Bhukhhad

Wow ElsieD I had no clue that I needed to get the seeds out. And then the tip about keeping the oven door ajar to let the moisture escape!! You certainly know a bunch that I can learn. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Thank you so much

Hello fellow dehydrators Here is my second pathetic experiment. Using the last of the juicy tomatoes I tried to ‘dehydrate’ them in the oven. Here is a picture. the recommended 175F that I saw in some recipes seemed to do nothing for me. So I yanked up the heat to 200F and after two hrs to 250F. It dried them somewhat. Then I had to go out so I took them out of the oven and covered them with some cheesecloth overnight. The next morning I put them back at 250F. Succeeded in burning some 😱 but then I gave up and rescued what I could. They tasted amazing. But were still a but squishy. Anyway all I had on them was some salt and some vinaigrette. Dont know why? I just felt like it and there was no oil in the jar so I substituted 😝 I have now stored them in a jar in the fridge and waiting to make a baked eggs and ovendried tomato dish. Will add a photo when I do. Wish me luck Bhukhhad

Dear ElsieD, The recipe I saw in my relatives homes, was not layered. It was essentially keeping the mango puree (yes puree. I should have mentioned that my reference to mango juice was just the entire pulp from one mango, with the seed removed and all the juice squeezed out. That would make it a puree, not "juice" as in what we would drink in a glass). So the method was just to dry the mango puree in sunshine every day all day, and bring it indoors at night, so that insects would not fall into it. And the tray would be covered with muslin during the day so that dust and particles would not settle into it. Fruit leather sounds right. Though I don't know how that is made here. But go ahead and try it for yourself in the dehydrator. It is a method for preserving fruit longer. And you might enjoy AAM PAPAD in the result! How great is that.

Thank you thank you thank you. I was busy with Ganesh Chaturthy and Navratri and did not check back. You answered BOTH my questions. For this I am indeed grateful. Now I will plan to impress my TAMILIAN friends with the properly plated sadhya and make lemon pickle. In Gujarat where I am from, we almost would not have ginger with lemon in the pickle. But this is very tasty I know, I have tried it. SO I will follow your recipe too.

Dear ElsieD, What a lovely topic. May I write about it, even if I don't have a dehydrator? I dehydrate though. But in the oven. I must share my experience. I have to look up photos from my computer and will add them later. This is a recipe for AAM PAPAD One year I had bought mangoes in their season and ripened them diligently in the pantry. Mangoes (Haden or Kent are the favorites in our home) are expensive, but they are the KING & QUEEN of fruit for us. So have them we must! At the same time, we received two more boxes as gifts from some friends who went to Los Angeles and brought back those from the Indian stores there. Far less expensive than the Bay Area San Francisco. So those were the best gifts in the season!. Well, we had too many. I remembered the Aam Papad from Bombay and my childhood. So I decided to experiment. AAM PAPAD Mango Juice Sugar to taste A pinch of salt A pinch of cayenne pepper powder Spread in a ceramic or glass baking tray. The mango juice may not be more than 1/4 inch in height on the baking tray. Bake in a 300F oven and keep watching every hour. I did not have any idea how long it would take. And I would stop baking if I had to stop watching. Then the baking tray would be cooled and transferred to the fridge overnight. I know it was a pretty stupid thing to do. But in India, aam papad are made by drying under the sun. And they are brought indoors every night. I just wanted the mango pulp to not spoil. It did keep drying though even in the fridge. Well the result of my experiment at the end of three days of trying was still a moist leather, but it did roll like a leather. Just not a very good leather. If I had a dehydrator, I may have made aam papad!! I found a royalty Free photo on the internet. I don't know if it is allowed to be posted here or not. So I am not posting it. Please look for AAM PAPAD. There were many photos there. Totally yummy though. I need a dehydrator. Let's see when I get one. Thought I would share my experiment. Bhukkhad which means always hungry.

Thanks Kerala for the picture of the sadhya. Can you tell us more about the placement order of dishes on the banana leaf. Also distinguish for us the layout for a regular meal and a special or festival meal? I know such a placement that exists in my Gujarati Thaalis. And have also enjoyed the sadhya or banana leaf meal in my south indian friend’s homes. But I dont know the placement order. How about the fresh lemon pickle recipe please Thank you Bhukhhad

Thank you

Friends at Egullet, I saw some posts on cocktail sugars. I want to mix jaggery with vodka. Has anyone tried it? what does the mix taste like? I am trying to make something closer to port or cognac for a recipe challenge, but not trying to make port or cognac per se. any ideas? Bhukkhad

Thank you for your reply Heidih. Many years ago I had also seen citron candied peels in the market as well as red and green glace cherries. I used to mix everything together and make fruit cake. Over time I actually began to prefer the candied orange peels. But this year there were just none. I am learning to make some the old fashioned way.... at home 🤣🙏🏻

Thank you

Thank you I will check them out

No I have not. Will go there asap

EGullet people, I am not a professional like many of you, and I need your help. This year I wanted to make soaked fruits for proper xmas fruitcake and am looking for citrus peels and cherries that come in red and green colors. On most years, right between Halloween and Thanksgiving I used to see mincemeat jars and citrus peel tubs on the Safeway or Nob Hill isles. This ywar I have been looking for them but nothing. I live in North California and having a hard time finding these. Do any of you hve any advise? Bhukhhad

Hi Sartoric, I am so glad I bumped into this topic. I did not know it existed!! The ‘black tamarind’ pictures here is, you said, smoked tamarind. That I dont think I have heard of at all. There are some references to a ‘fish tamarind’ used in Kerala fish curies like Meen Moilee. Is this it? Or is it in fact Kokum? Wet Kokum is a sour plum variety (mangosteen) and is the color of black plums and very tart. Bhukhhad

Wow Heidih I looked at the Swanson recipe. That is a LOT of turmeric. I would find it bitter at that amount. Generally in India, we use turmeric powder in everything almost, but never this generously. Oh well as long as the person likes it. Bhukkhad