Coconut Murg Pulao Recipe

Whole spices, dry red chillies and coconut milk makes this rice very fragrant and spicy.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS :

2 cups basmati rice - soaked in water for 30 minutes.

500gms chicken cut into small peices

7 tsp oil

3 tsp salt, 1 tsp haldi powder

4 1/2 cup ready made coconut milk or fresh coconut milk

3 1/2 tsp lemon juice

PASTE (makes 1/2 cup approx)

5 dried red chillies

2 onions chopped

12-14 flakes garlic

4 tsp chopped ginger

2 tsp cumin seed (jeera)

2 tsp saunf (fennel)

2" stick dalchini (cinnamon)

seeds of 2 moti elaichi (cardamom)

1/4 tsp grated jaiphal (nutmeg)

4 tsp sabut dhania (coriander seeds)

4 laung (cloves)

8 sabut kali mirchi (black peppercorns)

METHOD :

1. wash the chicken pieces and rub a pinch of salt and turmeric.

2. I have prepared fresh coconut milk here. For this grate 1 big fresh coconut, soaked it in 1/2 cup warm water for 30 min. Then grind it to make a paste and squeeze the milk out with the help of a muslin cloth.

If the coconut milk doesn't come out to be 4 1/2 cup then you can also add water to make it 4 and 1/2 cup.

3. Grind everything enlisted in the paste which will look like this.

4. Heat vegetable oil in a kadai / pan, pour the above paste and fry in medium flame till it becomes brown in color.

5. Now add chicken pieces and cook in low flame till the chicken is half cooked.

6. (I made this pulao in microwave oven). Drain the soaked rice.

7. add the chicken gravy and mix well. Add the coconut milk, add salt and turmeric powder as per taste.

Put in microwave oven and cook for 20min (or as per your type of rice because i feel different rice takes different cooking time)

8. Enjoy the heavenly taste of coconut milk flavored pulao...

I have also added chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves (dhania patta) in garnishing, u can add it if you prefer or also could skip it.

Beguni / Baigan ke pakore - Bengali snack

All of my friends here who have never heard of this snack may think that “baingan ke pakore” !!! how will it taste like as its so unusual! But it is as tasty as normal pyaz ke pakore or any pakora. I remember my mon making this snacks in most of monsoon and winter evening along with tea/coffee and I never felt satisfied and ended up having 6-7 pieces of pakora at a time! Ya I know hats not good but that’s a nature of a pure bengali foodie...

Beguni is a Bengali snack made of eggplant (or brinjal) slices deep fried in besan batter. Longitudinally cut slices of eggplant  are dipped in a batter of Bengal gram (besan) with salt and turmeric, and deep fried in mustard oil in bengali kitchen. We also add small amount of poppy seeds to the batter to improve the taste. It is extremely popular street food and an evening snack.

Yesterday I made the beguni and thought of sharing a quick recipe with my non-bengali friends in case they would like to experiment something new..

What you will need :-

1. 2-3 long purple eggplants

2. Besan or gram flour

3. Salt

4. Turmeric

5. Red chilli powder or green chilli if you prefer

I have added a little ajwain too as it is known for its digestive properties

What you have to do :-

1. Cut the long eggplants into half pieces and then slit it into thin slices as shown below. Now sprinkle and rub a pinch of salt and turmeric on them and keep it aside till you prepare your batter.

2. Now for the batter take half cup besan, add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder / green chilli and half spoon ajwain. Make a batter.

3. Dip the thin eggplant pieces in the batter one by one, coat it well on both the sides and deep fry in hot oil. In bengali kitchen mustard oil is used for frying but for those who can not sustain the strong aroma of mustard oil, plain vegetable oil or olive oil can serve the purpose.

4. Deep fry them properly till golden brown.

5. Serve alone with tomato sauce or with tea / coffee. A bowl of puffer rice (mudmudey) will add up to its taste...

Sorry for the not so proper pic, i hope you all will like this quick snack and for those who hate eggplant may now include it in their shopping list from now onward...ha ha!!

Hi FRIENDS I'm on Family Way ......

Friends, Here is the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. I'm on family way and now into 9th month of my pregnancy !

     Yes, till now it has been quite a long journey indeed towards motherhood and now when I have entered into 9^th month of my pregnancy, I feel that it is time i share my wonderful experiences with all of you friends. I must say the 1st trimester was really exhausting. However, the 2nd trimester was better and it passed rather quickly with so many medical tests and regular visits to Gyne specialist. And now when i'm in my 3rd trimester & in last phase of my pregnancy, i'am feeling it is taking a bit long time. Actually, now as i can clearly feel the movements of my almost fully developed baby inside my womb, the feeling of having MY OWN BABY is making me desperate to hold her in my lap! I just can't WAIT !!
        The baby started kicking inside the womb in 5th month itself proving her presence as if some pop-corns were popping up inside the belly !! Sometimes the feeling was like as if a few butterflies were fluttering inside!!   Gradually the kicks started getting more intense and now when she stretches inside, the move is clearly visible from outside ! In my 9th month, i know all her organs / senses must have fully developed and she must be able to hear me too!! Wow, it is sooo exciting...
    .  As the space in the womb is getting lesser every day with her gradual growth, i just move my hands gently over my belly assuring her that it is just a matter of another few weeks - and she would no more be deprived of space..ha ha!! I'm prepared to bring my SWEET LITTLE BUNDLE OF JOY in my sweet home where every single person is eagerly waiting for her. 

            All the way in these 9 months I have experienced all kind of emotions – sad when I was vomiting frequently throughout my 1^st trimester, energetic and  enthusiastic when I was in my 2^nd trimester, a strange eternal wish of eating sweets which once I used to hate so much before getting preggy, a feeling of protecting my baby bump while walking through a crowded place, and above all an overwhelming feeling of motherhood  thinking of my baby while sitting quite and staring at my baby bump. Very recently ‘my nesting instinct’ also surfaced up so strongly that now whenever i feel energetic, i try to do all normal household chores like dusting/cleaning our home, washing cute cute delicate garments of my baby which I recently purchased. This gives me an immense self satisfaction that – yes, my home is now ready to welcome my delicate new born!

            This being my 1^st pregnancy, making me very excited everyday which I will never ever be able to explain in words. Long back I had decided to make myself photographed each month so that I can cherish them later on…Here are a few pictures of mine with my baby bump, taken by my ever loving Hubby...

Me in nine months

nine months baby belly

This pic was taken in eighth month

Nine month belly again

Some people say, my baby belly is too small to be a nine months belly…but I don’t bother! Till my doctor gives a perfect ok for my baby’s growth and development there is nothing to bother about…

And hey, i'am very very happy now a days and very excited to reach my due date which is 12^th feb 2012…