Prawns and shrimps are my all time favourite amongst seafood. I can try any kind of dish be it Indian or otherwise with Shrimps or Prawns. Today being Sunday I wanted to try Prawn Jhaalfarezi or Chingri Jhaalfarezi for lunch. So tasty and the unique combination of spice powder of whole red chilli, whole garam masala, shahjeera and lime juice at the end for garnish. Gives a distinctive taste.

Serves – 2 people

Preparation time – 7 mins, Cooking time-10 mins

Ingredients

50 gms Chingri or Prawns washed and deveined with tails on

Paste of 1 medium size onion -1” ginger

Roasted and made powder of 1/2 tsp shahjeera, 1 whole red chilli, 1/2 tsp whole garam masala

1 lime juice

1 small onion chopped fine

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 Tbsp Ghee

1/2 cup water

Salt for taste

Method

In a non stick wok roast 1/2 tsp shahjeera or caraway seeds, 1 whole red chilli, 1/2 tsp whole garam masala (cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom) together and make a powder. Set aside. In a wok heat ghee and fry the chopped onions until golden in colour and set aside. In the same wok add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger-onion paste and stir for 2-3 mins. Boil the Chingri or Prawns and add that to the spice mix and add salt and stir well until oil leaves surface. Set aside. Garnish with lime juice and chopped fried onions and the roasted spice powder. Serve hot with steamed rice and enjoy

Bengali’s love for Chingri and Posto is since time in memorial. Nobody knows which is more favourite- Chingri or Posto. To me Chingri is more than Posto. Though my family is from a region where people must have Posto or Poppy seed made cooked food everyday, I, being born in Calcutta can have once a month or once in a fortnight. This of course my Late Father could never imagine. He had everyday such was his liking. Today for lunch I made Posto Chingri or Prawn in Poppy seed paste, quite a popular food

Serves 2 people

Preparation time – 10 mins, Cooking time-20 mins

Ingredients

10-12 prawns well washed and deveined

5-6 Tbsp Poppy seed paste with minimal water

2-3 green chillies slit

1 medium size onion chopped fine

1/4 tsp kalonji

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of red chilli powdrt

1/4 cup mustard pil

Salt as per taste

Method

Smear the prawns with red chilli powder and salt and set aside. In a wok heat oil and fry the prawns 2-3 mins and set aside. In the same wok add oil and add kalonji and green chillies, when splutters add chopped onion and fry till golden in colour. Add Poppy seed paste and keep stirring until a good aroma is there and oil leaves surface. Add turmeric powder and salt and stir well. Add little water for the consistency you desire and then add fried prawns. Mix well and cover on slow flame for 2 mins. Set aside and enjoy hot with steamed rice

Pulao or Pilaf is another way to enjoy rice dishes both vegetarian and non vegetarian. Every household has a different way to prepare Pulao or Pilaf. I prepared Lucknowi style with potatoes and tomatoes and loved it. A very simple and unique recipe

Serves -2 persons

Preparation time – 15 mins, Cooking time-30 mins

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice

A paste of 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder with water

2 large onions chopped

3 large tomatoes chopped

2 medium size potatoes washed, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

1/4 cup oil

1 cup water

Salt as per taste

Method

Soak rice for 20 mins. Drain and set aside. In a heavy bottomed vessel heat oil and fry the onions until golden in colour. Add potatoes and fry for 2-3 mins, add tomatoes and fry for 2-3 mins. Add spice paste and stir well. Add rice and stir well. Add water to reach 1” above the rice level. Once starts boiling, add salt and cover on a high flame for 2 mins and medium flame 10-12 mins. Set aside and enjoy hot

Mango being King of Fruit is loved by most if not all. One of my favourite way of enjoying Mango is to have Aam Shotto / Aam Papad / Mango Bar. From childhood I would go to the local market and definitely buy one and enjoy the sweet dessert. Then as I went on to take keen interest in cooking I thought of making it. I just did that fee days ago. Very easy to make and very tasty. When I was having my first bite of it after a long gap, my childhood memories were so well refreshed

