Nolen gur er Sondesh...

As you all know how much I love winter, given I do not have to shovel a snow covered path to get into my car. The pleasurable winter in Kolkata is most welcoming, not only does it give us a break from the humid heat we experience most of the year, but it also offers an array of different vegetables, fruits and specialties like nolen gur or date palm jaggery. If you haven’t tasted nolen gur or khejur gur or date palm jaggery then you are missing something in your life. The complex layered taste of this jaggery is difficult to express in words. It has a caramel, burnt taste with subtle sweetness.

Brownies...

Who doesn’t love some chocolate over-loaded brownies? There may be hundreds of reasons for loving brownies and for me it’s the way their packed with chocolate and how easy to make they are. The cracked uneven surface and the rustic look makes it more tempting. Brownies are not a simple piece of chocolate. Brownie can be of different types, fudgey, gooey, cakey, sticky, with addition of fruits or nuts depending on your choice. You can use the same recipe to make muffins, brownie cookies (brookies) And it can be a versatile dessert too, serve a slice of brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or bribe your picky eater with a piece of brownie along with his or her glass of milk. So here I'm sharing the recipe for the timeless classic that works as a happiness booster.

Grilled tomatoes...

 

So we are in a new year, leaving 2020 behind, looking forward to going back to normal life. Many have labeled 2020 as the worst year of all, but was it really? Personally it was as shocking as it could be. Losing my mother just 5 days before her birthday and that too all of a sudden. It was devastating for us. But life goes on and we all find a way to survive. I picked up my camera, started taking photos and I decided to blog again. I don’t want to label the past year as the most dreadful or horrible but I take it as a learning of my lifetime. Happiness does not come from getting everything you want in life. Happiness is a choice, nothing will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. The pain, the emptiness will be always there but doing what I love most is something that makes me happy and a better person, and there is no bigger happiness than seeing the seeds that you’ve sown grow into lush green plants and find its stems pouring with bright orange cherry tomatoes. 

Steamed Bao...

I enjoy different types of bread. Whether it's a fluffy soft, buttery bread or a crusty sourdough or may be a hot chapati, I relish them all. I try to recreate different types of bread from around the world in my kitchen. If you are familiar with my blog, you know how much I love baking and that I am fond of making bread. So here is another one on the list, Bao. Bao is a yeast-leavened steamed bread stuffed with meat or vegetables from Chinese cuisine. Bao can be of different types, like closed round dumplings or open buns. And for your better understanding this post includes a video of how to make bao.

Savoury star shaped bread...

I personally like savouries over sweets. But any festival calls for loads of sugary stuff and Christmas is no different. Cakes, cookies, pies, sweet breads everything is delicious but too much of sweetness is not something I prefer. So today I prepared a savoury bread and keeping the festive mood of the Christmas I have chosen a star shaped bread. So here is my Christmas savoury star shaped bread filled with roasted red bell pepper and tomato sauce and lots of cheese.

Rum raisin cake..

 

Are you feeling the festive vibe? I was really not in the mood for Christmas. For me Christmas is more than a religious festival, it's about having fun with your family and friends, cherishing the beautiful winter days and enjoying the decked up City of Joy. It's also about decorating the house, arranging parties, going out, buying gifts, planning to surprise my daughter and baking loads of delicious cakes and breads for my friends and family. Unfortunately with all these restrictions due to Covid19 the usual excitement is missing and I was feeling less enthusiastic. But when I saw all those images of Christmas cakes and cookies on my Instagram feed, I felt the happy festive vibe and decided to bake a cake, a boozy flavourful Rum Raisin cake with orange glaze.

Roasted Green Tomato Salsa...

 

I always prefer dishes that can be done quickly yet taste delicious, especially for snacking. Who likes to spend hours preparing for an evening snack? I always keep few things handy to satisfy the little hunger pangs of my family members and it helps a lot when you have a teenager at home. Frankly speaking during this pandemic when the man and kids are at home and craving for snacks every now and then quick simple healthy snacks are bliss. Here is one such make ahead snack idea, roasted green tomato salsa.

