Sprouts : in salad, sandwich and dahi bhalla

Kitchen Reform Movement

Sprouts in grated or chopped salad vegetables

Kitchen Reform Movement. That was the name that S S Goindi, then director of the Gandhi Smarak Bhawan in Chandigarh, had given the effort that he and his wife, had launched, in order to improve the nutrition and health of people. The Gandhian couple, a picture of health—lean and mean in an enviable way—made and offered off beat buiscuits, soft drinks and even main courses, even as they promoted that kind of a cooking and eating. Over 25 years ago, Goindiji showed me a few pots of “wheat germ grass”, and discussed their  health quotient. And ten years ago, I saw the whole world of dietiticians, doctors, promoters of whole foods etc, go gaga over wheat germ grass.

Moong Bean sprouts

Why had he called his effort “Kitchen Reform?” was my question. Goindi replied that  because the concept of  kitchen and “balanced meal” had entered our homes, it could not be shooed out, and so reforming the kitchen was all we could do. He was against balanced meals because “it was not natural, but man made an idea”.

Then Goindiji gave an example from nature. Whenever I recall that, my hair stand on ends, in awe and admiration of Nature.

Sprout maker or Mini green house

“Look at the lion or the tiger. So beautiful, elegant, healthy. What do they eat? Only flesh.  Take the horse..what does it eat? Only grass. And look at its body.So majestic. Look at the gait, the speed. Admirable! Where is the concept of a balanced meal ? And what has balanced meal made of man?”

In Goindiji’s s view the modern equivalent of that for us, the home sapiens, is sprouts.They served many things made of sprouts, but in this post, I will share my experience of making sprouts two different ways, and a couple of ways in which I use the sprouts.

Moon sprouts & Moong-Methi sprouts

My grandma and others of her generation generally soaked any grain over night, tied them up in a square piece of muslin or soft much-used-and-discarded-dhoti or saree bit, hung it some where convenient, and found them neatly sprouted a day or two later, depending on the weather, specifically, the humidity.

Sprouts made using a strainer

I had long been soaking moong or chana(chick pea/cow pea) overnight, and letting it stand in a huge strainger on which  I placed a lid, with the strainer resting on any convenient dish that would collect the few drops of water. And a day or two later, I’d have nice sprouts.

A great harvest!

Now there are one or double decker sprout maker  made of see through plastic , or fibre glass, with a dish below for water to create the humidity. It is also called, by some advertisers, the mini greenhouse! I have one of these, and am happay, as I sprout one or two or more varieties of grains, simultaneously –the latest being fenugreek—methi, slightly bitter, but said to be great to keep blood sugar level under check.

Sprouts with Dahi Bhalla

Sprouts are pretty versatile. Add a layer to the vegetables in the sandwich, use them on top of dahi bhalla, or simple toss a salad with finely chopped onions, grated carrots, chopped bell peppers . Finish it off with salt to taste and a dash of lime juice or vinegar. Perfect snack or snack-meal!

My husband tells our young daughter who pays through her nose for a cylinder of gas –she does not have a ration card in Bengalooru where she works—to eat sprouts, as that will save her time and energy,  being a ready made meal. It will save her the cost of gas, as you don’t have to cook it. Above all, it will make her healthy.

PS:

I asked Goindiji if  before the entry of kitchen  early man sprouted moong for lunch and dinner. He did not think I was being a brat or sarcastic. 

In simple words, he replied: “No, I think early man ate fruit..whatever grows locally. And raw vegetables. But since we cannot make people live on vegetables alone, I suggest sprouts also. It is about reforming the kitchen, not going back to nature. That may not be possible”

Rajmah - Chawal, with a whiff of home!

Kidney beans that taste nice and spicy...

Rajmah and rice, with Papad and onion slivers on the side

Home means food, and in Punjab, the northern border state of India, rajmah-chawal means home food. In English, it is called  Kidney beans, because it is kidney shaped. I have many friends who make this, with a dollop of love thrown in, when their children are expected home, from hostel or work in a different city, or even country.

