Go Fish ( Fingers) and have some fun with Math

I was thinking about this a few days back but never had the time to write …it’s about a celebration day called the Pi day. I now can’t really remember the exact day – but hey, I’d rather not remember it.

Pi Day – are you serious?!  For a moment I thought I might be reading it all wrong and they probably meant it to be the ‘Pie’ (I mean the eating variety and not the mathematical one) day. I was so wrong, they really meant the ‘pi’ as in the (3/14) day. 

I don’t think the day makes me want to celebrate in any way. The numbers haunted me when I first learnt about them and they continue to haunt me even now.  It’s such a setback to my honest bong genes.  
When I was first introduced to these peculiarly named set of numbers, I was flummoxed.  My father – who used to teach me math in school was furious and my mother turned to faith and food. She firmly believed that perhaps I’m too small for all these complexities and one day I will grow up to be like my father and grandfather, and be  a math pro atleast if not a genius. It was a lot of pressure for a ten year old ‘with highly ordinary’ math skills.

 After faith, or maybe along with faith, my mom adopted the food route to make me math whiz. She latched onto fish. She is not alone in this; almost 90% of the fish eating bong believes that fish consumption is somehow directly proportional to the intelligence of a human being.  So along with increasing the portions of this super power dish in my diet, she also increased the frequency. Introducing various snack recipes for me to savor with my morning and evening milk.

I have to admit that I relished those ‘super power’ meals, I frankly don’t know what it did to my brain power as I’m still scared of numbers , however it did its bit to my waist line.  And I do regret that I should not have overdone it, but then I was just a 10 year old!

Since I ate so much of it, that I have now completely eliminated it from my diet. Fish still continues to remind me of maths!!! and It’s been 10 years or so. I wouldn’t have had given this much of a thought , until I met a fellow bong mom at my daughters play school (incidentally on the pi day) who commented on  how important it is to introduce fish to my daughters diet, now that she has started to go to school. This time I just smiled, I knew I have fallen for that ‘fish is must for your brain’ trap. Maybe it has something to do with being Mommy brained.

Anyways, my mind is working fast thinking of an easy fish recipe for my little one to have and C'mon, what can be easier and tastier than fish fingers. After all it’s the pi day. One day she will have to understand the complexities of the math world. Let the fish carry the day for her.

Fish Fingers 

Ingredients:
10 pieces any boneless fish cut in finger shape
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp white pepper powder
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg (for wash)
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method:
Douse fish fingers with salt, pepper powder and lemon juice, and keep then aside well covered in fridge for around 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Now prepare the fish by dipping them in beaten egg and roll in your palm to coat the crumbs uniformly.

Heat oil and deep fry the fingers until fish fingers are light golden and cooked. Alternatively, you can shallow fry them and serve with your choice of sauce.I served mine with creamy mustard sauce.

Quick Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting : Celebrating Twos

Two is a magical age.

(But I’m also getting the hang of what it means by the word troublesome twos.)
My little Miss S has started talking non-stop…with all her words clear as a day…and my days are always so full answering her inane curiosities.

Oh how she loves everything around her, whether it’s the garbage man ringing the doorbell in the morning or the loud whoosh of the incoming bikes in our society in the evening. She welcomes one and all with a warm hello. She’ll laugh at all playful stupid antics (and sometimes the non-deliberate ones too, when you do actually fall or hit your head accidentally) and the silly tickling sessions, dance at the most mellow hint of music and never stop looking, gazing and breathing it all in.

Birthdays are her latest fascination. We whole heartedly give in, considering it is her birthday month. She claps at the sight of a cake, and all she wants is a knife and a candle. Of course she offers me bite once she is done with the role play of being the birthday girl, but what enthralls me more is the glint in her eye when she is in front of the cake, and in my world it indeed calls for a party.

Party we did. That too three times over. I’ll not get into the details of chronicling those, expect for sharing the joy we felt looking at her cream stained lips  and having leftover bites of her freshly cut cake.
She is our little cakelet …and by the time you read this, she will be two years old.

I know, I’m not alone in this… you too must love your little one(s) with this muchness.

Here’s the Butter cake with Chocolate Ganache recipe which, I baked for her. I’m certainly not a baker and neither great at decorating cakes – but I still feel that these were the only moments in my life where I felt the cakes came alive. Yes, my little S’s grin vouched for it.

Quick Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting

Ingredients for Quick Yellow Cake

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for the Choclate Ganache

250 gms chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons flavored liqueur (purely optional)

Method for the cake : 

Mix all the dry ingredients together, all I did was to whirr for 30 sec to mix and aerate.
Then all the wet ones, which includes the eggs, plus any extracts (such as vanilla) go into another bowl and lightly whisked.

Mix both until well blended.

Pour all into whatever well greased pan you are baking in, and bake for around 35 min or until done.