Simui-er Payesh...

An easy quick dessert that can be made in a jiffy is always my favorite. Simui-er payesh is one such dessert. A simple sweet dish that is very common in every Indian household. My Sejo-jethima (aunt) used to make the best simui-er payesh. I was and I'm still not fond of sweets. But the simui-er payesh prepared by my aunt was my favorite. She used to serve the payesh in a small bowl along with some perfectly puffed luchi or crispy triangle shaped parathas and a spicy curry. I remember how I used to dip the roti or paratha or luchi into some freshly made simui-er payesh by her. I miss her cooking so much.

Kumror bhorta...

The recipes I share mostly come from seeing my grandmother, mother, and aunts cooking while growing up. Knowingly or unknowingly we absorb the techniques and processes of preparing everyday food watching our elders and with time recreate the familiar taste that we had grown up with. This process of learning never ends. We learn as an adult too. After my marriage I learnt a lot from my mother-in-law, who's an excellent cook. Then there are friends and neighbors, with whom we share food and recipes. Along with cookery shows, magazines, luring us with tempting food photos and recipes. And not to forget about the vast ocean of information available to us now-a-days , the internet. Where we can learn almost anything, if interested and willing to, be it cooking or film making. Being foodies we simply soak up everything about good food. 

Homemade curd...

 

Having homemade curd (dahi or doi) with our meal is a common practice. I  set curd every alternate day, it's a routine in my household. I have seen my grandmother, mother, aunts doing it and I do it too. Use of curd in Indian cuisine stretches back to the ancient Vedic times. Our cuisine may be diverse but when it comes to curd or yogurt every single cuisine uses it, be it in making the gravy for the curry or a dessert or as a dip or serving at the end of the meal. The naturally fermented curd is so very healthy and good for the gut, so I insist that my family members have their share of this probiotic goodness everyday.

Idli..

What's for breakfast? This is the first thing that comes to my mind when I open my eyes in the morning. Still not completely awake, wanting to spend a little more time curled up, my routine-following brain whispers to me telling me to leave the comfort of my bed while the lazy side of me wants to relax a little bit more to enjoy the warmth of the bed . Then finally the alarm beeps and I have no option but to get up. And again it strikes me, what's for breakfast?

Sugar free date walnut cake

Hi, I'm back after a hiatus. I took quite a long break from blogging and social media. During this time I have cooked a lot new dishes, dug deep into bread making and even managed to raise my first batch of sourdough starter, yet somehow I lacked the energy and enthusiasm to share it on social media. But during this worldwide Covid-scare and lockdown restrictions I felt an urge to connect with others and share my thoughts.

Uchche chochori...

It feels great to come back and write a new post. I've promised myself to post at least once a week, though not sure whether I'll be able to keep that promise to myself.. The reason behind the hiatus is my health, I was not well. Since the year 2018 started I was visiting the doctors and hospitals, went through an operation. Right now I'm feeling much better but still under regular check ups. I think not posting or not clicking and taking this long break is not solely because of my health. It's more of a mental state that put a barricade around me. I was so dispirited and needed time to look inside myself to understand what I want. The most important thing I realized during this time, we all get only a single chance to enjoy this beautiful life and we must not give up on things that we like to do and love to do. One must keep doing it, without any expectation or reward. I took up the camera and started clicking again and felt free. My blog has been always my creative outlet for me, so I will continue to do that. Thanks to all my readers and followers who encouraged and supported throughout.

Peyajkoli diye tyngra mach er jhal..

