Out Of The Garden

brinjal sambhar made according to ISG’s Drumstick Sambhar recipe

So what’s more precious than gold?

Revathi, Jyothsna and Richa get gold stars — it’s sambhar powder. Not just any sambhar powder though — Nupur and Sandeepa get an extra star for mentioning ISG’s recipe. And that’s not all it is!

A few days back ISG posted her family recipe for sambhar powder;
she said it was “specially for me”.
I was very happy and I sent her a note to say so.

ISG very kindly offered to send me some of the “real thing”. How could I refuse?!
I gratefully accepted thinking I would get a nice little packet to try. Imagine my surprise, and then my delight, when I found this *gigantic* bag-in-a-bag waiting for me last night!

homemade sambhar powder from ISG and her ammayi!

When I wrote to thank her, I was surprised again to learn that not only is this ISG’s family recipe — it comes straight from India! Of course I had to open it and try some right away, so I made sambhar with eggplants I had in the fridge. I can’t wait to taste it with drumsticks. Now that I know what I’ve been missing, I’ll never go back to store-bought — this is total tastebud tantalization!!

So what’s more precious than gold? Homemade sambhar powder, for sure, but even more precious is the generosity of spirit that prompted a friend I have never met to share something so dear. As ISG said, “it’s a little bit of home and aroma all the way from there, with ammayi’s magic”. That is priceless.

This beautiful, silky-soft gift with the heavenly aroma will hold a special place in my home. Thank you, ISG, you are a sweetheart!!

more precious than gold… sambhar powder made by ISG’s grandmother

Speaking of things dear to the heart, I’m off to the lakes for a few days — hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

lake huron coast in late winter

If you are a WordPress blogowner, you can’t open your dashboard for weeks without seeing this site at the top of the list.

It’s kind of a fun whimsy site with some cute kitty pics, but it’s the nonsensical name that catches my eye — makes me think I’m a kid again with the “I can has” bit… so, I can has muffins?

I saw these banana pistachio muffins on Shammi’s wonderful blog,
Food In The Main. As I said in my comment at the time — I intended to make them as soon as I had some overripe bananas.

Of course I really wanted to make the muffins. It’s just that I don’t bake much. When I do, it tends to turn comical — often bordering on ludicrous.
Tonight was a perfect example.

I finally had some overripe bananas. Like Shammi, I hoarded them all weekend till I was home and able to use them for the muffins.
Oh, I was all set to go. I thought I would make the recipe exactly.
Let me just get the nuts…

I couldn’t find the pistachios. They weren’t in their usual place in the cupboard (for some reason I freeze peanuts and cashews, but pista. are usually in the cupboard… perhaps for easier snacking ). I pulled down all the dishes — maybe someone ate some and the bag fell behind…

I called my son — he’s so tall — and made him check the very top shelf. No pistachios. Ah well, I could substitute some other nut. Out of the freezer came the split cashews, and into a warm pan they went, to toast.

Then I thought, oh good, with cashews, I will add some sultanas.

Once again I checked the cupboard. I hadn’t noticed them while looking for pistachios, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there…

Sure enough, sultanas were nowhere to be found either. Back to the freezer and a little coconut went into the pan with the cashews. I added some ghee then, to enrich the toasted flavor. Then I thought, hmm… cashews and coconut… with cardamom this might turn out ok after all… so I added a few powdered cardamom seeds to the mix.

Fabulous! All ready to go.

I began to stir up the batter. Let’s see… first instruction: whip half the bananas with the brown sugar. BROWN SUGAR????!!!!!!???

I’m out of that.
Thank goodness I have jaggery.

You see what I mean — I wasn’t meant to bake

So here I am with cardamom, cashew and coconut muffins instead of Shammi’s original banana-pistachio. Jaggery in place of brown sugar, and a little less oil than called for — yes, I was about out of oil, too.

All thanks and credit goes to you, Shammi, because #1 I never would have thought to make muffins without seeing your post, and #2, I used your recipe with just a couple of subs. out of dire necessity

the batter on left waiting for flour, soda and salt… on right, toasted cashew-coconut-cardamom wait with the reserved bananas

Even with the nuts my son gave the muffins two thumbs up.
And because this spices up our b’fast tomorrow, I am sending this off to dear Trupti for her turn with Nandita’s WBB.
It’s Episode #12 at The Spice Who Loved Me, thanks Trupti!

And thanks so much Shammi, for the great muffin recipe!

hot from the oven — I guess I *can* has muffins

We went to the Cape to visit my folks.

