My cousin's recipe for sooji laddus, that I shared a few days ago, is for graduate cooks with hands that can stand the heat and mold those mouth wateringly delicious laddus.
The following is my mother's recipe and one for those who want to venture out in the world of laddu making and whose hands, like mine, aren't able to handle very hot stuff.
I've made these many times with very good results.
Lan, this one's for you...not that you are in any way a beginner...but just because you are in laddu making mode.
Sooji/Rawa Laddu
4 cups fine rawa/sooji
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup ghee (original recipe says 3/4 cup).
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in water and dried on a paper towel.
1/2 cup cashewnuts, halved and chopped.
1/2 level tsp. cardamom powder
Heat ghee.
Fry cashews, when 3/4 done add raisins and fry. Drain and reserve ghee.
Cut down the quantity of cashews and raisins if you like less...I like my laddus chock full of them.
Dry roast sooji with cardamom powder over medium flame for 3 minutes...use a kadai/wok for this if you have one (aluminum or non-stick). They heat up quickly so keep stirring the suji.
Add ghee and keep roasting for another 2 mins BUT do not let it brown.
Heat the water and sugar. When it has dissolved, let it simmer 1 minute on medium and remove.
The syrup has to be pre-one string stage so do not let it simmer too long or you will have rock laddus!
Add sooji, cashews, raisins and mix.
Let it cool and when it is lukewarm, shape into laddus.
This is done by picking up a handful, squeezing it to compress the mixture and then rolling it with both hands to get a good, round shape.
Wet your hands if they get too sticky or mixture sticks to them.
These laddus were always made smaller than other laddus...less than one inch diameter.
They get a little harder after they cool.
TIP: If your mixture does get too hard...heat very slightly with 1/5 of a cup of water or milk to soften it.
OPTIONAL: Add one tablespoon of dry roasted, golden brown, grated coconut to the sooji after it is fried.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sooji/Rawa Laddu
Rawa or sooji is made from the endosperm of wheat through the process of milling/grinding.
When we first came to the States I would have to use it's coarser cousin and US by- product, Cream of Wheat as a substitute if I ran out of sooji before our annual trip to the Indian grocery store. Farina, another name for sooji, was one I often came across in English cookbooks, as a teenager.
Sooji comes in three varieties as far as I can see in the Indian stores here: the coarse kind, the medium coarse and the very fine variety. The latter is known to South Indians as peni (paynee) rawa or chiroti rawa. It's the kind used in the following recipe.
The author of the recipe is my cousin who gave me the murku recipe. When they heard of my blog, my cousin's daughter insisted her mother give me this, her best recipe.
On my second visit to their place, I got to taste these melt in the mouth laddus. After I had eaten one so quickly...before I could even say, "Scrumptious!" I wrote down the recipe to share with everybody. I have to point out here that I nobly refrained from eating more though my cousin urged me to.
My cousin, who's in her seventies, is tickled pink that her recipe would be on my blog.
She says till a few years ago she would 'hold' these laddus with both hands and it took one hour to make seventy five. I'll take her word for it as holding/molding/shaping anything hot is not one of my talents.
RAWA LADDUS
1 kg. (2.2 lbs) fine sooji.
2/3 kg.(1.47 lbs) sugar.
4 cardamoms
350 gms (12.35 ozs) ghee
100 gms (3.53 ozs) each cashews and raisins.
Roast sooji on medium but do not let it brown.
Powder sugar and cardamoms in mixie/blender, remove and throw cardamom peel.
Heat ghee on medium.
Fry cashews, when almost done add raisins.
Add roasted sooji and sugar powder.
Mix till warm but do not let it brown.
Remove from stove, let it cool slightly, and hold/shape into laddus.
Laddus are held by picking up a handful and compressing them in one hand.
Then place it in the palm of one hand and shape it with pressing with all the fingers of the other hand and using a slight squeezing motion by the hand cupping the laddu.
It is an acquired art and one I can accomplish with cooler mixtures but my cousin insisted these had to be held while warm.
