SOM TAM - REFRESHING THAI SALAD (A VEGAN RECIPE)

SOM TAM - REFRESHING THAI SALAD (A VEGAN RECIPE)
I am not a huge salad lover and the entries in my blog can vouch for it as I don’t have many salad recipes. That does not mean I don’t love salads. I do love salads which are a good mix of ingredients and which appeal to my palate and once it does, it enters my blog. One of my friends recently moved and had a party at her house and she prepared this refreshingly lovely salad for lunch. I loved the refreshing tanginess of the mango, mixed with the neutral crunch of the papaya, the sweet blend of the carrot & onion. Adding to the refreshing feeling was the lemon, the crunch of the de-skinned salted peanuts. The sweetness imparted by the jaggery. The best part of the salad was all blended beautifully into one and yet had a unique taste and flavor. This dressing could be aptly described as “tangy” - a combination of sweet, sour, spicy and salty, but more sweet than sour which helps to balance out the sharpness of the papaya.
This led me to research about this Thai salad, and I found out that this salad is called “Som tam”.
Now, Som (means 'sour') Tam (means to 'pound' with a pestle and mortar).
This refreshing Thai salad, originates from the northeastern part of Thailand, but is popular all over Thailand and even in neighboring Laos and Myanmar.They have their version and additions to the recipe too.
A google search also led me to a website that lists this dish as Number 46 in the “World's 50 most delicious foods” (Below is the URL for you to see the Worlds 50 most delicious foods.)

http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535

It’s no wonder that I liked this recipe so much.

As the Thais love meat, the som Tam contains dried shrimps and crab meat and fish sauce as one of the ingredients. But since Iam a vegetarian, I will be avoiding all this in my recipe.
They also pound with a mortar and pestle the garlic and chilli into a paste and pound the long beans to a bruise. In fact they pound even the grated papaya and carrot a bit. I didn’t add long beans nor did I add garlic or green chillies in my recipe as I have to cook for young kids who may not appreciate all the spice.

Below is the Vegetarian or might I say vegan version of the “Unpounded” Som Tam with ingredients blended to make anyone crave for a helping of it. Try this refreshing salad. A special thanks to my friend who introduced me to this recipe.

Ingredients
Raw papaya –½
Raw Mango – ¼
Carrot - 1
Onion – 1
Tomatoes – 1 red and ripened (I didn’t use in this recipe)
Long beans (lightly steamed/blanched and chopped) - 7-8 nos (I didn’t use in this recipe)
Green chilly - 1-2 to taste (optional)
Salted de-skinned Peanuts – 2 tablespoons
Red Chilly flakes – ½ teaspoon
Lemon Juice – 1 lemon
Jaggery – Lemon Ball size
Salt as per taste
Fresh green coriander leaves – 1 tbsp

Method
Grate and soak the lemon sized jaggery in water. Make a solution of the jaggery.
Choose a nice green raw papaya, peel the skin and grate it. Don’t use the fine grater, use the medium sized grater, so that you can feel the texture of every ingredient. Keep aside.
I chose a nice green Thai Mango, you can choose any variety of raw mango.
Use only quarter of the mango. Peel the skin and grate using the same grater. Keep aside.
Now peel and grate the carrot and keep aside.
Onion has to be cut in thin strips. Keep aside.
Squeeze the juice of a lemon without the seeds and keep aside.
Now, in a big salad bowl, toss in all the ingredients.
Traditionally Thai som tam salad, is served along with a side dish. This includes pieces of green beans and a fairly thick but small size of cabbage.
Traditionally som tam is made very spicy and hot - the side dish also contains crushed ice along with the beans and cabbage.
I’d suggest that you toss all the ingredients together just 5 to 10 minutes before you plan to eat it. Leaving the ready som tam for a long time, causes the salad to become quite soggy. Remember that this is just you first try at making veg Thai food, you can always experiment by fine tuning the proportion of ingredients used in the recipe.
You can adjust the sweetness or spice levels according to your tastes.
This proportion serves 3-4.

