STRAWBERRY CUSTARD PUDDING

This is the most delicious and heavenly pudding that I have made today for dessert. I love strawberry, as a fruit, but never liked the flavor of strawberry in food, hence some twist here. Do try this 3 step easy recipe, I bet you are going to love this.

Ingredients

1. Strawberry custard powder - 3 tsp
2. Milk - 2 cup
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup
4. Cornflour - 2 tsp
5. Coconut dust 

Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients (except coconut dust) in a mixing bowl. Give a good mix, there should not be any lumps. 

2. Boil till it gets thick. Grease a glassware tray and sprinkle some coconut dust in the tray. Then add the custard in this tray in even form and sprinkle some more coconut dust. Keep it in the refrigerator and let it cool for 3 hours. 

3. Cut into pieces and serve chilled.You can garnish with some pistachios or other dry fruits also.

CHAL POTOL - BONG CUISINE

Chal potol is a delicious Bengali traditional vegetarian dish where Potol (Pointed gourd or parwal) is cooked in aromatic gobindobhog chal and garnished with raisins and cashews. It is basically the vegetarian version of Muri Ghonto. This is a perfect dish for Pujo or any special occassion in Bengali homes, where your entire meal is supposed to be pure veg, a simple NO to onion and garlic. I remember my Pishimoni (Paternal aunty) used to modify this Niramish Muri ghonto with fulkopi (cauliflower) and aloo, and everything cooked be her turned out to be very delicious. My mom used to cook very yummy "Chal Potol". I tried this after a long time today, remembering both of theme, knowing that none of them are here to taste it and pat on my back saying "Bah, darun hoyeche toh", but cooking this recipe made me realise again how lucky we are to have such great talent in our family. This dish is totally dedicated to my Maa & Pishimoni.

Ingredients :

1. Potol / Pointed gourd - 500 gram
2. Potatoes - 2-3 
3. Tomato - 1 big 
4. Gobindobhog rice - 1/2 cup
5. Cashew nuts - 1 tsp
6. Raisins - 1 tsp
7. Vegetable oil - 1 tsp
8. Mustard oil - 2 tsp
9. Dry red chilli - 2
10. Bay leaves - 2
11. Cardamom - 2
12. Cloves - 2
13. Cinnamon - 1 inch
14. Cumin seedds - 1/2 tsp
15. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
16. Ghee - 1 tbsp
17. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
18. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
19. Turmeric - 1/2 ts
20. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per taste
21. Salt to taste
22. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
23. Green chillies - 2 piece
24. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Process :

1. To start with, rinse the rice and spread it over a colander to air dry completely. Wash and peel potol in alternating strips, and have halve each one vertically. Cut the potatoes in cubes and tomatoes and dice, clit the chillies and set aside the ready ingredients.

2. In a bowl, add ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and mix them well adding 2 tsp water and keep aside.

3. In a frying pan, heat 1 tsp vegetable oil, add cashew and raisins and fry them gently on low flame, and then add dried rice to this pan and continue frying until the rice is translucent. Remove from the oil once done, and keep aside for later use.

4. In the same pan, add mustard oil and heat it until it starts to smoke gently and turns pale yellow, now add the potol pieces adding a pinch of salt and fry them on medium flame for 4-5 minutes until well browned. Remove from oil and set aside once done.

5. Now, add little more mustard oil in the same pan, add dry red chilli, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds and cloves and saute for 2 minutes. Add potatoes and fry until potatoes starts changing colors. Now add the spice slurry we kept aside before. Add salt and saute for 2 minutes. Cover and let it cook until the oil separates from the spices. Add little water whenever the pan dries out and continue cooking. 

6. Add sugar, green slit chillies and tomatoes and stir well. Once the tomatoes have softened, add the fried cashews, raising and rice. Mix everything nicely, cover and let it cook until the rice is about 90% done. Then add the fried potols and continue cooking until both potol are rice are done, here you need to take extra care that they dont turn mushy. Add only little water at a time, just enough to cook the potol and rice well.

7. Once done, add garam masala powder and spoonful of ghee. Turn off the flame and cover for 2 more minutes. 

Serve hot with steamed rice. I have made Ghee-bhat with some veggies to serve with this Chal Potol.

