The festival of colors to welcome the onset of spring, Holi has a plethora of memories for me from my years growing up in Chandigarh, and we try celebrating every year, to the extent possible, even though we've moved out of the desh (homeland, mother country).. a little distanced physically, but always there in our collective hearts and minds! The gathering of friends in the neighborhood, armed with pichkaaris (water guns) and a variety of gulaal (different colored powders to cover each other with in the spirit of the festival), adding more folks along the way, on the march towards our neighborhood community center, where the festivities culminated amid a lot of music and singing of traditional holi songs!
And then there was the next phase of childhood/young adulthood, that took me to New Delhi, the capital city of India, for my undergraduate studies... the festivities continued, but what got added to the mix, holi or no holi, but especially during holi!!, were the frequent visits to purani dilli, literally meaning old Delhi to experience an era bygone, where time has stood still, only interrupted by the sounds, the welcoming khushboo (nice smells :)) of the goodies the age-old shops have on offer, the colorful thelas (stands for selling small products) sporting the simplest of toys up for sale, and the festive spirit of the folks that live and breathe the mysteries that talk to the hundreds of years that this city has been in existence.
This post is in remembrance of Purani Dilli and Holi, both representative of everything that is good, that is pervasive, and that heralds new beginnings, while keeping in touch with our rich history! I may have to come back to the tour around Purani Dilli, given that there are sooooo many absolutely brilliant shops tucked away in this corner and that, and that had their special claim to fame, but I'll start with this first one... my friend Sujata was a savior and provided the excerpt for the Mango Stuffed Kulfi (so a giant thanks to her for this section!! my mission is to make her a contributor to this blog one day in the not so distant future... will keep at it for sure!!).
So here's what we drew up for Purani Dilli - Take 1:
Bread Pakora (a much loved snack and common street food, these are deep fried and savory bread fritters from the north Indian Punjabi cuisine);
Amritsari Chole Bhature (also hails from Punjab, a spiced tangy chickpea curry, served with bhature, a soft and fluffy fried leavened bread) and Aloo Khasta (a delicious, spicy, fried flaky and puffed pastry, with a spicy moong dal mixture filling, served with aloo bhaaji on the side);
Paneer Khurchan (a "dhaba" style Punjabi recipe for paneer, cooked in a tomato and onion gravy) and Mutton, Poori ke Saath (a goat meat dish, prepared with a mix of sautéed onions, tomatoes and ginger garlic to make a flavorful sauce with a perfect balance of savory, aromatic spices)
And we topped it off with Mango Stuffed Kulfi (a creamy Indian frozen dessert, with a mango twist!) and Gujiya (crescent shaped sweet dumplings, stuffed with a mix of mawa and dry fruits) as a tribute to holi!
Bread Pakoras (passed down from my Mama's Kitchen)
What you'll need:
6 slices white bread (preferably enriched bread, so the bread has a backbone!)
1 cup besan (gram flour); 11/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1/4 tsp baking pd; 1 tsp coriander pd; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves); 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped; water to make the batter
1 tblsp each of coriander, mint and coconut chutneys
Canola oil for frying
Make the bread pakora batter by carefully mixing all the dry ingredients together, including the fresh cilantro. Add water in small portions to make a thick batter - you don't want the batter to be too runny, instead you want this to coat the bread well without dripping off. Cut the edges of the bread slices off so the crusty pieces are off. Mix the 3 chutneys together - this will form the thin "stuffing" layer between the bread sandwich layers. Heat the oil for deep frying the bread pakoras. Once heated (check by dropping a drop of the batter into the oil - it should bubble and rise up immediately), you're ready for the frying process, which will take all of 4 minutes!
Spread a tblsp of the chutney mix on a slice of bread, and cover this with another slice to make the "sandwich". Cut the "sandwich" into half, either diagonally or along the middle length-wise (I did length-wise since it was just easier to handle, although the diagonal cut does make it look prettier!). Gently dip it in the batter, and make sure the batter coats this sandwich on all sides. Now slowly lower the battered bread (its not battered but batter-ed :) into the oil, and let it fry for approximately 2 minutes on each side... you'll note that the batter will bloom/swell up and the bread pakora will start looking like a fluffy brown pillow! Drain any excess oil by putting the fried bread pakora on paper towels, and serve hot with chai (tea) or as an appetizer with a drink in the evening!
