A special treat for you this festive season-Nolen gur’er Ice-cream!

What’s on your mind after reading the blog title– What is Nolen gur? Or is it really the new ice-cream flavour of the season?! The  answer to both is a wide grin.

If you have been reading my blog for a while now (or have just been sent here by google…in that case, welcome!) you should know how much I love regional food & classics of Indian cuisine.

**Click on the dish for Recipe**

Read the various Bengali classic recipes I have done here.

From My mother’s one-pot quick chicken pulao to Moti Pulao restaurant style;

From the absolute favourite among Calcuttans Golbari’r Kosha mangsho to homecooks’ star dish Prawn/Fish Kalia or Egg Masala gravy recipe & more…– I almost have a collection now.

Yes, you are right. Am obsessed!!

But I took a good look around my blog which I always felt was a child of love for food that suits my Bengali taste buds the most. I was quite surprised that I din’t have too many regional recipes of desserts or sweets,though. Coming from Bengal, the land of rosogolla – that’s a big bummer. So I thought why not bring you, my lovely readers a special news & treat that I am personally ecstatic about.

I will talk about a dessert that we all know about & love but this Durga Pujo, it’s here with probably the most Bengali flavour ever. A super big round of applause for…. . . . .

•  *  drum rolls  *  *

Nolen Gur’er Ice-cream by Mother  dairy

For those of you who don’t know what Nolen gur is – it’s date palm jaggery [Here’s Wikipedia at your rescue]. To know Bengalis’ love for it, be aware that it’s probably the only priceless culinary thing of Bengal sold in a tube. Google it.

You don’t need me to talk about Mother dairy, do you? It’s a classic.

Now,my family loves ice-cream and so we have tried very many kind. Fancy brands to regional products to local parlour-made scoops. I can well be a pro at it by now. If you like your ice-cream cream-y & you like it milk-y, as ice-creams ideally should be – I promise you will love any mother dairy’s.

Quick Moti Pulao (Pearl Pilaf)-Restaurant Secret Recipe for Durga Puja/Navratri

Amazon.in NEW Section added!!

“Aaj dhaner Khete roudro chhaya-e lukochuri khela re bhai – lukochuri khela”  – (The fun game of hide-n-seek in the sun & shade of the paddy field…)

These beautiful lines(part of a song) by Tagore reminds me of my childhood. We were three sisters – me & two of maternal cousins who I spent the initial 10 years of my life with. It was enriching & full of activity. Now that I see my little niece who can barely hold her herself together demanding an ipad, I can’t help but wonder if how the days have changed. For us luxury was either a trip to the zoo or a Bengali spread at lunch with Pulao, beguni (Eggplant fritters), pathar mansho (Mutton gravy), something sweet my mami’s tomato chutney. I know that makes me sound like hundred and two years old but how simple & charming were those days! Gone!

Before I fly off to my memories, let’s get on with the recipe of the day, Pulao. I am sorry if I come out as an Indian Classic dish maniac to you but I can’t just help but try these evergreen recipes. But this time I took a step ahead & whipped up something my family hardly makes – Moti pulao (Pearl pulao).

Weird name?? Well, the word moti which means pearl in hindi comes from the pearl-like cottage cheese/paneer balls. They are either stuffed or plain flavoured. They look good, yes. But they also taste delicious with the saffron sweet-ish rice!

What irked me the most for years is how the pulao made at home in the comfort of my kitchen never seemed to be the same as those we are served in fancy restaurants. I have tried endless versions of similar kind of pulaos & 70% of the websites online  are all good but alas not the restaurant-like. Note that by no means do I want to say the homemade ones are any bad but….well! you know what I mean, don’t ya?

So after a good number of try & massive help from my maa, here’s a restaurant trade secret just for you. It certainly was an ‘eureka’ moment for us in the kitchen!!

Here’s the recipe of the day for you. Go crazy!

10 Tasty Chicken Recipes you must try!

I am gonna keep the introduction as short as possible today. why? Because I am excited as hell!

