Pep up the papad!
Rushina Munshaw – Ghildiyal gives the ubiquitous papad a whole new menu!
There is a well known known tongue twister that goes - "Kaacha papad, Paka papad"
Papad is an indigenous savory food item found in most Indian homes. It is commonly sold dried in sheets just like Italian Pasta or Vietnamese rice paper. Similarly I've found that it can also substitute anything in savoury dishes that requires sheets of dough like Chinese Spring roll wrappers, Mexican taco sheets, middle eastern Filo pastry. All it takes is a little creativity!
It saved spending on exotic versions and ups the health quotient of the dishes because where most prepared sheets are either made of maida or require frying. Papads on the other hand are usually made of compositions of black gram flour with additions of ingredients such as cereal flour, pulse flour, soya flour, spice mixes, and different vegetable juices. This would up the nutritive value of any dish since legumes, and dals are high in proteins.
1 roasted papad provides 29 kcal. Mung dhal provides 348kcal for 100 gms, tuver dhal provides 335kcal for 100 gms, channa dhal provides 372kcal for 100 gms, Moth dhal provides 330kcal for 100 gms, black eye dhal provides 347kcal for 100 gms, fresh green peas provides 93kcal for 100 gms. Caloric value of pickle varies to great extent depends up on its ingredients.
Sago Papad with Soya dipping sauce
By no means a healthy recipe, this is a still a delicious combination to serve at parties. You can even use the Knorr Make a meal ready sauce mix for the sauce. Just add lesser water so you get a thicker sauce.
Serves 4 Time 10 mins
50 gms ready Sago Papad
For the Sauce
½ c chopped garlic
2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp chopped green chillies
1 stock cube
1/3 c soya sauce
½ c water
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp cooking oil
For garnish
1 tbsp til oil
2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
In a saucepan heat cooking oil until hot. Add garlic, ginger and green chillies and stir-fry until aromatic, add stock cube, soya sauce and water bring to a boil. Make a paste of cornflour with a little water and add to sauce. Mix well and cook until thickened. Taste and adjust salt to taste. Stir in sesame oil transfer to serving bowl, top with green onion. Serve warm but not hot with Sago papad.
Potato Papad Nachos w sour yoghurt, and fresh salsa,
Here is a far healthier version of a favourite party snack and it takes a fraction of time compared to the original.
Serves 4 Time 30 mins
8 papads
Using a pair of scissors cut the uncooked papads into triangles like a pizza. Place flat in a plate and microwave until done.
For the yogurt
1 cup sour yogurt hung for a while
2 tbs cream
Salt to taste
Combine yoghurt and cream and pass through a sieve to strain out any solid bits of malai. Add salt, mix well and chill.
For the Salsa
½ c tomatoes chopped fine
½ c onions chopped fine
½ c coriander chopped fine
1 tbsp chillies chopped fine
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 c lemon juice
1/3 c Tabasco
Salt to taste
Combine everything in a bowl and allow flavours to develop for half an hour prior to serving.
To serve place salsa in a serving bowl, top with yoghurt. Place bowl in the middle of serving platter, surround with roasted papad triangles and serve.
Papad spring rolls
Serves 4 Time 30 mins
4 papads
1 each yellow, red and green pepper, grilled , peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp g chillies chopped fine
½ cup garlic
1 tsp ginger
1 c sredded red or white cabbage.
Pinch of salt
In a wok, heat oil. Add Garlic green chillies, and ginger and sauté until aromatic. Add cabbage and stir fry until softened a little. Add peppers and stirfry further until they are bright in color.
To assemble
Oil a plate and have it ready. Heat water in a flat pan. When hot but not boiling use tongs to immerse a papad in the water to soften. Do not allow to soak you want the papads to be soft enough to roll but not tear. Place you vegetable mixture along one side of the wet papad and roll up like a spring roll ensuring the edges are stuck together. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the papads. Leave the rolls to dry out a little for a few minutes and then fry or brush with oil and bake until papads are crispy and golden.
Variations: You can add 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken or small prawns to your vegetable mix.
Mushroom Papad lasagna
Serves 4 Time 30 mins
500 gms Mushrooms sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 c white sauce
4 mushroom papads
1 tsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp grated cheese
In a bowl mix mushrooms with garlic and white sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Using a large baking dish spread a little of the mushroom white sauce mixture on the base. Heat water in a flat pan. When hot but not boiling use tongs to immerse a papad in the water to soften. Place this over the mixture. Repeat until all the papads are over. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted. Serve hot.
Variations: use a combination of mushrooms. To intensify the mushroom flavour, I try to use ground dry mushrooms to thicken my sauce. It also adds texture.
BOX FOR ABOVE RECIPE
Pune based Shakti Mushrooms makes Oyster mushroom papad, mushroom soup mix and Mushroom powder. Contact R K Kapare 159 Hadaspur Pune 28 Mob 9371044901
Cashew pepper stirfry in papad canapés
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4 papads
½ cup cashews
½ cup colored peppers chopped fine
½ cup onion chopped fine
½ cup celery chopped fine
½ cup mushrooms sliced thin
½ cup tiny broccoli florets
1 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp thai sweet chilli sauce
A few leaves of iceberg lettuce
In a pan heat oil and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute, add cashews and stirfry until they start browning. Add the rest of the ingredieants and sauté until the colors have brightened but do not overcook. Set aside.
To make the papad canapes
Oil 4 glass bowls and have them ready. Heat water in a flat pan. When hot but not boiling use tongs to immerse a papad in the water to soften. Do not allow to soak you want the papads to be soft enough to fold over bowl but not tear. Allow papads to dry out a little and them place the bolws covered with the papad in the microwave or the oven till cooked crisp. Allow to cool.
To assemble, place a lettuce leaf in each papad bowl and fill with vegetable mixture. Serve.
Variations: You can add 1 cup of finely diced cooked chicken or small prawns to your vegetable mix.
General boxes
Nutrition Facts
Papad is often associated with "women empowerment" in India. Many individual and organized business run by women produce papad, pickles and other snacks; and provide them regular income with minimal financial investments. Like Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad is an organization solely run by women that produces large quantities of Poppadams on the open market.
Papad is known as Papadam in the west which is a word borrowed from Hindi Papads are called Applam in Tamil.
Papad is a very important part of Sindhi cuisine.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
In search of the Perfect Pez - Times of India
Light-hearted and wholesome
Whether you’re sick or craving comfort food, nothing hits the spot like this Goan porridge, promises Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal
The first monsoon showers of the year brought the feeling of renewal but it has quickly washed away to a feeling of dampness! Damp clothes, damp hair, even the air seems damp… not to mention redolent with the smell of mold flourishing in sun deprived corners.
So on one particularly rainy day I sought succor in one of my favourite comfort foods, Singapore style Porridge — savoury, steaming hot and guaranteed to make the world look right again! I spent a pleasurable hour, creating a pot full of flavourful stock. I placed 5 litres of water on the flame. Into the pot went one bruised bulb of lemongrass, a generous handful of pounded garlic, and grated ginger and minced chillies to spike things. Two cups of finely chopped vegetables (chopping vegetables can be very therapeutic, when one is rained in), cauliflower, carrot, beans and celery. Once the stock was bubbling away and the vegetables were tender, I added ½ a kg of rice, lowered the flame to simmer and assembled all the condiments I would serve it with. Hot chilli oil, spicy masalas, sour vinegar pickles, salty fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce so everyone could customize their bowlfuls to taste.
One hour later, my kitchen was aromatic with steam from the simmering pot and the rice had broken down to a viscous thick porridge. I was ladling it out at the table when a Goan guest, aunty Savia who was staying with us exclaimed, “Oh this is so much like pez!”
A few minutes of furious discussion and we determined that what I knew as porridge, aunty Savia knew as pez.
Unlike most people who get a taste of pez early in life, either as part of their daily diet or as a light meal when they were ill, I had never tasted it. Growing up in a Gujarati home, meant I often watched clothes being starched with rice water but never imagined it could be consumed. The Gujarati equivalent of pez is a gruel made of milk and wheat flour, sweetened with jaggery and spiced with dry ginger called raab.
I found my perfect bowl of pez masquerading as porridge on the distant island of Singapore a few years ago! Like pez, porridge is made by cooking rice slowly in many times its weight of liquid. Only in the case of porridge, the rice is cooked until it disintigrates and the liquid used might be a stock. (The spices and vegetables in the recipe above are my additions over the years).
To the rest of the world, porridge would mean oatmeal or other cereals cooked in milk, but in many parts of Asia, especially Singapore, porridge means a thicker version of what is known as pez, pej or kanji in the Konkan belt of India. But how did pez, the rice gruel, eaten in almost all Goan village homes at around eleven every morning turn up in Singapore?
Pez, it turns out, is older than Goan cuisine. It goes back to the very beginning of Indian culinary history, to the time when rice was first cooked in the subcontinent. In fact, this method of cooking grain predates the consumption of rice itself. I can only speculate that rice, once domesticated, gradually dispersed throughout the land mass of the India and further Asia.
The best thing about a bowlful of pez or kanji is that is allows one to customize it to taste. Pez is relegated to the medicinal section — taken as an antidote to tummy upsets — in the wheat eating North, but is a distinct dish in Uttaranchal, where it is eaten as mand jholi tempered with chillies and little garlic.
If that does not appeal, have it the Goan way, accompanied by a piece of mango pickle or roasted or fried dried fish, or with a chutney like the Mangaloreans, in whose homes, pez itself is made from boiled rice slow-cooked in a handi using a firewood ‘tandoor’ with lots of water until it is semi-mashed and served with galbyanchi chutney, made by coarsely grinding dried prawns, coconut, tamarind, finely chopped onions and a few red chillies. You could try having it Bengali style, as the lei or leyee (which means a paste) enriched with vegetables, turmeric and salt. Or try it the South Indian way as ganji, seasoned with salt and grated coconut and served hot with ghee and roasted papad.
Pej, kaneri, kanji, canji, canje, ganji are a few names by which pez is recognized as one travels around India, but Porridge is just one of the avatars pez exists as around the world. But it isn’t just the name that has changed along the way; the rice used to make it, the consistency it is cooked to and even the condiments that accompany it have evolved to adapt to locally available ingredients as it travelled around the world.
But however it is served, pez, Porridge or kanji it offers a hot bowl of comfort on a rainy day. It’s raining and I am off to make myself a bowl of pez.
