Celebrating the Monsoons ~ Vaamu (Ajwain) Aaku Bajji

Ajwain Leaf / Vaamu Aaku Bajji

The last post was a summer salad to Beat the Heat and we’re already rejoicing the monsoons. Tells you how little I have blogged! But, my favourite season of the year is here and I am more than happy. We had a sweltering summer this year and never have I waited for the rains the way I have this time.

Celebrating the rains with Vaamu Aaku Bajji or Ajwain Leaf Pakoras. I grow two kinds of Ajwain / Vaamu at home. Both of which are edible, but until now I have only used them in salads for garnish. The bajjis that are made with these leaves are very popular in my home state of Andhra Pradesh. But if you have been reading this blog long enough, you should also know by now that I am scared of deep frying. The last time I made bajjis, I fessed up!

With a newspaper column to write twice a month, I try and cater to the changing seasons or festivities around and this time work demanded a kadai half filled with oil.

I made four kinds of bajjis for the story of which one was this one. I must say, it was very very good. The fresh leaves have a very strong fragrance and taste and hence I’ve always used it sparingly when used uncooked. Dipped in a mildly spiced batter and deep fried though, it took on another personality and mellowed down to a beautiful warm flavour.

Try these with your evening tea/ coffee and enjoy the sight of the rain pounding the earth.

Vaamu Aaku Bajji (Ajwain Leaf Pakora)
Serves – 4
Recipe Source – Sailu’s Kitchen

Vaamu Leaves (Ajwain) – 16-18
Gram Flour / Besan Flour – ¾ cup
Rice Flour (makes the bajji very crisp) – 2 tablespoons
Red Chilli Powder – ½ teaspoon
A pinch of Soda Bi carb
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

1. Wash the Vaamu leaves and dry on paper tissue to remove excessive water
2. Mix the gram flour with the rice flour, salt, red chilli powder and soda bi carb
3. Add about 2/3 cup water and whisk well to make a thick batter the consistency of dosa batter.
4. Heat about 2 cups of oil in a kadhai. Test for readiness by dropping a few drops of the batter into the hot oil. If it rises immediately to the surface, the oil is hot enough to begin frying.
5. Dip a leaf into the batter and coat well on all sides. Drop this carefully into the hot oil. Repeat with about 6 or till the frying vessel is moderately full and you can still turn over each bajji with ease. Fry for a minute and turn over. Fry the bajjis till golden brown and remove from the oil. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat with all the leaves. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Beat the Heat Series ~ Insalata Caprese with Basil Pesto

So the summer in hyderabad is fully upon us on its way out (which must tell you how long this post sat in drafts) and as always, I have a reputation to keep and whining to do… remarkably this year tho, I handled the heat much better than the Kman… he was  whining more than me, and mine are some really big boots to fill…

Anyhow, this is a salad I almost always order when we eat at an Italian restaurant and that in Hyderabad means many many restaurants! every five star hotel worth its salt needs to have an italian restaurant plus the many stand alone ones… I marveled at the simplicity and freshness of this salad, where the few ingredients stand out and flavour and texture is everything…

I lamented (there is a pattern here, I am not cantankerous for nothing!) that there is no good buffalo mozarella to be had outside of pricey restaurants….that was till I found out this Punjab made fresh mozarella in water… at I ate most of it as it was… saving the rest to make this salad… at 230 rupees a box its a little pricey, but thats the most expensive component of the salad. Make this and feel like a domestic God/ Goddess!

While the temperature still is higher than we’d like, serve this and enjoy it as a nice quick appetizer

Insalata Caprese – Serves 3

3 Large Ripe tomatoes (choose the sweet variety, I used bangalore/ salad tomatoes)

100 grams of fresh buffalo mozarella

20 fresh Basil leaves, washed and drained on paper towels

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup basil pesto (recipe follows)

For the Pesto

1 cup of fresh basil leaves, picked, washed and drained

1/5th cup of roasted pine nuts (replace with almonds or walnuts if you dont have pine nuts)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

a pinch of salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, peeled

Making the Pesto

Put all the ingredients except the olive oil and basil into a food processor and pulse till the nuts and cheese are pulsed evenly. Then add the washed basil leaves and pulse a few more times. Scrape down the sides of the jar and add the olive oil and pulse some more until you get a nice creamy pesto. I do this in 5-6 short pulses to get a fairly creamy pesto. Some people prefer some texture in their pesto, so check midway between pulsing the ingredients and stop when you like the consistency.

