‘Mishti Doi’ A.K.A. ‘Bengali Style Sweetened Yogurt ’

I remember growing up Appa used to bring this mishti for us from Kolkata as it wasn’t available in Delhi. The first time I tasted it I didn’t like it as found it too sweet for my Tamil taste buds. However as Amma and baby bro were in love with this mishti Appa kept bringing it even after my protests against it :-(. To be fair, he also got me Rasagullas to balance it out :-). Then I moved away to the US and of course started missing everything that tied me to home / my culture and traditions. Then 2 years back I had this mishti at a friend’s home after many years and maybe it was my developed taste buds or the fact that I hadn’t had it in a very long time but I loved the dish. I got the recipe immediately and on my next trip to the grocery store picked up the ingredients and tried to make it at home. Lo and Behold, the dessert turned out perfect and has since then became a go to dessert for moi and the family :-). I have shared this recipe with my husbands side of the family in the US and it is their fav too ;-). Sharing the recipe for ‘Jhatpat Mishti Doi’ A.K.A. ‘Sweetened Yogurt Bengali Style’ from my kitchen to yours.

Jhatpat Mishti Doi

Ingredients

1 cup – Fresh Yogurt

1 cup – Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup – Evaporated Milk

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients using a whisk in an oven safe bowl
2. Heat oven to 350 F
3. Place the bowl in the oven and bake for 20 mins (or until a toothpick comes out almost hundred percent clean)
4. Remove bowl from the oven and cool
5. Once cool , place bowl in refrigerator to chill
6. Serve chilled and enjoy

TIPS:

1. You can choose to add chopped dry fruits to the mixture to give it a different taste and flavor
2. You can choose to add any kind of flavoring (vanilla, orange, pineapple etc) to it for a flavored mishti doi
3. Make sure that the mishti doi is not completely set (oven temps n cooking times vary so check your oven) , it needs to be soft so that it can be set completely and yet be creamy
4. If you want to avoid the condensed milk, you can change the recipe to me 1 cup evaporated milk, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ cup fresh yogurt. Make sure to whisk and mix the ings well before setting in the oven

Zen Gardens – vegetarian restaurant, a place with great food, customer service and ambience

When it came to restaurants serving Chinese food it seemed one had 2 choices, either one got healthy food minus the taste or tasty food minus the health advantage. Then 2 weeks back my friend suggested we try ‘Zen Gardens – a vegetarian restaurant’ as her friends had given it great reviews. I was game to check out the place and thus we landed up there on a Friday evening for dinner. The restaurant was kind of empty which to me was a sign of it not being popular/ serving good food/ lacking in customer service etc. However, as we were already there we decided to go in and check out the place for ourselves.

As almost all the menu items were unfamiliar to us, we took a long time going over the menu as each item looked interesting. In addition my friend and I kept getting distracted by all the yummy food that was being served on other tables :-). The more time we spent browsing through the menu, the more confused we got and then finally we had to ask our waitress for suggestions. She patiently explained the various dishes that we were contemplating on getting and also made recommendations after checking with us regarding our likes and dislikes. Based on her suggestions and recommendations we both ordered a Bento box as our main course and Dumplings for appetizers.

The dumplings had a filling of finely chopped mixed vegetables, steamed for the right amount of time as they weren’t chewy or undercooked and served with a peanut sauce. We devoured them as they were yummy and we were hungry. Then we were served soup which is part of the Bento box, the soup seemed to be a mix of wonton and sweet corn. It had 2 wontons floating in a clear broth along with sweet corn and green onions. It was lightly flavored and piping hot which made us feel warm and fuzzy on the cold winter night. That was followed by a small steamer which contained a piece of steamed dumpling and a tofu roll which was also steamed and they were served with a sweet sauce. The main course (Bento box) was presented in compartmentalized container and included a green salad with a sweet, orange flavored dressing, Kung Po Soy Fritters, purple rice, spring roll and tofu cakes. The tofu cakes were deep fried as was the vegetable spring roll and they were perfect, not too crispy and not too soft. The Kung po soy fritters were cooked in a brown sauce along with bell peppers, onions, and tofu and green onions. The purple rice was cooked to al-dente and serve with a shaving of dried onions on top. All the dishes were delicious, though I had to add some red chilli sauce to make them spicier to suit my taste buds.

Our waitress came in 1-2 times to check in with us to ensure our food was what we expected and if we wanted to order anything else. By the time we finished our meal and left the restaurant it was 9.30pm, which we didn’t realize was beyond their hours of operation. Even though the restaurant had closed, the wait staff didn’t once show impatience or get rude or pushy with us in order to get us to leave early. My friend and I loved the experience so much that we went back the following weekend on a Saturday and the amazing experience of lip smacking food and great hospitality was repeated once again.

