Mishti Doi

The Bengalis are famous for their sweet preparations. Mishti Doi is one of the most popular Bengali recipes. Mishti Doi is their most well-known desserts. Mishti Doi tastes great but is amazingly simple to make. Made of full  cream milk and sugar, it is a delight for those who are born with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients;

Whole Milk                             1 Lt

Sugar                                   200 gms

Yogurt                                1 tbsp

Method:

• Pour the milk into a slow cooker.
• As it starts boiling add a half of sugar and let it boil till the volume is reduced to little less than half.
• See that the milk is reduced to almost 40% and becomes thick and light brown in color.
• Gradually add this sugar mixture to the boiled milk and boil again for 15 minutes.
• Take it off the flame and beat constantly and let it becomes lukewarm.
• Transfer the mixture into the earthen pot.
• Mix the Yogurt into the mixture after 5 min.
• Keep the pot in a cool dry place, and let the yogurt set over night.
• Uncover and store in a refrigerator.
• Serve Chilled doi as a dessert.

Eggless Dry Fruits and Nuts Cake

This colorful, attractive  cake is a rich cake with nuts and dry fruits.  The recipe is taken from a vegetarian cookbook,  “Great Vegetarian Dishes” by Kurma Das. I did small changes in this recipe. This is my mom’s favorite cake . Last month my mom came from India. I made this cake for her birthday. She was so happy, she liked the cake very much.

Ingredients

Plain Flour (Maida)                                  – 2 cups

Melted butter                                              1 tbsp (15 ml)

Unsalted Butter                                         – 1 cup

Smoothly mashed potato                          250 gm. (1 cup)

Baking powder                                          1 1/2 tsp

Baking soda                                              1/4 tsp

Mixed dried fruit                                          2 cups. (I used tropical fruits, cranberries, black and golden raisins, dates and cherry, currants )

Walnuts and Cashews                            100gm

Brown sugar                                            220 gm. (1 cup)

Maple syrup                                            1 tbsp (15 ml)

Finely grated zest                                    from  one orange

Water                                                        250 ml (1 cup)

Yogurt                                                        2 tbsp (30 ml)

Vanilla extracts                                         1 1/2 tsp

Allspice powder                                        3/4 tsp

Blanched and peeled almonds               for decoration

Method:

• Cake mix: Chop nuts into small pieces; chop Tropical fruits, dates and cherry into small pieces.
• Sieve the flour, i/4 tsp of baking soda, and baking powder and mix well.
• In a saucepan, combine the dried fruit, sugar, butter, syrup and water and heat slowly on low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
• Increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to come to a boil, reduce the heat and then simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.
• Remove the sauce pan from the heat, mix in the 1 tsp baking soda and allow to cool.
• Once the mixture has reached room temperature, add the yogurt, vanilla extract, all spice and mashed potato and beat well with a whisk, until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the nuts, and carefully fold in the flour, mixing until well combined.
• Baking: Grease a cake tin; spread some dry fruits in the bottom, put the cake dry fruit mixture, level it.
• Decoratively arrange the almonds over the top of the cake.
•  Cover the cake with aluminum foil and bake at 180 degree centigrade/ 350 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes clean.
• Now colorful Egg less Dry Fruits and Nuts Cake is ready. If possible, allow the cake to mature over night or at least for 4 to 5 hours before slicing it up.
• Note: Potato starch is a common ingredient found in egg replacers and the potatoes here act as a binding agent and you can’t detect its presence in the cake.
•  You may use dry fruits and nuts of your choice.

