Rasmalai

Create pillows of soft ras malai swimming in a pool of sweet milk rabdi. I know how to do it. Take a liter of milk and reduce it, till it is thick and creamy and add the sugar. Heat another liter of milk, curdle it with lemon juice. Scoop the soft paneer and squeeze the water out of it, every last drop. Then gather it in a fine muslin cloth and let it hang for half an hour. Smoothen the cheese in the food processor or knead it till you get a soft dough. Make spheres out of the cheese and drop them gently in a boiling light syrup of six parts of water to one part of sugar. Steam for five minutes, reveling in the new gigantic shape the cheese balls acquire. Cool these soft spongy balls of bliss and pour the rabdi on top. Sure I could, but what after that. Face the world again. I am not ready for that yet.

Random

It is amusing how one person’s personal preferences become your own touchstone to judge the merit of your own work. For instance, any time I make okra, I am reminded of U Masi because she detested beans and okra completely. She complained about the stickiness of okra and unconsciously she influenced me – my okra cannot be sticky either. One of my friends once told me how she hated cooked soft cauliflower – guess what, my cauliflower has to be crisp. I never loved pumpkin when I was a kid till I discovered how passionate one of my uncles was about this humble vegetable and now I love pumpkin cooked with jaggery and dried mango powder. As a child I could not tolerate chilies, my brother would call me a ‘chilly meter’ because I would squeal at the slightest hint of chilly in a dish , and then I lived in Ahmadabad with a family bought up on, I suspect, a diet of peppers and chilies only- now I even lace my omelettes with paprika.

Bharwan Mirch

I saw these longish peppers at the Chinese market and was transported back to time right there. I had made a version of stuffed peppers years ago, using bell peppers instead of these peppers I found at the Chinese Supermarket. I refrained from ever doing it again because I hate deep frying; after I deep fry something I don't want to eat it for some weird reasons.
Coming back to stuffed peppers, I had a very tantalizing version of this recipe in Leavenworth , Washington State. Leavenworth is a cheesy German themed town redeemed by its proximity to tall alpine trees and luscious streams. In a Latin Food Restaraunt I had chilies stuffed with cubed plaintains and rice. I might recreate my own version some day and season it with Indian spices. One of my Chinese friends made a version where the pepper was stuffed with an aromatic pork stuffing. Of course I never ate it , but the fragrance, the looks were something my passionately vegetarian self could admire. Different cultures have different versions of stuffed peppers. And why not - the dish looks festive , impresses your guest and the stuffing always takes in the subtle flavor and scent of the pepper.
Since I detest deep frying , the next time I make stuffed peppers, I will just brush oil over my pepper after stuffing them and bake them in a moderate oven. The pepper should look wilted , bruised and charred after the frying - raw pepper will not work well with the stuffing. This worked out well when the tangy minty potatoes take on the flavor of the peppers.

2 Large green chilies
5 medium potatoes
1/2 cup finely choppped mint leaves
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tspn zeera
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1/2 tspn garam masala
1 pinch asfoetida

1. Boil and mash potatoes or microwave and mash.
2. In a small pan, heat some oil. Add asfoeitida and cumin seeds wait till they splutter.
3. Add potatoes.
4. Mix in spices and mint leaves.
5. When potatoes are done add lime juice.
6. Split open chilies and fill with potato mixture.
7. Shallow fry till the skin is bruised and brown.

Lauki Ka Halwa

My mother fasted every monday. She would eat once a day and the meal was marked by many restrictions - no salt, no grains, no onions, no garlic, no vegetable that grew under the soil like carrots and radishes. She would make all sorts of puddings on monday - since rice pudding was taboo the most popular pudding would be the sago kheer. A number of vegetables make good kheers well suited for a vrata- sweet potatoes, carrots, water chestnuts,and bottle gourd. A vegetable which is slightly sweet can be grated cooked in milk and then spiced with cardomom, raisins and nuts. This recipe is actually more successful as a kheer. These are excellent substitutes for rice pudding during a vrata, or festivals.

1/2 lauki grated
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 pods cardomom
2 tbspn ghee
pistachios to garnish

1. Heat the ghee and add the grated lauki. Cook till tender and translucent.
2. Add the milk. Cook till milk reduces and the halwa looks like a homogenous mass.
3. Add cardomom and garnish with pistachios.