Mom had a big bunch of fresh local berries waiting…

sun-ripened and hand-picked… fresh strawberries from cape cod

… and she showed me how she makes jam. Growing up, we did not spend much time in the kitchen with Mom. She is the first to say she is not a fabulous cook, and I learned by trial and error as I got older.

Mom’s talents lie in other areas — she’s a nurse and even at age 70 she still works a full week, lending her caring hands and heart to those in need.
Her patients love her, and I am so proud of her.

Back to jam — Mom’s recipe isn’t much more than following the instructions in the Certo package. Nonetheless, it was fun to help. It’s so much easier than I thought it would be — I have to try my own hand at it one of these days.

Strawberry Jam

4 c crushed strawberries and their juice (from about 2 quarts fresh berries)
7c sugar
1 package Certo fruit pectin

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Wash, hull, and crush the berries with a potato masher. Place in a large heavy pan, add the sugar, stir well and bring to a rolling boil (a boil that does not cease when you stir). Add 1/2 tsp butter if desired to reduce foaming. Add Certo and stir continuously at rolling boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and skim any foam from the top.

Ladle into sterilized jars.

The instructions call for processing sealed jars in a canner for ten minutes.
Mom always refrigerates her jam, so she doesn’t process it.
She seals the jars the way her mother and father did, and she told me how:

Fill the sterilized jars very near to the top and tighten lids very well.
Then while still hot, tip the jars upside down and leave for five minutes.
Turn them back right side up and you should be able to hear the vacuum seal forming — it makes a popping noise.
She does this on a tray in case of leakage.

berry crush and sugar at a rolling boil

adding the certo…

mom stirring it up!

homemade strawberry jam

It’s funny how you go along, not realising your parents are getting older, then one day it hits you.

I am fortunate in that I see my folks often — my kids even more so. They live fairly close and I guess I take that for granted. It was really special to spend an afternoon in my mother’s kitchen, learning something new from her.

I need to make the time to spend more days like that, and I intend to

welcoming hammock between two old cedar trees…. my folks’ yard

clockwise from top left: snake gourd, onion, fresh brinjal (vankaya, vanga), quasi-homemade goda masala, and sprouted val dal

I wish I had the time to participate in every blog event. When I do participate,
I want to truly contribute, rather than ‘phoning it in’. I like to have time to read about what I’m cooking — research it even — learn a little about the particular dish I am making. Perhaps the focus is one ingredient, or the history, or the cultural aspect of the food — etc etc. I’m not often adept at articulating all I learn.
Rest assured I do spend the time.

Tonight I did something I did not set out to do. I unexpectedly made a dish that qualifies for three events at once! This is highly unusal for me, and I won’t be home most of Saturday, so I guess I lucked out, but not before I spent the better part of the week reading up on goda masala!

The recipe is for Vangi ani Val — tender brinjals cooked with sprouted val dal and coconut. It calls for goda masala, something I’ve been reading alot about lately. Ever too particular about “getting it right”, I searched high and low for the authentic ingredients — I really wanted to make my own fresh.

Dagad phool, or stoneflower, botanical name permalia perlata, also known as parmotrema chinense (photo from Roy’s Redwood Preserve) was nowhere to be found when browsing at my favorite shop near work. I couldn’t even recall its name and when I asked for ‘goda masala’, the friendly owner marched down the back aisle, picked up a bag and with a triumphant flourish handed me garam masala.
I tried to explain that I knew it was similar, but what I was looking for (G-O-D-A masala) had one or two unusual ingredients that made it different (that of course I couldn’t think of at the moment, big help I am).

Note to self: I will never own a Blackberry, but when they come up with a handheld database for foodstuff, I’m there.

Hearing this, the proprietor handed me a box of Badshah Rajwadi Garam Masala. Rajwadi, hmm… vaguely I remembered an association with Mumbai.
I looked closely before I refused, and realised it was the closest I would come today. At least it listed ’stoneflower’ among the ingredients. Everything I have read points to this — dagad phool — as one essential ingredient for aroma and taste. Lunch hour over, I bought the masala and went back to work. Once home, I supplemented it with a few missing ingredients, namely kala jeera, coconut and sesame, all toasted and ground and mixed with the store-bought stuff.
The finished dish had a completely new and rather addictive aroma;
I think my doctored-up goda masala made an acceptable substitute for the real thing until I can get my hands on the little lichen. Perhaps when I make a visit to Wisconsin, I can forage for some!

