Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Gandharaj Dim

Egg in Bengali is called 'dim' and 'gandharaj' is a type of lemon famed for its fragrance and the aroma it lends to a dish. Together combined, both egg and gandharaj lemon makes an exotic culinary creation savoured by all. I picked the recipe from a cookery show, but I adapted it according to my palate. It was an oil free egg preparation without yolks, but nah I can't have eggs without yolks crumbling in my mouth, so I retained the egg yolks and twisted the spices in accordance with what was available at home at that moment.


The recipe is super simple and flexible. You may substitute coriander leaves with curry leaves or add fenugreek seeds (methi) in place of cumin seeds while sautéing. At the end, it is your culinary instinct that gets into work in creating a marvel.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Butter Chicken

I love butter chicken but I am quite hesitant about ordering it in restaurants because of the amount of butter used in preparing this. I had this recipe written across the page of my diary and umpteen times I thought of cooking butter chicken at home, but being watchful on my diet, I didn't dare try this one. However, this time when my hubby invited few of his colleagues over for dinner, I made an attempt at cooking this.


I cooked 1 1/2 kg chicken using only 100 gm of butter. I know I should have been liberal with the quantity of butter but being used to skimp on oil, my hands didn't permit me more. The turnout was nice, at least me and my hubby had the dinner with pleasure but am sure anyone fond of eating oily food won't find my butter chicken appetizing. Never mind, just increase the amount of butter and your butter chicken would turn out to be something spectacular.


Friday, February 24, 2012

Egg Prawn Fried Rice

Tomorrow is weekend and there is a forecast of heavy rain and snowfall tomorrow. This is what I don't particularly enjoy in USA - the weather during the winter. It's totally unpredictable. One moment you have the sun glaring at you and the next moment the temperature plummets to a dangerously low level with heavy rain followed by storm. The variation between temperatures is shocking. In the morning you may enjoy a sunny weather at 90 degree F and the same day in the evening, the temperature may drop down to 20 degree F. At that time only you realize the congeniality of our weather back in India. It remains same with no variation and does not pose a threat to our living. 

Unlike last year, this year snow has fallen less here. When we came here last year during March, the entire place was clad in snow with trees totally stripped naked of foliage, but this year snow is falling sporadically and that too mildly. Thankfully, the weather is not very windy this time, at least till now. Last time the gust of cold wind made me feel chilled to the bone once I stepped out. Specially in a desolate place like Maumee where we are now stationed, when the wind blows, miles and miles of land void of any solid structure to ward off the effect of the wind makes the air current all the more powerful, sometimes, leading to fatal or nearly fatal accidents when cars spun out of control under the force of heavy wind crash into each other.

Last night a group of Debu's buddies from office were invited to our room for dinner (yes, heard right, room in the Mariott Residence Inn for we are yet to shift to a house). I cooked butter chicken and the egg prawn fried rice. I will upload the recipe of butter chicken sometime soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the recipe of the egg prawn fried rice.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Garlic Prawn Mushroom

It's been a while since I posted my last recipe. Life is going very busy with me adapting to a new surround. As I take my time settling things down here in a foreign country amidst an unknown culture, my posts might not be so frequent for a while. Anyhow, I will try my best to update my blog with a host of culinary creations, no matter how sporadically. Have patience!

Last night only I prepared the dish detailed below. My kitchen is yet to be fully set. With a limited number of ingredients in hand as of now, I rely on my culinary instincts to create something new. This one turned out to be really tasty and goes well with fried rice or plate of plain chowmein.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Begun Bhaja - Beguni

Finally, I am rid of the pain that was causing me discomfort for last one week and with each passing day the pain was growing unbearable, coupled with the anxiety over our recent long distance trip. The first dentist I had been to suggested that once the swelling and infection caused by the wisdom tooth reduced, she would slit the gum to help the tooth come up on its own. But she administered me medication which when didn't heal the intumescence within three days after my intake of 15 pills sent me into a panic attack and I sought for a second opinion.

The second dentist scared me saying the tooth is slightly tilted and hence I should go for an extraction immediately. The doctor took an x-ray of my tooth which, contrary to the doctor’s words, appeared pretty straight to me. However, when you suffer from an annoying thing like constant pain in your mouth and forcefully let yourself be on liquid diet for days, all your brain can think of is to get rid of the pain anyhow and neither reason nor logic work. May be because of that desperation to be free of pain, at the insistence of the doctor I became willing almost immediately to get the tooth extracted. Fortunately, the senior doctor who was to perform the surgery was not available in the evening and thus I escaped making a hasty mistake.

