Two Hands 2020

https://youtu.be/2n6ccUDXwes

Finally after the huge hurdles due to #Lockdown the Two Hands event took place online. It was a good decision that the team led by the very passionate Preeti and Rajesh Deo took. 

Two hands is an annual charity event they host at their home in UK and it is in it's 5th year. The prep starts months in advance. 

This year early in Jan as Preeti started planning she disclosed to me the theme at the time she was knee deep into studying Nala paakdarpan. So she said this year she would base the theme on ancient texts and regional cuisine of Maharashtra. 

She assigned to me the task of making a 5 min video introducing the Koli cuisine. At the time I was recovering from a terrible month long cough that had an effect on my throat so excuse the groggy voice in the video. I tried to compensate it by dressing up. 

This little clip was my hands touching theirs to gather support and strength for the Impacct Foundation - Tata Memorial Hospital. 

Seviya Kheer Truffles for Mother’s Recipe: Innovative Recipe Challenge

Mother’s Recipe: Innovative Recipe Challenge landed in my mail box and I was not too sure if I wanted to do it as I hate packaged products. This true blue home cook loves to do stuff from scratch. When I checked out their site mothersrecipe.com I was curious about the Instant mixes. They sent me a hamper consisting of Ready to cook, Instant mixes and a preserve. I had tried their Gor Keri before and loved it. I had in mind to make something from the packs using few extra ingredients as possible else why would anyone want to buy these convenience packets.

So I chose the Payasam/ Seviya mix to innovate with. I guarantee that this is not an intimidating twist and is a delicious activity that you can do with your kids. Yes the same kids that turn their nose up at gloppy payasam.

Here is how to do it...

Portions 
Makes 30 marble sized truffles.

Ingredients 

1 pack 100gms Payasam/ Seviya mix

1 litre of milk as directed on the pack
1 handfull of charoli nuts

1 handfull almonds + 1 handfull pistachios ground to powder

Method 

In a deep pan add 1 litre of milk. Empty the contents of the Payasam/ Seviya mix pack. 

Boil and cook on slow until the seviya is thick and the consistency is like a sheera or pudding. Add the charoli nuts and stir to distribute evenly.  Let is cool completely.

Roll out marble sized balls of the cooked Sevayi kheer. In a bowl take the powdered almonds and pistachio mix. Then dredge in the powdered almond pista mix to coat well. 

Plating and Serving

Serve one Truffle in each bowl. I used my green glass bowls for this.

They are delightful dusted nuttiness at first and creamy centered.

With such a simple no sweat recipe show how to do it to your kids and sit back and watch. Quite a few will disappear while making itself, take it from me.

Check out their Fb page here to see the latest updates. 

Creamy Corn and Scallions Tart for Freedom Tree Baking Contest at IFBM 2014

Corn is supposed to be first cultivated in Mexico and then spread across to the other continents through Europe. However the dish I have made today is inspired by a very Indian rather Indoori Bhutte ka kees which I absolutely adore. I have given it my own twist and done a fusion that you will surely enjoy.

This recipe is an entry for Freedom Tree Baking Contest at IFBM 2014.

Before we go to the recipe, I must share a wonderful story that we used in Knowledge Management. Many of you have wondered what I did for a living. Well that is what I did I was a Knowledge Manager, mutter the names of few IT companies that you can think of 1-2-3 stop, I used to work for one of it. Going back to the story...

There was a farmer in Mexico who grew the best quality corn. His fame was such that one day a North American journalist decided to dig out the secret to the quality of the corn. He came prepared with a team of scientist to analyse the quality of the grain and soil. The soil did not show any outstanding characteristics but the grain did. They found the farmer cared for his crop a lot and yet when other farmers came to him for help or request for seed he happily shared it with them. That surprised the N. American journalist. 

He thought let me educate the farmer. He went on to advice, you must protect your grain, do not distribute. You must have monopoly of the best corn in Mexico. Which means you will earn the highest. Soon the journalist returned to his country.

The next year again the N. American journalist decided to do an interview of the farmer thinking that this time the farmer would be a richer man. To his surprise the farmer was still the same.

On further insisting why he had not monopolised the corn this is the answer the farmer gave to the N. American journalist. "My corn is best because the neighbors grow good corn too with the seeds I share. I work harder to protect my corn from diseases but the pollination happens by wind. If the pollens from my neighboring fields was bad quality the quality of my corn will also drop. That is the reason I share not just my seeds but also my knowledge.

The N. American journalist's face fell at how petty his thoughts had been and took back with him not just the secret to the great corn grown by the Mexican farmer but also a lesson in nobility. 

(I am not able to trace the origins of this story but it has been retold so many times with everyone adding their own touch)

At the Indian Food Bloggers Meet 2014 this story is what you will see unfold, learn from the community members who are generous enough to share and from professionals outside the community who have given the time to share their knowledge with us. I am all set. What about you?

