How to Make Ghee

Though Ghee is typically referred to as clarified butter, the process of making ghee differs from that of clarified butter. For ghee, the butter is simmered till the milk solids settle in the bottom and the butter is completely caramelized. Ghee has a nutty flavor and is very aromatic.

Ghee is used in Indian cooking in variety of ways. It is the fat of choice in all Indian sweets. In addition, ghee is mixed into rice and dal; spread on roti and used for tempering rasam.

Making ghee is easy but does requires care and attention. One can use either salted or unsalted butter. Except that the milk solid residue from salted butter will be very salty and must be kept in consideration if the residue is used in any other preparation. For example, I  reuse the pan with the left over residue for making vegetables and if it is residue from salted butter, I will use less salt for the vegetables.

How to make ghee:

Place the butter in a heavy pan, and melt it over low simmer flame. As the butter melts, it will foam a little bit. As it continues to heat, the foam will clear up and butter will turn into clear pale yellow liquid. If you stop here, you will get clarified butter. However, if you want ghee, continue to heat the butter till the liquid turns brown. Turn off the heat and let the liquid cool. Once it is cooled, pour into a container. It will keep well for a month or more at room temperature. No need to refrigerate.

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Cooking With Okra: Tips and Techniques

 

Cooking With Okra: Tips and Techniques

Okra, also called ladies' finger, is a favored vegetable in Indian cuisine. My mother used to cook in three different ways: stir fried, stuffed and as crispy toppings on yogurt. As a curry, it partners well with both rice and roti.

Here in the US, it is not a popular vegetable (except in the South) and is almost never found in the regular grocery stores. Which is a pity because okra is a nutritious vegetable high in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and beta carotene. Okra is off putting to many because it becomes slimy or gooey during the cooking process. But prepared in the right way, it can be a tasty and nutritious addition to your vegetarian options. Below are some tips and techniques for getting the best out of this vegetable.

A. Choosing the best okra at the market or Growing Your Own

Okra is a summer plant and it tastes best when it is in season. When shopping for okra, look for one that is green, immature and slender. Thick and mature pods are woody and fibrous and unpleasant to eat. The freshness of an okra pod can be determined by bending and snapping its tip. A tender okra will break cleanly whereas a mature one will not (see below).

In the late 90s, before okra was abundantly available in Indian grocery stores, I used to grow okra in my vegetable garden. If you live in a place that has at least eight weeks of warm weather (day time temperatures above 70 deg), you can grow okra in your backyard. Okra is remarkably easy to grow. All it need is lots of sun and water during the growing season. It produces multiple harvests in a single season and as long as the pods are picked frequently, it will reproduce itself abundantly. 

B. Preparing Okra for Cooking Without the Sliminess

Okra gets slimy when it comes into contact with water and becomes moist. There are several ways to prepare slime-free okra. I have developed a method that works well for me: First I wash and drain them in a colander (I do wash them to remove dirt and any residual pesticides). Then I thoroughly wipe them dry with paper towels. Finally, I air dry them for about 30 minutes. Using a dry cutting board and knife I cut them without fear of any gooey liquid oozing out.

3. Cooking Okra

I cook okras in the typical Indian way. I saute using the standard Indian spices and oil. Again, there is no water involved in the cooking. Cooking them in high heat with oil creates a texture that is wonderfully crispy outside while tender inside.

Stir Fry Okra 

Okra with Tomatoes

Yogurt Topped with Crispy Okra

If you have any questions after reading this post, feel free to contact or comment.

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Paper Cut Art: Saffron

Papercut by Indira

Do-Something-Everyday, June 23, 2016

 Saffron, mainly used in the cuisines of India and the Middle East, is the most expensive spice in the world. It is derived from the flower of Crocus sativus.  Each crocus bears about four flowers, each with three red stigmas known as threads.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

The threads are harvested by hand and dried to be used both as a flavoring and a colorant in food. Each flower produces about twelve threads and about 125 flowers are needed to produce one gram of saffron threads. The labor costs involved in the cultivation and the limited amount produced by the plants are the main reasons for the high cost of saffron. Thankfully, only a small amount is needed to add distinctive flavor and yellow color to food. To make the most of  the small amount of dried saffron, soak it in a few teaspoons of warm milk for a few minutes before adding it just as the dish approaches doneness. When buying saffron, which are sold at all Indian grocery stores, buy a small amount at a time, and store it in the freezer.

I love the taste and the color of saffron and it finds its way in many of the milk based desserts that I make. Below is Eggless Indian Tapioca Pudding topped with threads of saffron.  The complete recipe post is found here.

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What I Did on Mother's Day

Do-Something-Everyday, May 10, 2016

This Mother's Day I decided to stay home and cook a nice lunch for my husband and me (my husband did offer to take me out for lunch). We are empty-nesters and cooking has now become more of a pleasure than a chore.  The lunch was a combo of healthy and indulgent: cucumber-tomato pachadi (raita), Rajma (Indian kidney beans) and poori (fried Indian bread).

Coconut Rice

Rice is the staple diet of South Indians and the South Indian cuisine is replete with mouth-watering variety of rice dishes, ranging from gravies and sauces that can be mixed into plain cooked rice to one-pot dishes like pongal, coconut rice, lemon rice, tamarind rice, curd rice, sesame seed rice, to mention just a few. The Tamil festivals of Pongal and Aadi Perukku are celebrations of the versatility of this grain and the rich cuisine it has spawned.

