snack attack

for some reason, this particular winter has seemed to extend itself longer than winters past — well, at least in recent years which come to memory. i shouldn't complain since i'd rather endure the cold and appreciate the sparkling white blankets of soft snow which cover the ground rather than sweat to death and pant for water and air-conditioning in the sweltering temperatures of our unbearably hot and humid summers. if i had my choice, it would permanently be spring and fall. sweater weather. enough with the bathing suits and parkas. i hate extremes.

with the extremes of temperature, one usually either eats more food or less. it's no big surprise that winter is the time for heartier foods and slowing down. invariably, i end up consuming massive amounts of potatoes in the winter. of course, it's something i know i shouldn't be doing as the more of those starchy suckers you eat, the more you can look forward to in weight gain. it's a good thing i have some measure of self-control in the gluttony department :) well, if i'm going to ruin my diet, i may as well do it properly. that means wrapping those potatoes in a pastry crust and deep frying them.

samosas need no introduction — these spicy triangular indian snacks are up there with other similar oil fried appetizer incarnations like vietnamese spring (imperial) rolls and chinese egg rolls. samosas are typically filled with either meat stuffings or vegetarian ones , the most popular and ubiquitous being that of a mixture of spicy potatoes and green garden peas.

the following recipe is simple to make and extremely rewarding. like many recipes which are labour intensive, preparing things ahead of time is a big help. i usually make the filling and pastry the night before and then throw everything together the next day instead of doing it all at once. it feels less overwhelming and seems to go much faster. in reality, all can be done the same day if you prefer.

notes before embarking on making samosas - there are many dough variations and stuffing mixtures. i quite like this one i tried from a cookbook years ago (whose name i can no longer remember). this is actually one of the best ones i've tried over the years. as taste is a highly individual thing, you may have a different opinion. i don't, however, think you'll be disappointed after trying it.

use the correct amount of potatoes stated in the recipe. if you use more than called for, it alters the balance of the spicing and gives more stuffing than is needed, in addition to making it blander.

the dough used here is almost exactly the same as a classic bureka dough — flour, oil, salt and water. the difference is that is that samosas are deep fried whereas burekas are baked.

you'll notice that the dough will have a pocked appearance once it rests; this is normal and perfectly fine. the dough will also be oily. this is essential as the dough is rolled out without using flour; it helps in shaping the dough rounds and gives the final flaky texture.

two important things about making the dough: the oil is worked into the flour with the hands to coat all the flour — a typically indian technique. the samosa dough is rolled out as a whole (round) and then each round is cut in half to yield two. this is the standard way to form the pastry shells. don't overstuff the samosas.

this recipe, if made to the proportions below, yields exactly enough for each one when divided equally.

now go make samosas! :))

potato & green pea samosas

makes 8 large appetizer size samosas (can be doubled)

ingredients:

dough

1 c all purpose flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1/4 c + 1 tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp salt

stuffing

1/2 lb (~250 g) new potatoes (with edible skin) approx. 2 medium ones
1/2 c minced onion
2 - 3 tsp garlic-ginger paste (or equal amounts finely minced)
1/2 c frozen or fresh green peas
1/2 - 1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 - 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 - 2 tsp amchoor or 1 - 2 tbsp lemon juice
3 - 4 tbsp chopped coriander

method:

make the dough —

place the flour, salt and oil in a bowl and rub the two together until well incorporated. do this for about 2 or 3 minutes. there should be no clumps.

add the 1/4 c of warm water and with your hands mix to make a dough. add the extra 1 tbsp if needed. the dough will be fairly firm.

knead the dough for a minute or so. place the dough in the fridge for an hour (while you make the filling). note that the dough can be kept a day or two in the fridge and brought to room temperature and rolled out with excellent results.

make the filling —

wash the potatoes and remove any eyes or blemishes. i always use new potatoes which i don't have to peel. if you want you can peel them but they have a higher nutritional value with the skin on.

slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4 inch or slightly larger slabs.

stack half of the potato and cut into 1/4 inch cubes. make lengthwise cuts almost to the end and then cross cut to form cubes. place the cubes in a bowl of water to prevent oxidization (browning).


