Mango and watermelon salad

Mango and Watermelon Salad

My mom is a health freak. She is a vegan too. Preparing something for her an evening snacks is a difficult task. Today she told me to prepare something for evening snacks. After much difficulty and search on net I ve decided to prepare a salad with seasonal fruits.

Mangoes and watermelon are in season. We get the best quality of both the fruis. Here at dhanbaad both are abundantly available.  So mango and watermelon salad to relish your taste buds. Every few ingredients and quick and easy recipe. Only difficult part is chopping the fruits in cubes. You can use this salad as an evening snacks, salsa for nachos or as a topping to the parfait.

Mango cubes- 1 cup

Watermelon cubes- 1 cup

Honey- 1 tbsp

Black salt- 1 tsp

Black pepper- 1 tsp

Amchur powder- 1 tsp

Mint leaves- 4 to 5

Cashew nuts- 4 to 5

Almond- 4 to 5

Peel and deseed the mango. Cut in cubes and put in a mixing bowl.

Cut and deseed watermelon. Cut in cubes and mix with mango cubes.

Add honey and black salt to the fruits and keep for 10mins. Water from the fruits will come.

Add other spices to the fruits and also add mint leaves. Dry roast the kaju and almonds. Let it cool down and chop. Add the roasted and chopped nuts to the salad. Serve the salad and garnish with mint leaves.

Marichi Pani Tarkari

Marichipani Tarkari

I used to combine hing wali Khichdi with dalma or aalo curry.  But this akshaya tritiya my father in law told me to cook another family favourite and traditional odia dish to combine with the Khichdi.

The name of the dish is Marichi Pani Tarkari, A pepper flavoured mix veg curry.  We used to use local veggies  like brinjal, long beans,  yam,  colaccasia etc for this curry.  It is a very healthy dish as only 1 1/2 tbsp of ghee is used.  The main attraction of this dish is the pepper flavour.

Panch phutan(5 spices mix) 

Phutan photon  is the basic spice mix of odia kitchen.  It is nothing but a simple mix of whole spices.  Mix equal amount of mustard,  cumin,  nigella seeds,  fennel seeds and half an amount of feenu greek seeds.  Mix properly and store in a container for future use.

Brinjal (baigan) -  1 medium size

Yam (zamin khand) -  100 gms

Colaccasia (arbi) - 100 gms

Plaintain ( kachha kela) -  1

Potato ( allo) -  2

Long beans -  6 to 7

Ghee -  1 1/2 tbsp

Soaked kala chana -  1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Haldi -  2 tsp

Black pepper -  3 tbsp

Panch phutan -  1tbsp

Red chilli -  2

Cut yam,  colaccasia and potatoes in cubes.  Clean then with running water.  In a pressure cooker add a these veggies,  Soaked kala China,  salt,  haldi and water.  Cook up to 2 whistles and let it cool down. 

In the mean time cut brinjal and plantain in cubes and soak them in water or else it will be black   cut the long beans in 1 inch long and keep aside.

Open the cooker and again start cooking.  After a boil add other veggies and some water and salt if needed.  Let the veggies cook properly.

Heat ghee in a kadai,  add broken red chillies  and punch phutan.  Let the phutan  crackel and realise it's flavour in ghee. Add crushed ginger and fry again.  Add cooked curry to this tadka and let it boil for 5 mins.

Now make a powder from the pepper and add 1 tbsp of water.  Mix this watery mix to the curry.  Cover the curry and remove from fire.

Serve hot with hingwali khichdi.

Banana Stem cutlets

Banana Stem Cutlets

When I was a kid, we used to stay in government  quarters with big gardens. There are lots of trees and plants in those gardens. One common tree in those gardens is banana tree. Banana tree is a tree whose each and every part is edible (almost). Banana fruits, flower ad even stem.

Bananas are very healthy fruit but banana stems are equally healthy. At the same time it s very tasty too. Some of the health benefits are:

* As it is full of fiber, it is very good for weight loss and people who are on diet.

* It is good for the patients who suffer from gall bladder stone or kidney stones

* For constipation and piles problem it is the best vegetable.

* It is very good for diabetics and it doesn't raise blood sugar.

Yesterday I got a banana stem in the market. Mom told me, have you ever tried banana stem in this way? Perhaps no. So try and explore this recipe. Mom gave a name to the dish _ Banana Stem Cutlets. It is a simple and easy dish.