But before I go, I am going to let you in on the secret behind this little discovery I made one day when the craving for pez got the better of me. Instant pez. If you don’t have the time or the patience to slow cook pez, place ½ a cup of rice poha, 1 maggi cube and 3-4 cups water in a pressure cooker, one whistle and you’re done, season and flavor to taste, dig in and bless me with every spoonful!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal is a gastronomy writer and food content consultant based in Mumbai.
Whether you’re sick or craving comfort food, nothing hits the spot like this Goan porridge, promises Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal
The first monsoon showers of the year brought the feeling of renewal but it has quickly washed away to a feeling of dampness! Damp clothes, damp hair, even the air seems damp… not to mention redolent with the smell of mold flourishing in sun deprived corners.
So on one particularly rainy day I sought succor in one of my favourite comfort foods, Singapore style Porridge — savoury, steaming hot and guaranteed to make the world look right again! I spent a pleasurable hour, creating a pot full of flavourful stock. I placed 5 litres of water on the flame. Into the pot went one bruised bulb of lemongrass, a generous handful of pounded garlic, and grated ginger and minced chillies to spike things. Two cups of finely chopped vegetables (chopping vegetables can be very therapeutic, when one is rained in), cauliflower, carrot, beans and celery. Once the stock was bubbling away and the vegetables were tender, I added ½ a kg of rice, lowered the flame to simmer and assembled all the condiments I would serve it with. Hot chilli oil, spicy masalas, sour vinegar pickles, salty fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce so everyone could customize their bowlfuls to taste.
One hour later, my kitchen was aromatic with steam from the simmering pot and the rice had broken down to a viscous thick porridge. I was ladling it out at the table when a Goan guest, aunty Savia who was staying with us exclaimed, “Oh this is so much like pez!”
A few minutes of furious discussion and we determined that what I knew as porridge, aunty Savia knew as pez.
Unlike most people who get a taste of pez early in life, either as part of their daily diet or as a light meal when they were ill, I had never tasted it. Growing up in a Gujarati home, meant I often watched clothes being starched with rice water but never imagined it could be consumed. The Gujarati equivalent of pez is a gruel made of milk and wheat flour, sweetened with jaggery and spiced with dry ginger called raab.
I found my perfect bowl of pez masquerading as porridge on the distant island of Singapore a few years ago! Like pez, porridge is made by cooking rice slowly in many times its weight of liquid. Only in the case of porridge, the rice is cooked until it disintigrates and the liquid used might be a stock. (The spices and vegetables in the recipe above are my additions over the years).
To the rest of the world, porridge would mean oatmeal or other cereals cooked in milk, but in many parts of Asia, especially Singapore, porridge means a thicker version of what is known as pez, pej or kanji in the Konkan belt of India. But how did pez, the rice gruel, eaten in almost all Goan village homes at around eleven every morning turn up in Singapore?
Pez, it turns out, is older than Goan cuisine. It goes back to the very beginning of Indian culinary history, to the time when rice was first cooked in the subcontinent. In fact, this method of cooking grain predates the consumption of rice itself. I can only speculate that rice, once domesticated, gradually dispersed throughout the land mass of the India and further Asia.
The best thing about a bowlful of pez or kanji is that is allows one to customize it to taste. Pez is relegated to the medicinal section — taken as an antidote to tummy upsets — in the wheat eating North, but is a distinct dish in Uttaranchal, where it is eaten as mand jholi tempered with chillies and little garlic.
If that does not appeal, have it the Goan way, accompanied by a piece of mango pickle or roasted or fried dried fish, or with a chutney like the Mangaloreans, in whose homes, pez itself is made from boiled rice slow-cooked in a handi using a firewood ‘tandoor’ with lots of water until it is semi-mashed and served with galbyanchi chutney, made by coarsely grinding dried prawns, coconut, tamarind, finely chopped onions and a few red chillies. You could try having it Bengali style, as the lei or leyee (which means a paste) enriched with vegetables, turmeric and salt. Or try it the South Indian way as ganji, seasoned with salt and grated coconut and served hot with ghee and roasted papad.
Pej, kaneri, kanji, canji, canje, ganji are a few names by which pez is recognized as one travels around India, but Porridge is just one of the avatars pez exists as around the world. But it isn’t just the name that has changed along the way; the rice used to make it, the consistency it is cooked to and even the condiments that accompany it have evolved to adapt to locally available ingredients as it travelled around the world.
But however it is served, pez, Porridge or kanji it offers a hot bowl of comfort on a rainy day. It’s raining and I am off to make myself a bowl of pez.
But before I go, I am going to let you in on the secret behind this little discovery I made one day when the craving for pez got the better of me. Instant pez. If you don’t have the time or the patience to slow cook pez, place ½ a cup of rice poha, 1 maggi cube and 3-4 cups water in a pressure cooker, one whistle and you’re done, season and flavor to taste, dig in and bless me with every spoonful!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal is a gastronomy writer and food content consultant based in Mumbai.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Review of Knorr Make a Meal - 4D Woman june 2007
Knorr Make-a-Meal has come out with a choice of 5 sauce mixes for popular Chinese dishes; Chinese Manchurian, Chinese Schezuan, Chinese Chilli, Chinese Sweet & Sour and Chinese Fried Rice. My first reaction to these was "this has Msg." something I avoid it as much as possible. However, my 5 year old thanks to the ad world had been canvassing for these for days "Mama you like Chinese food and this will make Manchurian just like China Valley (our local Chinese restaurant), at least try it…" so we bought one. I didn't realize it then but I learned very quickly that although by no means would I advocate it as a regular part of my family's menu they could be good for a rainy day. They're easy to cook - stir fry vegetables/meat, add contents dissolved in water, allow to cook and you're done in about 10 minutes - good for a day when we don't have a lot of time to cook or need to extend a meal to accommodate sudden guests. At about Rs. 26 they promise 4 servings a pack and deliver a fair bit more so one could easily put together a quick meal for 4 -5 within Rs. 250 by adding vegetables, rice and chicken. It tasted good too - not like something out of a packet but something at a restaurant without any concerns about hygiene, quality of ingredients and oil content since I did not fry anything. And here is a tip - I also got conniving and heaped up on the vegetables and chicken so my family got their required servings of both!
Mushrooms and Chicken in Manchurian sauce
Ingredients
500 gms chicken breast - cut in 1/4" strips
2 tbsp rice bran oil (I use Tandul)
500 gms mushroom - Quatered
1 packet Knorr Make a meal Munchurian sauce
For the Marinade
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1/4 tsp sugar and salt to taste
2 red chiles - thinly sliced (optional)
For the Marinade
In a bowl, all the ingredients for the marinade and leave for 1 hour. In a wok or large frying pan, heat sesame oil over high heat. Add chicken and stir fry till lightly browned (3 minutes). Add mushrooms, and allow to cook till they release juices. Continue to stirfry till juices from the mushrooms have evaporated and they are slightly brown in patches. Now add water as per the reqiuirements of the packet and stir in the entire packet of Munchurian sauce mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and everything is cooked. Serve with steamed rice.
You can vary the vegetables in the dish above. You can also double mushrooms or use an assortment of vegetables and tofu for vegetarians..
Mushrooms and Chicken in Manchurian sauce
Ingredients
500 gms chicken breast - cut in 1/4" strips
2 tbsp rice bran oil (I use Tandul)
500 gms mushroom - Quatered
1 packet Knorr Make a meal Munchurian sauce
For the Marinade
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1/4 tsp sugar and salt to taste
2 red chiles - thinly sliced (optional)
For the Marinade
In a bowl, all the ingredients for the marinade and leave for 1 hour. In a wok or large frying pan, heat sesame oil over high heat. Add chicken and stir fry till lightly browned (3 minutes). Add mushrooms, and allow to cook till they release juices. Continue to stirfry till juices from the mushrooms have evaporated and they are slightly brown in patches. Now add water as per the reqiuirements of the packet and stir in the entire packet of Munchurian sauce mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and everything is cooked. Serve with steamed rice.
You can vary the vegetables in the dish above. You can also double mushrooms or use an assortment of vegetables and tofu for vegetarians..
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Brine fever - published in Timeout Mumbai 22 March 2006
They occupy only a tiny area of real estate on your plate but explode with flavor on your palate. They can be blisteringly hot or fragrantly sweet or face-puckeringly sour. What would an Indian meal be without a pickle or three to round it out? With the Ides of March just past, preparations have begun across the country for the pickling season. An annual exercise that has taken place in the hot months for eons.
Pickling is the process of preparing food by soaking it in a brine of salt, acid, oil or all three to preserve otherwise perishable foods. The acid retards bacterial growth and oil acts as a preservative. Food historians trace the process of pickling to ancient Egypt, where fish and melons were pickled. The more common practice of pickling cucumbers dates back to about 3,000 years in India. Pickles have been a part of Indian cuisine as far back as the Harrappan era.
There is an astonishing range of pickles available in India, so astonishing that a mango pickle in the south will taste totally different from one made in northern style. Although there are as many varieties of pickles as there are dialects in this country (a result of the variation in the spices, oils, souring or sweetening agents and treatments), there is also uniformity in this diversity. This uniformity is in the liberal use of spices, not necessarily to add fiery heat but to contribute flavours.
Warmer south India uses cooling spices like mustard, curry leaves and asafetida in its pickles, while the colder north favors warming spices like cloves, pepper and nigella. Some spices are medicinal: for instance, ginger, asafetida, and turmeric are added for their digestive properties, raw garlic cures circulatory ailments and soothes jangled nerves, while clack pepper stimulates the appetite. The oil used as a base also varies according to region. sesame and gingelly oil are common in the south, while mustard oil is preferred in the North. There’s also a variation in the acidifying agent: The south uses lime juice, tamarind or curd, the north uses vinegar. Jaggery is the sweetener favored in the south, but the north uses sugar.
Pickle recipes have long been passed down from one generation of a family to the next and, with the exception of a few winter specials, the majority of pickles are made in the summer. Women get together and spend several weeks preparing pickles even in fast-paced Mumbai. Taking the tedium out of grating or chopping kilos of produce, enterprising vegetable vendors home deliver fruits and vegetables conveniently prepped to specification. These are then salted and laid out to dry wherever there is a bit of sun (on minuscule balconies or terraces) to concentrate their flavours and when ready these are mixed with the required ingredients and packed into large ceramic jars and left to mature.
No cuisine in the world can boast as huge a repertoire of pickles as India’s food. Luckily for us, Mumbai’s multi-regional population offers a huge sampling menu. While almost every community has its own variations of more common fruit and vegetable pickles like those made from mango, lime and mixed vegetables, each community also has its specialties. Those prized pickles that grace special occasions or celebrations or the visit of a special guest. All over the city, women entrepreneurs bottle their wares for the pantries of the world. Here’s our pick of some of the best pickles available in Mumbai.
