Khichuri and its companions .... for Durga puja 2020

 

Durga Puja came and went by.

Today is Nabami. Only one more day left.. 

The only festival Bengalis all over the world look forward to. 

The festive feelings, the enthusiasm, the excitement of wearing new clothes, meeting friends and families, spending time at the pujo pandals, the crowd, the reverberating dhaaks and the conch shells, the fragrance of incense and flowers, the rustle of new fabrics, silks and cotton, the aroma of bhog / prasad as well as the food being made at the stalls .... all spell Durga puja. 

All ended. All snuffed out. 

Just by one deadly pandemic. 

One life taking pandemic. 

So many people could not go home to be with their families. 

So many parents spent the days alone, at home. 

The whole world has been shut up at home. 

As if it has been covered with a dark, heavy blanket. 

As if rejoicing is banned. As if breathing is illegal. 

My heart went out especially to those Bengalis who craved just one chance to see the face of the goddess. Just one time. 
To offer pushpanjali / obeisance with flowers. 

To be able to live just for one moment the festive feel. 

Due to safety measures, most places have not organised the celebrations of Durga puja. 

And whichever few have, they have set restrictions and have not allowed anybody other than members to attend the functions. 

And the cry of despair on the social network pages has been heart rending ..... everybody asking for one place where they can get a glimpse of the goddess or offer puja. At least for a few moments. 

Having said that, I must mention the excellent arrangements the organisations have made for regular live streaming of all the activities for people to watch from the safety of their home. 

From Pushpanjali to aarti to cultural programs .... everything. 

And people have been most sensible in doing that .... staying at home and creating happiness for themselves in their own way. 

Memories of pujo in my childhood flood me today. 

Getting ready early, wearing the dress that has been the result of months of agonising on designs and fabric and discussions with Didi and the rest of the brood, going to the pujo mandap with Dadu with a trail of helpers carrying the pujor dali / offerings, while the rest of the ladies of the family and Thamma would come later. 

And then, lunch! 

Ashtami lunch would be Luchi, Cholar dal, labra and chaatni. And papor bhaja / papad.

And of course a sweet. 

We cousins would sit in the long verandah, in a line. Fresh banana leaves would be placed in front of us and Kakimas would serve the food. 

But the luchi was always served by Thamma. 

Carrying an open, oval shaped jhuri filled with hot, fluffy luchis, she would pick out each grandchild's favourite and place it on the leaf. 

I loved fluffy ones. Didi loved both the fluffy as well as the flat ones, the youngest one loved the crisp browned ones .... and so on. 
The Cholar dal would be thick, sweetish with generous bits of fried coconut in it. We kids loved to trouble whoever was serving to fish out more coconut pieces for us. 😀 
And we loved to break a piece of the papad and scoop up some chaatni with it and stuff our mouths. 

The savoury crisp crushing inside our mouths, mixed with the syrupy sweetness of the chaatni would make us go mmmmmmm. 

Days gone by a little too soon.

Sigh. 😞

I had orders for the traditional Khichuri plate for lunch. 

People who did not go to the pandals and wanted to enjoy the regular, traditional bhoger khichuri had placed  orders with me. 

I made the regular accompaniments that go with it. And offered it as prosad / bhog in our mandir at home. And then sent out the batches. 

Tried my best to give a festive feel to my loyal clients through my homecooked food. 

May the divine goddess give us the shakti / strength to fight every demon of ill intentions in the world. 

As well as within us. 

May Durga keep us and the whole world in her care. 

Happy Dussera!! 

Ps : I will declare the winner of my giveaway in my next post. 

Sorry for the delay. 

Kokum, Coconut and Garlic chutney

Hello there!

Here I am  ….. back after almost an year.
I hope all of you, my readers, are well.
And have not given up on me and my blog.