Bengali Dal

I am always looking at ways to vary my dal. And then I stumbled on a recipe which seasons the dal with panch phoron. Panch phoron, a spice mixture commonly used in Bengali cooking, is made by mixing equal parts of fennel seeds (saunf), mustard seeds (rai), nigella seeds (kalonji), cumin seeds (zeera), and fenugreek seeds (methi). This dal was replete with flavors I was so unaccustomed to. The fennel seeds give the dal a unique simple flavor and pairs up with the tangy dried mango powder so well.

The spice mixture is a colorful medley- black nigella, green fennel, golden fenugreek, brown cumin and mustard. The spice mixture is fried in oil to release the aroma and the seeds are allowed to pop. This spice mixture should also work with spinach, potatoes, and other lentils.


1 cup channa dal
3 cups water
1 tbspn dried mango powder
2 dried red chillies
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn salt
1 tbspn panch phoron
1 tspn fennel seeds

1. Pressure cook the channa dal with water, salt, turmeric, and coriander powder.
2. In a small pan heat some oil. Add the panch phoron and fennel seeds. Wait till they splutter.
3. Add the red chilies after breaking them open.
4. Add the fried mango powder.
5. Add the oil and spice mixture to dal.
6. Garnish with coriander.

Lauki Ke Kofte - Bottle Gourd Dumplings in Gravy

My mother excelled at making lauki koftas- they would melt in your mouth with just the right amount of softness and have the structure not to disintegrate in the gravy. I once ate a version, at the home of a fanatic health freak, where the dumplings were not deep fried but just boiled in the gravy. My verdict- distinctly unpleasant. The kofta needs structure and the toughness to withstand the gravy, and also the melt in your mouth softness at the same time. The least you can do is shallow fry it and if you are a fanatic health freak, instead of butchering a beautiful dish, eat raw tofu.Lauki is a popular vegetable in India, often disliked. As a kid I would wrinkle my nose in distaste when confronted with a bowl of plain lauki subzi. However the kofta is loved and relished and justifies the hard work that goes in creating it. If you can’t find lauki, try using zucchini, however a lot of Indian and Chinese stores carry this vegetable.

Coming to cooking, I think it is the medium where I have not only started to relieve my boredom but also feel closer to India and my mother. I have started relating to her and appreciating her more, while trying to recreate her flavors in my kitchen. I never learnt how to cook from her, as a kid she expected me to study all the time and not bother with the kitchen; justifiably so because after all you can easily afford a cook in India. And then she passed away. But what she gave me was a flavor reference, a touch stone to measure my progress against. I do not know how she cooked but I know how the dish should taste, and I try to get right there. When I made these kofta knew I was somewhere near that gold standard. The softness of the kofta, the tanginess of the gravy, she would have approved if she cared.

Cooking also helps me reconnect to the places I have left behind. After my mother’s kitchen it was eating out at the homes of my parent’s friends, who primarily came from different parts of Uttar Pradesh, and surprisingly each part, east or west, had its own distinct flavor profile. And then I ended up living in Lucknow, renowned for its Awadhi cuisine. The flavors of the north vary so much that I will write a separate blog post on that. And then I moved west to Pune, Gujarat, and Mumbai. All I can say is that, food brings back a whiff of the past, memories of people and places and food is a comforting reassurance that they might be very far away but they still exist.



For the dumplings
1/2 small bottle gourd grated- Lauki
4 tbspb besan
1 tspn salt
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumi powder

For the gravy
1/2 large onion finely diced
1 large tomato
1 tspn coriander powder
2 chillies
3 cloves garlic
1" piece garlic
1/2 tspn turmeric
2 bay leaves
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
salt to taste
2 tbspn yoghurt

for the dumplings
1. Wring the grated lauki of excess water .
2. Mix with all ingredients.
3. Shallow fry or deep fry 8 small balls

for gravy
1. Blend the tomatoe, chilly and garlic.
2. In a pan add the oil, cumin seeds and bay leaves. Wait till the seeds splutter.
3. Add the onions, fry till brown.
4. Add tomato paste. Fry till it sweats.
5. Add the spices.
6. Add the yoghurt. Saute for a minute.
7. Add some water.
8. When gravy is nearly done add dumplings.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Kadhai Paneer

I can eat paneer every day , cooked in a myriad of ways. I have often seen people substitute tofu for paneer in the bay area. Bad call. Tofu is bland and does not have the structure to stand upto the spicy gravy. Paneer has a great flavor of its own and stand up very well to most gravies expecially tomato based ones. The milky chessy texture of paneer compliments the tangy sweet tartness of tomatoes very well. This recipe consists of choppping vegetables into thick batons and crisping them up. The tomato sauce is added later to coat the vegetables rather than allow the vegetables to simmer in a tomato sauce. I added mushrooms just because I had some lying around, omitting them is perfectly acceptable. Once the sauce is added , the vegetables should not be cooked much ; the crispy texture of the bell pepper is integral to the dish.

