Fried Mushroom in 5min

I have heard, pregnant ladies feel hungry all the time! i mean not after a meal of course but within 1-2 hr of a light meal, as in most of the times it is not possible to eat one big stomach full meal due to some heartburns and acidity problems during pregnancy. But, now i'm experiencing it too! I need to eat small - small meals every after 2hrs cos already the belly is expanding, no one can eat one big meal. So here is how i fried the mushrooms.

First heat a little oil and put chopped 5-6 cloves of garlic and a green chilly.

Then add one chopped onions and fry tll golden brown in medium flame.

Now add 1 chopped tomato and fry it till oil separates.

Now add the cut pieces of mushrooms with little salt (as per taste) and turmeric. Mushroom will give out lots of water itself, let it dry in medium flame and till then keep the kadai covered so that the mushrooms gets cooked well.

After about 5min when the water will dry ou put red hot and sweet tomato chlli sause and if u prefer a little soy sauce and mix well.

Garnish with grated cheese and a little coriander leaves and enjoy the wonderful nutritious snacks in your evening time when you feel hungry...

A little bit of announcement to share one of my joyous moment....today i felt my baby kick for the 1st time (in my 19th week of pregnancy) it was very light sensation though, something like little popcorn popping inside my belly! It was so nice to feel a "Life inside me" as if my baby was telling me "mummy, i'm here, playing with you".......Iam so very happy today!

My journey towards motherhood..

Pregnancy is a wonderful journey for those who waited it for long…and even for those who got it as a surprise gift! I have many friends who didn’t had any plans to get pregnant but accidentally it happened. Even they in their later stages of pregnancy find it amazing and wonderful experience. It’s a new kinda feeling for dads-to-be too!! I remember, when I first informed my husband about my conception, he was elated like anything! Since 3 yrs of marriage, I had never seen my husband sooooo very much happy before!! More to my surprise, his caring nature towards me changed so drastically! Ya, he used to care me a lot earlier also but he started caring me even more after the news broke out. He started to serve me milk mixed with mother’s horlicks ( so that I don’t skip drinking milk saying its Yukk!! ), make me eat fruits, salads and dry fruits in his presence, almost stopped making me drive or any kind of bike ride to avoid any jerks in the road, started to cook for me and so much more. I felt as if, I was falling in love with him all over again…..

            So I thought, I should pen down my feelings during these nine months so that someday when my baby grows up and read all these articles, he will be so happy to know that m'ma and daddy were on top of the world when they got the news of his/her arrival…and what will be the better option that noting down everything in my blogs??

my positive HPT

Sukto (Bengali dish of karela / bitter gourd)

Sukto is a bengali dish served with white rice. It is a must during summers as the bitter gourd or karela is said to cool down boby :)
This time my mom-in-law taught me the correct method of making sukto which i was unaware...ooops!
well, Sukto is not new to bengalis, it takes consuming recipe but the outcome is really healthy dish :)

what all vegetables can be added in this recipe :
1 Potato
1 White Radish
1 Jhinge / ridge Gourd,
1 KanchaKola or Raw green banana
1 Eggplant/baigan (the slender one),
1 Uchche/karela or Bitter Gourd,
a bunch(about 6-8) of long green beans or string beans
You can also add drumsticks, zucchini etc.


So now lets proceed. Below is what we call in bengali "Bodi". This can be purchased readymade from any bengali kirana store. This is basically sun dried vadis of dal (mostly masoor dal or mixed dal sometimes).


If you have it then fry it till crispy in a little oil and keep it aside, if you don't have it, skip it..

Now cut the vegetables (that is what all you have) in long strips..

Wash all veggies and keep aside.
Next step is Soak and grind 1 tbsp mustard seeds + 1 tsp poppy seeds + little salt, to a paste with little water

This is paste of poppy seeds and mustard

This is poppy seeds

                      

STEP !. In a fry pan, heat 2 spoons of oil and fry all the veggies for 4-5 min (this makes the aroma of all veggies to mix and make the gravy aromatic). Take out and keep it aside. My mom used to fry karela separately and other veggies separately, but i did it together..