Method for the Choclate Ganache

Heat heavy cream on medium high till it reaches the boiling point, then remove cream from heat and pour the cream on the chocolate and still until the chocolate melts and mixes evenly and is glossy to look . Allow the Choclate Ganache to cool before pouring over cakes as a glaze.

I cooled my cake before glazing. Then covered with sprinkles and added a kit kat boundry.Tied with a satin ribbon.

Done!!

Picnic Fried Chicken at the Zoo

These cranes are sharing secrets. “I love our new little guest, don’t you?” “She loves our long beaks I guess, with which we pick our fish?” “She’s human, and is here to visit us today.” “Ah, ok, I hope she says hello to the deer next door.” “She looks like, she would”...She would definitely dear crane, the mommy will ensure she does what you want.

The day turned out real beautiful, with the sun rhyming in rhapsody. Oh how my little S loved the zoo trip. Why not, she was accompanied by her grandma- her favorite in the whole wide world…and her cute questions made us laugh all the way…” Oh, look at beautiful birdy! Can she eat chips? Where are her teeth?”  And even if you don’t have any teeth, I still I love you dear crane .Thank you for the vanity oblige for one pretty picture.

Certainly not like the lazy giraffe who founds it too much an effort to move his long neck. Or the white tiger that preferred to sunbathe and get some color on his pale coat instead of one sly glance at us. No problem, keep your distance. We’ll go and coax the deer to smile for us.

Little feet are aching now, time to hop on to a train. Bye Bye...

Honk Honk here we come......our train trip is done and we are ready for our picnic lunch...today the Kosha Mangsho aar Luchi has replaced the Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Potatoes and Pea dressing and some desserts.We too adapt with time, don't we little one , but then...

Food is how I remember those days. And those were the days.

Picnic Fried Chicken 

Ingredients

1 chicken (900 gms), cut into chunky pieces

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cups flour (maida)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala 

1 cup buttermilk

vegetable oil to fy

Directions

Wash and pat dry the chicken. Now mix the salt, flour, ground black pepper, and garam masala in a large, big bowl. Thoroughly coat the chicken in the flour mixture, dusting off the excess. Keep it aside for a few minutes and then pour the buttermilk into a second bowl. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then back to the   flour and spice mixture.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan(about 360° F to be precise) then place the chicken in the oil, one by one.Fry the its golden brown in color. Check once done by piercing the the fried chicken. Its done once you see the juices run clear. 

Soak the excess in  a paper towel and devour . I tried mine with potatoes and peas in Greek yogurt dressing. 

My picnic table can fire up your valentine's too. Why not try it once.  

Dimer Dalna or Spicy Egg Curry with a story of a Golden Swan

Once upon a time, a poor old couple lived in a village. They had a small happy family of two sons and two daughters. The old couple worked and saved hard to make ends meet. The old man loved his family very much and worked hard to provide them the best he could. They were happy indeed.

However the luck was not on their side. The old man fell sick and passed away. His old wife and kids were grief stricken.  The old lady cried land wailed loudly , so the neighbors vowed to take the responsibility of the poor family.

Gods listened to her cries too. The old man was reborn as a golden swan. He remembered his previous birth very well. The old man decided to help his family. He went to his sons and daughters and told them, “Dear children, I’m your father, reborn as a Golden Swan. I want to help you. Today onward I will come regularly and drop one of my golden feathers. You can collect the feather and sell that for the price of gold. With the money you get, you will be live comfortably”.  After saying that, the Swan dropped a Golden feather and flew away.

The Swan left them a Golden feather daily. The family sold the feather and very soon they were out of poverty. In a few months, they became rich and stopped visiting their neighbors. As they were living their life happily,  the old lady feared that the Swan may soon stop visiting them. So she decided to catch the swan. The children stopped her, but she would not listen.One day the old lady grabbed the swan and plucked all the feathers. The old man was disappointed at the ruthlessness of the wife he loved so dearly.

Just when she was done, she realized that all the feathers turned to normal Swan feathers. The swan told her that it was the result of the old lady being cruel and greedy. The hurt Swan left the village and left the heartbroken lady and his beloved family alone.

Slowly his family lost all wealth and became poor again. This time, even the neighbors did not help the poor family.  She learnt that hard way that her greed for more led to her downfall.

This is one of the Bengali folk tales that I plan to tell my daughter as a bedtime story, perhaps when she is a little older to understand.

I hope this can teach her the importance of not being greedy, when the whole world around her is running to get their hands on that extra goodie that they don't need.

I cried when I heard it for the first time.I think I might be five then.

So what does this story has to do with an Egg curry or Dimer Dalna?

Well, on cozy wintry night like this, Bengali's like to eat this full flavored spiced Dimer Dalna (Egg Curry ) and talk about the golden swan and the greedy old woman.

This old-fashioned Egg curry is certainly not the traditional one. But an exotic mix of two traditional Bengali recipes and some imagination. They’re delicious with a plate of hot steaming rice or a hot roti’s right off the stove. And, if you grew up somewhere in West Bengal, you can take mound or rice with the curry , read up the story and in your head you’re five years old again.


