Samosa: the most delectable appetizer

The samosa is a delectable Indian pastry, quite similar to the Greek spanakopita. Normally the samosa is made in a triangular form with pastry crust or dough. The interior may be stuffed with potatoes, peas, shredded lamb or chicken, and spices. They are generally fried producing a delightfully crispy exterior, though some varieties may be baked to reduce fat content. Often the samosa is eaten with mint sauce called chutney.

The Samosa probably originated in the Middle East where it was called sambosa.  It was mentioned by an Iranian historian in the 10th century in his book Tarikh-e-Beyhaghi.  Samosa traveled to India along ancient trade routes from Central Asia.

By the early 14th Century, it was not only a part of Indian cuisine but also food fit for a king. Amir Khusrao, prolific poet of Delhi royalty, observed in 1300 that the royal set seemed partial to the "samosa prepared from meat, ghee, onion and so on". In 1334, the renowned traveler Ibn Battuta wrote about the sambusak: "minced meat cooked with almonds, pistachios, onions and spices placed inside a thin envelop of wheat and deep-fried in ghee". And the samosa obtained a royal stamp with its inclusion in the Ain-i-Akbari which declared that among dishes cooked with wheat there is the qutab, "which the people of Hind called the Sanbusa.

Samosa is one of the most popular Indian appetizers served all over the world today.  Every region in India makes Samosa different way with varied fillings from spicy potatoes to dry fruits but the basic triangle shape stays the same.
Since Samosa is a fried food, it is not one of the best options for a health nut.  One regular Samosa has 308 calories with 52 percent fat, 42 percent carbohydrate and 6 percent protein.  However, when you are having this comfort food just forget about calories and enjoy every bite of it.

Ingredients for the pastry:

2 ½ cups white flour, 1 tbsp rice flour,  1 tsp carom seeds (Ajwain), salt to taste, 4 tbsp Ghee or clarifying butter.  Oil for deep frying.

Method:

In a big bowl sift flours, add salt and carom seeds.  Add ghee and make crumbs with your fingers.  Then add water little by little to make hard dough.  Cover the dough with wet cloth for 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients for the filling:

4 big or 5 medium potatoes boiled and mashed or cut into small pieces, 1 cup peas boiled, salt to taste, 1 ½ tsp dry mango powder, 1 tsp ginger grated or paste, 2 tbsp ghee or clarifying butter, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp red pepper, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds, 1tsp dark colored anardana (dry pomegranate seeds).

Method:

Roast whole coriander seeds and anardana together and grind them a bit with the rolling pin. Make sure it is not too fine.  Keep them aside.
Heat the ghee; add cumin seeds, when crackling add ginger and sauté.  Add potatoes, salt, dry mango powder, red pepper, coriander powder, garam masala and mix everything well.  At the end add roasted and ground spices and sauté for another five minutes so that all the spices are well blended.  Turn off the flame and let it cool off.

 
Divide the pastry dough into lemon size round balls.  Roll each portion of the dough into 6 inches diameter.  Cut circle into two halves. It will look like a semi circle.  Take a semi circle.  Apply little water on the straight edge of the semi circle.  Hold the semi circle in your hand, fold the straight edge, bringing together the watered edges, seal the watered edges into a triangular pocket or funnel.  Stuff the cooked potatoes and then seal the upper edges with water.  Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.

 
Deep fry in oil till golden brown.  Once oil gets heated reduce the flame to medium.  If you fry samosa in very hot oil, it will become soggy.
Now enjoy hot with chutney over a cup of tea or coffee.

Spicy and sweet Karahi paneer with bell pepper

A kadai or karahi is a type of thick, circular and deep cooking pan used in Indian cuisine.  Traditionally made out of cast iron, karahi looks like woks with steeper sides.  The advantage of cooking in a karahi is that heat spreads evenly.  It retains heat for a longer time and that helps with the cooking.

This dish has paneer which is a great source of protein and calcium.  It contains vitamin D and B complex.  Paneer in moderation reduces the risk of developing insulin resistance syndrome.  It is good for stomach as it is easy to digest.

Other important ingredient in this dish is bell peppers.  These peppers are a rich source of vitamin C and A.  They contain capsaicin which has anti bacterial, anti carcinogenic and anti diabetic properties.  They have adequate levels of essential minerals like iron, copper, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium and selenium.

This karahi paneer and pepper dish can be cooked in different ways.  There is no limitation to what spice or condiment can be added.  What is important is that end result should be lip smacking and make your family and guests take second helpings.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup Paneer(farmer’s cheese)cut into small cubes, 2 onions chopped finely, ¾ tsp ginger-garlic paste, 3 medium tomatoes( one chopped and two pureed), 3 green, yellow, red bell peppers washed and chopped into ½ inch pieces,  salt to taste, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp brown mustard seeds, ½ tsp red pepper powder, 2 tsp coriander powder,  ¾ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1/ 2 cup tomato ketchup, 1 ½ tbsp cooking oil

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai. Put cumin seeds and followed by mustard seeds.  When they stop spluttering add ginger garlic paste and then chopped onions. 

