Bhindi Masala

When I go out to eat, I usually like to order something that I don't particularly enjoy making at home either because it is too complicated, or needs a lot of time or patience, or involves deep frying, or for myriad other reasons. So I was quite surprised when I was eating with a bunch of friends when someone ordered 'Bhindi Masala'. Why would one order something as simple as that, I thought. I know that everyone has their own preferences when eating out, and some prefer to stay within familiar limits, but this wasn't the case here. As it turned out, she was not very comfortable making it at home. I know she is a good cook, so it had nothing to do with her skills either. Perhaps she did not have a good recipe. Whatever. I will leave that in the realm of conjecture.



There are many people who have extreme reactions to Okra (Bhindi in Hindi, Bhendi in Marathi, Bhinda in Gujrati). There are those who like it so much that they can eat it as often as they can, and there are those who cannot stand it, usually because of the seeds or because of the slime. Then there are those like me who are more, ahem, balanced, about it. We like to eat it once every so often, but will not go overboard with it.

Selecting Okra

Fresh okra is available increasingly now in regular grocery stores as well as at farmers' markets, and especially during spring and summer. Look for uniformly green pods, that are tender and firm but not tough. Oh, and try not to snap the end of each pod to check if they are good. Snap one if you must, and if a batch is good, they are all likely to be good.

Cleaning and Prepping Okra

To avoid the okra getting slimy while it is being cooked, it is important that it is very dry beforehand. Washing okra is not recommended. I wipe each pod of okra with a damp towel, and let it dry completely before chopping. Trim off the ends before chopping it further as required by a recipe. Some preparations like 'Stuffed Bhindi' need only one slit along the length to create a pocket for the filling.

I make 'Bhindi Masala' two different ways, sometimes with tomato and sometimes without it, and I like both of them. Okra is capable of taking a lot of spice without getting too spicy, so do not be afraid to season it well. While cooking, add salt only towards the end, as salt tends to draw out moisture, which makes it undesirably sticky. I like the okra to be cooked well, to a point where it is crisp and has some brown spots. Best to serve with phulkaas, parathas, or rotis, with any kind of thick dal on the side.

Bhindi Masala (with tomato)

1 lb bhindi (okra)
1 medium yellow onion
1-2 ripe tomatoes, (1 is enough if it is large)
2-3 Tablespoons of oil
1 teaspoon of ghee (optional, but definitely adds to the flavor)
pinch of mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
few pinches ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon amchoor (dried raw mango powder)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional

Clean the okra with a damp towel, and after it is completely dry, slice each pod of okra into thin rounds, discarding the ends. Slice the onion thinly and chop the tomato finely.

In a large kadhai or wok, heat the oil and ghee, and add mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the cumin and fennel seeds, followed by onion, and saute for a minute. Add turmeric and okra and saute till it starts to change color slightly. Let it cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and chili powder, and continue to stir-fry on medium-low heat until everything is cooked together, which takes 5-10 minutes depending on the okra. At the end, add salt, and the remaining spices, and keep cooking for a few more minutes on low heat, stirring if required. Add cilantro.

Without tomato



Everything stays the same, but increase the amount of amchoor to 1 teaspoon, and do not add sugar. The okra tends to get crisper in this version; since there is no tomato, the overall moisture content is reduced.

Note: A true Punj is likely to scoff at the mention of sugar in a sabjee, even in a tiny amount, so feel free to leave it out for authenticity's sake. I think it balances the acidity of the tomato and amchoor and helps to caramelize the okra very well. Mustard too, is not commonly added to Punjabi sabjees, so you can leave that out too.


I am sending this to the 'Regional Cuisines of India - Punjab' event.

Ginger Chai Masala Spiced Scones

While reading some of the food blogs, I noticed a lot of them displaying icons for an event called WBB. That sent me searching for what it meant, and found out that it stood for 'Weekend Breakfast Blogging'. Ah, I see. Quite fortuitous, as I was about to post a recipe that would fit in with the latest theme 'Spice it up'.

When I saw this recipe for Lavender Scones in Sunset, the first thought that crossed my mind was that I wanted to try it out with Chai Masala, instead of the lavender. I liked the idea of steeping it in milk to infuse its flavor and then using that in the dough. Instead of lemon zest, I used chopped crystalized ginger for compatibility.

The resulting scones were light and airy, with a mild scent of chai masala, and predominant notes of cardamom and ginger, but faint enough to make one wonder what exactly it is. I served these with a bit of jam, but that seemed unnecessary. They are wonderful on their own, with tea, coffee, or milk.



Here is the adapted recipe, with all the changes I made to it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon chai masala (*see note below)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (5-1/3 Tablespoons) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 Tablespoons fresh finely chopped crystallized ginger (candied ginger)
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preparation

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk and chai masala to a simmer. Let it steep for 15 minutes, then cover and chill for about 45 minutes. Strain the milk and set aside; discard the chai masala.

2. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a food processor, whirl flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for a few seconds. Add butter and chopped crystallized ginger and pulse to form a coarse meal. Add masala-infused milk and pulse to form a shaggy dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead 3 to 5 times, just enough to form a ball.

3. Form dough into a 6-inch. circle. Cut into 6 wedges. Arrange wedges 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and sprinkle each lightly with turbinado sugar. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Yield: Makes 6 scones

Note: You could use your favorite homemade or store-bought chai masala. If you do not have access to it, you could subtitute with a mix of powdered ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of black pepper, a teaspoon in total.


