Cauliflower Curry

Cauliflower, which is becoming a trendy vegetable, got a shout-out from the New York Times in a recent article. The article called cauliflower "a feisty vegetable that can take a punch" and recommended cooking it with bold spices in high heat. It goes on to say "Asian spices marry well with cauliflower". Well indeed. In northern India, cauliflower (Phool gobi) is one of several winter time vegetables eaten with roti or Indian flat bread.

One of my favorite ways of making gobi curry is the one I learned from my mother. What my mother used to do was to add a tablespoon or two of gram flour (besan) when the curry is almost cooked and give the curry to good toss and saute it for a few extra minutes. What one gets is a texture and taste of pakoras without the oil and the deep frying.

Here is how to do it:

1. Cauliflower
2. Usual spices (salt, turmeric, chilli powder, masala)
3. One tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon coconut oil
4. 1-2 tablespoon of besan (gram flour)
4. Black mustard for tempering

Instructions

1. Cut the vegetable in medium sized chunks. The vegetable should be able to retain its shape after cooking.

2. In a pan heat oil and add the mustard.
3. After the mustard has finished popping, add the cut cauliflower.
4. Add the spices and saute in low heat till cauliflower is cooked. Cook it al dente. That is, it should still retain its shape and crunchiness.

5. Add the coconut oil now and sprinkle the besan on top. Toss with spatula so that the oil and besan coat the cauliflower uniformly.

6. Turn up the heat little and continue to saute till the besan turns brown.

7. Remove from heat and transfer to a dish. Serve with rice or roti.

Enjoy. Thanks for visiting

Micro-Crafts

Working on small surfaces and creating micro objects: (1) fabric journal pendants 1"x 1", (2) decorating 1.5" tall pots (they fit nicely in the plastic case in which iMac mouse was packaged); (3) painting wood elephant 2.5" tall.

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Fried Bread (Poori) in Sweetened Milk (Paal Bholi)

Paal Bholi is a Tamilian delicacy. It is usually made during the Pongal festival. It can be caloric heavy but is amenable to low-cal modification that is still tasty and flavorful. I tend to make it whenever I am stuck in the house usually during snow days. Today is one of those days. I made the low-cal version because I had a gallon of 1% milk sitting in the refrigerator that was past its expiry date. Mind you, low-caloric or not, it is addictive!

Paal Bholi; Low Cal version

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking tie: 15 minutes
Eating time: 1 minute !

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon of 1% milk
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Saffron strings: a pinch
All purpose flour: 1/2 cup
Corn oil to fry
water: 1 tblsp
salt to taste


1. Pour the milk into a heavy pan or a dish and cook on a low simmer till the milk is reduced in half. (This process will take about 30 minutes.) To prevent sticking, stir the milk regularly. Add sugar and saffron strings. Transfer the milk to a wide shallow dish and continue to heat it on low simmer.

2. While the milk is cooking, in  a bowl mix flour and water and knead to a smooth dough. The dough should be firm. If it is soft, add more flour. Put it in a ziploc bag and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Remove the dough from the bag and make small balls, the size of a quarter. Roll the ball thinly into a round disk (poori).

4. Heat oil in a deep skillet. To test the heat, drop a tiny piece of dough into the oil. If the piece comes up right away sizzling, then the oil is ready for frying.

5. Fry the poori one at a time. Remove from oil when it turns brown and puffy. Drop the poori straight into the hot simmering milk.

6. Turn off the heat. Soak the pooris in the hot milk for 15-20 minutes. The pooris will become soft and soggy with sweetened milk and ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Tangled Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day to those who care about these things!

Matar Paneer Curry (Dry)

Dry matar paneer is one of the easiest and ridiculously quickest dish to prepare. That is, if you use frozen peas and store-bought cheese. Except for the time, it takes to thaw the peas and the cheese, prep time is almost zero. Cooking time is just about ten minutes. If you already have bread in the refrigerator, in about 15 minutes you can have a tasty and filling meal.

Ingredients (Serves two)

Frozen green peas 5oz
Indian paneer (available in the freezer section of any Indian grocery store) 3oz
Olive oil one tablespoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
salt to taste
chili powder 1/4 teaspoon
turmeric 1/4 teaspoon
garam masala 1/4 teaspoon

1. Thaw peas and paneer to room temperature.
2. Crumble thawed and softened paneer into little pieces
3. Heat oil in a skillet and roast the cumins till they brown.
4. Add the peas, salt and the spices. Toss the mix thoroughly with a spatula that the peas are completely coated in spies. Cook till peas turn soft.
5. Add the crumbled paneer and blend into the peas with the spatula. Cook the peas and the paneer for an additional  minute or two. Do not cook longer than that because paneer will  overcook and turn chewy, unless you like your paneer chewy.
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a dish. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and ginger. Serve with Indian roti or make a sandwich with wheat bread.

Enjoy.

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Poha Aval Uppuma: RIce Flakes Breakfast Dish

Poha is a breakfast dish popular in the western state of Maharashtra, India. At its basic it is rice flakes cooked with little salt and green chilies. It can be enhanced with addition of vegetables such as  green pepper, potatoes, onions and green peas. If you want your poha crunchy, you can add some peanuts. Whichever way you  make it,  it is a dish with calorie count and minimal preparation..

Instructions

poha or aval (thick): 1 cup
green chilies : 3
gurry leaves: a sprig
shelled and skinned raw peanuts:  as many as you prefer
mustard: 1 teaspoon
salt to taste; turmeric: 1/4 teaspoon; a pinch of powdered asafoetida

1. Soak poha in two cups of cold water for 30-45 minutes. Poha will absorb all the water and double in size.

2. Drain the soaked poha in a colander to remove any residual water.

3. Heat oil in a deep skillet. Add asafoetida and mustard. Let mustard pop. Add curry leaves and green chilies.

4. Add peanuts and roast till they turn gold brown.

5. Add poha, salt and turmeric. With a spatula turn over the mixture completely. Remove from heat when poha is cooked completely.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or pickle.

Optional

If you vegetables in your poha, cut them finely and add them along with green chilies. Cook till they become tender and then add the poha. Adjust the salt accordingly.

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Pongal Season, Chennai January 2015

January is absolutely the best month to be in Chennai. The weather is incredibly balmy, trees are leafy and green, the mosquitoes behave themselves and the entire city is colorful and in a celebratory mood for the Pongal festival.

It is the season for music festival, arts and crafts shows, textile exhibitions and weddings.

It is the celebration of nature's bounty, winter harvest and the beginning of Sun's northern ascension. In a country where still seventy-five percent of the population lives in villages, Pongal brings farmers and their livestock to the center stage in a grateful acknowledgment of their labor and toil in feeding the country's billion people. Pongal itself means an overflowing cooking pot and every Tamil kitchen at the appointed hour witnesses the milk and rice boiling over the cooking pot. Unsurprisingly, the three-day harvest festival  is also celebrated with varieties of food preparation based on rice and vegetables.

Just before the start of the festival, roadside are filled with carts and stalls of fresh winter vegetables, sugarcane, raw turmeric and fruits.

It is the time for families to do things together.

Even the birds get to partake in the feast!

If cultures reveal their heart and soul in what they celebrate,then Pongal festival is Tamil culture at its best.

Happy Pongal!