Handhwo

I used to be very excited about April Fool's day. I would actually spend time thinking about how I would like to fool  my parents.

Maybe it was all those Enid Blyton books I was addicted to. Reading all about how those school going girls tricked their friends and family and teachers would make me yearn to pull one on my near ones too.

Of course I realized that there was no store that sold jokes or trick packs in India and had to 'compromise'.

I would do silly things like, when my parents were getting ready for work, I'd quietly open the main door, ring the bell and close the door ( very quietly, of course) and scuttle off. My Mother or Dad would go to open the door and find no one and I'd shoot out from my hiding place singing, "April fool banaya...". The other trick I had up my sleeve was, during those days ( 80's) MTNL ( the phone company) had a 3 digit number, which when dialed (and after you have hung up) will send a ring back to your telephone. I have no idea behind the logic here, but it was useful in pulling a prank.

I'd dial the number, and scuttle, my parents would come to answer the phone and I'd spring out singing the song, or I would pretend to answer the phone, and call out to my Mom or Dad and inform them that one of their friends was on the phone or my Ajji was on the phone to talk to Mom- here I would pretend that I was asking polite questions etc. and then holler for mom,  they would rush and I would wait till the first "hello" and  start singing the annoying song, again! 

I have no idea if they knew what I was doing, but they played along or they really fell for it. but whatever it was, today it is a sweet memory, one I will always cherish! 

This year, like the last few years, April Fools day was like any other day, wake up, breakfast  school bus, meals, study time, dinner, bed........... 

Maybe one day, my little boy will play a harmless prank and make me laugh out loud, again.

Innocent fun! How I miss those moments.

Not that the recipe I have for you today has anything to do with pranks or April Fool's day. 

I have another Gujarati Classic for you. A wonderful tea-time snack, Ondhwo / handhwo is a savory cake. I guess one can call it that...

It has vegetable content, so it is healthy! Do you need any further persuasion?

Recipe source: Kamini aunty 

You Need:

1 cup Rice

1/4 cup Chana dal

1/4 cup Toor daal 

1 tbsp Urad dal 

1/2 cup Plain, thick Yogurt 

1 inch Ginger piece

2-3 cloves Garlic

1-2 Green chilies ( + / - to suit your taste buds)

2 tsp Sugar ( can substitute with jaggery)

1 tsp Ajwain (Bishops weed)

1/2 tsp Pickle Masala

1 Medium Lauki / Dudhi/ Bottle Gourd, grated

Salt to taste

Few curry Leaves

1-2 Dry Red chilies ( optional)

1 tsp Mustard seeds

~2 tsp ( I did not really measure these, just sprinkled generously) Sesame Seeds

1 tsp Eno/ fruit salt, regular flavor

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Pinch Red chili powder

Wash the rice and daals and soak it for a minimum of 6 to 7 hrs.

Drain all the water the grain was soaked in and coarsely grind using  yogurt- no water. Do not use any water when grinding the rice and daals. 

Then take above mixture in a bowl and add ginger, garlic and green chillies paste and salt, mix thoroughly. Leave it over night.

Next morning add turmeric powder, sugar/ jaggery, ajwain , pickle masal and grated bottle gourd / lauki . 

Mix well . Taste it and adjust seasoning, if needed. 

Heat a small skillet, add 1 tsp oil, once the oil is hot ( not smoking) and add few curry leaves and little red chilli powder . Pour  into the batter.

At this stage, prepare a baking dish, grease it or spray it with oil. Preheat the oven (350 F)

Then add 1 tsp eno to the batter and mix well. Pour the mixture in an oven safe dish/ bakeware 

In the same skillet, make a tadka ( oil , mustard seeds, hing, sesame seeds and 1 or two whole red chillis -if using ). Pour this on the batter.

Now cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and put into preheated oven . Bake for 30 to 40 min until bottom layer is light brown in color. 

Then uncover and broil for 8 to 10 min. Watch  this broiling stage like a hawk.
The top can go from golden brown to charcoal very quickly! 

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then on a cooling rack. 

Slice in wedges and serve with a cup of tea.