By now, I am sure, you are well used to my long breaks.
But I keep coming back.
For however long possible .... even if it is for as little time as only a month .... I keep coming back.
And I try my best to be regular.
Thank you all for being with Kitchen e Kichu Khonn and for staying in touch with me on Facebook as well as Instagram.
And on messenger too.

I will not go into the reasons for my taking such a long break.
Instead, I will focus on what I love doing .... write and post a recipe.
It will take me time to get back that much needed flow for smooth writing .... but I will try.
A lot has happened in the last year and now we are at the fag end of it.
I hope it has gone much better for you than it did for me.

But what ever has been, has been.
Life moves on. It will move on.
We cannot give up on life.
We need to get up and get going.
Happily or unhappily … that is in our hands.

I trudged through this year. And not exactly happily.
Two major disappointments in our lives, ruled this year.
And one big health issue for me that resulted in a surgery.

If last year was bad, this year has been worse.
But I am like always on a trampoline. I bounce back.
Or at least try to.
And that is what we should be doing … right? Bounce back.
Because life is like the sea …. it gives back to you whatever you give it.
So better give something good …. eh? 😊

And what better than a blog post on a beautiful chutney.
Chutneys rule as an accompaniment to any Indian meal and helps not only in digestion but also help make any plain meal interesting.
Most chutneys are healthy and are almost always made fresh, at home, along with a snack or meal.

Today's recipe is of a chutney that I had made along with the Rawa Idli that I had posted a few posts back.
I had promised to post the recipe 'soon'.
And am truly sorry for this much delayed 'soon'.
So posting it first and then go on with my other recent recipes.

I had kept this chutney slightly dryish and absolutely loved the texture.
And the best part is it stays well in the refrigerator for more than a week or two, when kept in an airtight glass bottle.
Do not use metal utensils to store it.


Need :

Kokum / Garcinia Indica - the size of a small ball
Garlic - a few cloves
Jeera / Cumin seeds  - 1 tsp
Dhaniya / Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 3 or 4
Chopped fresh coconut - 1 cupful

Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 tsp


How to :

In a heavy pan, heat a little oil.

Add the jeera, dhania, garlic and the whole red chillies.
Fry on low heat till the garlic turns reddish and releases an aroma.

Add the chopped coconut, Urad dal, Chana dal and fry till the coconut is well fried.

Remove and cool.

Now add the Kokum ( you may use tamarind in lesser quantity too ),
salt and sugar.

Grind in a mixie to a coarse damp powder.
The idea is to get a little of everything in a bite …. the crunch of coconut and the dals, the burst of tang of a very small piece of kokum, the spice of the red chilli ….. get the idea?

You may add water, if needed, but only very little.
This is supposed to be a dry chutney.

You may skip the Kokum and make it too.

Store in an airtight glass bottle in the fridge.

Enjoy with Dosas, Idlis , Upma or with plain rice too.


Take care all!!

Plastic Chatni / Chutney made with Raw Papaya .... a Bengali favorite

 Thin, transparent slices that glisten in a clear, slightly thick liquid. You feel like picking one up but hold back for fear of it breaking or melting in your hand.
Slowly you fish a slice up and hold it between your fingers.
It is so clear that you can see through it.The sticky syrup rolls down you fingers and you quickly lick it to stop from flowing down your elbow.
And revel in the taste.
Sweet, lemony, with the kick of the paanch phoron. 
And slightly spicy, if a piece of the dry red chilli has crushed.

That is the Plastic chaatni for you.
Every Bengali's favourite. Something every Bengali looks forward to in the menu of a special occasion, especially weddings.
I am not talking of today's catering managed wedding meals.
I am talking of the traditional weddings of yore.
Where food was served on plaintain / raw banana leaves and water was served in traditional earthen glasses.
Where food was eaten with hands and where people sat down together, in large batches, to enjoy the feast.
Where all the dishes were served on the same plate, course by course and the plate holds the heavenly mix of flavours from the all the dishes served.
So the sweetness from the Mishti bhaat or the fried rice, the spiciness from the macher kalia or the jhol, the richness of the Kosha Mangsho, the crunch from the Fish fry .... every dish leaves its print on the plate.
And to that ,when the sweetness of the Plastic chatni is added, it is heaven on your plate. 
And the lingering taste and smell in your fingers.
And the sounds of the shehnai mixed with a lot of boisterous chattering and laughing out loud in your ears and the frangrace of the Rajanigandha in the air.
That is what Bengali wedding meals used to be.

