Foodologue...

2014-01-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

Another highlight in Sankranti was the 'Bor nahan' which literally translates to Bathe in Berries. This is a function organised for small children. SO if there is a toddler in the house apart from the haldi-kumkum there is also a bor-nahan. All kids in the vicinity are invited to this function. Small pieces of sugarcane, peas and chocolates are mixed with sweet and sour berries and poured over the 'toddler of the house's' head and all other kids run around collecting as much as they can to eat and share with their friends.

2014-01-21T07:14:00.001-08:00

The high point of Sankranti was the haldi-kumkum where turmeric and red kumkum is distributed to all women. As children we were given the most important task of going from house to house in the vicinity and inviting the ladies for the haldi-kumkum. Mostly, the invitations were issued a day or so in advance.

Then there was a frenzy of preparations. You had to pull out the silver attar-dani, which contained perfume on a cotton ball, gulab -dani which had rose-water and take-away gifts which were very practical and varied each year! There was a challenge to be creative as you did not want to repeat a gift given by someone else the same year atleast. So it could be anything from candles to green vegetables but the most common was steel spoons and bowls.Oh, and how could I forget the flowers, mostly asters white,pink and violet!

On the day of the function, the living room was cleaned thoroughly and doilies laid on the teapoy. The silver ware arranged and a bowl of sesame seeds laddoos kept alongside. The old throws and hand embroidered sheets were laid out neatly on the diwan and then the women would begin to trickle. All dressed in lovely traditional sarees, green, blue, red, orange, pink violet and flowers in their hair. We children got to wear our parkar-polkas which was a long skirt with a blouse. I had a red one with sequins and a black one with bright red and yellow flowers!

Then the ladies of the house would give the haldi-kumkum and til-gul and their gifts. My friends A and K would join our family as volunteers and we got to distribute the rest - flowers, attar and gulab jal. I loved the gulab-jal duty where I could walk around sprinkling gulab jal on everyone and they would say, Stop, stop, enough!

Some of the Aunties would bring small gifts for the kids, some guavas or bananas from their own gardens or sometimes some snack they had made at home and so it would be a fragrant, delicious evening to remember!

2014-01-13T21:08:00.001-08:00

Sankranti was always much awaited for the til-gul combination, especially the laddus that were made by pounding roasted seseame seeds, jaggery and cardamom and then mixing them all together.

If there was a small child at home or a newly married bride then one would go out and buy halwa (tiny stars made of sugar) ornaments. New brides and young children got new black clothes/ sari to wear.

Sesame seed laddus are now readily available in the stores but that jaggery is heated unlike the pounded jaggery laddus that were served at home.

The Bhogi meal

2014-01-13T08:43:00.001-08:00

Bhogi is generally the 13th of January, the day before Makar Sankranti and eagerly awaited in the New Year for the delicacies made on this day.

The Bhogi menu at home would be:
Vangyache bhareet (Brinjal Bharta)
Lasnachi chutney (garlic chutney)
Mugachi khichadi (khichidi with green gran dal)
Kadhi
Bajri chi bhakri

The bharta menu is already posted on the blog. Vangi as the brinjals are called evoked a variety of emotions and Dadima talked emotionally about 'Krishna kathchi vangi' (brinjals grown on the banks of the Krishna river)which were supposed to be beyond compare.

The lasnachi chutney is a simple chutney that can be stored for a week or so.
You need
3 bulbs of garlic (peeled)
20 red dried chillies
1 cup peanuts (roasted)
1/2 of one dried copra (grated)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin

Heat a teaspoon of oil and roast the cumin and dry chillies and grated copra. Add all the ingredients together and grind them coarsely. Store in an air-tight container. This is Dadima's recipe but Nanima preferred more peanuts. You can try different permutations and combinations too till you find the one that suits you best.

The Kadhi is still my favourite its status as comfort food remains at the top of my list. Those days curds were made at home with full- cream milk and then the butter churned from the buttermilk. While serving the bajra roti there would be a dollop of home-made butter melting on it. The kadhi would be made from this buttermilk and it had a creamy texture and a slightly sweet taste.

The Kadhi recipe is really simple. To 2 cups of buttermilk add a tablespoon of gramflour. Chop 2 green chillies fine and also coriander leaves (fistful). Blend well! Add a teaspoon of butter to a heated wok, half a teaspoonful of cumin, the chopped chilles, a pinch of asafoetida and about 20 curry leaves. These are the most important ingredient as they change the flavour of the curry. Add the buttermilk-gramflour mixture to this and then as it boils add salt to taste.Eat with warm white rice for the best meal ever tasted!

