Bagh

Bagh Prints are a type of hand block printing. This printing technology was brought to Madhya Pradesh by immigrants from Sindh. The hand block printing process requires a lot of water for treatment this made Bagh an ideal place. These print are charachterised by geometric and floral patterns. Traditionally they were done on cotton now they lavish on silk too. The colors are mostly black and red on white or neutral silk.

Mriganayanee's label says :

"Bagh prints derive their name from the small town of Bagh in Dhar district of Western Madhya Pradesh. The Bagh printers migrated from Sindh (now Pakistan) over 1000 years ago due to unconducive environment and atrocities of the rulers. Their art is deeply influenced by Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Aulia.

The process of 'Bagh' printing is painstakingly tedious process; a single piece of cloth undergoes various transformations over 25-30 days before it is finally ready for sale. Only natural material is used in the process. The fabric is treated by 'Khara' method where it is soaked in Sanchora (raw sea salt) non refined castor oil (Arandi ka tel) and Bakri ki mangi (goat dung) and dried three times in succession. After the final drying, it is dipped into a solution of Baheda or Harada powder. The red color for priting is made using chiya (seed) of Imli (Tamarind) mixed with phitkari (Alum). The black color is prepared using Loha (Iron fillings) and Gud (Jaggery) left together for 15-20 days. printing is done with wood blocks (Kor, Saaj, Bod, Kalam, Burra, Adiyas etc.) on cloth spread on addas (tables). The cloth is dried for 15 days then washed in flowing river water and finally boiled in water mixed with Dhawadi flowers and Alizarin (roots of Aal tree) in a Kadhav (Copper vessel)

Next time you wear a Bagh, spare a thought for the artisan whose infinite labor of love has caressed the fabric to perfection."

Here is a lovely article on the one man who revived Bagh printing, Ismail Sulemanji Khatri.Salutes to the Master Craftsmen!

Doodhatli Poli with Banana

4th standard kid

As a child I visited Ganagapur with family once a year. I remember clearly I was in the fourth standard when I met Anusaya Mata, a sadhavi who lived on the road to the sangam in Ganagapur. She recommended to my parents that I should observe austerity on Thursdays. This was an attempt to calm this hyperactive child. She also recommended a diet for me to follow. I was then a delicate child. Her recipe for a Chapati made with milk and eaten with banana was also a reason for me to gain weight later I realize as I look back ;)

Well anyone needing a prescription for fortifying a child's food intake can use this recipe. Plus banana is a fruit any class can afford to include in the regular diet.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup milk

salt to taste

oil

In a large bowl, put the flour, milk, salt and a teaspoon of oil. Then knead together to get a smooth ball. Keep aside for the gluten to form for about 10-15 mins.

Now pinch of small ball and roll out the chapatis. Roast them on a girdle and puff them up on the direct gas just like a phulka. Apply more oil if you want to soften it. If you like the fresh roasted chapati without oil, go ahead and enjoy it just that way.

Place the whole peeled banana in the center, make rolls and bite in! The presentation bug demands some so you see the roll slice up and plated here.

Farsan: Sangam Sweets

Found a new outlet selling the freshest and crispiest farsan. I bought small kachori and papdi. The kachori had a incredibly flaky covering and the papdi was a great accompaniment with tea brittle as it should be. The best part is at Sangam the farsans are not over salted as is the case in many shops and packaged farsans. Recommending this shop to all farsan lovers.

Address:

Sangam Sweets

Koramangala BDA complex (on the ground floor)

Bangalore.

Guava Nectar

Just 1 guava yeilds thick creamy cooler for 2. All you need to do is wash and clean the guava fruit. Peel the skin. Cut up into pieces. Place in a blender. Add 1 glass of water and a pinch of salt or chat masala. Give a good long whirrrr~~ Strain the seeds out or have it as it is. It will clean the bowels well the next morning that is a promise!

This is a good glass for dieting, keeps you full for hours together.

Tacos

It's not  sausage in there. Just rolled up Rajma paste.