I am sending this to WBB #12 : Spice it up

Cherry Cobbler

I mentioned earlier about picking tons of cherries and lugging them home from the orchard. After I gave away a few packets of these fresh cherries to friends, one of the things I made right away was Cherry Pickle. I liked it so much that I made another double batch of it, and gifted some of that too. Most of the remaining ones were used for snacking and as a natural dessert, but I also wanted to cook something with them. So while searching for recipes that use fresh cherries, I found this Cherry Cobbler, and decided to give it a try. It was absolutely delicious. Of course, if it was anything less than that, I would not have blogged about it. It is worth mentioning that it was even better the next day, warmed just a bit, so it is something that can be made in advance too.



Since the cherries I used were very sweet, I reduced the amount of sugar in it, and added a dash of vanilla extract for flavor. I made only half of the recipe, which is something I really regreted.

Noting the recipe here for reference, along with a few changes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2 cups pitted sweet bing cherries
1/3rd cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
a few drops of pure vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the butter in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and place in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating. Remove as soon as butter has melted, about 5 minutes.

Place the cherries into a bowl, and toss with the 1/3rd cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and baking powder. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until well blended, then pour the batter into the pan over the butter. Do not stir. [Note: I think it might not hurt to stir this together a little. The butter at the edges is what causes the brown lines along the side of the pan]

Distribute the cherry mixture evenly over the batter. Do not stir.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cobber should come out clean.

This is a hastily taken picture before gobbling.



Archana's cherry lassi was on the radar, but that will have to wait now.

A spin on the farmer's lunch

Pithale - Bhakri Sandwich

Growing up in a big city, having a yard was a dream, and being on a farm was just impossible. In fact there wasn't a farm to be seen for miles. So you have to forgive me, but my idea about farmers on the deccan plateau of Maharashtra was derived from geography books, and marathi movies that were shown on Doordarshan on Saturday evenings. These movies often romanticised the hard working farmer (shetkari), who ate a humble lunch of pithale and bhakri, wrapped in a cloth, with a garlic chutney and chilies on the side, washed down with buttermilk. It was an impressionable age, after all, and this was the image that lasted with me.

Apart from something seen from a car or bus, I have yet to see a real farm in Maharashtra or meet a farmer who eats such a lunch, but I think I am on the right track about the food. While the visit remains a dream, the lunch is much more achievable, and hopefully atleast half as good. After all, nothing can replace that smell of the earth and the crops swaying in the field, as I partake a fresh warm bhakri.

About the main components

Pithale, pronounced 'piTh-luh', but usually spelled in English as 'pithale', is a dish made out of chickpea flour (besan), with basic ingredients that are typically available in the pantry. It is unbelievably quick and easy, as you will see in the recipe below. The thickness of the pithale varies from runny to scrambled depending on the preferences of people. It can be thickened even further, at which point it beomes very dry, nearly crisp, but not completely, which is then referred to as 'zunkaa'.

Bhakri (bhAkri, bhaakri) is a flatbread, made by patting the dough on a flat surface, rotating it as it flattens and spreads. Easier said than done, as I know from experience. I have tried to learn it from someone who has made bhakris for years, and hoped to emulate her, but have abandoned it now as something I might not be able to do. There are bhakris made out of bajri, jowar, nachani, even rice.

Here, I have adapted the concept, to make a handy sandwich, which can be enjoyed outdoors, or anywhere else. It is a great option for a picnic lunch or a busy weeknight dinner.



Pithale - Bhakri Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 small onion
3/4 th cup besan (chickpea flour)
2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1-1/2 teaspoons kanda-lasun masala (*see note)

4 whole wheat pita breads
a little softened butter or ghee
1 tomato, sliced
4 Tablespoons peanut sesame chutney or to taste
4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Peel the onion, cut 2 or 3 round slices, separate into rings, and leave these aside to add to the sandwich. Chop the rest of the onion. In a medium bowl, add a little water to the besan, just enough to make a thick paste.

Heat the oil in a wok or kadhai. Add the mustard seeds, and when they pop, add the hing, turmeric, chopped onion and kanda lasun masala. Saute it for a few minutes until the onion softens, and add half a cup of water. When the water comes to a boil, add in the besan paste, and stir continuously with a wooden spoon as it starts to thicken. Stir it until it forms a thick mass, roughly scrambled.

Apply butter to the pita breads, and spread some of the pithale on it. Top with the reserved sliced onion, chutney, cilantro, and tomato. Cover with another pita bread, press gently, and slice into two or four. Repeat for the other sandwich.

This will make 2 sandwiches.

Notes and Variations:

* In this recipe, you could substitute the kanda-lasun masala with 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, and 1 minced scallion.

If you like very spicy food, you could add some red chili powder to the paste, depending on how hot the kanda lasun masala is.

I use whichever chutney is on hand - garlic chutney or cilantro chutney works just as well, although they lack the crunch of the peanuts.

Add some lettuce leaves to the sandwich if you like.


I am sending this too to the 'Regional Cuisines of India - Maharashtra' event.

Peanut Sesame Chutney

Good things come in small packages

It would be an understatement to say that chutneys are an integral part of an Indian meal. They come in countless forms and combinations, and are used as condiments to zip up something that someone might find bland. In traditional maharashtrian meals, chutneys are generally served as part of a meal, in small quantitites, on the top left side of the plate.



This is a simple dry chutney that takes only minutes to make, but is high on flavor and very versatile. Since it is dry, it also lasts for a long time. In marathi it could be called 'shengdANe ANI tILAchi chaTNI'.

Ingredients

1 scant cup of peanuts
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
2 dried red chilies
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar

Method

On a medium skillet, roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, chilies and cumin seeds for a few minutes. Take it off the heat and let it get cool. Add the chili powder, salt, and sugar to it, and powder everything in a food processor. Do not over process, as it could get sticky. It will keep in an airtight container for several days, even weeks.