Tips:
· Make sure you use unripe green papaya, which is firm

· Jaggery can be replaced with Sugar or Honey

· Ripe tomatoes can be chopped and added

· Long beans can be lightly steamed or pounded and added

Variations:
· The peanuts can be added as it is or split them into halves and add in, or do it the more authentic way. The roasted peanuts are generally pounded into smaller pieces, not a fine powder but rather coarse.

· Instead of peanuts you can use cashew nuts or both in the recipe

· You can add garlic and chilly pounded into a paste as per the traditional recipe.

· You can add a dash of soya sauce for a n Asian flavor.

WATERMELON JUICE

WATERMELON JUICE
Nothing can beat the summer like a tall cool drink of watermelon juice.
A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight.
As with many other fruits, it is a source of vitamin C.
Watermelon is mildly diuretic and contains large amounts of beta carotene.
Watermelon with red flesh is a significant source of lycopene.
Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.
No matter which way you cut them, when it comes to nutrition, melons are number one.

 

Ingredients

Watermelon - 1 seedless watermelon
Powdered sugar or honey to taste
Cold water and ice cubes

Method
Wear an apron over your clothing when cutting watermelon. Place your watermelon on a cutting board. Peel the watermelon and slice it into 1"chunks using a sharp knife.
Place the watermelon chunks into a bowl. Use a fork instead of using your hands to avoid dripping of the juice.
Place the watermelon in a blender. Add powdered sugar or honey, if desired.
Blend your watermelon chunks and sweetener and check the consistency.
Blend well until the juice is smooth. Pour the juice over ice cubes in a tall glass.
You can strain the juice, if you wish, to remove the pulp. I advice not to do so as the pulp contains a lot of nutrition.

Tips

·         If you can't find a seedless watermelon, then cut a regular watermelon into quarters. Find the seed line and cut along the line with a paring knife. Remove the piece that you cut and use a fork to scrape out any remaining seeds that are still attached to the watermelon.

·         Add water for thinner juice and add ice cubes for thicker juice.

·         Always use a ripe watermelon for juicing. If you like sweetness, select a sweeter variety of watermelon, such as sugar baby.

·         Adding the juice of half a lemon to a glass of juice and honey (as a sweetener) makes it very refreshing with a zing during summers.

·         Fresh mint makes a vibrant addition to watermelon juice. Add a few clean mint leaves to the juice as it is blending.

Enjoy your chilled Watermelon juice whichever way you like it.

Some Info courtesy – Wikipedia

PANEER LABABDAR (COTTAGE CHEESE INDULGENCE)

PANEER LABABDAR (COTTAGE CHEESE INDULGENCE)
I first tasted Paneer Lababdar in a restaurant here in Singapore. I liked the dish so much that I decided to try making it at home. Being a Hindi teacher I started searching for the meaning of Lababdar and couldn’t find it in the Shabdkosh (Hindi dictionary) as well. There are some words that we have which are imports from Urdu & Arabic. This must be one such word. After much research I got something which describes what ‘Lababdar’ means.
‘Lababdar’ means a strong desire for something and a desire to indulge in it.
I wonder if this is a dish with some Mughal influence hence I categorize it under Mughlai and Punjabi dishes. I love the creamy red sauce in which the cottage chesse is cooked. The tenderness of the paneer, the texture of the light creamy tangy sauce. It’s truly a delight.

Ingredients
Malai Paneer (Cottage cheese) - 500 gms
Onions – 2 big sized
Tomatoes – 5 / 15oz Can of Tomato Puree
Ginger -  ½ tsp
Green chillies – 3-4
Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – 1tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Coriander powder - ½ tsp
Red chilly powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
White Sesame seeds (White Til) – ½ tsp
Full Cream Milk – ½ cup
Fresh Cream – 200gms
Butter - 1-2tbsps
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Dry Red Kashmiri Chilly -2 pieces
Oil – 2 tbsps
Fresh Green Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1/2 tbsp
Mint leaves – 3-4 leaves
Salt as per taste

Method
For the paneer
I recommend making this dish with the fresh Paneer as the texture of the Paneer will be smooth and silky.
I used frozen paneer in this dish and I usually soak them in some hot water for about 15-20 minutes until they become soft like fresh paneer and drain the water after a while through a colander.
Cut the paneer in small cubes and keep aside.
In a Wok (Kadhai), add 2 tbsps of butter, lightly sauté the paneer and keep aside. The reason we sauté the paneer lightly in butter is to make it tough and not so easy to crumble inside the gravy.

