Bengali nolen gurer payesh / Rice Pudding with Date Jaggery / Kheer

Bengali nolen gurer payesh / rice pudding with date jaggery is the most favoured desserts in Bengali homes for any occasions. We call nolen gur as patali gur or khajoor Ka Gur or date palm jaggery.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

• Milk : 1 ltr
• Rice (gobindo bhog): 8 tbsp
• Date jaggery: 1/2 cup
• Sugar: 5 tbsp
• Raisins and cashews: a handful
• Cardamom: 3-4 pods

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. 
2. Take milk in a vessel and bring it to boil. Add cardamom pods.
3. Continue to boil the milk till it reduces slightly or thickened a bit.
4. Now remove the water from the soaked rice and slowly add to the milk and stir continuously. Cook it on a low flame till the rice becomes soft.
5. Add the sugar and cook for few minutes till the sugar dissolves completely.
6. Now take off from the heat and add date jaggery. Mix it well with the milk. Keep on stirring till the jaggery melts completely and is incorporated well.
7. Garnish with dry fruits ( raisins, almonds, cashews, pista).
8. Serve hot or cold as dessert.

NOTES:

• Rice should not be overcooked.
• Always add the jaggery after removing it from flame otherwise milk will get curdled. Also do not heat the kheer after adding the jaggery.

Eggless Banana Muffins

 Here is the recipe for the Eggless Banana Muffins for breakfast or tea time snack, which is made from mashed banana and all-purpose flour, and can be baked real fast!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes: 12 muffins


INGREDIENTS:

• Ripe banana- 3 large
• All purpose flour/ Maida- 1 1/2 cup
• Powder Sugar- 1 cup
• Baking soda- 1 tsp
• Baking powder- 1tsp
• Salt- 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp
• Vanilla essence- 1tsp
• Refined oil- 1/3 cup
• Milk- 1/3 cup

TO BAKE:

• Cupcake tray
• Cupcake liner
• Scoop (optional) 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven for 10 min @ 180°C. Meanwhile, take a large mixing bowl and add maida, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sieve it well.
2.  Take a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash it well. 
3. Add sugar, vanilla essence, cinnamon powder and oil.
4. Combine all the ingredients together.
5. Now add the maida in part wise (don't put all together)
6. Add milk as per the requirement and blend it well all together scrapping the side with a spatula.
7. Place the cupcake liners in the cupcake tray.
8. Using the scoop or spoon distribute the batter evenly into the liners. Fill them up-to three quarters of the muffin liners. Tap the tray to spread the batter evenly and to remove the air bubbles.
9. Bake at 180°C for 23-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean
10. Remove from the oven and let it cool and enjoy !!

Basic Eggless Cupcake (Using Curd)

Yesterday, I was in a mood to bake basic eggless vanilla cupcake  using curd. Very few ingredients are required for this, the main players being curd/ yogurt and oil. 

Preparation: 10 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
Serving: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup thick curd/yogurt
• 1 cup powder sugar 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup refined oil
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• a pinch of salt

To BAKE:

• Cupcake tray
• Cupcake liner
• Scoop (optional)

INSTRUCTION:

1.  Preheat oven to 180°C for 10 minutes. 
2. Take a mixing bowl and blend sugar and curd until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add baking powder and baking soda and combine. Leave aside for 3 minutes. You will find that bubbles appear.
3. Add vegetable oil and vanilla essence and mix well. Now, slowly add flour/maida (about a tbsp) at a time and fold into the wet ingredients.
4. Place the cupcake liners in the tray.
5. Using the scoop or spoon distribute the batter evenly into the liners. Fill up-to three quarters of the muffin liners. Tap the tray to spread the batter evenly and remove the air bubbles.
6. Bake at 180°C for 23-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven. Remove the cupcakes from tray and let it cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!!.

