Bhuna Khichuri

Bhuna Khichuri is the ultimate comfort food for Bangali's in a cold or rainy day. If you are in UK, you are in right place for bhuna khichuri because it's cold and rainy almost everyday!

The proportions of ingredients are for 1 cup rice, which should be enough for two. To cook more, just multiply everything accordingly. 

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice. 1 cup > washed and drained
• Mung dal. ¼ cup > washed and drained
• Chana dal. ¼ cup> washed and drained
• Salt 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
• Bay leaf 1
• Cinnamon. 2 one inch sticks
• Cloves 2
• Cardamon 2
• Red chilli 2
• Green chilli. 2
• Potato.  175g (approx 1 large) > Peel & Cut in about 1 inch size roughly.
• Carrot. 175g (approx 1 large) > Peel & Cut in about 1 inch size roughly.
• Peas. ¼ cup
• Cumin seed. 1 tsp. 
• Ghee/oil. ¼ cup
• Ginger & Garlic paste 2 tsp. 
• Vegetable seasoning 1 tsp (or 1 veg oxo cube) to enhance the taste. If you don't have it, just increase the amount of salt to compensate. 

Process: 

• Put everything in the rice-cooker and give it a good mix.
• Add water until the level is about half inch above the rice. 
• Seal the pot with a tin foil, put the lid on top, 
• Turn the rice cooker on (don't forget to push the lever down!)
• Set the timer for 1 hour.
• That's it, it's done. 

To serve: Garnish with some fried onion and green onion.  For extra flavour, drizzle some ghee over. 

It's good to go on it's own, but goes very well with Dim Bhuna or Meat / Chicken Bhuna. 

Dim Bhuna

Simple and satisfying classic Bengali dish

Ingredients:

1. Eggs 6
2. Oil 3 tbsp
3. Onion 1 large finely chopped
4. Garlic paste 1 tbsp
5. Curry Powder 1 tsp
6. Garam Masala 1 tsp
7. Salt 1 tsp (or to taste)
8. Green chilli 2
9. Coriander leaves

Process: 

• Boil Eggs: Place them in warm water in a a sauce pan, they should be fully under water. Add some Bicarbonate of soda or Salt, it makes peeling easier. I like medium to soft boiled eggs, but if you like hard boiled, that's fine. It's all in the timing, look up YouTube on boiling eggs to your liking. 
• When they are ready, plunge them in cold water and let them cool a little, peel them, rub them with some Turmeric powder & oil and roll them around on a hot pan until they look golden yellow and red. 
• Bhuna masala: Fry the onion in oil for couple of minutes > Add all the rest of the ingredients (2-9) and some water. > cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
• Turn the heat off and add the eggs and coat them with the masala. 
• Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves and some chilli flakes. 

Vegetable Biryani in Rice-Cooker

This is a great way to eat vegetables. Choice of vegetable is important. Root vegetables work best. Greens like peas, runner-beans goes well too. Vegetables like Aubergines, courgettes, tomato etc. will go mushy.  You want the texture of vegetables to be preserved. Because of all the varieties of vegetables, with spices, salt, sugar, lemon and seasonings, there will be burst of different tastes and flavour in each bite, who needs meat!

Its very easy to make, most of the time is spent in the preparation of the vegetables. Actual cooking takes an hour and you dont even have to be in the kitchen. Dinner will be ready in an hour. 

Vegetables: Roughly equal amount by volume. 

• Large Onion.
• Peas 
• Beans.
• Turnip.
• Button Mushroom 
• Potato. 
• Carrot 
• Butternut squash. 
• Sweet potato. 

Other Ingredients:

1. Biryani masala 1 tbsp (use any Biriyani masala of your choice) 
2. OXO cubes 4 (or any vegetable seasonings to taste)
3. Garlic and Ginger paste 1 tbsp each
4. Salt 2 tsp
5. Sugar 2 tsp
6. Lemon juice of 1 lemon or 2 tbsp
7. Oil ¼ cup
8. Ghee 2 tbsp. 
9. Rose water. ¼ cup
10. Saffron. Pinch. 
11. Coriander leaves 
12. Sultana ½ cup
13. Basmati Rice 1/2 kg
14. Green chilli 3-4
15. Coconut milk 1 can (1.5 cup)
16. Milk (enough to bring the liquid level ½" above the rice)
17. Food Colour
18. Fried onion (2 cups)
19. Peanuts or Cashew nuts. (1 cup)

Process:

• Mix the vegetables and ingredients no. 1 to 12 together, place them tightly in a medium size (10 cups) rice cooker. 
• Place the green chillies over the veg
• Wash & drain rice and spread them over evenly and press the rice down
• Gently pour the coconut milk over.
• Pour milk gently to bring the liquid level to rise about 1/2 inch above the rice.
• Place a aluminium foil over the pot and put the lid on it. 
• Turn  the Rice-Cooker on (press the lever down) and don't touch it for 1 hour. 
• After one hour open it sprinkle some food colour (optional) and gently mix the rice with the veg in the bottom.
• Cover and leave it for another 10-15 minutes
• Serve with fried onion and nuts sprinkled over. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

This cake is called Upside down cake because after making it, you turn it over and the bottom become the top of the cake - no decoration needed.

