Bibimbap

Sweet and Sour Ambada Curry (Uruda Methi)

Hogs plum in coconut sauce

P

eel the ambade (small green fruit which looks like unripe mangoes, also called hogs plum) and keep aside
Heat a flat pan add a few drops of oil and roast the coriander seeds, dry red chilli on low heat until coriander seeds start to brown. Cool and add to grated coconut. Add the turmeric powder and a 3 tablespoons of water and grind to a fine paste. We call this the masala
Heat oil in a shallow pan and infuse with asafoetida, curry leaves and mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds start to splutter add the soaked urad dal and methi seeds followed by the peeled ambade. Saute on low heat for a minute before adding the ground masala
Season with jaggery and salt. Add half a cup of water and cover with a lid. Cook together on low heat till the amabade soften. This should take around 7 minutes
Serve hot or cold as an accompaniment with a coastal meal

Note: Green mangoes are a great substitute if you can't get ambades.

“

This dish never fails to bring out all the oohs and aahs when I serve it with typical Konkan meals. During the monsoons there are many occasions for fasting when families don't use onion in their cooking, this dish takes the centre spot. The sweet and sour flavors of the ambade combine with the creaminess of spiced coconut masala to create absolute ambrosia. Do give it a try

”

Ingredients
10 ambade, peeled or 1 cup chopped
green mango
3 dry red chilli
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil
10 curry leave 1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp urad dal, soaked
1 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds, soaked
1 tbsp jaggery
1 tsp salt

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

B

ase
Coarsely crush the digestive biscuits and then mix in all the ingredients. Press the mix into a cake tin and chill until set. (you can make the base and store in the fridge for future use if you want.
Filling
Soften the cream cheese and the pour the sour cream into it until it is smooth. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, essence and the sugar and beat till fluffy and smooth. Mix gelatine in 3 tbsp of hot water till it is smooth and then add to the above mixture. Pour this mixture on the base and smoothen it out. Put in refrigerator for around 15 minutes whilst you prepare the topping.
Topping
Mix together the passion fruit pulp and the castor sugar. Separately heat 2 tbsp of water and mix in the gelatine till it is smooth. Add the gelatine to the fruit pulp and mix it in. Pour the topping over the cheesecake and refrigerate till set.
Note: A popular variation is to substitute ½ cup of mango pulp instead of passion fruit.

Note: I replaced passion fruit with mango pulp and it was as nice.

“

This creamy dessert, resplendent with flavours of passion fruit is very popular in our home and eaten with great delight, by my daughter. My dear friends Bhavani and Sameera shared this relatively healthier version of cheesecake with me and today I have modified it ever so slightly to suit my daughters highly developed palate.

”

Base
1 cup / 250 gms graham crackers or digestive biscuits
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp butter
Filling
1 cup/ 250 gm sour cream
1 cup/ 250 gm Philadelphia cream cheese
½ cup castor sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp orange essence
2 tsp gelatine
Topping
3 tbsp castor sugar (powdered sugar)
½ cup passion fruit pulp
1 tsp gelatine

Passion fruit Pudding

Passion Fruit Pudding

R

emove zest from lime with potato peeler and reserve for decoration. Squeeze lime juice and add it to the passion fruit juice. Put the juices in a saucepan, bring to the boil, leave simmering gently. Soften the gelatine in cold water, if it is powder follow directions on packet. Strain the leaves of gelatine and add to the juice mixture, stir together. When gelatine is dissolved, take off of the heat to cool to room temperature and add concentrated milk (this is the tricky part- you do not want it too hot or it will curdle milk or too cold so that it starts to set!) Lightly grease crown mould and pour mixture into mould. Put in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn out the pudding onto a plate, decorate with fine strips of lime zest, seeds of the passion fruit, and coulis or cream.

Note: I replaced passion fruit with mango pulp and it was as nice.

“

This dessert is relatively simple to put together and a sure hit with kids.

”

80cl passion fruit juice, can be frozen juice
40cl concentrated sweetened milk
1 lime
8 sheets of gelatine, or powder equivalent, 16g
1 passion fruit, for serving
Red fruit coulis or cream, optional for serving
Oil, for greasing mould

Malpua

Saffron and aniseed flavoured pancakes

Malpua

R

oast the saffron on a low heat, then dissolve it in 2 tablespoons of milk. Set aside. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, milk, baking powder, aniseed and saffron-infused milk until it has a consistency similar to pancake batter. In a separate pan, boil a cup of water with 1 cup of sugar, ground cardamom and lemon juice for around 10 minutes until the sugar syrup thickens and attains a sticky consistency. Remove from the heat and pour the syrup in a wide and shallow container.. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over a medium heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle (using about three tablespoons of batter for each pancake) and spread gently to make a thin pancake. Brown on both sides before removing. Put the pancakes in the sugar syrup and remove quickly. Set aside on a serving plate and top with 1 tablespoon of grated khoya, a pinch of powdered cardamom and some chopped nuts, then roll it up. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: Please see ingredients section to make your own khoya should it not be available with your Indian grocer. I have a simple recipe using non sweetened condensed milk.

