Out Of The Garden

mmm mmm mmm… simple and magnificent mtori

It’s Jihva time again, and this month we are treated to Jihva for Bananas by a dear friend from my dear home state: lovely and talented Mandira of Ahaar fame. Thank you Mandira, for all your hard work hosting Jihva!

I must admit, bananas are not my favorite fruit. As kids we adored them fixed simply and specially by mom — mashed smooth and sprinkled with a liberal dose of sugar. I’m not sure why I am not enamoured of them now. I do enjoy them in bread and muffins, that sort of thing — but eat a banana? Only rarely, sliced thin on cold cereal.

Thankfully I did not pass this trait on to my kids; they both love bananas. They will only eat them just this side of ripe, however, before the brown specks begin to appear. So picky!

That said, I was happy when Mandira chose banana for her JFI. Here was my chance to find a new way to enjoy bananas. I found just what I was looking for in a cookbook I got a few months ago: A Taste Of Africa by Dorinda Hafner.

Or so I thought.

A Taste of Africa by Dorinda Hafner

The cookbook had a tasty-sounding recipe for banana fritters. It was easy — very ripe bananas, milk, caster sugar, cornstarch and ground ginger to season. Oil to fry. The name was intriguing: chapati ya n’dizi tamu. Sound a wee bit Indian? It did to me. OK, I can do this. I don’t have caster sugar but I can use plain. I don’t have ground ginger but I have cardamom. “Excellent”, thought I.

So I tried. Three times. Ugh. The first batch was AWFUL. Indescribably awful. Not even worthy of a photo. Just picture a gloppy oily sticky mess.

OK, so maybe my bananas were REALLY overripe. Pushing the envelope. Better used for banana bread. Onward and upward. I added more cornstarch.

The second batch came out a little better, but not much! Bananas in Africa must be much smaller than those I used because my ‘batter’ was still all banana and sugar; it was burning outside before it could cook. My daughter came into the kitchen and pronounced the fritters ‘nauseating’. Great.

I forged on. More cornstarch. Closer watch on the heat. The third batch was almost edible; still I was not enamoured of this dish. While the inside was meltingly delicious, the outside was too chewy and the whole thing absorbed way too much oil. That might be the fault of the cook, as I am no expert at frying.

Nonetheless, here they are, along with the recipe. Perhaps someone with more fritter expertise than I can make this work

Chapati Ya N’dizi Tamu
Banana Fritters ~ from A Taste of Africa by Dorinda Hafner

3 large, very ripe bananas
1/4 c milk
4 oz (about 1/4 c) caster sugar
2-4 TB cornflour
(cornstarch - I started with 3 TB and added at least 1/4 c more all told)
1 tsp ground ginger (I used cardamom pwd)
canola oil for frying

~~~

From the book:
“Peel the bananas, cut in halves, put in a mixing bowl and mash into a thick coarse paste with your fingers, a wooden spoon, or an electric blender.

Stir in all the ingredients except oil and mix together thoroughly. You may need to add more or less cornflour but the finished mixture should be thick and slightly coarse (which is why it is preferable to mash the bananas initially with your fingers).

Have the oil in a skillet or frypan until just before the oil starts to smoke. Fry one tablespoon of the fritter mixture first as a test. If it burns immediately, the oil is too hot so reduce the heat. If it does not burn immediately but browns nicely, turn it over and cook the other side until both sides are golden and the fritter is firm.

Continue to fry the remaining mixture in small batches. Drain the fritters on paper napkins or have a wire sieve and keep them in a warm oven until all the fritters have been cooked. Serve hot”.

–recipe from Tanzania by Dorinda Hafner

the third batch, and they look better than they tasted

The second dish I tried from this cookbook was a green-banana soup, also from Tanzania called Mtori. The name conjured up visions of a book I had as a child, and which I read to my kids when they were young, called A Story A Story: An African Tale Retold And Illustrated by Gail E. Hailey.

“Mtori” took me back to bedtime as a small girl, and the stories my dad would read to me. One was this book, with Nyame the Sky God, to whom all stories belonged… and Ananse the Spider Man, who wove a web to the sky in order to buy back the stories. In my memory of long-ago, alive once more were Osebo the leopard of-the-terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet who-stings-like-fire, and Mmoatia, the fairy whom-men-never-see. My dad gave them all voices of their own, and I shed a tear remembering.

You can find this magical book on amazon.com or I am sure, in any good children’s bookstore. Read it with your kids and perhaps when they are older with kids of their own, they will remember it as fondly as I did last night, just out of the blue. Of course you could simply read it for own enjoyment

green ‘cooking bananas’ and ripe garden tomato

Back to the recipe: I found these green ‘cooking bananas’ at the regular grocery. Somehow these were sold separately from the regular eating bananas, which can also be sold green. I loved this recipe and the green bananas!
It was an entirely different eating experience. The original called for a strong beef broth, but I substituted bean broth from a pot I was making at the time. I added the fresh tomatoes and onions along with the finely cut cooking bananas. When I tasted the mix, it seemed to beg for garlic, so I added three cloves, coarsely cut so as not to overpower.

The aroma of this soup was more than enough to banish the fritter-blues.

