Parwal ke Meethey Paan

Just a few days back, my Instagram account (@swetabiswal) crossed the 1K mark . Nothing great about the numbers when compared to successful Instagrammers yet it is a personal milestone which i felt like celebrating. And going by the Indian way, we celebrate special occasions with something sweet . "Kuch meetha ho jaye" is what we say.Around the same time, I was running out of ideas to use up a big batch of 'parwal' that had arrived from Odisha. After exhausting all the savory dishes, I decided to make something sweet of out this summer vegetable.

Parwal ka meetha is a kind of sweet made from pointed gourd. Very popular in the Northern parts of India, it is something delightful and different. But not as daringly different as I like. When it comes to experimental cooking, I love to break all the rules. Hence, a further twist to this already different recipe.

Combining the desserts and meetha paan into one, the 'Parwal ke meethey paan' is not just a complete dessert in itself but so refreshingly different. Plus it is easy to prepare and stays good for almost a week. Tastes best when served chilled so make sure to prepare a big batch in advance before inviting guests to your home.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 10-12 Parwal/Potolo/Pointed Gourd

For stuffing -

• 100 gm mawa
• 1/2 cup mixed dry fruits 
• 3 tsp gulkand 
• 2 tsp mukhwas
• 2-3 tsp tutti-frutti

For the syrup -

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3-4 betel leaves
• few drops of edible green color

For final garnishing -

• 2 tsp mukhwas
• silver foil (optional)

Preparation - Peel the pointed gourd and make a slit along the length. Remove the pith.

Boil water in a saucepan. Once it gets to a full boil, dunk the pointed gourd and let it boil for 3 mins.

Around the same time, prepare the betel flavored sugar syrup. Take 3/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 4 betel leaves and the edible food color in a saucepan. Stir on a medium flame it the sugar is dissolved and the syrup thickens.

Strain the pointed gourd and add it to the flavored sugar syrup. Let it boil till soft. 

Remove from flame, strain the syrup and let the vegetables cool down. 

Put a non-stick pan on the burner. Add the crumbled mawa and keep stirring it constantly till it gets a brown hue.

Remove and mix in the rest of the ingredients (mentioned under stuffing).

Stuff a spoonful or so of the mixture into the parwal and garnish with mukhwas and/or silver foil.

Put in the fridge for an hour or two.

Serve chilled .

Biryani Arancini with Burrani Dip ( Indo-Intalian fusion )

IMP - This i an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on Oriyarasoi. 

The crafty Italians make Arancini from any leftover risotto. Makes complete sense given that the risotto itself is a labor of one's love. Throwing away such deliciousness is sheer criminal offence. So, shouldn't we take a cue from these people and give a makeover to one of India's most loved dishes. The biryani is something that takes much time and effort so there is no reason why any excess should be disposed off in an disrespectful fashion.

Hence was born the 'Biryani arancini'! A dish so delicious that it would win the approval of the Italians itself. After the superb success of the savory Panna cotta in three typical Indian flavors, I have added yet another signature dish to my name. Mama mia !! I should have been born an Italian . Or at least married one. On second thoughts, I am happy that the second option did not materialize. Coz the Italian MIL could purportedly given a run to her Indian counterpart when it comes to the 'saas-bahu' melodrama bit. Gawd !!!

But coming back to the recipe, the Biryani arancini is simple to prepare. Since it is already loaded with beautifully aromatic spices, it does not require any additional spices. It is just needs to be shaped into balls, dipped in egg wash and rolled in bread crumbs before being dunked into hot oil. And instead of serving it with Arrabiata that usually goes with the crunchy Arancini balls, just whip up a pretty elementary but incredibly flavorsome Burrani dip ( inspired by the Burrani raita ofcourse ).  A win-win situation !!

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -

For the arancini -

• 2 cups chicken biryani
• 1 egg 
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated mozarella 
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 pinch salt 
• 8-10 peppercorns ( freshly ground )
• oil for deep frying

For the Burani Dip -

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 pinch roasted cumin
• 2 pinch red chili powder (optional)
• black salt 
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Preparation - Remove any bones from the chicken pieces and shred them into smaller bits. 

If any whole spices (like cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, etc) are present in the rice, they too need to be removed.

Break the egg into a bowl, add the salt and beat it gently.

Take the rice in a mixing bowl. Add the mozzarella and half of the beaten egg. Mix together. 

Scoop out small amounts of the rice mixture, press into a compact mass and shape into balls. 

Roll each ball in the flour, then dunk into the egg wash ( add the powdered peppercorn to it before doing so ) and finally roll over the bread crumbs to form a uniform layer.

Repeat the same process with the remaining rice mixture.

To make the dip, take all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. Let it stand for 15-20 mins for the garlic flavor to infuse into the yogurt. 

Pass the yogurt through a sieve to make a smooth creamy dip.

Cooking - Heat the oil and gently place 2-3 arancini balls in it at a time to prevent overcrowding and to allow the balls to cook uniformly.

Cook on medium flame for about 4 minutes each. A crunchy brown layer should form all over.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Serve immediately with the Bhoorani dip.

Omelette with Betel Leaf Pesto

IMP - Omelette with Betel Leaf Pesto is an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on oriyarasoi.com. 

After almost a decade, I am visiting my native in Western Odisha during the scorching summer. While I always time my visits to coincide with the pleasant weather prevalent during the months of October-November, circumstances dictated my travel plans this time. It is strangely comforting to be back in the midst of an oppressive heat wave that makes its presence felt even as early as daybreak and extends well into the late hours of the night. A train journey to this part of Odisha presents a stark contrast with the Coastal regions of the state which still has some greenery to boast. A landscape of yellowed, wilted, scorched and burnt vegetation stretches out for as long as one cares to look. Everything stands still and if at all the winds blow, they are hot enough to scald the skin.

Pakhala seems to be the only source of respite for most folks as the roads wear a completely deserted look during midday. But today's post is not about Pakhala. This one has been in the drafting stage for sometime as I had been tied up with a couple of things in the past weeks. A very daring and experimental recipe that involves making a pesto out of betel leaves, this is part of my efforts to add a touch of gourmet to everyday food. Getting the flavors of the pesto right is the toughest part of this recipe. One might just need to tweak the proportions of the pesto ingredients to adapt it to their taste-buds.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

For the pesto -

• 1/2 of 1 tender betel leaf
• a handful of coriander leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lime juice ( or tamarind paste )
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Other ingredients -

• 2 eggs
• a few cherry tomatoes
• 2-3 betel leaves
• 2 pinch salt
• a few drops of oil

Preparation - Grind all the ingredients for the pesto into a coarse paste. Taste and modify the proportions of the coriander, sugar and lime to balance the acrid taste of the betel leaf.

 Cooking - Break the eggs into a bowl. Add a little salt and beat gently.

Heat a non stick frying pan . Smear with a few drops of oil.

Toss a few cherry tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook for 2-3 mins and then remove.

Pour the egg onto the same pan and spread it into an even layer. Cook on both without browning.

Remove and keep aside.

Spread a layer of the pesto on one half of the omelette and fold.

Serve on betel leaves along with the cherry tomatoes.