Rabdi and Reminiscing About Childhood

I remember as a kid, everytime we had a party or an official do at home, my mother's favorite dessert to make would be rabdi with jelly. She was not at all culinarily challenged, but for some strange reason this would show up again and again. Even if there were other desserts, this just had to be on the menu. It was total overkill, even if it was tasty overkill.

At that time, I think my siblings and I were heartily sick of rabdi with anything and so it was many years before I ventured close to anything which looked, smelt or tasted like Rabdi. But then as you grow up, childhood tastes start haunting you and you just have to recreate the taste for yourself. They take on a larger than life image (or should I say taste in this case?) in your mind's eye and soon you start craving for those tastes even if it is something you once hated.

So, sure enough I started wanting to eat rabdi again (obviously many many years after mom stopped making it).

Rabdi is one of the easiest desserts to make and goes awesomely well with any hot dessert like hot jalebis made on the spot, hot gulab jamuns , malpuas... rabdi pretty much goes with anything. Need I mention rabdi falooda, (as if I was not drooling enough already. To think I hated it so much at one time).

Think now I should head on and give you the actual recipe before I digress into other things.

Ingredients

2 Litres full cream milk
½ cup sugar
6-8 almonds slivered
10- 12 cardamoms, peeled and coarsely powdered
Few strands saffron dissolved in a teaspoon of hot milk

Method

Heat milk in a deep dish. Bring gently to a rolling boil. Reduce the flame and continue boiling the milk. Scrape/skim the top cream and keep adding it to the boiling milk. When reduced to half its quantity, add the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron. Garnish with slivered almonds. Chill and serve either by itself or with any of the items mentioned above.

This also goes as my entry for Think Spice Think Saffron hosted by Sunita of Sunitas World. Hope I am not too late.

Apple Pie

Mother nature has really perfected herself. Each day the sun rises and sets, moon waxes and wanes when they should. Seasons come and go just when they should. The nicest part of all these changes are that the fruit and vegetables also change. One really looks forward to summer when you know mangoes will flood the market. In December, it is the Kamala oranges from Nagpur. Come February and the grapes are there. Though nowadays with globalisation, the world is getting to be a smaller place and you seem to get most fruit all through the year. I guess it must be autumn in the Southern hemisphere when it is spring in the Northern parts. (Like a friend would say... If he wanted a drink a little earlier in the day then he would simply justify it by saying it was 7 pm in some other part of world and would very conveniently imagine himself there enjoying his tipple.)

But in India, during its season each fruit or vegetable takes pride of place. If it is apples, mangoes, oranges, cauliflowers or peas then every street corner you see nothing but that... on handcarts, on pavements, in stores.
It just makes you want to run into the kitchen and make something using them.

At home, come September ( remember the old Ventures tune?) then it is Apple Pie time. If time is a constraint, then it becomes Apple Crumble.

This time I had enough and more time on my hands as you can see. I had enough time to try out the lattice on top which I learnt from here.


Now for the recipe...


For the crust:


400 grams all purpose flour.
200 grams butter ( really cold and hard)
1 teaspoon sugar


For the Filling:

6 apples sliced finely
3 tablespoon flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder


Method:

For the crust


Sieve the flour and add the sugar into it.
Put in the butter into the flour mixture.
The key here is using absolutely cold butter. Using a knife, cut the butter into little pieces in the flour itself. Then using only your finger tips, mix the butter into the flour till it starts looking like fresh bread crumbs.
Put a couple of ice cubes into 1/4 cup cold water. Use this very cold water a tablespoon at a time to gather the dough together. Don't make the dough too mushy or you will have a hard time rolling it out.
Keep it in the fridge immediately.
The idea of keeping everything so cold is that it helps make the final shortcrust pastry really flaky.
Divide the dough into two. Roll out one half to a size a little larger than the pie dish you are using. Place it in the pie dish. Use a fork to make little holes in the base crust to prevent it from rising while baking.
The other half of the dough can now be rolled out and strips cut to make into a lattice top after piling the apple filling.



Now for the filling.


Slice the apples. Mix in the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pile it into the base crust till it is about 2 to 3 inches above the pie plate.

Make the lattice on top otherwise just roll out and place another full crust on top.

Bake at 180 deg C for about 30 minutes or till the top is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling.