When onion turns light brown, add chopped tomato, turmeric, salt and stir.

After two minutes add chopped bell peppers to this mixture.  It is your choice if you want to add just green peppers or yellow and red as well.  Different color peppers add to the look and the nutritional value of the finished dish but I had only green peppers at home so picture shows just that.

Once bell peppers turn little soft, add pureed tomatoes and cover the lid for two minutes.  Add coriander powder and red pepper powder.

Now add cubed paneer and gently mix. Add garam masala and at last add ketchup.

This dish will have slight gravy and sweet and spicy kick.

Enjoy hot with rice, chapati or Nan bread.

Yogurt: healthy alternative for dinner

No Indian meal is complete without yogurt.  In North India yogurt is eaten in the form of raita by adding some vegetables and spices.  In South India yogurt is eaten with plain rice as a finishing touch to a spicy meal.  No wonder some wise guy has said India will come to a standstill without yogurt.

An American friend once asked me “Why do Indians eat so much yogurt with their meals?”  My answer was yogurt has a cooling effect after consuming the spicy hot curries and most Indians are vegetarians and yogurt contains the protein and calcium necessary for daily survival.

In India yogurt is consumed from plain to spicy form called Raita.  Raita is a Hindi word derived from Sanskrit meaning sharp or pungent.  Typical Raita is made from cucumber, onion, tomato, potato, carrots or even spinach.  These vegetables are then mixed with roasted and ground cumin, coriander, and brown mustard seeds along with black salt and red pepper.  In Northern India, boondi (tiny balls made from chickpea flour) raita is very popular.  In South India vegetables are boiled and then yogurt is garnished with oil fried mustard seeds, coconut, green chilies and curry leaves.  It is generally eaten with rice and lentil curry. 

Yogurt is popular not just in Indian but other cuisines use yogurt pretty generously too.  For example in the Mediterranean cuisine yogurt is used as a dip while in Africa it is called Amasi which has almost cheesy flavor.  Many cuisines around the world have traditional cultured milk dishes based on yogurt. 

Yogurt's popularity has multiplied in past few decades because researches have found its innumerable health benefits.

Yogurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and B 12.   It has nutritional benefits beyond those of milk. Lactose intolerant people can sometimes tolerate yogurt better than other dairy products, because the lactose in the milk is converted to glucose and partially fermented to lactic acid, by the bacterial culture.
Yogurt is a valuable health food for both infants and elderly. For children, it is a balanced source of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals. For senior citizens, who usually have more sensitive colons or whose intestines have run out of lactase, yogurt is also a valuable food.  Yogurt may help prevent osteoporosis, reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Yogurt with active cultures helps the gut and may help one feel fuller.
No discussion on yogurt is possible without mentioning the sweet yogurt with fruits sold in the market as ready to eat.  Only problem is those commercial yogurts have white sugar which depress your immune system, contribute to infertility and increased blood glucose levels. 
The best thing would be to make your own yogurt at home and add either cane sugar or honey and eat that for health benefits.  My favorite light dinner is to eat home made yogurt with fruits and nuts and honey.

How to make home made yogurt:

Ingredients:
4 cups whole or two percent fat milk, ½ tsp starter yogurt, 1 ½ tbsp milk powder

Method:
Bring milk to a boil.  Transfer it to a pan with a lid.  My personal experience is that terracotta pot with a lid makes the best yogurt. Add milk powder to the boiled milk and stir well so no lumps are formed. Allow milk to come to lukewarm to room temperature.  If it is winter let milk come to lukewarm but if it is summer let milk come to room temperature.  Add starter yogurt to the cool milk and stir well with the same spoon. Close the lid tightly and keep it for five to seven hours in a warm place away from draft.  Once yogurt is set, store in refrigerator.

How to make Sweet Yogurt 

Ingredients:
2 cups of yogurt, 1 tsp of brown or cane sugar or honey, 1 cup of chopped pineapple, 1 cup of chopped apple, ¼ cup pomegranate seeds, and 10 almonds roasted and chopped into small pieces. (You may add any kind of fresh or frozen berries for added benefits)

Method:
Take yogurt in a small bowl add honey or brown sugar and whisk it. Add fruits and almonds and mix well.  Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Enjoy.
 This yogurt with fruits makes a good healthy dessert or you may serve it as an accompaniment to your dinner spread.  If you are into dieting this makes a very filling and healthy alternative.

