SWEET POTATO CHAAT

A very quick and simple chat recipe using sweet potatoes. 

Ingredients 

• Sweet potatoes - 2 boiled and peeled
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Onions - 1 finely chopped
• Green chillies - as per taste 
• Salt - half tsp
• Chaat masala - 1 tsp
• Curd - 2 tsp
• Tamarind chutney - 1 tsp
• Pomegranate - half tsp
• Nylon sev - half tsp
• Coriander leaves 

Process

1. Boil, peel and cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces. 

2. In a pan, add butter and fry the potatoes till golden and crisp.

3. In a bowl add the fried potatoes and add onions, chillies, salt, chat masala and coriander, mix well.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl and add curd, tamarind chutney at the top. Garnish with pomegranate, sev and coriander. Enjoy.

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

GUJIYA

Gujiya is not merely a Holi treat but a year-round affair. We Bengalis make the same dish with a different name as "Chandrappuli '' and different stuffing (kheer or coconut jaggery stuffing) during Makar Sankranti. My mom used to give a very professional shape to these traditional Gujiya / Chandrapuli, I have learnt from her, though not as perfect as her. 

This Holi, I tried making these with maya stuffing and they turned out delicious though. I have use Gluten Free Baking Flour from Nuttyyogi 

Ingredients for making the dough:

Gluten free Baking flour - two cups

Ghee - half cup

Lukewarm water - as required to make the dough 

For the stuffing:

Mawa / Khoya - one cup

Desiccated coconut - half cup

Chopped nuts - one tsp

Raisin - one tsp

Sugar - half cup (or as per taste)

Cardamom powder - half tsp

Oil / Ghee - for frying 

Edible silver vark and saffron - for garnishing (optional) 

Process :

1. In a bowl take 2 cups of flour and add half cup of ghee. Rub and mix the ghee with the flours, with your fingertips to form a bread crumb like texture.

2. Add half a cup of water in parts and begin to knead. The amount of water needed will depend on the quality and texture of flour. Knead the dough until it is firm and tight. Cover with a moist kitchen napkin and set aside for 30 minutes.

3. Add 1 cup crumbled or grated khoya in a frying pan. Stir the khoya continuously on a low heat. Cook the khoya until it begins to gather around itself. Add coconut, chopped nuts and raisins, give a good mix. Switch off the heat and add powdered sugar and cardamom powder. I have used powdered sugar as it makes the mixing easier. Mix everything well and keep the stuffing aside. Check the taste and add more powdered sugar if you prefer.

4. Divide the dough into small parts and roll each part in your palms to form a ball. Roll each ball with the rolling pin to a small circle having 4 to 5 inches diameter as shown in the recipe reel. 

5. Place about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the prepared khoya filling inside, keeping the edges empty. And give the share on the edges as shown in the reel. 

6. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Add a small piece of the dough into the oil. If the dough comes up steadily and briskly, the oil is ready. Gently slid the gujia in oil. Just add a few pieces and don’t overcrowd, depending on the size of the pan, you can fry 3 to 4 gujiya at a time. Turn them over carefully and fry the other side. Deep fry them till they have become golden, turning over as needed.

7. Place the fried gujiya on kitchen paper tissues. Fry all the prepared gujiya in batches. Once they are cooled completely, garnish them with silver vark, few saffron strands. You can dip these gujiya in sugar syrup also. We have enjoyed the dry versions, and not the sugar syrup one.

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Tomato Chutney with Rava uttapam

This Rava uttapam recipe is from my bestie Harshali. I had these yummy breakfast at her place once and became a fan of this platter. Tried following her recipe. 

Ingredients for  Tomato Chutney

👉Cheery tomatoes

👉Garlic cloves

👉Dry tamarind

👉Kashmiri dry red chilli 

👉Salt

👉Coconut slices

In a pan, add oil, garlic cloves, Kashmiri dry red chilli , salt as per taste and cherry tomatoes. Sauté for few minutes. Now add dry tamarind (socked in water for 10 minutes) and coconut slices. Cook in low flame for 3- 4 minutes. Tomato chutney is ready. 

Ingredients for tempering the chutney
👉Oil - 1 tsp
👉Hing - 1/2 spoon
👉Dry red chillies - 1
👉Cumin and Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon
👉Curry leaves - 5-6

Heat oil to a pan, once warm add hing, cumin and mustard seeds; once they crackle add red chillies and curry leaves. Serve tomato chutney in a bowl and top with this tempering while serving.

Ingredients for Uttapam

👉Rava / Suji - 2 cups

👉Salt as per taste

👉Yogurt - one cup

👉Water - as required

👉Chopped onions (optional)

1. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and mix properly. Let it rest for 20 minutes. 

2. Grease tawa with oil and pour the uttapam batter. Fry both the sides until little crispy. 

Serve hot with Tomato chutney. 

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

MYSORE PAK

Mysore Pak is an easy-to-make sweet delicacy, which can be prepared very easily at home. This traditional recipe has a wonderful melt-in-mouth texture, which makes it great for special occasions and festivals . 