Notes:

Traditionally, bottle gourd is used, however you can add different vegetables, to up the nutritive value. Add petite green peas, grated carrot or corn kernels.

If you have a lump of jaggery that is hard to crumble / grate,  place the lump in a microwave safe bowl, add a tsp water and microwave it for 20-30 seconds.  Add the melted jaggery to the mix.

My friend, Ashwini, has a recipe for Ondhwo that uses Quinoa and flax seed.

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Puranpoli and a fight against plagiarism, come join us..

She would stand and roll these to perfection, year after year. She stood alone and I mean, as a person as well as, when making puranpoli. 

Aaji, my dear Aaji. Her small, gentle hands  had surprising strength, she would knead the puranpoli dough, no food processor. It was hard work, making dough for 50-60 puranpolis. 

Every Ganpati, we would go to Aaji's. The night before and help my Mama (maternal uncle) put up the decoration for the next day.

Then late into the night, with a zero watt bulb glowing softly, we would lie down on mattresses on the floor and listen to old film songs, Hindi and sometimes Marathi. we would hum along with Lata Mangeshkar or Kishore Kumar, sometimes Suman Kalyanpur would sing in her melodious voice  and sometimes it was Pt. Bhimsen Joshi who mesmerized us with his classical singing!

The next day, we would wake up very early, get ready and wait at the door, for the priest, "Aaji, aga guruji ale" we would yell, announcing his arrival and rush into the kitchen to see what Aaji was doing and  eat sabudana khichadi, the objective was, keep us out of the way, so Mama and the priest could go ahead with the puja! Once the  puja was underway, Aaji assisted by her daughters and daughter in law would start lunch preparation. The menu was mostly fixed, Varan-bhat, batata bhaji, katachi amti, koshimbir, chutney, ukdiche modak and the star, puranpoli! 

We would watch her  make the dough, we called it chewing gum dough, it was that elastic. We would  wash our hands (naivedyachi ahe puranpoli, mulinno, hath dhuvun ghya, Aaji would warn us, but never restricted us) and touch the dough, pulling it and stretching it and giggling.

We could hardly wait for  lunch. 

Sometimes we  would grumble... the priest would eat before we did and we would watch with fascinated horror at how  they devoured puranpolis and worried if there were any left for us! 

Aaji would just smile gently and reassure us, there were plenty, don't worry.

Perhaps, her perfect puranpolis were the reason why none of her (3) daughters or daughter-in-law ever tried making puranpolis, ever. 

The only person who comes close to her level of expertise or perfection is my Mother in Law. 

When my in laws visited us, I took lessons from her. It is not easy to learn in two lessons, but she is a good teacher and I was a very willing student.

Over the last 3 years I have made puranpolis sparingly, just on M's birthday or  Diwali. It is time consuming.

I had some old pictures I had taken when my in laws were visiting and never got to posting about these.

A week or two ago, I made puranpoli, no reason, I just felt like it.And for the first time, my puranpolis were, great! 

I was so excited!  for one moment, as I stood in my kitchen, I felt like my late Aaji was standing behind me, smiling, proud of me.

I had some old pictures, step wise, detailing the process. 

Here is what you need to make the puranpolis:

For the outer cover:
2 Cups Atta / wheat flour
1/4 cup oil ( yes you need it!)
Water to bind the dough
Pinch of salt

For the puran (filling):

2/3 cup Chana daal
2/3 Cup Jaggery ( I use soft jaggery)
4 Cardamoms, powdered
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg powder (Jaiphal powder)

Prepare the Puran (filling). This can be made ahead of time.
Wash the  Chana Daal in changes of water. Till the water runs clear.

Traditionally, the daal is cooked n stove top with plenty of water (which is later used in making 'katachi amti') But I use my pressure cooker to save time and energy.
Place the chana daal  (with double amount of water)and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
After the pressure subsides, transfer the daal to a non-stick pan, add the jaggery and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
While the filling is still semi solid, use an immersion blender and blend the puran to a smooth pasty consistency.
Alternately or traditionally, the puran is cooked and run thru a food mill to get a smooth, lumpfree filling. If you have a food mill (also called puran yantra), you can use it later, to mill the filling.

