Monthalman মন্থালমান Moong Dal Sweet From Nineteenth Century Bengali Cookbook

Monthalman মন্থালমান is a dessert made from Moong Dal (Split Husked Green Gram). This sweet is a different take in terms of technique on our good old Moong Dal Barfi. The recipe is from late 19th Century Bengal (Undivided Bengal) which saw the publication of India's very first Recipe Book PAKRAJESWAR IN 1831 followed by the second edition of the same book being published under the patronage of the then King of Burdwan in 1854.

Ragda Beetroot Pattice Recipe / Beetroot Pattice With Ragda ~ Diwali Delights

Ragda Beetroot Pattice is a very popular Indian street food. Here Ragda is the thick curry made with dry white/yellow peas and Pattice is an adaptation from the English word Patties which is generally mash potato cake. But in my dish I have replaced the potato patties with Beetroot, Mashed Potatoes and Paneer / Cottage Cheese Patties. Ragda and Pattice are cooked separately and then assembled on a plate. Two Beetroot Patties are placed on a bed of dry white / yellow peas thick curry. Then a spicy garlic Chutney, a sweet Tamarind Chutney and Minty Tangy Green Chutney is drizzled over it. This lip smacking street food is finished off with a garnish of chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and nylon sev / very fine, deep fried, gram flour noodles. Diwali and these tongue ticklers are synonymous with each other. I love to fill my Diwali with a variety of dishes which have my personalised touch.

Methi Malai Kofta Recipe / Raw Papaya Cottage Cheese Dumplings In Fenugreek Fresh Cream Gravy ~ Diwali Delights

Methi Malai Kofta / Kofte are Raw Papaya And Cottage Cheese Dumplings Cooked in a luscious Fresh Fenugreek Leaves, Fresh Cream Gravy. Festive meals are always special and they deserve to be unique, indulgent, redolent with decadence and should leave an everlasting mark on your taste buds. This dish is just that and it is sure to take your festive fervour to a flavour crescendo.

Shudha Sindhu Recipe / Bengali Dessert Made With Almond Dumplings Simmered In Milk ~ Maha Shostir Subhecha / Durga Puja Maha Bhoj

Shudha Sindhu ~ Badam Bata(Almond Paste), Khoya / Khoa(Milk Solids), Gobindo Bhog Chaler Guro(Speciality Rice Grown in Bengal, India Powder) Dumplings are simmered in Full Cream Milk which has been reduced to half it's original quantity, is thick and creamy, finally finished off with a lavish shower of the finest saffron.

Bengali Style Cauliflower Roast Recipe / Durga Puja Special Phulkopir Roast Recipe / Bhajohori Manna Pujo Special Phulkopir Roast Recipe

Subho Mahalaya to all celebrating the advent of Goddess Durga. May she bless all with peace, good health and success in every sphere. For Bengalis all over the world, Mahalaya marks the commencement of the Durga Pujo festivities. 

Italian Gremolata Recipe / Zesty Italian Herb Sauce Recipe

Italian Gremolata hails traditionally from Italy. This is basically a condiment, which is conventionally made with fresh green herbs, garlic, olive oil, with lots of lemon zest and juice, incorporated to add a punch to this Sauce.

Doi Begun Recipe / Bengali Style Aubergines / Egg Plants In Yogurt Sauce ~ My Bong Konnection

Doi Begun (pronounced Do~ee Bay~goon) is the Bengali way of expressing the love affair between Begun or Aubergines or Egg Plants with Doi or Yogurt. This dish has seen multitudes of festivities in both the Chowdhury (My Paternal Side of the family) and Dutta Gupta (My Maternal Side of the family) families. Having journeyed through generations, the Doi Begun has etched a mark of decadency in my family's refined culinary appetite. Creating Doi Begun therefore for me is a true pleasure, a sort of food nirvana. Not only do my fingers dance through the Bhaja Moshla , the sapphire kissed turmeric powder and the crimson tinted red chilli powder to the music from the foot tapping mustard in the nearby frying pan, but also my mind traverses to those many meals where amidst laughter and chatter the Doi Begun was served to the family.