The moment I related my parents about what the doctor suggested to me, they started pressing me against the surgery for tooth extraction is quite a painful affair, takes time for the wound to heal and most of all could hinder our trip due after two days. Tooth removal just prior to a long journey when you are supposed to be on board at least for 24 hours is totally a bad idea. Having said that, I have to admit the dosage given by the second dentist worked fast on bringing the swelling and associated pain down because of which only I was able to get the gum around the affected area cut around. Now, free from the toothache, I am counting hours to fly.
Begun Bhaja is a simple recipe staple in all Bengali households. In Kolkata, we get this as fast food snack on the roadside food joints also.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Egg Devil with Mutton Keema

We just returned home after catching the night show of 'Ek mein aur ek tu'. I have to say the movie is unnecessary lengthy and boring to the infinity. I was eagerly waiting for it to come to an end. I don't know why all Karan Zahar movies follow the same story pattern of affluent Indians based in foreign countries with a string of already established actors and actresses playing the characters and some flashy cheeky dance numbers thrown as interlude between histrionics. I wonder at times how 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam' became such a huge blockbuster for I just found it way over the top with emotional outpourings.

Next time I will do some R&D before watching his movies to save myself from the boredom-induced-migraine. I swear!!



Back to the recipe, the one described below is one of the meaty variations of a popular fast food known by the name of "Dimer Devil." "Dim" in Bengali means "Egg" and devil stands for......well I exactly don't know. That eating it gives a devilish pleasure might have something to do with the suffix "devil". Whatever the connotation implies, rest assured this is one of its kind and definitely a must try.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Morola Macher Tok

It's painful when wisdom comes through wisdom tooth. I had just been to Kolkata when a searing toothache caused by the growth of a wisdom tooth wore me down. Because of my innate fear and hatred for doctors, I ignored the first sign of pain completely without even thinking for once to visit a dentist. Consequently, the pain deepened and reached its culmination yesterday when we were travelling back to Bangalore. Just as we were heading towards the airport, I had a nasty altercation with my hubby in the taxi. Being a person of short fuse, I tossed the painkillers that my hubby bought for me in the morning out of the window. I realized my mistake shortly after the flight took off. During the entire 3 and half hours of journey, I didn't have a moment of peace. Seated on my chair, I twisted and turned in sheer uneasiness and felt the pain seething all the way from my ear to mouth. By the time we finally landed at Bangalore airport, all my other senses were benumbed with pain and all could I think of then was to reach home somehow and pop in some painkillers, which exactly I did.

Right now I am literally living on soup because I find it difficult to chew. I have been to a dentist today in the first hours of morning and what looks like; it will take at least a week or two to get completely healed. I am screwing up my courage to face the day when they are going to perform an x-ray of my tooth and will come up with the verdict of what is to be done - extraction or cutting the gum around to help the tooth come up on its own. How I hate WISDOM.


The recipe below is of a very tasty dish that this time my mother cooked for me when I visited them. I slurped the gravy clean and kept on licking my fingers. I don't think I shall be able to conjure up this delicacy in Bangalore for the shortfall of tiny fishes here. Morola is one fish I have been looking for in Bangalore since the time we arrived at here 2 years back but in vain :(

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Chicken Momos

I am in Bhadreshwar now. Those who might not know where Bhadreshwar is, let me give you a small introduction of the place. Bhadreshwar is a small town situated near Hooghly River in Hooghly district in West Bengal. Only 50 kms distant from Kolkata, it is a comfortable suburban area, ideal for leading a peaceful life away from the clamour and congestion of a city. This is where my in laws place is located at.



Bhadreshwar and Chandannagar (hardly 20 minutes distance from Bhadreshwar) are both famous for their sweets. Each time when I come to my in laws' place, I make sure to carry a bag full of sweets for my parents. My mother so lovingly relishes them all. In fact, my father who is a bit of health freak asks for repeated serving.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Goanese Prawn

Finally I am in Kolkata, after one long year. Very busy in getting together with near and dear ones. The moments being spent with my parents over long hours of conversation are the most precious of all. So involved me and maa both become in our talks that forgetful to keep check on time, we have been retiring to bed around 3 o'clock at night since last 3-4 days. My mother in an unusual mood of reminiscence is sharing tidbits of her childhood and teenage days and for the first time in my life; I feel that we both, transgressing the boundaries of mother-daughter relationship, have turned into friends.


I have learnt, this time, a handful of recipes from my mother which are staple at my parents' home. I will be sharing them gradually. However, the recipe below is not my mother's concoction. I have picked it up from a cookery show. Hope you all will like it.