Labongo Lotika

Labongo Lotika is a very famous sweet dish of Bangladesh and West Bengal as well.Labongo is a Bengali word which means clove. The name of the recipe is actually derived from this.It is crispy from outside and soft from inside. It can be made in two ways one is you need to dip it in sugar syrup and second way is without the sugar syrup.Though I made it without the syrup but I will explain you the process with sugar syrup as well. So let's start making Labongo Latika.

Ingredients:


For the dough:

• 2 cup milk
• 2 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4th Teaspoon salt.
• 1/2 cup white oil

 For the stuffing:

• Khoya Kheer 1cup/ Dry milk powder and 2 teaspoon ghee
• chopped cashew 2 tablespoon
• green cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoon powdered sugar

 For Sugar syrup: 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1-2 cardamom

For deep frying:

• 2 cups oil
  

Procedure:

• Take a container and mix all the stuffing ingredients together. For those who don't have khoya kheer ,they can use 1 cup of dry milk powder with 2-3 teaspoon of ghee and mix it really well. It is a good replacement of khoya kheer.

• Then we will prepare the sugar syrup. Take a pan, add sugar,water and cardamom and put it on medium flame. Let it boil for 5-6min and then transfer it into a bowl.
• Take one non-stick container and put it in medium heat.Add milk and let it boil.
• When the milk start boiling ,add the oil in it and mix it really well.Then switch off the gas, beat one egg roughly and pour it in the milk.The moment you add the egg start mixing the milk instantly  otherwise it will form lumps. Now after mixing it add the flour and mix it with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• Now knead it really good to form a tough dough. Do not make the dough too hard or too soft.You can add water or flour to make it right.
• Divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts.
• Now check the below video to make the Labongo Latika

• Now deep fry those Labongo Latika in medium heat till it become nice golden brown in color.
• After deep frying let it cool down a little and you can serve it likw this only. The other thing you can do is to dip those Labongo Latika in sugar syrup for 2-3 mins. Take it out and place it on a plate. Let the excess sugar syrup get drained. Then finally place it on a serving bowl and enjoy it with your friends and family.

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Veg Manchurian

Veg Manchurian is a very popular Indo-Chinese preparation made with vegetables like carrot,cabbage,capsicum etc.It can be served dry or with gravy.I generally prefer to serve it with 'dry gravy' ,but it is equally good as an evening snacks with tea, without any gravy. For those who loves meat they can make Chicken Manchurian as well. For that just add minced chicken with those vegetables or whatever meat you like. But today we will make it with vegetables only.So lets start making Veg Manchurian.

Ingredients:

For making Manchurian balls:

• 2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped capcicum
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup of boiled rice
• 1-2 tablespoon flour
• chopped green chili 1 teaspoon(optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• salt as per taste
• Oil to deep fry

For making the gravy:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• Chopped garlic 2 tablespoon
• Soya sauce 1-2 teaspoon
• Tomato sauce 5-6 tablespoon
• Red chili paste 1 teaspoon(optional)
• Sugar 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt as per taste
• Chopped coriander 3-4 tablespoon

Procedure:

• For making Manchurian balls , take a container and mix all the ingredients(except oil) from the first section.Then make small balls out of it. Please do not add any water to give it a round shape because all the vegetables will release water from it so we do not need to add water externally. Even if you need it just sprinkle some water from top rather than adding it directly.Smashed the boiled rice as well before adding it.It actually helps the mixture to give a nice binding. If you want you can replace boiled rice with boiled potato as well.
• Now make small balls from this mixture.
• Take a non-stick pan and warm up some oil to deep fry those balls.
• Then deep fry those balls in medium heat till it becomes nice golden brown in color.Then take it out on a separate plate.

• Now for making the gravy , take a non-stick pan and place it in medium heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil and let it warm up a little.
• Then add chopped garlic and saute it for 1-2 min.
• Add soya sauce,tomato sauce and chilli sauce one by one.
• Then add salt and sugar.Mix them really well. Finally add chopped coriander and 2-3 tablespoon of water and let it cook for 3-4 mins. Then switch off the gas.
• Do not add the manchurian balls immediately into it. Toss the balls into the gravy just before serving.That way it will remain crunchy even if you serve it with gravy. And I like it that way. I always prepare both of them separately and keep it separate. Just before serving it I toss it into the gravy. Though it's completely your own choice.
• Sprinkle some chopped coriander on top and serve it with noodles or fried rice.

