Category Archives: FOOD

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Cooking with Renu #3

Aloo Gobi ( Potato / Cauliflower ) (Northern Indian)

2 large potatoes , cut into 1 1/2 inches pieces

3 cups cauliflower florets

2 green chili’s, split

2 inch ginger finely chopped

1 Tbls. Cilantro

Spices

2 Tabls. Oil

1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp. Fenugreek seeds

1 tsp. Coriander powder

1/2 tsp. Hot chili powder

1/4 turmeric

1 tsp. Salt

Heat the oil to hot. Add pinch of asafetida powder. Add cumin seeds to sputter and then quickly fenugreek, fennel seeds, ginger and green chilis in succession. Stir fry. Then add potatoes and toss. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Leave over lower heat stirring occasionally for about 10to 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Add cauliflower and another 1/2 cup water, toss and then cover. Simmer for another 8 or 10minutes. When almost all moisture is absorbed, add the 6 dry spices and salt. Cover and set aside. When serving, add the fresh cilantro.

Methi Paneer (a Renu recipe)

1 cup Paneer ( made from 1 1/2 liters whole milk and 1 1/2 tsp.  vinegar)

1/3 cup cashew paste (made from 20 cashews ground with water)

1 pinch asafetida powder

2 Tbls. Heavy cream

3 Tbls Kashmiri Methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)

2 bay leaves

1 dried red chili

1/2 inch cinnamon stick

5 cardamom pods, seeds only

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 Tbls. Oil

Cube the Paneer into 1/2inch pieces.

Heat the oil to hot and add, in this order, pinch of asafetida, the red chili, cinnamon stick, bay leaves.

Add Paneer cubes and toss until they take on slight color. Add the Methi leaves and the cream. Then add cashew cream and salt. Remove from heat. Add the cardamom seeds and stir gently. It will thicken. If serving later, add a bit more water and reheat gently.

Purayal (South Indian Beetroot with Coconut)

4 medium beets, cooked, cooled, peeled and diced

Pinch asafetida

1 tsp. mustard seeds

2 dried red chilis

12 curry leaves

1 tsp. Urad dal

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 cup fresh coconut ground fine

1/2 Tbls. Oil

Heat oil to hot. Add pinch of asafetida. Add mustard and let pop for a second only . Add quickly urad dal, chili pieces, curry leaves. Be careful not to burn the lentils… so quickly add the chopped beets. Take off the heat and stir in the salt and coconut. Serve.

Tadka Dal (Northern India)

2 cups toor dal ( yellow dal)

2 fresh green chilis

1 dry red chili

1 1/2 inches ginger

1 cup chopped red onion

3/4 cup minced fresh tomato

2 Tbls. Ghee

2 Tbls. Garlic chopped

1 Tbls. Chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. Cumin seed

1/4 tsp. Hot chili powder

1 tsp. Paprika (for color)

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Turmeric

Rinse the dal. If not using a pressure cooker, soak it more.

Heat the ghee to hot. Add, in quick succession, cumin seeds, dry red chili, the green chili, and the chopped onions. Lightly brown the onion before adding the garlic and then the ginger. Sauté a minute or two. Then tomato and cook until the moisture escapes and the oil bubbles out. Add salt, chili powder,, paprika, turmeric and 1/2 Tbls. of the cilantro. Pour this mixture over the dal and mix. Put in instant pot with 3 cups water and cook about 5 minutes on high and then allow natural release.

Add chopped cilantro when serving.

North Indian Raita

1 large cucumber

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup minced tomato

1 Tbls. Cilantro, chopped

1 cup yoghurt

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 green. Hili, finely minced

1/4 tsp. Roasted, freshly ground cumin powder

Mix vegetables together with cilantro. Add salt and roasted cumin and green chili. Stir in the yoghurt and sprinkle a bit more roasted cumin on top. Serve.

