Knitted Toys (Giraffe)

I knitted this giraffe from a very old book of my grand mom in law. The project didnot need much time and is pretty simple.

Materials: approx 60 grams wool

A pair of needles (I used no.10)

Cotton wool for stuffing

Some brown wool for the spots of the giraffe

Some satin ribbon for neck (optional)

Scraps of felt or glossy paper for eyes and nose

Abbreviations:St st: Stocking Stitch

K: knit

P: purl
Tog.: together
Inc: Increase
Dec: decrease

Body: (Right Side)Cast on 16 sts and work in St st for 2 1/2 inches ending with a K row. Break wool and leave on holder.Cast on 19 sts and work for 2 inches in St st finishing with a p row.
Next Row: K.1, inc. in the next st , K to the end.
Next Row:P to the last 2 sts . inc. in the next st., P 1.
Repeat the last two rows once( 23 sts).
Work 1 row without inc.
Next Row:Purl across 23 sts , then purl across 16 sts. left on the holder(39 sts)
Continue on these sts for 1 1/2 inches ending with a P row.
*Next Row:K. to the last 3 sts.K.2 Tog, K1.
Work 2 rows straight.
Next row:P1, P2 tog.,P to the end.
Work two rows st st.
Repeat from * twice(33 sts)
Next Row: K.to the last 3 sts., K2 tog, K1.
Next Row:Purl
Repeat last 2 rows until 22sts remain.Continue dec. in this manner at the end of every 4th row until 17 sts remain.
Then work without further decrease for a few rows depending on how high you want your giraffe neck to be. End with a P. row.
Next Row: Cast on 9 sts and K to the end.
Next Row: P
Next Row:K1, inc 1 in the next st., K to end.

Body ( Right Side)

Work 2 rows straight.

Next row:P to the last 2 sts ,inc in the next st, p1
Work 2 rows straight.
Repeat the last 6 rows once.
Next Row: K1. K2 tog,  K to end.
Next Row:Purl
Repeat last 2 rows until 21sts remain, then dec 1 st at both ends of every row until 5 sts remain. Cast off.

Body: (Left Side)Cast on 16 sts and work in St st for 2 1/2 inches ending with a P row. Break wool and leave on holder.Cast on 19 sts and work for 2 inches in St st finishing with a p row.
Next Row: K to the last 2 sts, inc. in the next st ,K.1.
Next Row:P 1, inc. in the next st.,P to the end.
Repeat the last 2 rows once.
Next Row:K across 23 sts , thenK across 16 sts. left on the holder.
Continue on these sts for 1 1/2 inches ending with a P row(39 sts).
*Next Row:K1.,K.2 Tog, .K. to the end.
Work 2 rows straight.
Next Row: P.to the last 3 sts., P2 tog, P1.
Work 2 rows straight.
Repeat from * twice(33 sts)
Next Row: K1, K2 tog, .K.to the end.
Next Row:Purl
Repeat last 2 rows until 21sts remain.
Continue dec. in this manneron the same edge, at the end of every 4th row until 17 sts remain.
Then work without further decrease for a few rows matching with the right side of the body. End with a K. row.
Next Row: Cast on 9 sts and P to the end.
Next Row: K
Next Row:P1, inc 1 in the next st., P to end.
Work 2 rows straight.
Next row:K to the last 2 sts ,inc in the next st, K1
Work 2 rows straight.
Repeat the last 6 rows once.
Next Row: P1. P2 tog,  P to end.
Next Row:K

Body ( Left Side)

Repeat last 2 rows until 21sts remain, then dec 1 st at both ends of every row until 5 sts remain. Cast off.
Now both the body pieces are ready.

Two body parts

Head Inset; Cast on 4 sts and K 1 row.
2nd row: Cast on 4 sts and p to the end.
3rd row: Cast on 4 sts and K to the end.
Repeat 2nd and 3 rd rows 3 times.
Cast on 1 st at the beginning of next 4 rows. Then K2 tog. at the beginning of next 4 rows.
Cast off 4 sts at the beginning of the next 8 rows.Cast off remaining sts.