You need to cook the filling till it is dry, have patience, it takes a while. The filling has to come together into a stiff ball. Place a spoon ( with a long handle)  directly into the puran, if the spoon stands straight, as you inserted it, the puran is ready. if the spoon slides sideways, keep cooking and drying it out.
Cool and add the powdered cardamom and nutmeg powder, mix and keep aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place the flour and make sprinkle the salt and stir to incorporate it in, make a well in the center. slowly add half the oil and mix, add water very carefully and mix into a smooth and soft dough.
You need to be careful with the liquids and add them carefully and gradually to make a smooth and pliable dough. Once done, cover and let it rest for a while. After about 10 minutes, sprinkle some water and a tsp of oil over the dough and knead it in. Repeat after another 10-15 mins and cover and let the dough rest. If you pull out a bit of the dough, it should be soft and elastic.
Once you are ready to make the puranpolis, Keep everything handy, the dough, the filling and heat the skillet on medium high.
Traditionally, rice flour is used for dusting. You can use regular wheat flour too.

Pinch off a small ball of dough and  flatten it in your palm, make a well and stuff a good portion of the filling in it. Look at the picture above (R2, C1), it has to be a generous amount of filling, you don't want doughy puranpolis, they have to be sweet!

Slowly pull the edges over and seal to form a ball. Pinch off the excess dough and pat it into a... patty .

Dust with flour (rice flour or atta) and roll out. Be gentle, use pressure evenly but do not press hard on the patty.
The rice flour will help the patty slide about in a way that makes it easy to roll it out.

Roll the poli thin and gently lift and lay on the hot skillet. Let it cook and brown , keep an eye but do not flip, this will cause it to break in the middle and all the filling will spill out.

Turn and cook on the other side, fold in half and remove from the skillet and place it on a tissue.
Repeat with the rest of the filling and dough.

When serving, smear a generous amount of toop / ghee. Do NOT skip the toop/ghee part, it helps with digesting the puran/ filling of chana daal. ( No ghee= tooting, mind it! ;) )

Puranpoli can also be served with ghee smeared inside ( mandatory) and some milk with a bit of kesar/ saffron infused to give it an extra oomph! for dipping the poli in.

*NOTES
- Some people make these with 100% All Purpose Flour
- You can mix 50% APF and 50% Atta, if you wish. I always prefer  100 wheat flour.
-Do not skimp on the oil. You will make these once in  while, go all the way :)
- These store well and freeze well.
-If you wish to freeze  the puranpolis, layer the polis ( I cook them and then freeze) between sheets of waxed paper and store in a freezer safe ziplock or container.
- Do NOT omit the ghee.
























Now picture this, I slaved in my kitchen, hours at a time to make a 'special something' for my family. I rush to take pictures in failing light and a hungry family waiting.
I fuss with angles, and click my tongue in exasperation. Settle for less than fab pictures and  run to the table to sit down for my meal.
Later, on a full tummy and resembling and feeling like a python after a full meal, I waddle off to clean up and then after all the work is done, my son tucked up for the night, I sit down to write a post.
It takes time, energy and effort to put it all down on the  blog. It is love and labor.
It cuts like a knife when someone copies the recipe and the pictures and passes them off as their 'own recipe'. It happens all the time. It's sad, heartbreaking even.
It happened recently to Anjali.
It happened to me too, on a Face book page,' chavdaar ani chatakdaar' where this was picture stolen.
Complaints, arguments, frustration over how brazen some people are to thieve, like it comes naturally to them.
Raise your hands if you are against such people.

Thank you.

Lets all come together to try and stop this outright thievery. Preeti is doing just that and invites us all to join in. She also has a giveaway, the 'assal Marathi' cook book 'Ruchira', a book that many mothers and daughters have relied on.

I am participating and I hope you will too. Spread the word for the fight against plagiarism.

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Chana-Toor Daal Fry

Lisa once asked me if we cooked with Arhar ki daal everyday. I looked at her and while my ignorance buzzed in my mind, I confidently said, " no, we use toor daal". She nodded understandingly and said," oh ok". Many meals later we realized we were talking of the same legume! 

