Rikhi's Masala Meatball Curry

Rikhi is my sister-in-law and is probably one of the sweetest things that happened to my cousin Indrajoy. She is beautiful, loving and compassionate, the kind of person who instantly makes you her friend and promises to stand by through thick and thin.  In the family she is also known for her talent for dancing and passion for food. But it wasn't until last year that we got to taste her cooking...

Chirer Chop (Flattened Rice Patty)

My mother is a great cook and like all good cooks she guards her recipes well. Request her for her signature dishes and she happily cook them for you... Ask her for the recipe and she'll give you a list of ingredients to play with.  And sometimes, that list is so short and simple that it makes you wonder if that is all that went into that lip smacking curry or the cutlet you just finished.... 

Koncha Kodoli Boda (Plantain Cakes Odiya style)

In Odiya, plantains are called Koncha Kodoli, which literally means raw banana. Probably they are so called because of the semblance in their shape and color. Whatever it be, this vegetable is widely grown in Odisha and plantain cakes or Koncha Kodoli Bodas are quite popular with the people here.

Toddler friendly Salmon Cakes

I had read about the health benefits of salmon and had ever since been looking for ways to introduce it to my son's diet. While I enjoyed most of the salmon dishes that I tried, my son wasn't very keen on them until I made these salmon cakes the other day.

Blueberry Coconut Friands(Glutenfree)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you ! Hope you all had the most wonderful time with your mothers and your babies... As for us, we had a lovely time with our family friends in the playground, playing with the  boys and eating pizzas for lunch and since all celebrations call for a cake, I baked these Blueberry Coconut Friands later in the afternoon  and enjoyed them for tea... Wish I had thought of baking them earlier for they would have been the perfect treat for our picnic of sorts... 

Iraqi-style Brown Rice with Chicken, Carrots & Peas

Both husband and I love our spices. So it was only natural that I picked up The Iraqi Cookbook from the library the other day. I had intended to cook a good many recipes from the book... but as it turned out, I simply couldn't get past "Timman Jazar" or rather my version of it for it was so damn delicious !

In Iraqi, timman means rice and jazar means carrots. So translated literally timman jazar means Rice with Carrots. I however could  not resist throwing in some peas into the wok and so had to rename my 'timman' preparation thus..  Iraqi-style Brown Rice with Chicken, Carrots & Peas.

Green Pea Hummus

My toddler has an unusual love and hate relationship with peas. He claims that he likes them, but will spit it out the moment I give him some.

So the other day I was telling my mother about it and she said,
"Probably its the skin that he dislikes. Try pureeing the peas and see if he likes it that way."

Ever since I had been on the look out for a recipe with pureed green peas and this green pea hummus hit the spot. The recipe is   A Cup of Jo and then decided to make one using my favorite hummus recipe... the one from Around My French Table.

Day one, he had it as a dip with his steamed veggies.
Day two, he had it as a spread over his beet pancake.
And on day three, I just mixed it with his khichdhi and un-suspiciously he ate it all without complaining once about the taste or texture of his food.

I guess Maa was right. It was the skin that was bothering him all this while and in the hummus everything felt fine ! Mmmm it is not for nothing that they say..  moms know best ! They really know it all...

Green-as-Spring Veal Chicken Stew #French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were assigned to cook Green-as-Spring Veal Stew. We do not eat veal, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and cooked a green chicken stew instead.... I almost followed Dorie recipe, except that I left out the tarragon and returned the veggies into the pot of simmering green sauce along with the meat. I thought the orange of the carrots and the greens of the leaves and herbs presented a pretty contrast. Husband disagreed. He did not like the green at all.. though he thought that the soup was nice. I thought it was lovely. The dill and the lemon was very refreshing and the stew as a whole paired wonderfully with plain rice and Aloo bharta, a Bengali style mashed potato, that we had made to go with it. I guess the toddler felt the same way for he ate his chicken and rice without any fuss.

From experience I have learnt that chicken recipes do not need as much lemon juice as veal ones. So I reduced the amount of lemon juice in the stew and added slices of lemon as garnish. That way I could squeeze in the extra juice I wanted and husband could steer away from it.  