For the tomato puree

You can either use 5 big red, ripe tomatoes and make a puree in the blender. I have used the tomato puree from the can as they have a deep red color and I usually stock a few cans in the case of an emergency.
Make a coarse paste of one onion, ginger and the green chillies. Finely chop the other onion.
Meanwhile dry roast the white sesame seeds and once it cools down make a powder, Don’t grind until the oil comes out.
In a Wok (Kadhai), add 2 tbsps of oil, add the cumin seeds and the carom seeds. Once it crackles, add the finely chopped onions, once it is transparent, add in the onion-ginger-green chilly paste. Add in salt and sauté until the oil comes out of the masala.
This indicates that the masala done.
Now add the tomato puree, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cardamom powder and cook for
4-5 minutes until the oil separates and the gravy becomes thick. The tomato paste makes the gravy thick.
Now add the powdered sesame seeds and mix well.
After this add the milk and mix well. Let it boil for a while, till you feel the gravy becomes thick again and the color becomes uniform.
Now add the Paneer cubes.
After this add garam masala powder. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Mash the Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) with your hands and add into the gravy.
Cook for another minute or 2.
Then, add the fresh cream and let it cook on sim.
Now in a small pan, melt some butter and add the dried red Kashmiri chillies and pour into the gravy.
This is a dressing and looks better on top so don’t mix.
Garnish with finely chopped fresh green coriander leaves, mint leaves and some ginger strips.
Serve hot with fulkas, roti, Naan, kulcha, paratha or even rice. Tastes best with Indian breads.

Tips:

-          You can add garlic as well for extra flavoring, I don’t use much garlic in my cooking  hence I avoided it. If incase you are adding garlic, make a paste along with the onion-ginger-chilly and follow the recipe.

-          Instead of using the full cream milk, you can use low fat milk or skimmed milk.

-          You can completely avoid fresh cream or use low fat  fresh cream

-          If the gravy is very thin, the paneer will crumble, so you must ensure that the gravy is thick.

RONGI MASALA / MASALEDAAR RONGI / LOBIA CURRY / BLACK EYED BEAN CURRY

RONGI MASALA / MASALEDAAR RONGI / LOBIA CURRY / BLACK EYED BEAN CURRY
This is a dish I learnt from our Punjabi neighbors too. Rongi Masala or Masaledaar Rongi or Lobia or Black eyed bean / black eyes pea as it is called is highly nutritious. It has a high fiber content, it also has potassium, iron, protein and is low in fat and calories.
It’s a good addition to your menu and when you cook it the way the Punjabi’s cook…masaledaar, then nothing like it.
I actually forgot to make Rongi masala for quite a while until we had it in the flight from Singapore to India and my maid absolutely fell in love with it and when we came home she asked me to make it atleast once. So, one day I finally made it and it was a hit at home.
This dish can be had with fulkas or with plain white basmati rice. It’s quite filling.
Enjoy the Rongi Masala.