~~~

Mtori
cream of banana or plantain soup ~
adapted from a Tanzania recipe in A Taste of Africa by Dorinda Hafner

1 qt bean broth from 16-bean mix or your favorite beans
(the original calls for strong beef broth)
5 medium green bananas or plantains, peeled and chopped fine
(I used 2 big green ‘cooking bananas’)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 big ripe tomato, chopped fine (original calls for peeling tomato, I did not)
2-3 big cloves garlic, peeled and cut in large pieces
1 TB butter or ghee
salt and pepper to taste

Optional for garnish:

1/4 c yogurt

~~~

From the book:

“Pronounced “m-tory”, this Cream of Banana or Plantain soup is a traditional dish in the Kilimanjaro region. It is very popular among nursing mothers, and while the men would traditionally consider it feminine to take liquid foods, an exception is made for this soup because it is so delicious! The excuse used is that the men are helping their wives to eat well”!

Heat the bean broth on med-high heat to near boiling.

Meanwhile, peel and dice the veggies (the book suggests using oil on your hands to avoid staining from green banana/plantain). Add diced bananas, onion, tomatoes and garlic to the hot bean broth. Simmer until all ingredients are soft — 1-2 hours depending on your veggies.

Mash with whisk or blender to make a smooth soup.

Mix in the butter or ghee, and swirl in the optional yogurt if using. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

~~~

This soup is wonderfully thick and rich and can easily stand alone; but it tastes even better next day, served with hot steamed rice.

Thanks again Mandira — I’m really glad I had the chance to cook with bananas!

yummy mtori (green banana/plantain soup from Tanzania)

Ever-enthusiastic Nags of the tasty blog For The Cook In Me is hosting this fun event: Show Me Your Cookbook!

Cookbooks are a real weakness of mine. I collect them shamelessly, read them often, and use them for recipes occasionally — usually when I want to make a complicated dish I have never tried before. Otherwise, I like cookbooks that provide a window into a country, a culture or a certain era.

It’s almost impossible for me to choose a favorite cookbook. I truly love them all. If pressed, I would have to name these two simply because they started me on my long love-affair with cooking:

James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking is the first book I bought when I moved away from home. I learned to cook with this book — all the basics are in here from separating eggs to choosing fresh vegetables to making pie crust and soups… on and on. I couldn’t part with the original, even when my dad replaced it for me a few years back, so the old pieces live in that brown bag. The companion book, The New James Beard, continues in the same vein with less ‘theory’ and more recipes with which to ‘practice’. Highly recommended for anyone new to the kitchen!

