Onion and Kale Fritters – Mixed Up Piyanjee

April 26, 2013 2 Comments

Onion Pakoras with TeaI recently ended up as a part of a conversation somewhere in the facebook world on authenticity and after sort of supporting both sides of the arguement I am not really sure where I ended. Well, I am a Libra, I know when I was growing up following one’s zodiac was serious business. I will date myself even further and tell you that a popular book amongs me and the friendship clan was Linda Goodman’s Zodiac Signs, which it turns out was the first astrology book to make the New York Times Bestseller list, illustrating the fact that I had company in my silly reading. In case you are wondering, a the Libran symbol are the scales and they are supposed to always work towards balancing things. And whenever my equilibrium shifts a little I make some variation of onion fritters also called piyanjee in Bengali.

Well, while the bit on equilibrium is not entirely true, we do love these onion ring fritters in my house. My husband of course calls them pakoras. Actually, these classic naturally gluten-free and vegan-fritters are called different thing in different parts of India, but all tend to have the same lovely crisp and savory sweetness of red onions cloaked in nutritious and crispy chickpea batter.

Onion Pakoras or Piyanjees

 

 In fact, the line in our household is, you say pakora, I say piyanjee, lets call the whole thing off. Well, the interesting thing about these fritters is that they can take a whole assortment of variations, depending on the nuances of spices used. I have used some thyme from are garden in lieu of carom seeds to make this particular version. It is available in bounty and adds a nice and simple touch of freshness. I also added some curry leaves and tender kale leaves on a touch of whimsy. The kale was in lieu of spinach which is something that I normally add.

IMG_5637-horz

 

The only caution that I offer is to ensure that you are working with medium hot oil, ensure that the batter is not too thick, there should not be too much batter over the onions, as it will overpower the sweet crispiness of the onions.

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Onion and Kale Fritters – Mixed Up Piyanjee

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: about 20 fritters

An variation of classic Indian onion fritters with kale, onions, thyme and curry leaves. Perfect with a cup of tea!

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized red onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby kale leaves or spinach
    • For the batter
  • 1 cup of besan or chickpea flour
  • 15 curry leaves
  • 11/2 tablespoons thyme or 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds
  • 3/4 teaspoon red cayenne powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Separate the pieces and layers of the onions and set aside with the kale or spinach.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the besan, thyme, red cayenne powder, salt, turmeric and cilantro.
  3. Stir in about 1 cup of cold water, this should be done gradually to ensure a batter that is slightly thinner than pancake batter, but thick enough to coat.
  4. Stir in the onions and spinach.
  5. In a heavy bottom skillet add about 1 and 1/2 cups of canolla oil, about 11/2 inches deep. Heat the oil until a crumb when tested dances up to the surface.
  6. Add about 2 tablespoons of the batter, gently allowing the onions to fan out in strands.
  7. Fry on medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, this should NOT be done on high heat.
  8. Turn and fry again, the color of the fritters should be a comfortable golden brown color.
  9. Remove from the fire, drain on paper towels and serve.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Curry Leaves, Fritters, Gluten Free, Kale, Onion Pakoras, Onions, Piyanjee, Spring, Vegan

Chinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy and The Passionate Vegetable

April 22, 2013 Leave a Comment

2nd_ed_front_cover   I have been meaning to tell you all about this wonderful book, for the past week.  I seriously have been getting all excited about, however, anytime I have been getting ready to write, I have been looking all over for the book.  What does this tell you that I am a scatterbrain? Well, not quite, if you know me, actually, that is a good thing. When I like a book, and start reading it, I sneak reading it between games, train rides, practice and the whole gamut, the problem with that carry the book with me approach, is that the book also ends up all over the place. And yes, I had truly enjoyed browsing through and reading, The Passionate Vegetable.

There are many ways to cutting the healthy food circuit and no matter how you slice it at the core we are talking about a good amount of vegetables. The key to note is that vegetables are colorful and exciting. To feed my family, I am constantly looking for new ideas to bring by way of healthy eating, sure I have a few of my own, but it never hurts to have diversity.

