deliad

Growing up in Delhi, there were 3 favorite picnic spots. - Qutab Minar - India Gate - Buddha Jayanti Park In most cases other families / relatives would also join and it will be a big pot luck. Food would include Jeera rice, Chhole (Chickpeas curry), Puris, Masala Aloo, Keema Kaleji and lots of green salads, pickles, chutneys and fruits for dessert. Most of these items are ideally served hot but are equally enjoyable when they are warm or even a little cold. However, the main focus on picnic used to be playing cards (for money of course) and cricket, frisbees etc. Good ol' times!!!

Any takers!!!! (to feed me) If my plan works correctly, I will not be gaining any weight by eating these. This weekend, we will try to make these using Splenda or Stevia or something like that. Gotta watch my blood sugars!! Cheers,

Wow!! Those are some good eats... Gulab jamuns and Jalebis... While there is nothing to beat original GJs made in Delhi / UP / Punjab etc., here in the US, after trying various packets / cans etc, the best ones still come out of Gits powder. We had to experiment and vary the recipe a bit to get better results but they come pretty close to the ones we enjoyed in Delhi halwai shops. The trick is to make the dough using milk instead of water and we tend to make them real big, we typically make about 9 or 10 per packet, and fry them on medium heat till they are dark brown. Kids love them.. My family does not have the patience like Mongo to wait 2 -3 years and eat 'em back in India. Mongo, Try them again..

Nice piece Monica, Surprising thing about Khichri is that depending on when you serve and what lentils you use in it, it can become from a class item to an item only for sick people(not feeling well types). But it is soul satisfying for sure in all cases!! In our family we make 4 types of khichri - with moong daal - with chana daal (porridge type) - with chana daal (dry type) - with moong chilka

What is your favorite "Soul Food" and Why?? Even though dictionary.com defines soul food as food eaten by Southern African Americans, but to me the definition is more deep and global. It is essentially one's favourite food that you typically grow with and that will do one or more of the following: - Food that will cheer you up, when you are feeling down!! - Food that you can always eat (some) whether hungry or not!! - Food that reminds you of some "good old times" - Food that will satisfy you to the very core (In Hindi we say "Aatma prasann ho gayi") Please share the details, recipes, pics etc, so that other members can try and learn. I'll start wil mine: 1. Most savoury snack dishes made from Besan (Chana Dal flour) like besan cheelas (pancakes), pakoras (fritters), besan missi roti, and dhokla. This is not to say that the other foods that I eat are not satisfying but the ones above are always more satisfying than the others. Give me these any time and I am a happy camper. Cheers!

1. Leftover Rice Paranthas - Spice up the leftover rice with Garam masal, Ajwain seeds, Cumin seeds, some finely chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. - Stuff them in a ball of dough and make like a regular stuffed parantha. 2. Egg Bhurji and Rice - Make egg bhurji (scrambled eggs) per your taste and when they are almost done, add rice and spice it up with garam masala and 1 tsp of clarified butter. Mix well till evenly heated and enjoy!!

Monica, Hmmm...Are you trying to tell us something????

Mongo, I agree, but will add that you must eat by hands to enhance the taste. The south American variety just does'nt cut it. We need Chausa, Dusheheri, Langda, Alphonso, Sunehri..... here... now!!!

I am sure once Monica is ready to publish her book, she will start sharing some low-carb indian recipes here. Still waiting Monica......

Rushina, I have switched to low-carb diet in the last few months and that has helped me keep my blood sugars in the controlled range for most times. For the Indian food, especially North Indian, bread is a staple. So after experimenting with various combinations, this is the ratio that works best for me. 2.5 cups of regular whole wheat flour (atta) and 1 cup of soy flour. The dough becomes low-carb, remains pliable and rotis/paranthas turn out very good. Actually they remain soft even after being in the fridge for 3-4 days or more. I remember long time back in Delhi, my father used to get special missa atta milled. It was 5 kg of wheat, 1 kg of soy beans and 1 kg of black chana. Use this atta for rotis for diabetic people and you dont have to worry about blood sugars spiking due to wheat. Of course, you stay away from processed flour (maida), rice and potatoes as well. Hope this helps.