The Plastic chaatni ..... it got its name because the papaya slices resembled clear plastic after cooking, is not very common in everyday cooking in Bengali households.
And rare too in occasions like birthdays or Annaprasanna ( when a child eats rice for the first time ).
However, when it came to wedding menus, its place was fixed.
Although I have never seen this chutney served anywhere else, I did notice that the restaurant Sigree always serves it along with other relishes.
Their version is slightly dry though ... but the flavours are the same.

Traditionally, the shape is of thin slices of the raw papaya. I have chopped them for reasons best known to god. I have no idea why I did not slice them.
Also, by the time I cut the papaya to cook, it had ripened slightly.
But I can assure you, it made no difference to the taste.

My chatni has a little too much of paanch phoron / Bengali five spice tempering .... but that is because the spoon slipped from my hand and landed straight into the hot oil.
Happens.
But again ... no harm to the taste.

Here's how to make this wondrous chatni.

Need :

Raw Papaya - 1 cupful ,
( thinly sliced small pieces or cut into very small cubes )
Kismis / Raisins - 1 tbsp, soaked
Lemon juice - around 1 tbsp
Sugar - 2 cupsful
Water - 3 cupsful or a little more
Paanch phoron / Bengali five spice mix - 1 tsp
( a mix of
methi / fenugreek seeds (use just a few seeds),
jeera / cumin seeds,
mouri / fennel seeds ,
sorse / mustard seeds,
kalo jeere / nigella seeds )
Whole dry red chillies - 1, broken
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch

(If you are afraid of biting into a methi seed, then you can use just the fennel (saunf ) and the nigella ( kalonji ) seeds for the tempering.


How to :

Heat oil in a pan or a kadahi.

Add the paanch phoron + broken red chilli.

Then add the papaya and toss well.

Add a little salt, cover and cook till just half done.

Remove cover, add the raisins and water and bring to a boil.

Now add the sugar and cook for some more time, covered.

Remove cover, check if the papaya is done yet firm.

Add the lemon juice, simmer for a minute or two.

Remove from heat and cool. 

This stays well in the fridge for more than a week.
Just make sure you keep it covered well or in a tight lid bottle.

Poila Boishakh is just a day away.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Bengali New Year!!
Health and happiness and more healthy, happy food to you !!

Enjoy!!

Tomato Khejurer chaatni

 Hi all!!
I was planning to make an elaborate post that would include what I had made my earlier post on .... let's see if you can guess correctly ... (people who have seen my page on fb are not allowed to take part in this :-) )
.... but unfortunately my plans have gone haywire.
All thanks to a glass of water that I spilled on the kitchen floor.
And before I could mop it up ... or say 'bazooka!' ... to quote Sheldon, I was on the floor , on my back, spreadeagled, with a twisted ankle and wrist.

Later, as the day progressed, I could feel the pain spread to points and muscles and all over the right leg and ankle and the left hand, especially the wrist ... that took the brunt of the thud.
And my already weak back and right shoulder.
And with that went my plans of writing a lengthy post.

So I will leave you today with these photographs of the Tomato Khejur er chatni that I had made a few months ago.
If you need the recipe, it is here. Just substitute the sugar with gur / jaggery.

 Take care all ....
while I go lie down, watch the drizzle outside and ponder on the line ... "Paa pichle aloor dom .... "

Sigh!

