Patishapta

This is one of the sweet delicacies of Bengali cuisine. You can check up the info about this sweet in the following sites.
1. A Homemaker's Diary
2. Bong Mom's Cookbook

I'm not in the mood to write an intro. Anyways, this is my H's colleague's wife's recipe. A lot of tips came from her typings. I made some tweaks for our finicky taste buds.

Ingredients:
Maida/APF - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1/3 cup
Suji -1/3 cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp.
Green cardamom powder - 2 pinches
Milk

For coconut filling:
Sweetened condensed milk
Grated coconut
Cardamom powder- 2 pinches
Nuts - chopped
Raisins - few

For Garnishing (and to enhance more taste):
Condensed milk and chopped nuts

Method:
For crêpes:
In a bowl mix maida, suji, rice flour and green cardamom powder. Pour milk to turn the mixture into a dosa batter without any lumps. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile mix equal quantity of condensed milk and coconut in a pan.
Stir till it reaches a soft moist mass consistency. In between, add the nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Keep aside.
In the batter, add the sugar and mix well.
In a tawa, spread a small ladleful of batter and drizzle ghee on the sides. When they turn golden colour in the base (if you want you can flip and cook for 30 seconds on other side), place the coconut stuffing in the centre in lengthwise. Fold on both sides with one side overlapping the other. Place them on the plate and pour or drizzle condensed milk with nuts.
Continue with remaining batter.
Enjoy hot or cold.

Note:
For crêpes:
Spread the batter as thin as possible.
After preparing a crêpe, sprinkle little water to reduce the heat of the tawa. Stay safe. Oil or ghee on a heating tawa will give bursts if there is moisture. Now you can spread the batter easily. Continue this process with each crêpe.

For filling:
Variations:
For khoya filling - add some milk and sugar to the khoya and simmer it on heat till it achieves a thick consistency.
For coconut filling - simmer grated coconut with sugar on heat and keep mixing it till it comes to a sticky consistency.

Sent off to "Flavours of Bengal" hosted by Priya and started by Nayna.

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Chidambaram Brinjal/Kathirikaai Gosthu

Ingredients:
Brinjal (small) - 6 (sliced)
Onions - 1 cup (chopped)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt (to taste)
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Oil - 1/4 cup
Gosthu podi - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - a small lime size

For Gosthu podi:
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp.
Dry red chillies - 5 to 7
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Chana dal/Bengal gram - 2 tbsp.
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Oil - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Method:
For podi:
Heat oil and fry ingredients till golden colour. Cool and powder all.

For Brinjal Gosthu:
Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water.
Heat 1 tsp. of oil and saute onions till translucent. If using shallots, peel and use them as whole.
Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp. of oil and saute the brinjals for 2 minutes.
Pour 1 cup of water, cover and cook till mushy. Remove and mash them.
Extract the tamarind water. Combine chilli and turmeric powder, salt, onion and tamarind water in a pan.
Bring it to a boil.
To the gosthu powder, add little water and mix into a paste without any lumps.
Now add the mashed brinjal and gosthu paste to the boiling tamarind mix.
At this stage gravy thickens, if required add little water.
Pour 1/4 cup of oil and curry leaves and stir.
Cook for a minute and serve with rice, pongal or dosai.
Recipe Source: Madhu's Food Journal

Sent to "Bookmarked Recipes-Every Tuesday" event.

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Bread Pakora

Ingredients:
Wheat bread - 6 slices
Oil (for deep frying)

For Stuffing:
Potato masala:
Potatoes (small size) - 2 (boiled)
Onion (small) - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1/2 tsp.
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Capsicum - 1/4  (finely chopped)
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp.

For green chutney:
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 2 (small)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp.
Black salt (to taste)
Thick curd - 1 tsp.
Oil

For batter:
Chickpea flour/besan - 2 cups
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 tsp.
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp.
Baking soda - 1 pinch
Ajwain - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Turmeric powder - a pinch

Method:
For potato masala:
Mash potatoes without any lumps. Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Allow it to sizzle.
Now add the onions and saute till translucent.
Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes.
Add capsicum pieces and again saute for 2 minutes.
Now add the mashed potatoes, powders and salt and mix well.
Add little water and stir till it becomes dry. Keep aside.

For green chutney:
Saute mint leaves in oil for 3 minutes. Remove. In the same pan, add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Combine mint leaves, ginger- garlic paste, coriander leaves, green chilli, black salt and chaat masala and grind into a paste. Finally add the curd and give 2 to 3 pulses. Keep aside.

For batter:
Sieve the besan/chickpea flour in a bowl. Add all the ingredients given under "For batter" and mix well.
Pour water and prepare a batter in such a way that's neither thick and nor thin. Keep aside.

