Brinjals are an all time favorite and render themselves to be cooked in a hundred different ways. It`s always been a pleasure for me to cook with good tender brinjals as they get done in minutes. I always pick up tender tiny brinjals from the Indian store or better still, use the Japanese Eggplant. You can make Yennai Kathirikkai, Kathirkkai Podimas, Brinjal Pepper Kuzhambu , Kathirikkai Curry with minimalistic masalas, vangibath, baingan bartha, baghara baingan, and Kathirikkai Poricha Kuzhambu. Each of them take a different taste because of the way they are concocted. My husband loves the way, brinjals are cooked slowly over a medium flame and slathered with the mix of roasted spices. It`s also a favorite among my friends and a regular addition to all potlucks and get-togethers.
Brinjal Podimas.
INGREDIENTS:
Brinjals/Eggplant – Medium (10-12) or 1 Big Japanese Eggplant.
Salt
Hing
Seasoning:
Mustard, Oil, Urad Dhal, Curry Leaves.
ROAST IN OIL:
Boiled Rice – 3 spoons
Bengal Gram – 2 spoons
Dhania – 1 spooon
Red Chillis – 4
Curry Leaves – 3-4
Hing – A pinch.
PREPARATION:
Chop the brinjals in to slightly longer pieces as they cook very fast and you dont want them to get mushy.
Slow roast the mentioned ingredients in a spoon of oil, allow to cool and grind them to coarse powder and set aside. You can proportionately increase the measurements two fold depending on the number of eggplants. Extra powder can always get stored in an air tight container doubly sealed with cling film to contain the freshness and aroma of the ground powder.
Pour 2 spoons of oil in a kadai, season with mustard , urad dhal and curry leaves and throw in the chopped brinjal pieces.
Add salt, turmeric and hing and cook on medium flame for about ten minutes till the brinjals are cooked well.
Switch off stove and add ground powder for flavouring.
Garnish with chopped cliantro and serve HOT with Lemon rasam or Spinach Morkuzhambu.
Exploring Katy Trail in Missouri was something that we always looked forward to, as many travelogues and magazine, waxed eloquence on the beauty of this place. When we sought out information, on the internet, we could not find any site, that gave us consolidated information on the facilities, views, points of interests etc. This blog, is an effort towards just that – A write up on the beauty of the Katy Trail, as seen through my eyes….
Katy Trail State Park is built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad (better known as the Katy). When the railroad decided to cease operation on its route, it presented the chance to create an extraordinary recreational opportunity — a long-distance hiking and bicycling trail that would run almost 200 miles across the state. This was a completely ingenious idea as it presented itself as a milestone in hiking and bicycling for many nature enthusiasts. As this corridor, runs all along the banks of the River Missouri, its very scenic during all the seasons of the year. In summer, the trail bursts with wildflowers and the trees are filled with ripe fruits and leaves and its really a pleasure to walk or cycle along the trail. The visitors to this area, have many options to explore the beauty along the trail. One can drive up to Defiance, Missouri and rent bicycles at Katy Bike Rental. The cycles are well maintained and parents have options of child-carts and tag-a-longs for the kids. Thee are also kids bicycles which enables a full outing for the entire family. The tag-a-longs are closed so the child is protected from the sun and wind.
Tag-along for kids-Pic courtesy Katy Bike Rental.
The trail allows users to travel through some of the most scenic areas of the state. The majority of the trail closely follows the route of the Missouri River so hikers and bicyclists often find themselves with the river on one side and towering bluffs on the other. The trail travels through many types of landscapes including dense forests, wetlands, deep valleys, remnant prairies, open pastureland and gently rolling farm fields. In the spring, the trail is brightened with flowering dogwood and redbud, while the fall is colored with the rich reds and oranges of sugar maple, sumac and bittersweet. The summers are of course very beautiful where one can see all the forest areas in full bloom. You could also see scurrying bunnies and little baby turtles, walking along the trail, at their own pace. The Klondike State Park spread across 250 acres, between the cities of Defiance and Augusta, on the historic highway 94, is a place to be visited on its own. Once a site for silica sand quarry, now offers trail enthusiasts many options for family get-togethers, with a scenic lake, picnics, parks, tent camping, trekking, trails and play areas.
Ice frozen on the Klondike Park Lake.
Another of my favourite spots along the Katy Trail is “My Grandpa`s Farm”. Its a small quaint farm, originally owned by the Daniel Boone run by a couple, who live there. The farm runs all through spring from the 15`th of March up until Thanksgiving. In spring and summer, the farm supplies refreshments like” Sno-cones” – crushed ice flavoured with berry, lemon syrup to the parched bicyclists. They also serve quaint lunches and dinners. They grow organic tomatoes, pears, apples, raspberries, peaches and lemons. They also raise ponies, horses, chickens and hens and get fresh eggs from them.
