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Showing posts with label Accompaniments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accompaniments. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 April 2020

baingan dal
I will not talk about isolation. I will not talk about isolation. I will not talk about isolation. I will not talk about isolation. I will not talk about isolation.

Dang it, I did. 

And it's all because of them lentils. Other people hoard toilet paper. Apparently, I hoard lentils. It's the Indian in me. If everything else fails, there is always rice and dal. So it is a good thing that the family likes dal, because lately it's been dal with everything. 

I never really had dal when I was growing up, per se. We tended to have the much lighter version of lentils, a soupy concoction called 'saar', which was a much tangier, watery version of the thick lentil dal that was usual in the North of India. It was either saar or rasam, which was a much spicier and brothier version that was traditional to Tamil Nadu and the South Eastern coast of India. 

My taste for thick, creamy masala dal developed from my university days in Delhi, where a version was served with every meal in the hostel mess, as well as from my dad, who preferred this version from his army days. He described those days with a hint of nostalgia - the terribly cold nights when they staggered into camps at the very end (dad was an electrician in the army), carrying their heavy packs, huddled under thin blankets that barely kept out the biting mountain cold, the hard, snowy ground  under which they made camp, the tents that did nothing to shield them from the cutting wind, the army days were not a good memory for my father - but he did describe the dal, straight from steaming cauldrons, eaten with rotis, a taste my dad has kept to this day.

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Sparkling Sweet and Spicy Pepper Jelly
Preserving has never been a huge part of my everyday life, back in India, or even in England. I love my family's spicy pickles, or preserved lemons and limes, but other than that, I have never preserved or canned and it wasn't a technique I was comfortable with for a long time.

How things have changed...

Canning 2013 - Batch 1... yeah, still more
 to come.

Tuesday, 1 October 2013


It's been a good season for zucchini. Then again, when is it not a good season for zucchini? This year, I thought I was prepared for them. Well, sort of prepared... I did not reckon for all the ones from the farms and neighbours coming in to me as well. Its like I was taken over by the giant zucchini monsters... and there are SO MANY of them... I even ran out of space to put them in. Aaargh... zucchini, help.

So they now live in a cooler somewhere in the kitchen and I try not to look too hard for them. I am going to have to sort them out soon enough, but for now, out of sight, out of mind.

But.



The one thing that I did do with my early ones was grate them all and pop them into the freezer. I was thinking about these Lemon Zucchini Cookies when I was doing that. But then I realised that they would work perfectly for these bhajis too. So now my zucchinis are doing a happy dance, because not only do they get made into cookies, but there's nothing better than hot, crispy zucchini onion bhajis with a steaming cup of chai on a cloudy, grey autumn morning.

I can live with that. Take that, Mr. Over-proliferating Zucchini.

These bhajis are an adaptation of my onion bhajis. The sliced onion adds a nice hint of sweetness to these delicately spiced morsels. I served them with a lemon cilantro mint chutney that cuts through the richness of these bhajis.

Recipe:
(Printable Recipe)

For the Zucchini and Onion Bhajis

2 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (around 750g total weight)
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (gram flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder (or 1/2 teaspoon hot cayenne pepper)
More salt to taste
1/4 cup water, if required
Unscented oil to deep fry (I used canola) 

Lemon Cilantro - Mint Chutney 

Large handful fresh cilantro
Large handful fresh mint
Juice of one large lemon + extra to taste
1/4 cup water (as required to blend)
Salt to taste

Method: 

Place the grated zucchini in a large bowl and sprinkle over the kosher salt. Stir well and leave for about an hour. Drain and rinse the zucchini well, squeeze out the excess water, then place in a bowl.

Add the onion, chickpea flour, baking soda, whole and ground cumin, coriander, chili powder and salt to taste.

Using your hands (beware, this is messy) or a spatula, mix everything together very well, until it comes together as a very thick batter. Add a splash of water too loosen the batter, if it feels too stiff.

Heat the oil in a deep pot to 350 F. Using a tablespoon measure, gently drop in small balls of the zucchini-onion bhaji batter into the hot oil. Fry, turning every so often for 4 - 5 minutes, or until the bhajis are golden brown and cooked through.