North Indian achaars are the best know pickles of India. They’re usually done in mustard oil and their distinctive feature is the use of “akkhe masalle” or whole spices. They are very easily found in shops around the city as well as at Motilal Masallawala in Bhuleshwar (22426294), with Bala Manon Malad (min. order 5 kgs.)(2881 8676), Reena Peshawaria Lokhandwala complex Andheri(W)(2636 1322/ 2631 0909)and Kusum Kapoor Nepean Sea Road(2364 3737/ 2362 4577)
The Sindhis came to Mumbai from the Sind province - of what is now Pakistan in North India - bringing with them their spicy cuisine infused with the liberal use of oil and spices. They have an exciting collection of pickles made at home, some are adaptations of pickles from other communities, like the chunda, amb khatta, kat keri (tiny dices of green mangoes stewed in a cumin chilli flavoured syrup), but they also do some excellent pickles of their own like the bheendi khatti also called Kadukash which is an absolutely delicious pickle of grated mangoes redolent of spices like kalonji or nigella and chillies. Dhanika Jaggi makes Sindhi pickles in season 14 Prem Bhavan, (1st floor) opposite UCO bank, Colaba Bombay 5. (22831868 / 9869284293)
Rajasthani Pickles – Rajasthan being largely a dessert area, makes the best of what it can get, even in its cuisine. Their pickles are fiery and simple. One Rajasthani pickle that is distinctive because it is typical to the region is the kair sangri achar. Kair (capparis decidna) are the small green berries found in the dessert, that usually cooked as vegetable or pickled with Sangri, slender green pods that appear on the khejri (Prosopis cinararia) during the blazing months of June and July, (the root system of this plant go seventy feet deep, allowing it to withstand years of complete drought). The Rajasthani Mahila Mandal Griha Udyog stock ready packed Rajasthani style mango, lime, kathal (jackfruit,) chilli, leswa (a species of amaranthus greens that are pickled), panch mela (a mix of five vegetables) and chana pickles and also the typically Rajasthani kair and kair sangri Pickles.
Rajasthani Mahila mandal bhavan, 12 Krantiveer Vasantrao Niak Cross lane (Forgett St.) Near Sai Baba Mandir, Gowalia Tank Mumbai 36. (23873197)
Everyone knows about Gujarati athaanas (pickles). They include the or methia keri a mango pickle made with coarsely ground methi or fenugreek, chhundo - a grated mango pickle flavoured with chilli powder and sun cooked for a couple of weeks, gol keri - a sweet hot pickle made with chunks of green mango and spices cooked to a thick syrupy consistency and the fragrant, sweet murabbo but there are more exotic offerings as well; gunda or gumberry in which the berry is hollowed of its sticky innards, stuffed with a spicy masala and pickled in oil or green pepper, dala kerda or davra and the rare garmar (aspargus root) Pickles which are pickled in brine with mustard.
Both Motilal Masalawalla at Bhuleshwar 22426294 and M. Motilal Masallawala at Grant rd. (30916687) stock a wide variety of Gujarati pickles. Other sources for Gujerati pickles are Gogo Snacks at Chowpatty (23696966 / 23615292 / 23630532 / 23632093 /23699988, Indu Khetani & Surbhi Gandhi at Ghatkopar (2506 1713/ 2414 2008), Meenakshi Bhagat at Malabar Hill, (3092 3736), Umaiya Merchant at Andheri (2677 5115/ 9223226746) and Jyoti Mehta at Juhu 2614 9309/ 2613 6651/93222 63191
The Parsi community first settled in Gujarat and Parsi cuisine has evolved to include many elements of Gujarati cuisine, including pickles. There are Parsi versions the methia kairi and other Gujarati pickles but particular to the Parsi community are a few interesting pickles as well. Parsi pickles use vinegar (sarko) as their base and pickle all sorts of vegetables carrots, mangoes, bamboo shoots. Particularly well known are is the lagan nu achaar, a carrot and dry fruit pickle, that is served with crisp puffy fried sago papads at all weddings and is the first item served at the lagan-nu-bhonu or Parsi. Sweet with a back of the mouth heat that strikes later, the carrots are crunchy and the raisins burst between your teeth with sweetness. There is also the bafenu, a classic Parsi pickle made with a whole ripe Alphonso mango, and generous doses of the famed cane vinegar produced in Navsari by Kolah's, the pickle is sweet, slightly hot and resembles a concentrated mango curry more than a pickle. Parsis also do some unique non vegetarian pickles like the Tarapori prawn patio, dried Bombay Duck pickle and a fish roe pickle.
The Ratan Tata Institute or R.T.I (2380 2781) on Huges road (they have branches so call and check if there is one more accessible to you) is of course the best place to pick up Parsi pickles in season, but Motilal Masalawalla at Bhuleshwar (22426294) also stocks vegetarian Parsi style pickles including the bafenu and the lagan nu achar by E F Kolah. The other Masallawala at Grant rd. (30916687) also stocks Parsi pickles by the Kolahs and do a particularly good sweet onion and garlic pickle that they make themselves. Nargish Lala of MUMMY’S YUMMIES (2208 5198, 5607 9177, 9819002500) at Dhobi Talao, does a Tarapori patio, prawn patio, brinjal pickle, dried bombay duck pickle and lagan nu achar while Katy Bhaka (2416 6455) of Wadala does Tarapori prawn patio, dry bombay duck pickle and fish roe pickle in season.
Maharashtrian “lonchas” are fairly spicy for the most part and preserved in groundnut oil. There is a small street of shops called Achar Gali parallel to the Chivda gali at Lalbaug, (New Lalbaug Market, Shri Ganesh Nagar, Mumbai 400 022) where a large selection of Maharashtrian pickles are available; tender whole mango, garlic, chilli, dry mango and even an amla murabba and whole tender mangoes in brine called panikairi. Try Vijay Lakshmi Masalle where the owner Sopan was extremely helpful (2471 6992) or Jai Maharashtra Masalle (55830010). Other places you can source Maharashtrian pickles are the Annapurna Mahilla Mandal, Plot no. 13/14 Sector 19 E, opposite sector 76, Vashi, Navi Mumbai (27665617), Bhagyashree Ketkar, Chembur (25223930) and Vandana Randive, Gamdevi(2387 1875)
The East Indians community of Mumbai are the original inhabitants of Mumbai and have developed a cuisine of their very own. There is an East Indian version of the Bombay Duck pickle as well as a fish roe one in season. The heritage area of Khotachiwadi, at Girgaum is where you will find East Indian pickles but Marie of “Maries” at Bandra (2640 9371) does East Indian pickles in season as well.
Goan pickles - A typical Goan meal is considered incomplete without pickle on the side. Whether bought from the market or fished out of that huge antique pickle jar tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, any Goan pickle will add sizzle to your meal. The difference between a Goan and a Manglorean pickle is not obvious to an outsider, but you will find both Goan as well as Manglorean pickles at Manglorean stores around the city.
Other places that do pickles in Mumbai.
Aroona Reejhsinghani
502 B wing, Leela apts. opp Gulmohur garden, Yaari rd. Versova, Mumbai-61
(26360224) Oil Less Pickles, made with less salt and easy on the spices as well. Lemon, Spicy Lemon, Vegetable in Lime juice, Chilli, Beetroot and Onion. (Minimum orders 1 KG. Prices are dependant on the season)
Carnations
85,Pitale Prasad, Ground Floor, Worli Sea face Mumbai-25
2494 7890/ 2493 6049, 9821090634
Ready stock Oil-free pickles – Mango, Lime, Sweet & Sour, Ginger Shredded and Sweet, Mango Pepper, Mixed Fruit and Hot Mango
Moment Khet Products Madhu Mehra
Bayview, 2nd Floor, Flat No.5 Ridge Rd, Malabar Hill, Mumbai-6 (23674014/ 56004892)
Garlic and other pickles. Prices are seasonal.
Roshan Mandal
Maker tower L ' ,112, Cuffe parade , Mumbai- 400 005. (2218 8037/ 2218 1063/ 9821367493)
Ready stock Oil free Pickles, Low oil pickles and Non veg Pickles Prawn, Chicken, Mutton. (upto Rs. 100)
Schroffs Organic Food
784/B Ready Money Building, 2nd Floor. M.Joshi Road, Dadar Parsi Colony(E) Mumbai-14 (24135650) Hand made Natural Pickles without preservatives and additives like color, essence etc. Prices are seasonal.
Women’s India Trust
WIT Shop, Shop 23, Bombay Market, Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 (24462506 / 23511753)
Seosonal Pickles in 500 gms. packaging - Tomato and Raisin Chutney, Mango Chutney Lime Hot, Sweet Brinjal hot and sweet Chunda Mago pickle (Prices range between Rs. 50 – Rs. 60)
Pickling is the process of preparing food by soaking it in a brine of salt, acid, oil or all three to preserve otherwise perishable foods. The acid retards bacterial growth and oil acts as a preservative. Food historians trace the process of pickling to ancient Egypt, where fish and melons were pickled. The more common practice of pickling cucumbers dates back to about 3,000 years in India. Pickles have been a part of Indian cuisine as far back as the Harrappan era.
There is an astonishing range of pickles available in India, so astonishing that a mango pickle in the south will taste totally different from one made in northern style. Although there are as many varieties of pickles as there are dialects in this country (a result of the variation in the spices, oils, souring or sweetening agents and treatments), there is also uniformity in this diversity. This uniformity is in the liberal use of spices, not necessarily to add fiery heat but to contribute flavours.
Warmer south India uses cooling spices like mustard, curry leaves and asafetida in its pickles, while the colder north favors warming spices like cloves, pepper and nigella. Some spices are medicinal: for instance, ginger, asafetida, and turmeric are added for their digestive properties, raw garlic cures circulatory ailments and soothes jangled nerves, while clack pepper stimulates the appetite. The oil used as a base also varies according to region. sesame and gingelly oil are common in the south, while mustard oil is preferred in the North. There’s also a variation in the acidifying agent: The south uses lime juice, tamarind or curd, the north uses vinegar. Jaggery is the sweetener favored in the south, but the north uses sugar.
