Fresh fig salad in flavoured yoghurt dressing

I saw this recipe being demonstrated in a Nigella Lawson cookery program. Just loved the ingredients that went into making it as well as the final appearance of the dish. Tried it the very next time I saw fresh figs in the market. I've made minor variations to the original recipe to make it more appealing to my palate...

Fresh figs - 1 1/2 fruit per person

For the dressing

Yoghurt - 250 ml

Red wine - 10 ml

Fresh ginger - 1/4 teaspoon (grated)

Honey - 20 ml

Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon (powdered)

Orange zest - 1 teaspoon (grated off fresh orange peel)

Lemon juce - 1 teaspoon

Whisk the yoghurt with a fork. Grate in the orange zest and ginger. Add the wine and rest of the ingredients. Blend well with the fork. Chill for half an hour.
Quarter the fresh figs lengthwise and arrange in a serving bowl. Pour in a liberal helping of the dressing.
Garnish with silvered pistachios (optional). I skipped the garnish because I realized last minute that I din't have any at home.

PS: If you don't find figs, use any other soft fruit.

Sending this over to Easycrafts' WYF - Soups, starters, and salads event. The event is on till 30th september at http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2008/08/wyf-saladstartersoups-event.html

Pineapple salad with Rice crackers

Bought a pineapple to make 'Pachadi' for Onam. But, the fruit insisted on staying unripe on 'D-day'. So, had to skip pachadi. Another 3-4 days, and it turned just the right shade of yellow. My hubby is a little finicky when it comes to eating fruits that have a slightly sour edge. When I tasted this pineapple with its marked 'tanginess', i was sure he was going to avoid it. So, ended up making a salad out of it and he liked it too (don't ask me why he din't notice the tang in the salad. Like most hubbies, he has his own eccentric notions on food )

Pineapple - 1
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 6 Nos
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Lemon juice - juice of one medium sized juicy lemon
Coriander leaves (cilantro) - a handful
Salt to taste
Demerara (unrefined sugar) - 1/2 teaspoon
Apple cider vinegar - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Peel and chop pineapple into tiny cubes. Cut onions into roundels. Mince green chilles. Rinse coriander leaves and chop fine.
Whisk together the lemon juice, chopped green chillies, salt and demerara with a tiny splash of apple cider (optional).
Toss everything together with the dressing, cover with cling , and chill for atleast half an hour before use.
I've served the salad with Chinese Seaweed flavoured rice crackers. Take each cracker, place a teaspoonful of salad and pop in. Yummm!!!You can choose your own accompaniment to the salad or just dive in straight into the salad.

Spinach (palak) parathas with Green gram masala

Parathas in combination with green gram masala and chopped onions was a dinner favourite at home when I was a kid. This time, I'm just giving my mom's old recipe an extra dose of nutrition with spinach. I generally shred the spinach (palak) that I put into the dough for this recipe but this time decided to liquidise it along with the green chillies and ginger.

For the Palak (spinach)paratha
Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Spinach (palak) - 1 medium sized bunch
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Ginger - 1" piece
Fennel (saunf/perumjeerakam)- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Rinse the spinach leaves well. Together with the green chillies, ginger, and fennel grind the spinach leaves to a smooth paste. Add to the wheat flour, along with salt to taste and knead to a firm yet pliable dough. Add a drizzle of oil. Let stay covered for atleast half an hour.

Make golf ball sized shapes out of the dough. Dust with loose flour and roll (leaven) out into chappathis (tortillas). Heat a flat pan and rub on a little oil to temper it. Place the leavened paratha on it and cook till done. Turn over and repeat procedure on the other side.

For green gram (moong) masala (cherupayar kari)
Whole green gram - 150 gms
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 4 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Garlic - 4 cloves
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs

Soak the green gram overnight. Drain and cook till very soft. Grind together the coconut, onions, garlic, green chillies, cumin, chilli powder, and turmeric powder into a paste. Heat a teaspoon of oil and crackle mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and the cooked gram. Add in the masala and salt to taste. Sprinkle some water if the mixture is too dry. Saute everything together for a minute or two. Take off flame and squirt in some freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Sending this over to Tongue Ticklers' FIC - Green event. The event is on till the 30th of September at http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/2008/09/round-up-of-food-in-colours-red.html

Ona Sadya Part 7 - Ada Pradhaman

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...
Today, it is Ada Pradhaman. Ada pradhaman is known as the king of payasams (kheer) at Kerala, a prestigious addition to festivities such as Onam and marriage ceremonies. It is generally dark brown in colour due to the use of jaggery or unrefined Indian sugar). Jaggery is good for health being a great source of iron and fibre. My picture looks a lighter brown because my neighbourhood store had only light brown jaggery in stock.

