Weave a Thousand Flavors

Happy Deepavali & 'Channar Jilipi' in Celebration : Khoya & Ricotta Spirals in Saffron Nectar

 

People,  Meet Channar Jilipi ~ Gulab Jamuns with a college education.

The first time I met Mr. Hubby's extended family over a decade ago, they all asked me if I had ever eaten my Mother-in-law's Channar Jilipi for which she holds the unrivaled reputation of making, like no other. 

 
While the Gulab Jamun, is its dumpy brother Channar Jilipi is its feminine reinvention. Sporting slender curves and incredibly delicate, Channar Jilipi is bound to give Gulab Jamuns a complex! 

At it's best, both have a heart that is soft with a melt-in-your-mouth center that is bursting with intensely flavored syrup as you bite into it. Alas, more often than not, most end up a hard 'rock' at its core. And that dearies is what separates the novices from the whiz'.

So when my mother-in-law affectionately, Ma was visiting for a few weeks this summer (and since we both share the same passion for good cooking and food) we decided to put our heads together and make Channar Jilipi. The basis of the partnership was simple, she teach - I learn, with two notable and from what I understand, ground breaking differences.

I convinced Ma that we should skip the boring old, 'add lemon to curdle the milk' step and instead reach for store-bought Ricotta in the refrigerator aisle. Gasp! Well why not? That's exactly how Ricotta is made and imagine skipping such a tedious step for the modern kitchen (if it worked that is)

Dubious she was indeed but what a good sport and agreed to give it a go. Just when she'd come to terms with this, I suggested we get rid of good old fashioned kneading and use the food processor. Now we were both really nervous but ventured on, brave faced and all.

Enter, Ma - you must understand, the pillar of Indian kitchen is 'andaaza' - don't bother asking our Mums for recipes, they don't have one. They do everything by proportion and then a splash of this and a dash of that i.e. 'andaaza'. The proportion is critical and you never mess with it. I am quite used to my own Mum and grandma exchange recipes in the form of 1:7 - butter : flour. Sorta reminds me of mixing cement, same concept, 1:3:4 just in case you wanted to know.

To make these spiral lovelies, one essentially needs equal parts of khoya : Ricotta to which is added a smidgen of flour and other flavor adding ingredients such as cardamom seeds and sugar.

So where to buy Khoya?

Khoya which is essentially reduced milk to its solid/thickened form, is sold as a 'brick' in Indian-Pakistani grocery stores, in the refrigerated section and is essential to this recipe. Ricotta is available in regular grocery stores.

Channar Jilipi are heavily in demand in Bengal while Gulab Jamun, its globular brother is made all over India, especially during Deepavali - the festival of lights seeing how you too are going to fall madly in love with these sweet, curvy delights!  

Vinda-Who? It's Vindaloo! A Christmas Tradition Of Slow Cooked, Spiced Pork from the Shores of Goa, India

 
 
Goan food is a celebration of hot, tangy and spicy flavors.

And Vindaloo is a quintessential Goan specialty and especially popular during the holidays. In fact, Christmas would hardly be Christmas if it were not for the highly anticipated Sorpotel and Vindaloo in Goan homes. It was a much sort after meal for all of us who spent Christmas at the homes of our Goan Catholic school friends, growing up.

Here are 3 things you probably did not know about Vindaloo but ought to if you're going to serve it at your next Book club/dinner party or else risk end up being a proper Vindaloo-bumpkin!

1. Just because the term Vindaloo consists of the word 'aloo' which in Hindi means potatoes, there is no room for potatoes in a traditional Vindaloo.

2. The term vindaloo derives from the Portughese dish "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos", which is a dish consisting of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The dish evolved into the Vindaloo when the Goans made it their own by adding plenty of spices and the subsitituting wine for their signature ingredient - Vinegar.

3. Why the Portughese influence in Goa? Because the Portughese landed on Goa's shores in the early 16th century as merchants, and conquered it soon thereafter. The Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.

It's best to use a cheap cut of meat like pork-butt for such a recipe and it is essential to allow the meat to marinate overnight to season and infuse with flavor. I also use a slow cooker to cook the meat instead of cooking the Vindaloo stove top as it is not only convenient on a busy weeknight but also renders an incredibly flavorful and moist result.

Can Vindaloo be made with prawns or chicken? Sure, but forgo the overnight marination if using seafood and it is best to use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs if you end up using chicken. Also, seafood will cook very quickly right on the stove top with no slow-cooking required.