Ravi’s Puffy Bread: Bhatura

2 cups flour

1tsp. Salt

1/2 cup yoghurt

Water

Mix ingredients together to make a soft dough. Leave it to rise in a covered bowl for one hour.

Knead the dough. Divide and roll out into circles the size of your wok.

Heat oil in wok. Gently drop the circles into VERY HOT oil to fry on both sides. This takes just seconds.

Drain in paper towels.

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Renu’s Chickpeas in Tea

2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked overnight in ample salted water

Tie into muslin packet:

2 tsp. Tea leaves

1 inch cinnamon stick

1 Black cardamom pod

Boil chickpeas for 20minutes in fresh water along with the tea-cinnamon  packet.

Seasonings:

2 onions minced

1 inch ginger, minced

1 green chili, minced

2 tomatoes, puréed

Chole masala packet

2 Tbls. Oil

Heat oil to hot. Add cumin seeds and toast briefly. Add onion and sauté. Then ginger, green pepper and tomato purée. Cook until moisture evaporates and oil starts to bubble out.

Tamarind /Jaggery Sauce makes a good accompaniment. Mix the two together with a bit of water, salt, cumin and chili pepper to taste. It should be a bit sweet.

credit: Renu Kumar www.explorindya.com

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Cooking with Renu #2

Coconut Chutney (South Indian)

1 small coconut, meat removed

1 tsp. Salt

1 green chili

Put all together in the processor and start grinding, dry…. no water. Grade thoroughly not adding water until you must to keep going. Gradually add a bit of water, still staying mostly dry. When it comes together as a paste, add a bit more water.

1 TBLS oil

1 dried red chili, broken into pieces

1 tsp. Urad dal

12 curry leaves

1;tsp. Mustard seeds

Now heat oil to hot. Add in quick succession dal, pepper, curry leaves, mustard seeds. Do not let dal get dark. Lift pan off heat if dal browns too quickly. It should be light brown. This should take only seconds, so have your spices ready. Pour this spice mixture over the chutney. Mix now or mix later.

Khatta Meethi Baigar ( sweet and sour eggplant ) ( North Indian)

4 small hard egg plants

1/4 tsp. Oil

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Fennel seeds

1tsp.  Coriander powder

1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder

1 Tbls. Tamarind paste

25 grams jaggery

In a small bowl, put the oil and mix all the spices into it, making a paste. Slit eggplants into pieces vertically from the bottom without cutting through the top and stem. Rub the spice mixture into the cut sections of the eggplant.

Mix the tamarind paste into a bit of water to form a thick syrupy liquid. Add water to the jaggery and let sit.

2 Tbls. Oil

Asafetida, a sprinkle

1/2 tsp. Nigella seeds (black onion seed)

1 Tbls. Water

Heat oil to hot , sprinkle in asafetida. Add seeds and let them pop. Add 1 T. water and then the eggplants.  Cook gently over low heat until eggplants are almost entirely soft. Add the tamarind syrup and the jaggery and it’s liquid. Bring to a boil and cook it until the sauce is thick. About 5 minutes. Cover and let sit until ready to serve.

Rawa Idli (South Indian)

2 cups water, room temperature

2 cups semolina

3 Tbls. Yoghurt

Soak semolina in the water and yoghurt for several hours.

Seasoning ingredients

12 or more curry leaves

2 dried red  chilis

1 tsp. Mustard seeds

1 tsp. Urad dal, white

1 tsp.salt

2 tsp. Eno ( 1 tsp. Bicarbonate of soda mixed with 1 tsp. Of citric acid)

Put the salt into the semolina mixture. It should be a sloppy loose mixture. Add the Eno powder (or the bicarbonate and Citric acid mix) and stir it in. This makes the mix a bit fluffy.

Heat the seasonings

Put 1/2 Tbls. oil in the pan and heat to hot. Add,  in order:  lentils, then chili, then leaves, then mustard seeds. Toss the pan a bit. So the spices don’t burn, then pour them out onto the semolina mixture and stir.