Ingredients
Black Eyed Beans – 250gms
Soda bicarbonate – a pinch
Onions – 3
Tomatoes – 3
Green chillies – 2
Ginger – ½ inch
Salt as per taste
Garam Masala - 1 tbsp
Rajma Masala – 1 tsp
Kitchen king masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Amchoor powder – 1 tsp
Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
Yogurt - 1 tablespoon (optional)
Fresh green coriander leaves – 1 tbsp

Method
Soak the lobia / black eyed beans/peas in water overnight with a pinch of Soda. In the morning rinse out the lobia, add some salt and ginger and add water till the lobia is completely immersed.
Cook it in the Pressure cooker for up to 3 whistles. Those who don’t have a pressure cooker can cook it in a pan covered with a lid. Cook for about 30 minutes till the Black Eye Beans are soft.
Make a coarse paste of 1 onion, the tomatoes, 2 green chillies and ½ an inch of ginger.
Now in a wok, heat 4 tbsp. oil, add 2 onions (finely chopped) and sauté till transparent.
Add the ginger-chilly-onion-tomato paste and sauté till the oil comes out of the masala. Now add Kitchen King Masala / Rajma Masala and Garam Masala. Also add the Coriander powder, Cumin powder , Amchoor powder and Red chilly powder.
Saute until everything gets mixed and the oil starts to separate from the mixture.Now add the boiled Black Eyed Beans. Mix well. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium heat till the masalas get mixed well with the beans.
Add yogurt and heat for 5 more minutes. I didn’t add yogurt, I instead added Amchoor powder.
Serve garnished with fresh green finely chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy.

PUNJABI CHAI MASALA / PUNJABI TEA SPICE POWDER

PUNJABI CHAI MASALA / PUNJABI TEA SPICE POWDER
I would like to share this wonderful and healthy chai masala recipe that I got from my Punjabi friend here in Singapore.
Being born and brought up in the state of Maharashtra I learnt to savor tea infused with spices known as “Masala Chai”(Tea infused with spices) back in Mumbai.
The spice mix would always manage to give a punch to the otherwise normal cup of tea.
So when it’s raining and we are totally drenched or having a cold we would always go for a ginger laced tea or Masala tea.
Even the street stalls and restaurants serve the masala chai, its commonly available in India.   
What totally surprised me was when I found a version of the Masala chai at the McCafe at Singapore known as the Himalayan Tea Latte - A hot and calming exotic milk tea with a soulful infusion of spice flavor. They claim it to be a hot favorite. I nudged Yo (my husband) and pointed to the Menu feeling proud to find our Masala chai being internationalized and described so beautifully.
So what should be the ideal mix of spices one may ask.
The spices vary according to the place, the climate conditions in a particular region and sometimes due to personal preferences. But a typical Indian tea masala includes a combination of the following spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and peppercorns. They may also include Bishops weed, fennel seeds and other variants in some recipes.
Ideally if the spices are ground fresh and added to the tea it would taste good, But, since I belong to the generation which hardly has time for such luxuries. I made my tea masala for keeps. I made a small batch which I could use over a period of a month.
The spices in the tea masala are known to aid in digestion, provide heat during cold weathers like winters or rains, they are believed to chase a fever or cure a cold.
I believe that they are soothing and refreshing and add a zing to your regular cuppa.
My friends recipe doesn’t have peppercorns, but mine has.
Here is my recipe for Punjabi Tea masala, do make it and savor your tea with the soulful infusion of the spices.

Ingredients

Cinnamon stick – 1 whole stick
Big Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) – 3
Small Cardamom (Choti Elaichi) – 10-12
Cloves (Lavang/Laung) – 3-4
Dried Ginger (Saunth / Soonth) – 1 piece or alternatively you can use the ginger powder about 1 and a half tablespoon.
Bishop’s weed (Ajwain) – a pinch
Black peppercorns – 5-6
Fennel seeds(Saunf) – 1 tablespoon

Method
Dry roast all the ingredients for 7-8 minutes until you can get a faint aroma of the spices. Let it cool completely. Once it is cool run it in the dry jar of a mixer/blender and grind into a fine powder. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container. Use the masala as and when required to make tea.

Indian Masala Tea

To make 2 cups of Masala tea. Boil 2 cups of water in a pan. Add sugar, Tea leaves and the powdered masala and let it come to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add some milk and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Strain and serve piping hot.

Enjoy this with some biscuits while catching some news in your morning newspaper.