So what are you making today?

Oops forgot to tell you about the udadachey papad - they would be Lijjat brand! Crunchy and yum!

2014-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hi Ripples, Happy 2014! This blog is now being written for you! In its new avatar for 2014 it will still take us through the four seasons and the food journey. The then, the now and the unknown; the family and neighbourhood! Well, it all started with me not finding enough time to share what little I know about cooking etc. and Aunty U with her forthright manner suggested writing it all done if forgetting things was my only worry! Since, I don't have a witty comeback to that, here goes... If ye all there can recognize yourself with your quirks, feel free to feed me again!

New beginings!

2011-08-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Then,

Taking up the challenge of keeping this blog going for one set of seasons. Dividing it into the 'Then' and 'Now' sections. The 'Then' is the nostalgia of how things were with three resident grandmothers 'The Three Graces' and 'Now' is the now, ofcourse. How we react to the same festivals and same seasons and vegetables today!

It is the day of 'ganapathi' festival. The elephant-God is worshipped before all beginings and the festive atomosphere and the food were unparallelled.

'Modaks' were made for the Bappa.For more information on modaks -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modak

There are two types of Modaks - Ukadiche (steamed) and tal-lele (fried). One of these were made today and supplemented by AA Sweets' Kaju Modak.
These sites have good recipes -

http://www.tarladalal.com/Modak-4950r

http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/Modak.htm

11 modaks are served to the Ganpati and Daddy, who was incharge of the ceremony had 11 for himself. And all the rest shared by everyone after pilfering a few from daddy's eleven.

Now,

The best Modaks I ate recently were at The Courtyard by Mariott at their evening buffet when they had a Maharashtrian evening.

Planning to maake some today, but like all best 'made' plans...

Searching for sweet potatoes

2008-10-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

The hunt for sweet potatoes is on.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single sweet potato in the market currently. So the recipes will have to wait till I find the elusive potatoes.

In the mean time let's carry on with other 'fasting' recipes with sago.

One very delicious one is the sabudana vada -

To make sabudana vada

Soak a cup of sago overnight and then drain for a couple of hours before using it.

To this add half a cup of coarsely-ground roasted peanuts, three-four ground green chillies and salt to taste.

Mix thoroughly and make small patties from this mixture. Deep fry these patties in hot oil till golden brown.

These can be eaten with a curd dip.

Sweet potatoes...

2008-10-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Then there were sweet potatoes. And so many different things made from them.

You could replace potatoes in the salad we talked about earlier with sweet potatoes.

You could boil and mash the sweet potatoes, add milk and honey and eat them.

You could make pancakes with sweet potatoes.

And then there were these two desserts made with sweet potatoes.

Wait! Let me post the recipes one by one for you to try...

Potatoes anyone?

2008-10-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Potatoes were OK while fasting at my place. A salad of potatoes and peanuts was to be eaten while fasting. Simply yum!

Here's how to make it...

Boil and peel 3 medium size potatoes and dice them. Add half a cup of roasted peanuts, coarsely ground. Mince three small green chillies and add to the mixture. Now squeeze the juice from half a lemon over it. Add rock salt to taste. (I don't know if rock salt was used because it was a fasting period or just because it tastes different.)

Mix well and serve.

That's it. So simple and makes a wonderful quick,snack any other time too.

Happy Dusserah

2008-10-09T04:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a long hiatus and it's nice to be back!

Its Dusserah today and the fasting period for Navaratri has come to an end.

As kids we had to declare we were fasting so as to partake of all the 'fasting-special' goodies that would be made for all the fasting adults. So we would look forward to the fast.

My great grandmother used to fast every week, on Thursdays. As soon as it was Friday she would start planning what to eat on her next 'fast' Thursday which was quite entertaining...

I, for one, associate all fasts with food!

Let me bring you these 'grandma' special recipes one after the other in the next few days.

First and foremost dairy products were alright for fasting. And cool buttermilk with a dash of salt, sugar, ground cumin powder and coriander leaves was in plentiful. So lets start with that as an appetizer today and move on to the other recipes later.

Valentine's day special

2008-02-16T05:09:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing you a belated Happy Valentine's day and hoping it was a very happy one...

Progress Report?