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Dokkhini Pomfret/South Indian Pomfret Curry

"Dokkhini Pomfret" is a special pomfret dish. "Dokkhin" is a Bengali word that means south and "Pomfret" is the name of the fish which is really famous in India.As this kind of preparation are found mainly in Southern part of India so I named the recipe as "Dokkhini Pomfret" or South Indian Pomfret Curry.
This fish is prepared in various way in different part of India. I have already shared two other pomfret recipes but today we will learn to cook pomfret in south Indian style.
It is not only very delicious but also very easy to make.So lets start making 'Dokhhini Pomfret'. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Pomfret( cut it in half)
• Grated coconut 3 teaspoon
• Chopped onion 3 teaspoon
• Chopped ginger 1 teaspoon
• Green chili 2-3
• Poppy seed 2 teaspoon
• Curry leaves 3-4
• Mustard seed 1 teaspoon
• Mustard  oil 2-3 tablespoon
• Turmeric powder 1/3rd teaspoon
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar 1/3rd teaspoon.

Procedure:

• Take a mixture grinder and pour grated coconut,poppy seed,onion,ginger,green chili(optional) and 2-3 tablespoon of water and make a smooth paste.
• Take a non-stick pan and place it on medium heat.
• Add 3-4 table spoon of oil and let it warm up a little.
• Then add curry leaves and mustered seed into it and let it fry for 1-2min.
• Now pour the mixture into it and let it fry for 2-3mins.
• Then add turmeric,sugar and salt and mix it really well.Finally add the pomfret fish and let it fry inside the gravy for 3-4 mins.
• Pomfret is a very soft fish and does not take much time to get cooked.
• Now add little bit of water and low down the heat.Cover it with the lid and let it cook like that for 5-10min.
• If you see the gravy is oozing out some oil from it , that means it's ready to serve.
• Now place it on a serving bowl and serve it with steam rice.

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Chelo Kabab

Today we will learn a very famous Iranian Recipe 'CHELO KABAB'. It is national food of Iran as well. Chelo Kabab is generally served with steamed rice,kababs,egg and fried tomato. I never had a chance to go to Iran and have it there so I don't really know how they prepare it there,  but in Kolkata there is a very famous restaurant named Peter Cat and we used to visit that place quite frequently only for Chelo Kabab.Rather you can say Peter Cat is actually famous for it's Chelo Kabab. As I do not have the option to go to that restaurant now , I started preparing it at home and believe me it comes out really great. Though the ingredient list is a bit longer and it looks like a very long process but actually it is very simple to make. So let's get started. 

Ingredients:

     1.For making Chicken Kabab :

• Chicken Thigh Pieces 250gms(cut it in cubes)
• Ginger-garlic paste 1 teaspoon
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 1/2 cup
• Whipping cream 1/2 cup
• Red chili powder 1/2 teaspoon.
• Garam Masala powder 1/2 teaspoon.
• Salt as per taste.
• Oil 2 teaspoon
• Bamboo skewers

     2. For making the Mutton Kabab:

• Mutton Keema /Beef Keema 250gms
• Finely Chopped onion 1/2 cup
• Finely Chopped Coriander(cilantro) 1/2 cup
• Ginger-garlic paste 1 teaspoon.
• Green chili paste 1/2 teaspoon.(optional)
• Turmeric Powder 1/3rd teaspoon.
• Salt as per taste.
• 2-3 teaspoon oil.
• Breadcrumb 2-3 teaspoon(optional)
• Bamboo skewers

     3.For making Rice

• 1 Cup Basmati rice
• Button 2-3 tablespoon
• Chopped parsley or coriander(cilantro)
• Salt as per taste

    4.Additional Item:

• 1/2 Tomato
• 1 Egg

Process:

1.For making Chicken Kabab :

• Take a plate and pour the shredded Mozzarella into it. Rub it with your palm till it become a smooth paste.
• Pour the whipping cream on top of it and mix it well. Then add ginger-garlic paste,red chili powder,salt and the Chicken cubes and mix it well. Marinate it for at least 30mins.

• Preheat your oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit which is 180 degree Celsius.
• Soak your Bamboo skewers in cold water so that it don't get burned while baking.
• Skew all the chicken pieces on the skewer. It completely depends on you how many chicken pieces you want to put on a skewer. I roughly put 10-12 pieces.
• Now place all the skewer on a baking tray.Spray some oil from top and let it cook for 10-15mins.Then turn it on the other side and let it cook for another 10-15mins.