I grew up eating Aamti it was a 'necessity' at every meal, unless of course Mom made kadhi. Katachi Aamti was with Puran Poli and was made only on special occasions and many a times, we would buy PuranPoli from the stores.The idea of  anything else being used ( read:  chana daal, masoor daal or urad daal) was unbelievable! I did not even know the different names  the same daal went by! 

Blogging  and many cookbooks later, I love the idea of experimenting with new legumes and also combinations, which earlier were unknown.

I reserve all new experiments in the kitchen for when the hubby comes home over the weekend. It also helps to have just one more adult who can eat a bit more (really, I mean, a bit more) than my almost 4 year old! 

Daals are the main source of protein in my household. I know, that in itself is not much, but I still shy away from eating eggs (except in cakes... HAH! did you say?) and it looks like Little S is not too fond of eggs as well. Oh well, as he says and shrugs his shoulders! 

Like me, many of my friends are also vegetarians and legumes and pulses are the main source of protein in our everyday meals. I was talking to my friend Rucha, the other day and one of the things we talked about was adding some more protein sources to our kids meals and a variety, after all, one does get tired of the daily daal and rice! 

I flipped thru my 660 curries cook book, THE reliable source, for simple (and complex) and latched on to this particular recipe. It combines the goodness of Yellow Split Peas (Chana daal) and Pigeon Peas (Toor daal) cooked with onion and garlic. It is easy to make, even on a busy week  night. So, this recipe goes out to you, Rucha. Hope you and your family like this daal fry as much as we did.

Source: Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries

Makes 4 cups

1/2 Cup Yellow Split Peas ( Chana Daal)

1/2 Cup  Pgeon Peas (Toor Daal)

1/4 Cup Ghee ( which is about 2.5 Tbsp)

1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds 

1 Medium sized Red Onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

8 medium sized Garlic loves, peeled and finely chopped

2 fresh Green Chillies (Serrano or Thai, stem removed and chopped into1/4 inch  rounds (do not remove seeds)

2 tsp Salt or to taste

1 tsp Cumin, ground

1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, ground

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 large Tomato, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

Wash  the daals in 3-4 changes of water, clean thoroughly and pressure cook till soft ( 3 whistles). These can be cooked on the stove top as well, if you prefer that. Once the peas are cooked, I use my immersion blender and puree them to a smooth consistency. 

Heat Ghee in a pan over medium heat. 

Add the mustard seeds and let them pop

Add the chopped onion, garlic and chillies and stir-fry till the mixture is brown and smells pungent-sweet (2-3 mins)

Stir in the salt, cumin, fenugreek and turmeric and allow the spices to cook, about 30 seconds.

Add the chopped tomato, cilantro and 1/2 cup water. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has softened about 5 mins.

Add this to the cooked daal/ legumes and stir once or twice. simmer the curry, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the legumes are infused with the flavors, about 10 minutes. 

Serve with steaming hot rice.

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Eating healthy with Bean Burgers and Quinoa Nuggets.

As a child, I loved dogs and cats, well, cats came in second. Dogs ruled. 

I picked up strays and caused mayhem on the home front on regular basis. I lived in a big community of corporate apartments and many people ( lucky people) had dogs, I'd befriend them all and  offer to take their dogs for walks. The owners liked this arrangement and for the space of a few minutes, I liked to pretend  that they were my dogs! 

I've been bitten by dogs, twice. This was enough to scare the living daylights out of my Mother, who by the way, is terrified of dogs big, small or tiny. I'll tell you her story some other time! 

Now, the other day, I was coming home after dropping little S off to school and just as I was climbing the steps, a small furry little dog rushed out of nowhere, yapping. It just stood in front of me and yapped, barring tiny, sharp teeth. 

I froze.
Why? Why? I kept asking myself. The dog's Mommy came  and wiggled her (human) brows at him and waggled her finger and commanded him and the ball of fur trotted back, meekly. And I tottered home, sat down to think and from the haze emerged an answer... 
I could not risk anything, even a nip, who would take care of me? My boy? Home? Cooking? cleaning? And worst, shots? The needle scared the daylights out of me, I closed my eyes, opened them and was glad I froze. 
Later, I got to thinking, why can I not take good care of me? I mean, real care, as in care that does not make me quake when I have to go for my annual physical at the Doctors. 


