Stuffed Mushrooms..!!

Stuffed items are always my favorites. It’s time to share with u, my recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms..

I first tasted this dish in an Italian restaurant..&  I just loved it…J Mushrooms are great source of Vitamin D. This is a great vegetarian dish(with onion & garlic) and for strict vegetarians, the onion & garlic part can be skipped. There are a lot of varieties in stuffing..but I used this simple and easy  one. Hope each one of u will love this..:)

Here goes the recipe…

Ingredients:

White button mushrooms– 10 pcs ; 1 small sized onion (finely chopped) ; 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped) ; Garlic powder ; grated Parmesan cheese ; Cream cheese spread ; Sliced Swiss cheese ; olive oil .

I used medium sized mushrooms, but it’s better to use bigger ones.

Procedure:

1)Pop out the stems from the mushrooms &  peel off the skin from the mushroom pods. Wash them & pat them dry.

2)Take a frying skillet & heat 1 tsp of olive oil  in it. Now add the chopped onions & garlic into it.  Sauté them in high flame. Add a pinch of salt. As the onion turns golden brown in colour, add 2 & 1/2 tsp of cream cheese into it. Mix the cheese nicely & turn off the gas & pour the mixture in a dish.

3)Now in the same frying skillet, heat 1 more tsp of olive oil & add  1 tsp of garlic powder into it. As it starts to sizzle, lightly fry the mushrooms & keep aside. Allow them to cool.

5)Cut the Swiss cheese slices according to the size of the diameter of the mushrooms.

4)Now it’s time for stuffing. Take each of the mushrooms & to its concave(hollow) side-  add 1 teaspoon of the onion & cream cheese mix ,then sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over it. Finally cover the top with Swiss cheese slices. Repeat this step for all the mushrooms.

5)Take a baking tray & place an aluminum foil in it. Sprinkle few drops of olive oil over it. ( You can also use any  oil spray). Put  the stuffed mushrooms  in the tray. Be sure not to place the mushrooms very close to each other. Maintain a gap between them.

6)Preheat the oven to  375 degree Fahrenheit  & bake the mushrooms for 10 -12 mins.( Mushrooms will leave water from them.)

7)Serve the  stuffed mushrooms, sprinkling pepper powder or tandoori masala powder from top..!! J

!! Kadai Paneer !!

I’m sharing with u the recipe of Kadai Paneer..It is a very well known vegetarian dish..I followed the recipe of Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. With all due respect to him, I’ve tried to add some more flavors to the dish from my kitchen..  You can also try the same recipe with chicken & it will also be as yummy as this one. So, do give it a try very soon.. Hope u all will love it….:)

 Ingredients :

Paneer (cottage cheese) cut into cubes- 200 gms ; Whole garam masala(cinnamon-2 ,cardamom- 4 , cloves-4) ; bay leaf -2 ; dried red chilies – 2(broken) ;  1 large sized onion sliced; Garlic paste – 2 tsp ; ginger paste -2 tsp ;  1 small capsicum (green bell pepper ) cut into squares ;  1 tomato chopped  ; turmeric powder -1/2 tsp ; red chili powder – 1 tsp ; half crushed coriander seeds- ½ tsp ; Cumin powder – 1 tsp ; coriander powder – 1 tsp ; Cilantro chopped -3 tsp ; mustard oil -2 tsp ; ghee -1 tsp. Salt -as per taste.

Dry roast black pepper corns (1 tsp) & coriander seeds (1 tsp)- crush them coarsely.

Procedure:

• Heat mustard oil (2 tsp) & ghee (1 tsp) in a kadai. Add bay leaves, whole garam masala, dried red chilies, half crushed coriander seeds(1/2 tsp) and fry for a while.
• Add the sliced onions and fry them till they turn brown and then one by one add garlic paste, ginger paste and sauté them until oil leaves the mixture.
• Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder  along with the chopped tomatoes and capsicum. Allow it to cook in high flame.
• As the oil leaves the mixture, add the masala(crushed peppercorns & coriander seeds). Then its time to add the paneer or the cottage cheese. Mix it well with the gravy. Add required amount of salt along with the chopped cilantro.
• Add half a cup of water and cover it with a lid. Let it cook in simmer for 5 min or so..

• Now serve this spicy Kadai Paneer with roti or naan…J 

!! Nolen Gur-er (Date Palm Jaggery) Sandesh..!!

I’m a  hard core fan of sweets. So,this time I tried to make one of my favorite items. This will be the first dessert item for my blog.I know there is rarely anyone who will think twice before giving the first bite into a Sandesh..This one is very popular all over Bengal & no wedding dinner is complete withot a sandesh served at last..I know ,that the recipe is known by most of you;yet I could not resist myself from sharing the recipe with you..& I got super excited , after having them, straight from my kitchen.. Njoy..J

Ingredients:

Whole milk – 1 lt ; Lime juice- 1 lime ; Powdered sugar – ¼ tsp ; Date palm jaggery / nolen gur – 2 and 1/2tsp ; Raisins- a handfull.