There are varieties of rajmah—from the light brownish, to a variegated variety to the deep maroon coloured beans. And there are shades in between!There are also rajmahs in different sizes, some being a third of the length of the more common variety. The kidney beans grown in Jammu –part of the Jammu and Kashmir state—is believed to be the best.

The protein rich beans, pressure cooked, and cooked some more  in a gravy of onions and tomatoes, some spices and finished off with a generous garnish of chopped coriander, with plain  steamed  Basmati rice is a complete , wholesome meal. For those who want more, it could be a papad, roasted directly on the burner. And perhaps some slices of crisp onion on the side. That description makes me want to wish myself in a roadside dhaba on the Chandigarh-Amritsar highway! Or even somewhere near Banihal pass on the Jammu-Srinagar road.

Here is the simplest way of making it, as would be done in any rural household of Punjab, but using a pressure cooker:

Kidney beans soaking in water

Ingredients

Rajmah-one cup

Onion -1 large

Tomatoes-2 medium sized

Ginger-1 inch piece

Garlic-three or four pods

Cardamom-two

Clove-3

Cinnamon- a 1 inch piece

Bay leaves-2

Vegetable oil-2 teaspoons

Dry fenugreek leaves,crushed(kasoori methi)-1 teaspoon

Powder of roasted coriander seeds and jeera-1 teaspoon heaped

Red chilly powder-one teaspoon

Chopped coriander- a tablespoon, heaped.

Green chillies-3 or 4

(Makes for a generous meal for two)

Cooking Time:  About 40 minutes, not including the soaking time--overnight.

Cooking Method

Wash and soak the kidney beans overnight.  Put them in a pressure cooker, and add water, to ensure there are  about four cups of water in all. Add all the whole spices—cardamom,clove,bay leaves, cinnamon, and pressure cook for about half an hour, without letting the steam escape. To do this, you reduce the flame to minimum the minute you hear the pressure cooker whistle going off.

Tempting and wholesome

While the rajmah is getting cooked, cut the onions and tomatoes roughly. Put them in a blender, along with the ginger and garlic, and puree them together.

In a frying pan, heat the oil, and gently pour the tomato-onion puree, and stir continuously for five minutes. Now add the red chilly powder, the dhania jeera powder and the  kasoori methi, and stir. If it looks like it will stick to the bottom of the frying pan, add a little water, and keep stirring, till the oil leaves the sides.

Add this masala to the pressure cooked rajmah, and let them simmer together for five minutes or so. Add salt to taste. Crush a few of the rajmah beans along the wall of the pressure cooker,with the ladle. This will ensure that the gravy  thickens, and the beans blend together.

Before emptying the cooked rajmah into a serving dish, remove the bayleaves.

Garnish with chopped green chillies and fresh coriander.

Rajmah Chawal @ Home

Vengaya Vathakozhambu/Braised shallots in tamrind sauce

Happy Birthday, Julia !

Julia Child, photo courtesy Esquire.com

“Suddenly the dining room filled with wonderfully intermixing

aromas that I sort of recognized but couldn't name. The first smell

was something oniony-"shallots," Paul identified it, "being sautéed in

fresh butter." ("What's a shallot?" I asked, sheepishly. "You'll see,"

he said.) Then came a warm and winy fragrance from the kitchen, which

was probably a delicious sauce being reduced on the stove. This was

followed by a whiff of something astringent: the salad being tossed in

a big ceramic bowl with lemon, wine vinegar, olive oil, and a few

shakes of salt and pepper.

   My stomach gurgled with hunger.”

