#Title
½ tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp ghee
Method
Wash and drain the pressed rice. In a vessel put in the pressed rice and sprinkle a little water and keep it covered. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When it splutters, put onion and sauté until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute. Add chicken, salt and all the spices to it. Add one-fourth cup of water. When water dries up add boiled vegetable and cook until it loses its raw flavour. Add pressed rice and mix it. Lower the flame and cook for few minutes for the flavours to blend. Remove from heat and serve garnished with coriander leaves.
COCONUT MAWA BARFI
Ingredients
1 cup desiccated fresh coconut
2 tbsp ghee
½ cup sugar
¼ cup mawa
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp cardamom powder
Nuts for garnishing
Method
Grate the mawa using a fine grater. Firstly, grease a tray with ghee and set aside. Now heat ghee in a heavy bottom non-stick pan. Add mawa and sugar to it and mix gently. Add milk and mix. Cook on low flame for 2 minutes. By now mawa should start to melt. At this point add the desiccated coconut and cardamom powder and stir well. Keep stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes. Once the mixture thickens switch off the flame. Now transfer it to a greased tray and pat it gently. Garnish it with chopped nuts and set it aside for 1 hour. Once cool, cut into desired shape and serve.
MURALI
Muralis are crunchy, white, sugar coated sticks that are great as snacks. These can be stored for long in air tight containers, and just like nimkis, taste great with tea.
Ingredients
2½ cup all-purpose flour
2½ tbsp milk powder
Water as needed
Oil for deep frying
2 cups sugar
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Method
In a bowl, pour flour, milk, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and add water to it. Knead well and make the dough. Make four parts from the dough. Roll each part out with about ½ inch thickness. Then cut the slab into finger long sticks. Now heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the sticks on low heat until crunchy. Make sure these do not turn red.
For the sugar coating —
In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of water with sugar. Stir on medium heat to make thick syrup. Then add the fried sticks. Mix well. Allow the sticks to cool. Store and serve.
MURIRMOA (PUFFED RICE BALLS)
Ingredients
250g puffed rice
700g jaggery
2 cups water
Method
Dry roast the puffed rice in a cast iron skillet for about a minute. Take them out from the skillet and keep aside. Place jaggery and water in a pan. Dissolve the jaggery over low heat. Once the jaggery dissolves, increase the heat and bring it to boil and cook over full flame until a two- thread consistency is reached. Mix in the puffed rice quickly into the mixture. Take it off the heat and let it cool for a while. Make round balls by moistening the hands if the mixture is too sticky. Leave it to cool and serve.
MURKI
This is a simple sweet dish made from khoi and jaggery. The dish is very popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. In West Bengal it is called ‘upra’ and prepared during festivals.
Ingredients
250g khoi (popped rice)
250g grated jaggery
1 cup water
1 tbsp ginger juice
Method
Pour 1 cup of water in a pan and add jaggery. Keep the pan on medium flame. Keep on stirring until the jaggery becomes sticky. Now switch off the gas and after three minutes add khoi and ginger juice. Mix continuously with a spatula for the proper coating of jaggery. Allow it to cool down. After cooling, store murki in an air tight container.
NIMKI
Nimki, also known as ‘namak para,’ is a traditional Bengali snack made of white flour. It is a tasty, light, crunchy snack that can be made anywhere, any time without much hassle. The best thing about nimki is that it can be stored for a long time without using any kind of preservatives.
Ingredients
2 cups white flour
½ tsp kalojira (aniseed)
4 tbsp ghee
½ cup water
Salt to taste
Oil for deep fry
Method
In a bowl, mix flour, salt, kalojira , and ghee. Now add water to it and make a dough. Keep it aside. Covered with a wet cloth for 15 minutes. Roll the dough into thin chapatis . Cut them into shapes of your choice with a knife. Now heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the nimkis on low heat until they turn light brown and crispy. When done, remove from heat and set aside on a paper towel to drain oil and cool. Store in an air tight container so that it lasts long.
Tip: Make sure you fry nimkis on low heat. If the flame is high the nimkis will turn brown quickly and will remain raw and soft inside.
GOJA
Ingredients
2 cups refined flour
1 cup sugar
A pinch of baking powder
2 tbsp ghee
2 green cardamom
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Oil for deep fry
Method
Combine sugar, water and cardamom pods in a heavy bottom pan. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently. As the syrup thickens, reduce the heat and test the consistency. Once the sugar syrup has reached a two-string consistency, turn off the heat and add lemon juice (this prevents the syrup from crystallising). Keep warm.
In a bowl mix flour, salt and baking powder. Add ghee and work it well into the mixture. Add water little by little and knead until a stiff dough is formed. Divide the dough into equal portions and using rolling pin roll out into ovals. Make several slashes on the ovals with a knife or a fork. Heat sufficient ghee or oil in a pan and deep fry the gojas until light brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil or ghee. Dip the fried gojas in sugar syrup. Coat rapidly and remove quickly. Toss till dry and crisp.
COCONUT TEEL PITHA
Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
½ cup plain flour
½ cup roasted sesame seeds
½ cup freshly grated coconut
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
Method
Combine the milk, plain flour and rice flour in a bowl and whisk well so that no lumps remain. Keep aside. Combine the sugar, sesame seeds and coconut in a bowl. Mix well and keep aside. Heat a non-stick pan and grease with little butter. Pour 2 tbsp of batter and spread to make a small round thin pitha . Cook lightly on both side. Spread 2 tbsp of coconut-sesame mixture on half side and cover with other half to form a semi-circle. Repeat the same to make more pithas using remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Styling: RBR
Food: Selina Parvin