Step one, good food (yes!yes! it has to start with food). And I set off on a quest. 
I remembered days when I HAD to eat a ton of protein and little else, why did I just give up on that? And so I  got searching and found something I really liked.


I made patties, again. I like patties. This time I found a variation I liked and pounced on it.  Take a look.

Adapted from : One Perfect Bite 

Ingredients: My variations are in bold

2 cups cooked Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained if canned (I used Black Eyed Peas/ Lobhia/ chawli)

1-1/2 pounds sweet onions, thinly sliced ( I used regular red onions)

2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided use (Canola Oil)
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (used regular bread crumbs, reduced quantity to 1/4 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Black pepper to taste (used red chili powder)


Directions:


 Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large pan and saute onions until they are soft and begin to caramelize. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Place caramelized onions in a large mixing bowl and set aside.


Place beans in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Add bean mixture to bowl containing onions.


Add all remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly. Form into patties. (I used a third cup measure to make 6 patties.)


Heat remaining coconut oil in pan and cook burgers until done, flipping once. (I cooked mine over medium heat, 5 minutes per side.) Serve with avocado slices and sprouts. Yield; 6 servings.

Continuing this theme, I had Quinoa on hand. I wanted to make something super tasty and appealing with that. 

My hunt landed me on Spices and Aroma, the  stunning pictures  had me hooked. I HAD to make these!

My variations in bold
Ingredients

1/2 cup organic Quinoa

1/4 cup yellow split peas (toor daal)

1/4 cup Bengal gram dhal (channa daal)

5 dry red chillies (more if you want)

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon asafoetida

1/2 cup cilantro -chopped

1 cup onions - finely chopped

1 tablespoon garam masala

Salt to taste - about 1 or 2 teaspoon

5 cups water - to soak the grains and lentils

1 teaspoon oil to grease

Idly plates

Directions

Soak quinoa, lentils, garlic and dry red chilly in a bowl with water covering them all. Let it soak for 3-4 hours.

Drain water and grind them to a coarse paste in a food processor. Don't add any excess water. May be add 1 or 2 tablespoon of water if needed.

Add asafoetida, onions, cilantro, garam masala and salt. Mix with hand. 
I cooked the onions  and then added them to the mixture. 
I used Rajwadi  Garam masala.

Grease the idly plates with little oil (less than 1 teaspoon for the entire plate). I used mini idly plates and steamed them in a pressure cooker without whistle for 15 minutes.

For those of you who don't have a idly maker,I would suggest greasing a ramekin with oil and steaming them in a large cooking pot with water. Key is to have a bowl (preferably inverted) so you can place your ramekin on top. You don't want the water to touch your cake mixture. The inverted bowl would serve as a platform and you could cover the vessel and steam cook them for 15 minutes. 

Turn off the flame and let it settle down before you remove. 


I used the counter top oven and baked the nuggets at 350 for about 10-12 mins until they were crisp on the outside and soft inside.

Vijitha, the blog owner of the recipe has a fantastic yogurt dip to accompany these nuggets, please head over there to check it out. 






Thank You, Mary & Vijitha for the fantastic recipes and making healthy eating easier!

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Kandi Podi aka Gun Powder!

Four cousins sat in a line with 'kelichi pana'  (Banana leaf used as plates) and chanted, "toop, mith, bhaat....... toop, mith, bhaat..." This was  standard behavior for us (cousins) when we met  at a family get together, we were a 'gang' of 4 and each spaced a year behind the other. It was natural that we stuck to one another, thru thick and thin and mischief. Our behavior patterns were also similar, we almost always got into trouble  at the same time and for similar reasons, resulting in punishments and timeouts. 

Our liking for food also seemed similar, for example, we went thru this 'tup (clarified butter), mith (salt), bhaat (rice)' stage for  a whole year, at every single family get together, we would sit in a line and chant the same thing, we totally ignored all other delicacies prepared and plowed our way thru mounds of soft, warm rice, drizzled generously with ghee (  toop/ clarified butter) and sprinkled with salt. 