Now tune in here as I share this recipe. I wish I win the exclusive bakeware hamper from Freedom Tree!

Ingredients

For the Corn Tart shell

1/2 cup makkai ka atta/ milled corn flour
3/4 cup maida / all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
100 gms salted butter (Amul)

Melt the butter. In a large bowl measure out the makkai ka atta and maida. Add the sugar to it. Pour the melted butter over it and knead. It should form a soft dough. 

Tip : If required add about 2 tablespoon of chilled water to bind the flours. I did not use water at all as I was using bake and serve tart plates and there was no need to demoulded it.

In two 6 inch bake and serve tart plates press the Corn Tart dough to evenly line the bottom. Cover with cling wrap and keep in the fridge for 30 mins. While it is chilling prep for the Creamy corn.

Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius and blind bake Corn Tart shell for 25 mins till golden.

For the Creamy Corn

2 sweet corns
2 scallion with bulbs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cumin
15-20 curry leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
2 tablespoon butter

With a scissor snip the scallions into small bits. Keep bulbs aside for garnishing.

Remove kernels of corn and keep aside, about 1/2 cup. Grate the remaining one full corn plus the remaining half. It should yield a cup of grated corn, keep the liquid too which releases while grating.

Now heat the butter till it melts in a wok. Add asafoetida, then cumin, brown it till fragrant. Add the curry leaves. Now add the whole corn kernels first. Pour milk into the wok. Cook for 5 mins. Then add the grated corn. Keep stirring as it thickens a bit but is still creamy about 3 mins. Finally add the scallion greens. Salt the dish. 

For garnish
scallion bulbs ( I had 5)
cashews
raisins

Assembling the tart

In the blind baked Corn Tart shell fill the Creamy corn. Level it out evenly with a spoon. Garnish with scallion bulbs, cashew and raisins.

Bake again for 15 to 18 mins to let the creamy corn set in the tart shell.

Remove from oven and serve warm. Though I served it with ketchup and mustard sauce none of us touched it. The tart was so good on its own!

To explain the taste, the shell is crunchy with the sugar and makkai atta, quite buttery. The creamy corn is sweetish savory with slight pungency from the scallions when you bite into a snipping. The cumin and butter perfumes the creamy corn along with the asafoetida and curry leaves.

Note: I haven't use green or red chilli in this dish though it is savory. If you wish to add heat feel free to do so.

My Plum and Cheese Crescents go to KitchenAid Contest at IFBM 2014

These Plum and cheese crescents are going to the KitchenAid India Plum Challenge at IFBM 2014.

Look at this recipe in two parts and pace it over two days. Infact it's two recipes I am sharing here. We are talking slow life here, it also means ease.

We make the Plum jam first and then roll up the crescents.

Day 1 : Making Plum and Honey Jam with Star Anise

Ingredients

6 Plums, ripe yet firm

1/2 cup water

6  nos. star anise

1/2 cup honey

In a saucepan measure out the water and set it to boil. Meanwhile slice and dice the plums discard the seeds. Once it starts rolling add the diced plums into the water. Drop in the Star anise. Let it cook till the diced fruit is soft about 10 -15 mins. At this point scoop out the Star anise and discard. Pass the cooked plums thru a medium mesh to get a puree. I put back the fruit skin but if you don't like remove it now.

Add the honey and boil on slow to reduce the liquid. We need a thick jam to be used as filling for the crescents. So boil until a spoon dipped in it gets a thick coat of jam clinging to it. Or do this test. Chill a plate in the fridge and drop the boiling jam on it. If it forms a skin immediately the jam is done. Remove from heat.

I poured it into a plate. After cooling completely, set the plate to chill in the fridge overnight.

So there you have the first recipe for Plum and Honey Jam with Star Anise.

Incase you are making a large batch just multiply the proportions of the ingredients. After making the jam cool it to room temperature and store in a clean dry jar. It should stay good for atleast a month. For longer preservation you may want to do canning.

____________________________________

The second part is the basic recipe for Crescent rolls that are so versatile. However since this recipe is going to KitchenAid India's Plum Challenge we are going to use the Plum jam along with cheese for the filling. The Crescent rolls are eggless and like us if you are vegetarians you will love this recipe.

So sleep well at night and the next day when you have time for a 2-3 hour stretch or when you are working on other things in the kitchen start with the dough for the crescents. Its a simple no nonsense dough.

Day 2 : Making my Plum and Cheese Crescents

Ingredients

The dough
2 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter (I use Amul which is salted butter)

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoon curd

3/4th tablespoon instant yeast

1/2 cup water

1/8 cup butter for rolling and brushing

Warm the water add the yeast to it to dissolve. In the Food Processor bowl measure out the all purpose flour and follow in with sugar and butter. Run the FP on slow to let the butter form crumbs with the flour and sugar. Now add the curd and yeast liquid. Run the FP on medium to form a ball. The dough will feel slightly sticky as it has sugar but that is ok. Cover and keep till the dough doubles. This is the first proofing of the dough.  It may take 30 mins to 40 mins (In Mumbai its warm and humid) elsewhere look at the doubled volume and not time.

