A year of sharing mouth watering memories
My Ever-so Amazing Grandmother .....
"What do you want to eat when you meet me tomorrow"?..." How about Luchi, pakoras and halwa"? and it was all that was needed to make my mouth water and for me to dream about the meal that was yet to come!
My grandmother knew exactly what would make me happy. Though she was a very strict grandparent ,one could sense her love in the way she dressed her table and in her cooking..she would know what we liked and more importantly the way we liked it..it is a rare quality to be found..She would surely make way into a persons heart through her cooking...she never missed out on the most important ingredient called "' Love"...
It's been a year since I started my blog ..all the credit goes to her recipes and her love for cooking..and the memories she has woven for me. I can still remember as I close my eyes the taste of the delicious foods she would prepare...
"Luchi'' are fried breads from Bengal made of flour , totally sinfull . Pakoras are gramflour batter fried fritters of vegetables like onions, spinach, mushrooms, aubergines..totally sinfull and Sooji halwa is just pure goodness of ghee, semolina, flour and sugar...totally sinfull!
As Rolling Pin turns 1...I hear my grandmothers call for luchi's, pakoras and halwa...a true treat for her and me ...a meal only she and I would share ...I dedicate this year in her memory and I know she is definitely smiling down on me when I served this totally sinfull meal today at my table...
Vegetable Pakoras
Deep fried gramflour battered vegetable fritters
Ingredients:
Gramflour 4 tblsps
Onion rings 2 onions
Spinach leaves 7-8 leaves
Carrom seeds ,ajwain 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Soda bi carbonate a pinch
Dry fenugreek leaves 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying
Chaat Masala to sprinkle
To prepare:
1. Mix in all the above ingredients except for the vegetables .
2. Pour enough water to make a thick coating consistency batter and leave to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a Kadai (like a wok).
4. Dip the vegetables in the batter to coat it and deep fry in the kadai till golden brown.
5. Drain on a kitchen towel.
6. Sprinkle Chaat Masala on the fritters and serve hot.
Luchis
Deep fried Flat breads made of flour, originally from Bengal .
Ingredients:
Flour 2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Oil for rolling 2.5 tblsp
To prepare:
In a bowl or a large plate, first add the flour, ghee(OIL)and salt.
Add 1 or 2 tbsp water and mix everything with your hands or with a spatula.
Then add about ½ cup of water and begin to knead the flour.
Add water as required and knead very well. the dough should be soft and smooth.
Cover the dough with a moist kitchen napkin and let it rest for minimum 30 minutes at room temperature.
Make lemon sized balls from the dough and cover them with the moist napkin.
Apply some oil on the balls, roll each into a circle of about 3-4 inches.
Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. the oil has to become hot.
Drop a small piece of the dough in the oil and if it comes up steadily from the bottom, it means the oil is ready for the luchi to be fried.
Gently drop the dough circle into the hot oil. the luchi will begin to puff up.
Gently nudge with a spoon to help in the complete puffing up of the luchi.
when one side has become creamish and the oil has stopped sizzling, turn over and fry the other side.
Remove and drain luchi on kitchen towels for the extra oil to be soaked.
Serve luchi hot with aloor dum, chola dal or any bengali vegetable or lentil curry or with parkoras and halwa!!
Sooji ka Halwa
Semolina and flour based dessert..full of ghee goodness , recipe in previous posts
The complete meal for the 1st Birthday celebration...A thali (round plate), with servings of Khatta Kadu(sour pumpkin vegetable), Rasedaar Alloo (potato curry), Channa daal( split bengal gram lentil) and yoghurt as accompaniments...
I hope you have enjoyed my journey this year. I thank you all for your support and look forward to many many more wonderful mouth watering memories!
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