This makes 3/4 cup of pesto and can be used immediately. If you want to freeze the pesto, do not add the parmesan cheese. when you defrost the pesto and are ready to use it, mix in finely grated parmesan cheese.

To Assemble the Caprese Salad

Layer the sliced tomato and mozarella cheese. Add a freshly washed leaf of basil. Assemble over a plate till you use up all the sliced tomatoes and mozarella. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper over it scantly (optional, I did not do this). Drizzle over with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Spoon over the pesto and enjoy it fresh.

Alternatively, make small stacks of the tomato, mozarella, basil leaves, season with scant salt and pepper, drizzle over some EVOO and spoon over the pesto.

Beat the Heat Series ~ Rice Paper Rolls

A few years ago, one of my favourite blogger’s Nupur posted these lovely summer rolls and I was smitten. I hunted high and low inHyderabad for thai rice paper and found them finally. I zealously stock them and guard them. I love making these rolls not just because they look pretty, but are versatile. They are great with fresh vegetable crudités packed into them with sauces, cooked filling such as mushroom, spinach or peppers or even to use as potsticker skins. Either way you choose to use them, they will be a delight. They are also a great addition to a summer party menu. They make for a kid friendly snack what with all the alluring colours. Check out nupur’s post for detailed step by step instructions on how to roll them. you can add as many or as less fillings as you like…add taste and texture layers for variety.

Summer Rolls (makes 12)

Rice paper rolls (12)

Cucumber – ½ a medium one, peeled and sliced into slim sticks

Purple cabbage / lettuce – sliced fine

Red and yellow capsicum/ pepper – ¼ of each, sliced into sticks

Basil leaves or any other fresh herb like cilantro, mint, etc– ¼ cup

Carrot – ½ a medium one, peeled and sliced into slim sticks

For the dipping sauce

Peanut butter – 1 tablespoon

Hot chilli sauce – 1 tablespoon

Honey or sugar – ½ teaspoon

Hot water – 1 tablespoon

Whisk all of the above together to get a light dipping sauce. Serve with the rolls

Method:

In a deep plate, add 1 cup warm water. The rice paper rolls will be soaked in this, so ensure it is wide and deep enough.

1. Chop all the vegetables into matchstick shape and keep ready.
2. Dip the rice paper roll into the warm water and leave it for 10-15 seconds. With a light hand, lift up and lay it flat on a clean tea towel.
3. Add the vegetables in a layer in the middle of the rice paper. Add the greens and fold over a part of the bottom to cover the vegetables. Take the right and left parts of the roll and fold over to look like an envelope or a pouch. Roll the rest of the rice paper to look like a spring roll and the vegetables are sealed in.
4. Continue till all the rice papers are used up. Serve cold with a dipping sauce

Ulli Garelu (Vada) ~ Onion Fritters

How was the Sankranti / Pongal weekend for you all? I hope everyone had fun and ate atleast as much as I did (so that I can feel less guilty!). It was a mega eating fest for us at the Escapades household. Crazy amounts of food was made and consumed. Even my kadai was filled up with oil for deep frying these Ulli Garelu (Onion Fritters). More because I was doing a festival special article for the newspaper I write for and had to take pictures!

K who is used to not having fried stuff asked me atleast 5 times if the garelu were made at home and not sent by a kind neighbour because he knows I almost never deep fry!

This is a simple stevens recipe and can be whipped up in 20 minutes if you have soaked the husked urad dal earlier. A tea time treat, this is a must have at a festive spread.

Ulli Garelu – Makes about 12-14 garelu

Ingredients:

Skinned Urad Dal – 11/2 cup, washed and soaked for 4 hours

Ginger – I small piece (very finely chopped)
Green chillies – 2-3 (chopped finely)

Onion – 1 medium (chopped finely)

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Strain the water from the dal and grind to a paste sprinkling little water and salt. Do this in two batches so that you get a soft fluffy paste without adding too much water. The batter should be thick.