Her tip was if this was too difficult to hold: Add a little...just a little, milk to the mixture. But, my cousin warned, that would alter the taste.
Her daughter who can set up dishes for photographs better than I can, and who should be a food artist set up the shot for this. I nodded while my cousin went over the recipe again, I wrote, and gave in to my cousin's request and took another laddu.
Who knows when I will get to taste this delicious version again? Tasted and true, definitely or do I mean, tested and true?
When we first came to the States I would have to use it's coarser cousin and US by- product, Cream of Wheat as a substitute if I ran out of sooji before our annual trip to the Indian grocery store. Farina, another name for sooji, was one I often came across in English cookbooks, as a teenager.
Sooji comes in three varieties as far as I can see in the Indian stores here: the coarse kind, the medium coarse and the very fine variety. The latter is known to South Indians as peni (paynee) rawa or chiroti rawa. It's the kind used in the following recipe.
The author of the recipe is my cousin who gave me the murku recipe. When they heard of my blog, my cousin's daughter insisted her mother give me this, her best recipe.
On my second visit to their place, I got to taste these melt in the mouth laddus. After I had eaten one so quickly...before I could even say, "Scrumptious!" I wrote down the recipe to share with everybody. I have to point out here that I nobly refrained from eating more though my cousin urged me to.
My cousin, who's in her seventies, is tickled pink that her recipe would be on my blog.
She says till a few years ago she would 'hold' these laddus with both hands and it took one hour to make seventy five. I'll take her word for it as holding/molding/shaping anything hot is not one of my talents.
RAWA LADDUS
1 kg. (2.2 lbs) fine sooji.
2/3 kg.(1.47 lbs) sugar.
4 cardamoms
350 gms (12.35 ozs) ghee
100 gms (3.53 ozs) each cashews and raisins.
Roast sooji on medium but do not let it brown.
Powder sugar and cardamoms in mixie/blender, remove and throw cardamom peel.
Heat ghee on medium.
Fry cashews, when almost done add raisins.
Add roasted sooji and sugar powder.
Mix till warm but do not let it brown.
Remove from stove, let it cool slightly, and hold/shape into laddus.
Laddus are held by picking up a handful and compressing them in one hand.
Then place it in the palm of one hand and shape it with pressing with all the fingers of the other hand and using a slight squeezing motion by the hand cupping the laddu.
It is an acquired art and one I can accomplish with cooler mixtures but my cousin insisted these had to be held while warm.
Her tip was if this was too difficult to hold: Add a little...just a little, milk to the mixture. But, my cousin warned, that would alter the taste.
Her daughter who can set up dishes for photographs better than I can, and who should be a food artist set up the shot for this. I nodded while my cousin went over the recipe again, I wrote, and gave in to my cousin's request and took another laddu.
Who knows when I will get to taste this delicious version again? Tasted and true, definitely or do I mean, tested and true?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Murku
The winter sun is finally up after a week of rain and chilly days, urging me to share yet another special recipe on my blog. This one is a great snack on a cold day.
Murku in South India is different from the chakli of Maharashtra.
Our murku is made through the thinner smoother mold and the final shape is like a many layered twisted pretzel while the chakli is the thicker spiky mold and the ultimate shape is either one circle or a concentric circle with a two inch diameter.
In Tamil Nadu, where my my mother and cousin grew up,this was also called 'tayn koyil murku.'
One of the highlights of my trip to India was the chance to meet family I had not met since my mother's passing and collect all the family history stories they knew.
I met my oldest cousin sister who generously gave me this recipe as one of her best.
The two visits to her daughter's house, to meet her, were really great.
Not being able to switch to the cooking and cleaning gear from the 'just having fun' mode, I am posting this recipe as 'tasted and true' one. The older I get the more this category appeals to me vs. the make it before you write it up one.
Here's to more 'tasted and true' recipes.
SAROJA AKKA'S MURKU RECIPE
(Akka is the term of address for older sister in Telugu).
