Kashi Halwa/Ash Gourd Halwa/Kushmanda Halwa/ Winter Melon Halwa

Days are passing by too fast! 

Well, that is an understatement YEARS are passing by - I remember last Diwali was just a few months ago and one fine day I wake up to realise that the next one is here already!

I refrain generally from commenting on religious sentiments however today I recounted an instance couple of years ago which made me think. It was the last day of work before the Diwali holidays and in one of the calls to a non - Hindu colleague I wished him Happy Diwali. (In India, you wish everyone greetings of every festival. We are country of many religions, cultures and traditions yet there is a unity in the way of our festivities.) His next comment took me aback - do you celebrate Diwali - are you not a Christian?  I only expected a Happy Diwali in return and now I am supposed to respond to his question! I kept it simple - I told him I am an Indian. It did not stop there - he went on to explain why as a Christian I should not celebrate Diwali! I could take no more of it - I explained to him what Diwali meant to me and why I would enjoy celebrating it and my religion has got nothing to do with it. That was the end of it and I made sure to never strike up a conversation as similar with him.

Diwali for me may not be of religious significance but more of ideological, familial and aesthetical! Diwali I was taught at school symbolises the victory of light over darkness or good over evil. I completely believe in that ideology and I love the lamps and lights lit up that dispel the darkness not just around but within us to give way for the light.  Like any other festivity, it brings together families and friends who forget their worries and come together to celebrate. Aesthetically, do I even need to comment - the cleaned and decorated houses, lights, rangoli and plate loads of goodies!! I love the Diwali season - back at home we go out on drives to see the beautifully lit houses and even in Dubai last year we went for a walk and saw quite a bit of decoration and fireworks. That makes my heart joyful and that is Diwali for me.

Over to my recipe - Kashi Halwa/Ash Gourd Halwa/Kushmanda Halwa which I thought was a Mangalore/ Udupi favorite cuisine but internet proved me wrong it is equally popular in Tamil Nadu as well.

Ingredients

(Serves - 2)

1. Ash gourd - 2 cups ( peeled, de-seeded and grated)
2. Sugar - 1 cup
3. Ghee - 2 tbsp
4. Turmeric - 2 pinches
5. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Cashewnuts - 6 to 7
7. Raisins - 6 to 7

Method

Measure 2 cups of the grated ash gourd. You may need approximately 750 gms of ashgourd for this.

Transfer this to a hard bottomed pan and cook till the water evaporates. 

At this stage add the sugar, combine it well and stir until the raw smell of the ash gourd vanishes and the mixture begins to thicken and hold together.

Meanwhile heat ghee in a separate pan and fry the cashews and raisins. Pour this into the halwa mix.

Add cardamom powder and turmeric powder. Stir well until the halwa thickens and leaves the edges as you stir. Switch off the flame when it reaches the consistency. 

You may also note -

• Kashi Halwa is not cooked till very dry. It is generally moist - so ensure you switch off the flame at the right time.
• Turmeric powder is added for color, this can be replaced with saffron.

Sindhi Koki / Paratha

I am fond of accumulating things and Shibin even more so. I fancy good looking plastic covers, jam/ pickle bottles, yogurt containers, inner cardboard of used tissue rolls,carton boxes and hoard them up. Shibin on the other hand tend to retain old clothes, id cards, travel itineraries, tickets etc. I preserve them to use it up inventively somewhere if possible and he does it because he gets nostalgic seeing all those. Either way, we sometimes end up cluttering and accumulating stuff which we may not ever have a look at again or use ever again. It is recently I came across the concept of de-cluttering and how it helps not just the physical space around the house but our mindset as well. I have slowly begun vanquishing all those unwanted elements.

It seems to be helping me infinitely -

• I have found more space to store what I actually want.
• I found things I would want to put to good use.
• The cleaner the house the merrier the mind.

The same applies to cooking as well. Shibin often tells me - ' Don't try to cook something special always - keep it simple'. My definition of going simple on certain week day night is making Koki. It is a simple sindhi paratha  using the basic ingredients found in almost all Indian household and leaves me with a less messier kitchen. We pair it up with Yogurt, so no extra effort on that side.

I am lucky to have two Sindhi friends and this is the recipe I picked up from one of them who is a wonderful cook  - Shweta thank you for the recipe.