  2. For making the Mutton Kabab:

• Take a bowl and pour all the Keema into it.You can take any meat but red meat is preferable for this.
• Add chopped onion,coriander,ginger-garlic paste,green chili paste,salt and turmeric and mix it well.If you are not comfortable with green chili then do not add it.

• Make a big dumpling with the mixture and put it on the skewer. Spread it evenly on the skewer in give it shape like a sausage.Again the size of it depends on you. I generally prefer to make it smaller.

• If your kababs do not stick on the skewer then you need to add bread crumbs as a binding agent.
• Take a griddle or any non stick pan. Place it on high heat and pour some oil.
• Add all the kabab into it and let it fry until it become light brown all over its body.You need to keep turning them around through out the process.

  3.For making Rice:

• Make nice long rice using rice cooker or whichever way you prefer.
• Then take a non stick pan and place it on medium heat.
• Add all the butter, rice and chopped parsley and give them a gentle mix.
• Add some salt and mix it well.

 4.Additional Item: 

• Take a round shape small oven proof bowl. Spray some oil into it.Break one egg directly into the bowl.
• Sprinkle some salt on top.
• Put it in the micro oven for 30 secs. Do not cook it for more than 30 sec other wise it might burst.
• For the tomato I generally cut it into half and place them in the chicken baking kabab tray and bake them along with chicken. After baking for 10-15mins I fry them with butter. Or the next option fry them in butter directly for 5-10 mins till it become little soft and change its texture.

Now its time to serve our dish. Though the process looks long ,it generally do not take for than 30mins to prepare the whole things if ingredients are ready and  marination was done because all the things runs together.But if you need to spend a little longer time as well for preparing this lovely dish that's also fine.One more important part of the dish is you need to serve it hot. So if you have already prepared your kababs a way before because of time constrains what you can do is take a nonstick pan or a griddle put all the kababs,tomato into it ,spray some oil and let it fry for 2-3 mins. But do not warm it in microwave.You can warm up the rice in microwave but not the kababs.
Now take a serving plate,place the kababs and fried tomato on the sides.Place the egg on top.You can add one cube of butter as well if you want. And serve it hot.

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Potoler Dorma/Stuffed Pointed Guard

'Potoler Dorma' is a traditional Bengali recipe which is actually a fusion of Armenian 'Dolma' and Jewish 'Mahashas'(stuffed vegetable). During the eighteenth century the Armenian,Jewish,Greek and Arab traders used to carry out their business to Kolkata. Specially the Armenian get integrated with Bengali's and they started celebrating their Christmas with them.Gradually they started sharing recipes as well. One of the famous Armenian recipe was 'Dolma' which is nothing but meat and rice wrap in grape leaves.The food loving Bengali's added their own flavor and changes into it and transformed it to the famous 'Potoler Dorma'

Ingredients:

• Pointed guard (Potol/Parval) 10-12 pieces.
• Mutton Kima/Smashed Paneer/Chicken Kima/Smashed fish or shrimp 300gms
• Chopped Onion 1/2 cup
• Onion paste 1/2 cup
• Ginger & Garlic paste 1 teaspoon
• Coconut paste 1/2 cup
• Tomato paste 1/2 cup
• Green chili paste 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Red chili powder 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/3rd teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/3 rd teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/3 rd teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 rd  teaspoon garam masala powder(optional)
• 3-4 tablespoon oil.
• salt as per taste

Procedure:

First of all you can make the stuffing as per your choice that's why I have mentioned mutton,chicken,fish paneer all of then in the ingredients list. That means you can pick any one of them as your stuffing.Rest of the process will be same. Today I will make the Dorma with mutton kima.

• First we will make the stuffing. Take a frying pan and place it on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of  oil and let it warm a little bit. Then add mutton kima,chopped onion,1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste,1 teaspoon of green chili paste,a pinch of turmeric powder and salt as per taste. Mix it really well and let it fry in high heat till it get cooked completely. If you don't want to make it hot you can always decrease the quantity of green chili paste or simply skip it. Now pour the kima in a separate bowl.
• Peel the skin of the pointed guard or parval in alternate fashion and then cut a small portion from the top.
• Now scoop out all the seeds from it. Now do the same for all of them.

• Stuff it with the Kima.