(From “My Life in France”, by Julia Child, published posthumously, April 2006)

Shallots or small onions

Meryl Streep as Julia Child in "Julie&Julia"

Julia Child would perhaps be  turning out fantastic food—not necessarily only French—to mark her 100^th birthday, if she had been around.  In India, she was not a household name for foodies and aspiring food writers and wannabe chefs, of the kind Sanjeev Kapoor is, till Meryl Streep and Amy Adams played Julia and Julie respectively in “Julie and Julia”. a couple of years ago.

The Hollywood film was as much a hit in India as elsewhere, and the American woman, Julia Child, perhaps the first celebrity chef /chef to host a food show on tv, became well known if not a household name in the land she visited , among other countries.

It is said that while she and her husband Paul Child, lapped up Chinese food, there is no evidence of  her having anything to do with the cuisine of India or Ceylon which was not Sri Lanka when she set foot there.

Julia Child did not cook Indian, did they say?

  Now shallots, we all know is “small red onions” – or chinna(small) vengayam(onion) or sambar vengayam in South India. 

And many South Indians reading the opening para I have quoted, will find it difficult to believe that Julia did not dabble in South Indian cooking ! 

Vengaya Vathakozhambu or  braised shallots in  spcy tamrind sauce

The dish that made her stomach gurgle with hunger could not have been very different from the very popular, and daily fare—Vengaya Vathakozhambu.

In memory of  the woman who  did not camouflage the real-life experiences of a  person in the kitchen, I decided to make Vengaya Vathakozhambu.

Here goes the recipe:

 Ingredients

Shallots 200 gms

Tamrind paste—3 tablespoons 

Vegetable oil—3 teaspoons

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1 tsp

Urad dhuli-1 tsp

Chana dal-1 tsp

Asofeatida- a pinch

Curry leaves-a few

Dry red chillies-two

Sambar powder-1 teaspoon

Water-two cups

Salt-to taste

Condiments & Herbs that add zing to the dish

Peel the shallots,cut the heads off, and pat try.

Pour the vegetable oil in a sauce pan, and place on the gas. 

When it begins to smoke, add the dry red chillies.

When it is about to turn dark, add the mustard seeds.When they begin to crackle, add the chana dal, then the urad dal, then the fenugreek, the asofeatida and the curry leaves in that order. 

Saute the shallots and condiments in a dash of oil

Stir them nicely for a minute, and toss in the shallots. 

Saute them for a couple of minutes, and add the sambar powder, mix well. 

The air around the stove will be a bit pungent!

Braised shallots simmer in tamrind sauce

Add the  tamarind paste, water, salt, stir well, and allow it to come to boil. 

Now reduce the heat, and allow the “vethakozhambu” to simmer and reduce, till the oil floats on top, or the “tamrind sauce” gets  slightly reduced, and thick. Switch off.

The  braised shallot in tamrind sauce has just the kind of fragrance and astringent quality that made Julia’s tummy gurgle!

This tastes great with plain boiled rice  to which a touch of butter or ghee(clarified butter) has been mixed.

Interestingly enough, Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom, by Julia Child, includes a  braised onions recipe using the kind of shallots that were being sauted in the French dining room when Julia was 36.

For other interesting reads on the Original Master Chef , check out

http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/julia-child-cooking-with-master-chefs/

www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/dining/the-julia-child-recipes-home-cooks-still-make.html?pagewanted=all

Pottery. For visual appeal, and ..may be taste

Pottery tells the story of a civilization.

Pottery from Khurja. Handis

On the pavement of Saket,New Delhi

And discerning tourists and travellers often bring back a piece of pottery from places they visit—most places have a distinct style of pottery.

Not surprising that  the Blue pottery of Jaipur Blue Pottery of Jaipur  is famous the world over. 

Right now the younger Gandhi bahu, Maneka Gandhi, known for her love for animals , has a show going to raise funds for animal welfare, through sale of specially commissioned pottery.

But in North India, say pottery, and what comes to mind is  Khurja, 

the place known for some utilitarian pottery without any compromise on aesthetics.

Fabindia and Mother Earth, as well as Home Town and Earth Store, all stock pottery that are either distinct, and designed exclusively for them. Or pick up the best from potters in Khurja.

