Kanthari Molagu Chammanthi

This is one of my favorite chutneys. The chutney is very very hot.  The chiily used for this chutney is called kanthari molagu, extremely pungent. The English name is Bird’s eye chili.  It is small and thin but still very hot. So, in Kerala a slang word used for small sharp person is kanthari.   I sometimes call my little one Kanthari. Its best had with boiled kappa/ tapioca.

If you don’t have kanthari molagu you can replace it with regular green chilli.

Ingredient

Kanthari chili – 10

Small onion/ sambar onion – 10
Coconut oil – 1tsp
Salt – as per taste

 Method

1.  Coarsely crush the small onion, chilli in a pestle.

2.  Transfer into a bowl.

3.  Mix oil, salt and 2tsp of water. 

4.  Serve immediately.

Bubble bee cup cake

With the beehive cake this was an addition so that all the kids get a bumble bee with the sunflower again the cupcake was chocolate cupcakes.

Bee Hive Birthday Cake

I was planning to make this cake for a long time and finally I made it on my little darling's  4th birthday.  The base was a chocolate cake with fondant icing. The design was inspired from cake book irresistible cakes by Sarah Maxwell and Angela Nilsen.   

 

 



Fondant Bumble Bee Stick

I am getting ready for my younger sons Birthday Cake. He is turning 4 this weekend. He is like a bee.  He can’t sit at a place for a long time, would be roaming around the whole day and quite noiseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. And above all super sweet tooth. So, I have thought of making a beehive cake. And this is the first step towards it, small bumble bee sticks.

The whole bee is edible except the sticker. The body is made of different color of fondant and the wing is made of cutout leftovers of church breads.  Hope all of you like it. Please approve.

 

Fini Kheer

Tomorrow is Karwa Chauth, which is celebrated by married women in North India. The women fast from dawn to dusk without even drinking water.  As, I was searching a recipe for this festival with friends and colleagues. One of my colleague suggested Fini, as they start the fast by having fini before sunrise. So this is a recipe which I got from her. I tried and my husband liked it.

 

 Ingredient

Fini – 100 gm

Milk – ½ kg
Sugar – 5 tsp
Dry fruits like raisin & cashew nut (optional)
Ghee – 1tsp
Saffron – few strands  

Method

1.  Boil the milk in a pan .
2.  When it starts to boil, add the sugar.
3.  Now take off from the heat and add the Fini and saffron and cover the pan.
4.  If you are adding the nuts, then heat the ghee, fry the dry fruits.
5.  Add this to the Fini mixture and mix well.
6.  It’s ready to serve.

Aloor Dom

This a Bengali dish made out of baby potatoes.  I have adapted this recipe from an old femina magazine. 

Ingredient  

Oil – 2tbsp

Cinnamon stick – 1

Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 2

Bay leaf – 1

Baby potatoes – 500gm (boiled and peeled)

Peas – ½ cup

Tomato Puree – 2tbsp

Yoghurt – 200gm

Chilli powder – 1tsp

Ginger paste – 1tsp

Salt to taste

Green chilles – 2 chopped

Cumin seed – 1tsp roasted and powdered

A handful of chopped coriander leave 

 

Method 

1.      Heat oil in a frying pan, add cinnamon, cardamom, clove and bay leaf. Sauté till it start to crackle.

2.      Add potatoes and fry till they turn golden brown.

3.      Add tomato puree. Stir well.

4.      Mix yoghurt with chilli powder and ginger paste and add to the potatoes.

5.      Season with salt

6.      Add green chilli and cook till the gravy thickens

7.      Sprinkle cumin powder over it.

8.      Remove from the heat and garnish with coriander leave.

Basundi

Basundi is mostly made in Maharashtra and Gujarat.  It is similar to Rabdi in North India.   It’s a simple sweet recipe but a very time consuming procedure.  

  

I relate this dish with Kojaagari Purnima.  I don’t know much details of this purnima. But it is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin ( September – October).  It marks the end of monsoon.  It is believed that on this day as moon and earth are very close to each other, the moon light is very strong and bright, so it has some healing properties. It is also believed on this night Goddess Laxmi goes around checking who is awake, and whoever is awake she gives her blessings. So, people have night vigils this night.

 

For me lots of childhood memories are attached with this dish. In our building we had Sumbate uncle who was very religious and had many pujas in there house.  Most of my acquaintance with Maharastrian Hindu religion and ritual is because of him.  On Kojaagari Purnima day he called all the families in our society to the terrace for a get together in the night. Everyone would together prepare basundi of about 20 liters of milk. And finally when the basundi was made, the reflection of moon was shown on it. Then it was served to everyone.  As children, we were exited not for the basundi but for the extra time we got to play, especially in the night.  

Anyway, it was fun and life use to be full of joy. This post is dedicated to our own Sumbate Uncle. Now try it at home and your kids would like it.

Ingredient  

Milk – 3 ltrs ( preferred whole milk or full fat milk

Sugar – 100gm / 1 cup

Charoli/Charonji – 25gm (¼ cup) ( roasted before use)

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp 

Method 

1.      In a heavy bottom pan, boil the milk.

2.      Once the milk boils, reduce the heat, add charoli’s and let it boil till the quantity become half (around an hour).

3.      It is very important to keep on stirring in between, especially when a thick layer of cream is formed on top. 

4.      Now add the sugar and cardamom powder, cook for another 2 min.

5.      Serve warm or chilled.

 

Make around 12 cups.