Egg roll with leftover roti

Roti egg roll is simple and nutritious breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Leftover roti - 2
2. Egg- 2
3. Green bell pepper- 1 thinly  sliced
4. Carrot- 1 grated
5. Onion- 1 thinly sliced
6. Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
7. Salt as per taste
8. Oil as required
9. Milk - 2 tbsp
10. Tomato sauce- as per taste
11. Chilli sauce- as per taste
12. 1/2 lemon

DIRECTION: 

1. Take 2 eggs in a bowl and beat it. Add salt, pepper powder and milk and beat it well.

2. In a hot pan heat some oil. Pour the egg mixture. Put roti over it and press it. Turn it another side slowly and if you want male the roti crispy.
3. Take it on a plate. Put all the sliced veggies. Sprinkle salt, pepper and squeeze few drops of lemon.
4. Put tomato and chilli sauce
5. Transfer it on the silver foil and roll it and serve hot.

Sweet Boondi

Ingredients

• 1. Gram flour (besan): 1 cup
• 2. Baking soda: a pinch
• 3. Yellow food colour: pinch (optional)
• 4.  Water: 1/2 cup
• 5. Sunflower Oil: for deep frying 
• 6. Sugar:  3/4 cup
• 7. Water: 1/2 cup

Directions for Sweet Boondi 

1. To prepare Sweet Boondi/Meethi Boondi , take gram flour/besan in a sifter and sieve it.
2. In a mixing bowl,  mix gram flour, baking soda with water. The batter should be little thick, a bit thinner than normal bajji batter. Add food colour.( optional)
3. Now heat oil for deep frying. Oil should be moderately hot. To test, drop a pea size batter in the oil, batter should rise immediately without changing color which means oil is ready for frying boondis.
4. Now hold one slotted ladle just over oil (neither too low nor too high). Use another deep ladle to pour batter over slotted ladle. Pour one ladle full of batter over the slotted ladle and spread in a circular motion by the back of the deep ladle. The batter will fall drop by drop.
5. Fry them till little crispy. Drain and place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
6. Repeat the process with rest of the batter.
7. Then make sugar syrup from 3/4 cup sugar & 1/2 cup water of 1 string consistency by bringing it to boil. Add in cardamom powder, mix well to make syrup.
8. Add the fried yellow and orange boondis into the syrup. Gently toss them and mix till boondis are well coated in sugar syrup.
9. Let this set for 1-2 hours until the sugar syrup is completely absorbed by Sweet Boondi  and the sugar in the syrup is crystallized.
10. Store Sweet Boondi/Meethi Boondi Recipe in an air-tight container and serve as needed.
    
    
    
    
    

Instant Jalebi

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Serving: 10

Ingredients

for jalebi batter:

• Maida/ All purpose flour: 1/2 cup
• Corn flour: 1 tsp
• Baking soda: ¼ tsp
• Vinegar: ½ tsp 
• Curd/ yogurt: 1 tsp 
•  Water: 5 tbsp or as required
• Yellow food colour/ turmeric powder: ⅛ tsp optional

for sugar syrup:

• Water: ¼ cup 
• Sugar: 1 cup 
• Saffron strands/ kesar: ¼ tsp optional
• Cardamom powder: ¼ tso

other ingredients

• oil for deep frying
• Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp

Preparing sugar syrup:

1. take sugar in a pan and add water.
2. keep stirring on low flame, so that the sugar dissolves.
3. Boil the sugar syrup and add saffron
4. Cook till you get 1 strand consistency in the syrup.
5. once one string consistency is attained, switch off the flame and add ½ tsp lemon juice and cardamom powder. lemon helps to avoid crystallizing sugar syrup and keeps your jalebis crispy.
6. 
   

Instructions for preparing Jalebi

• in a mixing bowl, mix maida, corn flour & curd.
• add vinegar and water.
• mix well in round circular directions for 4 minutes with blender or hand
• now add baking soda and give a gentle mix.
• now pour this batter in the piping cone or tomato ketchup bottle.
• heat oil in a pan 
• squeeze the bottle and make round spirals with the batter.
• when one side is partly cooked, turn over and fry the other side.
• fry till the jalebis are a light golden.
• then immediately drop the fried jalebis in the warm sugar syrup for 30 seconds (1 string consistency).
• finally, serve jalebis hot, warm or at room temperature.
  