Amritsari Chole Bhature (adapted from Lotan Chole Kulche Wale)
What you'll need:
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight with a pinch of baking soda (or you could use 1 can of chickpeas if you don't have the time to soak overnight); 1 tea bag; 1 tsp salt
2 tblsp oil; 1 star anise; 1" cinnamon stick; 3 cloves; 1tsp cumin seeds
1 red onion, finely chopped; 2 green chillies, juliennes; 1 tomato, diced; 1 tsp amchur (dry mango pd); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp coriander pd; 1 tsp jeera pd (cumin pd); 1/2 tsp red chilli pd; 1/2 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp tamarind/date paste (optional)
1" ginger juliennes and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish
1 packet of "Deep" Frozen Bhature
Rinse the soaked chickpeas in water, and pressure cook the chickpeas with 1 tsp of salt, the tea bag, and with just enough water to cover the chickpeas in your pot. Pressure cook on high for about 40 minutes. We can get the gravy for the chole going while the chickpeas are cooking... for this, heat the oil and add in all the whole spices - roast until they start sputtering, takes about 3-4 minutes. Next, add in onions and saute until golden brown. Pour in the diced tomatoes and add in all the dry spices except the garam masala, and let the spices roast until the oil starts separating from the gravy - note, no water has been added to this yet. Let this simmer for about 5-6 minutes.
Once the chickpeas are done, release the pressure, remove the tea bag (you'll note that the chickpeas are now a gorgeous dark brown color thanks to the tea infusion!), and pour in the cooked chickpeas into the gravy pot. Mix well, so the chickpeas and gravy blend well. Cook covered for about 20 more minutes, so that the spices can get infused nicely into the chickpeas. Add in the garam masala, and the tamarind/date paste, stir for 4-5 minutes and your Amritsari Chole are ready to rock and roll! Garnish with fresh ginger juliennes and fresh cilantro, and serve with bhaturas on the sides.
Note: For bhaturas, I just used a frozen pack from the Indian store (Deep Frozen Bhature), but if you'd like to explore the makings of this variety of Indian breads, please do visit www.breadsofhindustan.com, a fantastic collection of Indian breads!
Aloo Khasta (adapted from Jung Bahadur Kachori Wala)
What you'll need for the Aloo:
5 potatoes, boiled and peeled
2 tblsp oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1/4 tsp asafoetida pd; 1 sprig curry leaves
1 red onions, sliced; 2 green chillies, chopped; 2 tomatoes, diced; 1 tblsp ginger garlic paste; 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
This is as simple as it gets! The khasta is a wee bit more involved, but the result is sooooooo good its really worth the effort! Back to the potatoes.. heat the oil and add in the cumin and coriander seeds, as well as the asafoetida and curry leaves, until these start crackling, in about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the onions and saute these until browned, before adding in the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and the tomatoes. Next, add in the dry spices and roast these with the tomatoes and onions until the oil starts separating... your spices are fully roasted at this time. Coarsely break the potatoes into this mix - you can just use your hand to break the boiled potatoes into uneven pieces... if you're a stickler, you can cut them into cubes, but in purani dilli, we don't have the time or the inclination to bother with any of that :)! Add a cup of water, and mix the potatoes well with the gravy, and cook covered for about 10-15 minutes until they've fully absorbed the flavors and are one with the spices. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with the khasta!! Another example of a breakfast for champions!!!
What you'll need for the Khasta stuffing:
3/4 cup Moong daal (yellow split pea lentils), soaked for 4-5 hours
2 tblsp ghee (clarified butter); 1/4 tsp asafoetida pd; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli pd; 1/2 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tsp coriander pd; 1/2 tsp garam masala
Drain all the water from the soaked lentils, and using a blender, make a coarse paste of the moong daal. In a pan, heat the oil and add in the cumin seeds and asafoetida pd once the oil is hot. Then add in the red chilli pd and the moong daal paste, stirring constantly, else the daal will start sticking to the pan. Next add in the spices, while mixing with a spatula continuously... the lentils will take about 6-7 minutes to cook completely... you want to make sure there's no water left in the lentil stuffing, which is now ready to be stuffed into the khasta dough balls.