• Take a non stick pan and place it into medium flame. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil and let it warm up. Then add the stuffed Parval one by one. Sprinkle some salt from top and let it fry for 10-15 mins or till it become little soft. Remember we don't want the Parval to become completely soft rather we need a little crunch in it. So do not overcook it.
• Now take out the fried parval in a separate plate and soak the excess oil with a kitchen tissue.
• Again warm up 1 table spoon of oil in a non stick pan and add onion paste in it. Let it fry till the onion will become light pink.
• Then add coconut paste,ginger garlic paste,tomato paste,turmeric powder,coriander powder,cumin powder, red chili powder and sugar one by one. Mix it really well and let it fry in the high heat till it oozes out some oil. Add little bit of water and salt and decrease the flame. Add the fried Parval and let it cook for 5mins in medium heat with the lid on.
• Take off the lid after 5mins and pour Potoler Dorma on a serving bowl.Sprinkle some garam masala powder from top and serve it with steam rice.

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Gajorer Sondesh/Carrot Cake

Subho Bijoya and Eid Mubarak to all my friends. Its almost been a month that I have posted my recipe as I was really busy for moving to my new home in Vernon Hills.Now I am all settled here so I hope that now onwards I will be able to continue my old flow. As we are all in a festive mood , today I will share a sweet recipe "Gajorer Sondesh".

Ingredients:

• Grated carrot 2cups
• 1 cup ricotta cheese or smashed paneer.
• Sugar 1cup.
• Green cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
• Ghee or butter 1 teaspoon.
• Pinch of salt
• 10 resin

Procedure:

• Take a non-stick pan and place it in medium heat. Add grated carrot and let it cook till it releases some water from it. 
• Now add a cup of sugar and a pinch of salt and keep on mixing it till the sugar completely incorporated with the carrot.
• Add the cheese or paneer and keep on stirring the mixture till it releases some oil from and and don't stick on that pan any more. Please check the sweetness at this time and if you want to make it sweeter then just add some more sugar and cook it till the sugar completely dissolve in this mixture.
• Then add cardamom powder and ghee and mix it well.Then pour it in a square nonstick tray and let it cool down.
• Cut it in small square shape and garnish it with resin on top.
• Place this on a serving plate and enjoy it with your friends and family.

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Mutton Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh is a famous Kashmiri cuisine introduced by the Mughals.Rogan or Roughan (روغن) is a persi word which means butter or fat whereas Josh or Jus (جوش) means passion or intensity. Thus the actual meaning of Rogan Josh is cooking in oil or butter at intense heat.Another interpretation of Rogan is "red color". So one more definition would be a red curry cooked at intense heat. This recipe is famous for its flavor and nice red color. It is generally prepared with red meat. Today we will prepare it with mutton.

Ingredients:

• Mutton with bone 500gms
• Chopped onion 1 cup
• Ginger garlic paste 1 tablespoon
• Kashmiri red chili powder 2 teaspoon
• Ginger powder 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida powder 1/3rd teaspoon(hing)
• Fennel powder 2 teaspoon(saunf)
• Plain curd 2 teaspoon
• Salt as per taste
• 1 bay leaf
• White Oil 1/2 cup
• Ghee 1/2 cup(optional )

Process:

• Take a pressure cooker and place it on high heat.Add 1/2 cup of oil .Let it warm up a little bit. Then add a pinch of Asafoetida powder , 1 bay leaf and a cup of chopped onion into this.
• Fry the onion till it become light brown.
• Then pour the mutton piece into that. Make sure to drain all the water from the mutton before adding it into the oil.
• Add about 2 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste and let it fry in high heat till the outer part of the mutton turn light brown in color.
• Add salt as per taste and then mix it well.
• Add 2-3 cups of water and cook it till 2-3 whistle. It is also depends on the type of meat and  the pressure cooker as well.If your meat is fresh and soft then you won't need more that three whistle. So just keep in mind that we need the meat to be soft but not super soft.
• After this take a nonstick pan and place it on high heat. Add 1/2 cup of ghee.Let it warm of a little and then add a pinch add asafoetida powder again.Then pour the cooked mutton along with the the gravy into it.If you don't want to use ghee you can use normal oil as well.
• Take a separate bowl.Add curd,ginger powder,fennel powder and kashmiri red chili and mix it well.If you dont get ginger powder you can use ginger paste as well.Pour the mixture into the gravy and mix it well.Its very important to use Kashmiri red chili because that is the secret behind the rich red color.The specialty of kashmiri red chili is, it will give the color of the gravy without making it hot.If you use any other chili, though it might give you a nice red color but it will make the gravy super hot.
• Let it cook on high heat till the gravy start releasing oil from it.During this time keep on whisking the gravy so that it does not burn.
• When you will see that the gravy released enough oil which is rich red in color , then turn off the heat and pour it on a serving bowl.
• Garnish it with sliced ginger or coriander and serve it with nun or steam rice.