Ingredients:

For Pineapple base 

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 8 Pineapple rings
• Glace (cocktail) cherries 8-15

For Cake

• Flour 250g (8oz) 
• Butter 250g (8oz) 
• Sugar 250g (8oz) 
• Eggs 4
• Baking Powder  2 tsp

Process:

Pineapple base: Use a 9" solid bottom cake tin or a oven proof dish, butter the sides. 

• Add ½ cup butter and ½ cup sugar and melt over gentle heat and let it spread on the base
• Lay pineapple rings on over the base and place a glace cherry in each pineapple ring. You can also place some in between the gaps.

Sponge cake:

• Turn the oven on to 200c
• Mix Flour, Butter, Sugar, Eggs and Baking powder in a food processor or with a hand mixer until smooth.
• Pour over the pineapple base. 
• Put it in the oven for 30 minutes
• Test by inserting a tooth pick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out dry, it's done, if not, put it back for another 5 minutes.
• Let it cool a little, when just warm turn it upside down

Will go very well with some icecream!

Mango Yogurt Parfait

This is a party dessert for 30 people. If you dont have that many ramekins, you can make it in one large dish, process will be the same.  

Ingredients:

1. Greek Yogurt 1kg / 2 pint / 1 litre. 
2. Sweet cond. milk 2 cans
3. Long life milk 1 L
4. Salt. 1 tsp. 
5. Mango pulp 1 can (850g) 
6. Sugar ½ c
7. Lemon juice 1 lemon
8. Cornflour 2 tbsp diluted in 2 tbsp water
9. Cream 600 ml
10. Icing Sugar ¼ cup
11. Crushed pistachio

You will need 30 ramekins (shhhh! I used 30 Ikea candle cups, they are not expensive)

Make yogurt:

• Turn oven on to 170c
• Mix ingredients 1+2+3+4 and pour in the ramekins, upto 2/3rd
• Put them in the oven for 20 minutes
• Bring them out and let cool

Make mango jelly:

• Mix ingredients 5+6+7, Heat the mango pulp mix in a saucepan on medium heat, 
• When it starts bubbling add the diluted cornflour, stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Turn the heat off & let it cool down.
• Spoon it over the cooled yogurt, shake the cup to spread the mango to cover the yogurt completely. 
• Put them in the fridge to set for few hours or overnight.

Make whipped cream:

• Mix Cream and Icing sugar and whip lightly (soft peak)
• Pour the cream over the mango layer, shake to cover the mango completely.
• Sprinkle some crushed pistachio over to garnish. 

Tip: Make it day before the party.

Shakshouka

Shakshouka is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, Moroccan, and Egyptian cuisines, traditionally served in a cast iron pan or tajine with bread to mop up the sauce. It is also popular in Israel,where it was introduced by Tunisian Jews and other Maghrebi Jews, hundreds of thousands of whom immigrated to Israel during the 1950s. - Wikipedia

Ingredients:

1. Aubergines (Eggplant / Begun) 2 > chopped
2. Tomato 4 (large) > chopped
3. Onion 1 > chopped
4. Garlic 4 cloves > Chopped
5. Minced meat (Keema) 250 g
6. Cumin powder 1 tsp
7. Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
8. Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
9. Tahini 2 tsp
10. Sumac 2 tsp
11. Salt (to taste)
12. Olive oil 3 tbsp
13. Eggs 4-5
14. Green Coriander 

Process:

• Fry Garlic and onion
• Add Aubergine, Tomato and Minced meat until aubergine and mince is cooked. 
• Add Cinnamon, Cumin, Chilli, Paprika,
• Add Tahini & Sumac (found in Mediterranean shops, leave it if you don't have)
• Add salt to taste
• Cook for 5 minutes
• Make little wells and crack eggs in them
• Cover and cook until eggs are half poached and turn the heat off, eggs will keep cooking, yolks should be runny.
• Sprinkle the green coriander, drizzle some olive oil over and serve. 

Croissant Pudding

This is a decadent version of Bread & Butter Pudding I posted earlier. 

Ingredients:

1. Croissants (400 g)
2. Cream (600 ml)
3. Milk (600 ml)
4. Sugar (half cup or more if you like sweeter) 
5. White chocolate (200 g)
6. Sultanas/Raisins (1 cup, less or none if you don't like raisins)
7. Butter (melted) 3 tbsp
8. Vanilla 1 tbsp

Process;

• Chop 10 large croissant
• Spread in a oven-proof dish.
• Sprinkle sultanas over
• Sprinkle butter all over 

       Make custard:

• Mix 600ml Cream &  600 ml milk
• Add vanilla 
• Add 200g of white chocolate 
• Warm it up until chocolate is melted. 

       In a separate large bowl: 

• Mix 6 egg yolks + 2 whole eggs. 
• Add sugar. 
• Whisk
• Pour warm milk mixture gradually into egg sugar mix while whisking.
• Pour on croissants
• Let it soak for 15 minutes 
• Cover with tin foil 
• Turn the oven on to 200c (by the time oven will reach 200c croissants will be well soaked and ready)
• Put the dish in the oven 
• After 15 minutes, take it out and let cool down and then chill in the fridge.

The dish is not complete without a caramel crust. Ideal way to do it is to sprinkle some sugar over and use a blow torch to caramelise the sugar. It is unlikely that an average kitchen would have a blow torch! So the other way to do it is to sprinkle icing sugar (powdered sugar) over and put it under hot grill for few minutes until the sugar is melted.