What you'll need for the Khasta dough:
2 cups all purpose flour; 4 tblsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp baking pd; 1 tsp carrom seeds
Mix all the ingredients together with your hands to make a crumbly dough. Next, slowly add in water, a little bit at a time to make a hard dough... I used less than a cup of water. lightly rub a few drops of oil on the dough, cover this with a wet cloth and let it rest for about an hour. Then make small balls (you should be able to make about 20-25 balls with this dough) - you're ready to start assembling the khasta now!
Let the magic begin!
Gently press each ball in the palm of your hand, making a crater in the middle, take a small amount of the lentil stuffing and place it in the crate, and then close up the dough ball, much like a pouch, kind of how you would make a momo! Make sure the top of the pouch is fully closed so the khasta doesn't spring open during the frying process. Next gently flatten it out with your palm and fingers into a 3" disc. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.
Heat the oil for frying (you can use canola oil), and once the oil is hot, reduce it to medium heat. Gently put in 4-5 khastas at a time, and fry on medium heat until these are golden brown in color... since you need to fry these on medium heat, it may take 8-10 minutes per batch of 5 khastas... PATIENCE IS KEY!
Serve with the hot aloo, either whole, or roughly broken into 3-4 pieces, so the aloo bhaaji is able to percolate through the khasta... such a treat... was/is typically served in plates made of leaves sown together in the streets of Chandni Chowk (one of the most famous areas in purani dilli/old Delhi)
Paneer Khurchan on the left and Mutton on the right
Paneer Khurchan (adapted from Hazari Lal Khurchan Wale)
What you'll need:
1 lb Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
2 tblsp oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 red onions, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1/2" ginger root, finely chopped; 1 tomato, diced; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
11/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tsp coriander/cumin pd; 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli pd
Another recipe so simple, trumped only by the delicious taste it brings to the table once done! Khurchan refers to the scrape bits you collect from along the side of the cookpot when the gravy dries up.. Heat the oil, add in the cumin seeds until they start crackling. Throw in the onions, ginger and garlic and toss well until nicely browned before adding in the tomatoes... you don't want to use a non-stick pan - you actually want the gravy and the paneer to stick (not burn, mind you!) to the base of the pan as you cook... also, you don't want to constantly stir the stuff in the pot, else the "khurchan" won't form :). Now add in the spices and the cubed paneer, and cook tossing every now and then for about 10-15 minutes... top with fresh cilantro for garnish!
My favorite growing up! Actually one of my favorites... you give me paneer any which way and I shall do justice to it... And, my girls take after me in this domain!!!
Mutton, Poori ke Saath
What you'll need:
2 lbs mutton (goat meat), in 2" pieces; 7-8 baby red potatoes, poked with a toothpick
3 tblsp mustard oil; 1' cinnamon stick; 1 bay leaf; 4-5 cloves; 1 big cardamom; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 red onions, chopped; 1 tomato, diced; 2 tblsp ginger garlic paste; 2 tblsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tsp salt; 1 tsp red chilli pd; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tblsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin pd
4 tblsp beaten yogurt
Mutton is an absolute must-have on Holi! Right alongside maal puas (will cover these when I do Bihar or Uttar Pradesh) and/or gujiyas (see below for the recipe).
Heat the mustard oil, add in all the whole spices and roast for 4-5 minutes. Then add in the onions, saute these until browned, and add in the ginger garlic paste and tomatoes to form a thick gravy. Drop in all the dry spices and let the gravy cook for a few minutes before adding in the mutton pieces and potatoes. Let the mutton roast for a few minutes with the gravy and then pressure cook on high for about 40 minutes.
Release the pressure. You want to get rid of the water in the pot, so to do that (and to make the mutton to a melt-in-your-mouth consistency) add in the yogurt and blend it in with the gravy and cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly to make sure the gravy doesn't stick to the base of the pot. The gravy will thicken, and this will become almost a semi-dry version of the mutton, to be enjoyed with pooris on the side!
Gujiya (passed down from Dadi's Kitchen)
What you'll need for the Mawa stuffing:
1 lb of Mawa/Khoya (Nanak's is a great brand in North America that can be leveraged, or Amul)
3 tblsp shredded coconut; 1/2 cup sugar, finely powdered; 1/2 cup of raisins
Crumble the mawa (alternately, you can use a grater to grate the mawa) and put this in a flat non-stick pan, and start cooking, stirring constantly with a spatula so that the mawa does not stick to the base of the pan. Cook until the mawa gains a light brown color. Now remove the pan from the heat, and allow the mawa to cool to room temperature before adding in the sugar, coconut and raisins to the mix. Your gujiya stuffing is ready to be stuffed!
