Chicken Rezala

Chicken Rezala is an authentic bengali chicken curry in white gravy, this is very popular and beloved dish in Bengal.This royal dish is simply magical with its delicious aroma, texture and lip-smacking taste. The chicken is slow-cooked in a white cashew nut gravy with a blend of aromatic spices which lend a divine flavour to this dish. It has a perfect blend of sweetness and sourness in a mildly spiced gravy makes it just delectable with chapati or biriyani.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken : Half kg

Cashew & Poppy seeds paste - half cup

Curd - half cup

Onion Paste - 1 cup

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chili -2-3

Whole garam masala 

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Ghre or Oil

PROCESS:

1. Make a smooth paste with cashew and poppy seeds in a spice grinder and keep aside to use later.
2. Marinate the chicken pieces with onion paste, ginger and garlic paste, curd, salt and keep aside for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour take a nonstick pan and heat ghee and oil together.
4. After one hour of marination, take a non stick pan, heat ghee or oil (whichever you are using). Add the whole spices till the fragrance comes from the spices and add marinated chicken along with the marination. cover the pan and let it look for 20-25 mins on medium heat.
5. After 20-25 min, open the lid and add the cashew and poppy seed paste, sugar, stir properly so that the paste get mix with the chicken, add the lid and let it cook for another 15-12 minutes.
6. Then open the lid and let it boil till the gravy becomes creamy in texture. Serve with hot plain rice or roti.

PALAK EGG CURRY

This is a recipe I want to eat every day, inspired by Palak Paneer, a rich, addictive Indian dish made with any number of greens, usually spinach, smudged with spices, and dotted with paneer. I have taken the idea, choosing eggs over paneer. This egg curry recipe is wholesome, nutritious and finger-licking good. You can also add fresh cream to change the color of the gravy or to garnish.

Do you need more reason to cook this?

Ingredients:

For palak paste:

1. Palak / Spinach - 1 bunch
2. Water - 2 cup
3. Ginger - 1 inch
4. Garlic 1 clove
5. Green chilli - 2-3
Other ingredients:

1. Oil - 3 tsp
2. Egg - 4
3. Butter - 1 tsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Cinnamon - 1 stick
6. Cloves - 3
7. Cardamom - 2 pod
8. Bay leaf - 1
9. Onion - 1 finely chopped
10. Tomato - 1 finely chopped
11. Water - 1/2 cup
12. Salt to taste
13. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Cream - 1 tsp (optional)

Process:

1. Take all the ingredients for making the palak paste and blend to smooth paste without adding water.
2. In a frying pan, heat oil and fry the boiled eggs, you can also use them without frying as per your choice. Fry them till golden and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, heat oil and butter and roast the spices till it turns aromatic. Add onion and saute till it turns golden brown. Additionally, add tomato and saute till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. 
4. Now add the prepared palak paste, little water and salt. Mix well adjusting the consistency as required.
5. Add fried eggs and mix well, simmer for 5 minutes. Add garam masala powder before turning off the gas. Garnish with fresh cream.

Serve hot Palak Egg curry with roti or naan.

Try it now and share your feedback

Chicken Dak Bungalow

Chicken Dak Bungalow curry is a Bengali cuisine, sadly, is a near forgotten culinary treasure that survives a few remaining khansama families and Anglo Indian household.

Very honestly, I didn't have any idea of this recipe before I saw one of my Friend cooking this. And it turned out to an yummy one. I have collected some information about this dish from here and there and did some minimum variations of his recipe but the result was absolutely heavenly.

INGREDIENTS 

Chicken- 1 kg

Boiled eggs- 3

Potatoes- 2

Onions- 3

Cinnamon- 1 inch long stick

Cloves- 5

Green cardamom- 3

Bay leaf- 2

Black cardamom- 2

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Chili powder- 1 tsp

Kashmiri chili powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Curd- 5 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Ginger garlic paste- 3 tsp

Green Chili paste- 2 tsp

Mustard oil- 6 tbsp

Green chilies slit- 5

PROCESS 

• Marinate the boiled egg and potatoes in turmeric powder and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes and shallow fry them in 2 tbsp oil.
• Meanwhile fry one onion till brown and make a paste of it with curd. Set this paste aside or refrigerate it till you use it.
• Make paste out of the second onion and marinate the chicken with the onion paste, salt, green chili paste and ginger and garlic paste.
• Marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Heat mustard oil in a pan if you are using kachi gani heat till it emanates fumes and only then continue cooking.
• Add cumin seeds and all the whole spices cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves) and saute them for a minute or two.
• Add chopped onion and saute till the onion is translucent. Now add the marinated chicken along with the curd-onion paste, spice powders and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add a little water if you want thicker gravy. I have this curry with rotis so I don't add much water. Besides the chicken releases sufficient water to form a gravy.
• Once the chicken has cooked add the fried boiled eggs and potatoes and simmer the curry for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with slit green chilies and the curry is ready. Serve with Steamed Rice. 

PANEER KORMA - A true luxury

A Favorite with the vegetarians, this product made from milk is quire common, especially in the Indian subcontinent. You can make it fresh, chhena - another version (home made     paneer) or just use the ones that are easily available in market and is no longer considered an exotic ingredient.readily available in the market. 

INGREDIENTS

Onions - 4 medium
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Cashews/peanuts - 12-14 (for paste)
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Carrots - 1/2 cup
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1/2 cup
Fresh Paneer - 200g
Chopped cashew nut - 4-6
Almonds chopped - 4-5
Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder  - 1/4 tsp
Raisins (optional)
Cardamoms, Cloves & Cinnamon stick - 2 each
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

PROCESS

1. Blanch the onions, cashews and peanuts.  Add a green chillies and blend to a paste.

2. Make a fine paste of this without adding water.

3. Steam potatoes, beans and other vegetables for 10-12 mins, they should not turn mushy.

4. Add oil in frying pan and heat up, saute bay leaf, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves for 1 min. and then add ginger paste.

