Mango Sherbet

With the lunar month of Chitra the green mangoes arrive. As soon as they do we make ambe dal and pickle. As the temperature rises one reaches out for panha. Before you know it, it is the season for ripe yellow mangoes and the mango mania continues. This year with winter lingering well into April the warm spring temperatures were very welcome. With the warm temperature came flowers, birds and of course mangoes. This week I am going to post three different mango dishes that are sure to please. The first is Mango Sherbet.

Why is this a sherbet and not a sorbet you ask? Here is the distinction. In the US, a sorbet is a fruit puree with sugar and water. A sherbet is also a fruit puree with sugar and maybe water but in addition to that it may contains diary or eggs. In a sherbet the fat from dairy is less than 2%. When the fat content goes up it is called ice cream. The book I referred to called this an ice cream. I used non fat milk/condensed milk so I changed the name to sherbet.

Mango Sherbet is a treat on any day. But when it is made with fresh mango it makes it even better. I found this recipe by accident. A couple of months ago I was looking through my old cookbooks and printed recipes when I found a book of ice cream recipes. The book is by ice cream company Dollops and as per my neatly written note on the inside cover I bought it in February of 1993 in Bangalore. This is the first recipe I have tried from it. I am sure there will be many more.

You will need
1 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (I used non fat condensed milk)
1 3/4 cup fresh mango pulp (or you could used canned)
1 3/4 cup cold milk
4 tbsp. sugar (skip if using canned pulp)

Except for the cream whisk all the ingredients until well mixed. Add the cream and whisk it just enough to mix it in. Transfer to an airtight container.

Cover the container and freeze for a few hours. Scoop out and serve.

Enjoy!

Note: If the Sherbet is too hard to scoop leave it in the refrigerator for 3-5 minutes before scooping. Return it to the freezer once you are done.

This is my entry for week two, day two of BM #40 for the theme Mango Mania. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#40.

Methi Paratha

Methi paratha is another simple and tasty variation to the everyday poli. Fenugreek or methi leaves are added to the dough along with besan or gram glour.

I usually make these as weekday lunch. They are easy to make during the morning rush and taste great hot or cold.

You will need
2 cups wheat flour
1/2 cup besan
1 bunch methi
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp. olive oil

Wash the methi and separate the leaves from the stalk. Discard the stalk. Chop the leaves coarsely.
In a mixing bowl add the chopped leaves and all the ingredients except the oil.

Using water knead into a soft dough. Pour a few drops of oil on the palm of your hand and round out the dough. Keep aside for at least 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 10-12 portions. Heat a griddle pan.

Roll out one of the portions of the dough into a flat disc.

Place it on the hot griddle pan. Drizzle a little oil on the sides. Cook until it starts turning brown. Flip it over and cook the other side.

Take off heat. Repeat for all the other portions of dough.

Mung Paratha

I had make mughachi usal for dinner and had some left over. I wanted to give it to my daughter for her school lunch but she does not like to take poli-bhaji to school. I know leftover toor dal is used to make dal paratha. So I decided to mix the usal into the whole wheat flour to make the poli. And so was born the mung paratha or the mughachi usal paratha.

I had 3/4 of a cup of mughachi usal. Adjust proportions based on what you have
You will need
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup muchachi usal
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste
olive oil

Combine the whole wheat flour and mugachi usal in a bowl. Add the cumin powder, paprika and salt. Form a ball of dough using water.

With a few drops of oil on your palm knead the dough and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Divide the dough into lemon sized portions.

Take one of the portions, flatten it and roll it out in the shape of a disc.

Cook on a hot griddle pan until brown spots appear. Flip it over and cook the other side.

Repeat for all the portions of dough.

Serve with pickle or a vegetable side.

Kanda Batata Rassa (Onion Potato Curry)

Kanda Batata rassa is a very simple but tasty dish. Everything you need should be available in your pantry - Onion, potato and tomato are the main ingredients.

You will need
1 medium onion
2 medium potato
3 small tomatoes
1 Serrano pepper
handful cilantro (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. agave nectar (or sugar)

Peel the onion and the potatoes. Dice the onion, potatoes and tomatoes. Remove the seeds from the Serrano pepper and mince.

In a large pan heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the asafoetida and the turmeric powder. Swirl the pan once and add the onions, potatoes and tomatoes. Add 2 cups of water or enough to just cover the vegetables. Add salt to taste, agave nectar and paprika. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the vegetables are cooked and the water thickens and almost evaporates.

Serve hot.

Watali Dal / Watli Dal / Vatli Dal

Watli dal is made of whole channa dal that is soaked, ground to a paste and then cooked into this soft and dry snack.

There is often confusion between ambe dal and watali dal. Ambe dal too is made with channa dal but is it very different. Here is the recipe for ambe dal. As a child I was not fond of this dal at all. It was made in my grandmothers house when we visited Pune in summer and I guess it was too dry for me in the hot Pune summer. I have made it a few times over the years. But it was only after I found this recipe in an old book that I truly began to like it.