This is where a book like The Passionate Vegetable comes in handy. A nicely styled substantial volume, this book is bursting with colorful and enticing recipes, the kind created with possibly a family in focus. Actually, Chef Suzanne Landry in her acknowledgements mentions that her sons were the reasons that started her on the healthy cooking journey. Some of her inspiration also came from her father who suffered for over 17 years of recurring cancer.

The book is filled with thoughtful notes on whole grains, legumes, lifestyle choices such as, “when to” or “when not to go gluten-free”. The recipes inspired by an assortment of global influences, ranging from Thai style coconut chickpeasChinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy, Indian seasoned curries, Mexican Black Bean and Corn Salad, Marvelous Minestrone, ensure that there is absolutely no chance of getting bored on the dinner table with these recipes. The general use of ingredients is very practical, mostly working with stuff you are likely to find in a regularly stocked (ok a well-stocked) pantry. The point being, I have tried three recipes so far and was able to do so without actually venturing out for anything special. The recipes are fairly adapatable, since they have lots of suggested substitutions.

Today’s recipe that I have pictured here is the Chinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy. I have listed the recipe as is, from the book but will tell you that I did make two variations to make this work with my pantry. I used more cabbage than bok choi, since that is what I had on hand. I also reduced the amount of honey in the recipe. Now, that is again a personal preference.

Overall, I am really excited to have a book like this just in time for summer. If you are looking for new ways to introduce some healthy goodness to your life, my recommendation is that this is the book for you.  If you read through the instructions, you will see how detailed and complete the instructions are. Take for instance in this recipe, she even tells you how to chop the Bok Choi.

 

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Chinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy and The Passionate Vegetable

Recipe from The Passionate Vegetable, Suzanne Landry

Ingredients

  • 1 head bok choy
  • 2 tablespoons light sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
  • 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot or organic cornstarch
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey (1 used 11/2 tablespoons)
  • 3 tablespoons raw apple cide vinegar

Instructions

  1. Separate the leaves of bok choy and discard outer leaves that might be bruised or pithy. Rinse bok choy thoroughly. Cut away bottom white secon of bok chou for the grean leafy tops. Place 2 stems of the white bottoms on top of each other and slice down the middle lengthwise. Cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Place the leafy green tops on top of each other and cut in half. Fold over and cut again in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Keep separate for now.
  2. Preheat sesame oil in frying pan and sauce ginger for 30 seconds. Add red cabbage and carrots and saute for another 2 minutes. Add bottoms of boy choy and salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
  3. Prepare sauce by dissolving arrowroot or cornstarch in the cold water. Add soy sauce, honey and vinegar, and mix. Pour on the vegetables and stir until dressing thickens and becomes clear. Now place the greens on top. Do not stir in. Cover and steam for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
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Filed Under Cookbook Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With Bok Choi, Cabbage, Chinese, Cookbook Reviews, Spring, Suzanne Landry, The Passionate Vegetable, Vegan

Narkoler Naru – Coconut and Jaggery Balls for Bengali New Year

April 15, 2013 Leave a Comment

Subho Nababarsha  Spring brings to the air a touch of color, freshness and the promise of beauty. Several parts of the world celebrate it with festivals like Easter and Purim.

Well, while we celebrate all of that, come into mid- April (well almost), the celebrations vary by days, several parts of India, notably Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh in South India, Punjab in North India and Assam and West Bengali in Eastern India have their versions of a new year. You get more about the South Indian flavors of these celebrations through Nivedita’s post here.

I actually began today, feeling a little guilty. I took the kids for their weekend dance lessons and I saw all the other kids beautifully dressed up in lovely Indian outfit, while me and the brood were comfortable and well dressed in clean and cosy sweats. Well, I did have two games following the dance classes and I also, tried to convince myself that the Bengali New Year is really all about food.

Actually, for me it is a symbolic almost mid-year pause, where I try to think about the direction of the year and how it is heading. I think we should be ok in the food department, if you really want to see what we will be cooking you can stop by the facebook page.