PATAL POHE CHIVDA (THIN BEATEN RICE FLAKES MIXTURE)

PATAL POHE CHIVDA (THIN BEATEN RICE FLAKES MIXTURE)

My Husband Yo hails from Pune and Patal Pohe Chivda is his favorite dish. He buys it from the stores here and sometimes adds tomatoes, onions etc to the chivda and relishes it with his tea. We were not getting Patal pohe(the thinner rice flakes) earlier so I didn't attempt it. But, nowadays it’s available easily especially during Diwali.

I think they specially order these here in Singapore, So I bought 1 kilo of these. 

 

 

Ingredients

Thin Poha - 1 Kg.

Peanuts - 2 cups

Daliya (Roasted Gram Dal/ Chutney Chana dal) - 2 cups

Cashewnuts- 20-25 pieces

Golden Raisins - 20 -25 pieces

Copra (dry coconut) - 1 cup (copra slices)

Chopped Green chilies - 12-15

Curry leaves -  5 sprigs (25-30 leaves)

Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoons

Sesame seeds - 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 3 teaspoon

Asafetida - 1 teaspoon

Salt as per taste.

Powder sugar - 2 teaspoon

Oil - 1/2 cup

 

 

Method

Patal Poha has very think flakes so it gets cooked very fast. I decided not to fry it and dry roast it instead. While I was making the preparations for the dish my friend called me and she suggested that I put poha in the microwave instead. So I placed the poha in a shallow microwave safe dish and microwaved it on high for 1 minutes. I sieved it and let the fine powder if any to be filtered leaving only the flakes. For those who don't have a microwave you can dry roast it in a wok(Kadhai)on a very low flame till it becomes crispy.  This needs attention else it can burn very easily. Keep this Poha aside.

If you have roasted the poha in the microwave, then Add 2 tablsepoons oil in a big wok, add in the mustard seeds and sesame seeds and when they start spluttering, add in the poha, turmeric, salt and sugar and saute for about 3 minutes. Keep aside. Now in another wok fry all the ingredients one by one on a low flame ensuring that you don't burn them. Fry the peanuts until golden and split, then the daliya until golden, then the cashews until golden, Raisins until plump, then the copra until golden and then the green chillies and lastly the curry leaves. Preferably use a net to fry all this as it can catch all the ingredients from the oil. Ensure that none of the ingredients become black. If they become black throw them, don't use them in the chivda as the taste of the chivda can spoil with it. Drain the oil well and mix all the ingredients that you fried in a vessel, add in some salt and sugar and mix well.

Now add this to the wok in which you roasted the poha with the mustard and sesame seeds.. Toss everything well with a light hand ensuring that you don't break the thin poha flakes. Roast for another 2 minutes on a low flame while mixing. Put off the flame and spread this on a newspaper or a big plate. Let this get cool for some time then store it in an air - tight dabba(box). Your Patal Pohe chivda is ready.

 

 Tips

• You can add poppy seeds to the tadka while adding mustard and sesame but Poppy seeds are banned in Singapore so I didn’t add them
• You can add Puffed rice (kurmura) with Poha.
• You can add grated and deep fried crispy potato sticks and mix with the Poha.
• You can add red chilly powder instead of green chilies.
• You can add citric acid or amchur powder for some sourness. I didn't do it in my recipe.
• You can add deep fried garlic in the Chivda
• You can deep fried onion to the chivda.
• I have seen a recipe wherein fresh coriander seeds are roasted, pounded into a powder and added to the chivda for extra flavor.
• My Mother-in-law adds Roasted and pounded fennel seeds into the chivda.

MOONG ALOO KE PAKODE (YELLOW SPLIT LENTIL & GRATED POTATO FRITTERS)

MOONG ALOO KE PAKODE (YELLOW SPLIT LENTIL & GRATED POTATO FRITTERS)

This is a savory snack made as a fasting dish. The yellow moong dal is good for the stomach and the grated potato makes it heavy and filling. 

Ingredients

Yellow moong dal – 250 gms

Potatoes -  2 (peeled and grated)

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Green Chillies – 2-3

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – 2 tsps  
Asafetida – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsps finely chopped.

