Yam Hot, Sweet and Sticky Style

Yam Hot, Sweet and Sticky Style

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

I was thinking of something with Yam for alphabet Y and I did not want to make the regular yam curry or Yam Bhaaji which we make to eat with chapatis or rice. I happen to see a cookery show which was showing some  street food recipes from Malaysia and Indonesia. There was this pork recipe which had interesting flavours and looked good. It was some sort of sour/sticky/hot and sweet reicpe. I don't like vinegar so I substituted that with tamarind. 

Here is my 7th recipe for International / fusion category. This was to be a baked recipe but somehow I ended with this as an extra in this category and one less in baked category. 

Ingredients:

250 gms Yam cut into pieces as shown

3 - 4  tamarind pieces

1 big onion

2 tblsp chopped garlic

2 tblsp chopped ginger

2 tblsp chopped green chillies

4 tblsp brown sugar or jaggery ( I used jaggery)

salt to taste

4 tblsp oil

Method:

Boil the yam pieces with tamarind and salt till they are cooked but not very soft. 

Drain well and let cool. remove all the tamarind pieces.

Heat oil and add chopped onion, garlic, ginger and chillies, stir till raw smell of garlic goes and it becomes golden brown.

Add the yam pieces and mix gently but well. 

Once all the jaggery is dissolved and the pieces are well coated serve hot garnished with a few pieces of coriander leaves.

Serve this as a snack. 

Note: It is very important to cook Yam with the tamarind. Some times yam gives irritation or itchy feeling to the throat. Tamarind helps in removing this irritation. It also gives the sour taste to the yam and helps in retaining the shape and does not get over cooked. 

Logo by Preeti.

Zunka

Zunka

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

"Zunka" is my 8th regional recipe and it comes from Maharashtra. It is the most famous regional recipe from rural areas. It is a quick and easy recipe. As always there are hundreds of ways to make this. Some prefer it very dry and this version is taken on travels specially pilgrimages which go on for many days. Others make it less dry sort of thick gravy like. If it is pourable consistency then it is called "PITHLA" .  Zunka is eaten with "Bhakri"which is roti made from jwari/jowar/sorghum,  bajri/millet, ragi/nachani/red millet or rice flour. 
When I was doing this after the onions were transluscent I poured the besan as mentioned and covered and forgot to take the next photographs. My husband and I were also very hungry and so as soon as the Zunka was ready I served us and we happily ate. It was only as I removed the leftover Zunka in a smaller vessel that I remembered that I had to take photographs. So I have photos half way through and then the end product for you to see. :( Sorry. 

Here is my recipe for alphabet Z - Zunka

Ingredients: 

 1 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 big onion thinly sliced
8 to 10 garlic
1+ 1/2 cup sour buttermilk
small lemon size ball of tamarind
a sprig of curry leaves
salt to taste



For tempring :
4 to 6 tblsp oil for tempering
1/4 tsp rai/mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
a big pinch methi/fenugreek seeds
a big pinch of hing/asefotida powder
1 tsp red chilli powder or to taste

For garnish
finely cut fresh coriander leaves

Method:

Mix besan in one cup sour buttermilk. Make lump free batter. If you don't have sour buttermilk then mix in with 1+ 1/2 cup of tamarind water. For tamarind water, soak tamarind for 15 minutes in  water and then gently squeeze and strain and use. Do not squeeze out the pulp or it will become very sour and the colour too will be brownish and not very appetising to look. Add salt to taste. Add the curry leaves, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well. Keep aside.


In a thick bottom pan or a kadhai heat oil till hot and add mustard seeds, wait till they splutter and then add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds. Add asefotida. 






Add garlic and fry till golden brown. 









Add onions and cover and cook for two minutes or till translucent. 







Now pour the besan mixed with sour buttermilk and stir and cover and cook for 2 minutes on high heat. Remove cover, stir and cover again and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. Stir in between to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Zunka is ready when the raw smell of the besan goes and it all comes together. 


Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with bhakri or roti of your choice and sliced onion and green chillies. 






I have served  regular wheat roti here as we had finished the bhakris. Also the reason for small amount of Zunka. Had thought of cooking again but last few days I was away from home and computer too. Soon I will add a better photograph of Zunka with Bhakri. But for today it is too late :)

Walnut Cupcakes

Walnut Cupcakes

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

My friend requested me to make some cupcakes with hardly any time to do anything fancy. She did not want icing as it was a gathering of older women and she did not want chocolate as many older people do not like chocolate so much. Plus she wanted something nice and not very ordinary. I was thinking of some fruit but did not have any on hand. Luckily I had walnuts and so I thought of making Walnut Cupcakes with coffee flavour. Flavours that adults would like and fill al my friend's criteria for her request. 

So here is a simple and quick fool proof recipe for good cupcakes. 