Mango is so good that it should be called Khaas (Special) rather than Aam (regular). Talking about mangoes also reminds me of a very good scene from the old Mirza Ghalib movie (Bharat Bhushan one) where he is eating a bunch of mangoes with a bunch of guys and this guy who does not like Ghalib says "Yeh to gadhe bhi nahin khaate" (Even donkeys don't eat it).. As to which Ghalib replies "Haan, sirf gadhe hi nahi khaate" (Yes, only donkeys don't eat it) As Bhelpuri mentioned, due to FDA rules, we do not get Alphonsos in USA. However I have seen and used mango pulp cans some of which say Alphonso. I do not remember the brand right now but will check next time at my local desi store. The 2 things that we have tried with with those are Mango Pie and Mango Lassi. Yum Yum Yum!!!

Another Asparagus Pakoras recipe submitted in the recipeGullet. Enjoy!!

Asparagus Pakoras Serves 2 as Appetizer. Ingredients: 8 Asparagus spears 1/2 cup besan (Split yellow lentil flour) 1/4 tsp Garam Masala 1/2 tsp Ajwain (Carom seeds) Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Water Oil Spray Oil to fry Method: - Cut Asparagus into 2 to 3 inch pieces - Spray or rub oil (Pam spray is OK) - Sprinkle garam masala on asparagus pieces. Oil helps in masala sticking to the pieces. - Mix water in besan to create pancake like consistency. Add ajwain, salt and pepper while making batter. - Heat oil to 400 F. - Dip asparagus pieces in besan batter and fry for couple minutes and take out on a paper towel. - Rest them for a couple minutes and lightly press the fried pakoras with both hands and fry again for a couple minutes. You dont have to fry them again, I do that as I like them very crisp. Make sure that you do not press them very hard before re-frying. Serve with mint sauce or tomato chily sauce. Enjoy!! Keywords: Indian, Vegetarian, Appetizer ( RG986 )

Asparagus Pakoras Serves 2 as Appetizer. Ingredients: 8 Asparagus spears 1/2 cup besan (Split yellow lentil flour) 1/4 tsp Garam Masala 1/2 tsp Ajwain (Carom seeds) Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Water Oil Spray Oil to fry Method: - Cut Asparagus into 2 to 3 inch pieces - Spray or rub oil (Pam spray is OK) - Sprinkle garam masala on asparagus pieces. Oil helps in masala sticking to the pieces. - Mix water in besan to create pancake like consistency. Add ajwain, salt and pepper while making batter. - Heat oil to 400 F. - Dip asparagus pieces in besan batter and fry for couple minutes and take out on a paper towel. - Rest them for a couple minutes and lightly press the fried pakoras with both hands and fry again for a couple minutes. You dont have to fry them again, I do that as I like them very crisp. Make sure that you do not press them very hard before re-frying. Serve with mint sauce or tomato chily sauce. Enjoy!! Keywords: Indian, Vegetarian, Appetizer ( RG986 )

Suvir, There are many more types that are made in Northern India apart from peanuts. Some which I remember eating are made with Chana Dal, Sevian, Rice murmura and a couple more. There is another variety called Gajjak. This is very soft and flaky. Made with either sugar or jaggery, so color could be whitish or golden. My favorite one is Chana Dal chikky or Gajjak. We used to buy it in bulk from the guy who makes it fresh in Ramesh Nagar in New Delhi. There are many other small shops in Patel Nagar, Moti Nagar area still that make very good chikkis. Fun food for winters!!! It is a pity, I can not eat them now due to diabetic issues....

Monica, What a coincidence, I had the same hankering couple days before. There is definitely a connection between rainy season and a desire to eat fried and greasy. So I went with trusted pakoras and masala chai. I had to venture into a couple different grocery stores to gather the ingredients for pakoras but it was well worth it. We made the following pakoras: - Gobhi (Caluiflower) - Pyaaz (Red onions) - Bhein (Lotus stem) - Baingan (Thai egg plants) - Asparagus (This was a first for us) - Alu (Thinly sliced potatos) Unfortunately, I could'nt take any pics. Realized while eating. Well, maybe next time. Asparagus pakoras turned out to be very good and delicious. Served with Maggi's tomato chili sauce and hot tea. In fact, I had some leftovers today for breakfast. Tasted even better. Cheers,

2 specific drinks come to mind for spring / summer time: 1. Aam ka Panna 2. Kanji In fact, we made Kanji a few weeks back and it turned out great, despite not getting black carrots here in the US. I interested, I can post recipe / pics next time we make it. Cheers,

I think it is definitely an indicator. As you pointed out, regular US grocery stores have started to carry not only spices and other dry shelf ingredients but also ready to eat dishes. Wegmans in Sterling, VA is a good example. Their restaurant section is selling tandoori chicken, which I think is a first for a grocery store deli section. Just like the Korean / Chinese community has been able to support and sustain a big box grocery store like Super H Mart or similar ones in metro areas like NYc, Phily, DC, I think time is not far when some Indian entrepreneur opens up a big Indian/South Asian grocery store with a restaurant/deli and a plethora of regional street foods, regular indian items like Aloo Gobi and regional stuff like rava idli. It is these kinds of places that really pulls people of all different ethnic backgrounds. Just my .02 worth, cheers, Edited for spelling..

