Fast Food- Orange glazed baby Sweet Potatoes and Plantain

I don’t usually observe any religious fasts. The popular local fasting food-Sabudana does not agree with me much. But I like to explore the traditional fasting recipes, that use alternative grains and vegetables. I like Sweet potatoes and I keep substituting them for potatoes. They are usually available in the market only during these religious fasting days. With all the ongoing festivities and fasts, Sweet Potatoes are abundantly available now.

While growing up, my mom often made these ‘Ratalyache Kaap’ (pan fried Sweet Potatoes with jaggery). I don’t have a sweet tooth and I find them too sweet for my taste….and hence my little twist to the Ratalyache Kaap –Orange glazed kaap. The addition of a  tangy citrusy burst, rock salt and chilli flakes beautifully balance the sweetness. I have been experimenting with green,unripe plantains and hence I tossed in a cooked unripe plantain along with the Sweet Potatoes. Date syrup adds a rich, molasses like taste to the kaap.The pomegranate and pumpkin seeds are added just to give it more freshness and crunch. You can use any other seeds or nuts that are ‘allowed’. I have used baby Sweet Potatoes because they looked cute and they cook quickly. In case you don’t find them, you can use the regular ones and alter the cooking time.

I have realized that the best way to update the blog regularly, is to participate in online food events :).The deadlines provide the necessary push for me to post recipes on time 🙂

The theme this month @TheHub is ‘Sweet Recipes & Fasting Recipes’ that are usually made during these 9 holy days of Navratri. Orange glazed Sweet Potatoes and Plantains is my entry to The KitchenAid India Navratri Challenge for The Hub @ Archana’s Kitchen.

That also reminds me, to let you know that I was invited to contribute recipes at Archana’s Kitchen, which I gladly accepted and you can now find my recipes on Archanas kitchen here

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for Orange glazed baby Sweet Potatoes and Plantain

Serves-2

Ingredients

7-8 baby Sweet potatoes, washed thoroughly and sliced  (Do not peel)

1 large green, unripe plantain

Juice and zest of 1 large orange

2 tbsp Date syrup

½ tsp grated jaggery

Rock salt to taste

¼ tsp Chilli flakes/black pepper powder (optional)

2 tbsp Ghee

Pomegranate seeds and Pumpkin seeds for garnish (or any other seeds/ nuts)

Method

Cook the plantain with the skin in a pressure pan with salted water, for 1 whistle.

Cool and peel the skin and slice.

In a non- stick pan, heat the Ghee

Add the sliced baby Sweet Potatoes

Stir to coat the slices with Ghee.

Cook covered for 2-3 minutes on low flame.

Meanwhile, whisk together the orange juice,zest,Date syrup,jaggery and rock salt.

Add this to the Sweet potatoes and cook uncovered on medium flame, till  the liquid thickens.

After about 3-4 minutes of cooking, add the sliced plantain and mix so that the orange glaze coats all the slices.

Sprinkle the chilli flakes or pepper powder if using.

Serve hot or cold garnished with Pomegranate and Pumpkin seeds

Modur Pulav for Regional Indian Home cooking series#1- a guest post by Anshie of Spice Roots

We are celebrating Nine years of Homestyle cooking at My Foodcourt! I have always been fascinated by the variety of the regional delicacies cooked in Indian homes. When I started blogging, we had a few events like the RCI that showcased regional cooking and which also introduced me to the different delicacies cooked in Indian homes. Instead of hosting an event, I thought of  inviting my blogger friends from all over India and the world to share their classic, homestyle recipes.

I haven’t been fortunate enough to experience much of Kashmiri homestyle cooking, so I thought of kick-starting this series on Regional Indian Home cooking, with the heavenly Kashmiri cuisine. When I thought of picturesque Kashmir and its rich cuisine, I thought of my gorgeous friend, Anshie who blogs at Spice roots -where she writes about made from scratch recipes, immersed in spices and stories in order to help making eating home cooked food a lifestyle. I have been eyeing some of her recipes like Monji Hakh or the Monji Achar and plan to make them soon! Anshie was kind enough to accept my invitation instantly and brings to you a celebratory dish Modur Pulav from her homeland.Thank you Anshie for your lovely post, the fabulous recipe and the gorgeous photos.

