This is an excellent tasting cracker made with chickpea flour, rice flour and Indian spices. Traditionally, it is made with wheat flour.
In the previous post, Aloo Gobi, I had mentioned my experiment to apply the technique learnt in the cooking class that I took in making Indian crackers, failed. I had messed up on the proportion of spices and forgot to add oil, an essential ingredient! I was determined to try again since I really miss some of the crackers my mom used to make. She used to roll the dough really thin and then would cook it on the stove top by constantly pressing on the rolled out cracker on a hot pan with a kitchen towel. Basically, she was making sure that the steam generated from the heat would not make it puff up. After all the crackers were cooked, she would go on to make the world’s best garlic chutney.
…continue reading Khakra (Lightly Spiced Chickpea Cracker)
Tags: Gluten-free · Snack · Vegetarian
Masala Okra is a dish made so that it is not slimy. This is done by cooking the okra till it is slightly crunchy. You have to try it even if you hate Okra.
One of my friends from Minneapolis is from the southern part of the US. She hated okra since the only way she was used to eating it is in the form of gumbo. I had her try the way I cooked it (as outlined in the recipe below) and she loved it. She was surprised that it was not slimy. Okra is one of my favorite vegetable but I do not like it’s slimy texture either. How do you get rid of the sliminess when cooking okra? The most important thing to do is to dry it really well after washing it wipe with a damp cloth or paper towel. The next step is to cook it in the pan before adding any other vegetables or spices other than onion. Cook it till it starts to brown a little. Once that is done, then add spices and tomatoes etc. There are also recipes that are made by frying the okra in oil. I prefer not to fry okra since it soaks up a lot of oil and the dish comes out really oily. I believe that is how you will find them in the Indian restaurants.
Okra cut on both ends.
…continue reading Masala Bhindi (Masala Spiced Okra)
Tags: Entree · Gluten-free · Vegetarian
Pav Bhaji literally means Bread and Vegetables. It is a spicy melange of various vegetables that originated in the streets of Mumbai, India. It is supposed to be a spicy dish.
There is a whole section of Indian cuisine that very few people outside India are familiar with nor have they tasted it. Majority of the Indian restaurants in the US do not carry the food known as street food. There is an amazing and fantastic variety of dishes that come under that umbrella. They are lip smackingly tasty. If you ever been to Bombay (or Mumbai as it is called now), you will notice an array of food places on the streets. They range from Pani Puri (puffed puri with a spicy tamarind broth), Bhel Puri (crushed puris with garbanzo beans, yoghurt, chick pea flour noodles, tamarind and mint chutneys), Samosa (spicy potato and peas wrapped in a wonton wrapper and deep fried), Pav Bhaji, Pakoda and many others.
…continue reading Pav Bhaji (Spicy Vegetable Melange)
Tags: Entree · Vegetarian
A nutritious dessert made with semolina flour and ghee (clarified butter) along with almonds and raisins.
Every time I think of Halwa, it brings memories of my childhood in India. I remember attending various weddings and was in awe of the amount of food that was being made by the cooks. They were cooking for hundreds of guests in huge woks and cooking utensils. Indian weddings are usually attended by hundreds of guests since the wedding invitation usually says come with friends and family. The cooks would start making the food in the morning with huge quantities of vegetables, flour, ghee, oil, and of course the spices.
Halwa can be made with various ingredients – semolina flour, wheat four, almonds, carrots, lentils, yams etc. My favorite is halwa made with semolina and almonds or just with almonds (I will post a recipe of almond halwa in a future post). The traditional way to make halwa is with lots of ghee and sugar. I have made modification to the recipe to cut down on the amount of ghee and sugar.
A really good quality organic semolina is from Bob’s Red Mill. You can also buy the flour from any Indian store. It is called Sooji. Ghee is available in Whole Foods and other grocery stores or at an Indian store. I prefer the Pure Indian Foods brand of ghee shown in the photo. You can get the ghee via mail order by clicking on the link under Online Stores. Ghee has an excellent nutty taste and a pale yellow color. Ghee is made by heating butter long enough until the moisture in the milk solids evaporate. It has an excellent taste and is used in a variety of Indian dishes. I usually buy it ready made since it is too much of a hassle to make it from scratch.
…continue reading Semolina Halwa
Tags: Dessert · Semolina · Vegetarian
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