Of course I couldn’t really narrow this down to one favorite cookbook, or even two. So here my ‘entry’ ends, and the ‘everything you wanted to know about my cookbooks but were afraid to ask’ section begins. If you’re not into cookbooks, you may want to quit now before I bore you to bits!

~~~

Julia Child’s timeless The French Chef Cookbook is almost a log of the PBS television show of yesteryear — great fun to read! The New York Times Heritage Coobook separates the US into regions and provides old-fashioned, homestyle recipes from each. It’s an excellent resource.

HP Books’ Chinese Cookery is a wonderful introduction to this fascinating cuisine. Rose Cheng’s recipes are authentic and easy enough for a real kitchen novice, which I was when I bought it. I have fancier Chinese cookbooks, but I refer to this one time and again.

This is a fun book with recipes from the galleys aboard Great Lakes cargo boats. Stewards aboard the “lakers” are locally famous for serving their crews delicious home-cooked dishes in generous portions; here they share their favorite recipes in quantities to feed a crowd. I like it for the anecdotes — a glimpse of life on the lakes.

The small but growing “India Section” of my collection — I do most of my recipe-reading right here online!

And just in case that wasn’t more-than-enough information, here’s the pantry — click for larger views:

Now that I have admitted to being a cookbook glutton, I feel like revisiting them all one by one. Thank you Nags, for this fun and inspirational event!

fresh rye roll with a spoonful of Nabeela’s super Hyderabadi Tamatar Chutney

Someday, somehow, somewhere, for something, I will be on time!!

I was really excited for Coffee’s latest MBP: Bread! I haven’t done much baking of *real* bread, so this was a chance for me to play with yeast

I know this is very late Coffee, but I had to post it anyway. If you have already finished the round up, I understand!

I looked far and wide across blog-land for the perfect yeasty creation. Of course, being late to the party as I so often am, what I found was someone else’s entry to the event! I hope that both the entrant and the hostess will forgive me indulging my craving, for as soon as I saw this post by Nupur, I just knew I’d have to try baking my own sub rolls.

Nupur blogged this recipe originally from Coconut and Lime and adapted it to suit. I am blogging Nupur’s adaptation with my own slight adaptation.

I got the rye flour substitution advice from this list which has lots of useful info on flour substitutions. Following that advice, I substituted one-third of the wheat flour with rye flour, and increased the yeast to 2 tsp. I also added a spoonful of molasses for color and flavor.

The rest of the recipe is practically straight from Nupur’s post — thank you Nupur, for the excellent instructions and thank you Coffee for inspiring me to get out the yeast!

~~~

Rye Sub Rolls
adapted from Nupur’s adaptation of Coconut and Lime’s

1 c unbleached all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur’s)
1/2 c whole-grain rye flour (I used Hodgson Mill)
1 tsp salt