Green-as-Spring Chicken Stew

---

Recipe by Tanusree Khandai

Prep time: 15 minutes                                                                                                 Total time: 2 hours
Serves : 4 adults + 1 kid

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken legs
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 small carrots, trimmed, peeled and quartered
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
• 1 onion, quatered
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 + ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 2 cups arugula leaves
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• ⅓ cup fresh coriander
• ⅓ cup fresh dill fronds
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2-3 tsps fresh lemon juice*
• lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large vessel, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil. Drop the chicken legs, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the vegetables along with the chicken legs for 45 minutes.
3. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chicken legs and vegetables, cover and keep them warm while you make the sauce.
4. Toss in the arugula, spinach, coriander, dill and ½teaspoon of dried thyme in the liquid that is left in the pot.
5. Cook the greens till the leaves wilt. 
6. Switch off the heat, let the mixture cool down slightly, then puree them in the blender.
7. Return the green sauce to the pot, stir in the heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, adjust the salt and pepper and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
8. While the sauce is simmering, pull off the meat from the chicken legs and slice them into bite-size pieces.
9. Finally return the cooked vegetables and the chicken pieces into the pot, simmer everything for 5-7 minutes.
10. Switching off the heat. Then garnish with lemon slices and serve with rice or noodles.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this stew. You can find Dorie's recipe for Green-as-Spring Veal Stew here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at some of these parties

Monday 
 Mix it up Monday, The Scoop, Made with love Monday, Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Recipe Sharing @ Jam Hands
Melt in your Mouth Monday, Inspiration Monday Party, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop,
Meatless Monday :  Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday 
Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box,  Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  
Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,
Hearth and Soul blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen,
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 

Wednesday 
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain,
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wine'd Down Wednesday,
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday, Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, 
What I Made @ Creations by Kara

Thursday
Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday 
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles,  Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm,
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts,
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipe

Baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snaps and Garlic en Papillote #French Fridays with Dorie

Cooking something 'en papillote' means wrapping the food in a pouch and baking it in the oven.. That has been my husbands favorite method of cooking for sometime. Ask him to cook dinner and thats what you see him do next. Of course neither of us knew that he was cooking 'en papillote.' It was a method that he had tried on impulse and it seemed to work pretty well...

This week the Doristas were assigned to do just that. Wrap quartered baby bok choy, paper thin slices of garlic, halved baby white onions and sugar snaps along with orange zest, mint, salt, pepper and olive oil in a aluminium foil and bake them in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes and serve immediately..

Toddler friendly Tuna Cakes

Bringing your child up in a country where you have not grown up yourself can sometimes be confusing. Specially when planning their meals. Had I been raising my son in Kolkata, West Bengal, I would probably not twice about which fish to buy and feed my toddler... Catfish it would be for most of his meals.. and sometimes Rohu perhaps. They would always be fresh, bought from the local fishmongers selling their early morning catch...

I am pretty sure, families who have been living here for a while and are keen on fresh catches and farm fresh products know which sources to tap and make an effort to tap  them for their everyday needs .. But not us... not yet. We are still finding our way into the system... so largely depend on canned products and frozen food  for all our fish. And all of all the preparations I have tried with canned Tuna, these Tuna cakes happen to be our favorite. Both toddler and I love them... 

The other day the toddler even thanked me for making them :))..

He can sometimes be surprisingly sweet !

He also thought these Easter Eggs were pretty...

and wanted to eat all three...  :)))

Happy Easter everybody !
~ the Khandais

Passover Brownies

Come April and my search for chocolate-y recipes begin.  When two family birthdays are aligned a week apart, this tends to happen. No ?  My mother and my husband.... both big time foodies.. in particular chocolate lovers, celebrate their birthdays in April... so come April my search for everything chocolate-y peaks  and sometimes leads me to boxes of chocolates and sometimes to cookbooks full of chocolate-y treats.... like The Ultimate Brownie Book ..

I got the brownie book from library the other day and the Passover Brownies were the first ones that I tried from it. The recipe is flourless  and delivered the intense chocolate-y treat that it promised.. But I must warn you right away that these brownies are not fugdy. They are somewhat gooey... and if that is not your thing... then these might disappoint you a bit. At least my husband did not seem euphoric about them.. even though he found them difficult to resist...

Bajra Dosai (Pearl Millet Dosai)

I guess no one really needs an introduction to dosai... In case you do.. they are crispy South Indian crepes made with a fermented batter of ground urad dal (black lentils) and rice. While plain rice dosai with a filling of potato and side of sambar is standard, there are several variations like maida (refined ywheat flour) and rava (semolina) dosai that are widely popular in South Indian households. Traditionally these crepes are consumed for breakfast. However with the increasing popularity of South Indian cuisine throughout India, people these days do not mind a lunch or dinner  of dosai along with dosa masala, sambar and coconut chutney.

This month Sowmya of Nivedhanam tried a healthy variation of the traditional Dosai. Replacing rice with pearl millet she created Kambu dosai or pearl millet dosai and challenged the Northern Group of SNC team to try it out... Now I had urad dal and pearl millet flour in my pantry. I asked her if  I could use bajra flour to make these crepes. She said I could and the same proportion of  bajra(pearl millet) to urad dal would work even if I were to substitute the bajra with bajra flour. So that is what I did.  I soaked the urad dal with fenugreek seeds for few hours, then ground it to a smooth batter and to it I added a paste of the bajra flour. As you can see the substitute worked beautifully..

