Khasta Puri and Channe Jaisalmer Ke

It’s well past the deadline and I was still scrambling to make something for this month’s RCI, featuring Rajasthani Cuisine. I emailed a friend asking her for Rajasthani recipes and she gave me three, all of which required some additional shopping to the pantry or the refrigerator. So I decided to look online and try the first few dishes which appealed to me, and I came across Khasta Puris and Jaisalmer ki Chane. I was waiting to use a packet of black chana which has been sitting in my pantry for quite sometime now, fortunately I found very good use for it.

Channe Jaisalmer Ke

You will need:

1 cup Black Channa (Chickpeas)
3 tbsp Ghee
3 Green Cardamoms
4 Cloves
1 inch pc Cinnamon
1 tsp Cumin seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
1 onion chopped
½ tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Chaat Masala powder
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
2 tsp Corriander powder
Salt to taste
3-4 Green chillies chopped
1 ½ cups Yoghurt (plain)
2 tbsp Besan (gram flour)

Soak the black channa in water overnight. Drain and pressure cook the next day with sufficient water till cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. When the cumin begins to splutter, add the chopped onions and chopped green chillies. Saute till onions are soft and transparent.

In a medium bowl, blend the yoghurt, besan,chilli powder, garam masala, chaat masala and turmeric. Make a smooth paste.

Add this to the pan and mix well. Add a cup of water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for a minute. Add the boiled, drained black channa. Season with salt. Bring to a simmering boil, add water if required. Serve hot with Khasta Puris.

Khasta Puris

You will need:

1 Cup Maida (All purpose Flour)
1 tsp Ajwain
3 tsbp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required
Oil for deep frying

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, ajwain, oil and water as required to make a soft dough. Cover and let sit for an hour.

Roll out into pooris and deep fry till light brown on each side. Drain excess oil on paper towels and serve hot with Channa.

This is my contribution to RCI:Rajasthan hosted by Padma of Spicy Andhra.

Cham-Chams

When RCI: Bengal was announced the first thing that came to mind was the juicy Bengali sweets. I had two favourites as a kid (and still do), Champakali (Cham Cham) and Malai Sandwich. I googled to find out which sweets are actually possible to make at home and to my surprise came across a recipe for Cham Cham. A few months ago I had tried to make Rasagollas at home, and they were perfect.I was pleasantly surprised that the method was so simple and easy.

Most Bengali sweets have Paneer as the starting base. Like so for the Cham Cham, which also has a mawa filling in between. Making this mawa/khoya was another procedure. More on that later. Now back to the juicy yellow Cham chams.

You will need:

For the outer layer:

5 cups Whole Milk
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 tsp Lemon Yellow food colour
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Sugar

For the filling:

1 Cup Plain Khoya
3/4 Cup Heavy Whipping cream
3 tbsp Powdered Sugar
Cherries

Bring milk to a boil on the stove top. Stir frequently to prevent burning. When the milk begins to boil add the lime juice, this will curdle the milk and the whey will begin to split. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Strain into a colander lined with a double layer of cheese cloth or any thin cloth. Run under cold water to rinse off the lemon residue.

Squeeze the cloth to drain as much water as possible. Place in the colander for 20 minutes to allow all the water to drain.

Once the water has drained, transfer Paneer to a smooth, clean kneading surface. Add the food colour and knead the paneer for 5-7 minutes till it comes together into a soft dough. As you knead the ball should give off fat, this is the time to stop. (Over kneading makes the end product very chewy)

Set water to boil in a pressure cooker. Stir in the sugar and bring to a full boil.

Divide the kneaded paneer into equal parts, and shape into long oblong pieces. Remember to make the pieces small,because they will double in size once they are cooked.

Once the syrup comes to a boil, slowly add the pieces into the cooker. Make sure your cooker is big enough to accommodate all the pieces without being too crowded. Close lid, place weight on cooker and pressure cook on high for two whistles. Reduce heat to low, cook for 5 minutes and then turn off heat.