Dear Readers, Please welcome  Anshie and I hope you all enjoy discovering India’s culinary diversity through this series on Regional Indian Home cooking.

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Hi I am Ansh and I blog at Spiceroots. I write about made from scratch recipes, immersed in spices and stories in order to help making eating home cooked food a lifestyle. I hope to inspire a love for spices & home cooking and through my blog I try to stay connected to my roots.

Madhuli invited me over to be a guest at her cozy, beautiful blog space to celebrate Regional Indian Home cooking. She requested that I make a home style Kashmiri dish to introduce to you all. Since she is celebrating completing NINE years of food blogging, I decided to make a special dish from my home – Modur Pulav or the Sweet Pulav.

In Kashmir, Modur Pulav is how a feast begins. It is served as the first dish in any celebratory meal. Infused with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bayleaves, flavored with aromatic saffron; cooked in ghee and sugar and bejeweled with dried fruits and nuts and a heavy dash of peppercorns. The dish looks, feels and tastes celebratory! A little goes a long way, since it is really sweet and  since it’s not a main dish.

I wanted this dish to hit all the right notes and though I have cooked the Modur Pulav a few times, I always thought it didn’t taste like my mom’s. So I looked up Anita’s Blog, A Mad Tea Party and found the missing ingredient from my dish. I was cooking it all along without the dried coconut.  Once I found the missing link, I made it again and voila! So don’t skimp on the dried fruits and nuts. They are essential to the dish.

What better way to celebrate a friend and her accomplishments than share a treasured recipe from the place I celebrate everyday. I am glad to have connected with Madhuli through social media and her blog. Her love for food is showcased through her pictures and recipes. Thank you for having me over to share your space, Madhuli.

Modur Pulav Recipe:

Equipment – A Medium size pot with a tight fitting lid

Ingredients

2 c basmati rice

6 c water

1/3c Ghee

4 green cardamoms

½ Stick of cinnamon

4 cloves

½ C almonds

1/4 C sliced dried coconut

½ C raisins

4- 6 sliced dates

2 tej patta ( Indian bay leaf)

1 tsp peppercorns

2 C sugar

a big pinch of saffron

a pinch of sugar

3/4 C warm milk

Instructions

Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Drain and keep aside for a few minutes.

While the rice is resting, bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a 5- 6 Qt pot.

Meanwhile, grind the saffron with the pinch of sugar and then add it to the warm milk.

Add in the rice into the boiling water and cook it to al dente (about 5 – 7 minutes)  like you would for a biryani.

Drain and keep the rice aside.

Heat the ghee and add in the cloves,  peppercorns, cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon. Saute for a bit and then add in the nuts , dates and raisins. Add in the sugar and then add in the milk with the saffron. Cook until the sugar dissolves and you have a milky sugar syrup.

Using the same 6 qt pot as before, add the rice back into it. Now add the sugar syrup and nut mix into the rice. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low heat for 45 min to an hour. Alternately you can bake it in the oven at 350*F for 20 – 25 minutes.

9 years and counting!

9 Years! That’s how old My Foodcourt is 🙂

What started as a journal to document heirloom recipes, soon became a passion and now an integral part of my life. Exploring different cuisines,Learning food photography,Cook-alongs,Bake-alongs, food events, Giveaways,some media mentions,blogging Off and On (at my own pace 🙂 ), moving to another space and then moving back – all this happened during these 9 long years.

I have said this before and will say it again- I have been very lucky to meet talented, generous and ever encouraging virtual friends during these years, who now are my friends for life. Some of them I have met in person too. Thank You my food blogger friends as well as readers of My Foodcourt. I am so glad we crossed paths!

Many of my food blogger friends have stopped blogging now. I miss the camaraderie we enjoyed back then, since we were such a close knit group. Not that it doesn’t exist anymore, but the small food blogging group has now become an ocean and it is a pretty difficult to keep up with the happenings.

I also miss posts from my friend Indira of Mahanandi very much. Mahanandi, as I have said earlier was the inspiration to start this blog in the first place. I am so glad that I met Indira few years back when I visited Sugarland. I wish and hope she gets back to blogging soon!