if using garlic and ginger, take one large or two small cloves of garlic and mince them. if using whole ginger, remove the dark skin and mince a 1/2 inch piece. otherwise, use garlic-ginger paste or just ginger paste.

cut an onion and dice it and measure out a 1/2 c.

measure out the cumin seeds.

do the same with the spices. measure out the lemon juice if using it instead of the mango powder.

in a wok or karai, heat 2 - 3 tbsp oil over medium heat and fry the cumin seeds until browned (NOT dark brown).

add the potatoes, onions and the ginger and garlic (paste).

stir to mix everything well and then cover the pan with a tight fitting lid.

lower the heat to medium low and let the mixture cook for 10 to 12 minutes. while that is cooking, chop the coriander.

remove the lid, and stir. add the spices, salt, peas and coriander. if using the lemon juice do NOT add it now.

mix all together and cover the pan and cook for another 8 minutes over medium low heat.

if using lemon juice, add it now and mix again. you can taste the mixture and adjust the salt, garam masala and amchoor, if wanted.

let the mixture cool and take out the dough from fridge while it cools.

form the samosas —

remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature (more or less).

divide into 4 equal portions (each portion yields two samosas). keep the other three covered while working with one portion.

over low heat, place enough oil in a wok or karai to deep fry. the oil will heat slowly as you stuff the samosas. you can turn up the heat to medium before you are ready to fry them.

divide the filling into 8 equal portions. do this now as it is easier when stuffing the pastries to have everything ready.

place a small dish of water near your to help seal the pastries.

on an UNFLOURED surface, place one of balls of dough and roll it out into a very thin circle. it should be about 7 or 8 inches (i never measure so i can't say for sure). be patient and keep rolling it may take a bit of practice. it is quite easy to do however. do not worry about getting a perfectly round circle.

with a knife, cut directly in half. this is important — make sure it is equal (though a little off center won't matter much).



wet the length edge with a dab of water along the line where you cut of one half of the dough. this is to seal the dough "cone".

bring one edge to the center as shown below and slightly press down to seal.

bring the other side over to far edge of the dough to shape the pastry triangle. press slightly to seal.

make sure the bottom (point) is completely closed.

pick up the triangle and keep it in one hand. open it up gently with the other hand making sure the bottom is completely closed (no hole at the pointed end).

place one portion of the filling in the cone and press down on it slightly to stuff it all in. the pastry should not break or be so thin as to break. if it does, you need to roll the dough slightly thicker.

wet the top edge of the pastry with your fingers.

press lower dough edge closest to you towards the back of the stuffing to enclose it. pull the top edge down over the enclosed filling and press on it to seal the triangle.

repeat the procedure with as many as you are making at the given time.

cooking the samosas —

turn up the heat to medium high and place the samosas in the oil. i only fry 4 at a time. it is always best to drop one in and see if it bubbles right away. if it doesn't, the oil is not high enough. quickly remove the samosa if the oil isn't ready and wait until hot enough.

fry about 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

remove to paper towel and let drain and cool a bit.


serve with tamarind chutney or coriander (mint) chutney. sprinkle with chaat masala if wanted.

enjoy!

exponentially hot

this is a recipe for north indian style carrot pickles from julie sahni's book, classic indian vegetarian and grain cooking.

while pretty much on the mild side when first made, over the span of two to four weeks, these will intensify to the point where a little will go a long way. in other words, they become hot, hot, hot. the combination of red hot chillies and cracked mustard seeds really heat things up but not so much as to make it unpalatable, in any sense. if you like hot, then this is for you. they are also tart and crunchy due to the addition of lemon juice and very short cooking time.

as with many north indian pickled vegetables, they are preserved in mustard oil. there are several brands available however many are now mixed with other oils and are considered as "blends". often, on the bottles, you will notice that it says 'for external use only'. at one point, there was a problem with the production of this oil where it is said that some corrupt manufacturers mixed it with other oils which were not fit for human consumption. it has become controversial and many countries put 'for external use only' on the bottles to avoid problems. the brand i use is "ktc" (from the UK) and works well for the following pickle.

