Instapot paish

 3 cup milk

1/2 cup rice

Instapot porridge mode

Then add 2 more cups milk and 1 cup condensed mill

Slow cook 4 hours

Chital maccher muitha

 

Ingredients:

Chital fish flesh: 200g

Potato: 2 

Ginger chilli Paste: 3tbsp (1.5 tbsp)

Garlic: 3 tbsp

Cumin powder: 2tsp

Garam masala:1 tsp

Ghee:2 tbsp

Tomato:2

Onion:2(big)

Turmeric:1tsp

Salt  :2tsp

Water: 1cup

Javas chutney

 

1. 1/2 cup flax seeds
   3 tbs sesame seeds
   3 tbs dry dessicated coconut
   1 tsp cumin
   1 tsp chilli
   2 Garlic pods
   I tsp rock salt (optional)

Instapot Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds chicken
• 3 cups Extra long grain Basmati rice
• 3 tablespoons ghee divided
• 2 large onions thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds
• 3 cloves
• 1 small peice of cinnamon
• 4 pieces of cardamon
• 2 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon cashew
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• Marinade

• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• 1/4 teapoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon ginger grated
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 0.75 cup plain yogurt. Use a cheese cloth to drain the water to get a hung curd effect.
• 2 teaspoon  salt

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients of the marinade. Add chicken and coat evenly with the marinade. Seal it with plastic and marinate it at least for 2 hours.
2. Soak the basmati rice in water for 20 mins.
3. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute. After the ‘hot’ sign displays, brush the instapot layer with ghee and saute the cashew and raisins for 2 min and take them out.
4. Next saute of the thinly sliced onions. When they begin to turn golden brown, add 1 teaspoon of ghee and cook stirring them continuously till they reach the desired golden brown consistency (around 5 min) and take them out.
5. Switch off the instapot. If the bottom of the pot is not clean, clean it.
6. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute again. After the ‘hot’ sign displays. Now rest of  the ghee and  the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, anise seeds and the cardamon. Open the cardamon pod. When the anise seeds begin to splutter add add half of the caramelized chicken and the marinated chicken and the liquid from the marinade. Cook the chicken for around 5 minutes. 
7. Drain the rice and gently pour over the chicken. Pour the mint and the coriander over it Add salt. Add 2 cups of water. Close the Instant Pot and turn pressure valve to sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 6 minutes. Let the pressure release automatically.
8. Once the pressure releases, put it in saute mode,  add the cashew and raisins and stir it.
9. Next add the rest of the onions on top.

Inspired by https://ministryofcurry.com/chicken-biryani-instant-pot/

Insta Pot Mushroom Chicken Rice

Ingredients:

•  1 pound chicken (thigh pieces)
•  2 cups of cremini mushroom (sliced)
•  1/2 cup peas
•  1 cup sliced onions
•   1/4 cup sliced spring onion
• 1/2 cup leek
•  2 cups rice
• spices:
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 slice ginger grated
• 4 cloves of garlic sliced
• 1 star anise
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• Marinate:
• 2 tablespoon soya sauce
• 2 tablespoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon  ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• Gravy:
• 2 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients of the marinate and marinate the mushroom and chicken in it for at least two hours
2. Put the instapot in saute mode and pour the sesame oil. When the oil is heated, put the star anise and the fennel seeds. Then put the grated ginger and garlic.
3. Put the marinated chicken in the pot and saute it till its half cooked (changing color to white). Be careful that the chicken pieces do not stick to the pot.Then take out the chicken pieces.
4. Put the onion and saute it in the pot. When the onion start turning golden, drain the marinate out of the mushrooms and pour it in pot. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add the salt.
5. Put the leek and the spring onion in the mixture and saute it for another five minutes and then switch off the saute mode.
6. Then pour the mushroom, peas and  the rice and the chicken in that order in the pot  and pressure cook for 10 minutes and then release pressure after 10 minutes
7. While the chicken mushroom rice is being cooked prepare the gravy. Mix the 3 cups of water with cornstarch till the constarch is dissolved. Put it on the stove on low flame for 5 min and keep stirring. Whip the egg and pour the whipped egg into the mixture slowly taking care that granules dont form. Add the salt, sugar and oyster sauce and stir continuously for another 5 minutes.
8. Once the rice is done, pour the gravy in the pot. Press the saute mode and cook for 3 min. Then close the lid and press the keep warm setting till when it is served. 

Shondesh (Almost !)

I am an NRB (non-resident Bengali). As in every Bengali family, one of my distinct childhood memories is dad coming home with two plastic packets in hand. One with "shingara" (samosa for the North Indians) and the other some mishti ( like roshogollah , jilipi and so on). Needless to say, I had an overdose of sweets and did not like them much in my adolescent years. Then college happened and then further studies. Gradually as presence of sweets in my life decreased remarkably, my desire for them increased proportionately. And now I make them!! I would have never imagined doing so 10 years ago!  So here is a recipe, I had seen somewhere for shondesh or its close "bhai" (brother).
Its baked, so its almost as healthy as bengali sweets can get :)
Ingredients:

• Ricotta cheese (15 oz)
• Sugar (1.5 cups)
• Amonds (1/4 pound)
• Raisins (2 tablespoons)

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk the sugar, ricotta cheese and half the almonds briskly.
3. Pour it into a baking pan. Sprinkle rest of the almonds and raisins onto it.
4. Bake for around 30-45 minutes. When our shondesh is done, a toothpick put into it comes out smoothly.

My shondesh, here I come!

Chicken (Almost) Bengali Style

I love experimenting with cooking. As the consequence, I often do not remember what made a particular dish mouth watering or the amount of ingredients I put into it. My parents-in-law are visiting the United States and I did not want to experiment! And so I rang up up my mom for her time tested recipe.  The blog is more of a cheat sheet for me. And if you like it, do drop in a note :)
Ingredients:

• Chicken (1.5 pounds)
• Onions (2)
• Potato(1)
• Tomatoes(2)
• Thai chillies (6)
• Grated garlic (7 tablespoons)
• Grated ginger (5 tablespoons)
• Sugar (1 tablespoon)
• garam masala (1/2 tablespoon)
• Cinammon Stick (2)
• Bay Leaves (4)
• Oil 
• Turmeric
• Salt
• Raw Cashews (1 tablespoon)

 Procedure:

1. Marinade: Make a puree of 1 tomato and 2 chillies. Add 3 tablespoons each of garlic and ginger in it and make a paste. Add some turmeric and some salt to this mixture. Next, add the chicken pieces into this marinade and soak it for four hours ( I soaked the chicken for the night).
2. Grate 1 onion. In a pan, heat some oil and fry this grated onion with 2 tablespoons of garlic. Let it simmer for a while and then add the potatoes. When the onion is golden brown, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
3. In a separate wok, heat some oil and temper it with cinnamon sticks and bay leaves in it. Next add the remaining onion ( grated), garlic, ginger  and chilles (sliced) into it. Add one tablespoon of sugar. Again when the onion turns golden brown, put the marinated chicken ( along with the marinade into it). Next remove the fried potatoes from the mixture ( in step 2) and add it into the chicken. Let the chicken cook for sometime. 
4. When the chicken is almost cooked (when it is no longer reddish), put the rest of the mixture from step 2 into it. Next add the garam masala and grated cashew nut. Cook for around 5 minutes.
5. Before removing the wok from the heat, take the remaining onion (sliced into 4 parts) into the chicken curry. 

My mom's kitchen chicken is ready.