It is really difficult to come up with new and interesting recipes in this time of lockdown. This is especially difficult when ingredients are out of stock. So Toshali Mandal suggests two recipes which can be cooked with the usual ingredients in your kitchen. She also suggests a special drink for summer and when liquor is so difficult to procure.
Egg Rezala
Ingredients
6 hard boiled eggs, shelled
4 tablespoons of oil
2 bay leaves
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of ginger paste
1 teaspoon of garlic paste
1 teaspoon of salt to taste
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of garam masala
1/4 teaspoon of powdered nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of red Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon of ghee
2-3 dried red chillies
1 tablespoon of rosewater (optional)
Direction
Turn the instant pot onto saute mode. Add oil and heat for about a minute. Add bay leaves, red onions and saute for 6-8 minutes. The onions should soften and turn golden brown. Remove about 1/4 for garnishing. Add ginger and garlic paste, salt, sugar, garam masala, nutmeg and Cayenne pepper and stir in the Greek yogurt. Add eggs and 1/4 cup of water and stir well. Cover and pressure cook for a minute. Release the pressure after five minutes. Stir well.
In a small skillet heat the ghee and add the red chilies and allow then to cook for 30 seconds. Pour the seasoned ghee over the eggs. Sprinkle with rosewater if using. Enjoy with rice or paratha.
Chhanar Dalna or Cottage Cheese Balls Curry
Ingredients
To make the balls
200 gm of chhana or cottage cheese or you can make it at home with 1 litre milk
1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour or maida
A few pinches of turmeric powder
A few pinches of salt
To make the curry
1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2-3 tablespoons of mustard oil
2 bay leaves
2 medium-sized potatoes cut into cubes
1 teaspoon of red chilli powder
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 whole green chillies
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon of clarified butter or ghee
2 cups of water
Direction
Heat milk and when it starts to boil, simmer the flame and add lime juice. Stir well. Heat until the water clearly separates from the milk. Now switch off the flame and let it cool for two minutes. Take a metal strainer and cover it with a thin cotton or muslin cloth. Put the curdled milk in the strainer. Wash the chhana well with cold water. It helps to remove the sourness of lime. Now collect the cloth and hang for 30 minutes to drip out water. After 30 minutes, squeeze the excess water and place the chhana on a plate.
For making the balls, knead the chhana with 1 teaspoon of maida, turmeric powder and salt. Knead the chana and make a soft dough. Now by taking small portions from the dough make 10-12 equal-sized round balls. Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Put the balls carefully into hot oil and fry them until golden brown. Drain the oil and keep them aside.
Now in the same oil, add cumin seeds and bay leaves. Wait for them to crackle. Add cubed potatoes and fry them for about 3-4 minutes. Then add cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and whole green chillies into the pan. Add grated ginger. Stir and saute the potatoes and spices until the oil separates from the sides. When the gravy starts leaving oil from sides, then add water, sugar and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes or till the curry thickens slightly. When the curry is done, add clarified butter or ghee and garam masala powder. Give them a good stir. Lastly add the fried chana balls into the gravy and mix them very gently. Cook for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.
Strawberry Milkshake
Ingredients
250 gm of strawberries; 500 ml chilled milk; 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar or add as required (optional)
Direction
Rinse the strawberries and drain the water. Slice off the leafy part from the strawberries. This is called hulling. Then chop them and add them to a blender jar along with two cups of chilled milk. Add 3 tablespoons of sugar or as required. If the strawberries are very sweet, then you don’t need to add sugar. Blend till smooth. Pour in tall glasses and serve strawberry milkshake immediately. You can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or strawberry ice cream and have a strawberry ice cream shake.