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November 22, 2008
Tis the Season - Cranberry Chutney with an Indian Kick
I had never tasted cranberries until two days ago. While I wonder how I could have missed it, I am happy that I atleast tried now. OK, I was not all adventurous to go buy some personally. This came as a part of our weekly produce from Farm Fresh to You. I tasted one, it was tart and I love tart. Here is the recipe of the chutney I made. We had it with Cumin Rice and even over bread.
Fresh Cranberries - 2.5 cups Apple - 1 ( chopped into bite sized pieces) Ginger - 1 T (finely MInced) Green Chillies - 4 (finely chopped) Water - 1/2 cup Lemon Zest - 1/8th tsp Lemon Juice- 1 T Brown Sugar - 2/3 cup+ 2 tsp sugar ( I did this coz I needed it more sweeter) Garam Masala - 1 tsp Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp Turmeric Cpower - 1 tsp Salt to taste
This is the easy party, add all the ingredients to a pan and let it cook on medium high for about 10 minutes. It is fun to watch the cranberries pop. The chutney begins to thicken. You will know when it done, I promise! The house will be filled with the aroma of this chutney.
I have vague memories of having thalipeeth at home. My sis would come home after visiting her friends and try new recipes that she learnt from them..ah the joy of being the youngest. Thalipeeth was one of them. While I remembered the name distinctly, I had forgetten how it tasted.
The wonderful world of blogging refreshed my memory and I decided to make this at home and when it was a huge success, I decided to teach this in my class well. I looked at a few recipes and made my own. My inspiration came from Nupur's thalipeeth
Chickpea/Garbanzo flour- 1/2 cup Rice flour- 1/2 cup Whole-wheat flour - 1/2 cup Semolina- 2 T English Cucumber - 1 (grated) Spinach- 1/4 cup (finely chopped) Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Red onion - 2 T (finely chopped) Serrano green chilliy - 1 (finely minced) Cilantro - 2 T (finely chopped) salt to taste vegetable oil for cooking
Method:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl to make a soft pliable dough, adding water only if necessary ( The water content in the cucmber should be more than sufficient).
The dough will be sticky. I tried patting them on a plastic sheet and transferring to the griddle. But found the traditional far more convenient.
Take a golf ball sized ball of dough and start patting it to a round disc on the griddle.
Have a toothpick next to the griddle and immediately make three to four holes on the thalipeeth.
Drizzle with oil into the holes and around and cook for a minute and then turn and cook.
Cook until they are golden brown on both sides.
Everyone in my class, made their own thalipeeth and had it with thick yogurt. I might add grated carrots to it next time.
Growing up, this simple sauteed plantains or Steamed plantains was a after school snack that mom would make for this. During my last trip to India, I had amma make both of them on the same day. At the Co-Op, our original plan was to just make steamed plantains and when we had extra plantains, we decided to make this as well. Ironically, most folks liked this better than the steamed ones. I personally love both. When I am in the mood for healthy foods - steamed plantain is the choice and when I want to really indulge in a dessert that brings back memories and loaded with ghee and sugar, this is the one I want.
This is traditionally made with Jaggery, but we made it with dark brown sugar in the class and it turned out just fine. You can serve this hot with a dollop of Vanilla ice cream too.
Enjoy the video from the tv segment on CBS 13
Ripe Plantains - 2 Butter/Ghee - 4 T Brown Sugar - About 5 T or per your taste Cardamom powder - 1/8th tsp
Peel the plantains and cut them in half inch thick rounds. Heat the butter in a skillet on medium low heat and wait for the butter to melt completely. Place the thin rounds of plantain on the skillet and cook on both sides till the plantain changes to a golden brown color. Sprinkle the cardamom powder and brown sugar and cook for a few seconds until the brown sugar melts over the plantains.
On another note, I have two classes at Whole Foods this month.
Register online, stop in the store to sign up or call Customer Service at 916-488-2800.
Monday, November 10th
Vegetarian with an Indian Flair
6:00 p.m. $45
With Guest Chef Shankari Easwaran If you want new tasty items for Thanksgiving dinner, look no farther. Classic dishes are taken to a new taste level in this class. On the menu: Kabocha Squash Soup with exotic spices; Kadhai Paneer (an Indian cheese cooked with seasonal vegetables); Cranberry Pilaf (an excellent jazzed up side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner); Shahi Bread Pudding infused with cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Sign up for both Indian classes (11/10 and 11/17) and get $15 off! Must sign up in-store or via telephone. Hands-on class, must be 18 to attend.
Monday, November 17th
Tour of India
6:00 p.m. $45
With Guest Chef Shankari Easwaran Start fresh or continue on your Tour with Shankari, chef and food blogger. She will cover the world of Indian spices and show you how to make the following:
Crispy Fish with Chilly Mayo - Strips of tilapia dredged in a spiced flour mixture served with a kicked-up sauce
Chicken Tikka Masala - Every Indian restaurant has this on their menu and you'll learn to make this easy breezy dish in a jiffy
Cumin Rice Pilaf
Tropical Fruit Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette - dessert with a twist
I had never tasted cranberries until two days ago. While I wonder how I could have missed it, I am happy that I atleast tried now. OK, I was not all adventurous to go buy some personally. This came as a part of our weekly produce from Farm Fresh to You. I tasted one, it was tart and I love tart. Here is the recipe of the chutney I made. We had it with Cumin Rice and even over bread.