As with all Goan food, chilli rules so though the recipe is authentic it is no means a traditional, fiery hot rendition and I have subsituted the usually called for 15 red chillies for a meek 2! But if you can happily ingest the called for 15, I say go for it!

 

Authentic Yakhni Pulao - My Childhood On a Plate

 

If I were asked to sum up my childhood in one meal then that meal for me is undoubtedly Yakhni Pulao. If what you see before you is just a plate of meat and rice then let me share with you what you aren't seeing - this is a plate with a story to tell.

A story about tradition, knowledge passed down from father to son and now father to daughter and daughter to sons not by the written word but by little anecdotes and "see here's" and sentences that invariably begin with "Your Grandfather, your Dadaji would say........."

This plate also tells the tale about honesty - honest ingredients meet on a plate and the the story that then unfolds is less about the Cook and more about the Dish. Just a handful of excellent ingredients come together and unleash an explosion of flavors. And the true foundation of this dish begins not in the kitchen but at the butcher shop where only the finest quality of meat can yield the perfect result of a perfect pulao.

As is tradition, the meat here is spring goat and unlike it's smellier cousin, the lamb, it is full of iron and protein and is very very lean. But there is an art to selecting the perfect cut of meat, so before you venture out to fix this dish, I suggest, No, I insist that you read the next post on - Once Upon a Goat! Everything you ever wanted to know about 'Select' Goat meat and Wish you Never Asked

Growing up, it was quite common to see my father wake up in the wee hours of the morning and drive to the butcher shop so he would be able to select the finest slab of meat, still unloading off the delivery truck. On days that I would join him, he'd say "You know your Dadaji (paternal Grandfather) would be able to choose the perfect quality of meat that would cook in 20 minutes flat!"

Back at home Mum would be busy preparing for the meat that would soon make an appearance. Probably still huddled in their jammies, the dinner guests, friends of the family who have savored the delights of this dish in the past, would often call Mum voicing their anticipation for the evening feast ahead.

 
It is even more delightful that today this meal is being prepared by Dad himself because when it comes to this signature dish, no one does it better! I silently stand back in the wings, taking notes while Mum is scurrying about the kitchen handing him the next ingredient. This is a dance that I have always watched them do when Dad is at the helm in the kitchen.

So without further ado, for the sake of my sons, here is Daadu's pearls of wisdom as he brings us all his signature Yakhni Pulao!

 

12 Things To Know About 'Indian' Food Before You Seek It, Cook It & Eat It

 Namastey!

In many ways this article has been 30 years in the making.

Which is why I have been putting off writing it for an awfully long time till I've been driven to distraction by its thought and finally, it must be done. Because in my mind, unless I can properly introduce the foods of India to you, I cannot begin to share the wealth of traditional family recipes.

I'm a purist when it comes to food. I worship the concept of 'authentic' as the benchmark of what is good especially when dealing with ethnic cuisines. If it's being done successfully for over 3000 years years then I think it deserves that we sit up & listen!

I have no doubt that some of what I say here will have of you in an uproar. It can't be helped.

What I hope is that you will view this incredibly vast, almost unfathomable cuisine in a new light. And if the next time you go to a restaurant or decide to cook  it at home, I hope that what you've read here will give you a moment of pause and enable you to make much more informed choices.

So here goes -

1) There is no such thing as 'Curry' 

I have been wanting to scream this from the roof tops for decades - there is no such thing as curry! We Indians do not make curry!! There are thousands of gravies or 'kari' but no curries.

The term kari comes from 15th century Tamil literature that refers to 'kari' which means sauce or gravy. Case & point - Gravies, Yes! Curries, No!

2) If you use Curry powder in 'kari's you're doing it all wrong!

Curry powder is rarely found in Indian kitchens. And if it is, its for use in western cooking & the occasional mulligatawny soup!

Indian cooking uses a blend of spices & herbs & is all about balance & proportions. Each recipe uses a different combination of spices & herbs, unique to each dish from each region & each state. So the use of 'curry powder' is actually very un-Indian & actually mute since the spice blends are made specifically  for each dish.

3) There is no such thing as 'Indian' food.

India is a country of 28 states and 18 official languages (not including dialects). Each of these states are poles apart in culinary styles, languages and customs. It is impossible to bunch the varied foods of all these states under an umbrella term of 'Indian' food.

