Video: How To Cook Chingri Maacher Malai Curry | Prawns in Coconut Milk

No one can deny the look, taste and aroma of authentic Bengali dishes! Many true-blue and traditional Bengali dishes are gradually getting lost as time goes by. There are many families who hold on to their traditional recipes, especially during pujas and celebration times. Among many such recipes, Chingri Maacher Malai Curry oe Prawns in Coconut Milk occupies a special place in the hearts of Bengali food lovers. Let's see how you can prepare this recipe easily...

Sunday Brunch, Lazy Sunday Wishlist

The reason I call it 'brunch' is because of those late lunches I have on Sundays after having a fill of luchi, aloo bhaja or aloo tarkari for breakfast...and that too around 10.30 or 11 in the morning! So yeah...it's Sunday brunch for me...from breakfast to lunch :)


I generally get up late on Sundays after rolling lazily  on bed for quite sometime. After that, I relish the delicious luchi, aloo bhaja combo that Ma prepares at home. For all those who don't know...luchi-aloo bhaja or aloo tarkari is a traditional and perhaps the most popular breakfast on the Bengali platter on any given day. Most true-blue Bengalis would swear by this finger-licking treat. And yes, Bengali luchis are way softer, fluffier and tastier than pooris prepared in North and rest of India.

But hey...wait! Sundays wouldn't be over without a lavish lunch! So after those drool-worthy luchis, it's time for me to gorge on a delicious spread of authentic Bengali meal. Most Sundays it's bhat or gheebhat (fried rice), fries or machh bhaja (fried fish), dal, any kind of seasonal vegetable curry or aloo posto (another authentic Bengali dish), macher jhaal (fish curry) or any preparation of chicken, chutney or mishti doi (sweet yogurt) followed by meetha paan. On a rainy day, it's khichuri and ilish machh bhaja. Phew! Sumptuous Sundays, I must say!

It goes without a doubt that we all crave for the weekends, especially Sundays. It's a day when we let go of all our reservations, diets, rules and reservations and engage in unlimited masti - be it with friends, relatives or family. Sundays are lazy, crazy and meant for absolute fun without even an iota of glum. My idea and wishlist  of an ideal Sunday would be - mouthwatering breakfast, lunch, long hours of hang out with friends, family and loved ones, loads of music and movies, ice creams, shopping followed by a quiet candlelit dinner. Awesome...isn't it? But don't you think that 24 hours is little too short for all this? But I would be the happiest if it actually happens...so here's keeping my fingers crossed :)

Awards & A Special Sweetdish!

I love eating sweets, ice creams, desserts and interesting sweet dishes...but sadly these are oh-so-very sinful delights and I have to keep a watch on calories and weight:) Anyways, the festive season is still lingering...so here's a sweet dish which is my favorite(I guess for others too!). It is called Chhanar Payesh or Cottage Cheese Pudding. Try it and satisfy your taste buds!

You will need: Cottage cheese(100 grams), milk(500 ml), Condensed milk 1 tin, Sugar(2 tsp), 1 cup water, 2 tsp almonds(cut into pieces), Raisins(2 tsp), Pistachio( 2tsp).

Directions: Prepare a thin syrup with sugar and water. Add the cottage cheese in the syrup and mix it well. Boil the milk now for 2 minutes after adding the condensed milk to it. Now pour this milk into the cottage cheese in little quantities at a time. Stir and mix well. Add diced almonds, raisins and pistachio to the mix and keep in fridge. Serve cold.

Awards time!

My friend Shama of Easy2cookrecipes has presented me with this cute Good Job award.
Three of my other friends have honored me with these lovely awards! Kitchen Flavors was absolutely right when she passed me on this "I'm a Chocoholic" award...I have a passion for chocolates:)
PJ of Seduce Your Tastebuds and Adlaks' Tiny World has thought of my blog as one of the coolest ones and passed me on this Butterfly award. Thanks a ton all of you for thinking about me!!The rules of the award are:

Put the logo on your blog. Add a link to the person who awarded you. Nominate 10 other blogs. Add links to those blogs on yours, and leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I would like to pass the Butterfly Award for the coolest blogs I know to:

Vegetable Platter
Andhra Flavors
Indian Khana
Essence of Andhra
Recipeswap
Plantain Leaf
Sweetbites
Holy Cow
Spice and Curry
Mom's Cooking

Payesh/Payasam

Lakshmi Puja is celebrated in almost every home in West Bengal right after Durga Puja. This is a special day when different types of food are offered to the Goddess. One of them is Payesh or Payasam as it is known throughout India. Though many people prepare it with vermicelli, we prepare it with rice on this special occasion.

Here's a little bit different way of preparing this traditional dessert:

Ingredients: Basmati rice 100 grams, Milk 2 liters, Raisins 50 grams, Sugar 500 grams, Cashew nuts 50 grams, Pistachio(few), Ghee 1 tsp, Cardamom 3/4.

Procedure: Soak the rice and raisins separately for half and hour. In a hollow bottomed pan, heat the ghee and add the cardamoms. Now add the rice and stir lightly. Add milk. Now keep on stirring till it becomes thick. Then add sugar, raisins, cashew nuts, and when it becomes thick, remove it from flame. When it cools down, garnish with pistachio.