1/2 c warm water
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp molasses

~~~

In a large bowl, combine flours and salt. In a smaller bowl, mix molasses with warm water and add the yeast. Stir well and allow to proof for 5 minutes.

rye and all-purpose flours, yeast mixture

Stir the yeast mixture into the dry mixture to form a soft dough. This will be somewhat stickier than an all-wheat dough. Turn onto a bread board and knead gently for about 5 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, sprinkle a small amount of all-purpose flour on your hands and continue kneading. Try not to add too much extra flour. When the dough is fairly smooth, shape into a ball, rub a small amount of vegetable oil over the surface, and leave to rest in the large bowl about one hour. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth to prevent drying. The dough may not double but you will know it’s risen.

After the dough has risen, gently deflate it and divide into four portions. Cover with the damp towl and allow to rest 20-30 minutes.

rye dough, kneaded and ready for rising

rye dough, after rising one hour

rye rolls before second rise — grape tomato for size comparison

Sprinkle the counter or bread board with cornmeal and gently form each portion of dough into an oblong roll shape. Cover with the towel again, and let rise another hour.

rye rolls after the second rise

Preheat the oven (with pizza stone inside, if you have one) to 450F. Place the rolls on the pizza stone (or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal) and throw 4-5 ice cubes on the oven floor. Close the door and bake 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes are up, reduce heat to 400F and throw a few more ice cubes on the floor. Let the rolls bake another 15 minutes, remove and cool slightly before gobbling up.

fresh from the oven: rye rolls a la Nupur

One of the fun things about MBP is it gives me an excuse to bookmark all sorts of recipes I wish to try (not that I need my arm twisted to do that!). Here are some other breads I’d love to make:

Cynthia’s Cheese Batter Bread

Jugalbandi’s Strong Black Pumpernickel Bread

Shn’s Khoubis Arabi (Pita Bread)

Oh, and my favorite smell in the kitchen has to be Thanksgiving Day apple pies baking… all that sweet-spicy goodness! Course B-R-E-A-D isn’t bad either!

hearts of palm karie ~ taste treat from Karnataka!

Thank you all for your kind comments and notes of encouragement. It’s been a crazy and often frightening week to say the least, but it seems the worst is over. Onward and upward!

Happily tonight there was enough time to cook a little something for
RCI: Karnataka, hosted by none other than our dear Asha. Of course, I couldn’t miss it Thankfully I started reading and googling long before the deadline!
Now Asha, I didn’t have much time to double-check myself, so please correct me if I got anything mixed up

A quick browse shows everyone has cooked up such wonderful traditional dishes — I wanted to try a little something different. I searched and searched. Finally I found a small, unique collection of Kodava recipes. The Kodava people, with their fascinating history, are primarily from the district of Kodagu (Coorg) in southwest Karnataka. The district capital is Madikeri, and in the surrounding area you can visit many lovely sights including Abbi and Irpu Falls, Bhagamandala Temple at the juncture of three rivers, and the headwaters of our hostess’ special river, the Cauvery.

My favorite part of reading about Karnataka was the scenery. One look at these pictures of Brahmagiri area, between Kerala and Kodagu, and it is easy to see why Kodagu is called Scotland of India.

You can read more about Kodava history and traditions here.

~~~

The recipe that caught my eye was Kamb Karie, calling for plantain tree cortex! Now, I don’t have a plantain tree, but if you’re lucky enough to have one, here is how you can prepare the traditional ingredient for this recipe:

“When you cut a plantain tree after the plantain bunch is full grown, you take the central core which is long, smooth, white gird known as Cortex. Scrape it fine with a sharp scraper. put this into a vessel containing water and stir it brusquely with a lemon tree’s branch (because this branch is made up of many thorns). This brusque stirring with circular motion removes all long thread. This process must continue until all thread like substance is removed fairly well. Drain off the water. Wash it again and this is ready for cooking”.
source: Mrs. B N Aiyappa, Hakathur Village

Here is what I used instead

hearts of palm from a can — soak in fresh water to remove citric acid

~~~

Hearts Of Palm Karie
adapted from Kamb Karie by Mrs. B N Aiyappa, Hakathur Village

For the hearts of palm:

14-16 oz canned or bottled hearts of palm
(slice and soak in plenty of fresh water to remove citric acid taste)
1 tsp sambhar powder
1 tsp tamarind juice (I used a little tamcon mixed with water for this)
few saffron threads
pinch salt

For the paste:

2/3 c grated coconut
(I bought dried coconut chips this last time, and they work so much better for paste. Just soak the chips in little water before grinding. It’s much closer to fresh than the tiny dessicated bits)
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 green chiles
3-4 curry leaves

Following Mrs. Aiyappa’s instructions for the paste, this should be: “finely ground smooth paste of half a coconut with finely cut onions and curry leaves added just at the end of grinding in the mixie so as to not allow onions and curry leaves to disintegrate completely”.

For the seasoning:

1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tomato, diced fine
2 dried red chiles, broken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 curry leaves

~~~

ingredients for hearts of palm karie, clockwise from top left: soaked and drained hearts of palm mixed with dry masala, tamarind and saffron; fresh coconut/onion/chile paste; tadka of cumin, mustard, dried red chiles and curry leaves; chopped tomatoes and garlic

Drain the hearts of palm and discard soaking water. Mix them with a few crushed saffron threads, sambhar powder, tamarind juice and a little salt (if you’re using canned or bottled hearts of palm, watch the extra salt).