Narkoler Naru

The recipe of the day, is for these lovely coconut and jaggery toffee balls, that I share from the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles that was a great help since I did not have to re-write the recipe. Now, in the interest of fair disclosure while these were what I could come up with on quick notice and my daughter loved them, these are typically a traditional dessert for Lokkhi Puja, which actually is a fall Bengali Festival.

Narkoler NaruNonetheless, for some reason I was not the only one who came up with these lovely sweet toffee like balls on this cool spring weekend. For a version, with mindblowing pictures, you can check out Soma’s version.

These lovely simple coconut balls are called naru, almost as in nadu (with a rough r) and need three ingredients and some patience. They are made with jaggery, coconut and cardamom seeds. The important thing with these balls is to ensure that they are cooked low and slow so that the coconut releases its natural oils to both bind and add some deep flavor into the almost toffee like dessert.

I did use store bough frozen coconut and do so quite often, while this is acceptable, it does create a rougher texture from what the traditional balls are like. So, really it is upto you if you actually want to scrape a fresh coconut. However, if you do it is well worth the effort.So maybe my New Year resolution for this Lokkhi Puja will be to make them from the scratch.

Anyhow, before I get to the recipe, here is wishing you and yours a happy spring and festive year ahead.

 

 

Filed Under Bengali Five Spice, Green Cardamom, Uncategorized Tagged With Bengali, Bengali Five Spice, Bengali New Year, Coconut, Desserts, Gluten Free, Indian, Narkoler Naru, Vegan

Radish, Kale and Kabocha Stir Fry with Panchphoron

April 12, 2013 Leave a Comment

Looks like all my pleas to spring to finally come seems to have worked, it has arrive a little later, but it certainly is here in all its glory.

medIt has been a spectacular week! As with everything, when the sun shines and the flowers bloom, you forget that the weather was cooler for a couple of weeks longer.  I have been a good girl and spent some time getting my walking groove back. This has meant less time in the kitchen, so the dish of the day is a colorful stir fry with Panchphoron, yes a Bengali Style stir-fry. Although, speaking of walking it took quite a bit of effort to convince myself my wet and rainy Friday morning walk to the office was a precurser to May flowers.

The soccer season has just started and how, there is a reason we have the term soccer mom. I was a good girl and got them a new soccer ball, which Aadi does not want to share with Deepta.  Between reading Swindle with Deepta, I realized that they had a crazy poem we had in school as a part of their assigment,

“There lived a sage in days of yore and he a handsome pigtail wore, but wondered much and sorrowed more because the pigtail hung behind him”

Bengali Radish and Kabocha Squash Stir FryWho would have thought that Thackery’s piece would have such cross continental appeal.

Well, maybe appeal might sound a little stretched since Deepta did think that the poem did not make a whole load of sense.

We just forraged our first batch of Dandelion greens from the garden and I shall tell you all about them in this week’s spices and seasons column. While I do not mention the column a lot, it has been about a year that I have been sharing spice and seasonal talk on the Small Bites blog, mostly through original recipes. In some cases, there is some cross posting between the blogs, but in most cases they are orginal recipes. The core emphasis of that blog is to feature simple recipes that usually stick to a few core spices to showcase the harmory between spices and often picking something that is the ingredient of the season. Just another effort for me to showcase my love of exploring Indian inspired flavors with local produce.

Here is my stir-fry as promised. I hope that I can get my act together to post something sweet and enticing for Bengali New Year on the 15th.