Note how the recipe was given in kg's and grams...I have lbs and ozs in brackets.
The oil is given in US fluid ozs.
1 kg (2.2 lbs) raw rice powder (rice flour)
200 gms (7.05 ozs) urad.
1 Tbsp whole cumin (jeera).
1 Tbsp white sesame seed (til)
75-100 gms (3.52 ozs) butter (melted but not hot).
Salt to taste.
1/2 litre (33.8 fluid ozs) oil. (for frying).
Roast urad over medium flame till you get a good aroma, but do not brown it.
Powder fine in blender. (I would use a coffee mill).
Mix all without water.
Put into murku mold.
Heat oil and squeeze out like pretzels and deep fry, turning once, till cream colored.
(do not fry golden brown like chaklis).
Cool and stored in airtight tin/plastic bag for a month.
OPT: You can add coconut milk while mixing but the storage time will be less. In India you get this by soaking fresh grated coconut in warm water and then squeezing out the 'milk'.
Here I would just use the canned coconut milk from the Chinese store.
Below are three types of presses used for making murkus (among other dishes).
The tayn koil mold is in the latest aluminum press.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Mysore Eggplant/Mysore Badnekayi
Eulogy to a special Eggplant
Eggplant of any kind cooks into a tasty veggie. The varieties are many.
Here in the States, the Japanese eggplant is my favorite.
In India, this last visit, I fell in love all over again with this slim, light green variety known as Mysore Badnekayi or Mysore Eggplant.
It deserves a special mention as the taste it adds to any dish it is cooked up in, is unique.
I used it in the Vankayi Munkayi Talimpu/Fried Eggplant and Drumstick mentioned below.
Vankayi Munkayi Talimpu/ Fried Drumsticks & Eggplant.
For those of you who've never heard of drumsticks here's a picture of the vegetable (which are actually the fruit pods of the tree).
The botanical name is Moringa Oleifera (Tamil:Murengakai, Kannada: Noogekai, Marathi: Moongi shenga, Telugu: Munkayi).
The green pods are the ones used in this recipe. The leaves considered highly nutritious and flowers are also cooked, the former usually with lentils in Tamil homes.
There are various medicinal values attributed to the drumstick plant with a lot of information available on Wikipedia.
The pods grow on trees and when harvested at the right time and cooked well, provide a succulent interior with a unique flavor. The outside is ridged and slightly hard. If you're buying drumstick for the first time, make sure the seeds are not bulging out...this denotes an old pod. The pods shouldn't be too thin either as you won't be able to enjoy the fleshy interior.
PREP: Cut half inch tips of drumsticks, leaving one end attached and pull down like stringing beans. Do this with both ends. Next cut pod into two to three inch slices...continue stringing but leave outer shell intact.
I usually soak the fresh pods in water for 5 minutes before cooking.
I have sen drumstick trees in Hawaii and Florida, but in places where fresh drumstick is not available, packets of frozen drumsticks can be used with the same results.
Growing up in India, we had a drumstick tree. It was a Mysore drumstick tree that produces even longer, better quality drumsticks than the norm.
Put this together with a cook who loved making this dish and would have liked to make it every day when drumsticks were in season and you will be correct in guessing we ate this dish often. He made it so well, even my mother acknowledged he had the best way with this dish.
On a recent visit to India, I made this dish often, as it is one of my husband's favorites and we were lucky enough to find a few drumsticks in December. The name of the dish is in Telugu, one of the main languages of Southern India.
Here in the States I use the frozen packet of drumsticks available in the Indian grocery stores.
VANKAYI MUNKAYI TALIMPU/FRIED EGGPLANT AND DRUMSTICK.
2 Tbsps oil
1 tsp mustard seed/rai.
3 red chillies
3 drumsticks
2 brinjals/eggplant (Japanese/Chinese/ 1/2 large American or the thin green Indian kind).
1 onion, chopped.
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled.
Salt and chilli powder to taste.
Heat oil, put in mustard seeds, cover pan.