Pizza Plates my friend Neena Singh bought at one of the roadside shops in Kalka

Those driving up to the Kasuali hills often pick up the Khurja pottery, believing it to be made in the mountain state, as they drive past Kalka, where a few pottery shops halt those driving past, by their sheer colour and gloss.

In the national capital, Dilli Hat often has  potters selling their ware. And some potters and middlemen are a permanent fixture in Sarojini Nagar’s famed market.

But without a doubt, those who want to shop pottery flock to Hauz Rani, near Saket. One side of the road is a riot of colours as shopkeers display and sell a wide range of pottery, at very reasonable rates.

Here goes a glimpse of what they have …

At Hauz Rani  in New Delhi

At Hauz  Rani  in New Delhi

At Hauz Rani  in New Delhi

At Hauz Rani  in New Delhi

At Hauz Rani in New Delhi

At Hauz Rani in New Delhi

At Hauz Rani  in New Delhi

Khurja pottery

Plates from Khurja

Tea for Two

Multipurpose jars

Khurja pottery

Eat with your eyes!

Brinjal rice or Vaangi Bath

Aubergine or Egg Plant in Rice and Spice

Vaangi Bath or Brinjal Rice

Brinjal  sounds sad.  Egg plant sounds so so . Aubergine sounds  la-di-da. “Baingan” many in North India say, is “be gun”—without any character. Yet, in some countries and some cuisine, it is a smashing hit.

And regardless of being discarded as characterless in North, and not the most popular of vegetables in the South, the brinjal is used to make a variety of dishes.

Round brinjals

It is one of those vegetables that comes in many sizes, and colours, and sometimes even in shades put together. White, green, purple, purple and white striped ones. Small and round, huge and round, sometimes really long and thin..

Brinjals diced into small cubes

 I bought some with the idea of making the most popular, and  thus, the most ordinariest of dishes made using these huge, round brinjals—Baingan ka Bharta. 

But I gave in to the temptation of trying out a dish I’d not eaten in a real long time—Vaangi Bath or Brinjal Rice.

 A call to Mom in Chennai, and I knew that the dish would give the taste of the brinjal rice I had to be coaxed to eat as a child, but grew to like after my college years.

Brinjal cooked almost like a subzi

 It is probably one of those adult if not sexy dishes! For children can rarely be made to enjoy eating this one.

It is simple to make, and all it needs on the side, is a plate full of potato wafers or fryums. Or a bowl of raita. Best part. I'd converted a bowl of rice sitting in the fridge for almost a day, into something hot and spicy, and a very tasty complete  meal.

Time taken : 5 minutes, presuming you have plain rice, cooked and cooled, and some  “curry “ powder or “fresh sambar powder” ready.

Ingredients:

Brinjal-1 big round one

Cooked Rice- 1 cup

Fresh sambar powder or curry powder- 1 heaped teaspoon

Salt to taste

Turmeric-a pinch

Asofeatida-a pinch

Dry Red chillies-2

Mustard seeds-Half a teaspoon

Urad dal dehusked,split-Half a teaspoon

Curry leaves-a few

Tamrind paste-a quarter teaspoon, diluted in a teaspoon of water

Vegetable oil-three teaspoons

Wash and dice the brinjal into tiny pieces.

In a frying pan, add the add, and when it smokes add the dry red chillies and mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to crackle, add the urad dal, asofeatida and curry leaves.

Curry or Fresh Sambar powder

 When the dal turns a nice golden hue, take out some of this for a garnish, and  add the chopped brinjal. Add the tamrind water. Stir gently, and add the turmeric and salt, and mix well. Cook on low flame , stirring every now and then, till the brinjal is cooked by not shrunk too much.

 Now add the curry powder or fresh sambar powder, stir, and switch off.