  

Veg Momos

Prep time: 10 min

Cooking time: 25 min

Serving: 12

Ingredients

for dough:

• 1½ cup maida / plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• water for kneading
• oil for greasing

for stuffing:

• 3 tsp oil
• 3 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger finely chopped
• 2 chilli finely chopped
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 cup carrot grated
• 2 cup cabbage shredded
• ½ tsp pepper crushed
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp soya sauce

Instructions

• First, prepare stuffing by heating 3 tsp oil and saute garlic, ginger and chilli.
• Add carrot, cabbage and onion and stir fry on high flame.
• now add ½ tsp pepper and ½ tsp salt.
• At last put soya sauce and mux well. Stuffing mix is ready.
• Knead the dough soft and put it aside for 19-15 min. Take a dmall sized momos dough and flatten. Dust with some maida and start to roll using a rolling pin.
• roll to almost medium thin circle. Make sure you roll from sides and keep the centre slightly thick.
• Now place a heaped tbsp of prepared stuffing in the centre.
• start pleating the edges slowly and gather everything.
• press in middle and seal the momos forming a bundle.
• heat a steamer and arrange the momos in the tray without touching each other.
• furthermore, steam momos for 10-12 minutes or till shiny sheen appears over it.
• Serve and enjoy the hot momos with red  chutney.

Eggless Banana Pancake

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 1 to 2 mins per pancake

Serve: 10 pancakes

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana – 1

Wheat flour– 1 cup

Sugar – 2 to 3 tbsp as per taste

Milk – 1 to 1/2 cup

Baking Powder – 1 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon Powder – a pinch

Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp

Butter or Oil – 1 tblspn melted and more for cooking pancakes

Honey for serving

Method:

1.Take banana in a bowl, mash it with fork.

2. Now add in sugar, milk, vanilla and mix well.

3. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and mix well.

4. Now add in melted butter/ oil and mix well.

5. Heat oil in a nonstick pan/ tawa for frying pancakes, take a ladleful of batter and pour it over the pan. Let it cook for a min on one side till bubbles form on top. Flip over and cook for few more sec.

6. Remove it and stack on a plate.

7. Put some sliced banana on top. Drizzle with honey and serve.

* Instead of wheat flour you can use maida/ all purpose flour

* Instead of sugar you can use jaggery powder

Dalgona Coffee

"Dalgona coffee" is a beverage made by whipping equal proportions of coffee , sugar and hot water until it becomes creamy and then adding it to cold or hot milk. It was made popular by Jung II-woo, a South Korean actor who visited an eatery in Macau where he was served a similar beverage reminding him of "dalgona," a type of nostalgic Korean honeycomb, and later presented on a South Korean TV show called Pyunstorang("Convenience Store Restaurant").

In sumple language it is nothing but beaten coffee. Since it is trending and viral, I have to try it myself.

PREPARATION TIME-: 10 minutes 

SERVES-: 2

INGREDIENTS-: 

- Coffee Powder: 2 tbsp

- Sugar: 2 tbsp

- Hot water: 2 tbsp

- Ice cubes: 4-5 ( optional as per choice )

- Milk: hot or cold ( as per choice )

METHOD-:

1. Take coffee, sugar, hot water in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Use a hand blender to whip this till it gets light and fluffy. It will take around 3 to 5 mins.
3. Now take a serving glass. As oer choice put some ice cubes and fill with hit or cold milk.
4. Top with the whipped coffee and sprinkle some coffee powder on top and serve.
5. Mix well and enjoy.

Dalgona Coffee

Smoky Chicken Kebab

Soft and juicy yogurt marinated chicken kebab. This chicken kebab go very well as starter and it is healthy too. This is made on nonstick grill pan and smoked with charcoal.

