Of Designing Courses And The 'Koli Yet Veg' Class.

I think this is the most creative phase of my life and closest to my heart, it being about the community that defines who I am, the Koli community.

It all started when Manisha of Indian Food Rocks visited India last November. We decided to meet at the Colaba Market as I wanted her to enjoy some great seafood while she was in Mumbai, she loves seafood and how. It was after some 30 yrs I was visiting there and so was she. The market has changed from being a large shed to a proper building that now houses the fish market on the ground floor and a Government school on the floors above it. Manisha was trying to catch up with as many friends and relatives as possible so though she bought a good variety of fish we were not able to cook together, so that is for another time until she returns. Totally unbeknownst, this was going to be a new journey for me!

You read about the wonderful day I spent with Meera Sodha. In just another few days her book 'Made in India' will be published, you can pre-order on Amazon right away too. It was at the time I decided to start such events for those who are truely interested in exploring my Koli food and culture because I simply loved doing it.

The most recent post covered the celebration food of the Kolis. Also during that session I mentioned that fishing was under regulation during the monsoon. It is the time when deep sea fishing is closed and Kolis as a community turn mostly vegetarian especially during Shravan when it is strictly followed. There were questions on what does a Koli eat during monsoons? This prodded me to design the menu and course which reflects the Monsoon cooking in Koli households. This is a representative vegetarian menu of all those fasting days like Somvathi amavasya or Surya poojan or some weekly fasts like Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays when people abstain from non veg or fish. Plus I am a vegetarian and so is majority of my family, we are an anomaly but no less Koli. We have grown up eating seafood until we turned vegetarian this is how we cook now in our kitchens therefore Koli yet Veg!

So here is what you can expect in the 'Koli Yet Veg' class

Our plan

1. Start at 10 am over snacks and tea/ coffee.

2. In the Kitchen cook up Koli yet vegetarian fare.

3. Lots of talk on Koli food and culture thru the 5hrs. 

Though we will cook veg food, talk on fish is not prohibited. Watch a slideshow on Koli Culture. Get the answers to questions like When do they eat veg? What is the significance of monsoon in the life of a Koli and their food? What are the Koli pantry staples?

4. Sit down to an authentic Koli Vegetarian meal.
5. Claim your packet of Taster Pack of my masalas and some goodies. Part with happy burps by 3pm 

Menu:

1. Stuffed ladies fingers/ Bhendhya cha bharit

2. Sprouted field beans curry/ Valacha birda

3. Moong dal with ground masala / Hirva Masala Moog Dal

4. Rice roti/ Chavalachi roti

5. Steamed rice/ Dhaan

6. Light Indica garcinia curry/ Kokum saar

7. Raw mango pickle/ Kegyarcha loncha (seasonal)

8. Wet Garlic chutney/ Lasnachi chutney

9. Rice or poha papad/ Phenya

10. Fried brinjal/ Talela Vanga

Fee: Rs. 2000 per head

Open only for a table of 6 per session.

Pl. note this class does not include a visit to the market like the other Fresh Seafood workshops.

Encouraged by the surge in visitors on my FB page and the blog, the love of my patrons and friends. I have been thinking about several different ideas that will appeal to you all.

I have started a new series on the FB page and twitter called #KnowYourSeafood Oh yes and I am twittering more now ‏@Annaparabrahma

Here are some more themes that I am still designing for the workshops.

• Cooking with Dried Fish
• A Crustacean Feast
• Tastes from a Koli Wedding
• An Everyday Koli Meal

See you around!

The Food and Culture Explorers

We started with this...

If I am back here after a month I must share some excitement with you, of the wonderful afternoon spent with passionate food explorers and travelers.

As soon as the event on Koli food and culture was announced on FB, I had the 6 seats booked. Sassy Fork was awesome to help me out with selecting the market and the venue closest for all the participants.

The day began at the market where the sweet Sassy was holding fort for me, after saying hellos we went straight to Nirmala, the Kolin of Discovery fame. I had talked to her over the phone few days in advance so she instantly started talking to me in the dialect of our comfort the Koli speak. She was very efficient, on knowing our planned menu she directed us to another Kolin in the market to get us crabs. I told her to give us 6 males and 6 females so that the participants would get a taste of the crab eggs besides the meat. While selecting the participants got to identify and differentiate them. As we were watching her clean we were talking about the source of the crabs, the effect of maturity, size etc on the meat. The plan was to make crab curry, so I wanted the claws and shells separated. I was surprised to know even seasoned food explorers are softies at heart.

For the fry we chose medium sized pomfrets. Nirmala Tai, cleaned and scored them keeping them whole as instructed. The pomfrets were perfect as individual serves and the participants learnt to check for freshness. While we waited there was a discussion on the miles that the catch travels from the sea and how they are transported to the retail window and which are the best catch areas that supply pomfrets to Mumbai.