Serving Suggestions:

While this chutney can be definitely served as part of a meal, there are plenty of uses for it that I like. It can be stirred into some sesame oil to eat with dosas and idlis, or it can be stirred into some yogurt to make a wet chutney.

Other uses:

Add it to simple salads like onion-tomato or tomato-cucumber. Add it to sauteed okra at the end for an added crunch and taste. Sprinkle some on top of a bagel with cream cheese, a new favorite use.

I am sending this to the 'Regional Cuisines of India - Maharashtra' event.

Vibrant Vancouver

When a neice called me up a couple of months ago to say that she will be in Vancouver for a project, I immediately started looking for flight tickets. Of course, it wasn't until she got somewhat settled that I made real plans to go there. I had visited Vancouver a few years ago, and was quite smitten with the place and the surrounding area of British Columbia at that time. So this was a good excuse to go and hang out in the city, where she is now living it up in a downtown high-rise.

On my previous trip I had been to Victoria, which is a charming ferry ride away to Vancouver Island, and had done the obligatory road trip to Whistler, which was also beautiful. This time, I just wanted to spend more time in the city, walk around and use the skytrain, go bicyling, and enjoy life in the city itself, and had a swell time doing just that. The weather was gorgeous on all the days, in fact, it was too hot for this time of the year, but that is any day better than rain.

Vancouver is a vibrant young city, very compact and easy to navigate, surrounded by water and mountains, with plenty of places for good food, and lots of activity. We started off by walking along the waterfront, and then later in the afternoon took the seabus to Lonsdale Quay. Walked around the market there, had a crepe with ice cream, and returned back to continue walking in Gastown.

I had been to Capilano before, so this time we went to Lynn Canyon, where there is a suspension brige as well, from where we hiked up to Rice Lake. Spent the gorgeous evening later at Kits beach, in the Kitsilano neighborhood. The day was heating up so much at that point that I actually got tanned.



Another thing we did was to rent bicycles and go riding along the seawall in Stanley Park. Awesome. Part of the seawall is closed for reconstruction right now, which took away some of the joy of doing the whole loop of the park along the water, but there was still plenty to enjoy.

The only place that got a repeat visit was Granville Island - I love it. There is the public market, cute stores to browse, and it is easy to get to from downtown either by bus, or across the False Creek by aquabus.

Will leave you with some more pictures. You can click on an image to see the larger version.

Reminds me of me

Does this look familiar?

Cherry Pickle

When life gives you cherries do you make pickle or jam?

In either case, you first need to pit them. I always fancied buying a cherry pitter but never had the need to buy one. I usually eat cherries straight up, but last weekend I brought tons of fruit home, and I am quite sure that it would be impossible to finish it all by simply snacking. So, I have plans to preserve them a couple of different ways, and that means I would need to pit a whole lot of them. So, here comes the Cherry Pitter to the rescue! Phtk, phtk, phtk, one by one they popped out - hah, I am easily pleased.

One batch of it went into a pickle that I adapted from a recipe in 'Usha's Pickle Digest', written by Usha Prabakaran. More on that book sometime later.

Although I started with the quantities given, I changed the quantities quite a bit when I started measuring out the ingredients because most of the spices seemed too much to me. The end result was really good. It is a pickle that will please people who like pickles. By that I mean that it has just the right amount of that salty, spicy and sour taste which is the hallmark of Indian pickles. This inspite of drastically reducing the amount of salt, spice and oil given in the recipe.

Apart from that joyful pitting activity, the recipe is quite simple. Here is what I did, with volumetric measurements instead of the orginal ones in grams, except for the cherries.



Ingredients:

500 grams cherries
1 teaspoon + 2 Tablespoons pickling salt, or kosher salt
1 teaspoon methi (fenugreek) seeds
1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon + 4 Tablespoons of oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 Tablespoons jaggery
1 1/2 Tablespoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 Tablespoons lime juice

Method:

Pit the cherries. This is also called stoning the cherries. Marinate the cherries in a teaspoon of salt for a day. Roast the methi and hing on medium heat for a few minutes and powder them together.

Heat one teaspoon oil, add mustard seeds, and when they start to pop, add turmeric, cherries, and jaggery. Stir it together for a few minutes until the cherries start to soften, and some of them break down.

Add the remaining salt, oil, and dry spices, and continue cooking until the oil starts to separate (I did not see this happening, but I knew it was done when the oil got really hot). Add the lime juice, and remove when the mixture starts to bubble.

It is ready to eat as soon as it is cool. The book says that this pickle can stay upto 2 months.

Cherry Picking

Around here, the cherries are starting to get ripe and ready. Which means thousands of people will be thronging to various orchards, especially on weekends, to eat some fruit off the trees and then pick some to take home. Last weekend, I was one among the many, and oh, what fun it was. The cherry trees were overflowing with fruit, and at one point I could see green orchards dotted with red as far as the eye could see.

These picture do not do justice to that joy of seeing such a sight, and the experience of picking the fruits off the tree.

Clustered on a branch



A row of cherry trees



Blindingly beautiful sweet Bing cherries, just picked

A pumpkin recipe, on request

Baakar Bhaaji



A while back, gudy2shuz asked me if I had a recipe for 'lal bhoplyachi bakar bhaji' with sesame seeds and peanuts. She even offered me her aaji's (grandmother's) recipe, which was:

"you dice the pumpkin, roast together some dry coconut, khus khus, peanuts and sesame seeds. grind the stuff into a coarse powder. make a phodni of mustard seeds, hing and haldi, saute the pumpkin in it for a bit, cover and cook, then add the powder, some jaggery, red chilli powder and salt. garnish with coriander powder."

She added:

"its easy enough, but getting the mixture of sweet/spicy/nutty is at the heart of the puzzle."

