Whats cooking?

[Suvir Saran]

I made some Tahiree and some raita.  A chicken biryaani as well.  But that was it.

Tahiree is a rice, potatoes and pea casserole if you will.  The biryaani I made was a chicken kurma (creamy spiced chicken) layered with rice.  

The raita was a simple tomato, mustard seeds and curry leaf pachadi.

After over eating in India and SIngapore my system needed some rest.  This was hearty food without beeing too heavy.

What did you make?  Or what did you eat?

[vivin]

After a horrible experience at Sugiyama on Fri night, we made

1) Rice with nuts and carrots

2) Mixed daal (lentils)

3) Balti potatoes (more steamed than fried)

Good hearty Indian meal over the weekend at home means that the high end meal of the weekend did not go down well.

[Suvir Saran]

How do you make Balti potatoes?  Sound very nice.  

How do you prepare the mixed daals?  

You come from such a rich culinary background that I would think it impossible for anyone to charm you with food, especially Indian food.

And rice with nuts and carrots?  Nice... my grandmother who is from Punjab would make a carrot pilaf with almonds and raisins and whole garam masala.  Is it something like that or very different?

Do you cut or grate the carrots?

[stellabella]

suvir saran

i don't know why i haven't gravitated to the india board before now

i took my first indian cooking class a month ago.  my friend and i are making a habit of trying the dishes we learn in class together at home.

we have made kichadi, kadhi, besan burphi, pakoras, saag, stuffed parathas, and regular parathas.

each morning this week i have made myself a pot of black tea with the cooking teacher's own masala--i add whole milk  & ground cardamom and bring it to a boil, pour through a strainer--what a way to start the day.

a couple days ago i made a pan of besan burphi for my husband and me--i used a generous amount of ground pistachio for the top.  it got so thick in the skillet i added water and therefore it never set up right--so we had to eat it with a spoon, but it was delicious.  any tips for me on how to get it smooth and creamy enough to pour but not so smooth that it won't set up nicely?--i like to be able to slice it into squares.

as my indian cooking becomes more adventurous and successful i'll be keeping you posted--and i will probably be asking for advice

[Suvir Saran]

Try using milk instead of water.  That should help.  

If you post your recipe.. I will see what makes it not work.  Where did you learn it?  Did you ask you teacher about it?

You are making parathas.. very impressive.  Not many Indians bother making them.  They find it a tedious thing to do.  I love parathas.  Especially the stuffed ones.

WHat kind of Kadhi did you make?  

How do you make your saag?

Please feel free to ask us anything.  We are many here that cook Indian food or at least enjoy eating it.  I am sure you will find much help here.

And all the best with your Indian cooking.  The tea sounds like a great way of begining the day.

[stellabella]

my burphi recipe is

1/2 c ghee

1 c gram flour

1 T soji

1 c sugar [i use a little less]

1 t ground cardamom [i use a little more]

crushed or sliced almonds or pistachios for the top

i heat the ghee slowly and add the flours and then sugar, but once i add the flours they immediately clump.  i made my recipe again today and added some whole milk instead of water--about 1/4 c, just to get the clumps out and make it smooth enough to spread in the pan.

[stellabella]

friday night i made pakoras with onion, potato, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, all chopped fine.  the pakoras held together pretty well as i fried them but some fell apart.  do you recommend grating vegs for pakoras?  or simply adding more besan to the batter?

i also made saag [with spinach] and spiced basmati rice.  my rice made me very sad--i used my rice cooker and followed the recipe calling for 2 c rinsed basmati and 3 1/2 c water.  the rice was very clumpy and wet and sticky.  why am i not able to make rice that is firm but tender, and not clumpy?  your advice?

[Suvir Saran]

When I have used my rice cooker, I used double the quantity of water.  It has been fine.  What kind of rice did you use? That can often make a difference.

I find it easier to make rice in a pan.  I simply rinse the rice and drain.  Take a teaspoon of canola, heat it and add the rice to it, I fry the rice for a minute or a few seconds extra.  Add water (double that of the rice), bring to a boil, and cover and cook for 8 minutes.  Always works for me.  YOu should play around with this recipe.  It may seem easier to you as well.  I use the rice cooker for larger parties now.

How was your burfee?  Did it work better this time?  With the milk?

[stellabella]

the burphi tastes delicious but is a little soft--it's obviously one of those recipes which will be hit or miss-- will keep working on it.

thanks for the rice advice.

[Suvir Saran]

Maybe you can add a 1/4 cup more chickpea flour (besan) or as I often do, add a 1/4 cup of ground almonds.  This will help make the burfee less soft.

Besan Burfee was my favorite home made dessert as a 7 year old.  My mother would make it for us and I would be racing around the kitchen waiting for it to get cold.

But I loved it when it was still somewhat soft and warm.

As it cools, it gets firmer and also somewhat dry.

How do you like it?

I could finish a whole big platter full by myself.

[stellabella]

this most recent batch i made [two days ago] is about as hard as it's going to get--and when i cut a piece away it sort of mushes together, so that i end up with "burphi balls"  

i would prefer a little more firmness--i like something i can hold between thumb & index finger and nibble on--i am a real texture person.  your suggestion to add crushed nuts to the burphi sounds grand.  what can i say?  since i first learned this dessert i have been craving it--it is the cardamom, in large part--it is a deeply satisfying sweet, rich wholesome food.

on the other hand--this morning before my yoga session, my teacher offered me a piece of carrot & almond burphi from a shop in Atlanta--it made me think of steven shaw's original post about desserts.  it contained orange food coloring--no carrot at all.  and the idea of carrot in dessert is problematic for me--one of the few foods i cannot stand is sweetened carrots, carrot juice, etc.  anyway, this was a too-sweet, gummy shadow of the delicious burphi i can make myself.

what about the silver patina?  j. told me it can be eaten--it is considered healthful...?

[Suvir Saran]

The ancient Chinese and Indian consider pure silver and gold leaves healthful.  

Can they be used?  Certainly.

Millions eat it in India and many times each week.

[Suvir Saran]

And I do think adding some almond flour and a little more besan will help get the texture to be like you want it.