We also bought the dried Kolim. The 3 grades of prawns are the large ones called Kolbi, the medium called Ambaad and the smallest Kolim or Javla in Marathi. On this day my plan was to treat the world travelers to a wedding breakfast dish that was going to be a surprise to their palate. When I told them it would be cooked with veggies they were moot, the true blue non veg lovers that they were and I was set to change that. So armed with brinjals and spring onions we headed towards the Kitchen of the day.

The hostess, a doting Aunty made Kolbi cutlets for the hungry group and Sassy fork served smoked oyster and tuna canapes too. When its seafood the Asian seafood scene is always the starting point to share travel stories. I am glad Uncle T also was enjoying the chat. A good life celebration had just begun.

Meanwhile I prepped up cutting the brinjals and spring onions with the help of my niece, Akshu. The rice was set to boil and the smell of Ambe mohor was enough to bring all the participants into the kitchen to learn the Koli Style cooking. 

I briefed about the day's menu, it was a part of the wedding feast. From the 2 methods of cooking rice to the types of curries, the coconut based and the thin everyday Kanji. What type of fish are used for a celebration meal and what are the Koli daily meal favorites. We talked about combinations of vegetables with fish and how Kolis eat as per season. 

About the monsoon, its dangers to fishermen's life and the Koli respect for the environment and why no fishing is done in monsoon thus allowing the sea life to replenish itself by just letting it be.

As we talked we made the crab curry, the Kolim and Akshu fried the pomfrets to perfection. The participant were tipped the key to a plump fried fish.

It was pretty late already and since 2 of them had to rush back to work I let them start serving themselves while I quickly made the God Ghari the final dish. God Ghari is actually eaten with Kolim but since I made it last and everyone was mid meal, Sassy fork suggested we try it with mango ice cream as a dessert. I liked the twist in the story.

The Food and Culture Explorers

Finally we wrapped up the day with a round of everyone listing their favorite dish of the day. The Kolim was Pradeep, Sassy fork and S Aunty's fave. Shanky liked the crab curry the most while Deepak loved the pan fried pomfret. I was happy with the varied tastes of these busy world travelers whose palates are exposed to some really adventurous eating and they were happy with 3 different dishes. 

They were a wonderful group and each one had a discerning taste. Finally we said bye bye and a promise to make more Amboshi cha loncha and have another Koli everyday meal event after the monsoon.

The resultant Seafood feat!

The menu :

1. Talele Kapte : Panfried medium sized pomfret
2. Chavalachi roti : Rice roti /bread
3. Kolim Vanga and Ool : A stir fry of tiny shrimps with brinjals and spring onions
4. Chimboryacha Kanji : Crabs in coconut curry

Not in the picture

5. Yelnicha Dhaan : Rice cooked by draining the starch
6. Goad Ghari : Fried flour and jaggery bread
7. Alibag che Pandhare kande : The white onions from Alibag
8. Lasnachi chutney : Garlic and red chilies chutney

I also shared some of my Ginger ale with them and they said they liked it.

Click to see more pictures from the event here...

A big Thank You to Shanky for clicking these beautiful pictures!

The goodies they took home: 
Amboshi cha loncha (sundried raw mango pickle), Sode (dried prawns) 

and Koli masala a must!

Eat, Drink, Cool with Watermelon

Life's summers are beautiful when its a table for two.

Some time ago I spent half a day with my friends Johnson, Shirley and Shimon. Shirley as usual went out of her way to make lots of food for me, imagine I was the only guest and the table was laden every inch. Since she knows my food preferences she made a similar watermelon deliciousness instead of a dessert. I adapted it and tried the make it more healthy by skipping out sugar and using honey. Thanking Shirley for this lovely recipe.

Ingredients

1 watermelon (approx 3kg)

1 lime

2 teaspoons honey per glass

Makes 5 Tall glasses.

Scoop out the watermelon with a baller. Try to get as many round balls but don't dicard the scraps just cut them up into small bits. Save aside.

Collect the juice don't thro it away while you are scooping, its a good idea to use a large bowl to hold the watermelon.

Measure out 1 litre of  chilled water into a bin, add the melon balls and the juice to it. Squeeze out the juice of 1 lime. Pass thru strainer to remove the seeds. Give a nice stir and a shake to the bin. This will ensure the lime juice homogenizes into the water and juice mix and also permeates into the watermelon balls.

Chill the bin in the fridge for atleast 4-5 hrs.

To serve fill up glasses with the water melon balls and juice upto 3/4th of each of the glass. Pour 2 teaspoons of honey over the melon balls, it will glaze the balls and fall thru the juice and sweeten it.

Provide a long spoon to scoop up the melon balls and pop them straight into the mouth and stir the juice to mix the honey. Enjoy the cool sips of lime laced watermelon and eat it too.

