Soft Coconut Cookie

রেসিপিটি বাংলায় দেখতে এইখানে ক্লিক করুন।

Ingredients:

1. Grated Coconut-1 & 1/2 cup (150 gm)
2. Crushed Almond/Pecan - 3/4 cup
3. Egg - 2
4. Sugar - 3/4 cup (150 gm)
5. Baking Powder- 1/2 ts
6. Orange/ Lemon zest - 1 whole orange or lemon
7. Orange blossom water- 1/2 cup
8. Powdered Sugar- around 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs to dust on the top.

Procedure:

1. Place a wax paper or parchment paper on the baking tray. Brush some oil or butter on the paper and set it aside.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl. 
3. Add the crushed nuts, grated coconut, sugar, baking powder and orange zest in the beaten egg and mix all the ingredients well.

4. Take orange blossom water in a bowl and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in another bowl. Now take one table spoon of the cookie mix in hand, deep it in the orange blossom water, then coat with powdered sugar and then place it on the prepared baking tray. In the similar way place all the cookies. (make sure there is around 1/2 inch gap between the cookies.)

5. After placing all the cookies on the tray, dust the top with powdered sugar.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Place the baking tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake the cookie around 10-12 minutes or until the cookie turn to a nice golden brown color.
7. Take out the cookie from the oven and keep aside to cool down to room temperature. 
8. Serve your cookie. Keep the left over cookie in a air tight container.

Courtesy: 
Maksuda Hossain
(Portland, Oregon, USA)

Thai Soup

রেসিপিটি বাংলায় দেখতে এইখানে ক্লিক করুন।

Ingredients:

1. Chicken stock- 6 cup
2. Lemon grass- 3 pieces
3. Green chili-3/4 
4. Mushroom-1/2 cup
5. Shrimp-10-12 count or chicken breast(cut in cube size)-1/2 cup
6. Egg yolk-3
7. Corn starch- 3 Tbs
8. Sugar-5 ts
9. Vinegar- 3 Tbs
10. Ketchup-3 Tbs
11. Chili sauce/chili garlic sauce-2 Tbs
12. Salt-1 ts

Procedure:

1. Take the chicken stock in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil,then add lemon grass, mushroom, green chili and if you are using chicken breast add it and keep it in a lower medium heat to boil.
2. In the mean time beat the egg yolk, then add the corn starch and mix it smoothly with egg yolk and set it aside.

3. Then add sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chili sauce, salt in the stock and stir it well.
4. Now take the egg yolk mix and add 5-6 Tbs stock from the saucepan and mix it smoothly with egg yolk. (it is important to do so because this will help to adjust the temperature of egg yolk mixture; otherwise when you add this into the soup it may get clotted and your soup may not be smooth). Then stir the soup in one hand and carefully add the yolk mixture with other hand. Stir the soup continuously to make it smooth. When it is done add the shrimp, bring the soup to boil and then turn off the heat.
5. Serve your soup hot.

Courtesy:  
Ishita Rahman
(Columbia, SC, USA)

Basbousa

রেসিপিটি বাংলায় দেখতে এইখানে ক্লিক করুন।

Ingredients:

For cake: Semolina/Shuji- 2 cup Sugar- 1/2 cup or to your taste Baking powder-2 ts Dessicated coconut(shredded)- 1 cup Egg-2 Milk/Yogurt- 1 cup Nutmeg powder- 1/4 ts Cardamom powder- 1/4 ts Butter/Ghee- 3/4 cup Almond (whole or cut in half)- 14-15 pieces Butter/ghee/oil- 1/2 Tbs (to brush the baking pan)

For syrup: Sugar-2 cup Water- 2 cup Lemon juice- 1/4 ts Honey- 1 ts (optional)

Procedure:

1. Melt the butter in a mixing bowl, then add milk/yogurt, sugar, and mix them well. Beat the egg in another bowl and then add it in the butter mixture and beat them well.
2. Take semolina, baking powder, nutmeg powder and cardamom powder in a separate dry bowl and mix them to distribute baking powder evenly with semolina.
3. Then add the dry mixture in the liquid mixture and mix them to make a smooth batter.

4. Now brush the baking pan with oil/ghee and pour the batter on it and smooth the top with a spoon. Then keep that in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set up.
5. In the mean time, take sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan; and bring it to a boil. Then add the honey in the syrup and let it simmer in medium heat for around 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and keep it aside to cool down.

6. Take out basbusa from the refrigerator and score it into desired shapes. Place the almonds on top of each square or diamond shape.
7. Preheat the oven at 350°F/170°C, put the baking tray into the oven and bake it for around 40 minutes. It will be better to start checking your cake after 25-30 minutes.
8. Carefully take out the cake from the oven and pour the syrup on the top of the cake and then bake it for another 15 minutes.
9. Then cut again along the score lines and let it cool completely before serving.