Exploring the affair of fish and Bengali would be nothing less than an epic. The varieties of fishes we eat is almost endless. And the way they are prepared also varies from one household to the other.  If you don't eat fish and rice everyday then there is a big question about your true 'Bong' blood. Fortunately or unfortunately I do fall in that category, and my other family members curiously ask me if I don't eat fish and rice for lunch and dinner then what other alternatives do I have? No it's not that I hate fish or don't like them, it's just I like to consume all other kind of proteins to keep a balance. And who wants to eat the same fish curry and rice everyday, at least not me. The commonest of common fish one cook in a Bengali kitchen is either Rohu or Katla, typically made into a simple jhol (curry) or sorse bata jhal (semi gravy with mustard paste). It surprises me how one can eat the same curry everyday without complaining. I try to eat fish at least thrice a week and that too of different varieties. As winter is offering us its bounty of vegetables, I love to combine the fishes with the goodness of the veggies too.

Plantain Kofta Curry..

As summer steps in to our life with all the heat, humidity and all my favorite vegetables vanish from the market, the biggest concern becomes what to cook. I think that's an eternal question for all who are in charge of the kitchen. Though summer has its own bounty of offering in terms of seasonal vegetables, the long stretch of summer we experience in this part of the world makes you run out of choice to cook something new. Add to this in a sub-tropical country like ours everyday household work turns tiresome and difficult, specially working in front of the oven in the kitchen.

Kumro phool bhaja..

It's great to receive a bunch of bright yellow flowers as a surprise, but being a foodie it's feels equally good when you see your favorite edible bunch of flower as a surprise gift. Last weekend when S, smilingly handed me these vibrant yellow bunch I was overjoyed. I couldn't resist myself and took pictures of them. They made my winter Sunday morning extra special.

Lauki kofta...

Koftas generally refer to meatballs made of minced meat of beef, lamb or chicken are mixed with spices shaped to round balls and are fried. Unlike middle eastern and central asian cuisine,  you can find many vegetarian varieties of kofta too in Indian cuisine. Potato, paneer, banana, bottle gourd etc are mashed or grated to make koftas. These koftas are then dunked in a  flavourful and spicy gravy to prepare a delicious curry. Kofta curries are very popular in India, be it veg or non-veg.

Thai basil fried rice...

I love one pot meals. A balanced dish with lean meat and carbohydrates with a simple crunchy salad perfectly suits my mid-week dinner plan. Last Wednesday I prepared fried rice, but not the usual one. It was Thai style fried rice. (Here you can check my better than take out fried rice recipe.)

When it comes to Thai food, first thing comes to our mind is the explosion of flavour from lemongrass, kaffir lime, thai basil, holy basil, and the strong sharp smell of fish sauce and of course the heat from fresh red chilies.

Swiss roll...with pineapple & butter-cream filling

I always feel enthusiastic while doing something for the first time, especially when it comes to cooking. And to be  more specific, baking is always super exciting for me. Days of reading and researching, measuring ingredients precisely, mixing them, baking and seeing the perfect result is a joy that can only be understood by a fellow home-baker. Baking gives me a pleasure beyond imagination. Even if I fail sometime, I learn something new. 

This year just before the Christmas I thought of making one of my favorite cake, Swiss roll. Yes, it was to be my first attempt at it, but the fond memories I have of this cake was an inspiration. As a kid I used to have Swiss Rolls from cake shops in Kolkata, they were either vanilla flavored sponge cake filled with jam or chocolate cake roll filled with chocolate butter cream, both were my favorite. This particular cake is named differently in different places: Swiss roll, jelly roll, roulade, rolled jelly cake, jam roll whatever the name, it is always the same exquisite and awesome taste.

Swiss roll (jelly roll or roulade) is a thin sponge cake filled with jam or butter-cream and rolled and sliced into cross-sectional slices. You can use any filling of your choice. The steps may appear to be complicated, but once you do it, you will realize how easy it is. Even much easier than a normal round cake. This was my first attempt at making a Swiss roll, I can't tell you how much I loved it. Not only because my friends and family appreciated, I loved  and enjoyed every bit of the process. From beating the yolks, to baking the thin sponge and rolling it and at the end slicing  it to some perfect Swiss rolls. When I tasted it, it took me back to my childhood days. So here it is for you all, just before the Christmas something special from my kitchen to yours. Add this little glitter to your baking list and I promise you won't regret it.

