Whats Cooking?

I have been away from my blogs from more than 5 months now. Frankly, so much has been happening that I am just not able to find the time to update (cliché, right?).

So to recap, I spent the last half of December 08 at my in-laws' place in West Bengal. Having Sikh in-laws' makes me feel blessed. Not only they are utterly nice and extremely fun-loving, but the food! Ah! Its so yummy! Food is not just something to full your tummy, they believe it is more than that. So everyday fare is a melange of spices, carefully measured, well-thought of and enjoyed always with a dollop of desi ghee (clarified butter). Of course, every meal always ends with dessert. Yes sir, its something special they are celebrating, they celebrate every meal they eat!

So, now that we are on the topic of Punjabi food, the first thing that comes to mind is - Makki di roti teh Saron da saag! Oh how I've waited all my life to eat this - in a Punjabi home, prepared by Punjabi people - authentic! So the first time I ate this at my in-laws' place, I did just that - ATE. Ate ate and ate some more! Of course, I kissed my mil's hands, but didn't ask her for the recipe. I just wanted to eat. Mmmmm... Well, what about my cravings for that food other times?! Blast my appetite, for just eating and not asking her for the recipe. So the next time I went to my in-laws', I made sure I ate Makki di roti teh Saron da saag (LOTS) and also asked for the recipe. Here it is! I took pictures while she was making it. I paid full attention :D

Saron da Saag - Traditionally, its a combination of the following green leafy vegetables: mustard leaves, radish leaves, spinach and bathua. Its cooked in earthenware pots and eaten with maize bread, i.e makki di roti.

Ingredients:

Saron - at least 2 bunches
Green chillies - 7 (depends on how how you'd like)
Ginger - fresh, peeled and grated - 2-3 tablespoons (again, depends on how karaara you want it)
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Salt
Desi ghee (or clarified butter) - 2 tablespoons

Method:

1. Cut the root-end of the saron and wash them thoroughly. I like keeping much of the stem too, its healthy and tasty as well. My mil did the same too.
2. Transfer them to a pressure cooker and add water, just enough to soak the leaves. Toss in 3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise, add some salt and close the lid.
3. After 4 whistles (or 8 minutes), turn off the gas. The aroma starts to seep in, and you just can't wait until its all done and you're at the table hogging it! :D (thats what I felt at least).
4. When the steam goes off, cool it and blend the contents in a blender/mixer until it becomes a thick paste. Keep aside.
5. Heat desi ghee in a kadhaai (wok), and add a teaspoon of jeera.
6. When it starts to pop, add the grated ginger and onions and sauté until golden.
7. Add the remaining green chillies, and fry them for a while. This will make the saag very hot and spicy, just how it should be! Of course, you can reduce the number of chillies you use in the cooker as well as fry in the wok; it all depends on how hot you'd like it.
8. Add the saag and mix well. Add some more salt, if needed and mix well. Cover the wok with a lid and let it simmer until all flavours blend in. Stir occasionally.
9. After 8-10 minutes, turn off the gas and its ready!




Makki di Roti (Maize Bread)

This is the perfect "companion" for the saag above. Though you can always opt to eat saag with normal wheat bread, maize bread, like I mentioned, is the right one to go.
So ladies, and gentlemen who like to cook, without further ado, I present to you the recipe for Makki di Roti!

Ingredients:
1. Maize flour - 300 gms
2. Ajwain - 4 teaspoons
4. Luke warm water - a cup (all won't be used though)
5. Cooking Oil

Method:

1. Take the maize flour in a vessel like shown below. If you don't have a flat one like shown here, fear not, you can use any vessel in which you are comfortable kneading the dough.



2. To this, add the generous sprinkling of ajwain.



3. Add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water and knead well. Add more water, if you wish. But make sure you maintain the consistency. Kneading maize flour is not like kneading wheat flour; the latter needs more water. Hence, add 2 tablespoons at a time and knead. Then add more if kneaded... I mean, needed :D



4. To roll a bread, take a fistful of dough and flatten it into a round shape. Spread a well-oiled sheet of plastic on the chaklaa. If you don't own one, then you can always keep the oiled sheet on the kitchen platform. Place the round, flattened piece of dough on the sheet.

Rub a bit of oil on your hands and gently beat the dough, turning the chaklaa, or the plastic sheet after every 1-2 beats. Its an art, really :) Flatten it as shown.



5. Remove the bread gently from the sheet, and place it on a hot iron pan. Bake it on both sides until golden/slightly brown.





6. Serve hot, with a dollop of ghee on top of the bread, along with saron da saag :) Oh I'm craving one right now!



Serving Suggestion - Soak some ginger juliennes and green chillies (slit lengthwise) in lemon juice for at least 3 hours before serving. Serve this as pickle with the above. Its super yummy!