Head Inset

Under Body: Cast on 16 sts. and work in St st for 2 1/2 inches ending with a K row. Break wool and leave on holder.Cast on 19 sts and work for 2 inches in St st finishing with a P row.
Next Row: K.1, inc. in the next st , K to the end.
Next Row:P to the last 2 sts . inc. in the next st., P 1.
Repeat the last two rows once and on last row after working across 23 sts on needle,  p across 16 sts left on holder (39 sts.)
Next row: Cast on 4 sts and K to the end.
Next row: Cast on 4 sts and P to the end.
Repeat last 2 rows twice.
Next row: K
Next row: Cast on 3 sts and P to the end.
Next row: Cast on 4 sts and K to the end.
Next row: Cast on 3 sts and P to the end.
Continue casting off 4 sts at the beginning of every row until 43 sts remain.
Next Row: K
Next Row: cast off 4 sts and P to end.
Next Row: K16 , turn.
work in St st for 2 1/2 inches on these sts. Break off wool and join to other side side at  the centre.
Next Row: K2 tog, K to the end.
Next Row: P to the last 2 sts. p 2 tog.

Underbody

repeat the last 2 rows once. Continue in st.st without dec. for 2 inches. Cast off.

Ears: (both alike):Cast on 12 sts and work 12 rows in garter st. Cast off.

Ears

Tail:Cast on 26 sts and work 12 rows in St. st. Cast off.

Tail

Making up: Using a warm iron over a damp cloth press the different parts well.

Sew the under body with the legs. Each point is to be stitched up the centre of the two sides at the back and front. The head inset is to be stitched along the head to the back of the head.Leave a little gap for the ears. Now stitch the two body pieces together. Leave some gap from which stuffing is be inserted. Now sew up the opening. After this sew diagonally across the squares meant for ears. Gather and place the lower edge into the head sim and sew. The tail piece must be folded into half widthwise and cast on and cast off sts together. Sew in the proper place. Now make two eyes for the giraffe. One may buy ready made eyes or sew it with felt or in any other way. I just used two pieces of glossy paper for the eyes.Finally with brown wool embroider the markings on the body of the giraffe. Tie a satin ribbon round its neck. Also sew a t shaped mark on its mouth. For this too I used some glossy paper. The giraffe is now ready!!

I have taken this pattern from a very old book and could not find its cover page for full details. But as far as i understand the book is "Needlecraft" - 'Toy fair' No.276. Here is my giraffe:

8. 2. 14: My colleague , Debosmita Chakrborty followed this pattern and whipped up a Giraffe .  I am so glad to share this wonderful work of hers: 

My giraffe is at last getting a good companion! Loved your work and the color combination too, Debosmita!

Punjabi Chicken Curry

Chicken is a favourite with my family. Every Sunday we cook up some chicken . This time I cooked Punjabi chicken curry. Well here's the recipe:

Chicken : 500grams ,curry cut with bones

Oil: 5-6 tbs

Onions:3 large, ground to paste

Ginger: 1 inch piece, paste

Garlic: 6-8 flakes, paste

Tomatoes:2 pureed

Bay Leaf/ Tej Patti: 1 pc

Curd: 1/2 cup

Brown Cardamoms/ Bari elaichi:2

Cloves/Laung:2

Cinnamon /dalchini: 1/2 inch

Turmeric powder/Haldi:1/2 tsp

Coriander powder/Dhania Powder: 1/2 tsp

Red Chilly powder:1/2 tsp

Garam Masala:1 tsp

Hot water:2 cups

This preparation doesnt need marination. At first, oil is heated and the bay leaf, cardamom, Cinnamon and cloves are added . After a couple of seconds, onion, ginger and garlic paste is added and fried. Now the pieces of chicken are added and fried for 15 mins approx. Now the pureed tomatoes are added to it. This is fried again on medium heat. A little water is to be sprinkled from time to time. This is to be done for around 10 mins. Now turmeric powder, red chilly powder,Coriander powder garam masala,and salt is added. Fry for a minute.It is now time to add the curd . The curd must be whippped well . This is  boiled over low heat for 5 more mins approx or till oil separates. At this stage 2 cups of hot /warm water is added to the dish and transferrred to a pressure cooker. This is cooked to one whistle. The dish is now ready to be served.
Well I made some Bengali Mutton curry or pathar jhol as well. Here's the pic:

There are several recipes of Bengali Mutton curry on the net but I will upload mine pretty soon.