Brush a bit of oil onto the idli forms. Spoon mixture into the forms, stack them and steam gently for about 12minutes.

Note:  This batter can be kept in the fridge for a week or more if you withhold the Eno powder / bicarbonate-citric acid. Add that just before cooking. To turn this batter into a dosa batter, thin it with a bit of water.

Paratha stuffed with carrot / cauliflower ( North Indian)

200 grams flour

1 tsp. Salt

Water to mix

2 medium carrots, grated

2 large florets of cauliflower, crumbled fine or chopped

First mix the dough, knead it minimally and leave it to rest, covered.

Put carrots and cauliflower in two separate bowls. On top of each, put

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Fennel seeds

Pinch of asafetida

One green chili. Dry finely chopped

1 Tbls. Chopped cilantro

1/4tsp. Chili powder

Stir up the cauliflower mixture. Do NOT stir up the carrots mixture until ready to cook. Let it sit awhile, then stir the salt and spices just before cooking.(Otherwise the salt will force liquid out of the carrots. )

When ready to cook, divide dough into golf ball sized balls and roll them out to 1/8 inch thick. Put 2 Tbls. of cauliflower or carrot into the center and gather the dough up around the filling like a pouch. Flatten the pouches with the help of a bit of flour and roll out again.

Toast the paratha on a hot griddle or skillet on one side until browned spots show. Flip it, drizzle with oil, look for slight browning and then flip it again and again drizzle with oil. Take it off the flame.

credit: Renu Kumar www.explorindya.com

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Cooking with Renu #1

Matar(peas) Paneer

1/2 litre milk

1 1/4 t vinegar

Boil milk. Add vinegar very slowly, while stirring milk. When it has separated scrape from side of pan and drain in a sieve. Pat in to rectangular shape while pressing out excess liquid.

Matar:

Asefitada

1.5 t cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

1” piece cinnamon

1 dry red chili

2 tomatoes puréed

1/2 t coriander

1/4 t chili powder

1/4 t paprika

1/2 t salt

1c peas

1 T chopped cilantro

NOTE: when using Asefitada never use garlic and vice verse.

2 T oil in pan – heat.

Add pinch of asefitida, cumin seeds. Let pop. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and chili. Add tomato purée and cook down. Add remaining dry spices to the tomatoes. Add peas and paneer.

Cut the paneer in to cubes and brown lightly in a little oil.

Sprinkle with cilantro.

Baingan Bharta (Punjab/Rajasthan)

1 eggplant

Char over open flame.

1 tomato diced

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1T ginger, chopped

1t garlic, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/2 t paprika

1/4 t chili powder

1/4 t turmeric

1/2 c yogurt

Handful of fresh mint.

Heat 3T oil. Add fennel seeds and let pop.

Add onion and cook until light brown. Add ginger and garlic

Add tomato and cook until soft. Remove from heat.

Peel and chop eggplant. Add to tomato mix. Add dry spices, yogurt and half the mint, chopped.

Chop remaining mint for garnish.

Roth bread – an old recipe from Rajasthan.

This particular bread is eaten at the full moon in August. Married women fast for the entire day, and they prepare this bread serving the first piece to a cow, the second piece to their husband, and only then can they break their fast and eat themselves.

250g whole wheat flour

1 t salt

1 t carom seeds (Adjuain – good for digestion)

1 T ghee

Crumble ghee and add enough water to make a firm dough. Cover and let it rest.

Punch and knead lightly until smooth and even. Break off golf ball size pieces and roll to about 1/8”thick – about 6”diameter. Crimp the edges and stamp with wedding band to make rings on surface.

Bake on dry cast iron pan. Flip and brush ghee on browned surface. Flip again with ghee side down.

Credit: Renu Kamir www.explorindya.com

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The NilGiris and Ooty

Morning broke with beautiful clear skies and views of mountains in the distance.