In my mind, this was already good enough, but she wanted to know the precise proportions. I would have happily given them to her if only I knew how the result is supposed to taste like. Suddenly I felt quite responsible. I searched through some of my cookbooks to see if there was anything like that, and there wasn't. So the next thing was to search around the web, and I found Anita's recipe, which looked very close to what 'gudy' had described. To complete my quest, I checked with a friend if she knew something, and she said that she hadn't heard the term 'baakar bhaji', but there was a recipe in Ruchira that was very similar. Sure enough, it looked like it might be just the thing.

Since pumpkin season is well over now, I was skeptical about how the squash bought in a grocery store out of season would taste, because I have found that winter squashes bought at the local farmers' market are way superlative in taste compared to the others. I found a butternut squash that was grown in Mexico, because waiting until next fall would have been too long. Butternut squash is usually my first choice for making Indian sabjis that call for pumpkin. Acorn squash follows closely, because it also takes to spices very well.

The result was fantastic! I made a few changes to the original, like peeling the skin off instead of keeping it on, and reducing the amount of hing (1/2 teaspoon!). Here is the adapted recipe.



Ingredients:

500 gm butternut squash
3 Tablespoons khus khus (white poppy seeds)
3 Tablespoons dried grated coconut
3 Tablespoons charoli nuts (can use peanuts instead)
3-4 pieces of tamarind or 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
6 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 pinches of asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon methi (fenugreek) seeds
3/4 teaspoon red chili powder
salt to taste
1-1/2 Tablespoon jaggery
3 teaspoons goda masala

Method:

Peel the butternut squash and chop it into large pieces, about 2 inches in length.

Dry roast the khus khus, coconut and nuts for a few minutes until they start to change color. Let it get cool, and grind to a powder. Make a solution with half cup of water and tamarind.

Heat the oil in a kadhai or wok, and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the asafoetida, turmeric, methi seeds, and the pieces of squash. Saute for a minute or two, and then cover with a lid for a few minutes or until the squash is almost done. Add 3/4th cup of water, and to it add the ground powder. Add red chili powder, salt, tamarind water, jaggery, and goda masala, and stir it so that all these ingredients form a sort of gravy. By then the squash should be fully cooked too. Best to serve with plain rotis, polis, or parathas.

Thanks gudy2shuz, for introducing me to a new dish which is so good that I will be definitely making it again.

Ruchira

The Marathi cookbook

For someone who likes to cook, reading and buying cookbooks follows naturally. When it comes to Maharashtrian cooking, if you randomly survey some Marathi people and ask them to name one cookbook they know or use, I can predict the result quite accurately, if I say so. The answer has to be 'Ruchira'.



'Ruchira' is a Maharashtrian cookbook, written in Marathi by Kamalabai Ogle, and published in 1970, when she was sixty years old. According to the cover of the book, a record was established when more than 150000 copies of the book were sold within 20 years of its publication, unparalled by any other non-fiction book. As far as I know this is the oldest known documentation of Marathi recipes, but would definitely like to know if there is anything available that dates earlier.

Here is a link to a very nice old article that talks about the book and its author. In it, she is quoted about the encouragement she received from her husband, who wrote the recipes as she narrated them to him, so I am not sure whether she was able to write or not. Given that, it is easy to forgive the lack of quantities and precision in some of her recipes, which is a complaint I heard from someone about the book. In fact, most women I know from those days never prioritized quantities. They believed in 'this much' of this and that. However, many recipes actually have fairly accurate measurements, if only in terms of spoons and katoris and some archaic terms like 'ser'.

Honestly, I wasn't exactly thrilled with 'Ruchira' when it was probably the only cookbook or food resource I had to refer to. At that time, I did not possess the tools to make a ginger-garlic paste, or any other kind of paste, most ingredients in the book were hard to find, and I did not even know what some of the ingredients meant. Those were the dark ages - pre-search engines and even pre-browsers. It was all my fault, then, I realize.

While this is a book that is supposed to guide the novice cook, I warmed up to it only after I had honed my basic cooking skills. Over time, I came to rely on it to stir up something that took me closer to my roots, or to look up something old-fashioned. I have used Volumes 1 and 2 extensively now, making notes about what I should or should not do, what worked, and what quantities would be best for recipes where there are none.

The English translation

The same article I linked above mentions that the book was translated into English, and ever since I read that, I was in search of the English language book for several reasons. When I finally got a copy though, it was a bit of a letdown. The great thing about it is that it makes many common Marathi recipes accessible to those who do not read Marathi, and is overall well written. However, the English version has only around 100 recipes, which is a small fraction of the two original volumes. So while I would recommend it those interested in trying out Maharashtrian cooking, I would also add a note of caution of how it barely scratches the surface.

Since I will eventually write about dishes that were based on recipes from the original Ruchira, I felt it was only appropriate that I write about these books before I embark on those posts.


Adapted Recipes

Volume 1

Baakar bhaji (lal bhopLyAchi bhAjI)

Sweet coconut rice (nAraLI bhAt)

Methi DAL

Volume 2

Popped Rice Chiwda (lAhyAnchA chiwDA)

Egg Biryani

Getting the carbs before a long run

Long distance running is not my thing; never was. Or short distance running, for that matter. However, some circumstances led to me running in the 'Bay to Breakers' race in San Francisco last weekend. It is a 12K or 7.6 mile course, and it was my longest run ever. If worst comes to worst, I could simply walk, I thought. This being the tamasha that the 'Bay to Breakers' is, there would be plenty of dawdlers. Thankfully, it wasn't so bad, and I had a fun run, and even managed to take a few pictures along the way.