(coconut and jaggery filled in wheat dough)

My mom prepared this on Ganesh Chaturti, Sept 3rd. It is Lord Ganesha's birthday and we celebrate by bringing a Ganesh idol home, preparing bhog (traditional festive food) and sweets and culminate the evening pooja with arati (devotional song). In my place here, we don't bring the idol home (my tauji in Bombay does it). Mom prepared modaks, Lord Ganesha's favourtite sweet. Here's the recipe:

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Ingredients:
1 cup fresh coconut, grated
2 tbsp jaggery
Wheat dough
Oil, to fry

Method:
1. Mix the grated coconut and powdered jaggery well. Fry it until the jaggery blends with the coconut and turns light brown in colour. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a deep-fry pan. Make small balls of the dough, sized such that they fit in your palm when you close them.
3. Now roll it a little, in round shape. Fill it with coconut+jaggery mixture, enough to be able to close it on all sides. Bring the dough, when closing, to the center of the round spread. Secure it such that the filling doesn't come out. Make 3-4 of these and fry them in oil.
4. Once done, drain the oil as much as possible (I used tissue papers). Put half a tsp of ghee on top and now its ready to eat!




Only that, we offer it to Lord Ganesha first, and then we take it as prasad :-)

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Modaks are very popular in Maharashtra and north Karnataka, and are easy to prepare. Varieties of modaks exist, some which you can even boil in water (instead of frying in oil) and eat! For now, I've learnt how to make yummy coconut modaks :-)

This recipe is courtesy my mother-in-law (hugs and love to her) who in turn, got it from chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Now, ever bored of plain dosas? Ever though how to bring a zing to it? Here's how:

I've skipped the part of preparing the dosa batter. This shows what makes dosa yummier.

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Ingredients:
Dosa batter
7-8 carrots, peeled and grated
2 bowls of mozarella cheese, grated
2 bowls of sweet corn
1 cup finel chopped coriander
3 parts tomato sauce and 1 part chilli sauce, mixed together in a bowl.
Method:
1. Heat the non-stick tawa. Add 1-2 drop of oil and spread it.
2. Spread the dosa on the tawa in a circular motion.
3. Let it cook for 2 min.
4. Once you see that the batter on top has almost dried, spread the sauce evenly.



5. Sprinkle some grated cheese, corn, carrots and coriander leaves.





6. Cover it with an aluminium or steel lid.
7. Remove the lid after 2-3 mins, and lo! Turn it and see how yummy!



Now roll-it frankie style and serve! Or eat! :D

Repeat for other dosas.

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It was one of those weekends when the cook didn't turn up. I thank God on such days, cuz it gives me the freehand to cook whatever I want, at the pace I want. As I pondered *ahem* on what to cook, my eyes fell on the Exciting Vegetarian Cooking by Tarla Dalal. I bought this book soon after I got married, when I was all gung-ho about cooking and experimenting. I chose one of the dishes that looked lovely, and made some changes/additions of my own to it. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
5-6 medium sized potatoes
2 medium onions
3-4 cashew nuts, pounded into pieces
2-3 cardamoms
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 red chilli
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teacup curd (yoghurt)
3/4 teacup finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
salt, to taste

Method:
1. Wash the potatoes, and boil them in cooker.
2. Once done, peel the skin, and cut them into big chunky pieces (but not too big, just that don't mash them)
3. Cut the onions in quarters, and boil them. Use water enough to soak the onions.
4. When done, drain the water. Transfer them into the mixer along with chashewnut pieces, and grind them into a paste.
5. In a pan, heat ghee. Fry cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf for half a min.
6. Now add the onions+cashew paste and fry for sometime.
7. Add green chillies and fry some more.
8. Pound the red chilli and add it to the above along with coriander powder. Fry for a while.
9. Turn it to sim, and add the beaten curd and salt. Cook on low flame.
10. Add half of coriander and cook for a min.
11. Add the potato cubes and cook for few more mins. Mix well.

Garnish with remaining coriander leaves.

Serving suggestion: Serve with hot rotis or parathas!

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Its simple and quick to make. The original recipe had asked for paneer instead of potatoes (there wasn't any paneer at home) and added sugar at the end. I skipped the sugar part. Try and let me know if you liked it!