Lift the bhajis out, using a slotted spoon, and drain well on kitchen paper. Serve hot with the lemon-cilantro-mint chutney.

To make the chutney, blitz together all the ingredients until smooth, using just enough water to blend. Taste and season with more lemon juice and salt, if required. This chutney is quite fresh and tangy, so load up on the lemon juice, if you like it.

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Paneer Matar (Muttar)

I have always wondered why some people like gardening more than others. What is it that makes people perfectly happy to grub around in the dirt, get excited when talking about the differences between sheep and cow manure, look anxiously at the black clouds, hoping against hope that hail won't wreck this season's vegetables, spend hours researching tomato plant rot, guard their trowels and tools jealously, and rarely want to go on vacation because the garden might suffer... 

Sounds familiar? These guys are the gardeners. I wrote a couple weeks ago about them in my post for the Canadian Food Experience Project. 

One of the reasons that Kay gardens is because his memories of his mother's garden. Every time he sees Adz picking and eating a pea pod, straight from the plant, he remembers his own days of eating sweet, fresh peas, straight from his mum's garden. And I have similar memories of eating produce from my mother's garden too, though, not peas. Okra and eggplants, perhaps.

But we did have a good harvest of peas this year, and I even managed to save some from Adz's grabby hands :)

Fresh home grown garden peas

Thursday, 1 August 2013


Woohoo, I am on vacation! Finally, after a long season, we packed up our bags and headed over to the in-laws place. This time around, we decided that dad needed to experience some true Canadian culture, so we ended up camping a few nights, one in Jasper, where we managed to get eaten alive by those pesky mosquitoes... but at the same time, had a fabulously relaxing time at the hot springs. My dad, who's never been recreational camping before kept flipping constantly between being amused and amazed at everything that people brought to camp with them. It rained pretty consistently, and even though it was slightly cold and miserable, it was still a brilliant experience for dad. We were also lucky enough to spot a wolf (eating something I don't want to mention) which was pretty rare and of course, elk were everywhere.

The next night at Beaumont was much better, in terms of weather, and the sunset over Fraser Lake was pretty spectacular, as you will see for yourself! We had a pretty good evening, pushing on to the in-laws the next day. So yayyyy, on vacation now, with not much to than relax and enjoy everything in this beautiful Northern BC town.

Monday, 6 May 2013



So the Yeggies came and went, and as I predicted, I didn't win :) But I did get the opportunity to chat about food with CTV's Morning Live with host, Stacey Brotzel. I haven't been on TV since my Masterchef days, so I hated how I looked and sounded, obviously. Of course, I then had to go and have a look at my old MC video and I was kind of shocked how much my accent had changed and how blimmin' young I looked in those videos. Anyway I'll let you be judge, as the video is over here. Just try not too laugh too hard, will you?

Meanwhile, in other news, Aditi has been getting all cheeky on me. Today, I had a ladybird fly into my hand. So I got all excited, and told Aditi, 'hey, look, a ladybird flew into my hand... I am going to be so lucky' At which point, she deigned to look up at me from her game, all bored, like, and went 'yeah mom, you are lucky. You have me'... ooooh, that li'l monster. If she didn't have her moments like the one below, she'd be sold to the gypsies in a second (kidding, of course, no one would pay anything for her, in fact they'd probably pay me to take her back, haha)

So what did she say that made me bawl? Well, she's been getting an allowance of a dollar every Friday, and she has been saving up hard for a backpack toy. Every week she counts her coins and decides how many more she needs for the toy.

So she comes up to me a few days ago and said, 'Mom, I've decided not to buy the toy after all'. So I said, 'Why not, Aditi?' She then says to me, 'Mom, cause next Sunday is Mother's Day and I have two more Fridays to go before that... and I want to spend all my coins buying you the best present in the world!' I was stunned and asked 'Did Dad tell you to do this?' and she was like 'No, I just decided this, and of course Dad will be taking me to get you a present, but I want to spend my own money and its going to be the best surprise you ever had'.

I think I already got the best present in the world!

Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Okra in an Oil and Onion Saute

So Christmas preparations are in full swing on almost every blog I visit and to be honest, I do love looking at the pictures and drooling over the recipes. But in my household, we are all trying to lose weight and be healthier, so I am restricting my sweet tooth to just looking, rather than baking and eating. I am lucky to have lovely friends (yes, Susan M and Marlow Moo, I am looking at you :-)) who have already dropped off beautiful treats, and so even though I've done very little baking, my house is still full of delicious treats and more are being added as I meet up with friends. MIL sent her boozy, dark, fruit filled Christmas cake, and its being demolished even before Christmas is here, so I may even have to ask her to send another (gulp!)

Coming back to the site though, I must apologise for my lack of regular activity on here. Its been a bit of a crazy ride with Get Cooking, and maybe its just the season, but we've been incredibly busy, especially after Kathryn was featured on the Edmonton Journal. Its winding down a bit though and much as I love my work, I am looking forward to the Christmas break. I promise to cook and bring to you a lot more recipes. In fact, I have drafts months old sitting in my folder that I haven't gotten round to taking pictures for, its that bad... and of course the waning daylight never helps either. I am still aiming to get four to six posts a month, though ocasionally they may err on the four side.

Okra in an Oil and Onion Saute 

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

 Spiced Egg Curry

I had the funnniest conversation with one of Adz's classmates today.

Little B - Hello, are you Adz's Mommy?
Me - Why, yes, I am, love.
Little B - But, why are you brown?
Me - Sweetie, cause I was born in India, and we are brown skinned.
Little B (pointing to Adz) - But she's white.
Me - That's because her daddy is white.
At this point, Adz interjects - Little B... in the summer I go brown, just like my mommy... and in the winter I am white, like my daddy. I am multicoloured (I think she meant to say mixed race, but got confused)
Little B (also completely confused at this point) - Well... all my family are white and my mommy and daddy too. But not my grandma... she is pink!

I still haven't stopped laughing... and I really want to see B's grandma now :) Gotta love kids, they are just so innocent, aren't they?

Up until this point, I was having a bit of a difficult day. It was little things really, missing one bus, then the next one turns up late, which means you miss the next one, realising halfway through the journey that you'd forgotten the child's snack for school, then getting stuck in a long lineup at the grocery store, all the while panicking about being late... the list was endless. Typical Monday morning, actually. But the I had the conversation with Little B, and the laughter made it all better. Laughter has a funny way of doing that to you, actually, doesn't it? And kids too... they really have no filter :)

_DSC0102

The recipe I am posting today is one of my standby favourites and never fails to make me happy too! I went back to my easiest curry, this delicious egg masala. This recipe started off as an inspiration from one of Madhur Jaffrey's cream sauces, but I have tinkered with it so much that I am going to claim it as my own (forgive me, queen of spices!)

It's a super quick dish to put together. I start with my rice, put the eggs on to boil, then whip up this sauce. By the time the eggs have been boiled and peeled, the sauce is ready and the rice is cooked. Honestly, Indian food doesn't get quicker than this. I like to use cream when I am feeling indulgent or am making it as a side dish for a party, but I use light coconut milk when I am making it at home. I leave that up to your preference. For me, this is one of the first dishes I learned to make when I was away from home, and its still one of my best. Easy and simple doesn't mean sacrificing flavour and this dish is ample proof of that. You can also amp up the spice by adding more cayenne or hot chilli powder, but I like this curry quite mild, as you can really taste the delicate nuances of the spices in it. If you're making it, I urge you to play with the spicing, and do come back and let me know how you liked it, and I do hope that you like it as much as my family does.

Even that rat of a child of mine, who can easily chow down spicy peanuts and crisps that make my eyes water, but whines at any hint of a curry... but that's just kids for you, sigh :)  
Recipe:
(Printable Recipe)

6 eggs, hardboiled
1 tablespoon unscented oil
1 small onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, grated to a pulp
1 tablespoon ground coriander
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon hot cayenne pepper
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup coffee cream (18%) cream or you can use light coconut milk
¼ cup hot water, if required
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro, to garnish
Rice or naan, to serve

Method:

Peel and halve the eggs.

Place the oil in a sauté pan on a medium heat, and add the finely diced onion. Fry for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and just beginning to brown.

Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne and cook, stirring for an additional minute or two.