When it comes to food, a run like this needs a nice carb loaded dinner on the previous evening, methinks, so what if this is not a marathon. Besides, who am I kidding, I often eat a carb loaded meal like this even otherwise. So I decided to make a simple egg biryani, more of an egg pulao to be precise, since there is no layering and no dum cooking. For some reason I have always called this egg biryani, so let it be! It is easy and comforting, and it gave me plenty of time to get my bib, chip, and attire ready for the next morning.



1-1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice
6 eggs
2 medium onions
4 Tablespoons of oil
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom (moti elaichi)
1 stick of cassia bark or cinnamon
a few whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
3 cups water
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon raisins
1-2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1-2 green chilies, whole or slit lengthwise (optional)

Hard boil the eggs. To do this, place them in a saucepan of cold water and bring to boil. Cook it for 10 minutes after that, and turn off the heat. Rinse the rice with cold water and let it soak in some water for about 20 minutes, and then drain it. Slice the onions thinly.

Heat the oil, in a large saucepan, and add half of the sliced onion to it. Fry the onion until it turns dark brown, and then remove from the oil with a slotted spoon. Keep it aside.

In the remaining oil, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cassia bark and cloves, wait till they start to change color and add the remaining onions. Saute on medium heat till the onion is golden brown in color. Reduce the heat, add the powdered dry spices, and then the rice. Stir it around until the rice is coated with the spices. Add the water, and increase the heat. When the water comes to a boil, add salt, and cook uncovered till the rice has absorbed most of the water.

While the rice cooks, shell the eggs. You can either cut them in half lengthwise, or leave them whole and pierce them slightly all over.

Add the raisins and the eggs to the rice, and turn down the heat to very low, or turn it off if the heating element on your stove stays hot for a long time (mine does). Cover with a lid for about 10 minutes.

Add the fried onion, chopped cilantro and green chilies towards the end.

Race Day Pictures

Elvis Lives


This costumed couple with stroller ran at my speed for most of the way


Going up the Hayes Hill


Passing by the Conservatory of Flowers in the Golden Gate Park


I can see the ocean, the end must be near!

Shrikhand Wadi

The next step

As a follow up to my previous post on shrikhand, I wanted to add a note about something that is made by processing it further. It is even lower or non-existent on my favoritism-meter, so this is only in the spirit of enlightening!



These are called shrikhandachya wadya and they are made by cooking the chakka and sugar together until it comes together to a soft dough consistency. At that stage the flavors like cardamom and saffron are added to it and the dough is then rolled out onto a flat surface. Slivers of nuts are pressed onto it, and it is cut into diamond shapes, similar to burfis.

On a related note, waDI (singular) or waDyA (plural) is a food concept well entrenched in maharashtrian food. It is different from waDA (singular) or waDEy (plural) that are more well-known, and with which it sometimes gets confused. Geometrically, a wada is usually round, oblong, or spherical whereas a wadi is generally flat and shaped like a square, rectangle, diamond, or sometimes round. Wadis could be sweet, like naralachya wadya made of coconut, or savory, like kothimbir wadis made of cilantro, and wadas are typically savory and deep fried. Exceptions exist, as always.

Shrikhand poori and aloo, for a picnic in style

Last week, a bunch of friends decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and do a picnic lunch in a local park. Over a hundred e-mails flew around before the perfect final menu was planned. I had it easy; I was to take shrikhand. Easy, hnnn? Well, yes, if you consider the people who agreed to fry pooris for twenty people or make four pounds of aloo ki sabji. Some other things that people brought included a delicious fusion chaat, cucumber sandwiches, yogurt rice, coconut cilantro chutney, and fresh fruit. The spread that resulted is one that I will remember for a long time. Did I mention some pink lemonade with gin?

Recently, I came across something interesting - in K T Achaya's 'Indian Food: A Historical Companion', there is a mention that shrikhand as we know it now, appeared in writings on food in Kannada as early as 1025 AD. It refers to 'Lokopakara' of Chavundaraya which says that it was known as shikarini at that time. After that 'Supa Shastra' by the poet Mangarasa refers to shrikhand in 1594 AD, so the new name seems to have caught on at least by then.

I would like to know how shrikhand eventually became such a popular Maharashtrian dessert. It used to be really common at wedding lunches. How I hated it then! It was usually served with great 'Agraha', basically a sweet form of force feeding, by the bride and groom and their family members. It has been so many years since I attended a wedding in India, and even longer where shrikhanduh (as it is pronounced) was served, but those memories still make me shudder. The other thing that was popular was jilebi, and I developed the same type of antipathy towards those too. Even now, these are nowhere near to becoming my favorites, but I eat them occasionally.

Shrikhand is best served cold, so it naturally lends itself to be made ahead of time. Here is how I make it, using the classic method and ingredients, and even a past shrikhand hater like me likes it this way.

The traditional version

2 lbs plain yogurt (refrain from the lower fat varieties)
1/2-3/4 cup confectioners sugar (upto 1 cup if you like it to be very sweet)
5 green cardamom pods (elaichi)
about 1/4 teaspoon saffron
1 Tablespoon milk
1-2 Tablespoons of chopped unsalted pistachios, slivered almonds, or charoli, or a combination of it


Pre-preparation for chakka

Make sure there is some place from where you can hang 2-10 lbs of weight, and allow the water to fall. I usually hang it on a hook on the patio and let it sit there overnight, preferably on cool nights. You also need a large piece of cotton or muslin cloth, about as thick as a dupatta. I have a large piece of 'flour sac' material that I have reserved specifically for shrikhand.