After breakfast we set off towards Ooty with a little diversion to take a walk through some of the older tea plantations. Various shades of green covered the hillsides and Rajat explained how individual plucking of the fresh shoots provides for optimal results, whereas some farmers have the shoots removed with a scythe which damages the twig and causes the bush to coarsen and turn darker green; the financial yield from this tea is much less. If the shoots aren’t plucked every eight days, the plant can easily get out of control and revert to being a tree – as we saw on some of the plantations. The temperatures were perfect and the scenery spectacular.

We visited the market in Ooty where preparations are in full swing for the Pongal festival which starts tomorrow, Sunday. Sugar canes and bunches of neem, with its frothy white flower, were all over and people were buying to ornament their homes, vehicles, etc.

Otherwise, deliciously fresh produce was in abundance and I have complete cauliflower envy – a huge head can be purchased for 75c!!!!

Banana fact: Each guest at EVERY Indian wedding (many with 2,000 to 3,000 guests) is given a banana! Two weeks from the date, the banana merchant is contacted and given the date and numbers. Banana branches are cut, wrapped in banana leaves, and stored in a cool dark place to ripen. One of these branches holds about 600 bananas!!!

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In to the hills

Our tuk-tuk arrived promptly to take us on the 30 minute drive to Ernakulam Junction for our train ride on the Bangalore Express to Coimbatore, and the next phase of our adventure. It took us a walk to the far, far end of the train (the trains here are looooong) and back again to find our coach with a/c and our assigned seats. The journey took almost four hours, during which food wallahs constantly plied the aisle with their “chai, chai” or “coffee, coffee”, and whatever other food items they were hawking.

Rajat met us in Coimbatore and we set off on the two-hour road trip to the NilGiris (blue mountains) with stops along the way. First stop was a large Tiffin (restaurant that is open all day serving Indian “fast food” – typically a light lunch. Ours was dosa with chutneys and sambal.

We stopped to look at plantations of curry leaf plants, something we have enjoyed in virtually every dish we’ve eaten. Rajat told us of its medicinal properties also. We were amazed by this young man who loaded two huge bundles of the leaves – each weighing about 60 kg – on to his moped and then gingerly took off to the wholesale market!

Just before starting our ascent, we stopped for a coconut milk and ate the deliciously soft meat from the coconut.

Up, up and round and round, we climbed to 6,550 feet passing lush tea plantations along the way. And here we are, in these beautiful hills, perched on the side of the hill. Renu and Ravi, our hosts, are delightful and full of stories and information.

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Dhobis, palaces, and spices

I grew up knowing that “Dhobi” meant washing/laundry, as that is what my father always called it! There are Dhobi ghats right here in Kochi – called Dhobi Khana. The origins of the dhobi khana lie in the colonial period, when British officers brought many Tamil villagers to Kochi to work as washermen and since 1920 they have been known as the Vannar community. To this day, most of the dhobis are Tamils. According to an article I read, there are about 40 families in the community who use this Khana. Each cubicle with wash pens and water tanks is allotted to one family.

The dhobis offer laundry services to private individuals, hostels, hospitals, and hotels. Many have been working there since they were young teenagers and are now in their 70’s and 80’s. The dhobi who was ironing let me feel the weight of the iron and told me it was 8.5kg, which I well believed!The laundry is soaked, pounded, scrubbed, rinsed, wrung and hung out to dry.

Some of the wall art at the Dhobi Khana.

Our next stop was at the Dutch Palace which the Portuguese built as a gift to King Veera Kerala Verma in about 1545. It came to be known as the Dutch Palace as it underwent major repairs at the hands of the Dutch. It now houses a museum, the Mattancherry Palace Museum. The interior has incredibly richly carved ceilings, beautiful murals and the displays include artifacts from the bygone eras of the Raj. A Hindu place of worship is on the grounds, and a spring fed pond is used as a swimming hole by locals.

This Hindu temple was on our way to the Spice Market.

Unlike the spice market in Dubai, this one consisted of some shops selling spices, to include a women’s cooperative. We picked up a few harder to find spices – like white poppy seeds and black cardamom.

