Bihari Mashed Potatoes

If you follow this blog then you know that potatoes are my second love. It is amazing how easily it makes a home in the cuisines of the world. It is very accomodating and definitely a team player. There are few dishes where it would be a no-no; sambar being one for me. Never in sambar. But it can be paired very well with peas and carrots, eggplant or cauliflower, with bitter gourd, colocasia, or even okra! It holds its own with greens such as spinach or methi; and takes on a whole different avtaar when cooked with mutton (but then do most other vegetables!).

For all my love of potatoes or maybe, because of it, I feel I can always use a new recipe. In this search I came across Bihari Aloo ka Bharta some time back. There are a number of sites (on the Web) that have the exact same recipe. My guess is that the mother-source may be Monica Bhide’s recipe at e-Gullet though the dish may actually be as homely (in Bihary homes) as the jeera aloo in Indian dhabas. I haven’t made any changes to the recipe other than what happens naturally when an Indian cooks; we never note down the amount of the various ingredients, relying instead on our own experience and preferences.

This dish is indeed more than the sum of its simple ingredients so opt out of any of them at your own peril. You could always call it something else. The crunch of the onion, the lingering taste of the garlic, the smoky heat of flakes of toasted chili, together with the addition of uncooked mustard oil brings the dish together. Even if you have never cooked with mustard oil before, I would suggest you give it the same respect you afford olive oil in a non-Indian recipe. It is the final finish for this dish. Skip it and you have a different animal to deal with. Besides, it wouldn’t be Bihari anymore.

Fat-free Potato Chips and Low-fat Kofta Curry

“Next, you’ll be telling me to boil poories”, is what my MIL had said in exasperation one day! Some of us take the low-fat thing to an extreme. I manage that myself sometimes. ‘Boiled poories’ may never happen but, recently, I have managed fat-free potato chips and low-fat ghia (bottle gourd) koftas.

Good enough.

For the fat-free chips you should go to 28 cooks. Her Microtato Chips taste exactly like the fried, out-of-bag variety! Absolutely unbelievable, but better believe it. Sorry, no pics. Nothing can hold off anyone from chips. Not even I. I kept my counsel and did not make outrageous demands like ” Hands off, till I shoot”. And these are fat-free chips, hello!

My guess is they may not store well. But you have to deal with that if there are any left over. If.

For the fat-free Potato Chips you need:

scrubbed potatoes
a well-oiled microwave-safe (glass) casserole dish (or wax paper)
seasoning (I used lemon-pepper salt + some of my own dry, crushed, mint)

Slice or peel (if you have a peeler that thick-peels) potatoes. Season as desired. Oil your casserole dish and spread the sliced potatoes in a single layer. Microwave for 5-7 min (5 if you peeled, and 7 if you sliced). You now have unbelievable crispy-brown potato chips. You do not need to oil the dish again tonight! Really.

The only drawback is that by the time (or before!) you make the next batch, the first one is gone. So you may not be able to feed an army peacefully. That’s all.

Now for that north Indian Kofta Curry. I made the koftas some time back, so the proportions are not exact, but those of you who have done some ’steaming’ should be able to manage quite well. Not the stuff for beginners, I’m afraid. I was using frozen ones today. These freeze well. I always make more than I need and freeze half of them.

Steamed Ghia Koftas
(all ingredients are approximate)

Peeled, grated ghia (bottle gourd)
1 1/2 C besan (chickpea flour)
1/2 C sooji (semolina)
garlic paste and grated ginger (to taste, optional)
1/2 t turmeric
2 t oil
salt
3/4 t baking soda

Bring water to boil in a pressure cooker or steamer. Mix all ingredients and pour into oiled pans for steaming. I use my steel pans that fit into each other. Steam (no pressure) for 25-30 min or till a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. Remove and cut into cubes.

Ginger Cookies

I’m on a roll. I’ve had a great day today.

I also had a great Tuesday. My students excelled–way above expectations. Felt truly good and I wanted to show them. But then things got really rushed this morning and I almost didn’t make the cookies. I had wanted to make peanut butter cookies initially but it required freezing the dough and I definitely did not have that kind of time.