Salt as per taste (For people who are fasting they can use Sendha Namak)

Method

Soak moong dal for 3 to 4 hours. Rinse it well. Grind the dal with the green chillies, ginger, turmeric powder, Red chilly powder, Asafetida without adding water into a coarse paste. It shouldn’t be a fine paste, the batter should be of thick consistency, so don’t over grind the dal. If you are having trouble grinding you can add about 2-3 tbsps of water, but make sure the batter doesn’t get too soggy else the vada will absorb more oil and be very oily.

After you make a coarse batter of the moong dal, add the grated potato and freshly chopped coriander leaves into it.

For those who like some more flavor you can add one big finely chopped onion to this batter before you fry. (My recipe doesn’t have onions)

Heat oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot, put small balls of the batter, shouldn’t be too even(very round) while dropping, when dropped unevenly it will be more crispy. Fry the vadas till golden and crisp, remove and drain on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Serve hot with coconut chutney or green chutney.

VEG. JALFREZI (VEGETABLES & COTTAGE CHEESE COOKED IN A MUGHAL STYLE)

VEG. JALFREZI (MARINATED VEGETABLES & COTTAGE CHEESE COOKED IN A MUGHAL STYLE)

 Jalfrezi (also jhal frezi, zalfrezi, and many alternative spellings) is a type of curry in which marinated pieces of vegetables are fried in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. It is cooked with green chillies, with the result that a jalfrezi can range in heat from a medium dish to a very hot one. Typically those eating jalfrezi cool it down by combining it with cream.^[1] Other main ingredients include peppers, onion and tomato. From the times of the Chinese, when it was created as a way of using leftover meat; the chillies helped to disguise any disagreeable taste. The name comes indirectly from Chinese and Bengali jhāl, spicy food, and Urdu parhezī, suitable for a diet.  It is the most popular dish in UK Indian restaurants. (Info courtesy- Wikipedia)

 

 

My husband Yo likes rich mughalai food especially when it is loaded with vegetables, He always orders for dishes like these in the restaurant. What can be made in the restaurant can be made better and healthier at home, hence I decided to surprise him one evening with this wonderful dish and he (being a man of few words and not very generous with his compliments unless asked for) gave me his feedback in action, when I saw him licking his fingers and finishing bowl after bowls until I had to make more chappatis than his usual quota to eat with the Jalfrezi. 

I have explained to you both ways how to cook this by without marinating (below) and by marinating(under Tips). Try both ways. Enjoy!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Onion – 1

Tomatoes – 6

Capsicum – 1 (You can use different colors for added color to the dish)

Potatoes  - 1

Carrots – 1-2

Green peas – 1 cup

Beans – 1 cup

Cauliflower florets – 1 cup

Baby corn – 2-3 (Optional)

Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese) – 1 cup (Optional)

Ginger Paste – ½ tsp

Garlic Paste – ½ tsp (Optional)

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder -2 tsps

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 2 tsps

Kitchen King Masala – 1 tsp

Fresh garam masala – 1 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil – 3-4 tbsps

Fresh green coriander leaves for garnish – 1 tbsp

Fresh cream – 1 cup (optional)

Method

Cut all the vegetables into long medium sized strips as shown in the picture.

Chop the onions into small pieces or you can chop them into fine strips as well.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute` on medium-low heat for few minutes.

Add the tomatoes and sauté  until the tomato is mushy. Now add in the capsicum and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the vegetables. Now add in all the masala powders and salt as per taste, mix well and cook covered. The vegetables will release their own water. Don’t add in extra water. Cook covered on a low flame. Keep stirring once or twice in the middle.
Check after some time if the vegetables are taking too long to cook add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cook covered for some time. Cook until the vegetables are still crunchy and not mushy.

