Sausage Fried Rice~Indo-Chinese Cuisine

Sometimes we get bored with cooking and eating the same food everyday…rice/roti, dal/lentils, one vegetarian dish or a non vegetarian dish. What about trying something else rather than these routine stuffs which will be a complete meal by itself, both nutritious and delicious at the same time? This is a rice dish but not the usual pulao or biryani but a kind of fusion dish with Chinese flavours. Sausage fried rice as I love to call it, is a very easy and simple dish for which you need good quality aromatic long grained basmati rice, some assorted chopped veggies and chicken sausages/frankfurters and soy sauce (light or dark whichever you prefer). Though always a hit among kids this dish is bound to please you as well.

 

Prawn Tikka Masala

When Indians in every nook and corner of the world are celebrating Makar Sankranti/PoushParbon/Lohri with sweets, coconut, jaggery, rice flour here’s something deliciously savoury for you to be enjoyed with steaming Gobindobhog or Basmati rice. Prawn Tikka Masala is a taste of divinity on your palate with a creamy sauce of yogurt, tomatoes and fresh cream much similar to its chicken and paneer (cottage cheese) counterparts with a bonus of the flavour of prawn. Though many restaurants have this dish on their menu, I think it tastes best when home cooked. Quite an easy peasy, hassle-free recipe, it can be made with medium to king sized prawns for the desired outcome.

 

Prawn Tikka Masala

Fish Pakoda~A Super Delectable Snack

Happy New Year to all my readers…lets start this year with something crispy, munchy and blissful. Very suitable as winter bites these crunchy fish pakodas are a delectable snack any time of the day. Moreover quite hassle free they do not need a dip in the egg or a roll in the bread crumbs, can be prepared with rohu/katla/seabass/prawns… the choice is yours. It’s a perfect dish to entertain your guests.

Fish Pakoda

Nepali Bhutwa~ An Exquisite Mutton Dish From Nepal

What about celebrating the coming holidays with an absolutely awesome mutton dish? This is one of the best mutton dishes I have tasted in a long time. It’s flavourful, incredibly delectable, goes equally well with roti/parantha or even rice/pulao. I came across this interesting dish in one of the food groups that I am a member of. It requires an exotic herb called Timur, difficult to get hold of in the regular grocery stores, but if not available you can cook without it, the mutton will taste delish anyways.  Timur is a kind of pepper available in Nepal/China also known as Sichuan/Szechwan pepper used mostly in the Nepali, Tibetan or Chinese dishes.

 

Nepali Bhutwa

Tomato Khajur Aampaapad Chutney (Khejur Aamshottor Chutney)

During the winter months this is a must accompaniment with lunch at home specially in the weekends. Though much loved for its perfect combination of sweet and sour taste with an extra bit of tickle for your tongue because of the addition of dry red chilli, it’s pretty easy to make and gets ready in a jiffy. The zing attributed to the dish comes mainly from two ingredients dates/ khajur and aam paapad or aamshotto, the Bong name given to dried leather of mango pulp and sugar syrup. I always have a stock of aamshotto handy in my fridge for this chutney and for those depressing times to eat just like that. Often having just a slice of aamshotto uplifts my mood. So whenever I chance to go to C.R.Park I pick up quite a few of them.

 

Tomato Khajur Aampaapad Chutney

Stuffed Potato/ Aloo

This is a rather uncommon dish because you generally come across stuffed capsicum/simla mirch, stuffed lady finger/vindi/okra, stuffed chillies/ hari mirch, stuffed tomato, stuffed karela/bitter gourd and our oh-so-good Bong delicacy stuffed pointed gourd/potol/parwal famously called ‘Potoler Dolma’. But have you ever met with stuffed potato/aloo?. 

Stuffed Potatoes

Vegetable Croquettes/Chops

Vegetable Croquette or Bhegitabil chop as we Bongs lovingly call it is a recent request from a very dear friend. She wanted a very easy and simple recipe. So Reshmi the simplest way to make this delectable, all time favourite snack is here for you. Though I knew the main ingredients but always have this habit of calling up Maa to ensure them. I followed the process she told me over the phone. Beetroot, carrots and potatoes are the vegetables generally used for the stuffing, but you can add other veggies like beans, peas if you desire. These crispy, delish croquettes are a delightful nosh with a cup of tea in the winter evenings with the obvious accompaniment of Bong Adda….

Vegetable Croquettes