Working near the sink, lay the cloth in a large wide bowl, and empty the yogurt into it. Pull up the corners to make a bundle, over the bowl. Water from the yogurt will start streaming out. Tie a rubber band to secure the bundle if required. Squeeze gently to allow more water to fall. Now hang this bundle from the hook, keeping the bowl as close to it as possible. I have a net bag in which I place the bundle. I like to let this sit overnight. The end result of this is the residual yogurt with very little water and called 'chakka' in marathi.



Making the shrikhand

When you are ready to make the shrikhand next morning, gently heat the milk just enough to warm it, and stir in pinches of crumbled saffron into it. Let it sit for atleast half an hour. Peel the cardamom and powder the seeds finely using a mortar and pestle.

Squeeze out as much water as you can from the yogurt bundle. The more water you can get out, the better the consistency. Carefully open the bundle, and spoon out the creamy yogurt into a big bowl. Stir in the sugar into the yogurt, along with the cardamom and saffron milk. Stir everything with a large spoon to mix evenly.



Garnish with pistachios and almonds if you like. The saffron and nuts are optional, but I love to use both, and particularly pistachios.

A large batch packed up to be taken to the picnic.



Variations with Fruits

The most popular variation on shrikhand is Amrakhand, which is made by mixing in a puree of ripe mangoes into the rest of the ingredients. Sometimes other types of fruit are also added but these versions are not as popular or common.

When I think of the abundance of fruit here, strawberry shrikhand and peach shrikhand come to my mind as variations. Almost any sweet fruit that can get slightly mushy when ripe could also be considered. Like the blackberry shrikhand that Manisha made recently. However, everytime I think of trying out a fruit variation, the majority vote goes in favor of the classic.

Kesar Shrikhand

Instead of using just 1/4th teaspoon saffron, use 1 teaspoon of it, for a shrikhand with a strong saffron flavor and lovely golden color.

Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts

Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy.

I have known Ammini online for over two years now, and ever since I found out that she was writing a book on vegetarian food from Kerala, I was practically standing in line for it. The book was published in February of this year, after long years of her hard work, and I had a copy in my hands almost immediately. It is called 'Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts'.

Well before that, I was able to try out some of her recipes that she had so generously shared. From a basic coconut chutney to a stuffed eggplant dish, they were flawless to execute and absolutely delicious. She maintained their authenticity and added precise measurements and directions, and I was not disappointed with any of them.

This post isn't a book review. It would be impossible for me to review it impartially having known about it and the author. Even then, it surpassed all my expectations, with over 300 pages of content, which included not just recipes, but the history, rituals, festivities, and anecdotes related to all aspects of cooking and eating in the part of Kerala that Ammini knows best.

All I can say is, take a look, and try it out for yourself. Here is the list of contents with some excerpts and photos from the book. I haven't read the whole book yet. Cookbooks are different from novels in that sense. It is nice to be able to dip into them every now and then. This is definitely one of them.

I have made a few things from the book, all of which received two thumbs up, and plan to try out several more. I will update the blog with how it goes. In the meanwhile, let me share one that I tried out last weekend, to accompany a brunch of idlis and sambar. This podi (the Malayalum word for powder) is a dry and spicy chutney that is served mixed with ghee or oil, with most breakfast dishes. I like to stir it into sesame oil until it reaches a runny paste consistency. It has a long shelf life since the ingredients are dry roasted. You might be taken aback by its simplicity, but it is fierce, in a good way. It is not overly spicy, but go easy on the chilies if you like your food mild. The original recipe calls for black sesame seeds, but I used the usual pale ones.



Podi: Spice Powder Served with Dosa and Idli

1 cup urad dal (split, and without skin)
1/2 cup dried red chilies (cayenne, serrano, or Thai)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing) powder
Salt to taste, about a teaspoon

Wash the urad dal and drain. Spread it out on a paper towel to dry thoroughly. In a heavy skillet, dry roast the dal over medium heat until it is evenly golden brown in color. Add the chilies and sesame seeds to the dal, and keep stirring until you hear the sesame seeds popping. Add the asafoetida and remove it from the stove. Add salt, and let it cool to room temperature. Using either a coffee grinder or other dry grinder, process the dal and spices to a fine powder.

Makes 1-1/2 to 2 cups.



Other links:

Ammini's Website
The book on Amazon


Bookcover and recipe posted here with permission from Ammini Ramachandran.

Care Packages

If you have ever lived outside your home, then you must have received atleast one care package, or atleast yearned for one. Home, in this context, could be just across town, in another city, or in a different country.

It seems just like yesterday, when a girl was yearning for something from her home barely two months after she had been away, far away. Something more tactile than the letters and phone calls. So she asked for a packet of bakarwadis, and a comb, and another small thing or two, to be sent via someone she knew who was travelling from India. The comb was something her mind had prototyped based on what she had used in India, but could not find one like it anywhere within her limited mobility and resources. And the bakarwadis, were just so out of question of being available anywhere around her, but one of her favorite things. So she waited for the things to arrive with great anxiety, and it was a happy day when they did. Just in case you were wondering whether she went around with uncombed hair until then, she did have other combs and brushes, but not the type she wanted.

She was to find out soon enough that the person who brought these for her had made some nakhras (in this context nakhra means fuss, but nakhra conveys it much better) about their bags being too full, and agreed to take only some of the things. When she found that out, she was disappointed, and even a little angry, and from then onwards decided to make the postal system her friend. Food items weren't suitable for getting by mail, but she made peace with that. Regardless, it was a long time before she ever asked anyone to get anything for her when they were travelling back, and even when she did, it was only if a certain thing was really important and unavailable, and only to people she knew well enough to know that they would not mind. Eventually, there were regular trips back home, with long lists of what was needed to be brought back, and there was no need to rely on anyone else.