Another tip is that if you want a shiny look then you can lightly coat the top of the crust with an egg wash ( a mixture of equal quantities of egg and water) before baking.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

I quite enjoy baking and I find it quite therapeutic. Usually it is restricted to cakes and cookies and pies. I find that when you get used to making something often, it becomes second nature and there is no challenge involved in it. But on the other hand, when you try something new, it keeps the interest going and you have to concentrate just that little extra to get it right.

The other day a friend of mine gave me a few packets of instant yeast and I was wondering what to do with them. Made baby naans and they were a huge hit as usual.
Coincidentally or as I prefer to call it - divine intervention, I saw Coffee's blog event on MBP: Bread. It was perfect. I had all this yeast and now I had the perfect opportunity to make something new AND send it for an event. So scouting I went. I had been wanting to make pita rounds for a while. The idea of stuffing them with different fillings really appealed to me. Very novel idea and an opportunity for the children to try out something different.

I landed up at Jugalbandi. They had a very nice healthy looking recipe for whole wheat pita bread. I followed their recipe for the most part, except I used 4 cups of whole wheat flour instead of 3.25. I also had to use 2 cups of warm water to make the dough.


Result?? Excellent. The pita bread was soft , round, well puffed and easily separated. I kept in mind that it should not be too brown. Though I have to admit, I missed a few which got toasted to a crisp :(.



I loved their phrase of 70% puff rate. I like to think I had the same result. They were pretty easy to separate even in the 30 % stuck part of the bread.

I stuffed them with falafel and taratour sauce ( recipe follows).


And Coffee: My most favorite aromas in the kitchen will have to be:

1) Strong South Indian coffee percolating in the filter early morning.

2) Ginger/garlic sizzling in the oil when added to the tadka.

3) Brownies baking in the oven.

Batata Poha and Wives Are Priceless

I read this online today and was most amused by it. I thought I should share it with all of you.

A man came home from work and found his three children
outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty
food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door
to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding
into the foyer, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had
been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against
one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a
cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys
and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was
spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog
food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the
table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back
door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and
more piles of clothes, looking for is wife. He was worried
she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way
out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet
towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor.
Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been
smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled
up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked
up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened
here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know every day
when you come home from work and you ask me what in
the world did I do today?"
"Yes," was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

Wives are Priceless, aren't they?

:) Funny isn't it?

Source: Humor World

Now for the Batata Poha:

Ingredients

250 grams thick poha ( flattened rice. Use the thicker version of poha as it does not disinegrate so easily on adding water))

2 potatoes diced really really small

2 onions chopped finely

2 green chillis chopped finely

2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

juice of 1 small lime

2 tablespoons grated coconut ( optional)

Method:

Wash the poha under running water in a colander. Leave to soak for about 1/2 an hour.

Heat oil in a kadai. When medium hot, add the mustard seeds till they crackle.

Add the onions and chopped green chillis and saute till translucent. Add the turmeric powder and immediately add the potatoes. Keep frying till potatoes are cooked. If required sprinkle a little water every now and then to hasten the cooking process and to reduce the sticking.

Add salt at this point. Then add the soaked poha. Mix around for a few minutes and add the lime juice.

Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut and serve hot.

Kosambari and Random Acts of Kindness

Once long ago I watched a talk show which spoke about random acts of kindness. It really touched a chord within me. We go through life sometimes in such a hurry that we miss a lot of things along the way. We miss a lot of opportunities to help others. Little realising that we need people as much as they need us. One act of kindness performed will come back manyfold even if it is in the form of just smiles. No one need know that we are doing it. It can be our little secret. It is one thing that benefits both the giver and the receiver.

Helping someone disabled cross the street... feeding someone who just needs the next meal... just a smile at people in the lift..volunteer at the school...have a conversation with the elderly at an old age home..just say something nice to everyone you meet today...call a long lost friend.. tell your parents how much they mean to you...there are ways and means. Everything we do need not be linked to money. Each of us has within ourselves the time, patience or talents to give others.

I guess teaching this one value to the kids will help them a lot in the long run. It makes the world a better place to live.

I read on one of these blogs about the blogger helping out in a community kitchen and making things from whatever is available. I am sorry I forgot which one. What a commendable job.. That is exactly what I am talking about. Volunteering your time and effort. Thats all it takes.