Add the crushed tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to dry out a little. Season with a little salt.

Gently fold in the cream or coconut milk and bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer. If the sauce thickens too much, add a little hot water to thin it down.

Stir in the chopped cilantro, then adjust seasoning, adding a little more salt if required.

Lower the eggs into the curry. Reheat gently, and serve hot with rice or naan.







Monday, 24 September 2012

Spiced Squash, Potato and Chickpea Stew 
 
An Autumn Medley

I have a confession to make. For all my griping about winter approaching, I do have a soft spot for autumn. I grew up in a place where we rarely had changing seasons, like we do here, and the first time I really experienced autumnal colours is one of my most cherished memories. Autumn in England comes slowly... here in Canada it feels like the colours change overnight. I don't need to wax lyrical about autumn colours, do I really? Anyone who's seen them will know exactly what I mean when I say that they can only be described as magical. 

Its strange to see the difference in autumnal shades in various parts of Canada itself. Eastern Canada glows with subtle terracottas, dark reds and chocolate browns. We, here in Alberta, get sparkling yellows, deep gold and vivid greens. Its no coincidence that this city's colours are green and gold... a walk through the river valley on a crisp autumn morning will reveal exactly this beautiful palette of colours.

Kay, Aditi and I took advantage of the beautiful Indian summer we're having right now to go for one last camping trip to Elk Island Park. The drive in is nothing short of beautiful. Its not the brash, in-your-face beauty of the Rockies... instead its a peaceful, gleaming, almost bucolic beauty that soothes your soul and makes you happy to live in the prairies. The colours in the park are stunning and make me feel blessed for living where I do, and give thanks for being able to do what I do. 

Monday, 10 September 2012

Classic Potato Salad

As summer comes to an end, I find myself scrambling around, trying to preserve the last of it... like if I hold on to it hard enough, the warmth and sunshine may just stay a little longer. Its a bit like watching your child grow up... except that in this case, summer will always come around again, but those precious childhood years won't ever be back. 

Aditi started kindergarten last week. Even though she's been going to preschool, it struck me quite hard as to the fact that my baby was no longer a baby, and that she's now independent and ready for big-girl school. We placed her in a lovely programme at a wonderful school, but there is always niggling questions... are we are doing the right thing, is she too young to start school (she's a bit on the young side), will she cope with all the kids, is it too much pressure, how can we make her life easier... all valid, legitimate concerns, but the fact remains that the years race by, and seasons pass on by and my baby grows older with each passing day. Its enough to make a mum emotional.

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Sambhar/ Sambar - Spicy South Indian Vegetable Stew

I talk very often about my mum on this blog. That's because, to me, she's an amazing woman, and one of the unsung heroes of the world. My mum, to me, is my role model in many ways. Not because she did great things or saved the world, but just the way she is. She was one of the first generation of Indian women to work outside the home, and claim their independence, but at the same time, her sisters and her looked after their parents. They worked all hours at incredibly demanding jobs, but also found the time to come back home and work just as hard in their own homes. My mum had so many demands on her time - her parents, siblings, children and husband, relatives, friends, students, grandchildren... the list was and is neverending! Yet she balanced everything so well, with a smile and an ocasional snap...  but never complaining (well, perhaps the odd grumble or two...) never fazed by the endless craziness of her life. 

And today, when she should be retired and sitting down with a cup of tea, she still has so much to do, including looking after her elderly parents and grandchildren. Yes, my mum has a work ethic to be proud of, and one that ocasionally makes me ashamed to have had it so easy in my life too. But also, at the same time, she inspires me to go out and do the best that I can. She encouraged me all through my academic career, supported me financially and emotionally and now she encourages my cooking career, because its what I love doing. Though she never says it out loud, I know that she loves me, and that she's proud of me, and this has always spurred me on to be that little bit better, every day of my life. She's truly a hero.

Friday, 17 August 2012

Watermelon 'Chaat' Salad

No other fruit in the world is as reminiscent of summer, as watermelon. One of my enduring memories from home in India, is the abundance of watermelon, which my mum would sit and carefully cut into little cubes for us, and we would devour it. It was the perfect heat buster, and watermelon juice was a perennial favourite of ours, and widely available on the streets of India. 