STEP 2. Now heat a little more oil, and prepare for tempering (tadka)

1/4tsp Radhuni(optional),
1/4 tsp Methi(fenugreek) seeds,
2 bay leaves,
a pinch of Hing(asafoetida)

Put all the veggies, put salt and turmeric as per taste. 

Add the poppy seeds+mustard paste to the veggies and stir well.

Keep the flame low and close the lid for 5 min and let it cook.

STEP 3. Now grate 1 inch ginger and add it to the kadai. Add the fried vadis also (if you have).

Add 2 cups of water and again close the lid and let it cook for 10 min.

STEP 4. After 10-15 min, it is almost done, now add half cup of milk. Let it come to boil and put the flame off.

Add a pinch of sugar and stir.

NOTE : here one should take care not to boil the milk too much nor it will curdle up!

This is the final look of Sukto...i hope you will like it :)

The gravy tastes very creamy due to milk. It gives all the essential nutrients as many types of veggies are added in it...Bengalis are a fan of sukto, and me too..

Tok Dal (Raw Mango Flavored Dal)

Mango flavored Dal is a simple Dal cooked with raw green Mangoes during the hot summer months in West Bengal. Tok = sour taste / khatta taste! Tok Dal in Bengali means, Dal which is a little sour in taste. Tamarind is not used much in Bengali cuisine so it is the raw mango which is used to achieve this tangy sourness. It is believed that Tok Dal cools down the body and helps in easy digestion in summers.

Ingredients -
1 cup Masoor Dal
2 cup water to cook the dal in pressure cooker
Half Raw Green Mango -chopped into thick slices

3-4 Green Chillies
half tsp Mustard seeds (black mustard)
Turmeric, salt as per taste

How to make it -
Wash the Dal. Put it in pressure cooker with 2 cups water, chillies, salt and turmeric. Let it whistle, put the flame low till 4-5 min (or till you feel dal is boiled), then put off the flame.

Peel the green mango and chop into longitudinal thick pieces.

Heat Oil in a Kadhai.
Add half tsp Mustard seeds.

Let the mustard seeds to sputter, add the mango pieces. Sauté the mango for a couple of minutes.

Whisk the pressure cooked Dal with a whisk and add it to the Kadhai.
Add more water to it as per your desired consistency of dal, cover and cook and boil slowly for a few minutes.

 Have it with White Rice..(plus other veggies of your choice)

sorry i'm not good at photography so kindly excuse me!
nevertheless, enjoy the tangy taste of tok dal this summer.  :)

Note : Preggy ladies will love this dal like anything..  :)

PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome) - understand the signals of your body

Sometimes we just neglect our body's signal, thinking that...when time will come we will see it! Signals like irregular periods, no periods (that is periods skipped in a month). One of my childhood friends had irregular periods since adolescence. But she never said it to her mom, nor made any concern about the irregularity. But it mattered her when she got married and after trying to conceive for 2 years, and failed. She visited a gynecologist and after all discussions, she was sent for an ultrasound. Result came – she had PCOS i.e, poly cystic ovary syndrome. Below is an ultrasound image of a normal ovary and a poly cystic ovary.

Normal

This is Ultrasonography of normal ovary showing mature follicle which is about to ovulate.

Ovary with PCOS

This is USG of an ovary with PCOS showing multiple follicle..

PCOS occurs in 5% to 10% of women and is the most common cause of infertility in women. The symptoms of PCOS may begin in adolescence with menstrual irregularities, or a woman may not know she has PCOS until later in life when she tries to have babies and she fails. Irregular periods means, ovulation is not regular and hence one can’t achieve successful pregnancy. Diabetes, too much weight gain, man like hair on body are few more symptoms.

What are the symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)?

The principal signs and symptoms of PCOS are related to menstrual disturbances and elevated levels of male hormones. Menstrual disturbances can include delay of normal menstruation and in some ladies no periods at all!