Pickle recipes have long been passed down from one generation of a family to the next and, with the exception of a few winter specials, the majority of pickles are made in the summer. Women get together and spend several weeks preparing pickles even in fast-paced Mumbai. Taking the tedium out of grating or chopping kilos of produce, enterprising vegetable vendors home deliver fruits and vegetables conveniently prepped to specification. These are then salted and laid out to dry wherever there is a bit of sun (on minuscule balconies or terraces) to concentrate their flavours and when ready these are mixed with the required ingredients and packed into large ceramic jars and left to mature.
No cuisine in the world can boast as huge a repertoire of pickles as India’s food. Luckily for us, Mumbai’s multi-regional population offers a huge sampling menu. While almost every community has its own variations of more common fruit and vegetable pickles like those made from mango, lime and mixed vegetables, each community also has its specialties. Those prized pickles that grace special occasions or celebrations or the visit of a special guest. All over the city, women entrepreneurs bottle their wares for the pantries of the world. Here’s our pick of some of the best pickles available in Mumbai.
North Indian achaars are the best know pickles of India. They’re usually done in mustard oil and their distinctive feature is the use of “akkhe masalle” or whole spices. They are very easily found in shops around the city as well as at Motilal Masallawala in Bhuleshwar (22426294), with Bala Manon Malad (min. order 5 kgs.)(2881 8676), Reena Peshawaria Lokhandwala complex Andheri(W)(2636 1322/ 2631 0909)and Kusum Kapoor Nepean Sea Road(2364 3737/ 2362 4577)
The Sindhis came to Mumbai from the Sind province - of what is now Pakistan in North India - bringing with them their spicy cuisine infused with the liberal use of oil and spices. They have an exciting collection of pickles made at home, some are adaptations of pickles from other communities, like the chunda, amb khatta, kat keri (tiny dices of green mangoes stewed in a cumin chilli flavoured syrup), but they also do some excellent pickles of their own like the bheendi khatti also called Kadukash which is an absolutely delicious pickle of grated mangoes redolent of spices like kalonji or nigella and chillies. Dhanika Jaggi makes Sindhi pickles in season 14 Prem Bhavan, (1st floor) opposite UCO bank, Colaba Bombay 5. (22831868 / 9869284293)
Rajasthani Pickles – Rajasthan being largely a dessert area, makes the best of what it can get, even in its cuisine. Their pickles are fiery and simple. One Rajasthani pickle that is distinctive because it is typical to the region is the kair sangri achar. Kair (capparis decidna) are the small green berries found in the dessert, that usually cooked as vegetable or pickled with Sangri, slender green pods that appear on the khejri (Prosopis cinararia) during the blazing months of June and July, (the root system of this plant go seventy feet deep, allowing it to withstand years of complete drought). The Rajasthani Mahila Mandal Griha Udyog stock ready packed Rajasthani style mango, lime, kathal (jackfruit,) chilli, leswa (a species of amaranthus greens that are pickled), panch mela (a mix of five vegetables) and chana pickles and also the typically Rajasthani kair and kair sangri Pickles.
Rajasthani Mahila mandal bhavan, 12 Krantiveer Vasantrao Niak Cross lane (Forgett St.) Near Sai Baba Mandir, Gowalia Tank Mumbai 36. (23873197)
Everyone knows about Gujarati athaanas (pickles). They include the or methia keri a mango pickle made with coarsely ground methi or fenugreek, chhundo - a grated mango pickle flavoured with chilli powder and sun cooked for a couple of weeks, gol keri - a sweet hot pickle made with chunks of green mango and spices cooked to a thick syrupy consistency and the fragrant, sweet murabbo but there are more exotic offerings as well; gunda or gumberry in which the berry is hollowed of its sticky innards, stuffed with a spicy masala and pickled in oil or green pepper, dala kerda or davra and the rare garmar (aspargus root) Pickles which are pickled in brine with mustard.
Both Motilal Masalawalla at Bhuleshwar 22426294 and M. Motilal Masallawala at Grant rd. (30916687) stock a wide variety of Gujarati pickles. Other sources for Gujerati pickles are Gogo Snacks at Chowpatty (23696966 / 23615292 / 23630532 / 23632093 /23699988, Indu Khetani & Surbhi Gandhi at Ghatkopar (2506 1713/ 2414 2008), Meenakshi Bhagat at Malabar Hill, (3092 3736), Umaiya Merchant at Andheri (2677 5115/ 9223226746) and Jyoti Mehta at Juhu 2614 9309/ 2613 6651/93222 63191
The Parsi community first settled in Gujarat and Parsi cuisine has evolved to include many elements of Gujarati cuisine, including pickles. There are Parsi versions the methia kairi and other Gujarati pickles but particular to the Parsi community are a few interesting pickles as well. Parsi pickles use vinegar (sarko) as their base and pickle all sorts of vegetables carrots, mangoes, bamboo shoots. Particularly well known are is the lagan nu achaar, a carrot and dry fruit pickle, that is served with crisp puffy fried sago papads at all weddings and is the first item served at the lagan-nu-bhonu or Parsi. Sweet with a back of the mouth heat that strikes later, the carrots are crunchy and the raisins burst between your teeth with sweetness. There is also the bafenu, a classic Parsi pickle made with a whole ripe Alphonso mango, and generous doses of the famed cane vinegar produced in Navsari by Kolah's, the pickle is sweet, slightly hot and resembles a concentrated mango curry more than a pickle. Parsis also do some unique non vegetarian pickles like the Tarapori prawn patio, dried Bombay Duck pickle and a fish roe pickle.
The Ratan Tata Institute or R.T.I (2380 2781) on Huges road (they have branches so call and check if there is one more accessible to you) is of course the best place to pick up Parsi pickles in season, but Motilal Masalawalla at Bhuleshwar (22426294) also stocks vegetarian Parsi style pickles including the bafenu and the lagan nu achar by E F Kolah. The other Masallawala at Grant rd. (30916687) also stocks Parsi pickles by the Kolahs and do a particularly good sweet onion and garlic pickle that they make themselves. Nargish Lala of MUMMY’S YUMMIES (2208 5198, 5607 9177, 9819002500) at Dhobi Talao, does a Tarapori patio, prawn patio, brinjal pickle, dried bombay duck pickle and lagan nu achar while Katy Bhaka (2416 6455) of Wadala does Tarapori prawn patio, dry bombay duck pickle and fish roe pickle in season.
Maharashtrian “lonchas” are fairly spicy for the most part and preserved in groundnut oil. There is a small street of shops called Achar Gali parallel to the Chivda gali at Lalbaug, (New Lalbaug Market, Shri Ganesh Nagar, Mumbai 400 022) where a large selection of Maharashtrian pickles are available; tender whole mango, garlic, chilli, dry mango and even an amla murabba and whole tender mangoes in brine called panikairi. Try Vijay Lakshmi Masalle where the owner Sopan was extremely helpful (2471 6992) or Jai Maharashtra Masalle (55830010). Other places you can source Maharashtrian pickles are the Annapurna Mahilla Mandal, Plot no. 13/14 Sector 19 E, opposite sector 76, Vashi, Navi Mumbai (27665617), Bhagyashree Ketkar, Chembur (25223930) and Vandana Randive, Gamdevi(2387 1875)
The East Indians community of Mumbai are the original inhabitants of Mumbai and have developed a cuisine of their very own. There is an East Indian version of the Bombay Duck pickle as well as a fish roe one in season. The heritage area of Khotachiwadi, at Girgaum is where you will find East Indian pickles but Marie of “Maries” at Bandra (2640 9371) does East Indian pickles in season as well.
Goan pickles - A typical Goan meal is considered incomplete without pickle on the side. Whether bought from the market or fished out of that huge antique pickle jar tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, any Goan pickle will add sizzle to your meal. The difference between a Goan and a Manglorean pickle is not obvious to an outsider, but you will find both Goan as well as Manglorean pickles at Manglorean stores around the city.
Other places that do pickles in Mumbai.
Aroona Reejhsinghani
502 B wing, Leela apts. opp Gulmohur garden, Yaari rd. Versova, Mumbai-61
(26360224) Oil Less Pickles, made with less salt and easy on the spices as well. Lemon, Spicy Lemon, Vegetable in Lime juice, Chilli, Beetroot and Onion. (Minimum orders 1 KG. Prices are dependant on the season)
Carnations
85,Pitale Prasad, Ground Floor, Worli Sea face Mumbai-25
2494 7890/ 2493 6049, 9821090634
Ready stock Oil-free pickles – Mango, Lime, Sweet & Sour, Ginger Shredded and Sweet, Mango Pepper, Mixed Fruit and Hot Mango
Moment Khet Products Madhu Mehra
Bayview, 2nd Floor, Flat No.5 Ridge Rd, Malabar Hill, Mumbai-6 (23674014/ 56004892)
Garlic and other pickles. Prices are seasonal.
Roshan Mandal
Maker tower L ' ,112, Cuffe parade , Mumbai- 400 005. (2218 8037/ 2218 1063/ 9821367493)
Ready stock Oil free Pickles, Low oil pickles and Non veg Pickles Prawn, Chicken, Mutton. (upto Rs. 100)
Schroffs Organic Food
784/B Ready Money Building, 2nd Floor. M.Joshi Road, Dadar Parsi Colony(E) Mumbai-14 (24135650) Hand made Natural Pickles without preservatives and additives like color, essence etc. Prices are seasonal.
Women’s India Trust
WIT Shop, Shop 23, Bombay Market, Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 (24462506 / 23511753)
Seosonal Pickles in 500 gms. packaging - Tomato and Raisin Chutney, Mango Chutney Lime Hot, Sweet Brinjal hot and sweet Chunda Mago pickle (Prices range between Rs. 50 – Rs. 60)
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Eating out healthy - cover story for BTW magazine
Eating out healthy
As a food writer eating out is a hazard of the job and I probably do it more than most but there is not doubt about the fact that between working lunches, convenient dinners from the local take-away, week end fast-food treats for the kids and intimate dinners with friends and family, there is always a reason to eat out and it is a practice we are indulging in more and more. BUT does health factor in anywhere?
Eating out is perceived as a celebratory occasion and it is usually buoyed by the intention to indulging oneself. Conversely eating healthy on the other hand labours under the misconception of lack of flavour and depriving oneself. Health is therefore never a priority when we dine out unless diet related problem or allergies to food are a concern.
Mumbai based nutritionist Naini Setalvad defines the parameters “Ideally the meal should not cross 750 calories. Alcohol, would take up the calorie intake and it is very easy to stay within the limit if you choose sensibly” Delhi’s Dr Shikha Sharma says “The Ayurveda stresses that one should compartmentalize the stomach into three parts, one for solids, one for liquid and the remaining for the air and space for juices to work properly the stomach to digest food. It is a good idea to go for small portions rather than large ones, eat a variety of foods in different portions. Keep refined foods like maida, to the minimum but whole wheat items are a good choice.”