So it fell on these ginger cookies, that seemed a snap, to deliver. It also gave me an opportunity to use the ginger (and the pic!) I bought on the road-side at one of our many tea-stops during the recent trip. And who doesn’t like spicy ginger cookies? (Though, I must add, I prefer ginger snaps) And these are full of spices: pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon as well. Perfect with tea.

I shared it with my happy students today and they have promised to work even harder!

Jasmine Ball Tea

 

tea shop in HK

If conversations and tea go together then this is the grandmother of all teas. It can become the topic.

It has become fashionable to drink Chinese green tea here in India. Almost to the point of having snob value. But I like to drink it for its lightness (this may not be the ‘fashionable’ word). I realised that drinking lots of chai in the winter days was good up to a point. Too many cups and I would not be feeling very good. Tea is diuretic so, actually makes your body hungry for water. Not quite the thirst quencher. As it is, I drink way too little water in the winter.

Chinese tea was the perfect answer. No sugar, no milk. Just a fragrant warm brew, to rehydrate and refresh. I think that a hot cup-that-cheers in the hand makes me appreciate the Delhi winters that much more.

tea-tasting session, and the tea I bought

On a visit to HK last year I visited this quaint tea shop full of beautiful tea accessories and of course, varieties of tea. The tiny attendant spent the lunch hour with me explaining the process of brewing the tea and patiently served me a good many cups. While there were the usual floral jasmine and peony green teas, the one that was really exotic was this Jasmine ball tea.

Hibiscus Red September…Hic

If you are meeting up with old friends partying late into the night is inevitable. Before the gang returned to their respective permanent addas in Maharashtra, we did some partying here in Delhi. A lot was cooked but only a little was photographed. I was too rushed at times, and the fact that my ‘food photography’ was the source of some amusement to the lot was not lost on me. All in good humor, of course.

It may seem to some, who don’t live to eat, that tender ginger, giant cucumbers, and cups of tea, are not the best subjects for photography. Obviously they have forgotten all the art appreciation classes we had as undergraduates students of architecture. Food and drink are very suitable still-life subjects. Thank you.

Were they appreciative of the quirky concoctions I had in store for them though!

Quirky enough for Paul’s Mixology Mondays being hosted this time by Meeta at What’s For Lunch Honey. And I am going to call it:

Red September

30ml Hibiscus syrup
60ml Vodka
15ml lemon/lime juice
lots’a ice cubes

Shake everything and pour into glasses. Cheers.

Now, where are you going to get the Hibiscus syrup? Make your own, where else!

Just step out of the front door this morning and gather a dozen or so fleshy dewy Hibiscus blossoms (before the old ladies get to them) which you have never sprayed with pesticides (like the rest of your garden). Rinse them out (no need for this if you stay away from polluted cities). Trim and use only the petals. Squeeze the juice of one big lemon and toss.

Badrinath, Auli, and Har ki Pauri

Part I (Valley of Flowers National Park)

Part II

Badrinath
We were never ready when we said we would be. The others, not Vijay and I. But we were happy with the unhurried pace of the whole trip. After planning to be ready by 6am, we all left the hotel for the temple at 7:30. Still early, some might say.

No scramble to leave your shoes, none for making your purchases of the offerings. Again we were the exceptions, choosing to say quiet prayers with our hands folded in reverence (Vijay, the non-believer that he is, probably didn’t do either).

Steam rising from hot springs at the foot of the temple; the street market

Nestled in the lofty Himalayas are the char dhams (four pilgrim places), Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, four of the most holy of pilgrimages for Hindus. Scenic mountains combined with holy waters (the Yamuna at Yamunotri, the Ganga at Gangotri, the Mandakini at Kedarnath, and the Alaknanda at Badrinath) present a picture of sacred tranquility.

Modern roads have made these remote places easily accessible and, at peak times, the queues for the darshan have become the rule, taking away from the spiritual experience; the reason behind the remoteness of the sacred spots, much diluted. It really is in the journey, not the destination. All of the four dhams are snow bound and inaccessible for much of the year. He must need the time to recover!

