Shopping for our daily needs can't be separated from our daily lives. It has become our habitual activity to shop our daily needs at specific store. It is necessary for us to create our shopping list before going to shop. Shopping list contains items we need to buy, quantity, and price. Unfortunately, many people don't have much time to make a shopping list. Actually, shopping list is just a
Read More »
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Gurer Sandesh
On the eve of upcoming Saraswati puja I decided to give this a try especially with gur because Ajoy loves that version.. It came out really well and the best part was it was not the tedious process unlike Kalakand which he keeps demanding. So now if he asks for sweet and I am tired I have something quick yet brownie point winner for my help :)
Ingredients
1 Liter Milk
3/4 Cup Jaggery
2 Spoon Vinegar
1/4 Spoon Pistachio Powder
Method
- In a thick pan boil the milk
- Mix vinegar with 2 spoon of water and add it slowly to the boiling milk
- When the milk cudles completely, take it off the heat and strain it out
- Wash it under running cold water
- Put it in the muslin cloth and drain the water. Keep it aside for 5 minutes so that it drains out water completely
- In a plate knead the chena formed till its is soft and consistent in the texture.
- Mix in grated jaggery and transfer it to the thick pan
- Cook the mixture over medium heat till it leaves the sides and is able to hold together.
- Make the small balls and press them against the chenar moulds, and if you dont have them just shape them into balls
- Sprinkle the pistachio powder for garnishing
Notes
I used the Patali Gur since I had got it from Kolkatta when I had been there last month. But you can also try it with the normal Jaggery. I also feel that Patali Gur is more of the Date + Jaggery taste. So if I try with jaggery version I am going to try adding paste of Date or something like that. Will update when I try that though.
While separating whey from the milk make sure to remove it off it immediately when you see the clear green water separated from the chena. Extra cooking can make the mixture stiff.
Key to shaping the sandesh is that you shape them while its hot. As it starts cooling down it becomes difficult to shape them up. I warmed the mixture after it came to room temperature so that I can shape the remaining ones.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Stuffed Spinach Paratha
Yet another attempt to make Ajoy eat Spinach without making faces ;-) Well to be honest though he doesn't like it he doesn't make faces, its me who does that :) :) Here I tried to combine his well known affinity towards paratha yet trying to be different by making it as stuffing.
Ingredients
3 Cups Wheat Flour
6 Cup Spinach Leaves
2 Potatoes
1/2 Spoon Jeera
1/4 Spoon Mustard Seeds
A Pinch of Asafoetida
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Garam Masala
Salt to taste
Oil
Ghee
Method
- In a plate, mix wheat flour, a spoonful of oil and salt.
- Add water and knead a soft dough. Keep aside for 30-40 minutes
- Pressure cook the potatoes and keep them aside
- In a pan heat a spoonful of oil and let jeera and mustard splutter in it.
- Add Asafoetida and then spinach
- Keep stirring and after it leaves water from it add red chilli powder, garam masala and salt to taste
- Cook with constant stirring till water evaporates. Keep aside for cooling
- In a mixie, grind the spinach and then mix it with the grated potatoes.
- Prepare the balls of small lemon size out of this mixture
- Make same size balls from the dough and prepare the cup shape.
- Stuff the spinach ball in the cup shape dough and close the ball. Roll the paratha
- On medium flame, heat the tawa and cook the paratha from both sides till brown. Spread few drops of oil while its cooking.
- When completely done apply few drops of ghee and serve with pickle and/or curd
Notes
I didnt want to use lots of masalas or corriander(my another trick to make ajoy like the disk;-)) so that I can still retain a bit of spinach taste. Instead I used potatoes that helped in reducing the intensity of the spinach taste :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)