Begun Posto( Brinjals with poppy seed)

Posto or poppy seed is very popular in Bengal. Every other veggie is cooked with posto seeds. Yesterday my friend Sanghamitra came to dine with me. So I made some Begun posto.
For Begun posto we need :
Brinjals 1kg
Posto: 75 grams ground to paste.
Onions :3 medium ground to paste.
Garlic paste:1 tsp
Haldi (Turmeric powder):1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder: To taste
Salt
Oil
Tamarind pulp: 2/3 tbs
Cut the brinjals to large pieces.
Fry them nicely in oil and keep aside.
Heat oil. Add the poppy paste to it and saute well.

Now add onion paste,  garlic paste,turmeric powder, chilly paste ,salt and again continue to saute adding a little water from time to time if necessary. Now add the fried brinjals and water . The amount of water depends on the consistency of the gravy you want. After letting this come to a boil add the tamarind pulp. Add slit green chillies. Serve with steamed rice or chappatis. Potatoes cooked with poppy seeds ( Alu Posto) also tastes very delicious. But with alu posto  the tamarind pulp is not added. Poppy seeds also taste good when cooked with shrimps ( Chingri Posto).Here too tamarind pulp is not used. Here's a pic of the chingri posto:

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Well , there is yet another way to cook Begun Posto and tastes equally good! For this we require all the above ingredients except onions ,garlic and tamarind. For posto or poppy seeds we need around 50 grams poppy seeds and around 25 grams mustard seeds ground together. Cook up in the same manner. After it is done add a little mustard oil ( around 1-2 tsp) to the dish to add some zing. This tastes excellent too!  Try out!! am sure you'll like it.

Black Forest Cake

I made this Black Forest cake with instructions from my sister Bandana. I could bake simple cakes no doubt but did not know how to whip up a pastry. After receiving the necessary instructions from Bandana, I tried my hand out. It basically involves two steps: the first, baking a simple chocolate cake and the next is to use whipping cream , cherries and grated chocolates to transform it into a Black Forest Cake.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup margarine or butter

2 Tbs milk

a pinch of salt

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

whipping cream

Grated chocolate

cherries

Sift the flour,cocoa and the baking powder for about 3 times.

Beat the butter and the sugar to cream. Add the eggs till they are thoroughly blended.

Add the flour and the milk and make the batter. Add vanilla essence.

Pour into the cake tray.

Bake in the convection mode of the microwave at 180C for 25 Minutes or till done.

Let it cool. Whip up cream in the mean time.

Now cut the cake breadth wise into three cross sections.

Pour orange juice, brandy or any juice on the pieces to moisten them.

Now generously put cream in each section and put some cherries too.

On the top most layer sprinkle grated chocolate and decorate with cherries.

Keep in the refrigerator.

Serve!

Stuffed Paratha / Daal stuffed parantha

Last week my friend Sayani shared her tiffin with me...It was an excellent stuffed paratha with chutney. So I gave it a try in the weekend with sayani's recipe and the result was a palatable dish of paratha and dahi aloo( potatoes with curd). Stuffed paranthas are quite popular in India and we stuff our paranthas with all sorts of stuffings: Daal(lentils), mashed potatoes(aloo parantha), Raddish( muli parantha), Keema (minced meat) and so on.Here's how I prepared mine:
1 cup Bengal Grams
2 Tbs oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 red chilly powder
1/4 tsp haldi
Paste: 4 chillies
1/2 inch ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 onion
salt to taste

Soak the daal overnite. Make a paste. One may also boil  the daal with water and salt and a little turmeric powder.Then mash.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a pan . Fry the paste of daal. To this add garam masala powder, haldi powder(turmeric powder),red chilly powder, salt and the paste of ginger, garlic,onion and chilly. Keep frying till the mixture is pretty dry.