Among the several one pot rice dishes, coconut rice and lemon rice are the easiest and foolproof dishes to make. The ingredients for the two dishes are also commonly available now-a-days. Interestingly, after years of bad press coconut is also making a comeback as a good for you natural food. I make coconut rice often. I made it today and as I was making it I decided to take photos of the preparation and post it here. Below is the recipe for coconut rice.

What you will need: (see 2nd photo above)

(based on your taste and preferences, you can add more or less of the ingredients below)

long grain rice, 1 cup

grated coconut, fresh or dried, 2 tablespoons

coconut oil (can be substituted with any other oil) 1 tablespoon

salt to taste

black mustard seeds, a pinch (optional)

urad dal, 1/2 teaspoon (optional) 

chana dal, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

one red chile (optional)

cashew or peanuts (optional)

asafoetida, a pinch (optional); asofoetida promotes digestion

1. Rinse the rice in cold water several times to remove as much starch as possible. The cooked rice has to be loose and fluffy to get the right texture for a tasty coconut rice. Cook the rice according to instructions. However, if the instructions call for 1:2 ratio of rice to water, reduce the amount of water to 1 1/2.

2. Transfer the cooked rice onto a baking dish and let it completely cool.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet. If you are not planning to use any of the optional ingredients, simply roast the coconut in the oil till it turns golden brown. Add the roasted coconut to the rice. Add the desired amount of salt.

4. Blend the rice, salt and coconut with a spatula. You are done!

5. If you want to add any or all of the optional ingredients, this is the order in which you would proceed:

(All the roasting should be done in low heat)
a. Heat oil in a skillet and add the asafoetida
b. Add the mustard and let it pop
c. Add urad and chana dal and roast them till they turn gold brown
d. Add and roast the nuts till they turn golden
e. Add the chile
f. Add the coconut flakes and roast till they turn gold brown
(for reference, see the third photo)
g. Follow steps 3 and 4 above to finish the dish.

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Eggless Indian Tapioca Pudding

The beauty of this tapioca pudding is that it is egg-less and it does not need baking. It is cooked right on stove top with just three ingredients: tapioca, milk and sugar. Just like that it tastes good but often it is further embellished with cashews, saffron and cardamom.

What you will need:

Tapioca, also called sago

Milk

Sugar

Cardamom pods (optional)

Saffron (optional)

Cashews (optional)

(I am not giving precise measurements for the three main ingredients. Two tablespoons of tapioca for a cup of milk will give you a fairly thick pudding. If you want yours thin, use less tapioca or more milk. Same goes for sugar.)

1. Soak the tapioca in cold water for about 30 minutes. Soaking helps it cook faster.

2. Slowly heat the milk in a thick vessel on the stove. When the milk is quite hot, add the tapioca (without the water) into the milk. 

3. Cook the tapioca in the milk in low heat. Stir the milk and tapioca frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the container.

4. As the tapioca cooks, it will lose its whiteness and turn translucent. When it is completely translucent, add sugar and other condiments, such as saffron and cardamom.

5. Remove from heat.

6. If you want, you may add cashews either raw or roasted.

Serve hot or cold. Enjoy.

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Peanut Butter and Green Pepper: Is it a Dip or a Curry?

Curry Sandwich

Whenever we have an international luncheon at work, I always struggle to come up with a dish that will appeal amidst all that meaty splendor spread on the buffet table. It was when I noticed Scott, my son-in-law, eating it with relish, that it occurred to me that I should make it for this year's international luncheon. Sure enough, every one liked it, wanted the recipe and here it is.

This is a variation on a Goan curry that is made with homemade ground peanut and coconut paste. One day, feeling lazy, I decided to substitute  peanut butter. I have not looked back since then :)

Ingredients

medium sized green, red bell peppers (capsicum)-- 2 or 3
medium sized red onion-- one (optional)
fresh ginger to taste (optional)
Chunky peanut butter--1-2 tablespoon
Olive oil-- 1-2 tablespoon
salt to taste
red chili powder (optional)
turmeric-- 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Instructions 

1. After removing the core and the seeds chop the pepper into small chunks. (Cut the onion and the ginger also into small pieces, if you are using them.)

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet; add the onions and the ginger. (Note: I have also added black mustard seeds. That is the way I cook but you do not have to.)

3. Cook till the onions turn translucent.

4. Add the chopped bell peppers, spices and the salt.

5. Cook till the peppers turn soft.

6. Add peanut butter.

7. Mix it thoroughly into the cooked vegetables with a spatula till it is all melted and gooey.

You can eat this with nacho chips, pita bread, naan or roti. Any which way, it is finger lickin' good!

Fenugreek Leaf Flatbread

The recipe given below uses fenugreek as the stuffing. it can be substituted with mint or coriander. Vegetables such as potato or radish can also be incorporated.

1. Thoroughly wash the fenugreek leaves to remove all mud and dirt. Then chop finely.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and sautee till the leaves are cooked. At this point, it will shrink considerably in volume.

3. Transfer the cooked leaves into a bowl. Add desired amount of wheat flour and a pinch of salt.

4. Add water into the mix and knead into a fairly stiff dough.

5. Split the dough into small balls.

6. With a rolling pin, roll the ball into a thin round shape roti.

7. Heat a griddle on top of the stove and lay the roti on the hot griddle. Drizzle ghee or coconut oil around the edge of the roti. Cook on the griddle till each side turns brown and crispy. Remove from heat and serve with yogurt.

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