Rice ada - 150 gms
Jaggery - 100 gms
Thin Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups (approx 250 ml)
Thick coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups
Cardamom (elaichi) - 4 Nos
Dry ginger (chukku) 2 gms
Dry roasted Cumin (jeera) - 2 gms
Coconut slices - a few
Cashews - 25 gms

Readymade Rice ada is generally available in stores selling South Indian provisions.If you don't find them in your neighbourhood store, then you can try the home made version. Scroll down to see how the home made version is made.
Boil a litre of water and add in the readymade rice adas. Keep stirring frequently to avoid the squares from sticking to each other (It is a little like cooking noodles/macroni). Once soft, drain and dunk in cold water. Drain again.
In a seperate vessel boil about 250 ml water and dissolve jaggery. Filter to remove scum.
Take a thick bottomed skillet and pour in the thinned down coconut milk and filtered jaggery. Add the cooked ada ensuring that each square is seperate. Simmer, ocassionally stirring, till the mixture thickens a bit (about 15-20 minutes on low flame). Powder the dry ginger,cumin, and cardamom and add in. Add the thick coconut milk.
In a seperate skillet warm a couple of teaspoons of clarified butter (ghee). Cut the coconut pieces into tiny bits. Fry these and the cashews till golden. Add to the simmering payasam mixture. Ready to indulge!

Rice ada

To make rice ada at home
Soak a cup of raw rice in water for about 4 hours. Grind to a smooth paste. Add enough water to make a batter of runny consistency. Pour these out onto either clean banana leaves or butter paper cut into large squares. Place these one by one in a steamer and cook for about 6 minutes. Take out and you will find that the rice batter has solidified into translucent sheets. Slide off into chilled water for a couple of minutes. Take out and cut into squares.

To extract coconut milk
The readymade coconut milk will very well suit our purpose but in case you prefer to make it at home, here is how:
Grated or shaved coconut - 1 large coconut
Warm water - 2 1/2 cups
Put the coconut and a few teaspoons of water in a processor/mixie and grind for a couple of minutes. Place a sieve or very thin muslin over a vessel. Take out the coconut mixure by the handful, hold over sieve and use your hands to squeeze out the milk. Repeat till the mixture is over. This first batch is your thick coconut milk (onnaam paal).
Put back the coconut into the mixie and add a cup of water. Repeat procedure over another vessel for thinned down extract. Do this entire procedure once more to fully extract all milk.
For a lesser fat version of ada pradhaman, substitue half the quantity of coconut milk with low fat ordinary milk. Use canola oil for frying the cashews instead of ghee.

With this the Ona sadya series comes to an end. Feel free to ask me if you are looking for any other traditional sadya recipe, and I will be happy to pen it down for you.

This is my final entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

For the rest of the Ona sadya series, see...

For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html
For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html
For Ona-sadya-part 3- Kootu kari, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-3-kootu-kari.html
For Ona-sadya-part 4- Olan, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-4-olan.html
For Ona-sadya-part 5- Kalan, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-5-kalan.html

For Ona-sadya-part 6 - Vendakka kichadi, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-6-vendakka-kichadi.html

Ona Sadya Part 6 - Vendakka Kichadi

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...

Today it is Kichadi made with Vendakka (Lady's finger/Okra). This is a very simple dish that resembles raita. The difference is in the addition of coconut masala, ubiquitous in Kerala cooking.

Vendakka (lady's finger/okra) - 150 gms
Green chillies - 4 Nos
Slightly sour curds (yoghurt) - 150 ml
Salt to taste
For masala
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Cumin (jeera) - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Small onions (Shallots/scallions) - 2 Nos
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs

The traditional recipe calls for the okra being cut into thin roundels and deep fried. My version is made out of sauted okra roundels. You can choose either method with no compromise on the taste. Only difference is that the deep fried version is crunchier initially, then when the yoghurt blends in fully both versions become equals!