Next knead the all purpose flour with 1 Tbs oil, a little salt and water to make a dough. Now take some dough, make a cup and put some daal mixture inside. Pat and roll out a parantha with a rolling pin.

Heat oil in a skillet and fry out the paranthas. One may also deep fry these and turn them into puris.


9.12.12:Well here's a pic of the Methi Paratha I made last sunday:

Crochet bag

I always wanted to make a crochet bag joining a few granny squares. As I was looking for some designs for the squares I came across a "Crochet African Flower Granny square" design on you tube. I followed the instructions to create the following Granny square:

I had to crochet 13 such squares to form the bag which I made. Larger the bag more the number of squares.Well then the squares were arranged in a pattern to form a bag:

Next part was to join the squares . I used the crochet hook itself to join the squares ,though one can use the needle too.

This part was followed by the handle . I crochet a strong handle and affixed it with the bag. The final part was to line the bag with some matching cloth and sew a zipper.

I shall carry the bag to my workplace tomorrow and I really hope my friends and colleagues will like it!


5th May,2013: My sister in law saw this and wanted me to crochet one for her too. So I am making one for her. Will upload the pic soon.

7 June ,2013: I have completed my sis- in -laws bags. Will visit her this Sunday to hand it over. Combination is different this time.

And the shape is different too:

I hope sis- in- law likes and uses it Now making another for a friend of mine. In pink and grey. Let's see how that turns out. Will upload its pic too! Till then, bye bye.
25th June, 2014: And here's my bag in grey n pink:



Panna Cotta

 

My Son recommended this lovely dessert, and i am glad that i tried it out. Its so easy to make. Heres the youtube link for the recipe. Its mango season and me and my husband love mangoes. So we thought of using it instead of the strawberries as per the recipe. You can literally use any fruit you like. 

Recipe credit to Laura Vitale. Check out her site for more exciting recipes.

[Well , I tried out this dish after my sister Bandana recommended . Oh believe me its excellent !! I discussed the possibility of using pineapple essence and sliced pineapples as toppings with Bandana .... when she gave me the green signal I tried it out with pineapples. Yummy was the result!!!  --Moushumi]

knitted dolls

All my knitted dolls together:

I am planning to upload the pattern of this doll as soon as I get some holiday ....very soon hopefully!!

27th April 2014: I obtained this pattern from my friend Asima Dasgupta . It measures about 11 inches. Materials: 2 ( 20 Gram) balls in blue and 1 ( 20 gram) ball in pink. pair no. 11 needles. Kapok for stuffing. A little black wool for the eyes and hair.

Abbreviations: sl= slip stitch

 In.= inches 

cm= centimetres

A= pink

B= blue

Work with stocking stitch always beginning with a knit row unless stated otherwise.

Body and legs

Cast on 10 sts with B.Work straight for 10 rows. Break yarn.Join A and Work 34 rows straight. Make another such.

Next row: k. 10 , cast on 3 , k 10 = 23 sts. Work 24 rows on these 23 sts.

Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Cast off. make another piece the same. Join the two parts leaving the neck area free for stuffing. Stuff firmly.

Hands and arms:   With B cast on14 sts and work  straight for 10 rows. Next row: k2 tog. , k2 tog. , k3, k2 tog. , k2 tog. , k3, k2 tog.=  10 sts

Next row:Purl all. Break yarn and join A. Work 25 rows straight. Cast off,. Make 3 more pieces.Join each pair together and stuff. join to arms and body.

Face:  With A cast on 12 sts and increase 1 st at each end of third and every alternate row until there are 30 sts. .Work straight for 1 row. Decrease 1 st at each end of next and every alternate row until there are 12 sts..Work straight for 1 row. cast off. 

Back of bonnet:  With B , work as for face.

Bonnet band: With B cast on 12 sts and work for 9 inches. cast off. 

Bonnet Frill: With A Cast on 7 sts. 1 st row:Wrong side facing knit.