To give you an idea - my mother is Gujarati, from Kutch in the state of Gujarat. My father is a north Indian, Punjabi-Pathan. My husband is a Bengali from West Bengal.

If our grandparents were all put together in one room, and they all spoke in their mother tongues, no one would know what the other was saying! Completely different languages & also completely different foods. True story! (which is why we speak in the national language when we're together - Hindi  not Hindu which is the religion!)

4) Cook & order the foods of India by its regions & don't combine foods from different regions

Each regions has distinct ingredients & cooking styles varied by geographical location & prevalent climatic conditions.  So for an authentic experience & true appreciation of the food, order & cook dishes from one region only & do not combine with foods from different regions.

I am 'guilty as charged' for what I'm about to do. For ease of explaining, I am going to club foods of many Indian States together & so define a 'region' by isolating the connecting thread. I am also only touching on some of the most popular Indian foods known & not going into the nuances in each State & their respective styles. 

For example, I am not going to go into great depth of the cooking styles from the various pockets of Rajasthan - Marwar & Jodhpur nor am I separating South Indian foods into Kerela, Andhra, Tulu, Coorg etc

5) Foods of North India - include Punjab, Avadh known today as Lucknow & Mughlai cuisines.

Characteristics - This cuisine is perhaps the most popular & widely served in restaurants. It is characterized by meats & vegetables cooked in the tandoor (coal fired barbecue), use of cream in dals & yogurt in marinades. 

Examples of foods from this region - saag paneer, koftas, rogan josh, chholey

Eat with - The grain of North India is wheat not rice. Therefore unleavened breads rule - naan, tandoori roti, rotis or chapaatis are traditionally eaten with foods of this region. In Avadh parathhas are prevalent . So it goes without saying, when ordering a tandoori, main dish or vegetable, please eat it with one of the North Indian breads & not rice.

Yet, rice is served with these dishes at most 'Indian' restaurants (much to my chagrin) but now you know better!

Biryanis & pilafs - The only exception to this is when ordering  Biryanis - The true embodiment of Mughlai cooking & Dum Pukth  method - foods are cooked in their own juices & steam. Here, meat & rice is cooked together in layers, sealed & steamed. When ordering a Biryani, especially if it's the authentic Biryani eat with only a tandoori kabab on the side. It's a one dish meal & should not follow large dishes of meat & vegetables. 

Popular desserts - Phirni, Rabarhi, gulab jamun, kheer & sheera

6) Food from Western India - Goan & Parsi dishes

Goan -  For a state so small the cuisine is anything but!

Characteristics - The flavors in this cuisine are characterized by hot, sweet, spicy & tangy all at once.

The food is heavily influenced by Portuguese food due to the 16th century invasion. The gravies are chilly-hot, spices ground with vinegar & coconut based - ground coconut & coconut milk. 

Examples of this cuisine - Balcao, Xacuti, Vindaloos, Sorpotel, Moehlos

Eat with - here, rice rules!

Forget about eating your vindaloos, xacuti & sorpotel with anything but rice. And if you see a fat lady on the next table glaring at you as you order your vindaloo with tandoori chicken & naan - yeah, that's me! Also eaten are fist sized loaves of bread called 'paos'.

Popular desserts - Bebinca & 3-in-1 custard

Parsi  -  This food is the hallmark India's largest Zoroastrian community - ancient Persians. The influence of Arabic led to a drop in the 'p' sound in the Persian language, changing "Parsi" to "Farsi" (the name by which the language is now known).

Examples of this cuisine - The Parsi 'National' dish is 'Dhansakh' - eaten on Sundays & at all weddings - caramelized onions & brown rice served with a mix of dals & vegetables served with small balls of lamb & mint kevavs (kababs),  deep fried to a dark brown. Also enjoyed are patias & 'per eeda' dishes which roughly translates into 'topped with egg' as many vegetables & served topped with poached eggs sort of like a spicier Benedict! Also weekend breakfasts  brings a feast of spicy scrambled eggs called 'Akoori' with bread & butter.

Characteristics - In Parsi cuisine, there is an influence of European foods with broths & white sauces but also the use of sweet & tangy with jaggery & lemon. Parsi dishes are served with rice or western style breads & not North Indian style breads etc

Once again, Dhansakh is a one-dish-meal & eaten on weekends because the only place you're going after eating this meal is to bed for a long zzzz.....