Grind the masala ingredients fine. Chop the green chillies. Heat a teaspoon of oil and crackle mustard. Add in the curry leaves and green chillies. Saute. Add in the masala, fried or sauted okra, and salt. Add in the sour yoghurt. Simmer for just a minute. Take off flame.

This is my sixth entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

If you liked this, you may also like the following:

For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html

For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html

For Ona-sadya-part 3- Kootu kari, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-3-kootu-kari.html

For Ona-sadya-part 4- Olan, check out

http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-4-olan.html

For Ona-sadya-part 5- Kalan, check out

http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-5-kalan.html

The ona sadya series ends tommorrow with Ada Pradhaman (Rice squares cooked in jaggery and coconut milk). I have purposely avoided the usual fare that includes paruppu (dhal), sambhar, and thoran (stir fried vegetables) from this series. The reason being these dishes feature in almost everyday South Indian cooking and are not unique to feasts though definitely an integral part. I will share my version of these in due course.

Ona Sadya Part 5 - Kalan

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...
My paternal grandmother, ammoomma, used to make the best Kalan in the world (to me). She insisted on going traditional all the way, right from using the now archaic virakaduppu (fuelled by wood) and kalchatti (stoneware). Somehow, the kalchatti taste just cannot be fully replicated in a non-stick kadai sitting pert on a cooking range!
Kalan is very similar to pullisseri (morekuzhambu). In our family, the difference between the two is that the former is thicker,creamier than the latter. Some zones of Kerala would say the difference is in the raw bananas that are used in Kalan. But, in our family, raw bananas are never used in either dishes.
The recipe I am going to share uses very ripe, large Kerala bananas or Nenthranpazham (ethappazham). In case you don't get it, you can use ripe mangoes or just avoid the pieces all together. The curry tastes just as yummy without the pieces.

Thick curds (yoghurt) - 250 ml
Nenthran pazham (ripe Kerala banana) - 1 large
Green chillies - 2 Nos
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

For masala
Grated coconut - 3/4 th cup (150 gms approx)
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 3 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Pepper corns - 3 Nos
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds (uluva/vendayam/methi) - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 3 Nos
Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs

Whisk the curds well with a fork. If you are using store bought curds,whisk, and let it stay at room temperature with the addition of 2 slit green chillies. This ensure that a slightly sour flavour permeates the curds.
Finely grind all the ingredients for the masala ensuring that the green chillies are added when the paste is almost done. Grinding green chillies too much can sometimes imbue the dish with a bitter taste and this doesn't go well in kalan.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a thick bottomed vessel and crackle the mustard. Follow up with the fenugreek seeds ensuring that these don't burn (if it burns, it turns very bitter). Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves. Cube the nenthranpazham and add in along with the chilli powder and turmeric powder. Add a little water and cook till pieces are soft. Add in the ground masala and saute for a couple of minutes. Carefully add in the beaten curds and keep stirring on very low fire till tiny bubbles break the surface. Don't stop stirring or the curds break. Add salt to taste. Take off from flame and let stay for half an hour atleast before use.
Kalan tastes even more fantabulous the next day.
PS: If you dont find nenthranpazham or ripe mangoes, and want to try the version with no pieces in, just crackle the tempering, saute the masala and go ahead straight to adding the curds.

This is my fifth entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at AsanKhana

My dear friend, Sripriya of srikarskitchen, has given me the Perfect blend Of Friendship Award. I've been getting so many friendship awards that it makes me feel that food blogging is indeed a very nice way to find warm hearted kindred souls whom otherwise I would've never met.

Thank you, Sri for this blend of Trust, Kindness, Honesty, and Caring. This time I'd like to pass this on to Divya Vikram of divya-dilse; Vidhya of My Recipies (iyercooks)who gave this to me the first time; Priti of indiankhanna; and, Suma Rajesh of sumascuisine .

Ona Sadya Part 4 - Olan

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...

Today, it is Olan. Different zones in kerala make olan in a zillion different ways. It sometimes even varies from family to family. I've heard the older generation say that olan is made out of the left over veggies after cooking all the other main dishes. I love the way my mom-in-law makes this simple dish and it is her recipe that I am going to share.