As usual, a small introduction before I give the recipe. I *love* this dish. I'm a fan of this dish; hell, I'm an air-conditioner of this! I tasted it when mom made it, and have always wanted to try it out. My first attempt was shown the bin; it tasted like egg! I got another recipe this time, and since I try until I succeed (lol), I gave it my best shot (LOL). Here's the recipe: (Courtesy - a dear friend :) )

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Ingredients:

5 Eggs

500 ml Milk

150 gm Sugar

100 gm (to make caramel) Sugar

Method:

Add the sugar for caramel in a vessel that you can put in a pressure cooker. Sprinkle some water on it, just enough to slightly wet the sugar. Set this on high and keep stirring until you see bubbles. Then stir some more until the colour turns golden brown. Set this aside.

Beat the eggs (with a blender, if possible). Add the milk and sugar to this mixture. Stir well.

Transfer the above to the vessel containing caramel. Cover it with tracing paper. I used cello tape to secure it on all sides. Steam this for 15-18 minutes.

Take the vessel out, remove the tracing paper, and allow it to cool until it reaches around the room temp.

Turn the vessel upside down into a bowl, and lo!



Resist the temptation to dig in immediately; allow it to cool in the fridge. Serve!

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Thats all. I made it last night and ate a soup-bowl full! Now, I'm sad that I didn't pack it as dessert for my lunch :-(

I asked a Bengali friend of mine, "yaar Poshto kab khilaogi?" She said, "Is mein khilaana kya hai?!" She enlightened me that poshto, is bengali for "poppy seeds"! Whoda thunk?! So I pestered her to give me some poshto recipe, that Bengali food is so famous for. Here's what she gave me - Aloo Poshto. Very yummy, and easy to make.

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Ingredients:

5 medium sized potatoes
3 table spoon Posto/Khus khus/Poppy seeds (Daata tere kaee naam!)
1 pinch fennel powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1-2 bay leaves (tej patta)
1/2 teacup Coconut milk (she'd asked to use 1 teacup grated cococut, but I had coconut milk at home, so used it. You'll see why that was just as good)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon Mustard oil (any cooking oil will do; but for authenticity, I'd say use mustard oil)
1 tea spoon desi ghee (clarified butter)

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes in pressure cooker (7 minutes or 3 whistles). Peel and cut them in big dice-like sizes.

Do the following while the potatoes are boiling:

2. Soak poshto for 15-20 mins then grind into a paste. If you have fresh grated coconut, add it while grinding.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of mustard oil a pan, add fennel powder and bay leaves to it. Saute for a minute.
4. Add the posto paste, cummin, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Fry. I also added coconut milk here since I hadn't used grated coconut whilst grinding.
5. Once the masala starts to separate from the oil add the potato chunks (assuming that potatoes are done and cut at this point) and mix well.
6. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and let it simmer for 2-3 mins.
7. Add the garam masala and ghee for flavour.

Its ready!

Serving suggestion: Serve with hot rotis or rice.

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Easy isn't it? Folks at home loved it, lemme know how it worked out for ya :)

We Indians are known for our festivals, and the food thats prepared during festivals. Actually, our everyday food in itself is celebration! Who else puts dollops of desi ghee on aloo de parathe for breakfast?! And our sweets.... aaye haaye haaye haayeee! Masha allah! Though I don't have a lot of sweet tooth teeth myself, I enjoy like... half a rasmalai once in a while. But this dish is a hit with a lot of Indians, and I think even if you're not, you'd still enjoy making it and/or eating it, as much as I did! Here's the recipe, courtesy this:

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Ingredients:

1 liter milk
1 cup cream
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
3 cups water
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
5-6 almonds, diced very thinly
6-7 saffron strands

Method:

1. Boil the milk, turn the gas to sim, and squeeze fresh lemon juice. Keep sitrrig for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the gas.
2. Strain the water and put solids (curds/risotto cheese/paneer/whatever you want to call it) in a thin cotton (or muslin) cloth and tie it very tightly. Hang it onto something so that excess water drips away.
3. After 1/2 hour, untie the cloth and knead the paneer.
4. Make small balls, and flatten them. Set aside.

To make the sugar syrup:
5. In a sauce pan boil 3 cups of water and sugar together.
6. When it starts to boil, drop in the flattened paneer balls.
7. Transfer them into a flat bowl type vessel (intended for use in a pressure cooker), cover it and place it in the cooker. Close it with whistle on and keep it on sim for 15 minutes.
8. In another pan boil the cream, 2 cups of milk and saffron strands. Add 5 tablespoon of sugar.
9. Keep stirring on sim for 15 minutes until the milk becomes thick.
10. Now take out the paneer balls from the sugar syrup and add them in the pan. Simmer for another 15 minutes on low heat.
11. Place the milk rasmalai in a bowl, sprinkle cardamom powder and almond flakes and refrigerate.
12. Serve cold.

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This made 10 rasmalais, which is enough for 3-4 people. Waise to yeh Diwali pe khaaskar banti hai, but we don't really need a reason to eat sweets do we? :) Enjoy!