On that Nostalgic note, I would like to share a recipe for a Banana and Date loaf  to celebrate these glorious 9 years of my virtual life .

The original recipe is from  Lisa’s Lemoy Kitchen . I made a few changes to it. I used part whole wheat and part APF/Maida instead of the spelt flour. Also I reduced the sugar to less that half cup, since I thought 1 cup sugar was too sweet. Also I skipped the pecans,since the little Diva in our house does not like nuts 🙂

I baked 6 mini Banana and Date loaves instead of 1 large loaf and they were gone in no time. This is a great way to use up overripe Bananas.

Here’s the recipe for the Banana and Date loaf

Adapted from  Lisa’s Lemoy Kitchen

Makes 6 mini loaves

Ingredients

1 cup All purpose flour(Maida)  + ½ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
200g pitted dates (roughly chopped)
½ cup caster sugar or a little less
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
3 very large ripe bananas (mashed)
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degC.

Grease and dust the loaf pan or mini pans.

Sift flour and baking soda into a mixing bowl.

Add salt and dates.

Mix to thoroughly coat the nuts and dates.

Use electric mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and oil until light and creamy.

Add mashed banana and vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients into the banana batter.

Pour into the loaf/mini pans.

Bake for 50-60 minutes (large pan) or ~15-18 minutes for the mini loaf pans or until skewers comes out clean.

Weekend Chaating-From Chaat Street

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Chaat– just the mere mention of the word makes my mouth water. You can’t walk past a ‘Chaatwala’ without sensitizing your taste buds. The last thing on your mind when you enjoy Chaat on the roadside is Hygiene or Health food-That you remember the next day! I have been a ‘Chaat’ person as long as I can remember. When I was small I would argue with my Mom as to why we can’t offer ‘Prasad’(offering to God) of Pani Puri/Bhel Puri to God? Didn’t Gods love it too? J

As I said in my last posts it getting hotter day by day here..temperature soaring to 40-41^oC (not usual for us here ,that too in April) People are enjoying Chaat’s and Icecreams on the road side to beat the heat!

We had some guests yesterday; one of our family friend’s daughter is getting married. So I made some Chaat to celebrate her engagement.Once in a while you can indulge (I do this often!) in these spicy, mouthwatering chaats and since they are made at home…you need not count the plates!

Basic ingredients for chaat: 

Chaats will not be chaats without these chutneys:

1. Green Chutney : Mint-Coriander-green chilly chutney

2. Sweet sour Chutney : Dates –Tamarind chutney 

Other optional chutney

3. Red Chutney: Red chilly-Garlic chutney

These Chutneys can be stocked up in the fridge and will stay good almost for a week.This chutney is required for Sev Puri,Ragda pattice etc..

 

Other ingredients common to most of the Chaats are:

Onions –finely chopped

Tomatoes- finely chopped

Fresh coriander leaves – finely chopped

Raw green Mango –peeled and finely chopped

Potatoes boiled peeles and chopped

Lemon Juice

Sev

Once you have these basic ingredients you can make your own permutation-combination and make chaats of your choice.

Green chutney:

1 bunch Pudina (Mint ) leaves washed and roughly chopped

1 small bunch fresh Green coriander leaves washed and roughly chopped

5-7 Green chillies roughly chopped – you can change the proportion as per your taste

¼ tsp salt or salt as required

½ tsp lemon juice 

Grind Pudina leaves, Coriander leaves and Green chillies adding the some salt and lime juice to a smooth fine paste. Don’t add too much water. Add water as and when required. 

Dates -Tamarind (DT) Chutney:

½ cup Dates deseeded and chopped

¼ cup tamarind pieces water 

Boil Dates and tamarind in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes.Cool and blend to a smooth paste in the mixer. Some people add cumene powder,jaggery,red chilli powder etc. to this basic chutney. 

Red Chutney:

5-6 Dry Red Chillies

3-4 garlic podsPinch of salt 

Soak the red chillies in warm water for 15 minutes. Blend together the soaked red chillies and Garlic with salt to a fine paste. You have everthing ready now..what are you waiting for start ‘assemling’ the Chaats!

