Monday, 30 March 2015


Hara Bhara Kebab is very popular veg starter in India, especially North India. This kabab is available in almost all decent restaurants in India and is a must have for all veg lovers. This is very mouthwatering and made by some green vegetables like spinach, green peas, coriander leaves, potato and paneer. In this recipe spinach and green peas are hero. Hara bhara kabab is a very healthy dish because of its ingredients. In this recipe I have shallow fried the kebabs but you have one more option, deep fry it. Actually me and my family like the aroma of smoke so I chose the first option; means shallow fry.

pure veg hara bhara kebab with green peas spinach and paneer
Hara Bhara Kebab

Ingredients for hara bhara kabab:

Spinach leaves – 1 bunch
Green peas – 1 cup
Boiled potato – 2 medium
Smashed paneer – ¾th cup
Chopped green chilli – 1 tbsp (according to your taste)
Chopped coriander leaves – ½ cup
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Chat masala – 1 tsp
Dry mango powder – ½ tsp
Salt
Bengal gram flour (chattu) – 4-5 tbsp (as required)
Ghee
Cashew nuts

Ingredients for green chutney:

Mint leaf – 1 cup
Coriander leaf – 2 cups
Green chilli – 2 pcs
Curd – 2 tbsp
Salt
Lemon juice – 2-3 tbsp
Chat masala – 1 tsp

Steps of Hara Bhara Kebab
Steps of Hara Bhara Kebab

How to make hara bhara kababs:

Blanch the spinach and green peas and strain the water. Keep aside. Now chop the spinach.

Take a large mixing bowl and smash the spinach and green peas. Then add boiled potato, paneer and ginger paste.

Then smash all these ingredients and add green chilli and coriander leaves and mix it.
Then add all the spices like coriander – cumin powder, garam masala powder, dry mango powder, chat masala and salt. Mix it very well.

Now add Bengal gram flour and make dough. This ingredient will be used for binding. Mix very gently and make smooth dough.

Then from this dough make 24 balls and turn them into kebab shape with your palm (ie. flatten the balls). Now put half a cashew nut on top of the kebabs.

 Now take a tawa or fry pan and brush some ghee. Heat it and place the kebabs.
Keep it till golden brown and flip off the kebabs and fry the other side.
If you want you can deep fried it.

Your Hara Bhara kebabs are now ready. Serve hot with green chutney.

Recipe of green chutney:

Take all ingredients of green chutney and blend it to make a smooth paste. Now your green chutney is ready also. If you like you can add some garlic in the chutney. 

See my another veg kabab recipe Jackfriut (Echor) Shammi Kabab.

Please let me know how it turns out at your end. Happy cooking :)

Sunday, 15 March 2015

Kerala chicken stew or nadan kozhi stew is a very traditional dish as well as Sunday special dish of southern Kerala. This stew is basically made by coconut milk and served in breakfast. Nadan kozhi stew is one of the favorite dishes to Syrian Christian community of Kerala.

Stew is basically a combination of meat and vegetables cooked in low flame. This is very healthy light, good for kids too. For more detailed recipe of regular chicken stew (without coconut milk) please visit my post Chicken Stew - A Healthy and LowCalorie Kids Friendly Recipe.

This dish is made by fresh coconut milk. But nowadays preparing fresh coconut milk is very difficult for us because it is a time consuming process. So you can use readymade coconut milk. Even I have used this. But obviously fresh coconut milk has a natural flavour which enhances the taste. As nadan kozhi stew is a Keralian recipe, generally  coconut oil is used.
Keralian Chicken Stew with Coconut milk
Keralian Chicken Stew or Nadan Kozhi Stew

Ingredients required for Nadan kozhi stew:

Medium chicken pieces – 400 gms
Sliced onion – 1 medium
Chopped ginger – 1 inch
Green chilli – 2 pcs
Curry leaves – 15-20 pcs
Coconut milk – 1.5 cup
Carrot – 1 pc
Potato – 1 pc
Green cardamom – 4 pcs
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Cloves – 4 pcs
Salt
Sugar
White oil – 2 tbsp
Steps of Keralian Chicken Stew
 Steps of  Keralian Chicken Stew

Nadan Kozhi Stew
Nadan Kozhi Stew


How to prepare Nadan kozhi stew :

Cut all vegetables into small pieces. Please make the vegetables in similar shape and size.

Now take a pressure cooker and put 1 tbsp oil and heat it. Then add sliced onion, chopped ginger, green chilli, 8-10 curry leaves, chicken and vegetables.  Add 1 tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp vinegar, salt and just 1 pinch of sugar. Sugar gives you a balanced taste of vinegar, salt and coconut milk. Put ½ cup coconut milk and cover the cooker with a lid. Wait for 2 whistles.

Then heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and put all whole spices like green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and 8-10 curry leaves. Wait some moments and when you start getting some aroma of spices add the boiled chicken and vegetables. Then add 1 cup coconut milk and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh curry leaves.  Serve hot with roti, bread, appam as well as rice.