Then came the metkut-bhaat stage, which to this day is my comfort food. When I was little , I would sit at the table near my father and wait till he mixed  rice with the spice powder, ghee (in his plate and then transfer it to mine, 'Baba mixing it in his plate' was the key, IMHO)  and savor every bite, ask for seconds and call it a meal.

For several years I was a confirmed metkut addict and knew only this one spice powder, that was until a certain guy came into my life and we tied the knot and he whisked me away to Bangalore.

He would praise (understatement) the food he ate and I would wonder how he liked eating out SO much ( I still do) , I mean, eating out once in a while is fun, but home food is home food, isn't it? Not quite! 

On my arrival in B'lore, M was very excited to take me around, the restaurants, that is. Now get this, the new bride that I was, I wanted to cook at home and show him my amateur culinary skills and he wanted  me to go to all his favorite haunts! Talk about clashing ideas at the beginning! 

But I gave in and we started our tour of Bhimas, Nandhini Palace, RR's, Madhuri, Gongura, a few among the hundreds of Andhra restaurants.

I had visited B'lore earlier and had a taste of my very first Andhra meal ( at Nagarjuna), but that was several years ago, while I remembered that the food was awesome, I did not particularly recollect eating Kandi podi, aka Gun Powder. And so, this time around, when we sat in one restaurant, and the server put a generous mound of rice and ladled ghee, yes, yes, ladled as far as I was concerned, M directed me to add the spice powder, 'gun powder' and dived into it with such an expression of happiness that I had no doubt, this *must* be dynamite! And it was. 

For me it was love at first bite, and the second and the third.. you get the general idea. We waddled out of the restaurant, replete and content. That was 5 years ago.

After I began blogging a world of recipes was opened up to me, I tried several things, liked so many things but somehow, M and I kept going back to our comfort food, metkut-bhaat and sometimes kandi podi- bhaat.  I have tried many versions and in my opinion, it is a flexible recipe, the star ingredient being Toor daal, don't mess with that. 

It was only after my parents tasted this spice powder and liked it as much as we do, that I thought of putting it on the blog

I googled several recipes and the final outcome, therefore was a mix, here are some of the sites I referred to.

The final ingredients I used are: 

10-15 Dry Red chilies ( use the mentioned quantity IF the chilies you have are mild- adjust as per your level of heat tolerance) 1 cup Toor dal ( regular, not the oily kind) 1 cup Dalia (Roasted Gram Dal) Approx. 1 tbsp. Cumin / Jeera 3-4 garlic cloves About 2 sprigs Curry leaves 1 tsp of Asafetida/ Hing

Heat a griddle on med- high,( the ingredients should be dry roasted) add Toor Daal, toss in the cumin seeds and reduce the heat to medium, roast until the toor daal is a couple of shades darker add the curry leaves and dry red chilies. Add in the garlic and asafetida and roasted gram daal/ Dalia.

DRY roast all these ingredients well. By now the spices should be very aromatic.

Take the griddle off the heat and transfer contents onto a plate to cool ( keeping the mix in the hot skillet will over roast the daal and spices and may burn them, if not over roasting may lead to a bitter taste)

Once the spice is cool, grind to a fine powder. 

Store in an airtight container.

To enjoy kandi podi, serve along with hot, steaming rice, drizzle with ghee, add salt as required , mix and eat. 

My Andhra friends tell me that they  serve thinly slices raw onion  along with this rice-ghee and gunpowder mix, I have personally never tried it, but if you do, let me know how you like it.

*Notes:

-You can substitute regular Chana daal instead of Roasted Gram Daal

- You can add red chili powder instead of whole dry red chilies, only add the powder when grinding the roasted mix

- You can add moong daal (yellow) as well, halve the roasted gram daal and include 1/2 cup moong daal.