Banana stem- 8 inch long

Onion- 1 medium size

Garlic- 7 to 8 pods

Salt to taste

Salt- 1/2tsp

Green chillis- 1

Plantain- 1

Besan- 1tbsp

Rice flour- 1tbsp

Haldi- 1/2tsp

Oil for tawa frying (4 to 5 tbsp)

Peel the banana stem and chop it properly. Try to remove the threads from the chopped banana stems. Add salt to the chopped banana stems and keep aside for 20mins.

In the mean time chop onion and green chillis and crush garlic. Cut the plantain into halves and put in the cooker and cook upto soft and let it cool down.

Now wash and rinse the banana stem properly. Add boiled plaintain, chopped onion and green chillis, crushed garlic, besan, rice flour and haldi. Mix properly. Taste the mixture and add salt accordingly.

Now shape the cutlets with hands. Heat oil in a frying pan and place the cutlets. Fry the cutlets up to golden brown in both sides. Serve hot with imli Chutney and tomato sauce 

Paneer Lababdar

Paneer Lababdar

My father in law and father don't like paneer at all. Any item with paneer is either too spicy or too blande for them. Whenever i say i will cook paneer, they will first say prepare sonething else for us. I made this special dish ( paneer lababdar) for them. They liked it very much.

Paneer is milk solid. It is the best animal protein for the vegetarians. Those who doesn't like milk  even like to eat paneer. But getting a fresh and soft paneer is very difficult. Paneer from market either sour or rubbery. So personally I prefer amul paneer or home made paneer.

Here is my home made paneer recipe

Milk - 2 lits

Vinegar - 4 to 5tbsp ( sometimes more needed)

Pour all the milk in a heavy button pan. Let it boil properly. Add vinegar to the milk and allow to curdle. All the proteins or milk solids will come up. Allow it to boil for 5 mins at this stage.

Then spread a cheese cloth on a colander and pour the milk solids and  water to that cloth. Collect the cloth from all corner and tie it and press a heavy thing on that. Keep for 4 to 5 hours or over night. Keep it in fridge. Next day you will get a firm block of paneer which is ready to cook.

Paneer Lababdar

Paneer- 300gms

Onion- 3 big

Garlic- 8 to 10 pods

Ginger- 1 inch

Tomato- 3 big

Green chili- 2

Cashew nuts- 7 to 8 + 4

Almond- 7 to 8 + 4

Clove- 3

Green cardamom- 2

Black cardamom- 1

Cinnamon- 1 inch

Bay leaves- 1

Haldi- 1tsp

Red chili- 1tsp

Sugar- 1tsp

Salt to taste

Butter - 1 1/2tsp

Oil- 1tsp

Cream- 2tbsp

Milk- 1/2 cup

Garam masala- 1/2tsp

Kasuri methi- 1tbsp ( optinal)

Mint leaves chopped- 1tbsp

Water as required

Chop tomatoes roughly.  In a bowl add chopped tomatoes, cashew (7 to 8), almond (7 to 8), black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger, garlic and a cup of water. Keep that bowl on the gas and allow it boil properly. Let it cook properly and reduce the water. When done, keep aside and let it cool down. Make a smooth paste out of it.

Peel and chop onions. In a kadai add oil and ghee and let it heat properly. Then add zeera and bay leaves. Let the zeera turn brown, add chopped onion. Saute the onion upto golden brown. Now add the above paste and half cup of milk.

Saute or bhuno it up to the oil separates from the side. Now add salt, sugar, haldi, red chili powder, green chilies and half cup of water. Saute it properly.

When water evaporates add paneer to the masala and again some water and cover. Let it reduce it a bit and add cream and garam masala and switch off the gas. 

In another kadai dry roast cashew and almond. Then let it cool down and chop.

Transfer into a serving bowl and garnish chopped mint and chopped nuts. It can be served with rice, Puri or paratha.

Mansa Jhola(Odia Style Mutton curry)

Mansa Jhola ( Mutton Curry)

Mutton is the festive food for every non veg eating Indian food. Odias are not the exception. Sunda means mutton day. It is must on a Sunday thali. 

Mutton means goat meat in south Asian countries. India has different region and mutton cooking style is different from one region to other. We have kolhapuri mutton, chettinad mutton, mutton rogan  Josh, odia style curry (mansa jhola) etc. Other preparations of mutton is also very popular like kabab, chops etc etc. 