Tondli with a lil bit of Amsool

It's more than two weeks we are off rice and roti. Oh we did have our weekly indulgence this weekend of rice and curry but thru the week we just cannot take rice and roti. When you don't eat main carbs then the sides or bhaaji too have to be less on spice. So our aamtis and bhaajis are all toned down this summer. 

Today while making Chavali and Tondli bhaaji I realized I had 0.5 kg of bhaaji which was too much to be used along with Chavali so I thought I'll make a nice stir fry. If it is the same vegetable my Dad and me would not like to eat it in the same meal, I guess even you wouldn't like it. 

So I sliced longs for the Chavali -Tondli bhaaji and half moons for this stir fry. Yes you got it right for this stir fry it has to be sliced thinnest and in half moons it cooks better and holds shape too that way.

I also was generous with the onions so that they would lend a sweetness to the savory dish. I had coconut on hand but did not want to sprinkle fresh grated coconut as we normally do. I wanted to bring out the nuttiness of coconut. Then I just thought since I am making this as a light bhaaji with no other spices but 2 green chilies for heat why not add 2-3 pieces of kokum or amsool to it. Coconut and amsool have a love bond. So I did. What I got was a really lovely salad like clean flavoured bhaaji which can be enjoyed on its own.

Since its so simple and I just cooked this up by fluke choices thought I will post it here. Well once I make something so good I am going to make it again many times. May be you too want to make it.

Ingredients

1/4 kg Tondli / ivy gourd

1 large onion halved and sliced fine n long

2 green chilies

2-3 amsool / kokum/ indica garcenia

1/4 cup fresh grated coconut

1 tablespoon oil

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

salt and sugar to taste 

Heat oil in the wok and add the asafoetida. I know the recipe has onions but I like extra sulphur from asafoetida in simple recipes. Add the onions, half moon sliced tondli and green chilies. Stir and cook for 5 mins. Cover and cook till almost done and the tondli looks paler green. Add the coconut and amsool. Lastly add sugar and salt to taste and give a nice stir. Cover and cook for another 5 mins.

Serve hot as it is to be eaten as a cooked salad or serve as a bhaaji in your full thali meal. 

Real Kala Khatta is Pink!

The pink is the final diluted drink, in the middle syrup plus ice, the last glass is the color of Jamun concentrate or Kala Khatta.

Want some Jamun?

This week Dad brought home Jamuns along with his regular fruit haul from the Nerul market. My first question was how much did they cost? Must be expensive? 

Yes in Mumbai they are expensive at Rs. 45 per 250 gms. So the day was about Jamuns eating them, staining the tongue with them. Posing with them for 365project and feeling impish about clicking the stained purple tongue for the day's submission. But better sense prevaled.

It was a day filled with memories of walking under the Coconut and Bettlenut shaded paths in Thal and going Jamun and Karvanda hunting with friends. They would be ripe and fallen below the tree, we did not even have to take the effort at throwing stones at the fruit to fell them. We would pick the fallen fruit carefully. Ensuring no insect had bitten it, a little smash is ok, infact it is desirable for a squishy fruit gauranteed sweet juiciness.

Then there were days of walking down with MJ Kaka to VT from home in Fort. Next to Canon Pav bhaaji there used to be a sarbat stall that did roaring business. (I think both  still are Mumbai landmarks!). They sold the best Kala khatta! The location was prime oppositive VT station along the Azad maidan. It mostly would be a reward for studying well and accompanying uncle to J B Petit library for a afternoon read. You guessed it right this 4 - 5 o'clock drink was Amrit for me.

Now the Kala khatta that I remember from childhood was from that cold drink shop or the one made from Rasna or that Rajput Kaki made with some magical potions at home and bottles of dark almost wine black concentrate would be stashed away in the fridge door. Here is a post that voices eloquently the past that we cherish about "I love you Rasna" and the girl with the Fountain ponytail. 

Cut now I dread anything artificial. So I decided to make the real Kala Khatta. I had Jamuns in hand and I was not going to let go this opportunity. Before summer ends you want to give it a try with me?

Ingredients

100gms Jamuns

400 gms sugar

2 limes

3 teaspoons pink salt

500 ml water

First wash the Jamun fruit. Put it in a deep sauce pan or cauldron. Add 500ml water to it. Boil till done on medium heat. The Jamuns will start disintegrating and the water will get a purple color from it.

Next add the sugar and boil till you get a sticky thick syrup and a darker shade of purple.

At this point add juice of two limes into the syrup, it will clarify. Add the pink salt and put off the heat, you do not want to loose the sulphorous smell and taste of the salt.

Let the syrup cool and then strain it thru a juice sieve or a coarse mesh. This should trap the seeds and skins from the jamun and seeds of lime too.