1large tomato- finely diced
1 large onion
10 oz paneer
2 large bell peppers
1 cup cremini mushrooms
1 ½ tspns coriander powder
½ tspn cumin powder
1 tspn garam masala
1 tspn red chilly powder
½ tspn turmeric
1 tbspn dried fenugreek leaves
2 tspn salt
2 cloves garlic
½ “ piece ginger
1tspn cumin seeds
Oil

1. In a sauce pan heat some oil and add the cumin seeds till they splutter. Now add coriander, turmeric, cumin, and red chilly powder. Sauté for a minute. Add the tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes sweat. Now add some water and salt. Keep aside.
2. Cut the paneer, bell pepper, and onion into long thin strips./
3. In a pan, add some oil. Add the onions, fry till pink. Add the minced garlic and ginger.
4. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper and paneer. Sauté till done.
5. Add the tomato sauce. Cook for a few minutes.
6. Add garam masala and fenugreek leaves.

Baingan Bhartha - Eggplant Relish

Smoky eggplant cooked in spices and herbs - a north Indian delicacy where each home has its own version. I do not like eggplants much; I don’t know many people who do. However, baingan bhartha to my mind is the best thing you can do to the humble eggplant. The trick is to burn it, char it, and peel away the skin to reveal the browned smoky flesh. I guess you could do this in a barbeque grill. Since I don't have one, I use my gas burner at home. My mother use to pierce holes in the eggplant and stick garlic and cloves in it before scorching it.
Scoop out the seeds. I gave it a little whirl in my blender, so I could get rid of the lumps and my dish would have a silken consistency that a bhartha should be. I add peas to break the monotony of the eggplant. One of my pet peeves with many bhartha versions is the overkill with tomatoes. The bhartha should not look red, it should be brown. That is integral to enhance the smokiness; too much tomatoes kill the smokiness. I might use chipotle sauce next time I make a bhartha.

I also love Baba Ghanoush, Wikipedia says-

Baba Ghanoush is a popular Levantine dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with various seasonings. Frequently the eggplant is baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste. It is frequently eaten as a dip with pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is usually of an earthy light brown color. Traditionally, the eggplant is first roasted in an oven for approximately 30 minutes. The softened flesh is scooped out, squeezed to remove excess water, and is then pureed with the tahini. Possible seasonings include garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, mint, and parsley.

Very close to the bhartha I must say. However Baba Ghanoush is served cold, bhartha should be hot. I was had a version where the eggplant was served with yoghurt , and was cold, however it was not close to the traditional bhartha.
2 large eggplants
1 large tomato
2 green chilies
3 cloves garlic
1” piece ginger
2 tspns coriander powder
½ tspn cumin powder
½ tspn turmeric powder
1 large onion finely diced
½ tspn cumin seeds
½ tspn fennel seeds
1 ½ tspn garam masala
2 tbspn chopped coriander
1/2 cup peas


Roast the eggplants directly on the stove till the skin is charred, black, and burnt. The idea is to give the eggplant a smoky flavor. I used a wire mesh and heat it on the flame. I cover the sides of the burner with silver foil to ensure even heating and a clean burner,
Scoop out the seeds and blend the mixture. Don’t make a fine puree; just blend it to a coarse yet homogenous mass.
Blend the tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilies.
To the oil add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Add the onions, sauté till golden brown.
Add the tomato mixture. Fry till it sweats oil.
Add the coriander powder, turmeric, and red chilly powder.
Sauté for 1 minute.
Add the eggplant mixture. Mix. Add salt.
Add the peas.
When done add garam masala and garnish with chopped coriander.