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Pineapple Chatni/Anaroser Chatni

Chatni or Chutney whatever you like to say, is a kind of sweet dish made with some fruits with a nice blend of spices.One more variation of this thing is called "Achar", also known as pickle which is on the other hand is hot and sour.In Bengali culture Chatni is must in any occasion.It is generally served at the end of your meal along with Papad which is nothing but a form of chips made with gram flour.Today We will prepare a hot and sweet chatni with Pineapple.It is popularly known as "Anaroser Chatni" or Pineapple Chutney.

Ingredients:

• grated Pineapple 1 cup
• sugar 2 cup
• pinch of salt
• Black cumin 1/2 teaspoon(kalo Jira/Kala Jira)
• Fennel Seed 1/2 teaspoon (mouri)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 2 dry red chili
• 8-10 resins

Procedure:

• Take a non-stick pan and place it on medium heat.Now add cumin seed,coriander seed and red chili in it and dry roast them for about 2-5min.Pour them into a grinder and give it a gentle blend. Do not grind it too much because we don't want a smooth  mixture rather we are looking for a rough mix.
• Now add fennel seed , black cumin into the pan and then add the grated pineapple.Then add 1 cup of sugar on top of that.Mix it till it get melted completely. Add a pinch of salt.Now before adding anymore sugar, taste it to check if it need more sugar or not, because the quantity of sugar depends on the sweetness of the pineapple. If the pineapple is sweet enough then we don't need to add much sugar. So rather than blindly adding 2 cup of sugar add it slowly and check it if it need more.
• Finally add resin, and 1 teaspoon of the mix spice powder that we prepared previously.
• Let it cook till it forms a sticky texture.
• Then place it on a bowl and let it cool down. Serve it with Papad or chips .

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Egg Double Decker Sandwiches

Sandwich is one of the favorite breakfast for many.Generally it is two slices of bread along with some layers of veg or non veg in between them. For our case we will give double layers of eggs and will use 3 bread slices instead of 2. So lets start the process.

Ingredients:

• 6 white bread slice
• 2 egg
• chopped onion 1/2 cup
• Mayonnaise  
• Tomato ketchup 2 teaspoon
• Chili flex 1/2 teaspoon
• Black pepper powder 1/3 rd teaspoon
• salt as per taste
• 1 teaspoon oil.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese(optional)  2 tablespoon

 Process:

•  Cut out all the edges of the bread.
•  Set your pan over medium heat and let it warm up.Pour some oil into it.Crack both the eggs directly into the pan or you can crack it into a separate bowl and then transfer it to the pan, whichever feels more comfortable for you.Keep on stirring it. Add 1/2 cup of chopped onion,salt,chili flex and black pepper powder.Mix it really well.Then take it out in a separate container.

• Take a bread slice and spread out a teaspoon of mayonnaise evenly on top of that.
• Take about 3-4 teaspoon of fried egg and spread it out on top of that.Sprinkle some mozzarella on top.This is completely optional. If you don't want to add some extra calories then don't add it.

• Take one more slice of bread and spread one teaspoon of mayonnaise on top of it. Now place the other side of bread on top of the previously layered bread.

• Again pour 3-4 teaspoon of egg on top of that and spread that out evenly.Sprinkle some mozzarella on top. 

• Take another slice of bread and 2 teaspoon of tomato ketchup or tomato sauce and spread it out evenly on the bread. Now place the bread on top of the already layered bread and put the sauce side downward.
• Now warm up the sandwich grill a little bit and then place the sandwich into it . Cover the lid and let it be there for 2-3 minutes.
• Once there will be nice grill color on top of the bread, take it out from the grill and then cut it diagonally.
• Place it on a serving plate and enjoy it hot.

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Thai Shrimp Fried Rice

Fried Rice is the second most popular main dish in Kolkata and the best combination with that is chili chicken. But Thai Shrimp Fried Rice is a complete meal. We don't need any side dish along with that besides a cold drink.More over you can replace shrimp with chicken,paneer, duck meat or whatever you prefer.So lets begin the process.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup rice
• 10-15 shrimp/prawn
• 2 Eggs
• Sliced green bell pepper 1/2
• Sliced red bell pepper 1/2
• 1 cup of broccoli (cut it in small pieces)
• Sliced white mushroom 6-7(optional)
• Sliced onion 1/2 cup
• Chopped garlic 1 teaspoon.
• Soya sauce 2 table spoon.
• Chili-garlic sauce or Chili sauce 2 teaspoon
• Oyster sauce 2 teaspoon (optional)
• Salt as per taste.
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 1teaspoon butter(optional)

**Before cooking clean the shrimp properly.
1.Pull off the head,shell and legs from the shrimp
2.Don't remove the tail.
3.Make a slit along the shrimp's back with a knife. Cut it in about 1/4 inch. The flesh will peel open and reveal a black or white "vein" just beneath the surface. Remove the vein gently with your hand and then wash it of properly.
4.make sure to drain all the water from the shrimp before cooking.