CRISPY CHILLI GOBI

Chilli Gobi (cauliflower)  is a hugely popular Chinese dish. It is very crunchy and full of flavor snack that you cannot resist. This is a favorite snack in all the age groups. Here is the three step simple yet delicious recipe. 

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower - 1 medium size
2. Cornflour - 3 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Soy sauce - 2 tsp
5. Tomato ketchup - 2 tsp
6. Chilli sauce - 1 tsp
7. Pepper - 1/2 tsp
8. Oil - for frying
9. Onion - 1 (finely chopped) 
10. Ginger & Garlic (finely chopped) - 1 tsp
11. White sesame - 1 tsp
12. Honey - 1 tsp
13. Spring onions - 1 tsp (finely chopped)

Process:

1. Cut the cauliflower into single flower pieces and boil them adding a pinch of salt for 10 minutes. Drain water and spread them evenly in a kitchen towel, let the moisture go away. In a bowl, add 1/2 tsp cornflour and mix the boiled cauliflowers. Deep fry them until they are crispy golden brown. Keep aside.
2. In a bowl, mix water and corn flour and keep aside. 
3. Heat 2 tsp oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add chopped ginger garlic to it, once the garlic is light brown and fragrant, add onions and saute for 5 minute, then add soy sauce, chilli sauce, honey, tomato ketchup and mix well. Add spring onions and the corn flour mix to this sauce. Keep stirring on medium heat for one minute.
4. Now add the crispy fried cauliflowers into the sauce, mix well and remove from the flame. Garnish with some more white sesame and spring onions or chopped coriander leaves.

EGGLESS SPONGE CAKE

We do not need an occasion to eat cake. Since I have started baking cake in Kadhai and every time it turns out so fluffy I am actually in love with this experimental journey. Today I have tried egg-less sponge cake and it turned out not only fluffy but yummy too. Here is the recipe, if you do not have a microwave at home, no worries, you can still bake a cake in kadhai. 

Ingredients :

1. Whole wheat flour - 1 cup 

2. Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Baking soda - 1 tsp

4. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

5. Milk - as required to make the batter

6. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

7. Oil - 1 tsp (for greasing)

Process :

1. In a mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, atta, baking soda and baking powder and mix everything together. Add vanilla essence and gently pour milk to get the mixture into a batter consistency. It should not be very thin but should be of pouring consistency.

2. Once the batter is ready, pour this in the cake tray.

3. Heat the heavy bottom kadhai for 10 minutes and then place a steel stand (optional) inside the kadhai and place the cake tray. If you do not have a steel stand, you can directly place the cake tray in the kadhai. If you want to add fry fruits, sprinkle them at the top of the cake and cover with a lid.

4. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, after 15 minutes you can check by putting a knife inside the cake, if the knife comes out clean, means the cake is done, else you can cook for another 5 minutes and re-check.

5. Let it cool down to room temperature and then remove from the cake tray. The sponge cake is ready and can be serves with some topping or icing, if you wish to.

ALOO JEERA

Aloo jeera is one of the easiest dishes to prepare when there is a lack of time, it is a flavorful and delicious dish of potatoes and cumin seeds, hardly takes time to cook. This is so easy that a beginner can also try.

Ingredients :

1. Potatoes - 2 big
2. Jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Ghee - 2 tsp
4. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp (optional)
6. Green chilli - 1-2
7. Salt as per taste
8. Hing - a pinch (optional)
9. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Amchur powder or Lemon juice 
12. Fresh Coriander leaves - for garnishing (optional)

Process:

1. Boil the potatoes until cooked and not mushy. You can cut the potatoes into cubes and then boil also. I have boiled them first and then cut into cubes. 

2. Add ghee in a hot pan, add jeera and fry on a low heat until they smell good. Add green chilli and ginger paste and give a good stir. Both chilli and ginger is optional, you can skip them. Fry them until a nice aroma comes out. Add salt and hing (you can skip hing also if you dont link it. 