My Grandpa`s Farm
They make Apple Butter, peach Butter and strawberry and raspberry preserves, which are bottled and sold at their lovely little store. The salas, made from the organic home grown tomatoes, are extremely tasty and also available to buy. A drive to Augusta, is never complete without a visit to “My grandpa`s Farm”, and we never miss the home made delicious hash browns served with Meduim Salsa.
Augusta also comes under the Missouri Wine Country, so the Highway 94 is filled with so many quaint lovely wine tasting outlets. A fall drive along this lovely highway, is a feast for the eyes, as one ambles across miles and miles of plains and hills dotted with trees, all coloured with fall foliage. On a drive along this wine country, during fall, you can see many grape vineyards, laden with bunches of juicy heavy grapes, ready to be picked, sorted and made in to wines. One wonders at the many lovely hues of orange, yelllow, amber and red, in a fall drive on this scenic road.
Grapes ready to be picked in a vineyard in Augusta, MO
Fall, again is the month of apple picking, so farms along this trail, get busy with this season. The Centennial farms, where we visitd for instance, claimed to grow 24 varieties of apples which ripen through August to September and get ready to be picked in fall. The farm also grows summer vegetables like squash, acorn, sweet potatoes and make them available for sale. Its also a place for family fun, during October, as they offer pumpkin mazes, hay ride, tractors etc for children and adults. There are a variety of nurseries along this region, which grow a multitude of flowers and plants like roses, hibiscus, jasmines, sunflowers, chrysanthemums etc. The Wine Country Gardens offer wine tasting, a lovely nursery and outdoor dining overlooking the lovely stretch of plains, filled with vineyards, trees and offering an uninterrupted view of the spectacular highway and beyond.
The Katy trail is a hitherto unexplored territory for me, in my one and a half year stint in Missouri, but every trip to Defiance and Augusta, bring with it, new experiences and newer insights to this scenic part of the state. We have made it a point to visit this place, as much as we can, as it brings so many opportunities of experiencing nature and being one with it. This region is almost beautiful. no matter what the season….Little did Lewis and Clark realise that their expedition opened the doors for so many more….today and everyday …
Bananas are one of the most commonly availabe fruit. It comes in a variety of colours green, yellow, red and in India ,a myriad of hybrids are now available. It also the most versatile fruit as its used in many different forms – fried, frittered, frozen, mashed, pureed, boiled to be made in to puddings, preserves, or in its original form. Bananas are rich in Vitamin C and also a good source of dietary fiber and potassium. Many times, when I buy even half a dozen, I always find I would have to throw at least one if I am not extremely careful. This time, I decided to make an egless cake with the over ripe bananas. I also threw in a little flax seed powder as it increases the fibre intake. It is also better to skim down the sugar a little bit, as bananas are high in sugar content on their own.
Banana Walnut Eggless Cake.
INGREDIENTS:
All Purpose flour – 1 cup
Sugar – Brown/White 1 cup.
Bananas – 2 ripe.
Oil – 1/2 cup (Only Canola/Mazola/ Vegetable Oil and not Olive Oil)
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Walnuts – 1 /3 cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp (Always use pure vanilla extract with no alcohol). For better flavor you can use Banana Extract too.
Flax seed – 2 tsp.
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350F and pour out the walnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast for 5 mins or so.
Cool the nuts and chop them up roughly.
Measure out the flour, add the baking soda abd set aside. The dry ingredients are now ready.
In a mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash it well with a masher or ladle. Add oil, sugar, extract and whisk briskly.
Slowly add the dry ingredients little by little and mix it in,. Do not overmix as this may rob the batter of air and the end result would not be a spongy cake.
Add the toasted chopped nuts and the flax seed and mix it in too. The toasting of the nuts is completely optional as it brings out the flavour of the nuts and makes it crunchy. You can also add them as they are.
Grease a 9 nch round cake pan or loaf pan with oil spray and slowly pour in the cake batter and lightly flatten with a spatula.
Banana Cake batter in the cake pan.
Bake at 350F for 30 mins or until a fork inserted comes out clean.
