Crispy Cabbage Pakoras

Everyone likes fried food. And all of us have our variations of batter-fried vegetables. Sometimes, even fruit. Sometime back, Melissa wrote in praise of pakoras on her blog. And I have been wanting to blog about these pakoras since.

I am not sure how many of you have made cabbage pakoras but these are amongst my favourite, second only to pyaaz bhajjies (onion pakoras).

Spicy Onion Rings at the K State Union cafeteria would hit the spot whenever I was homesick for pakoras, and definitely not in the mood for a sugar-kick. I have a very sweet tooth, but it was salt I really missed as a Grad student in the US. Giant muffins, mammoth cookies everywhere, but only fries to satiate the salt cravings. Like most Indians, I prefer a spicy savory snack with the mid-morning or evening cuppa. The sweet may follow; but first, the salt and the spice. It is to this hall of fame that the now well-known samosa also belongs.

Growing up, I never had cabbage in a pakora. My mum was quite innovative with the vegetables she batter fried – eggplant, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach leaves, in additional to the usual suspects – potatoes and onions. And then one day I saw my MIL shred some cabbage leaves, throw them into the spiced besan batter along with a spoonful of sesame seeds and some left-over rice as well, to make the most delicious of pakoras. These would invariably accompany an elaborate traditional meal showcasing pooran-poli, the delicious stuffed sweet rotis, that are a Maharashtrian delicacy.

Til Chutney (Sesame Peanut Chutney)

Just a nip in the air and we start craving winter foods. Yes, it gets cold here in Delhi. We have already touched 6 C, and it will get colder. I must remember to bring the plants that are not frost-hardy inside because the mornings will get frosty soon.

Just like the seasonal winter bounty of vegetables, there are other foods that make an appearance only in the winters. As the body craves warmth we gravitate to the foods that are considered ‘warming’. Peanuts, sesame seeds (til), and jaggery are just made for this numbing weather. On cue appears the moongphali-wala (peanut seller) with his heap of roasted peanuts-in-their-shells topped with the small terracotta pot with a bit of coal or upla (dung cake) in it to warm the peanuts. Snacking on the warmed peanuts while endlessly waiting for the DTC buses is a memory etched in the minds of many Delhi-walas.

Carrots, Peas and Potatoes with Dill

At first I thought I should stay away from the normal and mundane. But I also know that more often than not I am looking for someone else’s normal and routine; something that will take the same-old-same-old out of my lunch and yet have the same simplicity and wholesomeness that comes from tradition; from generations of being tested in home-kitchens till perfect. Most of the ‘new’ dishes I have tried from other bloggers are what are obviously their everyday favourites.

So I present today the humble carrots and peas with dill. Dill (soa/soya ka saag) is another of our winter greens, but one that finds few none takers in this household. But I, fearlessly, feed them this dish at least a couple of time every winter, hoping it will grow on them. As for me - well - I simply love it.

Flower Fest: G is for Geum

At last I have something to share on Flower Fest.

G is for Gulab, but I will tell you about this pretty flower, photographed at Auli, this past August (for more on the Valley of Flowers trip check here and here).

Geum is a genus of about 50 species of perennial herbaceous plants from the rose family. They are closely related to Potentilla (which will feature later in ‘P’!). The plant flowers from June to August. The flower colour can range from the more common yellows to red-orange like the one pictured here.

Geum elatum
Common Name : Avens


Tags: Flower Fest, Avens, Valley of Flowers, Wildflower

Dilli Haat, Shopping, and Another Quiz

As I dig into my katori of garlic-spinach-dal (lentil soup anyone?), another new favourite picked from the reliable Indira’s Mahanandi (and what’s this talk about not wanting to read what she and others had for lunch now?! ), let me tell you what I did this past Monday afternoon. Yes, total goof-off on a Monday afternoon. Perks of being your own boss :).

It is related to food (and related shopping, I promise).

A few years ago, Delhi Tourism had a brilliant idea and transformed, with the help of Architect Pradeep Sachdev, an eye-sore of a drain into one of the most used public spaces of Delhi - the Dilli Haat - a place to showcase India’s crafts and regional cuisine. While the food is only barely passable with momos from the North-eastern states and a fruit beer (apple juice with soda!) being your best bet, the crafts are a wonderful different story. What is also good is that you interact with the craftspeople directly, avoiding the middleman.

Every year around this time Dastkar, a society for crafts and crafts people, organises the Nature Bazaar with interactive workshops and demonstrations, street plays, and folk musicians and dancers. You can find crafts and textiles from all over the country. Also on display and sale are organic foods, herbal medicines and cosmetics, and handmade paper. This year Dastkar is 25 years old.

Stuffed Chillies

It’s time for stuffed chillies again!

Cooking continues to be very seasonal here in India. And I hope that tie-ups with global giants with their low-prices-everyday will not change this.

Seasonal changes are less perceptible in the urban landscape of most of India. The majestic Himalayas cast their wondrous spell only in the North and North-east and help keep most of India pretty warm year around. So, only a few of us see the changing seasons reflected in spring flowers, summer blooms, colourful autumns, and a white winter. If there are no summer flowers, then that is when our trees pull out all the stops. Who can compete with the Gulmohur or the Amaltas (Indian Laburnum) at the height of summer?

But all of us see the change in the seasonal availability of produce. The coastal areas, while probably seeing most vegetables year–round (where’s the fun in that!), get their fruits when ’tis the season. You can get gorgeous red apples and kiwis from New Zealand in the summer, but their exorbitant pricing restricts the clientele to ex-pats. Besides, who’s going to eat Rs200/kg apples when you can have mangoes for 40!! No competition there. And the mango season in Delhi is really long (Thank you, dear God) – starting in May with mangoes from the South (Totapuri -yuk- and Safeda - yum), to well into July when we finish off with the UP jewels, Dusseri and Langda.