So folks, if you want a place to enjoy healthy and delicious food and outstanding customer service head on over to Zen Gardens, located at 6980 Maritz Drive, unit 6, Mississauga, ON L5W 1Z3, Telephone # 905-461-2498. They have plenty of parking and also offer take out services. Ambience is serene and casual and quiet (I guess everyone is too busy enjoying the food to be talking). They have other locations too and you can get the details at http://www.zen-garden.ca/. Zen Gardens receives 5 STARS in my book.

‘Nawabi Subz Biryani’ A.K.A. ‘ Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani’

When I got admission at the university in Hyderabad there was a 2 step sadness that crept into my heart. Once was that I would be leaving Amma, Appa, baby bro, Nani, Dadu, Mama, Mami n all my friends and going away so far. N the other one was that I would not get any more Amma and Nani ke haath ka khana :-(. I had heard the horror stories from family and friends of their time away at uni/college and of living in a hostel and having to make do with the ‘hostel / mess ka khana’. Through these stories I had pieced together the fact that hostel/mess food was always awful (as depicted in the movie 2 States as well ;-)) and you should count your lucky stars if you got even one dish that was edible. However, I was in for a pleasant surprise when the food that was served at our hostel turned out to be pretty good. Given the fact that we were in Hyderabad A.K.A. The land of the biryani I was overjoyed when I noticed that Hyderabadi Biryani was on the menu for Sunday lunch. Initially the biryani brought back memories of Nu nani, Nani and Amma being in the kitchen preparing the biryani while the whole family magically managing to fit into the kitchen to chit chat n of course offer to be the biryani tasters :-). However, as time went by the novelty of the Hyderabadi Biryani started to wear thin as it was on our lunch menu for every Sunday. By the time final year rolled along, we were thoroughly bored of biryani, Mirchi ka Salan, Baghara Baingan and Raita. My girlfriends and I always skipped the hostel lunch on Sundays and instead went out to Universal Bakers and have burgers n pizzas. Truth be told I was so done with biryani that I stopped eating it completely for many years (as though my time at university had satiated me when it came to biryani). Then one day last year I wanted to make something special for my hubby n close friends and after toying with quite a few ideas zeroed in on biryani. I thought as it had been so long since I had eaten it or made it so maybe just maybe I would like tasting it again. I rang up Nani and got the recipe for her famous biryani and got to work recreating the magic of Nani’s biryani. As I had never ever made biryani (thanks to aversion from uni days), wasn’t expecting great results. But, not sure whether it was the recipe or the fact that I was completely focused and cooking with care and love but the biryani came out perfect (if I may say so without sounding like a brag ;-)). Since then have made the ‘Nawabi Subz Biryani’ A.K.A. ‘ Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani’ on many occasions and it has been well received by family and friends. So, sharing the recipe with you all and here is hoping you share it with your family and friends and enjoy it as much as us.

Nawabi Subz Biryani

Ingredients

2 cups – Basmati rice
4 nos – Cloves
1 inch stick – Cinnamon
4 nos – Green cardamom
3 nos – Bay leaves
1 ½ tsp – Coriander powder
1 ½ tsp – Garam masala powder
1 ½ tsp – Red chilli powder
1 cup – Plain yogurt
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
½ cup ½ inch pieces (cut diagonally) – Green beans
½ cup ½ inch pieces (cut diagonally) – Carrots
1 cup boiled, peeled and cubed – Potatoes
1 cup sliced – Green bell peppers
½ cup – Green peas
1 ½ cups finely chopped – Onions
4 nos finely chopped – Green chillies
2 inch piece minced – Ginger
3 pods minced – Garlic
½ cup – Caramelized onions
2 Tbsp – Cashew nuts
Method

1. Wash rice well in running water. In a heavy bottom pan, add the rice, 2 cups of water, 1 Tbsp oil and 1 pinch of salt and cook till rice is half cooked. Remove from flame and keep aside
2. Heat oil in a large pan and once hot add the bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Immediately add the onions and sauté till onions are light brown in color
3. Add the minced ginger and garlic and sauté till the raw smell of the onions, ginger and garlic disappears
4. Add the coriander, garam masala and red chilli powders and then add sauté for 3-4 minutes
5. Add the beaten yogurt and 1 cup water and let the mixture simmer on low for 2-3 minutes
6. Mix in the green beans, carrots, green bell peppers, potatoes, green chillies and green peas and half cooked rice and add salt
7. Combine the ingredients well and then cover with a tight fitting lid and cook on low flame for 10 mins (cooking times may vary depending on your range)
8. Turn off the heat and then let it rest for 5-7 mins before opening the lid
9. Stir it gently to combine the rice and vegetables
10. Garnish with caramelized onions and cashew nut pieces (fried in ghee )
11. Serve with Baghara Baingan / Mirchi ka Salan / Raita / Chutneys and enjoy
12. Pound the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves well in a motor and pestle

TIPS:

1. You can choose to eliminate the cashew nuts from the recipe if someone has a nut allergy. Alternately you can choose to do it with almonds instead of cashew nuts
2. You can also make a paste of ginger and garlic instead of mincing them to use in the biryani
3. You can add other vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms or even soya nuggets to the biryani