Bachelor’s Aloo Bhindi Subjee
My friend told me, when I took out the Bhindi Subjee for taking this awful picture ( Time to buy a Digital SLR), that “Bhindi Ki Subjee to Sabko Banana Aata hein”.( everybody knows how to cook Bhindi Subjee, or stir fried Lady’s Finger) I know that, I answered. But there are many who don’t. I didn’t know how to cook an egg Bhurjee( Scrambled Eggs) when I first started out as a bachelor living in a rented apartment far away from home. I had started this blog, and remain till today, a Bachelor’s cooking blog.
Simple recipes.
With simple base or gravy.
Easy recipes for someone who wants to try cooking at home.
Anyway, we had ordered Paneer Makhanwala (Cottage cheese cooked in Indian masala and Cream), Daal Fry (Lentil tempered with Masala)
and Roti as well, for dinner. The Aloo-Bhindi subjee scored over the restaurant cooked paneer Makhanwaala, believe me, just Australia beat Japan 3-1, in the Fifa World Cup that was going on as I cut the Bhindi.
What was the secret?
Was it really easy?
Well, It was quite easy. I used lots of Onions, and tomatoes 
The secret:
Half a Kilo Okra or Bhindi or lady’s Finger, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces.
3 medium Potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes and then cut again to make it thinner.
4 Tomatoes, chopped.
3 Large Onions chopped. ( If you have noticed, I use Onions sparringly in my other dishes, even Meat and Chicken. Onions tend to make your dish sweet, but this is different:-) )
A little ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp!
3 green chillis sliced in halves.
I will add the masalas as I cook.
Process:
Heat 2 Tbs Oil in a kadhai, and add a tsp of jeera.
Add the onions and three green chillies sliced in half.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till onions are brown.
Add the tomatoes, and add 1 tsp of dhania powder, half tsp each Turmeric and Red Chilli.
Add the potatoes and Bhindi, and cover and cook in low heat.
Open the lid and Mix and Stir from time to time.
Cook till potatoes are cooked.
Serve annnnnd Yummy.
May I submit this to Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5 A Day
Curry Mela-21’st Week
OK…. The wait is over. And your favorite curry Mela is here again. Problem with blogger software.. Too lazy to move to WP and of course all the trackbacks.
I say free software is very costly.
But I might move soon.
By August maybe…lol. If I had more time Gee…..
Add to all these A lousy broadband provider, read SIFY broadband, Yes Sify Broadband is Lousy, with an even lousier Customer Service…. Been facing problem since the morning.
Without much sermon further,
Let me welcome my readers to the 21st edition of the Curry Mela at Anthony’s Kitchen, The Bachelor Cooking Blog.
Matki Farasbee Bhaji (Green beans cooked with Moath sprouts) . The healthiest food award goes to this dish. Greens and protien, what more do you need.
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Check out this Raagi Roti . Authentic Desi Food Did I say?
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Bhapa Doi, a Bengali Dessert. How Bengalis love sweets? Thye surest way to a suicide for the left, if and when they want to relinquish Power in West Bengal would be to tax Sweets. And if I marry a Bengali Girl, it would be for my love of Misti 
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This is a beautifully cooked, and captured Rice Pilaf with Tomato paste, from a blogger friend faraway. Thanks My dear friend, for sending in the entry.
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Anchovies Sambal with baked Potato Wedges, and I say the best fish recipe award this weekend goes to this dish. A born again fish Lover, I can feel the taste as I write this.
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Ram Tori aur matar ki subzi, a very simple comfort food, healthy and tasty. Home Cooked food for bachelors.
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And the award for Easy bachelor recipe goes to the Easy Salmom fry , for the simplicity and high replicability quotient, which makes it a good Bachelor Cooking recipe.
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Spicy Mushroom Ravioli & Mixed veggies in Tomato Sauce, The best Indo-Italian Recipe Lol. Wish to slurp it off the screen eh? Very Yummy Looking..
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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting , the best birthday present ever. I wish somebody baked a caked for my birthday. This is sweet, literally.
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Vendakkai pitla (Okra “stew”) … Yummmm Another nice way of cooking Okra. A must try. BTW I have been thinking that I will be cooking a series of recipes choosen from the curry mela and post them.