I have realized that a lot of people are somewhat touchy about carrying things for people, and I understood it better after I had to turn down a package or two myself. Those were times when I was really going over the allowed baggage limit, and I felt bad about it, but I had no choice. Years later when I think about it, I concede that perhaps that person too really had no space in their luggage, or that there were closer relatives and friends that had to be obliged, and so perhaps it was not really a nakhara on their part.

One thing I know is that no matter how many years pass by, it is still as exciting and delightful to open a box that has come from home. Like it did recently, bearing lots of wonderful things, thanks to a close relative who happily brought them on her trip back from India, and promptly mailed it to me. In the box lined with styrofoam peanuts, lay several goodies, each wrapped neatly in white paper, telling me how much care was put into it, and for that, I really thank her.



A peek into some of the things that were in the box, each of these exquisitely delicious.

Top: left - bAkarwaDi, right - phaNas sATh
Bottom: left - chocolate burfi, right - pedhA

The phaNas sATh is made out of jackfruit from the ancestral backyard. I might have seen it being made eons ago, but do not remember exactly - the flesh of the jackfruit is pureed and cooked down, then dried out into flat sheets and cut. I am not exaggerating when I say that it tasted just like the jackfruit I have eaten from that tree in the past.

The sATh and the burfi were made at home by my mother, and the other things were bought from appropriate sources.

A good basic eggless cake

One of the concerns I faced when I started this blog was what to do about recipes that I tried from other blogs. Just writing about recipes from some other blog seemed lame. Besides, not all recipes I try are superhits, so why write about something that did not turn out quite well. However, there are those things that I like a lot and sometimes make repeatedly, making them nearly my own. They surely deserve a mention, if only to spread the good word around. One of them is this simple cake from Shyamala's blog.

The first time I made it, it was perfect just the way it is in her recipe. The second time around, I did not have any lemon or lime around, so I used a tablespoon of yogurt instead, which is also acidic, and it was also lovely. Another time, I doubled the recipe, and used a 9-inch round pan, and used half candied cherries and half nuts. It was just as forgiving, and seen in the picture on the right. My most recent version had no nuts, but just some tutti fruiti that I had bought in India. In India, 'tutti fruiti' is synonymous with brilliantly multi-colored candied fruit pieces, of questionable ingredients but delightful taste. I wonder if it even has any fruit in it. It is also the name of an icecream that was very popular when I was growing up, but haven't heard much about recently. I sprinked these on top of the batter after it was poured into the pan. When it baked, the batter rose up around the chunks, which got embedded into it. I think this one has to be my most favorite version.

Since I know lots of people who do not eat eggs, this is a very good recipe to have on hand. And because it lends itself to such versatility, I am thinking of other variations too. Like orange zest and orange juice instead of lime, or cinnamon and raisins instead of vanilla and nuts, or tutti fruiti again, with rose instead of vanilla. Don't they sound good? I think honey could also be a subsitute for the maple syrup. I am also going to try to reduce the amount of leavening agents, and will update the blog with how that goes.

The best part about this cake is that it is really easy to make, and does not need any special equipment, other than a baking pan, and a whisk, which makes it great for novice bakers. It takes less than an hour from start to finish, but it is the time spent after that, waiting for it to cool that is the most difficult. So plan to go for a walk at that time, to avoid the temptation to dig in.



Here it is, for reference, with a few changes and notes.

Basic Eggless Cake

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, about 1-1/2 tablespoons
1/2 cup milk
Confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

Grease an 8" square baking pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pecans thoroughly.

Mix all the remaining wet ingredients together with a whisk or hand held mixer, and stir it into the dry mixture until there are no lumps.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes. Check by inserting a toothpick in the centre to see if it comes out clean. Loosen the edges slightly by moving a knife between the cake and pan.

Let it cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes, and only then turn it out onto a wire rack.

Dust it with confectioners sugar if you wish.

Some notes:

It is slighter dry and not very sweet, unlike the sweet, moist cakes that are more common in America. It is however relatively low in fat content, considering that there is no frosting, and that the above cake easily makes about 16 medium servings. Cake flour is not always available easily, but look for it just before a major holiday. I suppose one could use all purpose flour too.

Finally, Shyamala, you don't know me, but thanks a lot!

Dallmayr in Safeway

'If it is from Europe, it gets my attention', is what the other half likes to say teasingly. While that is quite an exaggeration, there is perhaps some truth in it. I do unabashedly like many things European , even though I do not get to visit there as often, and do not speak any European language other than English.

While visiting Munich a few years ago, we stayed in a small hotel near Marionplatz where the highlight of the stay was the fabulous breakfast that they served in a beautiful dining room on the main floor. The food and presentation were both spectacular - everyday there was a large selection of various types of breads, cheeses, cold cuts, fruit, eggs, and other things that I don't even remember now. My beverage of choice in the morning is tea, and they served a Darjeeling tea that is easily the best one I have had so far. I checked the label on the teabag, and it said 'Dallmayr'. I knew this to be a fine food store that I wanted to go to when I was there, but as is usual when I travel, the number of things I wanted to do was far greater than the time available, and so had to pass on that, which I still regret.

Recently, I was cruising the aisles of the neighborhood Safeway, where I don't go very often, when I saw a section that had a smattering of products from several different countries, mostly from Europe, and imagine my surprise when I saw two packages with 'Dallmayr' written on it. One was a regular coffee and the other was a decaf. Even though I don't drink coffeee regularly, I do enjoy it every so often, and this carton went right into the shopping basket after I made sure that it was indeed what I thought it was. What a lovely find. The coffee is smooth and delicious and the aroma fills the kitchen everytime I brew it. I hope they keep carrying it and that this is not some sort of a trial run which will come to an abrupt end one day.