Oondhiyon

Every state and community has its own version of mixed vegetables. In Uttar Pradesh, I once ate a dish with 24 vegetables, excluding onions, cooked on a festival. The Sindhis have their own version of mixed vegetables known as Saibhaji. Oondhiyon is typically cooked during the winter months with ringan (eggplant), kand (purple yam), baby potatoes, shakadia ( sweet potatoes), surati papdi ( no English name that I am aware of), raw bananas, and muthiya (fenugreek fritters). Most of the vegetables are rather elusive, however with a large Gujarati diaspora well settled in the United States, frozen and canned version of some of the vegetables are available. You can buy frozen or canned papdi, however, not finding any of those, I just used fresh snow peas. I used frozen fenugreek for the fritters and did not find purple yam at all.
Oondhiyon is a rustic preparation; make sure the vegetables are chunky and hearty so they can withstand the slow heat and do not disintegrate. Traditionally oondhiyon is cooked in earthen pots on a low flame, with layers of vegetables and spices.
I started off with ½ cup of besan to which I added 1 tspn of ajwain and ¼ cup of fenugreek leaves. This was frozen fenugreek which had been thawed and wringed off excessive water. I made a dough adding water, shaped it into a thin log, cut off pieces, and deep fried them. Meanwhile I chopped my vegetables - thick chunks of 2 raw banana with the peel on and made small slits, slits into 5 baby eggplants, slits into 5 baby potatoes, large chunks of the sweet potatoes with slits. I kept aside 1 ½ cups of snow peas.
And then I blend the following – 5 cloves of garlic, 2” piece ginger, 4 green chilies, 3 tbspn sesame seeds, ½ cup coriander leaves, 2 tspns coriander powder, 1 tspn cumin powder, 2 tbspns oil. I hate peanuts so I used sesame seeds instead. This was the only time I used oil in the recipe and I did not add any jaggery to the blend which an authentic Gujarati will definitely not refrain from.
I inserted some of the spice mixture into the slits I had made in the vegetables, keeping the rest aside. Then take a heavy bottomed pan and layer the vegetables carefully. Add the reserve spice mixture and 1 cup of water. Cook on low heat.
When the vegetables were nearly done, I tasted the veggies and added 1 tspn aamchoor powder ( I was missing the tanginess) and 1 tspn garam masala (I was missing the kick)…making my recipe a departure form tradition. I then garnished the recipe with the muthiya and chopped coriander leaves.

Paneer in Tomato Almond Gravy

10 oz paneer

2 large tomatoes

1/4 cup almonds

1 thai chilly

2 cloves garlic

1" ginger piece

1 tspn coriander powder

1 1/2 tspn salt

1 tspn chilly powder

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn garam masala

2 bay leaves

2 tbspn yoghurt

2 tbspn chopped coriander leaves

1. Saute the paneer in a little oil till it is golden.

2. Grind the tomatoes, almond, ginger, garlic and chilly.

3. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the bay leaf and cumin till it splutters.

4. Add the tomato mixture. Reduce till it sweats. Add yoghurt. Be careful because almond tends to burn and sticks to the bottom of the pan.

5. Add the spices - coriander powder, red chilly powder and salt.

6. Add 1 cup of water.

7. When done add garam masala and paneer.

8. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Magaj

This recipe comes from my Aunt or Maasi in Mumbai. Maasi is a beautiful woman in her seventies, graceful, slim, and petite with porcelain skin and a soft voice. Dressed beautifully in perfectly draped cotton sarees, light diamond jewelry, she walks gracefully around her house, making sure each table is spotless, the food is impeccable, and people around her are warm and cared in her benign presence. I talked with her on the phone the other day. I always loved her magaj so much and asked her how to make it. She patiently explained it all painstakingly going over every little detail. I couldn’t wait to make her magaj her way, and as I put the first piece in my mouth, I felt like she was there in front of me comforting me, soothing me, and listening to me. I miss her. Cooking is joyful; it can recreate the presence of those you love, even if they are far away from you.

1 cup besan
3/4 cup ghee
1/4 cup milk
1 cup almonds
1 cup fine sugar
4 pods cardomom

1. Grind the almonds and the sugar together. Reserve.
2. Heat the ghee in a pan. Fry the besan till it turns golden brown. Add the hot milk.
3. MAke sure the mixture is light and the besan is brown.
4. Turn off the flame.
5. Add the sugar almond mixture and the cardomom.
6. Lay out in a tray and cut into squares.

