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Sunday 28 February 2021

Tomato Khejur Aamshottor Chaatni / Bengali Tomato Chutney

                                                                                                

Tomato Khejur Aamshottor chaatni is a sweet  and tangy tomato chutney from the Bengali Cuisine. Made with  red juicy tomatoes, dates, mango fruit leather and raisins, this flavorful and aromatic chutney is cooked in mustard oil and tempered with panch phoran (5 spice blend). The chutney is thick, sticky and bloody red in color. It is a part of the Vegetarian Bengali Bhog and traditionally served at the end of the meal. You can serve it as a side dish with any flat bread or rice dish. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

                    

What is Panch Phoran?

Panch Phoran is a whole spice blend, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used especially in the cuisine of Eastern India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. All the 5 spices used in Panch Phoran are seeds.Typically Panch Phoran consists of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and fennel seeds in equal parts. Unlike most spice mixes, panch phoran is always used whole and never ground. Traditionally panch phoran is used with vegetables, lentils , chicken or mutton curry, fish, shukto (a mix of cooked vegetables topped with a coconut sauce) and in pickles. When added to the mustard oil or ghee tempering, it lends a strong flavor and aroma to the dish.     

                   

What is a Chutney?

The word Chutney is derived from the Sanskrit word Chatni which means to lick. It is basically a popular Indian condiment served around the world. In Indian Cuisine, Chutneys form an integral part of the main course. Most of the savory snack dishes are incomplete without a lip smacking chutney served by its side. It would not be wrong to say that Indian meals are incomplete without chutneys.


What goes into Tomato Khejur Aamshottor Chutney? The ingredients:

This Bengal style Tomato Khejur Aamshottor chaatni is very healthy and utterly delicious and very different from the regular tomato chutney in many aspects. The first difference being the interesting ingredients like (Khejur) dates, raisins, Aamshottor (mango leather),  cashews and jaggery powder that are added in this chutney. Another difference is the sticky thick consistency and the bloody red color of the chutney. This chutney is aromatic and flavorful as it is cooked in Mustard oil and tempered with the Bengali 5 spice blend or the Panch Phoran. This chutney has a good shelf life of up to a month upon refrigeration in a tight fitting glass  jar. Let's have a look at the different ingredients one by one.
  • Tomatoes: The key ingredient of this chutney are tomatoes. Use ripe, red and juicy tomatoes that are fresh and blemish free. 
  • Dates: Pitted dates are finely chopped and cooked with tomatoes making the chutney deliciously sweet. 
  • Aamshottor: Aam Papad or Mango fruit leather bars are chopped and added in this chutney which give a lip smacking sweet and sour taste to the chutney. Clic here for the recipe.
  • Golden raisins: This Bengali tomato chutney has golden raisins which makes it rich and delectable. 
  • Sweetener: Traditionally sugar is added as a sweetener in this chutney. I have replaced it with little jaggery powder.
  • Cashew Nuts: When served during festivals and special occasions, cashew nuts are also added in this chutney. You may skip it if you wish.
  • Dry Red Chilies: 2-3 dry red chilies are deseeded and added in the tempering. 
  • Panch Phoran: Bengali savory dishes are incomplete without the flavorful and aromatic tempering of panch phoran or the 5 spice blend. Do not skip it if you are looking for the authentic taste. If you do not have Panch Phoran, just mix 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon  nigella or onion seeds, 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds and add in the recipe.
  • Spice Powders:  Red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala are the spice powders used here. 
  • Mustard Oil: Traditionally this tomato dates chutney is made in mustard oil and it lends a distinct aroma and flavor to the chutney, so i would highly recommend using it, however, if you are not used to the pungent flavors, you may use any other neutral cooking oil instead.
                                      

Dietary Tips:
  • Vegetarian Side dish
  • Bengali Chutney
  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
  • Onion-Garlic free
  • Healthy and delicious
Related Event: Chutney @ Shhhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge

This delicious Bengali Tomato dates chutney recipe is featured in the Facebook Gourmet group, Shhhhhhhh Cooking Secretly challenge. Here participating members take turn to propose the theme for each month. Priya Vijay Krishnan  proposed Chutneys as the theme for the month of February. Priya suggested that each one of us try to come with a distinct variety of chutney and the not the commonly made chutneys. Priya has a wonderful blog with some authentic recipes from South India and many delicious recipes from the International Cuisine. You might love to try out her  Pottukadalai Chutney, a vegan no-coconut fried gram chutney.