However if you prefer to use pearl millet instead of pearl millet flour,  soak the same measure of the grain along with the urad dal then grind the mixture to a smooth batter and follow the recipe thereon. You can use a different combination of vegetables to top the dosai,  but I stuck to Sowmya's choice of carrots and green beans and we enjoyed the way the crepes turned out.



Now a quick word about the accompaniments..  As I mentioned before, traditionally dosai are served with sambar and chutney. But if you are in a mood to experiment, try it with this Cucumber Kootu and some South Indian garlic powder. It is a delightful combination.. even my husband with really high standards for south Indian food was pretty impressed with the combo !

Roshogollar Payesh # Holi, Guest Post by my sister

I come from a family of great cooks. My grandmother was the best. According to my mother, she could fiddle around with whatever was available and create fabulous dishes out of them. I think, Moni, my aunt, inherited my grandma's skills and passed those genes over to my sister, Didi.....   So soon after announcing the Favorite recipes Event I asked my sister if she would like to do a guest post for me. She readily agreed. I knew she would. She is the enthusiastic one in the house, always enjoying life as it comes and always up for some fun...

An old  photograph of my big family with my grandparents in the center,
my aunt Moni in the top row and
Didi, in the bottom row..the one wearing red turtleneck and blue n white frock 

Now over to my sister, as she reflects on Holi... then and Holi.. now

Holi.....hmmm I remember Holi as in my schooldays ,the festival of colors, drenching in water, having loads of sweets snacks ,house hopping, changing wet clothes from time to time, having fun with friends, no studies, entertaining guests and taking ages to scrub clean at the end of the day. The fun filled day with loads of excitement has now become a memory for me. Presently staying in UK with my family and with very little friends around, Holi is just another day for me.

My sister with her daughter, Sneha

Right now, my 6 year old daughter is trying to get the essence of this festival from Indian movies and television. And on the special occasions, I try to recreate the festive atmosphere in the house by cooking simple desserts such as Roshogollar Payesh, a sweet dish that Maa used to make for us in the good old days...

This is an uncomplicated recipe for those like me who are compelled to be in the kitchen every single day.....

Medu Vadai

Medu Vada or Ulandi Vadai are donoughut shaped urad dal fritters that have been a traditional favorite of south India from antiquity. With exchange of food and culture, they have now become popular all over India and is often considered a healthy breakfast item. In south India they are often served with sambar and coconut chutney. You can however serve them with just about any chutney you have at hand and enjoy at teatime with your dose of caffeine.

Lately things have been somewhat unsettling around here. The  thing is... we want to move back to India. But right now the job scenario in homeland does not look too promising. We feel that the fact that husband and I are both past our mid thirties is working to our disadvantage. While I do not mind a change of career, my husband is not quite prepared for it. So he is tensed and I have been doing all that I can to lighten the atmosphere at home. Cooking his favorite meals, indulging in little scoops of ice-cream after dinner and mostly listening him out.. Hopefully things will change for the better soon.. Till then there will be a lot of deep fried snacks coming out of my kitchen. 

I adapted the recipe from Ez Cook Book.  Chopped onions were my only addition to their recipe. You can leave them out if you like or add some greens like finely chopped spinach, kale or fenugreek leaves to the batter. The recipe is highly adaptable so feel free to customize the flavors and make your own veggie medu vadai... 

Spinach, Red Grapes and White Turmeric Smoothie

Remember I told you about the Grape Must Syrup a while ago. The syrup that the Greek bakers from Athens dip their Koulouri dough rings in before coating them with sesame seeds.. Well I did say back then that you may skip the ordeal of making the grape must syrup if you wish and replace it with honey. However. In case you baked some Koulouri and ignoring my remark made some grape must syrup, then you are in for a treat right now.  Today I have for you a super refreshing healthy detoxifying drink that will instantly set you in the mood to sing... Spinach, red grapes, and white turmeric smoothie.. 

O.. Oh.. Did I intimidate you with that last ingredient ? Oh. Please. Hear me out... White turmeric is actually good for you and you cannot really taste it in this smoothie. It is there in the background and does not bother the taste buds at all... So get over your mental reservations and give this smoothie a try. I promise.. you'll love this one.  