Treatment –

My friend was given a medication called clomiphene citrate (Clomid). Doctors said it induces ovulation, so now she can target the date 14th starting from 1st day of periods and conceive accordingly. Clomid is given for 5days starting from 3^rd  - 7^th day of period with a dose of 50mg, if after 3-4 months of medication there is no successful pregnancy then the dose is raised to 100mg and again monitored. Usually Clomid success rate is much more but in some unfortunate cases, pregnancy is not attained.

            Other more aggressive treatments for infertility including injection of gonadotropin hormones for women who desire pregnancy and do not become pregnant on Clomid therapy.

Sometimes Metformin is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. This drug affects the action of insulin and is useful in reducing a number of the symptoms and complications of PCOS.

It all depends on luck that which treatment will suit a lady with PCOS and at what time, some get preggy with one clomid cycle and some don’t get preggy even after 2 yrs of treatment, my friend is one of them. she is still under treatment and very depressed. :(


 So, never neglect signals of your body and do consult your gynecologist if you have irregular periods..

Kaccha Aamer Chatni (raw mango chutni)

Mangoes are the most eaten fruit during summers. Where the rasila aam is everyone's favorite, there is another dish which is very famous in Bengali kitchen, that is kacha aamer chatni or raw mango chutni. It is taken as a dessert in Bengali main course. During summers it is said to cool the body, so here is the simple and easy stems for making this chutni..

First, you have to wash and peel the raw mango. Then either you grate it or finely chop it, discarding the seed inside. Here i have grated the mango (one) so that it takes less time to get softened.

Now heat 2 tbs oil in a kadai, and temper with black mustard seeds.

Now add the grated raw mangoes, and fry for a minute in low flame.

Now add a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric, pour 2 cups of water and bring to to boil. Close the lid and let it simmer for 10-15min in low flame.

After about10 min add 5-6 big spoon full of sugar (if you have grated 1 medium mango) and again let it boil with closed lid for another 10 min. Your chatni is ready...

The end product will be neither too liquid nor too solid, it will be semi liquid. The tangy sour and sweet flavor of this chutni will surely win your heart.. Enjoy..

Make French Fries at home in 3 easy steps

I love having french fries with burgers at Mc'D...they compliment each other. Being a foodie and a lover of learning new new dished, i came across a recipe of quick french fries at home, so sharing here with pics.

1. Cut and slit potatoes (quantity as per your requirement) into long french fries type shape.

2.Put a big bowl of water to boil. put 2 spoon salt in the water. when water comes to boil, put the slitted potato into boiling water and boil till potato becomes soft (test with a fork).

3. Now cool and deep fry the salted boiled potatoes...

4. serve hot with tea or coffee...yummy...

My friend anu asked that if i put wet potatoes in hot oil, it will splutter badly, so will we have to dry the potatoes? Actually u don't have to dry it (like drying it under sun)but when u drain out hot water in a net vessel, keep the potatoes in the net till it cools. by the time it cools,all water lingering potatoes will evaporate due to hot potato, so no spluttering!

64th Cannes Red Carpet - Indian Stars not being recognized!!

Indians may swell with pride as Bollywood parades the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, but the international press is clueless about our so-called biggies. While a Reuters photograph referred to actor Sonam Kapoor as ‘an unidentified guest’, Getty Images mistook Mallika Sherawat for Spanish actor Stephanie Sigman. Reuters even captioned Minissha Lamba as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, (coz of the similar gowns the two wore, and perhaps because Ash happened to be the only recognizable Indian name in phoren-shoren!!) Our stars may be worshipped in India, but the reality remains that besides some, people don’t know Indian actors there.

Actor Saif Ali Khan, too, was at the big-ticket do, but he didn’t even get noticed, was ignored by photographers.

News Source: HT

Have a look at Gorgeous Ash...

and her makeup with a close look...

Her another look...