3. Reduce the flame to low and add chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and mix well. Sprinkle amchur powder and add 1 or 2 tsp water and mix well ensuring the spices do not burn.

4. Once the spice powder blends well with water and thickens, add potatoes and toss them gently. Cover and cook with low flame for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt is required. Remove from flame.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves if you want to, or add some lemon juice. Aloo Jeera is ready to serve. You can have them as a snack, or with Dal rice or with Roti. 

DHOKA'R DALNA

This is a typical Bengali Niramish (Pure Veg without onion and garlic) recipe. Dhoka'r Dalna is a part of famous Bengali cuisine. A delicious Bengali treat you can say. Dhoka is fried dal cakes, some uses chholar dal, some uses masoor dal to make this cake / dhoka. The word "Dhoka" means "Betrayal", so this dish is common on days when families eat a vegetarian fare, and trick themselves  into believing the masoor / chholar dal cake, made flavourful with spices, coconut, peanuts etc, is actually meat. Sounds funny though, but this is an absolutely delicious dish. This is cooked for guests or on special occasions. A thick gravy of cumin seeds, hing, bay leaf along with ginger, chilli paste and some potatoes. This is best served with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

1. Chana dal - 1 cup

2. Bay leaf - 2

3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

4. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

5. Ginger powder or paste - 2 tsp

6. Salt - 1/2 tsp

7. Ghee - 2 tsp

8. Potato - 1 (cut into cubes)

9. Hing (asafoetida) - 1 tsp

10. Cumin powder - 2 tsp

11. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

12. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

13. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

14. Mustard oil - 4-5 tsp

15. Grated coconut - 2 tsp

16. Peanuts - 1 tsp (Roasted  and chopped)

Process:

1. Soak chholar dal in water for 4-5 hours or overnight. Strain and grind the dal with salt sugar green chillies and little water.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add grated coconut and fry it for few seconds on low flame and add ginger paste, cumin powder, turmeric powder and hing. Give a good stir and fry until the raw smell of the spices goes away. Add ground chholar dal and chopped peanuts. Continue cooking the dal. Keep on scraping the bottom of the pan continuously to prevent sticking. Once the mixture changes color and gathers in dough-like ball, transfer it to a flat greased surface.

3. Spread them in the surface and while the dal is still hot, cut into large diamond shaped pieces (these pieces are known as Dhokas). In a frying pan add little oil and on medium heat fry these dhokas until evenly brown. Remove from heat once done, and keep aside.

4. In the same pan, once the dhokas are done, add potato cubes and fry them using little salt and turmeric powder till golden brown. Keep aside till we prepare the gravy.

5. In a deep frying pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, hing, bay leaf and saute for 2 minutes. Now add salt, sugar, ginger and chilli paste and half cup of water. Saute them till oil separates from spices. Now add the fried potatos and 2 cups of water. When the potatoes are almost boiled, add the dhokas and cook it for 5 minutes in medium flame.

6. Add ghee, garam masala powder and cook for 2 more minutes. Dhoka'r dalna is ready to serve. Serve with steamed rice.

EGG MALAI CURRY

Egg Malai curry is a low spice egg curry in a creamy gravy. The easiest dish you can cook in no time. Bengali delicacy in which hard boiled eggs are cooked in a creamy milk based gravy. This is very rich and mild curry which goes best with plain steamed rice or roti. This is a kid friendly dish as very less spices are used. If you love egg, this is a must try. Here is the easy recipe you can enjoy.

Ingredients :

1. Hard boiled eggs - 4 
2. Onion -2 (roughly chopped)
3. Green chillies - 2-3 (as per taste)
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
6. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
7. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander leaves - finely chopped (for garnishing)
9. Milk - 1 cup
10. Salt to taste
11. Oil / ghee - 3 tsp
12. Cream - 2 tsp

Process:

1. In a frying pan, add oil/ghee (whichever you are using, I have used ghee) and add onions, green chillies, ginger garlic paste and mix well in low flame. Stir it often for around 15 minutes till the paste changes its color. 