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Moru Kutan ( Butter milk curry ) or is it Kadhi ? Another comfort food. I would have loved some pakodas too besides the papadams.
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Let me end this curry Mela with the HARIYALLI MURGH-CHICKEN IN GREEN GRAVY.
Mouth Watering, no?
And the best recipe for the 21st Curry mela goes to this HARYALLI MURGH/CHICKEN IN GREEN GRAVY …. I was just thinking that Once a month, we will have a Curry mela with a Theme. What say? And the first such Curry Mela will be Cook-a-doodle-do….
Chicken recipes, from all over the world.
The announcement and and banner will come soon.
But start cooking that chicken dish.
I will post it on a Sunday.
Chicken Curry Mela, Cook-a-Doodle-Do eh!!!
Enjoy!!!!
Opps! Just as i was going to publish the post, the connection to blogger failed. Wait for some more time….
Simple Chicken Masala with Potato
I said that I was going to post a lot of chicken recipes. We have started to eat chicken after a very LONG Hiatus. We had this little chicken scare you see, the sky was almost falling, the flu was almost there. Very few humans contracted the flu, even fewer succumbed to it. But the scare would have scared the living sky out of chicken little. I threw away a month’s supply of eggs. I just remembered that I haven’t started eating eggs. Hmmm, a few eggie recipes are overdue eh!
OK, I agree that most of Chicken dishes here on Anthony’s Kitchen are cooked in a very similar way. It is because I have tried many other way, and I have come to the conclusion that Chicken is best cooked the way we cook, The Chicken Masala way. The simple way we cook at home, Onions, Garlic-Ginger and Dhania-Jeera way. This dried version is an extremely tasty version that I can eat everyday. Have it with Rotis or with Daal and Rice.
It is quite simple too. The cooking process, that is.
I kilo Chicken, cleaned and cut into medium pieces.
2 Potatoes, cut into cubes (8 cubes per potato).
One large onion chopped.
1 tsp methi + 1 tsp jeera, soaked in little water.
Masala: 1 tsp Jeera powder + dhania powder + Red Chilli Powder and Chicken Masala
Turmeric to suit your cooking style. I did with less than half a tsp.
2 Bay leaves.
Ginger paste 1 TBS + Garlic paste 1 TBS ( Both fresh crushed or ground)
2 green chiili sliced.
2 Tomatoes, chopped.
Heat 3 TBS oil in a Kadhai or Thick Bottom pan.
Add the bay leaves, and Soaked Jeera Methi.
Add Onions and fry till they turn slightly brown.
Add Ginger Garlic paste and green chilli, fry till onions are golden brown.
Add the chicken and increase heat.
Mix well.
Saute and cook till oil starts separates from chicken. (5 minutes)
Add salt to taste and all the masala except Chicken masala.
Mix well and add the potatoes and Tomatoes.
Cover and cook in low heat.
Water will come out from chicken as well as tomatoes.
Add a tsp of chicken masala ( MDH or Maharaja)
Keep stirring from time to time lest the meat should stick onto the bottom of the pan.
Cook this way till potatoes are soft.
Garnish with Coriander. Yummmy
Tondli or Tindora Zhunka or is it Zunka
I saw a question on some food forum, somebody has asked, “What is Zunka?”.
A member answered: ” Zunka or Zhunka is a Maharashtrian delicacy prepared with Besan (Gram Flour- More commonly Chick peas, but Some people like Bengalis prefer the Peas Flour. I didn’t know there was a chick pea flour in Manipur) as the base.”
I was told that original Zhunka was prepared only with Onions, lots of it, with Besan. Another Maharashtrian friend told me the more authentic version was prepared by soaking Chick Pea Daal, or Chana daal overnight, and then crushed to a paste, mix with masalas and then prepared. Yours truely have yet to prepare that version. Authentic or not, It sounds very yummy, though.
Some poeple have told me that Zhunka can be made with many vegetables with besan as the base. I had cooked Capsicum Zhunka, and it was quite a hit, eh!
Here as well as with my friend.
The other day I happen to taste this particular version of Zhunka ( or is it Zunka? Never mind it is not an English word anyway) from the tiffin of the same guy who had introduced me to Capsicum Zhunka. I liked it too. It was made from Tondli ( or Ivy Gourd, Tindora , Kovakku, Dondakaya, whatever We have no name in Manipuri. We don’t get it in Manipur, though it looks like what we call Lam Thabi or Wild Cocumber). Thanks to him, I had another variety of Zhunka. I made this Tondli Zhunka, and I quite liked it. Capsicum Zhunka was the best though 
.