Ingredients:

150 gms butter

1 1/2 cup flour

1  cup sugar

2 tblsp instant coffee powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup milk 

1 tblsp lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

some walnuts halves to decorate

Melt and cool butter. Add lemon juice to the milk and stir. Add warm water to the coffee and stir to dissolve. Add sugar to the melted and cooled butter and stir to dissolve. Add half the milk and dissolved coffee and mix well. Add the flour and baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Add rest of the milk and beat well for 2 to 4 minutes. 

Drop a spoonful of the cake batter into greased cupcake moulds and tap the mould to spread the batter evenly. Press one half walnut in each cupcake. I got 17 cupcakes. If you fill a little carefully you should get 18. 

Bake in hot oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or till done.

The delicious Walnut Coffee cupcakes are ready to serve. 

This is my 5th recipe in baked category.

Logo by Preeti.

Xacuti

Xacuti

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

I wanted to Xacuti for a long time. Somehow it was not happening for many reasons. Whenever I said I am making it, I was discouraged by saying you can only make non vegetarian Xacuti. I cook non vegetarian food but don't eat and since it is just my husband and I that I will be cooking for, it becomes difficult to cook non veg and veg the same day. I was searching for some other recipes with X when I happened to chance upon some vegetarian version of it. 

Actually I had got one very nice recipe using drumsticks called Xengo Temperado, from one of my old cook books but unfortunately I did not have drumsticks so I had to make Xacuti. 

I have used the masala that my neighbour had told me about many years back. There are many ingredients and many steps involved in making Xacuti but it is worth the effort. 

Though the spelling is Xacuti it is pronounced as Shaguti or Shagoti. Because I was given the Masala recipe for 1 kilo of chicken I am giving you the same. But I only made the with about 250 gms of vegetable reserving the masala to be used on another day.

Ingredients: 

1 kg vegetables, I used mix of medium size potatoes, small onions and small brinjals. Peel and make two pieces of the potatoes. Peel and keep onions whole. Remove the stalk and cut the brinjals into two pieces vertically. Keep potatoes and brinjals in water till needed.

For the Masala: 

1 cup grated/scrapped coconut

1 big onion peeled and sliced thin

10 to 12 Dried Kashmiri chillies*

1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

2 tblsp dhane/coriander seeds

1 tblsp khuskhus/poppy seeds

6 to 8 kali miri/black pepper corns

2" piece of dalchini/cinamon

6 lavang/cloves

1 badiyan/star anise

2 tsp badishep/ Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder

* I have used red chilli powder made of kashmiri chillies as I did not have whole kashmiri chillies.

other ingredients: 

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

2 cups thin coconut milk

1 big onion sliced thin

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

3 to 4 pieces of kokum

4 tblsp oil

salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste

1 tblsp coconut oil (optional)

Method: 

First make the masala. To make if first heat a iron or any thick kadhai/pan and and on medium heat roast the scrapped coconut till golden brown. Remove and keep aside. 

Now add 1 tblsp oil and fry the dry kashmiri chillies for a few seconds or till they are coated with oil. Drain and remove and keep aside.

Now in the same kadhai/pan roast  cumin seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, black pepper corns, cinamon, cloves, star anise,

fennel seeds for a few minutes on low heat. Do not let the spices burn. They should be just fragrant and crisp. Cool
When the spices  cold grind it to a smooth paste along with coconut, Kashmiri chillies  and turmeric powder. Use a little water. The paste has to be smooth. 
Now in a pan heat oil and add kokum and saute for a few seconds and add sliced onions and saute till onions are translucent. 
Add ginger garlic pastes and saute further for a few minutes or till the raw smell goes. 
Add the vegetables and give it a good stir so that all the vegetables will be coated with oil. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes stirring  once. 
Add the masala and mix well. Add the thin coconut milk and let it come to a simmer and lower the heat and let cook till the vegetables are cooked. The thin coconut milk will have reduced to almost nothing. Now add the thick coconut milk, salt and lemon juice. 



Switch off heat and pour the coconut oil, if using.   









Serve hot with rice 











or chapati/roti. 

This is my 7th regional recipe and it comes from Goa. 

Logo by Preeti.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

This again is recipe I had seen years ago, in one of those Women's Home (UK),  Good Housekeeping (USA) magazines kept in our club house for the ladies to read. We kids would pour over the pictures and drool without knowing anything about its content. We were least interested in reading recipes or even finding out what they were. Cakes, desserts and such were oohed and aahed about. Non Vegetarian was accepted but personally I never ate. Years went by and I read a recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie. Looked interesting and easy. So tried my hand and everyone loved it. Over the years I made changes to the filling, tried various combinations. Most were successful. Some just ok. None was too bad or not edible. The topping was always mashed potatoes. Sometimes plain other times with herbs or cheese or even chillies and garlic.
So this here is my version of Shepherd's Pie. Original recipe is from the book Great Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma Dasa. Kurma Dasa belongs to the ISKCON family and does not use onion or garlic. My apologies to him, I have used garlic in my filling and the mashed potatoes too.

