Happy New Year 2011

Mulor Ghonto or Mulor Chechki – Choose any name but tame the dish in your kitchen...

Mulo/Radish is available in plenty in the market. In winter the mulo/radish has a special taste...a winter vegetable. Nowadays different kinds of fruits and vegetables are available all the year round, no tags of a Seasonal Fruit or vegetable these days. But I think winter mulo tastes better.

Moving straight on to my recipe:

Preparation and cooking time: 40-45 minutes

Mulor Ghanto/Chechki

Mulo/radish: 3-4

Green chillies: 2

Jeera: 1 tsp

Red chilli powder: ¼ tsp

Haldi powder: ½ tsp

Dry red chilli: 1

Sugar: ½ tsp

Salt: to taste

Cooking oil: 2tsp

Preparation:

Wash the radish and grate them, not very fine.

Heat oil in a kadhai/wok. Add the red chilli after breaking it into half.

Half a minute and tip in the jeera. Soon the lovely aroma spreads all around signifying to add the green chillies after giving them a slit in the middle.

Then put in the grated mulo/radish and stir fry. Cover and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes over low heat and then add salt, sugar, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and stir well to mix all the ingredients properly.

Cover and cook for another 6-7 minutes, keep stirring from time to time.

The radish along with the salt will release water which helps in the cooking.

Increase the heat and cook till the ghonto/checheki is completely dry. Make sure the mulo/radish is fully cooked.

You can add some crushed deep fried boris (urad dal dumplings dried and stored) before serving.I didn't have bodi, so no chance of giving that extra taste to the dish.

Serve this dish with rice and dal. This also tastes very good with rotis and parathas.

I love it with rice and dal and of course with hot khasta parathas...smacking my lips at the thought of it...

Semai Payesh – Vermicelli Kheer – Vermicelli Pudding

Hello friends, that’s what I’ve to say first. I missed you all...but I had spent some good time as I travelled a lot. Back to this space - today let me share a sweet dish as I write down my recipe and natter with you.

Payesh, Kheer, Pudding, give it any name but the taste is the same. At this time of the year...it’s very cold here in Delhi...I know you all know about it but the cold makes me speak about it. How I wish this winter could bring some snow to this city. Some will think I’m jabbering but believe me I’m thinking seriously...some kids story building up...Oops! hope not giving you the ‘Bore Feel’...I’m sombre about my writing thoughts...

Leaving all my thoughts aside back to my Payesh. A sweet dish after a full-meal...the typical Bangali thought...and that’s happening in my home most of the days...

Payesh making is so simple...for most of the ingredients are available at home any and every time.

Milk and sugar the main ingredients of Payesh/Kheer.

Cook payesh/kheer/pudding with rice, vermicelli, cheese, or even sabudana. These are the most preferred payesh/kheer/pudding ingredients that need to be added to the milk to cook this dish. Rice (uncooked) is available in every Indian home. I also feel vermicelli is in the monthly grocery list of many households.

Rasins and cashew nuts are also stored in air tight jars and placed on the kitchen shelf...am I not right?

Without much talking let me tell you how I cooked my Semai (Vermicelli) Payesh/Kheer.

1 ½ full-cream milk put to boil in a thick bottom pan.

In the meantime light the other burner and dry roast ½ cup of vermicelli till it turns to a dark pink shade...you may want it in a more softer pink, try your way. Remove and keep it in a small bowl. If you want you can roast the vermicelli with some ghee, but I prefer to dry roast...

Let the milk cook over fire for 5-7 minutes. Now time to add the roasted vermicelli to the milk and let it cook over high flame.

When the milk has reduced to less than half and the vermicelli is cooked, add sugar, here your taste buds have to do the magic...I’ll say sugar as per your taste. Winter and Nalen Gur a good combo for this time of the year...can add this gur (jiggery) to the payesh for the distinctive flavour of the gur. Read about my Nalen Gurer Payesh here.

Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Semai payesh is ready to be served...I like it hot and even a bowl of cold payesh goes well for me.

If you are interested to add raisins and cashew nuts, fry the raisins with some ghee for a minute or two and keep it aside for later use. Before removing the Payesh from the flame add the raisins and cashew nuts and cook for a minute or two. You can decorate a bowl of payesh with some finely chopped pistachio. Again here I come in with my taste...love to enjoy my cashew nuts and salted pistachio...munching away while doing some reading, watching the TV or while working on my laptop. And how can I forget the Cheena badam, this is none other than the roasted peanuts. Love to crack the shell, rub off the pink skin from the peanuts with the fingers and then blow the skin away before throwing in the nuts into the mouth.

Having said a lot for the day, I’m back to relish a bowl of my Simple & Easy Semai Payesh.