Grind the paste as directed above.

In a small saucepan, heat canola oil and over med-high. Splutter the mustard and cumin seeds, then add tomatoes, garlic, red chiles and a few curry leaves. Stir well, then add the hearts of palm mixture.
Add the ground paste and a little water (I used about 1/2 c). Bring to a boil and stir well. Lower the heat and cook 10-15 minutes, till the raw taste of coconut and chiles has disappeared and the fragrance beckons you to taste. Don’t worry, it won’t take long! Check the seasoning, adding more tamarind or salt if necessary. I am accustomed to countering tart tamarind with sweet jaggery ~ in this recipe the lingering sweetness from coconut was enough to balance.

~~~

I usually eat hearts of palm cold, in salads. The saffron and tomato mixed with coconut and chiles gave this dish a totally new taste sensation.
It was quite rich, so I had it with plain rice. The gravy soaked into the rice and made for a very special supper.

Thanks Asha, I had alot of fun looking for this and learned alot! I will be cooking more with hearts of palm — at least until I can get a plantain tree!

hearts of palm karie ~ kodava dish from Mrs. B N Aiyappa

slipping away north, where I ever long to be ~
a classic ore carrier upbound on Lake Superior

It’s been a hectic week. The kids’ dad had major surgery and I have been running the doctor-consultation phone line and the hospital-shuttle.
I haven’t been able to spend time in the kitchen or at the computer, and I am in withdrawal. I miss the hustle and bustle of blog-hopping, visiting with you all and cooking up a storm. Hope to be back to normal routine in another week or two

Music, especially upbeat music, is a great stress-reliever for me. I love old movies and the other night I watched The Wizard Of Oz, just to escape for awhile. Here is Judy Garland’s timeless “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” from that classic movie, along with a few other fun Judy Garland clips — all courtesy of YouTube:

Judy Garland ~ Somewhere Over The Rainbow ~ from The Wizard of Oz

Judy Garland and her daugher Liza Minnelli (of Cabaret fame) ~
Together Wherever We Go I

Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin ~ Let There Be Love

Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli ~ Hooray For Love Medley

Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli ~ Together Wherever We Go II

dried red chiles, cumin, coriander, methi and urad dal ready to roast

Once in awhile I need instant gratification.
I see something I simply *must have* — NOW!

I’ve been fighting sinus infection (so have been lazy blog-hopping too).
Tonight, for the first time since the weekend I finally felt like cooking.
Happily, it was also the first time I visited Padma of Padma’s Kitchen.

Padma’s delicious Udipi Sambhar

I stopped in my tracks at the first photo. I will have to leave the rest of the posts for another day, Padma — when I saw your udipi sambhar,
I simply *had to have it* — NOW!

I used up some of the last of the garden for this delightful recipe — tomato, brinjal, summer squash, few okras and green beans. I am really going to miss cooking from the garden! I lacked sambhar onions, but the dish doesn’t seem to have suffered much. Since I was using bits of things here and there, I also mixed the dals, using the last of my jar of masoor and washed moong along with the toor. Otherwise I made it all according to Padma’s recipe — including the paste.

(ISG, I felt almost like I was cheating — first time I haven’t used your pwd. since I got it!! )

ground spices and coconut with my little kitchen-aid grinder

This was also my first time making sambhar with coconut.
I can definitely say it won’t be the last!

After a few days of little appetite, the aroma and taste of udipi sambhar tantalized all of my senses. Spicy with chiles, sweet with jaggery, tangy with tamarind-infused vegetables and amazingly rich from the coconut — well let’s just say my appetite is back en force

Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Padma!

delicious and nourishing treat for all senses ~ udipi sambhar with garden veggies
served in depression glass ~ “little jewel” rose bowl by Imperial, circa 1920s

batter for amish friendship bread ~ one to keep and some to pass on!

Dear Nupur of One Hot Stove kindly offered to send me some starter for Amish Friendship Bread. I’m always looking for a reason to practice my baking, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. It sounded almost like a “sweet” sourdough starter — if that’s not an oxymoron! I anxiously awaited my package, and following the enclosed instructions, on the tenth day I set out to bake.

Trust me to have no clue what I have on hand for sugar. Some people might use a five-pound bag of sugar in a week, or a month — I rarely use one in a year. As usual I should have checked for ingredients before I began. As it happened, it ended up an enlightening experiment. I substituted some cooked plantains and jaggery for the sugar and egg I was lacking, and I really enjoyed the results. Thanks so much for sharing this fun project with me, Nupur!

ingredients for mixed-up muffins: Amish Friendship starter, jaggery and mashed cooked plantain, eggs, nuts and dried cherries

muffins ready for the oven

I followed the original directions that Nupur sent me to “grow” the starter, and then adapted this muffin recipe from Vicki Henderson of Vancouver, Washington.

Mixed-Up Muffins with Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients 1:

1 cup starter for Amish Friendship Bread
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 c plantain, microwaved in 1/4 c water, mashed and mixed with
1/2 c jaggery
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Ingredients 2:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c sugar

Mix ingredients 1 together in one bowl. Mix ingredients 2 together in a larger bowl. Mix 1 into 2 and blend everything well to make the muffin batter.

Add:

1/2 cup toasted nuts (I used cashews and charoli nuts)
3/4 c dried fruits, plumped in 1/2 c hot water and drained (I used cherries)

Mix the nuts and fruits into the muffin batter. Put into lined muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I used little of the cherry liquid to thin this batter, and it made a dozen JUMBO muffins. I am sure many more muffins of the smaller variety can be made with this generous amount of batter

Very yummy hot from the oven with some chilled butter.

