Golap Pitha

Fish Shami Kabab

Chomchom

Orange Chiffon Cake

Monday, March 31, 2014

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
  1. Ripe banana - 2-3
  2. Egg- 2
  3. Milk- 1/4 cup
  4. Butter- 1/2 cup (melted and cooled to room temperature)
  5. All purpose flour- 1 & 3/4 cup
  6. Sugar- 3/4 cup
  7. Baking powder- 1 ts
  8. Baking soda- 1/4 ts
  9. Salt- 1/4 ts
  10. Ground cinnamon- 1/2 ts (optional)
  11. Nuts (Pecan/ walnut/ almond/ peanut/ pistachio) - 1 cup (optional)
Procedure:
  1. Lightly butter or spray your loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) or cupcake pan and place parchment paper on it and keep aside.
  2. Lightly toast the nuts on a low heat and then keep aside to cool down. Roughly chopped the toasted nut and take on a bowl.
  3. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon in the bowl and mix them well.
  4. Now beat the egg in another bowl. Mashed the ripe bananas and add it to the beaten egg.
  5. Add the milk and melted butter in the egg & banana mixture and mix them well.
  6. Now make a well in the flour mixture, pour the liquid mixture in it and fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined.
  7. Pour the batter on the prepared pan. (for the cupcake pan, fill half of the cup for each bread, because it will rise while you bake it)
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F or 170 degree C. Then put the pan in the middle rack and bake it for around 50-55 minutes or until the bread is golden brown in color (to avoid over bake of your bread star to check it after 30-35 minutes. Insert a tooth pick into the bread, if it comes out clean then your bread is done). 
  9. Cool down the bread to room temperature and then remove it from the pan and serve.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Spicy Beef With Capsicum


Ingredients :
  1. Boneless Beef : 500 gm
  2. Capsicum : 2 small ( cut into ring or squire shape)
  3. Large onion: 1 ( cut into large squire shape )
  4. Plain yogurt : ¼ cup
  5. Red chili powder: 1 ts or according to your taste
  6. Turmeric powder: ½ ts
  7. Garlic paste: 1ts
  8. Ginger paste :1 Tbs
  9. Cumin powder: ½ ts
  10. Garam mashala powder: ½ ts
  11. Bay leaves : 2
  12. Nutmeg powder : ¼ ts
  13. Oil- around 6 Tbs + 1 Tbs
  14. Salt- 1ts or according to your taste
Procedure:
  1. Slice the beef thinly.
  2. Add all the powder and paste ingredients, yogurt and salt to the meat. Mix them well and keep marinated for around 1 hour.
  3. Heat 1 Tbs oil in a different pan. Add capsicum and onion. Spread little salt over it. Stir until onion and capsicum become soft and tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  4. Heat 6 Tbs oil in the pan. Add bay leaves and then add marinated meat to the oil. Stir well. Cook in low heat until meat is tenderized and all liquid evaporated. (if needed add little warm water)
  5. When meat is done remove from the pan to a serving dish and spread fried capsicum and onion over it and serve. 

Monday, March 17, 2014

Orange Chiffon Cake


Ingredients:
  1. Egg white- 7
  2. Egg yolk- 6
  3. Cake flour- 2 & 1/4 cup (225 gm) (Tips: 1)
  4. Sugar- 1 & 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup
  5. Baking powder- 1 Tbs
  6. Oil- 1/2 cup
  7. Salt- 1/2 ts
  8. Orange zest- 1 Tbs
  9. Orange juice - 3/4 cup (better to use freshly squeezed juice from orange)
  10. Cream of tartar- 1/2 ts (optional) (Tips: 2)
  11. Confectioners sugar (powdered or icing) - To dust on the top of cake (optional)
Procedure:
  1. Separate (Tips: 3) the eggs placing the egg yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. Add the extra whites in the bowl where whites are placed. Cover both the bowl and keep aside to bring them to room temperature.
  2. Have ready a 10 inch (25 cm) two piece tube pan and do not grease it.
  3. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F or 170 degrees C. 
  4. Place the flour, 1 & 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest in a big bowl and beat with the electric mixture in low speed just until all things are combined. Then make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the egg yolks, oil and orange juice; and beat until smooth batter forms.
  5. Now take the bowl where you kept your egg white (Tips:4 & 5) (remember the bowl should be big enough to hold the foam. Because after you beat the egg white it will rise double in size.) and whisk it with the electric mixer. In the middle of beating add the cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff picks form.
  6. Then with a large rubber spatula or wire whisk, gently fold the egg whites (in three additions) into the batter just until blended (do not over mix otherwise the batter may be deflate). Pour the batter into the un-greased tube pan and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven.
  7. Bake it for about 55 to 60 minutes. For better result start to check your cake after 40 minutes with a toothpick or a wooden skewer. Insert the toothpick or the wooden skewer into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then your cake is done. (When lightly pressed, the cake will spring back). 
  8. When the cake is done take it out immediately from the oven, invert (turn upside down) the pan and place on a bottle or flat surface so it is suspended over the counter. Let the cake cool completely (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours) before removing from pan.
  9. When the cake is completely cool, run a long metal spatula around the inside of the tube pan and center core to remove it from the pan. Invert it onto a lightly greased plate. Dust the top with confectioners sugar (powdered or icing).
  10. Serve with softly whipped cream or ice cream and fresh fruit.