Now for the food part... Kosumbri is a salad made typically in Karnataka. It is a salad made up predominantly of lentils along with some raw vegetables and a tadka of mustard seeds.. Garnished with coconut and coriander leaves, it makes a wonderful accompaniment to a meal.

Ingredients

one carrot peeled and grated

one cucumber peeled, seeds removed and grated

3 tablespoons split moong dal soaked for 2 hours

1 green chili chopped finely

1/2 a lime juiced

2 tablespoon grated coconut

1 teaspoon coriander leaves chopped finely

salt to taste

Method

Mix the grated carrot, cucumber, soaked moong dal, grated coconut and green chili.

Add the lime juice and salt when ready to serve ( otherwise the salt will make the cucumber water pour out and will dilute the taste)

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with a meal.

Baby Butter Naans and Confessions of an Addict

I am addicted. And I confess, I need help.

Those secret assignments with the computer.... Posting and deleting till I get it just right. Logging on furtively every hour or so just to check if there are any new comments.... Wandering around all the time thinking of what to cook next... What new thing to make and impress all my "new" friends...

I am sure a lot of you bloggers out there know exactly what I am talking about.

This started as a hobby combining many things that I liked ...Food... Internet.. Writing. Now it has become an all consuming passion. I have this fanatic desire to blog all the time. I am busy thinking up new ideas, new foods... and photography???!!! Trying to outdo myself.. I go to a store and look at the crockery cutlery and napkins.. trying to buy just those which are sold as single pieces. Imagining my next photograph against the new background...

I am not sure whether blogging has been a boon or a bane. Is there a 12 step program for blogger de-addiction somewhere? Please let me know.

The pros that have come out of it are a) kids are happy that we have come out of the culinary rut we were in and they get different things to try out, b) My photography skills have improved exceptionally and c) I simply ENJOY it.


Cons? None at all as far as I can see now :).


Now for the butter naans.


These little babies are the cutest thing you can see, tiny morsels of yumminess. Goes perfectly well with anything. Very versatile breads. Imagine scooping up a bit of paneer butter masala gravy or some dum aloo, koftas... I can go on and on but now for the recipe.


Ingredients:

5 cups maida ( all purpose flour)
2 teaspoons instant yeast ( see note below on yeasts)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons curd (yoghurt)
warm water as needed ( warm not hot - should feel warm when you dip your finger into the water, not hot)


Mix the flour, salt, sugar , and instant yeast well. Add the yoghurt and enough warm water to make a dough which is firm. When the dough holds together, keep kneading for about 15 to 20 mins till it is pliable. Leave aside to rise for about 2 hours.
When needed, make a small ball ( maybe golf ball size)
Roll out into a 3 or 4 inch round. Pull one end till it gets a longer shape one one side.


Put on a hot tava till it gets brown spots on the bottom. Put the other side directly on a naked flame till it gets the same brown spots.
If you like, you can place it under the grill or in an oven till it gets done.

Apply a little butter on top and serve hot with gravy of choice.

Note on Yeast:

There are various yeasts you can use. I used the instant yeast which is mixed with the dry ingredients.
You can also use yeast which is called active yeast here in India. For this you must mix a little warm water with the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top along with a teaspoon of flour. Leave aside for 10 minutes till it turns frothy (if it does not turn frothy then the yeast needs to be changed.) Then mix this yeast mixture into the remaining flour, add salt and make a dough.
I am not sure on how much fresh yeast to use, but the same method can be followed as for active yeast.

Pumpkin Kootu

Amavasai is an auspicious day in South India. But one of the most important tasks carried out on this day is taking out 'drishti' or as they say in Hindi 'Nazar Utarna'. Taking out the 'evil eye' is big business. So you have all businesses big and small, all shops both big and small, all offices, all places of work diligently purchasing the best pumpkins they can find, making a small cut in it, stuffing it with Kum Kum. At noon, they light a bit of camphor on top of this and take it all around the building and as a grand finale, smash the whole thing on the road in front of the office/ place of work...



The point now is not to educate all my readers on what drishti actually is but to wonder what happens to the road? By the evening one finds all the scooterists and cyclists trying to manoeuvre their way though the pulpy remains of all these smashed pumpkins. And the next morning the folks at Onyx are busy sweeping up everything.


Now I always wonder, how many kilos of kasi halwa or pumpkin kootu we can make with all these wasted pumpkins? Point to ponder, right?


Now onto food....