I can now check one dham on my list, though the order that they ought be visited is Yamunotri-Gangotri-Kedarnath-Badrinath. Trust us to start at the end!

Auli
After a hearty breakfast of idli-dosa we were on our way to Auli famous as a ski resort. We took the ropeway to the top through the most beautiful meadows and forests. The oak forest gradually turned to majestic pines and then the open meadow with lazily grazing cows. At last,we knew the reason behind the sweetness in the milk and the reason I did not need to sweeten my tea. Seems to me free-grazing cows do give tastier milk. Now I understand what Barbara, over at Tigers and Strawberries, has been talking about all this time!

The Valley of Flowers National Park

As I promised, this blog was going to be also about other stories..and the butterflies (along with the caterpillars) finally make their appearance.

Our group consisted of the husband and I, three of his college-mates from BKPS, Pune (Kiran-Anju, and Prasad) and Anagha, Prasad’s wife. Barring Anagha, we are all over 40 and strong believers in ‘life begins at 40′. You’ll agree once you get there. For the record, none of us felt a day over 25.The first day’s drive out of Delhi was the usual grime and noise of small UP towns and we reached Rishikesh in the evening. Next morning we drove leisurely through the Shivalik lower Himalayas to arrive in Joshimuth for the night halt. The following morning we parked the car at Govindghat and started our trek to Ghangria.

lazy villages on the way

Govindghat to Ghangria
What a crazy bunch we were (Kiran and Prasad more than the rest)! The only time we felt we were 40+ was when climbing the last bit of the 15km from Govindghat to Ghangria. There are no overnight halts on the way and the distance has to be covered at a stretch. It took us all of 8 hours! The locals do it in 3! But then we did stop often to eat and drink (and catch our breath!).

Maggie break on way to Ghangria

The last 3km stretch is the killer! It is steeper and with the day and your energy ebbing, you finally hit the wall. Anagha felt some high-altitude sickness and Anju tried to feign a heart-attack, but Prasad made them walk anyway! I would like to state here that I was walking ahead of the pack, with only Vijay and Kiran (on ponies) beating me to the ’summit’.

The Valley of Flowers
The trek had begun…We were to visit the Valley of Flowers the next day, 6km up and 6km down! Anagha and Anju played safe and hired piththoos (porters with baskets to carry luggage or people!) this time. Ponies are not allowed inside the National Park area, and we were glad for that. Definitely more pleasant without the stink. I was the only one that made it to the memorial grave stone for Joan Margaret, a botanist who slipped and died in 1939, while collecting and researching the flora.

Piththoo carries Anju!

The narrow stone trail along the Pushpavati River which emerges from the glaciers here, was exhilarating. The sun was bright and we were lucky to see the snow-kissed peaks of Rataban. The flowers were at the end of their blooming season, and we saw the beauty in the seed-heads and the grasses turning golden as they go dormant for the approaching winter.

Two young girls (Kiran and Priya) were our informed guides. It gladdened me to see young rural girls working away from home. They were employees (four months every year) of the Eco Development Committee, Ghangria. The committee has done some very impressive work in cleaning up years of garbage from this area. The documentary at the interpretive centre in Ghangria presented a model of mobilising local participation. The entire trek route is clean. Garbage is collected regularly and transported down to Goving Ghat and out from there. The Valley of Flowers National Park has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO this year.

For a map of our travel area click here.

Next day we decided that we did not want this trip to be a test of endurance and stayed put at Ghangria, where there is, unfortunately, nothing to do. No one was up for the 5km hard trek to Hem Kund, ponies or no ponies. We missed out on a unique landscape.

Sikh pilgrims on way to Hem Kund Sahib

Our spirits were high for the 15km return to Govindghat next morning. We were amazed at the variety of flowers and butterflies we observed on our way down! All the ones we saw in the Valley and then some. Whatever were we preoccupied with on the way up?!!

 

This time we stopped to watch the butterflies and ended up taking a good 6 hours to climb down! By now our knees were giving way. We were glad to be in the car and on our way to Badrinath.

