Mahanandi

Black chickpeas~Dried ………………………………Black Chickpeas~Soaked

A ganji gudda (loosely woven cotton cloth),
Few seeds or grains,
Water and warm weather

There you go, you have everything you need to create one of the truly miracle foods of nature – the sprouts.

The warm weather during late spring and summer season suits seed sprouting. The seeds germinate quickly and easily, often within a day or two. And this type of natural sprouting process produces superior quality sprouts that taste way better than store bought stuff, I think. There won’t be any such doubts as how old are the sprouts, any chemical spraying involved, etc. After all, you are the one who assisted in the creation of precious life force.

I started this year summer sprouts series with black chickpeas (kala chana). Earthy and nutty, black chickpeas produce robust sprouts. I found that they are little bit tough to digest raw but steam-cooked, they sure make us go shabba shabba.

Black Chickpea Sprouts in Ganji Gudda

How to:

2 cups of black chickpeas (kala chana, Nalla Sanagalu)
Loosely woven cotton cloth (cheesecloth or ganji gudda)

Wash and soak black chickpeas in plenty of water, overnight. They expand considerably, so place them in a big vessel.

In a colander, spread the cheesecloth. Pour away the water and gather soaked black chickpeas. Bring the edges together and tie a knot. Hang the cloth in a windowsill.

Allow to sprout. Usually takes a day or two. Don’t let them dry completely. Remove, sprinkle water and hang again or use a sprayer to keep the cloth moist.

Incase of chickpeas, I usually let the sprouts grow only as long as the seed. Too long a sprout, the seed turn to bitter sometimes.

Remove and simmer them in salted water until they are tender or steam-cook. I usually do steam-cooking or plain stir-fry in guggllu/sundal style.

Sprouted black chickpeas make a great snack, and a good addition to curries/stews/kurmas.

Steam-Cooked Black Chickpea Sprouts ~ Our Weekend Snack

New Yorker, ex-dot.commer, food enthusiast and my favorite blogger Steve Gilliard has passed away yesterday. He underwent cardiac surgery recently, and complications got him. Steve was passionate and genuine. His was a unique voice and his website was a must stop for me for the last four years. It was a privilege to have read Steve’s writings.

He will be truly missed!

Tomato Flowers from Our Patio Garden

Flowers in Food Blog World:

Pea Flowers

Caterpillar or Mulberry?

Jackfruit ~ Finely Chopped

Jackfruit and bananas may seem an unlikely combination, but the soothing sweetness of banana is the perfect antidote to the tingly-ness effect of jackfruit. Also, baking a coffee cake is a good way to use the surfeit of super-yield fresh jackfruit or leftover canned fruit. This is an easy as well as delicious dessert that tastes much naughtier than it really looks.

Recipe:

1. In a bowl, take 2 cups of all-purpose flour, add a cup each – finely chopped jackfruit, cashews and golden raisins. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda, baking powder and cardamom powder. Also half cup of sugar. Mix.

2. Mash two ripe bananas to smooth paste and add to the flour mixture.

3. Add about quarter cup of melted ghee (or oil) and one to two cups of warm milk or water to the flour mixture.

4. Stir the ingredients to combine them thoroughly. Pour the batter into a greased cake pan. Level evenly.

5. Bake the cake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool to room temperature. Cut and serve.

This cake is like something you see at an organic aisle of bread/cake section in a grocery shop. Dense, full of fruit and nut, moist but not at all crumbly.

Cake Batter Ready for Baking

Hot Cake Fresh Out of Oven

A Piece of Jackfruit~Banana Cake for JFI:Jackfruit at Jugalbandi

Recipe Source: My Own Creation
You can find jackfruit – fresh, frozen and canned at Asian grocery shops.

Finely chopped ripe jackfruit tossed with honey and served with a scoop of raspberry granita. Another simple jackfruit dessert that tastes refreshing especially after a spicy meal. A cool treat for JFI-Jackfruit.

Pala Kova Panasa Thonalu :

Jackfruit

Jackfruit is known to make people leap.

Jumping jacks or darne se gayab, the fruit dinosaur incites strong reaction in many. For us, it’s always been a lovable giant. The crusty exterior masks the sweet tasting, nutritional delights inside and ripe fruit perfume alone makes up the lack of outside glamour. This enchanting giant of fruit kingdom is finally getting its Jihvā fame, thanks to laudable choice by the Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi. Jackfruit is the June Jihvā Ingredient.

