Gluten free shakarpara

For those who are gluten sensitive, shakarpara can be prepared with rice flour. Since it doesn’t have the holding property like the refined flour, we can’t spread the dough into round, cut into squares and fry. I took small portions of the dough, pressed and rolled it nicely between the palms to make into a small round, then pressed it to flatten. When about ten of them were prepared, they were fried together and drained.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups rice flour

½ cup ghee

½ cup milk

¾ cup sugar, powdered

½ tsp cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

Oil for frying

Instruction:

- Lightly roast the rice flour for about 5 minutes on low fire and keep aside to cool after adding the salt and cardamom powder.

- Warm the milk, add the sugar powder, let is dissolve and then add the ghee. Stir for a few seconds and remove from fire.

- Add a ladleful of rice flour; mix it into the milk sugar ghee mix. Keep adding ladlefuls of rice flour and when all the rice flour is mixed in, knead into a smooth dough and keep aside covered with cling film for ten minutes.

- Heat the oil. Take small portions of the dough, roll into a ball between the palms, then flatten it and deep fry on medium heat.

- Drain when they turn golden brown in color.

- Cool and store in air tight container, enjoy with tea or coffee.

Shallots thoran

Shallots are rich in minerals, vitamins and trace elements. They also contain phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron and copper. Shallots are also an excellent source of selenium, a trace element that protects cells against aging and contributes to healthy skin and hair. Combined with vitamin E, also found in shallots, selenium contributes to the formation of antibodies that defend the body against microbes and viruses.

Shallots are used in Kerala on a daily basis. It is used to season all our vegetable preparations and in Sambar. Shallots thoran is a delicacy I relish so much. It was not very frequently prepared as it takes a lot of time to peel so many of these small sized onions.

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and sliced shallots

Salt to taste

To grind:

¾ cup grated coconut

4 flakes of garlic

¼  tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp cumin seeds

To season:

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

2 red chillies broken to pieces

A few curry leaves

Instruction:

-Grind all the ingredients together and keep aside.

- Heart oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add broken chilli pieces, curry leaves and the cut shallots in that order.

- Stir on high flame for a minute, reduce the flame, add salt, cover and let it cook ( about 4 minutes). Open in between to check it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan and if needed, add some water.

- When the shallots are cooked, add the ground coconut and cover. After a minute, remove from fire and stir well.

- This tastes awesome with steamed rice and dal.

Small green peas chutney

The small green pea is a seasonal vegetable. It is very good to be added to salads, sautéed with garlic and salt for breakfast, or made into a delectable chutney.

Ingredients:

2 cups shelled green peas

1 green chilli

½ tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of salt

1 ½ tsps sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

Instruction:

-          Put all the ingredients into a mortar and  grind to a rough consistency.

-          Serve with steamed rice or rotis

Shakarpara

These mildly sweet fried crisps are very good to munch on, also a great accompaniment for tea/ coffee.

Ingredients:

3 cups of Refined flour (I take half wheat flour and half refined flour)

¾ cup sugar powdered

5 cardamoms

½ cup milk

½ cup ghee

A pinch of salt

Oil for frying

Instruction:

-          Powder the sugar with cardamom seeds

-          Take the flour in a vessel and add salt

-          Warm the milk, add sugar powder and mix well.

-          Lower the flame, add the ghee slowly, stir for a minute and remove from fire.

-          Slowly add the milk sugar ghee mix to the flour, stirring it into the flour with the back of a large spoon.

-          Now knead into a soft dough, cover with a wet cloth and leave for 45 minutes.

-          Heat the oil in a karahi. Take a small portion of the dough, knead well between the palms and roll out to a round. Cut into small squares and deep fry on medium flame.

-          Drain, cool and store

Pumpkin pie

In the 80s when we were working in Manipal, one American friend made pumpkin pie and it was very delicious. I took the recipe and baked it a couple of times. Once I started baking apple pie, which takes much less time and effort (and it became sort of my signature dish), pumpkin pie was long forgotten. Recently we got some home grown pumpkins. They were of such great quality that I had to bake a pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups cooked, mashed/grated pumpkin

1 cup sugar

½ cup milk

2 tbsps milk cream

1 egg

¾ tsp allspice powder

1/3  tsp dried ginger powder

For the pie shell:

170 gms refined flour

A pinch of salt

2 tsps sugar

½ cup solidified ghee

¼ cup water

Instructions:

-          Cut pumpkin into large pieces, apply oil on the surface, keep in a container and put it inside the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water. Pressure cook for 8 minutes, cool and open.

-          Remove the skin and mash the pumpkin and put it in a thick bottomed pan. Add sugar, milk and milk cream, mix well and cook on low fire till it becomes thick.

-         Remove from fire, let it cool, beat the egg and add it, along with the dried ginger powder and allspice powder.

-          For the pie shell, take the flour; add sugar, salt and the ghee. Mix the ghee into the flour with fork till it resembles bread crumbs.

-         Add water slowly and knead into smooth dough. 

S  Spread it into round, gently put it inside a flat baking dish. Prick the whole surface with fork.

-          Fill the pie shell with the pumpkin puree and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 35 minutes.

-          Cut into pieces and serve, ice cream is a good combination with this. Usually the pie tastes better on the next day.

Bengal gram leaves sabzi

When I entered the farm filled with Bengal gram plants, that green color was so soothing and healing to the eyes. 

I could sense the leaves saying to me, ‘We are very good for your stomach and body.’  The taste and flavour could almost be felt in my brain. And we got to eat its sabzi, which was so delicious, with a distinct flavour. Immediately I took the recipe, brought the leaves home and cooked it, much to the delight of my husband.

Ingredients:

5 cups of cleaned, washed and chopped Bengal gram leaves(without the thick stems)

¾ cup roasted,skinned,crushed peanuts

2 green chillies

1 onion cut fine

4 flakes of garlic, cut fine

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Instruction:

-          Take all the ingredients except the oil in a thick bottomed pan and put on medium heat.

-          Reduce the flame and cover the pan, stirring in between to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

-          When it is cooked, which takes about 6 minutes, add the oil, mix well and remove from fire.

-          It goes well with chapatis and steamed rice.

Raw papaya, mung dal sabzi

Raw papaya has antioxidants, is diuretic in nature and rich in fibre with minimum calories. It can also help you lose weight as it burns fat, and help in detoxification.

Ingredients:

1 small raw papaya

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsps mung dal

¾  cup water

A small ball of tamarind soaked in water

To grind:

½ cup grated coconut

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 onion cut fine

1 small green chilli

To season:

1 tbsp oil

¼  tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cut onion

1 red chilli broken to pieces

Some curry leaves

Instruction:

-          Remove the skin and seeds of the papaya and cut into small cubes. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder,  salt and mix well. Keep aside for ten minutes.

-          Wash the mung dal, add this and water to the papaya and pressure cook for five minutes. Cool, open and lightly mash the papaya pieces.

-          Grind the ingredients, add this and tamarind pulp to the cooked papaya (add more water if needed) and simmer for five minutes.

-          Heat oil in a pan with mustard seeds. When they splutter, add broken red chilli pieces, cut onion and curry leaves. When the onion browns, pour this over the sabzi.

-          Serve hot with steamed rice.