In this group all participating members are divided into pairs and both partners exchange a set of secret ingredients, using which both have to cook a dish depending upon  the theme for the particular month. Once the dish is ready only the pic of the dish is shared on the group and the other group members take turn in guessing the secret ingredients just by looking at the pic of the dish. The secret ingredients and the dish name are revealed at the end of the month when the recipe is published by the respective blogger.

My partner for the chutney theme was Priya Iyer who gave me red chili powder and jaggery as my two secret ingredients and i made this lip smacking Benagli Tomato Khejur Aamshattor Chutney using them. In return, i gave her Peanuts and Tamarind and she prepared  Verkadalai Chutney, a delightful peanut chutney for idli and dosa.

                                        

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

  • 4 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 whole dry red chilies, broken and seeds removed
  • 2 dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoon amshottor / Aam papad/ Mango fruit leather, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon mustard oil
  • 1 teaspoon panch phoran*
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon cashew nuts, halved
  • 1/2 tablespoon jaggery powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
  • 1-2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Check recipe notes.

                           

Method:

  1. Heat mustard oil in pan until it begins to smoke. Let it cool down a bit, then temper it with Panch Phoran (5 spice blend) and saute for a few seconds till they crackle and become fragrant. Next, tip in dry red chilies (seeds removed) followed by the grated ginger and saute until the raw aroma of ginger goes away.

                                 

2. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder to the pan. Mix well and cover cook for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes become soft.

                                  

                                  

3.  Now add raisins , chopped dates, chopped aamshottor (mango leather), halved cashew nuts and jaggery powder. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. As the jaggery melts the color of the chutney will change and the consistency will be liquid. Allow the chutney to cook until the desired consistency is reached. Lastly add garam masala if using and give a good stir. Put off the flame while the chutney is still thin as it thickens further on cooling.



4. Our delicious Bengali Tomato Khejur Aamshottor chutney is ready to serve. Traditionally it is paired with khichuri. Yoy may serve it with any flat bread like paratha or chapati or as a side dish with the main meal. Allow the chutney to cool down completely before transferring it to a clean and dry air-tight container. The chutney stays good up to a month upon refrigeration in an air-tight glass jar. 


Recipe Notes:
  • Traditionally, sugar is added to this chutney, i have used jaggery powder instead. 
  • If you do not have mango leather (Aamshottor) , you may skip it or check out the recipe of homemade Aam Papad here
  • The chutney is on the sweeter side with dates, raisins, aamshottor and jaggery going in. You may reduce the sweetener (sugar or jaggery powder) or completely skip it as per your liking.
  • The chutney is onion-garlic free, for a Jain version you may skip the onion seeds (kalonji ) also in the tempering.                                                                                                         
  • Traditionally this tomato dates chutney is made in mustard oil and it lends a distinct aroma and flavor to the chutney, so i would highly recommend using it, however, if you are not used to the pungent flavors, you may use any other neutral cooking oil instead.
  • If you do not have Panch Phoran, just mix 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon  nigella or onion seeds, 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds and add in the recipe.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Tomato Khejur Aamshottor Chaatni. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

All your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.

If you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference are as follows.

Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot

Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/

Pinterest Handle : https://in.pinterest.com/poonambachhav/

Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B

 

See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 


Related Posts:




Monday 22 February 2021

Kelyache Shikran / Banana Milk Dessert

                          

Kelyache Shikran is a healthy and delightful dessert from the Maharashtrian Cuisine. A no cook side-dish, Shikran is probably the most simplest and easiest dish one can think of . Using  just 2 main ingredients, ripe banana and milk, it serves as a healthy mid-day snack to toddlers or as a quick dessert to entertain unexpected guests. Traditionally, Kelyache Shikran is paired with hot chapatis and served as a part of main meal as its sweet taste complements very well with the savory dishes. It is a perfect treat on a summer afternoon when you are not in a mood of making elaborate meals or when you run out of vegetables. Shikran can be made in a jiffy and provides instant energy, hence it is a preferred fasting food as well.

