Paturi is a traditional Bengali recipe where the fish is coated in a mustard paste, wrapped in a banana leaf and steam cooked. This yummy preparation is then relished with plain steamed rice. Well you can always have it with chapatti too. But today I would like to share a vegetarian version of it with cabbage.
It is a very simple, easy and an equally delicious dish. It is actually a fuss-free recipe and something new on the dinner table to be enjoyed with your family and friends. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 2-3 cups grated cabbage
- 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
- 2 tbsp. kasundi / mustard paste
- 1 tbsp. mustard oil
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1-2 fresh chilies, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. red chili powder (opt)
- 1/2 tsp. pepper powder (opt)
- 1 tsp. raw mustard oil to garnish
- banana leaves cut into desired size
Mix the cabbage with a tsp. of salt and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes. Then mash well and rinse. Drain and squeeze out all the excess water.
Now mix with all the remaining ingredients (Except raw mustard oil). Place the banana leaf on an open flame for a few seconds to make them more pliable.
Place some of the cabbage mix in the centre and fold to close all edges. Tie with a string and shallow fry on a tawa / skillet, covered, by adding a tsp. of oil.
Fry on a low flame for 5-7 minutes by flipping it over at intervals. Switch off the flame and let it remain covered for 5 minutes.
Drizzle a tsp. of raw mustard oil on the end product and serve with hot steamed rice. You may also relish with chapatti.
Mix cabbage with a tsp. of salt & keep aside for 10-15 min. Mash well & rinse.
Drain & squeeze all excess water. Mix with all remaining ingredients (except
raw mustard oil).
Place banana leaf on an open flame for a few seconds to make them
more pliable.
Place some cabbage mix in the centre & fold. Tie with a string & shallow
fry on a tawa, covered, by adding a tsp. of oil.
Fry on low flame for 5-7 min. by flipping it over at intervals. Switch
off the flame & let it remain covered for 5 minutes.
Drizzle a tsp. of raw mustard oil (opt) on the end product & serve with
hot steamed rice. You may also relish with chapatti.
This dish has a lot of childhood memories. My late mother used to make it quite often. So I would like to share this family recipe of an unusual, but a delicious chutney made with nigella seeds (kalonji). Combined with garlic, it is considered healthy and an antioxidant. I also added some onion and a handful of coriander leaves for some added flavour. This yummy concoction can be relished with steamed rice or as a side dish with chapattis.
It is particularly beneficial during winters to ward off cold and is also given to new mothers as it is considered to strengthen immunity. This humble seed is also used for tempering and is widely popular in Bengali cuisine. This seed combined with mustard oil is a heavenly combo. The oil is equally good for treatment of migraine, diabetes and other health problems.
- 1 tbsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 2 tbsp. mustard oil
- 1-2 dry red chilies
- 2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1-2 onions, sliced
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- handful of coriander leaves
- 1 tsp. raw mustard oil to garnish
Heat oil in a pan and temper with nigella seeds and red chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. Then add the garlic and sauté till it turns light brown.
Add the onion, salt and turmeric powder. Fry on a medium flame till light brown. Add the coriander leaves and continue to sauté for a minute.
Switch off the flame and keep aside to cool down. Blend by adding little water. Serve, garnished with raw mustard oil. Relish with plain steamed rice or as a side dish with chapatti.
Aloo Paratha is the simplest and the most favoured breakfast enjoyed by one and all. It is a much preferred breakfast in most of the North Indian homes, especially in Punjab. It is also a common menu in all dhabas and in Indian restaurants worldwide. They can be enjoyed any time of the day. Wholesome and filling, they are a great lunch box meal too. Relish them hot along with butter, yogurt or pickles.
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (makes 3-4 parathas)
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. ghee
- 2 potatoes, boiled & mashed
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 tsp. carom seeds (ajwain)
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
- oil to shallow fry
Knead a dough by mixing the whole wheat flour, salt, ghee and required quantity of water. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
Heat 1 tsp. oil and temper with carom seeds. Then add the boiled potato and all the dry spices. Sauté on a medium flame till it is dry. Keep aside to cool down.
Divide the dough and the potato filling into equal portions. Roll out each dough into a small poori by dusting some flour.
Spoon the potato filling in the centre and close all edges. Roll out into a paratha by dusting some more flour. Make similar stuffed parathas.
Heat some oil on a tawa and shallow fry the prepared parathas on both sides till light golden in colour. Serve them hot with any side dish, pickles, raita, yoghurt or butter.
Hash Brown is a very popular American breakfast that is served in many eateries worldwide. It is loved by most of us I'm sure, just like me. So here it is - homemade Hash Brown with Indian flavour. I added roasted cumin powder and garam masala powder to it.
You can enjoy them as snacks with ketchup, green chutney, hummus or mayo. They can also be served as a patty in sandwiches, burgers or rolled in parathas / rotis topped with cheese spread / grated cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce.
- 2-3 potatoes, boiled & grated
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
- oil to shallow fry
Mix all the ingredients (except oil) and knead a dough. Give them any shape of your preference and refrigerate for a couple of minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the hash browns, few at a time, on both sides till they turn light brown in colour. Drain on a kitchen towel.
Serve for breakfast, as a tea-time snack or as an appetizer with tomato ketchup, green chutney or sour cream.
