Bird in A nest

Hi everyone!!
This is one of my most interesting creations. It is great for a get together or brunch with friends or kid's parties! 
It's especially for those mothers who want to make their kids party interesting. Kids are generally difficult to satisfy when it comes to food, But when you present simple food in a cute and attractive way kids love it and eat without any hassle.

This bird's Nest is nothing but:

• 1 Packet of hakka egg noodles
• 3 big potatoes (boiled)
• 100 grams boiled peas
• Butter: 2 tbsp
• Salt and pepper according to your taste
• Oil for frying
• Some carrot for decoration

Procedure:

1) First boil the noodles properly adding salt and little oil.

Note: Don't over oil it otherwise it will become soggy.

2) Drain the water properly.

 

3) Mix salt and add 3 tsp of oil thoroughly and keep it the noodles aside ready for preparing the basket.

   

4) Follow this very carefully, as this is the trickiest part. Take a medium sized strainer like the above one, put some boilers noodles in it, then in the middle put a small bowl and press it hard to set it right.

5) Now fry the noodles in this position in hot oil making sure the position of the bowl stays intact, otherwise the shape of the basket won't come right. Fry it for minimum 10 min in medium flame or till the whole basket is fried crispy.

I am giving a video demo for your convenience       

                            

                                      

6)The crispy basket is ready!!

7) Now let's prepare the mashed potatoes!
Ready to give it a shape of a bird or a duck or may be a swan too (if you have patience), you can give it whatever shape you desire. 
Mix butter, salt, pepper and oregano in the potatoes while mashing it properly. If you want you can add a bit of cornflour for binding. 
Take a tablespoon of butter in a pan and fry the mashed potatoes for 5-6 minutes.
Now keep this aside and let it cool down.

 

8) Now give the potato mash the shape you want it to be (in my case a bird).

9) Place these birdies in the crispy noodle baskets and decorate the birds with vegetables or candies to make it colorful.

10) Serve it with some boiled and tossed veggies as healthy topping.

I wanted to keep it simple, and healthy so I used carrots for making the bird's wings and beak.

You can get more creative and use different kinds of spices or even chocolate gems for making the bird's eyes! :)

Kids who don't like vegetables will gladly eat these cute birdies in crispy noodle nests! (you can stuff and put in more vegetables for kids)

Wood Apple Juice (Bel panna in bengali)

Bel is also known as Wood apple.  What is bel? Wikipedia

This is a picture of my wood apple tree growing in my garden and the wood-apple fruit .

The leaves of this tree are used for religious ceremonies (for Worshipping Lord Shiva).

Rather it can be said that the entire tree is useful and is considered sacred. Even the branches are dried and used only for Havana (holy borne fires) 

 

Wood Apple tree

 

This fruit has various beneficial values . It is good for digestion, improves liver condition and it's regular intake really helps constipation patients.

Procedure:

• First break the fruit into half and extract the pulp.

• If there are seeds please be sure to remove all the seeds before putting the extract into juicer.
• Before putting the pulp into juicer add some freshly picked basil and mint leaves into it.

(or)

• If you do not have a juicer,  you can mix the fruit extract with 1 cup of water and strain it  properly through a strainer or use a thin muslin cloth (malmal) to strain the wood apple extract.
• The ratio of the pulp and water per glass should be 60 : 40
• Add in 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt per glass
• Mix it thoroughly and add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice & serve chilled with ice cubes.

~Enjoy~ Summer with Bel juice !!