For Pakora:
Take 2 slices of bread. Spread required chutney on a slice and required potato masala on another.
Press both the slices of breads and cut into halves.
Heat the oil in a kadai for deep frying.
Dip the stuffed bread in batter and gently slide in the oil.
Cook on both sides till golden brown.
Continue this process with remainig slices.
Remove and serve immediately with ketchup.

Note:
Make sure there are no holes in the bread.
Toast the bread if it breaks while dipping in batter.
Feel free to use both hands while dipping in batter.
Make sure to coat the bread with batter on all sides. Work fast.
Stuff the breads and cut them before deep frying.
Don't stuff them early or else the bread will get soggy.
If you have any leftover stuffings, use them as a side dish.

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Garlic Rasam

Rasam is one of the everyday lunch or dinner item in Tamil families. I am a big fan of rasam. When I think back of my child hood, rasam was my entrée with the rice, rather than sambar. I still remember how my mom goes about making her rasam. In my mom's home, we have the "ammi". She would crush the garlic in ammi without peeling the outer layers of garlic. After they are crushed, the garlic would leave out the peels on their own. Then cumin seeds and black peppercorns are crushed separately. She would pick up red tomatoes (desi version) and crush with her hands inside a bowl. She would pick curry leaves from the tree at the backyard of our house to add in the rasam. When the rasam is being cooked, the aroma wafts through the house making us hungry. I am sure, my daughter will recall these memories similarly. :)

Ingredients:
For rasam:
Garlic - 2 bulbs (with small pods)
Tomatoes - 2 big ones and a small one :D
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - few
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Coriander leaves - few
Rasam powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Tamarind water - 2 tbsp.
Boiled toor dal - 1/2 cup (with water)

For rasam powder:
Peppercorn - 1/2 tsp.
Roasted and powder cumin - 1 tsp.
Arhar dal - 1 tsp.
Chana dal - 1/2 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - 4
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1/4 pinch
Dry red chillies - 2 (or as per taste)
Oil

Method:
For rasam powder:
Dry roast peppercorns, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida for 2 minutes.
Fry chana dal, arhar dal and red chillies in little oil till dals turn golden in colour.
Powder all the ingredients and keep aside.

For rasam:
Make a + cut on the top of the tomatoes and boil them.
When the tomatoes are warm, peel the skin and grind the tomatoes into paste.
In a bowl, combine boiled dal, tomato paste, tomato water (if any left), turmeric powder, salt, tamarind water and rasam powder and mix well.
Now pour required water in this mixture and keep aside.
Heat a sauce pan and add oil.
Throw in the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle.
Add the peeled garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
Break the red chillies into halves and saute.
Pour the rasam and cook in low-flame.
When foam forms on the top of the rasam, add coriander and curry leaves.
Remove and enjoy with rice or drink.

Sent off to Akila's "Dish Name Starts With G" event.

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Spinach Poori/Puri

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour/atta - 2 cups
Spinach - 1.5 cups (chopped)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tsp.
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1 tsp.
Ajwain (powdered) - 2 pinches
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Green chillies - 2 (or as per taste)
Salt (to taste)
Oil (for deep frying)

Method:
Blanch the spinach. Grind spinach, coriander leaves and green chillies into a paste.
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except oil.
Sprinkle little water and prepare a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into equal-sized balls.
Flatten them into small discs.
Heat the oil and deep-fry them till they're done.
Serve and enjoy with raita and any other side dish.

For raita:
Beat the yogurt without any granules. Add roasted and powdered cumin, black salt and red chilli powder. Mix well and enjoy with puris.

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Chettinadu Aloo Muttar Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:
Potatoes (medium) - 2 (diced)
Green peas - 3/4 cup (fresh)
Mushroom - 10 (sliced)
Onions - 3 (chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Garlic - 20 small pods (finely crushed)
Oil
Salt (to taste)

To grind (A):
Ginger - 3/4 inch
Small onions/sambar onions/shallots - 10
Green chillies - 2
Garlic - 10 pods (small)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1.75 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp.

To grind (B):
Coconut pieces - 1/3 cup
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 2 tsp.

To temper:
Cinnamon sticks - 2
Cloves - 2
Green cardamoms - 4
Bay leaf - 1 (big)
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - few

Method:
Add tempering ingredients and allow them to sizzle. Add onions (saute till pink), curry leaves, garlic (till the raw smell fades off), tomatoes (saute till mushy and releasing of oil).
Meanwhile, grind the given the ingredients from (A) into a paste.
Add this paste and saute.
Now add potatoes, green peas and mushrooms and saute them till all the masalas mix well.
Pour 2 cups of water and saute and then sprinkle salt.
Cover the kadai with a lid till the potatoes are tender.
Stir in between. Grind the given ingredients from (B) into a paste.
When the gravy is thick, add the coconut paste, mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chapathi or rice.
Adapted from: Solai's True Chettinad Kitchen

Sent off to CBB Series#2-Chettinad Special.

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