We discovered that Bazaar Road was where the wholesale merchants were located. The street was a hive of activity as large trucks laden with sacks of rice, garlic, onions and more jockeyed for position to offload their loads. Men were busy counting money, giving orders, and doing book work – India still believes in the ledger!!!

This rather fancy hotel, renovated and converted from an old granary, was beautiful, but in a strange location.

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Kochi on Epiphany

Our three-hour layover at Bangalore airport was quite interesting and educational. When is people watching not just that? By the way, the airport is very modern, architecturally pleasing, and easy to navigate. We started with a breakfast of masala dosa attempting at all times to keep our left hands away from our food!!!

I was fascinated by some small groups of men dressed in black with orange and red bindis on their foreheads, and have since learned that they are pilgrims on their way to Sabrimala pilgrimage Center (Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa). This temple being the most prominent among all Sastha temples in Kerala, is situated on a hilltop in the Western Ghats. It is not open throughout the year, but only open for worship during the days of Mandalapooja, Makaravilakku and Chitra Vishu. It is said that the pilgrims have to follow fasting for 41 days to cleanse their minds before going to Sabarimala, and the journey to the temple is to be taken on foot through difficult paths in the forest. We observed some other pilgrims at a local Hindu restaurant in Kochi.

Fort Kochi is just as I imagined and hoped. Very lush, old but not shabby, walkable; evidence of its history – Portuguese, Dutch, and British – is everywhere. We have not yet explored many of the sights, but we will!

This morning we walked to St. Francis Anglican Church for their 8 a.m. English speaking service. What a lovely experience, made even better by meeting John (Dundu) and Anna (Lilu). John was baptized, confirmed and married in the church. I was asking him about the long fans that run the length of the church. He told me they are called panka and were last in operation at his brother’s wedding 25+ years ago! After the service we were able to chat with some of the parishioners and learn more about the church, including its history.

St Francis Xavier’s Church at Fort Kochi was built in the year 1503, by Portuguese traders. Initially, the church was a simple wooden structure, dedicated to St Bartholomew. In 1506, the Raja of Cochin permitted the Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Francisco Almedia, to reconstruct the structure in stone. The new church was completed in 1516 and was dedicated to St Antony. The ownership of the Church of St Francis Xavier then passed into the hands of the protestant Dutch, who captured Kochi in 1663. They converted it into their government church and it remained in the possession of the Dutch until 1795. Ownership then passed to the British, when they captured Kochi from the Dutch. The church became a protected monument in 1923. In 1947, the congregation joined the Protestant Church of South India (CSI). St Francis Xavier’s Church is also famous because Vasco-da- Gama, the first European to discover a route to India, died here in 1524 on his third visit and was buried in this church. Though his remains were shipped to Lisbon, at the request of his son, 14 years later, the gravestone is still there.

As we were leaving, John asked if we would like to join them for breakfast! They took us on a mini tour of Kochi, pointing out places and streets of interest, and then to amHindu restaurant where we enjoyed idlis, dosa masala, and coffee which is poured from container to container to cool! We stopped at a fruit market and they delivered us back to our apartment. What a lovely morning!

Our apartment

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Learning Goan Cuisine – breads and more …day 3

We started with another impressive number of items to make during our session to include:

  • Chicken biryani
  • Prawn kadai
  • Naan bread
  • Poori
  • Stuffed poori
  • Chapatti
  • Dosas
  • Uttapam
  • Medu vade
  • Paneer kofta
  • Rice pudding
  • Coconut chutney

We started with the coconut chutney which I first discovered at the hotel in Mumbai, and fell in love with.

Next up was Uttapam – the “Indian pizza”- made with the idli batter.

Then came dosas mad with a watered down idli batter.

These three items were for our breakfast.

We started with making the dough for the chapattis, poori and naan so it could rest and rise.

Medu vade- a donut like, deep fried, savory made with a dough of the same Urid lentils used in idlis, with the addition of chopped onion, coconut, green chili, ginger and cilantro.