 

Bhel Puri:

2 cups Churmura/Murmura/Puffed Rice

1 Cup Farsam mixture (Assorted savory mixture)

½ cup onion chopped

½ cup tomatoes chopped

½ cup boiled potatoes chopped

¼ cup raw green mango peeled and finely chopped

½ tsp Red chilli powder (optional)

5-6 flat Puris (The ones you use for Sev Puri)

½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ cup green chutney (Add a little water to the above chutney and make it to a watery consistency)

½ cup DT Chutney (Add a little water to the above chutney and make it to a watery consistency)

2 tsp Red Chutney

Pinch of salt 

For garnishing:

Chopped fresh Coriander leaves

Thin yellow Nylon Sev

1 flat Puri

 

For the Churmura:

Take a wok or a deep pan. Heat a tsp of oil. Add the turmeric and then the Churmura. Mix properly so that the turmeric coats the Churmura nicely. Cool and store in an airtight container. This is my son’s favourite munching snack! This can be made in bulk and stored so that you can use it whenever you want. 

Mix the Churmura along with the Onions,tomatoes,potatoes,mango pieces, in a big vessel. Add the Red chilly powder if you want your Bhel to be really spicy. Crush the puris with your hand and add to the mixture. Add the green chutney , DT Chutney, Red Chutney(optional) and mix nicely. Adjust the salt if required. Once you mix all the ingredients immediately add to the serving plate. Garnish with Chopped coriander leaves and Sev. Serve immediately. Use the Flat Puri as a spoon! It tastes much better! Bhel actually means ‘a mixture’ so you can use your imagination and mix any other ingredient you want. I sometimes also add boiled sprouted green moong beans and Cucumber to the Bhel.

 

Sev Puri: 

This needs some patience since you need to assemble all the ingredients on each Puri.

For 6 puris (that is one plate)

1small Onion chopped

1small Tomatoe chopped

1Potatoes boiled and chopped

Green chutney (use a thick paste of the chutney’s so that they don’t run out of the puri)

DT Chutney

Chaat Masala or Pani Puri masala

Red Chutney

Pinch of salt  So keep as many Flat Puris as you want in a plate (preferably the serving plate0 . Now on each puri place few pieces boiled mashed potato. Top it with chopped onion pieces , chopped tomatoes. Add a spoonful of Green Chutney, then a spoonful of DT chutney and ½ a spoon of Red Chutney. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and a pinch of Chaat Masala or Pani puri masala (optional)Generously add the chopped coriander leaves and Sev. Serve these crisp, mouthwatering puris immediately.You will be surprised how fast the Sev Puris perish considering the amount of time you have taken to assemble them!

 

Pani Puri:  

As the name suggests these are Puris filled with ‘Pani’ (water). These are also called as ‘Gol Gappas’ in
North India.This beats all the Chaats when it comes to my favourite Chaat! And it does not need many ingredients.You get special round hollow puffed puris specially to make Pani Puri. 

   12-15 Pani Puris

1 cup Green chutney (The consistency should be watery for both the chutneys since the Puris are to be dipped in it)

1 cup DT Chutney

¼ cup boiled sprouted green moong beans

¼ cup potato boiled mashed

1 tsp chaat masala 3-4 tsp Panu Puri masala  Add the Pani Puri masala to the watery Green ChutneyKeep the Puris in a Plate. Serve the chutneys, moong sprouts in wide mouthed bowls. Add the chaat masala to the potato and keep it in another bowl alongside the chutneys. 

To eat: Make a small hole in the centre of each puri with the nail of your thumb. These puris are  quite delicate so be careful while breaking them-you want the whole puri intact except a small hole. Add the ¼  spoon moong beans , ¼  spoon mashed potato to all the Puris. Now you get rewarded for your patience. Without thinking twice dip the first puri in the Green chutney(remember it is spicy) fill the puri as much as you want, then proceed to the DT chutney fill the puri and put it straight in your mouth-full puri. Repeat for other puris.

Enjoy the spicy mouthwatering Pani Puris!Bliss personified!