Roma's Space

What do you do on a day like this? Bangalore saw no sun. Even my 2-year old was asking me what the matter was. Its been gloomy and cloudy like an evening 6 pm through out the day! All cars in the basement were intact. That means no one wants to venture out in the cold. I was in the mood to eat something hot and spicy. Given that you cant go anywhere you got to make it yourself. So thats how I decided to make egg curry with parathas and jeera rice for our Sunday Lunch. Read the rest of this entry »

I tasted this delicacy for the first time at a Kannadiga wedding. I was amazed at how creative people can get with pineapple. I was sure someday I would crack the code and make it for myself. Then years went by, lots more weddings and lots more Gojju. I just couldnt seem to have enough of it. Finally I decided to find out the recipe to this mid-boggling taste and set off to speak to some ladies in my apartment who have mastered the art of Gojju-making. 

I must say you need lots of patience in cleaning and cutting the pineapple, not to mention the bruised fingers at the end of it. The time taken to get the pineapple ready was nearly half of the entire time taken to make the Gojju. 

Anyway, I must say I was very happy with the end result. I made just one small change. I should have thrown away some excess water after boiling the pineapple but I didnt have the heart to waste delicious pineapple juice. So I went ahead and used it up. Unlike the original recipe it became a bit watery but somehow the taste was not diluted. I just loved the khatta-meetha flavors that were exploding in my mouth with every spoonful of this dish. 

You can also make Gojju with other Sweet N Sour fruits like grapes. It compliments best the taste of plain dal and rice. You can choose to make tur dal or better still yellow moong dal. Just ensure that the dal is given the most simple and basic tempering. Any masalas in your dal could fight with the flavor of the Gojju. 

I had saved the pricky flower head of the pineapple to dress up the Gojju for a snap but my maid thew it away saying it looked dirty. Ok, so feast your eyes on the Gojju without distractions.

Gojju was then on made frequently

One big dollop of tempering!

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Pineapple pieces
• 1 tablespoon Tamarind juice
• 2 teaspoons Jaggery (change as per sweetness of pineapple and your taste)
• Salt (to taste)

For the Masala :

• 2 teaspoons Coriander seeds (optional)
• 1.5 tablespoons Channa dal
• 1/2 teaspoon Methi seeds
• 4-5 Byadige red chillies
• 1.5 tablespoons grated Dry coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds

For the Tempering :

• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• Few Curry leaves

Procedure :

1. Wash and cut pineapple into small pieces (this is the toughest part, if someone cuts it for you half the work is done)
2. Boil pineapple pieces till they are soft.
3. Heat oil. Add Channa dal, coriander seeds, meethi seeds, rai, byadige chillies and roast till golden brown.
4. Now take out the roasted masala into a mixie jar. Cool and grind into a powder.
5. Dry roast the grated dry coconut for a few minutes.
6. Add to the mixie and grind further (grinding with the masalas initially itself wont give you a fine powder)
7. Add tamarind juice and jaggery to the boiling pineapple pieces. 
8. Now add ground masala and boil till mixture thickens.
9. Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
10. Once they splutter add tempering to the pineapple Gojju.
11. Serve hot with rotis or plain dal & rice.

Variation

• You can also add til/ sesame seeds to the masalas while roasting.
• You can make Gojju out of Urad dal instead of Channa Dal.

Please NOTE :

Try to buy a pineapple from a vendor who cuts and sells it. In India, you find hand cart chaatwalas or guys who sell pineapple slices by the plate. You can buy a whole pineapple from him. It will cost you a premium price but it will definitely be very sweet.

There are certain simple meals in every home that lie in the Comfort Food category for all family members. Phulauri Ki Kadhi is one such dish which makes a perfect Sunday lunch for us. It must be among the top favorite dishes of my husband.

Phulauri stands for Besan dumplings and Kadhi is a curds gravy. In the picture you can see that the Kadhi has been served with steamed rice and Mirchi ke pakode. Makes a great combination. Just remember not to accidentally put the pakode in the curry instead of the besan dumplings If you cant make mirchi ke pakode then have kadhi and rice with red stuffed chilly pickle. The combination rocks!

Kadhi comes from the word ‘Kadhana’, which literally means ‘thickening’. In this recipe we cook buttermilk for a long duration of time on sim flame till it becomes thick and creamy. Hence, the name.

This is my entry to the Curry Mela hosted by Srivalli. I love the idea of having a collection of curries that dont use dal. I am eagerly awaiting the round-up.