Primary to health is eating at hygienic places, so avoid dirty restaurants. Also ensure that food is freshly and properly cooked especially non vegetarian food. If you are intending to eat out, plan ahead in advance. Adjust other meals in the day, adding fibre and vegetables which contain a fraction of the calories of other foods but are high in bulk and filling. However, do not make this a habit, Setalvad cautions – “If you eat out regularly, adjusting or skipping meals regularly could result in a lack of vitamin and mineral intake.”
Over the years however, I have found I can indulge myself and eat healthy at the same meal – not because I want to lose weight – the primary reason for practicing control but because I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy need not mean flavourless food, subsisting on salads or depriving myself, but in fact eating a nutritionally balanced meal that provided one’s body with fuel from all the food groups without any one element being disproportionably large or small. But with the vast plethora of food options available; Oriental, Indian, Italian how does one keep track?
Some measures that I have found work include deciding on the restaurant and cuisine at a time when I am on a full stomach. We are advised not to shop for groceries on an empty stomach because it triggers purchase of instant and junk foods. The same theory applies here. I find I make wiser choices when I am on a full stomach and extend this theory to ordering as well. An empty stomach also makes our eyes bigger than our stomachs I find a light calorie free snack like some cucumber, a fruit or a handful of channa before I leave for a meal out keeps me from over ordering and consequently overeating to avoid waste. I have also befriended the Doggie bag! If a serving size is large and I can’t share it with dining partners. There is no limit on how much leftover food you can carry home after all. Worse come to worse, I do allow food to go waste, after all a last piece of something might not make a dent in the trash can but it will on your body.
Making choices from an extensive menu is always tough, but being faced with decoding unrecognizable ethnic dish names and exotic ingredients can make things tougher. If you are in doubt about a dish, an ingredient or even serving or portion size, do not hesitate to ask. Your server is supposed to be able to help you order. If a serving seems too large, ask if the restaurant can do a smaller portion. Where possible, request any sauces, or gravies be served "on the side". Some restaurants like Soam at Babulnath in Mumbai will make almost all their dishes with a minimum of oil on request. Similarly you can also ask for extra vegetables instead of French fries at continental restaurants and no Msg at Chinese restaurants.
When ordering start with water with a twist of lime or fresh lime soda (with sugar syrup on the side) in place of an aerated drink, or and alcoholic beverage because these can go up to 300 calories and yet bring no nutrition to your meal. Diet sodas are an option but I am always wary of the chemicals they contain. I fing coconut water is a good option if available. Fruit juice and alcohol are high in sugar so ordering moderately is advisable.
Chances are you will be hungry by the time food comes to the table which makes the starters course most hazardous. Chose wisely when ordering appetizers, look for options that are not fried and try to share selections with dining companions. I find adding a salad to the appetizer course helps me bulk up on fibre. When opting for the Salad bar, eat limited quantities of pre mixed salads on the bar - they are usually too heavy on fat laden dressings and watch out for high-fat dressings, cheeses and fried croutons individually as well. In a pinch vinegar or lemon juice and a dash of good olive oil work perfectly too. I prefer lower-calorie options for salad dressings but these can also add up so I prefer to request them on the side and dip my fork in the salad dressing before spearing bites of salad. I consume less dressing and keep my salad crunchy to the end.
Soups can serve as a great precursor to a meal because they are excellent for filling up on but avoid “cream off” anything soups, cream-based soups which are higher in fat and calories. Instead, opt for clear soups which are full of flavour but low on calories. If served bread with your soup, by all means have some but pick up whole wheat or grain bread which can be identified by the light to dark brown of their insides or any grain scattered on top. Plain bread is ok if there is nothing else but the butter and oil you eat it with can add that increases the fat and calories even if it is Olive oil. According to Setalvad 6 tea spoons of olive oil = 1 cup of ice-cream!
When ordering your main course, look for items on the menu that are baked, grilled, sautéed, broiled, poached, or steamed, all cooking techniques that use less fat and generally lower in calories compared to foods that are breaded or fried. In case food comes breaded, peel off the outer coating and discard if possible. Choose mains with fruit and vegetables that are a good source of dietary fiber as well as of many vitamins and minerals. Foods made with whole grain, like whole-wheat bread, pasta and dishes made with brown rice are better options than those made with processed flour. Try to eat the same portion as you would at home and chewing slowly because your body takes a while to tell you it is full. If you are craving dessert, opt for something like sorbet, fresh berries or fruit or share with your dining companion. Half the dessert still equals half the calories!
Street food is perhaps the hardest food to make healthy choices with. Being the cheapest option available, also makes it the most nutritionally unbalanced since it maximizes on the use of high carbohydrate foods such as rice and potatoes which are cheaper. By the same rule, street food is usually partially or fully fried because that is the easiest way to cook food fast economically. Watch out for deep fried offerings such as Vada Paav, Samosa and Medu Vada, the Dabeli is only marginally less dangerous since it comes sans the fried potato vada in it. Paav Bhaji can be improved on if the vendor does it with minimal butter for you. Of the many puri offerings most would be inadvisable because the puri itself is fried but Bhel without the Puri and sev could be more acceptable. Your best option with street food would be Dosa without added butter or cheese and idlis. The accompanying coconut chutney should be consumed in moderation.
One step up from street food is fast food. Higher priced than street food but still a cheaper option than many, marketing has made it attractive to children. Remember though, you can clock up more than 1000 calories in just one fast food meal and it’s easy to eat an entire day's worth of fat, salt, and calories in just one fast food meal. Making wise choices will afford you a relatively healthy meal in comparison to ordering blindly, however. If fast-food is on the menu I try to ensure other meals that day contain healthier foods, with more fruit and vegetables and that the cooking style of all the food is not deep fried or heavy on fat. When ordering fast food treat words like jumbo, giant, deluxe, and super-sized like the plague. They only mean larger portions and more calories, fat, cholesterol and salt than body might require. Stick to a regular or junior-sized portion and go back for seconds if required. Avoid toppings like mayonnaise and remember that extra slice of cheese carries an extra 100 calories per ounce, as well as added fat and sodium.
Pizza can be a relatively good fast food choice but opt for thin crust pizzas with lots of vegetable toppings and grilled chicken. Limit yourself to 1-2 slices and keep in mind extra cheese adds calories, fat and sodium. In the case of Mexican fast foods, order non-fried items, go easy on cheese and sour cream, and pile on the lettuce, tomatoes, and fresh tomato salsa. Chinese food may seem like a healthy choice, but many dishes are deep fried or high in fat and sodium, especially in the sauces. It might also be worth your while to skip the cookie or ice-cream and opt for a low fat Gelato or fruit at home. Sorbets and low cal gelatos have less fat and fewer calories than ice cream and can be chock full of sugar so sugar free versions might be an option. I sometimes carry a low fat dessert option with me from home - something I love - so I will look forward to it and not be tempted by other things. I also love the berry yoghurt from Amore and grab any chance to indulge in it.
There are a few healthy options for junk food. Grilled or broiled patties in burgers are now a possibility at the Bembos chain of burger joints. Subway sandwiches for a lunch on the go or a family meal out are also an option. The chain consciously chose a marketing drive that focused on nutrition that is usually ignored by clientele but paying attention to it will offer you the option of a more nutritionally balanced meal. I am also a fan of Wraps and rolls, the company is consciously trying to promote healthier options, they now offer rotis made of multi grain, soya and palak in addition to the less healthy maida and most of the rolls are relatively healthy since they are stuffed with chicken or paneer and do not have mayonnaise – the ones to watch out for are the Smokey chicken and the falafel.
Here are guidelines to eating out healthier at more upmarket places as well.
With regional foods, Setalvad points out that “Creamy, rich gravies in vegetables, heavy ghee tadkas in dals and other preparations and a liberal use of butter and oil in pickles, papads and other side dishes can be difficult to avoid in regional Indian food.” She suggests that one opt for vegetables that are grilled or sauteed, kachumbars, dals with minimal tadkas and rotis made of whole wheat, jowar or bajra. “Udipi cuisine, although perceived as healthy, can be excessive in its use of coconut and ghee in most dishes so opt for Rassams, vegetable stews, neer dosa, idli, uttapas and appams.” In the case of coastal cuisines, too much coconut and fried fish can be pitfalls. Try to strike a balance between a coconut gravyied dish but lighter vegetable dishes and grilled fish with Neer dosa.
According to Dr Sharma “one cannot think about mughlai without the meat dishes but it is advisable to stick to white meat like chicken. Options like Shorbas without cream, Chicken tikka masala, khadhai chicken, egg curry without yolk (discard the yolk), Murg methi & fish curry are advisable. In the case of kebabs and tandoori style foods, paneer / hara kebabs could be a healthy delight if the binding used is wheat bran or egg complimented with a combination of green chutney/ mint chutney. Chicken and paneer could be grilled and roasted in tandoor to enhance the flavor and taste. Try to avoid ketchups and thickened sauces.
With world cuisine, Italian just happens to be the favourite in
That said Oriental and Japanese cuisines are some of the healthiest available if done right. There is very little in Japanese cuisine that is detrimental and eating a nutritionally balanced meal is easy. The only things to watch out for are occaissional fried dishes such as Tempura and fried Tofu. Thai food is also fairly healthy if the curries are cooked solely in coconut milk with no added oil to them and one stays away from the fried starters and pork dishes. I love Thai and usually start light with a Som Tam salad of green papaya and a Tom yum soup so I can indulge myself with a Thai curry and steamed rice for my main course with perhaps a grilled side dish.
Healthy options on the Menu are no longer a foreign concept. Restaurants have recognized that people want to eat well and stay fit.
Soam restaurant at Babulnath, in keeping with their Home style ghar ka khaana theme recognized the need to cater to those with special dining needs and recently added a weight watchers meal to their menu comprising of a daily lightly sauteed green vegetable Khatta Mug ni Dal (whole green moong cooked in yoghurt offered with a choice of jowar, bajra, nachni, or whole wheat flour rotis and salad. The Taj group, always pioneereing in culinary circles, has taken healthy eating beyond just the on request stage. Their refurbished menu follows dietician recommended tips like, cooking in olive oil, offering light soups and doing away with heavy gravies. They also went ahead to open PURE at the Taj Land’s end, which offers indulgene of a different kind – fine dining using organic ingredients and healthy cooking methods.