A Me…me

I have been tagged again! This time by Priya (and, since I have taken so long, by Nandita as well!) to tell you all about myself! I was planning to post on the VOF trip before tackling this, but that post is taking longer. So, on to the Me Me:

I am thinking about: catching the early-morning Shatabdi to Amritsar (work).
I said : but I just got back! The VOF trip was a blast, but since accomodation was so-so at most places, plus all that walking, and your own bed being the ultimate in comfort, I would have liked some time to unwind.
I want to : see Lage Raho Munna Bhai. I really liked part I. At last there was again a truly original Hindi movie with dialogues that were our own, culturally and temporally, and a sense of humor that did not start and end at characters slipping on banana peels or making funny faces. The reviews for the second story are very good; look forward to seeing it soon.
I wish : there were no wars. There are no winners. Just more pain, more hardship, and more hatered and vengeance. And women and children bear the brunt. And yet, enough of us continue to believe it can bring resolution!
I regret : not downing that second Margarita (long ago in Boulder)…it was soooo smoooth…I was afraid to! I should have…
I hear : when I should listen.
I am : an optimist. I look for the silver lining, and it will surprise you, there always is one. It’s all for the better (how else would you believe in tomorrow?!).
I dance : like Elaine! (Seinfeld). Therefore, I don’t.
I sing : but I shouldn’t. Really.
I cry : but I shouldn’t. And at the silliest moments! Sometimes, even at happy endings - they so tug at your heart. The ‘Vande Matram’ video (AR Rahman) brought tears to my eyes; the National Anthem always does! Go figure! I must be getting old or something.
I am not : a morning person. Not that I am grumpy when I have to be up early. Just that I would rather sleep-in.
I dream of : owning a tiny home-farm and grow my own food (in Belgaum!). I would like to chuck this city life, go to a small town (that was big enough that it would have some cultural life - I don’t want to be far-far-away from the city - too much of the city in me for that!) and experiment with organic farming. But, it doesn’t come cheap. I have to put in my time in the city first…
I am with my hands: a miracle worker (chances of sainthood in the future, you think?).
I write : to connect with like-minded people. I am an introvert in a big group. So this blogging works for me. I can be a part of the big group (or maybe it is small!) without really knowing!
I laugh : while watching Seinfeld (and Friends) for the n’th time
I confuse : huh?!!
I value : my family. They are and will always be there for me.
I need : lots of hugging! Recent research has proved what I knew all along: hugging can bring down blood pressure (especially for women). Yet TH has to be reminded every now and then.

Maybe Vaishali would like to be tagged? She is part of my small group, maybe? I see that Krithika has already been tagged!

PS: Vaishali has been tagged already too! I think, this thread ends with me!

Back from the Garhwal Himalayas with a quiz

Okay, I’m back. But that was not a trip designed for 40+ city dwellers with sedentary jobs! Will give you details after full recovery. Just kidding. It was a swell trip. The mountains are always beautiful and the Garhwal Himalayas wear their beatious cloak of green with such grace.

Food was, sadly, not the high point of the trip but I managed to put on a couple of pounds anyway. Garhwali cuisine, like many a cuisine of the world, is not for public consumption yet. One of the hotels we stayed at I was able to convince the staff that we had had enough of the dal makhni-matar paneer-kadhai paneer-jeera aloo routine and would really love some homey stuff of veges that were obviously plentiful. And he obliged with a simple dish of (home cooked!) bottle gourd, some dal and, on his own initiative, added a delicious dish of stir fried rai (mustard greens).

Now to the quiz: Can you guess what ‘fruit’ is in the following picture?

While I will not be able to supply any recipes for Garhwali dishes, you may take the opportunity to drool over these pictures…a feast for the eyes.

on way to Joshimath

ginger tea at Joshimath

puff, puff..from Govind Ghat to Ghangri

in the Valley of Flowers

Tea Break

It is finally feeling like monsoon-time in Delhi. The heavens have opened and it’s been raining here in Delhi for the last 3 days…just when I was leaving for the mountains! And it will be raining even more there. Keeping my fingers crossed that the hiking trip will not be a complete washout.

Perfect weather for the fat-free potato chips I made in the microwave just now. Shall tell you all about those when I return.
See you soon with notes from Uttaranchal and the Valley of Flowers!