 

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Radish, Kale and Kabocha Stir Fry with Panchphoron

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A light and lovely Bengali style stir fry,

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon panch phoron (Bengali Five Spice Blend)
  • 2 teaspoons ginger paste
  • 2 to 3 dried red chilies
  • 2 cups cubed radishes (I used Daikon)
  • 11/2 cups of cubed kabocha squash
  • A pinch of turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 cups of baby kale

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok and add in the panchphoron and wait until the spices crackle.
  2. Add in the ginger paste and te dried red chilies and stir lightly.
  3. Add in the radishes and the kabocha squash and mix well.
  4. Stir in the turmeric, cayenne pepper and the salt. Cover the skillet and reduce the temperature to low and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the cover, letting the steam water drip into the pan and stir well. the vegetables should be tender crisp at this point.
  6. Mix in the kale and stir well. Cook until the kale is just wilted and there you have a lovely stir fry that seduces you with flavor and color.
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Filed Under Bengali, Panchphoron, Uncategorized Tagged With Bengali, Gluten Free, Kabocha Squash, Panchphoron, Radishes, Spring, Stir Fry, Vegan, Vegetables

Pindi Choley – Dark and Spicy Chickpeas

March 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

Pindi Chana- Dark and Spicy North Indian ChickpeasTechinically, today was the start of the spring break for the kids. It offers a break in pace since this weekend we did not have the usual childrens activities. It always helps to actually have a weekend.

I am however never very happy, when I cannot take the holiday week off. Although, travelling into work during a quite week has its advantages, one of them being quieter, emptier trains. This time anyway,  the kids are happy about a new program they are doing for a week. So, I am getting into work the next three days with Thursday and Friday off making it a long weekend.

Today, all things considered turned out to be a long day that brought in a mixed bag of activities and I spent the evening recharging myself in the kitchen as I always do when the spirits need a little bit of “pick up”.

I actually had chickpeas on my mind. Well, strictly speaking, chickpeas and kabocha just because I picked up my first kabocha squash this weekend. I realize it is a winter squash, but the weather does seem a little confused this year, with the cold temperature we are having despite the official start of spring.  Now back to the chickpeas,  they have been on my mind ever since I posted this recipe because my friend Chitra wanted a non slower cooker recipe. Slow cookers are ok and some of us tend to like having them around, but the reality is that the pressure cooker is what makes it to the kitchen as an essential. Most Indian cooks worth their salt have at least a couple in different sizes. So, when she told me that she did not not have a slow cooker, I was pretty sure that she had a pressure cooker and right I was.

There are many style of cooking chickpeas, however broadly speaking the north Indian styPC1medles fall into two broad categories, a soft gravy based variety and this drier variation usually enjoyed with flatbread. Quiet often the puffy deep fried sourdough bread called bhatura or soft leavened baked breads called kulcha. I did not quite have the interest to make either, but I did make the basic chapatis and we were all happy.

So, pindi chole, aparently originated in Rawalpindi, and the variation that I offer here is what my mother in law tends to prefer, except she makes this sans onions, since she does not eat onions. It certainly is starker and does not depend on onion and garlic for its sauce. The soft chicpeas here are coated with spices, finished off with toasted ginger and chrushed dried pomegranate seeds. As of the the dark color, this comes from a tea bag, which was rather difficult for me to find today because, I am a loose leaf tea drinker and the husband usually drinks what I make or tends to stick to green tea. But, ultimately I did find something stuck in a corner waiting to be used.

All good, so here is the recipe and one of these days you will see my other variation.

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Pindi Choley – Dark and Spicy Chickpeas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

A recipe for dark spice crusted chickpeas, in the punjabi style of cooking.

Ingredients

    For boiling the Chickpeas
  • 3/4 cup chana (dried chickpeas) (soaked overnight
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 black teabag (this is for color)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 black cardamoms
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 large (about 2 inch stick) cinnamon
    • For the cooking base
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 medium sized red onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) (can be substituted with juice of a lime
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
    • To Finish
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon very finely diced ginger (you can add in julienned pieces if desired)
  • 1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)

Instructions

  1. Place the chickpeas in the pressure cooker, with the water, tea bag, salt, cinnamon, cloves and black and green cardamoms and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. The key to this dish is soft and well cooked chickpeas.
  2. Cool and remove the lid, strain the chickpeas and reserve the water after discarding the tea bag and whole spices.
  3. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and with the seeds begin to sizzle add in the onion and ginger.
  4. Cook the onion until the onion is soft and turning gently golden, add in the chickpeas and stir well.
  5. Add in the dried mango powder, black pepper and the red chili powder and add in the reserved spice water and simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed.
  6. To finish, heat the remaining teaspoon oil add in the ginger and saute for about 1 minute.
  7. Pour this over the chickpeas.
  8. Crush the chickpeas and pour over the chickpeas. Serve hot with sliced red onions if desired.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Amchur, Anardana, Chana, Chickpeas, Chitra, Dry Chickpeas, Gluten Free, Pindi Choley, Vegan