Add the chopped onions, finely chopped ginger, cumin seeds and green chillies to the batter and mix well.

In a kadai, add oil enough for deep frying and heat well.

Wet your hands with water and take a lemon sized ball and flatten it into a vada on a sheet of plastic or a banana leaf.

Make a hole in the centre of the gare so that it cooks evenly all over Slowly drop it into the hot oil carefully and fry it on both sides on medium heat to a golden brown colour.

Drain onto paper towels and serve hot with sauce or chutney.

2 Minute Chilli Cheese Toast

Imagine going to the kitchen at 2 p.m ravenously hungry and not having anything cooked / leftovers to dig into! I found myself in this situation a few weeks ago and with less than 5 minutes to feed myself before I collapsed, I turned to trusty bread and cheese with a twist. This is really not for weight watchers (which readers of this blog will know I am far from!), makes a great snack / party nibble and is ready in 2 minutes.

2 Minute Chilli Cheese Toast

2 slices bread

4 tablespoons grated cheese (I used mozarella and cheddar)

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon of red chilli powder

heat a griddle / pan and toast the slices of bread till the edges are golden brown. sprinkle the salt evenly over the slices and spread the cheese on the bread slices. sprinkle the red chilli powder. place them on a microwaveable plate and nuke it on highest power  for 30 seconds till the cheese has just melted. Serve hot, but be careful. hot cheese can scald the insides of your mouth.

Thai Style Noodle Salad

thai style noodle salad

Have been in a blog funk for a while now and i realised that most of the things that i found pleasure in, I have abandoned….and the newer interests I have picked up do not end/ begin with food and so there is less to write here. With all the other stuff that’s going on, meals are the last priority right now. It helps in weightloss if food is not the focus of your life… I’ve learnt that much over the last 6 months from K.

Losing my food pictures because of a crashed laptop also meant that i was more heartbroken than i wanted to admit. It also stripped me of a bank of pictures that i could post here to keep the blog posts coming.

We went on a holiday recently to the Land of the Thunder Dragon – Bhutan. I had friends from college who were Bhutanese and they kept telling me to visit. It has taken 11 years to finally get there and I am glad we finally went.  K’s work has kept him so busy that we hardly manage to spend time together during the work week. Deadlines drive me crazy and bring out the zen like calm in him. Which is ridiculous because he is the one chasing those damn deadlines! I just watch from the sidelines, am supportive and try to be as gracious about giving up our time together. So this was a welcome break. And what a beautiful break it was.

Bhutan is gorgeous. Period. Its green, the climate was chill but pleasantly so for this time of the year and it is spring time, which means Cherry blossoms are in full bloom all over the country. They take your breath away even if you are just walking down a village road. the people are wonderful, humble and amongst  the most self respecting i have ever come across. The children are picture perfect and you feel like sticking a camera in every face you see. The houses, hotels and every other building is similar to look at from outside due to the building regulations in place to ensure they continue to build  the model of the traditional building structures, which use a lot of wood, intricate carving and paintings. the monasteries are beautiful and either nestled next to an icy glacier fed river or clinging precariously to the side of a sharp cliff. And if you think the V king is handsome…. you should see his father!

Choose to drive in the mountains, visit the monasteries, trek through the country or get lost in the colour and essence of a cultural festival. You can also choose to get a massage and soak in a hot tub, the water is heated by placing red hot stones in another compartment of the tub. It was surreal and just the relaxing holiday we wanted.

The food – is heavenly. fresh, comforting and has a homemade quality, just what is needed in a cold country. I was apprehensive about  the availability of vegetarian food, but was pleasantly surprised. Although on the bhutanese vegetarian menu there are mostly only three variations of their famous cheese curry (with chilli, potatoes or mushrooms) with red rice, its all washed down with the best dark rum and coke i’ve have ever had.  indian, chinese and continental food is easily available at most places. the restaurants in thimpu and paro can serve you almost anything you want, from lebanese to thai cuisine.