The key to get the dal to be soft is to grind the dal as soon as it is removed from the water. Draining the dal dries it out. Follow these steps exactly and you will have a delicious snack ready in no time.

You will need
1/2 cup channa dal
1/4 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
salt to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. shredded fresh coconut (I used frozen)
cilantro for garnish

Soak the channa dal in 2 cups water and keep aside for 4-5 hours.

This step is the key to a soft dal. Transfer the dal along with a 1/4 cup of milk into a blender. Discard the remaining water. Grind to a fine paste. Add paprika, turmeric, asafoetida and salt to the dal paste.

Heat oil in a pan. I used a ceramic coated pan and it worked really well. Add the dal mixture to the pan and stir it around. Cover and let it cook on medium heat for a 3-4 minutes. Uncover and saute the contents. Cover and repeat another two times.

At this stage the dal will be cooked through and needs to be dried out. Add the coconut and continue to saute on medium heat.

This step takes some time. Avoid the temptation to get it done quickly on high heat. When done the dal would have dried out and separated such that no piece is bigger than a pea.

Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with chilled panha.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Pita

My version of stuffed pita is a great no cook brunch or a heavy evening snack. Several years back, one weekend I was looking for a quick brunch before running out on some errands. I happened to pick out all of these ingredients from the refrigerator and put them together. Everyone loved this combination so much that we plan for it once in a while.

After some experiments I have come to the conclusion that the avocado, pepper jack cheese and hummus are mandatory to recreate the awesome taste. Everything else is optional and can be substituted. You can use lettuce instead of spinach. You could substitute sun dried tomatoes for fresh ripe tomatoes.

You will need
1 pita bread
6 half slices tomatoes (cherry or salad)
6 slices avocados
8 leaves baby spinach
2 tbsp. hummus
2 slices pepper jack cheese

Slice the tomatoes. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seeds, peel of the skin and slice. Get all the other ingredients ready.

If you bake your own pita bread then use it fresh out of the oven. If not use this method to warm the bread. Cut the pita into halves. Soak a paper towel with water and squeeze out all the water. Spread it open and place the halved pita bread on it. Fold the ends of the towel over the bread and place it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. The bread will be soft and pliable.

Apply hummus on the inside of the pita pocket. Place the cheese, spinach, tomato and avocado in it. Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day two of BM #40 for the theme Evening Snack. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#40.

Bhel

Bhel is a spicy, tangy, crunchy snack that is very popular in Maharashtra and now all over India. Today I had a sudden urge to eat bhel. I got the churmure and the sev/chivda and made it right away. Everyone in the family loves Bhel and is always ready for some.

Bhel has two types of chutneys to control the taste. One is the more sweet than sour tamarind chutney and the other is the green chili pepper chutney. In my house green chutney is always made by my husband. After all these years he is very good at it.

I used dates and jaggery in the tamarind chutney. I like the thick sweet texture and taste of the dates. You could add sugar if you did not have dates on hand.

You will need
1/2 bag churmure
1 1/2 cup sev
1 cup farsan
3 tomatoes
1 onion
a handful cilantro

Sweet tamarind date chutney
1 orange size ball tamarind
12 dates
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin powder
salt to taste

Hot pudina (mint) chutney

1 bunch pudina (mint) leaves

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 Serrano pepper (or more if you like it really hot)

salt to taste

In a microwavable mixing bowl bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Break up and add the tamarind to the water. Keep aside for 30 minutes. In another microwavable bowl bring a cup of water to a boil. Add the dates and let them soak for 5-10 minutes. Blend the dates to a puree in a blender. Keep aside.

After 30 minutes rub the tamarind in the water to squeeze out all the pulp. Pour the liquid through a strainer and discard the pulp. In a pan bring the tamarind juice to a boil. Add the date puree, paprika, cumin powder and salt. Add half a cup of water. Let the chutney cook until it thickens and the flavors blend together. Adjust seasoning. If the chutney is too tart you may add a little sugar. Turn off heat and cool completely.

In a blender grind the pudina, cilantro and Serrano pepper with a little water. Add salt to taste. This chutney should be a little watery so it can be mixed into the bhel.

Dice the tomato, onion and cilantro separately. Get all the ingredients together.

In a large mixing bowl add the churmure, sev and farsan. Mix together. 

Then add the tomato, onion and cilantro. Mix together.

Add the green hot chutney.

Add the sweet tamarind chutney.

Mix it all together.

Enjoy!

Note: Mix in the wet ingredients just before serving to keep the churmure from getting soggy.

Digestive Biscuits

I had never heard of digestive biscuits until I tried making Banoffee Pie a couple of months ago. The recipe called for digestive biscuits for the base of the pie so I bought a packet. My family liked these biscuits because they are not sweet so I wanted to try baking them at home.