2. In a separate pan add little oil and fry the eggs. No need to make them golden brown, just little bit of fry. (You can just add the boiled eggs also in the gravy, without frying them) 

2. Add all the powder spices in the masala gravy and give it a good stir. Once we see a nice aroma is coming out, add milk and salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. 

3. Now add the boiled and fried eggs (you can cut some eggs into halves also, and keep some as whole). Add fresh cream and finely chopped coriander. You can use dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi) also.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

DAL MAKHANI

The rich and creamy aroma of Dal Makhani is the most beautiful thing int he world, especially for foodies. I am not saying this is an authentic or restaurant style dal makhani, because, trust me every restaurant has its own version. This north Indian dish goes very well with Rice or Paratha. I tried this with green moong dal and rajma and turned out yummy. Here is the easy recipe, do try at home and share your views in the comment section.

Ingredients:

1. Green moong dal - 1 cup

2. Rajma - 1/4 cup

3. Butter - 100 gram (half cup)

4. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

5. Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

6. Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tbsp

7. Garlic - 1 tsp (chopped)

8. Salt to taste

9. Fresh tomato puree - 1/2 cup

10. Onion paste - 1/2 cup

11. Fresh cream - 1/2 cup

12. Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tsp

13. Dry red chilli - 1 

14. Bay leaf - 1

15. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

16. Ghee - 1/2 tsp

17. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Process:

1. Soak the dal and rajma together for at least 4-5 hours or overnight. Then scrub and wash it clean. Add 4 cups of water and boil in a pressure cooker till dal splits and becomes thick.

2. Cut tomatoes and puree them. Cut onions and make a smooth paste. 

3. In a pan, add butter and saute ginger garlic paste for 2 minutes. Add kashmiri red chilli powder, bay leaf, dried red chilli and stir nicely. Add tomato puree and onion paste and give a good stir, let the tomatoes cook till they turn very thick.

4. Add this fried masala / tadka to dal along with some water and salt and turmeric powder. Cook the dal for 30 minutes. 

5. In a separate pan, heat oil and add chopped garlic. Let the garlic turn to brown, and add straight to the boiling dal. Add some more butter along with fresh coriander leaves and ghee. Add garam masala powder and cream. 

6. Remove from heat and serve hot with Paratha or Rice.

MANGO SABUDANA PUDDING

Calm your cravings with Mango Sabudana Pudding. This easy-to-make pudding evokes nostalgia for summers in every bite. Try this easy recipe at home. I am sure not only the bongs, but many people have tried this dessert at least once. With Mangoes running out of season, get your hands on the last couple of them and relish this amazing pudding.

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana / tapioca - 1 cup
2. Milk - 2 cup
3. Sugar - 1/4 cup
4. Saffron - a pinch
5. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Mangoes - 3 ripe mangoes (peeled)

Process:

1. Make puree from two mangoes, and the third one, just peel, chop and refrigerate.

2. Rinse the sabudana and soak in water to 30-40 minutes. After soaking, rinse them once more, strain and add to a heavy bottomed pan. Pour 3 cup boiling water and cook the sabudana on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until it turns translucent (remember, the center should still be white). Remove from heat, strain and discard the liquid.

3. Again add the strained sabudana to the pan along with the milk, sugar and saffron. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until the pudding starts to thicken. Add the cardamom powder and continue to cook until the pudding gets creamy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. Once the pudding is cool down, add mango puree, cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve topped with the chopped mangoes and other fruits or nuts of your choice (optional).

MURI GHONTO

Muri Ghonto is a traditional Bengali food which is prepared from ages in Bengali houses. Normally, in a Bong house a whole fish comes from the market to get cook. Bengalis have a special soft corner for fishes and for them it is very important to utilize each part of the fish to prepare luscious dishes. This is the reason behind having so many delicious fish head recipes in Bengali cuisine. Muri ghonto is a very simple and easy recipe and it required very common ingredients to get prepared. Most of the ceremonies like marriage or annaprashan are incomplete without Muri Ghonto.