Things needed to make the sponge:

• All purpose flour: 1/3 cup
• Corn starch: 3 tbsp
• Eggs: 5 (separated)
• Sugar: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract: 1.5 tsp
• Salt: a pinch

Things needed to make butter cream with pineapple chunks:

• Butter: 1 cup (2 sticks or 226 gm)
• Powdered sugar: 3 cups
• Vanilla extract or pineapple essence: 1 tsp
• Heavy cream: 3-4 tbsp
• Pineapple (cut into small pieces) fresh or canned: 1 cup

Steps of making the sponge:

1. Grease a jelly roll pan, 17X12 inch (1 inch depth), line with parchment paper, keep aside. Pre heat oven to 450 F.

2. Sift the flour, cornstarch and salt and keep aside.

3. Separate the eggs. Add half cup of sugar to the yolks and beat with an electric beater or on a stand mixer till it turns smooth and almost white, over high speed for 5-7 min. Add vanilla extract and beat. This is the most important step. If you beat the yolks correctly then your sponge cake will come out perfect.

4. Add the flour mix to the beaten yolk and gently fold in.

5. In a separate bowl beat egg whites and two tablespoon of sugar till peaks are formed.

6. Add the egg white to the yolk-flour mixture and fold in very gently.

7. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and spread it evenly with spatula. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 5-6 min. Take out the sponge after 5-6 min, if you touch the center of the cake it will spring back.

8. Dust the sponge with confectionery sugar. Lay a clean kitchen towel on your work surface, invert the sponge from the jelly roll pan  on the towel. Very gently but tightly roll the kitchen towel wrapping the cake.

9. Keep the roll wrapped in towel on a cooling rack, let it cool down completely.

Steps of making the pineapple filled butter cream:

1. Bring the butter to room temperature. Cream the butte over high speed  for 4-5 min with an electric hand mixer or on a stand mixture.

2. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the butter and keep beating. Add heavy cream depending on the needed consistency. Add vanilla extract or pineapple essence, whichever you are using, beat well. Add small chunks of pineapple, if you are using fresh pineapple, make sure that's sweet enough to use. You can add other things of your choice from chopped cherries, nuts, or chocolate. You can change the flavor depending on your choice. 

Assembling the Swiss roll:

Unroll the towel wrapped sponge cake. Place it on clean parchment paper. Spread the butter cream evenly over the sponge.

With the help of the parchment paper roll the filled cake as tightly as possible but with utmost care, wrap it with a plastic wrap or aluminium foil tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 hrs. Slice and serve.

Instead of using butter cream you can spread jam or whipped cream or chocolate mousse over the sponge cake to finish up the Swiss roll. Before serving you can decorate the Swiss roll as per your choice, with whipped cream or chocolate or any frosting of your choice.

.I know it is a long procedure, here I have summarized the whole process for you,

This post is going to the bake event of Kolkata food bloggers. Click on the following logo to know more about the event and get scrumptious recipes.

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Patisapta...

Makar Sankranti is one of the major harvest festivals celebrated in various parts of India. Rice being a staple food for a majority of us Indians, the rice harvesting season is very important, and is a time for celebration. In India, this festival has many names like Makar Shankranti, Bihu, Maghi, Pongal etc depending on the region where it is celebrated.

In West Bengal, Sankranti, also known as Poush Sankranti named after the Bengali month 'Poush' in which it falls, is celebrated as a harvest festival Poush Parbon (on 14 January on the English calendar). Poush sankranti is special because during this time every Bengali household would prepare special sweets called 'Pithe' made from rice and date palm jaggery(khejur gur). 

There are various types of Pithe, some are steamed and some are fried. Pithe, can be both sweet or savory. Some need special earthenware to prepare them. The major ingredients are always rice flour, coconut, milk, date palm jaggery.