Warm Potato Salad with Vinegar and Carmelized Onions

March 16, 2013 2 Comments

Warm Potato Salad  It has been a week full of simple wholesome meals, actually with two evenings of eating out packed into the midst. Blame one on the work being done in the kitchen and the second on Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I fitted in this warm potato salad, something that worked well for all of us involved. Something interesting on my family dinner table and one more check for my kid friendly list of offerings.

Unlike, some of my favorite bloggers, I do not really make illusions about cooking missions that entail mutiple days of planning and cooking, and this is actually ok. I still do have a mission while cooking, my mission is to keep it practical, simple and yet interesting enough for me to find it fun in the kitchen. While, I am at it, let me tell you this potato salad is less about being healthy and more about finding another great way to savor my favorite starch. Hey, with St Patrick’s day coming up what wrong with celebrating the potato, it is after all the Irish thing to do.

This recipe actually was described to me by husband’s cousin Hema, who is half German and actually therefore shares my love of spuds. I think I have increased the amount of carmelized onions and actually added some cilantro to her original parsley recipe, but I have also swapped the butter and olive oil combination for just olive oil, for rather satisfactory results. We had this with some simple baked fish. I shall tell you about the fish at a later time.

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Warm Potato Salad with Vinegar and Carmelized Onions

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

A comforting and flavorful potato salad seasoned with herbs, vinegar and carmelized onions.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 pods of garlic, pressed
  • 15 to 20 white baby potatoes, parboiled (for about 7 minutes and peeled)
  • Salt to taste
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil on medium heat and add in the onions, cook the onions until soft and golden brown. This takes about 10 minutes.
  2. Remove about 1/3 of the onions and add in the garlic and stir well.
  3. Add in the whilte potatoes with the salt and black pepper and mix well.
  4. Add in the white wine and mix well.
  5. Cover and cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes on low heat.
  6. Mix in the vinegar and brown sugar and stir well and cook until the liquid forms a thick film around the potato.
  7. Mix in the parley and cilantro and turn off the heat.
  8. Serve the potatoes warm, garnished with the remain fried onions.
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Filed Under Black Pepper, Cilantro, Deepta and Aadi, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With cilantro, Family Dinner, Friday, Hema, Onions, Parsley, Potato Salad, Vegan, Winter

Mint Parathas – Pan Crisped Whole Wheat Flatbreads with Mint

March 3, 2013 1 Comment

  I could not help noticing that my blog does not have too many recipes for Indian breads. This is something that will make my North Indian mother-in-law shake her head in disapproval.

So, I am glad that a couple of recent requests for a paratha recipe, will allow me to share my mint parathas with you.

Gluten free is not going to be trendy in North India anytime soon. This part of the country relies heavily on whole-wheat flour that we call atta to complete their starch and nutritional intake. All in all, a fairly wholesome way to get your carbs if you are so inclined.

My mint parathas are something that I like to make on wintery days, since I usually still have mint available and it makes for a fresh and preppy tasting althernative to the traditional fenugreek, which is the winter herb of choice for wintery flat breads.

Parathas happen to be one of my favorite Indian bread choices, since I find it fool-proof and versatile. Unlike the chapati that needs to be puffy and therefore needs some additional skill from the kneader and the cook. Paratha is also exceedingly versatile, since it can be made with multiple stuffings or as in this case an assortment of herbs. I have mentioned fenugreek and mint, but honestly you can add in spinach and I have done this with turnip greens, kale and rapini just to name a few possibilities.