Kumbalanga (Ash gourd) - 150 gms
Urulakizhangu (Potato) - 1 medium sized
Van payar (red bean/azuki bean/red chori) - 50 gms
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 5 sprigs
Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon

Slice kumbalanga and potato into thin 1" squares. Soak van payar for a couple of hours. In a thick bottomed vessel add the vanpayar, slit green chillies, and a cup water. Cover cook till almost done. Add the potatoes and kumbalanga pieces. Add half of the coconut milk and more water if required. Add a portion of the curry leaves. Cook till potatoes are soft. Add in rest of the coconut milk, salt to taste, curry leaves and stir for a couple of minutes. Take off flame and add a dash of coconut oil.
For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html
For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html
For Ona-sadya-part 3- Kootu kari, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-3-kootu-kari.html

This is my fourth entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

Ona Sadya Part 3 - Kootu kari

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...
Today it is Kootu kari, a delightful mixture of raw bananas, yam, and brown chick peas. Easy to make, it is a great accompaniment to steamed rice.

Raw banana (preferably the Kerala Nenthran variety) - 2 Nos
Yam (chena) - 150 gms
Brown chickpeas (karutha kadala) - 150 gms
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
For masala
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Pepper corns - 6-8 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 2-3 Nos
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs

Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook. Peel and cube raw bananas and yam. Place the cubed vegetables in a thick bottomed skillet and add enough water to submerge it. Add the chilli powder and cook covered. When soft , add the chickpeas. Grind the ingredients for masala and add to vegetables. Heat a little oil and crackle the mustard and fry the curry leaves and dry chillies. Add to the vegetable mixture. Add salt to taste.

For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html

For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html

This is my third entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

Ona Sadya Part 2 -Inji curry

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...Today it is Inji curry or inji puli as it is known in some places. This is an integral part of Ona Sadya. This sweet, hot, and tangy ginger based dish is taste treat with better digestion as an additional bonus.

Inji (Ginger) - 200 gms

Green chillies - 50 gms

Tamarind - a large lemon sized quantity

Jaggery - 5 gms

For tempering

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a few sprigs

Scrape off the skin from the ginger and cut into thin roundels. Deep fry till brown. Set aside to drain. Grind to coarse paste.
Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water and squeeze out extract. Chop green chillies into fine roundels. Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a skillet and fry the green chillies well. Remove. Use the same oil to crackle mustard and curry leaves. Pour in the tamarind extract and allow to come to a boil. Add in the ground ginger and chillies. Grate and add the jaggery. Add salt to taste. Let simmer for a couple of minutes. Cool and store in stainless steel or glass jars.
Inji curry stays fresh for over a week and even more if refridgerated. Not just great for Sadya but also a wonderful accompaniment to Idlis and Dosas
For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html
This is my second entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

Ona Sadya Part 1 - Aviyal

In my last post, I promised to share my Onam special recipes with you, so here goes...
Onam, one of the most important festivals of Kerala - the other one being Vishu, commemorates a Golden age when the land was ruled by the benevolent asura king, Mahabali. King Mahabali, the legend says, secured a blessing from Lord Vishnu that he could come back from nether world to visit his land and people once every year. It is Mahabali's visit that is celebrated as Onam. Onam begis in the month of 'chingam' (august/september) and therefore it is also a time for harvest celebrations.
Kerala of the yesteryears was the land of farmers (which brings to mind the apathetic attitude of the present day rulers towards land filling the fields of yester years and playing havoc with the famous once -luxuriant ecosystem of the state) and people celebrated the end of the ravaging rainy month of karkidakam and the begining of pleasant chingam.
'Onasadya' or the traditional luncheon feast is an integral part of Onam. And, to most of us expats, who cannot indulge in the traditional village games, cannot let our hair loose on the rustic swings hitched on to trees in courtyards, or decorate our porches with Pookalam (rangoli with fresh flowers), Onasadya is the only indulgence still possible :-) Ona sadya is traditionally served on Vazha ilas (banana leaves) which adds an extra zing to the tasty treats.
My hubby and I made Inji curry, Olan, Kootu kari, Thoran, Kichadi,Aviyal, Paruppu, Sambhar, Kalan,and Ada Pradhaman. The off the shelf additions where pappadams,pickle, banana chips, and sharkkaravaratti (jaggery coated chips).

Our sadya on the leaf

I will be sharing the recipes of each of these yummy recipes, one by one. For starters, it is Aviyal that lovely medley of all kinds of vegetables in an aromatic masala of coconut, cumin, and shallots.

Aviyal

Beans - 50 gms
String beans - 50 gms
Snake gourd (padavalam) - 100gms
Carrot - 1 large
Potato - 1 large
Yam (chena) - 100 gms
Ash gourd (kumbalanga) - 100 gms
Malabar cucumber (vellarikka) - 100 gms (skip it if you don't find it)Green tomatoes - 2 Nos
Green mangoes - 1 (use the sour ones)
Green chillies - 3 Nos

For the masala
Grated coconut - 150 gms
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 3 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 4 Nos (less for less heat)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Extras
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil - A teaspoon
Curry leaves - a liberal handfull
Salt to taste

Peel and cut vegetables into even sized pieces (traditionally appoximately 2" juliennes). Place all veggies, except raw mangoes, in a thick bottomed vessel, add water just about enough to cook vegetables in, add the chilli powder and turmeric powder and cook covered. When 3/4 th done , add in the mangoes and cook. If you don't find raw mangoes, use a teaspoon of tamarind extract.
Grind the ingredients for masala into a coarse paste. Add to cooking vegetables. Saute well for the masala to cook and blend with vegetables.Add salt. Before taking off the flame add the dash of coconut oil and the curry leaves. Cover and set aside for a few minutes before use.

PS: Some regions in Kerala use yoghurt instead of green mangoes to add the soury tang to Aviyal. People who prefer less heat in their food can try that. My family prefers the green mangoes and if unavailable a strong dash of tamarind.

Sending this along to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on till september 22nd at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html


















The Wylde Women award has come back to me this time passed on by my blogger buddy, EC of simpleindianfood . Thank you, EC.
The purpose of this award is to send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.
The rules of this award are:
1.You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you.
2.Make sure you link to their site in your post
3. Link back to this blog site http://tammyvitale.typepad.com/ so that Tammy, the originator of this award, can go visit all these wonderful women.

I in turn pass this onto...
Jaishree of jaisrecepieblog
Priti of indiankhanna
Vaishali of earthvegan
VP of vegetableplatter
and
my new visitor, Vandana of cookingupsomethingnice

"Wishing all my readers and blogger friends a very happy Onam. Watch this page for Onam recipes I am going to make for tommorrow's sadya (traditional feast)".

Hummus (Chick pea dip with sesame paste)

Just after our betrothal, my husband got posted to Beirut, Lebanon.So, our first home after marriage was the mediterranean country. The native population speak arabic and french, very few knew English. Born with a very dominant social streak, I cannot survive without friends...but the language was a barrier, initially!
We lived in a serviced apartment which sent in a native lady to clean the place. Within days, we became friends..if that was ever possible between two people with a wide age difference, different backgrounds, and who virtually did not understand a single word the other one spoke! She introduced me to mediterranean cuisine... Where she couldnt explain the ingredients to me...she wrote down the names of items I should buy at the supermarket in Arabic. I just took it to the nearby mart and got the sales assistants to read the slip and get me stuff. At home , my friend demonstarated hummus, falafel, and a few other very yummy recipes

White chickpeas (kabuli channa/vella kadala) - 1 cup

Tahina (sesame paste) - 1/2 cup

Lemon juice - of 2 medium sized juicy ones

Garlic - 2 cloves

Olive oil - 10 ml

Salt to taste

Soak chickpeas overnight, drain and pressure cook.Mash the chickpeas (use a ladle, or a electric processor) Crush the garlic cloves. In a deep bowl place the chickpea mash, add the rest of the ingredients and mix till smooth.
Serve up with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of paprika and a few whole chickpeas.
Tastes lovely with Khubuz (arabic bread), chappathis, tortillas, nachos, grilled chicken, or just plain old carrot sticks :-)
If you don't get readymade tahina in your neighbourhood,make your own at home:

White sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste

Dry roast the sesame seeds till it turns an even light brown and wafts an aroma. Powder in a small mixer bowl. Once fine, add in the olive oil and whisk the mixer again. In case the mix is dry add a little more olive oil. The final consistency should be like that of a smooth peanut butter.

If you liked this recipe, you might also like Falafel. http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/07/falafel-with-garlic-labenah-dip-and.html.