Mor Kuzhambu 3

This is simple version of MOR Kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Plain yogurt                   – 2 cups

Okra                              – 1 cup (chopped)

Turmeric                        – ½ tsp

Asafetida                          ¼ tsp

Curry  leaves                     - few

Grind to a paste
Fresh grated coconut         – ¾ cup
Grated ginger                    – 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds                     – 1 tsp

Curry leaves                      – 1 tbsp

Green chillies                     – 4 no

For seasonings:

Coconut oil                         – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds                      – 1tsp

Red chillies                          – 2 no

Black peppercorns                 – 2no

Garnishing:

Cilantro                              – few leaves

Method: 

• Grind the ingredients as mentioned above; keep aside.
• Whip yoghurt lightly to make it to a uniform consistency. Keep aside.
• In a deep pot, heat oil, and add the above seasoning items, when the mustard starts to pop and splutter, add the asafetida, curry leaves, turmeric, and okra.
• Fry for a minute, the add 1 cup of water and cook the okra till soften.
• Now add the coconut mixture and cook about for 2 minutes. Add the yoghurt to coconut mixture. Add sufficient salt now; let the mixture boil for one to two minutes and switch of fire. Stir gently and low heat for 3 minutes.  Do not let the gravy boil once you’ve added the yogurt.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Serve with hot rice, Adai, Sevai.

Mor Kuzhambu 2 - Yogurt Coconut Curry

 It is a traditional buttermilk based curry of south India. It uses less oil and chili. The spices used in this curry vary region-to-region and home to home. You can add any veggie in this curry like okra,  taro and ash gourd.  I love this with ash gourd or okra.

Here I have prepared Mor kuzhambu using ash gourd. This is prepared with slight variation in north India and they call it as Khadi.

Ingredients

2cups of thick and sour yoghurt

Ash gourd pieces – 1 cup

Turmeric powder 1/8 of tsp

Asafetida – peanut size

Salt- to taste

Curry leaves – few

Soak for 30- 40 minutes

Coriander seeds2tsps

Toovar dal -2tsps of

Chenna Dhal – 1 tsp

 Raw rice - 2 tsp 

Grind

Fresh coconut - 4 tbsp

Soaked items

Green chillies – 4 no

Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp

Grated Ginger – 1 tsp 

For seasoning

Coconut Oil – 1tbsp

Red chillies, broken 4-5 into 3 pieces each

Mustard – 1 tea spoon

Method 

• Soak and grind the ingredients as mentioned above; keep aside.
• Whip yogurt lightly to make it to a uniform consistency and mix well with  the ground item in that.. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the seasoning, when mustard splutters, add chopped ash gourd pieces, pinch of salt, turmeric powder and mix well; add 1 cup of water and cook.
• When ash gourd is soft, add spice mixed curd and bring to boil; add sufficient salt now, let the mixture boil for one to two minutes and switch of fire.
• The curry should be semi-thick and not too watery in the final stage
• Serve hot with rice, Sevai, Adai.

Tips

• Do not let the curry boil once you’ve added the yogurt. Use low heat and stir constantly to prevent boiling
• Remember to only gently re-heat this dish
• If buttermilk is too sour, add one more green chill.
• Adding salt finally in the dish helps to avoid it to be too watery.

Lemon Sevai

Ingredients: 

 Homemade Plain Sevai –  2 to 3 cups

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Lemon Juice 4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Seasonings:

Chenna dhal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Whole Red Chillies (Dried) – 2no

Curry Leaves - as required

METHOD 

• Mix Lemon juice, Turmeric powder and salt to plain Sevai and keep aside and mix it well.
• Heat Oil and add Mustard seeds, Chenna dhal, Chillies and Curry leaves. Fry well, add  to Sevai and mix well. 

COCONUT SEVAI

Ingredients:

 Homemade Plain Sevai – 2 cups

Grated fresh coconut – 1 cup

 Grated ginger ¼ tsp

Seasonings:

Chenna dhal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Hing – ¼ tsp

 Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

 Whole Red Chillies (Dried) – 2no

Curry Leaves - as required

Salt to taste

Method;

• Heat Oil and add all seasonings, ginger and coconut. Fry well, add to Sevai.
• Add salt to the Sevai and mix well.
• Ready to serve with Vadams, pappad.

Home Made SEVAI

 Sevai is a type of rice noodle. It is very famous in South India, particularly Tamil Nadu.