PURAN PLEASURES !

SHUBH NAV VARSH!

शुभ नव वर्ष !

Shubh nav varsh! Happy new year to all!

In this new year I tried a new sweet dish inspired by Chef Vikas Khanna from his show in Fox Traveler. This dish originally is Puran poli of Maharashtra, BUT WITH A TASTY TWIST...
PURAN PLEASURES  just for you...

 

As you see the dish comprises of three cocktail sized samosa look alikes on a plate, hence, thus follows

The ingredients:

Maida(refined wheat flour): Calculate as 1 heaped teaspoon per samosa, so 3 heaped teaspoons per plate

Refined oil/ Ghee/ Clarified butter for moin and frying

Salt 1 pinch

Water

Channa dal(split dehusked black gram): Calculate as 1 teaspoon per samosa, so 3  teaspoons per plate  Soak for 4 hrs.

Gur/ Jaggery upto taste

Jaiphal grated 1 pinch

Green illaichi/cardamom: 2-3 crushed

Honey: to drizzle

Kheer

Method

1. First of all put the soaked dal in a Pressure cooker and cook to one whistle. The dal is cooked but retains its shape. Now remove all excess water. With the back of laddle mash the dal to a coarse mix. Add Jaiphal and illaichi. Add gur to taste. Mix and keep aside.

2. Take maida and one pinch salt. Add as much oil/ ghee/ butter so that on mixing the mixture resembles bread crumbs

 

3. In the picture bellow I took a fistful of the mixture and see it retains its form

 

4. Put as little as water as possible and make a dough. Make small balls of 1 inch diameter.

 

5. Using a roller pin flatten to a circle

 

6. With knife cut the circle into two halves

 

 

 

8. Pick one end fold, keeping the center of circle in mind, press at center to join

 

9. pick this shape up in your hand join the the two free ends(may use a drop of water as glue

 

10. See what I have here is a cone. Ensure joints are sealed well.

 

11. Hold the cone with open side up

 

12. Put the pooran or the dal mix made in first step

 

13. Press well and feeling should move till the very tip of cone. dip your finger in water and glide along the open edge of the cone

 

14. Now hold the joint and the opposite sides together

 

15. Seal the edges tightly

 

16. Make the "samosa" sit. Note that the joint line from the tip to the base frill is in middle, give a better look.

 

16. On a plate  align and sit three samosas together to make circle. This will give them shape.

 

17. Heat oil/ butter/ ghee in a deep kadai/ wok. Once the oil/ butter is hot, reduce the flame to minimum. Cook three or more samosas at a time, one side at a time on LOW FLAME till golden brown

 

18. Set them aside in sets of three

 

19. To Plate: On the plate pour some Kheer, place the set of three samosas, and dizzles a little honey

 

20 And its ready to serve...

 

Here is some alternatives

Pooran use your imaginations: Dry fruits pooran, pooran as in gujiyas...

Kheer: Might try condensed milk, sandesh with kheer

Honey: Sugar syrup 

or any combination , just ensure the combination of pooran + kheer + drizzle must have taste and flavours which enhance each other and NOT contradict. Flare your imagination say chocolate pooran+ vanilla custard + chocolate sauce/mapple syrup...

HAVE A SWEET NEW YEAR!

PAN COOKED CHICKEN WITH DILL AND PEPPER

Hi! just so late in posting this time :(. To compensate I bring out to you a recipe by me tried out recently and very successfully. Am not a great cook, but like to experiment and some do turn out very well. Worst part I forget what I did. My hubby always asks me to note the recipe down, me a lazy one, no sooner the food is eaten I forget to jot it down. This time I did it, and with pics.

Ingredients:
Chicken legs(upto thigh joint) with skin 2nos
Chicken wings(upto shoulder joint) with skin 2nos
Dill leaves (finely chopped) 2 tbs
Black pepper (freshly ground) 2 tbs
Salt 1 tbs
Garlic cloves 6nos
Butter 1" cube
Strings to tie

Method:

1. Mix the dill, pepper and salt together and keep aside

 

2. Clean and pat dry the chicken pieces and set aside

 

3. With your finger make space between the flesh and the skin

 

4. Now lift the skin with one hand and rub in the herb-spice mix onto flesh well with the other hand

 

5. Take 6 garlic cloves with skin on

 

6. Place the garlic clove on a flat surface and crush it under the flat part of knife with a blow of your wrist. Tuck in each piece of garlic under the skin on each side of chicken piece.

 

7. Try to cover the chicken pieces well with skin and then tie up with string

 

8. Heat up a shallow pan with lid. Place butter in it, when hot. Place the chicken pieces on it, cover and cook on low heat

 

9. After 5 min. check for cooking, and turn to other side. Again cover and cook. Cook till the skin is crispy brown and flesh is tender and white till the bone(check by poking in the sharp tip of knife into the flesh)

 

10. The skin becomes crispy and waffery, the flesh inside stays soft and full of lovely flavors of dill, pepper and butter.  Now cut off the cords of chicken and plate it up.

 

Viola its ready.

Believe me very tasty..

Um. m.. m...

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
My impromptu Christmas!
Kid's kindergarten Christmas!

My Hurricane and Tornado had Christmas fest at the school this year. Parents were invited to see children's creations.

 Each kid made the decorations with help of teachers.

Look at all the snow and snowman made of disposable cups, reused cans and balls...

Adhrit trying to smile too well in front of his picture frame...

Sibs posing in school garden...

My daughter came back home and said "I want my own Christmas". So I dragged Hubby dear for the night walk and got a twig home, and early in morning we all together made our own CHRISTMAS CORNER
 

Three friends in a row...
Out they go...
In search of snow...

not bad eh!
 

Sibs chatting...

Please join us for a CUP of HOT CHOCOLATTE or COFFEE ...

 We went to Botanical garden for picnic and came back in evening. Rushed in the house and microwaved fruit and nut cake served with coffee and milk for kids. Icing next year...

Little fairy Adhrit made out of small paper cup...

Santa peeping...
Love the socks...
Black rooster...

Spot all the toys and rattles up there...

Adhrit's snap in blue paper frame...

 Aarotrika's pic with her Christmas Tree (the tree is getting covered with extra snow very passing day)   ;)
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year 2014!

WELCOME to CITY OF JOY "KOLKATA"

Was making a "Welcome" for someone special, thought of sharing this with you all.

 

I love handmade paper, they have texture ans hence a character of their own. I cut it into shape

 

Then I made a pencil sketch.

 

It's a double flap card; the top flap has the image of bengali married woman with eyes down and the top flap opens up to show next flap with the eyes open to Kolkata.

 

Love the water colour medium to work with...

 

Ta-da!.. done :)

 

close

 

open

 

"Welcome to Kolkata"

This is my "welcome" to all of you

Come and cherish the rich culture and life of Kolkata!