Channa dal(Bengal gram), Lauki(Bottle Gourd) and Wadi Combo

This summer I met my sisters and cousins for a family reunion in California.  We all are connoisseurs of good food.  We love eating and creating new dishes.  Since we had so much time at hand, it was natural to go down the memory lane of our childhood and talk about familiar flavors and aromas.  Our mothers and aunts were great cooks and perhaps that is what inspired us to work with food and exploring the buzz and vibe of cooking.

One of my sisters asked me if I recall the recipe of maternal grandma’s famous Channa dal, lauki and wadi combo.  I told her I don’t know the exact recipe but even after forty years I can still feel the taste of that dish in my mouth.  We set out to create that childhood memory to tickle our palate.  

What amazes me that our mothers and grandmothers fed us healthy food all the time without realizing the food values of every vegetable or lentil.  For that matter even this   combo is full of nutrients.  Since this is my grandma’s recipe, I feel it is a treat to share it with the world.

Channa dal (Bengal gram) has good amount of iron, sodium, selenium and some amount of copper, zinc and manganese.  It has folic acid and fiber and is rich in protein.  It contains phytochemicals called saponins, which act as antioxidants.

Lauki (Bottle Gourd) provides good amount of both soluble and insoluble fiber and water and thus helps in digestion.  This is the best vegetable for dieters as it is high in dietary fiber and provides only 15 calories per 100 gram.  It provides vitamins C and B and some minerals like iron, sodium and potassium.

Wadi is a sun dried dumpling made from ground lentils, pumpkin and some spices.  They have the nutritional value of lentils as well of vegetables.  We generally add wadi for its taste.  It is possible to make wadi at home but the process is little tedious. Most super markets sell Wadi or Wadiyan as they are called.  The best way to add wadi to any food is by breaking into small pieces and pan fry these bits.  Frying enhances the taste of Wadi.

Ingredients:

1 cup Channa dal washed and soaked for an hour in fresh water, 10 to 12 inches long lauki peeled and chopped into small cubes, 1 wadi broken and pan fried in a tsp of cooking oil, 1 large onion chopped finely, 1 tsp of grated ginger, 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed, 2 tomatoes pureed, 1 ½ tsp of cumin seeds(Zeera), ½ tsp of yellow fenugreek seeds(methi dana), ½ tsp of brown mustard seeds(rai), 1 tsp of coriander powder, ½ tsp of garam massala, ½ tsp of red pepper(degi mirch), salt to taste, 1/8 tsp of asafetida(hing), 1 tsp of turmeric powder,  ½  tsp of dry mango powder,  1 ½  tbsp of cooking oil, 1 tbsp of ghee(clarifying butter), 2 whole dry red peppers(optional).

Method:

Pressure cook the channa dal for 10 minutes but adding ½ tsp of turmeric and a pinch of salt.  If your pressure cooker is smart one it might take just ten minutes to make the dal soft and tender.  Mine is not so smart so it took 20 minutes to make dal tender.

Heat oil in a pan.  Add asafetida and yellow fenugreek seeds.  When they turn light brown, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and when they stop spluttering add ginger onion and garlic and stir it.  After three minutes, add ½ tsp of turmeric and salt to taste.

When onion turn light brown, add lauki pieces and mix it well.  Reduce the flame to low and cover the pan.  Stir the mix time to time. Add fried wadi to the mix so that spiced aroma of wadi blends into the vegetable.

When lauki pieces turn soft, add tomato puree to it and increase the flame to medium.  Add coriander powder and red pepper. Cook for another five minutes and then add boiled channa dal to the vegetable mix.

In the meanwhile heat the ghee in a small pan, add ½ tsp of cumin and brown mustard seeds.  Once these spices stop spluttering, add whole dry red peppers to the mix and reduce the flame to low.  Once red pepper turns maroon, add this tampering to the channa dal and vegetable mix.

Let the dal-lauki mix simmer for another five minutes.  Add dry mango powder and garam massala.  Mix well and turn off the flame after three minutes.

Enjoy hot with rice, parantha or chapatti.

Stuffed Baby Eggplant

When I was very young, I did not relish any kind of eggplant(baingan in Hindi) dish.  As I grew up and started taking interest in different cuisines of India, I understood that eggplant is cooked in every state and region of India in a different way.  So no two dishes are the same.  Being from North India and specially influenced by rich Punjabi cuisine, my stuffed baby eggplant dish became quite a hit in our family.  These baby eggplants are slit half way and then stuffed with a combination of spices and are left to simmer in spicy gravy.  The result is finger licking good.