This is my entry to the DIPS event on at Archana's kitchen. The event is on till 30th September at http://www.archanaskitchen.com/2008/events/dips-a-collection/

As promised in my earlier post, am passing on the Good Job award, that EC gave me, to to four more fellow foodies, apart from the earlier two, whom I genuinely feel are doing a great job. So, here's to Yasmeen of yasmeen-healthnut, Srimathi of fewminutewonders, Purva of purvasdaawat, and Sangeeth of letusallcook

Vinayaka Chathurthi Kozhukkattai, money purse modkam, and easy sukhiyan

Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrates the benevolent elephant faced god, Vinayaka (Ganesha). I've always enjoyed collecting Vinayaka idols and figurines. While staying at Chennai, vinayaka chathurthi used to give me the perfect opportunity to collect beautiful and unique Ganesh figurines. Though it's customary to immerse the idol into a water source after the festival, I've never been able to do so. I love the happy god with his very humane ways. Symbolically, it is said, Ganesha represents the concept of perfection in imperfection. With his elephant head and overfilled tummy tied around with a snake to prevent it from bursting, he seems full of physical imperfections. Yet it is Ganesha who is believed, by all Hindus, to be the harbinger of all things good. Any religious or social, if it is to be successful, is begun by an invocation of Ganesha.
Here is my foodie offering to the lovable Ganesha...

Kozhukattai/ Modak/Stuffed Rice dumpling

This steam cooked dish is considered a favourite of Ganesha. The white, round dish in the middle of the picture is Kozhukattai.
For the dough
Raw rice flour - 200 gms
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Hot water - sufficient for kneading
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Place the rice flour, cumin and salt in a vessal and add in the water bit by bit. Use a sturdy ladle to mix in the water. Finally when the dough is a little cool , use your hands to knead mixture into a soft but firm dough. This is a slightly flaccid version of the chappathi dough.

For the filling (pooranam)
Freshly grated coconut - 2 cups
Jaggery (indian cane sugar) - 100 gms
Cardamom - 5 Nos
Water - 1 cup
Boil water and dissolve jaggery in it. Filter out scum. Pour back into a thick bottomed vessel and simmer cook. When it reaches syrupy consistency, add in the coconut and crushed cardamom seeds. Keep stirring till coconut absorbs all water. Cool.

Procedure
Take a golf ball sized portion of the dough, shape it into a round, and placing it on your palm flatten it in the middle to cause a depression. Now place a teaspoon of the filling in the middle and reshape into a ball. Repeat procedure with the rest of the dough. In an Idli steamer or any other steamer, place the balls and steam cook for about 10 minutes. If you do not have a steamer, you could line a large, steel colander with muslin/cotton cloth and place over a vessel of boiling water. Cook covered.
Money purse modak

The tiny, cream coloured items on the right side of the picture are money purse modaks. These resemble the shape of string pouches (purses) used by our grandmothers and hence the name.

The dough and filling is the same as kozhukattai. Here you take small goosberry sized balls of the dough and place a teeny amount of the filling in it. Dampen your fingers and shape the ball to resemble a string purse. Deep fry and leave on a kitchen tissue to drain excess oil.

Easy Sukhiyan

Sukhiyan is a Kerala deep fried sweet dish made out of green gram (moong) , jaggery, and maida (all purpose flour). Decided to adapt this to suit my Vinayaka chathurthi fare. The brown item on the left of the picture is sukhiyan.

Whole green gram (moong) - 100 gms
Jaggery (Indian cane sugar) - 50 gms
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 3 Nos
Rice flour - 1 cup

Pressure cook moong for about 3 whistles on low flame. Crudely crush with a fork. Dissolve jaggery in half a cup of water and filter scum. Powder cardamom. Mix with the moong. Stir fry in a skillet for a few minutes. Cool and knead in the rice flour. The consistency should be soft and you should be able to drop tiny knobs of the mixture into hot oil using your fingers.

Heat oil and gently and carefully drop dollops of the mixture into it. Fry till all sides are browned well.
This is my entry to Purva's festive food series - Krishna and Ganesh Chathurthi. The event is on at http://purvasdaawat.blogspot.com/2008/08/announcing-krishna-and-ganesh-chaturthi.html

This is also making its way to Paajaka Recipe's Sweet series - Deep fried or steam cooked sweets event. The event is on at http://www.paajaka.com/2008/09/announcing-sweet-series-deep-fried-or.html

My blogger buddy EC of simpleindianfood has passed me the Good Job award. Thanks a bunch EC.

I, in turn, would be delighted to pass this on to Vidhya of My Recipes (iyercooks); and Usha of veginspirations. I will be passing this on to 4 more deserving blogs in a couple of days.