My contribution to Jihvā Jackfruit is this. Ripe jackfruit filled with homemade Pala Kova. Even if you don’t like Pala Kova, the jackfruit will be there to satisfy the sweet tooth.:), or vice-versa.

Jackfruit Filled with Pala Kova (Pala Kova Panasa Thonalu)~ for JFI Jackfruit

Good quality dried figs, sweet tasting apricot kernels, honey and rose water – the no-bake fig cake or fig burfi is the best dessert I have ever made so far. Effortless and exotic, it was astonishing to see what few excellent quality ingredients can do when put together. The recipe is inspired by a product I have seen at a local grocery shop. Being the fig fanatic that I am, I had to recreate at home. As luck would have it, the same shop was also carrying a special price on moist, plump dried figs called Kalamata figs. The dessert is based on figs, needless to say figs quality matters.

Moist and Plump, Dried Kalamata Fig and Apricot Kernels

25 good quality, dried figs
25 apricot kernels or almonds
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons – melted, hot ghee
2 tablespoons – rose water

Finely chop figs. Place them in a food processor, add honey and process until figs are smooth. Add the ghee and rose water (acts as lubricants) in-between for easy grinding. A powerful food processor is essential for smooth end product.

Remove and divide the fig paste into two equal portions. Mold each into a ball and flatten using hands or rolling pin into equal sized rounds of one inch thickness. Place apricot kernels in rows on one round. Place the second round on top of it. Press them together like sandwich. If the cake is too sticky, few hours of refrigeration helps to firm it up. Cut and serve.

I used the same mold that I have seen at the grocery shop to recreate the exact replica. The fig paste behaved very well.

Dense and rich, this fig treat is a sweet mesmerizer. We loved it!

Anjeer Burfi with Apricot Kernels

Notes:
Figs (English) = Anjeer (Hindi)

Badam and Khubani:

Almonds and Apricot Kernels ~ for This Week’s Indian Kitchen

Apricot kernels are often called poor man’s badam (almonds) in Bharat. They look like miniature almonds and taste equally delicious. But unlike almonds, the shelf life of apricot kernels is short, they go rancid fast so it’s better to have a taste before buying. Sweet tasting version of this versatile nut is available in natural/health food stores here. Apricot kernels are great for snacking and cooking. Can be used whole, sliced, silvered or ground into a paste (to prepare burfi/halwa like sweet).

Apricot Kernels in High Valley of Hunza.

Playful and Proud Norwegian Forest Cat ~ Our Kittaya

Flowers in Food Blog World:

Blooming Curry Leaf Flowers

Budding Bananas from Flowers

Guava (Amrood, Jaama) Flowers

Radish Flowers

Sona Masuri Rice ~ from Andhra Pradesh

Any food event that celebrates Andhra cuisine must include a topic on rice, I think. After all, Andhra Pradesh is the “Rice Bowl of India”.

Krishna, Godavari, Tungabhadra and Penna rivers criss-cross the state creating fertile lands and water source necessary for the rice cultivation. As a result, Andhra is not only blessed with rich rice culture but also dynamic diversity in grains. Several varieties of rice are grown in Andhra Pradesh and each type has a unique name. The varieties that my grandparents cultivate and my parents consume at home are “Krishna Hamsa, Krishna Veni, Masuri, Samba Masuri and Sona Masuri” . They belong to medium-slender group (medium refers to the length and slender refers to the thickness of grain). And they all are quality rice varieties priced at affordable rates and geared towards common consumption.

Among this bunch, Sona Masuri is considered the pride of Andhra Pradesh. Reed thin and richly nutty, Sona Masuri symbolizes Andhra people. Strong and impossible to turn to mush, this supreme quality rice is a soulful delight, particularly to those who like their rice with some integrity left when cooked. Thanks to the generous India’s export policies, for the last five years, we who live in America are also able to purchase Sona Masuri rice from local Indian grocery shops.

Cooking Sona Masuri is easy. Stove-top, pressure-cooker or rice cooker, they all work. I usually cook Sona Masuri in a pressure cooker. For one cup rice, three cups of water is the measurement I follow. Cook until tender and serve hot/warm or cold. Sona Masuri rice is best suited to prepare pulihora/chitrannam/pulao type preparations and also as an accompaniment to dal (pappu), sambar, rasam and yogurt. The classic combo is Sona Masuri rice, dal and ghee, mixed together and served with a papad, like shown below – popular and the most copied image from Mahanandi.