Procedure :

Bring milk to boil in a heavy bottomed pan . As the milk starts to boil , add the lime juice and mix.Stir the milk until clear whey separates from the cheese or chhena  formed.

Pour this in a clean cheese cloth or muslin cloth and wash it under running water so that the smell of the lime goes away.

Tightly tie both the ends of the cheese cloth & allow all the remaining water to drain (by just hanging it from your kitchen tap). Leave it like this for about 40 mins.

Now take the chhena (packed inside the cheese cloth)  on an inverted plate and press it down heavily with a weight (I used the mortar & pestle from my kitchen) and again keep it, for say 30 mins.

Take all the chena (cottage cheese)into a flat palte and knead it smooth with the heel of your palms for 3 mins.Add the powdered sugar into it And again knead it for a few minutes so that all the sugar melts with the chena.

Now add the jaggery ( or gur) and again knead smoothly for a couple of minutes.

Finally take a non stick pan and pour the above mix. Cookk for atleast 3 mins in very low flame. Do not overcook, if you want a soft , smooth texture.

Then moisten your palms with a drop of ghee and make small tapered balls.

( You can give desired shapes to your sandesh, by using design moulds.)

I gave a simple shape to my homemade Sandesh-es..& topped each of them with a raisin each..

Wait for 20 min and  have your first bite…& enjoy..:)

Homemade Fish Fingers..

Hii..friends..another tempting evening snack is ready for u..This time I picked up a very crispy snack item made of fish.. For all the fish lovers out there ,I’ve tried to bring out a very easy recipe. You can make this anytime at home.. & this can be a fabulous starter item for welcoming guests..So, here I go with my recipe of “Homemade Fish Fingers”.. I’ve made this out of Tilapia fillets..  You can try it with  any boneless fish fillets..:)

Ingredients:

Fish fillets (cut into thin strips-1 inch thick) ; onion & garlic paste ; ginger paste ; cumin powder ; coriander powder ;  garam masala powder ; cilantro leaves  chopped ; green chilies chopped ; lemon juice ; black pepper powder ; salt
For frying :- Bread crumbs ; Besan ( gram flour ) ; white oil.

Procedure:

 1)Take a bowl & marinate the fish slices  into it.

 2)Marination: To the fish slices one by one add 4 tsp of onion-garlic paste ; 1 tsp ginger paste ; 1 tsp each of cumin powder ; coriander powder ; garam masala powder ; then add chopped cliantro & green chilies into it. Now sprinkle salt and pepper powder over it. Last but not the least, mix all the above ingredients with the fish slices & add 2-3 tsp of lime juice into it.

3)Keep this marination covered for 1 hour.

4)Now take a flat dish and mix equal amount of besan & bread crumbs . Add a pinch of salt into it. Mix this very well.(It must be dry)

5)Now take each of the marinated fish strips & roll it over the dry mixture(step 4) very evenly & keep it in another clean dish. Repeat this process with the other ones too.

 6)Heat  enough oil in a frying pan. As the fish slices get well coated , take each of the slices and deep- fry till they turn brown..

7)Serve it with salad & kasundi..& ..enjoy it over a hot cup of tea..:)

Shorshe Doi Begun(Brinjal)..!!

 Shorshe Doi Begun is a pure vegetarian dish..It is mainly a preparation out of  brinjal or eggpalnts cooked in a muddy gravy comprising  mustard paste & curd..Brinjal is widely used all over  India & many dishes r tried & tasted over it. Owing to its vivid nature it is often called the “king of vegetables .”  Not only in India,  many other  countries also  include Brinjals into their cuisine..

This  is my own experimental  dish with Brinjals..It is indeed a good recipe & easy too..Just need to grab brinjals from your  store & rest of the ingredients are already there in your kitchen shelves..:)

Ingredients:

Medium sized  brinjal (eggplants); paste  ;  mustard seeds ; poppy seeds ; green chilies –slitted from middle ; beaten yogurt – 3 tsp ; kalonji ( kala jeera) seeds ; turmeric powder; salt .

Make a smooth paste with mustard seeds , poppy seeds (in the ratio 1:1) along with  a green chili.

 Procedure:

1)Cut the brinjals into round shapes. Coat them with a pinch of salt & turmeric. Take a kadai or frying pan and heat mustard oil in it..

2)As the oil gets heated up fry the brinjals till golden..and keep aside.

3)To the same oil add ½ tsp of kalonji seeds and two slitted green chilies. As they start to splatter ,lower the heat and add the mustard + poppy seeds paste  to it. Stir the mix continuously blending with the oil.

4)Now add a pinch of turmeric  and mix well. Then add 2 -3 tsp of beaten yogurt. Go on stirring in medium heat..As oil starts to leave the mixture add salt & sugar as per taste..

5)To dilute the gravy add ½ cup of water & allow the gravy to boil cover it with a lid.

6)After 3 min open the lid &  be sure of a muddy gravy. Now its time to add the fried brinjals.

7)Never  stir the gravy after adding thebrinjals..Keep it in flame for a min or so..& then turn off the heat..

8)Sprinkle mustard oil on top & serve with rice..:)

Chingri (Prawn) Posto Malaikari..!!

Chingri(Prawn) Posto Malaikari..is a dish purely from Bengal..The name Malaikari always comes after chingri for all Bengalis..but this time I tried this very popular dish with a change in spices..& the main thing is that I added posto(poppy seeds) to it..I followed this recipe from a tv show..& I liked it very much . I enhanced the recipe by adding some of my own tricks &  tried it a lot of times..u can also try this out & surprise everyone @ lunch..:)

Ingredients :

Fresh jumbo prawns (head intact) -10 nos ; onion(2 med sized) paste ; garlic(8 med sized cloves) paste ; 1 tsp of ginger paste ; poppy seeds paste ; green chilies paste ; beaten  yogurt  2 tsp ; coconut milk ; garam masala powder ; turmeric powder ; bay leaves & whole garam masala   ; salt ; sugar ; mustard oil ; ghee.

Procedure :

1)Clean the prawns nicely & coat them with salt & turmeric powder.

2)Take a frying pan & heat mustard oil in it. Now fry the prawns in it.(Don’t fry too much)  Take the fried prawns in a bowl.

3)Extract juices from the pastes of onion, garlic , ginger.

4)Now we need to marinate the fried prawns with the above juices (extracted from onion, garlic, ginger pastes in step 3). Next add poppy seeds paste, green chili paste, 2 tsp of beaten yogurt, whole garam masala, salt & ghee to the marination. Cover the marinated fried prawns & keep aside for sometime.

5)Now start heating the remaining oil in the same pan with pinch of sugar & as it caramelizes..then add bay leaves(2 nos.) & just over the bay leaves (not directly into the fry pan) add 1 &1/2 tsp of garam masala powder.

6)Now add the marinated prawns along with the marinade.Cover the frying pan with a lid & allow it to get cooked for 5 min in low –medium heat. As the gravy thickens add coconut milk into it. Check out for salt & sugar as per ur taste…

7)Stir the gravy  for 2 mins  & turn off the gas..

8)Serve this delicious Chingri Posto Malaikari with hot steamed rice..:)

[  Note :- U can sprinkle coconut flakes on top before serving. If u want to avoid green chili paste, u can add whole green chilies into the marination .Don’t fry the prawns too much or they will get stiffened]

!! Butter-y Chicken !!

H

appy New Year to all my friends..!!! Something or the other keeps me busy..& if I’m not wrong then my beloved friends awaits for my new recipes…but very sorry for that…the time I prepare new dishes..its only for u all to try it once lyk me…but then I get entangled in all other works without posting them for u…L Now I bring u an authentic Punjabi delicacy..”Butter Chicken”…I learnt this dish from a show..& then as usual I made it with some renovations..& believe me it came out awesome..The first time we dipped the naan into the gravy..& on a bite..it got melted in mouth..& wow..!!it’s just what I wanted..& I was pretty surprised that I myself made it…
So, here’s the recipe for u..do try it out..hope u’ll love it..

I termed it  Butter-y Chicken.. 

Ingredients

Boneless chicken ; onion ; garlic ; ginger ( make a paste out of ginger & garlic) ; tomato ; green chilies ; cumin seeds ; coriander powder ;  yogurt ; fresh cream ; kasuuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) ;   cashews ; kashmiri red chili powder ;tandoori masala powder;  yellow / orange food colour ; garam masala powder ; vegetable oil ; butter ; salt ; sugar

How to make

1)Marinate boneless chicken pieces with ginger garlic paste, salt, 1 tsp of tandoori masala powder..Then take the chicken pieces fry them in oil..Or..  U can also tandoor the chicken pieces in skewers for 20 min at 400 F .(for browning u can broil for 5 min also)&  then keep aside.

2)To the oil in skillet one by one add cumin seeds, sliced onion , ginger garlic paste , chopped tomato , green chilies, cashews , coriander powder .Sauté them well and as they turn golden brown add water into it. Cover it & let it cook for 5 min or so.

3)Now take the hot gravy & blend it in ur blender..to make a smooth gravy out of it.

4)In the same skillet add 2 tsp of butter & melt it. Add the blended mixture into it along with the chicken pieces( fried or baked before).

5)Now in medium heat we need to add salt, sugar, beaten yogurt (1 Tsp), food color ( just a pinch), garam masala powder & ½ tsp of kashmiri red chilli powder.As the chicken gets tender add whipped fresh cream to the gravy mix well.

6)Cover ur skillet allow to cook in simmer for 3 min..The gravy will be silky & smooth..not too thick..Crush kasuri methi leaves and sprinkle all over..Turn off the gas.

7)Let the  taste  of kasuri methi merge into the gravy & serve it hot with Naan …or kulcha..:)

The taste will be little sweeter …U can also avoid  yogurt to prevent extra sourness..