Vegetable Platter: September 2011

South Indies: Halbai

If you are not from Karnataka, then Halbai is probably unheard of .. Halbai is a traditional sweet from the Bangalore/Mysore regions of Karnataka. For those who are unaware, it is quite difficult to explain what Halbai is, Probably the best way to put it is, its a cross between Halwa & Burfi .. It is typically made with whole wheat grains, coconut & Jaggery. There are other versions of Halbai that are made using Rice, Ragi or even Poha .. Of all the versions, I love the one made with Wheat grains, the best

Preparing Halbai is quite a tedious process & you need to practice hard to get the right consistency & texture. To be very honest, I am not very good in dishing out these beauties. My Dad makes this every year & is quite an expert. He made them a couple of days ago & insisited that I put this up on my blog. I was quite reluctant as Halbai is not a very photogenic dish. I tried to photograph them last year & the photos turned horribly bad. This is such a beautiful tasty dish & I didn't want anyone to be put off & not give it a try because of bad pictures :-)

This time, my Mom sent my a big box of Halbai all cut into uniform square pieces with a special mention that I had to do a post this time .. Special Thanks to Mom & Dad for sending these over ..

You Will Need:

1 cup whole wheat grains - cleaned & soaked overnight
1 cup freshly grated coconut
2 cup grated jaggery
5 tbsp Desi Ghee
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
3 cups water

How To:

Grind the wheat grains into a smooth paste using little water & strain. Repeat the process twice & discard the residue
Grind coconut into a very smooth paste & set aside.
In a large heavy bottomed vessel, add water, jaggery, & bring it to a boil, once the jaggery melts, add ground coconut & wheat along with cardamom powder & about 3 tbsp of ghee & bring to a gentle boil.
Keep on stirring till the whole mixtures thickens. This should take about 45 mins to an hour.
The mixture should leave the sides of the pan. When completely cooked, the mixture is non sticky & gets a uniform gloss. Add another 2 tbsp of ghee & mix well.
Spread on a greased plate & allow it to cool. Once cool, cut into squares & serve
It should stay in the refregirator for about 8 days.

NOTE:

This proportion yields about 20-25 pieces depending upon the size
For a quick easy version, you can use whole wheat flour too
Before taking it off the pan, do a test. Take a tsp of the mixture & spread on a greaded plate. It should be able to come off without sticking to the plate. This ensures that it is done.

28 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Gravy

Palak Paneer - Cottage Cheese simmered in fresh Spinach Puree

I have never been a huge fan of Palak Paneer honestly. Infact, I never ate much of paneer until a couple of years ago. I don't know how many of you agree, but a good Palak Paneer is hard to come by. Either the Paneer is not fresh, or the lush green palak turns into a brown gravy once cooked or it is laden with too much spices, tomatoes or fresh cream masking the true flavour of Palak Paneer ..

So, I set out to find the almost perfect Palak Paneer recipe, And, after reading dozens of recipes, looking at various food pics & asking a lot of people on Facebook as well, I arrived at My Recipe :-) And, I was quite satisfied with the results. Perhaps, you may want to try this ...

You Will Need:

3 big bunches of fresh Spinach
200g Paneer - Cut into cubes
2 big white onions
1 small tomato or 1/2 of a large tomato
5 green chillies
4 cloves
1 small stick of cinnamon
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cashew paste
1 tbsp fresh cream or 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp oil
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Salt as per taste.

How To:

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add a tsp of sugar & throw in chopped spinach & let it cook for about 3 mins
Drain the water & reserve some water to use in the gravy. Immediately rinse under cold water & set aside. Once cool, grind into a paste, without adding any water. Do not grind into a very smooth paste. I should be a coarse paste but smooth enough for it to blend .. so, keep this texture in mind. You can also mash the spinach with a Kadchi, if you like
Make a paste using onions, green chillies, cloves, cinnamom & Fennel seeds, without adding water.
Meanwhile, bring another pot of salted water into boil. turn off the stove & add paneer cubes. Let them rest in hot water for about 5 mins. Strain & set aside
In a large sauce pan, Heat oil, splutter cumin seeds & add onion paste, chopped tomatoes & saute for about 3 mins until raw smell disappears. Add cashew paste, Paneer cubes, salt & mix well. Add Pureed spinach, fresh cream or milk & mix gently. Check for salt & gently simmer for abor 2-3 mins. If the mixture is too thick, you may add the reserved liquid. However, do not make the gravy too rummy. If you are using milk instead of fresh cream, you may not need water at all.
Add a pinch of Garam masala before turning off the stove. Once the heat is turned off, add juice of half a lemon & mix well.
Let the gravy sit for a while before serving.