Now, while it is not difficult to knead the paratha dough by hand, I have gotten pretty used to using a food processor. As I say it the world of saving time every minute counts.  I got started on the food processor route because I found it easier to demonstrate this to students. I find it a little more fool proof than the by hand method in terms of appropriate water content since with the food processor the dough forms a ball with enough moisture. However, if you want to work with your hand and knead the dough by all means go ahead, you will find that you have a better sense of control this way.

Either way, knock yourself or rather knead yourself out. A disclaimer here is that, this recipe has lightened the heavier and more indulgent restaurant style variety. I have reduced the amount of shortening and have swapped olive oil for clarified butter.

 

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Mint Parathas – Pan Crisped Whole Wheat Flatbreads with Mint

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Yield: Makes 8 to 9 seven inch parathas

A recipe for mint flavored Indian flatbreads called paratha.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of whole wheat flour (atta) For this recipe, please use the Indian variety of whole wheat flour since it makes a difference in the grind, if this is not available then use all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 11/2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
  • 11/2 teaspoons ginger paste
  • 1 cup of fresh mint leaves
  • 21/2 tablespoons oil such as grapeseed or canola plus extra for pan frying
  • 2/3 cup water
  • Extra flour for rolling

Instructions

  1. Place the flour, caraway seeds, salt and red cayenne pepper in the food processor and pulse a few times.
  2. Add in the ginger paste, mint and oil and pulse again for about 30 seconds at this point the mixture should be a crumbly green speckled mass.
  3. Gradually add in the water processing until the mixture forms a ball, this takes about a minute.
  4. Remove the mixture from the food processor and place in a mixing bowl and knead a few time to achieve a smooth dough, cover and set this aside to rest for about an hour.
  5. Next, before rolling and frying get organized by placing the rolling flour in a bowl and in another bowl place some oil. I like to use a pastry brush for spreading the oil, but a teaspoon works too.
  6. Break the dough into lime sized balls (this recipe makes about 8) and then shape into a round.
  7. Place a flat heavy skillet on the fire as you begin making these flatbreads.
  8. Roll out the dough into a circle about 7 inches in diameter using flour as needed. Shake off any excess flour and place on the skillet and cook for about a minute, you will see the flatbread lighten and dry slightly.
  9. Turn the bread and at this point you will see the dough puffing up slightly. When the dough gets small browns spots in places and the flat bread is puffy, spread it well with oil cook for about 30 seconds, turn and repeat, pressing down the flatbread and uniformly spreading the oil.
  10. The flatbread crisps and turns darker brown in spots.
  11. Remove and save in foil and repeat the process with the remaining dough and serve these flatbreads hot.
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Filed Under Masala - Listing by Spices, Mint, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Flatbreads, Food Processor, North Indian, Parathas, Simple Indian Recipes, Vegan, Whole Wheat

Super Simple Slow Cooker Chana Masala (chickpeas)

February 21, 2013 13 Comments

All right, so once you are done wincing at the title of my post, you will realize that I am trying, truly trying to get people (well, mostly one person) to take a shot at this chana masala.  This dish is an Indian style curried  chickpea dish that has lasted with me for a while.

In India, this dish actually has a super simple name  – chole or chickpeas, but let us not get sidetracked with names.

I am actually trying to sell this dish to my dear friend Julianna, who is not really very fond of cooking. However,  since she wanted to give the slow cooker a shot I thought this might be the one. 

In fact, given her love for Indian food she might just get as hooked on to this recipe as the rest of my family. This dish like her is reliable, comforting and totally unpretentious but never fails to hit the spot.

My behaviour  with this recipe actually reminds me of my seven year old. Aadi loves geography and is very good at it, actually much at the subject than can be expected from his relatively young years.

To compensate, I am just as bad at geography, this makes the little one keep trying fun ways to try to teach me the spread of the world. Yesterday, he even gave me a sticker for my efforts.

Well, back to the dish itself, it has a bit of a history.

Many moons ago, at graduate school I was invited to an international potluck and asked to bring something for thirty people. Those  days I did not quite have the ability to toss things together the way I do today, I also had a more frugal culinary budget and cooking for thirty people seemed like such a daunting number.