After the first rise. Punch down the dough to remove air. On a clean counter spread some butter. Roll out the dough into a 15 inch circle. Cut out 16 wedges from the circle.

The steps for Filling
16 nos. 1 inch squares of processed cheese (Amul)
Plum and Honey Jam with Star Anise

Take each wedge and roll it out a bit thin. Put a spoonful of Plum jam at the broad end of the triangle leaving about an inch of space for rolling. Top it with a cube of cheese. Now start rolling from the broad end so you have the pointed end closing in. Bend a little bit to give it a crescent shape. 

These days I use my low and high oven racks to bake by covering them with aluminium foil. That way I maximize the space utilization as well as power consumption. You can also follow the standard practice of using a baking sheet or tray. Line up the crescents on the foil covered racks or tray. Let the crescents proof to double up, this is the second rise for the dough.

Preheat oven to 200 deg Celsius.

Bake the rolls for 15 mins or till they are slightly golden. Remove from the oven and brush the rolls with butter. Allow to cool for 10 mins. 

Best enjoyed when still warm. But watch out don't pop them in your mouth hot, the oozing plum jam can scald the tongue! When you bite into the Plum and Cheese Crescents, the first bite is buttery roll filled with Plum jam and mild notes of Star anise when you hit the cheese its different, slightly savoury bite. Together its deliciousness. That's why I use the cheese cubes instead of grating it. There is a surprise factor to it which makes every bite enjoyable.

The home smelt awesome with the warm baking aromas of buttery dough, plum jam and the mild notes of star anise. I took a tray full to my music class to share. Everyone enjoyed it and Snehal even asked for a piece to take home for her daughter. The smiles said it all.

Pista Cake Bake Together

You have looked at the picture and wondered finally did She learn to decorate?

Last weekend we had a virtual bake together. Anshie of  Spiceroots had got us drooling with a beautiful shelled pista studded cake, so we coaxed her into sharing the recipe and then followed this bake together. I was watching all the frantic activity thru the day, as the status updates said, pistas shelled and slivered, cake baking and home filled with aroma, discussions on what creative liberties one can take with the recipe and the dressings et al. One awesome picture was posted first thing in the morning by M, who is a beyond awesome baker and decorator to cheer us on.

I love to bake but you know me I am not too much into decorating or rich cakes, except the last time when I attempted the Moist Chocolate Cake. This time however it is the magic of a lil world of foodies that pushed me into it. In between anecdotes Anshie mentioned about her daughter teasing her why she had tied a diaper around a cake tin? I scampered into my kitchen immediately! Keep reading to know what spurred me on...

The original recipe for Sicilian Pistachio Cake With Golden Neoclassic Buttercream is the point of reference however due to my family's vegetarian choices I decided to adapt it but decorate it just like you see it there, all with the blanched, slivered pistachios that make the cake look so gorgeous.

Here are my adaptations of that classic cake:

Serves: I halved the measures as it is a rich cake to get 6 decent servings. 

Cake: eggless, used flax seed powder. Sour cream replaced with thick curd/ yogurt. No soda increased baking powder. 

Cream: eggless, honey in place of golden syrup, lime zest big pinch instead of pista essence. 

Verdict: Rich creamy all the way a pista celebration. 

Next time: I would make a light pista butter for the frosting.

So putting down the recipe here to look back and use it when I want, for it was a success truly.

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 tablespoon of flax seed powder (soaked in 3 tablespoons of warm water and rested for 10 mins)
1/3 cup, thick yogurt
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup lightly toasted pista
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cups leveled,white flour/ maida
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ghee or butter

In a mixing bowl, measure out yogurt, vanilla extract, butter and beat together till light and fluffy.

Grind pista to a coarse meal. Mix together the pista meal, flour, powder sugar, baking powder and salt to make it airy.

Fold the dry ingredients into the the wet beaten ingredients. Meanwhile keep a greased and flour dusted 5 inch tin ready. Pour the batter into the tin. Level out the batter by tapping it on the counter.

What I unlearnt is, the usual pulling the batter to the edges to level out the batter after it bakes.

No more cutting out the dome to flaten the top of the cake and no more wastage.

Now get ready for a new learning! The original recipe mentions use of cake strips. You can buy those if you are in the US but in India, we are very resourceful. We wet a kitchen napkin. Tie it around the cake tin. This will ensure an even rise. This is the take way for me from the bake together. Doesn't it look just like a diaper on the cake tin?