When mustard seeds splutter, add red chillies and after half a minute add garlic cloves. When garlic cloves turn translucent add onion.
Fry till onions are brown then add drained drumstick, chopped eggplant and chilli powder and keep frying till done on medium heat.
Cover pan and stir occasionally.
Halfway through, add salt and mix well.
Eggplants will look soft and mushy when done and for those who want to be sure drumsticks are ready poke one with a sharp knife. If it goes in easily, drumsticks are done.
Drumstick and eggplant is a happy marriage as each complements the other superbly.
TO EAT DRUMSTICKS: Open pieces with fork and knife or by inserting a finger into one side while holding the other end with your thumb.
It usually breaks open into two to three pieces...pick each one up and drag against teeth to get the pulp out (like artichokes), or use edge of fork or tips of fingers to scrape the pulp off.
Drumsticks are also wonderful in sambar (a curry made with lentils).
TIP: Easiest way to peel garlic cloves is to microwave cloves for 10 seconds. The inner pod slips out easily.
This vegetable tastes best when eaten with hot chappattis/tortillas or rice and sambar or rasam.
MYSORE DRUMSTICKS READY FOR THE PICKING
The botanical name is Moringa Oleifera (Tamil:Murengakai, Kannada: Noogekai, Marathi: Moongi shenga, Telugu: Munkayi).
The green pods are the ones used in this recipe. The leaves considered highly nutritious and flowers are also cooked, the former usually with lentils in Tamil homes.
There are various medicinal values attributed to the drumstick plant with a lot of information available on Wikipedia.
The pods grow on trees and when harvested at the right time and cooked well, provide a succulent interior with a unique flavor. The outside is ridged and slightly hard. If you're buying drumstick for the first time, make sure the seeds are not bulging out...this denotes an old pod. The pods shouldn't be too thin either as you won't be able to enjoy the fleshy interior.
PREP: Cut half inch tips of drumsticks, leaving one end attached and pull down like stringing beans. Do this with both ends. Next cut pod into two to three inch slices...continue stringing but leave outer shell intact.
I usually soak the fresh pods in water for 5 minutes before cooking.
I have sen drumstick trees in Hawaii and Florida, but in places where fresh drumstick is not available, packets of frozen drumsticks can be used with the same results.
Growing up in India, we had a drumstick tree. It was a Mysore drumstick tree that produces even longer, better quality drumsticks than the norm.
Put this together with a cook who loved making this dish and would have liked to make it every day when drumsticks were in season and you will be correct in guessing we ate this dish often. He made it so well, even my mother acknowledged he had the best way with this dish.
On a recent visit to India, I made this dish often, as it is one of my husband's favorites and we were lucky enough to find a few drumsticks in December. The name of the dish is in Telugu, one of the main languages of Southern India.
Here in the States I use the frozen packet of drumsticks available in the Indian grocery stores.
VANKAYI MUNKAYI TALIMPU/FRIED EGGPLANT AND DRUMSTICK.
2 Tbsps oil
1 tsp mustard seed/rai.
3 red chillies
3 drumsticks
2 brinjals/eggplant (Japanese/Chinese/ 1/2 large American or the thin green Indian kind).
1 onion, chopped.
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled.
Salt and chilli powder to taste.
Heat oil, put in mustard seeds, cover pan.
When mustard seeds splutter, add red chillies and after half a minute add garlic cloves. When garlic cloves turn translucent add onion.
Fry till onions are brown then add drained drumstick, chopped eggplant and chilli powder and keep frying till done on medium heat.
Cover pan and stir occasionally.
Halfway through, add salt and mix well.
Eggplants will look soft and mushy when done and for those who want to be sure drumsticks are ready poke one with a sharp knife. If it goes in easily, drumsticks are done.
Drumstick and eggplant is a happy marriage as each complements the other superbly.
TO EAT DRUMSTICKS: Open pieces with fork and knife or by inserting a finger into one side while holding the other end with your thumb.