Ingredients :

For the dumplings / Phulauri

• 1 cup Besan
• 1/4 teaspoon of Ajwain or carom seeds (optional)
• Pinch of Fruit Salt
• Salt

For the Curds Gravy / Kadhi

• 3 cups of Curds
• 1.5 tablespoon Besan
• Pinch of Hing
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• Salt

For the tempering

• 2 teaspoons Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Jeera seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Saunf seeds
• Few Curry leaves
• 1-2 Dried Red chillies

Procedure:

1. Mix the besan with ajwain, salt, fruit salt and water enough to make a paste.
2. Deep fry besan dumplings in hot oil. Keep these dumplings or phulauris aside.
3. Blend curd, hing, salt, turmeric powder, besan with water in mixie jar.
4. Heat the Oil. Add jeera seeds, mustard seeds, saunf, Curry leaves and red chillies.
5. Once the tempering crackles add the curds mixture to it.
6. Boil well on sim flame. This is where you need patience. You need to boil this mixture till it thickens and loses about 25 % of its volume.
7. Add dumplings and simmer for another 2 mins.
8. Turn off the heat and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve piping hot with rice.

Gnocchi is a thick dumpling most commonly made from potato. It can be made from other ingredients like semolina, wheat flour, bread crumbs as well. Gnocco in Italian means lump.

I came across this recipe by Shreyas Goenka while watching a show on NDTV Good times. I was amazed at seeing such a young boy make Gnocchi and drop-dead gorgeous cakes with such ease.

I’ve never tried making pasta from scratch. May be I was just too lazy or always had a packet of pasta ready at hand. This recipe sounded interesting as it had some elements that were different from what the usual pasta contains like mashed potatoes and cheese. I did not have basil leaves so I used dry mixed herb powder instead (a combination of basil, rosemary and thyme). Also, I used tomato puree instead of the fresh tomatoes. I was getting restless and hungry but those of you who try your hand at this one please use fresh tomatoes.

One important point that I think was missed out in description of this recipe is that the Gnocchi cubes once cut out need to pushed off the teeth of a fork so they become curled and indented. Just hold your fork out, place a Gnocchi piece on the base end of the teeth and roll the Gnocchi off with mild pressure so that indentations are formed on it. Oil your fork after making 4-5 Gnocchis. I remember Chef Shreyas showing this procedure during the show. He also mentioned that this helps in cooking the Gnocchi uniformly. Here is Chef Shreyas’s Recipe.

This Italian Main Course Dish is my entry to AWED – Italian hosted by Culinary Bazaar.

I received the Brillante award from Sukanya of

Thanks so much Sukanya for your encouragement. I would like to pass it on to…
Alka of sindhi rasoi

Pudina leaves are used in a variety of dishes to give a minty taste. Specially, mock tails and other soft drinks that need that extra dash of freshness. I personally love Shikanji, a drink like jal-jeera made in North India to beat the heat.

There is this cute little pudina plant growing in my terrace garden. One month ago my husband was sorting out the pudina leaves when he suddenly ran to the terrace with a few stems in one hand and a digging tool in another. I was wondering what he was upto. He neatly potted the stems which had few roots. I was apprehensive about a plant growing out of it. After 2 days I noticed that the green stem had turned red. That was the first indication that the plant had caught roots. I was so happy to see the growth then on. The little stem soon became a heavily loaded plant. It was torn by my one year old baby girl ( she is not entirely to blame, I think the pigeons helped her ) Anyway, this plant is a survivor. Love having it in around, so refreshing to even look at.

For the herb mania, I decided to make Pudina Ke Gatte. I saw this recipe on a show called ‘Rasm-e-rasoi’ that comes at 12 noon on 9x TV. I really like the pudina twist given to the famous Rajasthani curry, Gatte ki Sabzi. Due to lack of fresh vegetables in the desert land, people in olden days came up with these innovative sabzis that could be had anytime with roti.

This dish is made patiently in stages, Boiling , Shallow frying and finally preparing the gravy. However, its worth the effort and time. It surely tastes different from the usual Gatte Ki Sabzi , thanks to the Pudina and mustard oil.

This is my entry to the Herb Mania organized by Ammalu’s Kitchen.

Ingredients :

For the Gatte

• 1 cup Pudina leaves, pureed
• 1 Green chilly, finely chopped
• 2 cups Besan
• 1/2 teaspoon Ajwain
• Salt

For the Gravy

• 1 cup Curd
• 1 tablespoon Besan
• Salt

For the tempering

• 1/2 cup Mustard Oil
• Pinch of Hing
• 1/2 teaspoon Red chilly powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Jeera powder

For the Garnish

• 1/2 teaspoon Chaat masala
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves

Procedure :

1. Make a dough out of the Gatte ingredients.
2. Make Rolls of the dough and place in boiling water for 5 – 7mins.
3. Take rolls out gently and allow them to cool.
4. Cut slices of Gatte from the rolls.
5. Heat mustard oil. Shallow fry Gatte and keep aside.
6. To remaining oil add hing, jeera powder and red chilly powder. Add the Gatte back and mix well.
7. Now beat the ingredients for the gravy in a cup with some water.
8. Add this paste to the mixture and let the gatte boil till the raw besan smell disappears from the gravy.
9. Garnish with Chaat masala, lime juice and coriander leaves.

Please NOTE :

The dough made for the Gatte should be slightly tighter than the one you make for rotis. At the same time, be careful not to let it become watery. If you feel its sticky , add some more gram flour and knead till its manageable.