To allay my fears, my friend Lina offered me her slow cooker. Now, I was not sure what to do with it. I had seen her throw things Super Simple Slow Cooker Chana Masalainto it and actually serve herself and some of us some pretty decent creations, but this was nothing like any of mom’s pots and pans.

As for the chickpeas, I had become pretty reliant on them and possibly could tackle them for a crowd. I decided to give the slow cooker a try and actually got some scallions to dress up the dish. I did not realize that I was creating a dish that would work and stay with me for almost two decades.

Even my children love it without the chilies. The best part of it all is that it pretty much cooks by itself.

While I do add the onions and tomatoes later in the game, I finish the prepping in one fell swoop and enjoy this dish with or without a crowd.

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Super Simple Slow Cooker Chana Masala

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

An easy variation of curried chickpeas done in a slow cooker.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 2 and 1/2 cups water
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 red onion, cut into a dice
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 teaspoons cumin-coriander powder
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1 inch piece peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • 3/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place the chickpeas, water, salt and turmeric in the slow cooker and set to a 6 hour cycle on high.
  2. After about 4 hours, add in the onions, oil and the cumin coriander powder.
  3. Grind the tomatoes, ginger and green chilies into a puree in a blender and place in the slow cooker and let this cook for the remaining two hours.
  4. The chickpeas should be very soft and the gravy thick, bright and saucy.
  5. Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the garam masala and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
  6. Cut the lime or lemon and squeeze in the juice. Stir in the scallions (reserving a little for garnish if desired) and the cilantro and serve.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Slow Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Chickpeas, Garam Masla, Gluten Free, Indian Cooking, Julianna, North Indian, Slow Cooker, Vegan

Forbidden Black Rice with Ginger and Coconut

January 16, 2013 2 Comments

Ironically enough, it is really when the weekend hits I am left with no doubts that the vacation is indeed over. For all its wonderful moments, the vacation left me with a bug that I am still recovering from leaving me mostly equipped for dealing with the ongoing this too barely.  So, the kitchen has been mostly relegated to anyone who chooses to cook in it through the week.

On Friday, however to shake myself out of the blues I went food shopping and came back with a bag of black rice among the essentials. I realize that this may sound strange, but it is in trying new ingredients that I feel happy and winter leaves a lot of room for all of this since the garden and its bounty does not keep me on my toes. 

Playing with colored rice is not typical in my kitchen, sure I do the occasional brown rice thing, I tend to prefer Quinoa to brown rice and for most practical purposes, the white snowy grains of Basmati is what makes the starch engine in our household run. An aged grain, it does work as a complex carbohydrate, but today is not about white basmati but about the shiny black grains of rice that I picked up.

It turns out Black rice is naturally black and of course an unpolished grain. I first cooked it up and we enjoyed it plain, it works nicely with curried slightly nutty and complex. 

Interestingly enough, a couple of days of the weekend Mommy shuttle, I was back to feeling low. I have been indulging in a little bit of extra sleep since Sunday and it has actually been great.  There are lots of good food thoughts, I want to share with you and lots of dishes that I want to cook, but, I will do it all once I feel stronger.  I have so far started the year on low key note in terms of food changes. I must be learning, my resolve for January and the rest of the months is to be very fastidious about getting in my five servings of fruits or vegetables a day and the past two weeks, I have been succeeding. Simple and attainable goal!

I did sneak in something simple but surprisingly flavorful with the black rice and that is what I will share with you today. I added a touch of ginger, hint of coconut and finished it off with lime. This dish was very simple and complimented the naturally sweet carrot stir-fry that I made with it perfectly. 

The grain cooks up slightly sticky and changes to a very deep and pretty shade of purple, so the rice is also called forbidden rice or purple rice.