Tomato and Garlic chutney ... a spicy, tangy and peppy dip

 Life is a mad rush right now. I had thought I could fit in two more posts this month easily but that is not to happen I guess. A hectic weekend and now a Monday that has passed by like a gust on a winter evening.
I know, I know I sound repetitive. But that is how it is .... almost every week.
Anyway .... with Durga Puja just around the corner and the rains playing spoilsport, my mind is not at all in the right place these days.
It has rained steadily for the last fortnight or more and the days and nights are extremely foggy, damp and cold.
I keep looking out for the slightest break in the clouds and a glimpse of sunlight ... no matter how thin.
But no such luck.

I am praying really hard that we get sunny days by Mahalaya.
Fingers crossed.

I do not have much to write tonight.
No, actually I do have but am real pressed for time. With loads  of things to do, I have added two more knitting projects to my daily schedule. And the only time I get to work on them is at night.

So have been sitting up late into nights and knitting, like there is no tomorrow.
And am loving it ... this change in my routine of going to sleep at ten in the night.

 Kind of takes me back to my long gone days when I was just a girl and loved to stay up late into the nights to read or to embroider or knit. I loved the quiet of the nights and the lovely breeze blowing in from our garden .... especially in the summers.

My little doggie would be fast asleep near my feet. And I would be so engrossed that I would have no idea how late it was.
Until Ma came and gave me a final warning to wind up and go to sleep.
Only then I would keep my things aside and go to my bedroom, the sleepy little one at my feet.
As I would climb in and lie down, I could hear her settle down under my bed with a sigh ... which I guess would be of relief.

There ... I am digressing.
Let me now quickly give you the recipe of this super quick Tomato and garlic chutney that I make and store very often.
Packs the punch of garlic and the tartness of the tomatoes.
Needs very less ingredients and is extremely good as a side or a dip.

I love garlic and have used a lot in this chutney. You can go easy on it if you are not much of a fan ... but let me tell you it is the garlic that makes this chutney so lovable.

Need :

Tomatoes - 6, big sized, chopped
Garlic - around 15 or 20 cloves
Onions - 1 medium, roughly chopped
Fresh green  chillies - around 4
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch 

How  to :

Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a kadahi or wok.

Fry the onions till translucent.

Cool and grind in a mixie along with the garlic + green chilli + tomatoes.

In an open pan pour this mix and let it boil till the rawness goes away and it starts to thicken.

Add salt + sugar + a little red chilli powder and stir well.

In an other kadahi, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil.
Add the mustard seeds and once they start to splutter, add the curry leaves.

Pour this tempering on the tomato mix and let it boil till the chutney thickens well.

Remove from heat and cool.

Store in an air tight glass bottle in the fridge.

This is great on the side with  handvo, idlis or vadas of any kind or any kind of parathas.
A spoonful on  hot rice is absolutely heavenly.
Spread it on a dosa or an uttapam and you won't need anything else for a meal.
And yes, I do spread it on bread too.


Enjoy!!

Kancha aamer tok jhal mishti achar

Or raw mangoes cooked with spices and sugar.
I was at a loss when it came to giving this a name.
We can call it the Kancha aamer mishti achar. Or kairi ki launji.
Or plain aam ka meetha achar.

Whatever the name,this is one quick achar that is absolutely lip smacking ... if you will forgive me the extra enthusiasm for this.
I had some raw mangoes in the fridge that I had initially bought to make the Aam Panha or Aamer sharbat. 
But then, when I took out one to cut for the Tauker dal, I saw they had already formed firm stones.
The thought of chewing on the stones made me think of achar.

I wanted to make the masala one but realised I had run out of mustard oil.
So made this sweet one .... keeping in mind the coming monsoons and all the parathas that I will be making.
( I did make the masala one too ... will try to make a post later. )

This achar tastes best when made with gur or jagerry.
But is just as good with sugar.
I did not have jagerry too ... so used sugar.

Yes, I do get these urgent "need to make this now!" pushes exactly when the right ingredients are not at hand.
But that does not deter me. 