Ingredients

(makes 6 parathas)

1. Wheat Flour - 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
3. Tomato - 1 small de-seeded and finely chopped
4. Green Chilly - 1 finely chopped
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Caraway seeds/ ajwain - 1/4 tsp
7. Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 tsp crushed
8. Coriander leaves - a handful chopped
9. Luke warm water - 1/3 cup
10. Oil - 1 tbsp
11. Ghee
12. Salt to taste

Method

• Combine together the chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves, green chilly, cumin seeds, ajwain and crushed pomegranate seeds in a bowl
• Add wheat flour and salt to the same bowl
• Combine this with your hand to let the moisture from the mix soak into the flour
• Add luke warm water and fork it together and let it rest for 5 minutes before you knead it to form a dough
• Store in an air tight container for 15 minutes before you begin rolling it out. This helps the dough  to be firmer and well combined.
• Make 6 smaller balls and roll it in the flour. Flatten it with your hands and using a roller gently roll out adding more flour if the need be.
• Dust off excess flour and transfer this to a heated tawa.
• Flip it over twice on each of the sides till it begins to brown lightly on the sides.
• Grease both the sides with ghee or oil.
• Serve it with yogurt and pickle.

Dates and Garlic Pickle

Life sometimes is sweet and sometimes annoying that you want to take a break!

It is not exactly made to order and set on a plate for you to relish. It comprises of people and moments that set the tone. Well, think about your emotions - you could be joyful yet confused and sad at the same time.
If you are not yet in sync and if you are a girl, think back to the day of your wedding ( if you are married of course!!) - did you not have those bitter sweet moments?
You are happy about beginning a new life with a partner you have chosen, sad about no longer being able to run home to your parents every now and then, confused on whether you will be able to handle a marriage and responsibilities and so on. Well, emotions on this day can be overwhelming! I went through all these and at least few of you echo my thoughts. At the end of it all - I am one happy soul.

This is how I would like to describe my recipe too - a bottle of emotions not in the literal sense but to the senses of your palate. There is dates for sweetness, garlic for the hint of pungency, chilly for the spice quotient and tamarind for the sourness. There you have - dates and garlic pickle.

Ingredients

1. Dates - 250 grams de-seeded chopped*
2. Garlic - 50 grams chopped*
3. Curry Leaf - 3 sprigs
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp 
8. Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized ball
9. Warm Water - 1 cup
10. Oil - 2 tbsp ( I have used coconut oil)
11. salt to taste

Method

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes and extract the juice from the pulp.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Let them splutter, reduce the flame and then add the fenugreek seeds. 

Add garlic and curry leaves to this and saute until the specs of brown just start appearing on the garlic. Sprinkle turmeric powder and chilly powder and let the masala get cooked.

Add the dates and coat this well with the masala. Keep it covered for 2-3 minutes on low flame.

Finally pour in the tamarind extract and add salt. Bring it to boil and let it simmer for 5 - 7 minutes till it thickens and the dates begin to melt.

It is a popular combination with Biriyani towards the south of India and we had it with parathas. The combo did gel well.

You may also note - 

1. * dates and garlic can either be chopped or slit lengthwise or you could also have it go in as whole. 
2. Once cooled it can be refrigerated in an air tight container for up to a month.

Mangaluru Cucumber Sambhar/ Mangaluru Southekayi Huli

Long weekend here in Dubai and the climate is getting better. We have vowed to make good the beautiful climate this year. Summers always prompt us to stay indoors and if at all we step out - malls and restaurants are the only solace. The changing season beckons us outdoor - probably for a picnic in the park or walk by the beach. Yay!! We managed to do both this weekend and that makes me content. It's not every day that all you plan materializes. That was my happy weekend - more to go with a movie planned and an extended day off tomorrow

Over to the post for the day. I have already mentioned in several earlier posts how much I love the place I was brought up - Brahmavar. Not just the place - the cuisines as well. The recipe today is a popular curry that is served for weddings in the Udupi/ Mangalore region. I can still visualize the dhoti clad men who serve food for the weddings walking around with buckets of this curry shouting - 'Huli Huli Huli'. Those who have been in my position would share these nostalgic feelings of mine as well.

Hopping over to the recipe. Southekayi Huli or Southekayi Sambhar is another version of the sambhar that has southekayi or cucumber as the main ingredient with the masala roasted and ground along with fresh coconut to give it a fine texture and taste.

