Pisces Paratha (Fish shaped paratha)

Parathas… probably the most favourite dish in North India. You must have tried so many varieties of it with aloo, gajar, muli, methi, gobi etc, etc & etc stuffed into it. But why not try giving it some interesting shape? Being a Bengali, fish comes to my mind in the very first instance. So, I have made some fish shaped parathas with soya granules stuffing. Both the look and the taste came out amazing !!!!

Preparation time: 30 minutes, Cooking Time: 30 minutes, Servings: 4

Ingredients:

For making dough:

1. Flour – 1 cup
2. White Oil – 4 Tbsp (for making the dough) + 1/2 cup (for frying)
3. Water – as required
4. Salt – 1 pinch
5. Cloves – 4 pcs

For Stuffing:

1. Soya granules – 1 cup
2. Potato – 1 medium, finely chopped
3. Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
4. Garlic – 3-4 cloves, finely chopped
5. Ginger paste – 1 tsp
6. Tomato – 1 small, finely chopped
7. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
8. Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
9. Salt – to taste
10. Sugar – 1 tsp
11. Garam masala powder – 1 pinch
12. Oil – 2 Tbsp

Method:

• First, prepare the dough. Mix flour, salt and white oil in a bowl. Add required amount of water into it. Then knead it properly in the same way as for paratha.
• Divide the dough in 4 portions and keep aside.
• To prepare the stuffing, heat oil in a pan. Add garlic into it. After a few seconds, add onion and let it turn golden brown.
• Then add finely chopped potatoes and tomato into it. Sauté it for a few minutes.
• Add the soya granules into it.
• Add all the spices and cook it in a low flame, preferably covering the pan with a lid. This will help the potatoes to be done.
• If required, add a little amount of water. But remember, the stuffing needs to be dry.
• When the soya and potatoes are properly cooked, remove it from heat and let it cool in a separate bowl.
• Now refer the sequence of picture below to make the fish shaped paratha.
  
• Now, take one portion of your dough and roll it on a lightly floured surface. Give it a slightly elongated round shape (Pic. 1).
• Mark an oval shape with a knife on its surface. This should look like the shape of a fish (Pic. 2).
• Place some stuffing inside this oval shape.
• Cut some strips alongside this oval shape (Pic. 3).
• Fold uppermost right strip covering the stuffing as shown in Pic. 4.
• Fold uppermost left strip over this as shown in Pic. 5.
• Continue this process as shown in Pic. 6 and 7. Leave some of the bottom strips so as to give it the shape of the fish tail.
• Place a clove at the position of the eye of the fish as shown in Pic. 8.
• Prepare all the parathas in the same way.
• Heat a fry pan. First, cook both sides of the parathas without oil. After that shallow fry them with required amount of oil (1-2 tbsp for each).

Serve hot………….

** If you want to make the stuffing with chicken keema, use boiled keema instead of soya granules and prepare the stuffing in the same way.

Incredible India: Jai Vilas Palace, Gwalior

People say that I've been born with mustard seeds under my feet !!!! And so I can't help myself from travelling a lot. I felt that I may share some of the interesting stories from my experience. this is the first:

This is the dining hall of the Jai Vilas Palace, Gwalior. there are 3 dining tables. On the top of the middle one, there lies a rail track surrounding the table. A silver train with cut glass wagons runs around the track. the 7 bogies, each with one alphabet from SCINDIA contains various drinks and dry fruits. Whenever a guest picks up a wagon containing the stuff of his choice, the train stops immediately so that he can serve himself with required quantity. Once it is placed back, it continues to move around. the Train can be seen in the box (in the front of the photograph).

Chicken Takiya Kabab

Most of my friends are damn fan of Chicken and quite mad for Kababs. This Chicken Takiya Kabab was an experiment with the intention to serve them something new. Such name of this dish was given because of its resemblance to the Takiya (Or pashbalish) !! The best part of this dish is that you don’t need oven or griller!!!! So, if u are a Chicken Lover, then it’s a must try for you this winter. Go ahead and indulge your taste buds.. 

Preparation Time : 45 mins, Cooking Time: 30 mins, Serving: 2-3

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Breast Fillet – 2
2. Yogurt – 100 gm
3. Onion – 2 medium
4. Garlic- 4-6 cloves
5. Ginger Paste – 2 Tbsp
6. Red Chilli Powder – 1 Tsp
7. Garam Masala Powder – 1 Tsp
8. Salt - to taste
9. Butter - 1" cube

For Stuffing (which resembles the cotton inside the Takiya) :

1. Paneer grated – 150 grams
2. Capsicum (Finely chopped) – 1 small
3. Tomato (Finely chopped) – 1 small
4. Green Chilli (Finely chopped) – 2
5. Fresh Coriander leave (Finely chopped)  – as required
6. Sugar – 1 Tsp
7. Salt-  to taste

For garnishing (if u bother):

1. Lemon Juice – 1 Tbsp
2. Onion Slice – as required

Method:

1. First, pat the Chicken Breast Fillets to make it flat. Then marinate the Fillets with Yogurt, Ginger paste, grated onion, grated garlic, red chilli powder, salt and garam masala powder for at least half an hour.
2. In the mean time, prepare the stuffing. Mix all the ingredients for staffing together and keep it.
3. When the chicken is well marinated, place half of the stuffing in one fillet and roll it. It gives the shape of a Takiya !
4. Make the other Takiya following the same way.
5. Now, wrap the rolled takiya in aluminium foil.
6. Heat some water in a pan and boil the takiyas for 20 mins in water.
7. Now, unwrap the chicken from aluminium foil and cut into 2-3 pcs.
8. Heat a non-stick fry pan and add some butter into it.
9. Sauté the chicken pcs. in the butter for 2-3 mins. At this stage, you may add the excess marinade into the pan and fry it too. It tastes awesome, believe me !!
10. When it gets the golden brown colour, remove it from heat. Sprinkle some lemon juice and serve hot with sliced onion.

Bas… ab toot pado….. :) 

...........and i come up with my blog :)

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