~~~

In keeping with the tradition, I am passing the starter along to:

Lovely Latha of Masala Magic ~ who has been such a dear friend to me here in the land o’ blogs and continually inspires me with her fabulous dosas and more!

Multi-talented mm ~ also a dear friend, wonderful in kitchen and workshop, and always willing to try something new!

And my colleague A ~ another dear friend and very talented baker who also keeps me sane on work days!

Thanks all!

muffins cooling

fresh-from-the-oven treat: muffin and butter

fresh vegetables from my own plants, hooray!

I am hooked on sambhar — never does a day go by that I don’t crave it.
I took advantage of the long weekend to make several big batches of toor dal in the pressure cooker. I saved them in 1-cup containers in the fridge — not a novel idea I am sure, but I’m happy I finally did it.
Now I can have tasty sambhars in a flash!

Tonight, I made use of that precooked dal and the bounty of fresh veggies from the backyard — deck and garden plot. Imagine how happy I am to be able to say that every veggie in this dish came from my own little plants

fresh red and yellow tomatoes from the backyard

Because I used so much tomato, I omitted the tamarind. The sambhar was not as rich as a result; rather it had a different, lighter, fresher sort of taste which I really enjoyed.

This recipe is a big thanks to everyone who offered advice and encouragement in my quest for a backyard garden (and Bee, I know you don’t love sambhar, but I thank you all the same! Please note I did not put radishes in ). It’s also for anyone who thinks, as I did, that they don’t have a “green thumb” — if I could get a few veggies, I am sure anyone can!

This is also my entry to Inji’s Green Blog Project, hosted for this summer by lovely Deepz of Letz Cook.