**I have followed this recipe from the following website (http://www.joyofbaking.com). If you are in love with baking then this site is a great one.

Tips:
  1. Cake flour substitution: 1 cup cake flour can be substitute by 3/4 cup (100 grams) (180 ml) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch (corn flour) (packed)
  2. Cream of Tartar substitution: 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar can be substitute by 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice.
  3. It is easy to separate egg yolks and white while eggs are cold.
  4. While beating the eggs for cake make sure it is in room temperature which will help to rise the eggs to its full volume.
  5. Make sure the bowl and the whisk attachment are dry while beating the egg whites. Otherwise you will not get the foam.


Monday, March 10, 2014

Mashed Bottle Gourd's Skin (লাউ এর খোসা ভর্তা)

Ingredients:
  1. Bottle-gourd skin - Peeled from around 1 & 1/2 lb bottle gourd 
  2. Green chili- 3
  3. Onion (chopped)- 2 Tbs
  4. turmeric powder- 1 pinch
  5. Cumin powder- 1/2 ts
  6. Salt- 1/2 ts to taste
  7. Egg- 1 (if you want you can skip it)
  8. Coriander leaf (chopped) - 1 Tbs
  9. Oil- 1/2 Tbs
Procedure:
  1. Take some water in a pan, put the bottle-gourd skin, the green chili and salt in it and boil them until the skin become soft. Then turn off the heat and keep it aside to cool down.
  2. Then make paste of the boiled skin and green chili using a mortar & pestle or a chopper.
  3. Heat the oil  in a pan. Add the chopped onion and fry them until they become soft. Then add the paste, cumin powder and stir them to mix.
  4. Fry them for 2 minutes, then add the egg and stir continuously to mix the egg with the paste (if you want to skip egg, discard this procedure.).
  5. Fry the whole mixture until all the water evaporates from it. Then spread the chopped coriander leaf and turn off the heat.
  6. Enjoy the mashed bottle-gourd skin with white rice. 

Mashed Tomato (টমেটো ভর্তা)


Ingredients:
  1. Tomato - 2 medium size
  2. Green chili - 3-4
  3. Onion (chopped)- 2 Tbs
  4. Salt- 1/2 ts or to taste
  5. Mustard oil- 1 ts +  1 ts
  6. Coriander leaf (chopped)- 1 Tbs (optional)
Procedure:
  1. Rub some oil on the tomatoes and put it on a pan in a medium heat. Let the tomato to become soft (remember to stir the tomatoes occasionally ). If you want you can cover the pan. 
  2. When the tomatoes become soft take them out on a plate and let them cool.
  3. Now take the green chili on a pan and dry roast them in a medium heat until the chilies become soft and little burn.
  4. Then carefully remove the skin of the tomatoes, take them on a bowl, add the dry roasted green chili, chopped onion, chopped coriander leaf, salt and mustard oil; and mashed them smoothly by hand or with a spoon (if you want you can use a chopper to mash them).
  5. Enjoy the mashed tomato with white rice.

Mashed Chili (মরিচ ভর্তা)


Ingredients:
  1. Green chili- 12-15 pieces
  2. Onion (chopped) - 2 Tbs
  3. Salt- 1/2 ts or to taste
  4. Mustard oil- 1/2 ts
Procedure:
  1. Dry roast the green chili on a pan until they become soft and burn; and then let them cool down.
  2. Take the roasted chili, chopped onion, salt and mustard oil in a bowl and mashed properly with a spoon or hand. If you want you can use a chopper to mashed the chilies.
  3. Enjoy with plain rice or khicuri.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Cauliflower Fry (ফুলকপি ভাজি)


Ingredients:
  1. Cauliflower (cut in small size pieces)- 2 cups
  2. Black cumin- 1/4 ts
  3. Whole red chili- 2 pieces
  4. Onion (chopped)- 2 Tbs
  5. Grated garlic- 1 ts
  6. Grated ginger- 1 ts
  7. Green chili (chopped)- 1 Tbs
  8. Turmeric powder- 1/4 ts
  9. Cumin powder- 1/4 ts
  10. Salt- 1/2 ts or to taste
  11. Tomato sauce- 1 & 1/2 Tbs
  12. Soy sauce- 1 Tbs
  13. Coriander leaf (chopped)- 1 Tbs
  14. Oil- 3 Tbs
 Procedure:
  1. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is heated enough add the black cumin and whole red chili and let them temper for few seconds. 
  2. Add the grated garlic and ginger and fry them for another few seconds. Then add the chopped onion and fry them for around 1/2 minute.
  3. Then add the cauliflower, chopped green chili, salt, turmeric powder and cumin powder; and stir them carefully to mix them well. Let them cook for around 5-6 minutes (remember to stir occasionally)
  4. When cauliflower looks half done, add the tomato sauce and soy sauce; and mix them.
  5. Then cover the pan and let them cook for around 3-4 minutes or until the cauliflower become soft.
  6. Spread the chopped coriander leaf on the top and turn off the heat.
  7. Enjoy the cauliflower fry with plain rice or ruti or parata.