also tuna fish chops/Macher Chops at Bhai Bhai  a small shop which would prepare these fresh and sell them in the evenings, also for Re 1

Time & again I craved for these and then I recently met our friend’s mother who is from West Bengal and she happily fed us macher chop and also shared her recipe with me.


I dedicate this recipe to all my friends from Haldia.
And thanks  to my dear readers for taking this walk down the memory lane with meJ

Tilapia Grilled

This is an excellent and super quick preparation. Tastes great with cocktails/drinks and also as a side dish with some lentil soup/daal. I will sometimes do a lentil soup/Daal , grilled tilapia and plain rice for a meal

Ingredients:
Tilapia: 1 pound
Hung curd: 1/2 cup
A tbsp of ginger paste
A tbsp of garlic paste
Garam Masala :1/4 tsp
paprika : 1/2 tsp
Salt acc: to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method :

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and marinate the fish in this. Leave it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit . Take a baking tray, line it with aluminium foil, brush it with oil and spread the fish on it and stick it in the oven for 7-10 minutes on the broil setting. Tilapia does not take very long to cook. Cut a piece with a fork or knife ,the inside should be white and not pale pink,if it is not white leave it to broil for a couple minutes more and voila !!! You are ready to savour this  yummy fish :) Serve it on a bed of lettuce leaves .

Note: If I am in a tearing hurry and I don't find the time or ingredients handy then I will use the Shan chicken tandoori BBQ mix for marination. You do not need ginger& garlic if you are using this. Just add 2 tsp of  shan chicken tandoori BBQ , depending on the amount of spice your taste buds can handle,along with curd. Eliminate the salt ,lime and ginger garlic. The mix has all of these. Marinate it for 2 hours and follow the above method for grilling.

P.S I stick to the shaan mix. So I cannot talk for the other brands.I know there are plenty brands available in the market. BTW this mix has artificial food colors ,the preparation you see in the picture is made with shan chicken BBQ mix.