Garden Veggie Sambhar
This is what I used — you can add any fresh vegetables of your choice.
If you don’t use tomatoes, you’ll want tamarind, of course.

1 c cooked toor dal

1 tsp oil
few methi seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 dried red chiles
6-8 curry leaves

2 c chopped tomatoes (I used a mix of red and yellow)

1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp methi pwd
1 heaping tsp ISG’s special sambhar powder
2-3 c water

salt to taste

1-2 long brinjals (or 6-8 small), cut in medium pieces
1 small yellow summer squash, cut in medium pieces
10-12 green beans, broken in thirds
a few okras (I got two — you can use more!)

~~~

This is pretty basic sambhar recipe so I won’t detail the whole thing. I am lazy so usually do the tadka first. When the mustard seeds popped, I added the chopped tomatoes, dry spices and sambhar powder. Let that all cook down a bit then added the cooked toor dal and 2 c water. If your tomatoes are watery, you won’t need more — mine were juicy but not overly watery, so I added the additional cup of water. Add in the fresh vegetables and simmer over med-low heat for about 20 minutes, or until green beans are tender but still crisp. Serve hot with rice, or eat as is for a comforting cool-evening soup.

garden veggie sambhar with rice, served in a “nappy”
(handled bowl) of elegant glassware from the Depression period –
“Baroque” pattern by Fostoria, circa 1936

gongura pappu in a Michigan pattern bowl by U.S. Glass (circa 1900s) ~
september veggies in a wooden Munising bowl (circa 1920s) behind

Ever since I became interested in cooking honest Indian food, I have been looking for gongura. Although I live in an urban area with a sizable Indian population, the fresh vegetable has, thus far, evaded me. I could never find it in any store. I couldn’t even grow it, try as I might; when I finally found the seeds and planted it this spring, the bunnies relished every bite.

Yesterday, after eighteen months of searching, I hit paydirt. A big, beautiful bunch of gongura was the prize, and I eagerly carried it off home. This evening I washed it well, stripped off the leaves and tenderest stems, and washed them all again. Then I made gongura pappu.

elusive and elegant gongura

I followed Indira’s recipe, and the tangy taste-treat that resulted was nothing short of superb. I was so happy to end this long weekend of indulgence with this simple, honest, and oh-so-long-awaited dal. Thanks, Indira!

gongura pappu from Mahanandi

Speaking of long-awaited, the little-garden-that-could is begninning to show her true colors. Eggplant and squash are still bearing fruit, tomatoes are coming fast and furious, and I finally managed to get a few green beans as well as two, countem’ two okras from my plants. Beans and okra in pots on the deck fared much better than those planted directly in the garden; it seems bunnies love bean and okra foliage as much as gongura

“early girl” tomatoes ripen late…

golden jubilee tomatoes, a variety suggested by mom… thanks, mom!

a long-awaited harvest from the little-garden-that-could!

a storm rolls in over lake superior ~ autumn fast approaching…

I would like to say a great big Thank You to Asha, Rahin, and Chandrika for passing this “Rockin’ Girl” Blogger Award to me. Also, a great big Thank You to
ISG and Supriya for the “Power of Schmooze” award. And once more, big thank you to ISG for the “Thoughtful Blogger” award. I’m humbled and am so very grateful to each and every one of you lovely people who have opened your cupboards and your hearts to share food and friendship!

I was never any good being team captain in phys. ed classes, because I can’t “choose” one over another. It would take me a week to list everyone who has shown me a kindness, so instead I would like to give each of these right back to all you sweet gals, and to everyone who takes the time to visit and encourage one another.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to remember a few special folks we haven’t heard from in awhile, and who welcomed me warmly when first I landed here in Blog Land:

Aparna

Krithika

Priya

Santhi

Sushma

Vaishali

Vineela

I miss you, ladies, and sincerely hope all’s well.

~~~

Thank you all

purple coneflowers in a Michigan field