The Magical tiffin box- My dream project

        

My dear readers and friends,

I have been writing since the last two years and have come very close to you. I have penned down my experience on travel articles, restaurant reviews and recipes. What is dear to me is that I pen down from my heart. I understand that the life of a 21^st century woman is truly challenging. She has to manage the 360 degrees of life; it’s her right to deserve the best. 21^st century moms are truly ‘Dashabhuja’ as she multi tasks and maintains her family’s health. 

       

There is an eternal problem faced by moms. What to pack for the little darling’s lunch the next day. Nutrition , variety and taste- three factors should complement. A mom will love to see the tiffin box come empty. In this context I am grateful to Ms. Chandralekha Maitreye of Leadstart Publication who inducted the idea of writing unique recipes on tiffin box item since that is the daily requirement of all Indian mothers.’ The magical tiffin box.....that never comes empty’. It contains total 110 unique recipes easy to follow and cook. It’s my dedication to the 21^st century moms. The categories of recipes are- vegetarian, non vegetarian, diabetic and ‘wow’ or quick party treats.

 

 

 

 

        

 

This is a collection of simple recipes that can be prepared in minutes keeping the nutritional content intact since, no mother will ever like to cheat on nutrition. Modern equipments like microwave, oven are required- this will make life easier and required to try these recipes.

My earnest request to all my readers, please read the articles, try your hands in it and give me a feedback in chakraborty.sweta@gmail.com.  You may check the link in amazon.com website.

 http://www.amazon.com/THE-MAGICAL-TIFFIN-Foods-India-ebook/dp/B00H80P8WK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386942778&sr=8-1&keywords=magical+tiffin+box

 

Herbed Nile Perch Fried- get indulged in the sinful act......................!!

        


Crunchy , yummy outer coating with the soft fish in every bite

 

One fine day I was watching a TV program while the idea of herbed fish came to my mind. The Mediterranean dishes make use of herbs especially in sea food cuisine. So, why not make use of fresh herbs and prepare a fish dish? It took me hard 30 minutes in the kitchen and my friends, it was an amazing deal. Let me share my experience with all of you. 

Ingredients:

800 gms Nile Perch fish fillet,

1 teaspoon garlic paste,

½ teaspoon sea salt,

1 tablespoon (chopped oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme and cilantro),

1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar,

1 teaspoon ground black pepper,

1 teaspoon fish bar be que sauce,

1 egg beaten,

Bread crumbs for coating,

Oil for frying.

 

Procedure:

1. Place the fish fillet over a chopping board. Spread garlic paste over it.
2. Sprinkle black pepper and salt over it.
3. Prepare a paste of egg beaten, vinegar and bar be que sauce.
4. Pour the paste all over the fish. Use a brush to spread it evenly.
5. Grate the herbs roughly and sprinkle over the fish. It will emit a nice smell. Marinate in this condition for 10 minutes.
6. Spread the bread crumbs over a dish and coat the fish fillets with it.
7. Heat oil in a frying pan. Lay the coated fish over it and fry in medium heat for 5 minutes on both sides.
8. Remove and serve with boiled veggies.

Enjoy this mouth watering sea food dish with boiled veggies tossed in olive oil. A touch of fresh will rejuvenate your senses. Indulge yourself in the sinful act of enjoying awesome cuisine right from your kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach n veggies stew- Paleo kick start to weight loss!

                          

The delicious way to weight loss!

The present trend of nutrition suggested by experts is ‘Paleo way of fooding’, where there is no space for gluten and sugar. Instead there are many substitutes to natural sugar. I was enjoying a TV program where I got the idea of preparing this stew.  If you are on the process of weight loss in natural process then this will be the most desired recipe you are looking for.  Believe me, I tried it this weekend and thought of making a ‘must’ in my diet  for a longer term as I was determined to lose those extra kilos through dieting.

Ingredients:

1. 2 long carrots peeled and chopped,
2. ½ cup spinach chopped,
3. ½ cup broccoli chopped,
4. 2 medium sized tomatoes chopped,
5. 1 teaspoon thyme,
6. ½  teaspoon garlic paste,
7. 1 teaspoon sea salt,
8. Olive oil for frying,
9. 2 medium sized onions chopped,
10.  2 cups vegetable stock,
11. 1/3rd cup green peas,
12. ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Procedure:

1. Chop the vegetable and remove the stock, keep aside.
2.  Heat olive oil in a stock pan; add onions, green peas,tomatoes and garlic. Cook till the veggies get soft.
3. Add broccoli to it. Add salt, thyme and black pepper. Add the chopped spinach and stir the ingredients.
4. Add the vegetable stock to it and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Remove, cool down and serve in soup bowls.