What you'll need for the Gujiya shells:
2 cups all purpose flour; 4 tblsp ghee (clarified butter); water for making the dough
Ghee (for frying; alternately you can use canola oil)
Mix the ghee with the flour with your fingers to make a crumbly dough... adding in little amounts of water at a time, to make a hard-ish dough. I used less than half a cup of water! Set the dough aside, covered, for about 20 minutes.
Next, divide the dough into small balls (about 20-22 of these should be possible). Taking one of the balls, roll it out evenly into a 4" disc. Then, place the disc on a dumpling mould and with your finger, lightly tap the edges with water (we'll use water as the glue to stick the edges of the gujiya dumpling once you've stuffed in with the mawa goodness!). Put in a spoonful of the stuffing, and close the dumpling mould, pressing tightly so the edges stick together. Remove the gujiya dumpling from the mould, and repeat the process with each of the dough balls. Keep these covered with a cloth so that the gujiyas don't dry up on the surface.
Heat the oil, and then add in 5-6 gujiyas at a time, and turn these over frequently so they get fried evenly on all sides... each batch should take 6-8 minutes. Drain the oil off the gujiyas on paper towels. Store these treats in an airtight container once these have cooled! A very very typical sweet morsel made during the holi festival in the northern parts of India!
Stuffed Mango Kulfi (from Sujata's Kitchen, a friend from once upon a time, and forever more!)
What you'll need:
Evaporated milk, 1 12oz can; Condensed milk, 1 14oz can; Heavy whipping cream, 1 16oz container
2 tblsp Almond or cashew or pistachio pd (optional); a few saffron strands soaked in a tsp of warm milk (optional); 2 tblsp Gulkand (rose water, optional - I use this for regular kulfi but skipped for mango kulfi)
2 Ripe sweet mangoes (or more, depending on how many you want to make)
Note: For the mango kulfi I actually halved the above ingredients because I didn't want to make too much. I filled two mangoes, plus made about ten regular popsicle-style kulfis.
Is this Stuffed Mango Kulfi? Or Mango Stuffed Kulfi? Or Kulfi-Stuffed Mango? What's in a name, as long as the taste is amazing!! This is another ode to Puraani Dilli, inspired by the famous Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi Wale. They are famous for all kinds of fruit kulfi, but mango season is when people really queue up! They also call it aam matka kulfi (kulfi in a mango "pot") yet another option in the name department. My version is a quick-n-easy one of course. The 3-minute kulfi recipe is the bomb all on its own, but spending the extra 10 minutes to fill it in a mango shell is just another fun twist to make it special for the Holi weekend.
You want to mix all the ingredients except for the mangoes well in a blender or with a hand blender, and place this in the freezer while you work on the mangoes, so it thickens a bit. Chop off the top of the mango, and save it to use as a lid. Next. the only step that needs a little bit of effort and patience: Using a small knife, gently cut all around the mango seed. Be careful not to pierce the outer skin with the knife, or the kulfi mix will leak. Massage the base of the mango to loosen the seed. Finally twist it back and forth up to 90 degrees and gently pry it out of the mango shell. So glad I didn't become a dentist (Confession: I did knick the skin, nothing a bit of cellotape couldn't fix :))
Now place the shelled mango in a cup to hold upright for freezing, and pour the kulfi mix into it. You definitely want to leave some mango pulp attached to the skin for a contrasting color and "stuffed" look but make the cavity large enough to hold a good amount of the creamy goodness too! Cover the mango with the chopped top, repeat this with all, and put the cups into the freezer. If you have extra kulfi mix just pour into Popsicle moulds and also freeze (a hack if you don't have moulds, is to use tiny Dixie cups, and stick in popsicle sticks after an hour or so, so they will stand upright). Freeze the mango kulfi 6-8 hours minimum, or overnight. Take out of freezer, thaw the cup if you can't get the mango out, then peel off the skin with a peeler. Lop off the cap and then cut into half inch slices. Plate and serve! You can use your hands or a fork to pick up the slices and dig into the chilled, sweet, fruity, creamy goodness!
So much more, but I'll take a break here... this one definitely deserved a long post warning... will be back with Purani Dilli - Take 2 soon... until then, eat well and stay cool!
コメント