These are some yummy Anchovies fish fry that can be had as a starter or as a side dish with curd-rice, sambar-rice or dal-chawal. I marinated it in some green chili paste, ginger-garlic paste, rice flour and other basic seasonings. These crispy small bites tastes just awesome when had hot right out of the pan with some green chutney or kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce).
- 250 gms. anchovies fish, washed & drained
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp. green chili paste
- 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tbsp. rice flour
- pinch of turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. roasted coriander powder
- 1 tsp. lime juice
- oil to shallow fry
- 1 tsp. coriander leaves to garnish
In a bowl, mix all the above mentioned ingredients (except oil) and keep aside to marinate for 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and drop the marinated fish one by one and deep fry them on a medium flame till crisp.
Drain on a kitchen towel and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as an appetizer / snack with any homemade chutney / sauce or as a side dish with rice.
Malpuas are delicious sweet Pancakes, very popular in West Bengal, other Northern & North Eastern regions. There are many versions to this recipe where the ingredients differ from one region to the other. But how about these Malpuas in a different avatar?
In this recipe, I added some sautéed spinach puree to make these exotic Spinach Malpuas. They are then dipped in sugar syrup and served, garnished with chopped nuts and few dried rose petals.
- 1/2 cup sooji (semolina)
- 1/2 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
- 1/2 cup spinach puree
- 1 tbsp. ghee
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp. sugar for the malpua batter
- 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
- ghee for shallow frying
- 1 cup sugar for the syrup
- 1 cup water
- 2-3 cardamoms
- pinch of saffron
- 1 tbsp. chopped nuts (almonds & pistachios)
- few dried rose petals
Batter - Heat 1 tbsp. ghee in a pan and sauté the spinach puree till dry. Keep aside to cool down. In a bowl, mix together sooji, atta, 1 tbsp. sugar, !/4 tsp. cardamom powder, fennel seeds, the sautéed spinach and required quantity of water. Prepare a batter and leave aside for 25-30 minutes.
Sugar Syrup - In a pan heat together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, saffron and whole cardamoms. Simmer on a low flame till the sugar is dissolved and you have a slightly thick syrup. Keep aside.
To prepared malpuas, adjust water and add more if the batter has turned thick. Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp. of ghee.
Pour a small ladleful of the batter and cook on both sides till light golden in colour. Soak in the sugar syrup for few seconds till it is well coated. Make similar malpuas with the remaining batter.
To serve - Arrange the malpuas on a serving plate and drizzle the sugar syrup. Garnish with the chopped nuts and rose petals. Enjoy this yummy exotic dessert hot or cold.
This is a traditional Kerala style Bitter Gourd Curry cooked with lots of fresh coconut and in coconut oil for an authentic touch and flavour. Thoran can be prepared with many other veggies too. It is sometimes served as one of the item in a Sadya meal. It is cooked dry and this yummy and healthy side dish can be relished with either rice or chapattis. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 2 medium size bitter gourd, sliced
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. mustard seed
- 1-2 dry red chilies
- 1-2 sprig curry leaves
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut
Add 1 tsp. salt to the bitter gourd and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse well and squeeze out all the water. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, red chilies and curry leaves. After it stops spluttering, add the bitter gourd, onion, garlic, salt and turmeric powder.
Fry on a medium flame till almost done. Add the coconut and continue to fry till the coconut turns brown in colour. Switch off the flame and serve as a side dish with rice or chapattis.
Add 1 tsp. salt to bitter gourd & keep aside for 10-15 min. Rinse well &
squeeze out all the water. Keep aside.
Heat oil & temper with mustard seeds, red chilies & curry leaves.
After it stops crackling, add bitter gourd, onion, garlic, salt & turmeric powder.
Fry on a med. flame till almost done. Add coconut & fry till coconut turns
brown in colour.
Switch off flame and serve as a side dish with rice or chapattis.
All Egg lovers, treat yourself to some easy-to-make exotic omelette sushi made with some spinach puree. Add any stuffing of your choice and enjoy these delightful small bites as breakfast or snacks. Choice is yours. Healthy and nutritious, they are a wholesome treat. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 tbsp. spinach puree
- 1-2 potatoes, boiled & mashed
- 1 tsp. oil
- salt to taste
- pinch of pepper powder
- 1/4 tsp. chaat masala
- oil to grease the pan
- handful of thinly sliced veggies (carrots, spring onion, red & yellow bell pepper, lettuce)
- few cloves
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Whisk the eggs, spinach puree with a pinch of salt and pepper powder. Keep aside. Heat 1 tsp. oil and sauté the potatoes, salt and pepper to taste till dry. keep aside to cool.
Brush a nonstick pan and pour the egg-spinach mix to make an omelette. When done, transfer to a serving plate and allow it to cool down a little.
Now spread a thin layer of the potato. Then arrange all the sliced veggies lengthwise. Gently roll it over tightly and fasten with some cloves.
Alternately you can wrap around a cling film and refrigerate for a couple of minutes. Then slice them in 1" pieces and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve them as snacks along with sauce.
Handful of thinly sliced veggies (carrots, spring onion, red & yellow bell
pepper, lettuce).
Brush a nonstick pan & pour egg-spinach mix to make an omelette.
Transfer to a serving plate and allow it to cool down a little.
Now spread a thin layer of the potato.
Arrange all the sliced veggies lengthwise.
Gently roll it over tightly & fasten with some cloves. Refrigerate for a
couple of minutes. Then slice them in 1" pieces.
Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve them as snacks along with sauce.