Turnip with Coconut

Though Indian dishes cooked with coconut are usually associated with South Indian cuisine, coconut is a common ingredient used in most of coastal India. We, Bengalis tend to use it a lot, specially for flavoring our lentils and cooking root vegetables like carrots and radishes. I probably had that at the back of my mind, when the other day I tossed in some grated coconut into the pan of grated turnip ... the result was a lovely side dish to go with dhal and roti.  Both husband and I liked it and husband instantly recommended it for the blog.

My husband is fond of roasted potatoes and at his suggestion I added some while preparing the dish today. The potatoes do add to the flavor and also help increase the volume of the dish. However roasting the potatoes take time. So if you are in hurry and do not mind the extra oil, pan fry the potatoes or skip them altogether, you'll still have a lovely side for your meal..

Chicken Paella with Orange

With only four more weeks to go before spring sets in, I am already feeling chirpy. As an early celebration, son and I went out for a walk this morning and returned back after an hour feeling fresh and cheery. It was so good to be out in the sun for so long.. Later, when the toddler went for his nap I cooked up this delicious citrusy chicken paella for dinner...

I adapted the recipe from the book Perfect Over Spanish a Collection of Over 100 Essential Recipe. I had cooked this paella before and had intended to write about it but then forgot until my sister asked me for a paella recipe the other day.... 

It is a gorgeous easy-to-cook one-pot-meal that can be made on a weeknight, provided you have planned it before and have an hour to spare. Else cook it up for a delicious weekend dinner and enjoy with your family and loved ones.....

Hélène's All White Salad # French Fridays with Dorie

This week's assignment for the Doirstas was Hélène's All White Salad.... a mushroom, celery, apple and napa cabbage salad with mayonnaise dressing and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for garnish.

It is not very often that you come across monochromatic salads, specially in white. Driven by curiosity I had tried this one soon after I got my copy of Around My French Table. I was a little wary of the yolk in the dressing and had left it out .. Our general opinion then was that it isn't so great a salad... Both husband and I had not liked the raw after taste that the mushroom left. There were leftovers which I ate the following day and guess what, I really liked it. The chilled yogurt-olive oil-dressed mushrooms tasted so good !

Keeping that in mind, this time, I chopped all the vegetables, dressed them with a mixture of half of the yogurt and olive oil, seasoned them and chilled the dressed salad overnight before adding the mayonnaise and serving. The result was fabulous. Though slightly speckled, the chilled salad tasted fantastic and we really enjoyed it.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this salad. You can find a version of the recipe here . For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

Puneri Aloo (Potatoes with Peanuts n' Curry Leaves)

Earlier this year, while working on the recipe archive of the blog I realized that I haven't shared too many Indian recipes. Weird. Because I am an Indian. Grew up eating Indian food all my life. Love my spices and enjoy their aroma and flavors in all that I cook. Yet when it came to blogging I shared so little of my food and culture. So I decided to share at least one Indian recipe each week..

Keeping with the spirit I chose to share Puneri Aloo with you today. It is a traditional potato preparation flavored with curry leaves and peanuts. The name suggests that the dish is from the city of Pune in Maharashtra. Must be so. But I haven't  had this dish in Pune.  I have only tasted the version that came in "The Samsung Book of Indian Microwave Cooking by Tarla Dalal," the book that I often referred to in my early days in kitchen.

You see, I began to cook on a regular basis only after marriage. My mother believed that anyone who appreciates good food will eventually learn to cook. So she neither encouraged me to experiment in her kitchen nor assist her as a sous-chef. Later when I went to college, the hostel canteen took care of all our meals. In India, hostel accommodations always come with food, meaning there is always a canteen associated with every hostel, and the multi-tasking "bhaiyas" there take care of all the kitchen ordeals.. shopping, cooking, serving and washing... You only have to appear in the canteen in time and eat your meals. Being part of the system, which we all took for granted,  I never learnt to cook until I was forced to. As a result my initial kitchen-days were quite a ride. Back then,  rolling a "round" roti used to be a big accomplishment and a compliment from husband on my cooking a big achievement. The latter came in easily with this dish.. Thus it remained one of our favorites for a long time and then became part of a happy memory...

Mushroom Risotto

What are your plans for Valentine's Day ? Dining out ? Staying in ? As for us.. we haven't decided yet. We may or may not go out for dinner. But if we stay at home, then I'll probably make some Dressy Pasta Risotto and Chicken Piccata or this awesome Mushroom Risotto followed by a decadent chocolate cake.

The recipe is from Audrey's. I modified it a little and added an extra step to the recipe just because I find it easier to cook risotto with semi-cooked Arborio rice. You may skip it if you are a pro at cooking risotto... However if Arborio is a new grain for you, the extra step might prove useful. Either way... don't wait too long, slice the mushrooms, grab your jar of Arborio rice and get ready to cook a creamy delicious romantic dinner for two....