The Oberoi is another Chain offering healthy choices. They offer Sushi at the
And thanks to the opening of
If you want more low-calorie, low-cholesterol choices, say so. Restaurants, like any business, offer what their customers want and will only know what you want if you tell them. The establishments above have made changes because they saw the need and other will too. Eating out can be one of life's great pleasures. Make the right choices, ask for what you need, and balance your meals out with healthy meals at home and you can enjoy yourself and take care of yourself at the same time without depriving yourself of foods you love.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Happiness foods - Marie Claire June 2007
Did you know about Happy foods?
I noticed that my body craves certain foods when I am – stressed, lonely or just feeling low. On asking around I found out I am not the only one; there is a reason my sister trips on chocolate, friends love yoghurt and I love spicy food.
Mumbai based nutritionist Naini Setalvad says our bodies crave certain foods because they experience low endorphin levels due to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A lack of B vitamins - particularly B12 - and vitamin C, or of minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc, can cause one to feel low.
According to Delhi based nutritionist, Dr. Shikha Sharma our bodies produce their own uplifting chemicals; “endorphins are often triggered by foods associated to pleasant childhood memories, serotonin is a neuro-hormone associated with satiation, it affects the nerve ending receptors in the brain and catecholamine is also associated with happiness.” Dr. Sharma goes on to say “it is possible to raise the levels of these substances in the brain by eating foods that containing a combination of nutrients that trigger them, foods that trigger endorphins could be anything associated to pleasant, childhood memories like rajmah-rice, gobhi parathas, khichdi, Seratonin on the other hand is triggered by specific foods like milk, curd or cheese and catecholamine is triggered by foods like coffee, gol gappas and spicy chaats.
So here are some fun recipes I like to dish up on occasions when I could do with a little indulgence.
Chili
Whenever someone asks me what my most memorable meal has been, a recent lunch I had at a Thai food festival at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai comes to mind. A visiting Thai chef tossed together a Som Tam salad that was so spicy I was on a high all afternoon! Hot, spicy foods containing chillies or cayenne pepper trigger endorphins, the feel-good hormones. Endorphins have a powerful, almost narcotic, effect and make you feel good after exercising. Green papaya has no real flavor of its own but is the perfect medium through which robust flavor of ingredients like chillies, lime juice and fish sauce are carried. Ensure you select a papaya that is hard and shiny green with the flesh still light green, almost white, in color. Ideally this Salad would be made in a large clay mortar with a wooden pestle, but failing that I have found a large heavy sturdy bowl and a “mathni” work just as well. If multiplying this recipe, please ensure you mix a maximum of 2 portions at a time.
Thai Som Tam salad
2-5 Thai chilies (bird peppers or the spiciest red chilies you can find)
1-3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into 2-3 pieces
½ tbsp small dried prawns
1 cups julienned peeled green papaya (use the thickest option in your grater what you need is strips that are 2-3 inches in length and 1/8 inches in width.
1/3 cup French beans – cut into 1 ½ lengths
1 tbsp tamarind exract the consistency of syrup
Juice from 1 lime
3-4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp of thick palm sugar syrup (or jaggery) melt with 1 tbsp with q/2 tsp water
4-5 cherry tomatoes,
1 tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
Directions
Combine the tamarind extract, lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar or jaggery in a bowl and stir until combined to make the dressing.
Begin by dropping the garlic and chilies into the bowl and bounding into a coarse paste. Add dried shrimp and beans and pound so they are bruised. Add green papaya stir well with a fork and pound again so all the vegetables are bruised and absorb the heat and flavor of the chilies and garlic.
Add in half the dressing, stir in well and pound a bit more to blend everything together. Taste and adjust flavors to suit your palate’s preference of hot-sour-sweet-and-salty. Then add tomatoes and peanuts. Mix and bruise lightly to blend with the rest of the salad. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Accompaniments – Serve with steamed rice and a mild Thai curry for a full mail.
I noticed that my body craves certain foods when I am – stressed, lonely or just feeling low. On asking around I found out I am not the only one; there is a reason my sister trips on chocolate, friends love yoghurt and I love spicy food.
Mumbai based nutritionist Naini Setalvad says our bodies crave certain foods because they experience low endorphin levels due to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A lack of B vitamins - particularly B12 - and vitamin C, or of minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc, can cause one to feel low.
According to Delhi based nutritionist, Dr. Shikha Sharma our bodies produce their own uplifting chemicals; “endorphins are often triggered by foods associated to pleasant childhood memories, serotonin is a neuro-hormone associated with satiation, it affects the nerve ending receptors in the brain and catecholamine is also associated with happiness.” Dr. Sharma goes on to say “it is possible to raise the levels of these substances in the brain by eating foods that containing a combination of nutrients that trigger them, foods that trigger endorphins could be anything associated to pleasant, childhood memories like rajmah-rice, gobhi parathas, khichdi, Seratonin on the other hand is triggered by specific foods like milk, curd or cheese and catecholamine is triggered by foods like coffee, gol gappas and spicy chaats.
So here are some fun recipes I like to dish up on occasions when I could do with a little indulgence.
Chili
Whenever someone asks me what my most memorable meal has been, a recent lunch I had at a Thai food festival at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai comes to mind. A visiting Thai chef tossed together a Som Tam salad that was so spicy I was on a high all afternoon! Hot, spicy foods containing chillies or cayenne pepper trigger endorphins, the feel-good hormones. Endorphins have a powerful, almost narcotic, effect and make you feel good after exercising. Green papaya has no real flavor of its own but is the perfect medium through which robust flavor of ingredients like chillies, lime juice and fish sauce are carried. Ensure you select a papaya that is hard and shiny green with the flesh still light green, almost white, in color. Ideally this Salad would be made in a large clay mortar with a wooden pestle, but failing that I have found a large heavy sturdy bowl and a “mathni” work just as well. If multiplying this recipe, please ensure you mix a maximum of 2 portions at a time.
Thai Som Tam salad
2-5 Thai chilies (bird peppers or the spiciest red chilies you can find)
1-3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into 2-3 pieces
½ tbsp small dried prawns
1 cups julienned peeled green papaya (use the thickest option in your grater what you need is strips that are 2-3 inches in length and 1/8 inches in width.
1/3 cup French beans – cut into 1 ½ lengths
1 tbsp tamarind exract the consistency of syrup
Juice from 1 lime
3-4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp of thick palm sugar syrup (or jaggery) melt with 1 tbsp with q/2 tsp water
4-5 cherry tomatoes,
1 tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
Directions
Combine the tamarind extract, lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar or jaggery in a bowl and stir until combined to make the dressing.
Begin by dropping the garlic and chilies into the bowl and bounding into a coarse paste. Add dried shrimp and beans and pound so they are bruised. Add green papaya stir well with a fork and pound again so all the vegetables are bruised and absorb the heat and flavor of the chilies and garlic.
Add in half the dressing, stir in well and pound a bit more to blend everything together. Taste and adjust flavors to suit your palate’s preference of hot-sour-sweet-and-salty. Then add tomatoes and peanuts. Mix and bruise lightly to blend with the rest of the salad. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Accompaniments – Serve with steamed rice and a mild Thai curry for a full mail.
Potato
I love potatoes, and I find, with their accessibility, and ease of cooking, potatoes are the most handy mood lifters and can be quite a healthy option. Think about it - just one average potato contains 45% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, as much or more potassium than either bananas, spinach or broccoli, trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. Potatoes only get unhealthy when combined with fat, cheese and cream but here with the addition of and sesame seeds - a good source for protein, vitamin E and calcium and unsaturated healthy fats - you have a healthy, delicious snack or side dish.
I love potatoes, and I find, with their accessibility, and ease of cooking, potatoes are the most handy mood lifters and can be quite a healthy option. Think about it - just one average potato contains 45% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, as much or more potassium than either bananas, spinach or broccoli, trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. Potatoes only get unhealthy when combined with fat, cheese and cream but here with the addition of and sesame seeds - a good source for protein, vitamin E and calcium and unsaturated healthy fats - you have a healthy, delicious snack or side dish.
Faux Gratin of Potatoes with yoghurt and sesame.
Time taken: 30 mins. Serves: 1
Ingredients
2 potatoes, boiled with very little water
1 cup yoghurt, hung for ½ hour
½ cup Toasted sesame seeds
1-2 green chilies
1 tsp oil
Salt
Directions
Place toasted Sesame in a blender and process to a paste.
Add green chilies and process until incorporated.
Add yoghurt and process again until incorporated completely (You should end up with a batter the consistency of dosa batter so add a little milk if it is too thick). Set aside.
Place a non stick frying an on a medium flame and brush with oil.
Slice the boiled potatoes into ½ inch thick rounds, arrange in a single layer in the frying pan as you slice. Pour the Yoghurt over the potato layer spreading with a spatula so everything is evenly covered. Raise flame to high and allow cook until the moisture has completely evaporated (about 10 minutes).
Accompaniments – Add a green salad dressed in a simple vinaigrette and you have a full meal.
Bananas
Rich in potassium - a vital mineral for nerve functions, bananas containing natural sugars that are quickly released into the bloodstream, make one feel energetic and the starchy carbohydrates they contain sustain good moods. This makes bananas one of nature's ideal snacks. Candied orange peel offers the perfect foil to these smoky caramelized bananas
Caramelized Bananas with candied orange floss Serves 1 Time taken: 10 mins
Ingredients
20 g butter
25 g brown sugar
2-3 slightly unripe firm bananas
2 tbsp orange peel
½ cup orange juice
Directions
Melt butter in a frying pan. Add sugar, allow the butter to caramelise the sugar. When the sugar is looking slightly golden all over, add the orange juice, cook on high until syrupy. Add bananas and turn a few times to coat. Remove bananas to serving plate, T the sauce in the pan add orange peel. Stir to coat and cook for 2 mins until crispy. Pours sauce and candied peel over the bananas.
Accompaniments – top with spiced warm custard or Vanilla icecream although I love them as is.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt contains vitamin b12 (lack of which can cause depression) and I find having some labneh in the fridge makes for a great quick snack with good bread. I first tried Labneh balls at the Souk restaurant at the Taj and totally fell in love with them. I found that they are quite easy to make. Although rolling them in chilli flakes deviates from tradition, they appeal to my Indian palatte that likes things spicy.