Serve warm with Peas Pulao, Phulkas or Naan .. Enjoi !!!

29 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Curry

Spinach & Sweet Corn Stir Fry

26 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

General

A little bit of this & a little bit of that & a whole lot of Deliciousness @ Au Bon Pain

Whenever I would pass through the traffic in Jayanagar 3rd block, I would always notice this cosy cafe at the Cloud 9 hospital & would make a mental note to visit it in leisure. For some reason the visit never happened & maybe I would have put it off for a few more days, if I wouldn't have received an invite to visit Au Bon Pain's brand new outlet in Koramangala. SO, On a cloudy saturday afternoon, I set out to lunch @ Au Bon Pain along with my husband, Shankar

Au Bon Pain literally means, the place of good bread in French. But Hey, don't mistake this for a French cafe. It is actually an international chain with a French Heritage where you get loads of yummy stuff. The place looks lovely with its bright yellow & white interiors & was buzzing with activities which kind of gives you a peppy feeling.

(Image Source: Various)

The menu includes everything from Sandwiches to soups to salads, to desserts & delicious bakery products. We started off with a vegetarian soup & a couscous salad. The soup was spicy & was perfect for the Bangalore weather. I picked a Jalapeno & corn panini which was delicious while Shankar chose a panini with mediterreanean Hummus & olives which wasn't that impressive. Alongwith these, we alose had some Veg Puffs, Cinnamon Rolls & Croissants which were just perfect.

We ended our meal with a fruit bowl & some chocolate mousse. Apart from these, Au Bon Pain also serves yummy Bagles, Muffins, Brownies, Cakes & Guess what?? Dal, Biryani & curry too to satiate your Indian taste buds,

And yes, I couldn't stop drinking their Cappuccino. It was Fab & I ordered a 'To Go' as well .. I took home a crusty Baguette which was very good. So those of you looking for good French bread Au Bon Pain is the place to go

Verdict

Au Bon Pain is definitely a place to visit especially if you are looking for something quick, light & healthy. None of the dishes I oredered were heavy & greasy & I definiteky was very happy about it. I only wished the place was roomy enough to accomodate more people as it can get quite crowded in the afternoons .. Nevertheless, the food is the main highlight .. And, it was ... Awesome

17 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Festive Food

South Indies - Kodubale

Kodubale or Kodbale was my first ever post in the South Indies series. I thought this post & the pictures needed a bit of revamping, And, my Ajji made these yummy Kodubales for Ganesh Chaturthi this time, so here it is ..

I wanted to kickstart this series from a snack from a very own state, A snack that's a HOT favorite in Karnataka .. Yes, our very own 'Kodubale' . . . I really dont know how this name came about, but the literal translation from Kannada to English would be, Bangles made out of horns. Weird isn't it??

I just love love love this snack. The ones made by my grand mother are the best ones I've ever had. She always made a huge batch for me during exam times, because I always needed something to munch on during studies. And, I cherish those days when we gathered around for coffee & munched on some gorgeous kodbales as we chatted endlessely . . .

You Will Need:

Rice Flour - 4 cups
All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 1 cup
Dhalia/Roasted Gram/Hurigadle powder - 1 cup
Fine semolina - 1cup
Salt as per taste
Red chilli powder - as per taste
Curry leaves - finely chopped
Hing/Asafoetida
Grated coconut - 1 cup (optional)
2 tbsp Warm groundnut oil - for mixing
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Dry roast maida & fine semolina separately, for a couple of minutes & keep aside
In a large bowl, combine, Maida, Semolina, Rice flour, Dhalia powder, salt & red chilli powder Hing, grated coconut, & 2 tbsp warm oil & mix well
In another bowl, take the above mixture sufficient to fry one batch & add very little water & knead well to form a dough.
The dough should be fairly hardTake a lemon-sized ball & roll it horizontally to a shape that resembles a Bread Stick
Turn this into a ring by joining the ends
Fry these in piping Hot oil until golden brown
Remove with a slotted spoon & place it on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil
Repeat the same process for other batches too
Store in air-tight jars

Enjoi !!! Goes really really good with some good ol' Filter Coffee

NOTE:

To prevent the dough from turning soggy, always make the dough as & when necessary
Do NOT make a dough out of the entire mixture ahead of time, else Kodbales will not turn crisp
I don't normally add coconut as the kodbales turn crisp without them too. A lot of people, including my Grandmother add coconut. It does not make a big difference in taste anyways.
The key to crisp kodbales, is adding appropriate amount of water. Less water absorbs lesser oil.