When the National Watermelon Promotion Board asked me if I would take part in their Kid-tastic Watermelon Blogger Challenge, Aditi and I of course, were all for it. Not only is watermelon one of Aditi's favourite fruits, but it is an amazingly versatile one at that. We've eaten it straight up, had it in classic salads with feta cheese and mint, made it into yummy watermelon ice candies, made sorbets and ice creams, granitas and daiquiris. 

When our blogging kit arrived, Aditi was delighted to find that it included her very own apron... which she then insisted on wearing constantly around the house. Before I knew it, the watermelon that came with the kit had also been gobbled up by the houseful of kids I was hosting... which meant that I had to head out double quick to find another one with which to make my recipe.

Saturday, 14 July 2012

Home grown parsley and potato soup

Its been a weird week. I've had news that's made me hugely happy, and then we've had events that have made both Kay and I sad. Lets start with the good news. See that shiny new badge on my right sidebar?
→ 
Yes, I've been voted into Babble's Top 100 Mom Food Blogs for 2012, and I am number 24. I am so chuffed and I want to thank you all so much for putting up with my constant begging, begging, whining, guilting requests for votes from you all. Its been an incredible journey, and I am finally beginning to feel settled and happy with myself and this little space I've created. 

So thank you all from the bottom of my cooking pots and pans! I couldn't have done it with your constant support and encouragement.

Sunday, 8 July 2012

Beet Greens Fugath (Spiced Beet Greens with Shredded Coconut)

I've been absolutely loving the weather in Edmonton this summer. Its been in the low plus thirties all this week and its due to last into next week, and for me-from-the-tropics, its heavenly weather. The husband and kid complain that its too hot, but I tell them both to suck it up, cause I'd rather it be plus thirty than minus thirty.

All this beautiful weather has meant that the garden has been doing extremely well. We've had some nice rainy weather on a few days, and this has helped everything grow, and the sunshine means that fruits and vegetables are ripening up beautifully. I don't have much of a berry crop this year, as we onlt just planted our strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries, but my highbush cranberry bush has gazillions of berries on it, and I can't wait for them to ripen. The pin cherries only need a couple more days, and then... mmmm... pie.

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Bombay Potatoes

Update: Yayy, this recipe won in the Main/ Side category of the BCfresh 'Be Fresh' Recipe Challenge! Huge thanks to the organisers and to Food Bloggers of Canada :)

There is a reason why my blog didn't really start taking off until I moved here to Canada. It can be summed up in three words. Marks and Spencer. Hehe. I frequented M&S while living in England, and in my personal opinion, it does some of the best ready meals in England. Which, to be honest, after a day's work, are very very tempting. I did cook a lot, but the proximity and quality of M&S food meant that I stayed with my classics and rarely ventured out of my comfort zone.

M&S was also one of those supermarkets that did really good Indian food as well, even if I didn't know what half of the meals on their shelves were, as they really were all about English Indian food. One of those 'new' dishes was Bombay potatoes. Now Bombay, or Mumbai, has some pretty good potato dishes, but I have never come across anything quite like this one in all my years of living in and visiting Bombay :) The M&S Bombay potatoes were pretty good though, and though I always scratched my head as to where they actually came from, it never stopped me from munching on them with satisfaction.

Friday, 29 June 2012

Paneer Tikka

I am sure all of you have done this on many ocasions. When I am frustrated, mad, angry or just plain pissed... I cook and clean. I vent all of my woes on that poor ingredient that needs to be at the sharp end of a knife. My poor chopping board has been the recipient of many a bash and bang, and my onions and tomatoes cringe when I come at them in that mood. Copious amounts of butter/ oil/ cream get poured into the food, and nothing gets spared in the house. Floors get vigorously cleaned, bathrooms shine, furniture glistens, surfaces sparkle, carpets get beaten... damn, I should get angry more often, right?

Now that you know what I do... you might as well as know why. Its bleeding Air Canada. What other airline in the world can be so contemptuous of its customers? Not content with driving other, smaller airlines out of business, they now hold such a monopoly, that they can pretty much quote you fares out of their ass. Kay and I always got incredibly frustrated with them... for example, their local flights from one small town to another would usually end up costing us more that out entire return flight from, say, Manchester to Vancouver. Such a massive pain in the posterior that!