Ingredients
(Serves - 6)

1. Mangaluru southekayi/ Cucumber/Vellarikka - 1 small
2. Toor dal - 3 tbsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
4. Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized ball
5. Jaggery - 3 tbsp grated
6. Water - 3 cups
7. Salt to taste

To grind:

1. Red Chilly - 6
2. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1 pinch
5. Mustard seeds - 1 pinch
6. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
7. Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
8. Coconut - 1/4 cup grated
9. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
10. Water - 1/4 cup

For garnish:

1. Mustard seeds
2. Curry leaves
3. Oil

Method

• Soak the tamarind in half a cup warm water for 10 minutes. Squeeze and extract the juice.
• Pressure cook washed toor dal in 1 cup of water along with turmeric powder up to 2 whistles.
• Skin, de-seed and chop the cucumber. Toss this into the pressure cooker and add 1 cup of water. Cook until the cucumber is done.
• Dry roast the ingredients 1 to 7 listed under 'To Grind'. Wet grind this along with coconut and asafoetida to a smooth paste.
• Add the ground paste along with salt, tamarind extract and jaggery into the cooker.Simmer for 10 minutes or until the masala is cooked. You may add water to reach the desired consistency.
• In a separate pan, heat oil and let the mustard seeds splutter. Add the curry leaves into this. Add this as the garnish to your sambhar.

You may also note - 

1. Do not chop the cucumber very small - have it in medium sizes or large chunks as per your choice. You may also choose not to skin the cucumber as is popular in Dakshina Kannada region.
2. Adjust the spice level as per your choice - you could reduce the jaggery if you do not want the sambhar to be sweet.

Spicy Crab Roast

For about a year, back in 2012, I stayed at house in Bangalore where we were forbidden to cook anything non vegetarian because of religious sentiments. It was fine to order out - those were our instructions handed out to us.  

And it was one Sunday night, when one of our roomies was back from her grandmother's place that all hell broke loose. She brought back with her a casserole of crab roast. Crab is not something that we find commonly at restaurants and if they do have it on the menu - the messy eating does not make it a favorite to be ordered. So you know exactly the scene!! A bunch of sea food lovers being long deprived of crab pounced at the sight. Crunch, munch, chomp! That was the scene for the next half an hour.

The scenario hasn't changed much now either - so we have photographs here directly from the Kadai because we needed to dig in soon. And for my solace, of course to show you the consistency the masala coating before you turn off the flame.

Here is my recipe -

Ingredients

1. Crab - 1 kg
2. Chilly powder - 3 tbsp + 1 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
4. Onion - 3 big ones sliced lengthwise
5. Ginger garlic paste - 3 tbsp
6. Tomato - 2  medium ones finely chopped
7. Garam masala - 1 tbsp
8. Coriander powder - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
9. Curry Leaf - 3 sprigs
10. Coconut oil
11. Salt to taste

Method

• Clean the crab and halve it
• Transfer the crab into a cooking pot and add water till an inch above the crab. Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp of chilly powder and salt. Bring it to a boil and simmer till the color of the crab shell changes to orange.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan and add the thinly sliced onions, saute until done. To this, add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes.
• Add the coriander powder, chilly powder and garam masala. Cook the masala.
• Add the tomatoes and let the tomato melt.
• Now add the cooked crab along with the stock. Mix it well and let it cook until the masala is well combined and the water content evaporates completes.
• Garnish with curry leaves and switch off the flame.

You may also note -

• Be generous with the ginger garlic paste and ensure that you cook this well to add to the texture and flavor.
• As the name goes, it is spicy - keep the spice quotient high it will never disappoint you.

Zaatar Manakish - Middle eastern flat bread

The fun part of staying in a place like Dubai is the possible avenues for trying out different cuisines and if you have a foodie in you the rest is history. I had a hidden foodie in me and marriage brought out the foodie. The reason being - I got married to a person who loves food, eats anything on his plate, who never wastes food and if he does trust me the food is beyond edible. Name any food program on television and he has watched it and if not, he will make sure he watches it . That got me addicted as well  - Food Network is the most popular channel at our place now:) So let us just say we bonded over food and food shows!!

Shibin used to get these flat breads for breakfast from Spinneys - sometimes with zaatar topping, sometimes with cheese or else a combination of both. It is only recently I learnt the name and I had the desire to make it myself. On the first try I got it a little crispier and the second time round I managed to get the texture right. 