I made it the same way as I prepared the Capsicum Zhunka, with a little difference. I have improvised over last time, with suggestion from a reader. I added Tomatoes.
Steps:
Wash properly and Cut 250 grams of Tindora into small discs, like the picture above.
Chop Two large onions into small pieces.
Chop two tomatoes.
Chop 2 green Chllis.
Heat oil in a thick Bottom Pan, and add a tsp each of Mustard seed and Jeera into the oil.
Immediately add the onions and green chillis.
When Onions are limp, add tomatoes, and saute for some time.
Add the Tindoras.
Add salt to taste, and half tsp of red chilli.
Cover and cook in low heat for 15 minutes, opening the lid and stirring from time to time.
After the 15 minutes, add a cup of Besan or Gram Flour.
Mix well, and keep stirring in low heat.
Sprinkle some water with fingers so that it is not dry.
Cover it, and keep stirring every couple of minutes.
Should be done in 15 minutes.
Have with Hot Chappatis
This is also my entry to Sweetnick’s ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays
Healthy food on low budget
J.D at getrichslowly writes a post as a response to a query: “What’s your favorite healthy food that can be bought on a college student budget?”:
A cup of rice and a vegetarian stir-fry
Replace soda with water
Pasta primavera
Fruitshakes/smoothies
Cheese and crackers
Nuts
Beans (flavored with a little meat)
Fruits and vegetables
And adds that ” Learning to eat (and prepare) more meals at home is an excellent way to reduce your food budget and eat healthfully. Find a source of recipes that you trust and learn to prepare them.
But that is the whole theme behind The Bachelor Cooking.
Weekend Herb blogging Sougri/Bimlipatam!
This is my entry to Kalyn’s WHB or weekend herb blogging . I will be writing about a certain herb, well it would qualify for a shrub. We call it sougri, and i didn’t know the english name till todaywhich is Bimlipatam Jute. It is suppose to have many medicinal qualities and helps in digestion, used in external inflamation, and may be used as an Apetiser.
I have never used it for medicinal purpose. But I know one non-culinary use of this plant. We eat the leaves, but it also has a stout stem, about the finger thick, and the stem is covered by thick fibrous skin, which when dried can be used to make ropes. Well, the name Bimlipatan Jute. I guess it is a kind of Jute. Rope or No rope, the Sougri is considered to be a delicacy by the Natives. Well, it is a delicacy.
To be cooked, or rather boiled with fermented fish and dried Shrimps. Childhood memory the tangy flavor reminds me of those wintry mornings when we eat our lunch in the sunshine. Rice and Sougri Thongba ( that is the sougri stew made with a pinch of fermented Fish called Ngari, Lots of smoked Fish, and Smoked Dried shrimps). This can also be cooked with fried fish. The tangy sour taste will make you long for more. I don’t know how it would taste with fish though? There is a red colored variety of the same, called Shillong Sougri which taste better when cooked with normal fried fish.
Fried fish and Sougri recipe:
Heat 1 tsp Oil in a kadhai.
Add two bayleaves, 1 tsp jeera, 1/2 tsp methi, a pinch of asafoetida and green chillis.
Add a pinch of turmeric and immediately 2 cups of water.
Let shimmer.
Add the fried fish steak, 6 peices?
Add washed leaf of the Sougri.
Cook for just 5 minutes after adding the sougri.
Serve!!
Dahi Chicken with Capsicum
After a long time, we have started to eat chicken. In fact it’s been sometime since we have started having chicken in our dinner. But I usually cook Chicken Masala and we have posted it many times over so I felt I should cook something different, and here you are. Chicken dahi wala, with capsicum. I will cook Chicken Butter Masala and Chicken Tikka Masala, soon. This a Chicken Cooked in Yogurt or curd. Keep in mind, taste the curd before you cook. If the yogurt is too sour, the whole dish will spoil. I mean I don’t like to eat sour Chicken. Go ahead if you like it sour. Fresh curd/yogurt taste best.
Ingredient:
1/2 Kilo Chicken.
On large onion chopped fine.
Two capsicum, cut into slices and innard removed.