Here I am presenting odia style of mutton gravy or in odia we called it mansa jhola or tarkari. I grew up eating mutton curry from my childhood. But after marriage my father in law taught me this recipe which I follow now. He improved my cooking style and techniques a lot. This article is dedicated to him. The recipe goes very well with rice. But can also pair luchi with this.

Mutton- kg

Onion- 4 to 5 ( big size)

Ginger -  2 inch piece

Garlic- 1big

Green chillies- 2

Tomatoes- 3 big

Potatoes- 4 big

Coriander leaves- 1/2 bunch

Haldi- 1 tsp + 2tsp

Red chili powder_ 1tsp

Zeera powder_ 3tsp

Dhania powder_ 3tsp

Salt to taste 

Sugar_ 1 1\2 tsp

Mustard oil_ 3 tbsp

Ghee_ 1 tbsp

Garam masala_ 3tsp

Vinegar_ 1tbsp

Clean ginger, garlic and green chillis properly and make a smooth paste.

Chop onion and keep aside

Clean mutton properly and drain it. In a big mixing bowl add cleaned mutton, chopped onion, ginger garlic paste, salt (1tsp), zeera powder 1tsp, dhania powder 1tsp, vinegar, haldi powder 1tsp and mustard oil. Mix properly and marinate it and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker heat mustard oil, add sugar and let it caramelize. Add vay leavesto that, now add ginger, garlic and green chilli paste. Saute ( bhuno) it up to the paste started to stick to the spatula. Then add chopped onion and saute up to all the spice come together. 

At this time add chopped tomatoes to this and also add all the dry spices except garam masala. Saute up to oil separates from the masala. Then add marinated muttom. Fry up to all the water evaporates from the meat.

In the mean time cut all the potatoes into halves. Heat ghee in  a pan and add the potatoes, salt and haldi. And fry the potatoes up to golden brown. 

When water evaporates from the meat add the potatoes to the meat. Fry it properly. Add water upto the meat level and cover the cooker. Cook up to the two whistles ( 1 in high  and 1 in low). Let it allow to cool down.

When the pressure cooker realise the pressure add garam masala , chopped coriander leaves and salt if needed.

Serve hot with rice. 

Hing Wali Khichdi

Hingwali khichdi

Summer vacation is on. I came to Bhubaneswar with kids for some 2 weeks to spend with my in-laws. My father in law is a very good cook. He taught me the basics of certain recipes which is specialty of our family. These recipes are very much traditional and simple..... yet very tasty, less oil and very very healthy.

Some of these special food are Hing Wali Khichdi (Hengu Khechuri), Pepper Flavoured Mix Veg Curry (Marichi Pani Tarkari),  Mix Veg Curry(Santula),  White Pumpkin In Mustard Paste (Pani Kakharu Rai),  Chana Dal & Pumpkin Curry (Buta Dali And Kakharu Dalma). I will always fascinated by all these dishes.  I learned from him some of these dishes.  Hengu Khechuri  is the first dish I have learned from him.

It is a simple, quick and one pot rice item.  Even no onion and garlic.  I use to prepare  dalma or allo curry with this.

Rice- 1cup

Moong dal- 1/2cup

Haldi-  2 tsp

Ghee- 1 1/2 tbsp

Hing- 1tsp

Salt to taste

Saunf- 2tsp

Bay leaves- 2

Water- 3cups

Scarped coconut- 3tbsp

In a pan dry roast moong dal for 5 mins or upto a smoothing smell comes from the dal.  But careful the moong dal should not be black.

Clean and rinse rice for 2 to 3 times and soak.  Same with the moong dal.

Heat 3 cups of water in another bowl.

In a handi heat ghee, add bay leaves to it.  When the bay leaves change colour, add saunf,  hing and haldi powder.  Stir it properly.  Add the soaked rice and dal.

Saute properly up to the water evaporates from the rice and dal. Add the hot water to it.  And also and salt.  Now cook upto the water evaporates and rice is almost to cook.

Remove the handi from gas add one more 1tbsp (it is totally optional, but I add it as my father in law loves more ghee in Khichdi), scarped coconut.

Let the Khichdi stand undisturbed for 15mins. Then serve hot with dalma or allo curry that too in typical Odisha style.

Eggless Mango Cake With Mango Glaze

Eggless Mango Cake with Mango Glaze

I am at parents’ house in Dhanbaad. Dad wanted to have some thing sweet and yumm. I  thought of experimenting a new dish on my dad.  So thought of making Mango Cake and Mango Glaze for decoration.