Do not handle the cham chams when they are hot, they are very delicate. This holds true if you are making Rasagolla or Rasmalai too.

This is how they will look once pressure cooked. Let cool and refrigerate overnight or for alteast 6 hours before u make the filling.


In a pan on medium heat, mix cream, plain khoya and the powdered sugar. Stir till it thickens. Let cool well and then knead into a dough. This is the filling.

Slice each cham cham lengthwise, place a long piece of filling in between and press the two pieces together. Top with a halved cherry and serve. Keep chilled. The sugar syrup can be refrigerated and stored for a good while. Use it instead of sugar in milkshakes or anything else.



The same procedure goes for making Rasagollas, except that you don't need to add food colour, make round balls instead of oblongs and of course no filling is necessary.

Note: I probably cooked the filling more than required hence the brown colour, it should remain creamy white.

These yummy Cham Chams are headed over to the event RCI: Bengal hosted by Sandeepa of Bong Mom's Cookbook.

Saffron Rice with Bengali Egg Curry

I have been looking forward to the Bengal version of RCI ever since I had lipsmacking Bengali food at a friend’s place. Her mom was here for a month, and she had made around fifteen dishes excluding three varieties of sweets. Phew, just the spread had hubby and me drooling:-D. I kept telling my friend and her mom that they should have invited us for dinner 3 nights in a row then, we could have done justice to all these dishes! I had enjoyed one curry in particular that night, the Bengali Egg curry. When RCI was announced, it was a very good excuse for me to try that curry at home.

Bengali Egg Curry

You will need:

1 red onion chopped

1 Tomato chopped

1” cinnamon stick

2 Cardamoms, cracked, skins discarded

2 Cloves

1” fresh Ginger grated

2 Cloves Garlic grated

4 hard boiled eggs, shelled

1 large potato cut into big chunks

1 tsp Red chilli powder

½ tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

4 tbsp Oil

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a few seconds and then add the ginger and garlic. Saute till fragrant and then add the chopped onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes till they are soft. Add half of the chopped tomatoes. Let tomatoes soften. Cool this mixture and then grind to a smooth paste with water as required.

Heat remaining oil in another pan. Add the boiled eggs and fry till outer layer is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Now add the potato chunks and fry till cooked through. Cook on medium heat and flip pieces as they crisp up and turn brown. Remove and drain excess oil.

Reheat the oil in the same pan. Add the turmeric and red chilli powder. Let sizzle for a few seconds. Now add the ground paste and ½ cup Water. Saute on low heat for 7-8 minutes till gravy is thick and has changed colour to reddish brown. Once the gravy is done, oil will float on top. Now add the fried eggs and potatoes, remaining chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and stir well. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with Saffron rice.

Saffron Rice

You will need:

2 cups Basmati Rice

1/3 cup Milk

½ tsp Saffron strands

½ tsp Salt

3 ¼ cups water

3 Cardamoms

2 Cloves

Wash the rice well and place in a medium saucepan with water. Toss in the whole spices (cardamom, cloves) along with salt. Bring to boil, then simmer covered for 10 minutes

Meanwhile, warm up milk and saffron in a small cup in the microwave (2 minutes).

Check if rice is cooked (without being too soft/sticky). Drain excess water and pour saffron and milk mixture on top. Lightly fork together over medium heat. Cook covered for 7 minutes.Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

These are my entries to RCI:Bengal hosted by Sandeepa of Bong Mom's Cookbook.

Coming next: Cham-Chams :)

RCI :Bihar

This month’s Regional Cuisine of India (RCI) is dedicated to Cuisine of Bihar. Honestly I had no idea what Bihari cuisine consisted of until I read about it because of RCI :) I have never tried other states’ cuisines other than the states in South India. So this was a good experience to explore as well as get a good taste of the yummy Bihari food varieties.

To know about the history, geography, economical status and culture of the state of Bihar one can take a look at its cuisine. Food habits of the people in Bihar show how the cuisine of the state has evolved over centuries under the influence of various cultures and regimes which controlled it from time to time.

Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in Bihar and hence the impact of Buddhism is significant of the state. People are largely vegetarian though many are fond of chicken and meat dishes. Bihar has also been under the reign of mighty Moghuls and naturally the exotic Mughal cuisine affected the Bihar style of cooking and the taste of the inhabitants of the state. A remarkable factor of Bihari cuisine is that the state has imbibed the best and most suitable aspects of the Gupta, Mauryan, Turk, Afghan, Persian and European style of cooking and at the same time retained a food culture that bears a distinct hallmark of Bihar.

I went about making a Bihari thali, I tried to find out what exactly constitutes a Bihari thali but came up with nada online! So I made my own thali with one Subzi, one Daal, rice, paranthas and a sweet dish.

Bihari Thali

Aloo Gobi Matar ki Sabzi

You will need:

2 Boiled Potato (medium sized, cubed)

1 cup Cauliflower florets

2 Tomatoes chopped

1 cup Fresh or frozen peas

1 cup Mustard Oil

½ tsp Cumin seeds

2 Bay leaves

2 Dried red chillies

4 Cloves; 1 Big Cardomom ; 2 Small Cardomoms ; 1” pc Cinnamon stick

1 Onion chopped

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Haldi powder ; 1 tsp Cumin powder ; 1 tsp Corriander powder ; 1 tsp Red Chilly powder ; 1 tsp Garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Ghee

Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a pan. Sprinkle some salt on the boiled cubed potato pieces. When the oil is hot, put the potato in it and deep fry till potatoes are crisp and golden brown. Drain the excess oil and keep aside. Deep fry the cauliflower florets too in the same oil, till they turn golden brown. Drain excess oil.

Heat 4 tbsp of oil in another pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, dried red chilli, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick. When the cumin begins to splutter, add onion and saute till it becomes soft and translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes. Saute for 3 minutes, then add all the powdered masalas. Add the fried potatoes and gobhi, peas and salt. Saute everything for 2 minutes. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes, this helps cook the peas. Uncover, pour one tsp of ghee on top and serve hot with chapathis, paranthas or steamed rice.

Chana Dal Masala Fry

You will need:

1 cup Chana daal
8 tbsp oil
½ tsp Cumin seeds
2 Bay leaves
2 Dried red chillies
4 Cloves; 1 Big Cardomom ; 2 Small Cardomoms ; 1” pc Cinnamon stick
1 Onion chopped
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Turmeric powder ; 1 tsp Cumin powder ; 1 tsp Corriander powder ; 1 tsp Red Chilly powder ; 1 tsp Garam masala powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsps Ghee

Pressure cook the chana dal with salt and turmeric powder in 2 cups water. Do not overcook, the daal should not be flat or broken, shape must be intact.

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, dry red chillies, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick. Add the chopped onion and fry till it becomes soft. Add the Ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Now add the cumin, coriander, red chilli and garam masala powders. Add ½ tsp of salt. Saute for 5-6 minutes till all the powders come together and the individual smells are gone. Now add the boiled daal with little water. Mix well and bring to a simmering boil. Garnish with chopped coriander and ghee. Serve hot with chapathis/paranthas or steamed Basmati Rice

Palak Parathas

You will need:

1 large bunch Spinach
Wheat flour as required
2 tsp Oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp Amchur powder
2 Green chillies finely chopped
¼ “ pc Ginger finely chopped
3 small garlic pods finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped Corriander
1 ½ tsps Corriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Butter/ghee

Wash and roughly chop spinach. Add it to boiling water and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and make a smooth puree in a blender. Reserve in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute till garlic is light brown. Add this to the spinach puree along with the amchur, coriander and red chilli powders. Also add salt to taste. Now add wheat flour as required to make a soft pliable dough. Let sit for 30 mins or more. Roll into thick parathas and roast on a hot pan, apply butter on both sides and serve hot.

Malpua

I hadn’t heard of Malpuas until now and the images online looked so good, that I had to try them myself! All I can say is “Why didn’t I know sooner!”