Procedure:

• Cook the rice till its completely done. I prefer to take Basmati but you can use anything you prefer. If you are cooking it microwave or rice cooker then add 4 cups of water , 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let it cook till its done.
• Take a non stick pan and pour some oil into it. Put it in high heat.Now break the egg and pour it directly into the oil. Add some salt on top of it and  keep on stirring it till its completely done.Then take it out in bowl.
• Now add 1/2 cup of oil into the pan and put it in medium heat.Let it warm up a little bit then add chopped garlic.Let it fry for 1-2mins and then add the shrimp.After that pour the soya sauce and let it fry for 5mins. Add broccoli,salt  and oyster sauce and let it fry for another 5 mins. Oyster sauce is optional. If you don't want then you don't need to add it.It just helps to remove the smell of shrimp.So if you are not using oyster sauce you can simply marinate the fish in lemon juice for 10min before cooking.Now cover the lid of then pan and let it cook for 5-10 mins in low heat.
• After 10mins add onion,mushrooms,red and green bell pepper and give it a gentle mix.Again mushroom is optional. If you don't like it then don't add it. Moreover instead of bell pepper or along with bell pepper you can add sliced carrot and green peas as well. Cook the vegetables for another 1-2mins. Just keep in mind we want the vegetables to be crunchy not fully cooked. Then add chili garlic sauce or chili sauce whatever you prefer.
• Keep on adding rice into it slowly. Don't add all the rice at one go. First add a cup of it and then mix it and keep on going like that till you are done with all. Then add the egg bhurji or scrambled egg and mix it well.
•  Finally add some salt, but keep in mind that we have already added salt on the vegetables,shrimp,eggs and the rice separately. So before adding salt just do a quick check.If it requires more salt then only add it.
• After that turn off the heat and add the butter and give it a gentle mix. This is also completely optional. If you are health conscious and don't want to add  extra calories as this is itself a heavy meal ,then just avoid this step.
• Your Thai Shrimp Fried Rice is all ready to serve now. Serve it hot and enjoy it with your family.

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Special Chicken Curry

This Chicken curry is really special because of the way we prepare it. For every chicken or mutton dish we generally fry the onion first, then add ginger -garlic, chicken and then rest of the masala. In this case we will do just the reverse but that will not make it taste bad rather it will enhance the taste and will give a completely different taste to the chicken.

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken 500gms
• ginger-garlic paste 1 teaspoon
• 1 big size sliced onion 
• 1 small size sliced red bell pepper(capsicum)
• 1/2 cup plain curd.
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder.
• 1-2 tablespoon fresh cream (optional)
• 2-3 chopped green chili.
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander.
• Salt as per taste.
• 4 -5 tablespoon oil.

Process:

• Cut all the chicken in medium square shape.
• Take a frying pan and put it in high heat. add 4 tablespoon of oil and then add all the chicken into it.Sprinkle some salt and fry all the chickens in high flame till it become nice golden color on both the sides.
• Now add the onion on top of the chicken and let it fry with the chicken for another 5mins in high heat. Then decrease the heat.
• Add ginger garlic paste and mix it really well.
• Take a small bowl and add curd,cumin powder,coriander powder,salt,turmeric powder,red chili powder and mix it properly.
• Add the mixture on top of the chicken and mix it well.Increase the heat and let it fry till it release oil from it. During this time you need to stir it continuously.
• After that add chopped green chili,sliced bell pepper and fresh cream and give it a gentle mix. Then switch off the flame and cover it with lid for another 5-10mins.
• Cream is optional. If you don't want to add it just add chopped green chili  and bell pepper at the end.
• Pour the curry into a serving bowl, sprinkle some coriander on top and serve it with roti or nun.If you are a rice lover I am sure you will also enjoy it with rice as well.

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Crispy Bhendi/ Crispy Bhindi

Bhendi, Bhindi, Dherosh or Ladies Finger whatever you say, it is considered to be a sticky vegetable. We never thought of making it interesting because of it's sticky nature. At least I thought in that way and I was wrong. I tried to make it crispy and it comes out to be great.So let me share another experimental recipe of my kitchen.

