Creamy, Eggy 'Kheer'

Ingredients

Serves: 6

• 475g cooked rice
• 1L milk, divided
• 175g sugar
• 60g raisins
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 15 mins

1.

Combine rice and 1/2 of the milk, sugar and salt in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally until thick and creamy, 15-20 minutes. Blend remaining milk and egg (make sure egg is beaten well). Stir into rice mixture. Add raisins and cook two minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add butter and vanilla. Spoon into serving dishes and sprinkle with nutmeg and/or cinnamon.

Smoked Fish Cakes

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 750g potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 500g skinned smoked fish (I used haddock fillets)
• 50g butter, melted
• 85g watercress, finely chopped, optional
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 200g dried breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons olive oi

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 40 mins

1.

Boil the potatoes until soft (about 20 minutes); drain well and mash. Leave to cool.

2.

Meanwhile, steam the smoked haddock for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and flake.

3.

Stir the smoked haddock flakes into the mashed potatoes. Add the melted butter and watercress and form into eight cakes on a well-floured work surface. Chill for 15 minutes.

4.

Dip each cake into the beaten eggs, then the breadcrumbs and fry gently in hot oil for 3 minutes each side. Serve on a crisp mixed leaf and watercress salad topped with a vinaigrette

Fish and Tamarind Soup

Ingredients

Serves: 6

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 baby onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon red dried crushed chillies
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1.4L water
• 6 stalks lemon grass, ground
• 4 tablespoons tamarind juice
• salt to taste
• 900g fish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces

Preparation method

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 15 mins

1.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Mix in onions, garlic, crushed chillies and turmeric. Cook and stir until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Pour water into frying pan, and mix in lemon grass and tamarind juice. Season with salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.

2.

Stir fish into boiling mixture. Cook 10 minutes, or until fish pieces are easily flaked with a fork

Pomegranate, Cinnamon, Ginger Rice

Ingredients

Serves: 6

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 55 g split blanched almonds, any tiny pieces discarded
• 250 g basmati rice, rinsed
• pinch of saffron strands
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 450 ml boiling vegetable stock
• 1 ripe pomegranate
• 2.5 cm (1 in) piece of fresh root ginger, grated
• 1 tsp clear honey
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• salt and pepper

Preparation method

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 20 mins

1.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the almonds and cook gently for 2–3 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan with a draining spoon and set aside.

2.

Add the rice to the oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the saffron and cinnamon stick, then add the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil. Stir, then cover and cook over a very low heat for 10–15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed.

3.

Meanwhile, cut the pomegranate in half and remove all the seeds from the membranes. Reserve about one-third of the seeds for garnish. Put the rest of the seeds in a sieve placed over a mixing bowl and crush with a spoon to extract the juice.

4.

Squeeze out the ginger juice. Stir the honey into the juices.

5.

When the rice is cooked, stir in the pomegranate juice mixture. Cover again and leave to stand for 2 minutes. Then remove the cinnamon stick, fork the mint and coriander through the rice, and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Scatter over the almonds and reserved pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Kewra Joler Mangsho (Pink Chicken with Kewra Water)

Ingredients

Serves: 5

• 1 kg chicken
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbspn plain yogurt
• 2 tspn kashmiri mirch masala
• 1/2 cup kewra water
• 3 medium onions
• 3 tbspn oil
• 2 green chilies

Preparation method

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 30 mins | Extra time: 8 hours, marinating

1.

Cut chicken into small pieces. Wash well. Dry and salt. Add plain yogurt, kashmiri mirch masala and 1/4th cup of kewra water. Marinate overnight.

2.

Cut onion into thin slices. Add oil to a skillet. Add onion, keep stirring so that it does not burn. When onion becomes soft, pour in the marinated chicken with the liquid. Stir for 2 minutes. Cover and cook on low flame.

3.

Check the chicken to see if it is cooked or not. Adjust salt. Add splash of kewra water for the final touch. Add 2 green chilies and cover for a couple of minutes to let the chicken absorb the flavor.

4.

When the chicken is soft and fully cooked switch off the gas. Take it off the heat. Serve it with pulao.

Pomfret Macher Jhaal

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 2 pomfret fish each cut into half
• salt to taste
• 2 tspn turmeric powder
• 5 tbspn of mustard seeds
• 4 green chilies
• 5 tbspns of oil
• 1 tspn kalonji seeds
• 1 tspn red chili powder

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 20 mins | Extra time: 30 mins, setting

1.

Clean and cut fish into half. Rub salt and turmeric into them.

2.

Grind mustard seeds into paste with green chilies, tomatoes, salt and water as needed.

3.

In pan, heat oil. Slide in the fish and fry well. Keep aside.

4.

In the remaining oil, add kalonji seeds, 2 slit green chilies. Make a paste of 1tsp turmeric powder, red chili powder and 2tsp of water. Add it in the oil and keep stirring till dry.

5.

Add mustard paste and keep stirring till dry. Add water and let it simmer. Add fish, cover and cook till fish is done.

6.

Serve hot with rice.

Kochi panthar jhol

Ingredients

Serves: 5

• 1.5kg baby goat (leg portion) cut into small cube like pieces
• Salt to taste
• 3 teaspoons holud powder (turmeric powder)
• 3 medium sized potatoes
• 3 medium onions sliced
• 4-5 pods garlic minced
• 1 inch ginger strip minced
• 2 small tomatoes
• 2 green chilies
• 5 tablespoons oil
• ¾ th teaspoon dry red chlli powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 50 mins

1.

Wash the goat meat well, dry and rub salt and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Set aside for 10 minutes. Peel 3 medium potatoes wash and cut each of them into halves. Salt them and set aside for 5 minutes. Cut 3 medium onions, 4-5 pods of garlic and an inch long ginger strip. Mince the garlic and ginger, cut the onions to thin slices. Cut two small tomatoes and 1 or 2 green chilies.

2.

Heat oil in the pressure cooker, put ½ teaspoon of sugar and let it caramelize. As it browns, put the potatoes in and fry them till they get a golden hue. Take them out.

3.

Add cardamom, cloves and a ½ inch cinnamon stick. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Stir till it is soft and gets golden color. Then add tomatoes. Put remaining turmeric powder and dry red chili powder. Keep stirring for 5 minutes. Add some salt. Add goat meat. Stir for 10-15 minutes to let it blend well with spices. Pour in two cups of water (enough to cover the goat meat). Cover and pressure cook for 15 minutes.

       Switch off the gas, let the steam release by itself, and then open the                      lid and check the salt. Add rest of the sugar. Prick the goat meat with a fork to see if it is done. Put the fried potatoes back in the pressure cooker with the goat meat. Add ½ cup water and cook it upto two whistles. Switch off the gas; let the steam release check the salt again and transfer goat meat to the serving container. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or hot chapattis

capsicum or bell pepper Raita

Ingredients

Serves: 2

• 1 big capsicum or bell pepper chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup coconut grated
• 1/2 cup corriander leaves
• 1 tspn jeera or cumin seeds
• 2-3 gree chillies... add to your spice
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tblspn oil
• 1 tspn mustard
• 1 string curry leaves
• 2 cups curd
• water to grind

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 5 mins

1.

grind to smooth paste - coconut, corriander, cumin, green chillies

2.

add oil to pan , add mustard and allow to splutter , add curry leaves. add capcsicum and fry for 3 mins.

3.

remove from stove the fried capsicum and transfer to bowl. Add the paste, curd and salt. Its ready to be served !!

Shortcut

You can add even tomato or grated raddish instead of capsicum