2 nd Row: p5 turn.  3 rd Row: sl. 1, k 4.  4 th Row: p5, k2.   5th row: knit. 6 th row:   As2 nd. 7th row:  As 3rd row.  8 th row: p5, k2.  9 th row : k 2, p5.  10 th row: k5, turn. 11 th row: sl 1 , p 5. 12 th row : knit .13 th row: k 2 , p 5. 14 th row: as 10 th. 15 th Row: as 11 th.16 th Row: Knit

 Repeat last 16 rows 10 times more. Then rows 1 to 8 again.Cast off. 

Starting at cast on edge of Bonnet Sew band in position. Then sew face to the bonnet band, leaving the neck open for stuffing.

Stuff firmly to make the neck firm.

Sew the bonnet frill to the edge of the bonnet.

Skirt : With A, cast on 15 sts. 1 st Row: Wrong side facing, knit. 2 nd Row:p12, turn. 3 rd Row: sl.1,k 11   4 th Row : p 12, k 3 5th row: knit, 6th row: As 2 nd. 7th row:  as 3 rd, 8 th row: p 12, k 3 9 th row: k 3, p 12 10 th row: k 12, turn 11 th row: sl 1, p 11 12 th row :  knit 13 th row: k 3, p 12 14 th row: as 10 th. 15 th Row: as 11 th.16 th Row: Knit

Repeat last 16 rows 8 times more. .Cast off. Join cast on and cast off edges. sew skirt in position round waist.

Now u may tie two pompons on a twisted cord round its neck. Or may crochet or add any embellishments to decorate the doll further. Eyes , mouth and nose may be stitched, felted or ready made features may be added. Make fringe of black/ yellow loops for hair.

Here is the pattern for the doll. We would love to have the picture of the dolls you made. And It would be a pleasure to get your feedbacks.

Food for thought

During my stay with my sons in Bangalore and Hyderabad
I prepare this dishes and everyone enjoy.

Chicken 65

      .

Add caption

Ingredients

500gms Chicken breast(skinless,boneless),           
1/2 tsp Chilli powder or to taste,                 
1/4 tsp Pepper powder,                                   
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste,
2tsps corn flour,
1 egg,
salt to taste,
1 tsp Cumin seeds,
1 tbsp Chopped garlic,
2 to 3 Green chillies sliced,
10 to 12 Curry leaves,
2 tbsp Curd mixed with 1 cup water,
1/2 tsp Red colour(optional),
1 tsp Lemon juice,
2 tsp oil,
oil for frying.

Method

Wash and cut chicken into 2 inch pieces.
Add chilli powder ,pepper powder, ginger garlic paste ,corn flour, egg and salt.
Mix well, and marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan to deep fry.
When the oil is hot deep fry the marinated chicken pieces until golden brown.
Heat 2tsp of oil in separate pan add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and saute for 1/2 minute, then add curd mix with water and red colour on low flame.
Then add the fried chicken pieces and stir well.
Increase the heat and stir continuously until the liquid is absorbed and it looks dry.
Add lemon juice, garnish with onion rings and serve hot,  ENJOY





Aloo 65

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes
2-3 green chillies
10 curry leaves
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour
1 1/2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp yogurt mix with 1cup of water
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp oil
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste
Red colour (optional)

Method:

Boil, peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.
Mix ginger garlic paste,coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, corn flour, flour, 1/2 of yogurt and salt. Marinate for 20 minutes,in refrigerator.
Heat oil in a frying pan to deep fry, when the oil is hot, deep fry the marinated potatoes till they turn golden brown and crisp from all the sides.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a separate pan
Add the cumin seeds, chopped garlic, green chillies curry leaves and saute for 20 seconds.
Add remaining yogurt and red colour on low flame.
Add fried potatoes and stir well, increase the heat and stir continuously till the liquid is absorbed and it looks dry.
Add lemon juice and served hot, garnish with onion rings. ENJOY





Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

750 gms chicken pieces
1 1/2 cup  basmati rice
4 tbsps oil
1/4tsp saffron soaked with 1/2 cup of warm milk
3 medium onions sliced
3 medium onions sliced and fried brown
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
3/4th tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4th tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 inch stick cardamom
2 bay leaves
10 cloves
8 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
2 tbsps mint leaves chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
4 tbsp butter
salt to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the chicken pieces. Marinate the chicken pieces with yogurt, half of the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. keep aside for an hour.
Cook basmati rice with plenty of water along with bay leaves, 5 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon, 4 green cardamoms, salt and 1 tsp of oil, until  three forth done. Strain the water and spread the rice on a large wide plate. Allow to cool.
Heat 4 tbsps of oil in a pan, add remaining cinnamon, cloves, green cardamoms, add sliced onions, saute till the onions are light brown, add remaining ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, chopped tomatoes, saute for few seconds, add marinated chicken pieces and cook till the chicken is tender.
Take a microwave safe deep bowl. Arrange a layer of cooked chicken at the bottom.Over that arrange half of the rice, sprinkle garam masala powder, half of the fried brown onions, half of the mint and coriander leaves, half of the saffron milk. Repeat this step again. Now add 4 tbsps butter on the top.Cook in the microwave oven for 8 to 10 minutes on 100% power. Let it stands for 5 minutes. Serve hot with raita of your choice. ENJOY



 Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 carrot cut in to 1/2 inch pieces (parboiled)
2 potatoes cubed (parboiled)
1/2 cup french beans cut in to 1/2 inch pieces (parboiled)
1 cup cauliflower florets (parboiled)
1/2 cup green peas
1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 inch stick cinnamon
10 cloves
6 green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
2 bay leaves
2 medium tomatoes chopped
2 medium onions sliced
2 medium onions sliced and fried brown
1 tbsp mint leaves chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 tsp saffron mix with 1/2 cup of  warm milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp butter
salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soaked basmati rice for 1/2 an hour.
Boil the rice with plenty of water along with the bay leaves, 1/2 inch stick cinnamon, black cardamom, 3 green cardamoms, 4 cloves, and salt, until three forth done.
Strain the water and spread the rice on a large wide plate. Allow to cool.
Heat oil in a pan, add remaining cloves, green cardamoms, and cinnamon stick, add onion, saute till light brown, add carrot, cauliflower florets, french beans, potatoes and green peas, saute for two minutes, add ginger garlic paste mix with a little water and stir, add chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, and saute for few minutes.
Take a microwave safe deep bowl. Arrange a layer of cooked vegetable at the bottom.Over that arrange half of the rice, sprinkle remaining garam masala, half of the fried brown onions, half of the coriander and mint leaves, half of the whisk yogurt, half of the saffron milk. Repeat this step again. Now add the butter at the top. cook in the microwave oven for 5 minutes on 100% power. Let it stands for 5 minutes and serve hot with raita of your choice. ENJOY

Clutch Bag

I had made this Clutch Bags a couple of years ago. Its just some Cross Stitch and long straight stitch combined . The best thing about this project of mine is that it took very little time to complete. I had stitched this for my mom in law who is quite a bag enthusiast and loves collecting bags and batuas .I also remember stitching one for my aunt in law in black and silver. Will take a snap of that too when I meet aunty and will upload that too  but I guess I will need some time for that! My school is now in full swing and so very little time for projects but I am on embroidering a saree at snail's pace though! Bye for now!

Vegetable Chop



Last month due to excessive heat all schools around the state was closed. it was then I made several snacks with our evening tea:Paneer Pakora, Momos,Sanwiches,Fish Egg pakor,Keema cutlet and so on.... Fish Egg Pakora is made out of fish eggs which we call 'Maancher Dimer Bora' in Bengali which is served with lunch n dinner too.Paneer Pakora and keema sandwich also turned out well. Tried my hand out with Tibetan Momos too . The unexpected holidays were a fun!I made some Vegetable Chop one day which turned out pretty tasty according to my family.It is a very popular snack in Bengal.Here goes the recipe for Vegetable chop but first the picture:

Vegetable Chop

Potato:3 medium sized
Carrot:2 small
Beat :2 small
Onion:1
Chilly powder:1/2tsp
Oil:1/2 Tbsp

Coriander powder/Dhania Powder:1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder/Jeera Powderr:1/2 tsp
Bread crumps: 1 cup
White flour:1 cup
Ginger Paste:1/2 tsp
Roasted Peanuts:2 tsp