Methi Thepla

Guajaratis travelling any where in the world will carry the thepla along with pickles with them, as the British carry their tea and marmite. Thepla is the perfect travel food since it stays good for a week. I am guilty of throwing away a day old thepla, somewhere during a Road Trip on the Garden Route in South Africa, dismissing it as stale bread. Back where I grew up, we did not have the concept of storing bread, we made fresh paranthas, ate them and never kept them for later. The Gujarati wrath I had to endure after this transgression only made me comprehend the Gujarati passion for food. The person in question, confronted with the possibility of missing his thepla for breakfast, hollered hideously. I could comprehend the passion for food but I could never understand how the absence of a particular food item could drive a person so insane. Later I witnessed someone else's temper tantrums following the overdose or under dose of a particular spice in a dish and I am pretty sure I would hate to cook for that fussy an eater.

Guajaratis travel around the world, to the extent where touristy attractions in a city are called ‘Patel Points’, but the adventure lust does extend to food. This is where they resort to the familiar and carry their own - theplas, pickles, snacks etc. Of course I am guilty of generalizing here and this may not be true for all people, however this accurately represents my own observations.

However, that said, I love methi theplas. They go very well with a sweet mango pickle known as ‘chundo’. I could not find fresh fenugreek so I used frozen fenugreek. I used too much besan in the recipe, which made my dough slightly sticky. I have adjusted for that in the recipe.

3/4 cup methi leaves finely chopped
1 3/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup besan
1 clove of garlic
2 thai chillies
1/2 " piece ginger
1 1/2 tspn salt
2 tbspn oil
Yoghurt - around 2 Tbspn
Oil to fry

1. Make a dough of the above ingredients and let it rest for 10 minutes.
2. Make paranthas..

Tehri- Vegetable Pulao

My Dad would make this vegetarian pulao every Sunday. I am not sure what the difference between vegetable pulao and tehri is; I use the two terms interchangeably. The pulao is characterized by the delicate taste and aroma of spices. The whole spices are sautéed gently in oil, imparting their aroma to the oil. When I was younger, I used to hate whole spices, but now I appreciate them. Rice being a very delicate medium takes on the flavors and fragrances of the spices very well and is a wonderful showcase to the magic of spices. Dad’s final touch of adding a tablespoonful of ghee to the end gave the tehri a wonderful aroma and complemented the spices very well.

2 bay leaves
1 clove
1 small piece of cinnamon bark
1 star anise
1 black cardomom
1 tspn zeera
2 cups basmati rice
1 cup frozen vegetables-like
carrots, peas, beans , corn, edamame
1 thai chilly- finely diced
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 1/2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn red chilly powder
2 tspn salt
1/2 large potatoe
coriander leaves to garnish
2 cloves of garlic finely choppped
1 tbspn ghee
1 tbspn oil
1 onion - cut into thin rings

1. Wash the rice.
2. Add the oil to a pan. When hot add the bayleaves, cinnamom, cardomom, star anise. Add the zeera. Wait till it splutters
3. Add the onion and the potatoes which are finely cubed. Saute till onions and potato turn golden brown.
3. Add the vegetables and garlic.
4. Add the coriander powder, turmeric, chilly powder.
5. Cook for a minute.
6. Add the rice. Coat the rice with the spices.
7. Add four cups of water.
8. Cook uncovered till done. Check for salt and adjust.
9. Add ghee and coat the rice with ghee.
10. Garnish with coriander.
11. Serve with apple raita

Apple Raita

1 apple - cored and diced or grated
1 cup thick yoghurt
1/2 cup water
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cumin powder
zest of 1/2 lemon or lime
2 tspn finely chopped coriander leaves

Mix all the above and chill.

Edamame Rice

1 1/2 cup rice
1 cup edamame
2 green chillies ( diced)
5 green onions diced with leaves
1 pinch asfoetida
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
1 1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn minced ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbspn finely choppped coriander leaves




1. Add some oil to a pan. Add asfoetida allow to heat. Add cumin seeds.
2. When cumin splutters add green onions and ginger. Saute onions for 3 minutes,
3. Add the rice. Add 1 1/2 cups water and salt.
4. Bring to a biol. Add edamame.
5. After 5 minutes add the garlic.
6. When rice is done add chopped garlic.

Tip - you can use broad beans as well.