Ingredients:

1. Rohu or Katla fish head (Macher matha) - cut into pieces.
2. Gobindo bhog rice - 1/2 cup
3. Potatoes - 2 (cut into chunks)
4. Bay leaves - 2
5. Cardamoms - 3-4
6. Dry red chilli - 1
7. Cinnamon stick - 1
8. Cloves - 2-3
9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
12. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
13. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
14. Ghee - 1 tsp
15. Salt to taste
16. Mustard oil for cooking

Process:

1. To start with, marinate the fish head pieces with turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder. After 10 minutes, deep fry them in mustard oil.
2. For Muri Ghonto, potatoes are very important ingredients. Deep fry potato chunks separately with some salt and turmeric powder and keep aside on  a separate plate.
3. In the same pan, after frying potatoes, add whole spices - cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, dry red chillies for tempering and let them crackle. Add the rice and give a nice mix. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder into the pan and mix them thoroughly. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes in medium flame.
4. Now add fried potato chunks into the pan along with powder spices - cumin powder, coriander powder and give a nice mix. Add broken fish head pieces and mix it well. Stir nicely and let it cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add 1 cup of water and cover the pan putting it on high flame until the water simmers. Then add garam masala powder and cook till the rice is done, flame should be low now. You can add extra water if required. Once the rice is done, add ghee and give it a good mix. Serve hot with steamed rice.

RAW MANGO DAL

Raw mango dal is a dish of yellow lentils cooked with raw mango pieces. The tanginess of raw mangoes gives a delicious flavor to the lentils. And if you love "Tok-dal" then its going to hit your favorite list. During this time every Bengali family has raw mangoes in their house. You can serve it with any of your favorite rice recipe, goes well with steamed rice. Here is the recipe for the same. 

I have cooked with red lentils, you can use Arhar dal also for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Red lentils or Masoor dal - 1/3 cup
2. Green raw mango small size - 1
3. Panchphoron (Indian five spice blend) - 1/2 tsp
4. Red dried chilli - 1
5. Bay leaf - 1 (optional)
6. Mustard oil - 2 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Sugar - 2 tsp (or as per your taste)

Process:

1. Pressure cook the red lentils with water and salt till they are soft.
2. Peel and chop the mangoes in small cubes or slices. Check the tanginess, as every mango has different level of sour taste, so if it is too sour then hold some of it back from the recipe or you can add little more sugar.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add panchphoron, bay leaf and red chilli. Let the aroma come out, and after that add the mango pieces and fry it by adding turmeric powder and sugar.
4. Once they turn golden, add the cooked lentils. Stir by adding some water if required. Taste the sugar, it should balance the sharp tang of the mango but should not make the dal sweet. Also, check the seasoning and add salt if required.
5. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, till the mango pieces become soft and tender. Serve hot with steamed rice.

CHOCOLATE CHIA SEED PUDDING

Upon discovering you could use chia seeds to make creamy, dreamy pudding for your breakfast, I am just in love with it, and became my favorite breakfast during this Covid-19 pandemic. Anyone can make this easy breakfast, plus its so healthy. Make this at night for breakfast or a mid-day meal, or prepare it in the morning for a simple desert. You can make chocolate chia pudding in many ways, below are two of them I tried out with.

Ingredients:

1. Chia seeds - 1/2 cup

2. Maple syrup or honey - 3-5 tsp

3. Milk - 1 cup

4. Cocoa powder 1/4 cup

Process 1 :

In a mixing bowl add chia seeds, maple syrup or honey, milk and whisk until a paste forms. Divide the mixture in two bowl. One bowl you can cover and refrigerate overnight. In the other bowl add cocoa powder and whisk properly. Now cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you can present these two different mixtures by layering in a single glass and decorate with some crashed chocolates or any desired toppings like fruits of your choice or whipped cream.