INGREDIENTS:

• Chicken breast- 500 gms (Cut into small cubes)
• Hung curd- 3 tbsp
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp
• Salt as per taste
• Kashmiri red chili powder- 2 tsp
• Cumin powder- 1 to 2 tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 to 2 tsp
• Chicken masala- 2 tsp
• Vinegar- 1 tsp
• Charcoal- 1 piece to get the smoky flavour

METHOD:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and marinate the chicken. Cover it well and keep it in fridge and marinate it for at least 3-4 hours.
2. Take a nonstick grill pan. Put the marinated chicken pieces in the grill pan and cover it with a lid. Cook it on medium flame for 5 minutes.
3. Flip them and cook it for another 5-10 minutes. 
4. Again flip it and put the flame on high and grill it for 2-3 minutes. Flip it again and cook for 2-3 minutes again.
5. Take a deep nonstick kadhai. arrange the grilled kebab in the kadhai leaving the middle space. 
6. Take the charcoal piece and burn it over gas. Once the charcoal is burnt put it in a small bowl and put 1 drop of ghee over the burnt charcoal and cover the kadhai completely with the lid and leave it for 3-4 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and serve the smoky chicken kebab with mayonnaise or mint chutney.

Mango Lemonade

Summer is here and the "King of Fruits- MANGO" is much loved and most looked forward to. Mango Lemonade is very easy, quick and vitamin C rich drink. This cool and refreshing drink is made up of all natural ingredients and is ready in just 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients.

CHEERS TO SUMMER!!

INGREDIENTS:

1. Mango- 1 cut into small cubes
2. Juice of 1 lemon
3. 1 glass cold water
4. Honey: 2-3 tsp (depends upon the sweetness of mango)
5. Mint leave for garnishing (optional)

METHOD:

• Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend it well. 
• Serve chilled. If you want you can use ice cubes as well.

Lemon Garlic Salmon

This Salmon fish recipe is easy to make and takes hardly 15 minutes. This is healthy and low in calorie.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Salmon: 4 pieces
2. 4-5 garlic cloves: finely chopped or crushed
3. Lemon juice: approx 4 tbsp
4. Salt: 1/2 tsp
5. Black pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
6. Green chili: 1 finely chopped
7. Ginger: 1/2 inch finely chopped
8. Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp finely chopped
9. Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tsp

METHOD:

• Sprinkle salt and pepper over the salmon pieces.
• Take a nonstick pan and put olive oil and place salmon pieces
• Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip to other side and cook for 3-4 minutes
• Move salmon to the side and put chopped garlic and lemon juice and saute it for 2 minutes.
• Put lemon garlic over salmon with the help of spoon and cook until fish is cooked properly.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves over salmon and serve hot.

Green Grapes Juice

Grape juice is sweet, tangy and refreshing summer drink. Get energized instantly with this healthy juice. It is full of antioxidants, vitamin and minerals and good source of fibre. Great for skin and curbs ageing.

Cheers to Summer!!

INGREDIENTS: 

• Green grapes: 2 1/2 cup 
• Lemon juice: 1 tsp
• Ginger: 1/2 inch (optional)
• Pinch of Black salt
• Ice cubes 
• Mint leaves for garnishing
• Sugar/ honey (optional if the grape is not sweet)

METHOD:

1. In a blender add grapes, lemon juice, ginger and salt
2. Blend them well.
3. Strain the juice using strainer add ice cubes and serve

*You can add few mint leaves while blending for refreshing taste.

 *Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of grapes and taste.

Baby Corn Mushroom Pepper Fry

Baby corn Mushroom is very simple and easy to make. The soft mushroom and crunchy crispy baby corn blends beautifully while capsicum enhances the flavor. This quick stir fry recipe goes well both with rice / phulka/paratha or like a snack.

