Happy New Year to all my Odiya/Bengali/Assamese/Tamil/Punjabi friends!!

Panna Sankranti or Mahavisubha Sankranti marks the first day of the Odiya calendar year. And hence it is celebrated with much festivity is all parts of the state. People make a sweet drink called 'Panna' and offer it to the Tulsi plant. It is then distributed among family and friends. Special pujas are conducted in the temples and the new 'panji' comes into use. It is calculated as the first day of the Solar year.

This day is also celebrated by as 'Poila Baisakh' in Bengal, 'Bohag Bihu' in Assam, 'Cheiraoba' in Manipur, 'Baisakhi' in Punjab and Haryana and 'Puthandu' in Tamil Nadu.

The 'Panna' which is a special drink made with fruit, sugar/jaggery, yogurt/milk, chenna and water, is the highlight of this festival in Odisha. Its' consistency is comparable to that of a smoothie.Two types of Panna are made on this day- the 'Bela Panna' and the 'Chattua Panna', the former being vastly more popular.

Check the recipes here : Bela Panna (Here) and Chattua Panna (Here).

Have a happy and prosperous year ahead!!

Chicken Sandwich

I made this easy sandwich with some leftover grilled chicken last week. Quite effortless and filling at the same time. One can quickly slather some chicken with barbecue sauce/tandoori masala/mustard paste and pop it in to the oven/microwave for a couple of minutes. Add some crisp veggies to it and you have a great snack/meal some leftovers. Read on for an easy sandwich recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 slices of sandwich bread
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• few pieces of shredded grilled chicken/tandoori chicken/boiled chicken
• a few pieces of sliced red peppers
• a few pieces of sliced yellow peppers
• some thinly sliced onion
• a lettuce leaf
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• pepper for seasoning
• salt to taste

Preparation - Put the bread slices on a clean working surface.

Layer on mayonnaise on one side.

Add chicken pieces, peppers and onions . Sprinkle salt ad pepper. Drizzle on ketchup.

Finally add the lettuce.

Close the sandwich.

Cooking - Heat a grill pan, sandwich maker or even a non-stick tawa/frying pan. Toast the sandwich on both sides for a few minutes till light brown.

Cut into two/four pieces with a sharp edge knife. (I keep planning to buy one of those but somehow it never happens. And hence my sandwiches have rough edges all the time.)

Note - For eggy-tarians, one can add some scrambled egg/omlette instead of the chicken. Tastes equally good. ( Mix in some cheese with the eggs )

Adraki Chaas (Ginger Buttermilk)

Another easy to make buttermilk recipe. I think m getting hooked to these!!!!!!! Read on:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 glass yogurt
• 1 1/2 glass water
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp black salt (kala namak)
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a blender. Buzz for a minute.

(Add some ice cubes to the blender jar. This will not only chill the drink but all the fat will also float to the top and can be easily removed.)

Pour into glasses and serve.

Bela Panaa

The Bela Panaa is a drink made out of the pulp of the wood apple . This is a fruit that one can find in abundance in Odisha as the leaves are an important part of the ritual worship of Lord Shiva. While the pulp ranges in color from a pale yellow (almost whitish) to a robust orange, the flavour of the flesh also varies widely. Some are sweet while others can be quite astringent with hints of bitterness.

Inspite of all the variations,  the fruit is widely consumed due to its medicinal properties. It is an excellent coolant and is supposed to prevent heatstroke. Apart from that, it is good for the bowels and alleviates any sort of gastro-intestinal distress during the hot months. Most people consume it in the form of a plain sherbat with just the deseeded pulp, some sugar and a tinge of souring agent like curd or lemon. But for the Maha Bisubha sankranti or the Odia new year, a more opulent version called the 'Bela Panaa' is prepared in most homes.

Read on for the traditional recipe -

Preparation Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients:

• Ripened Bela/Wood apple/Elephant apple ( 1 no)
• curd ( 1 cup )
• chenna/curdled milk ( 1 cup ) or 3 rosogullas
• ripe banana ( 1 no)
• sugar ( 3 tbs )
• ice-cubes
• black pepper powder ( 1/4 tsp )

Preparation: Break the shell of the wood apple on a hard surface and scoop out the

yellow flesh.

Put the yellow flesh in a mixing bowl and add 2 cups of cold water. Mix the flesh with the water using your fingers to extract the juice.

Strain the juice using a sieve. Transfer the remaining pulp back to the mixing bowl and add 1 cup cold water and extract any remaining juice.

Strain the juice and throw away the pulp.

Add sugar, banana, chenna/rosogulla, curd and black pepper. Mix well using your fingers.

Pour into glasses & top up with ice-cubes. Serve chilled.

Note: Bela ( also called Bel) pannaa is very popular in Orissa during the summer months.

It is offered to Lord Shiva on Panaa Sankranti day which falls on 14th of April.

The leaves of this plant are also offered to Lord Shiva along with milk. Consuming a fistful of these leaves is supposed to reduce blood pressure & diabetes.

Spaghetti Alla Marinara

Recent showers have cooled down Bangalore and given a respite from the sweltering afternoons. And it has also given me the chance to indulge in some of my favorite dishes which I had given up as I did not feel like spending time in the kitchen.

Spaghetti Alla Marinara is an Italian style tomato sauce which makes use of tomatoes, onions, garlic and some herbs like oregano, basil and parsley. It is mostly used in combination with seafood and pasta. Literally it means 'Mariner's spaghetti but the original recipe had nothing to do with seafood. It was just a dry preparation which relied heavily on the acidity of the tomatoes to preserve the dish for a few days while the menfolk were at sea. It also uses wine (which is also a preservative) to add some sweetness to the dish. Quite easy but requires about 15-20 mins of cooking to get the sauce right. Choosing the right vessel is also important for this dish. Use a thick bottomed skillet/frying pan instead of a saucepan while cooking the sauce.