So basically, this means another long seventeen hour drive to the in-laws then. Argh! And don't even get me started on mobile phone prices...

Friday, 8 June 2012

Palak Paneer with Cookin' Greens Flash Frozen Spinach

One of the best things about a large extended Indian family is that it gives me an opportunity to beg/ borrow/ steal/ coerce/ guilt/make large puppy eyes/ threaten/ flatter receive recipes from a myriad group of people. Like most Indian middle class kids (admit it now, guys) we were a pretty spoilt bunch when it came to food and the making of it. The elders in the family cooked for the children. Sure, we had some chores to do, but then my mum, for example, would get up at 5 AM in the morning so she could make us a hot breakfast before we went to school and she went off to work. Me, ha! My kid is lucky if I managed to open my eyes enough for her to get a bowl of cereal and a banana :)

That said, being away from home suddenly brings that decadent, spoilt rotten lifestyle to a crashing halt. Suddenly if you want fresh, home cooked food that tastes like mummy made it, well, darn it, you have to cook it your own damn self. Sigh! When I left for England little did I know that this passion for old fashioned home cooked Indian food would lead me to an entirely new career, from communications to chef. Life is strange indeed.

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

Bagara Baingan - Baby Aubergines/ Eggplants in a Hyderabadi Peanut Sauce

Aubergines or eggplants are in season again! I love these beautiful, rich and royal coloured versatile vegetables. I was shopping for a quick few things at my favourite grocer (EZee Mart in Garneau) and in his fridge, I found these perfect baby aubergines. Baby aubergines go off very quickly, so I literally bought these, raced home, and made this curry today. So this is one of those rare off the cuff recipe posts, in which I am posting the recipe of tonight's dinner :-)

Aubergines for Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan is a Hyderabadi curry, where baby aubergines are simmered in a delicately spiced peanut and sesame sauce. Creamy, nutty and spicy, this sauce is the perfect accompaniment to these flavourful and fresh vegetables.  I actually make a slightly more complicated version of this same dish and you can find it here - but this time I wanted to keep it relatively simple, as I was in a hurry not to lose my natural light. We are lucky enough that in the summer we get some wonderful late evening light, but today was miserably rainy and cloudy. To be honest, I don't mind the rain so much, as the prairies really need it, and I love the spectacular thunderstorms we get here. But ocasionally, cloudy grey weather does have a way of sapping energy out of you (and then I wonder how the heck I ever lived in the UK all these years :-)

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

Sannas

I had posted the recipe for sannas previously, but it somehow got lost in the blog. So I decided to repost, as I have received several requests for the recipe for this popular and delicate rice cake/ bread. This time I even have pictures!

Sannas are popular all over Mangalore, and are traditionally eaten with pork sorpotel or chicken curry. They taste awesome with a chicken curry as they soak up the curry beautifully. The original recipe uses palm alcohol (toddy) in order to ferment the rice mixture, but as toddy is not available in this country (its highly illegal too ;-)) I use a yeast mixture. You really do need a very powerful blender to grind here as the rice needs to be ground really fine, until you cannot feel any coarseness in the batter and its as smooth as cream.

There is a difference between the idli and sanna. The idli is coarser, while sannas are softer and fluffier. Sannas can also be served at breakfast with a coconut chutney.

Sannas are traditionally made with a kind of rice called 'boiled rice'. The name is misleading, as the rice is not really boiled. Its a kind of rice that resembles arborio rice, but is not arborio either. You can buy this type of rice in the UK and other Western countries in Asian specialty shops [ask for Idli Rice]. This rice is soaked with basmati rice, cleaned urad dal (white black gram, duh! available in most Indian shops) and beaten rice (called poha, which is optional, if you use idli rice), and left to ferment overnight.

The idlis are cooked in small steel ramekins called gindlan, and steamed in a tondor, which is not available in the UK as yet. However, you can use thin ramekins and a three tier normal steamer as well. The shape may not be perfect, but they'll taste just as good.