“

Flavoured with saffron and aniseed, soaked in sugar syrup and stuffed with khoya and nuts, these pancakes are indeed ambrosia. But this divine dessert is relatively simple to put together and a sure hit at any meal.

”

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
1 tbsp aniseed
¼ tsp baking powder
1 cup khoya (mawa or reduced fresh milk)
½ cup pistachio nuts, chopped finely
½ tsp saffron, roasted and soaked in warm milk
5 green cardamom, pods powdered
1 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
½ cup oil

Kathi Roll

Seasoned chicken wrapped in a pan-fried wholewheat and omelette roll

Kathi Roll

H

eat the oil in a shallow pan and saute the onion on a low heat until golden. Add the coarsely chopped onion, ginger, garlic, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and cumin seeds. Fry on a medium heat until the oil separates. Add the chicken or lamb and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and salt, cover with a lid and cook until the oil separates and the meat is cooked. Season with lemon juice and mint and stir fry on a high heat until all the liquid evaporates, then set aside. Add some oil to the pan and heat the parathas. Pour the beaten eggs on the paratha and cook like an omelette on a low heat. Remove from the pan, layer with chopped onion and some meat stuffing, then sprinkle with chaat masala and kalanamak, and roll the paratha. Serve hot with green mint chutney.

Note: Some people spread green chilli sauce on the paratha to make the rolls even hotter.

“

Kathi roll is a gift from the street vendors of Kolkata. It is the equivalent of a frankies or tortilla roll in the West. Thin parathas are layered with omelettes and a spicy chicken filling, rolled together to make a delicious snack.

”

8 parathas
1lb/450g chicken or lamb, cut into thin strips
5 sprigs mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup onion chopped into long thin slices
½ cup coarsely chopped onion
2 tbsp ginger, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp kalanamak
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp salt

Mishti Doi

Homemade sweetened yoghurt

Mishti Doi

A

dd the bay leaves to the milk and bring to a boil in a heavy-based pan on a low heat until it is reduced to half its volume, making sure to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and add the powdered patali gud and ground cardamom to the hot thickened milk mix. Remove the bay leaves. Cool to room temperature. Mix in the natural live yoghurt and allow it to set in an earthenware pot for 6 hours in a warm place. Do not disturb the pot or sneak a peek for the six hours that you keep it to set. Once the yoghurt is set, refrigerate and serve cold.

Note: Patali gud is only available in Bengal during the winter months. An easy substitute would be fine brown sugar. It is important to set the mishti doi in an earthen pot with natural yoghurt as the earthen pot absorbs any moisture that maybe released during the setting process.

“

Mishti Doi is one of the most popular Bengali desserts and is made with completely natural products. Doi (yoghurt) is considered auspicious in the Hindu religion and is prepared for festive celebrations of Durga Puja. It is fairly easy to prepare and the flavours of patali gud (special Bengali jaggery) and earthenware make this a wonderfully unique dessert.

”

1 litre milk
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
4 bay leaves
1 cup patali gud (or brown sugar)
5 green cardamom pods, powdered

Payesh

Bengali homemade rice pudding sweetened with jaggery

Payesh

B

oil the milk along with the bay leaves in a heavy- based pan on a low heat until it thickens and re duces to half its volume. Stir the milk occasionally and ensure it doesn?’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Put in the rice and keep stirring, cooking on a low heat until the rice is cooked and soft. Add the mixed nuts and raisins and remove from the heat. As the pudding cools, mix in the patali gud and ground cardamom. Remove the bay leaves and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Note: If you don’t have the fragrant govind bhog rice you can substitute it with tukda basmati rice (fine grain basmati rice). Patali gud is a type of molasses only available in Ben- gal during the winter months. An easy substitute would be fine brown sugar.

“

In winter months, uniquely flavoured molasses called patali gud arrive in the Kolkata markets, which means that it is time to make payesh for the family. The unique flavour of the gud and bay leaves makes this rice pudding absolute ambrosia.

”

¼ cup govind bhog rice, soaked
6 cups milk
¼ cup mixed nuts, finely chopped
4 bay leaves
8 tbsp patali gud
5 powdered green cardamom pods