Sabudana Khichadi, is it really?

This is something I would have never blogged about if it hadn't been for desiknitter, and it is definitely not something I would tell purists either, who are likely to turn up their noses at what they hear.



First of all, sabudana is made of sago, and Israeli Couscous which is also called pearl couscous is a toasted pasta. They are similar in appearance and size, but sabudana is white in color while the couscous is more of a light beige. Sabudana by itself does not have a strong taste, but it has a chewy texture that is very similar to that of cooked pearl couscous.

Sabudana khichadi in my book is on a pedestal. It is something I adore so much that I wouldn't mess with it, even for experiment's sake. But for a long time now it has been quite difficult for me to consistently find good quality sabudana that I know will not get powdery when soaked in water or get clumpy. In order to make khichadi, the grains have to absorb water and plump up, and stay separate. I suffered through several bad batches of sabudana, and in the quest to find the good stuff, I thought it may not be so bad to try out the couscous, and happily, the experiment worked! In fact, if I didn't tell someone what my key ingredient was, I am confident they would not be able to tell the difference. Having said that, I have found that the sabudana bought in India has worked the best for me so far.



To cook the couscous:

1-1/4 th cup of water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ghee
1 cup of Israeli couscous

Heat the water in a small saucepan. When it comes to a boil, add the salt and ghee to it. Add the couscous, and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan. When slightly cool, run a wooden spoon through the grains to separate them and spread them on a plate.

Once the couscous is cooked, I apply the classic, traditional sabudana khichadi formula to it.

For the khichadi:

1/2 cup of peanuts, coarsely powdered in a food processor
2 Tablespoons of grated coconut (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
2 Tablespoons of ghee
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2-4 small green chilies, chopped
1 small boiled potato (optional)
4 stalks of cilantro, finely chopped

Add the peanuts, coconut, salt and sugar to the couscous on the plate and mix evenly. If using the potato, chop it into small pieces.

Heat the ghee, and add the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add the chilies and stir for a few seconds. Add the potato and stir it around till it gets coated with ghee. Add the couscous, and stir it until it get coated too. If needed, you can add a little more ghee at this point. Stir for just a few more minutes, and then add in the cilantro. It is best eaten right away, but leftovers heated in the microwave are fine too.

For the authentic version, check this post.

Oats and gooL

Old fashioned, quick cooking, steel cut, oatmeal, rolled - you name it, and I have probably tried it, and liked it. The only type of oats that I don't like are the ones that come in sachets and have other ingredients added to it. They are good to stash at the office desk though, for when the mid-morning hunger pangs strike. There is just something ultimately comforting about a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, and that is rather odd coming from someone who had never eaten oats for the first twenty five years of their life, and never liked to eat anything sweet for breakfast.



These days, steel cut is on the morning menu. To be precise, 'McCann's Original Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal' that comes in a pretty can with a retro design.

Desi roots die hard though. I usually cook it in a pressure cooker, using the oats:water ratio specified on the box. One whistle is enough, and it sure beats stirring and simmering it on the stove. I make a batch to suffice for a few servings as it keeps very well in the fridge. When I am ready to eat, I add some milk to it, and heat it in a microwave for a minute and half. That is where the virtuousness starts to decline because I then add in some raisins or dried cranberries, and a solid helping of brown sugar, which delicately melts to golden perfection. However, that is a fairly common way to eat oatmeal, so what's new. Well, sometimes I add jaggery making it slightly rustic and even more delicious. It is delightful!

Dudhi with Peanuts

Inspiration for cooking something can come from some odd places at times. Even tabloids! I don't recall when I saved this link in my ever growing list of recipes to try out, but when I was looking for something different to cook with bottle gourd (or dudhi or lauki or lau) I found it.


The 'lauki-groundnut sabji' looked simple, and particularly appealing with the use of garlic and peanuts, neither of which I usually associate with bottle gourd, even though they are familiar ingredients in marathi cuisine.

I weighed the gourd I had in the fridge and it was exactly 500 grams. Arre wah. Knowing that cups in India are often smaller than standard size cups, and also because it seemed like too much of a good thing, I decided to use only 3/4 th cup of peanuts, but when I was cooking, I thought that even that might be too much, so I held back some of it. Naturally, that meant losing some of the garlic and chili flavor too, which was part of the powder. Also, considering that the size of onions in India is much smaller than those in the U.S., I used only half an onion.

I cooked the vegetable right in the tadka, because boiling it in water does not appeal to me. So that normally takes 15-20 minutes depending on how tender the gourd is. Here is my version, with the quantities and method modified.



Ingredients

500 gms dudhi or bottle gourd
1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons of oil
1/2 cup of peanuts
1 teaspoon of red chili powder
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
pinch of turmeric
1/2 an onion, chopped
salt to taste
a handful of cilantro leaves, chopped

Method

Peel the bottle gourd, de-seed, and chop into about one inch cubes.

Heat one teaspoon of oil in a pan, and saute the peanuts with garlic for a few minutes. Grind the mixture with the chili powder in a food processor and set aside.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a kadhai or wok. Add the mustard seeds, and when they start to crackle, add the cumin seeds and turmeric, followed by the chopped onion and saute until it starts to change color to a golden brown.

Add the chopped bottle gourd and stir it in. Add salt to taste, lower the heat, and place a lid on the pan. Let it cook for about 10-20 minutes until it gets tender, stirring once or twice. If it sticks to the pan, add a few spoonfuls of water.

Finally, add the ground peanut mixture and saute for a few minutes more. Check for seasoning and then add the chopped cilantro leaves. Best to serve with simple polis or rotis.


Update: The link to the recipe in Mid-Day does not work any more since they reconfigured their site.