5. Add onion and nut paste and fry until the paste begins to leave the sides of the pan.

6. Add a pinch of turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, jeera powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Usually no red chilli powder is added to this recipe and the heat comes from green chillies, but it adds color to this recipe.

7. Add salt and saute until the paste begins to leave the oil. Add water to bring it to a consistency.

8. Bring to boil and add all veggies, stir and cook for 2-3 mins.

10. Reduce the flame to low, add cream and stir. Add paneer and chopped almonds, cashews and raisins (optional)

11. Cover and cook on a very low heat just for 1 -2 mins. Over cooking can make the paneer hard. Switch off the flame and add coriander leaves. 

12. Transfer Paneer Korma to a serving bowl and garnish with some more roasted cashew nuts and fresh cream.

KAJU PANEER - A Fragrant and Rich recipe

Move aside Health and Low calorie food  for this return for good deserves a celebratory menu. Paneer (Cottage Cheese) and Cashew nuts cooked into  a delicious gravy with Indian spices and fresh Cream.

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Paneer (sliced into equal pieces) - 50 gram

Onion (Paste) - 1

Kaju (Cashew nut) - 1 bowl (paste)

Fresh cream  - 1 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom-Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp

Salt - To taste

Sugar - A pinch 

Green Cardamom - 3-5 

Cinnamon - 1 small stick

PROCESS:

• Heat ghee in a pan and add whole garam masala (Cardamom-Cinnamon, Green Cardamom, Cinnamon stick) and let the aroma come.
• Add Green chilli, pinch of sugar and salt, add ginger paste, onion paste, and turmeric powder, saute well and add cashew nut paste, and a cup of milk, let it cook in low flame. Add a spoon full of kasuri methi, jeera and garam masala powder. Add paneer pieces.  Cook another 5-7 mins in low flame. Add ghee once this is ready.

MUSHROOM STIR-FRY

Mushrooms are  fat free, natural sources of Vitamin D and a valuable source of fiber. Over the years, mushrooms have gained popularity in Indian Cooking as it is easily available in market and is no longer considered an exotic ingredient.

INGREDIENTS:

Button Mushrooms (Thinly Sliced) - 12-14

Onion (Thinly Sliced) - 1

Tomato (Julienne) - 1

Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt & Pepper- To taste

PROCESS:

1. It is important to clean the mushrooms before cooking. Use a wet cloth or wet tissue paper to wipe them nicely. Then thinly slice them.

2. Take a Wok or Kadhai with big surface area. This will help in spreading them out which will make the moisture from the mushrooms evaporate quickly. Add 1 thinly sliced onion to heated 2 tbsp oil and sauté till the onion turns translucent.

3. Add julienne of 1 tomato to it. Stir well.

4. Now add the mushrooms and sauté it for a while.

5. Now add the vinegar and soya sauce one after the other and mix well.

6. Add salt and black pepper to taste and stir for a while. It is important to add salt at the end and not in the beginning because it will quickly take out all the juices resulting in chewy mushrooms.  

7. Its done. Serve hot! You can also have it with any Chinese dish of your choice.

CHOCO BISCOTI

Choco Biscoti is a dessert that I came up with during my school days. This is a unique combination of simple ingredients which will be an instant hit among kids and adults will love it too.

Ingredients: 

Marie Gold Biscuits - 12 or more 

Fresh Milk - 1 cup

Butter - 200g

Cocoa Powder - 4 tsp

Sugar - 1 cup

Process: 

1.  Take two bowls. Add sugar and butter in one bowl. Next, add sugar, butter and          cocoa powder in another. Mix them well and keep aside.

2.  Now we dip one biscuit in the milk. Be careful not to dip it for too long.

 3.  Next, we spread the chocolate mixture in one side of the biscuit.

4.  Keep another biscuit above the mixture as shown in the picture.

5.  Now we spread the butter mixture on top of this biscuit.

6.  Put another biscuit on top of this biscuit as shown in the picture.

 7.  We repeat the same process and create layers of chocolate mix and butter mix 
     one after the other.

      

 8. Now spread the rest of the chocolate mix thoroughly over the biscuit roll as shown     in the picture.

  9. When its done, wrap the roll in aluminium foil.

  10. Refrigerate for 40-45 min.

  11. Take it out of the refrigerator and unwrap the foil.

  12. Slice them and spread on a plate.

  13.  Sprinkle some sugar or castor sugar to garnish and serve chilled. Enjoy!

MALAI PANEER

Malai Paneer is a paneer curry prepared in a fresh milk cream based rich and spicy gravy where almond and cashew nut pieces brings in rich texture. Its a very easy recipes with paneer to have a delicious quick Indian dinner / lunch.

Ingredients: 

Paneer – 500g (cut into thick fingers)

Tomato puree – 2 tsp

Onion –  1 (sliced )

Onion paste – 1 cup

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Kaju - 1 tsp

Kismis (Raisin) - 1 tsp

Almond - 1 tsp

Cardamom-Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp

Fresh cream – ½ cup

Fresh coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Process:

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add cumin seeds and cardamom-cinnamon and let it    fry till it spreads nice aroma.

2. Add sliced almonds and onion in the pan and let it fry.

3. Add turmeric powder and salt.

4. Let all the spices get fried for 2-3 minutes and then add tomato puree and ginger garlic paste to the pan and saute well.

5. Add little water, mix well and cook for 5 minute, and add kaju and kismis.

6. Now add paneer into the gravy and cook for another 5 min covering with a lid.
Finally add cream and mix well. 

7. Add chopped coriander leaves to garnish once your Malai Paneer is ready.