Ingredients:

Besan (chickpea flour) - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 cup

Sugar - 2 cup

Baking soda - 1 pinch

Water

Process:

1. Add 1 cup of ghee to a pan and heat it over medium flame. Once the ghee is sufficiently hot, add gram flour in it and roast it for a few minutes. Make sure that you roast the gram flour properly so that the raw smell goes away.

2. In another pan, boil the sugar with water till it reaches one string consistency. When the sugar syrup is prepared, add the fried gram flour in it and stir well till it thickens. Heat the remaining ghee and gently add the gram flour mixture. Keep stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. When the ghee starts to rise up from the sides and begins to separate, add the cooking soda.

3. Stir and pour into a greased plate. Gently spread the mixture and allow it to cool. Before it hardens fully, slice into desired shapes. 

MEETHE CHAWAL || ZARDA PULAO

Meethe Chawal as it is popularly known in Northern States of India (Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab). A delicious rice preparation in Desi Ghee, colored with turmeric, flavored with spices like saffron, cardamom, with lots of nuts. The dish has a lot of variation within the Indian Subcontinent.  

Ingredients

• Basmati rice (soaked) – 1 cup
• Turmeric – ½ tsp
• Ghee – 3tbsp
• Cinnamon – 1small stick
• Cardamom – 4=5
• Cloves – 4-5
• Coconut (dry, sliced) – handful
• Raisins – handful
• Almond (chopped) – handful
• Cashew nut (chopped) – handful
• Pistachio (chopped) – handful
• Milk – 1cup
• Saffron – a pinch
• Sugar – 1cup
• Rose water - 2 spoon
• Pomegranate (for garnishing - optional)

Process

1. Soak basmati rice for about 30 min. Boil 2 cups of water and add ½ tsp turmeric into it (if you have saffron, you can use that instead of turmeric powder) Drain the soaked rice and carefully pour into the boiling water and cook the rice over medium heat. Once the rice is 80% cooked, drain the rice and keep aside on a strainer. 

2. Take a new heavy bottomed pan, heat over medium flame. Add ghee to the vessel once it's hot. Once the ghee melts. Add in the whole spices (bay leaf, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and the dried coconut. Stir for about 2 minutes and add in the chopped almonds, pistachio, cashew nuts and raisins. Roast this for about 1 min until the nutty flavor develops.

3. Add in the milk and saffron. Boil until the saffron releases its color and sweet smell. Now, add in the sugar and rose water. Stir until everything mixes well. Add in the rice and carefully mix the milk in the rice. 

4. Cover the vessel with a lid and cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Transfer the rice to the serving platter and serve hot. Garnish with some pomegranate while serving.

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

MANGO KULFI🤗

The thick and creamy mango kulfi recipe is very easy to make and required only a few ingredients which are mostly available at home No condensed milk or cream is used for this, but still, this turned out very delicious. Do try this and share your feedback. 

Ingredients

1. Mango puree - 1 big mango
2. Full fat milk - 3 cups
3. Sugar - half cup
4. Saffron strands / kesar - few
5. Pistachio / chopped nuts (optional)

Process

1. In a heavy bottom pan add full fat milk and let it simmer on low flame for 20-30 minutes, let it reduce to half.

2. Add sugar and mix well.

3. Make puree of one big sized mango and keep aside

4. Take the saffron strands and add in some milk (cold milk, do not mix in hot milk directly) 

5. Add the saffron mix to the boiling milk and let it become more thicker. Turn the flame off once the mixture gets thicker.

6. Let it cool down completely. Then add the mango puree and chopped dry fruits. 

7. Pour in the mango kulfi mixture in the mould, cover and insert the ice cream sticks and let it refrigerate for 8-10 hours. 

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Matar Makhana

Makhana are puffed lotus seeds. They are a popular food to eat during fasting. They are filled with carbohydrase, fiber, iron, zinc and many other nutrients. Makhana is quite popular in India and can be used in many recipes. I have tried Matar Makhana, which is a delicious rich curry filled with the goodness of makhana and green peas. Roasted makhana made in a thick curry of tomatoes, ginger and aromatic spices. This is a perfect one for a quick meal and pure vegetarian option. You can use onion or garlic as per your choice. Goes well with paratha or chapati. 

Ingredients

1. Ghee - 2 tsp
2. Makhana (Foxnuts) 2 cup
3. Green peas - 1 cup
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Tomato - 2 big (chopped)
6. Ginger - 2 inch 
7. Green chillies - 2-3 
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt - as per taste
11. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Half cup water
13. Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)

Process

1. In a pan heat 1 tsp ghee and add makhana and roast them for 5-6 minutes until they are light golden. Once done keep aside.

2. Make a fine paste of chopped tomatoes, ginger and green chillies.

3. Add ghee in the same pan and add cumin seeds and turmeric powder, saute for 2 seconds and add tomato puree and other powder spices. Saute for 2 minutes and add green peas. 