Palak Paneer Dum Biryani Recipe / Cottage Cheese In Silky Spinach Gravy Layered In Between Basmati Rice Cooked On Dum ~ Go Green With My Recipes

Palak Paneer Biryani / Soft Pillowy Pristine Cubes of Cottage Cheese cooked in a creamy silky Spinach Gravy, then layered between whole spices perfumed basmati rice and another layer of saffron infused rice, cooked sealed in an earthen pot on Dum (in it's own steam). Continuing my series with the hashtag #GoGreenWithMyRecipes 

Samvat Ke Chawal Ki Kheer / Samo Ke Chawal Ki Kheer / Barnyard Millet Sweet Pudding ~ Gluten Free Recipes

The Sun here in My Dubai decided to take an off day today. Everybody needs a break so the Sun also took one, started playing hide and seek with the pristine white fluffs dotting the sleepy sky. The sky is just as sleepy as me, just like me peeping through half closed eyes. Why days like these bring those holiday like thoughts dancing into my brain, I never understand. Why my entire being refuses to budge from the feather soft quilt as a tug of war ensues in my half awake mind. To get out or not to get out of bed. Ultimately inspire of the ensuing tug of war I will get out of bed as is inevitable from the past experiences and as always "to get out of be" will emerge as the winner.

Angoori Kofte Recipe / Shahjahani Angoori Kofte Recipe / Angoori Kofta Curry Recipe ~ Bygone Era Indian Cuisine

Starting the Bygone Era Indian Cuisine Series with this post. I am curating 10 recipes from an era of India when every dish cooked was a labour of love, was literally considered an artist's masterpiece and the chef was no less than an artist. Indian cuisine was richly influenced by the invaders from the Mughals to the Portuguese to the British who came to this country, bringing in their entourage of cooks with them, who then interwove themselves with the already existing rich culinary heritage of India and created dishes which were not only a visual delight but took the taste buds on a ride to flavour Utopia. In this post I share with you a dish which was cooked in the Royal kitchens of Emperor Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Rular, whose reign spanned from 1628 ~ 1658. Dear Readers presenting the Shahjahani Angoori Kofte or simply Angoori Kofte to you.

Beetroot Dill Seekh Kebab / Kabab Recipe ~ Happy Beats

Feeling stressed beautiful people, the pressures to keep up with the rules of this ever changing world, can take it's toll on us, right? You may not be someone who loves their trip to the kitchen, but trust me and try this the next time you are feeling frustrated or hopelessness has creeped in. Walk into your kitchen, take out the chopping board, manual grater or just use the knife and go chop chopping vegetables of different hues. Try with beetroot, carrot, yellow, orange bell peppers, purple cabbage, dill or mint or coriander leaves. The first phase itself will take that knotty feeling out of your system. Next wash your hands thoroughly and try mixing all the chopped ingredients with both your hands. As the colours will paint your fingers, a strange kind of calm will engulf you. Try to look at all those gorgeous colours dancing around your fingers as you mix them together, try to be in that moment, do   not drift away, this colour therapy is magical and will loosen your mind letting go of those thoughts which were responsible for stressing you out.

Dal Bukhara Recipe ~ The Iconic Black Gram Lentil Curry Of Bukhara Restaurant At ITC Maurya New Delhi

Whenever I enter my kitchen to make an iconic dish, I am extremely nervous, jittery & anxious through the preparation, execution & finally when the dish is ready. I might have cooked that dish many a time, but that feeling of immense responsibility weighing down on my shoulders for I just cannot be careless about a dish whose fame has transcended beyond boundaries, spreading to every nook & corner of the globe. A dish which people consider a must do on their list of to do things when they visit the capital of India, New Delhi. The dish I am talking about is Dal Bukhara a Black Gram Lentil Curry Dish whose popularity cannot be fathomed.

Kolkata Ghugni Recipe / Kolkata Style Yellow Peas Curry Recipe ~ Just Recipes

At any and every street corner of Kolkata you will find these bright yellow peas curry in a huge deep plate, from which the Ghugni seller will scoop out a ladle full of Ghugni into a paper or leaf, shaped like a bowl and then garnish it with a whole lot of condiments and very skinny noodle shaped lentil fritters known as sev. Honestly what he serves is truly truly lip smacking delicious. But you can make Ghugni at home too for your parties. During Holi, just picking up a bowl of Gugni and digging into it gives a whole lot of satisfaction because Ghugni tastes just so delightful that you just cannot stop at one.