The best ever dhoklas that I remember having eaten are at The Saravana Bhavan – Gujrati Restaurant in T.Nagar, Chennai. They have the most amazingly soft dhoklas that can melt and come together in your mouth, along with the sweet chutney agog with tamarind and tang, and the green pudina chutney. Ever since, I ve always been on the lookout for recipes on how to make this easy snack. What I like about it, is the fac that it could be whipped up in a few minutes, with no need for prior planning. This is my version of this dish and I hope you will like it too. Posting for the Sweet Tamarind Chutney follows at a later post.
INGREDIENTS:
Besan – 1 1/4 cups
Buttermilk/Curd – 1 cup.
Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
Green Chilli Paste- 1 tsp
Eno Fruit Salt – 1 tsp.
Lemon Juice – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder – A pinch
Seasoning:
Oil, Mustard Seeds, Slit Green Chillis (2), Curry Leaves, Hing.
Garnish:
Dry Coconut Powder, Chopped Corriander.
PREPARATION:
In a bowl, take the besan and use your hands to remove all the clumps. Add the buttermilk and gently whisk to mix. Now also add turmeric, salt, ginger paste, green chilli paste and mix them all together.
Mix a spoon of Eno Fruit salt with 1 spoon of lemon juice and mix it in to the besan batter.
Let is stand for 20 mins.
Take a low flat bottomed cooker vessel, resembling a 9 inch round cake pan and grease the insides with cooking spray or oil.
Pour the besan batter in to the cooking pan.
Fill the cooker with 1 cup of water and gently place the vessel in to the cooker.
Allow it to steam on high for 12-14 mins.
Switch off and wait for 5 mins and cool it for 20 mins or so.
Cut it in to diamond shape and season with mustard , chilli, hing and curry leaves.
Spinach and other forms of greens have been an excellent source of vitamins and iron for the body. It is of no wonder that we discover novel methods of ingesting greens so that we can derive the intrinsic rich sources of vitamins for our benefit. This instant keerai masiyal is an express method of cooking and flavouring the greens so that a twist in the taste would make us feel we are eating a different vegetable in a different form.
Its also a quick addition to the regular vegetable everyday, specially for kids and toddlers, to be eaten along with their course. Traditionally, its made with “Ara Keerai” or Mola Keerai in our homes, but I use any green leafy vegetable that I have. Today I`ve used a combination of Spinach, collards and turnips.The variation in the taste is in fact, the effect of the seasoning.
INGREDIENTS:
Spinach/Collards/Turnip/Kale – 1/2 a packet or a bunch cleaned.
Salt
Hing
Seasoning:
Coconut Oil, Mustard/Curry Leaves. Broken Urad Dhal, red chillis (3).
PREPARATION:
Take the washed and cleaned greens and pop in to a microwave safe dish and microwave on HIGH for 5 mins. Optionally, you could also sprinkle water and cook it on the oventop stove for 5 mins .
Do not allow the leaves to get bruised, but cook it only 60% or so.
Pulse the cooked and cooled greens along with salt in the mixer to a smooth paste. There is NO need to add water, as cooking itself brings out the inherent water in the leaves.
If you feel that there is still some raw smell of the greens, that is not agreeable, pop in in to the microwave for an extra 2 mins.
Warm a seasoning kadai on the stove and add 2 spoons of coconut oil.
When hot, add broken urad dhal, allow to slightly brown, red chillis, add mustard, hing, curry leaves and pour over the ground greens paste.
Serve as a side with rice, or over dhal rice, or as a course in itself to mix with rice.
Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.” – Thomas.
Flowers have always been some thing of a wonder to me. That creation has allowed such beautiful amazing colourful representation of itself in so many different forms. How many pictures have spoken a thousand words…how many have been captured and frozen in a digital frame? A flower renders itself in so many different ways, fully aware that its going to last only a few days, and some varieties only a few hours. One such flower that captivates me with its sheer beauty is the Jasmine. We had this huge jasmine creeper all over my front yard, many years ago in our home. Every summer evening, the sweet smell of the jasmine, would waft in to our windows and every now and then , I as a child, wouold catch a wiff in the air and get so excited. Then came the days of the apartment living…I missed my plants and trees, but never failed to recreate a small green patch wherever I lived…
When I was in Madurai, for my post graduation, i realised, that this was the place for the most exotic varieties of this flower….On the drive to Kodaikanal, there are places where people would hawk for a big roll of jasmine just for Rs.5!!! And you can see rows and rows of jasmine shrubs, all ready to be picked, woven in to strands by skillful hands, ready to be transported and adorned on the beautiful shoulders of the Lord, or his Lotus feet, or in the hands of a loving husband for his wife!!!