Fill in a clean jar and store in the fridge. Stays well upto 3-4 months. This is your concentrated Jamun syrup or Kala Khatta concentrate.

To serve

Fill glass with 1-2 tablespoons of concentrated Jamun syrup. Add as many ice cubes as you like and top up with water to fill the glass to a little below the brim.

(Note : pl. use the concentrate in the proportion you like to get the sweetness and saltiness of your choice. )

Stir n shake.  Lo! there you are, making your own real Kala Khatta. Suprise surprise it's pink!

Real fruit juice makes a big difference and it's not a big deal to make your own concentrates for this summer. Hope you will dump all those artificial packets and the convenience of 1-2-3 for your health's sake.

Onion Mushroom Masala and a Focaccia

The recipe is of Onion Mushroom Masala actually. I made a Focaccia with it that's just natural.

This lipsmacking bhaaji is purely addictive. I make this for the non veg loving members of my extended family when they visit. Invariable they have named it as stir fried Kalava che gole or Oysters in onion masala. Taut yet biteable and the koli masala makes it sublime. Whether it is Kalava or Mushroom eitherways its a hit.

Ingredients

1 pack fresh button mushrooms

2 large onions chopped lengthwise.

1 teaspoon Kolimasala.

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

salt to taste.

2 tablespoons oil

Heat a wok with oil in it. Add the onions and the mushrooms. Stir and fry till onions are transluscent. Add the Koli masala, turmeric and salt cover and cook for 5 mins. 

At this point stop cooking to use as topping for Focaccia. 

However if making it as a bhaaji, cook till onions are caramelized and you see the oil leaving the sides of the wok. 

This is a ideal side dish with a rice roti, steamed rice and dal or even to mop up with a soft Mumbai pav.

You can garnish it with chopped cilantro if you wish to add color.

To assemble the Focaccia:

Remove the second  tray of dough from the fridge and leave it come to normal temperature while you preheat the oven at 180 deg celcius.

While the oven gets ready, spread the Onion Mushroom Masala  evenly over the puffy cushion like dough. Press down lightly just to embedded the toppings a bit.

Thrust the tray in the hot oven and bake for 30 mins. Ensure there is no charring of the onions due to hot spots in the oven. Change dirrection if your oven has hotspots.

Remove from oven and serve once cooled enough to slice up about an hour.

This Focaccia tastes awesome both warm or cold. It does not really require a soup to go with it. It is super tasty on its own.

Make it for your guests and win a thumbs up from them between smiling mouthfuls.

Olive, Garlic, Chili and Thyme Focaccia

My nephew called up to tell me he was coming over to my place with his cousins and friends at night. Young adults are best to practice your art of cooking and feeding on. They clean up everythings that you make and you feel so nice to see no leftovers.

On this day I chose a simple menu of soup and 2 kinds of focaccia. Then just as a back up I also made Valachi Khichadi. You never want to run short of food with entusiatic youngsters around.

This is a lovely focaccia perfect with soup. It had a nice crunch and was full of flavors of garlic, thyme, chilli and olives.

It also meant a great chance to try the new powerful instant yeast that Apolina sent me with this friendship package. There is more that is coming up with the rest of the ingredients. Thank you!

Recipe reference: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons heaped instant yeast (Bruggenman)
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 cups warm water
0.5 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup sliced olives

Toppings

1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/4 cup sliced olives
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons red chilli flakes
15 cloved garlic chopped

In a medium bowl measure out the warm water and add sugar to it. Sprinkle the yeast on top and leave it to bubble up for 10 mins.

On the counter measure out the flour. Make a well in it. Add the bubbly yeast liquid in the center. Mix well and knead to form a smooth dough. Add the olive oil and knead well to make a shiny smooth dough. Oil a large bowl and keep the dough to proof for atleast an hour or till it doubles. 

Meanwhile, drain 1/2 cup of sliced olives and blot them on a kitchen towel. 

This Bruggeman yeast is fantastic! The first proofing was thready airy and I'm surely loving it. 

Once the dough is doubled, turn it out on a lightly floured counter. Incorporate half of the sliced olives and knead with a light hand.

Divide the dough into 2 balls. 

Prepare two 9X11 baking trays. Put one ball in each and spread the dough on it. I let it rise the second time in the fridge so its Ok even if it looks really thinned out dough on the tray. It rose to a beautiful cushion by morning and ready to be baked.

After spreading the dough, for one tray top with Olives. Sprinkle the red chili flakes and the dried thyme, fresh would be really wonderful. Spread the chopped garlic evenly.

Now dimple the dough to create pockets for the oilve oil.

Drizzle the oilve oil. 

Sprinkle the salt.

Cover with cling film and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Save the other tray for another type of focaccia. Cover the flattened and dimpled dough with cling film and put it away in the fridge for proofing over night. Following in the second post...