You will need:

2 cups All Purpose Flour (Maida)
3 cups Milk
2 Bananas mashed
3 tbsp Fine Sooji (semolina)
2 cups Sugar
3 cups Water
½ tsp Cardamom powder
Few saffron strands
1 cup Ghee (for frying)

Mix flour, fine sooji, milk, saffron strands, cardamom powder and mashed banana in a bowl to make a thick pouring consistency batter. Keep aside for 30 mins.

Meanwhile make the sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water till it thickens to form a clear sticky syrup. Heat ghee in a pan for deep frying. Pour a small cup of batter in the centre of the hot ghee and fry on both sides till its light golden brown. Soak in sugar syrup for a minute and plate. Garnish with chopped pistachios and almonds and serve hot.

Malpuas are ritually eaten with kheer or rabdi, but for me Malpuas were sweet enough so skipped the rabdi.

It was a wonderful experience exploring the cuisine of Bihar. Bihar Thali & Malpua is my entry to this month's "RCI: Bihar" hosted by Sangeeta of Ghar Ka Khana.

Veggie Lentil Loaf with Checca Sauce & RCI:

I was watching Food Network the other day and saw a recipe for Veggie 'Meatloaf', that is the veggie version of a regular meat loaf. I’ve always wanted to eat a vegetarian version of the regular meatloaf and was glad I saw this one on TV. I know it sounds funny when I say its a veggie "Meatloaf"...this one is of course all vegetarian, I assure you.

I stuck to the original recipe for the most part but made a few changes though. I substituted the brown rice with white long grained rice, used mint leaves instead of the basil and also substituted cherry tomatoes with good old Roma tomatoes. I also left the egg out because hubby dear doesn’t like the smell. All in all it turned out great!

Checca sauce (pronounced Kekka) was a good combination with the Loaf.

Checca Sauce

You will need:

1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups, or 12 ounces), halved
3 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Lentil Loaf

3/4 cup lentils (about 5 ounces)
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice, rinsed well
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 celery rib, sliced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons butter, divided
10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups cubed whole milk mozzarella cheese, divided (about 8 ounces total)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tomato, sliced

For the Checca Sauce:

Combine the cherry tomatoes, scallions, garlic, basil, and oil in a processor. Pulse the tomatoes until they are coarsely chopped, being careful not to puree. Set aside. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

For the Lentil Loaf:

Place the lentils in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring the water just to a boil over high heat. Carefully drain the boiling water and rinse the lentils. Meanwhile, in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat, bring the broth to a boil. Add the rice and return the liquid to a boil. Decrease the heat to low, cover the rice, and gently simmer without stirring for 10 minutes. Stir in the lentils, onion, carrot, and celery. Cover and continue cooking without stirring until the rice and lentils are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes longer. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the corn over the rice and lentils and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Cover and let stand for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the butter over a 10 by 4 1/2 by 3-inch loaf pan. I used a 8 by 8-inch regular pan.In a heavy, large skillet, cook the spinach over medium heat until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach. Transfer the spinach to a work surface and coarsely chop.

In a large bowl, gently mix the lentil mixture, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, pepper, and half of the checca sauce. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a row over the lentil mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Bake uncovered until the loaf is heated through and the topping is melted and starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Slice the loaf into 2-inch slices, arrange on plates, and serve with the remaining checca sauce.

This lasted me two whole days and I must say it tasted even better on the second day...! :)

RCI: Tamil Festival foods

Kadabus or Kozukattais are a family favourite and my brother and I as kids used to wait for Ganapathi festival to have some. Well that was then, now if I feel like eating some I just go ahead and make them!

I've already posted this before in my Ganesha habba platter, but reposting it for Viji's benefit :)

Kozukattai is my entry to RCI -- Tamil festivals hosted by Viji of VCuisine

The entire recipe and method of making is here.

Tamilians make this using a coconut and jaggery filling, but we like it with sugar hence the change. I also wanted to make Pongal, I like it but hubby dear won't eat it...so no pongal!