Category: Desserts

Aamer Chutney or Mango Chutney

So I am back again in this space after some centuries. Before you people forget me completely let me quickly start blogging once again and get some great recipes for you all.

That’s my new Kitchen
Hey, let me first update you on everything that has been happening from last November – that’s last when I had updated this blog – such a shame. Anyways, I have bought my own apartment (rather we have bought and not I alone) and moved in the suburbs of the city. I designed my own kitchen and love it. I still don’t have a cook so I am doing most of the daily cooking and yes Indro chips in too whenever I return late.

All this travel between work and home is leaving little time for the me-time and that’s why you see my absence from this space – of course apart from my laziness. Haha..

So what am I going to share today? Let me share a good Bengali after meal recipe. We call it “Aamer Chutney” or you may say Mango Chutney. Now green mango or raw mango is very famous all across India, people use it for chutneys and pickle. We Bengalis love our sweet and need something sweety tangy at the end of our meal. This recipe is little different from any other chutney or pickle so do read carefully. It’s really easy by the way.

All that you need:

      1.       Raw green Mango – 1 big mango diced keep (the skin on)
      2.       Lemon juice – 1 tspn
      3.       Salt –  to taste
      4.       Paanch phoron*(5 whole spices)- 1 tspn  
      5.       Oil – 2 tspn
      6.       Green Chili – 1
      7.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tspn
      8.       Red chili – ¼ tspn
      9.       Sugar – ½ cup
      10.   Water – ¼ cup
 
*Paanch phoron – This is a special spice mix which every Bong household will have. It is used extensively in Bengali and Oriya Cuisine. It’s really easy to create one if you don’t have. It requires 5 different spices – Cumin, Kalaunji, Fenugreek/Methi, Fennel seeds/Mouri and Black Mustard Seeds.





Let’s get started:
  •           Heat oil in a pan and add ‘paanch phoron’
  •           Add the diced mangoes once the spices start sputtering
  •           Add salt and mix it well with the mango
  •           Cover and cook it for 2 mins
  •           Once the mangoes soften up add a green chili, turmeric powder,              red chili powder and mix well
  •           Add water, cover and cook for 10 mins
  •           Once it turns mushy add sugar and mix well
  •           Finish it off with a little squeeze of lime

Suggestions

This mango chutney is made mostly in the summers. We have it after lunch and it helps in digestion after a hearty meal.

So go ahead and enjoy and let me know how you liked it.

Payesh – Rice Kheer



If you are a Bengali you can never escape the evergreen ‘payesh’. You have any traditional function, any festival or even a birthday payesh is omnipresent. 

Payesh or rice kheer is a dessert item traditionally made with milk, rice and sugar. However, there are many variations of payesh and can be made with various things like semolina, thatched rice, flour and even with Rasgulla!! Surprised… that’s what I like about cooking you can get so creative.

But this one here is a traditional payesh with rice but with some little twist. Little additions to make it even yummier.

All that you need 

Milk – 2 litres 
Rice – 1/2 table spoon (if you can manage ‘gobindobhog’ rice then even better) 
Granulated Sugar – 2 table spoon 
Green cardamom – 2 pods crushed 
Condensed milk – 1 table spoon (for the added taste) 
Batasha – 8-9 (sweet sugar drops) 
Dry fruits – chopped almonds, cashew, raisins 



Method

Bring milk to boil in a pot. 

Take care to stir the milk as it reduces. Add the rice and let it cook in the milk. 

Keep the gas low and stir at regular levels. If you don’t stir the milk will start sticking at the base and might get burnt. 

Add crushed cardamom Add the sugar only when the rice is cooked.

It’s important to note when to add the sugar – if you add sugar before it will not let the rice cook properly. So add sugar or the sweeteners only when the rice is cooked. 

Add the batasha. Batasha is made of flour and sugar. These sugar drops not only adds flavour in this dessert but also gives an amazing consistency. It helps in thickening the payesh. 

Add the dry fruits and condensed milk and stir for another 2-3 mins.

Let it sit for some time and then you can serve. 

It always tastes best if you let it rest for a good 3-4 hours.


Classic Fudge Walnut Brownies


I almost can never resist desserts… or rather any form of sinful dark chocolate pastries. And a moist sinful brownie is just right to set the mood and go yummylicious. I like all my cakes a little moist – it just adds a different dimension.

Now brownies are real easy to make and just awesome to taste. It just makes me happy 🙂

All that you need:

  1. All-purpose flour – ¾ cup
  2. Granulated Sugar – 1 cup
  3. Brown Sugar – ½ cup
  4. Dark chocolate chips – ½ cup – I have used Morde dark compound here
  5. Butter – ½ cup (melted)
  6. Vanilla Extract – 1 tea spoon
  7. Eggs – 2 large
  8. Baking powder – ½ tea spoon
  9. Cocoa Powder – ¾ cup – I have used Cadbury’s Hot Chocolate drink 
  10. Walnuts – ½ cup roasted & chopped
  11. Salt – ¼ tea spoon
  12. Milk – 1/3 cup

Little butter to grease the baking tray.



Let’s Get Started:

Preheat oven up to 180 degrees Centigrade or 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Sift all dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder in a bowl and keep aside.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. After the chocolate melts mix it with melted butter. (check for tips on melting chocolate here)

To this mixture add whole eggs, vanilla essence & sugar and beat until sugar dissolves.

Gradually combine the dry ingredients to this mixture while folding it.
Add milk to soften the batter. Rest the batter for at least 15 mins before you put it for baking.

Prepare a 9 x 9 inch baking tray by greasing it with butter.

Pour the batter and spread it evenly in the baking tray.

Take 1 teaspoon of plain flour ad coat the roasted walnuts. – this will prevent the walnuts to go and sit at the bottom once the cake starts rising.

Sprinkle the walnuts across the batter.

Bake it at 180 degrees Centigrade or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 mins.
And you are ready for the indulgence 🙂

Try this out and let me know how you enjoyed this sinful chocolate indulgence.

You can have it just like that or can have it with vanilla ice cream.
                                                                                                                                     

Blackberry Muffins

I am such a dessert lover, I can almost never say no to anything sweet. That’s probably the same with all the Bongs. I guess lately I have been bitten by the baking bug, these days I can only think of Crème brûlées, cakes, muffins…
It’s a little difficult to arrange things for a hassle free baking exprerience in Bangalore, I think. I have been searching store after store for decent butter sheets and muffin trays and have returned dissapointed from many. Even the supposed largest lifestyle store’s sales people didn’t know whats a ramekin! Can you imagine that.

Continue reading Blackberry Muffins

Gajar ka Halwa

carrot kheer, indian dessert, gajar ka halwa, carrot halwa

I am a complete dessert person and enjoy almost everything which is sweet, creamy and gooey. In India gajar ka halwa or carrot halwa is enjoyed all across the geography, its predominantly a north Indian sweet dish. I have had many kinds of adaptations of Gajar ka halwa in North India, East and now in South India. But this one here is my rendition – Carrot Halwa made easy (and yes yummy too).

Continue reading Gajar ka Halwa