The Main Events

Nupur’s A-Z Of Indian Vegetables ~ V is for Vanga/Vankaya

For “V” week, I knew that I’d want to make eggplant — after all, V is for Vanga and Vankaya. It’s my Very favorite Vegetable by far, and the one I cook most often. A few months ago when I was shopping and thought to myself, ‘look at those lovely fresh brinjals’, I realised I am even starting to *think* in new languages. That is an exciting thought! I rarely think “eggplant” anymore. Assimilation by exposure is an amazing concept.

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Lakshmi’s Regional Cuisines of India ~ Maharashtrian Cuisine

June’s regional cuisine is hosted most enthusiastically by Nupur, as well. This is a wondefully enlightening event started by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine. I missed the amazing Tamil roundup Lakshmi hosted as the kickoff; then I missed the equally beautiful Andhra roundup hosted by lovely Latha of Masala Magic. Finally I made it to the party in time for Nupur’s turn.

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Indira’s Jihva for Ingredients ~ July is Jihva for Eggplant at Ghar Ka Khana!

Yum and Hooray! Last and certainly not least, this dish goes to Jihva For Eggplant, graciously hosted by Sangeeta of Ghar Ka Khana. What a delicious way to begin the summer — a brinjal by any other name is just as sweet. Thank you for choosing this perfect summer vegetable, Sangeeta!

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If you made it this far, you deserve a cookbook, but I do have a recipe. I hope it’s something new to some. You see, every day is a Blog Patrol Event for me…
I do wish I could give a little back

Vangi Ani Val
adapted from Indian Food Forever

1/2 c sprouted and skinned whole val dal (surti val)
2 long brinjals, cubed
1/2 c onion, chopped
1 c snake gourd, sliced (I used frozen)

1 TB canola oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp kashmiri chile powder
1/2 tsp goda masala

pinch of asafoetida

2 TB grated coconut (I used frozen)

salt to taste

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Boil the snake gourd until tender, drain well and reserve.

Heat the oil and add the asafoetida and mustard seeds. When mustard pops, add the onions and fry until golden.

Add the val dal, brinjal, turmeric, kashmiri chile, goda masala and salt to taste. Mix well and add about 1 c water. Cover and cook until the dal is soft but not mushy.

Raise heat to high a few minutes until water is cooked off.

Remove from heat and add coconut and snake gourd.

Stir gently and serve hot.

vangi ani val with papad and yogurt

Many thanks to these great sources of info about goda masala:

The Cooks Cottage

A Mad Tea Party

Bhaatukli

and to Jugalbandi for the botanical name of dagad phool!

And many thanks to Nupur and Sangeeta for their hard work in hostessing

fresh key limes, ground spices, sugar, salt, turmeric, fresh chiles and sliced garlic

Last summer, multi-talented Manisha made sun pickles. Pickle is one area of Indian cuisine I have not ventured into often — mostly because the store-bought varieties are usually packed in oil. I love most all sorts of pickles, but in the never-ending quest to save a few calories, I stayed away. I cheered when Manisha posted her no-oil lemon and lime pickle recipes; finally it’s warm enough to try for myself. I found some adorable fresh key limes in a new asian supermarket (and I do mean SUPERmarket). Time to make pickles while the sun shines!

lime pickle ~ ready to go

I don’t love ginger as a predominant flavor, so I opted to try this with garlic instead, and remembering Sailu’s words of wisdom (it’s either garlic or hing, not both!) I omitted the hing. Otherwise I stuck to Manisha’s recipe.
Being uncertain of the outcome, I made only enough for a small jar.

lime pickle taking its first sunbath

day two, and it’s already cooking, or at least shrinking!

So the hopeful little limes are out there cooking again today — thanks Manisha!
I hope I can make these no-oil pickles work — I need to get back on the lowfat track because yesterday was…

The Day of Indulgence.

It seems after I made slimmed-down olan the other day, forces conspired against me and all I did yesterday was *eat*! First came the fabulous Kolhapuri egg rassa that Asha made as part of her Maharashtra Cuisine post. No skimping on ingredients here — I used every last bit of coconut, every last sesame seed and every tiny poppy seed called for. It was a tantalizing spicy taste treat and I served it with yolkless eggs (yolkless so as to have more room for the luscious sauce!). Thanks Asha — every time I make one of your recipes,
I end up licking the bowl

Asha’s spicy and scrumptious Kolhapuri egg rassa in Depression glass
Colonial “knife and fork” circa 1934

And on top of that…

jalebis frying

First I fried the bondas for Nupur’s A-Z, “U” edition. Of course then I had all that perfectly good oil sitting in the fryer — I couldn’t let it go to waste (and hopefully not too much went to my *waist*). The other day I watched Manjula making jalebis. In some ways, I am a person who learns best by observing. I wanted to make jalebis, but I was intimidated by the yeast. I like Manjula’s easy style — no careful temperature readings on a cookery thermometer here, no — just put the yeast into the warm water and stir it around — with a very matter-of-fact you-can-do-it-too kind of attitude — rather like Asha exudes in her blogs.