I baked the cake in a preheated oven at 180 deg Celsius in the convection mode for 45 mins. Till a knife pricked in came out clean. This mode turned out best for the cake. It retained its green color which is so important for this cake. Let the cake cool completely for 1.5 hr. Put it in the fridge for 1/2 hr.

You get a perfectly flat top cake best for decoration. That is what you do next. So get the cream ready now.

For the cream and decoration
1/8 cup icing sugar
1/8 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 big pinch lime zest
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 drops pistachio essence (I skipped it)
1/4 cup blanched pista nuts, slivered

Put butter, vanilla, lime juice in the bowl and whisk. Mix in the honey and the icing sugar whisk till light. You get a beautiful creamy dressing.

Now spread the creamy dressing over the cake and carefully decorate with the pista slivers. There you have the wonderfully studded cake. Drool.

Tomato Chutney, Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak

& my Kasuri Methi Bhature

I had a lovely three day weekend. I thank the Lord for it. Ask me what I did. I was just relieved of thoughts that trouble me. It means I must thank W for giving a patient ear to my outpour and spending that much time with me.

Obviously the food this weekend reflected the relaxed mood in its colors, variety and that I actually searched the blogs for somethings nice to cook. Then I thought why not join MBP March 2009 too. It is hosted this time by Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine while the initiation of the event happened at The Spice Cafe.

Tomato chutney from Konkan World

This is a really nice and easy chutney. I did not have methi seeds so I used Udid dal for the seasoning. Next time I will try with garlic like my old neighbor made. Brings back memories of Pergannu and tomato chutney mixed in it...Yum!

On the top right Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak from The Spice Who Loved Me
&
my Kasuri Methi Bhature (I also made Kelyacha Shikaran shh~)

We Indians have an obsession for the Potato curry with fried bread, don't we? You see regional combos all over India in different colors, consistencies and it is still the most favorite meal at any time be it breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea or dinner. I love my Marathi Batatyachi suki bhaaji and Puri as much as I love this Gujarathi Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak but this time I combined with my Kasuri Methi Bhature, a Punjabi dimension. This eclectic platter turned out to be an example of unity in diversity and a reflection of our changing eating habits. The Rasavalu Batata Nu Shaak was just like Preeti's Mummy used to make in Fort.

Thank you Maya and Trupti for the recipes!

And here is the recipe of my Kasuri Methi Bhature

Ingredients

1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup Kasuri Methi /dried fenugreek leaves
1 cup curd
salt
Oil to knead and fry

Put all ingredients in a big bowl and knead to smooth dough. Add a table spoon of oil and knead again for 5 mins. Let it rest for another 5 mins before you start rolling out 3-4 inch diameter discs. Heat oil on high. Reduce to medium. Then fry the discs of dough till nicely puffed. Splash a little oil to make them swell like a balloon and to get the perfect hot bhature.

My Dad who is my biggest critic enjoyed the meal and then taunted "I follow a strict diet but only because you force me, I have to eat this!"

Well...well am I not allowed to indulge even on weekends. I don't smoke, drink or party hard. I just freak out on food that too the food that I make. Gosh if W is reads this I'm dead.

Also showing our Gudi Padva/ Ugadi Thali

Clockwise: Dal Holege & Kai Holege (Tur Dal Poli & Coconut Poli), Masur Dal fry with rice, Papad, Mixed veg koshimbir and Curd rice.

Beetroot Bhat Moodh

My second entry for the kid's lunches event
by the mingling
What's for Lunch Honey & Cooking for all seasons.

If kids had their way they would love to live on just peppy and frooti! Stop that with a fortified rice that Kids will love. Most kids love color in their food and beetroot lends itself so well.

One day in Mumbai my nephew was visiting me. He came armed with a huge packet of some tomato fryums. I know it was not my sister's choice, it was Pranav's ofcourse! Kids almost always gift what they like to others. I rolled my eyes at him as he was handing over the packet to me. Later I got busy in the kitchen and after an hour I realized that there was little mouse that was doing the rounds in and out of the kitchen and the fryum packet was half by then. Just in time to catch him red handed I turned around. Angry me, "Pranav, what is this? Was this not supposed to be for me?" Sheepishly Pranav, "Yes I bought it for you! but it tastes so good just couldn't stop!!" Me trying to control my laughter and holding myself back from cuddling him at the wrong time I looked away. Then turning around with a straight face explained to him that those wafers were not good as they had ajinomoto (the salt used to give the tomato flavor) and it's carcinogenic effects.

Immediately Pranav's next question was, "Then what is good to eat and can counter cancer?" Ofcourse colorful vegetables.

Beetroot is something my nephew enjoys in sandwiches. We use it sometimes to color rotis and puris. So this time I tried this pink rice. I have used beets as natural block printing stamps too for cards Pranav and me have made together.

Block printing with beetroot:

To do this cut a beet at the equator to get a cross section. Then stamp it on white or light colored paper. Make creative patterns you like with the beet as a stamp. Dry the printed paper with a blow drier. Use it to make cards.