So here is the quick Amer mishti achar.
Do use tart mangoes. The sweetness of the sugar gives a perfect balance to the sourness.
And the flavours of the roasted paanch phoron takes it to a new high.
I added a good dose of crushed red chillies to make it spicy. Do go easy on it if you cannot handle spice.

Need :


Raw mangoes - 6, medium sized
Sugar - 1 cup
Paanch phoron - 1 tsp of kalonji+fennel+mustard +coriander seeds + ½ tsp methi seeds
Red chilli flakes or powder - 1 tsp (preferable home made )
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp


 How to :

Peel and cut the raw mangoes into small sized cubes.
Spread them on an absorbent kitchen napkin or some paper napkins.

Let them dry for around 2 hours.
Since I live in a dry climate, I just let them sit under a fan and they dry up promptly.
You can also sun them.

Dry roast the paanch phoron in a heavy bottomed karahi or pan.
Cool and grind coarsely.

Heat oil.
Add the mangoes and stir fry, cover and cook till done.

Remove cover and add the sugar.
It will release water.
Let it cook uncovered till all water dries up.

Sprinkle the paanch phoron powder and the red chilli powder and give a good mix.
Remove from heat and cool.

Store in clean, dry, air tight glass bottles.

If you make a big batch and want to store, then do keep them in the fridge ... especially since the monsoons are coming. They will stay well for months.

Is this piece tempting enough?

Enjoy!!


If interested, you can check out my other achars here. 

Aam kasundi or Instant kasundi or Not Kasundi

Who cares?
Why bother when you have this wonderfully pungent, spicy mixture of fresh mangoes and mustard seeds and garlic, redolent with that zing of raw mustard oil, right in front of you?

When you hold your mixie in front of you, just after you have zapped all of the above, bring your nose closer and take a whiff, you are sure to go back home in a second ... numerous memories nudging each other to get a space in your thoughts ... while your eyes will water a little and your nose will tingle a little ... and that will not be only because of memories.

While I have seen Thamma make numerous kinds of achaars back home ( here is a glimpse of those hilarious memories), I have never seen her make kasundi.
Neither have I seen Dida making it, ever.
It is said that making the real, authentic Kasundi takes a lot of dos and don'ts. So not many people ventured into making it other than the older generation of grandmas.
And today, even they have moved away from it. Especially due to availability off the shelves. 

 When I had made this instant kasundi long, long back when I was a new blogger, ... eight years ago to be precise,  I was floored by the taste.
And every year, when new mangoes appeared in the markets, I would first make this kasundi and then move on to other chaatnis or achars. And then, just before the raw mangoes disappeared, I would make a big batch and store it in the fridge for the rainy days ahead.
Yes, literally.
Because this is the perfect accompaniment to all those fried sinful stuff that we associate rainy days with.

But have never made a blog post on this.
Every year, I have the most honest intentions of making one. But that never happened.

So this time I decided I would make a post after all.
Though I know I am 8 years too late.
At the time I made this for the first time, Kasundi was not available anywhere outside of Bengal.
At least I did not get it in Pune.
But today, it is available everywhere ... off the shelves.
But somehow, while I do have a bottle of Kasundi in my fridge always these days, the freshness and tang of this freshly made instant kasundi touches my heart as well as taste buds with a different kind of love.

This post has this instant kasundi mentioned when I made it for the first time, after learning it from another blogger friend. 

I have used less garlic because it can easily overwhelm the flavours of the raw mango as well as the mustard.
Also, I always add the mustard oil only after grinding is done.

Do not skimp on the mustard oil if you plan to store it in the fridge. Better if there is a layer of oil on the top to stop it from spoiling.

This is one of the easiest condiments with the minimum of ingredients.

Need :

Raw mango - 1 medium
Black mustard seeds - 2 tbsp
Yellow mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 4 cloves
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Salt - to taste
Mustard oil - around 5 tbsp or more if you are storing

How to :

Run everything in the mixer to make a paste.