Shahi paneer

Shahi Paneer

Shahi paneer is hot favorite amongst vegetarians. Whenever we dine out we prefer ordering this with tandoori roti. But during this pandemic time we should avoid eating outside and prepare at home'.If you follow this easy recipe   you will not feel the need to go to a restaurant. so lets start

INGREDIENTS:

200grams paneer (cottage cheese)

2 medium sized onion

2 tomatoes

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp Kashmiri mirchi powder

1 tsp  gingergarlic and chilly paste

1 Tbsp  homemade garam masala powder( cardamom. cinnamon. clove)

10 pieces cashew

15 Raisins

1/2 Tea cup Amul cream

1 tps Kasuri methi

PROCEDURE

1. fry the paneer piecs in butter or ghee and keep it aside

2. fry the onions till golden brown then add the ginger garlic paste and the tomato to it. Fry for another 5 min. and keep it aside to cool.

3. After cooling grind the fried ginger garlic, onion & tomato into a smooth paste along with 5 cashews and 5 raisins

4. I n a non stick pan Heat 2 Tbsp of Ghee and add tsp of cumin seeds. Once it starts to splutter add the grinded mixture along with Turmeric and chilly powder also add salt to taste. Cook till the oil leaves the pan and comes on the top. Now add a cup of hot steaming water & 1 tps of sugar stir well. wen it starts boiling add 1 tps of powder garam masala 

6. After the gravy thickens add the fried paneer, raisins, cashews and stir well and switch off the flame.

7. Now add the cream and the remaining cashew and raisins and mix well .

8. While serving garnish with little thick cream and crushed kasuri methi.
Enjoy with roti or paratha 

Video Recipe Link:

Vegetable Biryani made in Rice cooker

It's the month of Ramadan! What comes to mind is Haleem, Biryani and more meat. (full of calories, But they need it, after a full day of fasting!)

My dish is for vegetarians and for those who are on a diet, Here is my Recipe of "Vegetable Biryani".

It's easy to make and very healthy too! (very less calories)

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice: 2 cups
• Water: 4 cups
• Assortment of chopped vegetables (carrots, beans, potato, peas):500 grams

          

• Onions: 3 (sliced) 

 

• Bay leaves: 2
• Shajeera: 1/2 tsp (caraway seeds)
• Ghee: 5 tbsp
• Mint and coriander leaves chopped.  3 tbsp each

• Salt according to your taste

~Spices which need to be ground to paste:

• Ginger: 3 cms
• Garlic: 8-12
• Green chillies: 3
• Poppy seeds: 2 tsp
• Fennel: 2 tsp
• Coriander powder: 2 tsp
• Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
• Cloves: 5
• Cardamom : 5
• Cinnamon : 5 cms 

After Grinding the spices it will look like this.

Method:

• Soak the rice for 15 mins.
• Heat ghee in a kadai (wok). Add shah jeera and bay leaves.
• Then add sliced onions and fry till brown.
• At this point add the ground masala and fry for 2-3 mins.
• Switch off the gas burner and add the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Mix it properly.

• First add the soaked rice and water along with diced vegetables in the rice cooker.
• Then add the whole content of the kadai which you have just prepared ,and mix properly.
• Now put the lid and turn on the cooker (Switch to Cooking mode).
• Stirring half way gently would help in distributing the flavours in the biryani uniformly.
• When the biryani is cooked the cooker switch will automatically move to " Keep Warm " position.
• Let the biryani steam for 15- 20 mins before you turn off the cooker. 
• Serve with fried dry fruits of your choice as a garnish.

    Enjoy veg biryani with raita and salad :)

                 

Serving suggestion:

Stir gently otherwise the long grain rices will break and the beauty of the biryani will get spoiled .

Stuffed Egg plant (Brinjal)

This is another interesting way of eating eggplant. There are several varieties of brinjal that you may find in the market. We will be using the small round ones for this dish. By stuffing the brinjal with a spicy mix almost like a pico de gallo/salsa fresca, but a little more spicy, It turns into a tasty delight :)

                     

 Western Variety of eggplant to be used>

Ingredients:

• 10 small sized eggplants cut  like a flower (as in pic)

For stuffing:

• 3 tomatoes - diced finely
• 2 big onions - diced finely
• 10 garlic pods - chopped
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp of chilli powder
• 1 tsp of cumin powder
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp of amchur (dry mango) powder 
• 1 tsp of garam masala powder
• 2 tsp of oil
• 1 tsp of ghee

Procedure:

• Apply a little salt and turmeric on the brinjals like marination and fry them well. Keep these fried brinjals aside for the stuffing later, Let them cool down as you may burn your hands while stuffing them while they are still hot.
• Pour oil into a pan and heat it up. Then add the onions and fry until golden brown.
• Then add the chopped garlic, followed by tomatoes & cook for around 5 minutes.
• Then add all the spices one by one. Remember to cook in medium flame after you add the spices.
• Once you see the oil separating from the spicy stuffing then add salt according to your taste. 
• I have added 1 tsp of sugar too, so that it is balanced and not too spicy.
• Stir it well. Lastly add garam masala and ghee and give it a nice stir.

            <The stuffing

• Let the stuffing that we just made, cool down.
• Then fill all the brinjals  by stuffing the mixture inside the slit that you made. Put in a lot of stuffing, As it tastes even better.
• If there is extra stuffing left over just use it around the brinjals as it is and serve by sprinkling some coriander/ parsley leaves on the top for extra crunch. 

~Enjoy~

Toor Dal (Pigeon Pea Lentil Soup)

What is dal? Wikipedia: Indian Lentil Soup (for my friends outside India)

This is a basic dal (lentil soup) cooked in every household of India. Mainly used for making a dish called Sambar in Southern India,  I have cooked this lentil in Gujarati way which is different from sambar. 

This dal (soup) is made from toor dal ( Pigeon pea- Split toor lentil ).

Ingredients:

• 150 grams of Toor dal 
• 2 Onions
• 1 big tomato
• 5-6 cloves of garlic 
• 1 Tsp of mustard seeds
• Curry leaves 
• Pinch of asafoetida
• 1 Tsp of Sugar
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt according to your taste
• 2 tsp of sunflower oilv
• 1 tsp of ghee (to be given from top)
• Green (or) red dry chilly -3-4

Procedure:

• First soak the lentil in bowl of water for half an hour.
• Now add 2 tsp of oil in pressure cooker add add the mustard seeds.

Once it starts spluttering add d pinch go hing( asafoetida) , green chilli and curry leaves.fry it for 1 min .Now add the onions, and garlic

                   

•  After 1 min add the tomato pieces along with turmeric powder.

• Mix all properly and and add the soaked dal 

• Add salt and sugar and mix evenly.
• Now add 1 litre of water, stir.
• Close the pressure cooker and wait for 3 whistles.
• Switch off the gas and let it cool.
• Open the cooker, mix properly and add a spoon of ghee from the top. 

  Garnish with coriander leaves (optional)

Those who want their dal (lentil soup) to be spicy can take a separate frying pan & add a spoonful of ghee (clarified butter) into it, and give tarka (tempering of spices) with 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1 tsp of chilli powder and then spread the tempered spices (tarka) on top of the lentil soup and stir.

Cauliflower & Potato Stir fry

As an accompaniment with dal, I made this dry potato and cauliflower curry.

• Cut the potatoes and cauliflower into small pieces.
• Take a frying pan & add 1 tsp of cumin seeds & 1/2 tsp of asafoetida in 2 tsp of oil.
• After a minute add the chopped veggies and cook in a low flame
• Just add some salt and 3 tsp of homemade pepper powder. 
• To enhance the taste add a tsp of sugar. Then place the lid on the pan. It takes around half an hour to cook
• If required you can sprinkle some water from the top if you feel the vegetables are not releasing enough water.
• Open the lid, add some chopped coriander leaves from top along with a dash of lemon juice & Toss it well 

Serve hot with rice and dal ! ~Enjoy~

Note: If you feel the vegetables are not getting boiled in the stipulated time which I gave above, please add half cup of water and boil beforehand but make sure the veggies don't get smashed in the process.