Process 2 :

In a mixing bowl add cocoa powder and maple syrup or honey and whisk to combine. Then add milk and whisk until a paste forms. Add chia seeds and whisk until smooth. Then over and refrigerate overnight until its achieved a pudding like consistency. Before serving, add your desired toppings,you can use any fruits of your choice, nuts, choco chips, crushed cudbury or freshly whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE CAKE - EGGLESS

This is my all time favorite cake. I love chocolate cake. Tried for the first time to bake an egg-less chocolate cake at home, in kadhai. This recipe has sugar moist crumb yet light texture. Once you try and get to eat such a nice cake at home, this will soon be your favorite too. You can also prepare chocolate layer cake, once your chocolate cake is baked, you can cut the cake into layers, pour more chocolate sauce one after one, and finally cover the whole cake with chocolate cream or chocolate sauce. Mine one is not a layered cake, its a simple and easy chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

1. Supar - 1 cup

2. Maida - 1 and half cup

3. Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup

4. Baking powder - 1 tsp

5. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

6. Curd - 1 cup (you can also use eggs, if you want to)

7. Milk - 1/2 cup

8. Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

9. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp (optional)

10. Water - Lukewarm 1 cup

Process:

1. Grease the cake tray, Dust with flour evenly and set aside.

2. Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently mix until everything is combined well. Add lukewarm water if the batter is very thick.

3. Once the batter is ready, pour this in the cake tray.

4. Heat the heavy bottom kadhai for 10 minutes and then place a steel stand (optional) inside the kadhai and place the cake tray. If you do not have a steel stand, you can directly place the cake tray in the kadhai. If you want to add fry fruits, sprinkle them at the top of the cake and cover with a lid.

5. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, after 15 minutes you can check by putting a knife inside the cake, if the knife comes out clean, means the cake is done, else you can cook for another 5 minutes and re-check.

Your home made chocolate cake is ready to serve. You can garnish it as you like. Also you can do plating with chocolate sauce and some colorful fruit pieces of your choice and if available at home.

Do share your experience after baking this cake.

Happy Baking.

CARROT CAKE

Most of the carrot cakes are egg less cakes. My recipe of carrot cake contains carrots mixed into the batter of simple sponge cake with eggs. This is my third experiment in baking a cake in Kadhai and this is soft and tasty. I have used eggs and all the other ingredients used in a sponge cake, additional ingredient is just grated carrot. Unlike the other cakes, carrot cake is heavy and not fluffy. I just loved the cake.

Ingredients :

1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Baking powder - 1 tsp
4. Butter - 1/2 cup
5. Milk (boiled and cold) - 1/2 cup
6. Eggs - 2 
8. Salt - pinch of
9. Grated carrot - 1/2 cup

Process :

1. Grease the cake tray. Dust with flour evenly and set aside.
2. Pour milk and suger in a mixing bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Gently mix until the flour is combined well. Start adding eggs one by one and keep mixing. Finally add the grated carrots and mix well (Remember : Do not mix too long after adding carrots)
3. Once the batter is ready, pour this in the cake tray.
4. Heat the heavy bottom kadai for 10 minutes and then place a steel stand (optional) inside the kadai and place the cake tray. If you do not have a steel stand, you can directly place cake tray in the kadhai. Sprinkle dry fruits in the top and cover with a lid.
5. Let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 minutes you can check by putting a knife side the cake, if the knife comes out clean, means the cake is done, else you can cook for another 5 minutes. 

Your Carrot cake is ready to serve. You can garnish it with some more grated carrots and chocolate sauce, if you like to have chocolate in everything, like i do. 

Do share your experience while trying this cake.
Happy Baking. 

MALAI MUTTON

The most essential part of a well-balanced diet is food. And If you have ample time to spend in the kitchen, you can do many experiments. Here is my experiment with Mutton this weekend. The best combo to serve with Malai Mutton is paratha or roti, though we had with Egg fried rice. The outcome of this curry recipe is a silky smooth tender dish which is super yummy. 

Ingredients:

1. Mutton - 300 gram

2. Lemon juice - 2 tsp

3. Curd - 1/2 cup

4. Malai / cream - 3 tsp

5. Elaichi (green) powder - 1 tsp

6. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

7. Garam masala - 1 tsp

8. Coriander leaves (fresh) - for garnishing

9. Salt to taste

10. Onion - 2 (paste)

11. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

12. Oil - 2 tsp

Process:

1. Marinate mutton pieces with lemon juice and salt and keep aside for 2 hours. After that add curd, ginger garlic paste, elaichi powder and and again keep aside for 4-5 hours. (If you are planning for lunch menu, you can leave the marination overnight also).

