Sardine kalonji jhal - Sardine in mustard gravy (Bengali style)

When my daughter was born in CloudNine, a renowned Hospital in Bangalore The nutritionist over there suggested me to have sea fish at least once a week. Since then I try to include Pomfret, Mackerel or Sardine in my family’s lunch or dinner every week. In this blog I have already provided some recipes of Pomfret and Mackerel. Here is one with sardine. It has great health benefits and also the cheapest among these three.

Health Benefits of Sardine is as follows:

Promote Heart Health

Sardines are rich in numerous nutrients that have been found to support cardiovascular health. They are one of the most concentrated sources of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which have been found to lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels;

Promote Bone Health

Sardines are not only a rich source of bone-building vitamin D, a nutrient not so readily available in the diet and one that is most often associated with fortified dairy products.

Promote Optimal Health

For many years, researchers have known that vitamin D, in the form of calcitriol, participates in the regulation of cell activity. Because cell cycles play such a key role in the development of cancer, optimal vitamin D intake may turn out to play an important role in the prevention of various types of cancer.

Packed with Protein

Sardines are rich in protein, which provides us with amino acids. Our bodies use amino acids to create new proteins, which serve as the basis for most of the body's cells and structures. Proteins form the basis of muscles and connective tissues, antibodies that keep our immune system strong, and transport proteins that deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout our bodies.

There are many more benefits like helping brain to fight depression, dementia, ADHD etc. But let’s come to the point and start with this healthy but delicious dish I made.

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 25 min

Servings: - 3 persons

Ingredients:- 

1. 6 Sardine Fishes
   
2. 1 tsp Black Jeera/ Kalonji / Nigella seeds
3. 1 small onion finely chopped
4. 3 Green Chilies silted
5. 1 tsp ginger paste (optional) – for people who does not like the smell of sea fish
6. 1 ½ tbsp Mustard grinded
7. 2 tsp Turmeric Powder
8. 1 small chopped Tomato
9. 1 cup chopped coriander leaves (Cilantro)
10. Salt to taste
11. 7~8 tbsp Oil – This is a Bengali preparation and hence we need to use mustard oil

 Preparation:-

1. Wash the fish thoroughly and soak in salt water for 5 min. For any sea fish you need to soak the fish in salt water. This reduces the odor of the sea fish.
2. Now pat it dry - add turmeric powder and salt. Marinate for 10 minutes.
   
3. Take 4 tbsp oil in a non-stick kadai /frying pan. Heat the oil in high flame.
4. When the bubble settles put the fishes and fry in low flame. Keep aside.
   
5. Pour the rest of the oil in same kadai /frying pan. Heat the oil in high flame.
6. Add kalonji and green chili.
   
   
   
7. When the jeera splutters add chopped onion. Stir till they turn golden brown.
   
8. Put the ginger paste and stir continuously till it is fried.
9. Add chopped tomato, Stir for some time.
   
10. Add a pinch of salt, little bit of water and mustard seeds - grind them to a fine paste.
    
11. Pour the mixture in kadai now. Add turmeric powder and according to your taste you can add some salt
    
12. Stir and mix all the ingredients nicely
13. Add 1 cup water and simmer for a while.
    
14. When the gravy starts to boil, add the already fried fish.
    
15. Cook for 8~10 min more.
    
16. Just before finishing add few drops of mustard oil and sprinkle few coriander leaves for garnishing.
    

Serve this hot with rice.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Banana Raita

Summer in Bangalore this year is relenting. So I put my 2nd recipe in Raita series today. Raw banana is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6.

Read More at http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2#ixzz445QRoPOE

There are two type of banana available in Bangalore - Robusta and yalakki. Yalakki type is more nutritious according to my son's pediatrician. Hence I used it and blend it with the raita style to make this recipe. 

Preparation Time: - 5 min

Cooking Time: - 5 min

Servings: - 2~3 persons 

Ingredients:-

1. 1 medium sized Banana (2 if you use Yalakki Banana).
2. 1 cup whisked curd (dahi) or yogurt. If you are calorie conscious then you should use low-fat curd, made from fat-free milk.
3. 1 ½ tsp roasted Jeera/cumin powder.
4. 1 tsp Black Pepper ( This is for spice lovers- you can even use green chili or red chili powder )
5. 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
6. 8 Raisins (optional, I added this to satisfy my kid’s taste)
7. Salt to taste. Black salt is preferred.
8. Sugar to taste. If you have any sugar-related issue you can skip it.

Preparation:-

1. Whisk the curd thoroughly. If you are using thick curd/yogurt you can add a little bit of water.
2. Slice the banana and keep aside. Do not keep it for long as it will get discoloured
3. Roast cumin seeds for a few seconds in a small frying pan over high heat.
4. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl slowly so that banana pieces are not broken.
5. Garnish with Mint leaves and raisins. Kids love raisins and that is why I added them. You can skip ifyou wish it to be totally sugar free.
6. Chill in refrigerator for 15 min optionally if you want it cold.

Try it as dip or side dish. My family consumes it as dessert sometimes.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Happy Easter

Best wishes for readers from my family

Cucumber Raita

In Bangalore this year summer has set in early in February itself. This makes a case of some cool recipes and what could be cooler than a refreshing cucumber raita. Raita is cucumber-yogurt sauce used in Indian cuisine as a cooling balance for spicy dishes. This raita is one of the low calorie one and since cucumber is packed with water, it cools your body and hydrates your skin.
 

Preparation Time: - 5 min

Cooking Time: - 5 min

Servings: - 2~3 persons

Ingredients:-

 

1. 1 medium sized Cucumber grated.
2. 1 cup whisked curd (dahi) or yogurt. If you are calorie conscious then you should use low-fat curd, made from fat-free milk.
3. 1 ½ tsp roasted Jeera/cumin powder.
4. 1 tsp Black Pepper ( This is for spice lovers- you can even use green chili or red chili powder )
5. 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
6. 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
7. 8 Raisins (optional, I added this to satisfy my kid’s taste)
8. Salt to taste.
9. Sugar to taste. If you have any sugar-related issue you can skip it.

Preparation:-

1. Grate the cucumber and keep aside.
2. Whisk the curd thoroughly. If you are using thick curd/yogurt you can add a little bit of water.
   
3. Roast cumin seeds for a few seconds in a small frying pan over high heat.
   
4. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl thoroughly.
   
5. Chill in refrigerator for 15 min optionally if you want it cold.

Try it with Paratha, jeera rice, fried rice and curries or as a condiment for chicken or mutton preparation.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Dear Readers, please put some comments.

Hi,

This appeal is to the people who stumble upon my blog in search of some recipes. This blog is now about 11 months old and there are about 65 healthy and easy-to-cook recipes I have posted. None of them takes more than 45 minutes to prepare and all of them are authentic recipes cooked and tasted by me and my family. There are about 2500 page views per month as reported by Google but sadly nobody cared to make any comment. Without proper feedback I cannot be sure whether you like/hate the recipes or not. Hence I would like to appeal to you that please put some comments. This way you can keep me motivated to provide good quality recipes in future.

Thanks

Baisali 

Chingri Macher Kalia - Bengali Prawn Curry

Since long time I was pondering over the idea of a prawn preparation. There are so many ways Prawn or Chingri as in Bengali can be cooked. Generally kalia is a way Bengalis cook, which can be prepared with fish, meat or vegetables with a sauce usually based on onion and ginger paste and with a touch of Bengali Garam masala powder. Chingri macher kalia is a traditional Bengali dish which is still very popular among everyone in Bengal. Hope my recipe here will make someone’s taste buds happy.

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 35~40 min

Servings: - 3~4 persons (depends upon how many pieces per person)

Ingredients:-

1. 12~14 extra large prawns. I did not buy the normal prawn from market, but purchased frozen prawn from IFB.
   
2. 2 large potato cubed
3. 1 large onion finely chopped
4. 1 tbsp ginger grinded (you can use ginger paste also)
5. 1 tbsp garlic paste
6. 2 tsp cumin powder
7. 2 green chili silted
8. 2 tsp Kashmiri Mirch ( you can have more if you are spice lover)
9. 1 large tomato chopped
10. 4 tsp turmeric powder
11. 2 Cardamom
12. 1 inch cinnamon stick
13. 2 bay leaves
14. 2 cloves
15. 1 ½ tbsp ghee
16. 7 ~8 tbsp Mustard oil ( I used mustard oil fully as Bengalis like the aroma but you can mix vegetable oil in :40:60 ratio if you do not like the smell of mustard oil )
17. 1 tsp garam masala powder
18. Sugar to taste
19. Salt to taste
20. Few coriander leaves chopped for garnishing 
21. Handful of peas (optional). I use fresh peas in winter but today I did not put it.

Preparation:-

1. If you have purchased from the usual fish market then first remove the shell, remove the central vein of the prawn and thoroughly clean. In my case I used the frozen IFB extra large prawns which are already peeled and deveined.
   
2. Rub 2 tsp turmeric powder to the prawns and keep for 10 minutes. 
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in kadai or non-stick pan. Fry the potatoes with little bit of turmeric powder and salt till they turn golden brown. Keep aside.
   
4. Add 1 tbsp more oil and shallow fry the prawn in same kadai. Please note that the prawn should not be over fried at this stage as that will make them harder.
   
   
   
5. Use a separate kadai and heat 1 tbsp ghee plus the remaining oil.
6. Now add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, and bay leaves. These spices add a nice smell to the whole preparation.
   
7. Sauté for couple of minutes.
8. Add 1 tsp sugar or as per your taste and let it caramelizes. If you have any issue with sugar you can skip it.
9. Now add the chopped onions. The caramelized sugar brings a nice colour to the onions.
10. Stir occasionally till the onions turn golden brown.
11. Add ginger to the mix and sauté for a min.
12. Now add garlic paste and cook for a few seconds.
    
13. Now introduce all the chilies (green and Kashmiri mirch). You can decide the amount as per your taste.
    
14. Add cumin powder and rest of turmeric powder.
15. Stir for a couple of minutes and add tomatoes, sugar and salt as per your taste.
    
16. Continue stirring till tomatoes turn pulpy and oil separates from masala.
17. Add about 1 cup of warm water here and pour the potatoes.
    
18. Boil the potatoes in medium flame while lid is closed till they are well done. You may need to add more water if the potatoes are taking time to boil.
19. Now add the prawns one by one. Cook till they are properly boiled. Do not over cook as that may make the prawns harder.
    
20. Add ½ tbsp Ghee and garam masala. Mix it well and cook for one minute. Now add the chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
    
21. Switch off the flame and your delicious Chingri preparation is ready to serve.

Serve this hot with Basmati or any fine rice or fried rice. I personally like it with Basanti Pulao. I plan to give the recipe of the same some day.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Peyajkoli Macher Jhal - Fish in mustard gravy with spring onion

Peyajkoli (Spring onion) has caught my attention recently. It is a really healthy. I described the benefits of spring onion in one of my earlier recipe. You can refer it here. This one is a Bengali traditional recipe of macher jhal i.e. fish curry with mustard. I added spring onion into it to make a tasty and healthy preparation.

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 30~35 min

Servings: - 3~5 persons (depends upon how many pieces per person)

Ingredients:- 

1. Rohu or Katla Fish – 500 gm ( 5~6 pieces)
2. Mustard grind-ed to make paste– 2 tbsp. You can use ready-made paste also.
3. Turmeric Powder – 1 ½ tbsp
4. Peyajkoli ( Spring Onion ) – 250 gm
5. Black Jeera/Paanchforon (Bengali 5 spices)- ½ tsp
6. Green Chilies – 3 silted ( you can have more if you want it more spicy )
7. Chopped coriander leaves – ½ cup
8. Water – 1 cup
9. Salt to taste.
10. Oil – as much required to fry the fish. I used mustard oil but you can use any vegetable oil. Bengalis traditionally use more oil (approx 200 gm.) but today’s health conscious people should use as less as possible. I used 7 tbsp.

Preparation:-

1. Cut the spring onions and wash them. In today’s world with a lot of pesticides it is very important to wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Keep aside.
   
2. Wash the fish thoroughly. Now add turmeric powder and salt. Marinate for 2~3 minutes.
   
3. Take sufficient oil in kadai /frying pan. Heat the oil in high flame.
4. Once the foam settles down turn the burner to low flame
5. Shallow fry the fish and keep aside
   
6. Add little more oil in the same kadai and put the Paanchforon and green chili in it. Sauté till it crackles.
   
7. Now put the spring onions in it and fry for 8~10 min.
   
8. Add turmeric powder and mustard paste. Sprinkle little water and continue frying. Stir continuously till the oil gets separated from the mix.
   
9. Now pour 1 cup water and add the already fried fish into it. Wait till the spring onions get fully boiled.
   
10. Switch off the burner. At this point traditionally Bengalis pour 1 tbsp extra mustard oil on top to get a good smell. I generally do not do this on health ground. But you can if you prefer
    
    
    
11. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and one green chili.
    

Try this hot with rice 

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Sagor Payes / Sabudana Kheer - A sweet dessert

Early part of this week was Maha Shivratri festival and I wanted to prepare something that will go well with the festival. Sabudana (tapioca pearl) also known as "Javarisi" in Tamil is rich in carbohydrates and is very filling, so it is commonly taken after breaking fast during religious festivals. Sabudana Kheer or Sagor payes as we Bengalis call it is a common recipe in all parts of India. It is cooked various ways. One of them is described here.

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 25~30 min

Servings: - 3~4 persons

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Sago/Sabudana
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 L Milk (full cream will make the preparation more tasty)
• 10-12 broken Cashew nuts
• 5~6 almonds
• Handful of Raisins
• 2~3 Cardamom or ¼ tsp Cardamom powder
• Sugar to taste
• Few Saffron strands
• 1 tbsp Ghee

Preparation:-

1. Boil milk in a pan for 10~15 min till it becomes ¾ l.
   
2. Heat ghee in a kadai and fry the sago for couple of minutes. This will prevent the sabudanas from joining with each other.
   
3. Take a little bit of milk and soak the sabudana in it for few minutes.
   
4. Again heat ghee in the same kadai and fry Cashew nuts and almonds with bay leaves until they turn golden in color. Keep aside these also.
   
5. Pour the sago to the thickened milk and set the burner to low flame.
6. Add sugar and stir gently. Let the sugar dissolve into milk.
7. Break the saffron strands into small pieces and pour them in the mix. Stir and cook for sometime.
8. Add previously roasted cashew nuts, almonds and bay leaves to the mixture.
9. Then add raisins and cardamom powder to the Kheer and stir. You can fry the raisins in step 4 along with cashew nuts but I prefer it to remain soft – hence I put them in here.
10. Switch off the flame after some time.

That’s all folks. You can eat hot or Freeze and serve cold. I prefer it cold as the taste is more pronounced that way.

Notes:-

1. Please note that if you want the kheer to be light then you can add water in the ratio 1:1 in the milk. The process remains same for this diluted version.
2. If you want to cook it in less time then you can skip frying the sabudana and pour them directly in the milk at step 1. Sabudana takes less time to get properly boiled compared to rice kheer.
3. If you think the sweet taste is marred by the taste of almonds you can blanch them – means soak them in hot water and remove the skin.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.