I do this often to get a fresh baked bread on the next day. It gives me extra time to do other things when I am entertaining.

Next morning remove the trays and let them come to normal temperature for 10 mins till the oven preheats at 180 deg celcius. 

Bake for 30-35 mins.

This turned out a nice crunchy focaccia not to mention it looked pretty too.

Green Moong Dal Dhokla

The green skinned moong dal is something I love unconditionally. I love pesarattu and I love moogache ladoo. At times I make this dhokla. It has a good amount of fibre and is nutritious. It takes a little bit of planning to make it as the dal needs to be soaked, just a few hours.

I think you must have it on your healthy food list. 

Ingredients

1 cup green skinned split moong dal
1 large pinch soda bicarb

salt to taste.

0.5 teaspoon ginger 

0.5 teaspoon green chili paste

For the seasoning

1 tablespoon oil 

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

few curry leaves

2-3 green chilies

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

Preparation

Wash and soak the green skinned split moong dal in water. The water level should be more than the dal. Soak atleast for 3-4 hours.

Once soaked, drain the dal and grind to fine paste using minimum water. The green skins may loosen but that is fine, do not discard. Grind along with the skins.

Next add salt and green chili and ginger paste. Add a large pinch of soda bicarb. Mix well. 

Prepare the steaming plates, grease them with oil. Pour the batter about 1/2 inch thickness in a single plate.

Steam in pressure cooker for 20 mins.

Cool completely. Cut up into diamond shapes. 

Prepare the seasoning. Heat oil in a tempering spoon. Add mustard and splutter it. Follow in with asafoetida and curry leaves. Put off the heat. Sprinkle a table spoon of water on the seasoning. With a spoon sprinkle the seasoning over the steamed dhokla.

Toss the dhokla to give a nice coat of the seasoning.

Serve while still warm with ketchup or dry peanut chutney.

Gor Papdi

Flash back to the days in Fort, there is a Jalaram Bappa and Ambe Mata temple in the building opposite my home. The bhajan is in full swing, me standing at the window and sticking out my head as a kid and there is a promise of Gor papdi prasad. Dad warns not go down at night. So I tell Ji, my grand old neighbor that if she goes down to the temple to get prasad for me. I tell Bharat to keep prasad for me. Ensure I get atleast one pudi of prasad (wrapped in newspaper).

Next morning we go to the temple and the potbellied pujari hands me a packet. Thrilled to bits I rush up and nibble the small piece. Then Ji asks if I want the prasad and I happily nod a yes. Bharat too ensures he drops in prasad at my home along with the milk bottle he drops everyday.

At another time Mom is discussing what to make as travel snacks for us to take on our yearly trip to Ganagapur-Akalkot-Gondavale and Kaki, Rajput suggests that we make khari puri and Gor papdi. So the two of them decide it would be made in the afternoon. Kaki would teach my Mom.

I would be pottering around and listening to Kaki's stories of travel. This image of gor papdi tied up in a cloth potli has stayed in my mind. Of the travelers eating it under the tree and drinking water from a kamandalu.

Flash forward to now. For our family trip to Gondavale besides many other things I made Gor papdi. This traditional sweet is made from pantry staples and gets done in less than 30 mins.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ghee

1/2 jaggery

1/8 cup water

5-6 cardamoms 

2-3 tablespoons poppy seeds

(This recipe can be doubled or tripled in all proportions very easily. I used 3 cups of wheat flour for the tray of gor papdi you see in the pics.)

First grease a plate and keep it ready.

In a kadhai heat ghee, once molten add the wheat flour slowly to it. Keep mixing and stirring till the wheat flour is browned and smells nutty. 

Meanwhile separately in a saucepan add the water and jaggery and heat till it dissolves completely. 

Pour the jaggery liquid into the ghee roasted wheat flour. At this point use the seeds of cardamom after crushing them. Stir till it starts leaving the sides of the kadhai and forms a mass at the center. About 5-6 mins.

Now transfer the mass onto the greased plate. Even it out with a katori. Sprinkle poppy seeds. Level it well. Let it set a bit and then cut up into pieces. Let it cool completely.

Once cooled pack it into a box. It stays fresh for 15 days. 

That's a healthy and nutritious snack for you better when you travel excellent for hikking trekking trips.

Kancheepuram Idli

Like a reader commented on FB, I am here with another 'divine recipe'.

I have recieved the Kacheepuram idli as prasad on couple of occassion. This variation in idli I have eaten was the Rava idli with a tadka, called as Kancheepuram idli. Only after tasting the real temple prasad did I know the difference. However recieving it as prasad meant I got the idli after 1-2 days in transit so not as a fresh one. I wasn't really impressed but then when you have a whole lot of Tamil friends saying praises of the Lord Varadarajaperumal and the idli offered as prasad then your curiosity peaks. 