INGREDIENTS:

Baby corn: 10-12 in number. Cut into long pieces

Mushroom: 200 gm clean it and cut into thin slice

Green capsicum: 1/2, cut into long slice

Yellow capsicum: 1/2, cut into long slice

Red capsicum: 1/2, cut into long slice

Onion: 1 medium, cut into long slice

Tomato:1 small, 1/2, cut into long slice

Green chili- 1

Jeera: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

Black pepper powder: 1 tsp (depends upon spice level)

Roasted cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

Oil: 2 tsp

Coriander leaves: for garnishing

METHOD:

Blanch baby corn in hot water for 5 min and drain the water. Heat a nonstick pan. Add Jeera. When it splutters add onion and green chilli. Saute it till onion becomes light brown. Now add jeera, turmeric and pepper powder and saute for 1-2 min. Then add all the cut veggies ( mushroom, baby corn, capsicum, tomato). Mix well so that all the masala gets coated. Add salt. Cook on low flame for 5-8 min by stirring in between. Mushroom will start leaving water. Keep cooking till mushroom is shrunk in size and all the water is evaporated and baby corn is cooked. I like the crunchy baby corn and capsicum so didn’t cook it much. It is up to you. Add Coriander leaves and mix it lightly.

Serve hot baby corn mushroom with roti/ rice

Grapes Raita or Angoor ka Raita

A simple, refreshing, easy and quick yogurt based condiment with black and green grapes. I had some green and black grapes and tried out this sweet and savoury raita. Enjoy this raita as a side dish. This grape raita tastes best when chilled.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup  yogurt or thick curd
• 1/4 cup seedless green grapes- cut into pieces 
• 1/4 cup seedless black grapes- cut into pieces
• Sugar-  1 tsp
•  2 pinch of roasted cumin powder 
• Pinch of red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Chaat masala as per taste

DIRECTION:

1. Take curd or yogurt in a big bowl and whisk it to make it creamy and smooth
2. Add sugar and salt as needed and whisk it again
3. Add cut grapes pieces and mix it.
4. Garnish with cumin powder, chaat masala, cumin powder and with few sliced grapes pieces.

Chicken Sausage with Spinach

Ingredients:

• Chicken sausage- 5 to 6 piece
• Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
• A hand full of Spinach
• Medium sized onion- 1 sliced
• Tomato- 1 sliced
• Green chilli- 1 chopped
• Garlic cloves- 4 to 5 chopped
• Ginger- 1/2 inch chopped
• Salt as per taste
• Oregano, Pepper and red chilli flakes- (Optional)  for garnishing and enhancing the taste

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken sausages in to small pieces
2. Take a nonstick pan. Put olive oil and add chopped green chilli, ginger and garlic.
3. Saute it for 2 minutes
4. Add onion and saute it till it becomes light translucent then add tomatoes and spinach and mix it well and saute it for 5 minutes.
5. Now add chicken sausage and salt. Saute it till the sausage turns little brown in colour.
6. Transfer in a serving plate. Garnish it with some oregano and red chilli flakes and serve hot.

Black Coffee

How to prepare Black Coffee

1. Boil  cup of water
2. Add a tsp of coffee powder to it. Don't add sugar or honey
3. Let it boil for 5 minutes
4. Now strain it and drink it.

Health benefits of drinking Black Coffee ☕️

To get maximum health benefits from Black Coffee drink 2 cups of coffee a day.

👉 Makes you happy- One of the best remedies to fight depression and stress

👉Boosts Memory- having black coffee in the morning enhances the brain function and helps the brain to stay active thus helps in boosting the memory power.

👉Improves performance during workout- have black coffee before you go for workout. It improves your physical performance and helps you to give your 💯 % during workout.

👉Helps in weight loss- helps to boost metabolism and also burns the tummy fat.

👉Powerhouse of Antioxidants

👉Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease

👉Decrease Diabetes risk- Coffee helps by boosting insulin production in the body.

👉Cleanses your Stomach- drinking black coffee helps you detoxify your body by increasing the number of times you urinate and all the toxins are eliminated from the body through urine.

👉Benefits your Liver