Serves -2 people

Preparation time -15 mins, Cooking time-3 days plus 20 mins

Ingredients

500 gms mangoes after peeling skin

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of Rock Salt

1 tsp ghee

Method

Wash and peel mangoes. Make a purée and set aside. Add sugar. Mix well. In a bowl pour the purée and heat and stir well until thick. Set aside. In a plate smear ghee and pour the mango liquid and spread with a brush all across the plate. Just hit on the sides to take out the air bubbles. Put Rock salt and put out on the sun for 2-3 days until it’s completely dry. With a knife cut the edges and make marks lengthwise. Roll with your finger and enjoy the Mango Bars

Bitter Gourd is relished in India by many people and eaten as a veggie cooked curry like or fried. I haven’t heard from many to make it as a salad. I was taught by my Filipino friend and I had to make it. I fell in love as it’s so nutritious and no bitter taste is there

Recipe as follows

Serves – 1

Preparation time – 5 mins, Cooking time- 10 mins

1 big Bitter Gourd

1 small onion chopped fine

1 small tomato chopped

1-2 green chillies chopped

1 tsp Aamchur powder

1 big lime juice

Salt

Metjod

Wash and peel the Bitter gourd. Cut into half and deseed. Cut into small pieces. Make a lime juice. Add chopped onions, chopped green chillies, chopped tomatoes and mix lime juice and Aamchur powder and salt with it. Refrigerate for 30 mins and enjoy a delicious and nutritious salad

Light and tasty, healthy snacks in different styles is a household way of giving ‘variety is the spice of life’ and I just did that with Chana Masala where overnight Chana soaked and mixed with some veggies and topping with Rock Salt and Chaat Masala gave that tangy taste

Serves – 1 person

Preparation time – 5 mins

Cooking time – 24 hours plus 15 mins

Ingredients

1 cup Chana

1 medium size tomato chopped

1 medium size potato boiled and peeled, cut I eto small pieces

1 medium size onion chopped

2-3 green chillies chopped

1 lime juice

1/2 tsp Aamchur powder

1 sprig coriander leaves chopped

Pinch of Rock Salt

Method

Wash the Chana and soak overnight. Drain and add boiled potatoes, chopped tomatoes, onions, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice, Aamchur powder, Rock Salt and mix very well. Your Chana Masala is done

Light and tasty, healthy snacks in different styles is a household way of giving ‘variety is the spice of life’ and I just did that with Chana Masala where overnight Chana soaked and mixed with some veggies and topping with Rock Salt and Chaat Masala gave that tangy taste

Serves – 1 person

Preparation time – 5 mins

Cooking time – 24 hours plus 15 mins

Ingredients

1 cup Chana

1 medium size tomato chopped

1 medium size potato boiled and peeled, cut I eto small pieces

1 medium size onion chopped

2-3 green chillies chopped

1 lime juice

1/2 tsp Aamchur powder

1 sprig coriander leaves chopped

Pinch of Rock Salt

Method

Wash the Chana and soak overnight. Drain and add boiled potatoes, chopped tomatoes, onions, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice, Aamchur powder, Rock Salt and mix very well. Your Chana Masala is done

Biryani from different states can be prepared in different ways. Today I would like to share a cuisine of Maharashtra which is a vegetarian version adding 4 kinds of lentils to make fritters or Mixed Dal Vada and making the Biryani. Taste would be heavenly for sure. Pls do try, thank you

Serves – 2 people

Preparation time – 10 mins, Cooking time – 60 mins, Soaking time – 4 hours

Ingredients

3 cups long grain rice

1 cup Chana Dal, 1/2 cup Arhar Dal, 1/4 cup Moong Dal, 1/4 cup Urad Dal

1” ginger chopped

1 tsp ajwain

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2-4 green chillies chopped fine