One of the simplest paste sauces I have ever come across, this makes me wonder why people believe in drowning their paste by adding so much cheese and cream. Read on for the yummy recipe:

Preparation Time - 25 mins


Ingredients -

• 100 gm spaghetti
• 2 large ripe tomatoes (blanched)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (one can use a little ketchup instead)
• 2 tbsp+1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium sized red onion (chopped into small thin pieces but i left them long)
• 3-4 garlic flakes (chopped or crushed)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• a few fresh basil leaves (optional)
• 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar (optional)
• salt to taste

Preparation - Crush the tomatoes.

Cooking - Heat a skillet or frying pan. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the garlic. Fry till it turns light brown.

Add the crushed tomatoes along with the dried herbs and chilli flakes. Add salt.

In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Add the fried onions to the skillet/frying pan containing the tomatoes. Cook the sauce on medium heat.

Boil water in a large saucepan. Once the bubbles start showing, add salt generously. As soon as it gets to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti.

Boil for 12-13 minutes till al-dente. Drain excess water. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, toss gently and keep aside.

By this time, the sauce would be ready. Stir in the white wine vinegar. (If you find it too dry add some hot water by the teaspoon. If it is too watery turn up the heat for 2-3 minutes.)

Transfer the pasta to a plate/dish. Put some sauce over it and dig it . (No fancy plating/garnishing required for this recipe. Just plain old good food.)

Note - Normally the tomatoes are peeled and pureed after blanching to get a smooth paste. But as I like the coarse texture of this sauce, I have omitted this step.

One can also add some sauteed prawns/octopus/squid to this recipe if you prefer seafood pasta.

Apple, Celery and Leeks Salad

Time for yet another salad recipe!! I made this as a 4 o'clock fix for myself last week. Had a light lunch at 1 o' clock and hence was feeling quite hungry. But I realized that I had forgotten to soak any pulses for making a 'sundal'. So opted for an easy salad with whatever I found in the fridge. Turned out to a quite filling.

Made an Indian-style dressing for this one with fresh yogurt, lime juice, anardana powder, amchur, red chilli powder and salt. The sweetness of the apples complimented the tang provided by the dressing. And the celery and leeks gave it quite a chewy texture  (all that chomping down actually helps to burn more calories). Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup diced apples (skin left on)
• 1/3 cup diced potatoes (boiled)
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber (peeled)
• 1-2 stalk of celery ( white and light green parts only )
• 1-2 stalks of leeks (white and light green parts only )
• 3 tsp thick yogurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp anardana powder (dried pomegranate powder)
• 2 pinch amchur powder (dried mango powder)
• a pinch of red chilli powder (or to taste)
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and clean the leeks and celery with sufficient water else the sand particles present in them will make the salad inedible. Chop off the roots.

Cut into small bite sized pieces.

Take the yogurt, lime juice, anardana powder, amchur, red chilli powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and the salad dressing is ready.

Add the rest of the ingredients and coat them with the salad dressing. Pop into the fridge for 5-10 mins.

Serve chilled.

Paan and Gulkand Kheer

Most festive(read 'Heavy') meals in India are considered incomplete with a serving of paan. Paan is said to aid in digestion, suppress gas formation in the stomach and freshen up the mouth. Many a varieties of 'paan' are available in the shops, ranging from sharp bitter ones to sweet sugary ones. One is supposed to chew up the paan, swallow its juice and spit out the solids. But these days one gets sweet paans (without the betel nuts) which can be consumed in its entirety. However the paan leaves do leave a slight tingling in the mouth which everyone may not like.

So, the last time when I made kheer for dessert, I decided to infuse it with the flavors of a 'meetha paan'. Had a jar of gulkand lying in my cupboard as I am using it liberally during summers to reduce body heat. I only had to purchase a few betel leaves from the corner paan-shop. One word of caution while selecting the leaves. Avoid the bitter ones and go for the mild ones else it will ruin the dish.

Since it was hot at the time, I decided to use condensed milk and khoya to cut down on the cooking time.Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 45-50 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 liter milk
• 1/3 cup soaked rice ( i used Jeera rice but you can also use Basmati)
• 3/4 cup khoya
• 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3 tbsp sugar ( I prefer medium sweet, but you can add a little more )
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 2 pinch cardamom
• 1 1/2 tbsp Gulkand
• 2-3 Betel leaves
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp ghee

Preparation - Wash and clean the betel leaves. Remove the veins and tear into small pieces. Grind with 1/4 cup milk and keep it aside. ( We do not want a fine paste so very small pieces of the betel leaf should remain. )

Wash and soak the rice for 1-2 hours. Strain to remove excess water.


Cooking - Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the soaked rice and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Next add 1/3 cup water, half of the milk, sugar and cashews to the cooker. Close lid and cook for 3-4 whistles. Remove from flame.

Open the lid as soon as the steam escapes. Use a heavy spoon to whisk the contents and try to break down the rice grains( Else use a good quality hand blender for this step). We need to do this when the mixture is veryhot so be careful not to splash any liquid onto ones hands.

Add the remaining milk to the pressure cooker along with 1/4 cup water. Close lid and cook for another 2-3 whistles. Remove from flame.

Allow steam to escape. Open the lid and put it back on the flame.

Add the crumbled khoya ( i used store bought one), condensed milk and cardamom. Stir continuously till the khoya dissolves and mixture reaches desired thickness. (Took 7-8 mins for me)

Switch off the flame.

Stir in the Gulkand. Next add the betel leaf mixture little by little building up the flavour till you get it right.

Keep it in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Garnish with betel leaf, rose petals and serve chilled.