I first tasted pumpkin kootu at a wedding here in Chennai. The mild taste and flavors just blew me away. It goes so well with rice.. Finally asked around and learnt to make it for myself. It is one of the simplest dishes to make, easy,quick and really tasty and healthy as there is hardly any extra oil used in the preparation.



Now for the recipe:

Ingredients:

750 grams White Pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
salt to taste



Grind to a masala:

1/2 Cup Coconut
1 tablespoon jeera ( cumin)
4 green chillies
1 teaspoon peppercorn
1 1/2 teaspoon raw rice


For tadka or Popu

1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dal ( black gram)
10-12 curry leaves
1 teaspoon Til (sesame seeds)
1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
3 red chillies

Method:

Peel the pumpkin and take out the seeds. Cut into small cubes.

Put the pumpkin, salt and turmeric in a pan along with 2 cups of water. Boil till three fourths done. Add the masala paste and cook till fully done and it thickens nicely.

Heat oil add the tadka/popu ingredients one at a time starting with the mustard seeds. Pour on top and serve hot with steamed rice and ghee.

Mint Rice, Pudina Pulao

When we start something new, there is always a lot of encouragement from friends and family. This was the case with me even in the case of this blog. Everyone lent me helping hand. In telling people about the blog, suggesting recipes, helping with the layout etc. But the sweetest thing happened to me today.

I was keen on submitting a recipe for one of these monthly events. Saw that this months JFI called for recipes based on rice. Sister in law suggested that I make this mint pulao. So today being a holiday, I said no time like now ( as Kabeer so wisely said - "kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab, pal me pralay hogi, bahuri karoge kab" ( translation- do tomorrow's work today and today's work now. If even a moment is lost, then how will the work get done? )

Started chopping, grinding etc etc... Finished making the pulao, took all the mandatory pictures and went upstairs to check them out.

Came down after a bit and saw my father in law waiting to have his lunch. It was already late so I asked him... how come so late?. He sweetly said " I was wondering if I could start eating as I was not sure you finished taking your pictures." I was just so touched.

Rice is an integral part of Indian cuisine. Every region uses rice in some form or the other whether in main dishes, or sweets or snacks...

Mint pulao is a happy mix of tastes from all round the country. This is my entry for JFI: Rice.



Recipe:

Masala paste 1:

2" piece of ginger
6 garlic cloves
4 green chillies
1 onion

Masala paste 2:

2 bunches pudina (mint) leaves
1 bunch coriander leaves


3 onions sliced finely
3 cups basmati raw rice
Salt to taste

1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1" piece cinnamon
2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons Oil
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

2 carrots diced
1/2 cup peas shelled

Method:

Make a paste adding a little water with ingredients for masala paste 1.
Next grind mint and coriander leaves together to make masala paste 2.


Heat oil and ghee together in a kadai on medium heat. When oil is hot, add jeera, when it sizzles add cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon.
Fry for 3-4 minutes till fragrant .


Add masala paste 1. Fry well till it starts looking cooked (you can add the salt at this stage as sometimes it starts sticking to the pan. Salt will help in the frying process and reduce the sticking).

Add sliced onions. Fry well till everything starts turning a light brown. Add the mint/coriander leaves paste, the carrots, peas and the rice.


Put into the rice cooker adding 5 cups of water. Cook till done


Served here accompanied by a Boondi raita.

Dibba Roti, Minappa Roti - Andhra Food Series

I am sure many of you out in the real and blogging world have been through these questions with the kids of today.

A horrified - " You mean you did not have computers as a kid? No internet? No computer games?"

A nervous - " At least did you have TV?"

A totally puzzled or stunned - " What did you do for entertainment?"

They don't understand, those were the years when we relied on ourselves to keep us busy. We played, cycled, played good old seven stones, 'gilli danda'( remember those games?). On rainy days, it was Ludo, Monopoly and Chinese checkers.
Above all, we read and read. All of us were such voracious readers. All types of books, comics... in the absence of anything worth reading and in the beginning of the school year, we read our English text books from cover to cover more for fun than for any serious learning.
Every once in a while one yearns for everything familiar. Don't you wish you could go back to your childhood where life was much simpler? No major decisions to take, nothing to take care of and absolutely NO WORRIES. Just gamboling through life only planning for the next hour's entertainment. Childhood is definitely synonymous with carefree summers (and winters!!!). Unlimited reading of story books, never studies....I think everyone goes through this phase now and then.