Sona Masuri Rice Mixed with Mango dal&ghee. Shaped to a Round & placed on a Deep Fried Sago Papad.
~ My Contribution to RCI~Andhra Cuisine, Hosted by Lovely Latha of Masala Magic

Sona Masuri Rice is avialable at local Indian grocery shops here in US.
The Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom

Ridge Gourd in Poppy Seed Sauce:

Poppy Seeds (Gasa Gasalu, Khus Khus)

The tiny, cream colored poppy seeds are a must have thing in many Indian kitchens. In Andhra, in addition to sesame and peanuts, poppy seeds are also used extensively both in sweets and in savory preparations. When added to sweets like payasam, bhakshalu and to laddus etc, they offer a nice, nutty texture and crunchy contrast.

When it comes to savory – poppy seeds are lightly toasted first and ground to prepare creamy sauces for curries. Nut like, with a subtle, soothing flavor and rich taste, it’s impossible not to like poppy seed sauce. Plus it’s low calorie when compared to nut based sauces.

Both vegetables and meat are cooked in spice flavored poppy seed sauce. The most popular being, ridge gourd (beerakaya), green brinjal (Poluru Vankaya) , potato and chicken. My mother prepares a terrific ridge gourd curry in poppy seed sauce called “Beerakaya Gasala Kura”. Here is my mother’s recipe.

………..Poppy Seed Powder Shaped to Round Ball ………………….Ridge Gourd……………..

Recipe:

2 fresh, firm looking ridge gourds
Peel the outer ridges and the skin lightly. Wash, and remove both ends. Cut ridge gourd to small, bite sized pieces. – about 5 cups.

For Poppy Seed Paste:
¼ cup poppy seeds – in a hot skillet, toast them lightly. Remove to a spice grinder. Grind to smooth without adding water. (It takes at least 5 minutes to grind poppy seeds to fine consistency like shown in the above photo.)

Seasoning:
4 green chillies, one garlic clove and one teaspoon of grated ginger – Grind them to smooth in a mortar or in a blender.
¼ tsp each – salt and turmeric
¼ tsp each – cumin, mustard seeds and few curry leaves.

In a wide skillet, heat a teaspoon of peanut oil. Add and toast curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add ridge gourd pieces. Stir in the poppy seed powder along with green chilli-garlic-ginger paste, salt and turmeric. Add about quarter cup of water. Mix thoroughly. Cover the pot and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring in-between. Ridge gourd cooks fast and when the sauce starts to thicken, turns off the heat. Serve warm with sorghum roti or with chapati.

Apply same method, but replace ridge gourd with banana pepper/ brinjal /potato/chicken to cook terrific tasting poppy seed based curries.

Beerakaya Gasala Kura with Ragi Roti ~ Our Meal Today and My Entry to RCI~Andhra Event

Rosematta Rice and Idly Batter

Imagine munching on the fluffy clouds. That was my experience of Rosematta idlies.

Rosematta rice, the ancient terracotta colored rice from Kerala region of India and the nutritional urad dal are soaked and ground together. After overnight fermentation, the batter is steam-cooked in a special saucer like molds. The result is pinkish-white idlies that are lightweight, delicate and fluffy. They are worth preparing just to take in the breathtaking pale pink color alone. Of course, it also helps that they taste wonderfully good the way idlies should taste.

Rosematta idlies are truly for nostalgic dreamers only, the ones who find munching on the clouds a familiar thing to do.

Rosematta Rice and Urad Dal ~ After Six hours of Water Soaking

Recipe:
(for 12 to 16 idlies)

2 cups Rosematta rice
1 cup urad dal
Idly molds for steam-cooking

Soak rice and urad dal in about 6 cups of water for about 6 hours. Drain the water and grind to silky smooth consistency using a stone grinder or blender. Remove and keep the batter covered in a warm place, overnight or for about 8 hours. Fermentation happens naturally, and yeast/baking soda etc are not used in this traditional method. The batter doubles in size and small bubbles appear in the batter. That means time to cook idlies.

Add one teaspoon of salt to the batter and mix thoroughly. Pour the batter into idly mold impressions and steam-cook, following the method described in detail here. When the batter turns from runny to firm, remove the mold and using a spoon carefully separate idlies from the impressions.

Serve hot. Coconut or peanut chutney and shallot sambar is the usual accompaniments to idlies.