Ingredients:


1 cup cooked chickpeas/chole*
1/4 cup mini soya chunks*
1/4 cup grated carrot ( I used this only for the colour)
1/4 cup small pieces of paneer
2 cubes cheese, grated
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste.

*Soak chole in plenty of water for 6 to 8 hours and then pressure cook with salt in it till cooked but firm.
*Soak mini soya chunks in buttermilk for an hour and then pressure cook till two whistles, after the pressure drops drain and soak in  water and let sit for 10 minutes, drain and squeeze out the water.





Mix everything together. 

Put it in a greased baking dish/tray.

For the topping:

3 big potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed when hot
2 tblsp butter (amul or similar)
1 tblsp chopped herbs of your choice or just crushed black pepper 
1 tsp garlic paste or crushed garlic
1 tblsp cream
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste
Mash the potatoes when they are hot. add cream and the butter and beat well. Slowly add milk and beat to mix and become fluffy. Add salt, garlic and pepper and mix well. Spread evenly over the filling. 




Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes or till the top is crisp and golden brown in colour. 

Remove and cool slightly. 

                                                           

                                                                                                             

 Serve Hot or Warm. You can serve some whipped sour cream with this. I did not have it so I skipped it.

This is my 4th recipe in baked category.

Logo By Preeti

BM # 32 hosted by Srivalli of  http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in/

Ukdiche Modak

Ukdiche Modak

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

I was very tempted to post this on Ganesh Chaturthi with a different name but somehow it did not feel right. Our family Ganapati is the main home where my husband's cousin and his family live. For one and half day's celebration we are there the whole time. Now all the children have flown the coop and it is just us oldies who celebrate, but when everyone was there or was able to come it use to be great. The older generation was there to guide us and 3 generations of guests would be there for the pooja and prasad which is the afternoon meal.
Modak and at least two other sweets is a must. The vegetables too are the same that are used for 'Naivaidya'. 
This is how the Ukdiche Modak are done.
To make the Ukad for the outer covering:
 Rice is the only important ingredient in this.  We use a local variety called 'kasbai'. But any which is sticky is fine. Now a days even Basmati is used.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo rice
Soak the rice in water for 1/2 an hour and then drain and let dry in shade for a day or two. It should be absolutely dry. The grind it at home or get it done in the flour mill. See to it that it is pure rice flour and not mixed with some other grain. Now to make Ukad
1+ 1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
1+1/2 cups water
1 tsp oil
extra oil for kneading
Keep the water to boil in a thick bottom pan or non stick pan. Add salt and 1 tsp oil and bring it to a rolling boil. lower the heat and while stirring the water add the rice flour in a steady trickle and once all rice flour is gone give a good stir and cover and cook for 10 minutes on low flame. remove lid and give it a good stir. If it has all come together it is done. If not sprinkle some water and cover and cook further for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove in a steel plate to knead. as soon as you can handle it start kneading while still hot. Be careful. Do not burn yourself. If you can't handle the warm dough use a small vessel or back of a katori/steel cup to press and knead the dough. Kneading is very very important. It should become pliable and soft and smooth as you knead. Use oiled palms. Once done keep the dough (Ukad) under a wet muslin cloth or a clean kitchen towel. Now break off a lemon size ball of Ukad and flatten it in the palms of your hands to make a flat disc. Make pleats around the disc and fill about 1 tblsp of the coconut filling and close the open pleated edge by bringing together all the pleats and pinching and making a point at the top. remove excess ukad. In this much amount you should get 21 Modaks. 





To make the coconut filling:
1 big fresh coconut, grated or scraped
Jaggery equal amount of coconut by volume
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Mix everything together and keep aside for 10 minutes. In a heavy bottom pan or a non stick pan heat the coconut mixture stirring all the time till jaggery is dissolved and there are no traces of any liquid. Do not over cook or it will become hard. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool and use to fill the Modaks.
Once you have enough modaks done heat water in the lower half of the a double boiler or modak patra and keep the modaks in single layer in the lined upper basket of the double boiler. Line it with banana leaves. 


Close the vessel and steam Modaks for 15 to 20 minutes or till translucent. 















Let cool and remove to be served with home made ghee.

This is the way the Naivaidya is offered. Each thing has a sequence on how and where to put on the thali.

Traditionally Banana leaf is used But we put it vertical with the narrow part away from you. Salt is never offered with this. It is served after one starts the meal. 

                       

 Decorated Ganapati with offerings in the front. This is a permanent place. The peacocks are done in glazed tiles and are more than 75 years old. The wooden frame is hand carved. 

 The true Naivaidya of Modaks in the special silver vessel for this purpose. 

This is my 6th recipe in regional category

I tried loading a video I had shot while making these modaks but could not upload. Will try again and hope this time it will upload.