I have been on this trip for a while now. Then immediately start craving those comfort foods (cos food does play an important role in my life as you can see ;) )

One of the things my mom would make frequently was dibba roti ( literal translation - a fat dosa). It is also known as a minappa roti. Minappa referring to urad dal which is its main ingredient. It is the ultimate comfort food ... fried... full of carbs... and tasty tasty tasty. It looks like an oversized vada and tastes like a cross between idly and dosa. All things rolled into one.






Recipe:

2 cups Raw Rice ( any variety)
2 cups Urad dal( black gram)
1 tablespoon jeera
1 tablespoon whole peppercorn
Salt to taste
Oil to fry.



Soak both the rice and the urad dal for 4 hours separately.


Grind the urad dal very fine with minimal amount of water. Grind the rice with a little water a little coarsely. Mix the two well and add salt, jeera and peppercorns.


Heat a little oil in a kadai or wok (maybe 2 tablespoons or so). Pour in the batter and reduce the flame to sim. Cover and let fry on a very slow flame till golden brown. If required add a little more oil. When the bottom is golden brown, turn over and fry the other side adding a little oil again.


Enjoy with ginger chutney or kandi pachadi (recipe follows).

Carrot Salad

Each family has members who are very picky about what they eat and have very definite dislikes. My husband is one such who will not eat chana/chole, banana, tindora(aka dondakai/kovakai) etc etc. He has such hatred for cooked carrot that never will he eat carrot curry in any form. But on the other hand he loves raw carrot. I guess all things crunchy are welcomed by him.




Now we all love one raw vegetable dish with lunch. So as a compromise we made up this yummy South Indian tasting carrot salad which is simple but extremely healthy and full of goodness.


4 medium Carrots
2 green chillies
1/2 a lime
Oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds.
Salt to taste

Grate the carrots. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add green chillies and switch off the flame.

Pour over the grated carrot. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

And thats it. Its that simple.

Kathi Rolls

When I was in college in Bombay ( or Mumbai as it is known now) money was always scarce. " Amma, I have run out of money . I need some urgently" can only be used occasionally. Hating the hostel food ( who doesn't?) and foraging for food outside of the college, Bombay's famous street food always came to our rescue. One day it was dosas on Warden Road for 2 rupees and a big blob of Amul butter for a rupee more, other days bhel puri or sev puri from the chaat guy round the corner. But one thing that I always loved was the very well known Bombay Frankie. It was a nice tasty snack which filled all the empty pockets in my tummy.

Left Bombay, started work, got married, had kids.... Never though did I forget the taste of those yummy frankies..

Suddenly about a year ago found out that they were being marketed in Chennai too... My joy knew no bounds. Went halfway across the city to get my first taste of a frankie in many years. TASTED JUST THE SAME !!!!!!!!.

Many times after that I tried to replicate the taste. But that did not happen.

So I improvised and here is my version of the Frankie - a cross between the Original Bombay Frankie and the local Kathi Rolls ( more kathi rolls and less frankie). Healthy and full of taste.

Heres the recipe...
Ingredients:

Carrots - 2
Beans -100 gms

Potatoes - 2

Onions - 2 sliced finely

Capsicum - 2 sliced finely

Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Tomato Puree - 3 Tablesppons

Jeera - 1 tsp

Pav Bhaji Masala - 1 tablespoon

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Garnish:

Onions- 2 sliced finely

Vinegar- 2 teaspoons

Salt - a pinch

Rotis:

2 cups wheat flour

Curds - 1 cup

Butter - 50 gms

Salt to taste

Method:

Slice carrots, beans, potatoes into juliennes (matchstick like pieces). Steam or boil till almost done. It should not be over done.Heat oil. When hot, add jeera and fry till golden. Add sliced onion and capsicum. Saute for a few minutes. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry for 5 minutes longer. Add the pav bhaji masala, chilli powder and salt. Fry for about a minute. Add tomato puree. Add the carrot, beans and potato.Cook for a bit till all the tastes come together.

Soak the garnish onions in the vinegar and salt for a few hours.

Make dough for rotis using curd and the butter instead of water. Knead well.

Roll out rotis and cook each with a little oil on a griddle.Place a roti flat and put a tablespoon of the masala on it. Put the garnish onions on top. Roll up the roti.

Serve hot along with green chutney.