It’s my first round-up post with list of delicious 10 style chicken recipes. This is a simple yet interesting mix – from tender chicken in tangy rice to kebabs to Bengali stew! If you are a chicken lover, you will adore this. wink

If not, this is my earnest try to make you fall for it. Amen.

(CLICK ON EACH RECIPE TITLE TO OPEN THE COMPLETE BLOG POST)

1. MY MOTHER’S ONE POT CHICKEN PULAO (TRADITIONAL INDIAN PULAO/PULAV RECIPE)

Why is it special you ask?
☆ Its an one-pot meal – so no extra cleaning & slogging in kitchen!.
Not only can it be made in a Branded One-Pot meal maker, Rice cooker, Pressure cooker, Handi…it can also be made in a wok/kadai or Pan.
☆ Its quick. yes!
☆ It’s delicious. Period.
☆ It’s extremely filling. Even if you dont make a side dish or get your salads ready..your tummy will be a happy tummy!
☆ It’s got basic ingredients that’s easily available.
☆ versatility is a word I adore. This is versatile..Not only in terms of how its served but how it can be made ~ Swapping an ingredient or two, adding 3 more, minus 1 here or there is all common But you can even alter the sequence of a step of making or two. It wont matter much!
☆ Don’t think these one-pot meals are for work days..this can be just as Posh and apt for those fancy dinner parties. All you need is a decent plating skill!
(Shh..If I can plate, so can you! trust me!)
How about taking a look now….

One pot chicken pulao

 Ingredient list :

♡ Chicken (With bones), 500gm
♡ Basmati rice (soaked for at least half an hour), 2- 2.5 cups
♡ onions (finely sliced), 1 big & 1 small
♡ Tomatoes (chopped small), 1 big or 2 small pieces
♡ Curd or yogurt, 1/4 cup or 3 big tablespoon
♡ ginger garlic paste- 1 big tablespoon
♡ Green chilies (chopped fine), 1 or to taste
♡ Salt, to taste
♡ Red chili powder/Kashmiri chilli powder, 2 teaspoon or to taste
♡ coriander powder, 1- 1.5 teaspoon
♡ Garam Masala powder, 3/4th teaspoon
♡ Whole garam masala
(Cinnamon- 1″ stick,
Green Cardamom – 1 or 2,
Cloves – 1 or 2,
Nutmeg, a small piece)
♡ 1/4 cup oil + 1/4 cup ghee
♡water, as required
♡ chopped green & red chilies for garnishing (optional)

2. Chicken Kebabs (made in the oven)

Another Indian/Turkish classic that people drool over. The best part about this is it’s made in an oven rather than the tandoor/mud oven.

All you need are :

• Chicken breast – 1 lb, cut into chunky bite sized pieces
• Almonds, blanched and skinned – 1/2 Cup (I used store bought slivered almonds)
• Greek Yogurt/Hung Curd – 1/2 Cup
• Ginger – 1 inch, peeled
• Garlic – 3 to 4 fat cloves
• Harissa Powder – 1 tsp (can be substituted with red chili powder)
• Black pepper, freshly cracked – 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp to season the chicken pieces
• Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
• Few squeezes of lemon juice
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

That’s it! When are you trying this then? (Click on the title to go to recipe site)

3. Shorshe Murgi: Indian Chicken Curry With Mustard Paste 

If you are a bengali, you must be drooling – Mustard & bengalis have a bond! If you aint, trust me and add some mustard in your palate now! The usual mustard fish is ditched by the chef at Hamaree Rasoi here for chicken.

Share your Recipe with Piece of Cerebrum

Am sure you have noticed a new tab on the menu  of my blog (which has a new theme now btw!). What the hell is it about you ask?!?! Here’s me with an answer.

Whether you are a food blogger, homemaker or workaholic mom, dad or a student, I am sure you have a part in you that enjoys experimenting in the kitchen & obtain great pleasure by feeding your loved ones. Why waste the skill, then?

Let us all get a sneak-peek into your culinary world. Share your Recipe or Food Photography with Piece of Cerebrum & it’s readers & we will let the word out in the blogosphere!

Toddy palm/Tadgola/Taal Payesh – Raksha Bandhan/Janmasthami Special

Growing up in a Bengali household, summer months meant a lot of quintessential things – be it mangoes or certain vegetables that became part of our staple diet; but what has always been a conspicuous part of the festivals of summer is the Toddy palm which we bengalis dearly call Taal. My family adores sweet dishes & so I keep making one or the other time to time.For those who doesn’t know about it, I will quote the Wikipedia here on Toddy palm.

  “ Borassus flabellife commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala palm, toddy palm or wine palm, is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia,Indonesia and the Philippines. It is reportedly naturalized in Pakistan, Socotra, and parts of China.”

There are so many recipes on this – be it kheer or payesh (aka payesham) or bora (fritters). Considering there are so many festivals on our way – Rakhi Purnima/Raksha bandhan , Independence day or Krishna Janmasthami..I though why not show you a recipe that I have borrowed from Baby aunty through my beloved Sky & Gulu. Cheers!

Toddy palm/Tadgola/Taal payesh

• Time: “20-40minures”
• Difficulty: “easy”
• Print

Ingredients:

• Toddy palm/Tadgola/Taal – 2 cups
• Nestle Milkmade – 1 cup or to taste + 2 tablespoon (to drizzle on top)
• Khoya/Mawa/milk solid – 75 grams (Keep aside a little for garnish)
• Elaichi/ Green Cardamom powder, ¼ teaspoon
• Fresh coconut, grated, 2 tablespoon

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho-the classic bengali mutton gravy recipe (Most viewed recipe)

UPDATE : “Thank you so very much for liking this recipe.Even though this site has not been updated for months now, this post gets hundreds of views regularly and that makes me so happy.

Do take a look around and see if you like other nonveg or veg recipes.If you have any doubt or query,feel free to drop me an email.

If you try the recipe, tag me or send me a photo on facebook.“

Golbarir mangsho…

Sounds mouthful isn’t it?

If you have been to Kolkata and haven’t tried that yet, be grieved.

If you live here and haven’t tried it.Wake yourself up & rush to Shyambazar  ASAP to feed your soul.

Here is a sneak peak of how the tiny old and most loved eatery looks like & also the loved kosha mangsho(which in bengali means saute’ed meat. Any meat really, but here it’s mutton)

Golbarir kosha mangsho – No it’s not for the faint hearts! (Google image)

This place is so humble- it’s small and kinda dingy but it’s older than I am & it serves you meaty goodness. It’s heaven for meat lovers. The gravy they serve there is mostly had with plain rice or roti & is dark in colour. Why you ask?

It’s cooked in a thick iron wok since years. It’s all words of mouth that we hear about how secretive and selective their chefs are about their meat or how they marinade overnight. You will damn well find a hoard of other recipes online claiming it’s authentic Golbarir Kosha mangsho recipe but I hardly think so! They guard it with their lungs & heart! This is just an attempt and after a few trials I am happy with how it tastes. Almost like the gem itself! You can always decide for yourself.

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho (Saute’ed mutton dish) -The Bengali classic

 

This dish is ideally made in an iron wok/kadai but it’s fine if you don’t own one 🙂

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho - Classic Bengali mutton recipe

• Time: 1-1.5 hour
• Difficulty: medium
• Print

Ingredients you will need :

• Mutton- 1 kg (medium sized pieces with bone)
• Onion- 2 medium sized (grated)
• Cumin powder- 1  Tablespoon

Virgin Watermelon Mojito – summer special!

Today I bring one of my favourite summer recipe. It’s the popular Cuban watermelon mojito without any white rum. It’s very simple and easy to make with just a few ingredients. The best part being, it can be stored for almost a week in the freezer.

“Mo-ji-to” is actually pronounced “Mo-hi-to” ! Nice twang, isn’t it?

So, let’s get started.

Things you will need :

• Watermelon juice, 4 cups

(I recommend making it at home rather than buying packed ones.

To make watermelon juice, blend chunks of watermelon and strain it to remove all the fibers and seeds.)