Durga Puja Celebrations: Prawn Curry with Yogurt

Durga Puja, our biggest and most favorite festival is just around the corner. This gorgeous festival starts with Mahalaya, which ushers the beginning of Durga Puja, and also announces the final stages of the puja. A lot of enthusiasm and joy surrounds this festival of four days. We wait for the entire year for Durga Puja and enjoy to the hilt. Durga Puja is not only about new clothes, fun, decorations, exchanging of wishes and love, but also a whole lot about delicious food. Whether it is eating out or cooking at home, everyone wants to try something new.

So here's a delicious and easy to prepare recipe which you can try during Durga Puja...enjoy!!



You will need: Tiger prawns(6/7), Yogurt 1-2 cups, 6 Green chillies(slit), Whole spices(garam masala not grounded) 1 tsp, Chilli powder 1 tsp, Sugar 1/2 cup, White cooking oil(according to requirement), Salt to taste.

Procedure: Heat oil in a shallow pan. Fry the prawns golden brown and keep aside. Now fry the whole spice separately for few seconds. Now add the prawns, beaten yogurt, green chillies, chilli powder and salt and stir for sometime. Keep it on flame till the oil gets separated. Serve hot with steamed rice, fried rice, paratha or roti!

Healthy Fish Curry with Vegetables

This is one of my favorite recipes that my mom makes. This quintessential Bengali dish is tasty and easy on your stomach. I love this so much that I can eat it almost every day! The best part about this dish is--it has vegetables that are healthy and uses very little spices. It can even be served to children and ailing people, as it is full of nutrients.

Ingredients: Rohu or Katla fish(cut into pieces and smeared with turmeric and salt), 1 Potato, 3/4 Pointed Gourds(in Bengali it is called "potol" and in Hindi it is called"parwal"), 1 Eggplant, 1 tomato, Bori(this is especially a Bengali delicacy made from dal paste), Green beans, 1 Green Banana, 1 Cauliflower.
Spices: Ginger paste, Cumin seeds paste, Red chilli paste, Turmeric, Salt to taste, Vegetable oil.

Procedure: Fry the fish separately and keep aside. Fry the boris and keep separately. Pour oil into a shallow pan and add some ungrounded whole cumin seeds. Then add the diced vegetables and saute for a while. Fry until light golden brown. Now add ginger paste, cumin seed paste, chilli paste, turmeric, and salt and mix properly. Add proportional water in it. When the vegetables get boiled, add the fried fish. Before removing from flame, add a pinch of garam masala(spice) and serve hot with steamed rice.

P.S. --Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice as you enjoy with steamed rice, for enhanced taste!

Mouthwatering Chicken Cutlets

Though the Bird Flu panic has still not subsided, here's a mouthwatering dish which is a favorite among all chicken lovers. Enjoy!

To make Chicken Cutlets, you will need: 6 chicken breast fillets(boneless), onion paste 6 tsp, ginger paste 1 tsp, garlic paste 1 tsp, green chilli paste 1 tsp, vinegar 4 tsp, chopped coriander and parsley leaves 1 tsp each, garam masala 1 tsp, 3 eggs, oil(for frying), salt to taste.

Procedure: First soften the chicken breasts by pasting them lightly. Now mix onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli pastes, garam masala, chopped coriander and parsley leaves with the lightly-pasted chicken breasts, adding lemon juice or vinegar with them. Marinate for an hour. After an hour, add the eggs(yolk as well as whites) on top of the chicken fillets. Mix everything thoroughly and add salt. Coat both sides of the fillets properly with the paste. After this, coat the chicken fillets with bread crumbs. Heat oil in a shallow fry pan. When the oil becomes red hot, fry the fillets until they are golden in color. Serve hot with salad.

Ilish Maach Bhape/Sorshe Ilish

Hilsa Fish remains an eternal favorite among food lovers. Fish rules the platter of any Indian household, and scores much higher than chicken and mutton.Varied recipes of fish continue to rule the hearts of quintessential Bengali gourmets. Bhetki, Koi, Rui or Catfish, Prawn, Lobsters, and Hilsa remain the perennial favorites among the numerous varieties of fish. Hilsa or 'Ilish' as it is commonly known as, is one of the most liked variety of fish, and there are plenty of dishes available with this fish. Hilsa is not just a fish, but a symbol of Bengali culture. Hilsa is found plentiful in the rivers-Padma, Meghna, Yamuna and Ganges, however, most of this sweet-tasting fish is caught from the sea. Most of the Hilsa dishes are cooked in mustard oil.

Among all other hilsa delicacies, Ilish Maach Bhape or Sorshe Ilish remains my priority:)
Here is a simple and easy way to prepare this recipe at home:

Ingredients:
Hilsa fish-(chop it into pieces for better results)
Mustard Paste
Mustard Oil
Turmeric Powder
Green Chilli
Salt to taste

Preparation: First, wash the fish pieces properly and mix a paste of mustard paste, salt, mustard oil and turmeric with it. Then keep the fish pieces in an air-tight container for some time. Pour some mustard oil on top of those pieces and sprinkle 4/5 green chillies. Then take 2/3 cups of water in a hollow fry pan or container and place the air-tight container in it. Keep the flame low and place something on top of this container, so that the lid doesn't fall off. Bring it to boil for around 10-12 mins and remove it from flame. Your delicious smoked hilsa is now ready to eat! Serve it with smoking hot rice or nan bread.