When I went to my mother in law`s place, in Trichy, I was happy to see a really tall, shrub of jasmines, that had worked it way up two floors and spread its branches all over the parapet wall….Her maid would dutifully collect the buds and weave them in to a lovely string, which my mother in law would give to me, to adorn on my braids…It was a variety that had sharper petals, but lush with fragrance…
When we relocated to Phoenix, I could`nt resist visiting the Garden Centre at Home Depot in Ahwautukee where we stayed. Phoenix, is so warm that there are so many varieties of plants that I could find in Madras! And there I saw the lovely jasmine shrub…and I joyfully took it home with me. I followed the instructions for sunlight, and water and MagicGrow nutrition, repotting and the likes. I would take care of it like a little helpless baby, all through winter….And in summer, I got sweet smelling jasmine flowers….that I would collect everyday and offer it to God, or collect it in a little uruli and place it on the dining area. It`s an amazing feeling to walk around your home, smelling fresh flowers and have the satisfaction that they are out of your own little garden.
Jasmine Flowers in a nursery in Eureka, MO.
Recently, we had been on a drive this summer to Eureka, MO and there was this lovely nursery filled with all kinds of blooms, chrysanthemums, roses of all varieties , hibiscus and even a huge jasmine creeper…The floor of the nursery was specked with little jasmine flowers…almost looking like a carpet…I picked out a few and enjoyed the fragrance for a few minutes…Shruti, another friend of mine, also shares my passion on jasmines. So when I went to my favourite Trader Joe`s , last week in the peak of the crazy january winter, and I saw little Jasmine Shrubs, shipped all the way from Florida…I picked one for her…She is waiting for the day, it would bloom and flood her with lovely fragrant flowers….And I am going to watch it grow in her place, and experience the delight as if it were my own!!!
Koorkai is a favourite for me even when I was in Madras, as this was a pretty seasonal root, that you would get only during december/january. It is an important addition to the vegetables that we use in “Thiruvadharai Upperi”. My mum would soak it for some time and rub is against a rough surface so it would get clean. Cleaning the Koorkai is the most difficult portion of labour before relishing its taste. Then you would have to painstakingly remove the skin and chop it before you cook it in steam, AND THEN it becomes ready to be used in Mozhukkuperati, or upperi or molagootal….So much for this rare tuber!!!
I was really missing it when I moved to the U.S, but when I visited my aunt in PLano, in December `08, I found cleaned, cut and frozen koorkai in in indian store near her place. I was delirious with joy and I guess I bought 4-5 packets, as my husband was darting looks that very clearly spelt “baffled”. Not that I minded. I knew this was a seasonal vegetable and I had to stock up for the year! Today was an exceptionally cold day and I really felt like having this fragrant vegetable, so I combined to make a Poriyal with Avaraikkai and Mochai. In my mind, I guess I was trying to make up for the root, by adding a pulse and a high fibre vegetable.
It`s a pretty simply recipe, so here you go…
INGREDIENTS:
Avaraikkai – 1 cup (Valor/Broad Bean) chopped in to 1 inch pieces.
Koorkai – 1 cup. (cleaned and chopped in to small pieces)
Mochai – 1 cup ( Valor Lilva)
Coconut – 3 tsp.
Salt.
Hing.
Seasoning:
Mustard seeds, Broken Urad dhal, Curry Leaves, Red Chillis (2-3)
PREPARATION:
Take a kadai and pour in two spoons of oil and allow to get hot. Slip in the urad dhal and the red chillies and allow it to get a little brown and now drop in the mustard seeds and the curry leaves and a dash of hing.
Add the chopped vegetables and add sufficient salt and sprinkle water and allow to cook on a medium low flame.
Allow to cook for a good fifteen minutes and sprinkle dessicated coconut.
Tomato Thokku is a form of pickle (read delicacy) that`s so often made in my home…but then one never gets enough of it. Its such a versatile side, you can have it with idli, dosa, upma,curd rice, parathas, bread, tortillas and virtually anything else you can think of. Whenever tomatoes are down to 99c a pound, or If I have a few getting ripe, tomato thokku it is…
Here it goes, for the benefit of the others…
INGREDIENTS:
15 Medium Sized Tomatoes.
2 Tsp Fenugreek
2 Tsp Salt
3 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
Hing
1/2 cup of Concentrated Tamarind Extract.
Pinch of Turmeric.
1 Tbsp of Jaggery.
Seasoning:
Mustard seeds, Curry Leaves.
PREPARATION:
Wash the tomatoes, dry them by wiping them and chop them in to tiny pieces.