Mallika at day 4...

and here is Sonam...

Here she is wearing a contemporary saree for the dinner party...

Her hair do..

and this is another look of Sonum which i personally didn't liked...

what do you wana say about our stars not being recognized!!

Pabda Mach recipe (Pabda Macher Jhal)

Today i made this "Pabda" fish, don't know whats called in english and hindi! but all bengalis must be knowing that Pabda is really a tasty fish...and a favourite of bengalis..  :) although people prefer to cook big pabda fishes but i choose pabda macher pona i.e, baby pabda fish..

Let me add a quick recipe of it too..

1. Marinate fish in salt + turmeric for 30min and then deep fry them.

2. Heat oil in a kadai and add garlic, fry t for 2-3 mints. Then add in chopped tomato. Fry it well until it becomes mushy and oil separates out.

3. Add in turmeric, red pepper powder and salt. Let it cook another couple of mints and then add 1 cup of water for the gravy. 

4. Now let the gravy comes to one boil.

5. Add fried fish pieces. Let it cook covered for 10-14 mints at low.

6. Take out hot and serve with hot white rice.

Lakme fantasy collection Shimmer Liner - Midnight Moon Review

Lakme Shimmer Liner – Midnight Moon Review

Lalme’s fantasy collection is such a huge hit this year that almost every product is loved by girls. Me being fond of eyeliners, grabbed shimmer liner for me.

What it claims –

Steal the secret to those twinkling eyes with a gel based liner infused with micro-fine glitter particles. This rich sparkle liner lets you line, layer or blend without smudging or spreading.

Available shades – Midnight moon, moonshine topcoat, pink crystal, bronze melt, astral green, glimmer blue, mystic mauve and indigo star.

Price –

Rs 275/- for 3.5ml

Ingredients –

Not listed.

About the shimmer liner -
Packaging - It comes in a small and sleek bottle. The cap is very long and the applicator is in brush form which is my personal favorite as felt tip applicator gives thick lines whereas I like thin lines.

Color - Midnight Moon is somewhat bluish black or grayish black in color with very fine silver+blue mix shimmers. But the shimmer is so fine that it does not look too much when you apply onto your eye (see pic below)

                                                

Texture – when I went to lakme store, they had only 5 shades available with them. Midnight moon is grayish black in color with a hint of silver shimmers which is not at all OTT, moonshine topcoat is transparent liner with golden shimmers in it, pink crystal is glossy pink, astral green is glossy aqua green, bronze melt is glossy golden. The liner has a quick drying formula but it is not waterproof so one need to be careful not to rub it or get it moist.

Brush – Ii has a soft, long and thin brush with the long cap which facilitates application of the eyeliner very smoothly. If you have a steady hand, you can easily draw thin lines, winged lines, or what ever may be your style..

Swatch –

My likes –

1. It doesn't smudge and dries in 2-3 seconds.
2. Midnight black is something different than the traditional black matte eyeliners.
3. The shimmers in it is not too much so can be worn in day time too.
4. Staying power is of 3-4 hours, (but one have to be careful not to rub eyes).
5. The brush is of very good quality hence it glides smoothly on lash lines.
6. Because of long handle of the cap, there is better grip and application is easy.

An experiment to see if its waterproof or not –

running under tap water

still didn't smudged

after rubbing

My dislikes –

1. I find midnight moon is little thin in consistency hence 2 coats are required to make it opaque line.
2. After cleansing, the shimmer particles linger here & there!
3. It is not water proof so on one hand using it in rainy days is not advisable and on other hand cleaning it up is easy without exerting much pressure on eyes!
4. hmmm…I don’t find any! Actually I love this shade J 

Will I re-purchase it –

I will always re purchase Midnight Moon because this one is a new avtar of the traditional black matte eyeliner which I have been using since ages and quite bored with it now. The color of Midnight Moon is new, refreshing and very wearable in offices too.

            From the other shades I’m waiting for the indigo star to hit the stores coz I have a fascination for that color J

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