Naan

Accompaniments

Naan originated in Persia and is popular in West, East and Central South Asia.  Influenced by the large South Asian immigrants, naan has become popular in other parts of the world, especially in Arab States of Persian Gulf, Europe and North America.

Naan is a leavened flatbread cooked in a tandoor oven or an open fire.  Naan resembles a pita bread. It is served hot and brushed with ghee or butter.  It can be used to scoop other foods, or served stuffed with a filling of meat, chicken or vegetables or Peshawari naan and Kashmiri naan are filled with mixture of nuts, raisins and coconut.   In Pakistan the most famous naan vatiety is the roghani naan which is sprinkled with sesame seeds.

 Ingredients

  • 2 -½         lbs white flour
  • 2              tsp yeast
  • 2              tsp sugar
  • ¾             tsp baking powder
  •  ½            cup oil
  • 1              cup yoghurt
  • 2              cups warm water

Instructions

  1. Add yeast, sugar and baking powder to the white flour and mix.
  2. Add oil, yoghurt and warm water and make a dough.
  3. Leave it covered in a bowl, in a warm place to rise, for 2 hours.
  4. Kneed it on a flat surface and let it rest for 10 min.
  5. Divide it into 24 balls.
  6. Roll out each ball into an 8” round.
  7. Cook on a tava on both the sides and then on open fire.
  8. Brush it with butter.
  9. Serve it warm.

Naan

Khari Puri

Snacks & Appetizers

IMG_1986

Different Shapes of Puri for Bhel[/caption]

Ingredients

  • 1                 lb white flour
  • 1/2              tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2              tsp freshly ground cumin
  • 1/2              tsp freshly ground ajwan
  • 1/2              tsp salt
  • 1/4              cup butter
  • 1                 cup water
  • 6                 cups oil for frying

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl add  the flour, black pepper, cumin, ajwan and salt.
  2. Rub in the butter.
  3. Make a soft dough using the water.  Knead the dough.  Divide it into 4 quarters.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap.
  4. On a floured board, roll out 1 quarter  at a time.  Roll the dough very thin.  (about 14” round).  prick with a fork. Take the 3 inch cookie cutter and cut the rounds.
  5. Deep fry in medium to hot oil till light golden in color.  The puris should be crispy.  Drain in a colander.
  6. Puris can be stored in an airtight container.

Puris can also be cut in strips or diamonds.

Katori and Cone Puris IMG_1987 Instructions

  1. Roll your dough to 1/8″ thickness and 3″ larger than the bowl you are using.  The dough should cover the bowl completely.
  2. Grease the katori, place the katori in the centre of the rolled puri and wrap the dough around it.
  3. IMG_6357 IMG_6360
  4. In the medium hot oil drop the katori wrapped with dough and fry it.
  5. Oil will start filling up in the katori, BE CAREFUL.
  6. Once brown remove from oil and drain it on paper towel.

Cone Puri

  • Roll the dough to 1/8″.  With a 4″ round cookie cutter, cut the rounds.
  • Wrap the dough around the come.  Moisten the edge with water and seal the edge.
  • Deep fry them.

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Kheema Paratha

Snacks & Appetizers

The paratha is a good lunch for the kids or a snack on the go.  On the coast in East Africa kheema paratha is a street food served in the evening.. It was fun watching the vendors make them in front of you.  They do it by pulling the dough and breaking a couple of eggs on the kheema. We always had it as a light dinner.  There were vendors selling  khawa (black coffee)  nearby too.

 

food pictures May 8 019I have used chicken kheema today.  You can use either beef, chicken or lamb.

Makes 12

Ingredients

  • 2                 lbs lean ground beef
  • 1/4             cup water
  • 1                 tsp salt
  • 4                 tsp green masala
  • 1-1/2         tsp freshly ground cumin
  • 1                 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2                 large onions finely chopped
  • 1                 cup chopped green onions
  • 2                 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1                 tbsp chopped mint
  • 1/2             tsp garam masala
  • 4                 eggs
  • 12              pastry sheets