The Sitemeter on this blog brings in loads of info and insights. One such was this link to an old article in The Hindu that explored Tamil Nadu and finally attempted to decode the Kancheepuram idli.

Of the recipes on that link I refered to the original temple recipe and since it did not mention the amount of Urad Dal I used my own experience from the memory of the taste to arrive at the quantity. This temple recipe is for a very large quantity in kilos so I have adapted it for cooking at home. I have gone for 2:1 ratio for Rice and Urad dal.

SRI VARADARAJAPERUMAL TEMPLE RECIPE

(To make 10 idlis)

IngredientsRaw rice 2kg, Urad dhal kg, Methi 25gm, Pepper 100gm, Jeera 100gm, Dry ginger 100gm,Asafoetida, Curry leaves, Ghee 800gm, Salt

Method: Soak the rice, urad dhal and methi for an hour. Grind to a rough consistency. Add salt and leave overnight. In the morning, add pepper, jeera, dry ginger, asafoetida (all without tempering), sautéd curry leaves and ghee. Mix well and cook. It takes about an hour to cook.

At home, in a cooker it may take only 15 minutes. Place pieces of mandharai leaves on the idli tray and then pour the batter.

I don't know what are Mandharai leaves. Hope you readers can enlighten me.

My Recipe 

2 cups Raw rice 
1 cup Urad dhal 
1/ 4 teaspoon Methi 
1 tablespoon Peppercorns
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Dry ginger powder
1/ 2 teaspoon Asafoetida
1/2 cup Curry leaves
1 tablespoon Ghee
Salt to taste

Soak the rice and dal together along with methi for 1 hour. Grind to coarseness with enough water. Add salt and let it frement overnight.

The next morning. Crush the peppercorns and add to fermented batter. Add the raw cumin seeds, dry ginger powder, asafoetida into the batter.  Now temper the curryleaves in ghee and add the batter. Mix well. 

Oil plates and pour the spiced batter into the plates. Steam for 15-20 mins in the cooker. 

Demold. Cut up into quarters and serve with an array of chutneys. I made two, coconut cilantro and a tomato chutney to serve on my plate.

' The Aamti ' from Gondavale

A typical meal at Gondavale temple would be Bajarichi Bhakari, Bhaat, Brinjals with crushed peanuts, Aamti, buttermilk, salt on the side, Khuraasnichi chutney, Spicy lime pickle. The Kandi peda in the middle is a Satara special that is offered at the temple.

Gondavale is where my family's faith lies. It is a small sleepy village that comes to life only when there are certain festive days like Ram Navami, Gurupournima, Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj's punyatithi etc.

Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj is the saint who was born there and in his life time he helped people find the love of God through chanting the divine name. He propogated the "Shree Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" mantra. Today there is a Samadhi Mandir and a trust that manages it. Read more about it on my travel blog, Swachchanda.

Shree's family was the Kulkarni of Gondavale. In his times whenever there was drought he would start some project in the village and provide food to the villagers. Most times it would be a Bajarichi Bhakari with spicy aamti. This aamti continues to be made in the Kitchens of Gondavale Sansthan and is served to 1000s of pilgrims every day along with the meal. There are many stories of miracles that people narrate on consuming the aamti. That is people's strong faith. We love the aamti so much that when we were kids we would drink dron-ful / Leaf cups full of it, guzzle it up when the volunteers came towards us to serve.

It is much later that we started making this aamti at home when we decoded the ingredients and were able to source the special blend of Goda masala from Gondavale itself.

This Gondavale Masala as we like to call is available on my E-shop. It is a fragrant masala and has a satvic taste that it imparts to the food. It can be used for curries and Masale bhaat but the best use is in this aamti. The sweet, tangy spicy aamti can liven up a simple meal. 

Not only the devotees and pilgrims who have tasted it but also many who have heard about it would like to have it decoded. While temple recipes never taste the same at home for two reasons, one the mass proportions in which it is made and above all the blessings of the Lord!

Yet I am trying to put down a recipe that I feel is very close to the original and that I make often in my own kitchen. 

Ingredients

1 cup cooked dal

4-5 kokum or 1/8 cup tamarind pulp

2 teapsoon oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1 tablespoon Gondavale Goda Masala

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

2 green chilies slit

1 sprig of curry leaves

2- 3 tablespoons crushed jaggery

salt to taste

handful of cilantro for garnish

Heat a deep pan add oil and splutter mustard seeds in it. Add the asafoetida, follow in with the curry leaves and slit green chilies. Shake the pan around to avoid charring of the phodni / seasonings.

Now add the cooked dal to it. Add the spices red chilli powder, turmeric powder and don't forget the Gondavale Goda Masala. Top up with water, the aamti at Gondavale is very thin and watery. You may want it slightly thick so adjust the water to your liking. 