                               

Some sweet memories :

Kelyache shikran is very close to my heart as I have many fond childhood memories associated with this humble dish. In fact, i am sure most of the Maharashtrians will have some or the other childhood association with this dish. There is a Balgeet (songs for children) also in Marathi -" Mamachya gavala jau ya" an all time favorite nursery rhyme , describing a vacation fantasy, which has reference of this dish in the stanza, Mamachi bayko Sugaran..roj roj poli shikran...Gulab Jamun khau ya, Mamachya gavala jau ya", which means when the kids in that song visit their maternal uncle's place during vacations, their aunt who is a good cook  (sugran)  will prepare delicious dishes like Shikran and Gulabjamun everyday for them. 

Kelyache shikran remains to be my favourite dish even today and i make it every alternate day during Summer season as a side dish with chapati. As it is deliciously sweet, it compliments well with the savory and spicy curries in the meal. It serves as a no-cook simple dessert that you can make in a jiffy and almost effortlessly. It is a satvik dish ( onion -garlic free) and hence serves as a great fasting food as well. Both Kids and adults love it alike. 

                        

What goes into Kelyache Shikran ? The ingredients:

Kelayache Shikran ,as i mentioned above requires just 2 main ingredients. milk and ripe bananas. A kind of fruit custard, Shikran can be sweetened with a sweetener of your choice or served as it is as bananas are sweet. Flavorings and toppings can be adjusted as per taste and liking. Let's have a look at the ingredients and their substitutions if any, one by one.

Ripe Banana: Use any sweet variety of ripe banana. I have used Robusta variety. The bananas should be ripe but not mushy. 

Milk: Traditionally dairy milk is used in making shikran. Milk is boiled, cooled down and then used. Plant based milk like almond milk can be used instead for a vegan version or if you have any dietary restrictions.

Sweetener: Shikran is traditionally sweetened with little sugar. But you may have it without any sweetener as bananas are sweet on their own or sweeten the shikran with jaggery powder or honey.

Green cardamom: Shikran is mildly flavored with crushed green cardamom.

An absolutely effortless recipe, you just have to chop the peeled bananas, add them to boiled and cooled milk, sweeten with sugar, honey or jaggery powder and flavor the shikran with cardamom powder. You no-cook, healthy and delicious Kelyache shikran is ready to serve. It is best to consume shikran immediately or withing an hour as bananas turn black and taste also changes if kept for a long time.

Variations and Serving suggestions:  

  • Shikran can be sweetened with sugar, jaggery powder, or honey or simply kept plain without any sweetener.
  • Sometimes dairy cream is also added to shikran to make it rich.
  • Fruits like ripe mango can be used to make shikran as variation.
  • Shikran can be topped with slivered nuts like almonds or pistachio and served as a delectable dessert.
  • Saffron strands and raisins can also be used.
  • Kelyache shikran is traditionally served with chapatis as a side dish with the main meal. However, you may serve it as a healthy mid-day snack or dessert to satisfy the sweet cravings at any time of the day.
  • You may simply pulse the shikran in a blender to make it a banana milk shake.
                     

Dietary Tips:

  • Vegetarian dessert
  • Bachelor's Recipe / Easy 
  • No-cook dish
  • Healthy fruit custard
  • Gluten-free
  • Satvik / Jain recipe
  • Kid friendly
  • Helps in weight gain
  • Instant energy source
  • Fasting food.

Related Event:

"Cook in a Jiffy" was the theme for 286th week on Foodie Monday Blog Hop, a Facebook gourmet group, where a bunch of passionate food bloggers share their culinary skills every Monday depending upon a pre-determined theme. Sujata di proposed this theme as she was our hostess for the week.  She suggested that we share any dish that is easy to prepare , uses minimal spices and is ready within minutes. The dish also has to be our family favourite. Kelyache Shikran is my humble contribution towards the theme. Meanwhile, do check our Sujata di's space for some awesome Bengali sweets and healthy bakes. I have bookmarked her Banana Cake recipe using rice flour to try out next.

                                 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: Nil

Serves: 2

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

  • 2 large ripe bananas
  • 1 cup milk ( boiled and cooled)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar / jaggery powder/ honey (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Method:
  1. Peel and thinly slice 2 bananas. Transfer them to a bowl and add a cup of boiled and cooled milk to it. 