With that lets move on to the recipe. That's why you are here right?

Ingredients

1 cup rice
1/2 cup beetroot grated rough or chopped fine
1 handful cashew nuts
2 one inch sticks of cinnamon
6-8 cloves
10 peppercorns
1 tejpatta/ bayleaf
1 teaspoon udid dal/ black skinned lentil
2 green chilies mashed
1 tablespoon oil

Wash and drain the rice on a sieve. Leave it there for 1/2 hr.

Heat oil in a small pressure cooker. Add the spices and fry for just a few seconds till the aroma emanates, fry the cashews too for a few seconds. Add the green chilies, stir in the beets after this. I used some coarse grates and finely chopped beet. The coarse grate lend more color while the finely chopped pieces provide the texture and munch. Give all of it a stir and mix in the washed and drained rice. Cover with water enough to just cover the rice. Pressure cook for just one whistle. Let the cooker cool completely. Open it once steam subsides and mix the rice one time.

Scoop out small mounds onto a plate using either an icecream scoop or a tiny bowl and top with a cashew. This gives the name Beetroot Bhat Moodh. 'Moodh' is a mound in Marathi. It makes it easy for the kids to pick up with their little fingers and bite into it.

P.S:
Since this post is about kids, sharing here a story told by Channa to his daughter and a message for the adults for a new kind of discipline that we need to build in ourselves and the kids.

Vathal Sundakai - The Answer Is Out !

I was at the supermarket scouting for papads and preserves as we don't stock many here in Blr unlike Mumbai home. I spotted this packet of round dried berries some of them opened as if they had burst on ripening. I was introduced to these by Durga Rani my ex-neighbor when in college. Since they ate just rice and dal/ curry most times they always had munchies along with the meal. This curious looking sundried and fried berry has a bitter taste but its combo with curd rice is something I loved. The packet said Vathal Sundakai. I was all excited to share the excitement on the blogosphere so I riddled but in vain.

I found an interesting discussion here. Green sundakai looks like tiny green brinjals. I knew only the fried ones go as crispies in Thali meals. It was interesting to know that Sundakai is cooked green too.

Here Vathal is for sundried and Sundakai is Tamil for Turkey Berry. I haven't seen it used in any form green or dried in any other state except the Southern foursome of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

Wiki says it's application as a rodenticide is known as much as a treatment for various skin diseases in humans.

So you have your answer for

Riddle Me This # 3 ~

The winner is Kamalika !!!

Her answer is the exact one though there were Mamatha and Jayashree who guessed it right partly before her. She said @ November 08, 2008 11:39 PM

It is called " Sundakai Vathal". We can make Vathakulambhu with this and also simply deep fry it and sprinkle some salt on it and have it with Curd rice.

This is an important dish when fasting is broken on Thuvathesi after Vaikunta Ekadesi.

Very good for stomach ailments.

Btw am i right

Now Kamalika you go and fetch some thing strange and show it to us on your blog and you know the rules. Luck~~!

I am as excited to see what's coming up as I was to host this event!

Riddle Me This # 3 ~

The blogosphere has ruled my life for the past 2 years and a little more now. I wonder at times there is so much food and ingredients that are available to man. Still we work more than the stone-age man for food. You bet one life is not enough for even sampling all of the food available to us. This on-the-roll event is here to expand further the horizons of our choice.

Now with Riddle me this our fun loving Manisha has started a really educative treasure hunt that bloggers get to be part of!

Well some time ago you saw me riddle you with it in a processed avatar here. There were two similar guesses but not quite right so you see another avatar today.

I'm happy to be the third blogger to get the baton. The first winner needs more cajoling. C'mon Pel !

And here is Manisha's Asthapadi (Sanskrit for 8 steps)

1. Find something stranger than strange and weirder than weird,
2. Post it on your blog within the next two weeks.
3. The quiz remains open for at least 1 day and at the most 2 days. I'll make it 2.
   
4. The person who guesses it correctly gets the torch and is the next host for Riddle Me This.
5. If the person who guesses correctly is the previous host, then that person will get to pick someone to pass the buck to from all those who made a guess.
6. And so on.
7. Please use the fabulous logo, designed by the real IFR owner:
   
   and link back to the host who passed the baton on to you. For me it is the real Mad Tea Party owner.
   
8. Please do your best to keep this alive. Just think of how much fun it will be! To me it is a treasure hunt and lots of learning.

You have to guess what it is? It may not be known commonly or used ubiquitously. All I can tell is it's a berry and the tell tales are is my links on this post. :S are you! Don't be and have fun !!

I'm loving Riddle me this !! Cheers for the two kewl chicks who have passed this on to me!!!