Churn the dal with a Ravi/ beater. This helps thicken it and liquidize the dal. 

Once the dal looks well blended and is boiling rapidly, reduce the heat. At this stage add the kokum or tamarind pulp and jaggery. Let it simmer for 5 mins after adding salt. Dress up the aamti with fine chopped  fresh cilantro.

Serve steaming hot. Drink it up. Mix with rice and toop/ ghee or crumble a stale bhakri and slurp it up!

Mango Chilly

Ever since I sourced Mango pulp for my E-shop I have not missed Mango through the year. It is available for me to use when I want and in whatever I want without much thought. That does not mean I do not enjoy the fresh fruit. The fruit will be enjoyed soon now is time it will start flooding the market. Until then I have my mango pulp.

Today I am sharing this lovely cooler that I made. Did you note the pun in the name, its Mango with chilli and served chilled!

A sip and you feel the sweet taste at the tip of your tongue, as the swig progresses on to the middle of your palate you taste the hints of salt and the lime. Then the chili hits the back of the throat and you hold the glass at eye level to say...hummmm...good stuff!

That's the kind of a drink it is, and ready in just 10 mins.

Ingredients

For a single drink

3 tablespoons Mango pulp

1 tablespoon sugar

1 small pinch red chilli powder

1 large pinch pink salt/ rock salt

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 a lime

150 ml water

6-7 ice cubes

for decoration

1 red dried chili 

a sprig of mint 

wood skewer

In a drink shaker or a jar with a tight lid add the sugar, red chilli powder, pink or rock salt, chili flakes and water. Squeeze half lime into it. Shake shake shake till the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Add the mango pulp to it and shake well again. 

Pour out into a serving glass, I used a large tumbler. Top with ice cubes. 

Dress up the drink: On a wood skewer fix a chili and poke in the sprig of mint into it. Insert the decoration into the drink filled glass.

Enjoy sipping on it as you relax in your chair and look far away into to the  hot summer afternoon.

This Mango Chilly is excellent to entertain. Serve it up with Gol gappas. Let people dip the puffed up puris into their tumblers and enjoy the pani puri shots!

P.S: Will update the pani puri shots pic when I have a beautiful model for it. Yesterday I made it the 5th time again for family after we returned home from a 3 day trip into the country. It was an ideal hot summer treat after the entire day on the heated express way.

Gulkand Kulfi

Kulfi, Kulfi-yo~~ 

That was the call of the Kulfiwala. Every summer night he would roam the backstreets of the Fort, Mumbai that went silent after all the commercial activities closed and the locals would find their peace and go down for a walk and the boys and men gathered to chat at the street corners.

We as kids would go running to window and call out to the Kulfiwala, "Bhaiya upar aana" calling him up to our third floor home. There would be much excitement as he would climb the stairs and we would keep the change ready. He would put down the huge basket which nestled the large urn or matka on to the floor. The urn would be filled with salt and ice to keep the kulfi frozen. It would then be covered with a red cloth which he ensure was always wet to retain the chill. Barely would he have settled the basket down and each one of us would demand our own flavours, Malai, Kesar pista, Pista. These were the basic 3 flavors he carried. The Malai kulfi tasted the best. Simple with no artificialness. Then he'd pick out one kulfi mould cone and rub it between his palms to loosen the set kulfi inside and pop it out on a leaf, cutting it up into bite sized pieces. There was never a time when we did not lick up the last bits of kulfi from the leaf!

The Gulkand kulfi is a more sophisticated version that I had never tasted on the streets but in a fancy restaraunt. Any kulfi is pure joy but Gulkand kulfi is romance of the flavors of boiled down milk and rose petals. It transports you into the era of the Mughals. They who brought to India the Persian influences, the use of rose in cooking and what better way than in a Indian cool treat.

You will find many recipes of Kulfi across the internet and in books that include corn flour as a thickner or other modern adaptation of a quick fix recipe using condensed milk from a can. However I choose to go the traditional way. Making Kulfi is a love affair you cannot rush thru it. It is just not the same, it has to be done slowly and over time. I prefer to do it over two days savoring every stage of the making as much as letting the sublime flavors melt in the mouth with every morsel.

A great Gulkand kulfi need two things, full fat milk and good quality rose petal jam that gives the name "Gulkand".

First let me explain to you what is Gulkand after all. When the roses are blooming, the best are picked, cleaned and petals are separated. Then in a glass jar the petals are layered with sugar and suncooked. The suncooking pales the bright red color of rose petals but the sweet smell is encapsulated by the sugar and you get a lovely jam. You can make your own jam at home with this method if you have access to organically grown roses. Gulkand boasts of wonderful ayurvedic properties and it's best know for its cooling effect on the human body. It is either consumed as is in spoonfuls or had mixed in the daily glass of milk in the summer months. 