2008-01-21T07:24:00.001-08:00

Went to the local library this evening in search of recipe books, especially something on Andorran cuisine and found an entire treasure trove of cook books of all kinds but the one I was looking for and came back empty handed.

But now that I think back on it it was an extremely impulsive decision as I should have brought back any of the other interesting ones, isn't it?

Well, maybe tomorrow! Meanwhile, the search continues...

Help!

2008-01-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

Been looking for recipes from Andorra and couldn't find much on the Net. Please let me know if you all know any...

Happy Sankranti and a Happy Pongal!

2008-01-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

The 14th of January is celebrated as Sankranti in Maharashtra where a traditional sweet made of jaggery and sesame seeds is made. It is shared among family and friends and when this sweet is offered one says, "Til gul ghya ani goad bola" which rougly translated would mean 'Eat this sweet and speak as sweetly'.

I am searching for a mortar and pestle to make it the traditional way with my Grandma's recipe. As soon as I find one, I'll make the same and post the recipe for all of you to try out.

The next day Pongal is celebrated in TamilNadu. A special Pongal is cooked in an earthern pot on an open fire - this is a mixture of rice, jaggery and grated coconut and tastes absolutely delicious!

Anyway I remember when my Dadima was still around she would cook a great meal on the day before Sankranti and the menu was bajra (millets) roti, baigan bharta, buttermilk seasoned with coriander and ground green chillies, dry garlic chutney, dry sesame seeds chutney and sesame seeds laddoo for dessert.
The bajra rotis were served hot with a dollop of fresh home-made butter. All mouth watering.

Now that I have titillated your tastebuds, have a look at the traditional baigan bharta recipe:

Take a large bharta baingan and baste it with oil. Poke a metallic skewer through it and roast it on the gas stove till done. Remove from the fire. Let it cool and then with with wet hands remove the burnt outer cover of the baingan and mash the pulp with a wooden spoon. Keep aside.

Take,
2 med onions chopped fine
2 tomatoes chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 med carrot grated
1 med radish grated
1/2 cup peas
2-3 slit green chillies or red chilli powder
salt

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds

Finely chopped parsley for garnishing

Pour the oil in a wok and heat it. Add the mustard seeds and wait till they crackle. Now add the onions and fry till pink. Then add the tomatoes and stir-fry for a few minutes. Now add the garlic, carrot and radish and finally the peas and cover the wok with a lid till the peas stop bouncing.
Remove the lid and add the mashed brinjal pulp and salt. Mix well and leave on the fire for a few minutes.
Remove from the fire, garnish with coriander and serve hot with Indian bread.
Bon appetit!

P.S. I searched around for fresh peas but couldn't find them.So my bharta is without peas.

Ripples will post the photographs for the same later in the day.

Albania - Mixed Vegetables

2008-01-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

When we searched on the Net for Albanian recipes we found many non-veg ones but few veg. Stuffed vine leaves were enticing but due to inavailability of vine leaves here, we had to settle for Mixed vegetables

Well, we had our misgivings about this one, especially as there are no spices involved and the only seasoning is salt and pepper.

This one was a pleasant surprise as it tasted real good. The parsley lends a lovely aroma that was wafting out of the kitchen as the dish was being cooked.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look as good as it tasted...

We brought the veggies from the supermarket but I am sure this will taste divine with organically grown veggies! Next time...

Afganistan - Tamarind potatoes

2008-01-12T00:36:00.000-08:00

The first country listed in TL is Afganistan. So we searched on the Net and came up with this recipe for Tamarind potatoes.

We chose this recipe because all the ingredients listed are easily available here and it also seemed quite easy to make.

The photograph follows:

It turned out to be great. The tanginess of the tamarind and the flavour imparted by all the spices enveloped the potatoes.
I substituted the ginger by mango ginger which added a crunchiness.

The fennel seeds added a distinct flavour too.

Journey round the world...

2008-01-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

We have come up with this idea of special Sunday posts.
We are going to try out one veg recipe from each country listed at About.com:Geography by Matt Rosenberg, About.com
Hereafter, I am going to refer to this list as TL (The List)

We have decided to search on the Net and also ask friends and aquaintances for recipes from their countries and we plan to cook and eat one each Sunday. We will let you know where we found the recipe and our experiences with it.

I hope you enjoy this journey with us.

Happy 2008

2008-01-04T02:03:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing everyone out there a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Hi there!

2007-12-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

Wish you all out there a Merry Christmas!

Ripples and Shuffles