1.Boil the veggies and smash.
2.Heat oil in a pan. Add onions till translucent.
3.Add Ginger paste,Cumin Powder,Coriander powder,Chilly powder .
4.Add the smashed veggies ,salt and saute.
5.Turn off flame and add the roasted peanuts.
6.Make balls in shapes of your choice;circular or cylindrical.
7. Make batter with flour.
8.Coat balls with the batter and then with the bread cramps.
9. Repeat.
10.Set in the fridge for at least an hour .(optional)
11. Fry and serve hot with tomato sauce.
Well here goes my vegetable chop. One may add cauliflower, peas ,kishmish and chopped coriander leaves with it.
Bye for now!
(P.S.:Rinti Didi/ Jamai Babu: Now you see both the tea n snacks are ready. Will look forward to meeting you when you come to Kolkata....:):)As for now enjoy your trip!!)

  

Tea Cosy Cover Set

I wanted to knit a tea cosy cover and make a tray cloth and napkin which matches the cover. So I bought  some cloth and wool to match the set. After knitting the tea cosy and hemming the sides of the tray cloth, I felt I needed to do something more. So I crochet the sides of the tea cosy,tray cloth and napkin in a contrasting blue colour. Hope you like it .

 I have lots of tea in the tea-pot waiting for you to come back to Kolkata ,Rinti Didi :) Waiting for my friends too!

This is the set.....



Here's a close-up of the tea -cosy:

Now will have to make some snacks which I can serve with the tea :) Will upload some on food soon! Bye till then!!

Crochet Baby Dress (Waistcoat)

This is a little waistcoat for my little nephew in crochet. I wanted to use a deep colour as the kid is very fair :)I will also crochet a small cap and a pair of booties for him. 

Crochet Baby Frock Set

I learnt to crochet this frock and baby cap from my colleague Shampa Di . We have quite a couple of little ones in my family.While my sister Bandana is  stitching some wonderful frocks for these lil ones,I have planned to crochet a few frocks for them. :) Quite a few of my friends who commute with me daily to their respective work places have also started to learn this from me.Now I will start working on a crochet baby  jacket in deep blue! Right now I am busy knitting a matching doll with this frock set. Hoping to upload its pic soon.

Crochet Baby Boots

I made this baby bootie for my little niece from a crochet video tutorial ("Crochet Geek-Crochet Baby High Top Booties" ) on you tube. Am now learning to crochet a baby frock from a colleague of mine. Hope to post a picture of the complete frock soon!

To me this small acts done with great love to deepen the bonds between me and my daughter in laws both Manjuri and Bhavika whom I value the most

Cross stitched table runner and table cloth

I first learnt cross stitch from my grand mother when i was very young. Our school sewing projects also involved a lot of cross stitched stuff! so cross stitch is something which makes me very nostalgic.....Cross stitched this white table runner and the brown table cloth a couple of months back.

Doi Manch(Curd-Fish)

Doi Manch or Fish with curd is a popular Bengali dish. There are several ways of cooking Doi Manch. I am mentioning just one of the many ways....

Ingredients:Fish 300 grams

Curd:100 grams

Medium sized onions:2(Grated)

Ginger paste:1 tsp

Turmeric powder:1/4 tsp

Sugar:2 1/2 tsp or to taste

Salt:to taste

Mustard Oil:2 Tbs

Bay leaves:2

Choti elaichi/green cardamom :2

Dalchini/Cinnamon:3/4th"

Cloves/Laung:2

Red chilli powder:1/2 tsp

Green chillies:2/3

Method:Whisk the curd.

Add turmeric powder,red chilly powder,salt and sugar to the mixture.Add the fishes to it.(Do not fry the fishes).

Now heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaves , choti elaichi,dalchini, laung to the oil and after a few seconds add the ginger and onion paste to it. Saute' for a few minutes. Now add the curd and fish to it and bring to a boil. After this lower the heat to sim and simmer for a few more minutes till you get a thickish gravy. (Add very little water only if necessary).Garnish with green chillies.The dish is now ready to be served with steamed rice!