Heaven's Pit

Kachchi Biryani

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:55:00 +0000

Kachchi Biryani is one of the most popular and tempting dishes in Bengali and Indian cuisine. It is a festive food and requires a long time to prepare. It is my favorite and I came up with this version after experimenting quite a lot.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds Mutton, diced into 2 inch cubes

1 ½ cups Basmati Rice

1 ½ cups Yogurt

Salt to taste

2-3 Bay Leaves
3 Cinnamon Sticks (2 inches)
15 Green Cardamoms
5 Black Cardamoms
10 Cloves
½ tsp Shahi Jeera (caraway seeds)
10 Whole Peppercorns

2 large Onions finely sliced

1 tbsp Ginger Paste
1 tbsp Garlic Paste

1/3 cup of Ghee or Vegetable Oil

Few strands of Saffron
3 tbsp Milk
2 tsp Rose Water

7 cups Water

2-3 Green Chilies, sliced lengthwise.
3-4 Golden Prunes
2 medium Potatoes, diced into 1 ½ inch cubes and briefly fried (optional)

Preparation:

Wash and soak rice. Take the pieces of mutton in a bowl and add yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, and salt to it; marinate for at least 2 hours. In a small bowl, soak saffron strands in warm milk.
Heat ghee/oil in a large pan and fry onions until golden yellow (reserve half the fried onions for garnishing). Add bay leaves, 10 green cardamoms, 3 black cardamoms, 2 cinnamon sticks, 8 cloves, and the marinated meat. Fry until all the water evaporates. Add fried potatoes (optional), green chilies and 3 cups of hot water and cook until the meat is tender (this process can be carried out in a pressure cooker to reduce preparation time). Add more hot water if required.

Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water with salt and shahi jeera in a large saucepan. Take a thin cotton/muslin cloth, wrap 5 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves and the peppercorns, and tie the cloth tightly. With flat of your knife, crush them 3-4 times. Place the bundle in the boiling water. Add soaked rice. Do not fully cook the rice. When it is 3/4th done, remove the bundle of whole spices and drain rice.

When meat is tender add prunes, and when oil has separated, turn off the heat. In an oven safe dish, place half the rice and top it with half of the reserved fried onions, 1 tsp rose water, and half the saffron-milk mixture. Spread the meat over the bed of rice and layer it with rest of the rice. Garnish with remaining fried onions, rose water and saffron-milk mixture. Tightly cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and carefully place the dish inside. Cook for about half an hour and let stand for another 15 minutes. Fluff biryani lightly and serve hot with fresh salad and boiled eggs.

Request a Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:36:00 +0000

If there is a particular recipe you are looking for, then please leave a comment below this post and I will try to reply as soon as I can. Thanks.

Cheese Garlic Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Cheese garlic bread can be made this way in minutes. I love them. If you are hungry and in need of something fast and delicious, then you can have fun making them and savoring their scrumptious taste.

Ingredients:

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

French bread, sliced

Mayonnaise

Garlic powder

Preparation:

Lightly spread mayonnaise on both sides of each slice of bread. Sprinkle with a sma

ll pinch of garlic powder on both sides of the bread slices. Heat a medium frying pan and place as many bread pieces as it can hold. On medium heat, fry for ½ a minute or until slightly golden. Then t

urn the slices and spread cheese on top. After 30 sec or when the other side is done, the cheese melts and you are ready to have a crispy, delicious bite! Enjoy with hot or chilled coffee.

Ekta Chele by Sahana

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:14:00 +0000

This is a music video of the song "Ekta Chele" by Sahana Bajpai from the album JHALMURI 1. This is one of our favorite songs so we've taken the liberty to take images from the internet from various sources (unfortunately, most of which are unknown) to compile into this video by using Microsoft Windows Movie Maker. This also happens to be our first video; we hope that are our modest attempts are accepted by all wholeheartedly! :D Enjoy the video.

-Fariha & Sabbir

Disclaimer: We do not own the song or the images and these are copyright of whoever produced them. The pictures of Ornob and Sahana have been taken from Ornob's myspace page.

Shrimp and Spinach

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I saw my aunt make this dish when I was young. I tried to make it her way, so I hope it turns out as delicious as it had tasted before. Plain white rice complements this is unique spicy blend of shrimp and spinach.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

125 g small Shrimps

500g Spinach, chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
2 tbsp Onions, chopped

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Garlic, grated

1 Green Chili, cut lengthwise

1tsp Chili powder
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Salt or to taste

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

About 1 tsp Sugar (optional)

Preparation:

In a large pan, heat oil and fry onions until they turn pink. Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté the mixture till golden-brown. Add tomato and all the dry spices and salt one by one. When the tomato is cooked put in the shrimps and combine well. Cook for a few minutes then stir in the spinach. Sprinkle sugar over (optional). Cook until the spinach has wilted. Add green chili and cook until oil separates.