I have used zaatar as the topping - you could replace this with cheese, meat or as your creativity clicks. Here is the recipe - 

Ingredients

1. All Purpose Flour - 2 and 1/2 cup
2. Olive oil
3. Dry Yeast - 1 tsp
4. Warm water - 3/4 cup
5. Sugar - 1 tsp
6. Olive oil - 1/4  cup + more for greasing
7. salt to taste

For the topping -

1. Zaatar - 6 tbsp ( a spice and herb blend from the middle east)
2. Olive oil - 12 tbsp

Method

• Soak the yeast in half a cup of luke warm water along with sugar till it is frothy.
• Take a bowl with the flour and add salt to this. Pour in the soaked dry yeast and knead the dough. Incorporate olive oil to further combine the dough till it becomes elastic. Knead for about 5 minutes.
• Place the dough covered with cling film in bowl smeared with oil for an hour. Let it rise.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degree centigrade.
• After an hour, make 6 smaller balls out of the dough.
• Flatten out using a roller and dust more flour to prevent this from sticking to your roller.
• Brush the surface with olive oil and transfer to a baking pan.
• Meanwhile, combine the zaatar and olive oil to form a paste.
• Apply this onto the rolled out dough evenly.
• Bake it for 6-7 minutes at 180 degree centigrade or until the bottom just begins to brown

You may also note -

1. Baking for about 7 minutes makes it soft and fluffy, if you need it crisp you could bake it for 9 minutes.
2. For those who are curious about what zaatar is - it is a spice blend of thyme, toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac and salt.

Baked Sesame Chicken Wings

I do have the habit of omitting certain words or sentences when I read up on something. Be it book, article or a recipe, which is probably why I finish reading quite fast. Pick up a book and if it really interests me - I could finish it in under a day but then, there is a catch to it - in my hurry to reach the fag bottom of the book - I miss names of certain characters, places and trust me at times even events that unfold. As the book progresses, if a reference is made to the part I unknowingly omitted (God forbid that happen), I am at total loss. 

Now, my husband knows why I finish reading books in half the time he takes!

I wouldn't say this is a great habit of mine because as the saying goes Half knowledge is dangerous. I have got into my own trouble with this. That set aside, when it comes to reading recipes I have had my good days and bad days. Good ones are when despite not following the recipe word by word - I end up with a recipe I created and the taste delights and the tragic ones which no where bears resemblance to the original recipe or the image that I had in mind.

This is one recipe that has been adapted and re-adapted over a period of time and now I call it mine. 

Here it goes for you - 

Ingredients

(serves 4)

For baking

1. Chicken wings - 800 gms 
2. Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
3. Pepper powder - 1/2 tbp
4. Olive oil - 1 tbsp
5. Garlic cloves - 6 whole crushed

For Sauce

1. Garlic cloves - 6-7 chopped
2. Olive oil - 1 tbsp
3. Soya sauce - 3 tbsp
4. White sesame seeds - 2 tsp
5. Coriander leaves - 1 bunch finely chopped
6. Honey - 2 tbsp
7. Salt to taste

Method

• Clean the frozen chicken wings thoroughly and set aside to drain off any excess water.
• Prepare the marinade by mixing together the chilly powder, pepper powder, salt and olive oil.
• Marinate the chicken and let it rest for an hour. Meanwhile pre - heat the oven at 180 degree centigrade for 15 minutes.
• Transfer the wings onto a baking tray and randomly toss in the crushed garlic cloves  and bake it at 180 degree for first 35 minutes and rest 10 minutes at 200 degree centigrade for a crispier outside.
• Remove from the oven and keep the tray covered with aluminium foil for 15 minutes.
• Dry roast the sesame seeds and set aside.
• In a pan, heat the oil and saute the garlic until cooked. Pour in the soya sauce and turn off the flame. Add the honey and mix this sauce well.
• Add the baked wings along with the juice oozed out on baking to the pan and coat the wings well with the sauce.
• For the final touches, add the roasted sesame seeds and finely chopped corriander leaves.

You may also note -

1. The oven timings and temperature are apt for the one I use, you may need to manipulate it as per your oven settings. Just cut open a piece and check if it has been cooked to the bone.
2. You need not add in the entire juice of the chicken into the sauce - only as much required for the sauce to form a good coating