The recipe is pretty simple. I reduced the quantities by half and got 18 biscuits. I did not have confectioners sugar so I used brown sugar as suggested by one of the reviewers. 

You will need 

4 tbsp or half stick of unsalted butter

3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. cold milk

Bring the butter to room temperature and place it in a mixing bowl. Sift in the flours and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or knife combine the butter with the flour. Sift the brown sugar and add it to the flour along with the milk.

Combine the ingredients with your hands to form a ball of dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. On a floured surface roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a round mold (I used a steel bowl) cut out round shapes in the rolled dough.

Place the cut out shapes on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are a pale brown color. Transfer to a cooling rack. 

Store in an airtight container when completely cooled.

 

 

Enjoy!

Indian Food Odyssey

Today I have finished a month long challenge. The goal was to blog a dish from a different state in India every day of the month of April, starting with the state of Andhra Pradesh and ending with West Bengal. It is especially interesting for me as I have not lived in India for a very long time.

Recipes gathered over the years from friends, colleagues and neighbors were brushed off and tried. For some states the recipes had to be gathered from the web. The dishes had to be prepared in advance to ensure a printable blog post with pictures. For at least two states cloudy weather dictated a do over while for three other states a do over was needed as the recipe turned out to be too simple. For two states the recipe was a disaster and had to be scrapped completely.

Some recipes brought back very happy memories not related to food. And the aroma of some recipes took me back decades to my childhood. I came to realize how blessed my growing years were, I was exposed to so many different sub cultures within India.

My family was so supportive through the entire process. They loved trying out the new dishes and enjoyed the tried and tested ones. On the whole it was an enjoyable experience.

Here is a round up of the Indian Food Odyssey.

Andhra Pradesh - Pesarattu

Arunachal Pradesh - Rice Flour Momos

Assam - Bootor Dali

Bihar - Makhana Kheer

Chattisgargh - Lal Masur Kadhi

Delhi - Mango Lassi

Goa - Uddamethi

Gujarat - Dal Dhokli

Haryana - Choliya Subji

Himachal Pradesh - Katta

Jammu and Kashmir - Katta

Jharkhand - Sattu Paratha

Karnataka - Dudhali

Kerala - Payasam

Maharashtra - Marathi Meal

Manipur - Madhurjan Thongba

Meghalaya - Daineiiong with Jastem

Mizoram - Cauliflower Stalk Bai

Nagaland - Black Rice Pudding

Odisha - Besan Tarkari

Pudicherry - Snake Gourd Chutney

Punjab - Achari Aloo

Rajastan - Dal Baati

Sikkim - Kwati

Tamil Nadu - Sundal

Tripura - Awan Bangwi

Uttar Pradesh - Lauki Ke Chilke Ki Subji

West Bengal - Palang Shaak er Ghonto

Palang Shaak er Ghonto (Spinach Mixed Vegetable Medley)

Today is the last day of the challenge and I am posting a recipe from West Bengal. Every day this month I have posted a recipe from a different state in India.

The goal was to blog a dish from a different state in India every day of the month of April, starting with the state of Andhra Pradesh and ending with West Bengal. It was especially interesting for me as I have not lived in India for a very long time.

All the dishes had to be prepared in advance to ensure a timely printable blog post with pictures. Recipes gathered over the years from friends, colleagues and neighbors were sought out and (re)tried. For a few states the recipes had to be gathered from the web. For at least two states cloudy weather dictated a do over while for three other states a do over was needed as the recipe turned out to be too simple. For two states the recipe was a disaster and had to be scrapped completely. Through this whole process my family was very supportive. They loved trying out the new dishes and enjoyed the tried and tested ones.

Sweets from Bengal are very popular and well known. But after making so many sweet dishes for other states I was craving something savory. Something that did not go overboard with oil and spices. I found Palang Shaak er Ghonto is a popular mixed vegetable side. What I really like about this dish is the sparingly used spices. Paanch phoron (fenugreek, fennel, nigella, mustard and cumin seeds) and a little cumin powder is all that is used. I adapted this recipe from here.

You will need
1 large potato
1 cup cubed yellow pumpkin
2 cups chopped spinach
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. paanch phoron (a mixture of fenugreek, fennel, nigella, mustard and cumin seeds)
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 dried red chili pepper

Wash, peel and chop the potato into cubes. Heat oil in a pan and add the paanch phoron. When the mustard seeds crackle add the red chili pepper and the potatoes. Sprinkle a little if needed, cover and let the potatoes cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the pumpkin cubes to the pan and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle a little more water if needed. Cook until the potatoes and pumpkin are tender but not mushy.

Add the spinach and cumin powder. Season with salt. Add a little water and let it all cook until the spinach is done.

Enjoy!