Add the mustard oil and give a light mix.

Ready!!

While it is perfect on the side with snacks, my favourite, however is a dollop of this tangy, spicy stuff on plain, warm rice.
Try it.

And this is how I spent this hot, summer afternoon.

And this one is for all those wonderful women, balancing homes and work and children and relatives.
Even if you do have a store bought kasundi in your fridge, do go ahead and make this one day.
You will make a happy you. 

I am sure I made Thamma happy.

Gur diye Knaacha Aamer ambol / Green mangoes in a tangy, soupy gravy

 "Mmmmm ... badhiyaa aambaal!!"
That was B, a not very big fan of the Bengali tauk or ambols, after he tasted this ambol.
After precisely two helpings.

I made this ambol a little sweet ... so can be called as a combination of the ambol and the chaatni.
And for a change, added Gur or jaggery instead of sugar.
Also, I used the Totapuri variety of mangoes ... that are not too tart. So the addition of sweet can be kept to the minimum.

Turned out to be very, very tasty.
We had it at the end of a hearty lunch of rice, toor dal, posto fry and cabbage fry.
And kept picking up the serving spoon to sip the gravy right out of it.
And kept smacking our lips. Noisily.
Smiling at each other on that blatant lack of manners for a change. :-)

Since the mango was not ripe, the stone/pit was not too tough. And not too soft too.
It held the flesh perfectly, preventing it from turning mushy.
And was perfect to chew on too.

Not writing much today.
Will go straight to the super easy recipe. And tempt you with the pictures.

Need :

 Totapuri mango - 1 big sized , cut into chunks
Gur / Jaggery - around a tea cup full
( depends on how much sweet you want your ambol to be; I used the powdered variety)
Ginger - grated, around 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Whole red chillies - 2, broken and deseeded
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Water - depends on how much gravy you want
A little white cooking oil

How to :

Heat oil in a kadahi.
Add the mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add the red chillies and the mangoes.
Stir fry for a while.
Add a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Stir ... then add enough water.
Cover and cook till the mangoes are half done ... if you like a little crunch in them;
or fully done if you like them mushy.
Remove cover and add the jaggery.
Cover and let it boil till the jaggery dissolves and the gravy is of desired consistency.
Grate in the ginger now, cover and simmer for just one more minute.
Done!!

Serve cool.
The combination of jaggery and ginger makes this chaatni+ambol so different from the usual ones.
You have to taste it to know it.
While a Bengali would enjoy this at the end of a lunch, mashed up with a little rice or just plain as it is, non Bengalis can enjoy this on the side with a meal of rotis and sabzi too.

Wanna pick that piece up?
Go ahead ... enjoy!!

And oh! ... just realised I completed 280 posts.
A Yay! for me. :-)


More Green mango chutneys on Kichu Khonn

Aamer Chaatni 

Aam ki chutney or the Chundo 

Kuler Achaar / Ber ka Achaar / Pickled Berries

Recent photo of March 2018

This is my second try at making achaar / pickles. 
Though this takes very little time to actually make ... the actual time to make this pickle will span over a few days ... i.e the time taken to sun dry the kul/ ber/ berries.

I am making optimum use of the winter sun these days before it shifts back.
So when I came across some berries being sold, I picked them up impulsively .... wanting to try making Kuler achaar myself.

The Ber / berries for this achar should be the round and sour ones.

Need :

Kul / Ber,
jaggery,
red chilli powder, 
roasted and freshly ground Paanch Phoron ( equal quantities of methi/fenugreek seeds, kalaunji/onion seeds, rai/mustard seeds, saunf/fennel seeds, jeera/cumin seeds).


How to :

Wash the berries well and leave them to dry.

Now comes the best part .... take every berry and crack it open to check for insects. Discard the bad ones.

Spread them out in a flat vessel or cloth and sun dry them for a few days.