Paste to seal

  • 3                  tbsp white flour
  • 2                  tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Cook  meat on medium  heat with 1/4 cup water.  Stir and break the meat until the meat changes color.
  2. Add all the spices and cook till meat is dry and cooked.
  3. When mixture is cool add garam masala, chopped onions, cilantro and mint.
  4. Mix white flour and water to make a paste.
  5. Take the pastry (see separate recipe to prepare pastry),  put 2 tablespoon of meat mixture in the centre.
  6. Pour 2 tbsp  beaten egg on top and  seal.  Pick up the corners of the opposite side  Apply a little paste on one corner and seal.  Apply paste to the side and bring in the other sides.  You should have a square.
  7. Cook on  frying pan on medium heat  turn over, brush with oil and cook on both sides.
  8. Serve with a salad and riata.

food pictures May 8 009

 

food pictures May 8 010

KAS KAS

Entrees

 

Poppy seeds (regular gray and Indian white type (close up) 

Poppy seed is a spice and an oil seed  from the opium poppy. The tiny kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years.  The seeds are used whole or ground, as an ingredients in many foods and they are pressed to yield poppy seed oil.  Opium poppy is native to the Middle East and produces very small slate blue, brown, white or yellow seed that has a nutty flavor and have a crunchy texture.

 

In Indian cuisine, white poppy seeds are added for thickness, texture and also give added flavor to the recipe.  It is also used as a garnish to the sweet dishes.

Gujarati Daal

Entrees, vegetarian

Gujarati food is very tasty and it has a lot of different spices.  It is sweet from sugar, hot from chili, bitter from fenugreek seeds, sour from lemon juice and nutty from peanuts.  I got this recipe from my mother who got it from our Gujarati neighbor in Uganda.

Serves 4

Gujarati Daal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 1            cup toor daal(8oz)
  • 1/4         cup raw peanuts(optional)
  • 2            med tomato chopped(6oz)
  • 1            tsp dhana jeera
  • 1/4         tsp haldi (tumeric powder)
  • 1            tsp garlic paste
  • 1            tsp ginger paste
  • 1/2         tsp green chilli paste
  • 1/2         tsp salt
  • 1            tbsp sugar (optional)
  • 2            tbsp oil
  • 1/4         tsp jeera(cumin) seeds
  • 1/4         tsp rye (mustard seeds)
  • 1/4         tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
  • 5            curry leaves
  • 1            tbsp chopped cilantr0
  •               juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Rinse daal in cold water and soak it in 6 cups of water  for 5 hours or overnight. ( Daal will cook faster if it has been soaked).
  2. Boil the daal in 2 cups of water, when the daal starts to boil remove it from the heat, drain it and rinse it in cold water(this will remove the gas from the daal).
  3. Boil it in 4 cups of water, add the chopped tomato, dhana jeera, haldi and  green masala.  Boil it for about half an hour, the daal will be soft.  With a whisk mash the daal.
  4. Add salt, lemon juice, sugar and peanuts.
  5. Heat oil in a frying pan, add the rye, methi, jeera and curry leaves.  When the rye starts to pop, add this to the daal mix and boil for 15.
  6. Sprinkle the daal with cilantro before  serving.
  7. Serve the daal with rice, chapatti and  vegetable curry.

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Spicy Potatoes

Entrees

 Ingredients

  • 6                   med potatoes
  • 2                   tbsp oil
  • 5                   curry leaves
  • 1/4                tsp rye(mustard seeds)
  • 1/4                tsp jeera(cumin seeds)
  • 2                   tbsp tomato paste
  • 1                   tsp salt
  • 1/4                tsp red chili powder
  • 1                   tsp green masala
  •                      juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/4                tsp garam masala
  • 1                   tbsp chopped cilantro for decoration.

Instructions

  1. Boil the potatoes till they are half done.  About 10 minutes.  Peel them and cube them to 3/4 inch.
  2. In a medium saucepan heat the oil, add the curry leaves, rye and cumin.  When the rye starts to pop add the rest of the ingredients except cilantro.  Mix well.
  3. Add the potatoes mix, cover and cook for another 10 min till the potatoes are cooked through.
  4. Sprinkle cilantro before serving.
  5. Serve with BBQ chicken or meat.

Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake

Sweets

I found this recipe in the Vancouver Sun – food section.  The cake has sliced strawberries with a sweet coconut mixture.  The original recipe is from The UBC Bake Shop.