Ingredients
20 g butter
25 g brown sugar
2-3 slightly unripe firm bananas
2 tbsp orange peel
½ cup orange juice
Directions
Melt butter in a frying pan. Add sugar, allow the butter to caramelise the sugar. When the sugar is looking slightly golden all over, add the orange juice, cook on high until syrupy. Add bananas and turn a few times to coat. Remove bananas to serving plate, T the sauce in the pan add orange peel. Stir to coat and cook for 2 mins until crispy. Pours sauce and candied peel over the bananas.
Accompaniments – top with spiced warm custard or Vanilla icecream although I love them as is.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt contains vitamin b12 (lack of which can cause depression) and I find having some labneh in the fridge makes for a great quick snack with good bread. I first tried Labneh balls at the Souk restaurant at the Taj and totally fell in love with them. I found that they are quite easy to make. Although rolling them in chilli flakes deviates from tradition, they appeal to my Indian palatte that likes things spicy.
Middle Eastern Labneh Balls
Time taken: 10 minutes + 24 hours hanging time for yoghurt
Ingredients
1 kg yoghurt
1 clove garlic crushed to a paste
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp Salt
3 tbsp fine Red chili flakes
1 tbsp Crushed pepper
2 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp extra virgin Olive oil
Method
Place Yoghurt is a large bowl, add the salt, crushed garlic and chopped onion and mix well.
Place a thin clean muslin cloth over an empty bowl and spoon yoghurt mixture into it. Pull the corners together and tie together. Suspend this bundle from a stationary object over a bowl or tie to a rack in your fridge with a bowl underneath (to catch liquid). Allow to hang for about 24 hours. What you should aim for is yoghurt the consistency of cottage cheese. When you have this remove yoghurt form the cloth, cover and return to fridge until required. What you have is Labneh.
Place chili flakes in a small saucer and flatten into a thin layer.
Combine Oregano and pepper, place in a saucer and flatten into a thin layer.
To make (Labneh Makbus) or yoghurt cheese balls, remove Yoghurt from refrigerator, take about one tablespoon at a time an shape into smooth, round balls, roll in the chilli flakes or Pepper oregano mix and arrange on a tray. Return to fridge and chill until firm.
When firm and slightly dried out, they are ready for consumption. They can also be stored in a sterile, air tight jar, covered with olive oil in the fridge.
Accompaniments: Savour cut into halves, drizzled with olive oil accompanied by olives and fresh pita bread.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pictures Payal Choksi courtesy Indiasutra.com
Concept Text and styling - Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Dig into a book!
(Unedited version of recipe feature that appeared in mE magazine 15 July 2007)
Have your cookbooks collected dust over the summer? What better than a rainy day to get them out again? Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal did just that. Cooped up at home she aired out her favourite cookbooks and and cooked up her favourite recipes for me.
Some Succulent Grilled chicken!
Thanks to the freezer, there is usually some chicken in the house and this simple but aromatic recipe from a recipe come travelogue called Seductions of Rice seemed perfect for a dry side dish since everything would be served with rice. Written by a married couple who traveled around the world with their children to places where rice is the staple food. It shares recipes for dishes that include rice or are eaten with rice, generously garnished with tales about their travels, rice-growing, rice-eating, and cultural phenomena. This book appeals to the armchair traveler in me with so much to read, and see with the many beautiful pictures of people, fields, harvests, markets, and more.
Thai Grilled Chicken from Seductions of Rice By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (The book is available from Amazon.com)
3 pounds chicken breasts and/or legs, chopped into 10 to 12 pieces
For the Marinade
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons chopped coriander root, minced
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 cup canned coconut milk
Prepare the marinade using a large mortar and pestle or a small food processor: Combine the garlic, salt, and pepper and pound or process to a smooth paste. Add the coriander root and pound or process to a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the fish sauce and coconut milk. Place the chicken pieces in marinade and turn to coat well. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Preheat a charcoal or gas-fired grill, then place the chicken 4 to 5 inches from the flame, bone side down. Once the bottom side is starting to brown, brush the pieces with some marinade, turn over, and cook on the other side until golden brown and the juices run clear.
Alternatively, the chicken can be cooked under a broiler. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a broiling pan, add the chicken pieces bone side up, and place 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element. cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or, until the chicken is starting to brown. Turn pieces over and lightly brush with a little of the marinade. Broil for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
An excerpt from the book
For connoisseurs of grilled chicken, Thailand is paradise. Grilled chicken, called gai yang, is a common street food and restaurant specialty, and though it is most closely associated with the regional cuisine of the northeast, each region has its own distinctive ways of marinating and grilling chicken. This recipe is our new favourite version, one we learned while staying in south Thailand near the town of Tap Sa Kae. Coconut milk is added to the marinade, giving the chicken even more succulence and depth of flavour.
A gingery warming pickle!
I wanted to balance the sweet and spicy flavours of my meal with a little sour, and this ginger pickle from Usha’s pickle digest seemed appropriate since it would aid in preventing any sniffles. Always fascinated with the idea of pickles and their associated traditions - I obtained this book out of curiosity. Three years down the line I still browse through it for ideas when I want to try preserving something. “Usha’s Pickle digest”, “The perfect Pickle book” as it says on the cover is a thick volume of 365 pages, the book contains exactly 1000 recipes, is meticulously researched, perfectly cross-referenced and a must have for a pickle lover even if one never cooks from it.
Ginger in lime juice from Usha’s pickle digest By Usha Prabhakaran (To obtain a copy of this book please get in touch with the author at usha.r.prabakaran@gmail.com)
Time taken: 20 mins Makes: 150 gms
125 g ginger – scraped and chopped fine
30 ml lime juice
3 g turmeric powder
5 g mustard seeds for seasoning
20 g salt
20 ml oil
Combine the lime juice, turmeric powder and salt with the chopped ginger. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Pour seasoning over ginger mixture and stir thoroughly. The pickle is ready for use and keeps for 1 week and longer in the refrigerator
A hint of sweetness!
Fajeto is a sweet sour dish I grew up eating in my moms gujarati home. So when I saw this recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's ultimate curry bible, I thought it would add a soothing sweet sour touch to my essentially spicy rainy day meal especially since I had a couple of Alphonsos lying around. In a pinch use mango pulp or even frooti if required but adjust water accordingly. This book is a very happy investment if you are into food history and how food travels, the author traces the travel of curry (which she defines as... "for the purposes of this book I have designated as a curry any Indian or Indian style dish with a sauce; just as the british colonialists, who controlled India for four centuries before I was born, defined it. It is not my definition..... but the British definition seems to have stuck, so that is the one I use here.") to different parts of the world.
Fajeto from The Ultimate Curry Bible By Madhur Jaffrey (The book is available from Amazon)
2 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp corn or peanut oil
A generous pinch of ground asafetida
½ tsp whole brown mustard seeds
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
2 whole, dried, hot red chillies
⅛ tsp whole fenugreek seeds
15 fresh curry leaves, if available
⅛ tsp ground turmeric
¾ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp ground coriander
120 ml natural yogurt
700 ml thick Alphonso mango pulp (sweetened) from a can
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar, or to taste
2 chillies, with small slits cut into them
Put the chickpea flour, turmeric, cumin and coriander in a medium bowl. Very slowly add 120ml water, mixing with a wooden spoon as you go. There should be no lumps left. Add the yogurt, mixing it in with a whisk. Pour in the mango pulp and an additional 475ml water. Add the salt, sugar and fresh chillies. Mix well. Pour the oil into a thick, medium, lidded pan and set over a medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, put in the first asafeitida and then, in quick succession, the mustard and cumin seeds, the chillies, the fenugreek seeds and, lastly, the curry leaves. Take the pan off the heat. Stir the mango mixture well and quickly pour it into the pan. Stir. Put the pan on a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer on a very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring with a whisk or spoon as you do so. Take the pan off the heat, cover, and leave for at least 30 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours. Before serving, stir the soup and reheat it gently. Strain it through a coarse strainer. Spoon out some of the smaller seeds - the mustard and cumin - from the strainer and stir them back into the soup to add some colourful flecks.
A spicy side!
Since I already had coconut and there are usually green chillies in the vegetable compartment this recipe from a little self ublished book appealed to spike the meal with. Although written in Marathi and strictly a recipe book with a lot of recipes following the “a little this and a little that” routine of old style community cookbooks it enlightens on little known cuisine of Maharashtra - Karwari cuisine. The author is a 73yr old lady who took ill and was confined to her bed. She spent that time documenting all her traditional Karwari style recipes that her daughter had published in the form of a book.
Olya Mirchichi Amti – Green chilli and coconut curry from Prerna Karvari Svayampakachi By Kumud Borkar (To obtain a copy of this book please get in touch with Lily Aluwalia at lilyahluwalia@gmail.com)
Time taken: 20 mins Serves: 4
5 green chilies
200 g shredded fresh coconut
6 cup Water
1 ½ tbsp Tamarind extract
A pinch of asafeaotida
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
10 – 15 curry leaves
Salt and to taste
First grind coconut, tamarind and salt to a fine paste. Slice chillies lengthwise. Then heat ghee in a pan and add asafeotida and Mustard. Allow to splutter. add Haldi and curry leaves and then chillies. Fry well and then add coconut paste, water, sugar and bring to boil. Adjust salt. Sere hot with Rice.
Somethig aromatic and delicious!
An Indian kitchen will always has papads in it and a recon mission into my freezer yielded a couple of packets of frozen fresh coconut so I decided to make Pappadavalli – a curry of fried papadams in an aromatic spicy sauce from Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy which I hail as the community cookbook of the new era. Shedding the black-and-white run through recipe after recipe format that treasured cookbooks of this ilk have suffered under the yoke of for ages because cooking was not considered important enough I love this book because it shatters two myths; that South Indian food is VIDS (Vada-Idli-Dosa-Sambhar) and that Kerela cuisine is all non vegetarian by showcasin the traditional Hindu vegetarian cuisine of central Kerala. A bright green and terracotta cover invites one one to immerse oneself into it. In addition to a wealth of delicious recipes for cookbook aficionados like me (who like stories with their food), there is a wealth of information to be gleaned – a chapter on the history of the spice trade in Kerala, insights into the cultural background of the traditional Kerela Kitchen as well as that of the royal family of Kochi of which the author is a member, culinary customs, festivals colored with anecdotes of the authors own growing years.
Pappadavalli – fried papadams in spicy sauce from Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy By Ammini Ramchandran (For more on the book and the author visit Peppertrail. The book is available from iUniverse, Inc., Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com)
Pappadavalli is one of those innovative simple curries that appear on the dinner table during the monsoon season. When fresh vegetables are scarce, sun-dried summer vegetables and even pappadams are substituted in their place. Following is a recipe using store bought pappadams.