Egg Curry or Coconut Milk Spiced Dimer Dalna Ingredients:

For the Egg Curry Spice Paste
A handful Kashmiri red chilies (I tried  with 6)

2 Tsp Coriander seeds

1 Tsp Cumin seeds

½ Tsp Turmeric Powder

3 Tbsp grated coconut

1 tsp Tamarind pulp



Other Ingredients:

2-3 cloves Garlic

1 Onion


½ Cup Thick Coconut Milk

3 Eggs

2 tbsp Oil
__________________

First grind the Egg Curry Spice Paste ingredients above with a little water.

The color should be a beautiful tangerine like the picture on your right.

Heat a deep dish pan with some oil in it,add the chopped onion and garlic and saute. Now add the Egg Curry Spice Paste. Add a little water to make a smooth paste and keep the heat on.

Now break the egg shells and lay out the yolk and whites in a dish. Just don't break the yolks and now drop the eggs carefully in the spice dish.

Cook till the egg are done. Lower the flame and then add the coconut milk, for the desired consistency and flavor.

We're done. bring on the steamed rice and enjoy.

Sharing this post with Evelyn@My turn forUS, HungryLittleGirl,No Rules Weekend Blog Party by Paula, Simple Sweet Home,HomeMaidsimple,Free Pretty Things For You ,Full Hands Full Hearts,I love my disorganized life and Frugally Sustainable

Pumpkin Ratatouille Pancake - Friday evening little love

Pumpkin Ratatouille Pancake - Friday evening little love

Friday evening it is. I decide to curl up in front of TV with DD watching Ratatouille. Happy faces. TV screen and my DD’s company – together they make me feel a little less lonely on a Friday night. Then came scores and scores of recipes, cooking, French recipes are after all French to me. Bah! It all made my bong belly think “Wow Ratatouille, I didn’t know they made them like that.”. Hunger came calling next.

“Ma – Khide” , the French cooking and the bong kitchen inspired a cross connection. Then the pancake was born. The common thread was the pumpkin and flour, both of which were aplenty in my pantry as well as on TV.Time to roll up the sleeves to breathe life into the Pumpkin Pancake or shall I call it my ‘Pumpkin Ratatouille Pancake’?

Pumpkin Ratatouille Pancake

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup  sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp vanilla
Oil as required

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix all wet ingredients. Keep the milk aside .Add the wet and dry ingredients, and add milk slowly till the consistency is right.  Mix all till there are no lumps.

To  make the pumpkin puree

Steam 250 gms chopped pumpkin. Cool. Add 1/2 cup milk and puree in a mixer.

Process

Heat oil in  a pan, pour a ladle. Spread the mixture evenly. You will soon see some steams being let out from the little holes of the pancake. Time to flip. You are done when the both sides are lightly browned.

Sending this entry to Halloween Fiesta 

Parota with Mock Meat Loaf-The BIG BOY weekend breakfastst

Boys will be boys ..no matter what. They love their food , and whats not to love in the food if there is a great mix of Protein , Carbs, Veggies (albeit hidden) and a small (or you can choose to make it big ) amount of fat. but tell me truly - do the boys in your house care too much about the nutrients as much they would harp about the taste . In my house its the taste that always wins the battle of food.

Now that the boy in my house a.k.a hubby has taken to tennis with  a vengeance im a bit more liberal with good ol food the way a man would like. 

With this thought it was the turn of mock meat loaf with Parotas - who says meat loaf can only be had with breads!! these beauties are truly Indian in flavor , with beautiful aromas of five spices married to the robustness of meat err soya meat.

It's easy with only 6 ingredients , what we usually have stacked in our pantries...this elevates our everyday food experience to another level , and a little bit of aporeciation from hubby is always  a bonus :)

So here's the mock meat loaf recipe : 

300 gms Soya granules100 gms packaged sweet corn
2 large onions minced
8-9 cloves garlic chopped
2 eggs
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
2 tsp Garam Masala /five spice powder
1 tsp chili flakes (to taste)
1 tsp salt (to taste)
3 tbsp oil

Heat oil In a large fry pan, brown onions and garlic. Stir in the corn and fry lightly. Mix together soaked and drained minced soya granules with the salt, chili flakes and garam masala. Stir the entire mix together til water evaporates and spices are well infused in the granules. Let it cool. Now add the eggs -works best if you mix with your hands. Add the breadcrumbs and lightly mix around with hands do not over touch the mixture. Put into a greased loaf pan in the oven for 40 minutes at 170°C o.

This is such a healthy and easy recipe that tastes so good, and very man like! Serve with hot parotas and yogurt on the side. 

This also makes a terrific left over for sandwiches the next day. Tastes great by itself or with some ketchup and chat masala, lemon juice and raw onions and tomato salad.