4. Once the peas are cooked and ghee starts leaving the pan add little bit of water and cook for one more minute, check if the peas is done properly. At this stage, add the roasted makhana and garnish with some freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with paratha or chapati. 

Carrot Beetroot Halwa

I have tried beetroot halwa separately last year, this time thought how about mixing both carrot and beetroot and make halwa the same way we prepare gajar or beetroot halwa! And trust me, it was amazingly delicious. A perfect treat for all the dessert lover. 

Ingredients:  

1. Beetroot - grated one cup
2. Carrot - grated one cup
3. Milk (Full cream) - 1 cup
4. Cardamom - 2-3 
5. Bay leaf - 1
6. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

7. Sugar - 1 cup

8. Pistachios - 1/2 tsp
9. Ghee - for cooking 

10. Khoya / Mawa - 1/2 cup

Process:     

1. Wash the carrots and beetroots thoroughly under running water, peel and grate them. 

2. In a frying pan / kadhai, add ghee and add cardamom pods and bay leaf. Add grated carrot and beetroots. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

3. Once the carrot beetroot mixture starts spreading a nice aroma, add milk and let it boil, by covering with a lid, on low flame. Cook until the milk completely evaporates. Add sugar at this stage and mix well. 

4. When the moisture is half evaporated, add khoya and stir well until halwa thickens. Just before you finish off, add cardamom powder and garnish with chopped pistachios.

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Macher Matha diye Moong Dal || Bengali special Moong Dal recipe with Fish Head

Macher matha diye moong dal or moong dal cooked with fish head. This is an exciting proposition altogether and a very popular recipe amongst we bongs. We are always tend to have more non veg dishes, and hence we keep on experimenting with non veg items with veggies, dal etc. Whenever we buy fish, we always make sure to get the big size fish so that the "Fish head" can be engineered for effective use, be it Murighonto or Macher matha diye Moong Dal. This is a simple recipe where we use onions, garlics, ginger garam masala to make this is rich one. the flavor from the fish head and the thick consistency of the dal makes it a complete dish. You don't need anything else in the menu if you have this awesome dal with steamed rice. 

Ingredients

1. Fish head - I have used Basa fish head / you can use Rohu or anything that is available
2. Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
3. Onion - finely chopped - 1
4. Bay leaf - 1
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Cloves - 2
7. Green cardamom - 2-3
8. Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
9. Tomatoes - 1 big chopped
10. Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
12. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
13. Mustard oil - 2 tsp
14. Green chillies - 2-3 (as per your taste buds)
15. Salt to taste

Process

1. Wash and clean the fish head properly and let it dry. Rub turmeric powder and little bit of salt on the fish head and keep aside.

2. Add oil in a frying pan  and one the oil is hot, fry the fish heads at medium heat so that they doesn't burn but cooks well inside. Keep aside once done.

3. In a separate pan, dry roast moong dal till it gives fragrance, just lightly dry roast and then wash and drain the water.

4. Cook the dal with 2 cups of water and little bit of turmeric powder and salt. 

5. Now, in the frying pan (the same pan can be used in which fish heads were fried) first add little oil, bay leaf, cumin seeds, cardamom and cloves. When they starts to splutter add onion and saute them for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and chopped tomatoes. Mix everything nicely and then add powder spices (cumin coriander and red chilli). Fry till the raw smell goes off and oil starts to release from the side.

6. Now add the pressure cooked dal and add some more water to get the desired consistency, if required. 

7. Break the fish head into pieces and add to the boiling dal. Let it cook for another 5-7 minutes till the fish head becomes soft. In the meanwhile, check the salt and seasoning and add salt if required. 

8. Once the dal is ready, drizzle some ghee and turn off the flame. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mangalorean fish curry

Super spicy and full of flavor, this Mangalorean fish curry will surely satisfy your taste buds. Serve Mangalorean fish curry along with steamed rice for a perfect Mangalorean meal (And if you have banana leaves to serve it, Bang on!!)

Ingredients

1. Fish (king fish or Pangasius or any of your choice) 
2. Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
3. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Salt - 1 tsp
6. Dry red chilli - 3-4
7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
8. Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
9. Green chillies - 3-4
10. Garlic - 5-6
11. Mustard oil 
12. Onion - 1 big finely chopped
13. Curry leaves - handful 
14. Curd - 2 tsp
15. Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Process 

1. In a bowl, add black pepper powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add little water and mix them properly and keep aside.

2. Heat a frying pan and add red chillies, cumin, coriander, green chillies, garlic and roast them till aromatic. Let them cool down and them make a coarse grind. 

3. Add oil in the frying pan and saute chopped onion and curry leaves. Once the onions are little brown add the grinded masala. Mix well and let it fry for few minutes

4. Now add the powdered masala paste and check the salt, if required you can add little more. Fry for few more minutes and then add curd and little water. Mix well and add the fish pieces. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, cover with a lid.

5. Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves once done. Serve hot with steamed rice. 

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe