Ranga Aloor Nikhunti (রাঙা আলুর নিঁখুতি)

  Red Potatoes (রাঙা আলু ) are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin C and dietary fibres. It is widely used today because of its anti carcinogenic properties.
Here is a very simple recipe with Red Potatoes. This is a sweet called Nikhunti(নিঁখুতি), a typical fried sweet dish that is widely used in West Bengal

. In Bengal people also call it Ranga Aloor Puli.(রাঙা আলুর পুলি )

• Red Potatoes (medium size)-6
• Suji- 2 tsp
• Maida- 4 tsp
• Rice Flour- 2tsp
• Khoya- 4 tbsp [ you can make it by dehydrating 2 cups of milk ]
• Baking Powder- 1/2 tsp
• Black Cardamom -crushed
• Ghee- 2 tsp
• Sugar Syrup [made by boiling 1 cup sugar in a cup of water and cooled ]
• Refined oil for frying

• Boil the red potatoes in a pressure cooker for  2 minutes only. Open the lid of the pressure cooker to avoid melting of the potatoes as they are very soft once boiled.
• Peel of the skin of the boiled red potatoes and mash them.
• Meanwhile make the thick Sugar Syrup and let it cool. 
• Take a platter and place all the ingredients except the oil and the sugar syrup along with the bolied red potatoes and mash them together. Make small Nikhunti(নিঁখুতি) ( it is having a special shape as shown in the picture). Roll theNikhunti(নিঁখুতি) on a dash of extra flour and refrigerate for half an hour. 
• Fry them in hot refiend oil and place into the sugar syrup. You can sprinkle a little more ghee from top and also some Rose Water ( optional)

Nikhunti(নিঁখুতি) is lip-smacking and is very good to taste if served HOT!

Raw JackFruit Cutlet ( এঁচোড়ের কাটলেট )

an ideal evening snack

 

• Raw Jackfruit ( 2 cups kernels, cut into small pieces, boiled in a pressure cooker)
• One large potato (boiled and mashed)
• Finely chopped green chilly
• Grated ginger -1 tbsp
• Garam Masala powder- 1 tsp
• Dry fried Cummin powder- 1 tsp
• Dry fried Coriander powder- 1tsp
• Roasted peanuts- coarsely ground
• Chopped coconut slices
• Salt & Sugar
• Mustard oil for frying
• Bread Crumb
• One egg or Cornflour

jackfruit tree in the backyard of our Kharagpur Bungalow

• Mash the boiled jackfruit and mix all the ingredinets with it except the last three.
• Use your clean hand to mix them lightly and thoroughly
• Make flat cutlets between your palms
• Coat the cutlets first with beaten egg or  cornflour mixed with water
• Then coat with breadcrumb
• Deep Fry the cutlets in hot mustard oil.
• Serve with raita or tomato ketchup

 

 

আমার দুটি রেসিপি আনন্দবাজার ব্লগে 

• মাছ পটলের দোলমা 
• ব্রেড্-ডিলাইট  

Chilly Prawn with Baby Corn

• prawn (250 gms)
• egg white (one)
• baby corn (100 gms, chopped)
• one large capsicum (chopped)
• green chillies (cut into slits)
• garlic (finely chopped - 2 large tbsp)
• cornflour
• soya sauce
• black pepper
• salt
• a little sugar
• refined oil

• Marinate the prawns in soya sauce, salt, and black pepper powder, for half an hour.
• Heat refined oil in a wok, and stir fry the baby corns and keep aside.
• Mix 1 egg white and 1 tsp corn flour with the marinated prawn.
• Deep fry the prawns. Keep aside.
• In the remaining oil, add chopped garlic, chillies, capsicum, and the baby corn.
• Add a little sugar, 2 tbsp soya sauce
• Add 1 tbsp corn flour in water,  pour it into the wok and stir
• Finally add the fried prawns and mix them all together.
• Serve hot with noodles or steamed rice.

 

আনন্দ-ব্যঞ্জন

 পঞ্চব্যঞ্জন
আমার দুটি রেসিপি আনন্দবাজার ব্লগে 
http://food.anandabazar.com/node/212

Mexican Egg dish

This is one of Rukmadakshi's recipe that I learnt from a popular program on Zee bangla, Ranna Ghar. I modified it slightly for the sake of calories, using only 4 eggs, instead of 6. This is an awesome snack and a complete in itself, when served with toasted bread and soup.

 
1. Egg - 4
2. Boiled chicken pieces - 1 cup
3. Stir-fried prawns - 1 small cup
4. Grated cheese cubes - 2
5. Chopped Onion - 1 cup
6. Chopped Tomato - blanched - 1 cup
7. Finely chopped ginger - 1 teaspoon
8. Finely chopped garlic - 2 teaspoons
9. Finely chopped parsley or oregano
10. Paprika powder and red chilli flakes
11. Refined oil and salt


Heat oil in a non-stick pan. fry the onion  and tomatoes. then add garlic and ginger and oregano. Add the chicken pieces along with prawn. Saute for two minutes. Cover the mixture with 4 eggs (beaten). Sprinkle grated cheese, paprika powder and red chilli flakes. Close the lid and simmer for 5 minutes, till the egg settles and cheese melts. Remove from heat. Cut into wedge-shaped slices, like a pizza and serve hot.

"আনন্দ নাড়ু" (Ananda Naru)

আনন্দ নাড়ু

"Ananda naru" (আনন্দ নাড়ু) is a unique Bengali sweet that is rarerly available in any shop. It is made at home on specific joyous ocassions like wedding, first RICE ceremony of a newborn or Annoprashon, the THREAD ceremony or Upanayan that initiates a Bramhin boy into the formal world of scriptures. Hence the name "ANANDA" or joy. Unfortunately there is a traditional injunction that forbids the making of this sweet at any other time.Enterprising ladies circumvent this most unfortunate restriction by making the same sweet but refering to it as "ICHCHHA NARU" (ইচ্ছা নাড়ু ) to celebrate the fulfilling of any wish irrespective of the occasion.

The recent political upheaval in West Bengal prompted my mother to celebrate the change with a pot full of crispy Ichchhanaru (ইচ্ছা নাড়ু )  as per the following recipe.


"আনন্দ নাড়ু" or"ইচ্ছা নাড়ু"  is a crispy sweet but can also be taken as a snacks like cakes or biscuits and can be eaten with tea also!

Rice Flour : 600 gms 

Jaggery : 500 gms

One Fresh, large Coconut (grated) : 2 cups

Sesame seeds (White) : 200 gms

Mustard oil for frying

(for making 30 such narus)


Kead all the ingredients thoroughly together except the mustard oil  and make balls (naru) from the dough. Deep Fry the narus in hot mustard oil till dark brown. Cool and store in an airtight container. It can be kept for a month if made in the exact ratio.