Popular desserts - Maavaa nu boi, ravo, sev

7) Foods from Rajasthan & Gujarat -  Welcome to the land of temples & Jainism.

Rajasthani - Home is the Thar or the Great Indian Desert. Kitchens flourish in this Land of Princes. On one side of the spectrum, the love for shikaar (a good hunt) is a particular favorite with royalty and in the world of fine cuisines, game hunting & game preparation is an art form.

Wild boar, peacock, quail and venison are found all across the desert creating  a culinary art form that is unimaginable; for example Sule - a Rajasthani kabab is cooked 11 different ways!

On the other side of the spectrum is the equally grand all vegetarian food of Marwar or Jodhpur with the exception of a few dishes such as choorma & daal baati, kachoris  & gatte that cannot be replicated out of state due to lack of specific ingredients & wild dried berries.

You will rarely find this cuisine served in Indian restaurants unless it is a specialty Rajasthani restaurant.

Popular desserts - Jodhpuri Moong Dal Halwa, sohan halwa, maalpua

Gujarati - Here is a populace that has been mainly vegetarian for over 3000 years for religious reasons. Again, not going into details such as surati, kathiawadi styles of cooking, salient features are -

Characteristics - The unique feature of this cuisine is the typical mix of whole spices during the tempering process - hot oil is seasoned with mustard seeds & then other whole spices are added.  Dried cumin-coriander powder is extensively used as a seasoning.

Examples of this cuisine - The hallmark of this cuisine is 'Oondhia' a vegetables with over 8 varieties of vegetables & chick-pea fenugreek dumplings. Also famous for dishes such as patra, khaandavi & thheplas.

You will rarely find this cuisine served in Indian restaurants unless it is a specialty Gujarati  restaurant. 

Popular desserts - Srikhand, Gaajar no halvo, Gol paapdi, besan  na laadoo

8) Foods from Southern India

This cuisine is perhaps the most popular & widely served in restaurants, unfortunately, right there along with North Indian foods. They couldn't be more polar opposites!

Characteristics - Foods from this region are largely vegetarian since the southern states compared to the Northern states have been largely untouched by foreign invaders. Dals (legumes)  & rice remain the soul of this region. Also characteristic is the heavy use of 'kari' leaves (kadi patta), tamarind & coconut in its grated & milk form.

Examples of this cuisine - The foods of this regions is characterized by dishes cooked on the griddle such as dosas, coconut chutneys, thin broth like legumes such as rasam & sambar . Depending on the state it also serves an array of meat & seafood dishes - crab, fish & prawns in a rich, spicy coconut gravy.

Eat with - The grain of South India is rice not wheat. This region is rich with paddy fields so rice remains a staple through & through.

Popular desserts - Paruppu Payasam, Paal poli

9) Foods from West Bengal & Bangladesh 

Before some folks get their knickers in a twist, I am aware that Bangladesh is no longer a part of India. However, since so many of Bengali ancestors hail from Bangladesh the influences cannot be discounted.

Characteristics - Fish & rice are at the heart of this cuisine! Also noteworthy are the rich golden mustard fields & mustard oil is used extensively in the cuisine setting apart from all others.

Examples of this cuisine - Shorshe maach (mustard fish), Doi maach (yogurt fish), Macher kalia (fish cooked in an onion & tomato gravy) are all traditional to this cuisine.

Also unique to this cuisine is the use of panch phhoron - a combination of 5 whole spices (cumin, onion seeds, fennel, mustard & fenugreek seeds) that are used to temper hot oil & almost always used in vegetables preparations.

Eat with - The grain of  East India is rice not wheat. However, if wheat is to be eaten it is in the form of rotis & chapattis & sometimes thin parathas which are distinctly different to its thicker North Indian brother. 

Popular desserts - Varieties of sandesh, rassagullas, Raj Bhog, paayesh

10) In the world of Real'Chai' or 'Asli Chai', there is no such thing as American 'Chai' , Chai lattes & Chai Soy whats-its...

And yes you may love all of these profusely and be devout followers of the 'chai' cult but  to profess these commercial concoctions as the real deal would tantamount to professing Velveeta as a 24 month aged cheddar!  So please, learn the difference!