2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add jeera. When splutters, add the marinated mutton, cover and simmer until tender.

3. Meanwhile in a separate pan, add 1/2 tsp oil, and add onion paste, ginger garlic paste and garam masala, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, and add this masala paste to the mutton pa. Mix well and let it cook til the mutton is tender.

4. Once done, add fresh cream to the gravy and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

DAHI VADA || DAHI BHALLA

Dahi Vada is the most loved street snack of India, particularly North India. Can be served as a chilled snack or a starter during festival season like Diwali or Navratri. I have seen people eating a lot during Navratri. This quintessential street food from the by lanes of Delhi will get you hooked. I love Dahi vada so much and hence here is my experimental recipe for the same. Try your hands on making these delicious and fluffy vada's drizzled with sweetened curd, tangy tamarind chutneys and chat masala.

Ingredients:

For Dahi Vada:

1. Urad dal - 200 gram (soaked over night or 3-4 hours)

2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

3. Salt to taste

4. OIl (for frying)

For Dahi Mix:

1. Dahi - 2 cup

2. Chat masala - 1 tsp

3. Sugar -2 tsp (powdered)

4. Salt - a pinch

For chutneys

1. Tamarind chutney (sweet and tangy) - Check the recipe in my blog 

2. Green chutney - (spicy and tangy) - Check the recipe in my blog 

For Garnishing

1. Sev - 1 tsp (Optional)

2. Pomegranate - 1 tsp (Optional) 

Process:

1. For preparing the vada's, put the soaked urad daal with a pinch of salt in the grinder and grind well. Whisk the batter till it becomes light and fluffy. Add cumin seeds and your batter is ready. You can also add finely chopped curry leaves and green chilies, this is totally optional.

2. With wet palms add small portions of batter into hot oil and deep fry till golden brown.

3. Now soak the vada's in lukewarm water as soon as they are fried. Soak for about 10 minutes. The vada's will soak up the water, double in size and become super soft. Take each vada and gently press in between of your palms to remove excess water. Do this for all the vada's that you plan to add to dahi mix right away. 

3. Whisk dahi with some powdered sugar and a pinch of salt and keep it in the fridge to cool.

4. Place the soft vada's in a bowl, pour the dahi over them so that all the vada's are covered. Spread both tamarind and green chutney over them and sprinkle some chat masala. You can garnish the plate with Sev and pomegranate (if available). 

Try this awesome and super tasty Dahi Vada's at home and share your feedback.

SABUDANA VADA

Sabudana vada is a popular crisp fried snack made with tapioca pearls (sago). It's a popular Maharashtrian snack that is eaten not only as a tea time snack but also as a fasting.  It is served with sweet yogurt. I keep on seeing people in my office used to have this as "a whole day meal" when they are fasting, and was always wondering "Fast me log khana kyun khate hai". Being a bong, I have always observed this in my family, we do not eat anything while fasting. Different people follow different cultures.

But these Sabudana vada are not too shabby, nothing too fancy and super easy to make, all you need to do is soak the sabudana overnight in water. Here is my recipe after my first experiment with these yummy vada's.  

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana (Tapioca pearls or sagu)- 1/2 cup (soaked over night)

2. Potato - 2 (boiled & mashed)

3. Salt to taste

4. Peanuts 1/4 cup (you can also skip this if not available)

5. Green chilli - 1 (finely chopped)

6. Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tsp (finely chopped)

7. Lemon juice - 1 tsp (optional)

8. Flour - 1 tsp (optional)

9. Cumin or Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Process:

1. To start with, if you are using peanuts, roast them until golden and aromatic in a frying pan and let them cool completely. Then grind to a coarse powder. Keep aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together soaked sabudana, boiled and mashed potatoes, peanuts, green chillies, salt, cumin or fennel seeds (whichever you are using) and coriander leaves. Add lemon juice (optional) and mix them well.

2. Make small balls and then slightly flatten to make the vada. Do not make them too thin as they may break.

3. Heat oil in a pan and start frying them on medium flame, once they are golden and crisp, remove the flame.

4. Serve hot with sweet curd or any chutney of your choice.