So here they are, sinfully crispy and sweet, homemade jalebis.

crispy sweet jalebis, ending a day of indulgence!

And a Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there

urulai (potato) bonda mixture with tiny tasty key limes ~ aren’t they fun!

Yep, it’s Saturday again — time to pay a visit to lovely Nupur for her continuing series: The A-Z of Indian Vegetables!

Like many folks, I’m sure, I have a mental list of the recipes I most wish to try.
It’s growing by leaps and bounds lately, so it’s harder to keep track!
Still, certain images stick in my mind and one of those is the gorgeous photo of
VKN’s Potato Bondas. Since “U” is for Urulai = Potato, this week’s letter “U” was the perfect excuse to try them. I know they’re deep-fried, but after a whole week of not eating cake, I deserved a little treat

I followed VKN’s recipe and they came out better than I hoped. I’ll definitely be making these again. Thanks, VKN, for the recipe, and thanks again Nupur, for having me. Once we get to “Z” I won’t know what to do with myself on Saturdays

VKN’s urulai (potato) bondas ~ like the ketchup bottle says ~ for best results, eat!

Note: I just realised I am probably supposed to come up with my own recipe, rather than making someone else’s — sorry Nupur!
I’ll put my thinking cap on for “V”, I promise

Following in the footsteps of fabulous cake decorators Shilpa, Archana, Hema and more, I took the plunge into cake-decorating class.

Baking was never my strong suit; when my kids were small it made me keenly aware of my Jewish heritage (read: a guilt complex extraordinaire!). Growing up, my little M ‘n Ms didn’t know the meaning of mik-and-cookies. Cookie was a monster on Sesame Street and milk was a healthy drink that went with breakfast. They suffered through store-bought cookies or cake for class parties, and for birthdays, well — the few times I tried cakes from mixes, they were a disaster. After a while I did manage to make cupcakes turn out ok (but not like these!) — those were always panicked affairs iced with store-bought frosting and little finesse. Forget about gooey chocolatey goodness in marshmallow-covered brownies, fancy colored decorations on numberless Christmas cookies, and all that jazz. Yes, my kids were deprived and I feel it to this day. Thank God for their grandparents, or they’d never have had a sweet tooth at all

A few weeks ago my colleague decided to join a cake decorating class and asked for my company — I agreed to go along. I was so thrilled with the outcome of my first project, I thought I’d share it. My daughter nearly fell over when she saw the cake come out of *our* oven. When she learned I was going to a class to decorate it, she asked for her *face* on the cake!!! Well, I am no da Vinci, so instead, she got her name. Not a particularly creative design, but it was conveniently portion-controlled…

and I did manage to make a Cookie Monster smile on the sides.

Please, no laughing now or I’ll be crushed!

cake one - practicing stars and writing

Meg loved this ’cause she’s a drama queen — she loves her name in lights, even on a cake. Wasn’t I proud when she wanted to take a piece to school and show it off to her friends — a kid of her age. That made me smile inside and out — not at my cake, but at my daughter’s great big heart

And speaking of great big hearts and names in lights — don’t miss our own dear
Trupti’s exciting news. Congrats, Trupti!

fabulous floating flavors ~ no compromise ~ jugalbandi’s olan

Fighting the battle of the bulge lately, I have been avoiding fried food, butter, oil, ghee, nuts, coconut, etc — you know the drill — all the good stuff
That made Coffee’s MBP theme for June perfect for me: Going Lite!

One thing I love about Indian cuisine is its adaptability. In most cases, one can reduce, or even eliminate the fat in a dish without compromising on taste.
Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi have a knack for creating great-looking lighter versions of some classic dishes; their olan was no exception. I have seen many olan recipes, of course, and they all tempt me. I decided to try this one because it didn’t call for oil. I further lightened it (and, I suppose, lost some of the true flavor in the process — all in the name of my blue jeans!) by using lowfat coconut-milk-in-a-can.