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Kothimbir wadi

A few months ago life was  great. I had a terrific group of friends. We were a group of five and would meet everyday for lunch and share whatever we had made in the morning (for the husband's lunch boxes) and end the day with a good cup of tea. Sometimes we would go to the nearby mall after lunch and window shop or buy  or return stuff. 

Then things changed. One girl, S had to go back to India (only to come back on another project in another state). Then N, went back. A little later, I visited my family back home. M ( or Amma, as we fondly call her) has relocated to another state and I have temporarily relocated to IL, where the Hubby has his current project and  am now living in a hotel. Only N, stays  in the same apartment and she too misses the pleasant afternoons and the fun.

I cannot help but fondly recollect those cold winter and spring days when we met and shared so much over food. 

At one such get together ( with partners) I made these as  starters and they were crisp and tasty and gone in no time!

You need:

1 Cup Chana Daal , washed in 3-4 changes of water and soaked in enough water for at least 5 hours

1/2 cup Fresh cilantro ( firmly packed)

~ 1 inch piece of Fresh Ginger

2-3 green Chilies

Salt to taste

Hefty pinch Soda- bi- carb

Oil to deep fry

Wash the daal in 3-4 changes of water ( till the water runs clear)  and soak it (8 hrs being ideal, if not, at least 5 hours)

Drain the water and add all the ingredients listed, except the oil and soda-bi-carb and blend to make a gritty mixture (add a couple of tbsp. of water at a time only if needed)

Remove mixture and add the soda.

The next step is to steam the mixture, you can use something like this or just the good ol' idli stand like I did 

Lightly oil the stand and steam the nuggets for as long as  it takes  to make idlis. I usually keep the cooker (minus the weight/ whistle) for 7 minutes after it starts letting the steam come out.

Cool and remove the nuggets 

In the meantime, heat oil in a wok /kadhai over medium high heat  and line a plate with paper towels

Once the oil is hot (drop a bit of the steamed nugget and if it rises easily, but not too fast to the surface) carefully slip 4-6 nuggets, depending on the size of the wok, and deep fry till they turn a nice golden brown

Drain onto a paper towel and pierce with  toothpick (optional)

Serve with ketchup or green chutney  and/or sweet chutney 

I have another version of KothimbirWadi on this blog, which my Grandmother (Aaji) taught me. Today my Aaji , who is 84, is fighting for her life and never before have I wanted God to work a miracle so desperately. Everyday I call up just to hear that she is still there, that makes my day, just to know that she is hanging in there and thinking it is  her will power, of which we have been witnesses before, that is keeping her alive. 

Hang in there Aaji, we all love you. 

*Edited to add: My Aaji passed away last week, a day after I posted here. Words cannot describe the pain of her loss. All I am left with are memories.

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Moong Chana Nu Daal

When it comes down to the absolute basics, there is nothing like Daal- Chawal (rice) and the glow of comfort it spreads.

On many evenings we make a full dinner of just that and call it a night. Wholesome daal provides protein and rice, just completes the meal.

When possible however, I like to bring in a small variation to the daal. A few ago, when I was ( and still am) hooked to 660 Curries, I made this dazzling daal and since then, this is a regular on the dinner table at least once a week, usually on a Thursday night when M comes home.

What attracted me to this daal is that it is a Gujarati preparation and that is by itself a testimonial. Also that it uses Moong and Chana daal, my new favorites.

Gujarati food is full of tantalizing flavors that combine hot and sweet at the same time. In my college days we would often go to a friend, who was a Gujuben (as we fondly called her) and beg of 'Maharaj' (the chef) to cook up something. He would make daal - rice & soft muslin-cloth-thin rotlis (roti/ bread) smeared generously with ghee and shaak (vegetable).

A simple meal but Maharaj had magic in his fingers, it seemed that he only had to touch an ingredient to make it tasty. The ghee tadka (tempering) for the daal would sizzle and perfume the kitchen and dining area and 10 girls, hungry as hunters would jostle one another to wash their hands and rush to the dining table. We would watch with admiration as he rolled one rotli after another, pace never varying, his hands working in perfect unison as he rolled, roasted and smeared ghee, it was like music, flowing , harmonious and above all satisfying.