Ingredients:
10 baby eggplants or bringal (white or purple both will be fine)

Spices for stuffing:
2 tsp of dry mango powder, 1/2 tsp of coriander powder, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of red pepper, 1/4 tsp of garam massala or curry powder,

Ingredients for the Gravy:
2 medium onions chopped finely, 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed, 1 tsp of grated ginger, 2 tomatoes chopped finely, 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds (methi seeds), 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds(Rai), 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp garam massala, salt to taste,1 tbsp of cooking oil.

Method:
Wash, wipe and take off the stems of the eggplant.  Slit half way into quarters.
Mix stuffing spices in a small bowl.  Stuff these spices  in the slits of the baby eggplants.Put these aside.
In a pan, heat the oil, add fenugreek seeds.  When they turn light brown, add cumin and mustard seeds.
Now add ginger, onion and garlic in that order with a gap of ten seconds between each condiment and reduce heat to medium.
When onion mix turns light brown add tomatoes and cover the pan.
Once everything is well blended,  uncover the pan, add coriander powder and salt( keep in mind that stuffed eggplants have some salt too).
Add the stuffed eggplants and stir well but very gently so that eggplant pieces do not break.
Reduce heat to low and let it simmer till eggplants are done.  It takes at least half hour to 40 minutes.
Just before they are about to be done, add yogurt and increase the heat to medium for a couple of minutes. once yogurt dries up, add garam massala(curry powder) and turn off the flame.
Enjoy with nan, chapati or parantha.

Squash Blossoms a delicacy

With the arrival of summer squash comes the dainty beautiful yellow orange flower of the vegetable. I didn't know that these flowers are edible till my niece made a dish out of those.  These bright orange  flowers are available only in the farmer's markets or specialty stores.  The best ones can come from your kitchen garden.  These blossoms have a very short shelf life.  They are so soft and perishable that they can last only for a day even in the refrigerator.  They are available only from July to September.

It is true that squash blossoms can be used for garnishing the salads and soups but to turn these into a gourmet dish would require stuffing them with some soft cheese and frying them.  My niece, the culinary expert stuffed it with ricotta cheese and thyme combination and fried them.  When she invited us over to have a squash blossom,  my sister asked for ketchup.  Her response was: "Mom, this is a delicacy and you are supposed to eat them like that in order to enjoy the true flavor of the blossoms."

The squash blossoms are not just pretty looking, they are high in calcium and iron and especially high in vitamins C and A.  They are excellent for dieters as one cup of squash blossom has merely five calories, unless you are stuffing and frying them.

Ingredients:

16-20 squash blossoms, 3/4 cup white flour, 1 cup beer, salt to taste , oil for frying.

Ingredients for filling:

2 liters of milk, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 small onion chopped finely, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp lemon pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

In a big pan put milk to boil.  When it reaches boiling point, add lemon juice to curdle the milk.  Strain the curdled milk through a muslin cloth to allow all the whey and moisture to drain.  Hang it on the kitchen sink tap.  Once water drains completely(it may take two hours or so), take out of the cloth and mash it well with your fingers.  Heat one tbsp of oil, add cumin seeds.  When they tsp spluttering, add onion and sauté them till they turn light pink.  Add mashed paneer(cheese), salt and lemon pepper and mix it well.  Keep aside so it cools off.

In the meanwhile make batter of white flour, beer and salt and mix it well.  Stuff the blossoms with the paneer mix by opening the petals gently.  Coat the stuffed ones in the batter mix.  Heat the oil to 325 degrees F and fry them until golden brown. Place the fried ones on the paper towel to drain the oil.  

Enjoy.

Fresh strawberry cake

My niece who is an excellent cook made this amazingly delicious cake for the July 4 barbecue party. Her almost four-year-old son helped in this.  The result was velvety textured cake with the freshness of strawberries.
The cake was so yummy that guests asked for second helpings.  The best part is you can put all the ingredients in the food processor and let it work to a perfect cake batter.  Other than baking time, this cake can be made in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

Butter 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp, white flour 1 1/2 cups, baking powder 1 1/2 tsp, salt 1/2 tsp, sugar 1 1/4 cups, eggs 2 small or 1 big,  milk 1/2 cup, vanilla essence 1 tsp,  strawberries 1pound washed and halved.

Method:

Sift white flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a nine inch pie plate and keep it aside.
Put butter and one cup of sugar in a food processor bowl and mix it on a high speed till fluffy and creamy.  It should not take more than 4 or 5 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium and mix in eggs, vanilla and milk.

 

Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in flour mixture.  Once done pour this mixture on the buttered pie plate and arrange the strawberries on the batter. Place the cut side of strawberries down.  Try putting them very close to each other.


Bake cake for  one hour and ten minutes on 325 degrees F.  When last 15 minutes are left for baking, bring the cake out and sprinkle rest of the sugar on the fruit and cake.


 If you like the caramelized look you may sprinkle the sugar before you start to bake.