Apologies as this is hitting your email on a Friday and not on a Thursday. I have been travelling, driving my way from Delhi to Jammu. Am here to celebrate Shivratri with my family. Shivratri, known as Herath, is the most important festivals that Kashmiri Pandits celebrate. I am really looking forward to being with the family and also feasting on some amazing food.
If you do celebrate Shivratri - how do you it and what special food do you cook ?
Black Bean Hummus with Multi-grain bread.
Varimuth in Kashmir or the Bhatt ki Dal in Uttarakhand is a very popular black variety of the common soya beans. It is a wonderful legume, packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants
Originally, native to China and widely used in Chinese cuisine, it is also used in Chinese medicine. In India you find it along the Himalyan foothills regions.
Masol is an amazing street food from Kashmir, where varimuth is served with Kashmiri bread called lavassa. In Uttrakhand the delicacies like Bhatti Ki Chukarni, dry roasted black soya beans tempered with Jhakiya seeds or Bhatt ke Dubkey are a part of the traditional cuisine .
This week we are doing some really nice and healthy fusion food - mixing foothills of Himalayas with the Middle East.
First up, for our multi grain flour mix we have used
Emmar Whole wheat 4.4kgs Yields 5 Kgs of Multi Grain Flour
Sorghum 100gms
Finger Millet 100gms
Soya Beans regular 100gms
Chick Peas 100gms
White Oats 100gms.
Stone ground with germ and Husk.
Multigrain Crispies
Ingredients: Muti grain Flour 2 cups, Salt 1/2tsp, Water 1/2cup, Olive oil 1tbsp
Sieve flour and salt together in a deep basin.
Add oil and rub oil into the flour with your finger tips to get a course sandy texture.
Add water gradually and knead into a stiff dough.
Rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 20 round balls of 20 gms each.
Roll each ball into a round disc of 6 inches diameter and prick with a fork.
Trim the sides with a tea saucer.
Cook the prepared breads on a medium hot griddle on both the sides.
Take a dry kitchen cloth and make a pad out of it.
With the prepared pad press the prepared breads on both the sides.
Keep pressing till they become crisp and slightly brown in colour.
Brush each bread with little olive oil.
These are now ready to serve.
Hummus - Serves 4
Ingredients : Black Soya Beans 1/2 cup raw, (about 1+1/2cup once boiled), Tahini 3tbsp, Juice of Lemon 1nos, Salt ½+ ½ tsp, Garlic cloves 3-4cloves, Olive oil 2tbsp, Ice water 4tbsp.
Soak the Black Soya Beans in about 2 cups of water for 2 hours.
Add ½ tsp of salt and bring to boil. Once it begins to boil turn the heat to low.
Cover with a lid and let it simmer till its soft ,nice andtender (should be able to mash easily)
Drain and cool the black soya beans.
Put Tahini, lemon juice, 1/2tsp of salt, garlic, cloves and olive oil and blend at medium speed for about one minute.
Scrap the sides of the Jar with a spoon and blend for another minute.Scrap the sides again.
Add boiled Black Beans
Add Iced water and blend on medium speed till, a smooth and fluffy Humus is made.
Scrape the side and remove the hummus into a bowl.
With the multigrain bread - the hummus is now ready to serve.
#OnePotRecipes - Aloo Gobhi and Rice
This week, its the humble - Aloo Gobhi. Quick microwave recipe for great food in no time
Ingredients
Aloo Gobhi : Potatoes 2cups - Medium Size -Cut in quarters, Cauliflower 3 cups ( about 200gms) - Cut into medium size florets.
Masala Mix: Oil 2tbsp, Turmeric Powder 1/2tsp, Salt 1.5tsp, Cumin Seeds 1tsp, Carom Seeds(ajwain) 1/2tsp, Ginger Chopped 1tsp, Green Coriander Chopped 1tbsp, Kasoori Methi 1tsp.
Finish : Oil 1tbsp, Red Chilly Powder 1/2tsp, Coriander Powder 1.5tsp, Cumin Powder 1tsp, Garam Masala Powder 1/2tsp, Chaat Masala 1/2tsp, Tomato Cut into Quarters 2 nos - Medium Size.
Garnish: Coriander Green Chopped 1 tbsp, Ginger 1tsp,
The Rice: Rice 1 cup - Soaked for 15 to 20 minutes, Water 2 cups, Salt 1/4tsp
Allo Gobhi
Put the cut potatoes and cauliflower in a bowl.
In another bowl mix all the ingredients marked under masala mix.
Mix with an egg beater to make a homogenous mix.
Add the prepared masala mix into aloo and gobhi - rub it in nicely.
Take one of the compartment of two compartment dish that has come with your microwave and put the prepared mixture of aloo gobhi in the dish. (Alternately you can use any microwaveable bowl of about 10 inches diameter which can be stacked with another bowl on top)
In another compartment or the microwavable bowl add soaked rice along with water and salt. Cover the bowl with the Aloo Gobhi with a lid or seal with a cling wrap and stack on top of the bowl with Rice.
Put both the bowls in the microwave and microwave on High Power for 10 minutes.
Lower the power to medium high and microwave both the dishes for 15 minutes.
After the second interval add all the ingredients, marked under the the finish to the bowl with Aloo Gobhi. Give a nice stir with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Now microwave the dishes again for 5 minutes, but do not cover the Aloo gobhi with lid.
And your rice and aloo gobhi is ready to be with the garnish.
Tip of the week
While boiling your milk. Chill the bottom of your pan or pot with few cubes of ice. Discard the ice and add milk and begin to boil. Your milk will not stick to the bottom of the pan and you do not have to stir it till milk comes to the boiling point.
That is all for this week. Feel free to provide any feedback or write to me about anything else you would want to see here.