At this point of time add in the paneer. Squeeze the water out of the paneer pieces and them to the vegetables. Mix gently else your paneer will get crumbled. Ensure that the spices evenly coat the paneer. Let this cook covered on a low flame for another 10-15 minutes. You will notice that the oil starts to rise from the sides indicating that the dish is done. After this, turn off the flame. Serve hot garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy this delicacy with fulkas, parathas, naans, rotis or rice.
 

Tips

• You can make this dish richer by adding 1 cup of fresh cream. If you are doing this, add the cream at the end, mix well and cook for 5 minutes
• You can marinate the vegetables for added taste.-  In a bowl add in some oil, the ginger-garlic paste, the masala powders, salt as per taste and all the vegetables and the paneer and leave it covered overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning cook as above (except don’t add in the ginger-garlic paste and the masalas and salt). In the oil, sauté the cumin seeds, onions, tomatoes and capsicum & add in the marinated vegetables, sauté and cook until crisp and crunchy and serve garnished with coriander leaves. Since its marinated it cooks faster. Try to remove the paneer and add it during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Otherwise the paneer may crumble. 

KOZHAKATTAI / UKDICHE MODAK / COCONUT & JAGGERY FILLED RICE DUMPLINGS

KOZHAKATTAI / UKDICHE MODAK / COCONUT & JAGGERY FILLED RICE DUMPLINGS

GANPATI BAPPA MORYA!!!!!

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, this festival marks the celebration of the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel.

The festival, also known as Ganeshotsav ("festival of Ganesha") is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period). The total number of days change according to the waqxing moon and the Hindu calendar. This festival is celebrated  with great pomp all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and Chhattisgarh. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada, Mauritius,[3] Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma and Fiji. (Info courtesy-Wikipedia)

One thing that is always made in my kitchen for my darling elephant God Ganesha is the Tenga Poornam Kozhakattai / modakams.

Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu god Ganesh; modak is believed to be his favorite food, which begets him the moniker “modakapriya” (the one who likes modak) in Sanskrit.

During the Ganesh worship ceremony, known in India as Ganesh Chaturthi the puja always concludes with an offering of modakas to the deity and as prasad.

I make this in the South Indian style as well as the Maharashtrian style as I was born in Maharashtra where the same dish is known as Ukdiche Modak.

In Maharashtra

The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh grated coconut and jaggery, while the outer cover is made from rice flour, or wheat flour mixed with khava(khoya) or maida flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. The steamed version is called ukdiche modak.

In South -India

The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh grated coconut and jaggery, while the outer cover is made from rice flour and steam cooked.

I never found the steam cooked kozhakattais in any restaurant in Mumbai, India but was surprised to find this at the Ananda bhavan restaurant here in Singapore. But nothing can beat the home cooked ones especially when they are just out of the steamer/cooker. It’s best to eat this when it’s steaming hot. 

Ingredients

White rice – ¾ cup
Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Elaichi (Cardamom) – 2-3

Ghee – ½ tbsp

Coconut Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

To make the coconut jaggery filling (Tengai Poornam)
In a wok, add the ghee and the crushed cardamom minus the skin of the cardamom. Allow this to fry, then add in the jaggery and let it melt on a low flame. Once the jiggery starts to froth, add in the coconut, mix well and keep stirring over a low flame until the mix becomes one, there’s no water and the mix starts to leave the sides of the pan. This is fast to cook in a non-stick wok. Once done, keep aside and let it cool. Make small balls and keep aside.

Make the cover

Soak the rice in water for about 2-3 hours. Rinse well. Drain the water from the rice and grind it in a mixie (blender) by adding some water until it becomes a smooth batter. Add about 1 ½ tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt. Now, in a nonstick pan, Add in the batter and on a low flame cook it until the water starts to evaporate and the batter starts to thicken a bit like chappati dough but slightly more pliable than  that. Immediately put off the flame and allow it to cool. Knead the dough well. Add some oil and knead well.