                               

                               

2. Add sweetener of your choice if you wish to. Give a good stir.

                               

3. Lastly flavor the shikran with cardamom powder. 

                               

4. Our no cook, healthy and delicious Kelyache Shikran is ready to serve. Garnish it with some almond or pistachio slivers if serving as a dessert or mid day snack. Traditionally it is served plain as aside dish and paired with hot chapati as a part of meal. 

                              

Recipe Notes:

  • Use sweet variety of ripe banana for best results.
  • Traditionally sugar is added to shikran, but you may serve it plain or use jaggery powder or honey as a sweetener instead.
  • Kelyache shikran can be topped with slivered nuts like almonds and pistachio, raisins and saffron strands and served as a delectable dessert.
  • Kelyache shikran is best consumed immediately.
  • Plant based milk like almond milk can be used instaed of dairy milk for a vegan version or for those on a dietary restriction.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Kelyache Shikran. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

All your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.

If you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference are as follows.

Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot

Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/

Pinterest Handle : https://in.pinterest.com/poonambachhav/

Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B

 

See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 


Related Posts:



Monday 15 February 2021

Healthy Vegetable Lollipop

                 

Vegetable Lollipop is a delicious crispy deep-fried ball made with mixed vegetables. It is a bite-size snack that serves as a great party appetizer. Here, instead of deep frying, i have used paniyaram pan and shallow fried these vegetable lollipops in very little oil which makes it a healthy and guilt-free snack for all ages. The recipe is vegan and does not call for use of cornflour either. It is one of the flavorful ways to add the healthy goodness of vegetables to your diet. Serve vegetable lollipops with ketchup or any dip of your choice and enjoy a delectable treat with your loved ones ! 

                 

What is Vegetable Lollipop ?

Vegetable lollipop is a vegetarian version of the popular Chicken Lollipop. It is a bite-size crispy deep-fried snack that is made with mashed mixed vegetables. Bread crumbs are added to the spiced mixed vegetables to form a dough. Small balls made of it are rolled in a slurry of cornflour and then coated again with bread crumbs and then deep fried until crispy. A toothpick is inserted in the center of each ball and served giving it a candy on stick appearance (lollipop), hence the name. Vegetable Lollipops is a loved snack and party appetizer especially among kids. 

                  

What is a Paniyaram Pan ?

Paniyaram pan is also called Appe pan or Aebleskiver pan. It is a cast-iron pan with circular cavities. It is used to make South Indian breakfast dishes like Kuzi Paniyaram.  Few drops of oil are added to each cavity before pouring the batter. The pan is covered with a lid for the paniyaram to cook. Once it turns crisp and golden brown from beneath, the paniyaram is flipped and the other side is being cooked, now without being covered with the lid. Paniyaram pan not only allows one to enjoy the deep-fried snack and finger food with just a few drops of oil but also makes the dish look appealing because of the shape it lends to the snack. Nowadays non-stick paniyaram pans with glass lids are easily available in Indian marts and online as well.


What goes into my version of Vegetable Lollipop? The Ingredients:

My version of vegetable lollipops are healthy as they are shallow fried in very little oil and made in paniyaram pan unlike the deep-fried veg lollipops. Also this recipe is cornflour-free as well. Let us have a look at the various ingredients used in making these healthy delicious snack treat.

  • Vegetables: I have used a lots of fresh vegetables here like potatoes, green peas, sweet corn, carrots, bell peppers, red onion and coriander. I have boiled the potatoes, green peas and sweet corn and used the grated carrots, bell peppers and red onion to retain their crunch. You may use any vegetables that are available in your pantry.
  • Bread Crumbs : I have used little quantity of homemade bread crumbs that not only serves as a binding agent to the vegetables but also absorbs the extra moisture from the vegetables making the vegetable lollipops firm and crisp on cooking. You may skip its use for a gluten free version and use roasted gram flour (besan) or rice flour instead. 
  • Spices: Basic spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala ,chaat masala and salt are used to make the snack flavorful.
  • Ginger-Garlic-Green Chili paste: To spice up the snack , i have used a crush of green chilies, ginger and garlic. You may skip green chilies if making for kids. 
  • Oil: Few drops of oil are added to each cavity of paniyaram pan while cooking the veg lollipops. You may use any neutral cooking oil. I have used sun flower oil. 
  • Semolina: I have coated the veggie balls with fine semolina/suji before adding them to the paniyaram pan, just to give a crispy texture. This step is purely optional. 