Yet another one of the summer lunches I am enjoying is Taco. Mine is with Rajma and Salsa. Simply delicious!

I had made Rajma for a Rajma chawal night on a week day so saved up some boiled Rajma beans for this Taco. It proved really handy for last Saturday's lunch. These summer lunches are proving to be express and no sweat ones and I'm loving it.

Ingredients

For the shell

1 cup all purpose flour

salt

For the filling

1 cup boiled Rajma beans

2 tomatoes

1 onion

1 green chili

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

lime juice

First get the shell ready. Mix the all purpose flour and salt and knead it into a pliable dough. 1 cup will give 4 big shells. Roll out the tortila. Roast it with a little bit of oil to crispness on a gridle and fold over.

Next dice the tomatoes, onions, green chili and cilantro. Put it all in a bowl and squirt a lemon over it. Salt it and give it a mix. Keep aside.

Now put the boiled Rajma into a chutney grinded and make a paste along with salt.

The final step is to put together all the things. Hold the crisp tortila in your hand and fill with a little bit of bean paste. Top it with the salsa and serve. 

Our lunch consisted of Tacos and Gauva nectar. Next post will be on how to make Gauva nectar.  Come back to check it out. You will come back won't you?

Hawaiian Salad

Every where I have had Hawaiian salad it has been with sour cream. In this attempt I have made it with hung curd. It is one of those salads that I almost always love when on a menu. You cannot go wrong with this creamy, fruity and fresh salad.

Ingredients

500 ml of curd
cubes of all types of fruits
1/2 apple
1/2 orange
1/2 Sweet lime
1 banana
1/2 cup boiled potatoes
1/2 cup grapes
salt to taste

Start by tying up the curd in a muslin cloth and hang it for 1 hr. This will yield about 1.25 cups of thick curd.

Now mix all the cubed fruits and curd with a spoon and add salt as per taste. Chill in the fridge for 1/2 hour or more till you want to pull it out for serving.

Sprinkle some nice fresh pepper powder over it. There is no one young and old who can say no to this salad. The flavors are tropical and the curd creamy. Perfect for a Sunday lunch.

We had Cheese parathas with ketchup and Hawaiian salad yesterday.

Fresh Veggies Paneer Salad and Corn

There is a change in my diet as the Summer is here. I feel good to be eating crunchy fresh vegetables and simple clean flavors. This is a new series of Summer Lunches. I am deliberately bringing in half raw component in to my food hoping to loose some weight.

Last Sunday had a heavy breakfast of Kanda bhajji so to adjust our calorie intake for lunch it was this salad and boiled corn.

Ingredients

1/2 Capsicum

1 onion

4 tomatoes

4 carrots

1/2 slab of paneer

salt

pinch of sugar

Coriander chutney

1 green chili

10-15 cilantro stems

Grind to make a paste along with some salt. Save.

Dice all the veggies except carrot. The carrot needs to be grated fine. Put it all into a bowl and mix nicely. Add a spoon of the chutney and give it a mix again. Serve.

We boiled corn along with the salad. The same chutney can be rubbed onto the boiled corn and enjoyed. The flavors are fresh and very summery. Try it.

Dabu

As part of the summer break planned I went on a shopping spree and bought lots of ethnic fabric to get my travel wardrobe ready. Some weaves and prints that I picked up fascinated me enough to start a new section on this blog for Textiles and Prints

This first post is on Dabu Print. Dabu is a style of printing in which a mud resist block is made with a special mixture of mud, natural gum and wheat chaff and vegetable dyes are used for printing. Here is a beautiful post by PRIYANK GOYAL on the step by step printing process of Dabu.

When my eyes fell on this punjabi suit set I was completely in love with it. Rosy pink base with crimson flowers. The ends of the dupatta and the central panel on the dress have white printed flowers and a border. The cotton is soft and feels beautiful on the skin.

I purchased it from Mriganayanee the Madhya Pradesh Govt. Emporium in Kormangala BDA complex.

Maha Shivaratri Procession