How to make the kozhakattai

Grease your hands with some coconut oil. Take a small piece of the dough, roll it like a ball and then flatten it on your palm and shape it like a bowl. Gently press and shape the dough to make it bigger and ensure that it doesn’t have cracks. My grandmother always used to say that the best kozhakattai is when the cover is thin and not too thick and also there shouldn’t be cracks. Now place the Tengai Poornam or coconut jaggery filling that you rolled into balls and place it in the centre of your bowl shaped dough and close it, pulling some of the dough up into the shape of a monumental tower on the tip. Make a few and keep aside.

Steaming the kozhakattais

You can use an idli stand, a dhokla stand, a stainless steel or bamboo steamer or any plate, just grease the plate, line up the kozhakattais and cover with a lid and let it cook on steam for abour 5-10 minutes. Check the kozhakattais, when you find that they are a bit shiny and translucent, and not sticky when you touch them, they are ready. Sprinkle one tablespoon of water on them. And serve them on a plate for the lord, this is called as “Neivedyam”. Once that’s done, you can dunk into this steam cooked sweet delight. Always eat these hot. There are some things in life which can be got only at home and not in a restaurant or shop. This is one of them.

Tips

-Use coconut oil for best results.

-Use fresh grated coconut instead of the frozen or dessicated ones

-Grind the rice flour in a stone grinder instead of a mixie.

-You can use readymade rice flour instead of soaking and grinding the rice. But ensure that you use fine rice flour.

- If, at any time, the dough begins to be difficult to work with, add some water to the dough and knead the dough again. If the batter begins to stick to your fingers, dip your fingers into the oil.

HARE BHARE PAKODE (FRITTERS WITH GREENS)

HARE BHARE PAKODE (FRITTERS WITH GREENS)

The rains always makes you crave for something deep fried and hot with some hot spiced tea.  While I was contemplating to make pakodas, I thought why not put some healthy ingredients to the otherwise unhealthy deep fried snack, just to make it slightly guiltless. I had just purchased packets of fresh greens during my weekend shopping trip, I thought let me add the greens and some onion and make these Green Fritters, instead of the traditional onion bhajiyas which I was craving to have.

I named it Hare Bhare Pakode an off-shoot from the Hara Bhara kabab. I hope you enjoy this post. This post also has the privilege of the first clicks from my new Nikon D3200SLR Digital Camera. I am still a beginner, but hope to have beautiful clicks in the future thanks to the birthday gift from my dear hubby Yo.

Ingredients

Onions – 2 big sized

Spinach – 1 ½ cup

Coriander Leaves – 1 cup

Kasuri Methi powder – 2 tsps or ½ cup of fresh fenugreek leaves

Green Chillies paste – ½ tsp (optional-for flavoring only)

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Gram Flour – 4 tbsps

Bishops weed (Ajwain) – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – 2 tsps

Asafetida – A pinch

Salt to taste

Oil for deep-frying

(Any of the above ingredients can be adjusted or altered to suit one’s own taste palettes).

Method

Peel and chop the onions in strips. Clean the spinach and coriander leaves and chop them finely.

Take a bowl,  Add in the onion strips, chopped spinach, chopped coriander leaves and 2 tablespoons of kasuri methi powder (I made a powder of the kasuri methi leaves and added 2 teaspoons of it to the mix for the flavor of the fenugreek, you can alternatively use ½ cup of cleaned, sorted and chopped fresh fenugreek leaves).

Now add the green chilly paste, ginger paste, then add 2 tbsps of gram flour, the bishops weed, Asafetida, Red chili powder, salt and mix well. Allow the onions and the greens to marinate in the mixture for about 10-15 minutes. The onions and greens start to sweat and you will notice the mixture to be moist, at this point, add the rest of the gram flour. If you find the mix too dry then sprinkle some water. Just 2-3 tablespoons of water will do. The water is added to make the mixture a bit loose and in dropping consistency. Again keep aside for 4-5 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot, drop the batter. The technique to drop the batter is to scoop the batter in your hand and spread your fingers when you drop it into the oil, so they drop unevenly and look shapeless, this makes the pakodas more crispy. Fry the pakodas till golden and crisp on a slow fire. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Serve hot with coriander chutney/ mint chutney or tomato sauce.