Brinjal Rice or Vaangi Bath

Add this cooked brinjal to the cooked rice, and mix well. Garnish with the tempering that you earlier removed from the pan, and the Vaangi Bath is ready to be devoured.

It makes for a nice meal in a tiffin box, to be taken to school or work, with a packet of Lays. Saif (Ali Khan) would never have imagined that his favourite snack can lift a meal, so , so high!

Pear Cupcake, crunchy and moist

Fresh pear , cinnamon & caramel syrup make for a delightful cupcake pudding

Pear cupcake 

Fresh fruit cake.  Fresh fruits and cake. Fruit cake. There has got to be a difference  among the three . But the bottomline is that they all taste just as good—whether the cake is made with candied fruits, fresh fruits, or just topped with some fruit in the icing.

Pear, cut like potato fingers, and stewed a bit

The other day , my friend Sati brought me some lovely  freshly plucked pear from her garden.

But to make it easy for me to eat with ice-cream(her favourite way of eating it!) , she had cut them like one would potatoes for fries, crunchily stewed  it.

Most of it went into a fresh fruit cupcake without icing that I had been wanting to make for sometime now.

The idea was really to use the beautiful silicone muffin moulds  I’d bought last year, but never really used it since this bloggadiction began.

Vanilla cake batter

I must confess, I simplified it to the point of making the cupcake into a warm pudding. 

Here is how:

1.Make  plain vanilla cake batter , using one cup all-purpose flour(choose your own method)

2.Dice the fresh fruit of your choice(I used the pear fingers)to make half a cup of fruit bits, add a heaped teaspoon of cinnamon powder, a tablespoon of fresh caramel syrup, and a heaped spoon of fresh butter. 

Stir well, and add to the vanilla cake batter. Blend together, and half fill the silicon cupcake moulds—I made  a batch of six.

3 Microwave in the highest for 5 minutes.

Melt in your mouth kind of cupcake pudding!

The  no frill fresh pear cupcake pudding is ready, to be eaten just plain. If you are not in a tearing hurry, make some plain custard sauce to go with it.

Not even an average of 3 minutes a cupcake , all told!

Nankhatais ,Ovenfresh Cookies on the Cart

Baking cookies can't get simpler than this!

Nankhatais of Delhi,baked on the spot

Nankhatais, the soft,  yet crunchy, fluffy, buttery and sweet desi version of the simple cookie , are something that I’ve eaten  periodically since Chandigarh became my home way back. 

We used to buy them from the old Capital Bakery , one in Sector 8 and another in Sector 10, they had nothing to do with each other. Later when Sindhi Sweets opened shop it became “asli gheewale
 nankhatai”— full of pure ghee and loaded with calories and cholesterol. 

The implication is that till they began making it, the bakeries used, not butter, but vegetable fat—the best known brand being Dalda.

Innovative "oven"

I saw a different version, made and served on the spot, long before Cookie Man from Australia entered the malls of an India going global beginning in the new millennium.

The nankhatais were made in bakery-on-the-wheels--on carts with cycle wheels. The oven comprised an old tyre complete with rim and hub cap, and the cylindrical tin, never more than a foot high, and about eight inches in diameter. 

Using a few charcoal bits placed in the centre of the rim, as fuel, and an inverted hubcap for girdle(tawa), the scoops of the dough turn golden as the cylindrical part of an old Dalda tin, maintains the temperature. 

These  old Dalda tins are hardly to be seen, and  have become a collector’s item these days !

These nankhataiwalas are aplenty in the old parts of Delhi. I am told their counterparts are to be seen at traditional fairs in Uttar Pradesh as well.

The other day, I saw one boy selling the oven-fresh  cookie that is our very own, at Sadar Bazar area of New Delhi. His  “masala”—as he called the dough of a bit of semolina, lots of allpurpose flour, sugar and ghee, plus any secret ingrendient they may be using—was over, so he had put away the “oven”.

Long live  Delhi’s oven fresh cookies !

Nankhatais