Mango is in season. You can add mango pulp to any of your desserts like srikhand, pudding, sweets, cheese cake etc. 

My parents are very much health conscious. So I made this cake with whole wheat, less sugar and less oil. It is a mother's day gift to mom and a gift from daddy's  little girl. They loved the cake and glaze too.

Whole wheat - 1 1/2 cup

Mango cubes- 1 cup

Condensed Milk (Milkmaid) - 3/4 cup

Oil- 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Sugar- 3 to 4 tsp (depends on the sweetness of mangoes)

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1 pinch

In a blender jar add mango cubes and sugar, make a puree.

In a colander add whole wheat, baking powder, baking soda and salt, strain it and keep aside. 

Prepare the cake tin. Grease the cake tin with oil and sprinkle some flour on it. Keep aside.

In another mixing bowl add all the wet items and beat properly, till creamy. Then add all the dry items. Mix properly without any lumps but in light hands. Preheat the oven for 8mins. Bake it in convection mode for 25 mins in 200 degree celsius temperature of a microwave oven.  First set the temperature for 20 mins, then set for 2 mins and if still not done then again set for 3 mins. If still you find raw  set in microwave mode 2 mins in high. Keep on the wire rack for cooling down. 

Mango Glaze

Mango puree- 1 cup

Sugar- 3 to 4 tbsp

Water- 1 cup

Lemon- 1

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and put on fire. Cook in low flame till it becomes thick. Then let it cool down. 

Bring the mango cake  from the wire rack and pour the glaze on that. Spread it on the cake evenly and keep in the fridge to set the Glaze. 

Now serve with mint leaves and vanilla ice cream.

Tomato pulao.

Mix Vegetable Tomato Pulao

Tomato is a super veggy though it belongs to the berry family. It came to India from foreigners but it became an integral part of the Indian cuisine. Now a days can't think of a dish without tomatoes.. 

Tomatoes are world's healthiest food. It is a great source of vitamin C. Tomatoes are used in many ways in our day to day cooking. Salads, soup, curry, rice item and many more. Sometimes back I read an interesting article about Tomato halwa as a dessert.

Here I ll talk about a rice dish with tomato...‎ Tomato Pulao

Tomato Pulao is an one pot dish. It is very easy and quick to prepare this dish. It is very good for lunch boxes. It is best for the fuzzy eaters, because it gives scope to feed veggies to those kids.

Rice -1 cup

Veggies - 1 cup( carrot, capsicum, potato, cauliflower, beans and peas)

Tomatoes -  5 to 6 (medium size)

Onion - 1 big

Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves

Ginger - 1 inch

Cardamom - 2

Clove- 2 to 3

Cinnamon - 1inch, broken into pieces

Bay leaf - 1 leaf

Black pepper - 5 to 6

Green Chilli - 2

Zeera -1tsp

Chili powder - 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp

Ghee - 1 1/2tbsp

Coconut - 1/2

Water - 2 cups

Rinse and wash rice properly and soak them in water

In the mean time chop the veggies. Also chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Give a slit to the green chillis. Chop the tomatoes roughly.

Scarp the coconut and add two cups of hot water to that. Mash the scarped coconut with hot water and make coconut milk and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker add ghee and whole garam masala and zeera. Let them release  their flavor to the ghee. Then add chopped onion, garlic, ginger and Chillies and saute them properly.

Add chopped tomatoes and fry them. Add salt, haldi, red chilli, sugar and  Kasuri methi. Cook up to the masala separates from the oil. Add the veggies and fry them in slow flame up to raw flavour of the veggies goes off. Then add the rice and fry again for 5 mins.

Now add coconut milk and taste it to balance the seasoning and close the lid. Cook for two whistles. Let it stand for 15 mins. 

Then serve hot with any raita of your choice.

Tomatoes are world's healthiest food. It is a great source of vitamin C. Tomatoes are used in many ways in our day to day cooking. Salads, soup, curry, rice item and many more. Sometimes back I read an interesting article about Tomato halwa as a dessert.

Tomato Pulao is an one pot dish. It is very easy and quick to prepare this dish. It is very good for lunch boxes. It is best for the fuzzy eaters cause it gives s scope to feed veggies to those kids.