Ingredients:

• Bhindi/ Ladies Finger 250gms
• Corn flour 2 teaspoon
• Red Chili Powder 1/3 rd teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder 1/3rd teaspoon
• Salt as per taste
• Gram flour 1 cup
• Rice flour 1 tablespoon
• Oil to deep fry
• 1/2 teaspoon chat masala
• Pinch of baking powder.

Process:

• First we need to clean the bhindi. For that cut into half vertically then remove the seed from it. though removing seed is optional. I remove it because my husband does not like to eat it with the seeds.Remember to wash the bhindi before cutting, otherwise it will become sticky. Take a kitchen tissue and soak the excess water of the bhindi after cutting it.
• Add salt,red chili and cornflour into it and mix it really well. Cornflour will help it make it really dry.

• Take a bowl and add gram flour,rice flour,turmeric powder,red chili powder,baking powder and salt. Add some water into it and make a thick batter.
• Take a pan , pour the oil to deep fry and put it in high flame till it become hot.
• Take one bhindi, dip it into the batter and pour it into the hot oil. Do the same for all the bhindi.
• After frying it for 5 mins on one side turn it on the other side and then decrease the heat to medium.
• Fry it in medium heat for another 10-15min.
• After 15mins take it out in a serving plate.
• Sprinkle some chat masala on top and the Crispy Bhindi is all ready to eat.

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Fish Kofta Curry

Before I start sharing the recipe I want to thank my husband. No no , not for helping me to cook this , neither for being great support in the kitchen , on the contrary for giving different excuses for not to eat fish(except Hilsa and Shrimp) . Specially when I make 'Macher Jhol' he react in such a way that looks like that is only for sick people not for such a strong person like him and if he eat fish once in a week , no one in this world can make him eat fish for one more time on the same week. So I found an alternative way by making fish looks and taste like mutton with this recipe and named it Fish Kofta curry. Now not only he likes to eat it but a also make a special request on every week to make it.So all you ladies whoever suffer the same problem like mine, even whoever don't suffer as well , try it out at home. This is a "must try" recipe.

Ingredients:

• Telapia Filet/Vetki Filet 500gms
• Ginger & Garlic Paste 2 teaspoon
• chopped green bell pepper 1/2 cup
• Chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup
• Onion paste 1/2 cup.
• Tomato puree 1 cup
• Garam masala 2 teaspoon.
• Coriander powder 1 teaspoon.
• Cumin powder 1 teaspoon.
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon.
• Red chili powder 1 teaspoon
• Salt as per taste.
• 2-3 table spoon bread crumb
• 5-6 table spoon oil 

Procedure:  

• Smash the fish filet roughly with you hand. Telapia and Vetki both fishes are very soft. So what ever filet you are taking make sure to use your hand for smashing, do not put it into the mixture grinder.Smash it in such a way that there should not be any lump in it.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1/3rd teaspoon cumin powder, 1/3rd teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder , chopped red and green bell pepper,bread crumbs,salt as per taste and then mix it really well.
• Make small dumplings with your hand and then make it little flat from both side. You can make almost 16 such dumplings.
• Take a non-stick pan and put it in high flame. Add 3-4 tablespoon of oil and then place all the dumplings into it. Do not decrease the heat and let it fry till it become light brown. Then turn it on the other side and let it fry till that also become light brown.Then remove those Fish Kofta's on a separate bowl.

•  Add the rest of the oil on that pan and pour onion paste into it. let it fry till it become light pink.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it really well.
• Then add tomato puree. you can use home made tomato puree as well. for that you need to boil 4 tomato in some water till it absorb all the water and become soft  and it comes to a thicker consistency. Then make a paste of that.
• Now let the gravy cook till it release some oil from it.Then add little bit of water and let it boil.Then pour the gravy on top of the Fish Koftas.
• Garnish it with fresh cream or chopped coriander as you wish. 

• If you want you can avoid the gravy and just have those kofta's as it is and believe me you are not gonna understand that those are made with Fish. Or else you can keep the gravy and the fish kofta's in separe bowl so that if you want to eat it with gravy also you can just dip those kofta's on the gravy and eat it. 

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Contact Us

For any feedback or suggestion please feel free to reach out to me at shamimaafroj@gmail.com. 
I will definitely try my best to meet your expectation .