This daal made me think of Maharaj and how perfect this recipe is, it was like I had some magic in my fingers... the ingredients are simple , the process uncomplicated and the taste - SUPERB!

My Mother also made this recipe ( I dictated the entire thing over the phone, thanks to Vonage World calling plan!) and urged her to try it ASAP. My Father who is a Gujarati food fan fell in love with the daal !

Source: 660 Curries

You Need:

1/2 Cup Moong Daal

1/4 Cup Chana Daal

2 Tbs Ghee (or oil)*

*Ghee is a preferable option

1Tsp Mustard seeds

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tsp Cayenne

1/2 tsp Asafetida

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes

1/4 Cup crumbled /chopped Jaggery or packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro

10-15 Fresh Curry leaves

Wash the lentils in 3-4 changes of water. Pressure cook the lentils until they are soft ( Iyer mentions the stove top method for cooking the lentils which take about 35-40 mins, however I speed up my work and like the zero attendance method,by using the pressure cooker)

While the lentils are cooking ( in my case, while the pressure is subsiding), heat ghee in a skillet.

Add mustard seeds, after the mustard seeds have popped, remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle with Cumin seeds, salt, cayenne, asafetida and turmeric. The spices will instantly sizzle and smell aromatic. Immediately add the tomatoes with the juices, jaggery, cilantro and curry leaves.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat and simmer uncovered stirring occasionally, until ghee separates ( about 5 min)

When the legumes are cooked, coarsely mash the lentils and some of the peas with the back of the spoon and create a creamy yellow base for the curry.

Stir the sauce, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the seasonings permeate the curry (5 mins). Serve hot.

This curry tastes great with rotlis as well.

I keep the curry chunky. Usually I puree half of the cooked daal with an immersion blender and keep the rest as is to yield a thick curry, this is a personal preference, I like biting into daal.

Wishing all readers a HAPPY and SPLENDID NEW YEAR!!!! See you then!

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Lucknowi Chana Daal

My Mother cooks with toor /arhar, mostly. I have wonderful memories of Mom ladling hot 'amti' , mixing it with steaming rice and a drizzle of ghee. I remember my best friend once asking, "do you always eat only arhar daal?" I said yes, unsure what arhar was! Hey, Mom cooks, I eat - that was the equation in those days!

And then I began blogging and a wonderful world opened up! So much to learn and explore! I found myself exploring new ingredients and delighting in them. During my brief stay in Dallas I joined the library there. Not surprising that I instinctively made a beeline for the cook book section and found this! The problem however was, limited grocery items in stock, our stay was uncertain and though everything was available in the Indian stores, I was not too happy about buying and then trashing it all .

I leafed thru the book, drooled at the pictures and my hands itched to try some of the recipes. In the end, M got me a notebook and I jotted down the recipes I wanted, carefully packed the notebook and came home.

Daal-rice is a must on our dinner table. In fact, M would be happy if only daal-rice is served every single day, the only variation he does not object to is plain daal today, sambar tomorrow, rasam the day after....

This daal is s-i-m-p-l-e , when I jotted the recipe I did raise an eyebrow, about 1/8th of an inch... just that? nothing else? hmm... but there was one thing I was dead sure of, Bee says Raghavan Iyer’s recipes are too perfect to mess with and I trust her judgement.

The daal is simplicity itself, but don't fall into the error of thinking the same about the taste! One morsel and you are convinced, Raghavan Iyer knows his stuff !!

The husband was totally bowled over by this daal and it is a keeper!

Here is what you need to make 4 servings:

Source: Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking

1 Cup Chana Daal

6 Cups Water

1/4 tsp. Turmeric

2 Tbs Ghee

6med Red Onions cut in half and thinly sliced

1 tsp. Cumin seeds, crushed

2-3 Green Chiles

1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Cilantro

Cook Chana daal (I used the pressure cooker)

Heat ghee on med-high. Add onions and cook to a golden-brown

Add crushed cumin and chiles

Stir fry till chiles have a pungent aroma

Stir this mix into the daal

Partially cover and simmer (2-3mins) to blend flavors

Garnish with cilantro

Serve with rice.

That's it for the present....See you soon :)

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