Tic Toc Tic Toc~~~

Appi Payasa for Dhanatrayodashi

Appi Payasa: Pooris in Badam milk

Appi Payasa for breakfast is quick and almost like a porridge heart warming to the core. At Mridula's wedding I had tasted this and its so easy that I had to try it atleast once. This recipe will now on give leftover pooris a new lease of creative life for sure. I guess that is how this might have been invented or may be it was meant to be baby food! Aha but you see in the South most things have to pass the gulp test!!! No one wants to chew or bite into anything. Oh yeah but if it is their munchies then the other side of south please go get a mortar and pestle to make the munchies munchable LOL!!!

Also when you are making Diwali treats you end up with extra dough. Never mind what dough it is just fry and dunk in badam milk and you have an all new creation called Appi Payasa! With that tip I'm sending this post for JFI Nov 08 @ cooking4allseasons. Its been long since I participated in any event so making it festive. Thanks Srivalli and is Indira participating?

It is a new sweet in our home and I made it for Dhanatrayodashi today.

Ingredients

4- 6 Pooris/ Indian fried bread
4 cups milk
1 tablespoon semolina
2 pedas (optional)
2 tablespoons almond powder
6 teaspoons sugar
few strands of saffron

In a pot put the milk and keep on medium heat. Once it starts boiling add the sugar, almond powder and saffron. If using pedas crush them over the pot and into it. Add the semolina. Reduce heat and let the semolina cook. After 5 mins you will see the milk has thickened and payasa is ready. Put off the heat. Tear the pooris into small bits and add to the payasa. Stir and cover for 5 mins. Serve hot.

Top up with nuts, raisins or both.

May you have a slurpy Dhanatrayodashi today !!
*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Vada Sambar not Medu

Growing up in Mumbai and being exposed to a multitude of food influence one forgets the traditional stuff and the origins of some. My family woke up to an English or Irani breakfast. The lunch was Koli or Gujarati influenced. The evening tea was a true colors of Mumbai anything ranging from bhel to sandwiches to South Indian. Weekend breakfast most times was South Indian to be exact idli or uttampams, the art of medu vada making or for that matter crispy dosa was not yet mastered by my mother. So for our occasional indulgences it would be medu vada with chutney wrapped in a banana leaf or what we call harachi pane (leaves used to wrap garlands, don't know what they are called) from the nearby Lalit in Fort that most times Uncle M would get for us.

I think Lalit was the first truly South Indian restaurant that I visited. I love the Medu Vada sambar there. I still remember it because that was my initiation to the taste of South Indian food. Hey but isn't this post supposed to be about the ubiquitous Batata Vada that is brand Mumbai and Maharashtra?

Well I had to give you the background as we explore the origins of a different type of Vada Sambar not the Medu vada kind. Humm so for me Vada sambar meant nothing but Medu Vada Sambar. As I grew a little older and my parents started allowing me to eat at hotels when we travelled on our yearly pilgrimages I discovered that Vada sambar in the remote villages of Maharashtra and border regions of Karnataka was not Medu Vada Sambar at all.

It happened on one such visits to the pilgrim centers I don't quite remember which one it could be Pandharpur, GaNagapur or may be Akkalkot. I ordered for Vada Sambar and I started crying when I saw Batata Vadas sitting in a green peas curry (Hirvya VataNyachi usal). My parents consoled me that here in the villages people do not know how to make medu vada so they make Batata Vada and serve with the really spicy usal or toor dal sambar. Later I got used to it. Now though it is not my favorite combo for nostalgia sake I made it today.

It makes me wonder how food evolves. Is that how the Batata Vada Sambar was created? Or was it an original dish. If you see the history of food Sambar is a South Indian curry made with dal and coconut masala variations all over the four states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu but never in Maharashtra.

The Batata Vada Sambar must have been created to give it a single complete meal tag for a farmer. But did farmers eat at the local eateries? or was it created for the travellers?

Was it a South Indian immigrant in Maharashtra who created it or was it the Marathi entrepreneur. It still is good business to have Batata Vada Sambar on the menu for these tin roofed eateries in the villages of Maharashtra the Vadas get washed down with special kadak (over boiled strong tea).

The Batata Vada Sambar is eaten from a bowl placed in a plate the way soup is served and eaten with two spoons to divide the vada into bites. Here in India forks are not used much except in some slightly upmarket places but two spoons do a good job in smaller eateries.

This post is flying across to Dear Anita, Delhi for the celebration of A Mad Tea Party's second blogversary.

Wishing her happy blogging for the future!

Batata Vada served with Toor Dal Sambar

Matkichi Usal

It is not an everyday thing to have Matkichi usal on the menu here in Blr at our home unlike in Mumbai. While in Mumbai we would have it almost once a week. In Blr I have to hunt for these legumes.

Matki, Moth or Moat is a small brown bean. It is particularly popular in Marathi and Gujarati cuisine, both make a slight variation of this Usal. Now Usal can be a dryish stir fry made with beans or a liquid curry. We like both the consistencies. It is a dry stir fry when I need to carry in the lunch box and watery for enjoyment at home.