1 sprig coriander leaves chopped fine

1 tsp mustard seed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

4-5 Whole red chillies

Pinch of Asafoetida

5-6 Tbsp oil

1 tsp oil

1 Tbsp pil

Salt as per taste

Method

Soak all Dals together for 3-4 hours. Soak rice for 20 mins and set aside. Drain water from Dal and in a blender make a coarse paste. Set aside. Add chopped coriander leaves, salt, chopped ginger, green chillies and ajwain to mix well and make small balls. Flatten the balls and fry them in a pan after heating oil. Fry in batches until golden in colour. Set aside. In a heavy rimmed pan boil 2 ltrs water and add little oil and salt. Add rice and cook until 3/4 th done. Drain and set aside. Spread the rice in a plate. In a wok heat oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and whole red chillies. Once a little brown in colour set aside and add asafoetida. In a plate to the rice mix the coarsely broken Vadas and mix well. Mix half of baghar also. Set aside In a heavy rimmed pan smear oil and add half of par boiled rice, half of baghar, and add balance rice. Sprinkle water if needed. Cover with a tight lid on a high flame for 1 mins and on Dum for 10 mins until rice steams. Serve hot after spreading rest of the Baghar

Kababs are most peoples favourite all across the world. Kababs can be vegetarian or non vegetarian. The non vegetarian versions are more popular than vegetarian but Dahi or Yoghurt being a staple food in Indian palette I thought of sharing the recipe

Serves – 2 people

Preparation time – 20 mins, Cooking time- 5 hrs plus 20 mins

Ingredients

1 cup hung curd ( in this recipe homemade yoghurt is ideal but store bought would have to be made into hung curd and Kabab made)

5 Tbsp besan flour or Gram lentil flour

1-2 green chillies chopped

1 medium size onion chopped

1 tsp garam masala powder

1” ginger chopped fine

1 sprig coriander leaves chopped fine

6-7 Tbsp Canola Oil to fry

Salt as per taste

Method

In a bowl whisk the hung curd and set aside. In a non stick pan roast the Gram Lentil flour until the aroma is there. Don’t brown it too much and set aside. In a bowl add to the roasted Gram lentil flour chopped ginger, chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, salt and mix the Dahi or yoghurt. Whisk very well and refrigerate for 5 hours. Make small balls and flatten a bit. In the wok heat oil and shallow fry on both sides. Garnish with Onion rings, Green chilli and enjoy with tea or coffee

Mughal Rulers had ruled over India for a very long time and some Rulers taught us the good things and some came only for conquest. Qabooli is one such cuisine passed on to us by the Mughals meant to be enjoyed during Festivities like EID. It’s a cuisine of Hyderabad and a vegetarian one where the main ingredient with long grain rice is Chana Dal or split gram Dal. It’s a very tasty vegetarian dish. I sometimes like having vegetarian food and this one is always a hit with me. Friends, pls do try, thank you

Serves – 3 people

Preparation time – 25 mins, Cooking time- 60 mins

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice

1/2 cup Chana Dal or Split Gram Dal

2 medium size onion chopped fine

2-3 green chillies chopped

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup yoghurt whisked

1 Tbsp ginger paste

1 Tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Ground powder of 1” cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, 2-3 green cardamoms and 10 black peppercorns

2-3 juice of lime

1 sprig coriander leaves chopped

1 sprig mint leaves chopped

2 Tbsp ghee

1/2 cup mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and soak rice for 20 mins. Wash and soak Dal for 20 mins. In a deep rimmed bowl pour 2 ltrs water and add salt. Add rice and cook until 2/3 rd done. Drain and spread on a plate. In another wok boil 2-3 cups water and add turmeric powder and salt and add Dal. Cook till 90%. And drain and set aside. In a wok heat oil and add chopped onions and fry till golden in colour. Keep aside half and add ginger and garlic paste, red chilli powder and yoghurt. Stir briskly and once starts boiling and oil leaves surface add Dal and cook for 1-2 mins. Set aside. In a heavy rimmed bowl smear with oil and add half of par boiled rice, Dal and half of fried onions, chopped coriander, mint, green chillies, lime juice and sprinkle milk. Add half of ground powder of cinnamon, caraway seeds, green cardamom and black peppercorns. Add rest of the par boiled rice, rest of the chopped coriander leaves, ground powder or cinnamon, cardamom, caraway seeds and peppercorns, mint leaves, green chillies. Close with a tight lid and cook in high flame for 1-2 mins and low flame for 10 mins until rice steams. Serve hot