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.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Caponata recipe and a ‘Festive Giveaway’

The Monsoon is retreating (having a hail storm outside as I type this) but we are moving into another season of festivities. I am excited to host my first giveaway from CSN stores for the festive season.

CSN stores carries everything from Dining tables to cookware to shoes and bags .CSN stores has generously offered one lucky reader of My Foodcourt from USA and Canada a Gift certificate worth $60 to use on any of the CSN stores websites.

I would like all my readers to please leave a comment below this post letting me know what you like about this blog and what would you like to see more often on My Foodcourt. Please leave one comment per person along with your E-mail address. All you silent readers, now’s your chance to share your thoughts with me.:).

The Giveaway is restricted to USA and Canada readers and there may be international shipping charges in the case of Canadian addresses.

One lucky winner will be chosen randomly and the winner will be announced on 17^th October 2010.

Here are the Giveaway details:

Gift certificate: A one-time-use certificate worth $ 60 at any of the CSN stores

How to enter: Leave a comment  with Email ID below this post letting me know what do you like about this blog and what would you like to see more often on My Foodcourt.

Giveaway closes: 16^th October 2010, winner will be chosen on 17^th October 2010.

Giveaway Valid for: Readers from USA and Canada (there may be international shipping charges in the case of Canadian addresses.)

A Special Thanks to CSN stores team for generously sponsoring this giveaway

§§§§§§§ ♥♥♥ ♪♪♪♪ ♥♥♥§§§§§§§

After the exciting  Giveaway now for an exciting Caponata recipe…..
Over the past few years Food blogging has changed my perspective about different cuisines. Chinese is no longer restricted to Hakka noodles and Fried Rice; Mexican is no longer just Tacos and Salsa; Italian is not just pizza and pasta. Surfing the various blogs each day has made me explore many vegetarian recipes beyond these popular dishes of that particular region.

Alessio  challenged us to make a Sicilian speciality-Caponata for this month’s Velveteer’s Challenge.

‘The 4 Velveteers was started by Aparna, Asha, Alessio and Pam, who are passionate about different cuisines and food in general. Each month, we will attempt a new dish and share our experiences and the recipes we used. If you’re interested in joining the Velveteers, please feel free to drop by our Google group‘

I have never made a Caponata before, so was quite intrigued by it.

Wikipedia describes Caponata as a Sicilian aubergine dish, a cooked vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar, and capers in a sweet and sour sauce usually served as an Antipasto.

In my quest for a simple Caponata recipe I came across this recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi. I loved the use of Harissa paste- the ‘Ottolenghi  treatment’ as the recipe says- in the traditional Caponata recipe. I had some Harissa seasoning which my brother had gifted me some time back. Also the addition of raisins was quite interesting. I did not have capers neither did I have red-wine vinegar. I skipped the capers and substituted the red-wine vinegar with white-wine vinegar. I also substituted the canned tomatoes with fresh blanched tomatoes.

The loved the array of colors that the vegetables brought to the Caponata. I love eggplants in most of its form but here the humble eggplant/ aubergine was transformed into a flavorful salad with just a few ingredients. The fresh celery leant a refreshing flavor to the Caponata and the harissa added the much desired tang. The raisins were a welcome ‘sweet’ addition to the already ‘tart-spicy’ caponata.

I also added some fresh Basil leaves, which for a change are in abundance right now. I served this delicious Caponata on Bite sized- Chilly rusks.

As recommended in the original recipe, it also makes a great sauce for pasta or couscous. It’s also delicious with cheese: try spreading it over rustic bread and topping with mature vegetarian pecorino, much like the English cheese and pickle sandwich.

I could not save the Caponata to be savored the next day but you might want to make an extra batch since it tastes better the next day!

Here’s the recipe:

Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi ‘s Caponata recipe

Ingredients:

2 slender Eggplants/ Aubergines diced

2-3 tender celery stalks cut on an angle into slices

1 small red pepper diced

1 onion diced

~ 3 small tomatoes blanched, peeled and chopped

Few green olives sliced

3 tbsp chopped parsley

~ 2 tbsp Fresh Basil leaves chopped

2 tbsp Harissa Seasoning

1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar

Handful of Raisins

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Red Chili flakes as required (optional)

2 tbsp Olive oil+2 tbsp sunflower oil

Method:

Heat both oils in a heavy-bottom pan or a non stick pan.

Add the diced aubergines and fry for 5-6 minutes till golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the aubergine to a colander and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

After a few minutes, transfer to soak on a paper towel.

Add the celery to the hot oil, fry for three minutes, add the pepper and cook for two minutes. Transfer to the colander, then to a paper towel.

Sauté the onion and harissa seasoning in the oil (add a little more to the pan, if needed) for seven minutes, until soft and golden.

Drain off any excess oil from the pan, add the tomatoes and vinegar, stir and bring to a simmer. Add the fried vegetables, olives and sugar, and season.

 If the mix is too dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat taste and adjust the seasoning.

Add the raisins.

Leave to come to room temperature, add the lemon juice and parsley,basil leaves and Red chilli flakes(if using)

Serve with sliced baguettesor garlic bread or some spicy rusks as I did.

Thanks Alessio for introducing me to the delicious Sicilian favorite, I am going to try several other versions in several different ways from now on.

Do Check out the various versions of the Caponata on the other Velveteer’s blogs:

 Aparna’s Eggplant and Fig Caponata

Asha’s Sicilian Caponata over Zatared lavash

Sarah’s Caponata- A Sicilian Relish

Veena’s Sicilian Caponata

Ken’s Caponata jam