Matki Usal is so much loved among Maharashtrians that it is one of those dishes that is enjoyed at any time of the day. A lightly flavored one for morning breakfast topped with grated coconut, for lunch, as an evening snack converted to a Sprouts Dahi Misal or at dinner time.

Yet the real secret lies in the spice, one may use simple spices for flavoring bean curries but for optimum taste a true Matkichi Usal has to be spiced with Goda masala or Kala Masala and jaggery adding an extra dimension to it. Yes those masalas are the ones that churned discussions all over the blogosphere sometime ago.

Though this is a traditional Marathi recipe it is not much popular with the carnivores that Kolis are. It's too tame for a Koli, almost to the point of dislike. However our family is a Matki Usal freak as much as a dal freak and has therefore earned the comment "Bhat zalet ho!" (They actually mean they have tamed, I won't do transliteration of the comment as I don't take pride in the conversion ;)).

Ingredients

Sprouting Matki

1/2 cup Matki/ Moth Beans

Wash and soak Matki in water all night, the beans should be covered with sufficient amount of water. Drain the water in the morning and put onto a sieve or tie it up in a muslin cloth. It takes a day to sprout in summer, once the sprouts are as big as the beans they are ready for use. While they are sprouting just toss them around to aerate so they don't become slimy. A 1/2 cup of matki gives about 2 cups and a little more of sprouts

Making the Usal

2 cups matki sprouts

1 onion chopped medium

2 tomatoes or 2 tablespoon tamarind pulp

1/2 teaspoon Kala Masala or Goda Masala

1 green chili

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1.5 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon jaggery powder

Heat oil in a wok. Fry the onions till translucent. Add the cut green chilies, turmeric, red chili powder, Kala or Goda masala mix thoroughly. Add the sprouted matki and stir to coat it with the masala and pour water enough to cover the sprouts. Cover and cook. It takes 20 mins to cook well. Check if done by pressing a bean between the finger. Once cooked add the chopped tomatoes and jaggery, boil once. Tomatoes should be added at the end so that the matki is allowed to cook well and quickly. Tartness normally slows down cooking so this needs to be taken care of. Put off the heat. Serve with Chapati or bread of your choice.

To add the Koli untamed attitude to this post I must add my tuppence to the fart manual. Prudes don't read any further, you can go straight to the last line.

"Ada pada kon pada, damboricha ghoda pada". This used to be a game we played when someone liberated themselves while in a group. One points a finger at each member in the group and the one who gets the last word is the artist in hot air creation.

Also

A riddle that was very popular, "Don dongrachye madhin Bhikya Bombalte!" I'll try to say it in English, "Who is this Bhikya(name) that shrieks between two mountains? Guess it? (trying to keep a straight face)

Lets celebrate the Beans 'n Lentils fest with this sweet Punjabi Fart song, please sing together and dance to beats that drown the human sound effects. Dhum, Dhumak Dhum Dhum Dhola Re~~~

Hope Bee and Jai enjoy this post, I did writing it! Thank you!

Merlion Relish Forks

Merlion Relish Forks, my entry for Click March 08

As I read this month's announcement for the Click - the photo event my choice immediately was the Merlion relish forks. It was ideal choice for this blog event and for another personal event, read below about it.

My brother, Hrushi is leaving for the Land of the Merlion to pursue a Master's in Business, tonight. His specialization, Enterprise Resource Planning so this post is to first wish him luck for an exciting future.

Bal, Wish you success and a prosperous future!

Well, back to Merlion relish forks, my Dad had brought these back from Singapore. When I decided to participate in Click I decide to do a bit of research. I have been calling them salad forks all the time as thats what we call forks used to eat fruit salads. However, our guru the internet threw up so much information on searching for types of forks that now I know these are called Relish forks. If not anything else it sounds snobbish. Read here why they are called by the name.

The relish forks are slimmer and may be 2 or three pronged. They are used to not eat but just to pick up food from a container without contaminating the rest of the food. Ain't it interesting.

Mine have a lovely Merlion at one end that functions as a knob to give a grip. The forks are held inside the hollow Merlion shaped case, that plays the Singapore song and flashes lights too.

I had never bothered to find out what metal it was made from. It wasn't steel or silver I knew but knowing Bee and Jai and their line.....

Metal surfaces, cutlery, crockery, utensils, cookware, appliances, foil, bakeware, cast iron, steel, tin, aluminum, gold, silver, copper, brass, pewter …. we’d like to see them all.

How could I not try to find out what metal they are made of. I fortunately had a booklet that came with it and Lo I found out it was pewter!