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Recipe:

1 1/2 cup 'boiled rice' [Idli Rice]
3/4 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup beaten rice (optional)
1/4 cup cleaned white urad dal
3 tablespoons white sugar or to taste
1 - 2 tsp salt or to taste
1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in a tablespoon of warm water
Water for grinding the batter

Method: 

In a bowl, soak the idli rice, basmati rice, urad dal and beaten rice (if using) for roughly 4 hours. Drain all the water out.

Using a powerful blender, grind the soaked mixture, sugar and salt, using enough water to achieve the consistency of very thick cream. The trick is to start with less water and increase it as you go. If the resulting mixture is too thick, you can thin it to the needed consistency by adding water later. If the mixture is too thin, add rice flour to thicken it. Best to avoid having to do this though.

Pour the batter into a large bowl (leave enough room in the bowl for the batter to rise by about a third) and stir in the dissolved yeast.

Leave the batter in the bowl, in a warm place to ferment and rise. Leave in a fridge overnight, but if you're rushed at least 4 hours in a warmer place.

When you are ready to steam your sannas, prepare the ramekins or gindlan by greasing them very well with vegetable or coconut oil. This step is important, as the sannas will stick to the ramekins otherwise. Then pour a little batter into the ramekin (about a third of the way). Leave room in the ramekin for the sanna to rise.

When you have about 6 ramekins prepared, pop them into the top two tiers of the steamer or your tondor, and let them steam for 8 - 10 minutes. Check by poking a toothpick into a sanna, if its doesn't have wet batter sticking to it, its ready.

Carefully take out the ramekins and leave them to cool completely in a water bath with ice in it. Once cold, turn the ramekin upside down and the sanna should slide out easily. If it doesn't carefully run a knife around it to loosen and push it out using your fingers. Wash and oil the ramekins again and make a few more batches until the batter is all used up. The batter keeps in the fridge for up to two days, and sannas freeze very well. Just microwave for about 30 seconds to get back their softness.

Serve with any kind of curry or chutney. Or make sannwiches for breakfast (slice sannas in half, spread with jam, sandwich... my little girl adores these!!)

Thursday, 26 February 2009

Recipe:

Mutton Stew


½ kilo boneless aged mutton
Lime juice to taste
1 tsp turmeric
1 pack coconut cream
1 400 ml tin coconut milk
2 big onions, sliced
3 green chillies (ground)
1½ inch ginger (ground)
5 flakes garlic (ground)
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp aniseed powder
1 tsp ground cloves
4 pods cardamom
2 pieces cassia bark (or cinnamon)
1 sprig curry leaves
2 large potatoes
5 tbsp ghee
1 small stick of unsalted butter

Lemon Rice

225 ml rice
300 ml boiling water
Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 mild dried red chillies
1 inch piece of ginger (minced)
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal (bengal gram)
1 tsp split black gram (urad dal)
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 sprig curry leaves
Unsalted cashew nuts
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Method

1.Cube the mutton and quickly fry to seal. Put it into a heavy bottomed pan, add turmeric, lime juice and salt and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. An alternative is to put the mutton and the above ingredients into a pressure cooker and cook for three whistles (pressure cooker fans will know what I mean, but for non-cooker using people, that’s for about 8 – 10 minutes) This makes the meat meltingly tender .

2.Fry the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies in the ghee lightly, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, aniseed, cloves, cardamom and cassia bark. Splutter the curry leaves in a little oil and add to the mixture. Season to taste.

3.Add the mutton and potatoes to the masala and stir till well coated.

4.Stir in about 200 ml of coconut milk and 100 ml of hot water. Simmer till the mutton is cooked.

5.Take it off the heat and stir in a few tbsps of coconut cream and some chopped fresh coriander. Melt some butter on top and serve with the lemon rice.

6.Make the rice. Put the rice into a heavy bottomed pan and pour over the boiling water. Cover with aluminium foil and a tight fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

7.Meanwhile, heat the oil and splutter the chillies, ginger, mustard seeds, chana dal, black gram and curry leaves. Add the ground turmeric, lemon juice and salt. Stir in the cooked rice very gently.

8.Season to taste, adding more lemon juice if needed.

9.Stir in the cashews.