Dry roast the fenugreek/venthayam on a slow flame until you get the aroma. Its very important that its roasted on a medium low flame as this slow release of flavour adds to the taste. cool it and powder it well in the mixer.
Take a heavy bottomed pan and pour in 8-9 spoons of oil, add mustard and when it starts to splutter, add curry leaves and hing.
Quickly add the tomatoes, hing, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and the tamarind extract.
Stir in the ground venthayam/fenugreek and jaggery also in to the pan.
Allow the tomatoes to cook and simmer on a medium-low flame with constant stirring so that it does not stick to the bottom.
Keep on stirring until the oil seperates from the “thokku”…this should approximately take about 40-45 minutes.
Switch off the stove and allow to cool for 2-3 hours and store in an airtight glass jar.
Enjoy with Rotis, Parathas, Idlis, Doasas, Venn Pongal or yummy curd rice.
Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of turkish, persian and arab countries. It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. Many other Middle Eastern nations have pastries which are very similar, thanks to a long running tradition of sweet desserts which feature flaky, delicate pastry. While baklava was originally considered a food for the wealthy, today it can be found in many pastry shops and Greek specialty stores all over the world. The first time ever that I had Baklava was in a quaint Mediterranean restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. I bit in to the delicacy and found my mouth bursting with the flakiness of the phyllo dough, the crunchiness from the nuts, all coming together with the sweetness of the honey dripping from it. I was awed completely by the experience. The next time around that I remember was in the summer of 2008, at The Chateau on the Lake, resort spa in Branson, Missouri. This amazing resort has a lovely patio overlooking the scenic Table Rock Lake and we had this delectable pastry right there and suddenly it was so beautiful all around me…
My inspiration of the twist on the baklava, is from the way we make “Modhakas” and steam them…and of course from Giada…Here they are for you to try and taste…
INGREDIENTS:
Walnuts – 1/4 cup.
Almonds – 1/4 cup.
Raisins – 1/4 cup.
Coconut – 1/8 cup.
Sugar – 2 Tbsp.
Cinnamon – Powdered a pinch.(Optional
Melted Butter- 1/2 a stick.
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp.
Honey
Phyllo Dough – 6 sheets.
Muffin Pans
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Place the walnuts, almonds, raisins, coconut, sugar and cinnamon in a mixer and pulse well so it grinds well. Transfer to a bowl and add 2 tbsp of melted butter and honey and stir it to combine in to a homogeneous mixture.
Take the phyllo dough very carefully as they are extremely thin.Use a dry working surface and spread out one sheet of the dough. Slowly brush this sheet with butter and place the second sheet on the face of the first and lightly press it so they stick together. Repeat with brushing the melted butter on the second phyllo dough and slowly place the third sheet on the second. Care should be taken while working with phyllo dough as they tear very easily. Continue until all the 6 sheets are pressed and stacked firmly on one another.
Now slowly slice this stack of sheets with knife or scissors in to 12 pieces.
You could make little balls from the filling so it makes the process much more simpler.
Use the smaller pieces of phyllo, fill it with the nut-honey ball and close it as you would do a little dumpling and twist it, and place it in the muffin compartment.
Phyllo Dough filled with Honey-Nut Mixture.
Use the melted butter to seal the edges if you are having difficulty closing the pastry.
Continue and complete all the 12 pieces and place them on a muffin pan.
Baklava baked golden...
Bake for 15-20 mins or until all the baklavas are golden colour.
Cool and serve dripping with honey.
(Optionally, the honey-nut mixture could be flavoured with orange zest and orange essence instead of vanilla and cinnamon for a warm citrus twist and served with Orange Blossom Honey).
I realise that this post is a month late coming…but I could not contain myself till `09 Christmas to place it here. My daughter`s school recital this year had all the teachers perform for 12 Days of Christmas….I guess its almost like a recount of the singer`s 12 days to christmas and what he/she did…Typically, it`s all over Youtube modified to so many flavours…Indian, Hawaiian, Chinese, Mexican and the like. My cousin S, showed this to me when I visited her during christmas and I fell for it. Here are the lyrics for the song and the link to this video itself!!! ENJOY!!!
On the ________ day of Christmas my true love gave to me –
01 A totally insufficent dowry
02 Two nosy in-laws
03 Three buttered chicken
04 Four Hare Krishnas
05 Five Indian gangs (5 minutes of fame on the 12th day)
06 Six IT graduates
07 Seven eleven workers
08 Eight Hollywood films
09 Nine telemarketers
10 Ten-minute yoga
11 Eleven-syllable names
12 Twelve cricket ball tamperers
Anubhavati -Tastes from my kitchen 