Stay away from anything that is bright red on dark pink colored and labeled as Gulkand. It would without doubt have artificial food color. A good Gulkand in kulfi lends a creamy shade to the kulfi. I succumbed to the pressure of making it colored to give it a rosy look as the name suggest the use of roses so I used a little bit rose syrup, yes the pink colored liquid from a good brand but I could have avoided it easily.

Are you ready to enjoy the wonderous art of making Kulfi with me?

Lets begin...

Ingredients

3 litres Full fat Milk

100 gms Gulkand

25 ml Kalverts rose syrup (skip this if you do not want the rose tinge)

100 gms sugar

10 cardamom pods

Day 1:

Pour milk in a large thick bottom vessel. Boil it and reduce the quantity to about half the amount. It takes about 1 hour on the smallest burner and on simmer. Ensure you are stirring intermittenly and the milk is not charring at the bottom. If it does there is nothing that can be fixed as it will smell burnt and affect the taste too. So stay close. 

Once the milk is reduced add the sugar. Now remove some milk into a different pot and mix the gulkand and Kalvert syrup into it. The pic below shows the steps and the difference in colors at every stage. Pour back the Gulkand mix into the reduced milk pot. Let it simmer for 10 mins. Peel the cardamom pods and separate the seeds. Add the seeds to the thickened milk and give a stir to distribute evenly.

Put off the gas and allow it to cool completely. I generally do this at night after I finish cooking and in a clean work area so there is no chance of any other flavors or smells affecting the purity of milk. Never do it parallely with other activity else its easy to spoil milk.

Day 2. 

In clean kulfi moulds fill to 3/4 capacity the cooled thickened milk, sugar and gulkand mix. I filled 6 kulfi moulds and the rest I put in 2 plastic containers. Chill for a 24hrs in the deep freezer. You can check in 2hrs if set completely and you are in a hurry to serve it. 

Serving

Each kulfi mould can be rubbed between the palm to warm up and then demoulded into a serving dish. It can be cut up into bitsized pieces or left whole.

To demould the kulfi from the pastic contains just dip them in warm water and invert on to a plate. Them slice up into roundels. Serve a slice on a nice plate.

So you see Kulfi making takes time but it has just 4-5 ingredients that make this cool treat a lasting memory.

Note: For a plain malai kulfi you need to skip the gulkand and instead increase the amount of sugar to your taste. Once you have the basic kulfi play around with flavors, colors textures using saffron, fruits and nuts.

ANZAC Biscuits

I started out on daily photo sharing on 365project.org though I haven't been very regular and am yet to try something exceptional with the camera. I am learning and will get there. What's nice is I have new friends with common interests. Rosie posted a pic of Anzac biscuits while she was baking and they looked so lovely that I almost complusively requested her for the recipe. She mentioned they are an Aussie favorite and has something to do with WWI.

(This teaset is my Aai's I used it more than she did. There are just two cups and saucers left now while the teapot, sugar pot and the milk pot are all in perfect condition)

I got curious and reading...

It's interesting that large no. of the innovations almost always have their beginnings in the military or atleast related in some way. The ANZAC or Australian and New Zealand Army Corps lends its name to these biscuits, because these were sent by the military wives to soldiers during the World War I. These biscuits transported well thru the Navy and had a good shelf life. They became commercially popular too later on. Even today these are made as a fundraiser item. 

The Anzac biscuit caught my fancy even more when I got to know that it is an eggless recipe right from the original times. When it was common to use eggs in biscuits and cookies the eggs found no use in these. That gave these biscuits their extra shelf life. It is said there was a shortage of eggs during the world war so skipping the eggs made it economical too. Mind you and you cannot call these cookies. The Australian and New Zealand law protect both the recipe and the name. You cannot change both. They are therefore the ANZAC Biscuits!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle (I used honey)
150g unsalted butter, chopped
1/2 teaspoon soda bicarb

Preheated the oven to 180°C. Measured out the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and gave it a stir to mix. I used desicated coconut powder this time, another time will try flakes for more texture.

In a cup microwaved the butter for 30secs and slowly blended in the honey and zapped it up for another 30 secs. I used honey this time next time I might use Jaggery syrup or molasses.

Mixed the soda bicarb with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and added to the liquid mixture while still hot. While it bubbled up kept stirring together. Poured it into the dry ingredients and mixed together until fully combined. Rolled tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls, flattened slightly and placed on baking trays lined with Al foil. Baked for 15 minutes till golden brown.

These biscuits are nice and chewy on the edges and deliciously crumbly in the centre.

You get about 24 biscuits of 2 inches size with the above proportions.

Inviting my 365project friends Rosie n Chris over for a virtual tea with this post and lots of conversation about our worlds.

Thank you Rosie for the recipe! I've already made them twice one small batch with your proportions and this one was 4X.