1 inch ginger, and 8-9 cloves of ginger, chopped or crushed.
250 grams of yogurt.
1 tsp Dhania powder(coriander seed).
1 tsp Jeera powder(cumin seed).
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder.
1 tsp Red chilli powder.
2 bayleaves.
2 TBS Peanut Oil.
Steps:
Heat oil in a Kadhai or pan and add bayleaves.
Add Onions and fry till limp, and add the crushed ginger-garlic.
Saute till golden brown.
Add chicken, increase heat and stir well.
Add all the masala, and salt to taste.
Stir Fry well till liquid from chicken dries.
Now add the capsicum and mix thoroughly, decrease heat and keep for few minutes.
Add the Curd, and half a cup of water and cook covered in low heat for 15 minutes.
Serve.
Yummy, isn’t it.
One question.
Was there something wrong with Blogger or my Site yesterday? Visitor level went down by about 150 suddenly during the day, and picked up later only. Strange phenomenon.
Or maybe people are bored!!
I haven’t had much Curry Mela Entries.
Curry Mela entry is on. Hurry up.
Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro- Food Blogger’s tool
Another beautiful Digital Camera from Fuji Film. A beauty isn’t it. All my food pictures would look much prettier eh!
I will bring you beautiful digital cameras and reviews from time to time.
The body is High-impact plastic / rubber with metal sub-structure.
The sensor is:
• Fujifilm SuperCCD SR II
• 23.0 x 15.5 mm
• 6.45 million total photosites (2 photodiodes per photosite)
• 12.9 million total photodiodes
• RGB color filter array
•14 bit A/D converter
It can take Pictures in: 4256 x 2848 (12.1 million), 3024 x 2016 (6.1 million), 2304 x 1536 (3.5 million) and 1440 x 960 (1.4 million)
Fujifilm FinePix Z3 – Food Blogger’s Tool
CNet Review:
The Fujifilm FinePix Z3 is a slim 5-megapixel point-and-shoot camera with some interesting features. The FinePix Z3 includes image stabilization, and its sensor can reach sensitivities of up to ISO 1,600, offering users more flexibility when shooting high-speed subjects or in low-light settings. Its 3X optical zoom lens stays entirely inside the camera body, keeping the Z3 slim and pocketable even when it’s turned on and fully zoomed in. Its built-in flash features Dual Shooting mode, where the camera shoots both a flash and nonflash image in quick succession, then lets the user decide which photo looks better. The Z3 has 14 scene presets, plus a 30fps VGA movie mode with sound.[Source]
Bombay Duck Sauteed with Onions
I didn’t know till recently that Bombay duck, isn’t actually a duck. I love duck meat, and if you haven’t tasted duck meat, do try it out. Some Chinese restaurant serve it and Mainland China also serve it, at least on occasions, if I remember. I forgot to ask if they serve it all year long. I love the gravy of duck curry, and you won’t get the duck curry in mainland china, only in Anthony’s kitchen. Duck cooked the same way we cook home-cooked chicken. I don’t where I will get duck meat to cook, if I wanted to, here in Mumbai. I’d be glad to know if it is available.
When I saw a packet of some meat like-pickle like thing at the local cold storage, with the name Bombay duck written on it, I asked the shop owner, If it was duck meat.
“He laughed.”
“So did the guy who had come to buy his stock of meat.’
“Bombay duck is a fish it seems, or so I learnt.”
And since it was the closest thing I had seen, to a duck, in years, I wanted to give it a try.
“It was already pickled in some masala, so I didn’t have to do much work to get a palatable dish.”
I used to prepare stirred fried or sautéed dried sea-fish with onions.
Which is what I did.
Two large onions sliced into thin slivers.
The Bombay duck, 250 grams.
Red chilli powder, and Jeera-dhania powder mixed.
No Salt, the fish was salted
Steps:
Heat 2 tbs peanut oil in a pan.
Add the onuions and sauté till limp.
Add ½ tsp each of Chilli powder, jeera powder and dhania powder.
Add the fish and sauté for 10 minutes in medium heat.
It’s done.
Yes, it is. Isn’t it simple.
Serve with roti or rice, hot.
The taste was as good it was smelly.
And the smell was strong, and those who don’t like fish, I advise not to try this.
Fish lovers, you don’t know what you are missing!!!!