                            

Related Event: 

Paniyaram Pan Magic was the theme for 285th week on Foodie Monday Blog Hop, our Facebook gourmet group, where a bunch of passionate food bloggers share their culinary delights every Monday, depending upon a predetermined theme. Priya Vijay Krishnan was our hostess for the week and she suggested that we share the different dishes that can be made using a paniyaram pan which is traditionally used to make the appe or paniyaram. She proposed that we share various ways in which one can use appe pan. Healthy vegetable lollipops is my humble contribution towards the theme. meanwhile, do check our Priya's space for some authentic South Indian dishes and other delicious dishes from the International Cuisine. I have bookmarked her  Vegetable Molagootal, a vegan vegetable curry from the Palakkad Cuisine.

Dietary Notes:
  • Vegan Appetizer
  • Party Food
  • Kid-friendly
  • Healthy 
  • Finger-food
  • Vegetarian snack
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 dozen vegetable lollipops

Ingredients:
  • 3 medium sized potatoes, boiled
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 1/4 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup sweet corn fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper , grated
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 inch ginger
  • 2 green chilies, optional
  • Small bunch of fresh coriander
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garma masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 2-3 tablespoon fine semolina for coating
  • Oil for shallow frying
Preparation:
  1. To begin making vegetable lollipops, we will prepare the veggies first. Boil the sweet corns and green peas until tender if using fresh. No need to boil if using frozen veggies. Wash peel and grate the carrots. Wash, de-seed the bell pepper and grate them as well. Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and finely chop the coriander. I would suggest boiling the potatoes a day prior to making the vegetable lollipops and refrigerate them until use for best results. If boiling the potatoes the same day, at least boil them couple of hours ago and allow them to cool down completely before using them in the dish. Grate the boiled potatoes. Keep the spices and bread crumbs ready. Make a coarse paste of green chili, ginger and garlic.
Method:
  1. Take grated boiled potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add finely chopped onion, grated carrots, grated bell pepper, green peas and sweet corn to it. 

                           

2. Add bread crumbs, finely chopped coriander, spice powders, salt and ginger-garlic-green chili paste and mix everything very well. If the mixture appears sticky, add more bread crumbs and try to make a non sticky dough with it. Taste and add more seasonings if required.

                           

3. Make small balls using the vegetable dough and arrange on a plate. Refrigerate the balls for 10-15 minutes or more, if time permits, so that the balls become firm.

                               

4. When ready to make the vegetable lollipops, heat the paniyaram pan on medium heat. Add a drop or two of oil into each cavity of the paniyaram pan. Add a pinch of salt to the fine semolina on a plate. Roll each vegetable ball over the semolina and place it in the oil coated cavity of paniyaram pan. Cook them on low to medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes before flipping the balls. Turn the balls using a spoon and cook from all sides until crisp and golden brown. Add few drops of oil into each cavity after turning the balls. 

                             



5. Shallow fry all the vegetable lollipops similarly and serve hot with ketchup or dip of your choice. 
     
                       

Recipe Notes:
  • You may use any vegetables of your choice or that is available in your kitchen pantry to make vegetable lollipops. 
  • Grated Cottage Cheese (paneer), Tofu or boiled lentils or beans may also be added along with vegetables for variation and to make it a filling and nutritious snack.
  • Bread crumbs may be replaced with roasted gram flour (Besan), Rice flour , powdered oats or flattened rice. 

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious vegetable lollipops using Paniyaram pan. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

All your suggestions are more than welcome. If you like my work, and feel that it is worth following, do hit the follow button on the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. It gives me the inspiration and motivation to keep doing my work and give my best each time.

If you like my work and want to be updated with new recipes, do follow us on various social media platforms. My social media handles for your kind reference are as follows.

Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot

Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/

Pinterest Handle : https://in.pinterest.com/poonambachhav/

Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B

 

See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav



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