Rosematta Idly with Coconut Chutney ~ Our Weekend Brunch

Notes:
Rosematta rice, also known as Kerala Red Rice is avialable in Indian grocery shops here in US.
Recipe Idea : From My Brain

Guggullu (Sundal):

Fresh Green Garbanzos ~ Pods and Shelled

Popular seasonal treat of India, fresh garbanzo beans are a true delight. Their sweet nutty flavor makes them a great snack. I am extremely fond of fresh garbanzos when they are prepared in traditional Guggullu style.

Here is the basic Guggullu recipe:

Shell green garbanzos from the pods.
Bring a pot of water to boil.
Add and cook garbanzos for about 2 minutes and drain. (Fresh green garbanzos are like freshly shelled peas. They cook fast and for this recipe, sometimes we add them raw also.)
In a skillet, heat oil.
Add and saute fresh curry leaves and finely sliced shallots/red onions to golden.
Add the garbanzos. Sprinkle salt, red pepper flakes, grated coconut and turmeric. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes.
Serve hot with some lemon juice sprinkled on.

Guggullu with Green Garbanzos

Chana Masala with Green Garbanzo and Paneer

Green Garbanzo and Paneer Curry with Chapati ~ Our Meal Today

The last few days have been wonderfully pleasant here. The kind of weather that warms the heart and pulls us away from the spell of blank-screen bewitching ways. I took a break from routine house/blog chores and went out for shopping. Among other things, I also bought supplies needed to set up the container garden. I had to leave my neat garden setup when we moved from Ohio to Seattle last fall. Time for fresh start again. The planters, the potting soil and of course the plants. 4 cherry tomatoes, mint, a yellow rose and some marigolds. Peas and methi plants that I started from seed last month are now about 8 inches tall. I transferred all of them to the new and freshly filled big containers. I passed on planting cilantro this year. We get two to three bunches for a dollar anyway, so the loss will not be missed at all. New thing I am trying out this summer is growing lemon grass and taro plant for nutritious leaves. That’s my garden log for summer 07.

One another thing I did was, I shopped at Pike Place Market after a long time. Guess what I found there – green garbanzos in pods. I bought about 4 pounds. Freshly shelled from the pods, the lively green garbanzos were a treat. I divided them to two portions. One for the timeless classic, guggllu type preparation and with the second portion I’ve prepared the chana masala style curry for today’s lunch. Green garbanzos and creamy paneer cooked in garbanzo-sesame sauce. A fresh tasting paneer chole with chapatis, good meal!

Green Garbanzo and Paneer Cubes

Recipe:

1 onion – finely chopped
2 cups fresh green garbanzos (chickpeas, dubba sanagalu)
½ cup paneer, cubed to bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons – chana masala powder (readymade or homemade)
1 tablespoon –Amchur powder or tamarind juice (acts as souring agent)
1 tablespoon – jaggery/sugar (brings sweetness)
½ teaspoon each -salt, chilli powder and turmeric (the much needed spices)

For Garbanzo-Sesame Sauce:
In a blender, take about
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds – grind to fine paste. To it, add
½ cup green garbanzo
3 tomatoes and 1 inch sized ginger – finely chopped
Add about a cup of water and grind to smooth consistency.

In a saucepan, heat about a teaspoon of oil. Add and saute onions to golden. Add the garbanzo-sesame sauce.

Stir in green garbanzo, chana masala powder, amchur powder, jaggery, salt, chilli powder and turmeric. Stir in about a cup of water. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring in-between.

When the sauce starts to thicken, add the paneer cubes. Simmer another 5 to 10 minutes on low heat so that paneer could absorb the sauce.

Serve warm with chapati/paratha or with rice.

Green Garbanzo and Paneer Curry

Sweet makers are many but only few have the power to wow us. Sri G. Pullareddy is one of them. One of the greatest sweet makers in the world, his sweet shops in Andhra are renowned for great tasting, traditional sweets. Receiving and giving Pulla Reddy sweets is always considered special. Pure quality and perfection, Pulla Reddy sweets have been a part of many of my life’s important celebrations.

Sri G. Pulla Reddy was popular for his sweets but, he also did a great service to the society. He established many educational institutions, hospitals and orphanages. He is a true epitome of hard work, human values and philanthropy. He did not receive any formal education and yet he is one of the greatest business successes of India. He started life empty handed, yet filled the hands of thousands with education and opportunities. He was also a true believer in our culture and values.

Sri. G. Pulla Reddy passed away on 9th May 2007, at an age of 87 years. He is not among us anymore, but his values, courage, work ethics and dedication to society will remain with us for ever.

Cashew Sweet from G.Pulla Reddy Sweet Shop