We went to this lovely thai restaurant called Baan Thai in Thimpu and the food there is so outstanding that it compelled us to return to have our last meal there before we left Bhutan. Its tricky to order vegetarian Thai food, because almost everything calls for shrimp paste and fish sauce. This restaurant has excellent service and is very quick by Bhutanese standards and each dish from the red and green curry, sauteed spinach with chilly and glass noodle salad was outstanding.

Landing back home into 38 degrees C from 0 degrees when we left bhutan has left me craving for cold meals. I tried to make some version of the noodle salad and it was so refreshing for a hot summer afternoon. Its pretty easy to put together and since i substituted ingredients for whatever i had on hand, i would say this is a very adaptable recipe. the sharpness of the lemon and chilli dressing, refreshing crunch of the chilled vegetables and the starch provided by the rice noodles made for a complete meal.

Thai Style Noodle Salad (Serves 2)

1 cup cooked rice / glass noodles (I used rice noodles, soaked a handful in boiling water covered with a lid for 3-4 minutes, drained and immersed in cold water till needed)

1 cup peeled cucumbers sliced like matchsticks

1/2 cup peeled carrots sliced like matchsticks

1/2 an onion sliced fine

1 medium sized tomato, halved and sliced

2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves or thai basil (i did’nt have this on hand) rinsed and shredded

2 tablespoons fresh spring onions, green parts only

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon / lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder

salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

In a bowl add all the ingredients for the dressing and mix till the sugar is dissolved, taste and adjust. Add the chopped veggies and mix well. Add the cooked noodles and toss. garnish with green onions and fresh coriander leaves. Let stand in the fridge for atleast 15 minutes to allow the flavours to meld. Serve chilled

Can garnish with some toasted sesame seeds or toasted crushed peanuts, i forgot as i was eager to dig into it.

shopping info :

in hyderabad, you can buy the rice noodles and glass noodles at spar, hypercity, qmart or ruci and idoni

 Edited to add: Its been eons since i linked to any blog event. This salad is off to Fun in the Sun, the summer event at Tickling Palates who is celebrating four fab blogging years!

Shikampuri Kebab (Veg) – with Soy Nuggets ~ Almost the real thing!

K and I spent a delightful evening in the company of my cousins who we were meeting with after what seemed like ages…I will have to admit publicly that I have just met one of the most well behaved 4 year old boys. There can’t be many…I can vouch for that…and an adorable 7 month old, who made me realise that gums can be as pain inflicting as teeth… i had my fingers chewed on, drooled on and then a sweet dimpled smile that makes you want to repeat the whole process….

Anyway, where was I? Yes the cousins….I wasn’t sure of what extend the invite to dinner, and with K driving me up the wall with his meal choices, I settled on Cheater’s Dahi Vada, Baked Potato wedges, Fake meat Shikampuri Kebabs and some ridiculously red mixed fruit drink!

On to the kebabs…. As always, I am going to pass a disclaimer…. these arent claiming to be authentic Hyderabadi Shikampuris. They can’t since they aren’t even meat. Also since i am really lazy, I didn’t stuff them with the chopped onion and coriander mix. What is pretty authentic is the flavour and the texture of the cutlets.

A nice moment was, when halfway through one of them, K exclaimed “Is this not mutton? Then what is it? Oh God, I was thinking you made it with real meat” Needless to say, I was very pleased!

Onto the recipe

Shikampuri Kebabs with Soy Nuggets

Ingredients (Makes 20 3 inch kebabs)

100 gms of soy nuggets about 3 cups

1/2 cup bengal gram / channa dal

2 green chillies

2 pieces of 1 inch cinnamon sticks

2 green cardamoms cloves

3 whole cloves

5-6 whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon red chilly powder

Soak the soy nuggets in 4-5 cups of hot water and leave it for about 10 minutes till they are rehydrated. Squeeze out all the water, run it under cold water and rinse. Squeeze out all the water again. Put the rehydrated nuggets, channa dal, green chillies, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, pepper and red chilli powder in a pressure cooker and cook for 3-4 whistles till the dal is cooked.

Once the pressure has released, drain out the water, add the following to the pan and cook through till the whole mixture is dry.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion sliced

salt to taste

Cool the mixture completely and use the mixer to pulse it with very little water. it should be really thick and pasty like a dough. I used my Ultra wet grinder to do this. I found this much easier than the regular mixer because you really need to add water to get the pulsing to work.