Serve with steaming white rice.

Pasta Delight

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Pasta is a popular Italian food that we cannot just do without! This pasta is prepared in a simple tomato sauce but is a pure delight to eat when you are in a hurry.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 medium Tomatoes, coarsely chopped

5 oz angel hair Pasta

2 tsp hot sauce or to taste

1/4^th cup tomato ketchup

1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt or to taste

Preparation:

Boil pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in a medium pan, add the tomatoes and stir for a minute. Reserve ½ cup of water before draining the pasta. Add salt, the sauces to the tomatoes in the pan and the reserved starchy water. When the sauce thickens a bit, sprinkle with the green basil leaves. Remove the sauce from heat. In a large bowl combine the drained pasta, sauce and garnish with parmesan cheese.

How to Make Yogurt at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:17:00 +0000

Yogurt, also known as curd, is an essential ingredient in many cuisines. It is used in curry recipes to make the meats tender. It is also used to make various sweet and spicy beverages like Lassi and Borhani as a part of Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. A popular Greek appetizer known as Tzatziki is made with yogurt as well.

According to Wikipedia, those who are lactose intolerant can easily enjoy yoghurt without any side effects. This is because the lactose in milk is converted into lactic acid in yoghurt. It is also beneficial for those suffering from Diarrhea.

If yogurt is unavailable at home, then you may try this quick and easy process to make it yourself without any rare ingredients or special equipments. You will need Milk and Lime or Vinegar or Golden Prune (Aloo Bukhara).

Boil a cup of milk and add either about 1 to 2 tea spoons of Lime juice or Vinegar or a couple of Golden Prunes. Let it cool and within a few minutes yogurt will form and deposit. Drain the remaining liquid. Vary the amount of milk and vinegar according to your desired quantity of yogurt.

Cabbage Stir Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good dietary fiber. When cooked right it spreads a sugary aroma. Enjoy this lightly seasoned stir-fry!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

4 cups Green Cabbage, shredded

2 tbsp Onions, coarsely sliced

1 Green Chili, sliced

1 tbsp Vegetable/Cooking Oil

3/4^th tsp Salt or to taste

2 tbsp Green Coriander, chopped

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the green chili and onions until shiny. Add the shredded cabbage and sprinkle with salt. Stir for few minutes till the cabbage has been seasoned evenly and is translucent. Cook until they are just soft and dried. Do not overcook. The cabbage should retain its bright-green color. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain white rice and lime.

Beef Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:05:00 +0000

A common traditional beef curry in Bangladesh, this is a spicy and mouth watering dish.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds Boneless Beef cubed

1 medium Red Onion sliced finely
2 small Potatoes diced into 2 inches cubes (optional)
2 medium Tomatoes chopped finely

1.5 tsp Garlic Paste
1.5 tsp Ginger Paste

2 whole Cloves
2 pods Cardamom
1 inch piece Cinnamon stick
1-2 Bay Leaves

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Use less for mild and more for hot)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Salt or to taste

3 tbsp Vegetable/Cooking Oil
3 cups Hot Water

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the dry whole spices until fragrant. Add sliced onions and caramelize. Pour 1/4cups of boiling water. Add ginger and garlic paste, and red chilli, turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, and salt. Saute all the spices for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until the mixture is thick.

Add beef to the pan and stir until evenly coated with the spice mixture. Lower the heat and cover the pan with a tight lid. After 5 minutes, stir again and cover the lid. When the water has dried and the oil separates, add half boiled potatoes (optional) and rest of the hot water. Cook until beef is tender. Add more water if required (never add cold water to the meat because they lose their tenderness). If there is excess water, increase the heat until oil separates from the meat.

Serve hot with Khichdi, plain Steamed Rice, or Naan and Paratha.

Quick Khichdi Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Fariha Rahman) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:54:00 +0000

This is the fastest and easiest recipe for delicious Khichdi. It requires very little ingredients, just the regular spices found in almost any Indian kitchen. It is effortless to prepare too!

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup masoor dal (red lintils)
1 tsp garam masala powder (Indian spice blend)
1 tsp salt or to taste
A small pinch of turmeric powder
2 tablespoon vegetable/cooking oil
2 cups hot water
1 medium onion evenly sliced and fried till golden yellow for garnishing.

Preparation:

Combine the rice and dal together and wash till the water clears. Drain water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a medium pan. Add garam masala powder, turmeric and salt. Make sure the spices don’t burn by reducing the heat a little. Add the prewashed rice and dal mixture to the pan and fry for about 6-7 minutes.

Turn off the heat and pour the mixture on to a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 cups of hot water and cover it. Microwave the dish on high heat for 8 mins. Then reduce the power to 30 % and microwave for an additional 5 mins.

Let it stand for at least 5 mins or till you are ready to serve. Garnish with golden-fried onions and serve hot with beef, mutton or chicken curry, or fried fish.