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Ingredients:
1 kilogram tomatoes, finely chopped,
400 grams oil,
50 grams ginger, finely chopped,
50 grams garlic, finely chopped,
2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera),
2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi),
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana),
25 green chillies (you can add more if you like spicy),
2 tsp red chilli powder,
Salt to taste,
1 1/2 cup vinegar.

Method:
Mix 1 tsp vinegar and half the quantity of ginger and grind it to paste. Then similary grind the garlic in a tsp of vinegar to paste and set aside. Then grind 12-13 green chillies with vinegar to paste and let that aside too.*
In a thick bottom pan, heat oil, add fenugreek (methi) seeds fry for a minute, then add cumin and fry for a minute, add red chilli powder and again fry for a minute, then similary put turmeric powder, garlic paste, ginger paste, green chilli paste all at an interval of a minute. Add remaining chopped ginger and garlic, let it fry and finally add the chopped tomatoes, salt and remaining vinegar, mix well. Sit continously till the water reduces and you see a layer of oil floating over this pickle. This is the sign when you come to know that the pickle is ready.
Remove from heat. This can be eaten hot, or cool it at room temperature and then store it in a container for around 7-8 days.

* NOTE: It is important that all these pastes are ground separately and even kept separately in different bowls.

Ingredients:
1 cup washed rice,
10-15 spinach leaves,
1/4 cup moong dal (green gram without skin), soaked for over 2 hours,
1/4 cup tuvar dal (yellow split peas) , soaked for over 2 hours,
1 onion, cut into 2 halves and then sliced,
1 long carrot, chopped,
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves,
8-10 cloves garlic, finely chopped,
1″ ginger, finely chopped,
1-2 green chillies, chopped,
1 tsp lemon juice,
Sal to taste,
Oil and Water.

For tadka-
2 tbsp ghee,
1 tsp cumin seeds,
3-4 red chillies,
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed.

Method:
Blanch spinach* and grind along with green chillies to form a paste that exactly measures 1 cup. Add enough water while
grinding to get that quantity. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic, when they are fragrant add onion and saute till they turn transparent. Then add carrots and again saute for 2 minutes. Add the dal and mix well, fry for 5 minutes. Then add in the rice, cook for 5 more minutes. Now add spinach puree and 2 cups of water. Mix properly and then cover with a lid. Uncover and stir at regular intervals and add water if needed to get the khichdi consistency, i.e. watery, soft and liquid than our normal rice. When rice is cooked add lemon juice and salt.
Just before serving prepare the tadka by heating ghee in a small saucepan, add cumin, red chillies and crushed garlic. Fry
till garlic turns brown and fragrant (not burnt). Pour it on the khichdi, cover it for a minute, so that the flavors of tadka mix with rice. And serve immediately with papad or popadum and pickle.

* Blanching is a process where vegetables are put in boiling hot water for some time and then removing them. This helps
to retain their flavor, color, texture and more importantly the nutrients. Since spinach cooks quickly, this method helps

to retain its green color.

TIPS:
1. If dals are not presoaked then pressure cook them with less water and then add to the khichdi when rice is almost
cooked.

Ingredients:
250gms boneless chicken,
2 onions,
2 capsicums,
1/2 cup spring onion greens,
3 red chillies,
2 green chillies,
8-9 garlic flakes,
1 inch piece ginger, crushed,
2 tbsp soy sauce,
Salt and sugar to taste.

Method:
Cut the chicken in small pieces. Cut chillies, capsicums, onions horizontally in thin stripes.
Take 2 tbsp oil in a wok. After it warms up, add garlic and ginger together. Keep the flame high. Garlic should become
red. Add onions and saute it till brown. Then add chicken pieces and salt. Cover with lid. When the chicken is half done
add green chillies, red chillies and capsicums. Do not cover the wok. Cook it open stirring occasionally. Add soy sauce and
little sugar before chicken is fully cooked. Lastly add greens of spring onion.
This dish can be served as starters or with noodles.

Ingredients:
1 litre cow milk (low fat),
2 tsp white vinegar or 1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1 cup water,
1 flat tbsp cornflour,
Few strands of kesar (saffron),
4 drops rose essence,
3 cups sugar,
4 cups water.

Method:
Heat milk in a vessel and bring to boil. When milk boils add vinegar and keep stirring with a spoon. Milk now starts curdling, remove from heat and use a strainer to separate the curdled milk from water. This curdled milk is know as paneer or cottage cheese. Now place this paneer in a thin muslin cloth, twist the cloth tightly to drain out the excess water, tie a knot to this cloth and hang it for an hour. Then remove the paneer from the cloth and put it in a grinder. Add cornflour to it and grind it for 10 secs. Transfer the paneer to a plate, add saffron threads and knead well. Make very small balls (as they will puff up when cooked). Meanwhile in a pressure pan/cooker, mix sugar and water and bring to boil. The sugar syrup is now ready. Put the gullas or balls (dumplings) into this sugar syrup, cover with lid and pressure cook upto 1 whistle, then reduce the heat and switch off the flame after a minute. When pressure drops open the lid, but let the rasgullas rest and cool down. Later transfer to the serving bowl. Add rose essence and then refrigerate before serving.

TIP:
1. Avoid lemon juice in preparation of paneer in this recipe as it gives a bitter taste to the rasgullas. But if you wish to use lemon juice then make it a point to wash the paneer with cold water twice or thrice before you tie it up in the muslin cloth. This would rinse off the lemon juice.
2. Always use fresh paneer for preparing rasgullas or for that matter any Bengali sweet.