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.

Paramanna / Payesh / Bengali Rice Pudding

Paramanna / Payesh is a Bengali Style Rice Pudding which is definitely cooked to mark any auspicious occasion, festivities, birthdays etc. Apart from the first grain that ever touched my tongue was from a bowl of Payesh on my Mukhe Bhaat first rice eating ceremony my memories of Payesh being cooked is mainly vivid during Kojagori Lokhi Puja.

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. 

Korma Asafjahi Recipe ~ Dish From The Royal Cuisine Of Sailana India

Korma Asafjahi is a dish whose recipe dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century AD. This dish originated in Hyderabad and the recipe was gifted to Raja Dalip Singhji, the then ruler of the erstwhile state Sailana which is in the current Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Raja Dalip Singhji had a repertoire of more than 5,000 hand written recipes which he had collected from different princely states of early twentieth century India.

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.

Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab Recipe / Kebabs Made With Chicken Korma And Spinach ~ My Fab Kebab Series

The word Kebab has Turkish and Arabic origin. However food historians have put forth the existence of something similar to Kebabs in Ancient India. "the Manasolassa, a Sanskrit composition from the 11 th century, talks about Bhaditrakam, a dish made by cutting lamb or goat into small pieces, stringing the pieces on iron skewers and cooking them on hot coals."( This is an extract from the article India's Kebab Connection by Air Sangvi ) . Having said that when the Arabs and Turks came to India they did bring with them their famous Kebabs, which in time imbibed the Indian spices and took the shape of the Kebabs we savour today. My Fab Kebabs Series is an ode to this wonderful dish.

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.

Kutchi Shami Kebab / Gujrati Kutchi Memoni Style Shami Kabab

It's been a dream to walk through the pristine white sands of the Rann of Kutch, a salt marsh in the Thar Dessert spanning across the Western Indian State of Gujrat. In the moonlight soaked pearly sands I wish to stand with both my feet buried in the sand, gazing at the starred canopy above, listening to the buzzing, humming sound of the nocturnal dessert creatures, letting the cool dessert breeze play hop scotch with my tresses. Then as from a nearby tent the aroma of delicious food will slowly start enveloping the night air, my growling tummy will keep nudging my entire being to uproot my feet from the sand and walk towards the scent of decadent food. Ah, I keep dreaming of this all the time. Someday I will tick off this dream of mine, fulfil my desire to savour the delectable cuisine native to this area. Till then let my kitchen be my wish fulfilling magic wand, where at least I can dish out at least a few of those Kutchi delicacies till the time I can actually make my culinary trip to the Rann of Kutch.  

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.

Mumbai Style Keema Pav / Chicken Mince Curry With Indian Bread Mumbai Style

Today is Valentine's Day. A day that was marked to celebrate love. In today's world finding true love is becoming more and more harder. But amidst all these disillusions Almighty still sends people who reiterates your belief in this most powerful four lettered word in this entire universe LOVE. I still do meet people who totally surprise me with their untainted heart filled with selfless love. They keep my faith in this magical thing called Love alive. Amidst all the hatred that is slowly engulfing our beautiful planet it is heartening to know that we still value love. Why else would we otherwise have a day which celebrates something so pure so beautiful as love. Beginning from the Saint who started this trail of love even in the face of death who didn't stop spreading love how befittingly his name has today become synonymous with a day when the entire world comes together to restore their belief in this beautiful thing called love.

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.

Egg Rendang / Famous Indonesian Savoury Egg Dish With Very Thick Gravy

As a food Blogger I am always on the look out for nouvelle recipes, everyday begins with a quest to first learn about new ingredients, then incorporating those ingredients in a dish, making the dish a number of times, till I have almost total control over those ingredients. It is only after that, I will cook that dish, capture it's steps, photograph the main dish and then publish it here in my Blog, so that all the lovely wonderful readers of my Blog can prepare the dish without having to go through any difficulty. No dish which is being cooked for the first time in my kitchen, will be published in my Blog, after the first attempt, even if the very first attempt has yielded the perfect result. It will only find it's way into my Blog after it has been made with that same flawless result at least a number of times. 

Nasi Biryani / Chicken Nasi Biryani / Nasi Beriani / Malaysian / Singapore Style Chicken Biryani ~ My Biryani Trail

I took a pledge to share my love for Biryani by documenting my journey tasting this superlative dish across the length and breadth of the Globe. The more I travelled in search of different versions of this dish the more intrigued and awed I was with Biryani. Introducing you dear friends to a Biryani called Nasi Biryani. The word Nasi in Malaysian and Indonesian cookery stands for Cooked Rice. This version of the Biryani is unlike any of the Biryanis that your palate is familiar with. This Biryani does not incorporate the “Dum” cooking technique that is so synonymous with the cooking of any Biryani dish. Moreover it incorporates Local ingredients like Pandan Leaves, Lemon Grass to suit the local taste.