mustard oil also has to be heated to smoking point very briefly before being used. if all this is "too much" for you, stick with vegetable oil :) just don't do the 'bring to smoking point' part of it. the other necessary ingredients like asafetida and brown mustard seeds are items you'll need to get from a store which sells indian food products.

hot north indian-style carrot pickles

ingredients:

1 lb carrots (~4 large carrots)
1 tbsp (kosher) coarse salt
1 tbsp crushed brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground asafetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
whole red chillies, enough to make 1 1/2 tbsp crushed

1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 - 2/3 c mustard oil (i use ktc)

method:

carefully wash and dry a glass jar that will be appropriate to store your pickles in. it must be perfectly clean and dry to prevent contamination or spoilage.

peel and cut carrots into 2 1/2 inch lengths and then into a little less than 1/2 inch wedges or sticks. set aside. do not cut them too thinly as they will cook through and be soft — you want a crisp pickle, not a cooked soft one.

grind the brown mustard seeds until they are coarsely powdered. place in a small bowl.

take the chilies and break them and remove the seeds. crush them with your hands or in a mortar. they should be coarsely crushed and not powdered.

measure out the asafetida and juice the lemon.

make sure to have everything ready as the recipe goes very quickly and you may chance cooking the carrots too much if you have to stop and measure.

place the salt, turmeric, chillies, mustard seed and carrots in a medium sized bowl and mix them all together well.

on medium high heat, place the mustard oil in your wok or khadhai or cooking 'vessel'. you must heat the mustard oil to the point where it is only just starting to smoke. this is absolutely necessary so do not avoid this step. it is only ever used for mustard oil.

add the asafetida and stir quickly. add the carrots and all the spices in the bowl.

stir fry this for only 1 minute.

add the lemon juice and stir fry for another 2 minutes only. do not exceed this time or you may risk cooking your carrots.

remove the carrots from the heat and pack them in the clean jar and cover with all the liquid from the pan.

let cool completely in the jar and cover.

the pickles need to sit for about 4 to 5 days. shake twice a day until ready to eat.

as they age, they get hotter and hotter.

store in the fridge and only use a dry clean fork to remove them. they will mould if they come into contact with water.

enjoy!

the sweet potato resurfaces

those of you who have been following my blog basically know i've never been a sweet potato lover. in fact, they really used to "gross me out," as we say in vernacular english. everything about them bothered me: their taste, their smell and, ewww, especially their texture. a few months back, i even posted an entry which detailed my disdain for them.

that post, however, also spoke of the reanalysis of my relationship with this hefty orange tuber after a fortuitous discovery and included the recipe which changed my mind about them. since that time i've tried other things — all of which, once again, started to reinforce my old hatred and none that made a dent in my further wanting to explore its virtues. well, until recently, that is ....

this new discovery, from several weeks, back has literally expanded and inflated {pun intended} my sweet potato repertoire, thus making a total of two things i'll now eat (a good thing since it's always been zero!). in this instance, my nemesis reinvents itself in the form of a flatbread which can take its shape in either of two ways. both types are commonly seen on the indian table but one is reserved for more lavish occasions like dinner parties due to the fact it is fried in oil — not something you want to indulge in every day.

called pooris, these breads of north indian origin are well worth the effort, if only once or twice a year. cooking them is fun, too, as you see them swell up into small balloons right before your very eyes.

the other option, a more calorie conscious one, is to "dry fry" (i.e. griddle bake) them as is done with phulka breads. after quickly roasting them directing over a heat source (see recipe), they will also swell up and balloon, only this time, without a drop of oil.

whichever way you choose, these breads taste incredibly good. they remain extremely soft and are wonderful with all types of spicy dishes.

if you tried the other recipe i posted and enjoyed, i'm sure you'll love these too. i know i did.

sweet potato poori or phulka

the following sweet potato-based flatbreads can be made either lavishly, quickly fried in oil or everyday style, cooked on a hot griddle with no fat at all. most likely the occasion for which you make them will dictate. poori are usually 'special occasion breads' and i bet you can guess why! ;) whichever method you do choose, both will puff up and leave you with irresistable orange-hued and mildly spiced breads perfect for almost any indian type meal.