The chicken was marinated for the biryani, the rice was cooked, with the spices, and onions were fried to a delicious crisp.

The kofta were formed and then deep fried.

The kofta curry was made and the kofta balls were added.

The chicken for the biryani was prepared and then layered with the rice, sealed and baked.

The Kerai was made

Now time to knead, and knead some more; roll, fold, roll; flip, oil, flip; bake over open flame and deep fry the different breads.

The end product – yummy!!!!

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Exploring Panjim

Our plan was to explore the old, Portuguese influenced, area of Panjim; however, our driver spoke just a smattering of English and didn’t know the way! Iwas able to direct him to Se cathedral and the basilica (16c) using google maps!!!

Our sight seeing of the old architecture in town was less successful, and when we finally found the market, discovered that it was not nearly as nice as the one in Vasco de Gama. The ride to and from Panjim along the waterfront was interesting, especially the roaming cows, dogs sleeping wherever -to include in the road, and the brightly decorated homes (for Christmas).

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Learning Goan cuisine – hands on! Day 2

Another full day of preparing Goan cuisine, and the menu was extensive!

We started with another clarification of the peppers and spices. Kashmiri for color, medium heat, and Cancon for heat!

Dessert was prepared first – a flan with cardamom.

Marinades we’re prepared for the Vindaloo- vin=vinegar and alyu =garlic.

sauce for Xacuti.

Vegetable korma.

Caldin prepared two ways – one with cauliflower and prawns, the other with poached eggs.

Chicken croquettes.

Idlis

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Learning Goan cuisine – hands on! Day 1

Rita picked us up just after nine in the morning and drove us to her house where she holds the cooking classes in a lovely covered patio surrounded by potted herbs and spices. We met our fellow classmates Kate and Lucy, sisters from London, and Tony, a Home Ec teacher from Darwin. We spent some time chatting and Rita explained the plan for the day which started with a delicious breakfast. From there we headed to the market to shop!

The menu for the day was:
Rissoles de Camarao
Galina Cafreal
Recheado
Prawn Curry
Fugath
Bolo Mimosa

After a brief introduction to the spices we’d be using, we started by making the crust, coconut filling and assembling our little tarts.

We then got to work slicing the snake gourd which was our vegetable in the Fugath.

We made a green sauce marinade for the chicken (Galina Cafreal) . Meanwhile a whole shallot was char roasted on the burner to be used for stuffing the squid ( Recheado).

The base for the prawn curry sauce was grated fresh coconut along with turmeric and other spices.

The filling for the prawn puffs (Rissoles de Carmarao) was made and the choux pastry too. They were then assembled, breaded and deep fried.

The last item on the menu was the Recheado which we stuffed into squid and cooked for a very brief time.

At three o’clock, with sore feet and stiff backs, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the fruits of our labor

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Vasco de Gama

The morning started out in monochrome as fog blanketed the bay, but quickly turned technicolor when we arrived at the farmers’ market in Vasco de Gama.

Our trip to the market was led by Rita, our cooking guru, and her helper Pooja.  We purchased vegetables, herbs and fish to use to create our Goan dishes. (More on that in the next post). Like all markets, the vibrancy and people watching opportunities were in abundance. The only problem was that I was let loose with a camera! So be prepared!

The Portuguese introduced marigolds to India, the flower is offered to the Hindu gods for festivals and celebrations. The yellow or orange dye of the flowers is also be used for coloring fabrics.

Kokum fruit after processing. Known in some circles as the “Indian super fruit” .

Some  of the people.

The colorful and very fresh vegetables.

Peppers, grains and spices.

Fish – the flat fish being Pomfret.

Vasco da Gama, named after the Portuguese explorer, is the largest city in the state of Goa and is situated on the western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, at the mouth of the Zuari river. Founded in 1543, it was in Portuguese hands until 1961 when Goa ceased to be a Portuguese territory.