Banarasi Vegetable Biryani ~ My Biryani Trail

I sat holding the hands of my Bua (paternal aunt) tightly, on the steps of the ghats of Banaras, looking into her eyes filled with love for me. I didn't want to let go of her hands let alone her entire being. I continued to take in every bit of her, from her smile, to her words to her scent, to her touch, in desperation, trying to cling on to them for eternity. I was only 12 but I could feel the pain in my young heart, pain of accepting that this might me the very last time I would ever see her. Bua was suffering from terminal cancer & we all had made that one last long train journey to Derhadun to meet her, spend time with her and say our final goodbyes.

Shorshe Phulkopi / Cauliflower In Mustard Gravy / Sarson Wali Phool Gobi ~ Bengali Style Curry

Shorshe Phulkopi / Cauliflower In Mustard Gravy / Sarson Wali Phool Gobi was on my mind for the longest time, yet somehow I was not making this dish in my kitchen. However a visit to the Oh! Calcutta Restaurant, set the ball rolling. Savouring through the serpentine row of dishes in their Durga Pujo Buffet, I had the most delicious Cauliflower in Mustard Sauce Curry. It did not only set my taste buds on a journey of nostalgia but had everyone from my family heaping praises on the Shorshe Phulkopi on that day.

POHA / ATUKULU / AVAL RASMALAI / BEATEN RICE DESSERT

This dessert is my ode to my MUM-In_law. In fact I owe everything I make during the festival of Ugadi to her. She makes porridge with beaten rice which is delicious to the hilt. I wanted to give it my touch with a beaten Rice Rasmalai. All I can say, if you try making this dessert, it cooks up in a jiffy and the end dish is completely a party for your taste buds.

Diwali Sweets Collection 2018 / Diwali Sweets Recipes 2018 ~ Celebrate Diwali With Us

Celebrate the Festival of Lights Diwali / Deepavali with this fantastic collection of sweets / desserts from right below. You will find the name of the dish written above the picture of each dish. All you have to do is, click on the name of the dish & you will be directed to the page where you have the detailed recipe of the dish. I decided to compile all the dishes in a single post so that you can refer to this post alone & not spend time searching the individual posts from my blog while planning your Diwali Sweets menu. Also I have left a very brief introduction of each dish below the picture of the dish so that you can choose the dish based upon your Diwali party theme or your ideas woven around your Diwali festivities.You will find here a combination of traditional sweets & some very unique dessert recipes. This post is a brilliant resource to propel your Diwali celebrations to the ultimate heights of deliciousness, happiness & festive fervour.

Navratri Special Meethi & Teekhi Chutney / Hot & Sweet Chutney / Coriander Green Chilli Peanut Spicy Chutney / Date Tamarind Sweet Chutney

Sharad Navratri has commenced this year. Different parts of India celebrate the festival in different ways. In the Northern part of India many devotees of the Goddess keep a day long fast. After prayers, veneration and offerings to the deity at sunset the fast is broken. Only certain types and categories of food are allowed to be eaten during this fast. Also determining  the exact ingredients which will make the dishes differs from family to family. For example some families do not eat Chutneys for these 9 days. However those who do ensure firstly that the Chutney is vegetarian, gluten free and comprises only the ingredients allowed during this fast.

Pyaaz Ka Salan Recipe / Restaurant Style Biryani Side Dish / Gravy / Onion Salan

Pyaaz Ka Salan or Fried Onions in a Thick Rich Gravy is an ode to the Culinary Gem Mirchi Ka Salan. The recipe of Pyaaz Ka Salan is a little different to that of the Mirchi Ka Salan which has a thick brown gravy, resplendent with Bhavnagri Mirch (Chillies from Bhavnagar, Gujrat), which are long, fat green chillies with the right balance of heat and finely hand pounded chironji and almonds. The Mirchi Ka Salan dates back to the times when Emperor Akbar ruled the Indian Sub~Continent. The popular theory is that this dish did not originate in the royal kitchen but most probably in the kitchen of a Wealthy Jagirdar when he threw a Regal feast for the Emperor.

Himachali Chana Aloo Madra Recipe / Traditional Garbanzo Beans In Yogurt Curry From Himachal Pradesh

Himachali Chana Aloo Madra the decadent, rich dish from one of the most beautiful States in India is a complete treat for the senses. Himachal Pradesh which means abode or land of snow in Sanskrit is true to its name. Nature has showered it's bounty on this state. Situated in the northern most part of India and home to some of the most famous hill stations, just like the splendour around, the people who live here are synonymous with charm, grace and kindness loaded hearts. The cuisine of this region is spicy and makes use of a lot of yogurt, cardamom powder and is generally slow cooked to bring forth the huge array of flavours.