 

Beef Cutlet

This is one of my family recipes and a very famous one. Our gathering or festive meal is incomplete without beef cutlet.  It’s also considered as a family recipes, because while making it we all come together to roll it.  My father is considered the expert in shaping the cutlet, as all the cutlets would have even size and exact oval shape. He will make us roll it again if the shape is not right. But still I never get the shape right.   Even now the shape is not right, so, may be next time when he is around, I will ask him to make some and post it.

 
The combination for Beef cutlet with sarlas is amazing. .

Ingredient

For Keema 

Beef – 1kg (cut into small pieces)

Garam Masala – ½ tsp

Salt as per taste  

For cutlet masala

Potato -  3 boiled and smashed

Onion – 2 finely chopped

Ginger – 2” finely chopped

Garlic – 10 finely chopped

Green chillies – 6 finely chopped

Curry leave – around 10 leaves finely chopped

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Musturd seeds – ½ tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

To fry the cutlets

Egg white – of 2 egg

Dried Bread crumbs / rusk powder - as per requirement

Oil for frying  

Method 

To make kemma  

1.      Clean the beef thoroughly atleast 3 to 4 time. Strain off excess water.

2.      Mix beef, garam masala and salt.

3.      Pressure cook it in a pressure cooker till 1 whistle, now lower the heat and cook for 10 min.

4.      Remove it from the gas and let the pressure go by itself (it takes around 10 min)

5.      Remove the excess water, and let the beef chunks cool completely.

6.      Grind it in a mixer to form kemma ( it should be dry). 

To make raw cutlets 

7.      Heat oil in a pan. When the oil heats add the mustard seeds, let it crackle.

8.      Now add onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leave and cook till onion gets transparent and starts frying.

9.      To this add the prepared keema, garam masala and salt mix well and cover.

10.  Let it cook for 5 min.

11.  Immediately remove it to a big bowl.

12.  When it is still hot enough to handle with your hand mix the mashed potato.

13.  Check for salt and mix it nicely, so that an even mixture is formed.

Note:  It’s important to mix it the potato when the keema mixture is hot, so that it mixes properly.    

14.  Take a small portion and with your palm, shape it to a flat oval shape.

Note : At this level you can store the cutlets in a tight container and leave it in a refrigerator for a week. You can use it as and when required. 

To fry Cutlet  

15.  Dip the cutlet into the egg white, drip of the excess.

16.  Roll this on the bread crumb.

17.  Now deep fry it.

 

This quantity would make around 25 cutlets
 

Chenna Payas

Chenna payas is a sweet dish mostly made in Bengal and Orissa.  Chenna means Cottage cheese or paneer and payas means kheer. So, it is kheer made out of paneer. This is for all my bong friends who are celebrating Durga Festival.  Happy Festive Days, Enjoy the 5 days of festivity.  

 

Ingredient

For cottage cheese /Chenna

Milk – 1ltr
Vinegar – 1tbsp

For Sugar syrup

Water -4 cups
Sugar – 1 ½ cup

For the Payas / thickened milk

Milk – 1 ½  ltr
Sugar – 5tbsp
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Saffron – 5-6 strands

Method

To make cottage Cheese

1.      Boil the milk in a pan.  When it starts boiling. Reduce the heat.

2.      Now add the vinegar and let it curdle completely. You will see the water part separately. 

3.      Strain it into a muslin cloth kept it a sieve.

4.      Wash it under running water.  The is important as it stops the cooking and the sourness of vinegar will be washed away.

5.      Now squeeze out the water completely by pressing the cloth.

6.      Transfer the thick cottage cheese to a big plate.

7.      Knead the chenna with the palm for about 10 to 15 min. i.e till you get a soft dough without any granules.

8.      Make very small balls by rolling it in your hand. Keep it aside. 

To Cook the chenna in sugar syrup

9.      In a pan boil water.

10.  Add sugar and let it melt.

11.  Now add the rolled chenna balls one by one.

12.  Let it cook in low flame for 20 min. It will increase in size and fluffy.

13.  Remove it from the heat and let it cool by itself. 

 To make the payas 

14.  Boil the milk. When it starts boiling, reduce the flame and let it cook till the quantity become half.

15.  Now add the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron. Mix it well.

16.  Now remove the chenna balls from the syrup and squeeze it lightly to remove the excess syrup.  Be careful not to break it.  

17.  Add it into the milk mixture. Mix gently.

18.  Cover and cook for 10 min.

19.  Remove from heat and let it cool.  

20.  Yummy chenna payas is ready to serve.

Apple Cinnamon Muffin

Ingredient

Apple – 2 cups finely chopped

Maida/flour – 1 cup

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Butter – ½ cup (50gm)

Egg - 2

Castor sugar – 1 cup

Cinnamon powder – 1tsp

Vanilla essence – 1tsp

Walnut – ½ cup chopped

 

Method 

1.      Sieve the flour with baking powder and baking soda.

2.      In a bowl mix butter till soft and creamy.

3.      Slowly add castor sugar, mix well.

4.      Now add the egg and beat till light and fluffy.

5.      Add apple, cinnamon powder & vanilla essence and mix well.

6.      Slowly add in the flour mixture and walnut.

7.      Spoon 3tsp of the batter into each muffin mould.

8.      Bake for 25 min at 180⁰c