Time taken: 30 mins Serves: 4-6 as a side dish
2 cups + 2 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp urad dal
1 ½ cups fresh grated coconut
4-5 dried red chillies
½ cup fresh curry leaves
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
Salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder
6 Pappadams cut into 1 inch pieces
Heat half a teaspoon of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and panfry the urad dal. When the dal turns pink, add the coconut and red chilli peppers and pan fry until the coconut turns golden brown. Reserving eight curry leaves for the garnish add the remaining leaves to the skillet. Stir well, remove from the stove and cool for five minutes. Using a blender grind the pan fried ingredients with just enough water to make a thick smooth puree. Dissolve the tamarind concentrate in two cups of warm water. Combine the tamarind concentrate with salt and turmeric and cook over a medium heat. When it starts boiling add the spicy coconut blend and stir well. Bring it back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Heat two cups of oil and deep fry the pappadam pieces. Remove the cooked curry from the stove add the remaining two teasoons of oil and the reserved curry leaves and sprinkle the pappadam pieces on top. Stir gently. Serve hot with rice.
---------------
Food preparation and styling by Rushina Munshaw – Ghildiyal
Photos – Bharat Aarti Mrigank
Have your cookbooks collected dust over the summer? What better than a rainy day to get them out again? Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal did just that. Cooped up at home she aired out her favourite cookbooks and and cooked up her favourite recipes for me.
Some Succulent Grilled chicken!Thanks to the freezer, there is usually some chicken in the house and this simple but aromatic recipe from a recipe come travelogue called Seductions of Rice seemed perfect for a dry side dish since everything would be served with rice. Written by a married couple who traveled around the world with their children to places where rice is the staple food. It shares recipes for dishes that include rice or are eaten with rice, generously garnished with tales about their travels, rice-growing, rice-eating, and cultural phenomena. This book appeals to the armchair traveler in me with so much to read, and see with the many beautiful pictures of people, fields, harvests, markets, and more.
Thai Grilled Chicken from Seductions of Rice By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (The book is available from Amazon.com)
3 pounds chicken breasts and/or legs, chopped into 10 to 12 pieces
For the Marinade
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons chopped coriander root, minced
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 cup canned coconut milk
Prepare the marinade using a large mortar and pestle or a small food processor: Combine the garlic, salt, and pepper and pound or process to a smooth paste. Add the coriander root and pound or process to a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the fish sauce and coconut milk. Place the chicken pieces in marinade and turn to coat well. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Preheat a charcoal or gas-fired grill, then place the chicken 4 to 5 inches from the flame, bone side down. Once the bottom side is starting to brown, brush the pieces with some marinade, turn over, and cook on the other side until golden brown and the juices run clear.
Alternatively, the chicken can be cooked under a broiler. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a broiling pan, add the chicken pieces bone side up, and place 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element. cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or, until the chicken is starting to brown. Turn pieces over and lightly brush with a little of the marinade. Broil for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
An excerpt from the book
For connoisseurs of grilled chicken, Thailand is paradise. Grilled chicken, called gai yang, is a common street food and restaurant specialty, and though it is most closely associated with the regional cuisine of the northeast, each region has its own distinctive ways of marinating and grilling chicken. This recipe is our new favourite version, one we learned while staying in south Thailand near the town of Tap Sa Kae. Coconut milk is added to the marinade, giving the chicken even more succulence and depth of flavour.
A gingery warming pickle!I wanted to balance the sweet and spicy flavours of my meal with a little sour, and this ginger pickle from Usha’s pickle digest seemed appropriate since it would aid in preventing any sniffles. Always fascinated with the idea of pickles and their associated traditions - I obtained this book out of curiosity. Three years down the line I still browse through it for ideas when I want to try preserving something. “Usha’s Pickle digest”, “The perfect Pickle book” as it says on the cover is a thick volume of 365 pages, the book contains exactly 1000 recipes, is meticulously researched, perfectly cross-referenced and a must have for a pickle lover even if one never cooks from it.
Ginger in lime juice from Usha’s pickle digest By Usha Prabhakaran (To obtain a copy of this book please get in touch with the author at usha.r.prabakaran@gmail.com)
Time taken: 20 mins Makes: 150 gms
125 g ginger – scraped and chopped fine
30 ml lime juice
3 g turmeric powder
5 g mustard seeds for seasoning
20 g salt
20 ml oil
Combine the lime juice, turmeric powder and salt with the chopped ginger. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Pour seasoning over ginger mixture and stir thoroughly. The pickle is ready for use and keeps for 1 week and longer in the refrigerator
A hint of sweetness!Fajeto is a sweet sour dish I grew up eating in my moms gujarati home. So when I saw this recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's ultimate curry bible, I thought it would add a soothing sweet sour touch to my essentially spicy rainy day meal especially since I had a couple of Alphonsos lying around. In a pinch use mango pulp or even frooti if required but adjust water accordingly. This book is a very happy investment if you are into food history and how food travels, the author traces the travel of curry (which she defines as... "for the purposes of this book I have designated as a curry any Indian or Indian style dish with a sauce; just as the british colonialists, who controlled India for four centuries before I was born, defined it. It is not my definition..... but the British definition seems to have stuck, so that is the one I use here.") to different parts of the world.
Fajeto from The Ultimate Curry Bible By Madhur Jaffrey (The book is available from Amazon)
2 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp corn or peanut oil
A generous pinch of ground asafetida
½ tsp whole brown mustard seeds
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
2 whole, dried, hot red chillies
⅛ tsp whole fenugreek seeds
15 fresh curry leaves, if available
⅛ tsp ground turmeric
¾ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp ground coriander
120 ml natural yogurt
700 ml thick Alphonso mango pulp (sweetened) from a can
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar, or to taste
2 chillies, with small slits cut into them
Put the chickpea flour, turmeric, cumin and coriander in a medium bowl. Very slowly add 120ml water, mixing with a wooden spoon as you go. There should be no lumps left. Add the yogurt, mixing it in with a whisk. Pour in the mango pulp and an additional 475ml water. Add the salt, sugar and fresh chillies. Mix well. Pour the oil into a thick, medium, lidded pan and set over a medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, put in the first asafeitida and then, in quick succession, the mustard and cumin seeds, the chillies, the fenugreek seeds and, lastly, the curry leaves. Take the pan off the heat. Stir the mango mixture well and quickly pour it into the pan. Stir. Put the pan on a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer on a very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring with a whisk or spoon as you do so. Take the pan off the heat, cover, and leave for at least 30 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours. Before serving, stir the soup and reheat it gently. Strain it through a coarse strainer. Spoon out some of the smaller seeds - the mustard and cumin - from the strainer and stir them back into the soup to add some colourful flecks.
A spicy side!Since I already had coconut and there are usually green chillies in the vegetable compartment this recipe from a little self ublished book appealed to spike the meal with. Although written in Marathi and strictly a recipe book with a lot of recipes following the “a little this and a little that” routine of old style community cookbooks it enlightens on little known cuisine of Maharashtra - Karwari cuisine. The author is a 73yr old lady who took ill and was confined to her bed. She spent that time documenting all her traditional Karwari style recipes that her daughter had published in the form of a book.
Olya Mirchichi Amti – Green chilli and coconut curry from Prerna Karvari Svayampakachi By Kumud Borkar (To obtain a copy of this book please get in touch with Lily Aluwalia at lilyahluwalia@gmail.com)
Time taken: 20 mins Serves: 4
5 green chilies
200 g shredded fresh coconut
6 cup Water
1 ½ tbsp Tamarind extract
A pinch of asafeaotida
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
10 – 15 curry leaves
Salt and to taste
First grind coconut, tamarind and salt to a fine paste. Slice chillies lengthwise. Then heat ghee in a pan and add asafeotida and Mustard. Allow to splutter. add Haldi and curry leaves and then chillies. Fry well and then add coconut paste, water, sugar and bring to boil. Adjust salt. Sere hot with Rice.
Somethig aromatic and delicious!An Indian kitchen will always has papads in it and a recon mission into my freezer yielded a couple of packets of frozen fresh coconut so I decided to make Pappadavalli – a curry of fried papadams in an aromatic spicy sauce from Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy which I hail as the community cookbook of the new era. Shedding the black-and-white run through recipe after recipe format that treasured cookbooks of this ilk have suffered under the yoke of for ages because cooking was not considered important enough I love this book because it shatters two myths; that South Indian food is VIDS (Vada-Idli-Dosa-Sambhar) and that Kerela cuisine is all non vegetarian by showcasin the traditional Hindu vegetarian cuisine of central Kerala. A bright green and terracotta cover invites one one to immerse oneself into it. In addition to a wealth of delicious recipes for cookbook aficionados like me (who like stories with their food), there is a wealth of information to be gleaned – a chapter on the history of the spice trade in Kerala, insights into the cultural background of the traditional Kerela Kitchen as well as that of the royal family of Kochi of which the author is a member, culinary customs, festivals colored with anecdotes of the authors own growing years.
Pappadavalli – fried papadams in spicy sauce from Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy By Ammini Ramchandran (For more on the book and the author visit Peppertrail. The book is available from iUniverse, Inc., Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com)
Pappadavalli is one of those innovative simple curries that appear on the dinner table during the monsoon season. When fresh vegetables are scarce, sun-dried summer vegetables and even pappadams are substituted in their place. Following is a recipe using store bought pappadams.
Time taken: 30 mins Serves: 4-6 as a side dish
2 cups + 2 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp urad dal
1 ½ cups fresh grated coconut
4-5 dried red chillies
½ cup fresh curry leaves
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
Salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder
6 Pappadams cut into 1 inch pieces
Heat half a teaspoon of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and panfry the urad dal. When the dal turns pink, add the coconut and red chilli peppers and pan fry until the coconut turns golden brown. Reserving eight curry leaves for the garnish add the remaining leaves to the skillet. Stir well, remove from the stove and cool for five minutes. Using a blender grind the pan fried ingredients with just enough water to make a thick smooth puree. Dissolve the tamarind concentrate in two cups of warm water. Combine the tamarind concentrate with salt and turmeric and cook over a medium heat. When it starts boiling add the spicy coconut blend and stir well. Bring it back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Heat two cups of oil and deep fry the pappadam pieces. Remove the cooked curry from the stove add the remaining two teasoons of oil and the reserved curry leaves and sprinkle the pappadam pieces on top. Stir gently. Serve hot with rice.
---------------
Food preparation and styling by Rushina Munshaw – Ghildiyal
Photos – Bharat Aarti Mrigank
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