makes 8 - 10 breads

ingredients:

1 sweet potato (175 gr)
1 c atta (chappati) flour or 3/4 wholewheat + 1/4 all purpose
1/2 tsp salt, heaped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder, or more but don't overdo it
1/8 tsp asafetida powder*
1 tsp ground coriander powder
2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

3 tbsp ghee or melted butter (more as needed)
2 - 4 tbsp water, or as needed

*if you can't get asafetida or don't want to use it, the closest approximation is garlic powder.

method:

cook the sweet potato in the microwave until soft or another way such as boiling, steaming or baking until it is soft. i find using the microwave much more convenient. if doing it that way, prick it several times all over and cook according to how your microwave works best for root vegetables.

once cooled enough to handle (it must be warm), peel off the skin and mash it. you need 200 ml or about 3/4 c, mashed.

place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

add the mashed sweet potato and chopped coriander.

mix the wet ingredients into the dry with your hands until it is well crumbled. it will smell incredibly good at this point!

add the ghee or melted butter and mix with your hands. add enough [ghee or butter] to make a rough ball of dough. (the ghee was semi solid so that's why it looks this way below in the photo ....)

add water by tablespoons and knead the dough to make a firm but smooth dough. it will soften more upon resting. knead for about 5 minutes noting that the dough should not be so dry as to crack after kneading it. if needed, add an extra tablespoon or two of water.

let rest for 1 to 3 hours, well covered in a bowl. you can wet a paper towel and squeeze it out and then place it over the dough to give extra moisture before covering the bowl.

once rested, cut 8 to 10 small balls of dough and roll them out with extra flour to about 5 inches rounds.


if making poori:

heat about 2 1/2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat in a cooking vessel at least 8 inches wide, such as a wok or indian karai. you could also use a dutch oven type pan.

roll out all the pooris and keep covered until ready to cook.

once the oil is ready, slip a disc of dough into the hot oil carefully. do not let it double over.

place a metal spoon over the bread and keep it submerged as the oil bubbles up around it. this will help it inflate. this will take about 20 to 40 seconds if your heat is right. if the oil is too hot and it browns, you must lower your heat.

tap the bread slightly until it balloons up. as it is doing this baste the uncooked topside with oil. quickly and carefully, flip the bread over on the other side and cook very briefly. it will lightly brown.

if you have any tears or rips, the poori will fill with oil. this whole process may take some practice if you've never made these before.

once cooked on both sides, remove carefully and drain on paper towels.

wrap the finished poori in either a tea towel or place in a pyrex and cover with foil until serving them.


if making phulkas:

this is an easier method and involves no oil. it is the same way one makes everyday phulka (chappati, puffed up over a flame or electric element).

you need two burners for this: the first with the pan and the second for puffing up the bread. if using an electric stove, turn the heat on maximum heat so it will be ready. the whole process goes quickly, once you start.

heat your cast iron pan over medium heat until it is hot. place the round of dough down and let it cook until you see the first signs: bubbling, lightening of colour on top surface and brown spots on bottom side.

once you see brown spots on the bottom of the bread, flip it over and wait until it gets a few brown spots on that side.

if you have a gas stove, place it directly on the grate and turn the flame on high; it will immediately puff up. flip it for a second and then place in a tea towel, covered. stack them on top of each other as they are made and close up the towel.

if using an electric coil, you need to either have a small cookie, coiled cooling-type, sheet ready or make a sort of contraption with a wire coat hanger (push the middle in and make a "U" shape — weird, yes, but it works :o).

place the phulka on the wire holder or cookie sheet and then place almost directly on the heating element at maximum. it should immediately puff up. flip over and cook a few seconds again. as they are taken off the heat, they will deflate. the steam created inside finishes the cooking of the breads.

if you've rolled them out properly, they should puff up successfully. like all things, practice makes perfect.

stack them on top of each other covered, as you make them.

enjoy!

post script: this post was really meant for wednesday but i'm adding it early .... see you sometime next week, i'll be gone for a bit.