Take out the mixture into a wide vessel and add the following

1 1/2  teaspoons ginger garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup chopped coriander and mint leaves

mix it all together with a wooden spoon or your hands. Portion into 20 small ping pong balls, roll into a ball and flatten between your palms. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non stick or cast iron frying pan. When hot, place the kebabs around the pan, leaving space to wield a slotted spoon. Fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes, till they get a slightly deeper than golden colour. flip over and fry on the other side as well.

Serve hot or warm with onion rings, tomato slices, lemon wedges and mint chutney or tomato sauce.

Beat the Heat Series – Easy Nibbles

While there’s hope on the horizon with the monsoons apparently on their way to my side of the world, this easy snack will make life easy if you are throwing a party or even looking for a quick evening snack, this is easy to put together. Infact this isnt so much a recipe as just an assembling job. All you need is a few slices of bread and a few other ingredients.

Easy Nibbles – makes 18 pieces

3 slices sandwich bread ( i used multi grain mediterranean bread, but anything will do) if using smaller slices, use 4 slices.

18 slices of cucumber

18 slices of tomato

a few sprigs of fresh coriander

1-2 tablespoons cheese spread

1/2 cup yogurt- cream dip (recipe below)

1/2 tablespoon tabasco sauce

for the dip

2 tablespoons yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh cream

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

1/2 teaspoon green chilli sauce

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon mustard sauce

add all of the above to a small bowl and whisk well. add a dash of pepper. set aside.

to assemble:

cut the slices into about 2 inch squares. toast them on low heat till golden brown and crispy. spread the cheese spread onto the toasted pieces of bread. top with one slice each of cucumber and tomato. spoon about 1/4 spoon of yogurt cream dip onto each, add a drop of tabasco sauce, garnish with a small bit of fresh coriander, serve.

Recycle Rani ~ Idli Cake

Idli cake, cocktail idli (same recipe, made with mini idlies) and other names for a simple preparation that ensures there are no leftover idlies that are wasted. In my house, it was always reheat and eat for idlies. Only when K asked me one day about making idli cake that i tried to google and find out what it meant. chopped up idlies, tempered and sauteed with spicy chutney powder (molaga podi) how much simpler does it get. and the slightly crisp ends of the idlies, plus the heat applied on the oil and chutney powder elevates  the taste of the end product.

Idli cake (serves 2)

6-8 leftover idlies, cut into one inch cubes

1 teaspoon gingely oil

3 heaped teaspoons molaga podi

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole urad dal

a few curry leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a kadai, heat the oil, splutter the mustard and add the urad dal and fry till golden, add the curry leaves and saute till crisp. add the idlies, sprinkle on top with the chutney (molaga podi) and stir to mix well. If needed add another spoon of oil on top. Saute till the edges of the idlies are beginning to turn slightly golden. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Beat the Heat Series ~ A’s Quick and Easy Carrot Sandwich

This is not much of a recipe but its a great idea for an easy and really quick sandwich to satisfy those after work hunger pangs, or even as a light dinner or breakfast option. It is also high on the veggie quotient and has no mayonnaise, and yet fakes the taste of it!! What more could you ask for? The recipe credit goes to A who I don’t know why has abandoned her cooking blog…because she has all these awesome ideas for quick and easy meals… She made this for me one evening, only because she spotted some grated carrots in my fridge….

A’s Quick and Easy Carrot Sandwich

time taken – 5-10 minutes

2 slices bread (brown preferably)

1 medium carrot grated finely

a pinch of red chilli powder or 1/4 of a finely sliced green chilli/ you can also use a little bit of tabasco or any other chili sauce

2 tablespoons thick curd (plain yogurt)

salt and pepper to taste

2 slices of tomato

a few lettuce leaves

olive oil to drizzle

toast the bread on a hot griddle / tava

mix the grated carrots with the curd, season with salt and pepper and add the chilly.

Spread the curd/ carrot spread onto a slice of bread, top with sliced tomatoes and lettuce.

Cover with the other slice of bread, Slice diagonally, drizzle with olive oil and serve.