You will definitely love the taste. Make it a mandatory item during lunch.

Arsalan- The glory of Kolkata

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 Location:  Diamond Harbour Road, opposite to Mint

      

Arsalan is the recent name to eating extravaganza for Kolkata. Having it’s main branch in Park circus and three outlets in Kolkata, it stands as the scintillating eating sensation for South Kolkatans’.  This time I had the opportunity of experiencing the culinary delight of this famous restaurant after getting to know a lot about the irresistible dishes by some of my food lover friends. 

Captivating décor

                                     

The First glance: The very concept of Mughal food has its origin and popularity from Lucknow. The main motive of the team Arsalan is to rejuvenate the culinary culture of the Mughal period, rich cultural history of food. In fact South Kolkattans are truly adamant to wait long standing queue for a packet of biriyani/kebab. I was truly amazed at this scene whenever I passed by the counter of Arsalan situated near Mint, Majherhat. The location will attract any passerby although the decor inside is more attractive than outside. 

The mesmerizing table art

 

 

 

Kolkata goes crazy for the taste of biriyani

 

  The service: It’s truly ideal for food lover Bengalis. The take away counter has a restaurant upstairs. It’s an air conditioned arena with a capacity to accommodate 50 people at a time. The very concept of the table mat which was encrypted with a brief history on biriyani did impress me a lot. The decor was minimum but truly comfortable. We were presented with a menu card from which we ordered some variety of food items. The price range of food varied from 100 INR to 250 INR.

Busy employees dedicated to serve the best

  The food: The restaurant has a wide range of food item.  Starting from kebabs, chicken curries, mutton curries, parantha and biriyani, it’s truly a mind boggling collection. The kitchen was a busy place with raw materials, semi prepared materials which was roasted to perfection inside a tandoor; it’s interesting for a customer to see the process while waiting in queue for the food ordered. The food is truly yummy; kebabs are delicious with a soft centre and melt in mouth taste. Biriyani is a wonderful conglomerance of meat blended in rich traditional spice and aromatic basmati rice. In fact the food is cooked to a delicious perfection that will never leave you uncomfortable or uneasy as all food are cooked with healthy oil. 

 

Kebabs with the melt in mouth feel

 

                 

 

Biriyani reminds the nawabi style

 

 

 

Lachcha Parantha- it's too good!

 

                 

The verdict: Arsalan has bagged up a number of awards for excellence in food quality and taste by the customers as well as some well known establishments who are continuously benchmarking the standards of restaurants.  Telegraph, mouthshut.com and zomato are some of the organizations that recognized, appreciated and publicized the food quality and service of the restaurant. It’s said that festival hours are the most demanded hours in Kolkata where restaurants earn the most. Might be it’s difficult to step in without a proper prior table booking. The proudly displayed certificate on the walls stands very much with the quality of food; I will admit that they maintain the high standards in quality and service. It’s a suggestion that any person fond of Mughlai food must visit Arsalan at least once during his stay in Kolkata.

 

            

The burrp certification 

 

 

 

 

Recommended by others

 

  

 

 

Soumitra Chatterjee sings a song

After  long years, nearly at the age of 80 , Soumitra Chatterjee sings a melodious as well as witty song based on the food habit of the Bengalis. Please watch the video.

Chicken in honey sauce- The elegant way to dine!!




The sweet n sour chicken will definitely tantalize your taste buds.

Chicken in honey sauce – a unique charismatic fusion of the two sensuous taste, sweet and sour. Experts say that this exclusive fusion dish is usually served in Chinese cuisine but even American restaurants take the pride to serve this to the esteemed guests. People go crazy over the desired taste of crunchy, juicy chicken chops layered in a juice of honey. Let’s see the method of preparation of this luscious wonder.

Ingredients (for 3-4 persons):

(The batter)

Boneless chicken (400gms.),

Egg white (from 1 egg) ,

Egg (the entire content),

Corn starch (4 teaspoons),

White flour (1/4^th cup),

Water (1/4^th cup),

Soya sauce ( 1 teaspoon)

Salt (1 teaspoon)

(The dip)

Honey (3 tablespoons),

Rice vinegar (3 teaspoons),

Garlic crunch (½   tablespoon),

Ginger crunch ( 1 teaspoon),

Toasted sesame seeds (for garnishing),

Oil for frying.

