Katahal ka Pulao - Jackfruit Pulao

Katahal pulao is a dish that is my Mum's speciality in our extended family. My grandparents used to ask her to prepare it on every vacation of ours when we used to visit them.This alongwith many other foods cooked by her are a part of our family folklore now. Interwoven into each dish is a story ,a memory that warms our hearts even today.

Ingredients:
2 cups Rice
250 gms Katahal or Jackfruit cut into pieces
4 to 5 Peppercorns or sabut kali mirch
2 Black Cardamoms or Badi Elaichi
1 Green Cardamom or Chhoti Elaichi
2 small sticks of Cinnamon or Dalchini
1 tsp Cumin seeds or Jeera
2 strands Javitri or Mace
1 Bay Leaf or Tejpatta
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil for frying
1 1/2 cups water

How to :
Fry the katahal pieces in a little oil and keep aside.
Take a pressure cooker put some oil into it and saute the remaining ingredients except rice till a minute or two.Now add rice and stir till the rice and the spices have are well blended. Add water and cook till a whistle on sim (low flame).

Serve either with a curry or some chutney.

Gatte ki Subzi

This is a traditional North Indian dish of Gram flour / Besan with varying regional interpretations across North. The one that I have for you here is a recipe that I found in my Tarla Dalal cookbook.

The spices play a crucial role in enhancing the taste of the dish that is typically North Indian.

For the gattas you will need:
1 cup Besan (Gram flour)
1 tsp Lal mirch powder (Red chilli powder)
1 tsp saunf (Fennel seeds)
1 tsp Ajwain (Carom seeds)
1 tbsp Dahi (Curd)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For the Gravy :
2 cups Curds nicely blended
2 cups water
1 tbsp Besan (Bengal gram flour)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
A few curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds /rai
1/2 tsp fennel seeds / saunf
1/2 tsp asafoetida /hing
1 bay leaf / tejpatta)
1 clove / laung
1 small stick of Dalchini cinnamon
1 elaichi (cardamom)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder (dhania)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Mix the ingredients for the Gattas and knead into a dough.
Take small portions of the dough and make long cylindrical shapes .Cook them in boiling water.
Take out the gattas and cool before cutting them into 1/2 inch long pieces.

Now for the gravy. Blend together Curd, Besan,Curry leaves and some water .
Heat oil in a pan . Add to it cumin seeds,mustard seeds,fennel seeds,asafoetida,bay leaf,clove,cinnamon,cardamom. When the seeds begin to crackle add turmeric powder, chilli powder,coriander powder and salt. Saute for some time. After which add the curd mixture and enough water to form a nice gravy .Bring to boil and remove from burner. Serve with rotis or rice.

Almond Rose Bread

Almond rose bread baking in the soft glow of the oven is filling my home with a heavenly aroma even as it exchanges a knowing look with the butter sitting on the kitchen slab. The warm summer evening looks on at these two. Pleased, for making it a tad more beautiful. A mischief in translation or a poetry in conversation.

May is that time of the year when we usher in a few birthdays as well as some anniversaries. So, it was but natural that I had to miss out on updating the blog to spend whatever free time there was with the family and in preparation for the little celebrations that happen to mark these lovely occasions. In between I carried on with my baking and cooking and therefore have quite a lot to share. This post I dedicate to the beautiful almond rose bread that I was inspired to try out after reading a few recipes over the internet.

When I first read the recipe for this my mind could not stop imagining the wonderful aroma that would waft out of the oven given the almonds and rose involved.That these would make for great photography given their colours and texture was another motivator to get on with baking it as soon as I had decided on what recipe to follow.

I am not a stickler for measures and more often than not it's more about instinct than a perfect ounce of butter or sugar a trait I seemed to have picked from my mother. She almost never minds the quantities of ingredients in her food to a cup or a spoon but still manages to turn out the most delicious food. I am not as brave as her but am learning! So here goes the recipe:

2 cups plain flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup dried rose petals
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp rose essence or 2 tsp rose water

Blend together sugar , milk, butter and eggs. Add in the flour, ground almonds, zest of lemon ,rose petals and the essence or rose water whichever your have.
Grease a baking tin and pour the mixture into it.Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C till a tester inserted into the bread comes out clean.
Cool the bread a bit before slicing. Serve with butter, cream or whatever you fancy! A great accompaniment to tea or coffee.