It usually breaks open into two to three pieces...pick each one up and drag against teeth to get the pulp out (like artichokes), or use edge of fork or tips of fingers to scrape the pulp off.
Drumsticks are also wonderful in sambar (a curry made with lentils).
TIP: Easiest way to peel garlic cloves is to microwave cloves for 10 seconds. The inner pod slips out easily.
This vegetable tastes best when eaten with hot chappattis/tortillas or rice and sambar or rasam.
MYSORE DRUMSTICKS READY FOR THE PICKING
Thursday, January 22, 2009
HAPPY 2009
Wishing all of you out there a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
The long 'quiet' on the blogging front was due to a trip to India.
The year started with meeting family and friends, honing our coping skills in traffic that has tripled since our last visit, marveling at the progress and changes in India since our last visit...and enjoying all that great food both at home and in the restaurants.
It seems like every home we visited had an expert cook...the variety of Indian food is amazing...and the taste incredible.
I make some of the same recipes here but the taste is different.
Here's to more discoveries, helpful tips, shortcuts and sharing innovative ideas on the food journey in 2009.
The long 'quiet' on the blogging front was due to a trip to India.
The year started with meeting family and friends, honing our coping skills in traffic that has tripled since our last visit, marveling at the progress and changes in India since our last visit...and enjoying all that great food both at home and in the restaurants.
It seems like every home we visited had an expert cook...the variety of Indian food is amazing...and the taste incredible.
I make some of the same recipes here but the taste is different.
Here's to more discoveries, helpful tips, shortcuts and sharing innovative ideas on the food journey in 2009.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
HD's mushroom, bell pepper and potato fry.
5 star mushroom, bell pepper and potato fry.
I was in the doldrums one day and just not feeling like facing the task of cooking dinner.
Doldrums for a diabetic can be caused by anything: unbalanced sugars, muscle fatigue, joint pain...you name it, we have it.
While the challenge of life is to control the sugar and be as normal as possible, there are still days when one just has to let everything go and rest.
One such day, HD (Hubby Dearest) looked at me, went out and returned with a bag of groceries. An hour later, I woke from my nap to the best aromas coaxing me to go to the family room.
From there I have a good view of the kitchen...long long ago HD and I decided we would not trespass on each other's kitchen time...so I just peered in that direction while my salivary glands did a tango.
HD immediately positioned his back to block my view of the dish and said sternly, "Not ready yet!"
I sat down on the couch and opened up my computer...Who was I to worry about a little delay in dinner time when I was going to eat something that smelled so good.
Finally he heated up a tortilla , put some veggie on the side and said, "Here you go. It's not great but it's something."
He always says that every time he cooks. I don't know why.
Over and over these 30 years I have told him the greatness of the dish is not just the taste (though his are great...read on..you'll see why), it's the thought, the effort AND...the greatest part, the fact he leaves the kitchen spotless when he's done! The sad part is that this is the second or third time he's cooked this year, because he gets so exhausted?
Anyway I felt so much better after I ate, that I wrote the recipe down before either of us forgot it. HD says he made it once 20 years ago. I say he has never made anything like this...
Mushroom, Bell pepper,Potato Fry.
I pkt (8 oz) mushrooms, washed, chopped in half and dried on a paper towel.
1 medium onion chopped (our medium onions are equal to 2 large Indian onions)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium red potato cubed. (wish he'd put in 2).
1/2 large capsicum/bell pepper chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander/cilantro.
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
Chilli powder and salt to taste.
2 Tbsps olive oil
Optional: 2 Tbsps butter (He puts in more, but this is the quantity he says he puts in. Now you know why he blocks my view of the dish. I just go to the fridge and check the block of butter there and know how much he's used).
Heat oil. Fry onion.
When half done add capsicum and fry till onions turn brown.
Microwave cubed potato 4 mins without any water and add to pan.
Add tomato, mushroom, coriander and spices.
Turn your back so dish is hidden from your other half/children and add butter.
Fry everything well till done.
Eat hot with chappattis or rice. I opted for the former.
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