 

Stage 1 :preparing the batter

Stage 2: Deep fry the chicken pieces

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

Procedure:

1. Cut the boneless chicken pieces into cubical shapes.
2. Prepare the batter with egg, egg white, corn starch, white flour, water, soya sauce and salt. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes.
3. Dip the chicken pieces into the batter for 1-2 minutes and deep fry in oil. Remove the fried chicken, keep separately after soaking the extra oil in a tissue paper.
4. Take about 2 teaspoon of oil and sauté the garlic and ginger crunch for some time. Add the honey and vinegar making the dip.
5. Mix the fried chicken with the prepared dip.
6. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy your evening with honey chicken and rice. A peg of wine will definitely make the evening truly spellbound and romantic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetable creme soup- a healthy start to your day!

The creme soup of fresh vegetables- truly yummy and healthy!

When you are in the verge of loosing those extra pounds, you might wonder what to have as a right diet food? Well, it should be a right balance of all the necessary macronutrients, yet should contain the least amount of carbohydrate and fats. Looks like it’s the most wanted recipe that any diet conscious friend of mine might be looking forward to.

Ingredients: (for preparation of 3-4 persons)

Beet root (2 medium sized de-skinned and cut into medium pieces),

Carrot (1 ½ medium sized de- skinned and cut into medium pieces),

Green peas (a little quantity),

Tomatoes (2 medium sized grated),

Onion (1 medium sized one grated),

Butter (salted, 1 scoop),

Garlic paste (2 teaspoon),

Salt according to taste,

Dried thyme (a pinch),

Black pepper powder (½ teaspoon).

 

Preparation:

1. Boil the beetroot and carrot in 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker.
2. After 20 minutes you may remove it, let it cool down and out the content in a blender thereby obtaining an even vegetable puree.
3. Grate onion and tomatoes and keep separately.
4. Melt butter in a stock pan; add garlic paste, onion and tomato into it. Add the dried thyme to it. Cook nicely till it becomes an even mixture.
5. Add the vegetable puree in it. Add salt according to taste.
6. Remove in a soup bowl and top it with black pepper.

Enjoy the delicacy. You may have it with bread or even as a diet food. It will be a wonderful treat in winter evenings.

 

 

Pazzzzta in white sauce- Truly yummilicious !!

Yummilicioius Pasta in white sauce
 

Pasta is a food item of Italian origin which is made from unleavened dough and durum wheat flour. By virtue of its taste and quality, pasta is a very popular food across the world. For children who ponder about fussing with food, mummies can make a smart solution to turn a day’s boring lunch menu with pasta. Just watch your child finish the whole bothering you a little to wash the plate. Smart mummies will even combine paste with vegetables of their choice so that the little ones do not miss out the necessary nutrition.

Ingredients: (for preparation of 2-3 persons)

Pasta (a standard packet of 150 gms. weight),

Salt (1 teaspoon),

Broccoli (½ part of a medium piece),

Tomato (2 medium sized ones chopped),

Onion (2 medium sized ones chopped),

Bell pepper (1 medium sized chopped),

Olive oil (2 tablespoons),

Cheddar cheese (grated 1 ½ tablespoon),

White flour (2 tablespoons),

Salted butter (2 tablespoons filled),

Milk (1 cup),

Water (3/4^th cup),

Dried thyme (½ teaspoon),

Pasta sauce (2 tables spoons, optional).

 

Procedure:

1.      Boil the pasta in water for about 5-7 minutes, drain it and allow it to dry.

2.      Heat olive oil in a skillet; cook the vegetables (onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, and broccoli) till it becomes soft. Add ½ teaspoon of dried thyme and salt to it.

3.      Add the pre boiled pasta to it and mix nicely. You may add pasta sauce for the ultimate taste.

4.      Mean while it’s time to prepare the white sauce. Melt butter in a pan, add white flour to it. Roast it but make sure that the white flour should not turn brownish. Add milk to it and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed. Add the desired amount of water.

5.      Shift the white sauce to a microwave safe bowl. Add the paste to it. Top it with shredded cheese.

6.      Shift it to a microwave for 7 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle black pepper over it before serving to your guests/family persons. I am sure that you will love the style of pasta and admit “Pazzzta is yummilicious”.