Rice_ 1 cup

Veggies_ 1 cup( carrot, capsice, potato, cauliflower, beans and peas)

Tomatoes_ 5 to 6(medium size)

Onion_ 1 big

Garlic _ 4 to 5 cloves

Ginger_ 1 inch

Cardamom_ 1

Clove_ 2 to 3

Cinnamon_ 1inch, broken into pieces

Bay leaves_ 1

Black pepper_ 5 to 6

Green chilli_ 2

Zeera_ 1tsp

Chili powder_ 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Suager_ 1 tsp

Kasuri methi_ 1 tbsp

Ghee_ 1 1/2tbsp

Coconut_ 1/2

Water_ 2 cups

Rinse and wash rice properly and soak them in water

In the mean time chop the veggies. Also chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Give a slit to the green chillis. Chop the tomatoes roughly.

Scarp the coconut and add two cups of hot water t that. Mash the scarped coconut with hot water and make coconut milk and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker add ghee and whole garam masala and zeera. Let them realise their flavor to the ghee. Then add chopped onion, garlic, ginger and Chile's and saute them properly.

Add chopped tomatoes and fry them. Add salt, haldi, red chilli, sugar and  Kasuri methi. Cook up to the masal separates from the oil. Add the veggies and fry them in slow flame up to raw flavour of the veggies goes off. Then add the rice and fry again for 5 mins.

Now coconut milk and taste it to balance the seasoning and close the lid. Cook for two whistles. Let it stand for 15 mins. 

Then serve hot with any raita of your choice.

Kathal shammi kabab

Kathal Sammi Kabab

Sammi kabab is a popular snack dish of Indian sub continent. It is a non vegetarian dish normally used meat or fish. It is a variety of kabab where meat is cooked with chik peas and whole spices and later made patties and shallow fried on tawa. It is a common and popular snack item in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. 

I made a vegetarian version of this Sammi Kabab, Raw Jack Fruit or Kathal ki Sammi Kabab. I used kathal instead of meat. My parents are vegetarian. They heard the name of Sammi Kabab and wanted to taste but can't . So I thought of making a vegetarian version for them. Sometimes kathal is also known as vegetarian mutton,  So I prefer this seasonal vegetable to make this dish. 

Jack Fruit or Kathal- 500gm

Chana Dal- 4 to 5 tbsp

Onion- 1 big

Garlic- 5 to 6 cloves

Ginger- 1 inch piece

Green Chilli – 2 to 3

Zeera- 1 tsp

Clove- 4 to 5

Green Cardmom- 2

Dalchini- 1 inch piece

Bay Leaves- 1 to 2

Black Pepper- 3 to 4

Haldi- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Apply generous amount of oil on kitchen platform, knife and palm and cut the kathal in cubes.

Soak chana dal in water for half an hour.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and add the cubed kathal. Fry the kathal up to the raw smell goes off.

In a pressure cooker add fried cubed kathal, soaked chana dal and all other spices. Add water and cook up to 3 whistles. Let it release the pressure.  Allow it to come down to the room temperature.

In a grinder jar put all the cooked kathal and spices to make a smooth paste. While grinding don't add any water. If needed add a very little water. It should be a smooth paste.

Taste the paste and adjust the seasoning. if it became very watery, add little besan to the paste.

Heat oil in a pan and give shapes to the paste like round or heart shape, shallow fry them.  It is ready to serve with onion or mint chutney.

Mango Mint Slush

The mango belongs to the drupe family.  There are many different kinds of mangoes.  They vary in colour,  shape, flavor and seed size.  Mango has a sweet and creamy taste.  It has as more as 20 vitamins and minerals.  Mango has been named as the most consumed fruit in the world. 

Mango ccontains vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin K.  Apart from that it has copper, calcium, iron and antioxidants. 

Slush means a partially melted or frozen flavoured  beverage.  It is a non carbonated drink and very Good for this summer.

Here is my recipe of mango Slush.  A partially melted drink with mango and mint flavour.  Little ice particles melts in mouth which gives relief in summer.  It is a simple and easy recipe with a very few ingredients. 

Ripe mango- 1 Big (preferably banganpalli) 

Mint leaves- 6 to 7 

Ice cubes -  2 cups (more can be added)

Honey- 4 tbsp ( depends on the sweetness of mango and one's taste bud). 

Peel and deseed the mango and cut into cubes.  Take 1cup of this mango cubes. 

In a blender jar add mango,  ice cubes,  mint leaves and honey.  Don't need to add any water.  Give it a proper blend up to the ice and mango mix properly.  It will be a thick drink due to ice particles.  It should be served immediately.  All the fun of this drink will vanish if the ice starts to melt