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Forbidden Rice with Ginger and Coconut

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A simple and flavorful preparation with black or forbidden rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup of black or forbidden rice
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1/2 fresh lime or lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat the coconut oil on medium heat until the oil is nice and hot.
  2. Add in the ginger and saute lightly until fragrant.
  3. Add in the salt and the rice and stir well.
  4. Add in the water and bring to a simmer and cover and cook the rice for 40 minutes on medium low heat.
  5. The water should evaporate and the rice should be soft at this point.
  6. Let the rice rest for 5 minutes, remove the cover, fluff the rice, squeeze in the lime and serve.
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Forbidden Rice with Ginger and Coconut

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A simple and flavorful preparation with black or forbidden rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup of black or forbidden rice
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1/2 fresh lime or lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat the coconut oil on medium heat until the oil is nice and hot.
  2. Add in the ginger and saute lightly until fragrant.
  3. Add in the salt and the rice and stir well.
  4. Add in the water and bring to a simmer and cover and cook the rice for 40 minutes on medium low heat.
  5. The water should evaporate and the rice should be soft at this point.
  6. Let the rice rest for 5 minutes, remove the cover, fluff the rice, squeeze in the lime and serve.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Uncategorized Tagged With Black Rice, Coconut, Ginger, Gluten Free, Lime, Rice, Vegan

Tangy Lentils tempered with Curry Leaves and Red Chilies

January 5, 2013 4 Comments

 

If you are expecting the first post of the year to be reflective, this one probably will not disappoint terribly.  These lentils were one of the last meals that I had made for all of us. Simple, nourishing and full of the citrusy fragrance of curry leaves.

I did not think that I would post before I reached back to the US, on the 7th, but I guess I missed the space and was sorting through some pictures when this recipe called my name.

Chances are I would love have a steaming bowl of these lentils waiting for me once I return, but one of the downsides of being the houses resident chef is that nothing really waits for me until it is made.

This trip to India, was interesting for me since I actually did not stop in Kolkata, but rather was in Delhi and spent a lot of time travelling. I will share my travels with you over time as I do, in my own lop-sided way.  Landing at the airport still brought with me the tightening of my chest knowing that there was no Dad waiting in anticipation for my call letting him know that I had arrived. Some glimses of emotion will not go away.

  I did not really explore much of the food scene in Delhi, but did make stops at Nirula’s where I loved their ice-cream sunday and savored their chole bhatura but was rather disappointed by their chili chicken. Not surprisingly, Indo-Chinese remains a Kolkata speciality.

A meal at Sarawana Bhavan, left me almost returning for more the next day. Those flavors rocked in their finish and clean and pure simplicity. The kids loved their dosa so much they actually had one and a half each. I enjoyed my Thali, cannot help wondering why all restaurants do not have a thali concept. For those unfamiliar with a thali, it is the India version of a plated meal where all the course are served together in small bowls on a large plate called the Thali. I did some stops at Old Delhi, this one I will cover at a later point.

Now, that I have stimulated your senses do I really expect you to get excited about a simple dal recipe, actually I do. Lentils on the Indian table have a hallowed presence. They are both the simplest and the the deepest of meals, soulful and comforting. This recipe has notes of South India, in their simple flavors. It gets done almost effortlessly in the pressure cooker. This version is made with Tuvar Dal or Pigeon Pea lentils, also known as Arhar Dal.

 

 

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Tangy Lentils tempered with Curry Leaves and Red Chilies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

A tangy creations with lentils, tomatoes and a simple South Indian style tempering.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger paste
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/3 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
  • Salt to taste
    • To temper and finish
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon asafetida
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 dried red chilies broken
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • Cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Place the lentils in a pressure cooker, with the water, onion and ginger paste.
  2. Add in the tomatoes, turmeric, red cayenne pepper and salt and stir and cover and cook until pressure for 15 minutes.
  3. Cool and remove the cover and mix the lentils well.
  4. Heat the oil in a small pan for a couple of minutes.
  5. Add in the black mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Add in the asafetida followed by the curry leaves and dried red chilies and cook for a few seconds.
  6. Pour the oil into the lentils and mix well.
  7. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add some chopped cilantro.
  8. Serve with steamed rice.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Dal, Gluten Free, lemon, Lentils, Pigeon Pea Lentils, Tuvar Dal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter
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