Tuesday, 10 March 2015


Stew is a very healthy dish which is a combination of meat and vegetables. This dish is cooked slowly in a close dish or pan and contains lots of liquid. This healthy dish has a very tamping taste yet good for calorie conscious people. Generally most of the seasonal vegetables like carrots, beans, potato, tomato, green papaya are combined with meat. This is very easy digestive for all.

Stew has been made since the ancient period. The evidence of preparing stew was found in several old civilizations thousands of years ago.

Soup and stew have a very little difference. Soup is more liquid than stew. Stew requires longer time than soup. Soup has smaller pieces of vegetables and meat and stew has larger pieces. Generally soups are always served in bowl and stews are served in a plate because of thickness.

I have made this dish ….. combination of chicken and vegetables, especially for my baby but we also liked this. I learned this recipe from my mother, but made some changes from her recipe. I don’t like to use turmeric powder. I think if I use that powder the stew will lose the beauty.  My grandfather had also made an awesome chicken stew….and that was really awesome. J Find below recipe of the chicken stew which is my all-time favorite.

healthy low calorie chicken stew with vegetables for kids
Chicken Stew

Ingredients for chicken stew:

Chicken – 500 gms
 Onion slices - 1 medium
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Potato – 2 medium
Carrot – 1 pc
Green papaya – ¼th of medium size
French beans – 7-8 pcs
Chopped tomato – 1 pc
Crushed black pepper – 1 tsp
Green cardamom – 4-5 pcs
Cloves – 4-5 pcs
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Bay leaf – 1-2 pcs
Salt
Sugar
Butter – 1 tbsp

Recipe of chicken stew:

Cut all vegetables into medium pieces. We need vegetable and chicken to be of same size as this will enhance the taste of stew.
Now take a pressure cooker and put butter. When butter will starts melting put the whole spices, such as cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf and crushed black pepper. After a few moments, add sliced onion and sauté it. Then add chopped tomato and ginger paste and mix it. After that add chicken and vegetables and mix it. Then add salt and add a pinch of sugar. Mix it and add 2-3 cups of water (according to the thickness you need) and cover the cooker with lid. Then cook the chicken stew in a low flame for 10-12 minutes or 4-5 whistles.
Now your chicken stew is ready. Serve with roti, bread or rice also.


Friday, 6 March 2015

Fish kaviraji cutlet is a very mouthwatering snack and is very popular in Bengal. Actually Bengali occasions are incomplete without any form of fish fry. It can be better fish fry, fish kabiraji, topse fry or fish cutlet. This Bengali style fish fry is called Fish Kabiraji Cutlet. This cutlet has a specialty that is the cutlet is wrapped by egg which is very crunchy and has no specific shape. It is specially made by fillets of Bhetki fish or any boneless fish. But obviously nothing compares the taste of Bhetki. Even if you are a calorie conscious person, you will forget about calories once you taste this kabiraji cutlet.

This type cutlet is crispy but not very hard like other type of cutlets. This is a medium version of fish batter fry and fish cutlet.

When I was child I had tasted it for the first time in a marriage ceremony. After that I have tried it so many times in various occasions but still, the first tried kabiraji is very nostalgic to me for its taste. I am a fish lover like other Bengali. I love every types of fish preparation but fish kabiraji is very special.  The aromas of fish fry attracts me so much that wherever and whenever I get the aroma, I start filling hungry. J

bengali style kaviraji fish cutlet
Fish Kabiraji Cutlet

Ingredients for fish kabiraji:

Fish fillets – 4 pieces
Egg – 4
Ginger paste – 1tsp
Garlic paste – 1tsp
Onion paste – 2 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1tsp
Salt
 Black pepper powder
Soda bai carb – 1 pinch
Bread crumbs
White oil

How to make fish kabiraji:

Marinate the fish lemon juice, onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, pepper powder and salt. Keep aside for sometimes like 30-45 minutes.

Now take a flat plate and spread the bread crumbs. Then coat the fish fillets one by one and keep aside.

Take a bowl and beat one egg with salt, pepper powder and a pinch of soda bai carb.
Heat a wok and take enough oil to deep fry.

Now put a fish into the hot oil and fry it. When the colour is changed, spread some beaten egg with your fingers or a spoon. As a result you will see that your cutlet will get a wrapper. Many bubbles will form due to egg. Flip off the cutlet with a spatula and spread some egg in same way on the other side. When this egg portion turns golden, remove from the oil and keep it on a paper napkin. Then serve it with some green salad and tomato ketch up or kasundi (a Bengali style mustard sauce).
It is always served hot.

Sometimes I have seen some recipe with rice flour instead of egg. But I have never tried it. This is the other way to make crispy kabiraji. But somehow I think that rice powder cannot give same crispiness like egg. And obviously this is my own opinion.