Once I had a guest who stayed with us for 2 months, while she was with us she explored every niche of my poorly furnished home in Blr. One evening she asked me to show her the Merlion. I pushed the clip to play the music and gosh it went all the way in. The Merlion went on singing and I had no way of stopping it. I tried dismantling the piece but in vain. It played on and on and it gave me a headache, the battery was so good it refused to drain. Finally I got frustrated and shut it up in my Dad's wardrobe. Dad was not around and he was going to return home late. A couple of hours had passed off and both of us, the guest and me forgot about it as we got busy with the cooking and gossiping. When Dad came home and opened his wardrobe he jumped out of his skin when he heard a moaning, almost yelling out loud as if there was something evil in there. I managed to calm him down and sheepishly owned up of dumping the Merlion there. All three of us burst out laughing after that. This is one of the funniest moments in my life.

Pal Payasa

Last saturday the theme of the day at home was RCI Kerala . I made a Kerala meal and an evening snack of Banana fritters. It was a co-incidence that a procession passed my neighborhood celebrating a ratha yatra with a huge frame of Adi Shankaracharya on it and the women followed it singing Soundarya Lahri. I am not sure what festival they were celebrating but I was celebrating my love for Kerala and its people. Some of my closest friends are Mallus and I love to tease them with a Lal Salaam.

Dad had gone out for a while and I had my peace time making this elaborate meal of the Vegetable ishtew, Pal Payasa, Whole wheat Kerala Paratha and Crunchy Cauliflower.

Most people visit the usual tourist circuit of Kerala, it is no doubt beautiful but my favorite has to be Allepey, the backwaters, the houseboats and the wilderness. That is one Kerala that everyone knows. I was lucky to go to another part of Kerala called Kasargod. This is amazing topography, the hills, ghats that churn your tum and the famous Bekal fort. I has mentioned here about the visit on this blog before too. Sharing here some pictures of this majestic fort.

We had gone to the Swami Ramdas Ashram, this is an amazing place. There are no temples here. The place reverberates is Ram Naam chanting almost round the clock., Everyone is welcome here with open arms and a warm smile. No one demands any contribution of any finance or physical help in any activity. You are informed about the daily routines of worship like bhajan, aarti, chanting but not forced. Yet one feel like being part of all out there.

It is amazing how much they take care of visitors, Once you walk into the ashram and request for an accommodation. You are provide with a cot, coffee is delivered at the doorstep, breakfast and both meals of the day are served at the dinning hall. In the evening they even provide milk and bread for those who prefer it. The height is they even wash your clothes. Remember this is an ashram yet not a single penny is charged for anything. They will do every thing for those who go there to the chant the divine name. We realize it to be our duty to do what little we can.

One comes back with so much peace and absolutely swept away by their hospitality.

We were served Pal payasa once during the 2 days that we were there. Its the simple rice and milk sweet that is associated with the divinity of naivedya.

Before I go on to the recipe for Pal Payasa, I noted When I was setting up for the shoot how the color dominating was white. Yes I associate white and cream with Kerala. The white of the lungis and the cream of the mundus, was I trying to bring that into my setting unconsciously? May be. I loved the way the plate looked. I did make an exception though to the white of all purpose flour that is used for Kerala paratha, instead I used Whole wheat flour. They turned out softer and tastier.

I really don't need to refer to Pal payasa recipe but yes Manisha makes Ammini's recipe sound like a real special creation check it out here and its fun too read too.

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw rice
4 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon saffron strands
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon ghee
handful cashew nuts
handful black currants and golden raisins


To begin there is a bit of preparation that we have to do. We need to wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for 1/2 hr. It will make cooking easy.

After 1/2 hr. Take a 4 litre capacity vessel, as you will need space for the milk to foam up why its boiling. Add the rice to the pot and milk and keep it on sim for about 15 mins. Though you need not keep stirring just keep a watch, who wants a spillover when you are cooking an elaborate meal. Check the rice, if it looks rice and fluffy and almost ready to burst into a starchy crumble add the sugar at this point. What separates a Phirni from a Pal payasa is this. The phirni is made creamy with the rice crumbling into the milk. A phirni clings to the ladle whereas the rice grains are self respecting in a Pal payasa. A good Palpayasa is sipped where as a phirni is to be licked up. So just when the rice is plump add the sugar. The osmotic pressure change in the liquid lets the rice be but it will help thicken the milk into a richer density. Now while this thickens for another 10 mins in another vessel or the tadka spoon/ katori take the ghee and heat it til it melts. Remove from heat and add the cashew nuts. They will turn a nice golden give it a shake to get an even color on both sides. Add it to the thickening payasa. Bring to a boil once with continuous stirring. Add the saffron strands and put off the heat.

Pal payasa needs to cool completely for couple of hour to be enjoyed thoroughly as a fine speciality. If you like it warm reheat and enjoy else chilled if you prefer it that way.

Fly dear post too the distance land of RCI Kerala to congregate with fellow Kerala lovers. Hurry LakshmiK and Jyotsna are waiting at the Currybazar.