The cake is delicious with coffee or serve it as a desert with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

 Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake

 

Ingredients

TOPPING

  • 1/2           cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2           cup sugar
  • 1/4           cup chilled butter
  • 1/4           cup flaked or shredded coconut

CAKE

  • 3/4           cup sugar
  • 1/4           cup butter
  • 1              medium egg
  • 1/2           cup milk
  • 1              tsp almond extract
  • 1-1/2        cups all-purpose flour
  • 2              tsp baking powder
  • 1/2           tsp salt
  • 1-1/2       cups sliced fresh strawberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

TOPPING

  1. Combine flour and sugar.
  2. Cut in chilled butter and mix in coconut.

CAKE

  1. Mix sugar, shortening and egg thoroughly.
  2. Stir in milk and almond extract.
  3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture.
  5. Turn into greased and floured 9 inch square/round cake  pan.
  6. Top with strawberries and sprinkle with coconut topping.
  7. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. 

The cake is done when, if you insert a tooth pick in the middle of the cake and the tooth pick comes out clean.

Mattar Pilau

vegetarian

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2             cups basmati rice
  • 1             medium onion
  • 1             medium tomato
  • 2             potatoes(optional)
  • 4             tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4          tsp cumin
  • 1/4          tsp black pepper
  • 5             cloves
  • 1             inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 5             cardamom pods
  • 1             tsp dhanajeera(cumin and coriander powder)
  • 1/4          tsp haldi(turmeric powder) 
  • 2             tsp green masala
  • 1             cup frozen peas
  • 1/ 2         cup yoghurt
  • 2             tsp salt
  • 2-1/2       cups water
  • 1             tsp garam masala

Instructions

  1. Rinse the rice in cold water and soak it in the water till you are ready to use.
  2. Peel and thinly slice the onions, dice the tomatoes and peel and quarter the potatoes.
  3. In a medium saucepan heat the oil.  Add cumin, black pepper cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and onions.  Fry the onions till light golden brown. 
  4. Add the tomatoes, dhana jeera, haldi, green masala, salt  yoghurt, and peas.   Mix and let it cook on medium- high  heat for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the water.  When the water starts to boil add the rice.  When this starts to boil, turn the meat to medium cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Most of the liquid  will be absorbed. 
  6. Sprinkle garam masala and put it in a pre heated 300 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Serve it with yoghurt and carrot pickle.  The rice can be served with chicken tikka or on its own.

Orange Marmalade

Dips, Chutneys, Preserves and Pickles

food pictures May 8 021 

Ingredients

  • 8                   Seville oranges 
  • 2                   lemons, quartered, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2             quarts cold water
  • 6 3/4             cups  sugar (approximately)

Instructions

  1. Peel 6 oranges and cut the peel into 1/3 inch pieces, remove the seeds and coarsely chop the fruit.  Cut the remaining  2 oranges in quarter, remove the seeds and slice them thinly.
  2. Bring fruit, peels, and water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Turn off heat, cover, and let cool.  Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 1 day).
  3. Freeze a plate.  Blend the mixture.  Measure the mixture and add 3/4 cup sugar for each  cup of mixture.
  4. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often.  Cook until mixture registers 220 degrees to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes.  To test for doneness of marmalade:  Drop a spoonful on frozen plate.  If marmalade has a slight film when pushed with a finger, it is done.  If it spreads out and thins immediately, continue cooking and taste again after a few minutes.  Transfer marmalade to airtight containers, cover and let cool at room temperature.  Refrigerate overnight before serving.  (Marmalade will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.) or can it in canning jars.

Naan Khatia

Sweets

Nan Khatia is also called sooji (semolina) biscuit.  Nan Khatia is an eggless crispy biscuit that can be served with tea or coffee.  It is similar to shortbread.

Makes 40

Nan Khati
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ingredients

  • 2-1/2              cup white flour
  • 1                    cup sooji
  • 1/2                 cup chana flour(gram flour)
  • 3/4                 cup icing sugar
  • 1/2                 tsp crushed cardamom
  • 1/2                 tsp  freshly ground nutmeg powder
  • 1                    cup ghee (clarified butter)
  •                       a few drops of yellow food coloring

Instructions

  1. Pre heat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. In a medium size bowl mix everything together.
  3. Transfer the mixture onto a work surface and knead  well till the dough becomes soft.
  4. Take a small piece and with you palms roll it in a ball and then flatten it a little.  Put it in a greased tray 2 inches apart.
  5. Mix the food coloring in a teaspoon of water.  With your finger tip make a dot in the centre.
  6. Bake it for 20 minutes or till light brown in color.

Variations

You can use chopped almonds and pistachios for decoration instead of food coloring.