Are you sure ? maybe they cooked to make you squirm ? It happens, when people are mean. Rajsuman, Looks like these guys were not very happy to host you. Their mantra seems to be "Serve them bad food and they will never come back again.." ??? I am curious to know though, what was the very next meal you ate to cover up the loss???

pan, given that deliad's recipe calls for pressure cooking i'd imagine just using a regular saucepan would mean cooking for much, much longer. deliad, are my eyes deceiving me or is that a prestige pressure cooker? mongo_jones, Yes, it is a Prestige (brand) pressure cooker. Pan, Since this is one of those hardy type vegetables, it is much safer and faster to cook in a pressure cooker. We have never cooked in a pan so I cannot comment on that. Bague25, I remember your request, however, due to my low carb life style now, rice is not on my menu, but my better half still eats some and we will plan to capture the pulao with bhein next time we make it. Let me also add that it is no different than adding anything else in the pulao. Usually people add onions, potatoes, peas, cauliflower florets, Dal vadis and we sometimes add Bhein also.

Thanks, You are right about Pakoras. They used to be my Dad's weakness and I seem to have inherited that also, along with pakoras of cauliflowers, eggplant, onions, boiled eggs, and green chillies. We use these lotus stems in Rice Pulao as well as a sabji with Potato and Peas. cheers,

Dear all, As promised earlier in the "Rare Ingredients" thread, here is the recipe for Masala Bhein along with pictures. Hope you will enjoy this as much as we do. For those who live in the States, you can find these easily in the Korean grocery stores. Here goes: Masala Bhein (Lotus Stems or Kamal Kakdi) Ingedients: Lotus Stems - 4 medium pieces Oil - 5 Tbsp Water - 1 Cup Masala Mix: - Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp - Salt - 1 and 1/2 Tsp - Coriander powder - 5 Tsp - Ginger powder - 1/4 Tsp - Black Pepper - 1Tsp - Garam Masala - 1 Tsp - Amchur (Dry Mango powder) - 1 Tsp Method: 1. Trim both the ends of the stems. 2. Cut into some 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch long pieces and some 1/4 inch pieces. 3. Wash with lukewarm water thoroughly. Make sure all the grooves are clean of any dirt. 4. Mix all the spices in a bowl. 5. Hold the big pieces over the masala bowl and fill the holes with the spice mix. Make sure that the pieces are a little damp so that the spices stick to them. Fill the big pieces from both sides. For smaller pieces put them together in the leftover masala mix and roll gently to cover with the spices. 6. Heat oil in a pressure pan or cooker. 7. Put all the pieces in the oil and saute gently on low heat for 5 minutes. 8. Add one cup of water and stir gently. 9. Cover the pressure cooker and cook on high heat till the first pressure whistle comes. 10. Let it cook on low heat for 15 more minutes. 11. Open the cooker and check to see the tenderness. (Should be similar to a hard boiled potato). If they are still hard, let it pressure cook for a few more minutes. 12. If there is still some water, let it simmer for a few more minutes with the lid open. Serve with freshly made chapati or tandoori roti and Enjoy!!!

Sure can do.. it will take some time though..so please be patient. Cheers!! Took me a long time, but I have managed to take some pictures while we were cooking Masala Bhein (Kamak kakdi or Lotus Stems) last week. I will posting them shortly in a new thread once I figure out how to include images in the text. Any pointers?? Cheers

Sure can do.. it will take some time though..so please be patient. Cheers!!

We have used atleast 2 of these that you mention: 1. Wheat Gluten Wadi is more popularly known as "Mukand Wadi" in Delhi and Punjab areas. Not every grocer keeps it but you can still find it. Our grandmothers used to make it at home that's how I know it is wheat gluten. 2. Lotus stems (more popularly known as Bhein or Kamal Kakdi) is one of my favorite items for Pulao, Pakodas or as a dish (Masala Bhein) filled with different spices and sauted / cooked for more than 2 hours or so.. Yum yum yum... It is very difficult to find both of the above in the US. Though I have seen Lotus stems now in Korean grocery stores..