In a heavy vessel heat the gur/jaggery with a little water till it melts. Add the berries and stir well. Let it cook till the jaggery thickens.

Sprinkle red chilli powder and the Paanch Phoron powder and remove from heat.

Do not cook after adding the Paanch Phoron powder .... else it will turn bitter.

Done!

This has a very long shelf life if the berries are sun dried well and hold no moisture.

Tomato Chatni / Tomato Chutney

The Bengali chatni is quite different from the usual other chutneys. It is usually sweet ... and whatever sour tang it has, it gets from its main ingredients like mango or tomato.
Very simple to make, this chatni can be had as a spread with bread / hot rotis. Also goes great with stuffed parathas.
Need : Chopped tomatoes, sugar, a pinch of salt, curry leaves, whole red chillies, mustard seeds, sliced ginger and a little cooking oil.
How to : Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Now add the tomatoes and salt. Cook till tomatoes turn mushy.
Now add the sliced ginger and sugar. Cook till all water has dried up.

Chutney from leftover chashni

Am in the midst of cleaning the house .... a ritual I follow every year inspite of my house being extremely clean. My helping hand rolls her eyes every time I mention the word cleaning ... saying " Tai la sagala swaccha pahije !" ..... "Sister wants everything to be always clean". :-)

Bengalis clean their houses before Durga Puja ... and hubby's side do their cleaning before Diwali.
I do the job before Durga Puja .... serves both ways for me ..... and am more relaxed and get more time for making Diwali delicacies. :-)

But I have been dying to share this recipe with my blogging friends.
It makes good use of left over sugar syrup that we are often left with after all the gulab jamuns / rasgullas have been devoured.

I came across the word 'chashni' when I had spoken to my then would be sis-in-law on the phone for the first time . She described my voice to her brother (hubby) as 'chashni jaisi '. :-)

Learnt this from Sanjeev Kapoor's show on the tv. And it is just soooooooo good. Easy to make, tastes heavenly and lasts for as long as you want it to .... that is if you don't polish it off in a couple of days. ;-)

I guess this is called Saunth or Sonth that is usually served with chaats in Northe India.

I made rasgullas sometime ago ... so naturally made this after a while.

Need :

Left over sugar syrup / chashni
Equal amounts of jeera / cumin seeds and whole Black Pepper
A few whole dry red chillies
A little Hing / Asafoetida
Tamarind pulp ... soak tamarind in water for half an hour and strain out the pulp
A little salt.

How to :

Dry roast the jeera, pepper, chillies and hing in a heavy bottomed pan.

Grind them coarsely in a mortar and pestle.

Bring the chashni / sugar syrup to a boil ( if it is rasgulla chashni you will need to boil it for a while to thicken it slightly as syrup for rasgullas is thinner in consistency).

Add the tamarind pulp ,the ground masala and a little salt and boil for some more time.

Cool.
If you want to you can strain it. Otherwise it is good as is.

Goes great with kachoris, samosas, parathas ...... whatever.

Aamer Chatni (Mango chutney)

This is a sweet and sour chatni. The sugar gives the sweetness ... and the mango gives the natural sour taste.
If you want it very spicy then just increase the amount of red chilli powder.

Need : Raw mangoes (the Totaphuli variety is good for this as it is not too sour), Panch phoron powder , sugar, haldi powder, red chilli powder, mustard seeds, whole red chillies,curry patta, oil and a pinch of salt.

Panch Phoron powder : Take a few teaspoonfuls of Panch Phoron and dry roast on a heavy bottomed pan till it gives out an aroma. Cool and grind into a powder.

How to : Cut raw mangoes into thick slices or cubes. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds, whole red chillies and curry patta. Now add the mangoes and fry for some time. Add haldi powder, red chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook till the mangoes are almost done. Now add sugar. The mangoes will let out a lot of water now. Cook uncovered till water evaporates completely. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Panch Phoron powder and remove from heat. Serve cool.