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English to Hindi Translation

Hindi Name	English Name
बादाम	almond
सौंफ	aniseel
जीरा	cumin
हींग	asafoetida
जौ	barley
तुलसी	basil
चावल	rice
तेज पत्ता	bay leaf
छोले, चने	chickpeas
चना	chickpea
काली मिर्च	black pepper
मिर्च	chilli
किशमिश	raisins
उरद	black gram
इलायची	cardamom
अजवायन	carom seed
काजू	cashew nuts
अखरोट	Walnut
दालचीनी	cinnamon
लौंग	clove
धनिया	coriander
हरा धनिया	coriander leaves
करी पत्ते	curry leaves
मेथी	fenugreek
अदरक	ginger
सोंठ	dry ginger
आटा	flour
लहसुन	garlic
हरी मिर्च	green chill
मूँग	green gram
बेसन	gram flour
गुड़	jaggery
पुदीना	mint
अमचूर	mango powder
सरसों	mustard
सरसों का तेल	mustard oil
कलोंजी	nigella
जायफल	nutmeg
धान	paddy
अनार दाना	pomegranate seed
अफीम	poppy
लाल मिर्च	red chilli
भुना हुआ चना	roasted gram
नमक	salt
केसर	saffron
सूजी	semolina
साबूदाना	sago
तिल	sesame
चीनी	sugar
गन्ना	sugarcane
हल्दी	turmeric
सिरका	vinegar
गेहूँ	wheat
गेहूं का आटा	wheat flour
सफेद मिर्च	white pepper
मसूर	lentil
पीली दाल	yellow lentil

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English to Bengali Translation of spices

English name	Bengali name (বাংলা নাম)
Ginger	আদা
Sour mango powder	আমচুর
Celery / radhuni seed	রাধুনী(radhuni)
Carom/thyme seed	জোয়ান
Indian gooseberry	আমলকি
Pomegranate seed	আনারদানা/ বেদানার বীজ
Fresh basil	তুলসী
Almond	বাদাম
Green cardamom	এলাচ
বড় এলাচ	Very earthy and darkly aromatic.
Cinnamon	দারচিনি darchini'
Coriander seed	ধনে dhone
Spice mixture	গরম মশলা gôrom môshla,
Rose water	গোলাপ জল golap jôl
Jaggery (unrefined sugar)	গুড় guṛ,
Turmeric	হলুদ holud
Fresh coriander	ধনে পাতা
Terminalia chebula	হরিতকি
Green chili pepper	কাঁচা মরিচ/ কাঁচা লঙ্কা kãcha morich/kãcha lonka ,
Coriander powder	ধনে গুঁড়া
Asafoetida	হিং
Tamarind	তেঁতুল tetul,
Nutmeg	জায়ফল
Mace	জয়িত্রি
Cumin seed	জিরা,
Cumin seed grounded into balls	কোটা জিরে
Curry tree or sweet neem leaf	কারিপাতা
Cashew nut	কাজুবাদাম,
Black salt	বিট লবণ
Black cardamom	কালো এলাচ
Black pepper	গোল মরিচ gol morich,
Nigella seed	কালো জিরা kalo jira
Fenugreek leaf	কসুরি মেথি
Allspice	কাবাব চিনি kabab chini
Saffron	জাফরান jafran
Dates	খেজুর
Poppy seed	পোস্ত দানা posto dana,
Garlic	রসুন roshun,
Red chili pepper	লাল মরিচ lal morich,
Cloves	লং/লবঙ্গ lông/lôbonggo,
Peppercorns	গোল মরিচ
Fenugreek leaf	মেথি পাতা methi pata,
Fenugreek seed	মেথি methi
Salt	লবণ/নুন lôbon/nun,
Lemon / Lime	লেবু, lebu,
Mint	পুদিনা
Onion	পেঁয়াজ peaj,
Panch Phoron	পাঁচ ফোড়ন pãch foṛon
Long pepper	পিপুল
Yellow pepper	ক্যাপসিকাম
Brown mustard seed	রাই/ সর্ষে / সরিষা
White pepper	সাদা সর্ষে / সাদা সরিষা
Mustard seed	সর্ষে, shorshe,
Mustard oil	সর্ষের তেল
Fennel seed	মৌরি mouri,
Black Cumin	কালো জিরে
Vinegar	সির্কা
Dried ginger	শুকানো আদা গুড়ো
Indian bay leaf, bay leaf	তেজ পাতা tej pata
Sesame seed	তিল
Capsicum	ক্যাপসিকাম
Holy basil	তুলসী

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