The first time I came across 'Chai'  here in the US was at a gourmet herb shop in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Out of curiosity, we bought the 'Chai blend' & when we returned home after our romantic weekend we brewed it. One sip & we promptly spat it out! Over numerous ensuing encounters with the westernized & glorified Chai at the neighborhood coffee shops and chain stores, our fears were confirmed - they have no idea what real Chai is!

Recently when I was with friends in a boutique coffee house, one of them saw me smirk at the 'chai' listed on the menu & I said, you know this is not the real 'chai' right? And she said, well, it's American Chai - I looked at her said, "You've got to know there's no such thing!"

Over the years,  when friends have come over I always make chai & they say that once they've had our homemade chai they can never again go order it at the 'big name coffee house'. Well, because in the 'chai' we make everyday, fresh herbs & spices are brewed together and the flavors are rich & strong. The confused chai blends served commercially simply don't come close!

Chai is traditional brewed Indian tea that has been served in India for centuries. The recipe for 'chai masala' is unique to Indian families especially Gujarati families and a well guarded  secret. I use my grandmother's recipe that has been passed down for generations.

Moreover, chai masala is used mainly in the winter because the spices used have natural defensive properties against colds & sniffles. I hope you'll join me when we do a feature on the true authentic 'Chai' or as in hindi, asli chai!

11) Traditional Foods from India are rooted in Ayurveda

The truth is, the use of spices in foods of India are steeped in the 5000 year old knowledge of Ayurveda (ayur = life, veda = knowledge) Recipes are passed down from generation to generation not through books & written records - but through practice.

Though the knowledge of its medicinal properties of the herbs & spices have been lost to most of us, with flavor & palette taking the forefront, the fact remains that locked in traditional recipes are age  old secrets of the benefits of herbs &  spices.

Here are naming a few -

Cumin seeds - It is a wonderful, aromatic & pungent spice. It promotes digestion & is known to relieve upset stomachs.

Cardamom - It has wonderful sweet & pungent flavors & is believed to promote digestion. It is good for the heart, and as an added benefit is used as a natural breath freshener.

Cinnamon - Its flavors are bitter, sweet and pungent all at the same time. It relieves thirst and is also believed to aid against cholesterol.

Turmeric powder- It's properties as an antiseptic is well known for thousands of years. It is also believed to aid against diabetes & promotes good digestion.

Dried Ginger -  It is pungent, spicy & strong flavored. It is very effective against colds & flu symptoms. It also promotes good digestion, and is thought to be a detoxifying agent.

12) It's all in 'the hand' so choose the right cook & restaurant

Now that you are well armed with all this knowledge, when choosing a restaurant, remember that chances are a North Indian chef will be best at his dishes while a South Indian Chef will be nearly unbeatable in his rendition  of a perfect Dosa!

As a customer, ask the owner of restaurant what type of food his restaurant specializes in. I know you think I've gone off the deep end but we do this as a matter of course  before determining what to order. And as a rule, Mr. Hubby & I never order North Indian dishes at a South Indian restaurant & vice versa!

Also if the food is doused in so much chilly that your tongue has gone numb & your taste buds have been incinerated, chances are that was intentional! That way you can't taste how bad the food truly is...smiles....

I hope that you'll join me as we embark on a journey into true authentic foods from India. You will notice that the foods from India on the blog are separated & categorized by region so this should make menu choices & planning easier.

As we go along, I will also be writing in detail on preparing homemade roasted spices , homemade ghee &  other such pillars of the home kitchen which is the secret to preparing authentic foods successfully.

I hope that you found this article informative & insightful and as always I welcome your thoughts.

Please continue to join me in the kitchen & stay for the friendship & the food!

Dhanyavaad,

Devaki

 

 

With special thanks -

To J. Inder (Jiggs) Kalra, renowned food historian of India and true connoisseur of great food. I have learned so much reading his works over the years and much of  my historical knowledge on food  has come from little golden nuggets of information that I have stored in my mind over the years.

I also rely heavily on the umpteen number of days spent in debates and conversations with my parents & grandparents over cups & cups of 'chai' on hot Mumbai afternoons. Alive in those moments, traditions & cultural values were imbibed & digested with as much flourish as the chai & samosas.

To Mum & Dad for always reading & critiquing my work in such depth so its forever true & honest.

To my childhood friend Saurin for his fresh perspective & critique.

Last but not least my Mr. Hubby for staying up nights reading my posts & relentlessly correcting my grammar. ..smiles...