Otherwise, I followed Bee and Jai’s recipe to the letter, and I must say, even with the lowfat coconut milk, the final product was rich and delicious. I can only imagine how decadent it would be if made the traditional way with fresh coconut milk, and coconut oil to finish.

Thanks Coffee, for choosing a perfect theme to help me stay on track and thanks Bee and Jai, for a delicious recipe!

lite yet luscious olan in early american pattern glass ~
hand-painted michigan comport circa 1900

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Some olan recipes with different ingredients that I intend to try just as soon as the jeans are back to normal

Annita’s version with red gram dal

Shynee’s version with red beans (as part of a fabulous feast!)

Priya’s version with acorn squash

t is for tomato…

It’s Saturday again. Not only is it time for dearest Nupur’s A-Z of Indian Vegetables, but it’s time for celebration!

Congratulations, Nupur, on your convocation! May you reap the fruits of your labor to the fullest and realise all your dreams

Now down to serious business - T is for tomato

Every time someone blogs about dhokla, I wish I could traverse the ether.
I want to reach out across the miles, to the plate proffered on the screen.
I crave a piece of that light-as-a-feather, savory yet not-too-spicy bit of heaven.
So close, and yet so far.

“I should make some”, I think to myself.

Let me get some citric acid crystals from the health-food store.
Let me get some Eno.
Let me find a free afternoon to play. I don’t just want to cook dhokla, I want to *create* dhokla. Just like that — light and spicy. I aspire to that dhokla which I drool over in a dreamlike state, when I see those pics.

ingredients for dhokla ~ besan, dhokla flour, eno fruit salt, assorted vegetables including fresh tomato!

Dhokla. Although there are mixes available, somehow I can’t bring myself to resort to that convenience until I have at least *tried* to make the dish myself. Besides, it’s so easy right? Just mix up the besan or the sooji and some yogurt, or water, seasonings, little Eno… make the tadka… poof! You’re a dhokla-master, right!?!

As I tell the kids, sometimes fear of the unknown is the most paralyzing fear there is. Well I know what besan is and I know how to steam-cook food but somehow the light and fluffy dhokla of my dreams is out of reach due to my irrational fear.
What am I afraid of?

Dull, heavy, it’ll-never-rise sort of hockey-puck dhokla.

Practice makes perfect, and I have to try.
“Let me begin at the beginning” I think. I wish I knew how to steam it…

I found the dhokla-maker weeks ago, in an international (but mostly Asian, and mostly Indian at that) shop. I washed it well and scalded it. Who knows how long it was on the shelf before I got it for $9! Finally I got a free afternoon.

dhokla batter in the pan, ready to cook

I rounded up all my ingredients. I had in mind a dhokla sandwich, not with green chile chutney, but with roasted eggplant and tomato. When I found a vine-ripe tomato in the store today, I knew what I had to do.

the batter, in my $9 dhokla stand!

I will not list the ingredients for this universally loved dish. Instead I will say I was inspired by and may have adapted from many bloggers’ recipes I’ve come across. I thank you all!

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Tomato and Brinjal Sandwich Dhokla

Thinly slice and pan-roast some sweet young brinjal. Salt it lightly and set it aside.
Chop half a very ripe tomato. Slice the other half thin. Set these aside.

For batter: besan, chiles and the chopped tomatoes with cilantro and few green chiles.

Tadka: mustard seed, chopped green chiles, and garlic if you like.

Make a tomato sandwich easily by placing thin slices of ripe tomato between two thin dhokla cakes. Add slices of pan-roasted brinjal too.
Top with tadka and don’t try to take pics before it’s eaten.
Even on the first try, it’s dhokla. Saving it is a lost cause

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Dhokla Inspirations

Hema’s Khaman

Trupti’s Gujarati Series: Infused Khatta-Meetha Khaman Dhokla

Jugalbandi’s Khaman Dhokla

TV Star Nandita’s Instant Khaman Dhokla

And of course, our dear hostess!

Nupur’s Instant Dhokla

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Special thanks to GC for listening to me go on and on (and on) about the finer points of dhokla without even knowing what it was

And I would like to express a great big thank you to Manjula of Manjula’s Kitchen, my very own fairy godmother (unbenounced to her) who magically appeared, just when my confidence was lacking.

I watched her how-to video on dhokla, and you can too. Find it at YouTube by searching on “manjula dhokla”. She has many other lovely recipes as well, and Manjula, I hope you are not offended by my mention here — I am most grateful!